Week 2

Picked up today:

Arugula
Cherry bell radishes
French bread radishes
Yukina Savoy
Lettuce
Spinach
Komatsuna
Garlic Scapes
Kale
Cilantro

Very excited for the French bell radishes - already had a few for an afternoon snack. Love cilantro!!

And if you are making lots of salads this time of year don't forget my favorite addition - fresh mint! Makes all the vegetables pop and taste very sweet.

Stir-Fried Joi Choi with Mushrooms

Clam chowder and a stuffed quahog is a fabulous Cape Cod dinner at baseball game on a chilly evening but it doesn't quite meet all nutritional requirements. So when I arrived home it seemed like the perfect time to tackle the joi choi. I remember trying it last year and not loving it. So I searched for a recipe with lots of added flavour. I found one for boy choy that had ginger & garlic as well as some soy sauce to finish it off. And I also have some baby bella mushrooms in the fridge to add something else and some substance. I really liked the dish and am now a fan of joi choi! I expect this would work very well with any Asian green so give it a try even if you can't find joi choi.

Stir Fried Joi Choi with Mushrooms
1 T olive oil
1 bulb of young garlic, minced
1 T of minced, fresh ginger
1 c of baby bella mushrooms, cut in half
1 bunch of joi choi, diced into 1 inch pieces
2 T soy sauce (I use low sodium)
salt & pepper

Heat oil in saucepan over medium high heat. Add garlic & ginger and heat for one minute being careful not to let garlic or ginger burn. Add mushroom and cut for 2 minutes. Add joi choi, mushrooms and soy sauce. Cook until greens wilt and stalks are tender. Season with salt & pepper.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch

When rhubarb shows up you naturally think of strawberries and this past weekend I had the chance to go strawberry picking. If you have a chance to get out there this time of year and pick your own strawberries DO IT! The simplest thing I can say is they taste like strawberries which I know sounds ridiculous but if you taste them you'll understand. That night I simply hulled a container full of berries to take to the baseball game. No sugar added or necessary and they were a perfectly sweet treat.

Today though I wanted to use the strawberries and rhubarb together. I found a low sugar recipe for a strawberry rhubarb crunch and I adapted it with my own additions. It was bright & sweet and with a little crunch on the top. What a perfect way to highlight both the strawberries and rhubarb and not overly sweet.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch

4 cups fresh rhubarb, chopped
2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 Tablespoon agave nectar
pinch of salt

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped toasted almonds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 butter, cold and cut into small cubes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a baking dish, mixed together rhubarb, strawberries, agave nectar and pinch of salt. In medium bowl, stir together oats, sugar, almonds, cinnamon and salt. Add butter and crumble the mixture with your hands to form a crumbly mixture. Spread mixture over top of fruit.

Bake in oven for 40 minutes until rhubarb is tender. Serve warm.

Tuna over Arugula Salad with Grilled Peaches

Well despite the torrential rain outside it certainly feels like summer at my house. I just had a truly summer meal. I had some ahi tuna so I decided to go right for the arugula and make a salad to serve the tuna over. I try to make my own salad dressings so I hunted for a ginger sesame recipe but I found an Asian Ginger one that looked really good. You can find it here.

For the salad I used the arugula, a few snips of the chives for that mild onion flavour, fennel bulb sliced real thing and one of the radishes thinly sliced. For the tuna I simply rubbed a little olive oil on both sides and seasoned it very well with salt & pepper. I grilled it over high heat for only a few minutes on each side - I like mine pretty rare in the middle so I don't cook it very much. I let it rest for a few minutes and then cut it on the bias and fanned it over the salad. I then drizzled the dressing over the top of both the salad & tuna.

When I was waiting for the tuna to cook I thought that perhaps the salad needed a little something sweet. I have some of the first peaches of the season on my counter so I cut one in half. I dipped it in the salad dressing for just a minute and then put it cut side down on the grill. It didn't cook for very long just to to get some char on it. i then cut it into quarters and put it on the side of the salad.

Such a yummy, fresh dinner! A great way to kick off the summer with a lovely, bright salad.

Year Two - Here We Go Again!

Hello!

Welcome back to the summer of vegetables and my attempt to blog about the delicious finds I will get each week from my Bay End Farm CSA.  Today was the first pick up and I was eager to get there. Because of the mild winter here in the Northeast at one point there was a chance the CSA was going to start a little earlier. And then we had a really dry spring and that chance went away.  Of course today it is pouring cats & dogs and after a couple weeks full of rain that drought seems like a distant memory. My own plantings are flourishing from all this rain and the early warm weather as well.

Back to my haul for the week, this is what the first week's bag contained:

Surrey Arugula
Plum Purple Radishes
Joi Choi
Yukina Savoy
Lettuce
Broccoli Rabe
Rhubarb
Young Garlic
Chives

I'm really excited for the different greens and once again trying to find different ways to prepare them. Of course the young garlic just seems to call out "saute them with me."  I'm also interested in trying to get better at preparing the broccoli rabe.  The hard part will be deciding what to do first.  I will tackle that dilemma in a few hours.  For now it's back to work! 

Beef Stew

I have never been a huge fan of beef stew but usually once a year I get a hankering for it.  Part of the reason is that I like my vegetables to not be mushy which is why I use small vegetables in almost whole pieces. This time I wanted to really develop good flavour so it wasn't just some beef broth with meat and veggies in it.  My inspiration came from the pantry vegetables I still have from the CSA (onions, potatoes, garlic).  I read quite a few recipes and came up with one of my own.  I have to say I was pretty pleased with the results and it was all because the broth was so delicious.  They key was working the stock all day so it was full of layers of flavour and marinating the meat again to build the flavour base.

Beef Stock
20 cups of water
10 beef boullion cubes
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Bunch of fresh parsley
1 T black peppercorns, crushed
2 T kosher salt
1 t fennel seeds, crushed
1 t ground sage
3 bay leaves
1 whole onion, cut into quarters
1 large carrot, cut into chunks
4 cloves of garlic, in skin and smashed
2 celery stalks, cut into quarters

Combine all the ingredients in large stock pot, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and let cook on stove uncovered for several hours. Stock should reduce by half.  Drain out vegetables & herbs and reserve stock to make stew. 

Marinated Beef
1 1/2 lb beef chuck, cut into 1" chunks
Salt & Pepper
3 bay leaves
2 cloves of garlic, peeled & smashed
Good quality red wine

Make sure beef is cut into pieces all similar in size and seasoned with salt & pepper. Place in a glass bowl with bay leaves and garlic. Pour enough wine to just cover the meat  Put mixture in fridge and let it sit at least 4 hours or as much as overnight.  Remove bay leaves and garlic.  Scoop meat from wine with a slotted spoon and reserve both  meat and wine.

Beef Stew
Olive Oil
1 c of flour, seasoned with salt & pepper
Marinated Beef
1 1/2 lb boiling onions, peeled
1 lbs fingerling potatoes, cut in half
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed from stems
1 sprig of rosemary, leaved minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
Reserved wine from beef marinade
1 lb baby carrots
Beef Stock

Heat oil in a large dutch oven.  Dredge meat lightly in seasoned flour.  Shake excess flour off meat before placing in dutch oven.  Brown meat on all sides and if necessary do so in batches taking care not to crowd the pan.  Set browned meat aside.  Add more oil to the dutch oven if needed.  Put onion in dutch oven and cook 2-3 minutes and then add potatoes and garlic.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Stir in thyme, rosemary and tomato paste.  Add red wine and make sure heat is on high.  Bring wine to a boil and ensure you are deg-lazing the bottom of the pan.  Add beef and carrots and then pour in beef stock.  Add just enough stock to cover the meat and vegetables.  This is a big mistake people make in adding too much stock so then it boils the meat and doesn't taste as good.  Once this mixture is simmering, turn the heat to low, cover and cook 1 hour until vegetables are cooked and meat is tender.  Serve with chopped parsley on top. 

BEEF STEW

Apple Crisp with Honey Cinnamon Ice Cream

I've done a couple of posts about pumpkins this fall so I thought today I'd turn my attention to the other abundant crop this time of year - apples.  However I don't have my own recipe to post tonight because when it comes to baking I tend to relay on others expertise.  I am a big fan of Ina Garten because she loves to cook classic dishes with a twist to elevate the flavours but doesn't make things too complicated.  I have been itching to make some type of cinnamon ice cream and of course what would go better with that then apple crisp. This past weekend afforded me the perfect opportunity as we were having a family get together. 

For the apple crisp check out Ina Garten's recipe here - I didn't change a thing but really appreciated the citrus zest and juice especially with it being both lemon and orange.  My crisp didn't crisp up in the 60 mins cooking time so I then turned on the broiler and cooked it for a few minutes more - beware I did not leave the oven during this time because a second too long and it could easily burn.

In my quest to find a cinnamon ice cream I thought it would be even better to find a one that used honey as the sweetener instead of sugar. I also didn't want to make what I'm discovering is a custard ice cream base and those use eggs.  So I wanted a more simple preparation.  I found the perfect recipe in terms of what I was looking for here and it turned out to be delicious. This is the reason I bought the ice cream maker - the chance to make flavours you don't find in the store when you have an inspiration. 

This was the epitome of a fall dessert - sweet apples with a crispy crunch and a creamy, warm ice cream melting over the top. Yummy!

APPLE CRISP & HONEY CINNAMON ICE CREAM

Ziti with Pumpkin and Sausage

Happy Halloween!!

I saw a recipe for Pumpkin and Sausage Penne recently and that was my inspiration for this dish which I thought was a perfect dinner for Halloween. Some carbs you can burn off while walking the neighborhood with good protein and spinach for vitamins.  Plus yummy pumpkin for a very festive feel!  Be sure to check out my post on making your own fresh pumpkin - so worth the effort. 

Ziti with Pumpkin and Sausage
1 lb ziti pasta, I used semolina but a whole wheat pasta would be great here
12 oz chicken apple sausage, cut into 1" pieces
Olive Oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Chicken Stock, about 1 1/2 cups
Pumpkin Beer, half a bottle
2 cups fresh pumpkin (or 1 can pure pumpkin)
Fresh Grated Nutmeg
Grated Cinnamon
Salt & Pepper
Fresh Spinach, 9 oz bag
Heavy Cream, one turn of pan

Cook pasta according to package directions to al dente and reserving 1 cup of starchy pasta water before draining - be sure to salt your water well so your pasta tastes good.  Meanwhile heat oil in large skillet and add sausage, cooking until brown.  Add onion and cook for few minutes then add garlic and cook until onion is softened being careful not to burn garlic.  Also season with salt at this step.  Add pumpkin, stock, beer, a good grating of nutmeg, a good punch of cinnamon and pepper.  I add quite a few turns of black pepper as I want to be sure to add the heat from the pepper to counteract the sweetness from the sausage and seasonings.  Bring this mixture to a simmer, reduce heat and cook until it starts to thicken.  If it gets to thick this is where you can add the pasta water to thin it out. 

Just before pasta is done add the spinach to the pumpkin mixture and stir until wilted.  Drain pasta and add to skillet and combine.  Taste to adjust seasoning and you may need to add a little more pasta water to help sauce cover all pasta.  Add cream just before serving and be sure to combine.  You can also use a little sour cream or creme fraiche here or just omit it. I don't want to make a cream sauce but think the small addition at the end helps round out the sauce. And of course be sure to taste and adjust seasonings before serving!

Vegetarian Option: You could easily substitute hearty mushrooms for the sausage here and use a vegetable stock to make a vegetarian dish.  It would be delicious!

ZITI WITH PUMPKIN & SAUSAGE

Chicken Tortilla Soup

One of my most favorites and most often made dinners is Chicken Tortilla Soup.  I make this many ways depending on how much time I have and what ingredients I have on hand. Sometimes I add black beans or corn and omit the chicken.  Sometimes I roast the chicken or use leftover or put raw sliced chicken into rapidly, boiling stock to cook it in the soup.  Tonight I took the time to make a really flavorful stock and roast the chicken it their own seasonings.


Jenabeth's Chicken Tortilla Soup
Olive Oil
Chicken Breasts, on the bone with skin
Salt
Ancho Chili Pepper Powder
Cumin


Roast chicken ahead of time.  Drizzle olive oil over chicken breasts and then season with salt, ancho chili pepper and cumin. Use your hands to rub seasonings into chicken.  Cook chicken on sheet tray in a 375° over for 30 minutes.  Let chicken cool.  Remove skin & bones and shred chicken. Set chicken aside while preparing soup.

Olive Oil
Onion, chopped

Jalapeno Pepper, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
Red Bell Pepper, chopped
Salt

2 T Cumin
1 T Ancho Chili Pepper Powder
2 t Mexican Oregano
4 T Tomato Paste
1/4 cup Silver Tequila
Chicken Stock

Couple tablespoons of honey

Make soup base.  In large dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, season, and cook until softened.  Add jalapeno and garlic and cook 2-3 minutes.  Add bell pepper and cook until starts to soften.  Add cumin, ancho chili pepper, oregano and tomato paste.  Cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add tequila and cook for a few minutes.  Add chicken stock and taste. Adjust seasonings if necessary.  If heat is too much add a few squeezes of honey.  Bring stock to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add shredded chicken and cook for 10 more minutes. 

Serve the soup with your favorite toppings.  I top with crushed tortilla chips, slices of avocado, squeeze of fresh lime juice, sprinkle of diced red onion and lots of fresh cilantro!

CHICKEN & TORTILLA SOUP

Fresh Pumpkin

The week before last we got a small pumpkin from the CSA and it's been sitting on my counter as decoration. But I LOVE everything pumpkin - pumpkin bread, pumpkin beer, pumpkin pie, pumpkin coffee - so I really wanted to use the fresh pumpkin to bake something.  Making fresh pumpkin isn't that hard and is so worth the effort.

Baked Fresh Pumpkin
Preheat the oven to 350 Cut the pumpkin in half and clean out the seeds. Cover a sheet tray with tin foil. Place the sides cut side down on the sheet. Cook for around an hour or until the pumpkin is soft. Cool. Scoop the pumpkin from the ski and put into a food processor until the mixture is smooth.  Use just like canned fresh pumpkin in all your recipes.  It can be frozen and saved for up to 6 weeks to use later.

I used my first fresh pumpkin of the season to make a Pumpkin Bread Pudding.  Click here for the recipe I used.  I tried it with dried cranberries which I love but I did not like in this recipe. I made it a second time with pecans and it was so delicious. 

I'm going pumpkin picking this weekend and will be picking up several sugar pumpkins to make lots of fresh pumpkin.  My Mom is responsible for the pies at Thanksgiving so I'll give her the fresh pumpkin. But I suspect I'll be making another batch of bread pudding before the fall is over!

PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING

Soups On! Big Time!!

Wow this blog things turned out to be harder than I expected - at least doing it with any consistency. It seems it's like most things in my life I either do it 150% or not at all - there isn't much middle ground in how I do things.  Today was the last CSA pick up of the season. I can't believe 20 weeks has gone by!  One of the things I love about this time of year is having a big pot of soup on the stove.  In the last few weeks I've made Linguica and Kale Soup two times.  It seems I like kale more than I realized which I guess one of the points joining a CSA - trying things I may not normally have tried.  Living close to New Bedford and Fall River there is a large Portuguese population and we can get great linguica and chorizio in our grocery stores.  I've been really enjoying this soup - you need to try it as it's a great one pot meal with lots of flavour and with beans & kale very good for you. 

Tonight in putting away the last CSA pick up my mind was already thinking of the many soups I could make in the coming week. Instead I decided to do a marathon cooking session and freeze some of the soups.  This will be great as the hectic holiday season approaches and I can have homemade soup for dinner on the nights I don't feel like cooking.  You can see the three soups I made below - Charred Eggplant & Tomato, Leek & Potato and Roasted Butternut Squash.  I did puree all the soups but I love serving them with a big piece of crusty bread. 

Linguica and Kale Soup
Olive Oil
1 lb linguica, cut into half circles
1 onion, chopped
Handful of baby carrots, cut into thirds
3 potatoes, diced
1 cup Pumpkin beer
1 can white beans, rinsed
Chicken Stock
1 lb kale, stems removed and cut into bite size pieces
3 sprigs of fresh thyme, tied in kitchen twine
Salt & Pepper
In a large dutch oven, cover bottom with olive oil over medium high heat.  Add linguica and cook for 3-5 minutes.  Add onion and cook until onions start to soften before adding carrots & potatoes.  Cook for 5-7 minutes until veggies start to cook.  Use beer to deglaze pan and cook for a few minutes. Add beans to pot and enough stock to cover all vegetables.  Drop in kale and thyme. Stir, season and bring to boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes. This is one of those great soups that is better the next day!.  Serve soup with a grating of Parmesan Cheese over top. 

Charred Eggplant and Tomato Soup
3 small eggplants, chopped
8 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Chicken Stock
Handful of basil leaves, rough chopped

Place eggplants, tomatoes and onion on large sheet tray in single layer.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.  Toss vegetables to coat well.  Place in 425°oven and cook until vegetables start to brown around the edges (about 30 mins).  Pour about a cup of stock into blender then add vegetables & basil and blend well. Add more stock if necessary until desired consistency.   Put soup on pot and warm on stove top until heated through.  Serve immediately with homemade croutons.

Note: You can roast the eggplant and onion and add canned tomatoes after in the stock pot if you don't have fresh tomatoes on hand.

Potato Leek Soup
Olive Oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

4 leeks, sliced into half circles & cleaned
4 baby red potatoes, diced
2 Yukon gold potatoes, diced

3 sprigs of fresh thyme, tied in kitchen twine
Chicken Stock

Handful of fresh parsley, rough chopped
Salt & Pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot.  Add leeks, season, and cook until softened, add garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add potatoes, season, and cook for 5 minutes.  Add enough stock to cover potatoes and  add parsley & season.  Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 30 minutes until potatoes are completely softened.  Pour entire mixture into a blender (removing thyme bundle first), by batches if necessary, and puree soup until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Note: Be sure to check the seasoning all along in this soup. Potatoes soak up salt so you want to be sure there is good seasoning or the soup will be very bland.  I also do not peel the potatoes but be sure to use baby potatoes with softer peel so it purees well.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
1 large butternut squash, peeled & diced
Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper
1 Onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, minced
4 large carrots, peeled & diced

Chicken Stock
3 sprigs of fresh thyme, tied in kitchen twine
Bay leaf

Place butternut squash on sheet pan in single layer.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.  Place in 425°oven and cook until squash is softened and starting to brown around the edges.  Just before squash is done heat dutch oven over medium high heat on stop top and drizzle olive oil in bottom.  Add onions, season and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes being careful not to burn garlic.  Add carrots and cook for 5 minutes.  When squash is cooked add to pot, cover with chicken stock. Season stock with salt & pepper and add thyme & bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 20 minutes for flavours to blend.  Remove bay leaf and thyme. Pour entire mixture into a blender, by batches if necessary, and puree soup until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream if desired. 
Note: You can certainly by pass roasting the squash and add it to the soup pot when you add the carrots.  You will need to simmer it for a bit longer though to ensure squash is completely softened. 

LINGUICA AND KALE SOUP

Ratatouille as Pasta Sauce . . Who Knew?

I head to Chicago tomorrow for 5 days so the cupboards are a little bare. After several hours of packing I needed something comforting - I hate packing!  Pasta is always easy to whip up with some canned tomatoes to make a quick sauce. When I was looking in the fridge for some veggies I saw the rest ratatouille I had turned into dip.  Heck that has lots of veggies in it and great flavour.  I cooked up some pasta - a new type for me - trottole by Archer Farms that I got at Target.  And heated the ratatouille in a saute pan.  When the pasta was done I added it to the sauce and used some of the pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce a bit. Sprinkle with Parmesan and a quick, delicious dinner!

Ratatouille!!!

I have been itching to make ratatouille for several weeks now ever since I got my first eggplant from the CSA.  Tonight was the night!  Ratatouille is a traditional, French Provencal stewed vegetable dish.  Julia Child's recipe called for individually saute the vegetables and then layering.  I have mixed the vegetables in an aluminum pouch and steamed them on the grill before for a quick ratatouille.  Tonight I took the more traditional approach and sauteed them in a huge pan with lots of olive oil.  I also used almost every fresh herb I still had in the garden but I did add a pinch of dried, herbes d'provence because quite a few recipes called for it and it includes fennel, lavender and savory. 

I served the ratatouille with a roasted, rosemary chicken and it was a delicious dinner!  I had a second serving of ratatouille.  I think I am going to take the leftover and pulse it in a food processor and serve it with some pita chips as a dip.  Or I may just eat it midnight .  it was that good!

RATATOUILLE
Olive Oil
1 large vidalia onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 medium eggplant, diced
5 plum tomatoes, diced
Salt
Crushed Red Pepper
2 sprigs of rosemary, minced
3 sprigs thyme, minced
1 sprig green oregano. minced
Pinch dried herbes d'provence
10 mint leaves, minced
Handful parsley, minced
Handful of basil, minced

Pour enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a large pan.  Add the onions with a little salt and start sweating them for 3-5 mins over medium high heat.  Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Then add all 3 peppers - I don't typically like green bell pepper but I got a small one my CSA this week so I used it here.  I also seasoned again with salt and added some crushed red pepper.  After letting the pepper cook down a little I added the squash & zucchini and cooked for 3 minutes or so.  Then added the eggplant and seasoned again with salt & crushed pepper. Add the tomatoes with the rosemary, thyme, oregano and herbes d'provence.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer.  You also might have to add more olive oil as you add vegetables since they do tend to soak up the oil.  However long you cook it at this point is entirely up to you but I do add the rest of the fresh herbs at least a few minutes before you serve.  And of course taste and adjust salt & red pepper.  Enjoy!

We All Scream for Ice Cream!!!

Ok so this isn't really about vegetables . . although if I needed a technicality the lavender I used was from my garden.  In any event I just had to share.  I have been obsessed with trying Lavender Honey Ice Cream ever since I saw the movie It's Complicated.  It was a big reason I bought the ice cream maker in the first place.  But late the Friday night before Hurricane Irene was to hit was the first time I'd found the time to make it. I had bought organic cream and organic whole milk the week before and at the risk of it going bad if I lost power I wanted to use it up. Oh and the idea that I could control the quality of the ingredients was one of the many justifications I had for buying the machine.   Somehow if I use organic milk and cream isn't that better for you?? Anyway I used Martha Stewart's recipe - you can find it here. 

I'm not going to mince words . . it was terrible, it tasted like potpourri.  I barely ate one tiny serving of it and when the power went out I didn't care that it was going to melt in the freezer.  I might try to make it one more time because I'm wondering if perhaps mine had too much of the lavender.  I would cut back a little and I think I may have brought the milk to too much of a boil so it may have drawn out too much lavender essence.  I don't know and I won't be trying it anytime soon but I thought I'd share. Anyone ever had Honey Lavender Ice Cream and enjoy it??

The rest of my forays into making homemade ice cream have gone much better or not as dreadful.  Here is a quick run down:


Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream - this is another ice cream I've heard about but couldn't find around here so was eager to make myself.  I used a recipe similar to this one here but I added ancho chili powder in addition to the cayenne.  This was a terrific first homemade ice cream and I will be making it again. 

Coconut Sorbet - my mother was a big fan of this. I enjoyed it but I have to admit not as much as the coconut ice cream I made later (see below).  This was very refreshing and not real sweet.  But for some reason it seemed to coat my palate a little too much.  In small servings though, which I guess is how sorbet should be served, it is good. Here is the recipe I used.

Mango Frozen Yogurt - this was another not terribly successful attempt.  I'm pretty sure I know why though - the mangoes were not as ripe as they should have been and I didn't measure the lime juice so I think I used too much.  In the end it was too sour but I will certainly try again with really, ripe mangoes.  The recipe I used was yogurt, sugar, mangoes and lime juice.

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream - This was pretty close to a home run!  My Mom grew up in Manchester, CT and until I was in high school we spent lots of holidays and weekends visiting.  One of the treats was chocolate chip ice cream at Shady Glenn.  In the last 15 years I have been known to bring a cooler with me if I was driving anywhere near Manchester to bring home a gallon. It's creamy lovely vanilla ice cream with shavings of chocolate in it - I've never had it like that anywhere else.  So with my ice cream maker in hand I thought let me see if I can get close . . and close I did!  Click here to see the recipe I used.  I used Hershey's Milk Chocolate and put the bar in the freezer overnight.  I then dropped it into a food processor just as the ice cream was thickening so I could get the grated chocolate into the mixture as cold as possible.  Even doing that my ice cream had a chocolate tint instead of the crisp white of Shady Glenn's but the taste was pretty damn close.  I will certainly be experimenting with this one in the future.  My mother gave this one rave reviews as well and rationed her share of it over many, many nights.

Coconut Ice Cream - This one was tied with the Mexican Chocolate as my most successful. The only issue was I didn't make enough.  It was creamy and tasted so much like coconut plus with the bits of coconut in it . .oh god so yummy!  Here is the recipe I used and will be using again very soon.

Oh Hurricane Irene!

Well just when I thought I was back to regularly posting Hurricane Irene blew into town which required two days of preparing, one of enduring (which wasn't that bad) and then 5 really, really long days of no power!!!  Since I work from home that meant no work, no play, no hot shower, no cooking - well I did use the gas grill one night.  Which meant that all last week was lots of making up for lost time.  So I will again post a list of what I've been up to . . and once again promise to get back to posting more regularly.  Oh wait I'm out of town all next week :)  But we already got the first of fall vegetables in last week's haul - delicata squash - and I LOVE fall and all those flavours so I'll be cooking up a storm.

Oh and one of these days I'll have to take some time and make batches of pesto.  My basil is still looking beautiful and I have a huge bush. I also have lots of parsley, mint, rosemary, thyme and Greek oregano.  Most should last into the fall but the basil needs to be used sooner rather than later. 

For lunch last week I had a slice of turkey and a slice of bread so I made a delicious open faced sandwich.  I used thick slices of green heirloom tomatoes, big leaves of basil, smooth slices of avocado and some slices of American cheese over everything.  Then put it under the broiler for a few minutes.  So yummy!!

OPEN FACED TURKEY SANDWICH

We have got kohlrabi the last two weeks so the other night I made a slaw using the kohlrabi, fennel and red carrots - it was super crunchy and fresh.  Check out the recipe at the bottom of the blog.

KOHLRABI & FENNEL SLAW

Last night we had some of the last sweet corn of the summer with ribs and the kohlrabi slaw. So tonight I wanted to use the rest of the corn to make a corn salad to accompany our skirt steak tacos.  I ended up surprising myself with the corn salad.  After I added the other vegetables and I included cucumber which wasn't in my original plans, I was about to add cilantro but decided against it.  Since I use cilantro so liberally in my tacos (in place of lettuce) I wanted the salad to have a a different flavour profile.  With the abundance of herbs I still I have I used a mixture of basil, mint and parsley.  Part of the vegetables I used was a jalapeno pepper.  The combination of the heat of the pepper with cooling cucumber and the sweet corn highlighted with the sweet mint and basil made for a great, complex mouthful.  And it was a great compliment to the skirt steak taco that I had marinated in lots of ancho chili powder.  I also used thick, peels of the red carrot for crunch along with creamy avocado and cilantro with a squeeze of lime to finish it off.  Yum, yum, yum!

SWEET CORN SALAD

KOHLRABI & FENNEL SLAW
1 kohlrabi, sliced into thin strips
1 fennel bulb, core removed & sliced into thin strips (reserving some of the frowns)
3 red carrots, peeled & grated into long strips
Olive oil
Tarragon Vinegar
1 T of Dijon Mustard
Salt & Pepper
Handful of fresh parsley, rough chopped
Fennel frowns, chopped

Combine kohlrabi, fennel and carrots and toss. Make a vinaigrette using dijon mustard, vinegar and olive oil and season with salt & pepper.  Toss the herbs into the salad mixture and add vinaigrette until coated.   Taste and season with salt & pepper.

SWEET CORN SALAD
4 ears of corn, cooked and the kernels cut off
1/4 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1/2 of red bell pepper, diced
Handful of grape cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
1/4 English Cucumber, peeled and diced
Good handful of parsley, basil and mint; finely chopped
Olive Oil
1 lime, zested and juiced

Combine corn, both peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs.  I typically like things rustic and wouldn't ask you to chop grape tomatoes but in this case I wanted everything the same size as the corn kernels so I diced everything to just the same size.  Add zest and juice of lime and then olive oil to coat. Let salad sit a bit before serving so flavours can blend. 

Ravioli with Summer Tomato Sauce

After a long day of working and then running around battening, down the hatches in preparation for Hurricane Irene I was hungry and feeling like pasta.  I picked up some fresh, cheese ravioli at a local market.  I wanted to make a quick summer vegetable sauce with great flavours in the broth.  I have no idea what impact this hurricane is going to have on us but we're prepared. And that includes having lots of non-perishable food so anticipating not a lot of cooking over the weekend I was pretty happy to make something with lots of fresh ingredients.  Even better every vegetable & the herb came from either the CSA or my garden!!

Ravioli with Summer Tomato Sauce
Fresh Cheese Ravioli
Olive Oil - a lot not just to coat the pan
Onion, half of a sweet one, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Good size pinch of crushed red pepper
Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half
Green Bell Peppers, diced in large pieces
White Wine - about 1/2 a cup
Handful of basil, chiffonade
Pecorino cheese, grated

Cook the ravioli for 6 minutes in salted, boiling water.  In a large saute pan, add the olive oil and onion and cook until onion starts to soften.  You are going to need lots of olive oil so the onion is almost swimming in it - the oil will be part of the sauce.  Add the garlic, red pepper and tomatoes and saute for several mins. Add the pepper and cook for 1-2 mins.  Add the wine and be sure it's wine you like to drink - cook it until the alcohol cooks out. 

Spoon the ravioli into the sauce and add some of the pasta water if you need more liquid.  Toss the ravioli and let it cook for a few minutes in the sauce.  Add the basil just before serving.

Grate the Pecorino cheese over each serving and enjoy!. 

Ravioli with Summer Tomato Sauce

I'm Back!!

I know it's been a while since I've posted but my niece was visiting from Alaska for the last two weeks so I've been spending as much time as possible with her.  I've been cooking lots but just haven't had the time to post. To make up for time I am going to make this post some catch up thoughts and then get back to posting more regularly.

- Over the weekend I made a lovely Summer Vegetable Saute. I started with some olive oil in a hot pan and add diced onion, diced summer squash, thin slices of fennel and kernels from two ears of corn.  Add a little salt and pepper and be sure not to cook too much - fabulous!! This was inspired by what was in the fridge because my niece had requested tacos and I felt the need to make some type of accompanying vegetable dish.

- If you haven't tried the Watermelon Feta Salad you really have to - my brother who isn't usually very effusive about food commented recently 'it's so good'. 

- I have been overloaded with tons of fresh tomatoes.  Yesterday I had to pull all the fruit off the branches of my plants since there were hardly any leaves left and they were folded over on top of each other.  Even before that I had so many I barely knew what to do with them all. I've made sauce, eaten tons of tomato salads, on bread with fresh mozzarella.  Luckily my basil has been just as abundant! 

- My lemon verbena plant was also folding over on top of itself so today I harvested all the fresh leaves. I made another batch of Lemon Verbena and Mint Iced Tea.  And I made a Lemon Verbena Sorbet which is so delightfully refreshing.  I bought an ice cream maker earlier this summer and have only made a few batches but this was one of my favorites.

- Last night I had bratwurst and Grilled Rosemary Potatoes - you have to try those potatoes especially with fresh, organic ones that really taste like potatoes.  So freaking good!!

- I tried Kale Chips again this past weekend and used less salt this time and they were delicious.  Even my 13 year old niece enjoyed them . . of course we made homemade mozzarella sticks to go with them and I think she was dipping the kale in the marinara sauce :)

- I froze a batch of my Spicy Gazpacho before I left on vacation and took it out last week for an appetizer and it was just as good!  It's a great way to get rid of tomatoes and so flavourful.


- Been eating lots and lots of fresh corn, be sure you are cooking it the right way to enjoy it this time of year. 

- There have been lots of fresh figs in the grocery store lately and I love them.  Try cutting the figs in half and filling with a little goat cheese & wrapping in prosciutto for an easy appetizer.  I also use them in a salad again with goat cheese and some type of nut over greens with a vinaigrette. 

- I picked up today's haul and this week we got: tomatoes, basil, fennel, green beans, purple carrots, baby bok choy and eggplant.Can't wait to get started!


- Oh one last thing, a friend of mine today told me that a way to use up green tomatoes is pulsing them into a pulp and mixing with a packet of raspberry jello and sugar. You come out with raspberry jam.  Sounds oddly strange to me but when I did some internet research there were lots of recipes using green tomatoes this way.  I guess the seeds of the tomatoes imitate what the a raspberry texture would be like.  Not sure yet if I'm going to give it a try but I may just do a small match since I am very curious. I'd be interested in anyone else has heard of this or more importantly tried it. 

 

Saffron Risotto with Summer Squash

I was in the mood for rice tonight so I decided to make risotto.  I love risotto but it is a labor of love and it requires time - there are no short cuts.  This started as a traditional risotto but I added saffron to the stock as well as some other seasoning to heighten the flavour.  Oh and I used the vegetable stock I made the week before I went on vacation. I added the summer squash very late in the cooking process so it kept a little crunch but still had time to absorb the stock and release it's juice into the rice.  This was another one of those make it up as you go along so I'll do my best with the recipe below.  To accompany the risotto I made a salad similar to last night but instead of walnuts I used pecans and instead of beets I added fresh figs - so tasty!

Saffron Risotto with Summer Squash
Olive Oil
Onion, diced
Garlic, minced
Arborio rice
Vegetable Sock
Good pinch of saffron
Black peppercorns
Fennel seeds
Bay leaf
Kosher  Salt
Summer squash, diced
Parmigiano Cheese, grated


In a pot, add the stock, saffron, peppercorns, fennel seeds, bay leaf and pinch of salt and bring to a simmer. 

Meanwhile saute the onion in olive oil with salt until softened and then add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add the arborio rice and saute for a few minutes. Add 1 cup of strained stock at a time and simmer the mixture while stirring continuously.   Once the stock has cooked out add another cup and continue process for about 25 minutes.  After adding last cup of stock, add summer squash so it can cook as well.  Just before serving grate in some parmigiano cheese. 

The trick to this and any risotto is adding the stock a little at a time and stirring while it cooks out - this develops the starch in the rice and makes the risotto creamy.  And cooking it over a medium to low heat. 

SAFFRON RISOTTO WITH SUMMER SQUASH

Baby Spinach with Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese

Well some of last week's vegetables were still in fridge when I got home including lovely beets!  Beets are one of those many vegetables that I despised as a child and even well into adulthood.  In most cases this was because the vegetables were not prepared correctly or to highlight their natural flavours.  Roasting beets is truly the best way to develop their sweetness. This salad happens to be my cousin Caroline's favorite dish - it was her wedding we attended last week - so with her on my mind it was an easy decision as to what I'd do with the beets in my fridge.  This is what I had for dinner with a piece of corn on the cob.

Baby Spinach with Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese
Beets, roasted & diced
Baby Spinach
Goat Cheese crumbled
Walnuts, toasted
Vinaigrette

To roast beets - clean & trim them and put them into a aluminum foil pouch.  Season with salt & pepper and drizzle with olive oil.  Close up pouch and roast in oven at 375 for anywhere from 30-60 mins depending on size of beets.  Let the beets cool and then they are easy to handle and you can remove the skin and dice them.  HUGE TIP: use gloves when peeling & dicing the beets and do it over the foil. Beets stain any and everything they come in contact with!!

To assemble the salad put spinach at the bottom; sprinkle with beets, goat cheese and walnuts and then drizzle with the vinaigrette.  Be sure to toast the walnuts to bring out their flavours - you can do this my putting them in a dry saute pan over low heat and cook them until you can smell them and remove immediately. Feel free to use any other kind of nut here - pistachios are very good as well.

For the vinaigrette I used my standard olive oil, sherry vinegar and dried herbs.  But the salad my cousin loves uses a vinaigrette that is made with shallots and rice wine vinegar which I do love but I didn't have the shallots tonight. 

BABY SPINACH WITH ROASTED BEETS & GOAT CHEESE

Back from vacation . . to lots of tomatoes!

Well it's back to reality today and a bush loaded of fresh tomatoes.  Last night for dinner with no food in the house I just cut up some tomatoes and sprinkled with ribbons of fresh basil, salt & pepper and drizzle of olive oil.  Yummy!

For lunch today I made a tomato sandwich with fresh mozzarella and basil.  So simple and yet so delicious especially when half the ingredients come from your own garden.  I used two slices of an Tuscan Boule and drizzle each side with a little olive oil.   Then spread whole basil leaves on each slide and then loaded slices of fresh mozzarella over the basil.  Next is the slices of tomatoes which I then season with salt & pepper and little more olive oil.  Put the slices together and slice your sandwich down the middle. Today this was my lunch as you can see at my desk as I'm trying to catch up from being away.

 

"BMT" Sandwich