Broccoli Florets and Onions on Rice

Mark had a long day and wasn't very hungry so we wanted to do something quick and easy and light for dinner.  An old favorite has been a pasta with zucchini and onions and I thought I'd try a similar preparation, but with broccoli florets.

I started a pot of water to boil rice (pasta could just as easily be used but we were in the mood for rice this time) and a another pot for steaming the florets.  I tossed the stems in the steamer first to get them started, then added the florets since they take a bit less time to cook.  When it was finished (still bright green and almost pierceable by a fork), I ran cold water over them to stop the cooking and set them aside.

When the water for the rice was boiling, I tossed that in and salted it a bit partway through.

I then sautéed a sliced onion in olive oil until golden and caramelized, salting them a bit halfway through cooking or so. When the onions were finished, I tossed the broccoli florets back into the pan with the onions and tossed it all with tongs, adding another tablespoon or two of olive oil and some Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.  From here we served the mixture over rice, but one could just as easily serve it with pasta or as a side dish.

We had a Sauvignon Blanc open but we decided we might like to try a red with this.  Mark opened a Terrasses de Frigoulet from the Languedoc and it was surprisingly good together!  As a side note, the Languedoc is a new discovery for us... we had a fantastic bottle from Le Mas de L'Ecriture at Ze Kitchen Gallery in Paris last month and have started looking for other wines in the vicinity until we can find that one again someday.  

Pea Shoots and Goat Cheese on Toasted Ciabatta

What a delight it was to drive up to Elderslie Farm yesterday and see several folks there, admiring the beautifully displayed produce and picking up their farm shares!  George and Alexis could've set their goods out on plastic tables, in plastic bins, and it would've tasted just as good, but they have chosen to make everything as beautiful as possible, which really does add to the experience.  George has crafted tables and crates out of the wood he cut down and milled, and they are just beautiful.  The delightful Elderslie logo adorns the crates, and now their new shirts (white button-down, mind you, not just t-shirts!).

But I digress.  Yesterday's farm share included Swiss chard, radishes, green onions, broccoli florets, Rubicon Chinese cabbage and pea shoots (a particular favorite!).  I laid everything on the island and admired it all for a minute, then decided to start with the pea shoots.

I nibbled one little shoot raw, and of course it was tasty just as is, and would be wonderful added to a salad.

I was in the mood for a little snack, though, so I popped a slice of a good Ciabatta into the toaster oven, then sautéed a handful of pea shoots in olive oil for less than a minute.  I topped the toast with Bucherondine goat cheese and laid the pea shoots on top, then drizzled some good extra virgin olive oil on it.  YUM.   Next time I'll take the time to toss a bit of garlic or shallot into the olive oil and saute it a few seconds before adding the pea shoots. I will also loosely chop the pea shoots to make it easier to eat. :)

Beets and Beet Greens, Grilled Chicken with Yogurt and Lemons

I grew up with beets from a can (school lunches, maybe?) so the beautiful roasted multi-colored Chioggia beets that arrived as an accompaniment to the entree I'd ordered at Zuni Cafe in San Francisco 15 some years ago were a revelation.  We were paying enough for the meal that I wasn't going to let anything on the plate go untasted, at least, and I was completely surprised.

So don't reject beets until you've tried roasting them yourself. Just sayin'.

Sometime last year I learned that beet greens can be eaten. Craziness. How did I get to be a 58-year-old beet-lover and not know that?  I must admit that the greens attached to the beets haven't looked particularly edible until I started buying them at farmer's markets... maybe I can use that as the excuse.

In any case, when I discovered a few days ago that one of the beautiful greens in my Elderslie Farm farm share happened to be attached to beets, I was delighted! I decided to cook them separately for this meal and I was very happy with the result.

I first trimmed the tops and bottoms of the beet roots, then cut off the stems. I rinsed everything, spinning the beet greens in a spinner. (These were baby beets; if I had had full-size beets I would've left a bit of the stems on the top of the beets and I would not have trimmed the bottom of the beets for roasting).

I packaged the beets up in some foil, sprinkling a couple teaspoons of water in the packet before closing it up so the beets would essentially steam in the package. I roasted them for maybe 30 minutes at 375 since there weren't very many and they were small.  As soon as I removed them from the oven I drizzled extra virgin olive oil over them and salted them lightly. Again, since they were baby beets, the skin did not need to be removed. The stems were cut and sauteed with onions cut into a similar size.

I happened to have a couple of lime wedges and used
them, but this dish usually uses lemons.

We decided to serve these with one of our favorite easy but tasty chicken preparations, which we usually do on a grill but since none was available we did in the oven. The highly-recommended recipe is below.

I made a mistake in the preparation this time and cooked the chicken breasts whole. They should have been cut into about thirds. My farm share is for two people and there were three for dinner; otherwise the plate would've had a (more healthy) larger portion of beets and greens and smaller portion of meat.

Baby Beets and Greens
Serves 2

1/2 share beets and greens (about 8 small beets)
1 small onion, chopped into small pieces (1/4" or so)
2 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Trim beets, stems and leaves, set each aside
Preheat oven to 375
If beets are varying sizes, cut them in half or quarters (or leave whole if quite small) so they are all roughly the same size.
Place the beets in a foil packet with 2-3 teaspoons of water, then place on a cookie sheet and bake/roast for 30 minutes (or until a fork easily pierces the beets).

Cut stems into small pieces, add to saute pan with the onions.  Cook over medium low heat until starting to change color and look a bit golden brown.  Add the T of balsamic vinegar and cook it down.  Add the leaves and toss all with tongs.  The leaves will reduce considerably in size.


Grilled Chicken Breasts with Yoghurt and Lemons
Serves 4

3 chicken breasts, cut roughly into thirds and salted with about 1 t salt
1 c plain yoghurt (Stonyfield Farm is excellent for this... preferably the whole milk variety)
1 lemon cut into 8 wedges
1 medium onion cut into 8 or more wedges (use more onions if you like grilled onions!)

Put all the ingredients in a Ziploc bag and squish them around to fully coat the chicken.  Let rest in the fridge for as long as you have, up to several hours.  If you don't happen to have a bag, just put them in a baking dish or a plastic container and sort of stir things around to coat them.

Remove the chicken and lemons and onions from the bag and grill on a medium fire until done - check after 12-15 minutes.  (A grill pan with holes or slits will prevent the lemons and onions from falling through the grate).

My Elderslie CSA Adventure Begins

I have been encouraging (begging may be a better description) the sister and brother team of Alexis Elder (veggie grower) and George Elder (berry grower) of Elderslie Farm in Valley Center, Kansas, to try a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) for what seems like years.  I am extremely happy to report it has finally come to pass!  I was fortunate to get in on the small number of subscribers for this first-year effort and am very much looking forward to the adventure.  (Full disclosure: my daughter, Katharine, married George, so I do get advance notice on a few things.)

My daughter, Lauren, belonged to a CSA when she lived near Charlottesville, Virginia, and would torture me every week with descriptions and/or photos of what she had picked up in her "farm share" that week, AND with the delectable things she had made with whatever appeared in her box.  Occasionally she would send a photo to ask if I knew what something was...  that's part of the fun of a CSA - you never know what you will get week to week, but you can be guaranteed it will be absolutely fresh, chemical-free and all-around tasty.  It also provides an excuse to peruse favorite magazines and websites and find ideas for preparation.  For both newbies and experienced cooks my favorite go-to guy is Mark Bittman and his "How to Cook Everything" series of books, as well as his articles in the NY Times.  He makes great, simple, fresh cooking totally accessible.  Other reliable favorites are Epicurious, Food and Wine, Saveur, Food TV (Mario Batali and Bobby Flay in particular) and Rick Bayless for Mexican.

According to Wikipedia, Community-Supported Agriculture "began in the early 1960s in Germany, Switzerland and Japan as a response to concerns about food safety and the urbanization of agricultural land."  It is described as "an alternative, locally-based economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA also refers to a particular network or association of individuals who have pledged to support one or more local farms, with growers and consumers sharing the risks and benefits of food production. CSA members or subscribers pay at the onset of the growing season for a share of the anticipated harvest; once harvesting begins, they receive weekly shares of vegetables and fruit, in a vegetable box scheme. Many CSAs also sometimes include herbs, cut flowers, honey, eggs, dairy products and meat. In theory a CSA can provide any product to its members, although the majority of CSA tend to provide produce and other comestibles. Some CSAs provide for contributions of labor in lieu of a portion of subscription costs."

I was going to miss the very first pick-up day for the Elderslie CSA but Alexis was kind enough to let me pick up my share on the way to Estes Park, where we are finishing construction on a vacation rental house.  I located the box in the fridge at Elderslie, and it appeared to be mostly salad greens (which I love) so I didn't pick up any of the extra lettuces that were available for sale.  (When the farm shares are filled, any extra produce can be purchased).  There were eggs available that day so I also picked up a dozen of those, too.  I passed on the feta cheese since I knew I'd be stopping by Whole Foods in Boulder and getting cheese...  on other trips to Elderslie I will not pass on the feta.  It's wonderful.

When I arrived in Estes and unpacked my box, I was thrilled to discover that under those greens were hiding beets (with greens still attached), radishes, Swiss chard, green onions and some broccolini (baby broccoli florets), along with a beautiful head of Romaine lettuce with all the outer leaves already trimmed off, and beginning their contribution to society as compost. :)  I was in heaven.

Our neighbors were arriving home as I was finishing unpacking the car and they kindly invited me over for some smoked salmon and a glass of wine, and I was happy to accept, especially since it was my birthday!  I made a nice, simple salad with the Romaine (splashed with some Balsamic vinegar and decent olive oil, salt and pepper), grabbed the baguette I'd picked up in Boulder, and the La Tur (one of my favorite cheeses - an Italian goat/sheep mixture with a wonderful, mild taste) and walked the few doors down to their house.  We had such a delightful time catching up since the last time we'd seen each other in April.  And the smoked salmon was outstanding, especially since it had been caught by a relative who fishes every year in Alaska.  There's something about having a personal connection with the grower or catcher or milker of one's food that makes it even more special.

The next day I examined my options and decided on the broccoli florets, following a "course" of a few bites of reheated baguette and La Tur - but I also cracked open the Bucherondine, which is another goat cheese and very similar to a Bucheron... it's shaped into a large roll and cut off to whatever length desired, usually about 1/2" to 1", and has a bit of a creamy layer just under the rind.  Since I was by myself for those few days, no full dinner was needed and the veggies were perfect eaten by themselves as a main course in this case.  I particularly like Sauvignon Blanc with goat and sheep cheese and I had fortuitously grabbed one from our cellar before I left... an inexpensive bottle of Line 39 from Lake County, CA, north of Napa and Sonoma.  Nothing fancy, but just right to accompany my very informal dinner. :)

I've decided to give more detail than might be necessary for experienced cooks when I describe how Mark and I prepare our food.  Readers may skip over the bits they already know, and they are certainly encouraged to comment on other ways to use the wonderful fresh produce from any farmer's market this summer.

Bon Appétit!

Roasted Broccoli Florets with Garlic

1 bunch broccoli florets (the flower-looking parts of broccoli) or florets from a head of broccoli
1 clove garlic, minced very small
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t salt (preferably Kosher)
Pepper (freshly ground if you have it)
1 lemon wedge

Heat the oven to 400 degrees
Toss the florets in the olive oil and salt, then spread on a cookie sheet
Roast for 8-10 minutes, then turn the florets over with tongs and add the garlic in a little corner of the roasting pan in some of the olive oil and roast another 8-10 minutes until a fork can pierce the stem fairly easily.  The florets should be a bit golden brown on the edges.
Toss all together and serve as a side or over boiled rice or pasta.
Finish with another couple of tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil.

The next evening I needed something light since I'd had a substantial lunch with an old friend in Boulder (at Pizzeria Locale - fantastic!).  So after a few bites of cheese again (this time a super creamy,  rich Mt. Tam from Cowgirl Creamery) I pulled out the Swiss Chard.

Swiss Chard (Click here for a personal favorite recipe for Swiss Chard with Orecchiete)

This time I didn't have a shallot or onion, which I usually use, so I experimented with the green onions I had from the farm share.  I hated to cook such nice green onions rather than using them raw, but it was necessary to improvise.  And it turned out great.  I didn't need pasta so I just had it alone.  I could've chopped it and put it on top of toasted sliced baguette or ciabatta coated with a bit of olive oil, too.

Saute the chopped stems with onions or shallots

Add chard leaves when stems and onions are golden brown

One bunch in the pan...  it'll shrink as you toss it
(with tongs if you have them) 

And voila!  Eat as a side, add to pasta or add to a bed of rice.
In any case, drizzle some good quality olive oil over it.

Beets and Beet Greens

Tonight our friends arrive from Wichita and I have begun preparing the beets for roasting (the roots) and sauteing (the greens), then it's off to the store to choose a meat to accompany the veggies.  That's the way it rolls with a produce-based CSA... start with what's in the box and build from there! :)

Eating Real Food

I saw a post recently warning folks about safety issues with certain vitamins and supplements.  The post also alluded to "big medical".  Isn't it less expensive and better for our bodies to eat real food that's been grown in a thoughtful way (and doesn't contain corn unless it's actually corn) and move 15 minutes a day?  And if someone wants to stick it to "big medical" they can do it by eating right and moving our bodies enough to avoid overweight and obesity with all its attendant (expensive) medical care and drugs. :)

It just seems better for the soul to spend the time searching for recipes and shopping for things someone has grown in the ground, cooking something tasty and enjoying it with the fam instead of wasting time and money researching and purchasing bottles of pills.

Ratatouille Tart

OK, off the soapbox.  My discovery of the week was a sort of modified ratatouille tart.  I used the savory tart recipe from Mark Bittman's Best Recipes of the World, layered grilled eggplant, peppers, onions and squash in the partially cooked tart, then poured into it 5 eggs mixed with some gruyere or Jarlsberg-type cheese I had on hand. I then topped it with sliced fresh tomatoes, Parmiggiano Reggiano and extra olive oil, popped in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes or so, and voila!

Single serving of that yummy Rataouille Tart

Below is another super-easy thing to do with grilled veggies, and everyone reading this has probably thought of it already but I'll share anyway.  Once the veggies are grilled, they can just be piled onto boiled rice (or other more healthful grains) and drizzled with an extra virgin olive oil.  Sprinkle a bit of thyme or chives or parsley to dress it up and give it a little more flavor, and serve with a Cotes du Rhone or other light red wine.

Grilled eggplant, squash and peppers on rice.

Eggplant

Eggplant ready for action

I've ended up with an overabundance of eggplant, so have been searching for good recipes.  My favorite so far is Alton Brown's Baba Ghanoush (see video here and written recipe below), and I also tried a Mirza Ghasemi (eggplant, tomatoes, onions, garlic, egg, turmeric) from my Persian cookbook, Food of Life.

Na'an lavash from Food of Life

Both of these are dip-like things and I had run out of the excellent pita from N&J's Bakery in Wichita so I had a look in the Food of Life cookbook to see what bread recipes might be there.  A lavash recipe didn't look too tricky so I tried it and was delighted with the results.  I cooked it on a non-stick cookie sheet on the grill, which no doubt contributed to the wonderful flavor.

Alton Brown's Baba Ghanoush
2 eggplant (2 c)
2 cloves garlic
3/4 t salt
5 T lemon Juice
4 T Tahini
Salt and pepper

Alton Brown's Baba Ganoush

 Poke the eggplant with a fork in at least 6 spots to release steam, then grill (or roast) at 400-450 for 7-8 minutes a side, until black all over.  Let cool, then scrape out insides and drain in a sieve for at least 30 minutes.  Don't neglect the draining... undrained eggplant takes on a bit of sour tobacco smell/taste that isn't very pleasant.

Toss the garlic into a food processor along with the salt, lemon juice and Tahini and process together.  Add eggplant and process.  Salt and pepper to taste, garnish with a sprig of parsley and serve with na'an or pita.

Mirza Ghasemi from Food of Life

Mirza Ghasemi
Click here for a food.com recipe.  Suggested changes:  drain the eggplant after scooping out the insides, add a diced onion to the garlic when you sauté it.  Add 1/4 t (at least) of turmeric.

Zucchini and Yellow Squash

One of the truly great pleasures in life is to plant edible things, watch them grow, then harvest them, mix them with a few (usually very few) well-chosen ingredients and then savor them.  The pleasure is all the greater if it can be done with family and friends and a decent bottle of wine.

We've planted three yellow squash, three zucchini, seven tomato plants (cherry, Roma, two slicing varieties), five eggplants (which were supposed to have been Asian but are not) and eight red, orange and yellow peppers.  The rest of our produce (and eggs!) has come from Katharine's garden or Farmers Markets.

Fajitas

One of our favorite quick and easy summer dinners involving zucchini or squash (and tomatoes!) is fajitas.  We slice either kind of squash into about the same size as the peppers and toss each veggie separately with a bit of canola oil and season them with salt, then grill them on medium high.  Onions typically go on first, then peppers, then squash.  We cut up tomatoes (slicing tomatoes are cut into thinnish wedges, cherry tomatoes are halved) and salt them a bit, and tear off some leaves of romaine.  We use a tortilla warmer to heat flour tortillas, then we grab a selection of salsas (Pickapepper and Frontera Arbol or Ancho or any chipotle salsa for me; Cholula or Valentina for Mark at the moment).  If we have a piece of meat left over from the previous evening we slice it then and heat it.  (PS, Rick Bayless' margaritas go very nicely with this).

Squash  Blossoms



You know all those pretty blossoms on the yellow squash and zucchini plants?  They can be harvested, lightly battered and fried for some serious scrumptiousness.  We were first introduced to this delicacy when we were traveling in France with Lauren (who was two at the time).

When the flower is on the end of a baby zucchini, the whole thing can be harvested and fried.

Squash Pancakes/Frittata
When I was on the search for eggplant recipes, I came across a gold mine of a website called "Serious Eats".  On it was a suggestion for squash pancakes.  I thought we might try it for our Meatless Mondays dinner, and in general it was quite tasty but we will be using egg instead of yogurt as a binder next time so we can get a more frittata-like texture.