Pierogi
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Another couple of weeks passing leads to another CSA share ! Yummy ! The good news....NO COLLARDS in this box. No turnips, either. I was also getting seriously burnt out on those. The bad news....more beets. Now, I love beets as much, if not more than the next person, but I'm hitting the wall with them, too. Hopefully this is the end of 'em. The greens were nowhere near as robust as they'be been, and the roots themselves were much smaller.
This Thursday's haul was 8 beets, 5 scallions, 12 ounces of lovely, tender salad greens, a bunch of chives, 2 avocados (and man, are these GOOD avocados !), a bunch of rainbow chard, 3 cucumbers (very nice and firm, not at all watery, I had one tonight), 1 yellow and 4 green zucchini (including two I could use for a baseball bat), 2 small heads of cabbage and 2&1/2 pounds of small, but very, very tasty apples (10 of them total).
Here's the picture for the visually inclined of us:
Ina Garten's cold summer borscht is on the agenda with some of those darned beets. Some of the zuke will be "fritter-ized", and I'm open to suggestion for the rest of those guys.
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Has anyone else had the problem of their store no longer selling Bounty select-a-size, just one big sheet? I am beside myself...
Yes. I haven't seen them in a month or so.Has anyone else had the problem of their store no longer selling Bounty select-a-size, just one big sheet? I am beside myself...Just bought a roll in Long Beach at Stater Bros. about a week ago. I've also seen Brawny with the same feature, although I don't think they call them "select-a-size". Love these things ! Usually I only use the half sheet size, unless I make a mess carrying the doggie water bowl from the sink to the doggie placemat.
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Fresh cucumber salad with very thinly sliced and wilted cucumbers, thinly sliced scallions and some finely chopped hard cooked eggs. Dress with sour cream mixed with a bit of vinegar (or lemon juice), S&P and fresh dill. Classic Polish (and probably any Eastern European) side dish comfort food.
Pea salad. Fresh or thawed frozen peas, scallions and chopped, fried bacon. Dress with equal parts mayo and sour cream, fresh dill and S&P. Serve in butter lettuce cups. Reminds me I should make this soon.
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You're right, Heidi, that color is glorious. How about straining some of that syrup and adding it to a batch of your iced tea?
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Ack ! I keep forgetting to snap a picture before I stash the goods away into the crisper. Next pick-up, I swear....
Anyways, yesterday I got a bunch of mint, scallions, dinosaur kale, beets, GARLIC (!!), about 2 heads worth, so fresh and pungent, avocados (yay, again !), turnips, zucchini (including one I could use to club a T. rex to death, I swear. That puppy must weigh over a pound.), and a HUGE head of red cabbage (THAT thing weighs in at over 3 pounds, 9 ounces. It's massive.) Left in the "share" box was yet another bunch of collards. I've decided collards and I need a vacation from each other.....
Blue_dolphin, do not fear the artichokes ! They are so marvelous. Simplest (and best) way to cook them is just to trim off the spikey tips of the leaves, cut off about the top 1/3 of the thing, trim the stem flush, and then snap off the lowest row of small, tough leaves. Rub the cut edges with a lemon wedge as you work, it'll keep them from oxidizing. Rinse them, sort of prying open the rosette of leaves, to ensure any little stow-aways are flushed out. Put them into a deep saucepan or stockpot (non-reactive), add water to cover, some mashed garlic, lemon slices and juice (toss in the one you were rubbing the 'chokes with as well), and, sorry, this is so ghetto, but it's the way I like them, a handful of dried "Italian Herb" seasoning that you crush a bit between your palms. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a brisk simmer, cover, and let go until the 'chokes are tender. Large ones (baseball to soft-ball size) take about 45 minutes. Smaller ones about 1/2 an hour. From your pic, I'd say the ones you got should take somewhere between the 30 and 45 minutes. Start checking after 30, paring knife into the butt end where you cut off the stem. Mix together some mayo (homemade is best, but whatever is your favorite commercial brand works too), mix in some minced garlic, some lemon juice and more dried Italian herbs. Let that stand in the fridge while the 'chokes cook to blend the flavors. Pull the 'chokes out of the water, and turn them upside down to drain. Pull the leaves off, dip, scrape, and repeat. When you get down to the inner, purple leaves, pull them all off in one cone. Scrape out the choke (the hair), and cut the heart into bite-size pieces. Dip into the pseudo-aioli and smile. If the 'chokes you get are smaller than roughly tennis-ball size, most of the outer leaves will be too small and tough to yield any good results from the scraping action. Those, I trim down to the very inner leaves, boil/simmer until tender in the same seasoned bath, drain, and either saute or bake after cooking. Even then, many of the leaves will stay too tough to really eat. For those "babies", you're really after the heart, and not much else.
ETA --- Easiest way to trim the thorns is with a pair of kitchen shears.
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Oh, yeah. That turkey/avocado/bacon beauty qualifies. It most certainly does.
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I got a craving for carne asada (hey, it's a Fusion Grilling Extravaganza in the little kitchen), so I've got some skirt steaks which will go into a marinade tomorrow (probably red wine vinegar [or lime juice], veg oil, garlic and some spices), corn tortillas and those lovely Mexican bulb onions to grill alongside. Some salsa fresca, cilantro and maybe a Margaritao or two (or three.....) and it should be a fine event. Maybe some frijoles with that lard I rendered a few days back....I also have a head of cabbage from the CSA so maybe some cilantro slaw.....
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Well, I guess my point (if I have one and am not just ranting aimlessly, I mean
) is why not have several varieties of mayonnaise available for use in various applications and for various members of the family? What's wrong with that? Why the scorn and vehemence and insistence upon only one?It's not like when you're twelve years old and your parents sit you down for the "important talk" and then they add, "While I'm telling you about condoms, I also am going to tell you the bitter truth about condiments. You have to choose. And once you choose, there's no deviating. You have to swear your allegiance to one or the other. Your mother and I have absolutely no doubt that this one is the best. Of course, we'll be disappointed if you choose another. But whichever you choose, you must be stalwart. Even admitting that the second-best brand might not be the sputum of the devil could put you on the slippery slope to, gasp, Miracle Whip."
Admittedly, we probably overdo the condiment variety in our home, but we have a big family, with lots of relatives and friends often stopping by. I just checked the fridge and we currently have: Hellman's, Hellman's Light, Duke's, Miracle Whip and Goya Mayonesa con Limón.
Plus some homemade to which I added a sprinkle of tarragon and which I am going to use to dress some fresh asparagus for Monday's meal.
Perhaps we are just not discriminating enough. But variety suits us fine.
Choice and variety are all well and good, but so is personal taste. MY personal taste tells me Best Foods is what I prefer. My parents didn't force it down my throat (literally or figuratively), I came to the conclusion myself. Frankly, when I was a kid, Mom probably bought whatever was on sale. (But NEVER Miracle Whip). I've tried Kraft, I've tried TJ's brand, I've tried the store brands, and if Duke's/Blue Plate/Kewpie were available in my regular MegaMart haunts, I'd try them too. For now, I prefer Best Foods. My taste. If you come to my house, that's what you get in anything I use mayo in, unless I have a batch of homemade, in which case you score. If, however, YOU like Kraft, or Duke's or house brand or even Miracle Whip, good on ya. I won't try to proselytize and win you over to the Best Foods Side. If you serve me something made with your mayo-like dressing of choice, I will eat it and be grateful you felt enough affection for me to feed me. But in my own home, on my own food, I take Best Foods, and that's the way it is. Doesn't make me close-minded, just shows I know what I like.
ETA --- Of course, if I'm feeding you, and I know you are deathly allergic to Best Foods, or the thought of it makes you want to hurl, I'll plan something for dinner without mayo ! Or substitute something more to your tastes.....and send the remainder of the jar home with you
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And lookie, an article on the NY Times website today by Melissa Clark about....wait for it....homemade mayo ! I especially like some of the variations she offers (bacon mayo anyone?).
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/dining/easy-homemade-mayonnaise.html?hpw
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So what mayo recipes do we all use?
The one in Bittman's "How to Cook Everything". I think (and I'm winging it from memory), it's 1 egg, 2T lemon juice, some dry mustard and cayenne, S&P, and a cup of oil. I use 50/50 canola/light EVOO, and I toss in 1-2 cloves of garlic, depending upon how big they are. I find straight EVOO too heavy, and straight canola too meh. I put the egg, juice, spices and garlic in the bowl of a KA mini-processor, then drizzle in the oil while the processor's running. I usually end up adding the rest of the juice from the lemon (probably about another tablespoon-ful) after the emulsion's formed. I found that if I add the whole amount of juice up front, at least for me, the emulsion won't form. I also can't get it to work in my full-size Cuisinart processor. The mini works much better.
It is absolutely sublime on fresh artichokes.......and on my fingers when I dip them in the bowl.....
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Best Foods and Best Foods only. The original, although the one with lime sounds interesting. The Best Foods with olive oil is gross. The TJs mayo is one of the few Trader Joe private-labeled products I *don't* love. We don't have Duke's out here, so I've never tried it. I, too, would like to lay my hands on some Kewpie just to experience it. But me and Best Foods, we go way back. I've been known to just stick a spoon in the jar, and well, never mind......
But my homemade is much, much, MUCH better.
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I'll stick with Carl's and J in the B if I can't get to one of the independents.
It's clear that you and I do not share a taste in fast food burgers! Out of curiosity, though, which burger did you order at Wendy's?
Clearly we don't ! What's that old saying about making a horse race (although that, perhaps, is a really bad analogy for a thread about hamburgers.........
).To be honest, Chris, I can't remember which burger I had at Wendy's. It was so underwhelming, as was the whole experience, I think I erased it from my brain as soon as I pulled my car out of the parking lot.
I am, however, wondering, if the regional differences in purveyors isn't responsible for the vast difference in opinion on good vs. bad, as I believe someone mentioned upthread. Obviously not all the majors follow the Mickey D's lead of sourcing everything from one supplier and one supplier only to ensure consistency across the country. That may explain why Wendy's in the Midwest is good to decent, while Carl's/Hardees sucks and vice versa out here. In all honesty, I don't know anyone out here who likes Wendy's and most, if not all, of the people I know, would take Carl's over the other options, save In 'N' Out.
And I should clarify.....I would choose In 'N' Out in a heartbeat over any other option. ANY other option, including some sit-down restaurants. But sometimes its not so convenient to me, and well, then Carl's does OK. J in the B does sort of OK. All the others aren't even in the game.
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On the basis of this thread, when I found myself hungry while out and about running errands a couple of weeks ago, I cruised into the only Wendy's even remotely close to me. It was what I'd consider "late lunch time"....about 1:00 p.m.-ish. I have all of the major chains (Mickey D's, Jack in the Box, BK and Carl's/Hardees) with a mile of me, and 3 In 'N' Outs within the same radius as the Wendy's is. Along with several independent stands. All of which I patronize occasionally. Wendy's, like never.
I have to say.....now I remember why I never patronize Wendy's. The customer service was absolutely abysmal. I was the second person in line, and it took me over 10 minutes to even place my order while the woman in front of me was cell-phoning apparently her entire contact list to firm up her order, while several employees stood around looking bored. Then a soft drink was dumped on my feet when the counter person didn't seal the drink cup properly and tried to pick it up by the top (at least I didn't catch the brunt of the deluge, sadly neither did Ms. Cell Phone). That was actually the best part of the experience.
Another 10 minutes after placing my order, I had my food, and I wished I hadn't. The burger was probably the worst I've had in recent memory. It was worse than I even remember Mickey D's being, and that's saying something. The entire sandwich decomposed in my hand while I ate it, with the bun disintegrating into mush before I was even a quarter of the way through. The burger patty was thin, grey and looked steamed. I *think* there was onion, couldn't really tell in the mushy goo of the bun and tomato. The fries were limp and sort of cold, and I was charged an upcharge for the "special", berry lemonade, which as far as I could tell, just had a shot of high fructose corn syrup "berry" flavored stuff in it.
The restaurant was less than 50% full, as I said at "late-ish" lunch, and this in an area less than a couple of miles from a university, and around many retail outlets and medical offices. 'Nuff said.
No. I won't go back any time soon. I'll stick with Carl's and J in the B if I can't get to one of the independents. Or make my own.
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Thanks girls ! I wish there was a way that we could nominate you as "Perma-Bloggers". I always so enjoy your exploits. This was no exception.
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new update: Adam at the Boston Shaker carries single-stock glassware for reasonable prices!
Kevin, I can't thank you enough for this info ! I had "inherited" what I suspected were pretty common, but still semi-vintage, martini glasses. They're really quite lovely, they have a fluted stem and a "finial" between the bowl and the stem that's also heavily fluted. The bowl is quite angular, and the design just really flows. I'd seen them (and drunk from them) in several local watering holes. I only had two of them, and sadly, the last one broke about a month before your post about Boston Shaker.
I had succeeded in tracking them down on line, they're made by Libbey Glass (as I said, I suspected they weren't expensive...) and are still available. In commercial quantities only. Damn, I hate when that happens. Now, I drink a lot of cocktails, and I break my share of glasses because I'm a klutz, but I really couldn't ever forsee a need for a case of these things. 32 martini glasses is a little much, even for a lush fan like me. Boston Shaker has them in to order in single quantites, and I am now the proud owner of 4 of these beauties. I'm a very happy camper. Thanks again, Kevin, for the tip !
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Now I really need to get some of that corn. The corn and chocolate combo is right up my alley.
Heidi, I used to be able to find that freeze-dried corn at Bristol Farms, under the "Melissa's" label. Haven't checked recently, but it used to be a staple item there. Great to toss into salads, too !
Edit to add---They're usually in the produce section, along with the dried mushrooms and chiles, in a little plastic bag.
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I used to love Round Table when there was one close to me, but alas no more. The chain seems to have dramatically shrunk in the last 15 or so years. Not much of a presence in SoCal any longer, I'm afraid. Surprisingly, Shakey's is stronger. None close to me, but still around. Again, haven't sampled their wares in many years, so don't know if they're any good. There's also one other chain I forgot about (probably because their pizza is so forgettable), Straw Hat. I think they're strictly a California operation. Nothing to write home about.
Agreed that small, Ma & Pa Italian restaurants are the way to go, but a), they're few and far between in the 'burbs, b), they usually don't deliver, and c) in the OP's situation of being stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no food options, probably not a realistic solution.
Bottom line.....national chain pizzas suck.
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Seems to me that when Papa John's first expanded to the West Coast, like about 10 years ago, they were markedly better than Domino's or Pizza Hut. At least I thought so at the time. I would choose it regularly over the other two options.About 6 or 8 months ago, I went through some pretty major health stuff, and I wasn't cooking, literally at all, but still needed to get some sustenance into me. I was getting burnt out on canned Progresso soup and boxed mac & cheese, so I decided to order a pizza from Papa John's. It was......dreadful. I don't think I even ate one whole piece. I seriously wouldn't feed it to the dogs. Very similar to gfweb's description, flaccid crust, acrid sauce (what there was of it) and plastic cheese. Granted, at the time, nothing was tasting particularly good to me, but this was below dreck. During the same time period, I also ordered a pizza from Domino's, and, at least in my 'hood, it's a much better choice. Not great by any stretch of the imagination, but edible, which I don't consider PJ's to be.
None of the other chains posters have cited as being good (Bertucci, Magic Mushroom, etc.) make an appearance in SoCal. Our other major chain is Pizza Man, and I haven't had one of their pies in years. Even Little Cesar's doesn't have much of a presence out here.
For the most part, I'm with Kim Shook. When I want a quick & dirty pizza, I usually get a frozen CPK or DiGiorno, or one of the "take and bake" fresh pies sold in most of the local MegaMarts and skip the chains entirely.
I think Papa John's may be a victim of the Boston Market/Quizno's/Chipotle phenomena....too much expansion, too soon and fast, wtih too little quality control.
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Hey, Kim, at least its deeply discounted, so maybe it wasn't selling ! There may be some hope for the future after all.
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Kayswv - thanks for the link. I'll take a look at it. I think the problem is that I never really was a fan of the so-called "hearty greens" before I joined this CSA. I was never exposed to them growing up, so they weren't something I learned to love. I've come to appreciate the more "tender" of them....chard, kale, etc., but collards are still a work in progress. Unfortunately, we get them almost year 'round in our shares, so the burn-out comes fast. The first round I ever got, I think I took one bite and tossed the rest. Now, I can handle one recipe of them, but coming every 2 weeks gets to be a bit much, if you catch my drift. An overload of anything (well, OK, *most* anything, I could handle an overload of Champagne and caviar and truffles and figs.....) gets tiresome. And it seems like, for the most part, however you prepare them, they taste basically the same. I even tried them creamed like creamed spinach and thought....yeah, collards.......again. But that recipe sounds different enough that it may challenge my taste buds.
Thirtyoneknots - I actually have toyed with the idea of using them in a gumbo z'herbes recently, but never found a good time to try it. That may be the solution for this batch. Cajun/Creole food is one of my favorites.
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Kim - Those peaches were ahh-mazing ! I could simply not believe how sweet and juicy they were for having been picked in early May. They were tiny, like ping-pong to golf-ball size, but sooooo yummy. Farmer Jimmy promised that we'll have buckets of them soon.
Kayswv - I'm copying that turnip recipe, since this weeks haul is overloaded with turnips ! Which I like just fine, but this quantity is a bit overwhelming.....Kim, have you tried them roasted? I love them that way, like beets.
Yesterday's share:
Yet more collards (a bunch about 14 oz. and I'm really getting done with collards...next time, into the share box). Blue_dolphin, I feel about collards the way one of YOUR members feel about radishes ! A bunch of oregano (we had a choice of oregano, thyme, chives, mint or epazote), 7 red/purple turnips, a bunch of rainbow chard, 4 yellow and 3 green zucchini (also very early), 3 medium-size beets with lovely greens, 8 oz. of scallions, 2 avocados (keep them comin' babe, they're about a dollar each in the stores, and I currently have 6 stashed in the fridge and one ripening), 6 white turnips and a head of cabbage. Other than the collards, I'm happy with this haul again.
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When I cruised into eG earlier, and saw the header line on this, my initial reaction was that it must be due to the unnaturally warm winter in most of the country, so I'll cast my vote for that as well. In which case, I agree that everything will be accelerated in areas where this condition had an impact. Here on the West Coast, we were colder and drier than normal, so we're on the other side of the pendulum.
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To me, the pre-cooked, tubes of polenta and the stuff you make "from scratch", are two entirely different products, and they each have their place. The tubed stuff works great for a quick side, in a riff on lasagne layered with cheese and sauce, pan-fried in butter and dressed with herbs, etc. But it will not replace the soft, unctuous, creamy delight that is polenta made with cornmeal and broth (or water, or milk) with a little cheese stirred in at the very end. THAT polenta is what you want under short ribs, or a ragu made with great meat, or the mushrooms, or the chicken livers if you must. You *can* take any leftovers from THAT polenta, and refrigerate it and have something similar to the tube 'o' polenta, but it will also be a superior product.
Still, I have the tubed stuff in my pantry, and use it often enough to consider it a staple.
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Funny, I was just saying (via e-mail), to a friend that Alton was a bit annoying on the episode tonight. I wondered if I've tired of his "schtick" without the luxury of the "Good Eats" writers.....
I was quite surprised that I found Bobby Flay less grating than AB.
Farmer's Market/CSA Reports for 2012
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
Heidi, I like the sound of that slaw. Do you use a creamy dressing or a vinaigrette? I've done a couple of raw beet salads, and didn't love them, but it may have been the dressing I used. I'll keep your suggestion in mind for that as well. Today, I've got some roasting that I'll julienne and dress with a garlic/tahini/lemon dressing. I'll let you know how that one is.