My New (Tiny) Garden

Today I did some planting. In the herb garden I added rosemary, thyme, lemon thyme and basil (I already have sage, chives, garlic chives, mint and oregano growing). I wanted to plant some nasturtiums but the plant store did not have any.

In the back yard I added a very small container garden in an area where we are thinking about planting beds next year.

This is our shed (yep, the husband and I are pretty artsy), with the pots right in front.

On the left I've got roma tomatoes, jalapenos, corn (which I have doubts about) and red beets.

On the right I've got cherry tomatoes, "kung pao" peppers, white beets, and brussel sprouts.

I don't know if any of it will produce produce, but it'll be fun trying.

At the very least, this tomato should ripen up.

Asian-Grilled Chicken with Stir-Fried Vegetables

It has been a very busy week for me and I'll admit, I've been a bit of a lazy chef this week. Today was my at-home paperwork day (and triathlon training rest day) so I had more energy for cooking tonight.

After a quick perusal of the crisper drawer I was rewarded with shitake mushrooms, a whole bunch of green veggies (including a zucchini that had seen better days that went in the bin rather then the meal) and in the meat drawer some chicken. I decided to put a quick marinade on the chicken and stir-fry some veggies.

Here's the ingredients for the chicken:

1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 oyster sauce
1 Tablespoon honey
a healthy squeeze of sriracha
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 chicken breasts

I combined all the marinade ingredients in a ziploc bag. Then I trimmed my chicken and cut each breast in half horizontally so that they were thinner and would cook faster. I set this aside which I worked on the veggies.

After about 15 minutes I removed the chicken from the marinade (reserving it for later), dried them well with paper towels then tossed them on my hot grill. When it was done I set it aside to rest covered with foil while I cooked the veggies.

Here's the ingredients for the veggies:

On the left are the veggies to top the chicken on the right are the veggies for under the chicken (that will make more sense later).

8 or so shitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
4 green onion, chopped
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup dry sherry

1 shallot, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
12 sprigs asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bunch spinach

In a small saucepan I warmed the sesame oil and then added the mushrooms and green onions to saute.

When they were just about cooked through I added the sherry and then put it back on the heat and let it cook until the pan was almost dry.

While this was cooking I added just a little more sesame oil to a large saute pan then tossed in the shallots, green onions and asparagus. When the veggies were cooked almost through I added the reserved marinade (making sure that it boiled for at least a minute since it had raw chicken in it) and then the spinach.

Now I was ready to plate. I made a little bed of rice, then topped that with the stir-fried asparagus combo, then topped that with grilled chicken, then topped that with the shitake mushrooms.

How was it? Well I think I would give this dish a solid "B". It could have used more garlic, especially in the mushrooms, a little soy sauce wouldn't have hurt anything (but their was none in the pantry) and I could have been a little more heavy handed with the sriracha. For the most part the husband enjoyed it too, but I did get a "was there spinach in this" when we were done. I can't get anything past him.

Asparagus and Green Garlic Soup

Last night I had my first Triathlon training session in the pool. I knew that I was going to need to eat before I swam, but I wanted something light and quick to make. Soup and salad fit the bill perfectly.

Earlier in the day I had been doing a bit of research about the green garlic in my box (because I had never used it before and I wasn't sure what to expect). Most resources said you could use it just as you would use garlic, but to expect a milder flavor. I wanted to really highlight the flavor of the green garlic so I kept my soup very simple, just five ingredients (I'm not counting olive oil and salt and pepper).

Here they are:

2 shallots (mince about a tablespoon for the salad, chop the rest)
3 bulbs green garlic, divided
a large bunch asparagus, stems trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
about 2 cups chicken broth
a couple tablespoons of cream

I minced a half bulb of green garlic (about 2 teaspoons) then set it aside. Then I chopped the remaining green garlic (bulbs and the light green part of the stems) along with the shallots (you don't have to take a lot of time chopping this nice because it's all going to get pureed at the end anyway). I sat a large saucepan over medium heat and heated up a little olive oil. When it was warm I added my chopped shallots, green garlic and a good pinch of kosher salt.

I let this sweat (saute without browning) for a while until the shallot was translucent. I added my asparagus and enough broth to just cover. Then I let this simmer for about 15 minutes.

While the soup was cooking I started on my salad. Here's the ingredients:

1 Tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon olive oil
a big pinch of sugar
salt and fresh ground pepper
a handful of salad greens
a few radishes, sliced thin
a few carrots, sliced thin on the bias
a couple of sunchokes, peeled and sliced thin (these aren't in the picture because they were a last minute crisper drawer find)

In a bowl I whisked together the shallot, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. While continuing to whisk, I drizzled in the olive oil to create an emulsion. At this point I tasted the dressing and decided to add the sugar. To the bowl I added my greens and sliced veggies and then tossed everything together.

At this point my soup had been simmering away and the asparagus was nice and tender. I added a splash of cream and then used my stick blender to puree the soup. A blender would have made this a much smoother puree, but I happen to like a little bit of texture in my blended soups, plus the stick blender is easier to use and clean.

I seasoned the soup with salt and pepper then topped the soup with a drizzle of olive oil and some of the minced fresh green garlic. I served the soup and salad with a piece of Parmesan-topped toast.

How was it? Well I am now a true believer in the power of green garlic. It is my mission to search this stuff out and use it every spring (the only time it is available). I make asparagus soup a lot (my clients love the stuff) and this just added a really nice flavor to the mix. The salad was also delightful (I'm really happy I found the sunchokes, they are so good in salad). The husband really liked everything too, which is a little surprising because he is not a fan of salads (unless they have lots of ranch dressing).

Dinner was so easy to make, we finished in plenty of time so that everything could settle before my swim (Mom always said to wait an hour after eating before getting in the water). So I guess I accomplished my mission of light and quick to make (with the nice addition of tastiness)

What's in the Box?

The great thing about the CSA with Full Circle Farm is that they allow you to switch up to five items in every box. Unfortunately, this week I neglected to make any changes so I ended up with a few things that I would normally not get (specifically the spinach and mustard greens because the husband REALLY does not like them). So, cooking this week may be a bit more of a challenge. We'll see.

.34 pound Salad Mix
1 Bunch Spinach
1 bunch Red Mustard Greens
.75 pound Roma Tomatoes
1 Green Bell Peppers
1 bunch Green Garlic
1 bunch Baby Bunch White Turnips
.75 pound Asparagus
.2 pound Shiitake Mushrooms
4 Yellow Peaches
4 Braeburn Apples
1 pound Strawberries

Rhubarb and Strawberry Crisp

I have been sick for over a week. Really sick. Like, canceled my clients, stayed in bed, got winded when I crossed the room, eventually needed antibiotics because I have a bronchial infection, sick. For the first four or so days, the only things that sounded good to eat was ramen soup, white rice and mac & cheese. Even when things started to sound better, I was too tired to cook.

Today, I finally had some of my energy back. So, I took a look in the fridge to see what I could find to work with, and found that, sadly, a lot of my CSA box (including the fava beans I was so excited about) had turned not so good. Instead of cooking, I was left with cleaning out the bad food from the fridge. A few things are still good (the potatoes, carrots and zucchini are in fine shape). But a lot had to go. I took a look at the rhubarb and the strawberries and decided that may be salvageable in cooked form. I thought about a pie or a tart, but making crust sounded hard. The easier (and just as tasty) option seemed like a crisp.

Here the ingredients for the filling:

4 stalks of rhubarb, chopped
1 pint of strawberries, quartered
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoon flour

I started by chopping by rhubarb and strawberries, cutting off and discarding the parts that were too far gone.

I put the fruit in a bowl, along with the sugar and flour, gave it a good toss and then set it aside while I worked on the topping.


Here the ingredients for the topping:

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted and then cooled
1/2 cup oats
2 Tablespoon flour
2 Tablespoon sugar
4 Tablespoon butter
a pinch of salt

I mashed together all the topping ingredients using my fingers (you could use a fork, but fingers is easier). The nuts were still a little warm, so the butter got a little meltier than I would like, but it worked out okay.

The filling had exuded a bit of liquid (which I expected, that's what happens when you put sugar on berries), so I gave it a final stir and split it between two ramekins.

Then I distributed the topping over the berries.

I put the completed dishes on a small baking pan (in case they bubbled over).

Then popped them into a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. I knew they were ready when the topping was nicely browned and the filling was bubbly and thickened.

How was it? Well, if you are only going to cook one thing all week, this is not a bad way too go. Sweet and tart, and even better with a scoop of vanilla on top. Plus, lucky me, the husband deemed this "too tart" for his tastes. So I get to enjoy it again later. My reward for feeling lousy for days.

The day before I got sick...

... I made this for dinner. Chicken and Black Bean Tacos (chicken marinated in spicy vinegar, cumin and chili powder plus black beans with cumin and red onion),

with Corn and Tomato Salsa (frozen corn, green bell pepper, tomato, red onion, lime juice),

and avocado relish (avocado, red onion, garlic, lime juice)

Delish.

Artichokes with Sriracha Aioli

I was really excited when I found that I would be getting artichokes in my CSA box this week. I love artichokes, but I hardly ever make them because it just seems like a pain (and let's face it, it is). However, if I just happen to have them, you can bet I'm going to cook them.

The aioli was inspired by the Serious Eats weekend cook and tell. The theme of the weekend is sriracha sauce, inspired by an article in this Wednesday's New York Times.

Here the ingredients for the artichokes:

Yep, just two artichokes

I prepared a steamer basket and a big bowl of acidulated water (as an effort to keep my artichokes from browning). Then I trimmed the points off of the artichokes, cut the artichokes in half, removed the choke and peeled the stem.

I worked quickly and put each half in the acidulated water bath before and after cutting.

I used a pan lid to hold the artichokes under water.

When all the halves were prepped I put them in the steamer for about a half an hour (letting them cook until I could pull a leaf out easily). Then I let them cool for a few minutes.

While the artichokes steamed I started work on my Aioli. I've made a fair amount of mayonnaise at home using an Alton Brown recipe (the party mayonnaise is delicious). This uses the same method.

Here the ingredients.

2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon salt
a pinch of sugar
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon Sriracha Sauce
1 cup vegetable oil

I combined everything but the oil in the bowl of my food processor.

Then gave it a few pulses. Once it was combined I started adding the vegetable oil in a slow stream.

With the artichokes cooked it was time to try it out.

Hello, delicious much. So, so good. Really good with the artichokes. I think if I was going to make the mayonnaise again (and I plan too because it was so good) I would probably use more sriracha. However, against the mildness of the artichokes, this was just spicy enough. I have enough mayonnaise left for a tasty sandwich tomorrow. I am looking forward to that already!


update:
Sandwich accomplished. Ham and cheddar with lettuce, tomato and sriracha aioli on sourdough. Delicious.