Friday, August 17

We made popcorn! At home! On the stovetop!

So, back in May, we received organic corn kernels from our CSA.  I put it in a jar, sealed the lid tight and put it in a dark, cool cabinet.  We don't have an air popper, so I wasn't sure what to do with it, until the other night...

The mister and I had finished dinner and were getting ready to watch a movie.  He said he had an idea..."let's make popcorn!"  It seems that the mister had done his research and said we had everything we needed!  So, here goes:

Ingredients:
  • corn kernels -- approximately 1/2 cup
  • canola oil
  • butter/salt/whatever else you want to top your popcorn with
We took our large soup pot and coated the bottom with canola oil.  Turn on the heat to med/high. We added three kernels of corn to the bottom of the pot and covered it with a lid (our pot set has glass lids).  When the oil is hot enough, and the three kernels pop, then pour in your 1/2 cup of corn and cover again.  Shake the pot vigorously over the heat.  The corn should pop quickly.  Wait until the frequency has slowed down a bit, turn off the heat and allow the last kernels to finish popping.  Grab a wooden spoon and mix up the corn a bit. Transfer to a bowl and add your favorite topping.  We went for butter, salt, and a touch of parmesan cheese. It was fabulous!!!  And without the $9 movie theater price tag.


Thursday, August 16

Eggplan parm, but with the usual LFL twist!

Over the weekend, I was feeling adventurous and decided to make a dish that is uncommon in our house: eggplant parmesan with penne.  I know this is a staple at many an Italian restaurant. However, when we do dine out, the mister and I rarely order pasta dishes. Of course, even though I'm attempting a popular dish, I've gotta put my own local food lady spin on it. 

Ingredients:
  • eggplant
  • egg
  • breadcrumbs (I just go for store bought with breadcrumbs--you can make your own; maybe I'll attempt it in a future food adventure)
  • seasonal veggies - chopped (carrots, tomatoes, onions, peppers)
  • basil
  • pasta
  • fresh mozzarella
  • pecorino romano cheese
Slice eggplant about 1/2" thick (I don't remove the skins). Sprinkle some salt on the eggplant slices and set aside while you get your "dunking stations" set up. In one shallow bowl, have two eggs lightly scrambled. In the next, fill with breadcrumbs (about 1" deep). 

Get a large pan warmed up with olive oil. My Le Creuset is perfect for this...lots of space.  While the pan is warming up, shake off the moisture that has accumulated on the eggplant.  Once the oil moves freely about the pan, you are ready to start dunking. Put a slice of eggplant in the egg, submerge it, and then coat both sides in the breadcrumbs.  Add to the pan. Repeat. Careful, don't crowd the eggplant in the pan, you need room to flip.

Cook about 1 - 2 minutes, then flip. The eggplant should have a nice golden crust, but not too dark.  The breadcrumbs will soak up much of the oil. If need be, add a little more to the pot.  Once your eggplant is golden on both sides, transfer to a deep baking dish. 

Once all of the eggplant is cooked, keep that wide pan warm.  This is where my different "twist" comes in.  Rather than using red gravy/sauce (LFL doesn't choose sides in this hotly contested debate), I read that the eastern European version of this includes diced vegetables--like green onion, carrots, celery.  I improvised a bit and used the following: green peppers, red onion, yellow plum tomatoes, red heirloom tomatoes, summer carrots (they are shorter than regular carrots).  I allowed these veggies to warm through and then topped the eggplant with them.

I covered the eggplant/veggie mixture with foil and put into a 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes.  When there were ten minutes left, I began boiling a large pot of salted water.  Once the water came to a boil, I added my fresh kale/spinach penne from Vera Pasta. I'm telling you, this stuff is GREAT and because it is fresh pasta, it cooks up in 3 - 5 minutes.  I drained the penne, and began preparing the plates. 

I put down a layer of penne, topped it with a slice of fresh mozzarella, added the eggplant/veggie mixture on top and gave it a sprinkle of pecorino cheese along with chopped fresh basil.  You don't need to add any additional sauces to this dish, since the seasonal veggies offer so much flavor and moisture.  It was fabulous.  The eggplant was even better the next day, after the flavors had more time to hang out together. This is going to be another go-to dish for us. 



Monday, August 13

Summer veggie pasta--warm? cold? You choose!

We have thoroughly been enjoying our new summer CSA.  We are now members of Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative, where most of the products (about 98%) are sourced from more than 80 organic farms located less than 60 miles from us.  What I also enjoy about LFFC is that they bring fresh foods to under-served neighborhoods (see also: food deserts).

The variety of produce has been awesome this year and I hope will continue through the end of the CSA season.  Right now, we are in the midst of eggplant, zucchini, tomato, onion season.  It seems that 2012 has been a GREAT year for these crops. 

This year has also brought about new providers at our Farmer's Market.  One of my newest favorites is Vera Pasta. They bring a variety of fresh pasta products and sauces, but I'm especially fond of their penne and I often pickup a pound when I am at the market.

This week, I combined  many items from the CSA share and Vera's Pasta and made roasted vegetable pasta.  You can eat this warm, or cold, but it is a pretty simple dish.  I bought their balsamic tarragon penne at the market on Saturday and it was delicious. I'm going to try this with lemon penne in the future.

Ingredients:
  • zuchinni
  • eggplant
  • red onion
  • tomatoes (regular or cherry)
  • pasta
  • olive oil
  • garlic
  • basil
Dice the vegetables and combine in a large bowl. Toss with olive oil and garlic, and bake at 425 for approximately 15 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool.  In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil, add pasta until cooked.  Reserve one cup of the pasta water to use later. Drain pasta.  In a large pot or saute pan, heat up some olive oil. Add cooked veggies and toss with pasta.  Add pasta water and allow to cook off.  Top with fresh basil.



Enjoy warm or at room temp. This also stores well in the refrigerator and can be a healthy dish to bring to to a picnic or barbecue.


Thursday, August 9

Gazpacho...tastes different every time

Here at Local Food Lady, you know that I rarely follow recipes. I merely "assemble" my food, and sometimes it turns out ok.  One of my favorite summer time dishes is gazpacho and it is so simple to make. The biggest challenge is waiting for the soup to chill and allow for the flavors to come together.

To make my gazpacho, I make sure I have the basics:
The makings of Gazpacho
  • tomatoes
  • cucumbers
  • red onion
  • feta cheese


And then I add on from there.  In this batch, I had the following quantities:

  • 3 large tomatoes
  • 3 cucumber (reserve 1 cucumber)
  • 2 medium red onion (reserve 1 onion)
  • 1 bell pepper
  • garlic
  • olive oil
  • 2 cups watermelon, plus juice
Scrub and slice/chop all veggies, removing the seeds. I don't even attempt to do this with the tomatoes, since there are so many seeds.  Get out your blender, and add the chopped veggies and puree.  If you are having a hard time getting the veggies to "catch" on the blades, get a wooden spoon and push down some of the foods. Please do this when the blender is NOT running. Add your garlic and olive oil (just a few glugs).  Once the veggies are pureed, add the watermelon (plus juice) and blend more. If the gazpacho looks too pulpy, add a touch of water. 

Now, here's where it gets a little bit messy.  Get a large bowl and a mesh strainer.  Pour about 8 ounces of the blender mixture through the mesh strainer and push the liquid through the strainer with the back of a ladle.  Once the liquid has been squeezed through, discard the leftover pulp (I like to compost mine).  Repeat this process until the contents of the blender have been strained. 

Take the large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until fully chilled.  Until then, dice up the remaining cucumber and red onion. When ready to serve the gazpacho, put some of the diced cucumbers and red onions in the bowl.  Cover with gazpacho, top with feta and olive oil. 

You may omit the feta to make this recipe vegan.  Also, I enjoy a dash of dill with my gazpacho.  Variations on gazpacho include substituting peaches for the watermelon, or omitting the watermelon completely. 

Wednesday, August 8

I am a happy, happy Local Food Lady!

Week 1 of our fruit CSA with North Star Orchard was available on Saturday. I've been enjoying it so much  that I forgot to post a picture over the weekend!! 

The peaches are so juicy that I have managed to stain my clothes while eating at my desk. Oh well, that's the price of amazing fruit!!!!


Veggie share. Week 17.

I think we may die from tomato poisoning!  I'm kidding! This week in the CSA, we are enjoying the following:
  • Bag Young Fennel Bulbs - Certified Organic - Autumn Blend Organics1 Italian Eggplant - Certified Organic - Soaring Eagle Acres
  • 1 Bok Choy - Certified Organic - Windy Hollow Organics
  • 1 Purple Eggplant - Certified Organic - Windy Hollow Organics
  • 1 Pint Mixed Cherry Tomatoes - Certified Organic - Farmdale Organics
  • 1 Bag Candy Onions - Certified Organic - Soaring Eagle Acres
  • 1 Bag Dragon Tongue Beans - Certified Organic - Life Enhancing Acres
  • 1 Bag Yellow Roma Tomatoes - Certified Organic - Millwood Springs Organics
  • 1 Bag Mixed Beets OR Detroit Dark Red Beets - Certified Organic - Green Valley Organics OR Farmdale Organics
  • 1 Bag Green Bell Peppers - Certified Organic -Meadow Valley Organics
  • 1 Small Watermelon - Certified Organic - Elm Tree Organics (small??? NO WAY! Just look at the picture below)
  • 1 Cantaloupe- Certified Organic - Red Fox Organics
  • 1 Bag Green Beans - Certified Organic - Peaceful Valley Organics