Farm Fresh Produce in the House!

The CSA share from Harvest Delivery arrived this evening! I thoroughly enjoyed unpacking the box full of goodies, since I had no idea what would be arriving in the delivery! The gentleman who delivered this wonderful package was named Ed, and he was very friendly and sunny! He told me a bit more about the CSA shares and how their deliveries work. They have a very cool (no pun intended - ha!) system that involves an insulated cool box that stores your deliveries until you arrive home from work and unlock the box to retrieve your fresh produce.

Look at all that beautiful fresh produce that I was lucky enough to receive! So, let's take a short inventory, shall we? We have two bunches of crispy, bright radishes and a giant bunch of fresh beets, with the greens attached! Radish greens and beet greens can be used in recipes separate from their root counterparts too, so I'm going to try and make the most of these bunches! We've also got some summer squashes, and some cute little cucumbers. The bunch of scallions are enormous - I've never seen scallions that big! We have a carton of deliciously sweet blueberries, and a half-dozen farm fresh eggs as well!

There are two huge heads of different lettuces that will make us salads for a week and a half! We've got a gorgeous bouquet of swiss chard, as well as a giant bunch of basil!  Since basil goes bad fairly quickly, I think I might use that first and make some pesto sauce for a pasta dish for tomorrow night's dinner. There's also a bag of delicious, peppery arugula which I can't wait to eat! I had to try a leaf, just to TASTE it ... and OH...so good! Lastly, I got two little heads of a strongly flavored green, but I'm not completely sure what it is - I think it's baby bok choy.

So, let's see, so far, I'm thinkin' pesto sauce...which isn't exactly the most creative use of basil, but when you have a lot of it, and want to use it all before it goes bad, it's the best way to go! I'm also thinking of some sort of curry, using those summer squash, since I also took a little trip to Penzey's Spices today. I picked up quite a few Indian spices, even though they weren't on my list of refills. Sometimes you see things, and you just think..."yes, I will be able to use that for something in the very near future." We'll be having lots of salads to use those two giant heads of lettuce, and I love the crunch of crispy radishes sliced in salads as well! I think I'll stop by the farmer's market booth that sells locally-made goat cheese, for a nice big salad full of greens, feta and some roasted beets as well! And I think...maybe a pasta carbonara with the addition of some wilted swiss chard. Sound good!?

Join me as I work my way through this CSA share...I love a new adventure and this one is exciting! Next up: I'll teach you how to make pesto sauce!

A Mortar and a Pestle...You'll need one of each!

The mortar and pestle is an elusive tool for a lot of people, I think. For a long time, I would see that it was used to complete a part of a recipe, and just...well, improvise, since I didn't have one. That's fine, improvising is a great thing, but I had no idea how much more difficult I was making it until I decided to buy myself one of these mystical kitchen tools.

They come in all shapes and sizes, and some of them are smoother, while others are as rough as sandpaper.  I bought a nice, little marble one about a year and a half ago, from Sur La Table. It's really cute, and it gets the jobs that I need it for done well.

Isn't it cute!? :)

The inner sides of the mortar are ridged for easier grinding with the pestle. Sometimes, the larger version of a spice, when ground together with others, produces more flavor than the ground version easily purchased in stores. Jamie Oliver does this in quite a few of his recipes. For example, he'll add cumin seed, rather than ground cumin, along with some minced garlic, and other spices to a mortar and grind the flavors together into a paste, which is then thrown into the dish. The flavors are melding as you grind, so even before the spices have hit the pan, they are stronger than each spice alone.

If your mortar is big enough, you can also use it to make homemade guacamole. Since all of the ingredients are just mashed up together, this is a perfect vessel for combining the flavors! Mine is not big enough to do that, but there are a few mortars I've seen that would be perfect, and I have my eye on those!

From Flickr - by ScribeSevenThree

TOP 5 : Fresh Herbs That Work in Almost Every Situation

There are a lot of herbs and spices out there, and sometimes, it can be overwhelming to look at a recipe and see all sorts of ingredients you don't have, or better yet, haven't heard OF! However, I want to provide you with a list of five fresh herbs that you can save you in a pinch.

Parsley

1. Parsley : I buy parsley every time I do a big grocery shopping. It keeps well for a long time in the fridge, it's cheap, and it makes for the best garnish. I chop parsley in copious amounts, and use it generously. Did you know that parsley can also freshen your breath after a meal? That's why you usually find it in large sprigs on a dinner plate! I prefer the flat-leaf variety as it can be more widely used. Parsley can even be made into a pesto (usually made with basil). Check out the recipe for Fettuccine with Walnut-Parsley Pesto.

2. Basil : Basil is a perfect addition to any Italian meal, goes great with tomatoes and mozzarella, as well as sprinkled on top of pasta dishes. It also adds a lovely flavor to marinara sauce. Basil tends to go bad quickly, so if you buy it, use it! However, I've found that I can lengthen the life of basil by buying a plant, keeping it in the window, and watering it generously. The plant will continue to grow, giving you new leaves every so often, and draw out the time between basil purchases. If you find yourself with a large bunch of basil, and no use, make a pesto sauce (with basil, this time) and save it for a quick weekday dinner, tossed with some penne. A great lunch time use for basil is my favorite sandwich : Proscuitto, Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil.

Mmm...Basil with Tomatoes and Mozzarella

3. Chervil : This one is a bit harder to find, but if I find it, I buy it, and in the summer months, I usually try to grow it in a pot on my windowsill. It's a very light herb that makes for a lovely garnish, and tastes great in salads as well. It is related to parsley, but much lighter in flavor, and plays an integral part in the French herb mixture, fines herbes. A recipe I love, and use all the time, uses many different herbs, mixed with greens, and a maple shallot dressing for an extremely flavorful salad. It can be found in Barbara Lynch's, Stir.

4. Chives : Chives also make for a wonderful garnish, and have quite a bit more bite than the other herbs listed here. As part of the onion family, they add a lovely zest to a dish, and I rarely make scrambled eggs without them. Because this is a year-round herb, it's always readily available, and if you are plating a dish that seems to be missing a pop of color, add chives - you can't go wrong.

Mixed Herbs

5. Cilantro : Also known as coriander, as well as Chinese parsley, this herb is widely used in many cuisines. It's a very common garnish in asian cuisines, and it also plays a very important role in most salsas, guacamoles, and other Mexican sauces. I know, I'm sure some of you are saying that you don't like cilantro, it tastes like soap, etc...I admit that it is definitely an herb that you either love or hate. After reading an article about the strong feelings that people have towards cilantro, I found this: "Dr. Wysocki contends dislike of cilantro stems from its odor, not its taste. His hypothesis is that those who don't like it are unable to detect chemicals in the leaf that are pleasing to those who like the herb."  Hope that helps to explain your love or hate of this lovely herb!


Well, that's five! I hope that this post shed some light on the many herbs out there. I'll leave you with this: The best way to keep your herbs freshest the longest is to keep the stems in water. I put my herbs in a large vase or bowl, stems in water, covered with a plastic grocery bag. Then, when I need some herbs, I just pluck some off the bunch and put the rest back in the fridge. Another way to do it is to wash your herbs, and wrap them in a damp paper towel. Store them in ziploc bags in the refrigerator.

The snow is piling up out there, and I have a feeling I might have some extra time on my hands to do some cooking tomorrow. When you're stuck in the house, what better way to pass the time then with something you can enjoy when it's finished!

Until tomorrow...

Add a Little Spice to Your Life

Yesterday, I decided to try a new method for purchasing the spices that my recipes ask for as ingredients. When I looked at my grocery list, I realized that a few things on the list in that section would not be found easily in my local stores...so I turned to the Google! I searched "epazote," which is a common mexican herb, used in a lot of common dishes. The first search result was a website called Spice It Up Online.

I decided to give them a shot, so I found epazote and added it to my cart. I turned back to my list on the Shopper app, and saw that I was also looking for Mexican oregano, as well as anise seeds. (I know, this all sounds extremely complicated, but sometimes good recipes call for strange spices and you just have to do a little googling to get to the bottom of it!) For instance, I was under the impression that anise seeds would be the same as fennel seeds...since fennel is sometimes called anise. I was wrong however, and Yahoo taught me a few things. Apparently, anise seeds actually come from another spice, Star Anise. So, I went back to my cart on Spice It Up, and added both Mexican oregano and anise seeds to my cart as well. Each of these three spices were about $2 each, for about an ounce...whereas, at the grocery store, you have to buy a big bottle, that will spend a lifetime sitting on your pantry shelf.

For the three spices I needed this week, I spent $6...plus a $2 flat shipping rate. I am still awaiting my delivery but I think I've found my new method for spice purchase. I saved myself some money, and some space in my pantry, but still get to try working with a spice I've never heard of before (more on epazote when I get to it on my menu this time around).

There are other places similar to Spice It Up but I chose to use them because they were at the top of my Google search. If you live in the Boston area, there's a store called Penzey's Spices (also with a website) and you can go there to browse their selection as well. I find it overwhelming to look through their catalog without some sort of plan, since I want to try them all!

Today, I'll be going grocery shopping too...and that means (drumroll please)...A BRAND NEW MENU! It starts tomorrow so there'll be plenty of fun things to talk about ... a new bunch of recipes I've never tried!

Leave me comments if there's something specific you'd like me to address, or just want to let me know that you're reading! I'm extremely excited to see over 200 viewers here, and I wonder ... do I know you all? Have I gotten some random viewers? Am I helping you? What do you want to see more of? Talk to me, because I'd love for this to be an interactive experience! XOXO