Corn Chowder

I found this Corn Chowder recipe from simplyrecipes.com.  Even after almost accidentally burning it, it turned out delicious. Yuuummmy soup. And, it's quite simple.

I do want to preface that I did not use all the ingredients, but I've been learning that cooking is all about taste and experimentation. I am getting better at it, if I do say so myself.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 strip of bacon or 1 teaspoon of bacon fat (substitute 1/2 Tbsp of butter for vegetarian option) (I used extra butter)
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 large carrot, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
• 1/2 celery stalk, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
• 3 ears of sweet corn, kernels removed from the cobs (about 2 cups), cobs reserved.
• 1 bay leaf (I didn't use this because I don't have any)
• 3 1/2 cups milk, whole or low fat
• 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, or Russet, peeled and diced
• 1/4 red bell pepper, chopped (about 1/4 cup) (I did not use)
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (fresh? ha -- I found some hiding in our spice closet)

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bacon strip (skip this step for vegetarian option, just add more butter) and fry until the bacon renders its fat, but doesn't begin to brown, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the onion and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the carrot and celery and cook for 4 or 5 more minutes.

2. Break the corn cobs in half and add them to the saucepan. Add the milk and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a bare simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes. Make sure the heat is as low as can be and still maintain a gentle simmer (on our stove we had to use the "warm" setting) to prevent scalding the milk on the bottom of the pan.

3. Discard the cobs, the bacon strip, and the bay leaf. Raise the heat, add the potatoes, red pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, fresh ground pepper to taste, bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost fork tender.

4. Raise the heat, add the corn kernels and the thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Tip: Don't forget to turn down the heat to simmer. I did in one of the last steps and almost burned the milk -- not what you want to do!

Apple Sauce

This is a really easy recipe for apple sauce. It's delicious, especially hot, on a cool autumn day.

Ingredients
8 apples
1 c. water
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:
Peel and core apples. Cut into slides. Put apple slices in a pot and add 1 c. water. Bring water to boil and then cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in sugar until it dissolves. Stir in nutmeg and cinnamon. (You can also add all cinnamon or all nutmeg depending on your taste!) Serve hot. Or cold. And enjoy!!!

Polish Stuffed Cabbage

Cabbage is something I like to eat but until this summer, have not cooked with before. I found another fantastic recipe that I highly recommend... (and slightly healthier than the braised cabbage with bacon). A friend had recommended making coleslaw and put on top with steak. I was craving meat but not in steak form so I searched and fount this Polish Stuffed Cabbage, recipe from about.com. Below I copied the recipe with some tips from my own experience (in italics).

Polish Stuffed Cabbage

Ingredients:

• 1 whole head cabbage
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup beef stock
• Sour cream for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
   
   
2. Remove core from cabbage. Place whole head in a large pot filled with boiling, salted water. Cover and cook 3 minutes, or until softened enough to pull off individual leaves. You will need about 18 leaves. (I boiled for three minutes and the inside leaves were still difficult...I recommend leaving in for a few more minutes.)
   
   
3. When leaves are cool enough to handle, cut away the thick center stem from each leaf, without cutting all the way through. (About.com recommends using a paring knife. I didn't have one...cut the hard bits away as you see fit. You'll know when it seems like it will be easy to roll).
   
   
4. Chop the remaining cabbage and place it in the bottom of a casserole dish.
   
   
5. Saute the chopped onion in butter in a large frying pan until tender, and let it cool.
   
   
6. Mix cooled onions with beef, pork, cooked rice, garlic, salt and black pepper until well combined. Don't over-mix or the meat will become tough. (I recommend adding another spice for more flavor...to your own taste. In my case, more salt and pepper brought out the flavor more. A little spice may have been nice too).
   
   
7. Place about 1/2 cup of meat on each cabbage leaf (This is a lot if your leaves aren't large..they get smaller as you take them off. Stuff so you are able to roll them without difficulty).. Roll away from you to encase the meat. Flip the right side of the leaf to the middle, then flip the left side. You will have something that looks like an envelope.
   
8. Place the cabbage rolls on top of the chopped cabbage in the casserole dish, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper. Pour beef stock over rolls, cover and place in oven. Bake for 1 hour or until cabbage is tender and meat is cooked.
   
   
9. Serve with pan juices and a drizzle of sour cream, or mix the pan juices with sour cream and ladle it over the cabbage rolls.
   
   
10. Freeze cabbage rolls before or after cooking.

Stuffed Eggplant

This recipe is delicious!! I made a Michael Chiarello recipe from the food network.

I did not have all the ingredients - no egg, not enough tomato, and none of the fresh spices. I did not use the egg, which was fine since it's only a binder. Everything stayed in place. I doubled the recipe and the two tomatoes was more than enough topper. And, I experimented with the spices in my cupboard. I used rosemary.

I didn't make a side with the recipe, but I suggest rice or potatoes to make it a more filling meal.

Kale Chips

This recipe is thanks to Amanda, my CSA partner in crime. Unfortunately, my taste buds did not enjoy this recipe but I want to post for everyone who might enjoy. It is definitely a recipe that is personal in taste. The kale chips are thin and crispy (kind of like dried seaweed- but I don't like that either).

Ingredients
Kale
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut kale leaves from their stems (into bite size / chip size pieces). Lay flat on baking sheet. Add a dribble of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes, until crispy (not burnt!)

Eat as a healthy snack!

Shrimp Ceviche!

This is my favorite recipe to date (shout out to mi amiga Yadira for the wonderful, authentic recipe).

Ingredients
1 small onion
4 tomatoes
3 limes
1 bunch of cilantro
Salt and pepper
Avocado
 
Directions
Cut tomatoes and onions into small cubes, cut the cilantro, and squeeze the limes in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper.

Boil water and turn off the heat. Put the shrimp in the boiled water for 5 to 10 minutes or when pink.

When finished, put the shrimp in the mixture bowl. Wait 5 minutes for the shrimp to absorb the lime juce.

Cut a strip of avocado and put on top of your ceviche.

Cantaloupe Sorbet

Epicurious to the rescue again! We got a massive cantaloupe at this weeks farm share, and even after splitting it in half, there was way too much to eat.

This Cantaloupe Sorbet Recipe is so simple! But, give yourself time because it takes multiple freezing steps (about 7 hours total).

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 cups 1-inch pieces peeled seeded cantaloupe (about 1/2 cantaloupe)

Directions:

Combine sugar and water in medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Transfer to 11x7x2-inch glass dish and chill until cold, about 2 hours. 

Puree cantaloupe in blender until smooth. Add to sugar syrup in dish and stir until well blended. Freeze until almost firm, stirring occasionally, at least 3 hours or overnight. 

Transfer cantaloupe mixture to large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until fluffy. Return to freezer and freeze until firm (do not stir), at least 3 hours or overnight. (Sorbet can be prepared 3 days ahead.) Cover and keep frozen.

Peach and Blueberry Pie

So I have to admit that this is one of the first times in my life that I have not made my own pie crust. I went to Whole Foods and bought their pre-made frozen pie crust. It was quite good, actually.

I did some research on how to make a peach pie and took some suggestions from multiple sites.

Ingredients:
Pie crust (whole foods suggested)
6 (farm fresh) peaches
Blueberries
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
Sprinkle of cinnamon (to taste)

Directions:
Slice the peaches and take off their skin. Put into bowl with a handful or two of blueberries. Mix in sugar, flour and cinnamon. Put the mix into pie crust. Cover with second pie crust. Sprinkle sugar on top of the crust. Fork crusts together and make sure to poke holes to vent.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Tips:
Peaches are juicy...make sure to put pie pan on top of something in the oven. 

Braised Cabbage with Bacon (and steak)

I actually got this recipe from someone at work (a doctor, no less!). It is probably the unhealthiest yet most delicious recipe I have tasted to date and is so simple:

Ingredients:
Cabbage, Bacon, Rice (steak optional)

Directions:
Slice bacon into small bits. Cook in a wok or skillet pan until crispy. Remove bacon from skillet pan (keep the bacon fat in the pan).

Slice cabbage into strips. Put into pan with bacon grease. Cook on high heat. Stir periodically until wilted.

Add bacon into pan. Lower heat. Cook until browned. (About 20-25 minutes).

Serve over rice.

I added steak on top (cooked in salt, pepper and A1 sauce).

Delicious!!

Garlic Basil Shrimp and Basil Pesto

This week I decided to use the massive amounts of basil that I got from last weeks share. Unfortunately, I am not completely happy with the results but will share the recipes for those who may do a better job than I did.

Garlic Basil Shrimp
First, I made Garlic Basil Shrimp. This dish was ok but could use flavor. My one mistake (which is hard as a beginner) is that I did not have dry white wine and decided to substitute. I read that you can use white wine vinegar and dilute it with water. In retrospect, I probably should have used chicken stock or veggie stock for more flavor. I also did not have red pepper flakes, rather just the spice so it didn't really sit in the dish.
We threw this dish over white rice.

The dish itself turned out ok and my taste tester boyfriend actually finished his bowl but he agreed it needed more flavor! He added sesame sauce to his.

Basil Pesto
The basil pesto also didn't turn out quite right but I think on the right dish it may be ok. We are in love with the Cilantro Pesto recipe from a few weeks ago, so this is tough competition.

My problems/solutions:
First, pine nuts are expensive! Who knew? I should have stuck with walnuts. They taste great and are much cheaper.
Second, this is the first time I ever blanched anything and I am still not sure if I did it correctly. If you don't know how to blanch, the recipe explains how to but it's not as simple as it seems. You are supposed to throw a handful of basil into boiling water for two seconds then scoop it out and immediately put it into cold water. I found it difficult to scoop everything quickly. And then my cold water would get warm after dipping hot basil into it.
Finally, make sure you chop your pine nuts like the recipe says. I thought the blender would get it all, but it didn't. Oopsy.

We didn't actually eat the pesto but I froze little packets of it for future dishes.

Butter and Sage Sauce

It's been a few weeks since I last posted. I find that updating a blog is difficult especially when you are trying to come up with creative ideas in the kitchen!

This week was a good week. I volunteered at my CSA and had the closing shift. It was exciting to see what happens to the leftovers at the end of the night. The farm donates all that is left to the women who live at the YWCA.It was a mad dash to the finish but no one got hurt.

The goodies that we got this week were:
Onions
Beets
Zucchini (two types!)
Broccoli
Mint
Sage
Lettuce
Raspberries
Peaches
And one apple

The beet risotto that I made a few weeks ago is a bit hit in the household. I've made it twice now and now need to find another tasty beet recipe....more to come.

My biggest fear this week was what to do with the sage. I have NEVER used sage before. I mean never ever. I found a recipe online for a sage pasta sauce from the food network. See here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/butter-and-sage-sauce-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• Pasta, of choice
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 8 sage leaves
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

While your pasta cooks, melt butter in a 12 to 14-inch saute pan and continue cooking until golden brown color ("noisette") appears in the thinnest liquid of the butter. Add sage leaves and remove from heat. Add lemon juice and set aside. Drain the pasta, but leaving some cooking water, and gently pour into saute pan and return to heat. Add the cheese, toss to coat and serve immediately.

The recipe turned out quite well, even with fears that it might not sit well. I did, however, run into a couple of hiccups making the recipe: 1. The butter didn't brown to the nice "noisette" color that they wanted. I was impatient and added in the sage a bit early. 2. Do you put the whole leaf in? I ended up splitting them up a bit for smaller pieces. 3. I was not sure how much water to reserve at the end from the pasta and poured until it looked ok.

My taste-tester (ie boyfriend) not only complimented me but he actually finished his dish of pasta (I used linguine) - the real test of whether a dish is good or not. I am not sure if it turned out perfect but it was fine for us!

And, of course we made a side salad. We're still working on finishing some of the greens we received last week!!

Red Beet Risotto with Mustard Greens and Goat Cheese

Amanda and I went to a German beer garden and listened to some free music after picking up this weeks share. Every summer, Make Music NY sponsors concerts around the city on the first day of summer: http://makemusicny.org. Due to this fabulous experience, we unfortunately did not cook. Then, on Wednesday, my favorite band, Ozomatli, performed a free concert in Red Hook, so alas, I did not cook again.

Thursday was the first day I was able to look at the vegetables and wash and sort what we received:

Arugula

Purple Broccoli Rabe

Green tatsoi

Purple tatsoi

Mustard greens

Green lettuce

and tazuma

After sorting though what we received, I realized I couldn’t tell some of the leafy/flowery ones apart. They all tasted bitter to me. So, the first meal I made was the pasta dish I made the first week with a mix of the bitter greens sautéed down. I love that recipe…easy to cook the garlic and onion in the broth and cook down the greens. Add olive oil, mix, and then put in the pasta. Easy peasey. Who knew? And, of course, a lettuce salad with strawberries.

However, I want to highlight the recipe I made on Saturday – Red beet risotto with mustard greens and goat cheese. After stocking up on what I needed at Whole Foods (realizing I must look clueless when I shop since someone offered to help me again…ha), and dance practice at the pier, I finally decided to start cooking.

I chopped the white onion (with some tears) and “cubed” the beets. Like the recipe said, I sautéed them in butter until the onion looked tender enough. Fortunately, I had just enough vegetable broth (I should have looked before I cooked!), and so I poured the rice, broth, and balsamic vinegar into the mix and simmered for about 15 minutes. The rice wasn’t completely done, so I added a little more water and let it sit for a few more minutes until the rice was just the right texture.

The recipe said to crumble the goat cheese on top and add the mustard greens. However, I realize I do not like mustard greens unless they are cooked. I cooked the greens down for about 3 minutes (I “steamed” them in a frying pan with a little water) and then mixed them into the recipe when complete. I also added some salt and pepper for flavor.

Add a salad on the side, of course, and voila! a healthy and delicious meal.

Some problems I have encountered:

1. Measurements are hard with vegetables … 1.25cups of onion doesn’t mean anything to me. I just chopped one white onion

2. I didn’t measure the beets so I hoped two smaller looking ones were enough.

3. The beets ended up a little crispier than I imagined but they still tasted good. I plan to cube them into smaller pieces when I make the dish again.

I still have tons of greens left over as of Saturday night. I plan to make a sausage and broccoli rabe pasta dish and an easy stir fry to get rid of the non-salady stuff. We’ll see what happens!

I have to say that I am very proud of my first two CSA weeks. I am not a cook and these recipes all seemed a tad bit intimidating. My criteria for choosing recipes have been ease, time and whether my boyfriend might like the dish. So far, so good.

Here is a picture of the Risotto dish results:

Balsamic Glazed Chickpeas and Mustard Greens; Cilanto Pesto

I should also call this blog "Adventures in Brooklyn." I moved to NYC five years ago and Manhattan has been my haven. After getting of the train in Brooklyn, walking in the wrong direction and calling my boyfriend for directions (no fancy phone yet), I finally found the YWCA and picked up my first week of goodies from the farm share. And let me tell you, this is a good year for farming!

Fruit
One apple (yes! one apple for two people)
My own basket of ripe and juicy strawberries

Veggies
Mizuna
Tatsoi
Red Rain Mustard Greens
Green Star Lettuce
Radishes
Clinatro
Mint
Spinach

Now, for those of you who don't know me,  I am not much of a cook. I've always loved baking: pies, cakes, cupcakes, quiches, etc. But, when it comes to a recipe on the stove-top, I am clueless.

Day 1
My friend Amanda and I decided to try a simple recipe with the greens we bought and made ourselves a fresh salad with the lettuce, mizuna, radishes and a dash of cilantro. We then baked salmon filets topped with olive oil, lemon and dill (for those of you who are curious: bake the Salmon for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Extra time as needed). An easy and successful for a first dish. As we waited for our salmon dinner, we shared the apple and ate with a smoked apple cheddar cheese. Delish!

Day 2
The next day I was at a loss! What to do? Amanda wasn't there to guide me. I decided to google what to do with the mustard greens and I found the following recipe: Balsamic Glazed Chickpeas and Mustard Greens.  I also decided to buy chicken and a jar of tikka masala sauce.

Surprising, the chickpea dish turned out fabulous! I admit I am not much of a measurer, which can sometimes work and sometimes not and I also substituted the red pepper flakes with cayenne pepper, sprinkling a pinch in the recipe out of my palm. After much crying (because of the red onion) and sweating (because it is summer!), I finished what resembled the balsamic glazed chick peas. The recipe was simple to follow. I also added some of the spinach to add diversity to the greens.  I juggled the chicken at the same time (and may have overcooked it slightly). I pan fried the chicken until cooked through, then poured the masala sauce on top and simmered for 10 minutes (directions from the jar). Thankfully, my rice cooker saved the day, as this was the easiest part of the whole night.Overall success!

In addition, I remembered another tip from my friend Amanda. I sliced one lime into four quarters and washed the mint (no, I did not measure) and then added them to a jug. I added water and let it sit overnight for a refreshing mint and lime flavored water. 

Day 3
Still with tons of mustard greens, I decided to take part of the preparation for the chickpea dish and make my own olive oil pasta sauce. I simmered the red onions, garlic, mustard greens and spinach in the vegetable broth. When complete, I added olive oil and poured over spaghetti. I fancied up the lettuce salad by adding the fresh strawberries and some blueberries (a nice trick to add more flavor).

Day 4 and 5
Leftovers and BBQ (my boyfriend did the work for that)! I just made a salad as a side

Day 6
So, I still had a lot of leftover greens so I decided a stirfry was in order. I should have bought additional vegetables but alas, that required another trip to the market. Instead, I stirfried the leftover spinach and the rest of the mustard greens in vegetable broth. I added shrimp and simmered until the shrimp were pink and then added soy sauce for flavor. Rice was made in the rice cooker and I poured the shrimp stirfry over the rice. Easy and fast!


Day 7
Pesto! I had not done anything with the cilantro we were given, so upon Amanda's recommendation, I googled a cilantro pesto recipe. I picked out any brown leaves, chopped part of the stems off, added the cilantro to the blender with all the ingredients (I thank the Gourmet Garage worker who saved me from my puzzled look and pointed me to the most basic white wine vinegar ... no need to buy anything fancy). I tried to blend but nothing happened so I had my boyfriend stand at the blender and poke down the top bits. With a quarter cup more olive oil than the recipe called for, we were able to quickly blend a delicious (and slightly spicy) pesto. I cooked bow-tie pasta and then added the pesto on top. As a side, of course, a delicious green salad.

All in all a fabulous week with simply recipes for me!