Tag Archives: broccoli

Saturday Night’s Alright For Flyin’ (butterflying as in chicken, that is)

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So the chicken was not from Wolfe Spring Farm. They were all out. Its no surprise because theirs was some of the best chicken I’d ever tasted (a close second to the free roaming grubandwhoknowswhatelse eating Rancho Margot birds we had in Costa Rica)  Otherwise, the meal was a celebration of WSF’s bounty.

Grille Roasted Brussel Sprouts, cauliflower and Broccoli melange. So delicious. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper, put on grill until done. I had this for lunch during the week.

Grille Roasted Carrots. Look at how gorgeous they are. They tasted even better. Again, a very simple preparation: Olive oil, salt pepper.

Now for the weird part: Grilled turnip planks. We’d tried grilled potato planks but nothing else. This turnip was farmin’ huge so we gave it a shot. Slice thick, toss with salt, let rest in salt for 20 mins or so, rinse, nuke  on low for 10 mins to soften up a bit. Toss in olive oil salt and pepper, grill on medium heat, off direct flame until done. Sprinkle some coarse salt before serving warm. I bet even Hubs would like these!!

Cauliflower, sprouts and broccoli, Oh My!

I bet you monsters lead the most innnnnteresstin’ lives……

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Our grille is really not filthy, its just the flash……..
Note modesty skillet and turnip planks

You must try these: smoky, earthy surprising.

A most fabulous un-fabulous meal.

Preview: CSA Pick-up 8/4/12

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All this and more! Wow, I felt exhausted and excited just looking at this list. And then I spied a basket of small, shiny green peppers. I chatted with June and mentioned that there was so much included in this week’s pick-up that she didn’t bother with the peppers even. She feared members would have my reaction! But when I told her I was thinking about gazpacho, she kindly offered to pick a few cucumbers for me and said to help myself the peppers, too. So nice! Thank you, June!

Stay tuned for more on the recipes…

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Down at the Shore

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As I stated earlier, my story this week is that it’s too hot to cook, and I’m sticking with it. I took a jaunt down to the shore yesterday to celebrate my fabulous friend Becky’s birthday. Yes, the Shore, home of Snookie and Jwow and all those scary characters. But as many folks know, the Shore is vast and has many lovely areas, and some are even named as such, like the town of Loveladies where I stayed.

Even better than not cooking, I had the good fortune of having others cooking for me. My generous and kind host Doug Gray prepared a great casual lunch today. He manned the grill, steamed the broccoli, prepared the insalata caprese, and all the assorted fixings. Worth mentioning were the hamburgers and the Jersey beefsteak tomatoes, just in season now. And, if nothing else, I hope that making mention of Doug in this post will bring him here to visit.  Cheap, I know.

Last night after an afternoon at the beach, brother-in-law Darren prepared fajitas for the crew, including grilled chicken, ribs, peppers and onions and accoutrements. For dessert, I had a slice of Becky’s decadent, chocolate birthday cake. Very necessary.

Good to see you, friends. And thanks for feeding me and the munchkin.

Lunch Italian-style – CSA Pick up 7/7/12

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With my friend Peggy Carrington, I prepared a summery Italian-style lunch of vegetable antipasti from our CSA pick-up. Peggy and I prepared the following for a relaxed buffet lunch:

  • Broccoli with garlic and chili pepper Sautéed string beans with olive oil and garlic
  • Mints with beets and cumin (see recipe from last week)
  • Sautéed beet greens
  • Mixed green salad
  • Slice avocado (not local, but had it in the fridge)

Maggie Carrington and Brian Gray joined us for lunch, too. I’m still not sold on the beet greens, but they had some fans at the lunch table.

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On the Edge of your Seat: Veggie Rice Salad

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I know you’ve all been on the edge of your seats WAITING to hear what I did with the rest of Saturday’s bounty. Here it is again:

I’ve already spilled the beans on the beets (that recipe could not wait), so let’s go through the rest of the veggies.
2 Birds with 1 Stone
I felt like a healthy grain-based salad that would mix some of the crunchy veggies and herbs, but would also take a minimal amount of cooking (again, recall beets recipe). I decided to riff on a recipe from last month’s Bon Appetit that I had previously experimented with. The recipe is very flexible – add/subtract veggies based on what you have at home. I’ve included it below with some of my modifications in italics and also simplified the prep.

Summer Veggie Rice Salad

  • 1 small shallot, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups cooked basmati rice, cooled – I used Brown Basmati rice
  • 2 cups bite-size pieces assorted vegetables (such as radishes, tomatoes, peas, summer squash) or carrot ribbons- I used kohlrabi, peas, scallions, carrots and basil
  • 3/4 cup torn mixed leafy greens, sprouts, and herbs – I used arugula and mixed greens
  • 1/3 cup chopped red, yellow, or white onion or scallions
  • 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (optional)

Preparation

  1. Mix first 4 ingredients in a bowl combined; 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.
I modified the recipe based on what we picked up from the farm and also a desire to make it more nutritious. I used brown rice in place of white, and heavied up on the veggies, herbs and greens. This was a big hit and enjoyed by all family members and guests (even hubs). This is a great dish for a picnic, or to prepare in advance. We had this for lunch on Sunday.
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Ok, so we already covered off on the beets, kohlrabi, sugar snap peas, scallions and greens. That leaves the broccoli, haricot verts and mixed greens. I decided on simple preparation for all 3 as I wanted to showcase the veggies themselves (and I, too, was losing steam).
  • Broccoli: Simple Asian-style dish. Steamed, then sauteed it with garlic and a dried, hot chili pepper, finishing it off with a dash of sesame oil.
  • Haricot verts: Sauteed garlic, then quickly stir-fried beans, keeping them green and crisp. Accompaniment for Saturday night dinner. Loved by all
  • Mixed greens: Used as a simple side salad with mustard vinaigrette for several meals
Oh, and the sunflowers went on the dining table.