CSA Meals - Week 2

Have you ever made something you're not all that fond of, but eaten it anyway, and then been turned off to the idea of it for good? Unfortunately that happened to me during the second week of our share, and I never want to think about french onion for a very long time.  

I was really excited about the recipe from Joy the Baker, but I must have messed up the onions in the process, because they were too wet and not overly "french" tasting. The beautifully browned bread was soggy enough to require a spoon and fork, which was disappointing, and after we finished Davy realized that he'd eaten a whole onion. For some reason that was enough to make both of us slightly queasy.

The failed sandwiches were the only significant cooking effort I made during Week 2. We also consumed a pizza from whole foods, salads, roasted summer squash and zucchini.

I did manage to medium-boil some eggs, and they added a lot to a lunch salad that also included quinoa and feta cheese.

I suppose not every week can be exceptional, and the following one turned out to be a vast improvement, primarily because we didn't eat anything resembling a popular soup flavor.

CSA Meals - Week 5

Sharing recipes and methods of cooking with friends is one of my favorite parts of participating in a CSA.  Last week ended up being slightly different than normal, because Shannon and I arranged for a veggie swap over the weekend.  She gave me a giant zucchini and lettuce from her garden, and I unloaded cabbage, radicchio, and kale into her produce drawer.

We both had the benefit of variety, and I got to try a recipe that I've been holding onto in anticipation of the zucchini harvest: "Pasta and Fried Zucchini Salad."  The New York Times recipe includes zucchini, fresh mozzarella, basil, and lemon, all of which scream summer to me.  

Frying the zucchini takes a lot of time, and I don't think that it has to be fried to make this dish.  Next time I would grill or roast the zucchini, which would probably improve the taste and healthiness of the salad.  

My favorite part of the pasta salad wasn't the tenderness of the mozzarella or the kale pesto-coated penne (although I always love pesto-coated pasta).  What I liked most was the inclusion of capers, red wine vinegar and lemon zest, all of which brightened the dish and elevated it to a more interesting level.  The dish isn't simple, but every component of it blends together effortlessly.  I forgot to take a picture of the final product, but the recipe and my modifications are below.

The other big cooking effort of the week was "Kale Fried Rice," from Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook, and it was recommended by my friend Lyndsey.  I used my garlic scapes in place of garlic cloves, and added eggs and edamame to make it into a one pot meal.  I also ran out of brown rice, and ended up using half brown and half jasmine, which made the dish a little bit lighter.    

   

 

My kale should have been sliced more finely, and I used more than called for, but this fried rice is deceivingly flavorful and satisfying.  

We munched on the green beans and cucumbers raw, which really makes me appreciate just how fresh and cared for our CSA produce is.  After the swap, we were only left with potatoes at the end of the week, which will endure longer than the greens I traded away.

Pasta and Fried Zucchini Salad

Published: April 26, 2011 (NYT)

Time: 45 minutes

Adapted from “Plenty” by Yotam Ottolenghi (Chronicle Books)

Salt and black pepper

2/3 cup sunflower oil (or vegetable oil)

3 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3/4 cup frozen edamame

2 cups basil leaves, shredded coarsely*

1/4 cup parsley leaves*

1/3 cup olive oil*

9 ounces penne

Zest of 1 lemon (I used zest and juice of 1/2 lemon)

1 1/2 tablespoons capers

7 ounces buffalo mozzarella, torn into chunks.

*I used kale pesto from my freezer and a few leaves of fresh basil

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a medium saucepan, heat sunflower (vegetable) oil over medium-high heat. Fry zucchini slices in batches (do not crowd them) for 3 minutes, or until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a colander to drain. Tip zucchini slices into a bowl, pour vinegar on top and stir, then set aside.

2. In the hot water, blanch edamame for 3 minutes; drain, refresh under running cold water and set aside to dry. Keep boiling water in pot.

3. In boiling water, cook pasta until al dente; drain and rinse under cold water. Return pasta to pot. Pour zucchini slices and their juices over pasta. Add edamame, basil sauce (kale pesto), lemon zest and juice, capers and mozzarella. Stir together gently, then taste and season with plenty of salt and pepper. Before serving, stir in remaining basil.

Yield: 4 servings

CSA Meals - Week 3

Can anyone guess what this is?

I know I would have a hard time figuring it out.  It's a blend of fresh strawberries, ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and sugar that was eventually poured into popsicle molds.  


The strawberries we got last Tuesday were a little soggy, but still delicious, and Darbi recommended eating them that day.  Davy and I were going out to dinner, and I knew we probably wouldn't get to them, so I made the mixture above based on this recipe.  I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't tasted the popsicles yet, but I have a feeling that they're going to be creamy and refreshing.


Looking back on the week, I have to give myself credit for being somewhat more creative than normal with the produce.  Aside from some standard salads with sliced radish, feta, pistachios and medium-boiled eggs, I made the popsicles, quiche and a kale sauce that is similar to pesto. 


The quiche was based on a recipe for ham and spinach filling, and I substituted blanched rainbow chard for the spinach.  I'd never made a quiche before, or used a store-bought pie crust, but it seemed to go pretty well.  I baked the pie with dried beans according to the recipe directions, although I'm not sure that I needed to take that extra step.

The eggs I got from the market, not surprisingly, were far superior to eggs from the grocery store.  You can see how deep the color of the yolks is in the picture below, and they don't have that weird chemical taste when you boil them.

I still have some of the amazing Christmas ham in my freezer, and it was smoky and divine in the quiche.

The only other change I made was the addition of some grated cheddar cheese.  I just didn't feel right having eggs and ham without it, especially since the quiche was already extra healthy from the chard.  

The quiche took a lot longer to set than twenty-five minutes, which is what the recipe suggested.  The picture above was taken before it was really done, and I was so hungry by the time it was ready that I forgot to take another one.  


We had some pieces of quiche for dinner last night, and I think it was almost better after sitting overnight in the fridge.  Quiche is an easy, versatile meal, and can be made with tons of different fillings, so I'm glad I finally got around to trying it in my own kitchen.


On Friday night I was trying to figure out how to incorporate the curly kale we got into an appetizing side dish for a cookout we were having on Sunday.  I was envisioning a smooth, creamy sauce for pasta salad, but I ended up with something fairly different.  


I blanched the kale and chopped it, and then pureed it in the food processor with several cloves of garlic.  At this point I was horrified at how much garlic there was, so I tried adding lemon juice to cancel some of it out.  I squeezed in the juice of a lemon, sprinkled in some salt and pepper, and then the remainder of a container of ricotta (which was probably only a tablespoon or two) before giving up and using a lot of olive oil to get it to the right consistency.  


I made a pound of orzo the same night, and while it was still hot, I added about half of my makeshift kale pesto so the pasta would absorb some of its flavor.  When I was ready to assemble the salad on Sunday, I chopped and roasted an onion and several small sweet peppers.  They went into the bowl with the orzo as soon as they were ready, along with about 3/4 lb of feta, 3/4 cup toasted pine nuts, and more lemon juice and olive oil.  

Miraculously, the salad wasn't dry or too garlicky, probably because because I made the kale pesto ahead of time and the flavors had time to mellow.  I think it also turned out so well because feta is such a great pasta salad ingredient, and can mask as well as heighten certain tastes.  It's also a good dish to have hot, cold, or at room temperature, which is ideal for a summer cookout.


It's already June, and the weather has been absurdly hot already, so expect an update on the mysterious strawberry-ricotta popsicles any day now.

CSA Meals - Week 2

If I can help it, I like to make one pot meals, or at least use multiple types of vegetables in one dish.  Surprisingly, Davy and I don't eat a lot of salads, even though they lend themselves to using a variety of ingredients.


Soup, on the other hand, is one of my favorite things to make and to eat, even in hot weather.  Last Wednesday I used the garlic scallions, kale, and broccoli rabe from our to make a vegetable soup.  Sauteed carrot and celery, along with the scallions, formed the base.  Once they were cooked through, I added a little wine, then homemade chicken stock, and petite diced tomatoes. 


I blanched the broccoli rabe separately from the soup pot, fearing that the bitter flavor would leach out into the broth.  The contents got a good hour or so to simmer together before I added the greens (broccoli rabe and kale) and a can of cannellini beans.  

I flavored the soup with some rosemary sprigs and parmesan rinds, but it still needed salt, pepper, grated parmesan, and oil to make it really tasty.


Thursday was the exception to the rare salad rule.  I was on my own for dinner, and decided to make use of the nice lettuce mix.  Pistachios, a hard-boiled egg, feta, and a sliced radish made the salad more interesting and substantial.    


I blanched the remaining greens, which consisted mustard greens, mizuna and a few other Asian varieties.  I froze about a quarter of them, and used the rest to lighten up a big bowl of sesame noodles (my uncle's recipe), along with frozen edamame.    

The turnips from Fertile Crescent Farm have been large and gorgeous this spring.  Normally I don't get excited about turnips, but I was intrigued when I realized I could mash them and then make them into cakes to pan fry.

As you can see, the cakes weren't overly sturdy, and I didn't do a great job of flipping them, but they were very tasty.  Despite the fact that they were cooked in butter, I still felt healthy eating them alongside of a salad.


We're left with some nice-looking radishes and some salad mix, but considering all of the extras Adam and Darbi have been giving us, I feel good about how many vegetables we ate in a week.  One dish dinners are a convenient and easy way to consume a lot of produce, even if you have to resort to a salad to do so.

CSA Meals - Week 1

Tonight is the beginning of the second round of produce, and I'm in surprisingly good shape considering the pounds of greens we got last week.  I gave our radishes, bok choy, some broccoli rabe, and about half of our lettuce mix to my parents.  


The highlight of last week, for me, was the container of beautiful strawberries we got in our share.  We polished them off in just a couple days, and I put them in a salad for lunch one day.  They added a welcome burst of flavor to the lettuce.  The salad also included a medium-boiled egg, my first ever homemade, which came from one of my co-worker's chickens.  

I've stressed this before, but fresh eggs taste so much better than grocery store eggs, especially if you're eating them on their own.


We had a large bunch of Asian greens, and I'm not sure what all of them were, but they were pretty.

I chopped them and Davy sauteed them with garlic and sesame chili oil.  We sprinkled toasted sesame seeds on them after they'd wilted down.


  

Davy was having a rough week, so I decided to make one of his favorite Chinese take out meals to go with the greens, which is sweet and sour chicken.  I used a recipe I found on How Sweet It Is, and it turned out very well.  The chicken is crisp, tangy, and not greasy at all.  We served the chicken over rice, and the recipe mentions making extra sauce, but we had the right amount.  Next time I would consider adding some chili flakes to the sauce, or even some sriracha for a little kick.  

before the sauce

finished product

The gigantic bunch of broccoli rabe was taunting me every time I opened the fridge, and on Thursday I decided to put it to good use.  It's hard to tell from the picture, but this is an overwhelming mound of greens.

Mimicking one of the best pastas from Mamma Zu, I browned sausage without the casing (a spicy chicken and red wine variety from Trader Joe's) and blanched the broccoli rabe.  

Once the sausage was ready, I added the greens, garlic, and rosemary, and let the broccoli rabe cook a little.  Once it was warmed, I threw in cooked pasta - about half a pound of cavatappi - and stirred in tomato sauce and about a half cup of ricotta.  Luckily I really enjoyed the pasta, because I ended up eating it three more times.  It's a pleasant blend of flavors and textures; the ricotta makes it slightly creamy, the greens add a slight edge, and the sausage is spicy and savory.

When I went to Trader Joe's, I also purchased shelled pistachio pieces and their Light Champagne Vinaigrette in anticipation of a few weeks of salads.  On Friday I used them with the salad mix, and they worked well together, not to mention they added some variety to my boring routine.  


I wanted to change the normal sauteed kale routine, too, by making kale chips.  I think I baked the pieces for too long, because they came out more brown than green, and the taste reminded me of pumpkin seeds.  They were also very unattractive.  Kale chips may have to be conquered this week, or the next time we get a bunch of kale.

On Monday, the only veggies left were the garlic scallions, peas, and kale.  I'm not usually into peas, but I figured that these had to be better than what I'm used to since they're in season.  I shelled them and dropped them in boiling water for about five minutes.  

While they were in the pot, I toasted four thin slices of bread and sliced a hard-boiled egg.  I spread a thin layer of pesto on the bread, followed by a layer of ricotta cheese.  When the peas were done, I drained them, rinsed them in cold water, and pressed them into the ricotta.  I topped everything on the plate with pepper and lemon juice, and admired my work.  The meal was relatively simple to put together, and light but filling.  It would be great for a hot night when cooking isn't very appealing, or if you needed something quick and healthy.  

There aren't going to be any strawberries in Week 2 because of all of the rain and we still have some sauteed kale to finish in the fridge, but I'm eager to see what this week brings.