Spaghettini with Checca Sauce

Ingredients

• 8 ounces spaghettini or angel hair pasta
• 4 scallions (white and pale green parts only), coarsely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 (12-ounce container) cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 (1-ounce) piece Parmesan, coarsely chopped
• 8 to 10 fresh basil leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the next 7 ingredients in a food processor. Pulse just until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped (do not puree). Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. Toss the pasta with the tomato mixture and fresh mozzarella in a large bowl. Add some of the reserved pasta water (about 1/4 cup) if the sauce looks dry. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Recommended by Betsy Buford 'Sooo good. Err on the side of too many tomatoes, or it could get onion-y'

Beet Hummus

Here's a recipe for beet hummus that I adapted it a bit - the original recipe link is at the bottom of the post. It turned out really good. Next time, I think I'll add a couple tablespoons of chopped cilantro in the last couple pulses of the food processor. Fresh mint would be nice, too.


Ingredients

* 1/2 pound beets (about 4 medium sized beets), scrubbed clean, cooked, peeled, and cubed*
* 4 Tbsp tahini sesame seed paste
* 2 Tbsp lemon juice
* 2 small cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 1 Tbsp lemon zest (zest from approx. 2 lemons)
* Generous pinch of sea salt or Kosher salt
* Fresh ground pepper to taste

*To cook the beets - boil whole, scrubbed, unskinned beets (tops removed about 1/2 inch above the root) until tender. Drain the water and let them cool until you can handle them (or run under cold water), then slip the skins off with your hands. If you don't want red hands, use a paper towel to slip the skins off.

Method

Place all ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings and ingredients as desired. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow flavors to fully blend. Serve with pita chips, or with sliced cucumber or celery, or on a crostini with goat cheese and shaved mint.

Chill and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.

Makes 2 cups.

Original recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/beet_hummus/

Simple, Comforting Stew: Spinach, Carrots and Rice

I bypassed this recipe because, by nature, I tend to look for recipes that are intriguing and innovative (through the use of various combinations of ingredients and flavors), but I had to remind myself that this is what I need more of: simple, quick dinner ideas that highlight CSA veggies!

The recipe comes from Mark Bittman (the King of simple, straightforward recipes) and he indicates you can add some heft to the meal by adding some meat (leftover roast chicken, etc.) and enhance the seasonings to suit your taste (dill, cilantro, cumin, etc. would be tasty).


1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup long-grain rice, like Basmati
Salt and pepper
1 pound fresh spinach, thick stems removed, washed and roughly chopped
3 cloves minced garlic, optional
2 tablespoons butter, optional

1. Combine carrots with 6 cups of water (or broth) in a saucepan and turn heat to high. Bring to a boil, then stir in rice and a large pinch of salt. When the mixture returns to the boil, add spinach, then adjust heat so that it simmers gently.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice and carrots are very tender, about 1/2 hour, and the mixture takes on the consistency of a thick stew. Stir in garlic or butter (if you're using either or both), and cook another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning and serve.

Mashed Yellow Turnips (Rutabagas) With Crispy Shallots

This recipe is also from Barefoot Contessa: Family Style by Ina Garten, p 113, but I found the link so I didn’t have to type it all out.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/mashed-yellow-turnips-with-crispy-shallots-recipe/index.html 

~ Posted for Betsy Buford.   

Sautéed Carrots

from Barefoot Contessa: Family Style by Ina Garten, p 122
Serves 6

2 lbs carrots
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1.5 tbsp chopped fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley

Peel the carrots and cut them diagonally in 1/4 inch slices (I didn’t bother to peel). You should have about 6 cups in total. Place the carrots, 1/3 cup water, the salt, and pepper in a large 10-12 inch sauté pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and cook over medium low heat for 7-8 minutes, until the carrots are just cooked through. Add the butter and sauté for another minute until the water evaporates and the carrots are coated with butter. Off the heat, toss with the dill/parsley. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.
 
A note on the cookbook:
I love this cookbook. Family Style is great because it has a whole section on veggies that make them all so good! When I was a kid, my mom (over) steamed everything and I hated eating things like asparagus and cooked carrots because they were limp and slimy and all the flavor had been cooked out of them. These recipes make veggies feel like a treat :) Most of her recipes are also available at the Food Network website, so you probably don’t need to buy the book.

~ Posted for Betsy Buford.  

Smashed Veg

from Jamie at Home, by Jamie Oliver, p.49
Serves 6

1.5lbs of peeled potatoes (I was lazy and didn’t peel – turned out fine), cut into small chunks
3 large carrots, cut into small chunks
1/2 a large rutabaga (I used a much larger proportion of rutabaga probably the same amount as the potatoes)
6 tbsp butter

Put the veggies in a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil hard for 20 min, or until you can slide a knife easily into the rutabaga. Then drain and allow to steam dry. Reserve some of the cooking water to mix in later if you like a smoother consistency. Smash them up in the pot with most of the butter. To keep warm: spoon into a bowl, cover with foil or a lid and place over a pot of simmering water. So good.

A note on the cookbook:
Jamie at Home does not have many recipes posted on the Food Network site, and the book is expensive ($37!!) and hard-to-find used. Its organized by season and then by ingredients. So, it has short chapters on things like beets, carrots, potatoes, orchard fruits, tomatoes and lamb and then information about how to grow them and suggested varieties. His book is based on what’s coming out of his garden at any given time, so the recipes won’t call for fresh basil or strawberries in the middle of winter. I love that.

~ Posted for Betsy Buford.

Winter Greens

 For some recipes and an article about using yummy winter greens:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/health/nutrition/08recipehealth.html 

~ Posted for Betsy Buford.