Vanilla Bean Plum Pear Jam

There is one thing that can occasionally be really difficult about a CSA box... eating all of it before something spoils!  When there are only two of you and a work is a little crazy and you are going away for the weekend, well those are the times that it can be a challenge to make sure that something out of that awesome CSA box doesn't go to waste.  A few weeks ago I found myself staring at a container of ripe plums and pears on the eve of heading out of town for a little getaway.  I just couldn't toss them!

So it was time to make a batch of jam.  I turned up the Rolling Stones station on Pandora and set to work. 

It might sound like an odd combination, plum and pear, but it is so good!  The purple from the plum makes it a really pretty color.  And I tend to love that little something extra that comes with a vanilla bean scraped in with the fruit... so in it went.  This jam is destined to be a holiday gift.

My Generation by The Who is a pretty excellent soundtrack to making jam.

Vanilla Bean Plum Pear Jam

2.2 pounds of fruit (I had about 2/3rds of it as pear)

1 pound of sugar

1/2 vanilla bean

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Peel and dice the fruit, mix it with the sugar and vanilla bean (split and scraped) in a medium bowl and let sit for an hour.

Bring fruit mixture to a boil in a large pot, stirring often.

Cook, stirring often, until bubbles slow, foam subsides, fruit rises to the top, and jam sticks to a wooden or metal spoon when lifted from mixture, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice to taste. Can to make shelf stable.  Or for more immediate use, let cool for 1 hour and refrigerate.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

We have hit that point in summer where zucchini is beyond abundant.  My favorite thing to do with zucchini is to bake with it.  Super fresh zucchini grated and mixed into a bread or muffin is just so good. 

My favorite recipe this summer comes from Smitten Kitchen.  It is so easy to mix up and it holds up long enough for us to enjoy muffins for a quick breakfast for several days during the work week.  My favorite combo for the extra-goodness-ingredients would be chocolate chips, walnuts and golden raisins.  Yummy.

Zucchini Bread

Very slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Yield: 2 loaves or approximately 24 muffins (or 1 loaf and 12 muffins - my preferred combo!)

3 eggs
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans, liberally. Alternately, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla.

Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using.

Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.

Bake loaves for 60 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Muffins bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

~ Tara

Sauteed Lambs Quarters

I can definitely say I would not have purchased lambs quarters on my own.  That is part of the fun of being in a CSA - getting new & different produce goodies to try.  And I believe I am eating more 'greens' than ever, having never been known to be a fan of anything that might even kind-of-sort-of resemble spinach. 

When I saw lambs quarters listed in the weekly email from our CSA farmer, I thought hmmm this should be interesting.  And they were.  We took the suggestion from the farmer to prepare them simply and they went quite nicely with a grilled chop for a midweek meal on the patio.  This is the type of meal that oozes summer - simple, fresh, zero fuss and perfect for outdoor dining.

Sautéed Lambs Quarters with Spring Onions

Slightly adapted from Genesis Growers

Serves 4 as a side

1 bunch Lambs Quarters

3 Spring Onions              

3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Sea Salt

1-2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1 clove Garlic, chopped

 
   1. Wash and dry lambs quarters, removing the leaves from the stalk
   2. Thinly slice the white of the spring onion
   3. Slice green part of onion on a bias and reserve
   4. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan until almost smoking
   5. Add sliced spring onion and cook until just starting to brown, add in the garlic and heat until fragrant
   6. Add lambs quarters, red pepper flakes
   7. Continue to cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent browning, add the green part of the onion for the final few minutes
   8. Season with salt and vinegar to taste and serve, goes nicely alongside grilled pork chops or chicken

Spicy Beef Kebobs

Kebobs are a great and fast way to cook your meat and vegetables at once.  Not to mention you grill them, and we all know things that are grilled taste better.  The original recipe is from Good Eats, but I reduced the amount of Red Wine Vinegar since I felt the meat held onto too much of the vinegar aftertaste and hid the other flavors.  I might even remove it completely and replace it with a Merlot. 

Spicy Beef Kabobs

Adapted from Good Eats by Alton Brown

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless beef sirloin
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 4 (12-inch) metal skewers

Cut the beef into 1 1/2 to 1 3/4-inch cubes and place into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor combine the garlic, paprika, turmeric, cumin, salt, pepper and red wine vinegar. With the processor running drizzle in the olive oil.

Pour the marinade over the meat and toss to coat. Place in the refrigerator in an airtight container or a sealable plastic bag and allow to marinate for 2 to 4 hours.

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Thread the meat onto the skewers leaving about 1/2-inch in between the pieces of meat. Place on the grill and cook, with lid lowered, 2 to 3 minutes per side, 8 to 12 minutes in all (8 minutes for rare and 12 for medium). Remove from the heat to aluminum foil, wrap and allow to rest for 2 to 3 minutes prior to serving.

A great addition to this recipe is to add vegetables.  I like to add mushrooms, yellow onion, yellow squash, red pepper and zucchini.  Just chop them about the same size, toss with olive oil and some herbs of your choosing.  Then spear each on type onto its own skewer since each one cooks a little different. 

Enjoy

-Dan

Mid-Week Meals: Orzo + Herbs

One of our goals is to plan out our meals for the week and do our grocery shopping based on our menu.  We generally do a pretty good job of this but there is sometimes that day where you just do not feel like making what you had planned on or you forgot an ingredient and need to change plans.  Lately our quick solution is orzo with fresh herbs. 

Orzo is one of those great ingredients that you can build a meal off with what is in your garden or leftovers in your fridge.  One of the herbs that has done the best in our sad little herb container garden is marjoram... and it goes wonderfully with a little leftover grilled chicken breast and orzo.  And fresh lemon juice makes such a difference here in balancing out the flavors over a bottled lemon juice.  I hestitate to call this a recipe but with just a few ingredients you have a nice base to go in many directions; add grilled or blanched veggies, keep it just the orzo and herbs for a side dish, or even toss in some shrimp.  It has become one of our go to dishes for last minute mid-week meals.

Orzo + Fresh Herbs

Serves 2
Adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

1 cup orzo
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3-4 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh marjoran, parsley, and thyme
Fresh ground pepper

Optional ingredients:

1 grilled chicken breast, chopped and slightly cooled
1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes, diced heirloom tomatoes, or grilled zuchini
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook orzo in salted water until it is al dente, following the time directions on the package.  Drain well and rinse with cool water to bring down temperature. Transfer to bowl.

Stir in the olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh herbs. Modify amount of herbs to taste. Add parmesan cheese if desired.  Toss until mixed well.

Add either grilled chicken breast or shrimp and tomatooes or grilled veggies if desired.

Enjoy!

 - Tara

Shrimp Orzo...A Great Summer Sidedish

Fresh vegetables are one of the best things about the summertime.  Red bell peppers are no exception and since they are full of vitamins we have been trying to include them more in our cooking.  We found this simple orzo receipe that combines red peppers, orzo and shrimp. 

Prep work is fairly easy, the shrimp are thawed under room temperature running water.  Once done you'll need to devein them and clean them.  The red peppers just need to have the seeds removed and chopped into whatever size you want. 

Shrimp Orzo with Sauteed Vegetables

• 8 ounces orzo (about 1 1/3 cups)
• 14 oz can Chicken Broth
• Extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 medium zucchini or summer squash cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, quartered
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 2 heirloom tomatoes cut into bite size
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves plus sprigs for garnish
• 1 8-ounce ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Preparation

Cook orzo in large pot of boiling chicken broth and water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Transfer to large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon oil.

In a large skillet bring 3 tbs of butter to a low simmer.  Add shrimp and cook till done, about 8 min.  Remove and put aside.  Add red pepper, zucchini and cook till tender but firm.  Not mush. 

Place shrimp in bowl with orzo, add zucchini and bell pepper.  Add tomatoes, sliced basil, and mozzarella; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover; chill.

Garnish with basil sprigs and serve cold or at room temperature.

- Dan

Blueberry Compote

This past weekend was hot hot hot.  For those who have been saying they have missed summer hot weather this year, this past weekend was a nice big dose of that heat that we have been missing.    With blueberry season lingering, I really had a hankering for a blueberry dessert on Saturday.  Yet with our air conditioner working over time it didn't seem quite right to add more heat with the oven, so a cobbler or cake was out.  A berry compote with vanilla ice cream was the answer.

Compotes are one of the most simple items yet they are such a treat.  They can be homey and rustic or quite elegant and chic depending on how you use them.  There is also a huge variety of options and combinations out there for compotes.  I was looking for simple and the lowest number of ingredients.

Recipe: Blueberry + Strawberry Compote
Serves: 4 or so
Adapted from Gourmet

• 1 heaping cup blueberries
• 1 heaping cup strawberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Cook berries, sugar, and zest in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, thoroughly crushing blueberries with a potato masher, until juices are released and sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes.

Stir together lemon juice and cornstarch and then stir into blueberry mixture. Boil, stirring, 1 minute or so until mixture has thickened.

Transfer blueberry compote to a bowl and chill until cold, about 1 hour, or serve at room temperature

Enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini and Pasta

A perfect summer meal, in my opinion.  Nothing is worse than having to use the oven and multiple burners when its 95 degrees outside and the air conditioning is working hard to keep the apartment cool.  This recipe is incredibly simple, it only uses two burners, is quick, and the only real cooking technique you need to know is how to devein and clean shrimp.  If you don't know how to devein shrimp, you can use precooked, but it won't taste as good as the shrimp will be too chewy since you want to sautee them in butter.  There is a short video here on how to devein shrimp, definitely worth learning how to do this if you love to eat shrimp.

Recipe: Summer Shrimp Scampi
Serves 2 - 1 lb of fresh shelled and deveined shrimp
- 2 Tbs butter
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
- 1 Tbs fresh Parsley
- 1 medium Zucchini, chopped and quartered
- 1 medium Red Pepper, chopped and quartered
- 1/2 cup halved red grape Tomatoes
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Fresh Parmesan Cheese
- Half box of linguini pasta, cooked

Devein and clean the shrimp, saute in butter for about 3-5 min stiring frequently.  Add garlic, white wine and lemon juice, saute further until sauce reduces about 3 min.  Set aside in a large bowl.  Add oil to pan and set to medium low heat.  Add zucchini and peppers, saute for about 4-5 min stiring frequently.  Add tomatoes, and parsley to pan and continue to saute for another 2 min.  Combine cooked vegetables in large bowl with shrimp and pasta, stir to combine.  Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy.

All in all a very healthy and easy recipe.  If you don't have shrimp, or want to try something different, Scallops can be substitued.

- Dan

Orzo with Basil, Feta, & Tomato

Orzo is one of my latest obsessions for cooking. It is a wonderful base for a side dish or salad that looks a bit more 'fancy' than your everyday macaroni shaped pasta. We served this particular orzo dish for Dan's birthday party and again for Father's day and it received rave reviews both times. It is pretty simple to make and just as tasty as leftovers.

My only tip for this one is to cool down the orzo before stirring in with the basil, one of the times we made this we forgot to cool the orzo and it slightly wilted the basil and started to melt the feta. Not a huge deal, just a small little detail. And we can't always find the yellow grape tomatoes at the grocery store but the red ones work just fine on their own. We added asparagus once and it fit in nicely.

I found this orzo basil recipe on Epicurius from Bon Appetit here. I definitely recommend trying this one- it is so tasty! 

Recipe: Orzo with Tomatoes, Feta, and Green Onions

Source: originally printed by Bon Appetit

Serves 8

1/4 cup red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon honey 1/2 cup olive oil 6 cups chicken broth 1 pound orzo (or riso)

2 cups red and yellow teardrop or grape tomatoes, halved 1 7-ounce package feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups) 1 cup chopped fresh basil 1 cup chopped green onions 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.)

Bring broth to boil in large heavy saucepan. Stir in orzo, reduce heat to medium, cover partially, and boil until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Transfer to large wide bowl, tossing frequently until cool.

Mix tomatoes, feta, basil, and green onions into orzo. Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Add pine nuts; toss. Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!

 - Tara

Easy, Fresh Dinner: Herbed Penne with Grilled Vegetables

One of our favorite quick and easy dinners right now is Herbed Penne with Grilled Vegetables.  It is not the most ground-breaking of recipes but after a long day at work or a long Sunday of being out and about it is quite wonderful.  Besides being quick and easy, it is pretty healthy, economical, and can be very seasonal... and I am loving anything loaded with fresh basil these days.

It is a great recipe to make together as there are quite a few tasks to be done where you won't step on each other toes, this is important when you have a small kitchen to work in!  We like to have one of us start chopping the veggies and herbs while the other is pulling out all the ingredients and such, then while one is grilling the other is cooking the pasta, and finally while one is tossing everything together the other is cutting up the chicken.  Cooking together can be really nice way to transition into couple time and doing something active and engaging together after a day at the office.




I also love how this recipe can be a nice foundation and you can play with different veggies or herbs depending on the season. The fresh basil smells incredible and for me is a key part of the recipe. We have tried others, such as thyme, and they just didn't quite have the same effect as basil.

Recipe for Herbed Penne with Simple Grilled Vegetables
Adapted from Cooking Light
Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
Seasonal vegetables (summer squash, zucchini, bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, asparagus, etc), cut into 3/4” pieces
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Dry Italian spice mix, to taste
4 cups hot cooked penne
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil + an additional 3 Tablespoons
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup Romano cheese, grated
1/4 cup shaved Parmigiano cheese
1 grilled chicken breast, cut into small bite size pieces (optional)

Combine cut veggies in a grill basket or in aluminum foil; brush with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with about 3 Tbsp fresh basil and a little dry Italian Seasoning spice mix. Grill about 15 minutes on a medium heat. If using left over grilled veggies, reheat in a skillet over medium heat. After removing from grill (or burner), sprinkle with half of the black pepper, salt, and crushed red pepper.

Combined cooked, hot pasta, parsley, 1/4 cup basil, remaining 1 Tbsp of oil, remaining salt and black pepper, and the grated Romano cheese in a large bowl; toss well. Add in grilled veggies and chicken breast; toss to mix. After adding to plate sprinkle with shaved parmigiano cheese.

Enjoy!