Grasshoppers Pickup Number 29

This week's basket contained:

• 1 bunch kale
• 9 small beets
• 1 head leafy lettuce
• Peas in the shell
• 1 head garlic
• 1 head Chinese cabbage
• 5 smallish potatoes
• 1 large white onion
• 1 whole chicken, cut up

I'm making borscht tonight with the beets, potatoes and onion.

The kale will be cooked as a greens meal along with a turnip and served with cornbread. The lettuce will go into a simple salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, and celery. The peas will be a side dish to accompany some wild caught (!) salmon I picked up at the grocery this afternoon. I can use the garlic in any number of dishes.

I'm thinking the cabbage will go into a dish like Chinese-Style Cabbage. It could serve as another side for the salmon (which is enough to make 3 meals for me).

The chicken will stay in the freezer for a while. I am so behind on meat consumption. There are so many ways to use a cut-up chicken. I'm tempted to make fried chicken, although this is something I only make once or twice a year.

Cucumber Salad

My grandmother used to make a delicious and simple cucumber salad. I'm trying to duplicate that taste. Here's my latest effort.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1 hot house cucumber, sliced
• 1 t. dried dill weed
• 1 T. dried parsley

Procedure

1. Combine water and sugar and boil until sugar is dissolved (5 min. in microwave at high).
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a sealable glass or Pyrex container
3. Pour syrup into the container and mix.
4. Store in refrigerator for at least one day before serving.

Notes

Other recipes I've tried have been too sweet for my taste. I'm looking for a pleasant vinegar taste with just enough sugar to round off the edges. My grandmother did not, as I recall, use dill weed or parsley, but I think that will be a good addition.

Grasshoppers Pickup Number 28

This week's basket contained:

• 1 bunch green onions
• 1 head lettuce
• 1 bunch radishes
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 2 small summer squash
• 2 broccoli tops
• 1 head garlic
• 1 pt. strawberries
• 1 salmon filet

The salmon filet was a surprise. Apparently it was raised in Kentucky. Who knew? I knew we produced prawns and catfish.

So, with the bulk of the produce, I have made salad (with the addition of cherry tomatoes and a cucumber) and salsa (with the addition of crushed tomatoes and jalapenos.

I had steamed the summer squash and one of the broccoli tops as a side to a salmon dinner. I should probably just chop up the other broccoli top and add it to my salad.

This time I put the strawberries into the fridge. I understand that the best flavor is to be had by leaving them out at room temperature. I've tried this, but since I'm not that huge a fan of fruits and berries, I ran into mold problems. I will enjoy these berries either with plain yogurt or sliced with cereal and milk.

Grasshoppers Pickup Number 27

This week's basket contained:

• Rainbow chard
• Scapes
• Celery
• Dill weed
• Shell beans
• 2 buffalo steaks
• 1 pt. strawberries

The chard will be a side dish that includes butter, olive oil, garlic, red onion, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese. I've made this before and it is very yummy.

Scapes? I was told by the CSA lady that they're basically garlic greens. I plan on making a pesto with them. Apparently they also serve well in a stir fry.

The celery is loaded with leaves. I think I'll wrap it up in paper towels and preserve it for next weekend. There are all manner of one-pot recipes that could benefit from fresh celery. For the short term, I'm still eating lamb curry leftovers and there will be a few salmon dinners coming up.

Dill weed... yikes! I can put some on salmon since I'm having that regularly of late. I could make a dip with cream cheese but hey... I'm already making scape pesto. I'll just try to keep it fresh for a couple of weeks so it can grace a number of salmon meals.

I assume the shell beans will be a side dish. They look like snow peas but the shells are kinda tough..

Buffalo meat is notoriously lean. Cooks are advised to score steaks slightly at intervals to avoid having the meat curl when cooked.

I will probably eat the strawberries with plain yogurt--great as a snack or dessert.

Grasshoppers Pickup Number 26

This week's basket contained:

• 2 heads Romaine lettuce
• 8 small tomatoes
• 1 pint strawberries
• 1 bunch mint
• 1 bunch garlic chives
• 2 cucumbers
• 7 small potatoes
• 2 lamb shanks

The strawberries were eaten with plain yogurt. Very delicious as a dessert or breakfast.

The mint went into Mint Juleps. That was the idea, eh? Still got a few sprigs left.

I used some garlic chives on baked salmon. Maybe the rest will go that route, too.

I steamed the potatoes as a side to a salmon + veggie dinner.

The lamb shanks are calling me to make some kind of curry. Maybe this coming weekend.

Everything else is just screaming SALAD! I only sliced up one of the two cucumbers into the salad mix. I intend to use the second cucumber as follows: sliced cucumber, sugar, vinegar. A very delicious salad I remember from my childhood.

Grasshoppers Pickups Number 25

This week's basket contained:

• 1 pt. strawberries
• 1 bunch Swiss Chard
• 1 head lettuce
• 3 stalks baby green garlic
• 1 bunch cilantro
• Bone-in pork chops

I've been enjoying the strawberries with plain yogurt as a dessert. Nice!

The lettuce... yeah... salad.

I don't know what to do with chard! Maybe it goes into salad or maybe I cook it as a side. Research.

As for the baby garlic, I have a fave recipe for "Leeks In Olive Oil" that could accommodate this baby garlic (which looks like young leeks). That would make a faboo side.

The cilantro may be an excuse to go Mexican. Salsa, enchiladas... you name it.

As for the meat... I am so behind schedule with the meat. Who knows. BBQ pork chops? Protein supplement to a bean dish? It's in the freezer for now.

Grasshoppers Pickup Number 24

This week's basket contained:

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 head Bibb lettuce
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 bunch ramps
• 1 bunch thyme
• 1 lb. asparagus
• 2.25 lb. whole chicken, cut up
• 1.75 lb. chicken wings

The asparagus has already gone into making quiche. It's quite delicious and it will make 5 meals for me (including one meal of excess filling as the entree).

The kale, as usual, will be cooked with a couple of (non-CSA) turnips and some pork ribs and be served over cornbread. Can't be bad. The lettuce and tomatoes will be salad.

Ramps are apparently along the lines of wild onions with garlicky overtones. I don't really know since I've never had them before. I'm sure they could go into a stir-fry, but since I also need to find a use for the thyme, maybe I'll simmer a cut of beef with the ramps and thyme.

The cut-up chicken could go into any of a bazillion recipes. Gumbo or curry sounds nice.

The chicken wings would be fun to cook as uber-spicy Buffalo wings.

Salmon With Ginger-Shiitake Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 T. olive oil
• 3 oz. fresh ginger, minced
• 1 small head garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 t. sea salt
• 1 T. soy sauce
• 1/4 c. butter
• 4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 c. dry red wine
• 1 T. garlic chives, chopped
• 1 T. olive oil
  
• 2 salmon steaks
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  
• Long garlic chive shoots for garnish

Procedure

Sauce

1. Heat 3 T. olive oil at medium-low in a large sauce pan.
2. Add ginger and garlic. Cook until soft.
3. Add 1/4 t. salt, soy sauce, and butter.
4. When butter has melted, add mushrooms and cook gently for about 5 minutes.
5. Add wine and raise heat to medium. Cook until sauce has been reduced and is thick.
6. Add chopped chives and keep sauce warm while cooking fish.

Fish

1. Heat 1 T. olive oil at medium-high in a large skillet.
2. Just as the oil begins to smoke, add the salmon steaks.
3. Cook steaks for 3 minutes. Turn and cook 5 more minutes.
4. When steaks are done (flakes easily with a fork), transfer to plates. Spoon on sauce and top with long chive shoots for garnish.

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Yield: 2 servings

Grasshoppers Pickup Number 22

This week's basket contained:

• 1 bag of kale
• 1 bag of watercress
• 4 tomatoes
• 3 turnips
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 small head Bibb lettuce
• Corned beef

The kale and turnips are destined for a greens-and-cornbread dinner. Pork will be added.

The tomatoes and lettuce will go into a salad. I consider this a prompt to buy additional salad veggies: Romaine lettuce, radishes, a cucumber, and mushrooms. I already have carrots on hand. The head of Bibb lettuce in my basket is very small indeed--thus the necessity of augmenting it with organic Romaine.

I plan on cooking the corned beef with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. It would be cool to do this on St. Patrick's Day, but I'm going to on the road at least 9 hours after a CT show in North Carolina that day. For that reason, I'll probably do the corned beef this weekend rather than next.

A baked sweet potato makes a good side dish. Just add a tablespoon of butter and some freshly ground black pepper.

Watercress? I have no experience with. Perhaps it can be added to my salad. I don't know.

Grasshoppers Pickup Number 21

This week's basket contained:

• 2 hydroponic tomatoes
• 1 small head Bibb lettuce
• 3 sweet potatoes
• 1 bunch sage
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 jar pumpkin butter

The tomatoes and lettuce will go into a salad mix I'll make this weekend. The sweet potatoes--I'm not sure. Probably baked or cooked as oven fries, but I think I'll use the largest one to make a sweet potato pie.

The fresh sage could be problematic. Most recipes I've seen that call for fresh sage use only 1 or 2 tablespoons. I did find a recipe for a spread that included cream cheese and lots of fresh sage. It also called for frozen lemonade (yuck!), so I'll have to modify it a bit. With the remaining sage, I might try a recipe for sage mashed potatoes that also calls for onion and plain yogurt.

I'll cook the kale with pork and a diced turnip. I have to make cornbread to go with!

I'm not a big fan of things like pumpkin butter. Having said that, I'll take it to work along with a package of English muffins (we have a toaster). I get pretty hungry in the late afternoon so this will make a very welcome snack.

Grasshoppers Pickup Number 20

This week's basket contained:

• 5 hydroponic tomatoes
• 1 small head red-leaf lettuce
• 1 large bunch basil
• 1 small bag baby carrots
• 1 jar mild salsa
• 3 rib eye steaks

The produce content of this week's basket was a little skinny compared to previous baskets. That's okay. This is the first year that Grasshopper's is doing winter produce. And getting 5 nice tomatoes pretty much makes up for any volume shortcomings.

The tomatoes, lettuce, and carrots will go into a salad. I'll be adding Romaine lettuce, radishes, a cucumber, and fresh mushrooms.

I'll use the basil in a spinach-and-basil pesto.

Having a jar of locally-made salsa puts me in the mind of making some Mexican food. Next weekend perhaps.

The rib eye steaks go into the freezer. I seriously have to make an effort to make meals that use more meat. In that spirit I plan on using a CSA chicken to make a curry this Saturday. I'm also planning on using some CSA bratwurst for a few simple dinners.

FOOD: It's what's for dinner.

Wheat Berry-Brown Rice Pilaf

This is an experimental dish that I plan on making tonight as an accompaniment to roast brisket. The wheat berries are from my CSA, Grasshopper Distributions.

Ingredients

• 5 c. water or chicken broth
• 1 c.wheat berries
• 1 c. brown rice
• 3 t. butter
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/8 t. salt
• Pepper to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 t. thyme
• 2 t. dried parsley
• 8 oz. can mushroom stems and pieces

Procedure

1. Bring water to a boil in a medium sauce pan.
   
2. Add wheat berries, reduce heat to a slow simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour.
   
3. Add brown rice and cook for 30 minutes.
   
4. During this time, melt butter in a skillet. Saute vegetables until translucent.
   
5. Add vegetables, herbs, spices, and mushrooms to rice and wheat berries. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes or until grains are tender.
   

Dill Dip

I made this as a dip for Buffalo Wings, but it would work well with crackers or chips.

Ingredients

• 1 c. mayonnaise
• 1 c. sour cream
• 4 T. minced sweet onion
• 1/2 t. salt
• 3 T. fresh dill weed, chopped, or 1 T. dried dill weed

Procedure

1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Transfer to a sealable container and refrigerate 4+ hours to allow flavors to blend.

Sweet Onions With Cheese

I made this last night and spooned some over cornbread that I had on-hand. This was a great main course, but minus the cornbread it would serve well as a side dish.

Ingredients

• 2 sweet onions (softball-sized)
• 1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
• 3 T. butter
• 3 T. flour
• 1-1/2 c. milk
• 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 t. salt
• Black pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
2. Peel and coarsely dice onions.
3. Slightly pre-cook onions in a microwave at high for 4 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, melt butter over medium-low heat in a sauce pan.
5. When butter has melted, add flour and whisk to mix thoroughly.
6. Continue to heat, whisking frequently, until the roux is slightly browned.
7. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking and heating until thickened in between additions.
8. After all the milk has been added, remove the sauce pan from the burner. Add salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
9. Arrange onions and cheese in layers in a greased 2 qt. casserole dish.
10. Pour the sauce over the onions and bake for 50 minutes.

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Yield: 4 servings

Valentine's Day Locavore

I just have to share these Valentine's Day specials from my CSA, Grasshopper Distributions. This is like so fucking cool.

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 Grasshoppers now has Locavore Meals designed for a Romantic Evening for Two.

The Locavore Italian (Ravioli) Meal for $45.00 comes complete with:

1 Blue Dog Baguette

1 10oz. JD Country Butter

1 bottle Rattlesnake Farms Garlic Salt

1 head Bibb Lettuce

1 lb. Tomatoes

1 bottle Basilicata Salad Dressing

1 4oz. log Plain Capriole Goat Cheese

1 pk. Lotsa Pasta Butternut Squash Ravioli

Plus, 1 Solid Chocolate Love Puzzle from Stellar Sweets

The Locavore Italian (Pesto) Meal for $47.50 comes complete with:

1 Blue Dog Baguette

1 10oz. JD Country Butter

1 bottle Rattlesnake Farms Garlic Salt

1 head Bibb Lettuce

1 lb. Tomatoes

1 bottle Basilicata Salad Dressing

1 4oz. log Plain Capriole Goat Cheese

1 pk. Lotsa Pasta Ziti

1 pt. Basil Pesto

Plus, 1 Solid Chocolate Love Puzzle from Stellar Sweets

Winter Vegetable Stew

I had tons of vegetables from my CSA. This is my way of using a lot of them in one recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 Daikon radish, peeled and sliced
• 3 parsnips, peeled and diced
• 2 turnips, peeled and cubed
• 1 rutabaga, peeled and cubed
• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 2 t. garlic powder
• 2 t. salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• 2 T. dried parsley
• Water
• 1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz.)
  
• 1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
  

Procedure

1. Combine all ingredients except mushrooms and tomatoes in an 8-quart stock pot and add water to cover.
2. Set burner at medium-low and simmer for about 3 hours.
3. About 20 minutes before serving, add the tomatoes and mushrooms.

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For the ultimate in enjoyment,. serve with cornbread and have a bottle of Worcestershire sauce on hand.

Note: The objective is to nearly fill an 8-quart stock pot with chopped/diced veggies. Use whatever vegetables are available!

Christmas Dinner 2011

I guess it's about time that I started getting serious about finalizing my menu for Christmas dinner. The entree, Coq au Vin, is set and I think I have all the necessary ingredients on hand, including a free-range chicken.

So, here's my proposed menu.

• Appetizers (smoked salmon, cheese, crackers, Chilean Pinot Noir)
• Green Salad (store-bought salad mix with Italian dressing)
• Squash Soup
• Shrimp Cocktail (simple: shrimp + cocktail sauce)
• Coq au Vin (over new potatoes with crusty bread)
• Lagniappe (tortilla chips & salsa)
• Sweet Potato Pie

The word is: SLOW. As in "eat slowly". If I am to have any hope of making it through this menu I am going to have to refine the art of nibbling. Even so there's about an 80% chance that I will not be having a piece of Sweet Potato Pie at the end of this menu.

Food. I do love you so.

Grasshoppers Pickup Number 16

This week's pickup consisted of:

• 1 small bunch parsley
• 1 large head Napa cabbage
• 1 small head Bibb lettuce
• 2 smallish winter squash
• 2 large and 1 tiny sweet potatoes
• Ginger root
• 1 head garlic
• 2 lamb ribs
• 1 lb. ground lamb

I also ordered a few add-on items for Christmas time:

• 1 free-range chicken
• 1 lb. bacon
• 2 lbs. coarse grits
• 1 dozen eggs

The parsley, garlic, chicken, and part of the bacon are destined for my Christmas Dinner entree: Coq au Vin. I've not yet decided on a full menu for the dinner.

The cabbage was a g-dsend. I may have mentioned that I've been accumulating my CSA meat in the freezer. I had decided that I would make an Irish Boiled Dinner this weekend with a rather large beef roast. I was going to buy a head of cabbage at Meijer this Saturday, but now I have a fresh, local head of Napa cabbage that will work out perfectly.

The lettuce will be added to a bag of salad that I made earlier this week.

I'm feeling pressured by winter squash! I have 4 small winter squash now and no firm plans for putting them to use. This is going to require some research. Roasted squash is good but I'm not a huge fan of sweet-tasting side dishes. It's like, if you add mass quantities of butter and brown sugar to a dish, it does not belong on the dinner plate. I could roast it, halved, as a dessert, but I rarely have room for dessert. And besides, I also got sweet potatoes!

I happen to have a spare pie shell in my fridge, so at least one of the sweet potatoes will be going into a pie. I'm cool with a roast sweet potato as a side dish with butter and pepper.

The ginger root would be great in a curry or a stir fry. With all the other cooking I'll be doing I don't know that I'll have room for another main dish. I'll have to research side dishes that use lots of ginger.

The lamb ribs have to be oven barbecued. I'm not sure what to do with a pound of ground lamb. I would definitely want to choose a dish that allows the lamb's own flavor to be prominent. So... more research.

The grits and eggs and part of the bacon will be used in some delicious Big Brunches over my Christmas vacation. I also have 8 or 9 eggs bought at Meijer that I need to use. Baking? Pound cake? I'm not sure.

Thoughts on Christmas Dinner

In recent years, I've made Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners designed to be served and eaten as maybe a half dozen dishes and side-dishes crowded onto one platter. This Christmas, I'm going to take a different approach. I intend for the meal to be a leisurely stroll through a number of courses, each of which will consist of a fairly small portion.

I've not decided on a menu, but I have decided that the entree will be Coq au Vin. I've ordered a free-range chicken and some locally produced bacon from my CSA.

As for the other courses, I'm thinking along the lines of salad, appetizer, soup, lagnappe, and desert. If everything works out, this will be much more enjoyable that the "one-plate" holiday meals I've known from tradition.

Velveeta Cheese Sauce For Veggies

This is a very basic cheese sauce to add some bam to relatively bland vegetables. Cauliflower comes to mind!

Ingredients

• 4 oz. Velveeta cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 T. flour
• Freshly cracked black pepper (optional).
• Paprika (optional)

Procedure

1. Put cheese and milk in a small saucepan. Heat on the stove, covered, at just above the lowest setting. This should give you a slow melt with no danger of scorching. (On my electric range, the lowest setting is "LO". The next marked setting is "2". I set the heat between "LO" and "2".)
2. After the cheese has melted (20+ minutes), and your vegetable dish is ready to serve, add the flour and raise heat to medium high.
3. Whisk continually until sauce bubbles and thickens.
4. Remove from heat and spoon onto your hot vegetable dish.
5. For taste and presentation, I like to grind some black pepper on top of the veggies.
6. Alternatively, a sprinkle of paprika will do wonders for the presentation.

Yield: Sauce for 2 servings of vegetables