Grouper with Salsa Verde

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And you can also make use of the trimmings, greens and odds and ends.  From Julia Moskin’s terrific New York Times article, “That’s Not Trash, It’s Dinner” (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/dining/thats-not-trash-thats-dinner.html):

At Your Disposal

Before you throw away your vegetable trimmings, consider some alternative uses:

CARROT, CELERY AND FENNEL LEAVES Mix small amounts, finely chopped, with parsley as a garnish or in salsa verde: all are in the Umbelliferae family of plants. Taste for bitterness when deciding how much to use.

CHARD OR COLLARD RIBS Simmer the thick stalks in white wine and water with a scrap of lemon peel until tender, then drain and dress with olive oil and coarse salt. Or bake them with cream, stock or both, under a blanket of cheese and buttery crumbs, for a gratin.

CITRUS PEEL Organic thin-skinned peels of tangerines or satsumas can be oven-dried at 200 degrees, then stored to season stews or tomato sauces.

CORN COBS Once the kernels are cut off, simmer the stripped cobs with onions and carrots for a simple stock. Or add them to the broth for corn or clam chowder. (Chefchick’s note: toss them in a freezer bag to save them until you feel like having chowder this fall.)

MELON RINDS Cut off the hard outer peels and use crunchy rinds in place of cucumber in salads and cold soups.

PEACH LEAVES Steep in red wine, sugar and Cognac to make a summery peach-bomb aperitif. (According to David Lebovitz’s recipe, the French serve it on ice.)

POTATO PEELS Deep-fry large pieces of peel in 350-degree oil and sprinkle with salt and paprika. This works best with starchy potatoes like russets.

YOUNG ONION TOPS Wash well, coarsely chop and cook briefly in creamy soups or stews, or mix into hot mashed potatoes.

TOMATO LEAVES AND STEMS Steep for 10 minutes in hot soup or tomato sauces to add a pungent garden-scented depth of tomato flavor. Discard leaves after steeping.

TOMATO SCRAPS Place in a sieve set over a bowl, salt well and collect the pale red juices for use in gazpacho, Bloody Marys or risotto.

TURNIP, CAULIFLOWER OR RADISH LEAVES Braise in the same way as (or along with) collards, chards, mustard greens or kale.

WATERMELON SEEDS Roast and salt like pumpkin seeds.

The post Use Every Last Bit of That CSA Share appeared first on TaylorMade Meals.

Summer-Stuffed Tomatoes

Serves 8

• 8 large beefsteak tomatoes
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 Tbs. plus 4 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese – divided
• 1 clove garlic – minced (1 tsp.)
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 cup diced zucchini plus 24 very thin zucchini slices

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice tops off tomatoes, and scoop pulp out of centers to make stuffable tomato shells; set aside. Discard half of tomato pulp; remove seeds from and finely chop remaining half of pulp.
2. Whisk together eggs and ricotta in medium bowl until smooth. Stir in red onion, basil, 2 Tbs. Parmesan, and garlic. Add corn, diced zucchini, and chopped tomato pulp; stir until combined.
3. Fill tomatoes just to top with 1/2 cup ricotta mixture. Sprinkle each tomato with 1/2 tsp. Parmesan, and top each with 3 zucchini slices and tomato top. Place in large baking dish.
4. Bake 45 minutes, or until filling is puffed up and tops are browned. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. To freeze and enjoy later: Cool stuffed tomatoes completely, then place in foil-lined baking pan. Wrap tightly in foil, then in plastic wrap, and freeze. When ready to eat, thaw tomatoes completely. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake, uncovered, 20 to 30 minutes, or until filling is hot.

    

   Nutrition Info: Per stuffed tomato: Calories: 130, Protein: 9g, Total fat: 5g, Saturated fat: 2g, Carbs: 18g, Cholesterol: 65mg, Sodium: 151mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugars: 10g

The post Make this now: Summer-Stuffed Tomatoes appeared first on TaylorMade Meals.

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

The post CSA Week 9, and a Super-Fast Veggie Spaghetti with No-Cook Sauce appeared first on TaylorMade Meals.

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!

The post CSA catchup, and a recipe for Roasted Pattypan Squash with Pancetta appeared first on TaylorMade Meals.

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.

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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

The post A rustic dessert recipe for the last of the strawberries appeared first on TaylorMade Meals.

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.

The post CSA Week 3, and another easy one-dish-meal – am I short on dishes or something? appeared first on TaylorMade Meals.

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.

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

The post CSA Week 2, and a super-easy one-dish recipe appeared first on TaylorMade Meals.

Week 1 Share: cilantro, dill, spinach, French Breakfast radishes (yum!), scallions, a quart of u-pick strawberries (that ChefBaby and I will pick later this week), and 2 recipes that celebrate this early-season splendor…

Hanson’s Farm Strawberry-Spinach Salad

Salad:

• 1 bunch spinach – well washed and towel-dried
• 1 quart fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, optional
• 1 cup sliced red onion, optional
• 3/4 cup pecans or walnuts, optional
• 3/4 cup gorgonzola/blue cheese crumbles, optional

Toss ingredients together in a large bowl; drizzle with dressing and serve.

Dressing:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp strawberry or raspberry jam
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey

Whisk together the above ingredients (can be made a day ahead).

Hanson’s Farm Linguine Salad with Chicken & Dill

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb linguine
• 2 cups cooked chicken
• 1 cup cooked peas
• 1 tbs salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 c wine vinegar
• 2 tbs fresh dill
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Preparation:

Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Add cooked chicken and peas. Mix remaining ingredients in small bowl and pour over linguine mixture. Toss well.  Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve cold later. (Serves 4).

Enjoy!

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