This is basically an easy fresh salsa over a bed of greens. We arrived in Indiana after a long day of traveling, and I wanted a salad with a bunch of Sweet Corn Charlie’s vegetables. Okay, so the avocado is not from Indiana, but the others are!
Ingredients:
1 tomato, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
Kernels from 1 ear of raw sweet corn–must be very fresh!
1 head red leaf lettuce
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of one lemon
Salt
Pepper
Directions
Mix together chopped avocado, tomato, and corn. Add olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper until thoroughly coated.
Pour mixture over greens. Enjoy!
This post is a result of a request from a friend who has great taste in posters. I have a feeling this friend also has an abundance of garlic scapes lurking in her fridge.
Honestly, I don’t remember the amounts. This is really more of a technique. You can adjust the amounts according to your taste. I think this pesto would be great as a bruschetta.
If you have too much pesto, you can freeze whatever you won’t eat that day. I used a few tablespoons of it with some angel hair pasta and a bit of the pasta’s cooking sauce. I froze the rest in ice cube trays for future meals.
Thanks for the inspiration, omnonnombk!
Ingredients:
- Around 5 garlic scapes
- a handful of basil
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts (You can toast these first if you want to get fancy)
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup good olive oil
- salt and pepper
Directions:
- Using a food processor, blend together the first 4 ingredients until well combined, scraping the sides as needed.
- Add the parmesan cheese and process again until blended together.
- Use the small hole in the food processor to slowly add olive oil while the blender is going. You’ll need to scrape down the sides a few times.
Thanks to Local Roots NYC CSA for posting this recipe from Kitchn. Here is my adapted version of it. Clearly, I’m on a lemon yogurt kick. I made the farro a day in advance to cut the prep time tonight. With that prep out of the way, the salad took me about 15 minutes to make.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup farro
- 2 cups water
- salt
- 1/2 pound peas, shelled
- 2 baby leeks, white and light green parts only, thoroughly washed (I like to soak it them in a bowl of water a few times)
- 3 tablespoons plain yogurt (I used Stonyfield Organic Low Fat)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- black pepper
Directions:
UPDATE: I made the salad again, and this time I took a photo of it. I used 1 clove of regular garlic instead of garlic scopes this time around.
I’ve heard a lot of people talking about how to deal with the mess from peeling beets. I know, I know, I am part of some riveting conversations. Below, I explain a trick I learned.
I never cooked with fava beans before. The internet warned me that they are time-consuming, and this is true. However, the internet also let me know it would be worth the time. Also true. Wow, the internet is so smart.
Ingredients:
- 3 medium-sized beets
- 1/2 pound fava beans
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta
- 2 garlic scapes
- juice of 1/2 juicy lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. First, you need to get the beets in the oven. Jack Bishop, author of “Year in the Vegetarian Kitchen” suggests heating an oven to 400 degrees, wrapping the beets (cut off any dangling roots and the stalks) in two layers of aluminum foil, and cooking for 1-1.25 hours. After an hour, test your beets to see if a skewer glides easily through them. If so, they are done. Then, allow the beets to cool a bit before handling. Last, take a wad of paper towels to rub off the skin. (that’s the cool trick!) The last step for the beets is to cut them into the shape you want for your salad. Then, place the beets in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Once your beets are in the oven, start to deal with the beans. Get some water boiling. While you are waiting for it to boil, peel off the stringy part to reveal the beans inside. As a bonus, you will discover that the inside of the pod is pillowy. Fascinating! The sad part will be when you realize that you don’t get a heck of a lot of beans for all that work. But you will get over it once you eat the beans (says the internet).
3. Next, put the beans in boiling water for a little under a minute. While that’s happening, prepare a bowl of ice cold water. Then, spoon out the beans and put them directly into the cold water to stop the cooking.
4. One more step before you eat the beans. Pinch off the outer shell to get to the edible part. You did it!
5. In a food processor (I used the mini prep), combine garlic scapes, lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Pour the dressing over the beets and stir to coat the beets
6. Arrange the dressed beets on a serving dish. Top with feta cheese and beans. (You can toss the ingredients all together, but the result will be a very pink salad.) Enjoy!
Hooray for the CSA!
This sweet and spicy combination is also a combination of two CSAs. (For my original post about the CSA, click here).For the past few years, I’ve been a member of Dumbo/Vinegar Hill’s CSA. I loved so many things about it: Sang Lee’s incredible organic vegetables, the serene location in Phoenix House’s courtyard, and the neighborhood friends I made while volunteering at weekly pick-ups. I also loved the convenience factor; the pick-up location was just a short and cobblestony walk along the river from my apartment.
Within the last year, I moved a few neighborhoods away, so I knew I would have to switch. I did a little research to find CSAs near my new place (ok fine, so I just read a sign posted outside Stinky). I was intrigued by Local Roots’ slightly different model for CSAs: For example, instead of joining for June-November, the season is broken up into Summer and Fall. There are other differences as well. I also liked the idea of picking up at 61 Local, the locavore-friendly (where I once spotted a dog sipping her weekly Guinness, and was assured that she prefers stouts and only has one per week) bar/restaurant just off Smith Street. Their vegetables come from Rogowski Farm, located in Orange County, NY. We also signed up for a meat share, which will come from Arcadian Pastures. Some friends in the neighborhood also got their fruit share, and I hope to get a sampling of that as well 🙂
And so, although I felt a little bit like I was cheating on Sang Lee, I went ahead to pick up my first share of the season. The vegetables have been delicious so far. The spicy greens are, in fact, very spicy. This strawberry dressing is an interesting contrast. The dressing recipe is from Sang Lee’s recipe blog, so I think of this salad/dressing as a CSA merger.
I used the spicy greens mix from the CSA share, and topped it with some goat cheese. I actually halved this dressing recipe and it was plenty for the week. Since I went a little overboard on strawberries from the farmer’s market a few weeks back, I had fun with canning and freezing a few quarts.
By the way…Do you know that to freeze strawberries you just chop off the tops, lay them on a baking sheet in a single layer with none touching overnight? Then, put in a freezer bag and they will stay good for up to 6 months)
I just let a cup of the frozen guys thaw for an hour or so before starting the recipe.
Strawberry Dressing
Ingredients:
- 1 pint strawberries, washed, hulled, and cut into quarters
- 1 tablespoon sugar or honey (I used honey)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons or more good vinegar — wine, sherry, rice, balsamic–preferred for this recipe (I used balsamic)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 6 pieces of mint, finely diced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
- Dice your strawberries and add the sugar and lemon juice to a small bowl. Muddle them together until somewhat liquid. In a blender, add all other ingredients(imersion blender/food processor work too).
- Then add the strawberry mixture and blend for a few minutes to immulsify everything and make the strawberries smooth.
UPDATE: Last night, I made this with blanched asparagus but into pieces instead of snap peas, and it was even better!
I was excited to use fresh herbs from my new garden to add the flavor for this dressing.
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons minced shallot
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- 20-25 sugar snap peas, cut in half
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients through dill for the dressing. Toss with the radishes and snap peas.
This simple salad was inspired by dinners at Frankie’s 457, including two of their salads: One has arugula and pecorino, and the other has a cipollini onion vinaigrette. My version uses balsamic vinegar and vegetables that can be found at the winter farmer’s markets including arugula, shallots, radishes, and carrots. Although I don’t crave fresh, crisp greens quite as much during the chilly winter months, this pretty salad balances out a heavy meal. You can definitely substitute your favorite greens in place of arugula.
Ingredients:
4 cups arugula
1/4 cup thinly sliced Pecorino Romano
2 carrots, shaved (just continue to peel the carrot in long strips)
3 radishes, cut into matchsticks
1 shallot
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
1. To make the dressing, peel and roughly chop the shallot. Pulse the shallot in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper, and pulse again. Add the olive oil and blend until smooth.
2. Layer the arugula, carrots, radishes, and romano on 4 plates. Drizzle with the dressing and serve.
On Veteran’s Day, I had the day off and enjoyed lunch with a friend at Freeman’s (mmm). We both got their lentil salad, and it was so delicious that we each decided that we must make lentil salad ourselves as soon as possible.
Jack Bishop’s A Year in A Vegetarian Kitchen is filled with healthy recipes that highlight seasonal food. This recipe was great because I was able to make it a few hours ahead of time, and then just put it all together at the end. It was delicious for lunch the next day as well. Are you scared of cooking lentils? You are not alone. I am not a very experienced lentil cooker, and they usually end up mushy and bland. This recipe turned me into a believer. I will put the exact recipe below, but I actually cooked my lentils at least 5 minutes less than he suggests (mostly because I was in a hurry.) The lentils were just the right consistency.
Ingredients:
1 pound turnips, scrubbed and cut into 3/4-inch dice
3 small red onions (about 1/2 pound), quartered through the root ends
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cup dried green lentils (called French lentils in some places), rinsed and picked over to remove any stones
2 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon leaves
6 cups packed mesclun, baby spinach, or other tender greens (I used a combination of young greens from Carroll Street’s Sunday market)
Directions:
- Move an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the turnips, onions, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and salt and pepper to taste on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring the vegetables once or twice, until lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly and finely chop the onions.
- Meanwhile, bring the lentils, garlic, bay leaves, and 6 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in one teaspoon salt and continue cooking until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Drain and discard the garlic and bay leaves.
- While the lentils are cooking, whisk the lemon juice, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Whisk in the remaining olive oil until the dressing in smooth. Whisk in the tarragon and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt and pepper as needed.
- Add the warm lentils, chopped onion, and roasted turnips to the bowl with the dressing. Toss to coat and adjust the seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste. Cool to room temperature, stirring the lentil salad from time to time to promote even absorption of the dressing.
- Divide the greens among four large plates. Spoon the lentil salad over the greens and serve.
New York City is the big apple, so I went to town with some Empire apples from the Carroll Street Farmer’s Market this morning. I don’t own a food mill, and I dislike peeling apples because I feel like I am wasting so much food in the process (plus I was feeling lazy). So, I just made this applesauce with the peels. You can peel the apples for a more traditional take on applesauce, but you won’t get this gorgeous pink hue. It will also take a lot longer. Since I was planning on canning the sauce, I wanted to save my time and energy for that step.
Applesauce is not just for kids or other people without teeth! I’m looking forward to putting this applesauce on latkes come December.
For more fun and seasonal preserving projects , take a look at my strawberry jam post from the spring, or my pickled green beans post from the summer. For detailed directions about canning, the Peach Salsa post is the one to check out.
Ingredients (if you want less applesauce, just cut the recipe in half–they might cook a bit more quickly)
- 6 pounds of apples ( I used 18 Empire apples)
- 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons sugar (optional; to taste)
- Combine lemon juice and water in a very large pot.
- Core and chop apples into approximately 1-inch pieces, and toss into the pot with the lemon juice mixture as you go to prevent apples from discoloring.
- Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender.
- Blend in batches in a food processor, or use an immersion blender.
- Return applesauce to the pot, and add sugar to taste. Heat briefly until sugar is dissolved.
- Refrigerate and serve within 5 days. Alternatively, you can preserve it in jars for up to a year: I processed 8 half-pint jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
fresh from brooklyn 