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Pasta Primavera with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients

• 12 oz penne pasta – about 3/4 of a box – make it all and use the extra for something else
• 1 yellow squash – chopped
• 1 zucchini – chopped
• 1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper – chopped
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes – halved
• 1 cup fresh green beans – trimmed and halved
• 5 spears asparagus – trimmed and cut into thirds
• 2-4 tbs olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 cloves garlic – chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 lemon – juiced
• 2 tbs fresh basil or parsley – chopped or torn; optional
• 2 cups broccoli florets

Directions

Cook for a Living! Becoming a Personal Chef

Instructor: Christine Taylor Garner; TaylorMade Meals LLC 
3 Sessions – Wed., Oct 12, 19 and 26;  7pm
Minuteman Tech; 758 Marrett Rd, Lexington

Enjoy!

Spicy Ginger Pork with Plum Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 bunch scallions – sliced, whites and greens separated
• 1 large red pepper – seeded and sliced
• 1 large chile pepper, red or green – such as jalapeño, cherry or Thai bird ; sliced (seeds in if you like spicy; out if you don’t)
• 2 cloves garlic – sliced
• 1 1-inch piece ginger * – peeled and grated
• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 tablespoons plum sauce – In the Asian/Int’l food section. (You could use any kind of jam or preserve instead – it’s the sweetness combined with the savory pork and the heat from the chiles that makes this dish)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce – I prefer the Reduced Sodium type
• 2 cups thin green beans – trimmed, cut into 1″ pieces

Directions

Notes

CSA Week 9:  pattypan, yellow and Kousa squash; zucchini; corn; tomatoes (heirloom and u-pick cherry); cucumbers; carrots; basil; hot peppers; bell peppers; turnips; kale; eggplant…LOTS of everything!

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE getting all this amazing, fresh, no-pesticide produce??  (Splitting our share was the key for me; it would have been too much on our own, with just myself, my husband and ChefBaby eating – she’s a voracious eater for a toddler, but still.)  I love how inventive it challenges me to be, putting together bits of this and a little of that and seeing what comes out of it.  (I know some of you are thinking, “Screw that noise! Who has time for that??”  In which case, no worries; this recipe should help

This week I came across a recipe (wish I could remember where) for a pasta dish with fresh tomatoes and goat cheese that was drool-worthy and inspiring. I didn’t have goat cheese on hand, but I had some beautiful heirloom tomatoes, both from the CSA and my sad little pots. (I’ve gotten maybe 2 or 3 tomatoes on each of the 6 plants I’m “growing” – I’m afraid to tally the per-item cost of that little experiment. Living among all these pretty green trees comes with a price, aka not enough sunlight to grow things.)  I also had basil, corn, zucchini etc from the farm, so I started thinking of a no-cook pasta dish using what was on hand.  I found some feta in the fridge – I’m a huge fan of the block-style that comes in little pails; it’s much creamier and tastier than the pre-crumbled kind and lasts for weeks. And I always have pasta (stockpiled whenever it’s on sale for $1).   With those items floating around in my head, this no-cook (except for the spaghetti) dish came together super quickly and made a delicious, simple summer dinner. As always, feel free to tinker with the veggies and the amounts – think of your pasta bowl as a canvas, and create.  Enjoy!

Super-Fast Veggie Spaghetti with No-Cook Sauce

Serves 4

• 1/2 box spaghetti
• 2 medium heirloom tomatoes, chopped (seeds and all)
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, chopped (use more or less, to your taste)
• 1/2 cup feta, crumbled
• 1 medium zucchini or yellow squash (or half and half), grated
• 3 ears corn, kernels scraped off the cob
• 1/4 c basil leaves, julienned or torn
• olive oil – a splash or two
• kosher salt and pepper

CSA Week 6: Corn, summer squash, 8-Ball zucchini, pattypan squash, pickling cukes, regular cukes, radishes, green beans, carrots, swiss chard

CSA Week 7: Corn, carrots, cukes, basil, hot peppers, 8-Ball OR yellow zucchini, Kousa squash, summer squash, tomatoes

CSA Week 8: Corn, lots of various squashes, cukes (regular and pickling), peppers (sweet and hot), tomatoes, cabbage, kale, carrots and eggplant. (Also available at the farm stand: local peaches!)

Here’s another recipe to take advantage of all this summery goodness. It’s a very flexible one  I created based on what I had on hand, but you can substitute as you like, either using the suggestions I note in the recipe, or your own ideas. The awesome part of having fresh anything on hand is that it really is so interchangeable. Fresh flavors are fresh flavors, no matter the variety of squash or herb or tuber. Enjoy.

Roasted Pattypan Squash with Pancetta
Serves 2 (or more, if you use 6 or 8 smaller pattypan squash)

Ingredients

• 2 large pattypan squash (mine were about 4″ in diameter – or, use 6 or 8 of the little ones; whatever you have)
• 2 ounces pancetta – chopped (or 4 slices bacon. Or, omit entirely – still rocks w/out the pork)
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes – quartered (or use 1 small tomato, diced)
• 1 small onion – diced
• 2 cloves garlic – minced (or chop up a garlic scape or two if you still have some)
• sprinkle of good Parmesan cheese
• sprinkle of Panko or other breadcrumbs
• olive oil
• 2 tbs fresh basil – sliced or torn

Directions
Preheat oven to 375.

Slice tops off of widest part of squash (on mine this took about 1/4 of the squash off). Chop the squash tops. With a spoon, scoop out and discard the seedy flesh from the center of the squash bottoms. (With tiny pattypans, there sometimes aren’t many seeds – scoop out and dice this flesh if it looks tasty and not too seedy).

Place squash in baking dish, cut side down. Add water to cover the bottom of the dish; cover with plastic and microwave 8 minutes. (You can skip this step; it just shortens the cooking time in the oven later).

In large skillet, add a splash of olive and heat until hot but not smoking. Add pancetta or bacon and cook 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, diced squash and tomatoes; season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper (a pinch is usually 1/8 of tsp, for the measurers among you. Start with that and taste it at the end; you can always add more but you can’t take it away.) Saute the mixture for 7-9 minutes over medium-low heat, until the onions are translucent and squash has softened. Add basil; check seasoning and add salt/pepper as needed.

Place squash bottoms in baking dish; drizzle w/olive oil (get a little on the dish under the squash too). Season squash with salt and pepper. Spoon topping into the squash bottoms. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan, breadcrumbs and a drizzle of olive oil (or a pat of butter).

Roast squash uncovered for 30 minutes. (If you haven’t microwaved the squash, increase the baking time to 45-60 minutes. You may need to add a splash of water or broth to the bottom of the pan at around the 30-minute mark to prevent scorching/sticking.)

Enjoy!

CSA Week 5: Cousa squash, zucchini, summer squash, corn, radishes, kale or Swiss chard, green beans, and  u-pick raspberries.

The recipe below is what I’m doing tonight with the squash and the corn, plus a handful of basil from the garden outside.  If you have garlic scapes or scallions on hand from last week, by all means toss in a handful.  (A few halved grape tomatoes also brighten this up.)  Enjoy!

Summer Saute

• 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
• 2 cups corn (cut from about 4 ears)
• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
• 1 medium summer squash, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or cilantro

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Add corn, zucchini, summer squash, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in cilantro or basil; taste and add more salt or pepper as desired.

Note: also great if you toss in a handful of chopped garlic scapes or green onions.

There you are; I see you…

This simple and somewhat unusual recipe makes the most of the sweetness and flavor of the berries…terrific over ice cream, with pound cake or shortcake, or just some crispy cookies and fresh whipped cream.  (If you had a bar of dark chocolate hanging around to shave over it, that wouldn’t suck either.)  It originally appeared on Tori Ritchie’s excellent blog, The Tuesday Recipe.  Some cheffy friends have reported great results using Chocolate, Fig and other flavored Balsamic Vinegars.  Whatever you do, use the best one you’ve got  - you will not be disappointed!

Roasted Strawberry Sundaes

• 1 pound strawberries – stemmed; halved or quartered if large
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• vanilla ice cream

In this week’s bag: radishes, scallions, basil, chard, lettuces, beets, u-pick peas and strawberries. It’s gettin’ good!

Paella with Soy (or not) Chorizo and Edamame

From Cooking Light

• 6 ounces meatless soy chorizo (or regular chorizo, or any sausage  - I used a fresh pork & fennel sausage)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 1/4 cups chopped yellow onion (about 1 large)
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup Valencia or other medium-grain rice (I used Arborio)
• 1 cup (1/2-inch) pieces red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups organic vegetable broth (or any stock or broth you have on hand)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame, thawed (I used fresh English peas)
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used fresh cilantro)
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add soy chorizo to pan, and cook for 12 minutes or until browned, crumbling and stirring occasionally. Place in a small bowl, and set aside.

2. Return pan to medium heat. Add olive oil, swirling to coat. Add yellow onion; cover and cook for 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add saffron and garlic; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add 1 cup rice and bell pepper; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in white wine, and cook for 2 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring frequently. Add vegetable broth and salt; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

3. Return soy chorizo to pan, and stir in edamame. Cook for 5 minutes or until edamame is thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and 1/4 cup green onions.

If you need an easy recipe to use some lovely cilantro and scallions – and heck, throw a few radishes in, why not; and the peas would also be a great addition – try this Chicken Biriyani we made last night.  In place of the called-for onions, I used my lovely bunch of scallions, finely chopped.  Substituting one (or 2, or 6) item for another in recipes is my favorite way to cook – nothing gives me greater pleasure than using up every last little morsel of tucked-away leftover what-have-you.  A handful of chopped almonds gets tossed in the freezer, and used when I make a dish that would benefit from their crunch but I’m too lazy to chop.  Half an onion, 6 grapes, a quarter cup of chicken stock  - everything usually ends up as part of dinner, or the basis for  a ChefBaby snack.  The way I see it, it’s not just the food you’re saving, it’s the effort – you washed, peeled, chopped, ground, grated, boned or julienned that smidgen of goodness, why let it go to waste??  Then the terrorists win.

Chicken Biriyani

Btw, don’t be afraid of any maybe-not-everyday ingredients – garam masala is a lovely, aromatic Indian spice blend; it isn’t curry-ish or spicy; and you can find it at most local markets (or here.)

Chicken Biriyani

• 2 teaspoons olive, canola or other mild oil
• 1 pound skinless – boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used a whole breast from our Chestnut Farms meat CSA, and just took it off the bone)
• 1 cup chopped onion (or a bunch of CSA scallions)
• 1 jalapeño pepper – seeded and minced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (I keep a jar of grated  garlic on hand; it lasts forever, and it’s pleasant tasting and bright, unlike very gross jarred minced garlic)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 garlic cloves – minced
• 2 cups chopped plum tomato (about 2 tomatoes, or you can use a 15 oz can of diced & drained)
• 1 cup uncooked basmati rice
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 1 can (14-ounce) less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 4 lime wedges