Thayer in the Kitchen

1# or however many beets you have, stems trimmed to 1# 1 tablespoon minced shallots 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice 1 teaspoon grated orange zest 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 bag of salad greens or torn lettuce Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets in foil and roast until tender. It will take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool. Peel beets and cut in wedges. Whisk together dressing ingredients. Dress the salad greens with as much dressing as you like, top with the beets and drizzle with a bit more dressing.

This is another good recipe to use some greens. The original recipe called for frozen spinach, but fresh works well. No need to cook it first. 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions 1-2 cloves minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 HVF bag of spinach (probably about 4 ounces) 1 whole wheat pizza crust (such as Boboli) 1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained 2/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) grated sharp provolone or shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese or more if you prefer (I had some goat cheese feta and that worked very well) you can also add a few slices of turkey pepperoni if you wish Preheat oven to 450°. Chop the spinach finely. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in spinach. Place pizza crust on a baking sheet. Spread spinach mixture over pizza crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border; top with artichokes, cheese and pepperoni if using. Bake at 450° for 13 minutes or until cheese melts. Yum! Good...

This tastes pretty much like a normal lasagna but you can use a LOT of greens in it. To get 8 cups of packed greens, I used 1 bag of HVF saute greens, plus some romaine lettuce, a few radish tops--you get the idea--whatever green stuff you need to use up. Do try to chop the greens up somewhat fine so that they aren't stringy. As I mentioned before I throw mine in the food processor and pulse a few times. You need to do this in batches and don't let them turn to mush. 1 box no-boil lasagna noodles (I didn't use the whole box) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped 3 medium cloves garlic, peeled and minced 8 cups packed greens, well washed and coarsely chopped, any combination (ideas include spinach, saute mix, chard, beet or turnip tops, even romaine lettuce works) 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano (fresh herbs are good if they're in season) 1 teaspoon dried basil Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 4 cups ...

I don't normally post recipes except those using produce from our CSA farm. One of the recipes in this menu does use some of our farm veggies. However, the main dish was a recipe for barbecued shrimp that I thought was so good that I decided to share it (as well as remember myself which recipe I used). It has a lot of ingredients in the marinade but don't be put off by it because its very easy. The hardest part is peeling and deveining the shrimp and Arthur was nice enough to take care of that chore. We had purchased some frozen shrimp from a local vendor who comes to one of our farmers' markets. I normally prefer fresh shrimp but these were exceptionally good. Spicy Barbecued Shrimp 1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon fresh thyme 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves, plus more, for garnish 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (I used a little hot pepper from my daughter's garden. It was very hot! I didn't bother to seed it but mi...

This soup was supposed to be served cold, but we never got around to chilling it. I'm sure that would be good, but it was also fine at room temperature. The cold buttermilk helped to cool it. The seasonings are somewhat unusual but make for a very flavorful soup. Zucchini on its own is rather bland, so interesting seasons improve it. 1 lb trimmed zucchini 2 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 1 seeded and minced Serrano chili pepper 1/2 tsp fennel seeds 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground cumin 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (yogurt could also be used) Sea salt to taste Freshly ground pepper to taste Garnish: chopped, fresh cilantro or mint (if desired) 1. Chop the zucchini in large chunks. 2. Add the broth to a soup pot, bring it to a boil and add the zucchini. 3. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the zucchini is barely tender and still bright green. Remove from heat and cool. 4. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small,...

This is a very easy, flavorful soup that is also low in fat. Curried Cauliflower Soup 1 medium cauliflower 1-2 tablespoons olive oil 8 cups of chicken or vegetable broth 1 teaspoon curry powder 2 pinches cayenne pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons salt or to taste 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 cup tiny pasta (Acini de Pepe, stars, orzo, whatever you have available) Break cauliflower into florets. Put in a large pot with the broth. Add the olive oil and curry powder, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and simmer until the cauliflower is fork tender, about 10 minutes. Using a potato masher, break up the cauliflower into small pieces (don't completely mash it). Bring the soup back to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is done, about 6-8 minutes. Adapted from a Penzey's catalogue recipe This is another easy dish that is surprisingly tasty. Mashed Potatoes, Cauliflower and Carrots 1 1/4# Yukon gold potatoes (or whatever you have),...

We loved this dish of roast vegetables and Italian sausage served over polenta. Italian Sausage and Vegetable Roast 1 pound sweet or hot Italian chicken or turkey sausage, cut into 1inch pieces 1 medium red pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks 2 fennel bulbs, cut into slices 2-3 medium Italian plum tomatoes, cut into wedges 1-2 sweet onions, cut into wedges 4 or more garlic cloves 1-2 zucchini squash, cut into thick slices 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, crushed or fresh if available 1/2 cups chicken broth 4 cups hot cooked creamy polenta* Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray roasting pan with vegetable cooking spray. Mix sausage, vegetables and oregano and 1/2 cup broth in pan. Roast 30 minutes or until done, stirring once. Serve with pan juices over polenta. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. * I made my polenta using 1/2 water and 1/2 chicken broth. At the end I stirred in some soft goat cheese, not necessary but delicious. Adapted from Allrecipes.com

This is another good recipe I borrowed from A Good Appetite blog. We're still dealing with radishes and this is a good recipe to use them in. You can even eat your radishes for breakfast--we did. 2 cups radishes, sliced thinly 1 medium onion, preferably a Cipollini onion with some green on top, sliced thinly enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper 5-6 large eggs 1/4 cup milk or water 1 spring fresh rosemary, strip the leaves from the stem and chop coarsely (you could also substitute another herb for the rosemary) Heat olive oil in a large skillet until hot. Add the radishes and onions and sprinkle with salt. Fry until golden. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Drain off most of the oil and leave about 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons. Whisk the eggs with the milk until foamy. Heat the pan with the oil in it and add the eggs to the skillet. As the omelet cooks, pull to one side to let uncooked eggs flow to the bottom of the pan ...

This recipe was in Harmony Valley Farm's newsletter. It sounded easy and a good way to use up our beet greens. Leafy green vegetables are supposed to aid in memory retention among other things, so I figured we better be eating our greens and not adding them to the worm bin. Greens from 1 or 2 bunches of beets Large cippolini or sweet Spanish onion 2 tablespoons olive oil 1-2 teaspoons sugar (optional) 1/2 teaspoon salt Fresh ground pepper Cut the top off the onion and set aside. Chop the onion, but not too fine. Heat oil and add onion. Continue to cook the diced onions until they caramelize. You can add about 1-2 teaspoons of sugar if you wish to aid the browning. While the onions are cooking, chop the beet greens and slice the onion top. Then add the chopped greens and onion tops to the caramelized onions and cook for about 5 minutes or until the greens are completely wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

The fresh chard and the olive oil in the crust give this rustic tart an earthy, nutty flavor. It has just enough custard to hold the filling together. The pat-in-pan crust makes it easy to put together. 1 3/4 cups unbleached flour kosher salt 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1-3 tablespoons ice water 1 large bunch Swiss chard (about 3/4 pound) 1 sprig fresh rosemary 1 large egg yolk 1 onion, finely diced 1 clove garlic, minced 3 large eggs 1/3 cup heavy cream or 1/2 & 1/2 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 1/2 oz.) Freshly ground black pepper Combine the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to mix them. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil and pulse a few more times. Add the ice water a little at a time and pulse just until the dough begins to come together. Use your fingers to press i into the base and us the ...

I was watching one of Simply Ming's shows that I had taped. Simply Ming Online is the Web site of the public TV cooking series Simply Ming, featuring Chef Ming Tsai as he cooks up easy East-West inspired recipes. http://www.ming.com/simplyming/ The TV show is on in Madison on Saturday afternoons on PBS (21). He made a dish with shrimp and baby bok choy added to risotto and flavored with lemongrass. Delicious! 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 minced shallots 2 tablespoons minced lemongrass Olive oil to cook 2 cups Arborio rice 1 cup white wine 3-4 cups chicken stock, hot 1 pound baby shrimp or larger shrimp, roughly chopped 3 heads baby bok choy, shredded (quantity is not important here) 4 tablespoons room temperature cream cheese Minced chives, for garnish Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Coat a skillet or pot over medium heat lightly with olive oil and saute the garlic, shallots, and lemongrass for about 2 minutes. Add the rice, stir to coat with oil and season. D...

This dish is sort of a comfort food kind of thing. 1 medium sized head napa cabbage 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 1/4 flour 1 teaspoon Penzey's chicken soup base (or something similar) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 cups milk 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1-2 cups buttered bread soft bread crumbs Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut large leaves in half lengthwise and then shred coarsely. (There should be about 8 cups--a little more or less is OK.) Place in a buttered shallow 8 cup pan (9 X 9" square pan works well). Melt butter, stir in flour, chicken base, salt and pepper. Cook stirring constantly until just bubbling. Stir in milk a little at time. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens. Stir in parsley. Pour over cabbage. Make sure the sauce and cabbage are combined. Cover with foil. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes; uncover. Sprinkle buttered bread crumbs on the top of the cabbage. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cabbage in crisply tender and crum...

I haven't posted any recipes for a few days but that doesn't mean that I haven't been cooking away with the veggies from our box. I borrowed this one from another blogger, A Good Appetite, the Minneapolis couple who love to eat. Their comment about the recipe, "The seasoning of the lamb was very flavorful & slightly middle eastern. I really enjoyed the texture of the almonds & the saltiness of the olives. The warm filling was really nice against the cool crispness of the lettuce though you could easily serve it in a pita or on top of some couscous or rice." I agree that its delicious and quick to prepare. Lamb Lettuce Wraps 1 T olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 lb ground lamb 1 t cumin 1/2 t coriander 1/2 t black pepper 1/2 t turmeric 1/2 c chopped green olives 1/4 c tomato paste 1/4 c sliced almonds large romaine lettuce leaves, washed & dried Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion & sauté until just tender. Add lamb ...

This is a recipe that another member of Harmony Valley Farm and fellow blogger, The Green Adventures of a City Girl, posted on her site. I made a few changes to use ingredients that I had on hand. I recommend giving it a try. I think you can probably vary it quite a bit and still get good results. The picture is also from her website, but I wanted to give you an idea of what the finished dish looks like. Layered Parmesan Polenta Bake 1 c milk 2 c water 1 t salt 2 c polenta or coarse ground cornmeal 1 t fresh sage, chopped 1 t fresh rosemary, chopped 1 T olive oil 2-3 c sliced green cabbage (about 1/4 of a small head) 3 spring onions, chopped - bulb and stalk portions kept separate 2 garlic scapes, chopped 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped 2 zucchini or summer squash, sliced thin 3/4 - 1 c Parmesan cheese, finely grated (I used a mixture of Ricotta Salata and Parmesan) Preheat oven to 400. Combine milk, water and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the sage, rosemary and ...

This is a recipe for another one of our favorite green salads. The original recipe called for iceberg (yuck) and romaine lettuce. You can use salad greens. I used our Red Boston lettuce the we got in our CSA box. Arthur said its some of the best lettuce he's ever had; very tender and delicate. The original recipe called for you to caramelize the almonds which I didn't bother to do. 1/2 cup almonds bowl of salad greens or lettuce 1 can (11 oz.) mandarin orange sections, drained 2 stalks celery, sliced 2 green onions, sliced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Dressing: 3 tablespoons canola or sunflower oil 2 tablespoons vinegar (I used white wine vinegar) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon sugar Combine salad ingredients, sprinkle with the almonds just before serving. Prepare dressing by mixing or shaking all the ingredients together. Pour as much over the salad as you prefer.

Amaranth Leaves are very similar to spinach in flavor and use. They're beautiful to look at. Its tempting to just keep the bunch as a decorative bouquet. This time I decided to use mine in Chinese Spinach Curry. This is not a perfected recipe, but I would make it again so I thought it was worth posting. Thotakura Palakura Tomato Kura 1 tablespoon peanut oil or other mild oil ¼ teaspoon each--cumin, mustard seeds and curry leaves (I think the quantity of these spices should be doubled) 1 big onion - finely sliced, about one cup 2 tomatoes - finely chopped, about one cup 5 green chillies--finely chopped (I used 1 Serrano, which I seeded--5 seemed excessive for our tastes but it needed either more than 1 pepper or to leave in some of the seeds. In other words it lacked heat) 1 teaspoon - ginger garlic paste ½ tsp each- turmeric and salt 1 bunch fresh amaranth (leaves and tender stems) - finely chopped, about 5 cups 1 bunch fresh spinach - finely chopped, about 5 cups 1 can of chick...

We got a bag of sugar snap peas in our last CSA box. So many good possibilities and so few peas. I decided to try this recipe that I cut out of the food section of the Chicago Tribune (my son saves them for me). The description accompanying the recipe promised, "The flavor of the bacon, sugar snap peas and mint make a perfect foil for wild salmon." Having now prepared it, I would agree. Roasted or sauteed baby fingerling potatoes are a great side with this (especially if you have them which I didn't). Pasta is also a good side. Do give this dish a try. Its easy and delicious. Salmon with Sugar Snap Peas and Bacon 1 pound salmon fillets 1/2 teaspoon sea salt Coarsely ground pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 slices bacon, cut into slivers 1/2 onion, minced 1/2 cup white wine (or water if you must, but it won't be the same) 1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint 1. Place salmon skin side down on foil-covered baking sheet. Brush skin with oil; se...

Dressing: 1/4 cup frozen white grape juice concentrate 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar or cider vinegar 1 tablespoon canola oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon onion powder Salad Ingredients: 1/2 bag torn mixed salad greens 8 large fresh strawberries, quartered 1 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced 2 tablespoons sliced green onion 2 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts, toasted In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the first five ingredients; shake well. Refrigerate until serving. Set aside 2 tablespoons of dressing. Place the greens in a salad bowl and drizzle with remaining dressing. Top with strawberries, kiwi and onion; drizzle with reserved dressing. Sprinkle with nuts. If you don't want to make your own dressing, a bottled raspberry or balsamic vinaigrette works well with this salad as well. From Allrecipes.com

Catching up on another recipe posting. This is a good recipe for a very moist pleasantly sweet and spicy quick bread using rhubarb. It makes two 8 1/2 X 4 1/2 size loaves. Avondale Rhubarb Bread 2 1/4 cups sifted unbleached white flour 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon allspice (the original recipe called for 1/2 teaspoon--so if you're a fan use this amount) 3 eggs 1 cup canola or sunflower seed oil 1 3/4 cups packed dark or light brown sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 1/2 cups diced rhubarb (about 1#) 3/4 cups walnut pieces (or whatever nuts you prefer) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8 1/2 X 4 1/2" loaf pans. Combine flours with other dry ingredients. Beat eggs, oil, brown sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer or in a food processor until fluffy and smooth. Combine the dry and and wet ingredients. The batter will be VERY stiff. Don't over mix but...

I got a bit behind in using all my CSA veggies. I found some sunchokes tucked away in the back of a refrigerator draw which were still perfect. I had stored them in a plastic bag with a paper towel in it to absorb extra moisture. This recipe would probably be more appropriate for cold weather but its worth saving for when the sunchokes return. Sunchoke Cheese Soup 1 pound sunchokes 2 Tablespoons lemon juice 2 stalks celery 1 medium onion 4 Tablespoons butter 2-1/2 cups chicken broth or more if needed 3 Tablespoons flour 1 1/2 cups medium-sharp Cheddar cheese 2 teaspoons dry mustard 1/2 cup cream Salt Cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Wash, peel, and roughly chop sunchokes and keep in water to which lemon juice has been added until ready to use. Chop celery and onion and cook in 1 tablespoon butter until slightly wilted, approximately 10 minutes. Add sunchokes and 1-1/2 cups chicken broth, cover, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Puree in a fo...

This is a interesting and somewhat unusual salad to help use up our radish supply. The dish got one thumbs up (me) and one thumbs down (Arthur). He agreed it tasted good but you had to chew too much--please! Sugar Snap Pea Salad With Radishes, Mint and Ricotta Salata 1 1/2 cup sliced radishes 6-8 ounces sugar snap peas, sliced (about 2 1/2 cups) 6-8 ounces ricotta salata, crumbled (about 2 cups) 1/2 bunch mint leaves, torn (about 1/3 cup) (I didn't have enough mint, so I added a few other fresh herbs) 1 clove garlic, minced Pinch kosher salt, more to taste 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Freshly ground black pepper to taste String the peas and then lightly steam them or use raw if you prefer. Cool slightly. In a large bowl, toss together the radishes, peas, ricotta and mint. Finely chop the garlic. I used my little food processor and then added all the other dressing ingredients and blended. Pour dressing ...

In an earlier post I mentioned getting a very large head of romaine lettuce. The following soup is one of the things I used it for. Lettuce Soup--I know it sounds a little weird, but it turned out very well. We both liked it. Chilled Lettuce Soup 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1/2 tablespoon oil 1 cup sliced leek (or substitute green onions from CSA box) 1 medium shallot (believe it or not I still had a few left from a winter box) 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth 10 ounces romaine lettuce or any other green or salad mix, chopped (I didn't measure and the amount isn't important) 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (about 2 1/2 cups) Salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon or a bit more chopped fresh dill (I think other herbs would also work--but the dill was great) 1/2 cup 1/2 and 1/2 (or enough to get the consistency you want) Melt butter in large pot. Add oil, leek or green onions and shallot. You could also use some garlic scapes. Cover and cook until vegetables are soften...