RECIPE: Fried Rice

I made this recipe up using left-over cooked brown and jasmine rice.  The below ingredient amounts are estimates, so feel free to use more or less of the veggies as needed or based on what you have on hand.  I used shrimp but it's easy enough to make this vegetarian by omitting the shrimp.  This is a great, super simple way to use up lots of CSA veggies!

canola oil
2 cloves garlic sliced
fresh ginger
diced peppers
chopped broccoli
zucchini or summer squash diced
1 lb. shrimp
lemongrass
1+ cup of cooked rice
edamame
sliced scallions
sesame oil
soy sauce

Heat canola oil over medium heat and saute garlic and ginger for 5 minutes.  Add pepper, zucchini/summer squash and broccoli, and saute for 3 minutes.  Add shrimp if using along with lemongrass (I don't cut it, I just throw it in whole).  Once shrimp is nearly pink, add cooked rice, scallions, edamame and a few dashes of sesame oil and soy sauce.  Add more sesame oil/soy sauce according to taste.  Enjoy!

RECIPE: COLD SESAME NOODLES WITH BROCCOLI AND KALE

Instead of deep-frying the broccoli in this sesame noodles recipe, we used a high-heat roasting method.

4 servings

INGREDIENTS

·                                 1 large head of broccoli, cut into large florets with some stalk attached

·                                 2 garlic cloves, 1 finely grated, 1 thinly sliced, divided

·                                 1 1/2 teaspoons sambal oelek

·                                 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, divided

·                                 3/4 cup vegetable oil, divided

·                                 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more

·                                 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more

·                                 3 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced, plus more for serving

·                                 1 (3-inch) piece ginger, peeled, cut into 1-inch matchsticks

·                                 4 cups chopped Tuscan kale leaves

·                                 2 (10-ounce) packages fresh ramen noodles or 2 (3-ounce) packages dried

·                                 Torn mint leaves and toasted sesame seeds (for serving)

PREPARATION

1.                                                      Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss broccoli with grated garlic, sambal oelek, 1 Tbsp. vinegar, and 1/4 cup oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until tender and browned in spots, 20–25 minutes.

2.                                                      Meanwhile, whisk scallions, ginger, sliced garlic, 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and remaining 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup oil in a large bowl. Add kale; toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour.

3.                                                      Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain; rinse under cold water. Add noodles and warm broccoli to kale and toss to coat. Divide among bowls and top with mint, sesame seeds, and more scallions.

Aioli with Roasted Veg

Aioli with Roasted Veg

• 1 small head broccoli, cut into florets and the stem cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 small head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
• 3 medium beets, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch wedges
• 3 medium turnips, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch wedges
• 1 acorn squash, halved, seeded and cut into 1-inch wedges
• 2 bunches scallions, trimmed and halved lengthwise
•  Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
•  Kosher salt, to taste
•  Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
•  Pomegranate seeds, for serving (optional)

• FOR THE AIOLI:

1 to 3 garlic cloves, grated or mashed to a paste

1 teaspoon lemon juice, more to taste

⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

MAKE THE VEGETABLES:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place broccoli  and cauliflower together on one large rimmed baking sheet or pan, and beets and turnips on another. Place squash and 1 bunch scallions on individual pans. Toss all vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper until well coated. Roast scallions 12 to 15 minutes; broccoli and cauliflower 20 to 30 minutes; squash 30 to 40 minutes; and beets and turnips 40 to 50 minutes. Toss all periodically while roasting.
MAKE THE AIOLI:
Combine garlic, lemon juice and salt in a blender or food processor and let sit a minute or two. Add eggs and blend until combined. With the blender running, slowly add the olive oil in a thin, steady stream. You can use a mortar and pestle if you prefer. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and lemon juice if needed.
Arrange roasted vegetables on platter and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds if using. Serve with the aioli on the side.

broccoli and macaroni

Broccoli with Macaroni

 A message from Anthony Ciani about this recipe-

"My grandmother used to make this for me when I would visit her as a kid and there wasn't much in the fridge. As a kid, I was always skeptical of the broccoli stems but now they are my favorite part. It has the most delicious garlicky, olive oily, cheesy taste that makes it perfect for kids, but I've been making it into my adult life cause it's that good. Great for a quick and delicious lunch or dinner."

Ingredients

1 head of fresh Broccoli, cut into small florets, peels stems and cut into thin slices

1 or more cloves garlic, crushed or roughly diced

Olive oil

 Red pepper flakes

Salt and Pepper

1.      Wash and prepare broccoli as directed above. Set aside.

2.      Head about ¼ cup olive oil and lightly sauté crushed garlic until fragrant. Add red pepper flakes to taste.

3.      Add broccoli to pan. Season with salt and add about ½ cup of water. Cover pan and steam broccoli until tender.

4.      In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Cook macaroni until al dente. Drain and add macaroni to broccoli. Finish cooking in pan, about 2 minutes. If soupy mixture is desired, add some pasta water with the pasta. Too much water will drown out the flavor of the dish however.

Notes:

Traditionally, a mixture of small or broken spaghetti is used for this dish. Long pasta is not appropriate.

1 lb of pasta is suitable for 1 large head of fresh broccoli.

KALE, TOASTED ALMOND, AND PARMESAN SALAD

KALE, TOASTED ALMOND, AND PARMESAN SALAD

Ingredients

·        100g kale

·        100g broccoli

·        1 shallot, finely chopped

·        40g grated parmesan

·        50g toasted flaked almonds

·         

For the dressing

·        60ml (4 TBSP) extra virgin olive oil

·        2 tbsp white wine vinegar

·        2 tbsp lemon juice (about 1 lemon, depending on size)

·        1 tsp maple syrup

·         

Instructions

1.      Remove any large stalks from the kale and thinly slice the leaves. I find the easiest way to do this is to bunch them together in one hand and then chop in a similar way to fresh herbs.

2.      Add the broccoli to a food processor and whiz for a few seconds until you have small rice-like chunks. Alternatively, finely chop the broccoli.

3.      In a large bowl, toss the kale, broccoli, shallot and parmesan together. If serving immediately, also add the flaked almonds.

4.      Whisk together (or shake in a jar) the dressing ingredients and toss with the salad. Add the almonds just before serving.

Notes

This salad can be prepared and dressed ahead of time. Just leave out the flaked almonds until serving so they don't lose their crunch.

If you can't find toasted flaked almonds, you can toast your own: spread flaked almonds out on a baking tray and put in the oven at 180c. Keep an eye on them - they should only take 3-4 minutes. Store any extra in an airtight container.

RECIPE: Broccoli Cream Pesto

Difficulty Level: Intermediate

1/2 pound broccoli

1/2 pound dried spaghetti or other pasta
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (or, more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Freshly ground black pepper or pinches of red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons heavy cream
A heap of grated parmesan (about 1/2 cup), to serve

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for your pasta.

Remove broccoli florets from stems and chop into medium florets. Peel stems with a vegetable peeler and slice them into 1/2-inch segments. 

Use your pot of future pasta water to par-boil (for 3 to 5 minutes) your broccoli florets and stems until just tender, then drain if needed and set them aside.

Add pasta to water and cook until al dente, or about one minute less than fully cooked. Before draining pasta, reserve a cup of pasta cooking water and set it aside. Drain pasta.

Wipe out pot so that you can use it again. In the bottom of pot, melt butter and olive oil together over medium heat. Add onion and reduce to medium-low, sauteing it until tender, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another two minutes. Add steamed broccoli, salt and red or black pepper and turn the heat back up to medium-high, cooking it with the onion and garlic for a few additional minutes. Pour cream over mixture and let cook for 30 seconds. 

Transfer broccoli mixture and all of its creamy bits at the bottom of the pan to a blender or food processor and blend in short bursts until it’s finely chopped and a little sauce. Don’t worry if it looks dry; that reserved pasta water will give it the sauciness it needs in a minute.

Add the broccoli sauce back to the pot with the drained spaghetti and a splash or two of the reserved pasta water. Cook over medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing the mixture so that it evenly coats. Add more pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Adjust seasonings to taste, adding more salt or pepper, and scoop into a serving bowl. Shower spaghetti with grated parmesan and dig in.

Submitted by Sarah Marder

RECIPE: What to do with Homemade Bread Crumbs

[a tip from Ann] 

Everytime you have some leftover good bread, slice and lightly toast the leftovers in your toaster, oven or toaster oven. Real cooks recommend removing the crusts; I don't bother. (Honestly, I don't even toast it first. I just grind up the old bread.)

Pulse in food processor until the bread becomes crumbs. I store them in a ziploc bag in my freezer. These have many uses: you can saute them in a pan with a little oil and add any seasonings of your choice such as garlic, herbs, or a bit of grated cheese. Use them to top roasted vegetables (broccoli, asparagus), sauteed greens in garlic, gratins, or pasta dishes (especially good when made with garlic and parmesan and used to top pasta with pesto). You can also use them for coating meat or fish for sauteing or frying.

Being a midwestern cheapskate I had stored up bags of these in the freezer and they were driving my husband crazy. Once we knew we were moving this summer I started trying to use everything up and started putting bread crumbs on everything and now we are out! They taste great and the little bit of crunchy texture is a great complement to so many dishes.

RECIPE: Potato and broccoli salad with feta and basil

Serves 4

Ingredients:

6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Zest of 1 lemon, plus 2 tbsp juice

Salt and pepper

¼ onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 lb small new potatoes, scrubbed and diced

3/4 lb broccoli

A big handful of basil leaves

Crumbled feta, to taste

Procedure:

1. In a salad bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, plus some salt and pepper. Stir in the onion.

2. Halve the potatoes and separate the broccoli florets from the stalks. Slice the stalks across into circles. Cook the potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for about 10 minutes, or until easily pierced, then add the broccoli and simmer for 2 minutes more.

3. Drain thoroughly and add to the dressing, tossing well. Leave for 10 minutes to soak up the flavours; add the basil and feta just before serving

RECIPE: Summer Vegetable Stir-Fry with Couscous

• From Bon Appetit, August 2003
• Serves 4
• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 2 cups diced peeled eggplant
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup couscous
• 2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 cup diced peeled carrots
• 1 cup diced zucchini
• 1 cup diced yellow crookneck squash
• 1 cup small broccoli florets
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Procedure:

1. Toss eggplant and 1 teaspoon salt in medium bowl; let stand 30 minutes. Rinse and drain eggplant. Pat dry.

2. Bring 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to boil in large saucepan. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 10 minutes. Uncover; fluff with fork.

3. Whisk 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and vinegar in small bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggplant and carrots; stir-fry 3 minutes. Add zucchini and next 5 ingredients; stir-fry until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add couscous and vinegar mixture; stir-fry 1 minute. Stir in basil and mint. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with pine nuts.

Recipe: From Member Stacey Gilles

We roasted our first chicken share last night and it was so good!

Everything on this plate (with the exception of the croutons and butter) was from Chubby Bunny. No fancy preparations, just simple, fresh food!

Roasted Chicken with garlic pan sauce

Steamed broccoli

Buttered carrots