Radish Tomato Curry

My produce items: Radishes, Heirloom Tomatoes, Onion

14 small radishes
2 heirloom tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup basmati rice

Quarter radishes, mince garlic, chop onion, dice tomatoes.  In a saucepan heat up oil.  Add in chili powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, salt, mustard powder and garlic.  Mix well.

Add in radishes, onion and tomatoes.  Stir occasionally cooking on medium heat.

Prepare basmati rice on stovetop in a saucepan (2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice).  Cook covered, once water evaporates turn flame down low until rice is fully cooked.  Serve curry on top of rice.

Serves: 3-4

Final Verdict: Yummy (except the radish part)

This was something I whipped together with the spices in my pantry and what was left of the produce.  The curry part was really yummy and I would try this recipe again with chicken.  The radish definitely needed to be cut into smaller pieces.  I think the radish was fine for use in the curry but I should have diced them into much smaller pieces and only used about half of what I had.  They were so big they would not get soft.  I tried to cover the skillet hoping to help soften them but it didn't work.  I wouldn't say to omit them but much smaller pieces is recommended.  The larger pieces gave an overpowering mouthful when bitten into.  I like my curry mild so feel free to add a chili pepper if you want to give it some spice.

Butternut Squash Risotto

My produce items: Leftover 1/2 cooked butternut squash, onion, thyme (sorry no picture).

1/2 cooked butternut squash
1/2 cup of chopped onion
1 clove of minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 box of arborio rice (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons of butter
1 stems worth of fresh thyme leaves

In a large skillet heat olive oil.  Add in onion, garlic, thyme and salt.  Cook for a few minutes.  Add in arborio rice and stir to coat evenly and give it a little toast.  Add in white wine.  Stir and cook until wine evaporates.  

Heat up chicken broth and water in a saucepan.  Slowly add in broth water mixture to the rice one cup at a time.  Add in one cup and stir slowly until it evaporates, then add in another cup and repeat.  Continue until broth and water have been used up and rice is soft (about 1 hour).  Continually stir the rice so that the bottom doesn't stick to the pan and burn (this rice needs a lot of attention as it cooks very slowly).

Gently fold in butter and parmesan cheese.  Stir slowly until butter and cheese melt evenly throughout.

Scoop out cooked butternut squash.  In a mixing bowl whip butternut squash and mascarpone cheese into a puree.  Slowly fold into the arborio rice until everything is very well and evenly mixed throughout.

Serves: A Lot (bring this to a big dinner or luncheon)

Final Verdict: Really good but really rich.

This was very tasty but quite rich.  A little serving will do you.  It's a nice side to compliment a meal but I would not recommend eating it on its own as a meal because it's so rich.  The flavors are delicious and you'll feel like you're eating in a fancy restaurant but again it can be very powerful on your stomach if you eat too much (it must be the cheese).  I made my own variation of this recipe based off of several internet recipes I found so there isn't one real credible source.  I just put my own spin on it.  I wasn't sure about the thyme but it was in my produce box so I added a little of it, though I didn't think it was noticeable.  Overall, I guess I could have done without the mascarpone and it would have been less rich.  Without the butternut squash it would just be regular risotto.  This recipe produced an entire bowl full of it so I don't actually know how many people it would feed (an entire skillet's worth).

Butternut Squash and Apple Ravioli

My produce items: Butternut Squash, Fuji Apples, Sage

1/2 cooked butternut squash
1 fuji apple
1/2 cup of mascarpone
4 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Penzey's Pumpkin Pie Spice (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk
wonton wrappers (hidden in the produce department of the supermarket)
1/2 cup half and half
3 tablespoons of butter
chopped sage leaves

First cut butternut squash in half and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 60 to 75 minutes.

Peel and dice apples.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Cook in a covered pot to soften.

Spoon out 1/2 of the butternut squash and combine with baked apple, mascarpone, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, Pumpkin Pie Spice and egg yolk.  I don't own a food processor but it would have come in handy for this.  Instead I used a blender and then electric mixer.  It took a little more work but got the job done.  I had my tasty ravioli filling.

Put one spoonful of ravioli filling on a wonton wrapper.  Wet the edges by either using a brush or dipping your finger in some water and running it along the edges.  Cover with the second wonton wrapper and press the edges closed all around with a fork.

Boil water and add the salt.  Boil a few raviolis (6-7) at a time for 2-5 minutes a piece.

For the sauce, melt butter with chopped sage in a pan.  Add in half and half and 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese.  Stir and cook until sauce thickens (about 5-7 minutes).

Serve raviolis hot topped with sauce.  Add additional parmesan cheese on top if desired.

Serves 4-6

Final Verdict: Excellent

I love butternut squash ravioli and always wanted to try making it.  I'm not big on making dough so I wanted to find a premade pasta and the wonton wrappers are as good as it's going to get.  While they did work, the consistency was a little gummy as wontons tend to be if they're boiled.  Still, the butternut squash ravioli was excellent.  The apples were a nice touch too.  I didn't get an exact recipe per say, just researched a bunch of different ways to make it and put my own interpretations to the test.  I think it turned out really well.  I do think the parmesan topping was a nice touch because it adds some saltiness to the sweetness of the dish.

Last Produce Box of the Year

Our final produce box for the year has arrived.

This time we have:
Onion
Butternut Squash
Fuji Apples
Green D'anjou Pears
Navel Oranges
Kiwis
Cranberries
Green Beans
Broccoli
Radishes
Bulb Fennel
Carrots
Spinach
Lettuce
Thyme

Green Beans for Lunch @ Work

From the Vegetable Box: Green Beans

From the Store: Bacon (any bacon), sliced almonds, dried cranberries

Cleaned and cut green beans, cut bacon in small pieces.

I cooked quinoa in another pot (can be replaced with rice or mashed potatoes or baked potatoes).

Put the bacon pieces in a cold pan and got them slowly brown when the pan got hot  (slow process). Added green beans when the bacon was ½-way brown but far from crisp. Mixed and cooked for another 3-4 minutes, added almond slivers and cranberries, cooked for another 2 minutes. ATTENTION: almond can burn fast.

Add salt if needed, bacon could have enough salt for the mix.

Added 1-2 cups of quinoa into a bowl mixed with green bean-mix.

Green Beans

Green beans, also known as French beans (British English), string beans in the northeastern and western United States, snap beans or squeaky beans, are the unripe fruit of specific cultivated varieties of the common bean.

Green bean varieties have been bred especially for the fleshiness, flavor, or sweetness of their pods. Haricots verts, French for "green beans", may refer to a longer, thinner type of green bean than the typical American green bean. It is known in some parts of the world as the squeaky bean due to the noise it makes on one's teeth whilst eating.

The first "stringless" bean was bred in 1894 by Calvin Keeney, called the "father of the stringless bean", while working in Le Roy, NY. 

Fruit / Vegetable Salad

From the Vegetable Box: Fennel / Apple

From the Farmer’s Market: Persimmon

From my pantry: Salt, Pepper, Vinegar, Oil, and Mustard

Vinaigrettes: mix 2 spoons of oil, 2 spoons of vinegar, ½ spoon of mustard (any mustard), salt and pepper.

Salad: sliced fennel, apple and persimmon thinly and mixed it right away with the vinaigrettes. Taste and add some more salt if needed.

Fennel

The bulb, foliage, and seeds of the fennel plant are widely used in many of the culinary traditions of the world. For cooking, green seeds are optimal. The leaves are delicately flavored and similar in shape to those of dill. The bulb is a crisp vegetable that can be sautéed, stewed, braised, grilled, or eaten raw.

Apple

There are more than 7,500 known cultivares of apples, resulting in a range of desired characteristics. Different cultivars are bred for various tastes and uses, including in cooking, fresh eating and cider production. 

Persimmon

Like the tomato, persimmons are not popularly considered to be berries, but in terms of botanical morphology the fruit is in fact a berry.

The American Persimmon is native to the eastern United States and is higher in nutrients like vitamin C and calcium than the Japanese Persimmon. Its fruit is traditionally eaten in a special steamed pudding in the Midwest and sometimes its timber is used as a substitute for ebony (e.g. in instruments).

Pumpkin Soup and Pumpkin Cheesecake

My farm fresh pumpkin!

Start by removing the top stem from the pumpkin, removing the seeds and cutting into equal halves.  Bake both halves of the pumpkin in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour.


Pumpkin Soup

1/2 cooked pumpkin
1 cup of chicken broth
1/2 cup of half and half
3 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 teaspoon of Penzey's Pumpkin Pie Spice (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)
dash of salt

Spoon out cooked pumpkin pulp.  In a blender combine pulp, broth, half and half, syrup, pumpkin pie spice and salt.  Blend everything together until smooth.

Pour contents into a saucepan and cook until heated.  Serve hot.

Serves 6

Results: Yummy Soup!

A yummy pumpkin soup that was neither too creamy nor too sweet.  Vegetable broth might have been better to use but I only had chicken on hand.  Still it was pretty yummy.  I got this recipe off thepioneerwoman.com.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

1/2 cooked pumpkin
16 oz of cream cheese
1 cup of sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon of Penzey's Pumpkin Pie Spice (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
20 oreo cookies
4 tablespoons of butter
whipped cream for topping

For the crust, crush up oreos.  A food processor would probably work best for this but I don't own one so I tried to use the blender.  It didn't really work so my pie crust was a little chunky.  Add in melted butter.  Mix well and spread out in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish.

For the filling, spoon out cooked pumpkin pulp.  Combine pumpkin, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt with an electric mixer one ingredient at a time.  Mix well (I had to put everything in the blender to liquify and combine everything evenly and then moved it back to the electric mixer).

Cover crust with the filling.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Let cool at room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.  The brunch was fast approaching so I put it in the freezer for 1 hour.  The edges set but the middle was still a little soft (it needed more time to set).

Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Serves 9

Results: Delicious Cheesecake!  

Even though I didn't have enough time to let it set before serving, it was still delicious.  The oreo crust was a perfect compliment to the cheesecake.  I got this recipe off of myrecipes.com.  I'd never used a whole pumpkin in cooking before and I think both dishes turned out really well, especially the cheesecake.

Fall Baking Brunch

After our trip to the farm we all got together for a fall baking brunch.

For an appetizer we had pumpkin soup by Kieu.

For lunch we had pomegranate couscous by Meli...

And chili riano casserole by Evelyn and Coelho.

For dessert we had pumpkin cheesecake by Kieu.

Thanks to everyone who came.  Feel free to post your recipes in the comments if you'd like to share them.

Fall at Underwood Family Farms

Last trip for the year to Underwood Family Farms for our fall baking.

 They had a corn maze.

 And various pumpkin patches.

 Even the sunflowers were orange.

Persimmon Pudding Squares

My produce items: Persimmons, Delicata Squash

1 delicata squash
1/4 cup of maple syrup
2 persimmons
1 cup of milk
4 tablespoons of butter
1 egg
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons of Penzey's Pumpkin Pie Spice (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)
1 tablespoon sugar
whipped cream for topping

Cut off tops and peel persimmons.  Chop into pieces.  Blend together persimmons, milk and melted butter.  Remove from blender and place in a mixing bowl.  Beat in egg, flour, baking soda, salt, allspice and sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Cut delicata squash in half and seed.  Chop into 1/2 inch moon shaped pieces.  Spread out on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Turn pieces over and bake another 15 minutes.  Remove from baking sheet and place in a mixing bowl. Coat with maple syrup (sprinkle allspice if desired.

Cut out a square of the persimmons pudding.  Top with delicata squash pieces.  Top with whipped cream if desired.  Can be served hot or cold.

Serves 6

Final Verdict: Yummy.

The pudding recipe is a variation I got off of cooks.com.  The pudding isn't really a pudding.  It's more like a pumpkin pie but the flavoring is a little different.  I can definitely see persimmons being a pie filling.  It was a yummy dessert.  I wasn't sure if it really needed the delicata squash topping but I was told that the squash gave the dish a nice balance so it wasn't too sweet.  Persimmons are pretty sweet on their own so I thought they'd be good for a dessert.  I had read that delicata squash is a very sweet squash that turns custardy when baked.  I'm not really sure that I agree with that, but it was sweet enough to use for the dessert.  I was originally going to put the squash in the pudding mix but I'm glad I didn't.  Both flavors are pretty different from each other.  The way to eat it is to have some pudding and then a bite of squash eating them together but keeping the flavors separate.

Vegan Cupcakes

My produce items: Lemon, Avocado

3 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup of avocado (1 medium avocado well mashed)
2 cups water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 can of frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda.  Mix together avocado, vegetable oil, water, lemon juice, vanilla extract.  Combine wet ingredients to dry mixture and mix well.  I used an electric mixer.  Pour batter into cupcake holders.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Let cool for 15 minutes before applying frosting.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Final Verdict: Delicious

I was skeptical at first but after trying vegan cupcakes I absolutely loved them and wanted to try my hand at making them. They taste exactly like regular cupcakes except way more moist.  They're super moist chocolate cupcakes.  I actually got the recipe from jbahr who sent it to me.  This recipe is a slight variation from joythebaker.com.  I didn't have any white vinegar so I substituted lemon juice.  Because of the substitution I also added an additional teaspoon of vanilla extract.  I think it turned out well.

Mini Chicken Pot Pies!

INGREDIENTS:

Green Zucchini, Sweet Potatoes, Fennel, Peppers

I recently acquired a mini pie pan and have been dying to make mini chicken pot pies. Originally I intended to buy store bought crust. However, the stores decided to work against me so I ended up making my own crust. I included the crust recipe along with the pot pie recipe if you are feeling ambitious.

CRUST RECIPE:

1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 Butter (1 Stick - room temperature, cubed)
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Water (You most likely will not use all of this)

1) In a bowl or food processor, mix together the flour and the salt.

2) Slowly add in cubes of butter. The mix will start to resemble cornmeal.

3) Once all the butter has been added, slowly drizzle 1 tsp at a time of water and mix together with the flour and butter. Continue this process until the dough starts to form into a ball. You will probably not use all the water as you don't want to use to much; this will cause your dough to become sticky.

4) Refrigerate your dough for at least 1 hour or overnight.

POT PIE RECIPE:

2 Chicken Breasts (medium size - cubed)
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped fennel
2 Sweet potatoes (small - cubed)
2 Peppers (small - cubed)
1 cup Peas
1 Zucchini (cubed)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cups Chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
1/2 cup Milk

1) Heat oven to 425°F. Roll out your dough and place into mini pie pan. I placed the bottoms in and left the tops of parchment paper for after the pies are filled. 

2) In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.

3) Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.

4) Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

These were delicious! And the mini pie size is perfect for a one person serving. I have already made them again and will probably make them again later this week. Enjoy! 

Chicken Fricassee

Martha Stewart Recipe (two pictures from me. One from www.marthastewart.com). 

Produce from the box: white onion

Produce from the Farmer's Market: carrot, celery, herbs, lemon, eggs

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 small yellow onion, cut into ½-inch dice (1 cup)

1 carrot, cut into ¼-inch dice (1/2 cup)

1 celery stalk, cut into ¼-inch dice (1/2 cup)

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ up dry white wine

4 cups chicken broth

2 sprigs fresh flat-leave parsley

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

2 large egg yolks, room temperature

½ cup heavy cream

2 to 3 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh tarragon leaves

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions 

1. Brown Chicken

Season chicken on both sides with 1 tablespoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Preheat a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the oil to the pot. When butter melts and foam subsides, add half the chicken, skin side down in a single layer, do not crowd pot. Fry chicken, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 10minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.

2. Sauté mirepoix

Reduce heat to medium and add mirepoix (onion, carrot and celery) to pot, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Sauté mirepoix, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown in places, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Cook mushroom and flour

Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms darken, become glossy, and begin to release liquid, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in flour, and cook until flour is absorbed by vegetables and is no longer visible, about 1 minute.

4. Pour in Wine and Broth

Add wine to pot, and bring to a boil, stirring until liquid just thickens, about 45 seconds. Add broth and stir.

5. Simmer Chicken

Place chicken, skin side up, in a single layer on vegetables, our juices that have accumulated on plate into pot. Tie parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs and bay leave together with kitchen twine, add to pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cover partially. Cook until internal temperature of thickest part of chicken registers 165, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a clean plate. Simmer liquid, uncovered, until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Discard herbs.

6. Make and add liaison

To make the liaison (sauce thickener), whisk together egg yolks and cream in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, pour ½ cup cooking liquid. 1 tablespoon at a time, into liaison to temper it. Stir tempered liaison into pot.

7. Finish with Tarragon, Lemon and Butter

Return chicken to pot. Add tarragon, lemon juice, and the remaining butter. Bring to simmer, stir gently to combine, and serve.

Summer Veggies

Produce from the box: one white pepper, onion (used 1/2 of it)

Produce from the Farmer's Market: yellow, green, red pepper, celery, carrots.


I cut all veggies in cubes and made two groups.
Group 1: onion, celery carrots.
Group 2: all the peppers.

Heated oil in the pan, added first group of veggies into the pan, cooked them for about 3-4 minutes, stirred often until onions were soft. Added peppers with some salt, pepper and vegetable broth. Continued to cook it for another 3-4 minutes until all peppers were soft.

Cooled the mix and made small portions. Brought some of it to friends and put some of it in the freezer.
It can be used warm (as side-dish or mixed with pasta or rice), cold as salad or as base for a soup.

I didn't add a lot of spices. I will do it when I take a portion out of the freezer. Pepper flakes can be added, curry version can be made or some fresh herbs will add a kick.

Lemon curd & yogurt fool

Produce: Strawberries


Ingredients (4 servings)

11 oz jar lemon curd (I used only 1/2 of it.)
18 oz tub 0% Greek yoghurt
7 oz strawberries
1 tbsp sugar


Method

Put the lemon curd and yoghurt into a bowl. Fold together for rippled effect. Dvidie the mixture between four glasses and chill.

Mix strawberries and sugar (I added some Cointreau and lemon zest) together and gently crush, then spoon with their juices over the chilled mix and serve.

Asian green beans with garlic and beef

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 pound green beans, washed
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 cups of flank steak, cut in small pieces

Directions:

1.    Heat oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add garlic slices and cook for a minute.

2.    Stir in green beans and sesame oil and cook for eight to 10 minutes. Beans will turn bright green. 

3. Add steak cubes into the mix, continue to mix.

4.    Add soy sauce and cook for another five minutes, stirring frequently, and then transfer to serving platter.

Fried Rice with Kale and Pomegranate

My produce items: Kale and Pomegranate

1 bunch of kale
1 pomegranate
1 lemon
1/4 cup of chopped onion
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 tablespoons of honey
1 cup of rice

Mince onion and saute in olive oil in a skillet.  Chop up kale into desirable pieces and add to saute.  Stir periodically.  Add one tablespoon of honey and juice from half a lemon.  Stir well.

Prepare rice (I used a rice cooker).  Add rice to saute and mix well.

Seed pomegranate.  Crush pomegranate seeds well (I used a potato masher).  Drain juice into rice mixture but keep the seeds separated.  Repeat juicing and draining procedure two more times.

Add remaining half of lemon juice and additional tablespoon of honey to the rice and stir well over low heat.  Top rice with remaining pomegranate seeds or stir into mixture before serving.

Serve hot.

Serves 4-6

Final Verdict: Not Bad

The pomegranate I got wasn't super ripe.  It was more pinkish than red and the seeds were not nearly as sweet as redder/riper pomegranates.  I had to make up for the lack of sweetness with honey.  And since the pomegranate was a little on the sour side, juice from a full lemon was too much.  Half of a lemon would have sufficed.  Juicing the seeds actually made them quite soft.  I usually don't like pomegranate seeds because they are a bit tough to bite into.  Crushing them softened them up a lot and made them a nice addition to the dish.  Next time I'll try to find a riper pomegranate and lessen the lemon juice.

Couscous Salad

I never made this salad and I don’t have a recipe. I improvised.

Couscous: I followed the directions on the box and left the couscous cooling down during the prep of the vegetable salad.

Cleaned and chopped vegetables in small cubes. I had the following vegetables/fruits in the box: tomato, pears, a green and a yellow pepper, avocado and zucchini. I mixed them all with a vinaigrette (oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper) and some cornichons.

Mixed vegetable salad with couscous when couscous was still slightly warm. Added some more salt to taste.

Cornichon: French word for Gherkin. They are usually pickled with vinegar and are used with other foods and in sandwiches (especially in Europe).