Farmers' Market Glory

This week's buys: asparagus (the most delicate stalks yet this season), kale, 2 quarts of strawberries, a boule of chocolate cherry bread, and small seedlings of lemon thyme, basil, and Italian parsley. The seedlings have already been potted and the bread nibbled. This bread would make to-die-for bread pudding, along the lines of one of my mom's favorites--croissant bread pudding with chocolate chips and dried cranberries--but letting this loaf get stale seems like a travesty. Thinking about strawberry soup or strawberry pie...the eternal struggle between the new recipe and the tried and true.

I might have gone a little overboard, but it's better than buying shoes I don't need, right? This fresh local fare will nourish my body and spirit. (The shoes only work on the spiritual level.) I frequently suffer from buyer's guilt (variation on buyer's remorse), but never when it comes to my farmers' market purchases!

Greens!

Last weekend I bought beautiful rainbow swiss chard and kale at the farmer's market. I've never cooked swiss chard before, but I have cooked beet greens (and stems) back at the beginning of the CSA season when I was inundated with beets. The verdict on swiss chard...tastes like beet greens, i.e. like dirt, in a good way.

Swiss Chard with Almonds and Raisins
Adapted from Epicurious

medium onion, sliced into long strips
extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
1 large bunch of Swiss chard, center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
1/2 cup? golden raisins
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup? sliced almonds

1. Cook onion with 1/4 teaspoon salt in 2 tablespoons oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring, until softened.
2. Sprinkle with paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
3. Add chard in batches, stirring frequently, until wilted, then add raisins and water.
4. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until chard is tender, about 7 minutes.
5. Season with salt.
6. Cook almonds in remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a small heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
* I didn't do this step, out of pure laziness, the recipe also called for coarsely chopped almonds with skins, I used sliced almonds.*
7. Sprinkle almonds over chard.

I originally made the chard to eat with these tasty pork chops that Wednesday Chef talks about. A very paprika-heavy meal. But then I ate the leftovers hot and cold, as a side, a snack, and the main event; I'll eat just about anything with golden raisins.



Tonight I finally got around to the kale. Luckily, this was a bit of a fridge clean-out meal, too. (We'll get to that fridge later...)

Penne with Kale, Tomatoes and Feta1. Cook 1 lb. penne.
2. Toast pine nuts. Don't burn them like I did.
2. Remove center ribs, coarse chop kale.
3. Put kale in pot with hot olive oil and two chopped cloves of garlic. Cook until kale is wilted.
4. Add crushed tomatoes (about 3/4 of the large can size...this dish isn't one for specifics) and cook for a few more minutes (Stir!)
5. Pour kale and tomato mixture on cooked and drained penne. Toss crumbled feta cheese on top.
6. Top with pine nuts.


Here's that fridge....as you can see the freezer's not any better.

And I'll be needing a place to put a 25-lb. turkey in a few days, hmm...

Generous Amounts of Kale

As the days of my neighborhood farmers' market season dwindle, I'm trying to indulge in the convenience of its location and its delectable fall produce bounty. Last week I bought some Empire apples, a few squash, and a GIANT bunch of kale. I'd been meaning to make this soup and the Sam's Club size bunch of kale seemed to be made for this recipe: Cannellini Bean Soup with Kale. I'll admit, however, as delicious as it was, now that I ate it...7? times in one week, I don't think I'll be making it again anytime soon. It was especially good with a grilled cheese at Serving 4 or 5. I also made The Barefoot Contessa's Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash....to.die.for. Even without the saffron, for which I couldn't bare to shed $18.99 at Giant. I remember the first time I ever made this recipe (my first ever risotto) with a dear old friend; we hunted down saffron threads at Treasure Island grocery store in Chicago, then sweat over the stove for what seemed like hours before devouring the creamy richness. Sorry no pictures...I ate it too fast!

Return to the kitchen, return to the blog

I whipped this tasty dish up last night with some butternut squash and a sweet potato (the last pieces of my last CSA share a few weeks back). This dish came together pretty quickly because I roasted the squash and sweet potato and steamed the kale last night. My diet has been severely lacking in the vegetable department, not to mention the green, leafy kind, and the kale has me feeling like Popeye...he ate spinach, but same idea.

First I sauteed some garlic and pine nuts in olive oil. Removed them from the pan and heated the roasted squash and potato, tossed in the kale and seasoned with allspice and salt. Mmm...tastes like fall.