2nd CSA Pick-Up!

Again, I forgot to take a picture of everything. Sorry. I've already prepped stuff for dinner, so it's not all in one piece any more. This week from Heron Pond Farm as part of our full farm share we got:

1 bag of Yukina Savoy cabbage
1 head of Red Leaf Lettuce
1 bunch of Swiss Chard
1 pint of Sugar Snap Peas (Yay!)
3 Onions
1 bunch of small Beets with Greens
1 Tomato (big and beautiful)
1 Quart of (gorgeous) Strawberries!

Tonight, we're having the yukina savoy and some onions, as part of Pad Thai (along with some carrot, bean sprouts, egg and chicken). That tomato seems a little under-ripe, so I might bake it--stuffed with seafood stuffing. The sugar snap peas and chard/beet greens will be sides with dinner another night soon. The strawberries will be eaten over the next day or two, as breakfast over cottage cheese or as dessert with sugar and whipped cream. I'll probably use all the lettuce in a big salad tomorrow for lunch, possibly with roasted beets and crumbled blue cheese (hmmmm).

The value of this share is unbelievable--and it's only June.

I'm on Pinterest!

Where has this site been all my life? I can look at endless pictures of food--and edit the "menu" to my precise liking. I follow a limited number of boards, mostly food related of course. Daily visits to my page not only inspire me, but also give me the munchies. Check out the boards I follow: http://pinterest.com/shannonmperry/following/ and the two boards I just started for myself: http://pinterest.com/mcdougallduval/shannon-hungry-wordsmith/ and http://pinterest.com/shannonmperry/it-s-all-about-the-ingredients/

It's Summer CSA Season!

I cannot tell you how excited I was to pick up our first CSA share of the summer today from Heron Pond Farm (www.heronpondfarm.com)! Just the idea of the summer produce season keeps me going through March and April. I'm a seasonal food fanatic, and as a New Englander, that means I eat best from June to November, starting today.

My super CSA share today included:

A generous bag of Swiss Chard
Another generous bag of Baby Kale
3 onions
2 lbs of potatoes
1 head of beautiful Red Leaf Lettuce
1 quart of ripely red STRAWBERRIES!

I didn't think the farm's strawberry crop was ready yet, so that was a terrific surprise! These babies are small and sweet, bursting with juice. I can only imagine the berries that are yet to come after this soaking of a rain and a week or so of sunshine!

I'll try to photograph the CSA shares more in the future. Tonight, we're digging right into the Swiss Chard (sauteed with olive oil, garlic and crumbled Ritz crackers, finished with freshly grated parmesan cheese).

Seafood Chowda

Seafood Chowda, with a little 92.5 FM "Brunch by the River" in the background.

Oh chowda, sweet chowda. On a cool day (with the house all to yourself) is there anything better? When I saw the reasonable prices for lobster, shrimp and haddock at the seafood counter, I knew I could swing this. I had also been saving a few lobster bodies from when we splurged on a lobster dinner a few weeks back, which would help to make a great stock. (See stock recipe at end of this entry.) The result of the homemade stock combined with fresh ingredients was OUTRAGEOUSLY GOOD.

Ingredients:

½ pound of bacon, chopped, smoked (preferred) 

6 stalks of celery, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 large potato, chopped (I leave skin on; washed well.)

1 cup corn, lightly cooked (best cut fresh off a lightly boiled cob)
1 garlic clove, chopped

1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning

1 teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt to taste (bacon is salty and Old Bay has celery salt, so go easy and taste test)

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

6 cups of seafood/fish stock*, warmed

Seafood of Choice (about 3 cups total):

1 pound haddock or cod, filets or chowder fish chuncks

3 large shrimp, peeled & chopped

3 sea scallops, shelled (remove muscle too) & chopped

1 lb lobster meat, chopped

½ cup clams, chopped (canned ok, add clam juice to stock)

1 and ½ cups heavy cream

In large sauce pan, spread out chopped bacon and turn heat to medium-low. The idea is to first render the fat off of the bacon before browning it up. Don’t stir the bacon. Just let it sit for 15-20 minutes.

Sweet and Zesty Seared Scallops over Greens

If you're a scallop lover, this combination of flavors will create a party in your mouth!

You'll need:

Large Sea Scallops, equally sized, muscles removed*
Chopped Greens
Olive Oil
1 Garlic Clove, finely minced
Cayenne Pepper, enough for dusting
Salt & Pepper
Pat of Butter
1 Teaspoon of Orange Marmalade
 
*After rinsing and patting the scallops dry, look for the muscle on each. Sometimes it may not still be there, but if you see one remove it by gently peeling it away from the rest of the scallop. Even some of the best restaurants fail to do this step, and it annoys the heck out of me because the muscle is tough to chew and will otherwise ruin a good mouthful of food.

Dust one side of the scallops with cayenne pepper and a little salt. Set aside.

Creamy Roasted Squash Soup

'Tis the season for squash, so why not whip up a batch of this? It even freezes nicely if you make too much.

You'll need:

2-3 Squash, depending on size (I prefer butternut or acorn)
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
2 Celery Stalks, chopped
1 Onion (sweet vidalia works nice, but any ol' onion works), chopped
2 Small Potatoes (I used red), peeled and chopped
1 Garlic Clove, chopped
4 Tablespoons of Butter
4 Tablespoons of Canola Oil
Salt & Pepper
1 Tablespoon of Ground Ginger
1/4 Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Sage
4 Cups of Chicken Stock*
1 Cup of Heavy Cream*
1 Cup of Whole Milk*

*Depending on your preferences, you may play around with the liquid portions of this soup. I strongly urge you to use some heavy cream because it puts the soup over the top, but if you only have milk on hand, that works. Also, the amount of chicken stock (or veggie stock) can be adjusted depending on how thick or thin you want the soup. Often, after refrigerating, I like to add a little more stock when reheating.


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prep squash for roasting, and use whatever squash you have or like. Even a combination is nice. I'd just skip the spaghetti squash for this soup since you're going for a creamy and smooth texture in the end. No need to peel the squash. Just cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Place squash halves on roasting pan, inside part down. Roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until fork tender. Cool enough to handle, and scoop out pulp.

Naughty or Nice? Tomato Basil Cream Sauce or Pomodoro Sauce?

With tomato season in full gear, I recently set out to make a simple Pomodoro Sauce, but took it a step further when I realized I had some heavy cream in the fridge. So, the choice is yours...keep it nice, fresh and simple with the Pomodoro Sauce or a step further for something more sinful, Tomato Basil Cream Sauce.

1 cup good Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
6 tomatoes (or about 3 pounds), roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
Pinch each of dried oregano, thyme, parsley, crushed red pepper
Bunch of fresh basil, finely torn/cut
(If making cream sauce) 1/2 cup of heavy cream, pinch of nutmeg and grated parmesan cheese to taste


POMODORO SAUCE
In a large sauce pan, start oil and garlic warming on low heat so that the garlic can slowly infuse the oil with flavor, without crisping up the garlic. After about 20  minutes, add chopped tomatoes, salt & pepper and pinches of herbs, and increase heat to medium so the pot eventually comes to a slow simmer. Leave uncovered (to allow steam to escape), simmering for one hour so the sauce reduces quite a bit. Reduce heat if necessary to maintain slow simmer and stir occasionally. Add lots of torn basil when ready to serve, over the pasta of your choice.