Hard Frost: CSA Pick-up 10/13/12

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Mid-October and the end of CSA season in Western Mass is growing nigh.

Warning: Temps dipped into the 20s last night

If you like your kale crispy, it’s your lucky day:

Frosty Kale

Despite the overnight freezing temps, we still had a wide assortment of veggies at today’s pick-up, including some new fall veggies like Brussel Sprouts (yay!), multi-colored carrots, acorn squash and leeks (double yay!):

New: Brussel Sprouts

New: Carrots & Leeks (hello again, potatoes)

I was already brainstorming on what to do with this bounty and knew I’d have to act quick. Everything looked great, but once the ice melted, I feared many things would go to mush, and worse, rot. Here’s what I’ll make once I get these puppies home:

  • Leek, Potato and Caramelized Cabbage Soup
  • Kale & Edamame Quinoa salad (inspired by Guido’s prepared foods counter)
  • Roasted Brussel Sprouts
  • Acorn Squash with Chili-lime Vinaigrette
  • TBD

Here’s the full run-down of today’s pick-up:

 

 

 

Milanese Meal in NYC

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Guess what I had for dinner last night?

Fillet on a bed of sauteed spinach and roasted potatoes – da Umberto

JUST KIDDING! I haven’t eaten a steak since my 21st birthday and that was…just a few years ago. This is a snapshot of Hubs’s perfect steak dinner.  Even for a non-meat eater like myself, I thought this looked just delicious.

We had a great meal last night at da Umberto in Chelsea.  Da Umberto is an understated gem situated on a side street with a simple glass storefront. Our dining companions, Sandi and Mike, used to live 2 blocks away and had always wanted to dine there, but never had. It is the anti-scene. Inside, there is a dimly lit, elegant dining room and a menu reminiscent of a classic Milanese restaurant.

We were seated next to the antipasti bar, a rainbow of vegetable delights beautifully displayed, and begging to be ordered. The contents disappeared so quickly, I didn’t get a chance to snap a picture. You’ll have to use your imagination: roasted magenta beets, bright green broccoli rabe, perfect button mushrooms, roasted corn, eggplant caponata, caramelized brussel sprouts, and I can’t remember what else…

Mixed Grilled Seafood on a bed of Charred Corn – Grigliata Mista da Umberto

After a simple, fresh arugula salad, I had the mixed grilled seafood plate (grigliata mista) for dinner. It was a classic preparation – scampi, squid, a small piece of orata and salmon, all lightly drizzled with olive oil, lemon and some fresh herbs and grilled to perfection. What our dining companions ate, I cannot tell you. I was far too absorbed in my plate.  And in honor of our recent trip to the Maremma, Hubs ordered a yummy, medium-bodied, pepper-y red wine from Bolgheri.

I was already feeling quite full when the waiter wheeled over the dessert cart. Again, a lovely presentation: a beautiful ceramic bowl of tiramisu, ricotta cheese cake, goblets of frutti da bosco, chocolate mousse cakes and more. We could not resist and shared a chocolate and vanilla ice cream tartufo. Delightful. I can’t wait to go back.

Grilled Shrimp in Snowy Denver

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It’s only early October, but that didn’t stop the snow from falling on Friday night in Denver, Colorado. The locals called it frost, but this East Coaster called it snowfall.

My super-organized sister-in-law Sara keeps a binder full of  favorite family recipes. It’s a system that works much better than cramming cut-out recipes into cookbook pages, as I tend to do. During our weekend visit, Sara prepared this yummy Orange Thyme Shrimp dish that was thoroughly enjoyed by kids of all ages. She marinated large shrimp in a mixture of orange juice, orange zest, minced garlic, fresh thyme and olive oil. Then threaded the shrimp on wooden skewers, ready for the grill.

Tails in a row: Orange Thyme Grilled Shrimp

Brother-in-law Mark grilled the shrimp to perfection. Note the engineer’s attention to detail in that all tails are pointing in the same direction. 2-3 minutes per side should do it (much internal debate on cooking time).

The grilled shrimp were served on a bed of orzo (or substitute your grain of choice, like Freekeh), with peas on the side to round out the meal. Thanks again to Sara and Mark for a fabulous visit!

Next up: Community Supported Fishing?

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As you know, I am a huge fan of Community Supported Agriculture  programs (CSAs), and the state of Maine.  I’ve been reading a lot about variations on the CSA theme. Yesterday, the NY Times published an article about weekly pick-up programs for fresh fish that truly help sustain fishing villages. Patricia Leigh Brown writes about Port Clyde Fresh Catch, started a few years ago by fisherman Glen Libby in Port Clyde, Maine (clearly a story after my own heart).

Port Clyde, Maine

In an effort to protect over-fished populations, many government regulations  have hurt the commercial fishing industry.  Mr. Libby came up with the idea to sell directly to consumers on a subscription basis to help pull his community together.  Mr. Libby’s idea was to turn the business on its head and sell a “mixed bag” directly to consumers, just like CSAs, instead of via wholesalers. The beauty of it is that the fisherman can catch local fish that are sustainable, not just the high-demand fish like cod, haddock, etc.  The bonus for consumers is that they’ll be introduced to new fish and seafood, much like I am confronted with never-prepared vegetables before from my CSA, AND will consume responsibly caught fish. More opportunity to experiment and learn for the home cook – all in a way that helps the local community and our maritime friends. Win-win.

Happy reading.

Delicata Squash with Chili-Lime Vinaigrette

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Must tell you about a simple and sumptuous recipe I tried on Monday night. I wanted to try a new preparation for my 2 small Delicata squash that I picked up on Saturday. I liked the late fall pasta recipe I made a few weeks ago, but wanted to prepare the Delicata as a side dish.  After some research, I picked this recipe from Smitten Kitchen that was originally made for acorn squash. It was delicious, and so easy because you don’t even need to peel Delicata. The Chile-lime vinaigrette was tasty enough to eat on its own. I wound up using the vinaigrette as a dipping sauce and would recommend it as delicious dipping sauce for any roasted vegetables, fish, bread, use your imagination.

Roasted Delicata Squash from Summer Tomato

Roasted Delicata Squash with Chile-Lime Vinaigrette
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Gourmet, October 2006

Ingredients:

2 small delicata squash, or 1 large
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeno
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Halve squash lengthwise, then cut off and discard stem ends (no need to peel). Scoop out seeds and cut squash  into half moons 1/2-inch-wide slices. Toss squash with black pepper, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons oil on a baking sheet, then arrange in 1 layer. Roast squash, switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until squash is tender and undersides of wedges are golden brown, 20- 25 minutes.

While squash roasts, mince garlic and mash to a paste with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer paste to a small bowl and whisk in lime juice, jalapeno pepper (to taste), cilantro, and remaining 1/4 cup oil until combined. Transfer squash, browned sides up, to a platter and drizzle with vinaigrette, or use as dipping sauce.

Yield: 2-4 servings as a side dish

Late Summer Crunchy Veggie Salad

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I had called this a vegetable and brown rice salad in an earlier post, and realized that it makes it sounds awfully boring. Very health food store-y, and not in a good way. So I’ve re-branded my headline in the hopes that it will encourage more folks to give this awesome, flavorful, deeply-textured, nutrient-dense dish a try. This was a perfect lunch dish, and one that you can prepare in advance, good for 1-2 days.

Late Summer Veggie Salad: Layered colors and textures

Here is an updated version of the recipe:

Summer Veggie Rice Salad
adapted from Bon Appetit June 2012

1 small shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 cups cooked brown rice, cooled
2 cups bite-size pieces assorted vegetables  (I used radishes, steamed cauliflower, bell pepper, green beans)
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
3/4 cup torn mixed leafy greens, sprouts, and herbs (Optional – I didn’t have any on hand, so skipped it)
1/3 cup chopped red onion or scallions

Preparation

  1. Make the dressing: mix shallot, parsley and lemon juice together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in oil and use whisk to mix dressing.
  2. Place remaining ingredients in a large bowl; drizzle with 3 Tbsp. dressing and toss to coat. Pass remaining dressing alongside for drizzling over.

 

And for those interested, origins of Ingredients:

– Cauliflower, bell peppers, jalapenos, onions, garlic: WSF

– Sauteed Green beans: Citarella Market (I cheated on this one, these were already prepared when I bought them)

– Breakfast radishes: our garden

Late Summer Veggie Salad

Critters in the Cauliflower

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Check out these little fellows I found living on my organically-grown, local cauliflower from WSF

Cauliflower Critters

Hope they enjoy the compost pile! Maybe they’ll make friends.

Extreme close up

I must admit that I am quite proud of myself. I used to be MUCH more squeamish than I am now. The sight of these worms a few years ago would have sent me screaming.When I found them on Sunday, I calmly removed them from the cauliflower, slipped them into the compost bin (there were 4 in total), and wished them well. I tell you, you can’t buy that kind of excitement at the grocery store! Yay for real food and CSAs!

Have you found anything unexpected in your organic produce?

Two Strikes Against Eggplant Curry

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Combining the words Eggplant + Curry = guaranteed dish Hubs will never eat. Despite these two strikes, I forged ahead and gave From Scratch Club’s Eggplant Curry recipe a go.

Sauteed Eggplant with curry seasonings

I put “curry” into the category of dishes that I am better off eating outside of the home. Whenever I have thought about preparing a curry, I usually find that I am missing 1 or more of the spices. I was excited about this From Scratch Club recipe because I actually had all of the necessary spices on hand: tumeric, coriander, cumin and cheyenne. So, between my CSA pick-up and the pantry, I had all the required ingredients on hand. Ok, I was missing cilantro, but I didn’t let that stand in my way.

I sauteed the onions and shredded ginger as instructed, then added in the eggplant. The tumeric made it all turn a pretty pale yellow.  The thought that I don’t use tumeric enough in my cooking also came to mind. I fear I overdid it on the quantity of eggplant. I had hoped to use up 2 eggplants (sad that I’ve come to use that language after a long summer of cooking!), but after dicing up 1 1/2 eggplants, I realized I already had much more than I would ever consume. I knew Sam would help me, but still.

Sauteed Eggplant with fresh tomatoes simmering on the stove

I then added the chopped tomatoes, including a handful of yellow cherry tomatoes, too, simply because I had them on hand, and then added about 1/4 cup of tap water to ensure the mixture would not be too dry. I needn’t have worried because the tomatoes soon broke down and there were plenty of “juices.”

Conclusions: Yummy eggplant dish with mild spices and seasonings. I think I heavied up on the eggplant component and probably needed more spices and garlic to compensate for that. I would have liked a stronger curry flavor, but very tasty nonetheless. I had some for lunch today with crusty bread and loved it. Hubs doesn’t know what he’s missing. Thank you, From Scratch Club, for the inspiration!

Indulgent and delicious: Garlic Soup

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It’s fall and it’s soup season. As I thought about our dinner and recent CSA pick-up, an amazing Garlic Soup came to mind.  Hubs and I had sampled this delectable dish during a wine-tasting trip to Sonoma. On a whim, we indulged in a multi-course tasting meal and wine pairing at J Vineyards  in the Russian River Valley.  J Vineyards is one of the first vineyards founded by a woman in Sonoma (Judy Jordan), and renowned for its sparkling wines.

Creekside at the lovely J Vineyards

The Garlic Soup was served in an espresso cup as the amuse-bouche. The tiny cup packed a powerful punch: creamy, complex, almost toothsome. All that flavor from a pale, cream-colored soup! It was a total shock. We had to know more…after lunch the chef came to chat with us and the other guests. We inquired about the soup, and a few moments later, he produced a print out of the recipe. I have saved the tattered piece of paper and proudly pulled it out on Saturday to prepare it for dinner. But no more espresso cup-sized portions. I wanted a bowl to myself.

I’ve reproduced the recipe below and borrowed a photo for the visual. My only regret is I do not know the chef’s name – he modestly did not share it on the recipe itself. The photo below is from the Smitten Kitchen blog, which posted a similar recipe from “Bon Appetit.”

Creamy Garlic Soup courtesy of the Smitten Kitchen

Creamy Garlic Soup
recipe adapted from the J Vineyards Bubble Room

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup onions, thinly sliced (1 medium onion)
15 garlic cloves, smashed
1 cup Pinot Gris or other dry white wine
1/4 bunch of fresh thyme, chopped, no stems
1 quart vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
2 cups of French bread, cubed into 2″ pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Chives for garnish

Instructions:

Heat butter in a large soup pot. Add onion and garlic, cook over medium heat for 10 -12 minutes. The onion and garlic should begin to caramelize. Add the wine and thyme, continue to cook for 10 minutes. Add the stock and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add bread cubes, allow to sit for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.

Use a hand held blender and puree until smooth. Add the cream and taste for salt and pepper. Serve in a shallow bowl and garnish with chives.

Yield: 4 cups, or 2 bowls.

Warning:  Highly addictive.

And, if you are planning a visit to Napa or Sonoma, go to J Vineyards and reserve a spot for lunch or dinner at the Bubble Room.

The Tipping Point

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I feel like we’ve reached the tipping point in the turning of the seasons. We had another big haul from WSF, but surely it is the last week for summer favorites like tomatoes and eggplants. New this week: cantaloupe and napa cabbage

I’ve already cooked up a bunch of treats: a mix of new and old dishes:
– Eggplant curry (a recipe from the “From Scratch Club” blog)
– Creamy Garlic Soup
– Crispy Veggie and Brown Rice salad
– Kale Chips
– Crunchy Coleslaw

Stay tuned for more details on my new recipes above.

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