Last month, Sara and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary by taking a class together at the Kitchen Window. The class was called “Happy Hour Ice Creams and Sorbets”, and we did very well by that theme with vanilla stout ice cream, cherry merlot ice cream, chocolate whiskey ice cream, and peach champagne granitas. Our group also came up with this great slush recipe, and since it seems to be the Summer of Slushies, this should fit right in.
Pomegranate Lime Slush
2 1/2 C water
1 C sugar
1/3 C fresh lime juice
1/2 C vodka
1 C pomegranate juice
1 tsp grated lime zest
1. Bring water & sugar to a boil in a saucepan. Simmer, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes.
2. Stir together sugar water and remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Freeze mixture, flaking the crystals with a fork every hour or so to keep it slushy. (In our class they froze it in 9×13 pans so it would be easier to flake — this isn’t absolutely necessary, though)
Note: we didn’t actually do the fork-flaking every hour part. If you’re not worried about having perfect, big ice flakes, it also works to just let it thaw a little before serving.
A friend of mine graduated a couple weeks ago and threw a potluck to celebrate. I brought this salad and was glad I had some extra to keep just for myself. It’ll work with whatever green vegetables are around — I’m going to make it again tonight with sugar snap peas.
Arugula, Feta, & Couscous Salad
2 1/2 C water
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 garlic scapes, chopped in 1/4inch pieces
2 C couscous
1/2 bunch asparagus, chopped in 1/2inch pieces
salt
1 bag arugula
1/3 bunch pea vines, chopped
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
juice of 2 lemons
1. Bring water to a boil
2. In a (separate) medium-sized pot, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add garlic scapes and saute for 3 minutes.
3. Add couscous, asparagus, 1 tsp salt, and boiling water to the garlic scapes. Bring back to a boil, then removed from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
4. Fluff couscous mixture with a fork, transfer to a large bowl and stir in remaining ingredients (the heat from the cooked couscous will wilt the arugula and pea vines).
We are well over a month into the first year of the CSA, and let it be known that, so far, I’m winning. Yes, vegetable eating has become a competitive sport around here. It’s more me vs. the crisper drawers than me vs. Sara (she’s more of a hapless bystander). So far, I’ve eaten my weight in rhubarb, figured out that garlic scapes go with just about everything, and snuck parsnips into every dish I could think of (although I did not repeat the parsnip frosting disaster of ‘03). Last week I actually reached parsnip 0 in the fridge. This hasn’t happened in weeks. This week, I had to buy extra vegetables because I ran out. I am so winning!
Here’s a recipe I came up with to use up all those parsnips. You could mix it up with other root vegetables — carrots would be especially nice in this, I think.
Roasted Parsnip Spread
Good as a sandwich spread or as a dip for veggies or pita
3/4 C red lentils
3 parsnips cut into 1-inch chunks
3 garlic scapes cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tsp dried rosemary
salt
olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. Put red lentils in a small pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are cooked (about 15 minues). Drain and set aside.
3. While lentils are cooking, arrange parsnips and garlic scapes on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with rosemary and a couple pinches of salt. Drizzle with about 1-2 Tbsp olive oil and toss to coat vegetables. Roast in oven until parsnips are tender and slightly browned (about 20-30 minutes). Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
4. In a food processor, combine lentils, roasted vegetables, vinegar (or lemon juice), and salt & pepper to taste. Process until smooth and adjust seasonings to taste.
One of my very best friends just moved back to Minnesota from California. And, since I haven’t started Summer classes, I actually had a little time to spend with him, so I invited him over for dinner and whipped up some green curry. Our beer pairing was Bell’s Oberon Ale, and we followed the whole thing with ice cream from Pumphouse, a little walk, and a long long talk. Perfect!
Green Curry with Tofu and Hon Tsai Tai
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine via Epicurious
1 14oz pkg extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch cubes
3 Tbsp vegetable oil, separated
1 medium onion sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp green curry paste
salt
2 small-medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 14oz can light coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 bunch hon tsai tai, stems removed and coarsely chopped
chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime cut into wedges
1. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add tofu and fry, turning every few minutes until browned on all sides. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp oil in large frying pan. Add onion and cook until softened (about 3-4 minutes).
3. Add garlic, curry paste, a good sprinkling of salt, and cook for 1 minute more.
4 Add sweet potatoes, coconut milk, and water, and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender (about 5 minutes).
6. Add hon tsai tai and simmer until wilted (just a minute or 2)
7. Add cilantro to taste and remove from heat.
8. Serve over jasmine rice with lime wedges.
I am very seldom daunted by food. That said, when Sara picked me up from my volunteer gig a couple weeks ago complaining that her hand hurt from handling the nettles in our CSA box, I was concerned. She was ready to chuck the whole bunch, but I couldn’t let them go. I got out my tongs to handle them and successfully created the sunchoke and nettle soup featured in the Harmony Valley Newsletter (with skim milk instead of cream). Sara looked skeptical when I served up the steaming bowls of green, but I can now say that they do not sting once cooked. Look how benign they are pureed to hell with a side of bread:
Maybe next year I’ll get more adventurous.
I also tried making this sorrel pesto last week. I can only imagine how much better it would have tasted if I could have used pine nuts instead of walnuts. I just can’t justify the cost of pine nuts right now, though.
As a general rule, I scoff at veggie burgers. Like many vegetarians, I’ve just been fed too many uninspired Morningstar patties at to feel enthusiastic about them. I have found one reason to get excited about them, though: The Common Roots Cafe. Common Roots is one of my favorite places in the city, and I have never been let down by their food. The veggie burgers (handmade, local ingredients, awesome flavors) are no exception. This month’s offering was Spinach Walnut Burgers and I was so into them, I decided to try to make my own. These are not as good (partly because I don’t have any pickled onions to serve them with), but with a little gouda cheese melted on top, they’d be close.
Spinach Walnut Burgers
Adapted from the New York Times
makes 4-6 patties
1 bag or bunch of spinach, washed
1 medium onion coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped
1 C walnuts
1 C rolled oats
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
1. Heat spinach in a pot or pan over medium heat until wilted. Let cool.
2. Put cooked spinach in cheesecloth or a clean dish towel and squeeze to remove excess liquid. Set aside.
3. Put onions in food processor and process for a few seconds.
4. Add remaining ingredients and spinach to the food processor and process until well blended, but not smooth.
5. Let mix set for a few minutes, then shape into patties and fry in oil for about 4-5 minutes on each side
Between our CSA and our backyard, we’ve had to eat rhubarb almost every day for the past few weeks. So far, I’ve made 2 crisps, 1 batch of muffins, and 1 pie. Here are some pictures and recipe locations.
Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp
Recipe from Betty Crocker’s New Cookbook (1996). So good I made it two weekends in a row.
Rhubarb Muffins
Recipe from Allrecipes. I took a suggestion from the comments and added 1/2 tsp cinnamon to the batter and another 1/2 tsp cinnamon to the sugar sprinkled on top. A good weekday snack.
Rhubarb Raspberry Pie
I love making pies. I actually thought I’d try a store-bought crust this time, but I discovered that they’re all made with lard, so I bought shortening instead and made my own — more tiring, but also more satisfying (for me, at least). This pie and crust recipe are both from Betty Crocker’s New Cookbook (1996). The recipe doesn’t actually call for raspberries, but that’s what I was craving, so I adapted the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie recipe. Next time I’ll look for a different recipe. This was good, but had too much sugar (2 cups). The crust was great, though.
I have three whole weeks off school before Summer classes start. This is exciting for a lot of reasons, one being that I get to cook more than once a week. I’ve got plans for several nights this week to use up the ingredients of our CSA box.
Here’s what we got:
Spinach
Arugula
Parsnips
Sunchokes
Sorrel
Nettles
Rhubarb
Chives
Red Radish
Hon Tsai Tai
Green Garlic
And here’s the plan:
Soup: nettles, sunchokes, chives, green garlic
Green curry: hon tsai tai, green garlic
Pesto: sorrel, arugula
Veggie burgers: spinach, radishes, chives
Pie: rhubarb
Side dish: parsnips (roasted)
I’ll post recipes throughout the week.
I love having a plan.
One great thing about our CSA is that they send a newsletter every week that includes recipes. Being new at this, I appreciate having something to help me start thinking about how to use everything (not that I ever stop thinking about food. To diverge, here’s a typical Megan/Sara conversation: M-”why do you have that look on your face?” S-”I was just thinking about how much I love you” M(ashamed)-”Oh, I was just thinking about potatoes”). This week’s newsletter featured a frittata recipe that I adapted to use even more vegetables.
Kale & Sunchoke Frittata
8 eggs
4 Tbsp parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 bunch chives chopped
1 tsp butter
1 bunch of ramp bulbs sliced
1 bunch red kale leaves chopped
3 sunchokes sliced into 1/2-1/4 inch slices
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk together eggs, 3 Tbsp parmesan cheese, salt, and chives. Set aside.
3. Melt butter in a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add ramps and saute until soft (about 3 minutes).
4. Add sunchokes and saute for 4 minutes more.
5. Add kale and saute until wilted (the kale I used was small and tender so this only took a couple minutes. Saute longer if you’re using a heartier kale).
6. Pour egg mixture over the vegetables and remove from stove.
7. Put the pan in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until middle is fully set.
8. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining Tbsp parmesan cheese, and more chives if desired.
Our first CSA box came from Harmony Valley last week, and it was everything I dreamed of. It was all I could do to not sprint the 3 blocks to our pickup location (I definitely would have had Sara not been walking with me). Upon returning home with our bounty, I immediately put some asparagus in the oven to roast for dinner.
Figuring out what to do with the rest was more of a challenge, but I made a master plan for using everything and we’ve done pretty well so far — especially since it’s finals time. There’s a lot to cover, so I’ll have to do these posts in installments. Here’s a recipe I came up with to use up a good portion of our vegetable abundance:
Lemony Lentil & Spring Vegetable Salad
3/4 C French lentils
3/4 C pearl barley
2-3 C parsnips chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
5 sunchokes peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
6 garlic cloves, peeled
6 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 bunch ramp bulbs sliced thin
4 radishes sliced
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 large or 2 medium lemons
salt
black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add lentils and barley and boil until tender — but not mushy (about 20-30 minutes). Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
3. Toss parsnips, sunchokes, and garlic cloves with olive oil, spread on a rimmed baking sheet, and roast in the oven, stirring occasionally (or, not at all if you’re forgetful like me) until partially browned (about 20-30 minutes).
4. In a large bowl, combine cooked lentil mixture and roasted parsnip mixture with ramps, radishes, lemon zest & juice, remaining 4 Tbsp olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste.
Never heard of a sunchoke? Neither have most people. This was the first time I’d cooked with them and I think roasting is the way to go — it seems to bring out their artichokey flavor. They’re hell to peel, though — look at all the nubs:
Time: 45 minutes
