Vegetable volume

So what comes in my box of vegetables?



This week:

6 pears
3 apples
2 grapefruits
1 eggplant
1 cauliflower
4 potatoes
2 artichokes
1 leaf lettuce
2 bunches of red chard
1 bunch arugula
4 banans
1 mango
1 celery
1 red cabbage

Broccoli Penne

I made Broccoli and Penne last night to use up the broccoli before another box arrives tomorrow. My fresh basil had turned to slime, so I substitued dry oregano and thyme. For tomatoes, I used a can of diced and an 8 oz. can of sauce. Here's a shot of the finished product, plated and steaming hot.

Noshwalk story on NYC Notes

I did a foodie walking tour today.

Artichokes

I got artichokes this week in the box and wanted to eat them up early. A few months ago I tried a stuffed artichoke recipe that was disappointing, so Wednesday I prepared them plain. Pretty tasty.

2 artichokes

2 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 t. thyme
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 c. white wine
1/4 c. water

Trim the lower leaves from the artichokes. Trim the stem to 1 1/2 inches and peel. In a pressure cooker, brown the garlic and thyme in the oil. Set the artichokes on a little rack in the pot and add the liquid.

Pressure cook for 10 minutes and let sit until depressurized.

Make a dipping butter from

1 clove garlic, crushed and minced
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 stick of butter
2 T. white wine

Bring ingredients to a boil while artichokes are cooking. I added 2-3 T. of parmesan, but I think that was a mistake. Just garlic butter would be enough.

Verdict: B, good but a lot of work to eat
Credits: Gourmet Sleuth
Leftovers? No

Notes: The garlic butter didn't amount to much, since the artichokes were tasty.

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Cabbage

I had half a cabbage and some collard greens so I tried using them for a little crunch in the noodle dish.

1/2 small cabbage, shredded
4 collard green leaves

8 oz whole wheat spaghetti or linguini (or rice noodles or soba)

1/3 C. peanut butter
1/4 C. rice vinegar
2 T. soy sauce
1/2 t. cayenne
1 clove garlic, minced
5 shakes of hot pepper sauce
1/2 C. scallions, finely chopped

Cut the spines from the collard greens. Roll the leaves together and cut into fine ribbons.
Add the cabbage and greens to a pot of boiling water. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until completely cooled. Lightly salt and pepper.

Make the noodles.

In a bowl, stir together the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, hot sauce and cayenne. Adjust to taste and preferred thickness. Stir in the scallions.

Drain the noodles and move to a serving bowl. Stir in the sauce. Add the vegetables and mix in. Alternatively, serve the vegetables seperately and stir together on the plate.

Verdict: B
Credits: Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce Eating Well July/August 1996
Leftovers? Yes, very good cold. Use a little water or vinegar or soy sauce to refresh the sauce.

Notes: The Trader Joe's organic whole wheat spaghetti that I used tonight absorbed all the sauce. I added at least a 1/4 C. of water with a little vinegar and hot sauce to the noodles and sauce to thin it out and make it saucy. Otherwise it would have been a big sticky clump. With other noodles, the sauce takes a long time to absorb.

Spicy Peanut Pork Stew (again)

I made the pork stew and slaw again and it was delish. I didn't use the cayenne pepper, but included a serrano chili in the pork and pepper pressure cooking mix. It didn't seem that spicy, but it may be after sitting overnight. I didn't add any greens (closer to original recipe) because I am saving my collards for the beans tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Updated: Cooking up the dry black beans just seems like a much bigger obstacle than it is. Instead I sliced up the collard greens in fine ribbons and cooked them with some left over shredded pork with garlic sauce. Very good. But I really should use the black beans sometime....

Sauteed Ocean Perch with Lemon-Peppercorn Pan Sauce

3 filets (1 pound) of ocean perch
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
flour
salt and pepper

3/4 C. chicken stock
juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 C.)
1 T. green peppercorns
1 t. butter

Melt 1 T. butter with oil in a skillet. While the skillet is heating, salt and pepper both sides of the fish and dredge in flour in a shallow dish. (I use a 8x11 casserole).

Add the filets to the hot pan, skin side up. Cook for at least 3-4 minutes without checking. Turn and cook until fish is opaque and flaky, another 3-5 minutes. Make a salad while the fish is cooking.

Combine the stock, lemon juice and peppercorns.

Remove the fish to a plate. Add the stock to the pan, scraping up any brown bits. Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce is reduced by at least half. Serve the sauce over the filet. Add a salad and a little bread and cheese for a light and tasty Lenten dinner.

Verdict: B, very lemony sauce. Lemon garnish is unnecessary.
Credits: Sauteed Tilapia with Lemon-Peppercorn Pan Sauce Cooking Light, March 2004
Leftovers? Yes, for a half day or a day

Notes: The original recipe was for tilapia, but the point of the article is that pan-frying and making a sauce was a technique more than a recipe. Any light fish would work in this recipe.