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Green Tomato Margherita Pizza

May 25, 2012 by tbraymen

Green tomatoes!  A CSA box first for us.  Oh, yes, they will be fried.  But before I got around to that, this happened.  We were making a quick pizza dinner the other night and as I pulled the cheese out of the fridge, I pondered “…hey…do you think you can make margherita pizza  with green tomatoes?”  My husband crinkled his brows and said “I don’t know, maybe…probably?”

Answer:  Yes!  And it’s quite tasty.  It is a great way to eat green tomatoes that doesn’t require deep frying!  The tomatoes add a tart, crispy topping to a traditional pizza.

You’ll need:

A pizza crust of your choosing

1 c (approx) prepared marinara sauce

8 oz shredded mozzarella

1 or 2 green tomatoes, sliced very thin

1/4 c fresh basil, torn into small pieces

Top your pizza crust with the sauce, mozzarella, and green tomatoes.  Bake at 425 13-15 minutes, or according to the directions for your crust.  Remove from the oven, sprinkle on the fresh basil.

 

Posted in main course | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

Swiss Chard Quesadillas

May 16, 2012 by tbraymen

I have to admit, I’m getting tired of Swiss chard.  This always happens toward the end of vegetable seasons.  After so many months of trying to figure out what to do with this green, I’m feeling a little tapped.  And on one particularly lazy day, I decided to forget even trying and just throw them in quesadillas.  Seriously, people?  Have you made quesadillas lately?!  They’re awesome for cleaning out the fridge.  And you go from zero to dinner in about 10 minutes flat.  These were simple.

Drizzle of olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic

1 bunch Swiss chard

4 burrito-sized tortillas

8 oz Monterrey jack cheese, shredded

Salsa or sour cream for dipping

Just saute a bunch of Swiss chard (cleaned, stemmed, chopped) with 3-4 cloves of garlic in the olive oil until the garlic is fragrant and the chard is soft.  On a large skillet over medium heat, lay down one tortilla.  Sprinkle it with a handful of the cheese, half the chard mixture, a second handful of cheese, and a second tortilla.  Flip after a couple minutes, cook another 2 minutes, and serve.

Having left over tortillas after this round of quesadillas, I made them again tonight.  This time I used some frozen grilled chicken strips, cheese, and pesto mixed with mayonnaise.  Same method, and once again delicious results.  The lesson I’m quickly learning is that if you cover anything in cheese and put it between two tortillas, you win dinner.  That’s math I can get behind!

Posted in lunch, main course | Tagged | 2 Comments »

Cucumber Tequila Cocktail

May 15, 2012 by missmichelann

Yes, a first here at CSA for Three. An alcoholic beverage. And dude, this one is so good. Almost entirely CSA sourced and so delicious. The proportions are very approximate, so modify to taste.

1 medium cucumber, peeled and seeded
handful fresh mint leaves
Juice from 3 Meyer lemons
Water
Agave
Top-shelf silver tequila
Crushed ice

Throw the cucumber, mint, and juice into your blender. Add agave to taste – I used at least a couple of tablespoons, and about a cup of water. Blend until smooth. Strain through a fine-meshed strainer. Taste, and adjust agave and water. It should be strong, but not syrupy. Fill a small glass 1/3 full with crushed ice and add tequila to top of ice. Fill with cucumber mixture to almost the top of the glass and stir to chill. Garnish with mint leaves in desired.

If you’re not in the mood for booze, feel free to pour the mixture over ice and enjoy as an agua fresca!

Posted in csa, drinks | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Carrot and Kale Capatavi

April 24, 2012 by tbraymen

Carrot Kale Capatavi!  Carrot Kale Capatavi!  Carrot Kale Capatavi!

It’s more than just a tongue twister.  It’s a good, vegetarian meal that even a toddler will eat.  If you don’t have capatavi at your disposal, any tubular pasta will work.

1 lb carrots, sliced into 1/4″ rounds

2 T butter

1 lb capatavi, or other tube-like pasta (ziti, etc.)

1 bunch kale, roughly chopped

1 T olive oil

1 small onion, finely diced

4-5 cloves garlic. minced

2 c vegetable broth, divided

1/4 c flour

8 oz sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, cover the carrots with just enough water to submerge them.  Add 2 T butter and a heavy pinch of salt.  Bring the mixture to a low boil and boil until the carrots are tender but not falling apart.  There should only be a small amount of cooking liquid left in the pot.  With a potato masher, partially mash the carrots leaving plenty of chunks.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the capatavi according to package directions.  In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the kale and boil the entire mixture together until the pasta is al dente and the kale is tender without being mushy.  Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet (or in the pasta pot while the pasta sits in the strainer in the sink) saute the onion and garlic in the oil until they are tender and fragrant.  Add 1 1/2 c vegetable broth to the saute and bring to a simmer.  In a small cup, combine the remaining 1/2 c broth with 1/4 c flour.  Stir until the flour is completely incorporated.  Add the flour mixture to the simmering broth and stir until the broth thickens into a saucy consistency.  Remove from heat and add the pasta to the sauce.  Add the carrots to the mixture along with the sour cream.  Stir everything together, salt and pepper to taste.

 

Posted in main course | Tagged , | 1 Comment »

Basil and Sun Dried Tomato Biscuits

April 24, 2012 by tbraymen

When my husband brought home to the CSA box this week, I pulled out the first basil of the season and buried my nose in it like it was a bouquet of lilacs or something.  It was divine.  Basil is back, and not a moment too soon.  I’m ready for summer vegetables to come rolling in.

Oh, yeah….that’s a good way to kick off the season.  These biscuits were just an ideal after looking at the other things I had in the cabinet.  Feel free to substitute herbs as you have them.  I would recommend sticking to fresh herbs, though.  In a pinch, a few teaspoons of dry might work, but you definitely won’t get the seasonal punch that the fresh basil gives.

1/4 c sun dried tomatoes

1/4 c minced fresh basil

2 c all-purpose flour

1 T baking powder

1 t salt

1/4 t black pepper

1/3 c shortening

2/3 c milk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Place the tomatoes in a small saucepan.  Cover them with just enough water to submerge them.  Over medium high heat, bring the water to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to plump up.  Drain and chop into a fine mince.

In a bowl, combine the minced basil, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper.  Stir together with a fork until combined.  With a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in the milk until the mixture just comes together.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.  Gently pat the dough into a round about 3/4 of an inch thick.  Cut the dough into biscuits using a round cutter, and arrange the biscuits on a greased cookie sheet with their sides touching.  Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until they turn golden brown and delicious.  Enjoy hot!

Posted in side dish | Tagged | 1 Comment »

CSA Margherita Pizza

April 19, 2012 by missmichelann

This is my favorite pizza to date. Incredibly fast, incredibly delicious. Steeping the garlic and basil in the olive oil makes it incredibly flavorful. It uses stuff I will have in my CSA box for much of the summer: cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil. Huge hit with the husband and kid. Win!

1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small round fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup basil, chopped (I have also used mixed herbs from my garden when I don’t have CSA basil)
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
pizza crust of choice

Put olive oil in a small bowl and stir in garlic and basil. Let sit while you prepare pizza, or for an hour. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush crust liberally with infused olive oil. Arrange mozzarella on top. Place tomatoes, sliced side up all over crust, then drizzle remaining olive oil and all the basil and garlic on top. Sprinkle liberally with Romano. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until melty and crisp.

Posted in csa, lunch, main course, side dish, techniques, tips and tricks | Tagged , , | 4 Comments »

Fast and Dirty Southwestern Tortilla Soup

April 18, 2012 by missmichelann

I was stumped for something to cook the other day, but we’ve been going through cold after cold at my house (hello, preschool!) and soup seemed like a good idea. I started out thinking I’d do some kind of kale sausage thing, but switched midstream when I realized I had a bunch of CSA cilantro. A quick perusal of my freezer also produced some frozen fresh corn, and I was off!

1 large spicy sausage fully cooked, diced (I used Andouille)
olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion – we had red spring onions from the CSA – delicious
2 cloves garlic chopped, or to taste
1 cup chopped mixed sweet peppers
1 lb new potatoes, cubed
32 oz chicken broth
1 can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn kernels
hot pepper and salt to taste – I used ancho chile powder, but chipotle or cayenne would have worked as well
Garnish:
shredded cheese
chopped cilantro
sour cream or crema
warmed tortillas or tortilla chips

Heat a dutch oven and drizzle with olive oil. Brown sausage and remove. Add onions, garlic, and peppers and cook until slightly browned. Add crushed tomato and cook for a few minutes at high heat, stirring, to slightly caramelize. Add broth and potatoes and simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked. Add sausage and corn and simmer for a few more minutes until fully heated. Serve with warmed tortillas and garnish with cilantro, cheese, and sour cream.

Posted in main course, recipes | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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