Thayer in the Kitchen

This soup is fabulous! Potato, Onion and Blue Cheese Soup (adapted from Farmer John's Cookbook: The real dirt on vegetables) 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 medium onions, thinly sliced (about 1 cup) 1 medium to large clove of garlic, minced 3 medium potatoes, (about 1 1/2 pounds) cut into 1 inch chunks (no need to peel) 2 cups chicken broth 1 cup half and half 1/3 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (the smoked blue cheese from the HVF cheese share is perfect for this soup) salt & a sprinkle of white pepper Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions, cook, stirring, until the onions are limp but not brown, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds. Add the potatoes and stir until well coated with butter; cook for 5 minutes, stirring them a few times. Add 2 cups of broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 20-30 minutes. Add the half-and-half and the cream; gently heat but do not boil. Stir in

Ah the occasional challenges of cooking with a voracious eater in the house. So here's the story. I committed to making a Carrot Mushroom Loaf for potluck lunch at work on Wednesday. I knew that I would be going to book club on Tuesday evening. So, I started preparing the ingredients on Monday evening; thinking (incorrectly as it turned out) that this would give me a head start. I chopped and sauteed the onions, garlic, mushrooms and herbs. Then I prepared and added the bread crumbs to the mixture. I made a sweet potato, apple, corn, veggie burger casserole for dinner. It was OK but not worth posting. Arthur eyed the mushroom, bread crumb, onion mixture in the pan. I said no, that's the beginning of another dish that I'm taking to work. I went to book club on Tuesday. It was a really fun meeting because every November we pick the books for next year. Each person proposes 2-3 books and describes them to the group. Then we vote for 10 of them. The books getting the most vot

I had a large head of escarole that I need to use. Its lovely to look at but a bit on the bitter side served raw. My friend, Lora, gave a recipe that incorporated escarole and that she thought was excellent. She got the recipe from Blue Moon Community Farm, her CSA farm from last year. Escarole Celeriac Dressing 1 celeriac, peeled and chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1-2 medium leeks, washed well and sliced 2 or more portabello mushrooms, chopped 3 T. olive oil Saute above ingredients until tender. 1 head escarole, blanched, drained and chopped 1/2 t. salt Pepper to taste 2 eggs, beaten 4-5 cups bread cubes Mix all and bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees. I baked the dressing in a 9 x 13" pan and put chicken breasts on top of the dressing to bake at the same time. Rub a little olive oil or butter on them and season. Next time I would add about 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning or sage and thyme to the dressing. It turned out very well. Arthur said it was delicious. And v

I took a bit of a break from cooking--nice once in awhile. Thursday, November 13, the Women Who Dine (myself and 3 friends) had dinner at Sardine here in Madison. www.sardinemadison.com/ We shared seared scallops with potato purée and mushroom sherry cream sauce as an appetizer. Then I had a delicious cream of mushroom soup. For my entree I had: Roasted Arctic char over crispy potato purée, wilted spinach and horseradish cream sauce. Char is similar to a very mild salmon. For dessert a couple of us shared chocolate pot de creme; plus we had a couple of bottles of a nice Argentine wine. Great meal. Friday, Arthur stopped by to pick up some leftovers and go to his second job. He'll be home Saturday around 11 PM. I made some great soup which we had with some bread I bought at the indoor farmers' market on Saturday morning. Roasted Pear-Butternut Soup With Crumbled Stilton (adapted from MealsMatter.org) 2 Ripe pears, quartered and cored 2 pounds Butternut squash, peeled,

Last night a friend and I met at Swagat Indian Restaurant for dinner and then went to the public library for a planning session. We're planning a Mardi Gras dinner for the Madison Herb Society in March. We met to coordinate the menu which I really enjoy. It should be a great dinner. Arthur was on his own for dinner. For dinner on Wednesday I made Cheddar Polenta with Sauteed Greens and Garlic-Roasted Portabello Mushrooms which was a recipe in the cheese newsletter from Harmony Valley Farm. 4 medium portobello mushrooms 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 4 cups water 1 teaspoons salt 1 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal) 2 tablespoons butter 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces) (other cheeses can be used) 1 bunch Swiss chard, ribs cut away, leaves cut in 3x1-inch strips (other greens can be substituted) I used some brussels sprouts leaves that came in one of my boxes--I didn't even know you could eat t

I got some flowering kale in my CSA box from HVF last week. It was so beautiful I sort of hated to chop it up and eat it. I've seen it growing in people's gardens but I didn't realize that it was actually edible. I used another recipe from the Passionate Vegetarian which utilized both the kale and some of my sweet potatoes. Parky's Southern Braised Kale with Sweet Potatoes (a slightly adapted version) You could serve it over brown rice or with some corn bread. 3 large sweet potatoes (or about 1-1 1/2 pounds) 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup onion, chopped 3-4 red & orange mini peppers or 1 full size red pepper 1 jalapeno pepper, (seeds in if you want it hot--I removed mine--this wasn't a spicy night), minced 1 bunch flowering kale or whatever kind you have (remove stems because they're often tough) 1/2-1 cup broth (vegetable or chicken) 1 orange 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 tomato chopped (I would probably leave this out the

Yesterday was the Madison Herb Society herb fair. I made a couple of items to take to be sold at the treat table, Sage Cornbread and some savory cranberry herb muffins. This cornbread was made in an iron skillet and it turned out too dark and you couldn't see the sage leaves. The muffins were fine. Afterwards Arthur and I were invited to the Vice President's house for supper. I brought some Tomato Confit Cheddar from our HVF cheese share with crackers and wine. Lauri served a wonderful caramelized onion tart and Gary made a very nice acorn squash soup. This evening I decided to deal with the Beauty Heart Radishes that we got in our box yesterday. We don't really like radishes very well. I saw the following recipe and decided to try it. Creamed Radishes with Pimenton (adapted from a Veggie Venture) 1 pound of grated radishes (I used our Beauty Heart radishes) Peel the radishes depending on what kind you use. Cook until tender in water in a covered pot (about 10-15 m

One of my favorite winter squash has become delicata squash. The delicata squash is actually an heirloom variety, a fairly recent reentry into the culinary world. It was originally introduced by the Peter Henderson Company of New York City in 1894, and was popular through the 1920s. Then it fell into obscurity for about seventy-five years, possibly because of its thinner, more tender skin, which isn’t suited to transportation over thousands of miles and storage over months. Like other heirloom varieties, it is valued for its taste, not its transportability. I use this squash before the harder shell varieties such as kabocha, acorn or butternut because it does not keep as long. Delicata Delish (adapted from Allrecipes.com) "Delicious baked delicata squash is stuffed with and served over a fragrant mixture of quinoa, shallots, and pine nuts. This recipe is a great way to use the squash and shallots in your farm share delivery!" 1 large or 2 medium delicata squash, halved leng

Let's hear it for Brussels sprouts. An interesting tidbit on the correct spelling: You say Brussel, I say Brussels. While some say "Brussel sprouts" and others say "Brussels sprouts" the correct spelling is actually "Brussels sprouts", since they are named after the capital of Belgium - Brussels. Brussels Sprouts and Leeks and Clonbo Cheese (a recipe from Harmony Valley Farm using their Brussels sprouts and cheese) ½-3/4 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed 1 medium leek, sliced thin 2 tbsps butter Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg 4-6 tbsps grated Clonbo cheese * Salt & Pepper, to taste Steam Brussels sprouts over boiling water for 15 minutes, or until tender. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a sauté pan and sweat leeks until tender. Add remaining butter and allow it to become golden brown. Add sprouts and cook over low heat for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the nutmeg. Transfer to a warm serving dish, sprinkle with th

Last night I went to a potluck in our building complex and didn't cook anything when I got home. Tonight its back to preparing something for dinner (no leftovers to be found). Spinach, Tomato Couscous Skillet Supper (another recipe from the Passionate Vegetarian) Again this is good but not "to die for." 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced vertically into thin crescents 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 package of fresh, preferably baby spinach (8 oz. or whatever you have) 1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous (white couscous would also work) 2 cups of water or broth (I used chicken broth) 1/4 teaspoon salt Pepper 1 tomato, chopped 2-4 ounces cheese, the original recipe called for feta, but I used Italian flavored DreamFarm goat cheese because this is what I had. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet and saute onion until it becomes translucent. Lower heat and add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the spinach, including st

This was a good soup for Halloween- Carrot Red Pepper Soup because its bright orange. (recipe adaped from the Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup) 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 1 pound carrots (no need to peel), remove ends and cut in chunks 1-2 red or yellow peppers, I used a combination of the mini peppers from HVF, (about 1 cup) 2 tablespoons curry powder (the original recipe called for 3 T), I think I'd use less next time, its a bit overwhelming 6-8 cups vegetable or chicken broth, you can add more if you think its too thick 2-4 tablespoon honey, or to taste Salt to taste Chopped cilanto Plain yogurt or sour cream for a dollop in the finished soup Heat the butter and oil in a large pot. Add the onion and ginger and saute until the onion softens. Add the carrots and peppers and stir fry for another 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and cook for another minute. Pour the broth o

I have a potluck to go to in our building complex for the Green Committee on Tuesday evening to hopefully celebrate the elelcton results. Obviously they are not getting away without sharing some of our vegetables. I found a reduced-fat version of carrot cake on the America's Test Kitchen website that uses ONE POUND of carrots! Yes! Light Carrot Cake (adapted from America's Test Kitchen) Vegetable cooking spray 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces) 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon allspice (optional) 1/2 teaspoon table salt 3 large eggs 1 cup packed light brown sugar (7 ounces) 1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces) 1/2 cup canola oil 1 pound carrots (about 6 medium), peeled and grated (about 3 cups) 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) 1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with vegetabl

This morning I made a trip to the Westside Farmers' Market in Madison to buy meat for the stew I wanted to make with my sweet potatoes from my CSA box. Of course, I had to buy other food as well. Its hard not to buy lots of lovely vegetables, but I know I'll be getting all sorts of good things in my box from HVF. This is a picture of our produce this week. Leeks, potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrots, broccoli, baby beets, sweet potatoes, Delicata squash, Kabocha squach and flowering kale (its in the upper right of the picture and is beautiful). Cuban-Style Pork and Sweet Potato Stew 1# or a little more sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 pound lean pork loin, cut into 1-inch pieces 14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, with green chiles 1 large garlic clove, minced 1/4 cup orange juice 2 medium scallions, chopped 1/2 tsp table salt 1/4 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp black pepper 2 tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped Place potato, pork, tomatoes, garl