Thayer in the Kitchen

This is a recipe that I tried for the first time last night.  Arthur really liked it.  I served it with mashed potatoes--one of his favorite foods.  We were lucky enough to get a Sweetheart Cabbage from our CSA farm--Driftless Organics.  I've never seen this variety of cabbage for sale in the grocery store.  You could probably find it at a farmers' market. Sweetheart, Pointed , hispi, hearted or  sweetheart cabbage  as it is sometimes known is a type of green  cabbage  with green leaves and a  pointed  head. The leaves are more open than those of a green  cabbage  and they have a softer texture and sweeter taste.  If unavailable I'm sure you could use standard cabbage instead.   We were only making dinner for 2 people so I didn't use as much as the recipe called for although Arthur said he wished we had had more cabbage! 1/2# of salmon--I used 2 pieces of Keta Salmon from our Sitka Salmon Shares.  The recipe said to skin the salmon which is not necessary.

I've tried a few recipes in the past to make creamed spinach and never been satisfied with any of them.  This one was very good.  There may be a better one, but this is the best so far.  The reason I've tried so many times is that my husband is a big fan of creamed spinach.  He thought this dish was delicious. 10 oz. of spinach (the original recipe called for baby spinach, but that isn't what I had from my CSA farm) 2  tablespoons  unsalted butter 2  tablespoons  finely chopped onion 2  teaspoons  minced garlic (a little more is OK) 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour 1  cup  half-and-half 1/2  cup  finely grated Parmesan cheese 1/4  teaspoon  freshly grated nutmeg 1/2  teaspoon  dry mustard Pinch  of cayenne pepper 1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper Instructions Cook the spinach:  Bring a 4-quart pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spinach in large handfuls until all the spinach is added, and cook for 15 second

These pancakes are a great way to use some of the rhubarb that may be growing in your backyard or you got in your CSA box (which is how we got ours).  We love pancakes and I like to find different versions which this one is.   Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter 2 cups rhubarb, chopped fairly small 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 cup buttermilk 1-1/4 cups flour (I used half whole wheat and half unbleached white) 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 egg, separated and at room temperature 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled For the crumble: 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 2 tablespoons brown sugar pinch of salt 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 3 tablespoons butter, melted Melt the butter and add the rhubarb and sugar.  Cook until the fruit is tender.  Add a spoon of water if the mixture gets too dry.  Mine didn't. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Whisk the egg yolk into the buttermilk and ge

Its the time of the year when our CSA share is over but we still find quite a few root vegetables lingering in either our frig or in a dark corner of our closet.  I'm always looking for new, creative and tasty ways to use them.  In this recipe, I think I have found a good way to use a rutabaga.  The original recipe suggested that pears would also work instead of apples.  I think I would prefer to stick with somewhat tart apples. Sunflower oil or extra virgin olive oil 2-3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled 1-1/2# rutabaga, peeled, and cut into chunks 2 large tart apples, peeled and cut into chunks Kosher salt and black pepper 3/4-1 cup diced cooked ham 1 tablespoon apple cider or balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon butter Put a glug of oil in a large frying pan that has a lid and heat over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook slowly until its soft, but not too brown about 5 minutes. Add the rutabaga to the pan.  If you don't have quite enough rutabaga you can substitute