Week Nineteen: Samesies

I got to hang out with my favorite “other guy” this weekend while Dan was away. It was a tiring weekend – between getting up at the crack of dawn for walks, running around on the beach, and chasing the laser pointer (him, not me!), I was completely wiped out by Sunday night. Dan finally got home late Tuesday night, so now I’m happy. 

Totally wiped out. 

We’ve sort of gotten into a routine at the farm – we check in, ooh and aah over the things we haven’t used before, and get mostly the same vegetables week to week. It was actually pretty hard to pick our veggies this week. Aly had the excuse of being excited for Nationals this weekend, but I think I’m in a rut! But there’s just one more week to go, and I got some butternut squash… soup is on the menu this weekend for sure. We picked up a red onion, carrots, lettuce, peppers, squash, sweet potatoes, and regular potatoes.

 

My squashes. I call them Bert and Ernie.

I made chicken soup for dinner last night with my farm carrots and onion. We didn’t have any celery, though, and I wish I’d added some garlic – but it was well-received! As an almost-afterthought I added the rice part of a rice pilaf mix, which I think worked well (I’ll use more next time). Small pasta would work well, too: stars, alphabets, stuff like that.

 

Sweet potatoes. If you were curious, my attempt at gnocchi had .... interesting results. Details to come.

Chicken and Rice Soup (cobbled together from a few different sources)

3 chicken breasts*, trimmed of excess fat

1-2 carrots, cut into ¾” cubes (I used 1.5 of my carrots)

1 small onion, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced or sliced thin

2 quarts chicken stock, water, or a mix of the two (veg stock might also work well)

Veg oil for browning

1 cup long grain rice

Heat a small amount of oil in a big Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. When hot, add the chicken to the pan and cook until browned – you may have to do this in batches. Add in the diced vegetables and cook for a minute or two. Add the stock or water, cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the rice and reduce head to medium-low. Simmer about 20-25 minutes, until rice is tender.

About 5 or so minutes before the rice is done, fish out the chicken and shred or chop small on a cutting board. Add back to the pot to rewarm through, and then serve hot with crackers or cheese croutons.

*You could also do this with a whole chicken, though you’d probably need to increase the proportions of the other ingredients to account for the additional meat. 

Week Fifteen: The Cold Begins!

The weather continues to be all confused: nights in the high 30s/low 40s and days that just seem to do whatever… yesterday (Tuesday) was 64 and today is in the low 70s. Friday may hit the near-80s. I guess it’s time to take the A/C out of the window and relocate it to the attic! I've got some grand plans for this week, including roasting a chicken for dinner tonight (with local veg, of course!), making stock and at least one kind of soup, and freezing some stuff for later. A small offshoot of the freezing task is to assess and organize what’s already in the freezer… how fun! Must be the onset of fall putting me into hibernation mode – I just wish I had more sunlight to work with ;)  

Good time to break out this candle!

This week at the farm was pretty chilly, but the harvest is still going strong. I picked up some leeks, scallions, potatoes, kale, and celery – the lightest bag I've had since June! We've definitely turned the corner back into “leafy things”. Aly got tomatoes, lettuce, eggplant, peppers, and broccoli. I almost got some kohlrabi (it looks like a purple alien turnip thing – and we had no idea what to do with it), but then the scallions came out so I scrapped that. We took a short trip through the fields to grab some dill and snack on some raspberries. They were delicious, as usual.

 

Celery and scallions.

Kale! To be chipped, souped, frozen...

I still had my melon from last week, and I finally got a chance to cut it up. I’d looked up how to de-seed a watermelon, but I think the technique is better used on the ginormous ones you get at the grocery store – I don’t think there would have been much left of my little round one if I’d gone along with this plan completely! I don’t have any pictures, unfortunately (it’s really messy!), but here’s a link to the guidelines I used.

Basically, you cut the ends off the melon, and then cut a wedge into the long side (not all the way to the middle). You can then break off that chunk – the seeds will come out with it. Keep doing that all around the melon until you get back to the beginning, and then you’re left with the delicious “heart”. You can cut the seeds out of each long slice, and then use the flesh as you normally would. It seemed exceedingly wasteful to do that with mine, so I did my best to scrape out the seeds and chunk up the rest for freezing.

 

Filthy dirty leeks - who let them out of the barn?!

Bacon, Leek, and Egg Risotto (via Smitten Kitchen)

I usually halve this recipe because I feel it makes plenty for a side plus leftovers, but I've made it for a meal and been happy.

6 cups low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable broth, plus some extra to thin out the rice

1 cup (4 ounces) finely chopped bacon (about 4 slices) or pancetta (I would never halve this!)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large or 3 smaller leeks, quartered lengthwise, cleaned*, and chopped small

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to fry eggs

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

2 cups arborio, carnaroli, or another short-grained Italian rice

1/3 cup dry white wine or vermouth

1 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish if desired

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 to 6 large eggs, you’ll want one per serving (I don't usually use them)

Put the stock in a small pot and heat gently - it should be warm but not yet simmering. Heat another pan, about 3 quarts, over medium heat, and cook the bacon until just crisp and the fat is rendered. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and put aside. Add a splash of oil to the pan if needed, then cook the leeks on medium/low for about 10-12 minutes. Scoop out and add to the bacon.

Add the butter to the same pan and cook the onion until translucent and tender, 5 minutes or so. Add the rice and saute about 4 minutes to lightly toast. Add the wine/vermouth and cook until almost gone. Add about a cup of the warm stock to the pan and simmer while it absorbs. Stir frequently. Add the rest of the stock in 1/2 cup increments, stirring, until the rice is done. This usually takes me 20 minutes or so for al dente. Keep tasting to check for your personal version of "done". When you're happy, add the bacon and leeks back into the pan, then stir in the cheese. Add salt and pepper if desired, then serve.

If serving with fried eggs: Melt about a teaspoon of butter in a small nonstick pan on medium/low heat. Crack an egg into the pan and cook gently until the whites are set - you can put a lid on the pan to speed this up if you'd like. Cook to your preferred "done" - this recipe calls for sunny-side up, but if that's not cooked enough for you, keep on cookin'. Transfer to the first bowl of risotto and add more cheese and seasonings if desired.

* To clean leeks: Shake over a sink to get the easy stuff off, then peel back a couple of the dirtiest leaves if needed. Quarter lengthwise as directed, then slice thinly. Have a big bowl or pot of cold water handy. Dump the sliced leeks into the pot or bowl and gently swish them around to loosen up the dirt. Let everything sit for a couple minutes for the dirt to settle, then carefully skim off the floating leeks. Dry in a towel or salad spinner.

Week Seven: Ribbony Goodness

This weekend was a fantastic break from the heat. It was a (relatively) chilly low-80s Sunday, with no humidity, and then the rain came back. I could almost hear my poor hostas guzzling the water from yesterday’s rainstorms… I just wish the grass in the garden didn’t ALSO like the rain so much!

It was really wet at the farm, so we didn't go out into the picking fields. The tomatoes were ready, so Matt happily grabbed a couple, along with some greens, squash, and cucumbers (which we split, since we were allowed 4 per share). I got more carrots, bell peppers (purple and white!), and a couple more zucchini (yellow and green this time).

Veggie goodness

How pretty are these?

I've become a little obsessed with those pickled veggies, so I will definitely make some more with those peppers! They supposedly last up to a month in the fridge as long as they’re in the liquid, but I’m not sure how to test that theory since they are too good to leave uneaten. I also made a ribbon salad with two of the zucchini and my carrots – made a great lunch with some plain chicken. Lastly, I’m happy to say that my basil plant seems to be faring pretty well in a vase next to the sink, despite my past history with houseplants. Maybe there’s hope for me!

Ribbon Salad (adapted from several sources)

1 small green zucchini
1 small yellow zucchini (I’m reasonably certain that it was NOT a yellow/summer squash)
1 bunch carrots
Apple cider vinegar

Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Wash/scrub the veggies – I peeled the carrots since the dirt was pretty ground into their skins. Peel the zucchini into thin ribbons over a colander or strainer, turning it in your hand to keep the strips evenly sized (only peel until you can see the seeds). Toss with a little bit of salt and let them sit for a while to sweat. I made a quick dressing with olive oil and cider vinegar (didn't think to measure) and some freshly ground pepper in the bottom of a large bowl and then ribboned the carrots into that. (Next time for stability I’ll probably lay everything on the counter to peel. Holding the veg resulted in some weird pressure patterns!) Dump the zucchini into a kitchen towel and squeeze out the water, then break up the mass and mix into the carrots and dressing (or use a salad spinner). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sweating it out in the sink.

Carrots before ribboning...

Ribbons and carrot cores

I also made some stock, since I didn't really feel like actual cooking. It really couldn't be easier: I trimmed 5 boneless/skinless chicken breasts and hacked up an onion and a couple (store-bought) carrots, put everything in my big stockpot and added water to cover and seasoning to taste, and boiled away until the chicken was done (10-15 min for 2-inch chunks, 15-20 for whole breasts). Take the chicken out and serve/freeze/shred/dice/etc. I kept the broth and veg at a high simmer for another hour or so to reduce, then strained everything into another big pot to cool. I freeze it in sandwich-size zip-top bags and use it for risotto, pasta, and my vegetarian carbonara. 

Veggie chunks.

This smells awesome.