Pasta w/Beet Greens

Have you ever heard the expression "Everything but the Oink"?  You'll hear this expression used by BBQ pit misters quite literally.  But, last night as I was preparing dinner, I kept thinking of this phrase.  A few days ago I cooked Beets for the first time and used them in a delicious salad with Stilton and an orange vinaigrette.  Last night I used the greens from the tops of the beets in an entirely different meal.  Granted, vegetables are easier to benefit from the entire plant vs. animals with all their functional, and yet not so tasty, parts.  None-the-less I was excited to give these a try.  As just with the beets themselves, I'd never tried beet greens either.

Many greens can be used interchangeably.  Beet greens have a thin but crunchy stalk with broad veiny leaves.  The raw texture of the leaf is similar to chard.  And the baby version of both leaves would be near indistinguishable from each other.  I had the more traditional red beets, but I've recently seen a number of recipes call for golden beets.  Now I'm curious how many colors these nuggets actually come in.  Like red chard, the stems were red and that color also carried up to the veins of the leaf making the leaf itself very beautiful.  Since the stems were heartier, I separated them from the leaves while washing so I could cook them a bit longer before adding the leaves to the mix.

When purchasing beets, the greens indicate age.  You want the stems to be somewhat crisp and not at all floppy.  The leaves should stand on their own as well.  Very limp is an indication of age.  When you get the produce home, separate the stems from the bulb and store.  Don't wash until ready for use as the water can accelerate age and cause rotting.  Washing greens can be done in a number of ways.  I've recently employed this method:

Wash your Greens: 

1. in your largest mixing bowl, set leaves and cover with water

2. agitate the leaves to loosen the soil allowing it to fall to the bottom of the bowl.

3. strain into a colander

4. rinse with your sink sprayer

5. repeat

6. place in a salad spinner to dry

Other methods suggest filling up your sink and doing the same process.  I won't do this until I have a separate sink from dish washing and other draining needs.  I've read that the drain on a sink can hold LOADS of bacteria.  Filling the sink can just spread those germs to your greens, or worse, fresh salads.  It's a process, but one better to go through than to taste grit in your dinner.

Before starting, prep all the ingredients as the meal comes together quickly.

For the Pasta:

• 1 package pasta (We used fresh whole wheat ravioli)
• Kosher Salt
• 3 oz Goat Cheese (We used herb chevre, or you could use Boursin)

Using a stock pot filled with salted water, bring water to a boil.  Cook pasta according to the package instructions.  Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before straining.  Strain and return to the pot.  Add in the goat cheese in small chunks, cover and allow the cheese to melt.  Use the pasta water to thin the cheese and make a sauce.

While water boils/pasta cooks:

• 1 or more bunches of beet greens, Chiffonade the leaves, cut stems into half inch segments.
• 4 cloves garlic (you can use less or more)
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1/4 C Pine Nuts
• 1/4 Red Onion (optional, cause I forgot to add this, but it sounded good)
• Cracked Black Pepper and Kosher Salt
• 1/4 C Parmesan Cheese

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium until it shimmers.  Add the garlic and cook until you can smell it.  Don't let the garlic brown as it will impart a bitter flavor.  Approximately 1 minute.  Add the stems and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring periodically.  Add in the Pine nuts and cook until they register a fragrance and the beet stems are slightly softened.  Add the beet greens and stir to coat with the oil.  Add in approximately 1/4 C water and cover the pan to allow the greens to steam.  Approximately 4 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Add the mixture to the pasta and gently stir to combine.  Toss in some Parmesan cheese and eat immediately.

Enjoy!

Fruit Salad

All right, this is an easy one.  But seeing as I am continually inspired by the bounty of fruit during the Spring/Summer months I thought I'd share with you some techniques beyond your everyday cut and bowl fruit salad.  As well as some tips for how to combine your fruits.

First, as in designing a healthful meal, you want to look at the dish as though you are painting.  Try to mix up the colors to include either a minimalist grouping of colors or a whole rainbow.  You also want to consider the durability of the cut fruit when making the salad in advance of the gathering or feast.  That's where the toppings can help.

Let's think colors:

Red/Purple - Blueberries, Strawberries, Cherries, Black Berries, Raspberries, Grapes, Figs (skin), Blood Orange, Watermelon, etc.

Green/Yellow/Orange - Grapes, Kiwi, Peaches, Oranges, Lemons, Limes, Kumquats, Star Fruit, Ugli Fruit, Canteloupe, Honey Dew, Casaba melon, etc.

White - Bananas, Apples, etc.

Combinations:
I like to think of things in terms of threes.  No spectacular reason other than it's an easy grouping to remember.  When ingredients (or directions) extend beyond those I don't easily store in my short term memory. Typically I'd have representative fruit from all three color categories.  For example, Blueberries, Peaches, and Bananas.  But go with your preferences.  There is no wrong fruit grouping.  If you want a dramatic monochromatic palate, choose fruits from only one category.


Liquid:
Think about the amount of liquids that are generated naturally from the fruit.  Citrus fruit generates significant juice as does watermelon.  However, Cantaloupe, Honey Dew, Cherries, not so much.  Some fruit will excrete more juice if you macerate them first with granulated sugar.  It depends on the purpose.  You may want a lot of juice if you will cook the fruit down into a sauce or to top an angel food cake or other pastry.  For a fruit salad on its own, you probably don't want a lot of juice.


Color Preservation:
Speaking of Bananas, certain fruits are likely to start browning once they are exposed to air.  Bananas are a super culprit of this behavior.  While the browning does not affect their flavor so much, it does negatively affect your desire/excitement to consume them.  There are some "buddy" fruits that will help slow down this process, for example Citrus Fruits.  The best method is to wait to add these fruits (anything in the white category) until right before you plan to serve the salad.


Additions to the Party:
The more flavorful method of color preservation is your topping.  This is like dressing to a green salad; it's what brings everything together.  The topping can add gloss as well as a flavor punch.   Or it can even change the texture of the salad.  For example, you might consider adding nuts and yogurt and a bit of honey.  If you've never tried this, it was my favorite dessert from a Greek restaurant back in Ithaca.


Fresh cut fruit, Greek (unsweetened) yogurt, Walnuts, Honey drizzled.  And the angels sing!


Another topping I had recently which made me run out and buy the ingredients when we got home... Lemon curd.  So, lemon curd has a couple of benefits.  One is the citrus acid which will help slow down the browning effect when oxygen hits the whiter fruits.  The other major benefit is the taste!  Sweet, and tart, and smooth.  It's very balanced in flavor and used sparingly can brighten up the flavor of your salad.  Also throw in some fresh mint.  Fruit and mint were just meant for each other.  Dried mint, not so much.  It's too crunchy.  Fresh mint is almost difficult to over do, but dried, you can over do it pretty much instantly.


Hopefully you're out there having the delicious and sweet bounty Summer has to offer.  Fruit this time of year tastes like no other.  Enjoy!

Impromptu Fruit Crisp

Being Summer there is a bevy of delicious fruit available.  For a long time I stayed away from fruit thinking it was a get fat quick scheme of nature packing all that sugar into a gorgeous tasty package.  Since then I've come to realize there is more than sugar to the bounty available and some of that "more" is the stuff your body needs.  Besides, if I don't have sugary treats other than what is naturally occurring I'm well ahead of the game.

After coming back from our Texas Memorial Weekend, I was craving a fruit salad.  I figured I'd cut up a bunch of fruit, toss it with a citrus-y dressing to stave off browning, and have it be available as a snack, or to join my yogurt and granola at breakfast.  Somehow, though, I ended up with more fruit than I could reasonably consume fresh so I had to improvise.  Additionally, Tim and I just had dinner and I was in a cooking mood as well as a dessert mood so a crisp was in order.

I took a quick inventory of what fruit was at the tippity top peek of freshness, teetering on edge.  I had two ripe peaches (my favorite!) and half a pint of blueberries.  Keeping it simple, I decided that was enough for the "Base".  I'd need to find something to thicken the juice and something to form a crust.  Since I didn't want to cook-cook, I decided against a traditional pie.  Also, I didn't have enough filling to make it worth while to use a casserole dish.  So, a crisp in ramekins it is!

For the Filling: 

• 2 really ripe peaches
• 1/2 pint of blueberries
• 2 T flour (I used whole wheat)
• 2 T sugar
• 1 T whole rolled oats (just in case there wasn't enough flour)
• 2 T butter 

I left the skins on the peaches, but did wash them thoroughly.  Remove the pit and chop into 1/2 in pieces.  Toss with the blueberries and remaining ingredients above and set aside.  You notice how when you make up a recipe how all the measurements use the same number?  Anyway...

For the Crisp:

• 1/4 C Walnuts
• 1/4 C Oats
• 1/4 C Brown Sugar
• 1/4 t Kosher Salt
• Maple Syrup to drizzle

Combine all but the maple syrup in a food processor and pulse until the texture is uniform, but not microscopic. I had enough to fill 4 6oz ramekins with the fruit base.  I forced the probably too much crumble topping to cover the 4 ramekins 2/3's filled with fruit.  Lightly drizzle the topping with maple syrup.  Place on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake for 20 - 35 minutes.  You're looking for the blueberries to burst and start oozing along the sides of the ramekin.  The crumble topping will be nice and lightly browned and your house will smell delicious!

Enjoy!

Spinach Pie (a.k.a Spanakopita)

I don't know why it is, but I've seen this dish referred to more as Spinach Pie than the traditional Greek name of Spanakopita.  I'm wondering if we just don't usually have access to a necessary ingredient or if the name is Americanized because the actual ingredients have been too.  It could also be the whole sparkling wine vs. Champagne.  Maybe we aren't allowed to use the Spanakopita name unless we are in Greece!  

Regardless, this omelet-ish vegetable dish has many things I love!  Phyllo or Filo sheets for that satisfyingly light crisp crust.  Pignolis or Pine nuts, often the backup singer to a pesto, but glorious in their own right.  Spinach, which I had copious amounts of from the CSA, but gratefully as it is a super food!  And a good salty Feta to round it all out.  For not a lot of preparation, the result is so good!  

Plan ahead, though as the baking time is 1 hour and your phyllo dough should be thawed!  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Ingredients:

• Large yellow or Spanish onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed (not called for, but I added)
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 2 t Kosher Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 10oz packages frozen spinach (I used 1 lb fresh and 2 packages frozen) thawed
• 6 eggs, beaten (I used egg beaters)
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 grated Parmesan (I used shredded)
• 3 T Bread crumbs (slice of home made whole wheat in the food processor)
• 1/2 lb block feta cut into cubes (get the kind hermetically sealed for a firmer texture)
• 1/2 Pignoli nuts (Pine nuts)
• 1/4 lb butter, melted (This seemed too much, I didn't end up using it all)
• 6 sheets phyllo dough (I used more than 6, more like 16!)

Over medium heat, saute the onions until slightly browned, 10-15 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute more.  Remove from heat and stir in salt and pepper.  Allow to cool.

In a dry pan, toast lightly the pine nuts to release their flavor.


If the spinach was raw, toss in with the cooked onions before removing from heat and cook until wilted.  Turning with tongs is a big help!  If the spinach was frozen (thaw overnight in fridge, or microwave 1 minute at a time until thawed) using a tea towel or flour sack towel, squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible.  If too much liquid remains you will have a soggy pie.  Discard liquid (or save it and use in soup where water is called for).  In a large bowl and with clean hands combine the spinach, onions, eggs, nutmeg, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, feta and pine nuts.

Butter or spray an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking dish.  Lay out the phyllo sheets near your work surface.  Place one sheet on bottom of pan allowing remainder to hang over the edge.  Lightly brush sheet with butter.  Continue layering sheets and brushing butter in between until you have two sheets per side.

Pour the spinach mixture into the center of the form and spread evenly.  Fold over edges to cover the spinach.  Mine didn't meet in the middle so I added another layer of phyllo.

Be sure to still brush with the butter.  So I melted the 1/4 C or 1/2 stick of butter and doubled the amount of phyllo and still had about 2 T of butter left over.  I stuck it back in the fridge and used it for some peach blueberry crisps later on.


Bake for 1 hour.  The top should be an amazing golden brown.  Remove and allow to cool.  They suggested serving at room temperature, but we couldn't wait.  Delicious!


For leftovers, I'd recommend reheating in the oven as the phyllo will want to turn to a soggy mess if you microwave.  It will turn to a soggy mess if you cover it or stick it in the fridge while still warm.

Enjoy!

Pasta w/Spinach, Walnuts & Gorgonzola

I've been preparing a lot more vegetarian meals just to mix things up.  Also, they are generally super easy, like this one.  The CSA bounty gave us a massive bag of spinach along with a bunch of other vegetables. I was looking for a recipe that would use the Garlic Scapes that came and this recipe used both!


Garlic scapes are another wonderful bounty that I might only have access to by joining this CSA.  Similar to the Pea Shoots these curly green things have a taste that is strongly similar to their more mature counterpart.  For these scapes in particular, there is very little prep as no peeling or dissection needs to occur.  


You could easily modify this recipe to include meat, grilled Chicken would be a very nice addition.  There is no lack of protein, though as the Walnuts are an excellent source of that as well as Omega-3 fatty acids.  Good stuff!

For the Pasta:

• 1 lb whole wheat pasta strands (cappelini, spaghetti, fettuccini, angle hair...)
• Kosher Salt for the water
• 4 oz Gorgonzola, crumbled

Bring a large stock pot with plenty of water to a boil.  Add kosher salt to the water to flavor the pasta as it cooks.  Boil the pasta according to the manufacturers instructions.  Drain, but reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.  Return the pasta to the pot and add in the Gorgonzola using the heat of the pasta to melt the cheese.

For the Walnuts:

• 1 cup walnut halves
• 1/8 C lite Corn Syrup
• 1/4 C Brown Sugar, your choice
• 1/4 t Kosher Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Original recipe had 1/4 C Corn Syrup which I felt made the walnuts too sticky.  Combine the corn syrup with the sugar and salt and toss with the walnuts to coat.  Spread on a lightly greased foiled baking sheet or use a silipat as I wished I had done when I tried to remove the walnuts from the cheap not heavy duty not greased foil.  Some walnuts were harmed in the process and some were even sacrificed.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  Trust your nose as you will smell the toasty nutty goodness.  Allow to cool slightly.

For the Greens:

• 2 - 4 garlic scapes, sliced into 1/4 in rounds
• 1 T Olive Oil
• 1 lb Spinach, washed, stems removed and chopped
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly ground pepper

In a large skillet, heat the oil and saute the garlic scapes for 2 minutes.  Add in the spinach in bunches and turn with tongs until wilted.  Season with salt and pepper and add to the pasta.

Add in the walnuts to the greens and pasta and stir to combine.  Tongs help with this.  If the mixture appears too dry, add the pasta water to make a nice sauce.  Add in slowly as you don't want a pool to form.  Serve immediately.


Enjoy!

Sour Cream & Chives Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes have got to be the most coveted starch known to man. This staple fare at Thanksgiving is often the occupant of the majority of the plate. And don't forget about seconds! Imagine if we put the volume of mashed potatoes that I've had in the course of my life all in one location. I think even the swimming pool at my parent's place would be overflowing with the volume. And yet, I still want more.

 

Of course, now my taste is a bit more sophisticated; at least I'd like to think so. And because I have such an expansive experience tasting mashed potatoes, naturally I want to mix it up when we have them again. The canvas is so blank that any flavor you add can only enhance the end result. At this meal I went for a classic, sour cream and chive. They were good!

• 3 lb russet potatoes, skins on, cut into 1/2 pieces
• Water to cover

Bring the potatoes and water to a boil and allow to cook until the potatoes yield easily to a fork or knife. Don't over cook and allow the potatoes to fall apart. Drain and return to the pot.

• 1/4 C Butter Milk
• 4 T Unsalted Butter
• 1/4 C Sour Cream
• 2 T Powdered Ranch Dressing mix (because I had some)
• 1/8 C Chives, chopped
• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

Add the butter to the potatoes and allow to melt. Add in the remaining ingredients (except the chives) and mash with your potato masher. Stir in the chives to distribute. Taste the results and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pea Shoot Pesto

Tim and I have joined a CSA this year. This acronym stands for Community Supported Agriculture. I belonged to a CSA back in Ithaca a number of years ago. At that time I was not always cooking and didn't know how to use many of the vegetables that came and thus tossed more than I used. As well, that was a very bad year for this particular farm as the weather didn't generate fields of lush produce. The weather was either too wet or too dry or too cold. I remember receiving a single sprig of an herb that was spindly and a bit pathetic looking thinking, "What the heck use will that give me?" It took many years for me to want to try this again. Now that I am cooking more days than I am not (and those days I'm not cooking are due to the plentiful leftovers) I feel ready for this adventure. This farm is apparently having a good year as the produce has been beautiful. They have only commented on a late frost zapping most of their apple crop. Boo!

One aspect I appreciate about the CSA concept stems back to my Accounting and Finance days. In terms of Accounting, the farm is attempting to manage their cash flows by requiring deposits and getting folks to "Buy-in" to an entire season. In turn, the farm is getting ideas on what to grow based on the tastes of their members; happy members invite their friends and a love spiral ensues. In terms of Finance, the farm is redistributing or sharing the inherent risk of farming. As a subscriber I am accepting an amount of risk that the crops will be less plentiful in exchange for that risk I receive organic produce at below super market prices. The farm is alleviating the risk that a less plentiful farming season will mean less money, but in exchange from the alleviation of this risk they are accepting less income than would be generated from a lush season sold on the open market. However, that ties back to managing their cash flows as they know exactly how much is coming in and can plan their expenditures on equipment and seed accordingly. It's a wonderful exchange.

Now that I am cooking more and am better about planning meals thus reducing the amount of food we throw away I am looking forward to a lush season. In our first crate, which is likely to be the smallest crate we receive, we had a bag of baby greens for salad, a bag of spinach, a head of green leaf lettuce, a bag of pea shoots, a bag of Oregano and Rosemary herbs, a bunch of green onions, a large basket of strawberries, and a loaf of seven grain bread along with a pound of shade grown coffee. That's a bounty! But I was up for the challenge.

The strawberries were easy to dispatch. The Friday Tim's folks came over we had Strawberry Shortcake which seems to be our go to dessert in the Spring/Summer. The left over strawberries I used in my breakfast yogurt and granola at the beginning of the week. The spinach would be easy too as I found a recipe for Spinach Pie in the Barefoot Contessa cookbook my mother gave me over Memorial Weekend. The pea shoots I found interesting as this was a culinary adventure I would never be able to take without this CSA. Pea shoots, I assume, are pulled when attempting to thin the crop. They thin the crop so the peas that are produced are large and glorious and concentrated in their flavor. But the shoots contain all the freshness and flavor of the final product and shouldn't go to waste, as evident by the bag stuffed to the brim of the sweet and grassy smelling clippings. Gratefully there was a recipe in the newsletter for Pea Shoot Pesto.

Unfortunately the only folks that will be able to take advantage of this recipe are the farmers out there. Unless you are lucky enough to have a farmer friend or a CSA wanting to fortify the first crate of the season. However, what this recipe does show is the versatility of the original Pesto recipe and how most unique sounding dishes are loosely based on a classic.

Classic Pesto
contains the following (I'm guessing at the quantities):

• 1/2 C Basil leaves
• 1/4 C Pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 1/4 C Parmesan Cheese
• 3 cloves of garlic (or more depending on taste)
• Kosher Salt & Cracked Pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 C Olive Oil

Whir in a blender or food processor and drizzle with the oil until desired consistency is reached. Spread on sandwiches, pizza, pasta. Dollop on soup. Combine with Mayo for an aioli dressing. Add to risotto. Limitless applications.

Pea Shoots Pesto
and the recipe looks like this:

• 1/2 C Pea Shoots and leaves. Stalks removed
• 1/4 C Walnuts, lightly toasted
• 1/4 C Parmesan Cheese
• 1 bunch green onions
• Kosher Salt & Cracked Pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 C Olive Oil

See the formula? Once you are comfortable swapping ingredients you can create some unique flavor combinations. Still whir this in your blender. My final meal looked like this...

Also need:

• 1 lb pasta, reserve 1 C pasta water
• 2 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
• Lemon Pepper Seasoning
• Parmesan cheese for garnish

Boil the pasta in salted water according to the manufacturers instructions. We used Bertolli Whole Grain Rotini which is the spiral shape and would really hold onto the Pesto. Before straining, reserve one cup of the pasta water. This luscious liquid has starch well integrated and is amazing at both thinning and thickening sauces as desired. Return the pasta to the pot after straining.

Pat the chicken with a paper towel. Lightly coat with the Lemon Pepper Seasoning. We use Mrs. Dash as the mix is salt free but still as tasty. Grill or cook in your skillet until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. Cut into a large dice and toss in with the pasta.

Add the Pesto to the pasta and chicken and stir to combine. Use the reserved pasta liquid to thin the mix until desired consistency has been reached. I used 1/4 C this time, but to each their own. You want the sauce to cling and not be so wet it stays behind in the pot.

The flavor and smell was just like the bright and grassy flavor of peas. And yet there was a distinct reminiscent of the traditional Pesto flavor. I felt like I wanted a stronger flavor and would substitute garlic for the green onions, but I think that would be overpowering for the delicate intensity of the pea flavor.

 

Now try to imagine a Southwest version of this Pesto recipe to go with Blackened Chicken over angle hair pasta... hmm.

Southwest Potato Salad

This is a distant take on a potato salad but using the more beneficial to your health spud, the Sweet Potato. There is much confusion over what is a Yam and what is a sweet potato. All I know is I prefer the more orange-fleshed Garnet variety. It's a superficial preference as I just like the color. There may be more health benefits as the presence of orange denotes a high instance of Beta-carotene.


As most recipes are really variations on a theme, this is somewhat more organic in inspiration. Tim and I were visiting my parents in Texas over Memorial Weekend and I was tasked with creating a side dish based on the bounty available. Here's what we came up with.

Ingredients:

• 2 Large Sweet Potatoes, skin on, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 Poblano Peppers, whole
• 1 Large yellow onion, cut into thick slices
• 3 ribs celery, diced
• 3 - 4 green onions, thinly sliced white and green parts
• 1/2 t Cinnamon
• 1/4 t Cayenne
• 1/2 t Kosher Salt
• 1/4 t Granulated Garlic (what we had on hand, was actually in a grinder with the salt)
• Olive Oil
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/8 C Basil, Chiffonade
• Balsamic Glaze (or Balsamic Creme)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place sweet potatoes on baking sheet and thinly coat with olive oil. Toss with the cinnamon and cayenne. Roast for 40 minutes.

Thinly coat the onions and Poblano peppers with oil and season with some salt and pepper. Grill until a nice char has been achieved. After grilling, put the Poblanos in a zip top bag for 10 minutes. Dice the onions and set aside. Once the Poblanos have "steeped", remove from the bag and peel off the outer skin. Remove the stem and seeds and dice.

Combine the sweet potatoes, onions, Poblanos, celery, green onions with the remaining salt, garlic, black pepper, basil. Add in just enough Balsamic Glaze, between 1 t to 1 T to taste. You want this flavor to be more subtle than the star. Toss to combine. Enjoy hot, warm or cold.