Farm Fridays: Sauteed Kale with Bacon

My farm share has been looking pretty scanty lately. The crop loss and delayed plantings due to the eight inches of rain we had in June are finally having an impact on my basket. The quality of the produce hasn't suffered, though. I brought home two bunches of beautiful curly kale this week. One of them will be making its way into a casserole in a few days, but I decided that the rest of it ought to be used immediately, while it was still so wonderfully fresh and crisp. I had a single strip of bacon in the freezer, left over from something we made a few weeks ago, so this dish was a no-brainer.

Why is it that the dark greens - kale, spinach, collards - which are so wonderfully healthy and good go so well with bacon, which, despite its deliciousness, is one of the least healthy foods in the universe? And bacon is so efficient: cooking oil, flavor agent and meaty goodness all in one! Even better, I threw this dish together in my cast iron skillet, so that bacony flavor will be infused in future dishes. That one strip of bacon wears many hats (not to mention artery clogger and cholesterol raiser).

I'm not really trying to scare you off the bacon, though. Everything in moderation, right? It's just one strip of bacon, and its ill effects are (maybe) counteracted by the pile of vitamin- and fiber-full greens. We all want to be healthy, but we have to live a little, too. And somewhere in the midst of that compromise, my friends, this dish lies. So enjoy your bacon. And enjoy your kale.

Sauteed Kale with Bacon

1 strip thick-cut smoked bacon
1/2 onion
4 oz kale
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and saute 3-4 minutes, until the fat has rendered and the edges begin to crisp.

Add the onion and saute another 4-5 minutes, until softened and translucent.

Finally, add the kale (in batches, if necessary - I managed to squeeze it all into this pan at once, but it was a stretch). Cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted but still vibrantly green, about 7-8 minutes.

Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Potatoes

A few weeks ago, when it was still the height of asparagus season (which is not relevant except that this dish was served with some asparagus), we made a bold decision. We decided to make steak for dinner.

I honestly can't remember the last time we made steak. And I'm not talking flank steak tacos or an Asian stir fry - we bought two sirloin steaks to grill and eat. It has literally been years since this happened. Definitely not since we moved into our house in 2009.

Back when we lived in our apartment, when I didn't know I had a cholesterol problem to deal with, when I didn't really know how to cook many things, when I had no conception of what a reasonable portion of meat looked like . . . back then we ate steak a lot. When it came time to plan dinner (often after Jeff got home from work), the question would be "chicken or steak?" ("Chicken," by the way, meant an entire chicken breast for each of us. We were clueless back then.)

I'm actually not a big fan of steak itself - I like the things that get put on steak. I like steak sauce and tasty marinades and rubs. Those are the reasons to have steak, in my opinion. A large hunk of meat without any adornment doesn't really do it for me.

Except this time. I was actually craving steak, and had been through much of our meatless Lent. I have no idea why. Maybe my body needed more protein or something. Whatever the reason, I spent a lot of time drooling over a recipe for steak with red wine sauce from April's Cooking Light. When we finally did it, it was awesome. Just as delicious as it sounded to my meat-deprived imagination.

So why am I telling you about this steak in a post about potatoes? When I decided on a steak dinner, a side of potatoes was an absolute must. And tender asparagus tossed in a vinaigrette. But potatoes came to mind first. We made this unassuming sounding dish from the same Cooking Light - rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes. It was blissfully simple - sprigs of rosemary and thyme tossed with halved fingerling potatoes and unpeeled garlic and roasted in the oven. It made for a gorgeously rustic dish. I loved squeezing the roasted garlic cloves from their skins onto the golden-brown potatoes before I popped them in my mouth.

After eating this meal, my steak craving was satisfied. I haven't had any since and I haven't really thought about it. But I still crave these potatoes. I could eat trays of them on my own. While the steak recipe will languish in my recipe card file, these potatoes are going to become a workhorse in my kitchen, accompanying everything from elegant chicken dishes to vegetarian casseroles and stir fries. And maybe even, after a few more years, another steak.  

Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Potatoes
Slightly adapted from Cooking Light April 2013.

1 head garlic, papery covering removed and cloves separated but not peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
20 oz fingerling potatoes
3 sprigs thyme
3 sprigs rosemary
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 450. Toss garlic, oil, potatoes, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper together in a large bowl, making sure everything is well coated in the oil. Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Remove from the oven when the potatoes have softened and have turned golden brown.

Baked Potato with Deborah Madison's Watercress Yogurt Sauce

I am in love with Deborah Madison's new cookbook, Vegetable Literacy. My sisters-in-law were astute enough to get it for me for my birthday earlier in the month, unaware that I had been salivating over online previews for months. Excellent call, ladies.

I brought the book home and read it cover to cover over the course of a few weeks. It really is a wonderful book just to read, with reams of information on every vegetable under the sun. Madison explains each vegetable in turn, including which parts are edible, what different varieties taste like, and what oils, herbs and spices pair well with it. By grouping them into plant families, Madison makes it simple to understand how to substitute one vegetable for another. And, on top of all that, she includes several wonderful recipes for each one.

This is the sort of book that makes me fearless in the kitchen. Madison has me excited about all sorts of vegetables and herbs that I wouldn't otherwise have known what to do with. I'm sourcing things like lovage and sorrel for my new herb garden, confident that I'll love them based on her thorough descriptions. I won't be afraid to pick up a bunch of cardoons in the market, since she explains just how to handle them. And there's no need to have a recipe already planned, since her "good companions" suggestions provide guidance for some kitchen improvisation.

Perhaps the best thing about this book is how effortless Madison makes growing and cooking these vegetables seem. Her descriptions of scattering seed aimlessly in corners of her own garden and enjoying luscious harvests months later make me want to get out and find likely corners of my own backyard for growing good things (if there are any corners I haven't already scoped out). And nearly all of her recipes come together in minutes, allowing me to feel like a total expert in the kitchen.

This watercress yogurt sauce is no exception. The cress gets blanched, whizzed in the food processor with some other ingredients, then folded into the cold, creamy yogurt. Spooned over a hot baked potato, this made for a healthy and satisfying dinner. And the sauce was so delicious that I was tempted to coat my salad in it as well (I might try that for lunch today)! It's fairly similar to the mustard cream that goes with her cabbage and leek gratin - both have shallots, vinegar, mustard and yogurt at the base. The watercress adds a nice peppery finish and the parsley makes it taste delightfully fresh.

I would love this book even without the recipes, but if the one that I've tried is any indication, I'm going to absolutely adore it once I get to know more of them. I think this is going to be a staple cookbook in my kitchen for many, many years.

Baked Potato with Watercress Yogurt Sauce
Sauce from Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy.

2 russet potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1 bunch watercress, stems removed (I ended up with a bit more than 1/2 c of leaves from my small bunch)
2 tbsp parsley
1 shallot
1 c Greek yogurt
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Scrub the potatoes clean and dry thoroughly. Rub the skins in olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Place in the oven (you can use a baking sheet if you'd like - I just put a little foil under them, with the edges turned up, to catch the oil drips) and bake 45-60 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, set a small pot of salted water to boil on the stove. Add the watercress until wilted and bright green - about five seconds - and then rinse under cold water. Gently squeeze excess water from the watercress. Add the watercress, parsley and shallot to a small food processor and pulse for a few seconds until everything is finely chopped.

Add the watercress mixture, yogurt, vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper to taste to a small bowl. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve.

When the potatoes are finished baking, split them with a fork and spoon generous amounts of the watercress yogurt sauce over the top. Serve with a small salad for a lovely light dinner!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan

Winter is all about comfort food, isn't it? Since Jeff had today off, we made a great, but labor-intensive, comfort food recipe: stuffed shells. After spending two hours making the sauce and the fillings, cooking the pasta and filling three or four dozen shells, we weren't really interested in a complicated side dish. These Brussels sprouts fit the bill perfectly: just toss the ingredients together and slide them into the oven. We started prepping the sprouts just as the shells went in the oven and both dishes came out within minutes of each other. Perfect timing.

I've made Brussels sprouts many different ways, but this is definitely my favorite. The sprouts still look and feel a bit firm when they're done, but once you bite into them, the soft interiors are revealed. The innermost leaves seem to steam themselves while the outer leaves caramelize in the pan. The garlicky, lemony, cheesy coating is the icing on the cake. I do enjoy stuffed shells (I'm the one who put them on the menu!), but I think that these Brussels sprouts were really the best part of the meal. I should start keeping some on hand so I can throw this dish together more often!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan
Slightly adapted from Simply Recipes.

 1 lb Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
juice from half a lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a medium bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Transfer them to a cast iron skillet. Roast in the top rack of the oven for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Remove and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for about 5 more minutes, until the cheese is browned but not burnt, then serve.

Pierogi

This Christmas, I was inspired to tackle my grandmother's pierogi recipe. When I was growing up, Grandma made pierogi (just like her mother before her) for nearly every family holiday. Unfortunately, as a kid, I didn't like them. I only started to appreciate them when I was around twelve years old - shortly before Grandma stopped making them. She had developed a back problem and kneading and rolling dough became difficult - I filled in as her dough maker for other baking projects, but pierogi just fell off the agenda. We began buying them from my great aunt's church, where an assembly line of elderly Eastern European ladies churned them out for every holiday. When we were unable to get those any more, we bought frozen ones from the grocery store, handmade by a local company. Grandma said that all of these substitutes were just as good as hers and it wasn't worth the trouble of making them herself. I disagreed. I remember how light and soft and delicate her dough was. Few of the pierogi substitutes we found, with their thick, heavy doughs, could really compare.

I had asked Grandma several times to teach me how to make them (since most of her "recipes" are of the oral, learn-by-doing sort), but she maintained that it wasn't worth the effort. This past Thanksgiving, though, I managed to run the end-around on her - I was expressing my frustration at this state of affairs to my mother when she remembered having a written version of the recipe on hand. We found the recipe card and I took it home, giddy with the excitement of making my family's favorite holiday treat the way it ought to be made.

Of course, this was easier said than done. I felt that I had enough cooking experience under my belt that I could handle this on my own. I was wrong. My first attempt yielded a tough, rigid dough. I actually had bruises on my hands from pressing so hard with the rolling pin. With great effort, I rolled out my dough, cut out circles and passed them over to Jeff to fill. Every time I rerolled the scraps, the dough became stiffer. Still, I was encouraged by the adorable little semicircles of goodness appearing on the baking tray beside me as Jeff filled and pinched them. They looked right - of course they would be delicious!

That thought lasted until we tried some for dinner. They were tough, dry and unappetizing. I gave in and called Grandma, who gave me a few key tips (after repeatedly insisting that this is something that can't be learned from a written recipe). She said the dough should not be difficult to work with (at that point, I had an inkling that I hadn't added enough water). When I happened to ask about how she cut them out (I was having trouble finding a suitable cutter), she dropped the biggest tip of all: hers were not cut. She made the dough into small balls and then rolled each one individually. No need for rerolling scraps, nothing goes to waste. She told me that her mother had used this method back when Grandma was young. My great grandmother was clearly a brilliant woman.

The second attempt went swimmingly. Following Grandma's tips and my own instinct about what went wrong the first time, this batch of pierogi were absolutely perfect. As soon as the first three or four were filled, I had Jeff cook them to test out the dough (if they came out badly, I was prepared to toss the dough and begin again, without wasting any of our filling). When they came out, I could tell by looking at them that they were right. When I tasted mine, I jumped for joy. Jeff had to endure several minutes of me walking around the house, fists in the air, celebrating my victory. I spent a lot of time grinning as we finished the rest of the batch.

Three good things came out of this experience. The first is that I've learned how to make awesome pierogi on my own (ok, the dough was on my own - Jeff helped with the rest). The second is that Grandma has finally offered to give me a tutorial. She wants me to come by some time and make them while she watches and can give me tips - which is exactly what I'd been wanting for years. I guess I just had to demonstrate my determination in order to get it. Finally, my pierogi-making earned me a family heirloom. After hearing how much trouble I had rolling out my dough (even though most of this trouble came from making the dough improperly), Grandma decided to give me her rolling pin. Her rolling pin, picked up at a flea market sixty years ago, is a solid piece of heavy wood. I have never used one that could compare (especially not the flimsy, handles-falling-off model I currently use - see the picture below for a comparison). I knew I would inherit this someday, but it was even better to have her give it to me voluntarily (I'm sure I could have wheedled it out of her, but that's not the same) while she can still enjoy the things I make with it.

Pierogi Dough
My great-grandmother's recipe.

2 c flour
1-2 eggs (the written recipe I got from my mom says 2 eggs, so that's what I used, but Christmas dinner, when Grandma was quizzing me on how I made these, she insisted that she'd always used just 1 egg. I plan on trying it that way next time.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c water (I only got about 1/4 c of water into the dough - possibly because I was using an extra egg)

Mound the flour on your work surface and make a well in the center (like you're making pasta). Add the salt and egg to the well. Carefully begin to mix the flour with the egg, keeping the flour mounded so it doesn't run out the sides. Add the water as you knead (in trying to add enough water during my second attempt, I made the dough into a slimy mess. I just floured my hands to keep them from sticking and continued to knead. After a few minutes, the liquid incorporated itself and the dough was perfect. If it looks bad, just press on and see what happens before making any changes.) Continue to knead until well mixed. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes under a damp tea towel.

Break off a small ball of dough to roll out and cover the rest with the damp towel.

Roll the ball into a rough circle, between 1/8" and 1/16" thick (mine were thin enough that I could just see the pattern in the marble through them. If they're too thin, they will break when cooked, so don't go any thinner than that). Repeat with the rest of the dough. (If you're going solo, fill each dough circle immediately, before it dries out. It's much better to have an assistant or two who can handle the filling.)

Fill each circle with about 1 tbsp of filling (of course, this amount could change depending on the size of the circles you rolled). Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the edges closed with your fingers (we like to pinch ours two or three times - if they're not fully closed, they will break as they're cooked). Set aside.

At this point, they can be frozen. We just set them right onto baking trays and froze them raw, removing them later to ziplock bags. While this worked well, Grandma insists that they ought to have been parcooked beforehand. If you'd prefer this method, boil them for 2-3 minutes before drying well and freezing on trays.

To cook, place pierogi in a rapidly boiling pot of salted water. Cook until they rise to the top and the dough is sort of ripply. They can be eaten as-is, or dried off and subsequently fried in butter. One recipe made about 40 for us - the number will depend on the size of the little balls you roll.

Fillings: Pierogi can be filled with anything you'd like (I've seen some combinations in Polish shops that looked pretty strange to me - I'm mystified by blueberry pierogi). In my house, we always stuck with two of the most traditional: potato and sauerkraut. The potato filling is really just mashed potato. To prepare for our pierogi-making, Jeff made a big pot of mashed potatoes with some goat cheese and dill. Then we fried some onions in butter and mixed them with the potato. Measurements don't need to be exact here - just make it taste good. If there are leftovers, eat them. For the sauerkraut, we fried some onions in butter and added 1-2 cups of drained sauerkraut (you don't want it soggy) to the pan until heated and combined. Grandma tells me that you can do the same thing with raw cabbage, if you'd prefer.

Cabbage and Leek Gratin with Mustard Cream

We're in full-fledged Christmas mode around here. I wanted to get all the decorations up this week, but I couldn't bear to decorate a dirty house. We've been skimping on the cleaning for a while now - a deep clean is overdue. My solution has been taking the house one room at a time, cleaning really well, then decorating as we go. So far we've tackled . . . three rooms. One of them was the kitchen, though, so I consider it a triumph. The Christmas tree just went up and will be decorated later tonight, so we'll have to handle the rest of the rooms later in the week. However long it takes, I am determined to have everything sparkling before Christmas.

A clean, festive house requires comfort food, doesn't it? But if you're anything like me, you're probably trying to avoid too much heavy winter fare. There will be enough time for splurging and treats at all the holiday parties that are coming up - in between, we need to keep things light. This is a great meal for that. Despite its name, this gratin is cheese-less. I've lightened up the dairy called for in the original recipe, so the final result is a healthy but satisfying dinner option.

Cabbage and Leek Gratin with Mustard Cream
Adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Suppers.

1 1/2 lb green cabbage, chopped into bite-sized chunks
3 large leeks, sliced into half-moons
1/3 c flour
1 c skim milk
1/3 c fat free Greek yogurt
3 eggs
3 tbsp dill, chopped
1 small shallot, minced
1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
2/3 c fat free Greek yogurt
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp prepared horseradish
salt

Preheat oven to 350° F and lightly coat a 6 c gratin dish with cooking spray.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cabbage and leeks. Boil for 5 minutes, drain in a colander and press out remaining water. Return the cabbage mixture to the empty pot.

Whisk together flour, milk, yogurt, eggs and herbs, then add to the cabbage and leek mixture. Sprinkle with 3/4 tsp salt and fold together with a rubber spatula.

Transfer to prepared dish and bake 45 minutes, until firm and browned.

Meanwhile, mix the shallot and vinegar in a small bowl with 1/8 tsp salt and let stand for 5 minutes. Add yogurt, mustard and horseradish. Mix well to combine, then serve with gratin.

(If any of you end up trying the mustard cream, let me know what you think! I think it tastes exactly like the sauce Burger King uses on the Whopper. Who would have thought that pickled shallots were the secret ingredient?)

Roasted Sweet Pototoes, Carrots and Turnips

The recipe that I use the most in my kitchen is not a recipe at all. It's more of a formula: chop vegetables, toss with oil and herbs and roast until tender and slightly caramelized. A wide variety of vegetables can be thrown into the mix: winter squashes and potatoes, carrots and onions, turnips and garlic. The herbs vary as well: rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, basil. The mixture depends on my mood, the contents of my pantry, and the accompanying dishes. Roasting is easy, always satisfying, and always at my fingertips for a last-minute dish.

This particular combination is a real winner. The addition of some tiny hakurei turnips to my planned dish of carrots and sweet potatoes provided variety in color and texture, as well as adding a little  zing. The carrots remained firm and lightly sweet through the roasting process, while the sweet potatoes became soft and dissolved into an almost candy-like sweetness. Throw them all together and you have seriously good eats - something appropriate for a Thanksgiving table as well as a Monday night dinner.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Carrots and Turnips

1 1/2 lb sweet potato, cut into 1" chunks (you don't need to peel them - the best nutrition will come off with the skin - but my sweet potato looked a little mangy, so I did this time)
1 lb carrot, cut into 1" chunks
1/2 lb turnip, cut into 1" chunks (I used several small ones, but a large turnip or rutabaga would be fine as well)
1 tsp dried thyme (fresh would be better - I didn't feel like stumbling around my herb garden with a flashlight to find some!)
1/2 tsp dried winter savory
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Combine the sweet potatoes, carrots and turnips in a large bowl. Sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and mix to combine (I prefer to toss the mixture with my hands). Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet.

Roast for 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven (my batch took 35), stirring once or twice to keep the vegetables from sticking to the foil. Serve hot!

Sweet Curry Carrots with Yogurt Sauce

I was invited by Cathy Elton of What Would Cathy Eat? to participate in her Healthy Thanksgiving Challenge. I first found Cathy's blog earlier in the year, after I'd been diagnosed with high cholesterol and was frantically looking for heart-healthy recipes. There are some totally delicious recipes on her blog - I definitely recommend checking it out. I may even be making her Caramelized Onion Tart with Greens and Cashew Cream to bring to my in-laws for Thanksgiving!

As my family has learned over the past several years, dealing with my dad's heart condition (and now my cholesterol), making a fantastic, healthy holiday meal isn't as difficult as it sounds. Of course you should treat yourself - no Thanksgiving table is complete without pie - but you don't have to make every dish a special (read: diet-busting) treat.

Fall vegetables should be at the center of every holiday meal. Sweet potatoes, winter squash, cauliflower, kale and Brussels sprouts are some of my favorite things and all quite delicious without much adornment. Naturally, I had a very difficult time deciding what to make for this challenge. How could I choose? What ultimately happened was my CSA chose for me. Last Friday, part of my last farm share of the season was a bunch of gorgeous baby carrots - adorable, delicious and photogenic. This was the inspiration I was looking for. They brought to mind this recipe I'd pulled out of Better Homes and Gardens back in April. While this recipe was meant to grace an Easter table, it will do just as well for Thanksgiving.

The carrots are soft and delicious, the honey-curry glaze sweet and savory all at once, and the yogurt sauce adds a creamy finish. Jeff and I sat down and nearly finished off the platter by ourselves (of course, they'll go farther at a Thanksgiving table with several other side dishes - the original recipe claims it serves 8-10). I just hope I can get my hands on some more of these sweet babies to make for my own Thanksgiving dinner!

Sweet Curry Carrots with Yogurt Sauce
Better Homes and Gardens April 2012

1-1 1/2 lbs baby carrots (the tops should be trimmed down but still on)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt, divided
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp curry powder (a heaping tablespoon, if you know what's good for you!)
2/3 c plain fat free Greek yogurt
1/4 c thinly sliced green onions (darker green ends only - reserve the white parts for something else)

Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the carrots on the baking sheet, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt. Roll the carrots around with your hands to coat them in oil. Roast for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the honey in a microwaveable bowl and heat for about 30 seconds, until nice and runny. Whisk in the curry powder. When the carrots are done, remove the tray from the oven and drizzle with the honey. Roll the carrots around in it to coat. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, until all the carrots are tender.

While the carrots finish roasting, combine the yogurt, green onions and remaining 1/4 tsp salt in a bowl. Serve alongside carrots for dipping.

Farm Fridays: Maple Roasted Fingerling Sweet Potatoes

If you're living in the Northeast, you've probably heard that we're going to take a pounding from Hurricane Sandy (aka Frankenstorm) early next week. Some of the tracks project a direct hit to Central Jersey.  I visited the farm this morning and the grocery store this afternoon - the fridge is stocked and we're ready to hunker down and weather this thing (hopefully without losing power).

Fortunately, we got a nice load of storage vegetables from the farm today, so whatever happens, I know I'll have some unspoiled food to work with. And I could honestly eat sweet potatoes every day without getting sick of them. In fact, I couldn't wait to have these - as soon as I'd unpacked my farm basket, I scrubbed some and roasted them for lunch.

Roasting is my favorite way to prepare most vegetables. Just toss them in oil and seasonings and throw them in the oven. Very little mess or fuss is involved. In this case, I decided to add a little maple syrup to liven things up a bit. This makes an easy, delicious side dish appropriate for anything from a Friday lunch to Thanksgiving dinner. I have five more pounds of sweet potatoes sitting in the basement, so I'm sure I'll be doing this again soon!

Maple Roasted Fingerling Sweet Potatoes

1 lb fingerling sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/2" rounds (really, any kind of diced sweet potato will do, but I had these cute long ones on hand)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Slice up your sweet potatoes and place them in a baking dish (or foil-lined baking pan - glass will clean up more easily than metal so foil is unnecessary). Drizzle with oil and syrup, season with salt and pepper, and toss well to combine.

Roast 30-35 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Festive Summer Cabbage Salad

Summer isn't over until you let it be over. As long as you can manage to wear your shorts and flip flops, use your grill and eat dinner outside on the deck, summer is still around.

Even though the calendar says September, summer vegetables haven't dropped off the map. Throwing them together in a salad like this one will keep you in a summery mood for a few more weeks. I put this together when I was inspired to try fresh lima beans from the farmers market. I associate lima beans with icky, mushy frozen vegetable mixes from the grocery store. Fresh ones are much nicer. The texture is firm and pleasantly beany. I'm definitely a convert.

This salad came from my endeavor to find something to do with my lima beans. I decided to make a succotash recipe I found in my Southern Living Farmers Market Cookbook. But that salad was just lima beans and corn, and I had a lot of vegetables in my fridge that wanted to be used. So I threw in a red Hungarian pepper (my favorites!) and a tiny, baseball-sized head of red cabbage. The result was a beautiful mixture of colors and textures - the sort of dish that just makes me smile. (Note: it's best eaten as quickly as possible, because the red cabbage will start turning all of those other pretty colors purple by the next day!)

Festive Summer Cabbage Salad
Adapted from the succotash salad in the Southern Living Farmers Market Cookbook.

1 c fresh lima beans
2 ears corn
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp fresh chives, chopped 
1 red pepper, diced
3 cups red cabbage, chopped (from one tiny head)

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add lima beans and cook 17 minutes. Add corn to the pot and cook another 3 minutes, until corn is heated and beans are tender. Remove the corn, drain the beans and rinse under cold water (to stop the cooking).

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Slice the corn kernels off the cobs and add them to the bowl with the beans, chives, peppers and cabbage. Toss well to combine and coat everything with some dressing. Serve room temperature or chilled.

Farm Fridays: Tortellini Pesto Salad

I am back in the country and it is Farm Friday! After spending several weeks in pursuit of vegetables on foreign shores, I have found the mother lode in Pennington. My CSA share today was epic. Behold the glory: 

Blackberries, watermelon, summer squash, tomatoes, green beans, jalapenos, potatoes, chard, basil, parsley, shallots, bell peppers and eggplant, along with a lovely large bouquet of flowers. There was so much going on that it was difficult for me to decide on a menu for the week. Normally, I give top priority in my planning to things that are very perishable and any leftovers from the previous week. Today, overwhelmed with options (and feeling the jet lag), I was a bit more haphazard. Hopefully we will get through a good portion of this pile without it spoiling! I may have to make a ton of pesto this weekend to use up my half pound of basil.

Pesto was on the menu for today, but instead of making some fresh, I felt obliged to try and use up the last of my frozen pesto from last summer. Last July, to be precise. It's quite a bit past its peak (which was technically in December), but it tastes fine and I can't countenance wasting it. So fresh pesto will have to wait another day or two. Until then, old pesto or not, I will be enjoying this delicious tortellini salad, packed with summer vegetables. If it pleases you, feel free to make yours with fresher stuff.

Since I'm finally back home, expect to see more recipes on the site soon!  

Tortellini Pesto Salad
Adapted from a recipe found in the Wegman's circular a few summers ago.

1 package cheese tortellini (I used tricolor because it looks pretty)
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced (red might be nice, but green's what's available)
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 small bunch asparagus, cut into 2" pieces (I know what you're thinking - asparagus is not in season. But, if you remember, I froze some back when it was, to have it available for recipes just like this! Feel free to leave it out if there isn't any available locally.)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 zucchini, sliced into half moons or quarters
3 tbsp pine nuts
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
3-4 oz basil pesto
15 basil leaves, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Season the pepper, shallot, asparagus and zucchini with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil. Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Roast for 10-12 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the vegetables are cooked through and soft, though not yet browned. Remove and set aside.

Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in a small pan on the stove top for 2-3 minutes, shaking frequently, until they begin to brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine tortellini, vegetables, pine nuts, pesto and sliced tomatoes. Gently stir to distribute the pesto. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve room temperature or chilled, as either a main course or a side dish.

Lemon-Yogurt Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs

Since I teased you about my awesome potato salad in some previous posts, I thought I should be nice and post the recipe. I was never a potato salad person until I started making my own, because I can't stand mayonnaise. But when it occurred to me that, if I did it myself, I could do it without mayonnaise, potato salad became the greatest thing ever.

I've made yogurty, herby potato salads before and enjoyed them, but this one is special. I think it's because of a little trick Jamie Oliver uses in the original recipe. He says to boil the potatoes and then mix them with the dressing while they're still hot. When you do this, the starches from the potatoes seem to blend with the dressing, making it thicker and making it stick to the potatoes more effectively. The result is a pile of yummy, gooey, herby, lemony goodness. I've eaten it hot right after mixing and cold from a night in the fridge. I've had it on my deck with a turkey burger straight from the grill and packed in a cooler for a picnic in the park with some of my neighbors. It never fails to be delicious. The next time I'm invited to a summer barbecue, you know this is what I'm bringing.

Lemon-Yogurt Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs
Adapted from Jamie Oliver's Evolution Potato Salad in Jamie's Food Revolution.

1 1/2 - 2 lbs potatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 c plain yogurt
2 - 3 tbsp fresh herbs (this time, I used parsley, oregano and garlic chives)
salt and pepper to taste




Put a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Salt well.

Chop the potatoes into (relatively) evenly sized chunks. (Since we all know there is no way to make a knobbly potato into even cubes without a ton of waste. Mine tend to be an inch or so at their wides - as long as they're not too big for your mouth, they're fine.) When the water is boiling, carefully add them to the pot. Boil 10-12 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and yogurt until well blended. Season to taste.

Wash and chop your herbs, then add them to the dressing and whisk together.

When the potatoes are tender, drain them in a colander and add them to the dressing and toss until combined. Taste and season more, if necessary (and try not to eat it all yourself!). Serve immediately or chill for later.

Brussels Sprout Slaw with Mustard Dressing and Maple-Glazed Pecans

It may feel like spring (or even summer, some days), but it's still March. While I do have a perky little row of radish tops in my garden, spring vegetables won't be available locally for several weeks yet. How does a conscientious locavore balance cravings for light, springy meals with the heavy winter vegetables available at the market? Ingenuity, of course.

I found this salad in Bon Appetit's Thanksgiving issue a few years ago (I never said it was my own ingenuity!). While Brussels sprouts may be a traditional holiday vegetable, this is not a traditional holiday preparation. It's light and airy contrast to most Thanksgiving side dishes. Those same qualities make it a great way to transition into springtime, too.

For a light dish, this packs a hefty flavor punch. The sharp, mustardy flavor of the sprouts (emphasized by the mustard dressing) contrasts well with the sweet and salty candied pecans. While I love it with pecans, I've also done it without to make it low-cal. The sprouts definitely have a bitter edge on their own, but when paired with several heavier holiday dishes, it's still light and tasty. Bonus! This is one of those dishes that gets better with time - the Brussels sprouts will hold up against the dressing for several days, losing a bit of their bite and becoming more delicate. That makes it a great make-ahead side dish for a party or an easy portable lunch.

Brussels Sprout Slaw with Mustard Dressing
From Bon Appetit November 2009.

1 c pecan halves
1/4 c maple syrup
1/2 tsp + 1 tbsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 c whole grain Dijon mustard
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
1/8 c canola oil
1 1/2-2 lbs Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed and any icky outer leaves removed (I cut any particularly large ones in half as well)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a sheet pan with foil (no cooking spray needed). Spray another sheet of foil with cooking spray and keep it ready (to cool the pecans on - the cooking spray keeps them from permanently adhering to the foil). Whisk the maple syrup, pepper and 1/2 tsp salt in a small bowl. Add the pecans and toss to coat. Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake about 5 minutes, remove to stir, then another 5-6 minutes. Remove from the oven and quickly transfer the pecans to the cooking-sprayed sheet of foil. Using a fork, spread the pecans out and separate any big clumps (the syrup solidifies quickly so you'd better hustle!).

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tbsp salt. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook 5 minutes. Drain and rinse. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and canola oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Slice the Brussels sprouts in a food processor (slice, don't shred - when they're shredded the pieces end up too small). Transfer to a large bowl and toss with dressing. Let marinate 30-60 minutes. Mix in pecans and serve.

Broccolini with Smoked Paprika, Almonds and Garlic

With my birthday just a few weeks away, I've been trying to finish up my 30 x 30 challenge. As of last week, I still needed to try five or six things, so I went out of my way to add new foods to our menu. One of the first things that came to mind was this broccolini recipe I had gotten from Bon Appetit over two years ago. At the time, I had torn the page out of the magazine and pinned it to my kitchen bulletin board (code for "make this immediately"). Unfortunately, I had no luck finding broccolini at the grocery store. Eventually, I unpinned the recipe and filed it away.

When I was planning this week's menu and contemplating new foods to add, I pulled this recipe out once again. I remembered seeing broccolini at the store  recently, so I added it to the list and crossed my fingers. I was in luck - Whole Foods had a huge pile of the stuff in stock. And good thing, too, because this amazing recipe did not deserve to languish in a folder for so long.

This dish is fast, simple and delicious. I like how sparing it is - just a few ingredients, but they all manage to shine. The nuts are toasted in oil with garlic and smoked paprika, then tossed with the steamed broccolini later. Since the steaming is done in the same pot, any remaining spicy oil is absorbed into the broccolini as it cooks. This is good, because smoked paprika is the epitome of spices. It is my new favorite thing. Paprika adds a lovely warmth to any dish without any mouth-tingling heat. When that warmth is combined with a deep smokiness, a drool-worthy condiment is created. I promise I will be finding more ways to use this soon. That flavor added to a fresh, green vegetable with crunchy nuts and a dash of vinegar makes a beautifully balanced side dish. I've made it twice in twenty-four hours and I'm already craving more!

Broccolini with Smoked Paprika, Almonds and Garlic
Adapted from Bon Appetit, November 2009.

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tbsp sliced almonds
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (I'm sure regular paprika would be nice, but it's the smoked kind that really makes this recipe shine)
kosher salt
1/2 lb broccolini, cut into 2-3" lengths
1/4 c water
1 tsp sherry vinegar



Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium- high heat. Add the almonds and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring, until they begin to brown. Add garlic and paprika, sprinkle with salt and stir for about a minute. Transfer to a small bowl.

Add remaining 1/2 tbsp oil to the same pot. Add broccolini, sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Add 1/4 c water, cover and cook 3-4 minutes, until broccolini is bright green and water has cooked off. Stir in almond mixture, season again (if necessary), and stir in sherry vinegar. Enjoy!