75: Sauteed Mushrooms & Beet Greens

As soon as I got my surprise bag of mushrooms this week, I knew they were going to get used up fast. They all didn't go into this dish- there's a few left for a salad or another (small) application- but it was hard enough to not just toss with olive oil, salt and pepper (or green sauce) and just nom.

This was a quick dish after a fevered batch of canning (post tomorrow, once I can take some pictures). Probably finished this up around 11:30pm. I need more hours in the day.

I sauteed a smallish onion (sliced) and some garlic (grated) in olive oil and salt for a minute, tossed in the chopped mushrooms and beet stems with a little more oil and a healthy pinch or two of black pepper. Once those were nice and soft I tossed in the chopped beet greens and let them wilt down. I also put in a little bit of lemon basil and parsley, but not enough that I actually tasted them.

I had some quinoa in the fridge so mixed some of that in to make a fuller meal, though it tasted nice on its own. Excited for leftovers.

Notes for Improvement:
- Chop the greens a little finer - with noodles this would've size would've fared better, but right now it's a little weird to eat
- More onion
- More herbage
- More pepper

Delivery 8

So much excitingness in this week's delivery.

Beets with Greens - 1 bunch

Walla Walla Sweet Summer Onions - 2

Heirloom Cucumbers (Boothby Blonde and Poona Kheera) - 2  (apparently these were pulled last minute. sadface)

Marketmore Slicing Cucumbers - 2

Orient Express Eggplant - 2 

Scallions - 1 bunch

Tomatoes - 2 

Lemon Basil - 1 bunch  

Flat Leaf Parsley - 1 bunch

Bell Peppers - 2

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 basket

Summer Squash - 2 pieces

Things I am in love with:

Tomatoes

Not gonna lie, may have screamed a little when I saw tomatoes on the list. I've been sooo obsessed with them this summer. Will resist the urge to eat (all of) them like handfruit. Especially when I have cucumbers and basil just begging to be combined for a salad. And it's hard to do something crazy with just two, you know? Or the little basket.
 

Beets

I have a beet post with off-share ingredients I'll put up soonish, but super excited to have these. I've always wanted to make a beet cake. I may have to do that this week- the idea is making my brain itch- even if it's hot and time consuming.

It's also nice to have leafy greens, will probably saute those with some mushrooms. Going way back for that idea.

Eggplant

I want to redo a recipe this week- even though Ratatoullie uses more of this week's delivery, I'll probably go with Baingan Bharta. Once I figure out how to make it the way I remember it will be the only thing I eat ever.

Parsley

Parsley isn't my favorite, but always happy for fresh herbage. A lot of sauces come to mind- like chimichurri- or an actual real salsa verde. I'm also liking the idea of tabbouleh (bonus for tomato, cucumber and scallion).

Lemon Basil 

If you haven't had this herb before, it smells AMAZING. Ideas: Cookies, vinaigrette on zucchini pasta, or maybe just a pesto for once. It's a shame I haven't yet dabbled in soap or candlemaking, I want everything to smell like this.

Scallions:

CSA was all about fun colors this week. I'm not sure what the difference between the white and red are- one of the staff suggested it could be like the difference between white and red onions? I got a mixed batch just to see. I actually still have scallions from last week to use up...so, scrambled eggs?

Sweet Onions:

Onions are useful for everything- can throw them in the baingan bharta, or another batch of pickles. Not sure if I can use the green tops but I'd like to try.

Bell Peppers:

I've never seen purple peppers before. It's so cool! I got one of each color to see if they tasted different. Part of me wants to roast and (of course) pickle them- I even have a recipe lined up. Though I think I'd need more than two to fill a jar.

Cucumbers

I think I was the only one lamenting the lack of heirloom pickles this week. Part of me wants to wing a cucumber salad- and I don't think it would be that hard. The rest wants to pick up a thing or two and make this guy.

Summer Squash:

They were small this week for some reason. I picked based on prettiness. With no heirloom cucumbers these may sub in for my pickle canning redo I mentioned yesterday. The canning book I've been using says any cucumber recipe can be subbed out with zucchini, but recommends getting pickle crisp granules. I'm in NYC- so I'm sure I can find some- the question is just the least out of the way place.

EXTRAS!

Mushrooms:

Due to a generous/lazy person who did want to pick up their mushroom share, I got some creminis to take home. Of course I'd just bought crummy white button mushrooms earlier that day, but doubt I could ever turn these down. I'm going to use them up before I can find the perfect recipe- major mushroom cravings right now.

 

Stone Fruit:

Hooray for the lazy. Also got a bit of a fruit share to try. I'd debated ordering a fruit share- it's one of the few things I'm still always buying at the store- but it would've been way too much for just me. This is a weird mix of underripe nectarines, super ripe peaches, and middling plums. It's already macerating in the fridge for jam. 

I have a bit of a canning problem. If you didn't know that already, you will very soon.

74: Curry Pickles & A New Toy

This is my first batch of puttin' up pickles. I've done fridge pickles before, but with this CSA I already take up a ton of fridge space, so I wanted to give this a try. It takes a little more time, but these will be shelf stable for a while- according to the recipe I should wait at least six weeks to open the jar. Magic!

The recipe is from The Pickled Pantry from Andrea Chesman. I haven't had a chance to read through the whole book but skimming I came upon a section for recipes by the jar. These can be scaled, sure, but I seldom have the ingredients for more than a jar or two of jams/pickles/etc so it's great to have that option.

I followed the recipe as well as I could. Didn't have the raisins so just left them out. My cucumbers were on the (very very) large size. I didn't feel I could pack the cucumbers AND onions in without a lot of air gaps so while they were present for the initial soaking, the onions did not make it into the jar. I'm getting a few more heirloom cucumbers in today's delivery, so I'll focus on finding some longer/thinner guys for another batch.

I'll update once I actually open these guys up...but that won't be until at least September :)

Anyway- what excited me most about doing this was a reason to play with my new toy: a 4th burner pot! 

I first heard of this lovely pot via a post on food in jars. And while I've enjoyed experiments with small batch canning, the ball canning kit with its 21 quart pot is INSANE to use for just a few half-pints of jam. I tried an impromptu method with my currant jam but was less than happy with the process, so it's nice to have something a little simpler. It's three quarts and holds two regular half-pint jars (or a lone pint) very well. Expect to see a lot more of it in upcoming posts.

73: Cucumber Soup

Hey, I used a recipe I actually linked to in my delivery post to make this!

To be honest my process usually involves researching recipes like crazy Tuesday night- which is when I write those posts- then consolidating my ideas for a shopping trip Wednesday. Recipes are chosen based on feasibility, interest and extra costs.

The only thing I needed to buy for this was yogurt, which I like to have on hand for easy meals anyhow. My only adjustments were to eschew some of the garnishes (extra costs), cut the recipe in half and use a mix of slicing and heirloom cucumbers instead of European. 

It was a seriously gorgeous mix. As European are seedless I measured out a pound of deseeded cucumbers. These were chopped up and blended with yogurt in batches, then the rest of the ingredients thrown in. I prepped the soup before I went to a mozzarella making class (awesome, easy with practice, may attempt if I find an easy source of rennet), and ate it for dinner with a little amethyst basil. 

There had been a moment of worry as the recipe didn't specify whether or not to peel the cukes, but I noticed the flecks in the pic in the original recipe, so they were left on. Can you see them in the pic above? The variety of color really makes the soup gorgeous. Every time I went to eat I had to resist the urge to get my camera out and take more pictures.

I'm still digging yogurt in savory dishes, too. And (not pictured) this actually goes decently with the SCRATCH buckwheat sour.

Notes for Improvement: Keep up on the substitution methods used in this recipe- I'm happy I didn't just sub out one slicing cucumber for one European. Used my brain and hey, it worked out well!

72: Leek Scrambled Eggs

Flavors based on this recipe from smitten kitchen, as I had nowhere near enough leeks to do that recipe. I actually got a little impatient (and hungry for breakfast) so didn't let them go quite as long as they needed, but they still had a nice bit of caramelization. Texture was a little off- not soft enough yet. Topped with nommy blue cheese.

I'm not actually sure I like full on caramelized onions and leeks. French onion soup sounds delicious in theory but is never as good as it is in my head. I like the caramelization of browning, but when it contrasts the bite (texture and sharp flavor) present in the raw onions. Things I'm learning about myself.

The bread is buckwheat sourdough from SCRATCH, which I've been trying with everything, but haven't yet found an optimal pairing. Bread is never not welcome on my plate though.

Notes for Improvement: It's still too hot for blue cheese and heavy/savory/sweet semi-caramelized leeks. Also maybe a little more pepper next time.

69 Addendum

Leftover Ratatouille + Quinoa + Smoked Paprika + Pepper = Nom

A little upset this was the last of it. Excuses to make more with the billions of squashes I'm sure to get this summer.

71: Baingan Bharta

My favorite Indian dish. It's my go to when I try a new place. The high bar for me is Kamal Palace in North Arlington, NJ. Seriously the best Indian food I've ever had- very fresh, not super oily or heavy.

I want to make that. So while I originally linked to this recipe from the Times, there are a few other recipes that look a little closer to my goal. I did the "few" recipe, despite the comic sans. I didn't have the peas or the asafoetida, subbed out garlic powder for the latter.

It looked similar to Kamal's and had a similar smell, but the spices were too strong and muddy.

Drunken leftovers with a few eggs (would've been one but the yolk broke so...) were delicious though.

And honestly even sans egg the flavors melded and were less offensively spicy after a night in the fridge. It's still not what I wanted, though. I'm not sure how to combat this in the future.

Notes for (possible) Improvement:
- More tomatoes? Kamal's was brighter. Or more cilantro or lime could add that too.
- Less spices. Less turmeric and cumin for sure.
- Try another one of those recipes to see if it turns out more as you hoped.

70: Cucumber Limeaid

It's hot. Not as hot as it's been but ugh. In some ways I'm not upset I got nine cucumbers this week. It's hard to do a warm cucumber dish.

Found this recipe via the Huffington Post. I followed it fairly well- subbed in a big spoonful of honey for the sugar. Blended it up.

Honestly, as is it's a bit watery. They mention a medium mesh strainer- I'm not sure what that means- but maybe having more stuff in the mix would've given the flavor a little more oomph. I ended up adding the juice of another lime (so three total), which helped. But not significantly.

Notes for Improvement: Less water or more stuff.

69: Ratatoullie

Instead of the one I linked to in my delivery post, I used this recipe from the kitchn. It was a similar idea- cook each ingredient individually to get good browning and flavor development, then mix everything and simmer down so the flavors meld.

My favorite part of making this- knife skills practice! Chop chop chop everything up. I used my Creuset for the first time at the new place, too.

It turned out well- I used the squash and white eggplant from my share. The skin on the zucchini ended up being rubbery. It's a weird texture, one that I haven't experienced before when cooking with zucchini so I'm not sure what caused it.

I used rosemary and a little of my purple basil at the end.

It ended up being a bit brothy but that's not the worst thing- just means I can throw some bread in to soak up all that goodness.

Notes for Improvement:
- Cut the zucchini smaller, may help with skin issues
- Finish with the lid off the pot to reduce it down a bit if there's a lot of liquid
- The recipe mentioned a few variations- like using some smoked paprika. Try that with some of the leftovers. I could use a little spicy.

68: Cucumber Avocado Salad

Does this look appetizing? It ended up surprisingly good. I followed this recipe from the internets via food52. Small adjustments- a little less lime juice and salt. Used a white onion instead of red. I realize now than when saying "cut into 1/2" pieces" they didn't mean what I did with the cucumber. So don't be like me and cut it smaller!

I let the flavors mingle in the fridge a little while working on other stuff, then ate some. It was good...but white onion is so much milder than red it wasn't coming through. So I cut up a scallion fine and tossed it in (done after the pic above). Definitely oomphed that flavor up and helped balance the dish overall.

Might make it again, not sure. It's always nice to have an excuse to buy avocados though.

Notes for Improvement: May more attention to the pictures in the recipe. Cut that cucumber smaller.

67: Chickpeas Leek and Spinach

This is a recipe I can get behind. Few ingredients, super simple. Got to practice my thin slicing skills on the leek. That part went surprisingly well. Need to keep practicing though.

No new techniques but sometimes it's nice to find recipes to keep in my back pocket for a future quick meal. Also any excuse to buy smoked paprika is a good excuse.

Didn't eat a ton for dinner but it'll be good lunch for the next few days. 

Notes for Improvement: Caramelize the leeks a little more. I had the heat down so I could multitask but browned leeks are the best. Also a little too much salt this time (not the recipe's fault- I didn't really measure when adding).

66: Fennel Pecorino Dip

I tried a piece of raw fennel, just to see what it was like. Not going to lie, I almost threw up. Such a strong anise flavor- it's the veggie NyQuil.

Still I forged ahead with this recipe from Martha. Scaled to use just the one fennel bulb. Also subbed pecorino for parm. My fennel bulb was on the small side- ultimately leading to a more garlic/pecorino dip with a mild fennel background. I didn't mind, though to be fair the anise-ness mellowed out considerably in the oven, so I could've done more.

Bread is more SCRATCH sourdough remnants, and a little Black Rooster Rye.

Next time I get fennel it's going on the swap table- or to one of my roommates if they're fans. Happy I tried it but definitely not for me. 

Notes for Improvement:

- If I'd wanted to make this closer to the recipe I'd say more fennel- my yield was a little low even when I'd scaled down to the number of bulbs I had. 

- This was my first baked dip- I'd be interested to try the the idea again with another recipe. Especially now that I have ramekins!

65: Brie Tomato Basil Sandwiches

Super easy and tasty. Cut up your crusty bread (this is sourdough from SCRATCHbread- sandwiches are like 8.5/10ths about the bread for me), put a little cheese, a big basil leaf or two, a tomato slice and a little balsamic.

As much as I love brie, the traditional mozz may be a better choice for these. But it's nice to use up some of the five (seriously, five) kinds of cheese I have in the fridge right now.

Notes for Improvement:

- Thinner bread, thinner tomato slices

- Try out different cheeses

Delivery 7

I continue to feel like I'm getting the hang of this CSA thing. I've planned out about 80-90% of the things I want to do this week, and went on a little grocery trip already to pick up the extra ingredients. It's nice that things are coming together well.

Summer Spinach - 1 bunch

Summer Squash - 2 pcs

Heirloom Cucumbers (Boothby and Poona Kheera) - 6 pcs

Marketmore Cucumbers - 3 pcs

White Clara Eggplant - 1 pc
Scallions - 1 bunch

Fennel - 1

Amethyst Basil - 1 bunch

Leeks - 1 bunch

Oriental Eggplant - 2 pcs

Cucumbers!

Such a bounty. The CSA email said they thought last week would be the week for cucumbers, so yay? there were a ton on the swap table- understandable- but it's much better than lettuces. If only because I can eat them straight up (confession: I had half a marketmore left over from last week's. Just at it like a handfruit when I gote home). I'd still like to do something interesting with them though. No tzatziki this week- OD'd a little on it- but there are a surprising number of recipes for this. For example: limeade, cucumber avocado salad, bread salad (looks great but too many extra ingredients), easy sesame salad, or soup. 

Amethyst Basil

Not finding too much easily about this kind of basil- other than it's the standard "genovese" style, but just happens to be purple. It's really gorgeous- almost black. The CSA email said it was good to flavor vinegar with- which I could see as it would also dye it nicely- but can be used in lieu of standard basil.

I found a few recipes that call it out specifically: tomato/brie/balsamic sandwiches or biscuits (I keep finding biscuit recipes so it's going to happen one day). But there are a few standards I could do- like cucumber/tomato/basil/feta salad. Or just make crazy-colored pesto.

Eggplant 

White Clara and Oriental varities. The white one has wicked spines on the stem, and I've read it's apparently sweeter than the standard. I'm not finding a ton of recipes for it specifically though, so I'll most likely use it as a standard eggplant.

This veggie was never something I felt super strongly about, but I do rather like it now. Somehow I'd forgotten my favorite Indian dish was an eggplant dish, so I may have to attempt that this week. Baba is also super tasty- but not sure I want to use the food pro more than is absolutely necessary. 

A few other options: eggplant and pickled beet sammies or ratatouille (bonus for squash! and I also love that movie...).

Leeks

I love leeks. True story. I'd always heard they were fussy- required a decent amount of cleaning- so I hadn't tried them until about a year ago. Then, one day, stumbled on them frozen at Trader Joe's. Does any other store have these on a regular basis? They were my go to in scrambled eggs before I started this CSA project. Apparently you can grow them from scraps in a container of water- I may try that.

I want to take advantage of their melty-oniony-garlicky-ness (yep). Example recipes: easy/uses spinach and extra garlicy.
 

Fennel 

I'm not the hugest fan of fennel seeds- or anise flavor. I've grown used to it in certain circumstances (and small amounts), but I'm a little nervous about using it. The recipes I see for it are so varied, though. It seems to go well with the standard savory onion/garlic profile, but there are a ton of recipes with blood orange in particular. A few that stand out for me (mostly for lack of extra ingredients): tarts, dip, simple salad, and nommy caramelized.

64: Barley and Chard Salad

Barley and chard google searches lead to this recipe from the kitchn. Unfortunately I'd used up my roasted beets on other projects, so I tried to go simple. Diced a few small onions and minced up some garlic. Started that in a pan. Took the leaves off my chard, cut those into strips and diced the stems. 

Once the onions were getting soft added the chard stems and let that keep going a bit before adding the leaves, salt, and a little vinegar. Let that wilt down. 

Grabbed my barley from the fridge, and mixed up a little more vinegar and some of a second batch of green sauce (cilantro, basil, rosemary, something else). Mixed everything together. 

I wasn't super thrilled with the result. There was a weird pervasive bitterness I don't remember from past chard dishes. A bit more seasoning helped. I also thought without beets I needed something else a little sweet, so I added honey which helped as well...but I may have added to much. Fiddling a bit here. Luckily I only did this dressing with a small portion of the greens though, so leftovers were just the base greens and barley with a little extra salt and pepper. Oh and an egg. 

Surprisingly good drunk food. A lot of pepper was added to that before it went in my face.

Notes for improvement: 

- Green sauce may not have been the best choice with this. At least with everything else going on. 

- I was having issues with the size of the greens vs the barley, it didn't want to mix.

- The leftovers seemed fine proportion wise, so it looks like less barley/better mixing was the answer.