Cream of the Crop Recipe Week 7: Zucchini Bread

            Zucchini Bread

                                    By:  Kurt Flehinger & Joelle Floyd

This makes a delicious breakfast or dessert, sans guilt, since you’re eating your vegetables!  And it’s an easy way to make a dent in the large quantity of zucchini we all received.

1 large zucchini (approximately 2 cups) grated on the large holes of a box grater.

2/3 C. canola or other neutral oil

2 eggs

1/2 C. dark brown sugar (increase both sugars to 3/4 C. if you like your bread sweet)

1/2 C. white sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 C. all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter a 9 x 5 loaf pan.
3. Combine thoroughly zucchini, oil, eggs, both sugars and vanilla in a large bowl.
4. Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices in another bowl and whisk together until well combined.
5. Add dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture and fold just until combined.
6. Scrape batter into the loaf pan.
7. Bake in the oven for 50 - 60 minutes until a toothpick or other tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan.  Don’t cover the pan in order to retain the crunchy top!
9. When ready to serve, remove from pan and slice.

Note:  You can easily substitute grated carrot for some of the zucchini.  Just make sure that you grate 2 cups of vegetables.

About Kurt, Jami, Jax and Joelle:

     Kurt and Jami pretty much raised their two kids in their Upper West Side kitchen. On holidays and ordinary weekdays, Jax (a college junior) and Joelle (who is studying public health) are cooking up something, from sautéed kale with garlic and olive oil to homemade pizza to BBQ tacos.

Cream of the Crop Recipe Week 6: Basil and Red Shiso Pesto Pasta With Corn

                        Basil and Red Shiso Pesto Pasta With Corn

                                By:  Kurt Flehinger & Joelle Floyd

                                                                        

Red Shiso combined with basil create a sweet, minty flavored sauce for pasta or gnocchi.  The corn adds a delicious sweet crunch.

1/2 c. packed basil leaves

1/2 c. packed red shiso leaves

3 cloves garlic

1/2 c. walnuts, pine nuts or cashews

Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

2 ears of corn

1 lb. Rigatoni or Farfalle

1. Boil a large pot of salted water.  When water boils add pasta and cook according to package directions.

2. While pasta boils, place basil, shiso leaves, garlic and nuts in the bowl of a food processor or blender and puree.  

3. With motor running, add olive oil in a slow, steady stream until the mixture comes together and is creamy.  

4. Add salt, pepper and grated cheese and process just until well blended.

5. Scrape pesto into a large bowl.

6. Once pasta is nearly cooked, remove 1/4 pasta cooking water, add to pesto and stir to loosen.

7. Remove corn from cob.

8. When pasta is cooked al dente, removed from heat, drain and add to bowl with pesto.  Add corn and stir well to combine. 

9. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Note:  We served this with simple roasted carrots from our CSA bundle!  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Clean and peel the carrots and slice in half lengthwise.  Place carrots in a bowl and drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil.   Add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Put carrots on roasting pan and roast for 1/2 hour.  Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley. By the time you prepare the pesto, the carrots will be done!

 

About Kurt, Jami, Jax and Joelle:

     Kurt and Jami pretty much raised their two kids in their Upper West Side kitchen. On holidays and ordinary weekdays, Jax (a college junior) and Joelle (who is studying public health) are cooking up something, from sautéed kale with garlic and olive oil to homemade pizza to BBQ tacos.

  

Recipe of the Week:  Cabbage Kootu (Stew)

Cabbage Kootu (Stew) by Nandita Venkatesan One of my favorite dishes to make - it's incredibly warm and flavorful. Ingredients 1 large cabbage 3-4 medium carrots 1/2 cup peas  1/2 cup moong dal 1/2  cup grated coconut 1-2 green chilis 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 tsp mustard seeds 3-4 curry leaves 1 pinch of asafoetida powder ( or garlic powder) 1/4 tsp turmeric oil + salt to taste  cilantro to garnish Step 1. Soak moong dal for 30 mins in 1 cup of water. Grind coconut, green chilis, cumin seeds, and 1/2 cup water to form a paste. Set aside. Step 2. Add 1.5 tablespoons of oil to your Instant pot or pressure cooker. Add optional asafoetida powder and wait for it to splutter. Once the oil starts to splutter, add curry leaves and mustard seeds. Step 3. Finely chop the cabbage and add to the pot. Wait for the cabbage to reduce in size - then add diced carrots and peas. Salt thoroughly and add turmeric. Step 4. After the vegetables are par cooked for a few minutes, add the dal and enough water to just cover the vegetables and lentils. Close the lid and pressure cook for 7 minutes. Wait for the pressure to naturally release.  Step 5. Put the instant pot in Saute mode. Add the paste and stir 1-2 minutes. Taste intermittently to ensure there is no raw coconut taste.  Step 6. Garnish with fresh cilantro  - serve with rice. Stovetop method: If you are cooking without an instant pot 1) Soak the dal for 30 minutes 2) Boil the dal in a sauce pot for 10-12 minutes. Cook your lentils with a teaspoon of oil or ghee to keep from foaming and spilling over. 3) Then add the lentils to the vegetable mixture (after step 4). Nandita Venkatesan       A recent transplant to the UWS, Nandita enjoys getting involved in her neighborhood and getting outdoors. While she mostly makes Indian food, she loves making simplified versions of dishes that are easy to prepare on weekdays and incorporate local ingredients. Her go-tos are fun and tasty vegetable and lentil stews. Favorite dishes include rhubarb rice, aloo saag, cabbage kootu (a rich and thick cabbage, peas, and carrot stew).

Cream of the Crop Recipe Week 4: Sauteed Beet Greens and Corn

Sauteed Beet Greens and Corn

By:  Kurt Flehinger

This dish is deceptively simple but full of the fresh flavor of spring.  Early season beet greens are delicious, nothing like the tough, bitter taste of weeks old beets found in most markets. The stems are crunchy and sweet and the leaves become soft when cooked.  Finish it all off with a splash of lemon juice and it’s the essence of spring vegetables.

1 bunch beet greens and stems

1 ear of corn (or 3/4 C. defrosted frozen corn kernels) 

2 garlic scapes (or 4 cloves garlic) chopped small

Olive Oil

Salt 

Black Pepper

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1.    Cut the beats from the stems.  Save the beet roots to roast or grate in a salad.  Rinse the stems and leaves carefully, they often are covered in lots of dirt.

2.    Tear or cut the leaves from the stems.

3.    Chop the stems into small pieces.

4.    Roughly chop the leaves, rinse again and put aside.  Do not dry the leaves as the water on them helps in the cooking.

5.    Slice the corn from the cob.

6.    Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in large frying pan over medium high heat.

7.    Add beat stems, corn and garlic scapes and add pinch of salt and black pepper.  Sauté for 5 minutes until softened and corn just begins to caramelize.

8.    Add chopped leaves and 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper and stir to lift up any caramelized garlic or corn.  Sauté 3-5 minutes until leaves are tender.  

9.    Remove from heat and sprinkle with lemon juice and serve.

Note:  If you are serving this along side a pasta dish, adding a splash of the starchy pasta water after the leaves are tender makes the dish extra creamy. 

About Kurt, Jami, Jax and Joelle:

     Kurt and Jami pretty much raised their two kids in their Upper West Side kitchen. On holidays and ordinary weekdays, Jax (a college junior) and Joelle (who is studying public health) are cooking up something, from sautéed kale with garlic and olive oil to homemade pizza to BBQ tacos.