Showing posts with label CSA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CSA. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

What's for dinner 12/22/09 - Russian Salad

Our winter CSA box usually gets me a little depressed. I'm not a big fan of root vegetables and as of lately we've been getting tons of them (beets, turnips, carrots, potatoes, and the bane of my existence: rutabaga). In the passed 2 years of subscribing to our CSA I have never used my rutabaga, it usually sits in the fridge, giving me the stink eye until I throw it in the compost. But this year, I decided to do my best to use it all up. After looking through Moosewood Cooks for a Crowd, I stumbled upon a recipe that I thought might just work. And, I must say, rutabaga and I are getting along quite well now. Here is the adapted recipe, so for those of you who have no idea how to get rid of all of those root vegetables - here's how in one fell swoop. 

Ingredients

    3 medium sized fresh beets, peeled and chopped
    2 medium peeled potato, chopped
    1 large rutabaga, peeled and chopped
    1 large peeled carrot, chopped
    2 dill pickles (all we had were slices and they worked fine)
    1 leek, chopped
    1 tbsp olive oil
    1 or 2 sprigs of fresh dill, chopped
    salt to taste

Boil the potato, rutabaga and carrot until they are soft but can still hold their shape. Take out potato, rutabaga and carrots and set aside, while chopping the leek and pickles. Boil the beets until soft. Once you can get a fork in and out of it with ease, it's ready to take out and cool. Once the boiled vegetables are cooked and cooled then mix in a bowl together with pickles and leek. Add dill and olive oil, a dash of salt and mix well.

Moosewood suggests serving with hard boiled egg or sesame crackers.

Day 3 of vacation and I've conquered rutabaga, I feel like I'm king of the world. 


Sunday, November 2, 2008

Simple food and a lovely weekend

I've been cooking a lot lately.  Alice Waters has inspired me. Her take on cooking is classic, yet innovative at the same time. It's refreshing when you find an author who's ideas align with your own. I thought I would share her cooking principles with you, hopefully you will be inspired as well.
  • Eat Locally & Sustainably
  • Eat Seasonally
  • Shop at Farmer's Markets
  • Plant a Garden
  • Conserve, Compost & Recycle
  • Cook Simply, Engaging all your Senses
  • Cook Together*
  • Eat Together*
  • Remember Food is Precious

Inspired by her book I have started to get back into the kitchen, making simple, fresh dishes utilizing our delicious CSA. Jeff is enjoying it. This is when I wish that I had a good camera, the food I've been making has been beautiful and delicious. Here's a list of the meals we've been eating, I wish I had photos!
  • Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta with Fresh Herbs
  • White Bean & Tomato Soup with Toasted Pepitas
  • Potato and Leek Soup
  • Fresh Baked Bread
  • Creamy Arugula, Apple and Barley Salad
  • Lots of Roasted Vegetables
On Deck Recipes
  • Moroccan Carrot Salad with Ginger
  • Brussels Sprout & Apple Satay
  • Home Brew
  • Persimmon Cookies
  • Savory Horseradish Bread Pudding
I'll let you know how it turns out.