Week 6: Tomatoes!

This week we got our first tomatoes! We only got two, but this is very exciting because it means we are turning the corner, the bright colors will keep coming from this point on.  We did still get quiet a few leafy greens but the variety is slowly increasing.

In this week's share we received: romaine, braising greens, one fennel bulb, sweet onions, two tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, chives and two pints of blueberries!

Last night was blazing hot, so I stuck to a cold, refreshing dinner before I had to head back into work.

Earlier in the week, I made a yummy salad, comprised of a variety of items from our share. 

I started with a mix of grains: bulgar, Israeli couscous, wild rice and lentils.  I had picked up a "Wild Grains" mix from Trader Joe's last month which included the Israeli couscous, rice and lentils and I had some left over bulgar in my cabinet that I figured I'd just use up.

I started by bringing about 2 cups of chicken stock to a boil and then added in the grains (probably close to 2 cups--no measuring remember), turned off the heat and let the liquid absorb.  This took about 20 minutes.

I then chopped up four radishes, one zucchini, one summer squash, one cucumber, some frozen peas and a big bunch of basil (all from the share!--aside from the peas, of course) and put that in a big bowl.  I then crumbled about a 1/3 of a cup of feta over the top.  Once the bulgar, couscous mixture was ready I added that to the bowl, along with a 1/3 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.  I mixed it all together and dug in! 

Last night I ate what was left of this cold salad, over a bed of romaine from the share and a side of sliced tomato.  This is the perfect summer meal.  It was followed by blueberries, a Popsicle and more blueberries...just perfect on a steamy evening!

Stay cool!

Mags, desperately trying to stay cool by snacking on an ice cube.

Week 6: Feeling "Reinspired"

So, I've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus, and I apologize for that.  It's partially because work/life has been busy but also because I had been feeling less than inspired by the weekly goodies in the CSA.  I know I know, it's too early in the season to be throwing in the towel--but trust me, I'm not.  I was just feeling bored with collards, kale, lettuce, spinach.  Those leafy greens would just stare me down every time I opened the fridge, only to be left to wilt.  Shame on me, I know.

But this week, I'm feeling reengergized.  Our share was awesome--the mid summer bounty has begun, along with our fruit share, which is a wonderful addition.  This week's box included lettuce, green beans, sugar snap peas, tons of cukes, tons of zucchini and summer squash, radishes, carrots, a bit of basil and our fruit was two pints of gigantic blueberries! Yay!

I will hold off on sharing what I made last night to recap the one recipe that I did manage to pull together last Saturday.  Several of us attended the Ballet Gala at SPAC on Saturday evening.  This annual event is an interesting mix of "high and low."  People get all dolled up, and then lug in tables, chairs, food and beverages, and set up on the lawn for an evening of ballet, picnicking, fireworks and dancing.  Our group put together a yummy smorgashbord of items and I decided to make one of my FAVORITE recipes--Smitten Kitchen's Zucchini and Ricotta Galette.

Our beautiful spread at the Ballet Gala

It sounds super fancy, but it's actually fairly simple to make, and everyone agreed it's completely delish, mostly because it's a rich combo of various cheeses and zucchini.

I won't rehash the recipe--you can find it here.  I stuck pretty much to the game plan--but I made the dough in the food processor which made it super easy and I eliminated the basil on top, mostly because I didn't have any fresh basil to use.  I've also found that the suggested cooking time is never enough. Maybe it's just my oven, but I always leave the galette in for close to 50 minutes.  ALSO, the egg wash is super important because without it the crust just won't turn that lovely golden color.  My egg wash wasn't very even, so as you can see it browned in some places and not in others.

Letting the zucchini release some of the moisture before assembling.

 I could eat this galette for every meal.  The crust is really flaky and light, and the combo of ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan makes it really rich and so tasty.  This gets two thumbs up!!