To reveal the second mystery from yesterday’s post is to reveal that what you saw were garlic “scapes” aka the ‘spring’ shoots of the garlic plant. Where garlic is commercially cultivated, these fine morsels are often just clipped and discarded and never see the market. The scape is the young stem and budding “flower” of…
CSA Adventures … Mystery #2
Not every adventure needs to lead down a new path. In the inaugural mystery, “we” got to play with Hakurei turnips. That was a yummy adventure indeed. Next up is something that may not be as much of a mystery to many of you, but it will surely be new to many more. While it…
Poached Hakurei Turnips with Pear and Radish
Ah, yes, the big reveal: those were hakurei turnips in my previous post the launched my 2014 CSA Adventures. On to the recipe now …. So when I’m left with a new and intriguing ingredient, I don’t want to hide it in something. Yes, that might be more artful like the Belgian truffle I had…
CSA Adventures … Mystery #1
No, that’s not a typo — I didn’t mean CSI. That is CSA as in “Community Shared Agriculture” aka “community supported agriculture.” And perhaps this year, we can even think of it as “community shared adventure.” This is my third year having signed up for a CSA — you can read about my CSA Confession to learn…
Fennel and Green Apple Slaw
If you’re one of those people who hates the common coleslaw that adorns most summer tables because you hate cabbage, here’s a game changer: fennel. Now I know some of you may be shaking your heads and walking away at the word fennel too: “I hate black licorice,” you say. Trust me, the flavour of…
Thai Green Curry Chicken with Coconut Shrimp
Sensuous and aromatic …. Aromatically sensuous. If you have ever questioned or just not understood the importance of aroma in food, this dish will be your moment of epiphany. If you ever wondered why some people react to smells and tastes as if someone was whispering wanton words in their ear, you’ll understand when you…
Roasted Cauliflower and Cheese Soup
We are definitely into a season of comfort foods … and it’s a time for soups to steal the show. As part of my final CSA share last month, I received two cauliflower. One came with a forlorn and sleepy traveler attached and the other was a beautiful bright orange. Both heads were looking a…
Rum-Kabocha (Pumpkin) Risotto
Risotto is comfort food. Yes, you can make “healthy” versions of it as I did when I developed my Tuscan Kale Risotto earlier this summer. However, risotto is best prepared when it can just be, let its warm, sensuous, snuggling personality reach out, when it can comfort the soul and light a warm fire in…
Potato Leek Soup — Inside Out
I find it fascinating how our meals change through the course of a year as the things in season change, from the new tender veggies of spring to the hardy, substantial offerings of the fall. Nothing better describes this change in seasons than the emergence of potatoes and leeks … and nothing, if not this,…
Farfalloni with Grilled Chicken and Swiss Chard
My quest to find great ways to use chard that keeps showing up in my CSA shares has continued all summer. It’s produced a few excellent side dishes (see recipes: Chard with Bacon and Cranberries and Chard with Meyer Lemon) and an awesome minestrone soup with prosciutto. However, I wanted to see how far I…