favorite summertime recipes

i tend to hand-write blog posts on my train ride to and from work, and lately i've been so immersed in the bartimaeus trilogy (which i highly recommend), that i haven't made time to write. that doesn't mean that i haven't been cooking. summertime is zooming along and my csa is in full swing. i also opted for a fruit share this year, and i've loved every week of fresh organic fruit. i've created some recipes that aren't really ready to share, so i thought i'd share some of my go-to favorites for the summer.

smitten kitchen's pickled sugar snap peas: sugar snap peas are an early summer treat that disappear pretty quickly into the season. i usually just eat them raw or very lightly sauteed with a little bit of salt. i questioned the merit of doing anything to my snap peas, but pickling them was a revelation. if anything, this quickle recipe makes the peas even crisper.

david lebovitz's baba ganoush: i've been getting eggplant from my csa for nearly a month straight. i love grilled eggplant, i like it sauteed and served over pasta, but this baba ganoush is hands-down my favorite way to eat eggplant. i use a little less tahini than called for but otherwise find the recipe perfect.

fig & plum's simple caesar salad: i know, i know, caesar salad is boring. every corner restaurant has it on their menu with stale croutons and dry chicken. that is exactly why you should make this classic at home. use real, fresh ingredients put it together with love. jess is right, this recipe is a keeper.

food in jar's roasted tomatillo salsa: this recipe is new to me this year (and the accompanying story is worth the read). this was my first summer receiving tomatillos from my csa. i've always enjoyed the flavor and just haven't used them at home before. this salsa is easy -- yes you can just throw everything in the blender, skins and all -- and tasty and is also a great marinade for veggies or meat.

eggs eudora

i'm gearing up for the start of my second season of community supported agriculture (csa) with stoneledge farm. my first pick up is in a week and i can't wait to see what goodies i'll be getting.

to prepare for the new season, i've been cleaning out my freezer. all that remains of last year's bounty is a small bag of frozen and sliced jalapenos and a pack of blanched and frozen greens. the greens sauteed up nicely with bacon and i served them over biscuits with a fried egg. since this is a decidedly southern twist on eggs benedict, i decided to name the dish after one of my favorite southern authors.

this recipe serves four.

1/2 portion of biscuits - baked and sliced in half (yields 4 biscuits)

2 slices bacon - cut into chunks

2-3 large handfuls of greens (any hearty type: collards, swiss chard, etc.) - washed, chopped and blanched (i used pre-blanched, frozen greens)

1 medium onion - sliced and carmelized

4 eggs - fried, sunny side up

cheese sauce (see below)

i generally make the cheese sauce, biscuits and onions before starting the greens and eggs.

heat up a medium-large skillet over medium high heat and add bacon chunks. cook for 4-6 mintues or until bacon begins to crisp. add greens to bacon and toss well. cook another 5-7 minutes over medium high heat until greens and bacon are cooked through. set greens aside, fry eggs (for 4 eggs, i would fry in 1 1/2 tablespoons butter).

for plating: place biscuit, cut in half open on plate (as you would an english muffin), place greens and bacon mixture on top of biscuit, layer carmelized onions on top of the greens, then place one fried egg on top of the onions, and top with cheese sauce.

cheese sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

3/4 cup whole milk

3/4 cup white cheddar

dash grated nutmeg

melt butter over medium heat in skillet. once butter is melted, slowly add flour, stirring as you add. once flour is fully incorporated into the butter, add salt and pepper and stir for another minute. add milk and stir well and cook for 2 minutes or until milk has mixed well with the flour mixture. slowly add cheese, stirring constantly. add nutmeg and cook until cheese has melted and mixture is smooth.

a simple corn chowder

the warm(ish) weather this past weekend turned my thoughts to spring and fresh produce! thinking of the soon-to-come fresh greens, i inventoried my remaining csa veggies.

this corn chowder used up those last two pounds of withering potatoes and the last wizened celery root hiding in the back of the crisper. i even, sadly, used up the last of the carrots that, blanched and frozen, had seen me through this long and cold winter.

the resulting soup is simple and refreshing.

1 teaspoon butter

1 medium onion - finely chopped

1/4 cup (approximately 1 slice) bacon - chopped

1 leek - white and light green part sliced

1/2 cup carrots - peeled and sliced

1/2-1/3 celery root - peeled and diced in 1/4 inch cubes

2 lbs potatoes - peeled and cut in 1/2 inch cubes

3 cups corn - kernels only (i used frozen)

2 bay leaves

4 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)

1-2 cups milk

salt & pepper

in large pot, melt butter over medium high heat, add onions and bacon and cook for 5-7 minutes. add leek, carrots and celery root and cook for 10 minutes (or until veggies are beginning to soften). salt and pepper to taste. add potatoes, corn, bay leaves and stock. lower heat to medium and cook until potatoes begin to soften (approx. 15 minutes). add milk and cook another 10 minutes (do not let soup boil once dairy has been added).

to thicken the soup, ladle 2 cups of soup into the food processor or blender, puree and add back to soup.

enjoy!

what i learned from my csa

i had my last pickup from my csa last week and i was sad to see the season end. i've traveled the vegetable road from delicate spring greens to summer squash and, most recently, thanks to the cool and rainy weather here in the northeast, mounds and mounds of potatoes.

i'll admit that the mass of vegetables i received each week was initially overwhelming and i felt guilty each time i pulled a wilted veggie from the depths of my fridge. however, as the season progressed, i learned to take charge and control my csa share.

here's a quick list of what my first csa share taught me:

1. food is beautiful.

the variety of colors and shapes ready to be made into sustenance for my body was an amazing sight. my favorites were the rainbow swiss chard and the turnips (yes, turnips - their white and purple bodies topped with bright green are just gorgeous).

2. food is dirty.

most of us get our produce from a grocery aisle where the veggies line up like soldiers and are misted every 1.2 minutes for that perfect camera-ready sheen. the carrots are straight and unblemished (or bagged and smooth if you like those "baby" carrots) and the lettuce is bagged and triple washed.

my first csa pick-up was, to my surprise, dirty. there was actual, honest-to-goodness, d.i.r.t. on this food. it was a reality check for me and then it became a source of pride. i was happy to wash the dirt off of my veggies each week. my farmer had worked hard to coax these veggies to life in the dirt, and i was happy to wash it off.

3. food is not perfect.

yes, fresh produce is beautiful, but its not perfect. heads of lettuce had blemishes on them, my carrots weren't ruler straight, and my eggplant were sometimes misshapen. i realized, as i cleaned, cooked and ate through my share, perfection at the grocery store is only skin deep. my csa veggies had more depth and flavor than any grocery veggie could ever have.

4. the freezer is your friend.

i learned that i would not be able to eat each week's share within the week i received it. i blanched and froze greens, peppers and carrots. i made and froze pestos and soups. and, now, i'm looking forward to a winter of enjoying the remains of my csa.

5. it really does feel good to know where your food comes from.

hands down, i had a great csa. our farmer from stoneledge farm sent a update from the farm to csa members each week. i loved hearing about the preparations, the work and the hurdles. when our farmer told us that "late blight" had come to the farm and that there would be no tomatoes for the season, i was disappointed. however, my disappointment was tempered by the sadness you could sense in the farm's message. they had started seedlings in march, transplanted in may and staked the plants in june. until then, i had never truly appreciated the hard work that goes into caring for the food sources that come to my plate everyday.

~~~~~

if you live in nyc and want to join a csa, take a look at just food. if you're outside of nyc, wilson college has a searchable database of csa's.

the most delicious muffins in the world

(i'm not exaggerating)

i so wish that i could take credit for this recipe, but, alas, kudos must go to the delicious life for her carrot muffins with cream cheese filling.

the only changes i made to the existing recipe were to omit the raisins and walnuts (i just don't like "surprises" in my baked goods) and to substitute confectioners sugar in the cream cheese filling portion.

these muffins were a hit at home and at work. they'll make you appear to be a cooking goddess.

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots

cream cheese filling

4 oz cream cheese - softened

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

sift dry ingredients together. in a separate bowl, combine the carrots, egg, and oil and mix. add carrot mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.

scoop mixture into greased (i used butter) mini-muffin tins. add dollop of cream cheese mixture to each muffin. bake for approx 25 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.

potato, leek and sorrel soup

in an effort to use all of the veggies from my csa, i made a soup tonight that contains 4 different items from this week's haul.  its turned out quite nicely, and i'm going to freeze most of it (sans dairy).  the soup was complemented nicely with a hearty rye bread.

1 tablespoon butter

2 slices bacon - chopped

1 medium onion - diced

1/2 cup carrots - diced

1 leek - sliced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon flour

1 quart chicken stock

1 cup water

1 lb potatoes - diced in 1 inch cubes

1 bunch red sorrel (seen at right) - cut off stems and slice thinly

2-3 sprigs summer savory

cream (approx 1 tablespoon to 1 cup soup)

parmesan - grated to top soup

melt butter in large pot, add bacon, onions, carrots and cumin.  saute over medium-high heat until onions are translucent.  add leeks and saute until leeks are soft.  salt and pepper to taste.  add flour, stirring constantly until flour dissipates into the mixture.

add chicken stock, water, potatoes and summer savory.  cook over medium heat until potatoes are cooked approx halfway through.  at this point, add the sorrel, salt and pepper to taste, and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are soft.  

let soup cool and puree the mixture.  prepare soup to order:  cook over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon cream per 1 cup soup (or more if desired).  top with grated parmesan.  enjoy!

veggie & goat cheese lasagna

its been a fun summer (a little too fun for blogs posts) and i've been making good use of my csa veggies.  just before taking a two week trip (food photos to come), i was becoming buried in summer squash.  i also had to empty the fridge before the trip.  this lasagna is a result of using only ingredients (excepting the noodles) that i already had in the fridge.  the result was delicious. 

3 cups marinara

3 lbs summer squash - sliced

1 cup onion - diced

2 leeks - sliced and sauted in 1 tablespoon butter

8 ounces ricotta

8 ounces goat cheese - room temperature

1 egg

2 tablespoons fresh parsley - chopped

bechamel sauce (1/2 cup butter, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup cream)

8 ounces whole wheat lasanga noodles - cooked

to prepare bechamel sauce:

melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat, gradually add flour to melted butter, stirred constantly to blend flour into butter.  once all flour has been blended, cook on low for 2-3 minutes.  slowly add cream to mixture, and cook on low for 3-5 minutes.  remove from heat, blend with 3 cups marinara (makes a pink-ish orange sauce).

to prepare squash:

in 1 tablespoon butter, saute diced onion until glistening.  add squash, salt & pepper.  saute for 3-5 minutes over medium heat (do not over cook).

to prepare cheese mixture:

add ricotta, goat cheese, parsley and egg; mix well 

to layer lasagna:

spoon thin layer of marinara/bechamel sauce on the bottom of the pan and top with noodles, then layer, sauce, leeks, squash, cheese mixture, noodles, sauce, etc.  top the casserole with cheese sauce.  bake at 350 degree for 45 minutes to an hour.  let cool, slice and enjoy!

slightly southern swiss chard

i originally crafted this recipe for the mustard greens that came in my last csa pickup.  from growing up in the rural south, i was familiar with cooked greens (collards, mustard and turnip greens), but i hadn't cooked with them before.  as a dutiful cook, i began with the basics.  about these greens, mark bittman, merely said that they were a green of the South that are "traditionally boiled to death with smoked meat."    i turned to one of my southern culinary gurus, mama dip.  

this recipe is a compromise between my southern tastebuds and my desire to keep the nutrients and integrity of the fresh greens.

i found my adaptation worked very well with rainbow swiss chard (i didn't even have to blanche it first).

1/4 yellow onion - finely chopped

3 slices bacon - diced while raw

1 bunch swiss chard (or other green - the heartier the green, the longer the cooking time)

1/8 chicken stock (water will do)

dash red pepper flakes (to taste)

salt and pepper

in large saucepan saute onions, add salt and pepper, add chopped bacon and cook over medium high heat until bacon is crispy.  add swiss chard, stock, and red pepper.  cook uncovered over medium heat until chard is wilted and stock evaporates (5-7 minutes).  serve over polenta (see below).  note: in the photo, i have more liquid than i would have liked, thus i reduced the amount to add for the recipe.  however, the rainbow chard is just so pretty, i couldn't resist showing it cooking.

2 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon butter

1/4 cup tomatoes - diced

3/4 to 1 cup quick-cooking polenta (more or less depending on how thick you like your polenta)

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (or whichever you like, a white cheddar also works nicely)

salt and pepper

add stock, butter and tomatoes to a large sauce pan.  bring to simmer.  slowly stir in polenta.  turn heat off, add cheese and stir until blended.

cooking away my csa

i've joined cooking away my csa, a group of food bloggers who will be sharing their csa-product recipes at least once a week on their blogs.  thanks to flour girl for creating this group - its a great way to make sure that we all get the most out of our csas.

eating well magazine will be posting some of the recipes as well.

bok choi & pork stir fry

springtime csa produce is primarily greenery - which means a.lot.of.salads.  i was pleased, however, to get bok choi this week and last night i made a tasty stir fry.  its budget friendly and good for you!

1 lb pork - cut all fat away, cut into 1/2 inch cubes  (marinate pork in 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon olive oil and cracked pepper for approx 1 hour)

1 teaspoon peanut oil (or other vegetable oil)

1 small onion 

1/2 cup carrots - sliced thinly

1 garlic scape - diced (or 1 clove garlic)

1 tablespoon fresh ginger - diced

1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (aka rooster sauce!)

1 head bok choi - sliced in 1 inch sections

1 teaspoon lemon juice

in large skillet (or wok, if you're lucky), saute onions in peanut oil over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes.  add pork and marinade, cook for 5-7 minutes or until pork is brown on all sides, add ginger, carrots, garlic scape, and chili garlic sauce, toss over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, add bok choi and lemon juice and toss until the bok choi is slightly wilted.  

serve over rice.  enjoy!

bounty from the farm

today marks the second week of gathering fresh veggies from my csa.  last week's bounty included red leaf lettuce, mizuna, arugula, and a small bunch of radishes.  i dragged all of this from new york to ocracoke island, and used the radishes to make a delicious simple relish for some freshly caught fish that we grilled (recipe below).

this week (seen at right) the farm delivered bok choi, buttercrunch lettuce, mustard greens, and garlic scapes.  

its looking like a great summer already.

simple radish relish

1 bunch radish - diced (approx 1/4 cup)

1/2 large cucumber - peeled and diced (approx 1/4 cup)

1/2 small red onion - diced (approx 1/8 cup)

1/2 lime - juiced

1 teaspoon vinegar (i used apple cider because that was the only one available)

1 teaspoon olive oil

dash sugar

salt & pepper

mix all ingredients and marinate for at least 4 hours.  overnight is best.