Baked Carrots

This is my grandmother's recipe, and for a very long time it was the only way I would eat carrots (I may have been a little picky...). This is one of the holiday staples at our house--so much so that I rarely have baked carrots at other times of the year. However, I found myself with an abundance of carrots this week, and knew exactly what to do with them...

-1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced lengthwise
-1/4 c. chopped onion (I normally don't deviate from the recipe, but I used leeks this time--also good)
-1 1/4 t. salt
-1/2 t. celery seed
-1/4 t. dried basil
-2 T. butter, cubed
-1/4 c. hot water

1. Arrange the carrots in an oven-safe baking dish. Sprinkle the herbs and spices over the carrots, and dot with cubes of butter.
2. Pour in the hot water. Cover, and bake for 40 minutes at 375* F.

Carrot bliss. Thanks grandma!

Pea and Leek Quiche

Another quiche, with a more successful attempt at crust. This tasted very green! The crust was another King Arthur recipe--"No-Roll Pie Crust". Pretty ideal for when you don't have the energy to make a serious pie crust, but still want something homemade!

-1 1/2 c. flour (I used white whole wheat this time and liked it a lot)
-1 t. sugar
-1 t. salt
-1/2 c. vegetable oil
-2 T. milk (this time I tried buttermilk)

1. In the quiche plate, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk gently with a fork.
2. In a measuring cup, make an emulsion of oil and milk by whisking them together vigorously.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the emulsion. Stir everything together with a fork.
4. When the dough has come together, use your fingers to press the dough out to cover the bottom and sides of the plate. Try to keep the thickness as even as possible. (It's very forgiving.)

-3 leeks, halved, chopped, and thoroughly rinsed
-1-2 T. olive oil
-6 oz. shredded Gruyere cheese
-1/2 c. peas, blanched
-3 eggs
-1/2 c. milk
-1/2 c. buttermilk
-salt and pepper

1. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the chopped leeks and saute for several minutes until slightly wilted. (Optional: season with salt and pepper while cooking) Cool.
2. Line the bottom of the pie crust with the shredded cheese.
3. Spread the leeks over the cheese evenly. Scatter peas on top.
4. Whisk together eggs, milk, and buttermilk. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 375* F. Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting.

I liked this combination. I'm really enjoying the no-roll crust, too. It was better this time with the addition of sugar. Next time I will try it again with white flour, but it's good to know that the whole wheat flavor was not too overwhelming for the quiche.

Ratatouille

One week I seemed to get everything from the farm that I needed for ratatouille, so I decided to give it a try. I know you're supposed to cook everything separately, but Judith Jones says you can do it all together with pretty good results, too. And if Judith Jones says so, I believe it.

-1/4 c. olive oil
-1 onion, coarsely chopped
-1 eggplant, cubed
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 zucchini, cubed
-1/2 bell pepper, diced
-2 tomatoes, chopped
-fresh parsley, chopped
-salt and pepper
-parmesan

1. Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and and saute for a few minutes.
2. Add the eggplant and the garlic, and reduce the heat to medium so the garlic does not brown too quickly. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the zucchini and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the remaining oil, and the bell pepper. Season with salt, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes. Cover again and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
6. Add parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with freshly grated parmesan.

It happened to be Bastille Day when I made this, so that seemed extra appropriate. I thought it was wonderful--absolute comfort food, and really healthy, too. This made enough for two generous servings, so I got to enjoy it twice!

Potato Salad

For me, potato salads can be hit or miss. But when it's in the 90s, and you have these gorgeous, fresh from the ground potatoes, a salad is the way to go. I had never tried this recipe before, but I liked it!

-1 lb. potatoes, boiled and cubed
-juice of 1 lemon
-1 T. Dijon mustard
-2 T. sour cream
-1 shallot, finely chopped
-1 T. minced fresh dill
-1 T. chopped fresh chives
-salt and pepper

1. Whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, and sour cream in a medium bowl. Stir in shallot, herbs, and season with salt and pepper.
2. Add cooled potato cubes to the bowl and toss with the dressing. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.


As far as potato salads go, I thought this had a very unique flavor. There's no heavy mayo, which was a nice change, and the dill and Dijon really take center stage.

Beet Pizza

I spied the recipe for this dough about a year ago, and it took me that long to actually attempt it. Why? Fear of beets. When I was little I was tricked into eating a beet (canned) by a family member who told me it was cranberry sauce. I've been wary ever since...

However, when a couple beets found themselves in my kitchen along with a week's worth of other CSA vegetables, I decided this would be the way to ease myself into them. I made the dough and froze it for two weeks, knowing I wouldn't be around to cook. It thawed nicely, so that's a trick to keep in mind in future.

-3/4 c. cooked, pureed beets
-1/4 c. + 1 T. warm water
-1 package active dry yeast
-1 t. raw sugar
-2 T. olive oil
-3 c. white whole wheat flour
-1 t. salt

1. Cook the beets until they are soft (I used a microwave). Cube and puree the beets (I used an immersion blender--if you plan on doing this, get ready for at least a little high velocity beet splatter...), and then add the warm water.
2. Combine the beets, sugar, yeast, and oil in a large bowl. Gradually add the flour and salt, stirring until a dough forms. (This would probably be easier with a stand mixer. My hand-stand mixer can't handle bread doughs very well, so I usually just do this by hand.) When it has all come together, knead for an additional 2 minutes on a floured surface.
3. Place the kneaded dough in a large oiled bowl. Cover it and let the dough rise for at least an hour, until doubled in size.
4. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead a few minutes. (At this point it can be baked, or frozen.)
5. Divide the dough in two, and stretch onto baking sheets that have been oiled and sprinkled with cornmeal.


-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 t. red pepper flakes
-2 sprigs fresh oregano
-pizza sauce
-fresh fontina or mozzarella, shredded
-1/2 bunch asparagus, blanched and cut into 2" pieces
-fresh basil leaves

1. Brush the top of the pizzas with olive oil. Sprinkle half of the minced garlic, half of the red pepper flakes, and half of the fresh oregano on each pizza.
2. Cover with as much sauce as you like (I was overly enthusiastic with the sauce and a little spilled over when baking...).
3. Top with cheese and asparagus. Finish with basil leaves.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 425* F.


(We ate it before I could take the "after" photo... It looked pretty good though.)

The dough is good! It has a very subtle beet flavor--it doesn't dominate the pizza, but you can definitely tell it's there. Also, it makes the dough such a gorgeous red color--with the white and green toppings it felt very Italian! I'll certainly make this again.

Summer Vacation?

I'm back after a lot of roaming around. In July I managed to hit 7 states--a little tiring, but a very fun month. Because of all the moving around, I haven't had much of a chance to document the last 4 weeks of CSA goodness. I've actually lost track of all that we've gotten in that time, but I'll try to list at least a cross section of what July brought us:

-summer squash
-zucchini
-beets
-onions (green, white, red!)
-leeks
-potatoes
-eggplant
-cucumbers
-carrots
-cabbage (all kinds!)
-salad greens
-chard
-garlic (it's phenomenal)
-chives
-dill
-basil

I think that's pretty close to everything, but I may have left some out. Still, a really impressive variety! And next week our fruit share will start (peaches! berries!), so there's much anticipation.

I've also been trying an herb growing experiment. For the record, I have minimal plant-care experience, and I was fairly convinced that I would kill any plant within days. The project started pretty early in the spring with a couple plants, and there have been some ups and downs (the plants showed their displeasure at being abandoned for a week in 98 degree weather...; some tiny bugs attacked the parsley and it didn't stand a chance...), but at the moment I have 9 pretty hearty plants, and they make wonderful additions to just about any dish imaginable. We'll see if they decide to stick around through the fall. It would be nice if they would consider being indoor plants during the colder months!