Ooh-La-La Lentils

I'm not sure if it's something that comes with age or what, but I'm totally finding new love for simple foods.  A decade ago, I would have found bread and butter dull and lifeless.  I wouldn't have thought that a good broth could be an experience.  I would have told you that lentils were bland and boring.  And I would have been wrong on all three counts. Quality ingredients prepared with a patient hand and a seasoned palate can elevate even the simplest of dishes.

Let's go back to those lentils.

Lentils have iron, protein, folate, fiber...they're pretty much a super food.  They've been cultivated and eaten by cultures around the world for pretty much forever, providing nourishment to our ancestors.  They are plentiful and affordable.  And, on top of all that, they are delicious.

There are many different types of lentils, but for this dish, I go for French green lentils.  They're a little harder to find than brown or even red lentils, but they have a great size and texture, and their flavor has a little something extra that I just can't get enough of.  This is basically my version of what I call "Stanley Tucci's Lentils", because his lentil recipe in The Tucci Table inspired me to enjoy them more often. You can serve this dish over rice or with a nice baguette on the side, or just eat them as is on their own.  I like the baguette route, because it mentally transports me to a European countryside, where I can sit enjoy the fresh air as I eat a rustic bowl of lentils.

First, chop up an onion, 2 cloves of garlic, a stalk of celery, and a carrot.  Heat a good couple of glugs of olive oil in a large pan, then saute the veggies over medium heat until they are soft.  Try not to let them brown at all.  Lower the heat if needed.

Rinse 3 cups of lentils, then add them to the pan, tossing so the the olive oil covers them.

Cover the lentils with chicken stock until they are fully covered by at least 1/4 inch.  You can use water too, but I like the flavor that the stock adds.  Sprinkle in a bit of cumin, some fresh ground pepper, about a teaspoon of salt, and a bay leaf.  Give it a stir and bring it all to a boil.

Once the lentils are boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are the texture that you want.  I prefer a bit al dente, but not crunchy.  Check the lentils to make sure that the liquid has not all boiled out, and add water if necessary.

Chop up some parsley and zest a lemon, and toss all that into the cooked lentils.  Take out the bay leaf.  Taste and season as necessary.  I like to squeeze a wedge or two of lemon in mine.

This is a hearty side dish, a great nutritious small meal, or even a healthy snack.  It reheats like a dream, so if you make plenty, it can last you a while.  You can also take leftovers and simmer them up in some more broth with some chopped tomatoes for a fantastic lentil soup.  Looking for something with a little more crunch?  Mix leftovers with some seasoned breadcrumbs and an egg and then pan fry spoonfuls in olive oil to make lentil fritters.

So...how do you feel about lentils?

Potato Leek Pancakes

Chicago has a great holiday tradition of holding a Chriskindlmarket downtown, and, of course, I go there for the food.  I have to grab my tiny ceramic boot of mulled wine (more for the boot than the wine), the bite-sized nibbles of glazed gingerbread, the aromatic candied nuts, and a plate full of the crispy hot latkes.  My family has learned the routine, minus the wine for the kiddios, and we look forward to heading down and gorging ourselves through the market.

But there are times when you want a good latke and there doesn't happen to be a handy Old World German market around.  Then, you have to take matters into your own hands.
One of the things I love about doing the CSA and my garden is being able to stretch the veggies out into the winter.  I had a bed full of leeks in my garden, and they have kept pretty well in my fridge for months!  And the CSA brought us plenty of potatoes that keep very well in the pantry.  And leeks and potatoes happen to be an awesome combination!

Potato leek soup is pretty much a given, but once in a while, I like to stretch and make some Potato Leek Pancakes.  Same great combo of the oniony flavor of the leeks and the starchy potatoes, but in snackable bites!

Creamed Cabbage

I get it.  Not everyone likes cabbage.  It kind of smells weird, and it sometimes squeaks when you chew it.  And some will say that it can give you unpleasant side effects, which also may smell weird.  I had a friend once laugh that there was a plant called "skunk cabbage", because, as he put it, "All cabbage stinks!".  But I love a good underdog, and I'm going to tell you that cabbage can be more than a stinky side dish.  When you give it a bit of toasting and then boil it with some cream, it goes from cringe-worthy to crave-worthy.

Take a half head of cabbage (a whole cabbage if it's small) and remove the outer leaves.  Then trim down the stem.  You want to keep a good amount of the stem, because that's what's going to hold each piece together.  Cut the cabbage into wedges from the stem, making each wedge about 2-3 inches at the thickest part, keeping the stem as part of each wedge to keep it together.  You want about 5-6 wedges total.

Broccoli Cornbread

There are a few recipes in my recipe book that I've been making for so long that I honestly don't have a clue of where they started from.  Some of those recipes have taken twists and turns along the way as I've cared more and learned more about the food my family eats.  Broccoli Cornbread is a great example of one of those recipes.  It started as kind of a dump recipe...you know, where you dump a bunch of stuff in together and then toss it in the oven.   Then we started eating more natural foods and less processed foods.  Broccoli Cornbread had always been a great dish, a yummy way to get things like broccoli and cottage cheese into picky kids, but I started to feel not-so-great about the cornbread mix.  And using frozen broccoli seemed silly when I had such fantastic fresh broc from the garden.  So I adjusted, and I think the current version is better than ever.

Maple Roasted Rutabaga

Rutabagas are one of those vegetables that I never really thought about before we started the CSA.  When we got our first one, I had no idea what to do with it.  I opted to make a soup recipe that I found in a veggie cookbook, and I wasn't impressed.

Then I was told by someone at the farm (he must have seen me wrinkle my nose at being handed another rutabaga) that rutabagas sweeten up when they are roasted.  He suggested a touch of honey with them.  Trying that pretty much kicked off my relationship with rutabagas.  I'm a fan now, for sure.  The dish has changed a bit, honey switched to maple syrup, a touch of seasoning...but it's still really delicious.

Butternut Pear Soup

We've been getting a lot of butternut squash from our CSA lately.  Like one or two a week.  Which is fantastic, don't get me wrong, but I'm not a huge squash fan.  So putting it to good use is a huge task for me.  I'm really trying to think outside the box and find ways to prepare it that make my tastebuds dance with excitement, and this soup is one of those recipes.

Veggies Galore - Bubble and Squeak

There's never a time when I don't want to eat veggies, but I totally understand that that feeling is not mainstream.  However, I'm still convinced that if people don't like veggies, it's probably because they haven't tried them the right way.

Bubble and Squeak is a British dish, and even though I don't have to translate the name, because it's in English, I'm pretty sure it's code for "cram in as much veg as possible and then make it taste delicious".  I mean, that's basically the premise of it.  All the veggies you want, add some seasonings, and pan fry it on butter until it gets nice and crispy.  So, so good!

CSA - Summer Week 3 and Summer Veg Empanadas with Kohrabi, Kale, and Summer Squash

Week 3 of the summer CSA was a huge haul:

Kohlrabi, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, potatoes, onions, lettuce, basil, and kale.  Leaning towards the green side this week, but I had some immediate thoughts as to what would be made in the kitchen.

Asian Inspired Lemon Cucumber and Tomato Salad

The lemon cucumbers is my garden are going absolutely bonkers this year, and I'm hearing from fellow lem-cuke lovers that they are finding the same thing.  Personally, I could eat these babies raw all day long, but it seemed like people were looking for something more to do with them.  And so, I give to you, this Asian Inspired Lemon Cucumber and Tomato Salad!

Rainbow Chard Party Spread

Swiss chard is one of my favorite veggies to plant.  They are so simple to grow, and they will continue to produce leaves for the whole season with very little fuss.  They are also full of a lot of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and are said to be for for controlling blood sugar levels and reducing inflammation, among other things.  And, best of all, chard is totally delicious!

CSA Share - Summer Week 1 and Asian Pesto

It's finally summer season for our CSA!  Unlike spring and fall, where we get shares every week, we opt to go every other week through the summer.  With my own garden going so well, and my addiction to farmers' markets, it seems to be the right choice for us.  Although the way my kids are eating and growing lately, next year may be the year we go to weekly summer pick-ups.  So this is our first week of summer shares, but it's the farm's second summer share...for the sake of my sanity, I'm just going to number them on my own.  So, share number one:

We've got romaine lettuce, snap peas, bok choy, zucchini, summer squash, komatsuna, green onions, garlic scapes, and Tokyo Bekana, which is totally new to me!  It's an Asian green, that tastes very similar to cauliflower to me.

CSA Share - Spring Week 2 and Bok Choy Salad

Week two of our spring CSA, and things are looking pretty green around here! 

See what I mean?  This week's share brought us potted thyme (We could have chosen oregano, but I got that last week, so I decided to switch it up!), bunches of bok choy, spinach, pea shoots, beet greens, Harukei turnips, and another ginormous bag of lettuce.

Caramelized Fennel

Fennel is one of those veggies that people tend to ignore.  You might know what it is, but not a lot of people have actually tried it, that sort of thing.  And, if people do have an impression of fennel, it's that it tastes like licorice...which is a well known "love it or hate it" flavor.

Belonging to a CSA means that sometimes I am faced with veggies that are a little odd, or new to our table.  Years ago, when we started in with the CSA, I had only had fennel a time or two, mainly in salad-type things.  Then I started coming across recipes that didn't try to shirk off fennel's sweet side, but embraced it, and wrapped it in a cozy, slightly spiced comforter.  I started to see a trend with nutmeg and sugar popping up on my culinary radar.

This caramelized fennel was life-altering.  For me at least.  I'll confess, I'm a Dutch-bred licorice lover.  It's in the blood.  My middle child and I can take down a bag of black salt licorice in no time flat.  There have been times in my life (ahem, pregnancies) where I would have cut someone for some fresh Good N Plenties.   So I don't mind things tasting like licorice.  That said, this way of preparing fennel brings that licorice flavor down to a light hum of a taste, and I've found that many people who aren't licorice fans enjoy this side dish.

Breadveggies: Gingered Carrot Zucchini Bread

If you've ever planted a zucchini plant, you're probably familiar with how overwhelming they can be once they start producing.  There's even a "Leave a Zucchini on Your Neighbor's Porch" day.  I try to shred and freeze as much as I can to keep up with it, and that means that I have a frozen stash of zucchini on hand for most of the rest of the year until the next garden zucchini-fest comes around.

I'm always on the lookout for ways to use that zucchini, and this Gingered Carrot Zucchini bread recipe is one of my go-to's for several reasons.  One: it is delicious.  Two: it is easy.  Three: the recipe makes 2 loaves at once, so I can either give one away or freeze it for later.  Four: it's a nice way to show kids that vegetables aren't scary.  I mean, this bread has not one, but TWO vegetables in it, and it's fantastic!

Rice-a-Whati? Homemade Rice Pilaf

I know I've told you about how I grew up eating things out of boxes and cans before, so I won't bore you with it again.  But one hyphenated word: Rice-a-Roni.  You get it.

I love rice, in general.  So does my family.  If we are out to a nice dinner and I have the option of rice pilaf as a side, you can pretty much bet that that's the direction I'll go.  And honestly, in those cases, it can go either way: a delicious, fluffy, flavorful rice medley or an overdone, colorful but bland scoop of blah on my plate.  And, sometimes, I'm pretty sure that it just came out of a box.

Rice pilaf is a great way to change up your grain side for a nice dinner, and it's amazingly easy to throw together, even without the box.  Seriously, the first time I tried making it, I wanted to punch myself for not doing it on my own sooner.  Plus, making it yourself, you'll know what's in it and save yourself from a lot of sodium.  Also, it's yummy stuff.  Basic, but yummy.

Nutty Sweetness...Oh, and I Made Chestnut Jam Too.

I have a thing for chestnuts.  And yes, I'm starting to realize that I say that about a lot of foods, but it's true.  Different foods are, in some ways, like books to me.  They can transport me to another place or time, bring back memories, or open my eyes to new horizons.

Chestnuts are one of those foods for me.  They always make me feel like I'm on a picnic in the European countryside, or cooking with an elderly woman in her Italian villa, or walking down the dark streets of London in winter with some roasted chestnuts to warm my cold hands, or snacking with friends in my Parisian dream kitchen (although they never snack in France, so that one is a stretch).  Those fantasies are actually a little odd, now that I think of it, because some of my favorite chestnut snacks come from the Asian market, where I can't read 90 percent of the packages, but if I see a picture of a chestnut, I will snatch it up and gobble it down.  Tiny round pancakes sandwiched with a rich chestnut jam are always the first thing I head for at the candy shop in Chinatown.  But somehow, they still feel very European to me.

Sweet and Spicy: No, Not Just Me, the Pepper Jelly Too!

We get a lot of peppers of all sorts from our vegetable CSA.  Sweet ones, mild ones, hot ones, uber-hot ones...and I'm one of those freaks who loves pepper flavor, but doesn't like crunching straight into a raw pepper.  As far as spice goes, I tend to stay on the mid-to-mild side of things as well.  I don't mind a kick, but I hate things that burn just for the spite of it.  So sometimes, when the CSA is pepper-plentiful, I get in over my head with the hot peppers.

I can grab a serrano or two and whip up some salsa, I might chop a red chili and throw it in some beef broh with onions and noodles for a warming lunch, but when I have handfuls of pepper and an hour or so on my hands, I can whip up a mean bunch of pepper jelly.  You can do it too.

Chop up some sweet peppers, about 3/4 cups chopped.  Throw them right into a one cup measure.  Then chop up some hot peppers and fill the measure to a full cup.  Keep a few seeds in there, if you want more heat.  I usually take most of them out, but I don't stress if a few find their way into the mix.  Feel free to play with the ratio, more or less spice as you like.  This is what works for me.  I had a variety of hot peppers: some Hungarian wax, some chilies, some serranos, and some...I really am not even sure.

Pumpkin Seeds, Any Way You Like

So, once you've roasted your pumpkin, you have something left to deal with: the seeds.  You could just throw them away with the rest of the innards, or you could elevate them to a crunchy, delicious snack.

C'mon...get your full value out of that pumpkin!  Every last bite of it!  It's pretty simple, and you can even throw them in the oven while your pumpkin is roasting.

Jewels in the Garden - Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

We are coming into major tomato time around these parts.

Last weekend we were away, and when we got back, I found a ton of ripe fruit on my cherry tomato plants.  Thing is, from now for at least a month, I'll probably get this much every other day.

Fried Zucchini Blossoms

I think I've mentioned before that my kids have been stalking the garden for their favorites, and one of the things that they have been searching for are the beautiful yellow flowers of my zucchini plants.  Some kids might see these and pick them off and present them to their beloved mother as a token of their love and affection.  Not mine.  Mine want to eat them.  And that love and affection part?  I know it's there, but let me tell you, all bets are out the window when it comes to limited treats like these...let the Hunger Games begin!

Zucchini blossoms are completely edible, and they have a flavor all their own.  Not really zucchini-like at all.  Light, with a crunch, and a little juicy.  Also, makes you feel cool because you're making the most out of the garden by using more parts of the plant.  I tend to think of fried zucchini blossoms as a very Italian dish, and some people like to stuff the blossoms before they fry them.  But you know me, I like quick, simple, and delicious, so here's my straightforward version: