Spring CSA Week 7

 Herbs are never a bad thing. I was so happy when I opened my box this week to find cilantro, chives, and basil. I even traded my joi choi for more cilantro. We go through cilantro pretty fast these days. Tonight, we're having taco salad again and I was thinking about making more chimichurri sauce for a mixed grill dinner that we're having on Wednesday. It makes a great marinade, too. I'm hoping to use the basil in a sauce, possibly for eggplant on Thursday. It looks like I have plenty of carrots and greens for salads and braising. The cucumber always goes great in salad but it isn't bad for dressings and appetizers, either. I'll probably end up freezing the chives for another day and I'm not sure if the what the greens are in the share, they look like arugula, but they might be from a root vegetable or a mustard green.

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Almond Crust

This is what happens when you are up late and have a sudden urge to bake! Thanks to a coupon I had for a huge tub of mascarpone cheese, believe me those don't come by every day, and I had been worrying about how I was going to use it all up. If you haven't had mascarpone it is like a light, subtly sweet cream cheese.

For the shell, I use this recipe, which I did completely in my food processor. I did have very cold butter straight from the fridge and once I had it in the tart pan I put it in the freezer until the oven preheated. I baked it for 20 minutes on 400.

After the crust had cooled for about 20 minutes, I made a filling: 14oz mascarpone, 2/3 cup powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons heavy cream whipped together in a mixer. I decide the crust was cool enough so I spread it in the tart shell and added sliced strawberries on top. I also glazed it with 2 tablespoons lemon juice mixed with powdered sugar, I don't have a measurement for that but I just added sugar until it looked like a glaze and brushed it on.

As it was pretty late, I covered it and put it in the fridge. I worried a little the the crust would get soggy but it wasn't, every bite was delicious. I can't wait to make it again over the summer.

Spring CSA Week 6

Week 6 brought three bags of storage potatoes, actually two, but I traded my joi choi in the swap box. We also received a bunch of radishes, a cucumber, storage carrots, tatsoi, mixed lettuce, and cilantro. There is always a surprise each week, this week it was a nasturtium in the salad mix and a small bunch of mint.  I wish there would have been more nasturtiums so I could try a few of the recipes I have been saving, but the mint really threw me a curve. I don't cook with mint much but I do know of a wonderful salad dressing that is made with mint and I can always make Greek food with mint and a cucumber. Perhaps I might even end up infusing it into a tea? All in all, I'm very pleased with the Spring share, it is better than I thought it would be.

Lemon Parmesan Fiddle Heads

I've been studying and identifying plants, especially wild edibles for the past year. This is the first year I've really brought anything home other when I went mushroom hunting with my dad as a child. Even then, I never found much. Now, when I go mushroom hunting, hopefully I won't come home empty-handed anymore, even if I don't find any mushrooms. These are fiddle heads, which are basically young, unfurled ferns. They taste like a very mild cross between spinach and asparagus, with no bitterness. I prepared them simply, in a pan, salted with olive oil, and cooked until wilted. I added some squeezed lemon juice before removing from the pan and added Parmesan at the table. We all tasted 2-3 and gave them our approval (like they needed it?). It will be nice to look forward to Spring for a reason other than mushrooms that are nearly impossible to find.

Osso Bucco with Saffron Risotto

Braising. It's probably one of the most flavorful ways to cook any kind of meat. The flavors are always deep and complex. This was my first time using beef shanks, it isn't easy to less common cuts of meat in this area. One of my goals has been to avoid getting into a chicken-groundbeef-porkchop rut, so I've been branching out between this year and last. The carrots were some monsters from my weekly share, everything else was just pantry staples.

Osso Bucco:
4-6 beef shanks
1 tbsp lard or oil
salt
pepper
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, halved, and sliced
4 large carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
 1 can stewed tomatoes
1 cup red wine
chicken broth

Preheat oven to 325. In a pan with fat or oil, brown meat 4-5 minutes, each side over high heat until brown and seared, working in batches, so as to not over-crowd the pan. Transfer to lidded roasting pan (you could use a crock pot, too) and in the same pan. Cook chopped vegetables with salt and pepper about 5-6 minutes. Add vegetables to roasting pan with meat and tomatoes and de-glaze skillet with wine, add to meat and vegetables. Add enough chicken broth to ensure the meat is 2/3 covered. Cook at least 3 hours or until tender on 325.

Saffron Risotto:
1 cup arborio rice
2 tbsp butter
3 cups water or chicken stock
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp heavy cream
salt
pepper
crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp saffron powder or threads

Cook rice with butter over medium heat until translucent. Add liquid 1 cup at a time, stirring almost constantly. When most liquid is absorbed add cheese and adjust seasonings. Add saffron and heavy cream, tasting and adjusting seasonings if necessary. Remove from heat and serve.

Steak Tips with Chimichurri, Radish Greens, and Salad

The good thing about this dinner was it used up a lot of our share for the week. The bad thing is that using up the CSA vegetables early in the week means we have to work down our winter stock of frozen (non-CSA and comparatively bland) vegetables. I'll be glad when they are gone!

This menu consists of steak tips, seasoned with salt and pepper, left to rest at room temperature for about an hour, and then grilled, topped with my Cilantro, Lime, and Cherry Pepper Chimichurri. It also included a "salad bar" so that everyone in the family could build their own from the radishes, toasted nuts, carrots, cucumbers, cranberries, lettuce and goat cheese that I laid out. I made a Citrus-Balsamic dressing based on this, but I also added the juice of about 1/2 of a Meyer Lemon. I didn't think I would like it once I tasted it, and the acidity was definitely off, probably the fault of the orange, which is why I had to add lemon juice. Actually, once it was on the salad with the cranberries and the goat cheese it was quite good. The other item on the plate was sauteed radish greens. Finally. I know I've been talking about doing this for weeks! Everyone but me liked them, I found the flavor fine, but they were slightly tough for my tastes. I think kale is tough too, just to be fair.

Sauteed Radish Greens:
greens and stalks of two bunches of young radishes (I'd cut closer to the leaves for older bunches)
1 clove garlic, sliced thin
2 green onions, sliced
salt
pepper
olive oil
1 tbsp water

Heat olive oil in skillet, add garlic and sautee for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Add greens, salt, and pepper. If the greens seem tough, add a small amount of water to lightly steam. When the leaves are wilted, removed from heat and serve.

Cilantro, Lime, and Cherry Pepper Chimichurri

What do you do when you have a lot of cilantro but no plans? You can make a wonderful condiment for grilled steak or chicken. This is a relatively small portion (2-3 people) but it was more than enough for our dinner.

Cilantro, Lime, and Cherry Pepper Chimichurri:

1 bunch, about cups cilantro
1 clove garlic
1 hot cherry pepper, seeded
juice of 1/2 lime
1/3 c olive oil
salt
pepper

Add first four ingredients to a food processor, pulse and scrape down the sides, repeating until finely chopped. Through the lid, slowly add oil, it will be a slightly oil sauce, you may need to use more or less oil depending on the amount of cilantro used. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Beef and Noodles the Ultimate Comfort Food

Beef and Noodles served over mashed potatoes. Not just any potatoes, these are the storage potatoes from my CSA. Although they are stored, I might guess that they are still fresher than potatoes I have purchased at the grocery store on a few occasions. I grew up eating this, I've always loved it but I have not made this in years. In fact, none of my children ever remember me rolling out the egg noodles, let alone eating this for dinner. This isn't a very carb-conscious dinner but it does put my potatoes to good use.

Beef and Noodles:

Beef:
2-3 lbs pot roast of your choice
4 cups broth or stock
2 onions, sliced
salt
pepper
oil or fat of your choice, I used bacon drippings

 Season with salt and pepper, brown beef on both sides in stock pot with 2-3 tbsp oil or fat. Add onions and cook 3-5 minutes. Add stock and simmer 2-3 hours until tender. Cool and remove roast to shred. Add shredded meat back to pot and set aside.

Mashed Potatoes:
12-15 medium-small potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 1/2 sticks butter
1/4 c. heavy cream or half and half
salt and pepper

I don't know why I am telling how to do this but anyways...
Boil potatoes until they fall off fork, drain, add all other ingredients and mash by hand or with hand mixer. Do not use boxed or instant mashed potatoes or you will ruin this recipe, your life and break my heart.

Egg Noodles:
2 eggs
2 scant cups flour
salt pepper

 Make sure your beef and broth are at a low boil or close and that your potatoes are almost done before beginning this step. On cutting board or counter, make a mound of flour, add a little salt and pepper, make a hole in the middle of the mound. Crack eggs in the middle, and with a fork or your fingers work the egg into the flour in a circular motion until combined. Knead it gently together, flatten with hands and roll out with a rolling pin to about 1/8 of an inch. Using a sharp knife cut it into strips, separate and add to broth gently. Egg noodles take less than a minute to cook. Stir gently to ensure they are fully cooked. Also note that the broth will thicken quite a bit at this step.

Once the noodles are cooked, adjust seasonings and serve over mashed potatoes.

Props to Dad for teaching me this recipe. Still, this was the first time I ever got the noodles thin enough.

Chicken and Bacon Caesar Salad

Another big dinner salad today, the greens are from my CSA share. I hosted a party once and this salad was gone before any of the other main dishes. Since chicken and bacon can be thawed quickly it can be made on short notice.

Essentially this salad is about: 6 cups of lettuce; 4 chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper, grilled and sliced; two pounds of applewood bacon, cooked and chopped; a few handfuls of grape tomatoes, halved; tossed in Caesar dressing and about 1/4 cup grated Parmesan.

This probably isn't something that a determined person would not be able to figure out on their own, but I figured I'd post it anyways for those loaded with Spring greens (and hopefully bacon) who are in need of inspiration.

Spring CSA Week 5

It is a challenge to get new things in a weekly CSA share from week to week. I also enjoy the challenge that comes from those weeks with little variation. Staying out of a rut and trying new things requires a lot of creativity.

This week we have another salad green mix, a cucumber, joi choi (it's getting bigger, too), cilantro, storage carrots, storage potatoes and radishes. I actually had dill but I traded it for more radishes.

Tonight we're having a salad bar with citrus-balsamic dressing, steak tips, cilantro chimichurri, and sauteed radish greens. I used carrots and cucumbers from my share for the salad as well. As I write this, this week's share is halfway gone. I have plans for the carrots in a braised dish later this week, the joi choi will be something Asian, lettuce wraps, soup, or maybe spring rolls, and as for the potatoes, no idea yet. I have some bacon ends that would make a nice potato soup but maybe I want gnocchi. Either way, I'm glad that potatoes are so versatile and they store so well!

Mascarpone Saffron Risotto with Mushrooms and Ragout of Chicken Thighs

I made this entirely of ingredients I had on hand without any planning. The chicken can be made ahead of time, even 2-3 days. My friend got me a good deal on Saffron and this is the result of experimentation. My portions usually include enough to feed all of us, plus leftovers for lunches, if they seem huge.
 
Chicken:
12 bone in chicken thighs, skin on
2 onions, halved and sliced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, sliced
salt
pepper
chicken stock

You can really do this two ways, the best way is to cook the onions in a pan for 3-5 minutes, set aside and then brown the chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper. Working in batches it takes about 4 minutes per side, and then they can be transferred into  a roasting pan with a lid or a crock pot. You should also de-glaze the pan with a bit of chicken stock or white wine and add it to the pot but if you are low on time, there is a second method: Throw everything into the crock pot and cook on high for 7 hours. The first way tastes better, but the second was is great if you are short on time. When the chicken is in the pot or pan, add tomatoes, garlic and enough reserved broth to fill it up about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way. You can braise it in the oven on 325 until it is tender or cook it in the crock pot on low or high until it shreds easily. Allow it to cool once it is tender, strain tomatoes and onions, set aside liquid. Shred chicken, adding tomatoes and onion and a small amount of reserved liquid if necessary. You can freeze any remaining liquid and use it for another sauce or stock.

Risotto:
10-12 mushrooms, sliced, cooked in 2 tbsp butter and set aside
1 cup arborio rice
2 tbsp butter
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp mascarpone cheese
1/4 c heavy cream
1/2 tsp saffron powder (optional)
 2 tbsp chives, chopped
salt
pepper

Cook onions in butter, 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Add rice, and cook until translucent. Adding 1 cup of stock at a time, cook and stir rice frequently to proper texture. Add cheeses, cream, and saffron powder, when rice is nearly done, adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Add mushrooms and chives. Serve with chicken thigh ragout.

Bacon Potato Bites

Let me just say, don't use colored toothpicks. I don't know what I was thinking. Otherwise, these are easy to make and great for a party.

Bacon Potato Bites:
thick-sliced bacon
potatoes, quartered (cut into roughly the same size)
olive oil
salt
pepper
non-colorful toothpicks
sour cream
fresh chives, chopped

Pre-heat oven to 400. Spread potatoes out on 1 or 2 rimmed baking sheets and drizzle with olive oil. Liberally apply salt and pepper. Roast potatoes until they are about half done, tender enough to pierce with a toothpick but still firm. Remove from oven, allow to cool. Wrap bacon around all the way around and cut of the excess, securing with a toothpick. 1 slice of bacon can cover 2-3 potatoes. Return to oven and bake until bacon is cooked and potatoes are soft. Serve with sour cream mixed with fresh, chopped chives.

Cilantro, Greens, and Chicken Noodle Bowls

This is another quick dinner. Soup or salad is a perfect way to use greenhouse greens. I also added other vegetables that I had in the fridge. You can use a rotisserie chicken and boxed broth or you can make your own stock and shred the chicken, reserving whatever stock you don't need for another day.

Cilantro, Greens, and Chicken Noodle Bowls
1 whole chicken, de-boned and roughly, shredded
1 gallon stock or broth
1/2 cup carrots, sliced
1 tbsp diced ginger or 1/2 tsp ginger powder
2 cups joi choi
1 cup tatsoi
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
3-4 large mushrooms sliced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
3-5 tbsp tamari
1 lime
2 bunches green onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced thin
2 packages ramen noodles, seasonings thrown in trash

Everything, except lime, tamari, noodles and green onions goes into a large pot until greens are wilted. Season with tamari and lime to taste. Once pot is just to a boil, add noodles and green onions. Turn off heat, serve when noodles are soft.

I love Sriracha--others in my family, not so much, so I add it at the table.

Bruschetta Salad

I mentioned before that we aren't eating a lot of bread these days, so with a whole bunch of grape tomatoes in the kitchen, I decided to make my favorite bruschetta recipe into a salad. It's really simple, just be sure to use good feta, it really makes a difference. I like to grind pepper over this salad, it's a nice contrast to the acidic tomatoes and the salty feta.

Bruschetta Salad:
Lettuce, your choice
Grape tomatoes, halved
4 oz feta, crumbled
3 green onions sliced
freshly ground pepper
dressing of your choice, I like balsamic

If I explain further it will probably insult your intelligence.

Spring CSA Week 4

Look at all that green!

It is hard to believe we're already on Week 4. As you can see above, we're looking pretty green. We've got mixed lettuces and spicy mix (the one that looks thin and wispy) and even regular lettuce. Carrots and potatoes, from the winter storage crop, graced our share. The Cutest Little Radishes Ever continue this week with two new additions: a greenhouse grown cuke and cilantro.

As I write this, I'm making taco salad for dinner so we're already down 1 bag of lettuce and the cilantro is gone. I will be trying to think of some new, fun salads to have this week, maybe a new take on some of our favorite dinners. I didn't get a chance to eat just the radish greens alone last week, I tasted them, even added a few to the soup, so hopefully I can try them sauteed soon. They hold up well in anything with cooked greens. So many greens from tubers and root vegetables are tasty and edible, so don't just chop them off and throw them away!

In a Hurry Chicken, Tatsoi, and Noodle Bowl

In a Hurry Chicken, Tatsoi, and Noodle Bowl:
2 chicken breasts, sliced thin
handful tatsoi
handful joi choi
2-3 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp chives, chopped
2 tbsp ginger, minced
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp olive oil
1 package ramen noodles, seasoning packet in trash

Brown chicken in pot with olive oil and ginger, 4-5 minutes. Add broth, tamari and sesame oil. Bring just to a boil, add greens and simmer. When greens are wilted, add noodles, chives and remove from heat. Serve with Sriracha for the adventurous.

Big Mouth Beef, Carrot, and Potato Stew

The potatoes and carrots in this dish are storage crops from our CSA and I really just wanted to make something to use them up before they began turning back into plants with leaves again. I bought the beef already cut up, labeled as stew meat, at Costco so I decided to keep everything else roughly the same size. Soup bones are getting harder to find and my storage space is pretty limited for freezing broth. I do make my own broth! Really! But... I also keep a lot of chicken stock in my pantry. Some people, like the three people who are going to read this, may wonder why I use chicken stock instead of beef. There are several issues with beef stock, and what is legally allowed to be called beef stock. You can find a good introduction here. I just fill up my pot with what I need to use up and go from there.

Big Mouth Beef, Carrot and Potato Stew:
Lard or rendered saved fat of your choice (Yes, you can use olive oil, too)
2-3 lbs stew meat
carrots, peeled and cut in half (10-20 small-medium carrots)
potatoes, quartered (8-12 small-medium)
onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4-6 cups chicken stock or broth
2-3 pieces Parmesan rinds
salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar

Brown meat with fat in pot. After meat is browned, add carrots, onions, rinds, broth and garlic. Cook over medium heat until carrots are slightly softened, add potatoes, cook until potatoes are done, seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. I usually use about 2 tbsp. balsamic, I like that it adds a bit of acid to the dish.

White Cake with Strawberry-Meyer Lemon Buttercream

Someone, not saying who, may or may not have had a birthday. I could have been involved with making the cake but I don't want to verify that at the moment. The cake recipe I used was unremarkable, so I'd rather not link it, but for the filling I used strawberry preserves that I canned last year, bulk ordered from the farm that does my CSA. I'm here today to talk about the frosting.

This wasn't a huge fluffy cake, so you may have to make adjustments and I'm not one for measuring unless absolutely necessary: 2-4 macerated strawberries (I used frozen because fresh isn't in yet) and the juice from a Meyer lemon, probably about 2 tbsp to taste, a tsp. vanilla with 2.5 sticks of butter (and a pinch of salt if your butter is unsalted) with powdered sugar, added 1/2 cup at a time in bowl of my stand mixer. I start out by creaming the butter and then added everything until I have the right consistency. You can always add half and half or a little milk if you find it too thick. You can always add food coloring to get the desired color as well. This was just for the outside of the cake, inside with the jam is plain buttercream, of which I reserved a little for decorating.

The Meyer lemon really set it off, I think it tasted like strawberry ice cream, it was probably one of my favorite buttercream icings so far. You could probably use regular lemon but the acidity is different so you may get different results. Let me know if you try it!

Special Occasion Menu: Porchetta, Mushroom Risotto, Asparagus, and Parmesan French Bread

Some people have asked me about this dinner menu and though it is not specifically CSA-oriented, it is all from scratch so since that is legit for my blog, right? (Links to recipes in text). First up, I made the same asparagus I've always made it, since my friend showed me how, roasted with salt, pepper and olive oil and lemon and grated Parmesan at the end, pretty simple. The bread is based on this recipe for Jalapeno-Cheddar bread, but I just use Parmesan for the filling, depending on what I am serving. It's probably my favorite bread recipe in the whole world. For the risotto, I just made my standard risotto, browning the mushrooms separately and saving the liquid to use in the risotto. I also bought some chives at Tendercrop Farm that were included in the risotto, fresh herbs make such a difference. For the porchetta, I used this recipe from Bon Appetit, I had been saving it for over two years for the right moment. The only real change I made was not using fennel seed, not a huge fan of fennel here. My only regret was that I didn't make it sooner. The pork belly came from Blood Farm, which is the last small slaughter house in Massachusetts, they are so awesome that they don't even need a website. as for the porchetta, it just made the meal so special, it truly is a great recipe and I was really glad that I went out on a limb and made it instead of sticking with a rib roast or steaks.

Orange Sweet Rolls

We don't eat a lot of bread around here but these are perfect for a special occasion. If you enjoy the cinnamon rolls in the tube at the grocery store, you will like these even better. And even if you don't like them, you might like these, they weren't doughy or artificial tasting like their processed counterparts, they had just the right amount of sweetness. What is really great is that I found that this dough is easy to work with, I've tried other recipes and have found the dough difficult to roll out or the end result was tough and chewy. I used orange but I think they would be great with lemon as well. Next year, I plan on trying this when Meyer lemons are in season. You can find the recipe here, on Lauren's Latest.

Shrimp and Joi Choi Spring Rolls

This is the result of an evening of experimentation gone right. I had purchased some rice wrappers and I had some leftover wonton wrappers and made a filling for both. I ended up making something like shumai with the wonton wrappers, it was good, but I had trouble making it look good for photographing, not enough filling, I think. Anyways, I filled the leftover wonton wrappers with uncooked filling and steamed them for ten minutes, they were delicious, even if they weren't totally pretty. With the rest of the filling, which I cooked, I made into spring rolls with two types of dipping sauce.

Shrimp and Joi Choi Spring Rolls
15-20 shrimp, uncooked, de-veined, tails removed
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
2 green onions
handful joi choi, plus another 2 cups
1/4 c, carrots, julienned (I just use a peeler), plus another 1 cup or so

Rice wrappers (Asian aisle, not refrigerated)
water

In a food processor, add shrimp, ginger, green onions, handful of joi choi, and 1/4c carrots and blend. Mixture can be put into won tons and steamed for 10 minutes for shumai. Otherwise, for spring rolls, cook mixture over medium heat until cooked through. Allow to cool and begin to prepare rice wrappers according to directions, stuff each wrapper with part of mixture, extra joi choi and carrots, and roll. You can chill for later or eat them right away.

Dipping sauces
Peanut Sauce: Mix about 1 tbsp of peanut butter with 1 tsp sesame oil, 3-4 tbsp tamari or soy sauce, and honey (2-3 tbsp) to taste, I added about 1/2 tsp. Sriracha for spice.

Spicy Sauce: 2-3 tbsp tamari, 1/2 tsp Sriracha, 1 tsp rice vinegar and 2-3 tbsp honey

I usually just begin by adding the above ingredients until I get the flavor I want, so feel free to play around with the amounts making them spicier, sweeter, or saltier according to your taste. We couldn't decide which sauce we liked better. Even my husband, who doesn't like seafood and never eats it, liked the spring rolls. He didn't get to try the shumai because they were gone almost as soon as they were out of the pan. Not bad for my first time making any of this and for an experiment, we can't wait to have them again.

Spring CSA Week 3

Pretty little radishes

Mustard greens, joi choi, lettuce mix, tatsoi, potatoes and radishes. (clockwise)

Spring is here, or at least pretending to be here a few days a week. We're still in mud season and all getting a touch of cabin fever. It is always fun to see the different changes in the CSA box from week to week, perhaps being stuck in the house all winter adds to that excitement. This week we have the cutest little radishes, I had beets but I swapped them for a second bunch of radishes. If I have time, I may sautee the radish greens for a side dish but, otherwise the radishes are going to be great in salad or spring rolls. As for the other greens, I see multiple salads in the week ahead. I'm still thinking of working the tatsoi into a gingery soup, something quick and flavorful for lunch. I have a stew in the works with potatoes and carrots that will be ample for dinner and lunch the next day. As for the mustard greens, I don't know how much bite they have, so I may blanch half and serve the other half raw, and we'll see how we like them best. Overall, Everyone in our family has enjoyed much more energy from eating so many greens, myself included.