Basil Dressing

As I lamented (yeah. poor me.) about in a previous post, I had a lot of basil on my hands this week since I foolishly bought some before getting a nice bunch from the farm on Thursday. I often find myself getting bogged down by ingredients, feeling like I have to do something extra-creative with them. This is why I wasn't going to make pesto. Been there, done that. I know this is silly, but half the fun of having the CSA is being forced to experiment with ingredients that are either new or in abundance. After slicing up the pretty tomato (yes, that's singular. one tomato. they're not quite ready, yet!) and sprinkling some basil on top to let it marinate before dinner (this makes a big difference, in my opinion. for bruschetta topping, as well. let those flavors marry before eating!) - I realized I had to make lunch to bring to work. One of my favorite things to do with extra herbs or veg I have is to chop it all up and add it to bulgur for a salad. My 'recipe' for this will come in another post. The bulgur always needs a dressing. Knowing this recipe isn't THAT creative, I am still sharing it because it was tasty and pretty enough to post here...not to mention a good way to use up basil.

Basil Dressing
In a blender put:
2 cloves garlic
huge tablespoon of dijon
couple glugs of vinegar (i have been using an orange/champagne/muscat from Trader Joe's that is fun)
equal amount of olive oil (i like it vinegary)
a bunch of basil leaves - to taste (i used about 25 smallish leaves)
salt and pepper

WHIZ on high in your blender until emulsified. Dressing made this way will not break, and will keep well for at least 4-5 days. Would also make a good dip for veg, spread on panini, marinade for poultry/fish, and probably 5 other ways I haven't come up with ;)

Eggstravagant!

Long vilified as cholesterol laden muck, eggs are actually a great, healthful source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Don't bother with the store bought kind if you have access to pasture raised eggs. Yes, we pay $6 a dozen. Worth every penny and we can never go back.

How do we fit this in to our weekly food budget? Supper, that quaint little tradition of eating a light evening meal. This is fast, fast food for those nights when the baby shrieks and clings to my leg and the 4 year-old has not yet burned his requisite 60,000 calories of boy energy and is in to more mischief than my weary bones can describe. Besides, they do it in France.

We make: omelets, frittatas, quiche, and hardboiled eggs in salad. And for the aforementioned mischief maker: two eggs, sunny-side up. I know you're never supposed to become a short-order cook for your child, but it's far too late for us to go back.

The cooked egg dishes are a lovely repository for left-over vegetables, even the slightly wilted variety. We may eat a side salad if we have lettuce, or maybe just some steamed veggies to go along side.

Before there was Ratatouille, there was Over the Hedge.  A perfect Friday night movie for a family with small children.  It's a story about a group of forager animals that you would typically find in a wooded area (raccoons, turtles, porcupines (from Minnesota),  and squirrels) trying to get 'over the hedge' to gain access to the human food supply (aka garbage).  

I have to note that Ben Folds does the entire soundtrack!

I love this clip from the movie that describes everything (that's wrong?) about the typical American 'food delivery' system.

Food Delivery System

Summertiiiimmme...and the eating is eaaasyyy

[I haven't decided whether to remain technical or get creative with post titles, so you will have to excuse the dorky ones (ahem, like today). Maybe I should just stick to the date of my CSA delivery and leave it at that?]

In my box this week (R's might be a bit different. Did you get carrots or beets? I got neither. Hmph!):
Sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomato + two babies, lettuce, garlic, red torpedo onions, basil!, lemon verbena, zucchini, plums and a mix of small potatoes (red, white and blue).

I'm most excited about the corn, which I still insist on eating just off the cob, and the basil. I did just buy basil at Trader Joe's because I *had* to have some, even if it was from Mexico. This is a slow weaning process, this trying to eat locally thing! At least it was in season. Now that one daughter is in swim class every Saturday morning, I am barred from getting to either of our two farmer's markets. Typing this now reminds me that I should try to find one near her class.

Last time we got lemon verbena, I made it into a tea to drink hot or cold. That was lovely. I think this time I need to get more creative with it and make an olive oil cake or something else sweet. I have a constant supply of it as my friend has a bush in her backyard (thanks!).

As for a menu - we haven't quite figured it out this week. Also, all the produce is so fresh and ready-to-eat that I don't think we really need a real menu on how to incorporate these vegetables.
-M

Grains and Beans!

I just signed up for a share of California grown grains and beans. The first delivery is in 5-6 weeks. Which means, project organize your freaking kitchen had better get in to full swing. More to come.
-R

6.28.07

Oops, I'm already not keeping up with this!

Contents of our box last week:

4 ears of CORN!
pint of cherry tomatoes
4 large, light green zucchini
bag of BLUE potatoes
swiss chard
parsley
apricots
cherries
strawberries
onions

A few things we have done with the contents:

Steamed the corn and ate it pronto.
Grilled the zucchini and last week's yukon gold potatoes
Sauteed the swiss chard with the onion (wow are they sweet!!)
Parsley has had many uses!

The thing about summer produce is that you don't really need to really 'do' anything with it or to it. I'm going to have to start getting creative with the zucchini, though. Seeing Ratatouille over the weekend reminded me what a great dish that is in the summer.
-M

Corn Vindication

Reading Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemna, it is hard not to come down on the wrong side of corn. The first third of the book is devoted to the intrinsic ability of corn to be a superplant, both in the way it grows and the many uses that American corporations have derived from it. So, it is not too hard to develop negative feelings towards poor corn, knowing that it is the spawn of such 'evil' (high fructose corn syrup!, mineral-depleted soil!, overusage of pesticides and nitrogen in order to grow it!).

And then, I had an ear of corn from Eatwell Farm. Glorious, fabulous, oh so sweet 'butter-sugar corn' (as we called it in upstate NY - is that true of everywhere?) whose kernels were jumping off the cob, they were so fresh. Oh meeee. Oh myyyy. I started stealing my kids' corn, it was so good. It didn't even need salt or butter, but old habits die hard.

Corn, how I love thee. In your natural/organic form, you are better than ever.

-M