Thayer in the Kitchen

In my last box from my CSA farm, I got a lovely head of broccoli.  I happened to find this interesting recipe on the internet.  The herb garden on my deck is doing very well and I was able to get enough basil to make the soup.  I served the soup warm.  I think it would also be tasty at room temperature or chilled. 2 tablespoons sunflower or olive oil 1 cup chopped walnuts 2 medium yellow onion (about 1/2 cup) roughly chopped 1/4 teaspoon salt 3-4 cups fresh broccoli roughly chopped 3-4 cups chicken or vegetable broth 4 small cloves of garlic, peeled  2 cups loosely packed basil leaves juice of 1 small lemon Freshly ground pepper Shaved Parmesan cheese (optional) Warm the oil and saute the onions, walnuts, and salt until the onions are tender.  Add the broccoli and the broth.  Bring the broth to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer until the broccoli is crisp-tender or about 10 minutes.  Let cool slightly and then b...

This was a recipe that I was going to make to take to Books for Cooks in January 2019.  The meeting was canceled a number of times due to weather and other problems, but Arthur and I really liked the dish.  The theme of the meeting was to be "Lemon."  I found a book at the library called "Lemons" A Country Garden Cookbook by Christopher Idone.  This recipe is adapted from the one in the book. 1# pencil-thin asparagus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup dry white wine 8 oz. pappardelle (I used dry as that is what was available) Juice of 1 lemon Freshly ground pepper to taste Zest of 1 lemon, coarsely grated Grated or shredded Parmesan cheese for serving Snap off tough ends of asparagus.  Cut spears into 3 or 4 pieces on the diagonal.  Melt the butter and saute the asparagus lightly.  Add the cream and wine; warm. Cook the pappardelle in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente and drain well.  Add the...

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 Share...

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 po...

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 ...

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 rutabag...

I tried this lasagna with Swiss chard that we got in one of our CSA boxes.  I was very pleased with the results. It is quite different than your typical lasagna but very tasty.  It is adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. Ingredients: 3 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup flour 3 cups milk 1 cup grated Parmesan (about 4 ounces) Course salt and pepper 5 cups coarsely chopped Swiss chard (1 bunch) 1# bulk Italian sausage 1 lemon, very thinly sliced 6 no-boil lasagna noodles Directions: Melt butter and stir in flour; cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and simmer until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Whisk in 3/4 cup cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in chard. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook sausage in a skillet breaking up pieces, until no longer pink. Cover lemon slices with cold water by 3 inches in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon. ...