This week’s CSA goodies
Loving CSA season already! Yay local Maryland produce! I managed to get through all but the garlic chives and mint last week. I know, I know... those were the easy ones. I don't know what I was thinking picking mint as my herb. I already have two plants taking over... one in the aerogargen and one in a flower bed. So, when I made my strawberry mint jam, I used fresher stuff that I picked from around here.
- Fresh onions (2 bulbs) - All gone already! One used when I made bison tacos the other night, and one used while making fried rice tonight.
- 1 1/2 pounds kale + collards
- 3/4 pound Swiss chard
- 1/2 pound bok choy - Destined for the grill!
- 1 pound turnips (scarlet queen and hakurei) + radishes (pink beauty) - some of each... on accident. And I can't tell them apart now.
- 1/4 pound lettuce
- A few seedlings (same options as this week with the addition of lettuce) - Tomatoes and parsley
- 1/2 pound carrots or 1/4 pound spinach - Felt like I had enough greens, no?
I bolded my picks.
I recently bought a book that I'm LOVING. . Yes, yes, yes. It's a beautiful book, primarily a cookbook but I hesitate to call it just a cookbook. It has these great profiles of local people involved in producing Maryland foods. Restaurants, farms, wineries, you name it. The list of resources is worth it alone... but the recipes... It's organized by season. By MARYLAND season. Love ya, California, but local cookbooks written by CA authors... well, they don't quite capture the joys and challenges of Maryland seasonal eating.
Last week's kale was used in the Risotto with Fresh Greens and Basil. I used purple basil grown right here inside the house. My arm almost fell off while cooking it... but yum. Plus, it reheats fairly well. Gotta love more than one meal for the price (and effort) of one. Especially when it's a little more effort than usual.
Then, last night... Oh, I'm so proud!! I made a souffle. ON A WORK NIGHT. Yep, loving the new work schedule. So, the recipe is for a Spinach Cheddar Souffle. Well, you might remember how I didn't take the spinach - and even if I did, it wouldn't have been the 1lb called for. And, um, I may have been out of cheddar. So, Kale/Swiss Chard Swiss Souffle it was. Plus, I also substituted the half and half for milk. And didn't measure the butter. And it turned out. Did I mention, it turned out?
Recipe: Kale Swiss Souffle
Summary: Adapted from Dishing Up Maryland by Lucie Snodgrass
Ingredients
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 lb spinach leaves, washed and chopped (Or Kale/Swiss Chard. They mean chopped... in little pieces. Take note.)
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced (I used 2)
- 4 tbs butter (Probably smart to measure this...)
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups half and half (I used whole milk)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper (I used black)
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese (1 cup) (I used smoked swiss)
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Instructions
- Heat oil in large skillet. Add kale/swiss chard mix and garlic (chopped in SMALL pieces. Trust me.) and cook over med-high heat, stirring occasionally, for around 5 minutes. If you're using kale or swiss chard, you might want to start cooking the stems a couple minutes early. Drain the greens and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375. Butter (or, if you must, spray with cooking spray) a 2 qt souffle dish. Melt the butter with in a medium saucepan over low heat and then whisk in the flour gradually - stirring constantly. Stir until smooth and bubbling.
- Gradually add the half and half (or milk), continuing to cook and stir over low heat until the sauce thickens. (Note: if you are using milk, it may not get truly thick. Go for thick-er.)
- Stir in salt, nutmeg, pepper and cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat, stir in yolks, and then greens.
- Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high. Stir until stiff peaks form.
- Add 1/3 of the mixture to the greens/cheese sauce, folding in. Fold in remaining green mixture. Pour mixture into souffle dish and bake for 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes clean.
- Marvel at your work, and serve immediately.
Diet type: Vegetarian
Number of servings (yield): 6
Meal type: dinner
Culinary tradition: French
Microformatting by .
So, check it out...
- Kale/swiss chard from
- Eggs from
- Milk from
- Butter and Swiss Cheese from
I'll say that both recipes were fairly labor intensive, but definitely worth it. I can't wait to try more of the recipes either. As you might expect there are quite a few featuring crab. I'm sure they're awesome... but I'm allergic. Excuse me while I hide so I'm not deported.
This post was part of hosted by Food Renegade.
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