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Recipes and CookbooksI ate half of my bag of greens when it arrived yesterday, with the fresh garlic. I just heated some olive oil, chopped the garlic and added it, and threw the greens in. I added a bit of the raddichio I picked up at Saturday's farmer's market in Norwich (from Luna Bleu, of course!). What a treat! Here are some other ideas inspired by recent CSA deliveries.Zucchini Basil Muffins Something different to do with that zucchini and basil. A slightly savory muffin, great as a snack or with lunch or dinner. 1 1/4 cup flour (recipe calls for all-purpose, I use whole wheat pastry) 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 Tablespoons vegetable shortening, softened 1 Tablespoon sugar 1 large egg 1/4 cup buttermilk 1 cup coarse grated zucchini 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened In a small bowl whisk flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and pepper. In a bowl cream shorening and sugar, beat in egg and buttermilk, beating until the mixture is combined well, and stir in zucchini and basil. Add flour mixture to zucchini mixture, stir the batter until it is just combined, and divide it among well-buttered muffin tins. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-18 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Turn muffins out onto a rack and let them cool. Cabbage, Beet and Carrot slaw We haven't seen the carrots in our boxes yet, but this is a great and simple slaw I eat all summer long. Just shred cabbage, beets and carrots together in a bowl--a food processor is the best for this job. Make your favorite dressing to go along with it. I like a sesame oil and lemon dressing--I make it to taste each time, adding a bit more oil or lemon or vinegar as I think it needs. Mix it up, and eat. Keeps two or three days in the fridge. Chioggia beets are great for this--they add a nice color and don't bleed on the other food. If you use regular beets, just make enough for that meal--unless you don't mind the staining that will happen to the rest of the veggies. Chinese Cabbage or Bok Choy Stir Fry I love using these kinds of greens to make a quick warm salad. In a very hot skillet or wok, add a small amount of oil--not enough to pool but just cover the skillet. Add your favorite spice--I usually use cumin seeds, though I bet fennel seed would be wonderful. Any seedy spice that you enjoy will be delicious! Let the spice cook in the oil for half a minute to a minute, being sure it doesn't burn. Add very thinly sliced Bok Choy or Chinese cabbage. Cook for just a couple of minutes--enough to wilt and warm the vegetables but not enough so they lose their color. You have to stir and stand over them to get this right--I like mine to be crunchy but also cooked. The cabbage will be quicker than the bok choy, so if you're using them both, do the bok choy first. Add sesame oil and serve. What to do with Bok Choy? Bok choy can be a nice addition to leftovers, to make an old meal into something new. I was cooking for a hoard recently when I realized what I had planned to serve for lunch wasn't going to work out, so I took the night before's leftovers (a sausage, onion and apple dish), added some bok choy, and cooked it all up. The crowd loved it--and most of them didn't notice they were eating yesterday's dinner. Seasonal recipies:
Crunchy Bok Choy Slaw from EatingWell.com A versatile side dish to go with grilled meats or poultry. Crispy, crunchy and thoroughly delicious. Makes 8 servings, 3/4 cup each 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon salt 6 cups very thinly sliced bok choy (about a 1-pound head, trimmed) 2 medium carrots, shredded 2 scallions, thinly sliced Whisk vinegar, oil, sugar, mustard and salt in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add bok choy, carrots and scallions; toss to coat with the dressing. Cider-Brinded Pork Chops from EatingWell.com Once brined, these chops can be pan-fried, broiled or grilled. The main caution here is not to overcook them. Brining (soaking in a salt solution) helps keep the chops firm and juicy, but even brining will not prevent dry hard chops if overcooked. Bone-in rib chops at least 1 inch thick are the best choice for this recipe, and each one is typically large enough to feed two people. Using the thicker chops and dividing them before serving is much better than trying to cook super-thin chops, which can easily be overcooked before they are browned on the outside. Makes 4 servings Cider Brine 2 cups apple cider 1 cup water 1/4 cup kosher salt 1/4 cup honey 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 cups ice Pork Chops & Sauteed Apples 2 bone-in pork rib chops (about 1 3/4 pounds, 1-1 1/4 inch thick), trimmed 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, divided 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon butter 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion 1/2 cup white wine 1 tart apple, peeled and thinly sliced 1/2 cup apple cider 1. To prepare cider brine: Pour cider and water into a bowl and stir in salt until dissolved, then stir in honey and cinnamon until the honey is dissolved. Stir in ice and check to see that the mixture registers 45°F or lower on an instant-read thermometer. 2. To prepare chops & apples: Place chops in a large sealable plastic bag. Carefully add the brine to the bag, seal, then place the bag in a bowl in case of any leaks. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 8 hours. 3. Combine sage, pepper and 1/8 teaspoon ginger in a small bowl. Remove the chops from the brine. (Discard bag and brine.) Sprinkle both sides of the chops with the sage mixture. 4. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add oil and the chops. Cook until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to a plate. 5. Melt butter in the pan; add onion, stir to coat, cover and cook, stirring often, until starting to turn translucent and brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and stir, scraping up any browned bits; cook for 1 minute. Stir in apple, cider and 1/8 teaspoon ginger; bring to a boil. Nestle the chops into the sauce, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Turn the chops, cover and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the chops registers 145°F, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the chops to a warm platter and tent with foil. 6. Bring the sauce in the pan to a boil and cook until it is syrupy, 3 to 4 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the chops and serve. Links to our favorite cookbooks: Asparagus to Zucchini Cookbook is the cookbook we highly recommend to all our CSA members. It is full of information about CSA and supporting local farms plus it has great information about almost all the different vegetables that are grown on farms in the temperate climes of the US. Recipes are organized alphabetically by vegetable and each section includes helpful tips about use and storage information on nutrients and historical tidbits. At Blanchard's Table is a cookbook with wonderful elegant but straightforward recipes with an interesting blend of Vermont and Caribbean flavors. We were introduced to this cookbook because the Blanchards had the photographer, Ben Fink, take lots of photos at the Norwich Farmers Market. There are many beautiful photos of our vegetables and a full page spread of Suzanne; farmer-jeans, rubber boots and all; holding a big armful of kale and chard. Shona loves making the deserts from this cookbook. (and we love eating them!) www.Epicurious.com is a great website. I use it to get recipes but also to peruse for ideas of how people are putting things together. The zucchini basil muffins came from there.
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