CSA Week 9 - July 28th - leek fritters

These fritters are delicious and have an amazing texture. I made them with CSA Week 8 and Week 9 leeks (four leeks). I don't think they would be worth making with only two leeks. 

Leek Fritters
Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Recipe copied from here.

Ingredients (fritters)
2 pounds leeks (about 3-4 large ones)
1/2 tsp. salt, plus more for the pot
2 scallions, trimmed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Black pepper
Ground or FINELY minced cayenne pepper (optional)
1 egg
Cooking oil

Ingredients (garlic lemon cream)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Few gratings of lemon zest
Pinches of salt
1 small garlic clove, minced. 

Directions
1. Trim the leeks, leaving only the white and pale-green parts. Halve them lengthwise, and if they look gritty or dirty, plunge them into cold water and fan the layers to remove and dirt or grit. Once they are clean, cut crosswise into ¼-inch strips.

2.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the leeks for 3 to 4 minutes, until they are softened but not limp. Drain, and wring them out in a clean dish towel to remove as much liquid as possible. 

3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and cayenne.

4.  Transfer the leeks to a mixing bowl and add scallions.  Add the flour mixture to the leeks and toss to coat.  Add the egg and stir until it is incorporated with the mixture.

6.  Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 250 F.

7.  In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp. oil over medium heat until it begins to shimmer.  Scoop heaping tablespoons of the batter into the skillet. Using a spatula, gently flatten the fritters. Cook for approximately 3 minutes, or until one side is golden brown. Flip fritters and cook until the other side is golden. Drain on paper towels and transfer to oven.

8. Repeat with remaining batter.

9. While they are in the oven, make the cream by whisking together all the ingredients and seasoning with a little salt.

10. Allow fritters to stay in the oven for about 10 minutes to make sure they are cooked. 

11. Serve fritters immediately and top with a dollop of cream and a little additional lemon zest.

Notes

This made 5 medium-sized (2 1/2-inch diameter x maybe 1 cm. thick) fritters for me. The proportions of batter to leek was appropriate, but the amount of leek will vary depending on how heavily you need to trim yours. I will try to get a leek measurement post-trimming next time I make this. Update 9/21: I have made this with varying amount of leeks leaving the other batter ingredient amounts constant. They have been great every time. 

Deb suggests serving these with a fried egg on top (you'd want to make a few large ones) if you want to turn them into a meal.

CSA Week 9

CSA Week 9 includes Scotch kale, summer spinach, red beets, green beans, cilantro, carrots, daikons, 'Lipstick' peppers, a 'Carmen' pepper, eggplant, cabbage, onions, a large tomato, saladette tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, leeks, celery, jalapenos (free choice), cayennes (free choice), and cut flowers.

CSA Week 8 - July 21 - saag paneer

 

I have been making saag paneer for years now, as evidenced by the actual saag paneer all over this recipe. As far as I understand, saag translates to "greens" so saag paneer means "greens with cheese."  If it's made with all spinach it's palak paneer. All that being said, I do vary the "mix-ins" to include ingredients other than cheese. Right now I'm settled into cheese and chickpeas, which would make it saag paneer choley or saag choley paneer as far I can tell. You could also add potatoes, mushrooms, and/or meat, which would make it something else. After all those semantics, let's call it "saag" for the remainder of this post and get to what's really important.

I started out making this dish by adapting a recipe from 101 cookbooks. Earlier this year, Christa shared a new recipe with me, which I merged with that one and with my own adaptations. I never make saag the same way twice, but I have settled into a pretty solid list of ingredients and methods (below). That being said, I encourage anyone interested in making it to continue to adapt it as I inevitably will. I thought about waiting until it's more "perfected" to share it, but if you have a lot of beautiful CSA greens taking up fridge space this dish may just be your savior like it was mine this week.

I have made saag with every combination of spinach and/or Swiss chard and/or kale. This week I used all the week 7 scotch kale PLUS all the week 8 chard and summer spinach. I think a variety of greens is nice for flavor when you can swing it.

Preparing the components of the recipe takes the most work (and dishes!), but once everything is prepped it comes together very quickly.

The prep includes cooking the greens by blanching them or sauteeing them in a little water. I don't like the idea of losing so many nutrients in the cooking water so have moved towards sauteeing in water and preserving the liquid (just make sure it's not too much, you will also be adding milk). This method also takes less water than blanching. The beauty of this technique is that the greens only need to be washed and de-stemmed, if necessary, they don't need to be chopped (assuming you have a decent blender). As a note, I prefer to wash my greens in a large stock pot of water after they are de-stemmed, then drain them a bit before getting them into the hot water to cook. Remember that they don't need to be dry so you can keep the salad spinner in the cabinet! Puree the greens to your textural liking in a blender (after you grind your spices - see below).

In addition to the greens you need to prepare your cheese (I like Halloumi, which Murray's Cheese carries - it's saltier than paneer). Chop the cheese into cubes and brown it in butter in a skillet. Try not to eat too much while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Prepare your spice mixture with as many spices ground from whole as possible. You can use a mortar and pestle, spice grinder, coffee grinder, food processor, or blender, since you'll be using that for your greens anyway (see above).

Finally, chop up a couple onions and mince some ginger and garlic. Oh, and don't forget to make some basmati rice to go with the saag during your prep.

Once greens, cheese, spices, onions, and aromatics are prepped you can put it all together, sauteeing the onions, adding the spices and aromatics, then the greens. Cook everything, adjust seasonings (you will likely need more salt), then mix in your chickpeas to allow the flavors to meld. Once everything is just right, add the cheese.

Serve over rice and/or with naan and topped with some sesame seeds and a squeeze of lemon juice/dash of vinegar if you want to brighten things up. The dish's flavor improves by the second day.

That's where I am with saag paneer! Now go, dispatch of those greens in the most delicious way possible.

Saag Paneer

Adapted from here and here

I apologize for the amount of imprecise ingredient amounts in this recipe. Think of it less as a recipe to follow exactly and more as a set of guidelines. As I note below, the amount of greens you use will be a huge factor in determining the amount of salt, spices, garlic, ginger, and onion you use. 

Also, I know you could streamline the spices in this recipe a bit, since by adding coriander, curry powder, and garam masala you are adding coriander three different times. Maybe someday I will work that out. 

Ingredients

• 1+ cup of cubed paneer or Halloumi cheese (my preference), chopped and browned in a skillet with 2 tbsp. butter.
• 1 14.5-oz can chickpeas
• 2 bunches of greens (any combo of kale, Swiss chard, and/or spinach – I like to use at least one bunch of kale since it has more flavor and it’s so nutritious). The amount is not that important, though you will need to increase the salt, onion, garlic, ginger, and spices with more greens. 
• 2 onions, chopped 
• 3+ cloves minced garlic 
• 1+ tsp. minced ginger 
• 1+ tsp. cumin powder 
• 1+ tsp. coriander powder 
• ½+ tsp. turmeric powder 
• 1+ tsp. garam masala. Here's a recipe if you like. 
• 1.5+ tsp. curry powder (I love the SWAD Madras curry powder that you can get at Jungle Jim’s) http://shop.khanapakana.com/swad-madras-curry-powder-400-grams-14-oz/
• Pinch+ cinnamon
• Pinch+ nutmeg
• 2+ whole cloves
• Sprinkle+ whole mustard
• Sprinkle+ ground cardamom
• 2 tbsps. ghee or 1 tbsp cooking oil and 1 tbsp. butter 
• 2 heaping tsps. of tomato paste (or 1 pureed tomato) 
• 1 c.  milk
• Salt to taste (at least 1 tsp., likely more)
• Sesame seeds (optional)
• Lemon juice or vinegar (optional) 

Directions

1. Cook the greens. Bring a small amount of water to boil in a large pot and cook the greens until they are completely wilted. It is a good idea to cook kale separately from chard/spinach/beet greens as it takes longer to cook. Transfer greens to a blender, add the milk, and puree.

2. Heat the ghee or oil/butter in a pot. Add the chopped onions. Saute until golden brown and then add the spices. Fry for a few seconds, taking care not to burn the spices. De-glaze the pot with a splash of water if necessary to keep things from sticking and burning.

3. Next, add the minced ginger and garlic and the tomato paste if using. Mix well (don’t burn the aromatics!) and then add the pureed greens.

4. Mix well, bring to gentle boil and add the salt.

5. Cook covered for about 6-8 mins until the greens are completely cooked and spices have blended well into the gravy. Gently add the chickpeas. Continue to simmer, uncovered, adjusting seasonings to your liking. At the last minute, add the cheese.

Serve with rice and/or naan. Optionally, top the saag with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a squeeze of lemon juice or dash of vinegar.  

CSA Week 8 - July 20th - carrot salad

I made another eggplant bake last night, similar to last week's, and I really wanted a salad to go on the side.

I settled on a grated carrot salad, closely adapted from this recipe. The salad is super delicious and simple and (bonus points!) it also uses parsley!

Grated carrots, minced onion, and chopped parsley get tossed in a dressing of oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper. It's so straightforward, so uncomplicated, and so wonderful. It reminds me of the magic that is this salad (with a totally different flavor profile).

It was really good a day later, too. My adaptation is below.

p.s. have your friends started to avoid eye contact with you? 

French Carrot Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette

Adapted only slightly from here 

Ingredients

• 1 pound carrots, peeled and grated
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
•  2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp. honey
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp. minced onion

Directions

Combine the mustard, lemon juice, oils, honey, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add the onions, parsley, and carrots and toss well. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. 

CSA Week 8

CSA Week 8 includes Swiss chard, celery, beets, summer spinach (perpetual spinach or leaf beet), cabbage, cilantro, parsley, daikons, eggplant, jalapenos (free choice), summer squash, zucchini, onions, leeks, carrots, and cut flowers (zinnias).

CSA Week 7 - July 18th - crab cakes

This recipe only uses a small amount of a CSA offering (and not even all of what is shown above) so hardly warrants mention in this forum. I am mostly writing this post because crab cakes are awesome and so my mother knows that I haven't just been eating dried celery leaves this week. I am also still transitioning to this new format of less posting and having some withdrawal (e.g. I've already violated it by posting about schug again).

Anyway, I have made these crab cakes a few times now. The recipe calls for flat leaf parsley, for which I subbed curly parsley from the CSA. Though tonight I pan fried them in oil and butter as the recipe suggests, I think I prefer them baked between 375 F and 400 F for 10-15 minutes on each side. It's not only easy, great-tasting, and lower in fat, it also means they don't risk falling apart as much, like they did tonight.

I used all lump meat tonight but have done 50/50 lump/non-lump to save money and found that they held together better because of the smaller pieces.

Finally, I think the salt in this recipe may be a little much, and would recommend trying it without. That's what I'm going to do next time.

CSA Week 7 - July 18th - schug reprise

I know I just said that I would only post new recipes, but I had to take this opportunity to emphasize how amazing schug is by posting about it again.

We are having some family over tomorrow so I started to prep today. When I made the schug this time I was able to use cilantro from this week's CSA (as well as some leftover from last week).

The jalapenos are even more fleshy and beautiful than in previous weeks. This is not even close to all of them, I have had to add them little by little to my 3 cup food processor.

I will also be reprising summer squash and potato torte and roasted beets for our meal tomorrow.

CSA Week 7 - July 16th and 18th - drying celery leaves

The celery we have been receiving in the CSA has small stems at this point, but absolutely gorgeous, aromatic leaves. I did some research last week about what to do with the leaves, coming up with ideas such as infusing them into simple syrup for cocktails, making pesto, and freezing them for stock. I did end up freezing most of the stems for stock, but decided in the end to dehydrate the leaves.

They dried in no time (like two or three hours). Dried celery leaf isn't exactly common in an ingredient list so I will have to come up with ways to use them myself, perhaps adding them to potatoes or chicken rubs/marinades. I'm not too sure yet, but they'll be there!

Along with our chest freezer, our dehydrator has quickly become an essential tool to preserve the bounty of this CSA project.

CSA Week 7 - July 13th - eggplant and gnocchi and my favorite simple way to make carrots

Tonight I made eggplant and gnocchi, a favorite combination. I roasted this week's eggplant and one summer squash with oregano (which pairs so great with eggplant - thanks, Sally), oil, garlic, and salt uncovered at 400 F for 20 minutes.

I tossed this mixture with cooked gnocchi, tomato sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan, and a little sugar (the tomato sauce was tart), topped it with extra cheese, and baked at 350 F for 25 minutes, broiling for the last two to brown the cheese. This method really allows everything to meld nicely.

I also made carrots adapted from this book (where it's called baby carrots in gentle sauce, I think). 

This involves sauteeing the carrots in butter for a few minutes, then adding 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/2 tsp. thyme and covering the pan to let them steam. After they are pretty much cooked I uncover the pan to allow to sauce to completely glaze the carrots. They typically need a little extra salt along the way, too.

CSA Week 7 - blog changes

CSA Week 7 includes yellow squash, zucchini, eight ball squash, cucumbers, onions, carrots, eggplant (!), green beans, cilantro, summer spinach, daikons, radishes, beets, kale, cabbage, celery, and parsley.

I am attempting a slight format change effective yesterday. I am going to post each week's share as its own post and I am going to limit my postings to new and interesting recipes instead of EVERYTHING I do with the CSA.

CSA Week 6 - July 11th - SCHUG!!!, spinach salad, summer squash and potato torte, roasted beets, and carrots

Yesterday we hosted a handful of friends at our house, which I, of course, took as a prime opportunity to pawn off CSA vegetables.

As part of the evening's offerings I made one of the most exciting things I have made in a very long time (perhaps since I first discovered this).

Schug (maybe more commonly zhug, but not according to the recipe I used) is a Yemenite Jewish dish of peppers, cilantro, and spices, that I can most closely liken to a chutney or relish. I believe it is traditionally used as a condiment. Andy makes it from time to time and brought some into work last fall to eat with bagels (he prefers it for breakfast), where I first tasted it. It was fresh and biting with a somewhat Indian flavor profile. Really delicious.

After I got it in my head to make schug there was no going back. I could taste it and I WANTED IT. I had only picked up 4 jalapenos on Monday so I got a bunch more from the "employee produce" bin and some from the farmers' market (more produce, I know).

Securing the recipe (my adaptation is below) was the next hurdle. On Friday I showed Andy one I had found online, but he told me that his was quite different and I definitely wanted my schug to taste like his. So he texted me the recipe first thing Saturday morning. For the final hurdle, Kroger was also COMPLETELY out of cilantro on Friday night when we went shopping so I had to run out first thing Saturday morning to get some. I was seriously not going to be deterred.

Oh, and how glad I am that I persevered. I want to check with Andy before I post the full recipe, but I will outline the techniques and ingredients I used. First, avec gloves, I de-seeded and de-membraned an ungodly amount of jalapenos. Then I stripped a frighteningly large amount of cilantro. I mixed the peppers, cilantro, and a ton of garlic in the food processor. In a coffee grinder, I combined whole coriander, cumin, peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, and salt. I mixed the spices into the green stuff and covered it with a thin layer of oil before refrigerating it. I decided to make some homemade French bread, which is pretty dense, though not as chewy as a bagel, to go with it.

That night, we destroyed it. It wasn't quite as spicy as Andy's, which meant we could eat huge slathers of it on bread or by the spoonful or whatever.

For the meal I made a close adaptation of Smitten Kitchen spinach salad (recipe below) with the "summer spinach" from the CSA (I think it's New Zealand spinach, but the leaves seem so big, I need to check with Dave to confirm it's leaf beat/perpetual spinach). This spinach is more succulent and tastes like it has more oxalic acid than traditional spinach. In my opinion, it needs other strong flavors to balance it out, which this salad has.

I actually picked up an extra bag of spinach on Friday and quadrupled Deb's recipe. Basically, the salad (recipe below) is dressed with a combination of bacon fat, vinegar, honey, and Dijon mustard and topped with egg, bacon, mushrooms, and red onion.

I made an herbed summer squash and potato torte (recipe below), also adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

This included layers of potatoes and summer squash baked with Parmesan, fresh thyme, and green onions for flavor. I didn't use all the squash and potatoes pictured in the lead photo (which included some leftover squash from work), though I did use more than the original recipe called for.

I roasted up the beets from this week. Similar to previous incarnations, I coated them with oil, salt, and pepper and roasted at 400 F for 40 minutes.

I sliced up all the carrots (bottom of photo), plus some extra ones from work (top of photo), and put those out as crudités with hummus, schug and whatever else was on the table. 

Jonathan grilled Greenacres chicken breast, Leah brought broccoli (and flowers!), Chris and Barbara brought homemade hummus, pita, cucumbers, and cornbread, and Molly brought homemade strawberry shortcake.


Schug
Adapted from the Ball Blue Book of Canning?

Ingredients
9 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
1 bunch cilantro (I know this isn't a great measurement, but I mean a grocery store bunch, which is a lot), de-stemmed
3/4 lb (in this case 18) jalapenos, de-seeded and membranes removed per your tolerance for heat
1/2 tbsp. whole coriander seed
1 tsp. whole cumin seed
1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. cardamom pods (about 4), hulls removed
1/2 tsp. whole cloves
3/4 tbsp. salt.
Some olive oil, just to cover

Directions
Finely chop the jalapenos, garlic, and cilantro in a food processor.
Grind all the spices in a coffee grinder or spice mill and sift out any large pieces/hulls.
Stir the spices and salt into the jalapeno mixture.
Cover with a thin coating of oil and refrigerate.
Serve with bagels or bread or some more traditional way.


Spinach Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette
Adapted from here.

Ingredients
1 pound spinach, torn, chopped, or baby
4 eggs, hard boiled and chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/4 red onion, finely sliced or chopped
10-ish slices bacon, chopped
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 tsp. honey
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Prepare the bacon by baking it on a rimmed baking sheet at 400 F. After 10 minutes, toss it, then bake for about 10 minutes more, or until it's crisp. You can fry it, but I prefer this method. Drain the bacon and reserve the fat.
• Sauté the mushrooms, preferably with some bacon fat. 
• Prepare the dressing by mixing 6 tbsp. bacon fat with the vinegar, honey, Dijon, and salt and pepper to taste and warming it all in a small saucepan (or skillet if you fried the bacon).
• Toss the spinach with the dressing, then top with the mushrooms, onion, egg, and bacon. 

Herbed Summer Squash and Potato Torte

Adapted from here

Ingredients
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for the top
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 scant tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 pounds (or a bit more) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
12 ounces (or a bit more) summer squash, cut into 1/8-inch thick rounds
6 tsp. oil

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter a 13" x 9" pan. Set aside 1/4 cup sliced green onion. Toss remaining green onions, 1 cup cheese, flour, thyme, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
• Layer about 1/3 potatoes in bottom of pan, overlapping slightly. Cover with about 1/2 squash, overlapping slightly. Drizzle with 2 tsp. oil. Sprinkle 1/3 cheese mixture. Repeat with 1/3 potatoes, 1/2 squash, 2 tsp. oil, and 1/3 cheese mixture. Cover this with remaining potatoes, 2 tsp. oil, and remaining cheese mixture plus extra cheese. 
• (Note: instead of evenly dividing my potatoes and squash between layers I made my first layers completely cover the pan to form a solid base. Therefore, my last layers did not completely cover the pan, which may have been because my slices were a bit thick or because I just needed to use more potatoes and squash. If you do increase the squash and potatoes you may want in increase the cheese/green onions/thyme/oil, too). 
• Cover dish with foil and bake, covered, until potatoes are tender, 50-60 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10-20 minutes, until nicely browned. Sprinkle with reserved green onions.