What beautiful baskets of produce we took home during the first and second weeks of the CSA! While everything was gorgeous, I must say that I especially love the aesthetic of the edible flowers mixed into our bag of salad greens and the “Cosmic Purple Carrots” (the name alone is fabulous). Another highlight is the lovely and interesting “extras” that are included in our baskets– a rotation of fermented products and other prepared items such as salad dressing, pesto or jam. So far, all of these treats have been absolutely delicious!
For me, this project is as much about creativity as it is about nutrition, environmentally-sound farming practices, building community and supporting the local economy. Thus, I was determined to incorporate all of my first week items into meals (rather than enjoy them as stand alone snacks) and to make these meals art. Here’s what I did:
Swiss chard (stalky part as well as the leaves) sautéed with garlic and olive oil, and a touch of salt and pepper, served over a bed of angel hair pasta and topped with shaved manchego cheese. Loved the bitter, earthy flavor against the neutral pasta and just a bit of sharpness from the cheese.
Super Fresh Salad: Mixed greens with grated raw carrots and beets, tossed with the CSA Wild Orange Salad Dressing and slivered almonds. Great textures and flavors.
Grown-up Grilled Cheese: Tons of sautéed spinach on left-over toasted challah with some melted baby swiss cheese. Fun and flavorful.
Broccoli sautéed with garlic and olive oil and tossed with angel hair pasta. I added a handful of toasted walnuts for crunch, flavor and protein and sprinkled the tossed pasta with a few feta cheese crumbles. Simply sublime.
Greek Salad: Red romaine lettuce, balsamic vinaigrette (so easy – balsamic, good quality extra virgin olive oil or walnut oil, a touch of honey, salt and pepper mixed at the bottom of the salad bowl) diced red pepper, kalamata olives, fresh basil and dill, feta cheese. The bites with big pieces of basil were unbelievably refreshing and flavorful!
Roasted Root vegetables: A mix of beets, carrots, turnips, sweet potato, vidalia onion and a few whole garlic cloves lightly coated with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper went into a 375 degree oven. Meanwhile, I sautéed the beet and turnip tops in olive oil with garlic. When the roasted veggies were done, I added a blend of fresh herbs from our lovely little sachet of herbs, and then topped the roasted veggies with the sautéed greens. Delicious and diverse flavors – every bite was a little bit different.
Tempeh Reuben-inspired Sandwich: I was confident that Isa Chandra Moskowitz's “Vegan With a Vengeance” would include a good recipe for Tempeh Reuben, and sure enough, I found the recipe on page 102. I marinated the tempeh per her recipe. Because I don’t like mayo, Russian dressing was out of the question, but I found that slices of ripe avocado added a similar creamy quality. In the end, my sandwich was comprised of leftover slices of challah, baby swiss cheese, marinated and grilled tempeh, sliced avocado and Sandhill Farm kraut. I served it with a nice salad – butter lettuce and mixed greens, balsamic/walnut oil vinaigrette, fresh dill and parsley, edible flower petals, almonds and dried cranberries. I should give the disclaimer that as a life-long vegetarian, I have never actually eaten a reuben. I realize that my version with the wrong bread, no Russian dressing, and tempeh in the place of corned beef could offend some deli connoisseurs. Please forgive me!
A week into the CSA experience, here are some of my reflections:
1. My cooking and cleanup this week was far more quick and simple than usual. Why? Because I used just a few simple ingredients, focusing on the fresh and natural qualities of the produce.
2. I made just one trip to the grocery store to get the staples and “support ingredients” I needed – what a relief, as it is not unusual for me to run to the store nearly every evening to pick up ingredients for dinner.
3. I tried lots of new things. For example: I had never before purchased and prepared turnips (they weren’t my favorite, but I’ll keep trying to cultivate an appreciation for them). And, although I frequently roast beets, I’ve always discarded the beet greens. This week, though, I discovered that the greens are as tasty (tastier?!) than the roasted beets. Finally, there’s the sauerkraut (something I would never think of buying or making) and the tempeh (another item I rarely cook/order).
4. I had bursts of creativity regarding the flavor combinations and aesthetics of my meals.
5. I was mindful of every food I consumed during the week. I really tasted the flavors and focused on the experience of eating.
6. I called my mother more than usual – to ask her food-related questions or to report to her on my culinary experiences.
7. I found myself thinking a lot about my grandmother’s kitchen – I think it was the Russian dressing issue that sent my mind there – a lot of what my Ama made included Russian dressing!
8. Enjoying the CSA produce prompted me to take an increased interest in my own (new) veggie and herb garden.
A note on recipes:
I rarely use recipes, unless it’s the first or second time I’m making something (or any time I’m baking). I found that simple roasting and sautéing techniques dominated my cooking this week. From there, I mostly mixed and matched flavors and ingredients. But, I realize that I might be a bit more comfortable with improvisational cooking than others. If you feel you need a bit more direction, consult one of the classics, such as The Joy of Cooking or The Moosewood Cookbook for tips and recipes for preparing some of the veggies you might find in your CSA basket. You might also want to check out the recipes page at www.hogtownhomegrown.com. And of course, I hope that we’ll all start sharing recipes and ideas on this site. Please check back often and post some of your favorite recipes.
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