Week Three!

Just got back from the farm and picked up this week's haul.  It includes:

Garlic Scapes
Radishes
Komatsuna
Kale - which I gave all to my mother
San Po Sai
Lettuce
Scallions
Escarole
Lavender
Pea Tenderils
Peas

I almost ate all the peas on the car ride home - nothing like fresh, crisp peas.  I have the lavender in a vase on my desk already and the smell is intoxicating. 

I'll be cooking lots of greens later today . .I'm ashamed to say some of them still leftover from last week but I will use them up for dinner later. 

And I finally released my blog to some family and friends yesterday and it was so great to hear back from all of you. Especially the growing number of people taking advantage of CSA's all over the country and your experiences. In fact one friend said she made a stir fry of swiss chard and boy choy over wild rice which will be my inspiration for tonight's dinner. 

Keep the comments coming!

Fish Tacos Oh My!!

I have fallen in love with fish tacos over the past 2 years.  I was excited for today's as I was really eager to use the bunch of cilantro as well as the scallions & radishes.  I used the cilantro like lettuce on the tacos with the crunch from the radishes and shredded carrots and the creaminess from the avocado.  I am also not a huge fan of jar salsa for the most part. But I really like the Roasted Salsa Verde from Archer Farms that I can get at Target so that is what I used on the tacos.  These were by far my favorite fish tacos - the fish was light and flaky with that smokey flavour from the cumin and pepper. The toppings were perfect for that great bite!

To accompany the tacos I made a quick black bean salad.  It was a very light lunch for a hot day and really tasty!!  Give these recipes a try.

Black Bean Salad
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained (I prefer Goya)
1/2 jalapeno, minced - I do not remove the seeds as I like the spice
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 handful of grape tomatoes, halved
1 handful of cilantro, finely chopped
1 glug of olive oil
juice of 1 lime
salt & pepper



Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss until veggies & beans are coated in oil and juice.  Serve at room temperature to let flavours come through.

Fish Tacos
12 oz cod fillets
cumin
Chipotle pepper, ground
salt
1/2 lime

6 soft, flour tortillas
1 avocado, halves sliced into 3
juice of half of lime over avocado
shredded carrots
3 radishes, sliced thin
bunch of cilantro, leaves removed from stem but kept whole
1/2 lime, cut into wedges
Your favorite salsa

I sprinkled the cumin, chipotle pepper & salt over the fish and let it sit for a few minutes while I prepped the veggies.  I heated olive oil in a saute pan and added cod while squeezing lime over fish. The fish cooks in less than 5-7 minutes depending on thickness.  Just before the fish is done I heated the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds.

To assemble: lay tortillas on plate and then add fish.  Top with radishes, carrots, cilantro leaves, avocado slice and salsa. Serve with lime wedge on the side. 

Week Two!

I just picked up this week's vegetables and am SO excited. We got a big bunch of fresh cilantro!!!  I am trying to grow some of my own but have never had much luck because I've been told it doesn't get hot enough here but this bunch looks beautiful. I am a sucker for cilantro . . I am not one of those crazy people who think it tastes like dirty dish water.


Here is this week's lists:
Spinach
Young Garlic
Radish
Komatsuna
Cilantro
Kale
Chard
Panisse Lettuce
Scallions
Rhubarb

There will however be no cooking today - I have to leave work a little early to go into Boston to the Pop's so I won't be taking time away to work. There is also a chance I won't be able to cook tomorrow as I am going to my office in Connecticut and that is a long day with a 3 hour trip each way. Maybe I'll be in the mood when I get home but we'll have to wait and see.

A quick tip - I find storing the greens much like herbs in a plastic bag with a bit of paper toweling in the bag keeps them fresh longer.

Late Night Dinner of Leftovers

It was a rain shortened baseball game tonight so I ended up at home looking for a light, late night dinner.  Last night's leftovers were just the ticket. I had some salad left and shredded up some cold salmon and used the Mustard Dill sauce as salad dressing. OMG - so yummy!! The sauce was even better the second day and I love cold salmon.  The salad kept it's crispness and I have to say is that I really enjoy the French Bell radishes.  I'll be snacking on those over the weekend. Here is hoping the weather cooperates for baseball tomorrow!

Dinner #1

Well we're off to a very good start and tonight's dinner was fabulous!  However in the summer I also volunteer for a Cape League baseball team, the Bourne Braves, so most nights I'm at a ball field.  Not a bad way to spend your summer but it doesn't typically allow for leisurely nights in the kitchen to make dinner.  Today was an off day so I had the time.  Tonight I managed to incorporate the panisse lettuce, French Bell radishes, chive blossoms and pea tendrils.  The other aspect I plan to incorporate into my cooking this summer is the abundance of fresh herbs I have growing in pots all over my yard. I planted flat Italian parsley, rosemary, cilantro, mint, basil, tarragon, thyme, sage, Greek oregano, Thai basil, lemon verbena and dill.  I know probably a little over kill but hey what is better than fresh herbs to spice up your cooking.

Back to tonight's dinner- I had a beautiful piece of salmon that I planned on having for dinner.  Since it's still cool out I decide to roast it instead of firing up the grill.  I love salmon simply roasted with some fresh lemon but tonight I decided to make a Mustard Dill sauce and wow am I glad I did.  It was yummy and really enhanced the salmon.  Like most new things I make I Google the recipe, read lots of them and then take a little bit from each and make my own.  I will list the recipes I make at the bottom of each post but as you will see I don't measure things so it will be a list of ingredients and in some cases a rough idea of how much.

To accompany the salmon I made a lovely fresh salad with the panisse lettuce, the chive blossoms, slivers of the radishes and I added some yellow bell pepper, shredded carrots and a handful of roughly, chopped parsley.  I topped it with a simple vinaigrette.  I love onions and the flavor they bring to things and was so surprised by the sweet, oniony flavour of the chive blossoms. I've had chives before but never the blossoms and there had a floral flavour not surprisingly.  The radishes were not as sharp as some radishes I've had so I enjoyed them much more than I thought I would.

The pea tendrils were the biggest surprise of the night.  I decided to make Israeli Couscous and add the pea tendrils and some frozen peas as well  . . . but while I was cooking dinner the bag of tendrils sat on the counter.  I really like the flavour of peas and freshly cooked peas but if they sit for too long and get mushy or are overcooked I am not at all a fan.  When I tasted the tendrils I was so surprised by the pea taste.  So as the bag sat on the counter we snacked on the tendrils . . and snacked until we realized our tongues were turning green - yikes!  In the future I know that the pea tendrils are delicious raw but in the couscous with whole peas it was a pea-apooloza.  I added lemon & tarragon which totally enhanced the pea flavour  - and just so you're forewarned I am a nut for the lemon tarragon combo, the only flavour profile I love more is cilantro lime. 

Hope you try some of tonight's dishes!


Mustard Dill Sauce
2 T grated onion
1/2 cup sour cream
2 T dijon mustard
juice from 1/2 of lemon
lots & lots of fresh chopped dill, maybe 2-3 T (I didn't add enough in the beginning and went back to the garden for more)
a squeeze of honey (I noticed this in several recipes and added it after I tasted the sauce and it was a little too tart - this addition made it perfect)
salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Serve over roasted salmon.

Israeli Couscous with Peas and Pea Tendrils
1/2 cup onion, diced
olive oil
1 cup whole wheat Israeli couscous
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 lemon, zest & juice
1 c peas
handful pea tendrils
fresh tarragon, chopped
salt & pepper

Saute onion in olive oil until translucent.  Add couscous and toast for 1-2 minutes.  Add zest of lemon and then stock, cook couscous according to package directions.  Add juice of lemon, peas and pea tendrils and cook until peas heated through and tendrils wilted. Add tarragon just before serving. Remember to season with salt & pepper along the way.