Week 14

Food

arugula

green beans

fingerling potatoes

kale

sunflower

turnips

This week I enjoyed testing my newly learned TTL flash photography knowledge, and created a mysterious turnip photo. It reminds me of Harry Potter for some reason.

In terms of food, everything has been pretty basic, and I have been chomping away at the arugula.

Recipe

(May's Cooking Light)

Serves 4

salt 

pepper

ground fennel seeds

cumin

4 tsp olive oil, halved

16 oz beef tenderloin

1 cup arugula

1 bulb fennel

mayonnaise

crusty bread

1. Heat 2 tsp of olive oil in a pan. Add 1/4 to half of the herb mixture. Add thinly sliced fennel. Cook for 15 - 20 minutes.

2. Use the rest of the herb mixture to coat the beef tenderloin. Cook in a pan, roughly 4 minutes per side. Once done, let sit 10 minutes and then thinly slice.

3. On sliced bread, add 1 tsp of mayo (I made homemade out of lemon juice, salt, 1 egg, and canola oil), 1/4 of the cooked fennel, 1/4 of the arugula, and 1/4 of the beef. YUMMY!

Week 6

Food

Cabbage

Carrots

Kale

Parsley

Peas

String beans

Recipes

Really Week 6 is over, but it was good. De-lish. My two favorite dishes were spicy green beans with garlic and my very modified version of spaghetti alla carbonara. I also roasted the kale again, but at a lower temp and for less time. It just dissolved in my mouth.

Spicy green beans with garlic (from Emeril Lagasse, 2001)

Ingredients

1/4 cup clarified butter (I just stuck my non-clarified onto the skillet)

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I just minced mine)

2 small green peppers, stems and seeds removed, minced 

2 t turmeric 

2 t ground cumin

1/8 t cayenne

1 lb green beans, tough ends removed

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 t salt

3 T sesame seeds (I did not add these)

1. In a large saute pan, heat butter over medium-high. 

2. Add garlic, peppers, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, and cook, stirring until the garlic begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. 

3. Add the green beans, water, salt, and stir well. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. 

5. Add the sesame seeds and cook uncovered, stirring, until toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. 

Modified spaghetti alla carbonara

Ingredients

1 lb spaghetti (I don't do spaghetti, so I used whatever noodles I had on hand...probably penne)

2 t olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, trimmed of fat and diced (I didn't have any on hand, so I used lots of de-thawed frozen shrimp instead)

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 large egg

2 large egg whites

2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until they turn golden. Add shrimp and cook 1 minute. Add white wine and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat.

3. In a small bowl, whisk egg, egg whites, cheese, and parsley. Season with pepper.

4. Drain pasta and return it to the pot. Add the egg mixture and the shrimp to the pasta. On a low heat, toss the pasta until the eggs are creamy, 30-40 seconds; do not overcook. Add more pepper, and serve. 

Week 5

Food
Carrots
Garlic scapes YUM!
Lettuce
Peas
Rainbow chard
Turnips

Recipes
It seems like we received more food than that? At any rate, I cooked up the garlic scapes Wednesday night, per Sarah and Jeremy per the chef at the goods pick up. I cut them up, disgarding the top soft part. I cooked them in a hot pan with some olive oil for a couple minutes, and then added salt, pepper, and 1 T of balsamic vinegar. I served it over pasta, and with a salad made of my fresh veggies. Next time I would stick to the pesto, just because that is SO SO good, or use this as more of a side dish.