Running on Empty

It's been a long week so far, and it's only Wednesday night! After a phenomenal birthday dinner for my dad last night (at Troquet), and some sushi for dinner tonight (Blue Fiji), I realized that this weekend will definitely see us going grocery shopping. I've got some potatoes for gnocchi on Friday night, and there's some beets and radishes left over from the crop share that I received, but all in all, the refrigerator is looking a bit bare.

from Flickr - by CubaGallery

A friend of mine passed along a few cookbooks that she was getting rid of as part of a move, and there are also a few books that I haven't used in awhile. I've also cut a bunch of recipes out of magazines recently, so I have a lot to choose from for the next menu. However, I didn't want to leave all my readers out of the loop!

from Flickr - by Horn & Ram

Do you have a ton of something growing in your garden...and you don't know what to do with it? Do you have a recipe that you've been dying to try, but are a bit intimidated by the instructions? What about a cuisine that you've never tried before...feel like something new? Let me know - comment on this post and give me suggestions for the next menu! I haven't gotten many requests as of yet, but as you've seen, I really do try to accomodate them when I get them...so get in touch! I really enjoy helping you guys learn more about flavors and ingredients that you are unfamiliar with, and in that process, I'm learning something new everyday as well! So, let's learn together! Comment now!

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!

Pasha

One cuisine that I haven't explored nearly enough is Turkish food. Thankfully, a Turkish restaurant has moved into a nearby town, and we've tried it twice now. The first time we had it, we ordered take-out, but when I walked into Pasha's space to pick up our order, I was immediately transported to a small cafe in the center of Istanbul. I had to try eating there, and tonight, we did!

First, let me say that the presentation on every dish that was brought to us was absolutely gorgeous. The colors, the music and the decor in the restaurant are so authentic, and I think it will quickly become one of my new local favorites. We decided to order a bunch of things to share, and I got some great pictures too! I'm also going to include the Turkish name for each dish, in parentheses, for fun. I love learning new languages.

For appetizers (mezeler), we chose to order Mujvair (mucver), which is baby zucchini fried with fresh vegetables, topped with garlic yogurt sauce. We also ordered Beet Tarator (kirmizi pancar), which is boiled and shredded beet with homemade yogurt and mayonnaise. The zucchini was crispy and well seasoned, tasting fresh and light. The beets were REALLY good! It was a chilled dish that would make for a great summer side dish...I think I'm going to try making it sometime soon!

For our shared entrees, we chose to order the Shepherd Salad (coban salatasi) and Baytea (beyti). The salad included diced tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green peppers, mint, dill, parsley and was lightly dressed with a house dressing. It was so fresh and crispy and cool...really the perfect dish for a warm spring day like today. Very refreshing! As for the Baytea, it is sauteed ground lamb gently rolled in fillo dough, topped with yogurt and tomato sauce. There must be some lemon juice in the sauce as well because it had this wonderful hint of acidity in every bite. That acidity is something I never would expect, looking at the dish, but it just adds a brilliant touch.

Everything we've ordered at Pasha has been delicious, refreshing, and satisfying. It makes me want to visit Turkey so badly, to experience everything for real. Until that day, I will live vicariously through my visits to Pasha, which is located at 669A Massachusetts Avenue, in Arlington, MA. Right now, they aren't delivering, but it's worth it to drive there to pick up your order if you are looking for take-out. Their number is 781-648-5888. Check out their menu here!