124: Celery Leaf Pesto

This is the tiny bowl that contained all the stems from the bunch of celery I got in my last delivery. I had a few dishes in mind, but I'm not even sure how to scale to such a tiny amount, so I just ate those raw, with a little pesto I made from the leaves. You can pesto anything.

The most surprising thing about the celery is that it had distinct and strong flavor, which I'm not used to from the stuff you buy at grocery stores. I'm hoping we get some more substantial bunches in the weeks to come.

Celery leaves are amazing, if you haven't noticed how much I've been using it this past week, and yet there were still so many more to play with. So I made a pesto.

It was (approx):
- 2 packed cups of celery leaves
- 1 packed cup of basil leaves
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup toasted walnuts
~ pecorino, salt, lemon juice, walnut oil

We ran out of olive oil so I switched it out. Added the lemon to hopefully keep it looking nice, and cut some of the bitterness from the celery. It was a little heavy on the garlic (not necessarily a bad thing) and a little too salty. But a lot of this is up to taste.

I went on a little postemptive search, as this was largely winged, and there's a huge variation in recipes. Maybe not huge huge, you can see some patterns emerge, but the ratio of greens to nuts to olive oil and other additions vary. Everything is up to personal preference.

Part of my doing this project is to kind overwhelm myself to the point that my "what ifs" get drowned out by the sheer volume of recipes I go through. There will be time for repetition of the good recipes, but I can't really dwell on mistakes when hey, there's another mountain of produce coming my way in a few days.

So I'm not sure I'd make this again. I liked it when I made it, but not at 2 am when I tried a little more. It was delicious again this morning but then not when I had some with my lunch. Pesto isn't generally my favorite. Also look what else exists: celery salt!

121: Roasted Salsa V2

I wanted to make that roasted salsa again, but didn't have the same things on hand, so there were a few variations. No pics, taken to a party. It looked fairly similar to the last batch though.

The minor differences: four plum instead of a slicer tomato, two serranos instead of two jalapenos. Major difference: I didn't have cilantro, so I used celery leaves and basil. Why not?

It was vastly different than the first version, obviously. My subs were more savory. Using that name sets up expectations that the flavors didn't match. Not bad exactly (though undersalted), just not what I would've liked. More at home on some bruchetta and pasta than a chip.

119: Scallion, Collards, and Basil Scrambled Eggs

One of my more favorite scrambled eggs in a while.

Ingredients:

One scallion, dined fairly fine

~ 1/2 cup collards, chopped

~ 1 tbs basil, chopped fine

~ oil, salt, pepper as needed

I let the scallions go for a decent amount of time in oil and a little salt in a nonstick pan, then added my collards. That went for even longer as I remembered those need time to cook down. Added the basil towards the end. Then a little butter for egg insurance, then the eggs. They still stuck a bit. This pan is getting on my nerves, but the eggs turned out as well as they could.

The collards still had a decent bit of bite to them, which I didn't mind at all. They'd lost all of their bitterness, but obviously hadn't gone the length of time needed for the sweetness of that last collard dish.

What made the dish was the scallions, though; with all that time in the pan they got nicely fried. There's a flavor memory in the back of my mind for this but I can't remember what it is. Regardless I'm sad this was my last delivery scallion for the week as I'd love to put it in a few other things.

The bread foccacia from SCRATCH. Nommed well with the eggs. Good breakfast.

107: Caprese Sandwich and Salad

Technically the only thing on here from my share is the basil. The tomato was kindly given to me by a coworker from her garden, so that's just about as good, right? Picked up some mozz at the grocery store, as well as a little balsamic (which went on the sandwich later). I had a little left over, which I tossed with some spelt. Both super delicious.

I finally used up/spilled the last of the spelt- not that it wasn't great, the recipe I had somehow yielded a lot. No real notes for improvement, other than to eat all the tomatoes ever, please.

Delivery 11

My birthday is Sunday, some people are coming over this weekend to hang out and see my new place. I don't usually do anything too special for my birthday, so I'm freaking out a little. While I should probably make meals for myself with these veggies, I'm keeping an eye out for party food.

Green Beans - 1 pound

Red Onions - 2

Peppers: 1 Bell, 1 Lipstick

Bright Lights Swiss Chard - 1 bunch

Eggplant - 1

Basil - 1 bunch

Tomatoes - 2 slicers and 4 plum tomatoes

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 basket

Serrano Hot Peppers - 4 if you like

My favorite part of this is the "if you like" for the hot peppers. There is a swap table, people.

Chard 

I'm feeling something warm and savory. Here are few gratins that look tasty. Though here are some dips that use chard: healthy and not so much. I could probably use chard in spinach dips as well.

Eggplant

Do you need to ask? Baignan Bharta! I wish these had been purple, the white ones are so sweet.

Tomatoes

I said I'd make more candied tomatoes for a party and I probably will, though I'll most likely need to buy more to get a reasonable amount for people. Bruchetta topping would work well again as finger foods...or maybe I can make a salsa? Here are some a few sources: Alton Brown, Martha, Macheesmo, The Kitchn (cooked), The Kitchn (pico).

Green Beans

I've never made a green bean caserole, is it bad that I really want to? Beyond that the trend seems to be to roast them: honey mustard glaze, balsamic glaze, lebanese, with parmesan, with onions and nuts, oh hey- a slaw!

My habit is to eat them raw, maybe with a little hummus. It's tempting to just use them in a crudite platter.




Red Onions

A few recipes I have so far use red onions. I'm generally not a fan, as they have such a strong flavor, but I think cooking the hell out of them helps. We'll see.

Peppers 

I still have a pepper left from last week- gonna make that jam, I promise. Also still haven't used up those hot peppers from last week, so anything not put in a salsa will most likely be sprinkled throughout recipes for heat.

Basil

I say this every week, but pesto. Promise. I'm storing it better, so hopefully it'll last longer, too.

103: Balsamic Beet Burgers

So bloody! Completely veggie. Vegan, even, though if I remake them they probably won't be. I based my recipe off this one from Macheesmo. A lot was adapted. Had the beets, obviously, but had cannellini beans on hand instead of black, and no rice so I used spelt. (What? I'd been meaning to try it). This weeks' herb is basil, so I went with that, and continued the trend with balsamic instead of cider vinegar.

Ingredients (approx, and you'll want to adjust per my little discussion below):
1 beet, roasted and diced fine
Half an onion diced fine
~1/4 jalapeno diced fine, seeded
1/3 cup spelt
1/3 cup white beans
5-6 leaves basil, diced fine
1/2 tbs balsamic vinegar
~ salt, pepper, olive oil
~ flour

My beet was already roasted, so I started the jalapenos and onion in a pan with some olive oil and salt. Once those started to brown (low heat, took a bit) I added my garlic then beets and cooked a bit longer. Added the basil towards the end, then the balsamic vinegar. Tasted and adjusted spices. 

Cooked up the spelt like rice in this write up from the kitchn. I really like this stuff. People always say brown rice has a nutty flavor...I never taste it. This has an actual nutty flavor. It wasn't essential for this recipe (and may have hurt things a little), but super glad I cooked it up.

Put the pre cooked beans and spelt in a bowl, mashed a bit. Added the beet mixture and mixed. Tasted and adjusted spices a bit. Then added flour until I felt it would hold together. Two to three big spoonfuls. My ingredients were wet.

Cooked these up in a pan (they held together yay) and ate on some scratch focaccia, topped with a little pecorino cheese. 

I liked these overall, but if/when I make them again, I'm going to change a lot. The flavors were mild, next time I'll add a lot more basil, or maybe a range of spices instead of the one. I've been wary about those jalapenos after that one batch of baignan bharta was crazy spicy, but this definitely needed more heat.

I heart this bread but it wasn't a great choice. The burger held together but was still very soft, much softer than the bread. Regular burger buns would help, or maybe a English muffin if I'm feeling fancy. 

Speaking of the texture, the mix was way too wet. The spelt was still a bit al dente so it didn't mush to help keep things together, next time I'll cook the grains a little longer (and maybe actually use rice or quinoa), or omit them in lieu of more beans. I was debating using an egg instead of flour as a binder, except I didn't have any. Womp womp.

Honestly though, the next time I do this (I have another beet in the fridge, so it may be tonight!), part of me wants to do a very different flavor profile. Something a little smokier, or maybe curry.

99: Peperonata

Is there a way to photograph this so it looks as lovely as it tastes? Not sure. Would help if it weren't blurry.

I followed the same method as the last time I'd made peperonata. Or actually, let the peppers go with the onions for a bit before adding the tomato. But that didn't seem to make much of a difference. My sweet onions were a little smaller so used a whole one instead of half. Probably a little less tomato, but I have to split up my romas between this and another dish I'll post about tomorrow.

Kept the peppers on the al dente side, per my note for improvement last time, but I think they're actually better a bit softer. As these peppers were a little riper than the last set (noted by how nice and green they are), the whole dish ended up on the sweet side. A little extra pepper and red pepper flake fixed that nicely.

Used the last of my genovese basil and parsley on this as well.

I think next time I'd like to try slicing the peppers a bit thinner, and maybe cutting the tomatoes into wedges like the other ingredients instead of the dice, just to see how that works. I also need to remember to do this in a larger pan, as the peppers kept wanting to escape their delicious fate every time I stirred (aka made a mess).

96: Carrot Top Pesto

THIS is a good use for carrot tops. The food processor takes away much of the textural issues I have, but leaves their nice earthy flavor. I was also in a mood to measure things today, so you have most of a recipe if you'd like to recreate.

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup walnuts

- 2 cups semi-packed carrot tops (leafy parts, tough stems discarded)

- 1/2 cup basil

~ olive oil, salt, pecorino (to taste)

Started the walnuts in the food processor a bit, then added most of the tops and basil, a spoonful or two of pecorino and a pinch of salt.

Processed a little more, streaming in some olive oil as it was running.

Scraped down the sides, tasted, added the rest of the greens and some more pecorino and salt.

Continued processing, streaming in a bit more olive oil until it got to the consistency I wanted.

Fried up a few more polenta cakes, which were alright with the pesto, but something was missing:

Yay! Last of the bruchetta topping. The carrot tops are earthy, and while the basil brings a bit of brightness but it was still a little muddy. I may not have needed the tomato if I'd upped the basil a bit but who am I kidding? I would've still needed it. It needs to be on all the things.

95: Smoky Kale and White Bean Soup

Mmmmm. I used a few recipes as inspiration for this, but as it goes, the most important thing was to use up a bunch of ingredients/leftovers I had in my fridge. So more a case of: fill my mind up with possibilities then kinda wing it. It'd be nice if that always worked well, I'll say it comes through 75-85% of the time. This was a good time.

Ingredients:

- 2 medium onions, diced

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced then made into a paste with kosher salt

~ 1 cup super strong turkey broth concentrate (from a bag in my freezer, I'm not sure exact amounts)

- 1 1/2 cups cannellini beans

- 1/4 cup bean water

- 3/4 water water

- 2 cups diced canned tomatoes

- Sprigs of savory, parsley, and basil

- Most of a bunch of kale, sliced into thin strips (minus the small amount I used on this and some leaves I ate as I went)

- 3/4 tsp smoked paprika

- salt and pepper to taste (heavy on the pepper!)

Sweat the onions a bit, then added my garlic, cooking briefly until fragrant. Then I added my tomatoes, broth, bean water and water. I like my soups thick so I let this simmer away for a while to reduce, throwing in a decent sized sprig (kind of a branch, really) of savory, basil and parsley mid-way through.

Once it had reduced to my liking I added the beans and kale, along with 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and a little more salt and pepper. Removed the herb sprigs. Let that simmer a little longer, then decided to add a bit more paprika and pepper.

Super happy with the result. Before I added the sprig/branches of herbs I thought the base was a little too...bright? acidic? It just wasn't doing it for me and I can't describe why. But those herbs really helped broaden the flavor. I'm generally not a huge tomato soup fan, either, but I can get behind this. I think it's the smoked paprika.

93: Balsamic Glazed Carrots

So I wanted to do something slightly different with carrots. Saw this recipe from Bittman but didn't have orange juice. One of the things I notice that I love about his recipes is he tends to offer alternates. Chose the balsamic with garlic variant mentioned in the accompanying article. I only had about a 1/3 lb of carrots after peeling and chopping, so third-ed everything and went for it.

I forgot about it a little, so there was probably a little more browning than the recipe wanted, but they're nicely glazed and still firm. Something was missing though. He mentioned adding herbs if you'd like, and after debating decided on a little trial:

On the left is parsley, on the right is basil. Tore the leaves (I had just cleaned Sweetness and the cutting board) and let it sit for a few minutes while working on something else.

Which won? Basil. Worked really well with the balsamic, though I guess that's not too surprising.

92: Polenta Cakes and Kale

Fast meal, for when your roommates need to use the kitchen.

Pan fried (badly) some leftover polenta. It held its shape well, but my nonstick pan isn't very non-stick...so yeah, will work on that for next time. I want all the crispy brown bits please. Topped with my leftover bruchetta topping (ended up adding twice what's in the pic, ha), and ate with a side of kale stems, which I dipped in hummus. It's like celery. Deal with it.

Super good, semi-light meal. Definitely satisfied when I didn't want to impose on the roommate space situation.

89: Bruschetta

Mmmm so obsessed with tomatoes. I think I've only ordered bruchetta once from a restaurant- and it was amazing, don't get me wrong- but it's so simple I usually just think "I can make that myself"...but then never get around to it. Finally did last night, and yum so good.

I winged this, so no recipe per se. It was a nice mix of:

- Cocktail tomatoes

- Sweet Onion

- Garlic

- Basil

- Savory

- Olive Oil/Salt/Pepper

Mixed everything up and let it sit out at room temp a bit to meld. Didn't sweat the proportions, and even forgot the olive oil until right before I ate. Toasted up some foccacia from SCRATCH, spooned the tomato mixture on and nommed. So good.

Not sure I have any notes for improvement- it was pretty damn good. Maybe a little more basil? Or to just make more I guess. Can never get enough tomatoes.

88: Peperonata

Dear Purple Bell Peppers,

Why you gotta turn white when I cook you?

Love, 

K

Seriously though, how awesome would that purple have been in this dish? When I cut them I knew it wouldn't last though- the purple color is only skin deep.

Anyway, I used a mix of the two peperonata recipes I'd mentioned in the Delivery post- probably relying on the more laid back Bittman version.

Sliced up my two peppers (for the record the purple was just bitter whereas the green had a bit more to it- a little grassy? probably not the right word), and half a walla walla onion. Chopped up a 1/4 cup of basil, some parsley and a little savory. Minced two cloves of garlic and diced a roma and cocktail tomato.

Started the onions in a pan, cooked until they got soft. Added everything else and cooked until the peppers softened as well.

Super good, very comforting and tomato-y. Needs some crusty bread. As do all the things.

Note for Improvement: Don't cook it quite as long, the peppers could've used a little more bite.

Update: I had cold leftovers for lunch and loved it. The peppers had a bit more bite to them than I remembered last night, and while the purple ones were still bitter, it contrasted nicely with the sweetness of the tomato and onion. I definitely want to do this again.

Delivery 9

Two months done! I'm due for another recappy post. Once I have time (tomorrow? maybe?).

Carrots with Greens - 1 bunch

Walla Walla Sweet Onions - 2

Peppers - 2

Summer Savory - 1 bunch

Orient Eggplant - 2

Genovese Basil - 1 bunch

Tomatoes - 6

Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 basket

White Russian Kale - 1 bunch

Bell Eggplant - 1

Tomatoes

So wonderful. Six roma/plum tomatoes (top), six cocktail tomatoes (bottom), and a container of sungold cherry tomatoes. I ended up eating my last batch of cherries as is. Really have to refrain from doing that with these. No promises. 

I'm thinking of using most of the plum on a new batch of Baignan Bharta. As for the others...we'll see. I do have basil.

My dad sent me a link to an awesome farmer's market/CSA recipe generator. There are a few good ideas for tomatoes, but most require lots of extra ingredients.

Carrots:

I've done dilly carrots before. Looking for something a bit new. Carrots lend themselves to a lot, and with a few other ingredients I have this delivery I could maybe make a soup? Anyway, I'm excited for carrot tops, here are a few recipes for those.

Kale

Yesss. Honestly a little in love with kale. Lots of options: Beans and smoked paprika, cornbread, with wheat berries, nommy salads. This one isn't as frilly as I'm used to, but it has that awesome bitterness. Having greens with stems also makes me happy, as they're just great to dip in hummus.

Savory

I haven't cooked with savory before- and it's proving a little hard to find recipes- but once I smelled it I immediately recognized it. It's used in a lot of things. With the carrots it's just begging to be a soup. I'd also like to buy chicken this week- either livers again, or thighs- and this would work very well with that. Bruchetta, beans, mushroom pate. The kitchn has a little roundup too- the simplest one would work well.

 

Walla Walla Onions

Honestly, while cutting these last week I was eating pieces raw. They are so sweet and delicious.

Googling these came up with a website - with recipes - dedicated to them. I guess there's a big Walla Walla lobby to combat the Vidalia onion lobby.  Oh, and the internet wants me to make bruchetta this week.

Peppers

Debating doing another jar of pickled peppers- hesitant as I'm not sure how that one turned out at all. I'll probably do something different. It's been a while since I've made a pizza. Peperonata look amazing. Here's a great recipe roundup from the NY Times.
 

Basil

I'm making a pesto this week. I have to. I always have so much herbage left over that just goes bad in my fridge, and it's making me sad. I'm determined to use this up.

Eggplant 

Baignan Bharta is a given. Part of me just wants to make that with all of this- though most likely I'll use the bell on it, and then use the smaller orient on other recipes.