1000 pizza doughs

Random Veggies

As much as I love CSA, and the weekly infusion of farm-fresh seasonal local produce, there's a point where it just gets exhausting.  I started a veggie board to remind me what I had on hand, to keep my impulse buys in check at the markets, and help me think of recipe ideas. And I have several crisper-clearing wonder dishes, like corn chowder and vegetarian chili that use TONS of veggies all at once.  But even those aren't keeping the squash (and potatoes and garlic and peppers and tomatoes...) at bay this year.

You see, we've had some schedule changes, and more often than not this CSA season I've just been cooking for myself. (Well, and my child, if you count making PB&Js as cooking.) Thankfully, this change was temporary, and soon we'll be back to dinner as usual.  I liked this post by Mark Bittman on cooking for one.  I've been pretty anti-recipe lately, and have just been cooking things and mixing them in sort of random fashion.

This one, for example. It was a mix of leftover rice, black beans, baked sweet potatoes, pesto, purple basil and toasted pine nuts (which I overdid here, by far).  

I didn't use a recipe for the pesto either, and way overdid the garlic (apologies to coworkers who had to be in close proximity the following day!).

As much as I love discovering fantastic new recipes (including the best squash recipe ever), when it's just me, it doesn't matter if it's perfect. It just needs to use some vegetables and be healthy, filling and edible.  So, I've embraced a new laziness creativity.  

What are your favorite solo meals?

 

Buy Local Challenge Week: Sort of Like March

The challenge started on a weekend, when I was in my cooking groove. Not rushed at all. I was calm and relaxed and made it to not one but two farmer's markets over the weekend. I was ready.

Then Monday set in. Followed by Tuesday, Wednesday... well, you know, all those days that you have to show up for work.  I started this blog on Thursday at which point I had forgotten to pick up my CSA vegetables (oops), forgotten to pick up a prescription (double oops) and forgotten to do something for my boss (gulp).  And, sadly, I had even written that last one down.  It just hasn't been one of my better weeks. So for me, this challenge started with a roar, and finished with a whimper.

I was glad that I bought a lot of fruit from the farmers markets for snacking during the week, and that I only set my goal to eat one local thing a day. I've actually met that goal, and was very pleased with the weekend's dinners.  Want to hear about them?

(Oh good, you're still here!)

Saturday: Indian food night!

• Pea and potato curry, using CSA potatoes, garlic and tomatoes
• Squash blossom and broccoli pakoras (like tempura, but with curry) - using squash blossoms from the farmers market (Tomatoes, etc. farm), served with a cilantro-mint chutney (mint from CSA)
• Homemade naan - not local, but King Arthur flour is the best

It took me more than 3 hours to prepare the meal above. Pretty sure I burned enough calories to cancel out all the deep-fried deliciousness. (Well, maybe not, but it was totally worth it!)

These beautiful squash blossoms...

...made awesome pakoras!

Here's the whole feast.

 

Sunday: Southern style cookout

• Grilled chicken breast w/BBQ sauce (from a bottle - wasn't in the mood to spend 3 hours in the kitchen again quite so soon)
• Grilled corn on the cob, from the farmers market
• Baked beans - real, honest-to-goodness cooked-for-9-hours baked beans, with molasses, brown sugar and tomatoes
• Cucumber and tomato salad, with CSA veggies

Monday: The downhill slide begins

• Leftover curry for lunch, and a farmers market peach as a snack
• Banana sandwiches for dinner (not local, but a childhood favorite)

Tuesday: Mmm... cobbler...

• Used rapidly deteriorating peaches and blackberries from Saturday's market to make a cobbler. I had intended to make a pie, but on a weeknight... ain't gonna happen. Cobbler was OK, but tasted a little off. Not sure if some of the fruit had turned already, or if I just did it wrong.
• Also sneaked some yellow squash into the tomato sauce for pasta at dinner. Almost managed to convince my child to eat it... almost. 

Wednesday: More sandwiches

• Sliced a giant tomato I bought at the Urbana farmers market. It was exactly bread-sized, and was fantastic in its juiciness with some mayo and provolone. 
• Finished the rest of the farmers market blackberries and some cherry tomatoes for snacks

Thursday: <crickets chirping>

• Today, just some CSA cherry tomatoes for a snack. 

Friday: 

• Tomato slices (one of the best ways to eat fresh tomatoes, I think)

Saturday:

• No idea... it's now a week later, and I just can't remember. I think I made a tomato, basil and mozzarella salad, but don't really remember for sure. (I had written everything down until that point.)

If nothing else, this week made me think more than usual about where my food comes from. I've resolved to try to eat something local every day through the fall, which should be easy with a regularly replenishing CSA supply.  It's so easy to fall into old patterns, though.  So I've gotten a "vegetable board" thanks to this idea from BittenWord, so I can remind myself what's in the crisper.

(Yes, we have a Viking ship on top of our fridge. Doesn't everyone?) 

CSA Recipe Roundup

During CSA season, I write the weekly newsletter for the Summer Creek Farm CSA in Frederick, Maryland.  Since a few people have mentioned that they've come to the blog looking for the recipes I tweeted about, here's a recap of the CSA recipes so far this year.  Each link goes to the archive of that week's e-mail newsletter (feel free to sign up -- no CSA membership required!).  Each week also includes some information on one featured CSA item in season that week.

• Basic pasta with broccoli rabe - featured item: broccoli rabe
• Tabouleh and raita - featured item: mint
• Garlic scape pesto - featured item: garlic scapes
• Garlic scape hummus - featured item: romaine lettuce
• Pea and potato curry - featured item: potatoes
• Stir fried shrimp and snow peas - featured item: snow peas

This week we have a CSA break (so the farm can harvest wheat), so I'll be taking the opportunity to visit the new downtown Frederick farmers market that Wednesday instead. 

Above: pea and potato curry, from Devra Gartenstein's The Accidental Vegan. The recipe is posted here on Google Books.

Celebrating the Harvest

Farmer Rick said it best, in this e-mail message he sent to CSA members today.

Being involved in farming and the production of food makes Thanksgiving even more special for me. Our predecessors knew how precious the harvest was to sustain them through the long winter. They were fearful of starvation each winter and thankful to have a good harvest to sustain them through. Today we are far removed from having to store all our food in the fall to make it to spring. We often take food for granted. Growing quality food for a living puts different perspective on the family meal. I know how tenuous our food supply can actually be at times and how the quality of our food has changed over the years.

Here's the special edition Thanksgiving CSA box, delivered in-person to my door (thanks Rick!). Lots of beautiful veggies for our table today, as we celebrate the harvest.

Personally, I am thankful for a holiday that requires nearly two days straight in the kitchen. :)   Wednesday after work I began baking, with this pumpkin cheesecake.  I've made this several times before, but never with such an impressively cavernous and mutli-faceted crack (whoops!).  Sooo... today I am thankful for heavy whipping cream.  (Although I am blessed to have a family, on both sides, who really don't care what the food looks like as long as it tastes good.)

I also started last night on some pumpkin cinnamon rolls, which rose overnight in the fridge.  Best breakfast ever! (Note that I could not relocate them for a better photo, as the vultures were hovering...).

This year I'm also attempting cranberry sauce from scratch.  (Husband: "But how will you get the ridges on there?")  The photo below is before they really started to cook, but the colors were so pretty! The strained sauce is still setting in the fridge, as we have yet to eat.

Also made these rolls for the first time. There's a slight difference in appearance between mine and the recipe photo.  (Oh, all right, mine are completely rebelliously wompy. I am going to say this is because I hand-kneaded the dough. Although that probably had nothing to do with the actual reason, it makes me feel better to think so.) They passed the taste test though, so no emergency last-minute biscuits required.

At the moment, we're all in various stages of napping, and nibbling the remains of the cheese tray. A couple of the cheeses are local, including a goat cheese cheddar from Caprikorn Farms. My favorite is the "Dragon's Breath" pepper jack cheese from Pennsylvania (the speckly one - it's really spicy!). Also couldn't resist the brie and the Tillamook cheddar.

Another thing I'm thankful for: my father in-law is cooking the turkey and stuffing, so I can sit back and relax. But not for too long... gotta go mash the potatoes!

Easy Potato Leek Soup

I picked up the last CSA box yesterday from the Fall extension, and reality started to set in.  Winter is coming, and we're about to have a vegetable drought.  (Admittedly, some in my house who are squash-averse are taking this better than I am.)  Here's the last of my Fall CSA harvest, although I did sign up for a special Thanksgiving basket too, since I will be cooking this year (woo hoo!).

I cannot wait to eat that broccoli.  Farmer Rick's broccoli has no equal (really).  And he tells me that people are already signing up for next year!

So, what's in season in the winter in Maryland?  Potatoes. Kale. Potatoes. Kale.  Well, you get the idea.

One thing that makes this transition a little easier is this soup.  It's really simple, especially if you have an immersion blender.  I've been making this so long, I don't remember where I got the recipe, as it now lives only in my head.  I do remember that the tip for how to clean leeks came from Tyler Florence.

Easy Potato Leek Soup

Makes 4 servings in about 45 minutes.

•     3 large leeks
•     1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
•     1 pound potatoes, white or Yukon gold (4 to 6 medium-sized potatoes)
•     3 to 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock*
•     1 teaspoon dried thyme
•     Salt and pepper, to taste
•     Paprika, for garnish (optional)
•     Chives or scallions, for garnish (optional)

 *Note about the stock: the stock is a critical part of this dish, and gives it a lot of its flavor.  This is not the time to try a bargain stock, or use one that you don't love the flavor of.  It's much better if you use your own homemade stock, but for store-bought I like Pacific or Kitchen Basics.

Slice the white and light green parts of the leeks into thin rings, and swish around in a large bowl of water, to remove dirt and grit.  Dry with towels.

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan (3 quarts or larger) over medium heat.  Add leeks and cook, stirring, for about 8 minutes, until tender.  (If they start to caramelize, that’s OK—it just adds flavor.)

Meanwhile, wash and peel the potatoes.  (Monkey optional - my daughter insisted that he was "helping.")

Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch dice.  When leeks are tender, add potatoes, thyme and stock (enough to just cover potatoes) to the pot, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered about 20 minutes, or until potatoes can be easily mashed with the back of a spoon.

Puree the soup using an immersion blender (a regular blender would work too, just be careful when pouring hot liquid).  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve garnished with paprika and/or chives. Goes well with grilled cheese (pictured, "the basic" - a standby of the picky kid).

Still looking for new in-season ideas for cooking this winter... What are your favorite winter soups or dishes?

Eggplant challenge(d)

The last couple weeks have been crazy busy, and though the CSA baskets are bigger and more colorful at the end of the season, I just haven't been able to dedicate hours to cooking.  So I've been cooking a hodge-podge of mostly quick things, using as many CSA vegetables as I can.  For instance, tacos with Hedgeapple Farm beef and local onions and peppers is one of my weeknight standbys. 

I've cooked some things recently that I've never made before.  Zucchini pancakes, butternut squash pansotti (definitely NOT a quick dish, as it requires making fresh pasta), and this fried chicken:

Fried chicken is not something I would add to the regular line-up, for the sake of our arteries, but I had a craving, and it was really crispy and tasty.  Served it with roasted CSA fingerling potatoes and barley-stuffed green peppers.

I also did something else new recently: I used my iPhone for dinner ideas.  There's an app called AllRecipes; it includes something called a "Dinner Spinner" if you prefer a casino-like approach to meal planning.  I needed to use an eggplant, so I used the search feature instead, and came up with the predictable: eggplant parmesan.  It was also quite simple and promised to be quick, so I decided we had a winner.  (I have to admit, I am a little intimidated by eggplant.  Maybe it's the regal purple color, or the strangely smooth skin.  Or maybe it's just that I never even tasted eggplant until I was well into my 20s.)

I had never made eggplant parm before, but I could tell the recipe was a little off (I don't think it actually said how much eggplant to use).  So I adapted it quite liberally.  The recipe said nothing about salting the eggplant, but after my ratatouille experience, I wanted to make sure the eggplant retained no trace of bitterness, so I sliced and salted it and let it sit in a colander, while I chopped some other local vegetables (red pepper and green and yellow beans) and put them on to roast. 

I rinsed and dried the eggplant slices, then breaded and pan-fried them in olive oil.  Then, I put them in a baking dish (lightly coated with non-stick spray), topped them with tomato sauce, red pepper flakes and mozzarella, and baked at 425 for about 10 minutes.  After removing the other vegetables that had been roasting, I turned on the broiler, and let it brown the cheese for about another minute.  I served the eggplant parm over whole wheat pasta with the roasted vegetables mixed in, and topped it with fresh basil.

While this is not likely to win any creativity challenges, it was a great (vegetarian!) dinner with lots of local ingredients that I put together in a reasonable amount of time on a weeknight.  For those reasons, and because it was darn tasty, I'm going to call it a keeper, "winner" or not. 

And finally, I have to share.  Our house got a new "kitchen" this weekend, for the small chef in the family. So far, she's "cooked" pizza, eggplant(!) and donut soup.

A Zucchini Too Far

Necessity Zucchini is the mother of invention. For weeks now, I've been feeling like the squash are plotting their revenge against me, slowly and nefariously, as I neglect them in the crisper.  Which is packed with huge amounts of fresh vegetables.  Sadly, the rest of the fridge is practically empty, aside from an abundance of Asian condiments (the ghost of stir fries past), and the ever-present "Diego" yogurt (demanded by the kid... already brand loyal at 3... #$%^\@ marketers).

I've been feeling a little rebellious this week.  I started cooking dinner... with no idea what I was actually making.  Usually I have some sort of recipe in mind as a guide.  Not today, although it could have been inspired by this gruel.  Said gruel was a red lentil/zucchini combination that basically turned to mush.  Pretty tasty mush, but still mush. 

Gruel wasn't really what I had in mind, but it had to 1) be basically healthy, and 2) use a lot of squash, and as many other vegetables as possible (fewer for the revenge plotting).  So I started cooking some green lentils (sturdier than the red ones), and chopping some squash, onions and peppers.  Here's what I did:

Curried Zucchini with Green Lentils

• 1 cup dried green lentils
• 1 large onion, chopped - about 1 cup (divided)
• 1 bay leaf

• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 to 3 small summer squash, chopped to 1/2-inch dice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
• 1 to 2 tablespoons curry powder, or to taste (I like Madras curry powder)
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno, sliced (optional, garnish)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons plain yogurt (optional, garnish)
• Cooked brown rice, for serving

Add lentils, 1/2 the onion and a bay leaf to a medium saucepan, and fill with water to about an inch above the lentils.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook about 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add cumin seeds until they become fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the green pepper and the rest of the onion and cook until they begin to soften, about 8 minutes.  Then add zucchini and cook until tender, about 10 more minutes.  (Lower the heat if the zucchini start to brown.)

When lentils are finished cooking, drain them and remove the bay leaf.  Add lentils to the skillet and reduce heat to low.  Stir in curry powder.  Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and cilantro.  Serve over brown rice, topped with a jalapeno and plain yogurt, if you wish.

This turned out pretty well; it was especially good the next day as lunch. I also made some fresh naan to go with it, mostly so my husband, who named this blog post, would have something to eat.  (Can you guess his opinion?  Hint: he really doesn't like squash.)  I'm proud of myself, as previous attempts at recipe invention have had, um, less than stellar results.  Me: 1, Squash: 0 (although there are still some in there... the coup is coming...)

Late Summer Veggie Bonanza

I got this beautiful CSA share yesterday.

It's week 16 for the Summer Creek CSA, when everything seems to be in season.  After taking a moment to enjoy the rainbow of colors in this week's box, I started to wonder... how am I ever going to cook, much less eat all these vegetables in a week? 

Some of them may keep a bit longer (the potatoes and garlic, for instance).  But the eggplant, raspberries and basil, not so much.  Here's the thought process, roughly:

Wow, look at those amazing vegetables. I can't wait to cook them.  Oh wait, it's a Wednesday night, and I have to um, work the next two days.  So I can afford to keep buying gorgeous organic produce. That I don't have time to cook.

My husband accuses me of making things too complicated, so tonight I decided to prepare several vegetables in the simplest way I could think of.  I boiled some of the lovely Mountain Rose potatoes (they have red swirls inside!), roasted some green and yellow beans and baby carrots tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper, and made a simple salad of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, red onion, basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  And, to appease the carnivorous beast (not naming any names, of course), pan-fried a couple chicken breasts.

The result:

This took about 40 minutes start to finish, including scrubbing the dirt from the potatoes and carrots. Not a super-quick meal, but not bad considering the number of fresh ingredients involved.  It was a really nice meal, and (bonus!) it didn't cause me any stress.

Usually, one of the biggest joys of CSA for me is trying new recipes, cooking techniques and flavor combinations.  With this meal, I did none of that, and it was really tasty.  It's easy to forget that such wonderfully fresh produce doesn't need much help to taste good!  

Farmer Rick is trying a new type of potato: the Mountain Rose (photo of a raw one above). It has a thin skin and a delicate flavor, and keeps its reddish-purple swirls inside even after it is cooked.  These were excellent boiled, served with just a little sea salt.  My husband said they remind him of potatoes from the island off the coast of Norway where he spent summers as a (half Norwegian) child.  And where boiled potatoes are served at practically every meal.  So Farmer Rick, these potatoes get a thumbs up from this house.  When a Norwegian compliments your boiled potatoes, that is saying something!

1950s Potato Chowder

As the nights begin to get cooler, I start craving soup.  Have a lot of CSA potatoes, so I decided to make this recipe I modified from a 1957 House & Garden recipe I found online several years ago. This is also about the time of year I start craving things with lots of cream, cheese and/or butter, so this is not the healthiest of my CSA recipes.  But it's darn tasty. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups boiling chicken stock (may need another 1/2 cup to make sure potatoes are covered)
• 2 strips bacon
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cups raw potatoes, peeled and diced (Yukon golds work well)
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper, ground
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
• 1/2 bunch fresh dill, chopped (optional - do NOT use dried dill, unless you are pregnant and craving pickle soup)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 to 3 whole garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary (optional)

Directions
Heat chicken stock to boiling in a small pot.  Fry bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat until crisp.  Remove and set aside.  Add onion to bacon grease and saute over medium heat until translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add potatoes, carrots, chicken stock, bay leaf and salt.  Cover and cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes (longer if you have large potato cubes).

Meanwhile, in a separate smaller pot, mix milk and cream together, and add the garlic cloves and whole rosemary sprig, if using.  Heat through over low heat, taking care not to boil the milk.  Strain out the garlic and rosemary, and blend flour with 1/4 cup of the milk mixture, stirring vigorously to avoid lumps.

Add the 1/4 cup milk/flour mixture to soup pot, stirring constantly for about 1 minute to keep lumps from forming.  Add the remaining milk, and stir thoroughly until well-combined. (This step is when you will see the magic. "Oh, it is chowder!")  Add white pepper, paprika, cayenne, parsley, fresh dill and parsley (or other fresh herbs) to soup pot.  Reduce heat to low, and heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring every couple minutes to prevent scorching.  If the soup starts to develop a skin on top, just stir and it will go away.  Remove bay leaf, and serve soup immediately, topped with crumbled bacon.

Serves 4 in generous portions.

This would be great with whole wheat French country bread. Tonight, I served it alongside a salad with local red onions (from Whitmore Farm), cucumber and CSA tomatoes.  It might also be a good vegetarian chowder without the bacon, but I haven't tried this.  I think the bacon adds the true chowder flavor, so I've never made it without.  (I'd love to hear how it turns out if you try a veggie version.)

As a side note, I have to share... went to Hedgeapple Farm today to celebrate the arrival of my new freezer (nine cubic feet!).  Saw on Twitter that they were having a steak sale for Labor Day (thanks for the alert Beth).  I keep trying to convince my husband Twitter is not pointless... maybe steak will do it?  Ended up with nine pounds of local grass-fed Angus in various cuts.  Can't wait to try it. 

Slowly filling my freezer with local food!  It also currently holds an ice cream cake from Maggie Moos... since they make their own ice cream, does that count as local food?

Ratatouille: If a Rat Can Do It...

Big purple eggplant. Ripe red tomatoes. Green peppers, onions and zucchini galore.  Sounds like a great ratatouille. At least from what I recall seeing in that cartoon...

I've never made ratatouille before, but of course, that didn't stop me.  I kept thinking of Remy from the Ratatouille movie.  (You know, the one that's a rodent.)

OK, here is where I usually get the heebie jeebies. The train of thought goes something like this: Rodent. Infestation. Plague. Black Death. Doom.  So, generally speaking, dinner inspiration comes from many places.  But rodentia? This is a first.

Got my trusty cookbook (which I wish included photos, but then it would weigh 40 pounds).  Oven-baked ratatouille called for a casserole dish.  Here is where I have to admit, once again, to being a bad Southerner.  I don't really like casseroles.  But, I did find a dish that I guessed might work. (And, as a side note, the Casserole Queens are my new heroes.)

I sliced all those lovely veggies, stacked em up, and threw in some fresh thyme and garlic to keep away vampires (myth dispelled?) for good measure.  Then, of course, I drizzled (OK, doused) it with olive oil.  Baked for about an hour and here's the result.  It's missing a few tomatoes that were originally there because, as I was following the recipe's advice to press the vegetables down with a spatula every so often (it only took once), half the top tomato layer got stuck to said spatula and are now residing in the crack at the bottom of my oven door. 

What I was most delighted with was the leftovers.  Piled high on a hoagie roll, topped with mozzarella and oregano, and toasted to melty goodness, leftover ratatouille makes one heck of an awesome sandwich.

Yes, I did eat the whole thing. And the chips too (they were my husband's contribution -- he panicked just a bit when I mentioned were were having vegetable sandwiches for dinner... the horror!).  And some zucchini cake. For the record: this is why I run.