Grilled Radicchio with Goat Cheese

Inspired by a log of goat cheese and fresh radicchio (a cousin of chicory leaf) I created this super quick and delicious appetizer that can go with grilled chicken or be served on it's own.  These are best cooked on a hot grill but can also be cooked under the broiler for 2-3 minutes per side if preferred.

Ingredients

1 head of radicchio (the outermost leaves removed)
5 oz. goat cheese
Olive oil
salt

1. Carefully peel each individual leaf off of the radicchio bulb.
2. Wash under cool water and gently pat dry with a paper towel
3. Sprinkle goat cheese evenly in the "cup" of the leaf
4. Roll the leaves to form a protected pouch for the goat cheese and secure with a toothpick
5. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt
6. Heat grill
7. When grill is hot carefully place the radicchio on the grill and cook 2 minutes per side until green is wilted
8. Remove from grill and serve!

Dessert Caprese - Apricot and Mozzarella

I love mozzarella more than anyone I know so I experiment with it a lot in the kitchen.  While making a salad, I realized sliced apricot and mozzarella was the perfect savory and sweet combo and this easy appetizer/snack was born!  Try and find the freshest mozzarella possible and almost ripe apricots...you could easily swap in a peach here instead of the apricot if they are in season.

Ingredient


1 apricot per person (thinly sliced)
1 mozzarella ball

1. Arrange slices on a plate and top with chunks of mozzarella.  Serve with a nice riesling and enjoy!

Zucchini Fritters

This recipe can be made with a variety of shaved vegetables (including the potato!) but I chose to make it with carrot and zucchini to appreciate the summer flavors.  Serve with a creme fraiche or sour cream topping.

Ingredients


3 medium zucchini washed and then shredded (against a cheese grater)
1 medium carrot washed, peeled and then shredded (against a cheese grater)
salt/pepper
1 large egg
3/4 cup flour
olive oil

1. Put shredded veggies in a colander in the sink and add salt.
2. Stir to incorporate and leave to drain for at least an hour
3. When veggies are drained move to a mixing bowl
4. Add a dash of pepper to the mixture
5. Mix an egg and then toss with the veggies
6. Add flour to mixture and stir to coat
7. Form into small patties and set aside
8. Heat a pan and add olive oil to the pan to cover the bottom
9. When oil is hot add fritters being careful not to crown them
10. To ensure a good crust forms, don't turn over for at least four minutes
11. When brown flip to the other side and repeat cooking time
12. Remove from the oil and place on paper towels.
13. Serve immediately

Pasta Carbonara de Verano

In honor of our friends who are getting married today, let us also marry two of the best Italian dishes...pasta primavera and pasta carbonara!  Cheers Erin and James!

Ingredients

2 small zucchini (thinly cut into half moons)

1 small carrot (finely diced)

1 lb fava beans

3 strips of bacon

1/2 lb spaghetti pasta
1 egg

1. Start a pot of hot water to boil (this is for the fava beans)

2. When water is boiling, add favas and cook for five minutes
3. With one minute left, add zucchini to the boiling water and cook

4. Remove the veggies and drain in a colander, immediately run cold water over these beans

5. Next you need to shell the fava beans.  They should be in a long pod and to open you can carefully cut a slit in the bean with a small knife

6. Remove the beans from the pod and set aside and discard the pods

7. When you have accumulated the beans, now you have to squeeze out the actual bean from within this outer layer.  Once you try this you will know exactly what I'm referring too.  Be careful as these are slippery and can easily fall down the drain!

8. Set the beans in a dish and discard the husks
9. Set another pot of water to boil for the pasta
10. When boiling add the pasta and cook per package directions
11. Meanwhile, heat a saute pan over medium high heat...when hot add the bacon and cook until fairly crispy
12. Remove bacon from from pan and put on papertowls
13. Drain most of the grease into a safe container
13. Return pan to stove under no heat and add carrots
14. Before you drain the pasta, reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid and set aside and let cool
15. Drain pasta and add to saute pan with the carrots, then add the zucchini and the fava beans
16. When the liquid has cooled mix it with the egg and beat for a minute or two until incorporated
17. Pour over the pasta mixture in the pan and stir to coat
18. Chop bacon and sprinkle of the pasta
19. You absolutely must serve this with black pepper and parmesan cheese to complete this dish!

Creme Fraiche Quiche with Chard

Here is a new take on quiche with my latest favorite dairy product...creme fraiche!  This would be a perfect brunch or dinner item and is good for all seasons.

Ingredients


1 puff pastry (frozen)
1 lb chard roughly chopped
1/2 small onion thinly sliced
6 eggs
10 oz creme fraiche
6 oz grated gruyere cheese
salt/pepper

1. Remove puff pastry from freezer and let thaw (about 10-15 minutes).  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat a saute pan over medium high heat, when hot add a swirl of olive oil and let heat (a minute or two).
3. Add onion and saute a minute then add the chard
4. Chard will need a good 7-10 minutes to wilt down
5. Roll out puff pastry into a pie dish, this dough is very pliable so you can do pie surgery if it falls apart.
6. Mix eggs and creme fraiche in a seperate bowl, salt and pepper gently and then set aside
7. When chard is finished cooking, carefully pour half of it into the puff pastry dough
8. Add egg mixture and then the remaining chard and carefully stir together
9. Very carefully stir in grated gruyere cheese and a bit more salt and pepper
10. Cook in the oven about 50-60 minutes or until top is brown and knife comes out completely clean.
11. Serve with hot sauce, salt, pepper or whatever else you like with quiche!

B.O.L.A. aka not your average B.L.T.

Inspired by the lack of tomatoes I created this simple BLT alternative.  The possibilities are endless (garlic mayo or pesto anyone?).  If you have big enough lettuce leaves you could even make this a wrap!

Ingredients

Bacon (3 slices per sandwich)

Onion thinly sliced (salad onions are mild enough to eat raw)

Lettuce leaves (romaine lettuce is perfect)

Avocado (thinly sliced - 1 avocado will do about three sandwiches)

Baguette

1. Cook bacon and toast baguette

2. Assemble sandwich with baguette, bacon, onion, lettuce and avocado and any other toppings you desire!

Complete Beet Galette

Mollie Katzen has an amazing cookbook where she cooks with all of "The vegetables I can't live without".  One of her recipes is called "Complete Beets" where she uses the beet greens as well as the beet itself.  When I got some complete beets in my farmshare, I knew I had to make a complete beet galette because what goes better with vegetables then a ton of butter and cheese?

You may remember my slight obsession with ricotta earlier in the summer.  I used ricotta again in this recipe (about 3/4 cup) so hopefully you are still using the recipe just like I am!  I got the galette dough from my favorite place Smitten Kitchen (Galette dough).  She also has other varieties of this delicious dish if you are not a fan of beets.

Ingredients


1 galette pastry dough (prepared Smitten style)
1 lb complete beets
1/2 small onion finely chopped
1/2 small onion thinly sliced
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 cup ricotta
1 egg (beaten)
salt

1. Chop beets and their greens into bit size pieces.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Heat saute pan over medium heat with a swirl of olive oil
3. When hot, add beets, their greens and finely chopped onions and saute about 7 minutes.
4. Turn off heat and stir honey into the veggies
5. Add a dash of salt to taste
6. Roll out pastry dough into 12 inch circle
7. Spread ricotta in the center of the dough, leaving 2 inches on the diameter which you will fold over the veggies
8. Evenly layer veggies on top of the ricotta and then layer the thinly sliced onions
9. Fold over pastry dough (as per the picture) leaving most of the galette exposed
10. Brush beaten egg over the dough and tops of the onions
11. Bake in preheated oven about 35 minutes or until top is golden brown and onions are starting to brown as well.
12. Serve with a salad and a big glass of wine!

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Bacon and Mizuna Risotto

Inspired by some seriously delicious fare at Toulouse Petit, I made this risotto with some fresh mizuna lettuce from our farm share and bacon from the local farmer's market.  It's true what they say, bacon does make everything better!  Don't be intimidated on this one, if you don't have mizuna you can always use arugula or spinach.

Ingredients


5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup arborio rice (special risotto rice)
1/2 cup white wine
5 slices of bacon
1 lb mizuna or other green

1. Start by heating both in a pot on the stove (heat over medium)
2. Heat another deep pot over medium high heat, when hot add two swirls of olive oil to the pan
3. When the oil is hot add the chopped onion and cook 2-3 minutes until soft
4. Add rice to the oil and stir to coat (about 2 minutes)
5. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and stir to evenly coat
6. Here comes the tricky part, add a ladle of the broth to the rice mixture and stir every few minutes while broth is absorbed
7. When broth is absorbed add some more and repeat step 6 until all broth is gone.
8. While risotto is cooking, heat a large saute pan to medium high heat
9. Add bacon slices to the hot pan and cook to your preference (well done works best here)
10. When bacon is done, remove from the pan and lay on a cutting board with paper towels below to soak up the grease
11. Carefully drain most of the grease into a grease safe container and return the pan to the stove
12. Add the greens to the bacon greased pan and cook down for about 3-4 minutes and remove from heat
13. At this point you should be about 20 minutes into cooking your risotto and have very little broth left.  Sample the risotto to make sure it is chewy but not uncooked.  If it is ready, remove from heat.
14. Quickly chop bacon into bite size pieces
15. To plate this dinner, add a scoop of risotto onto the plate, followed by a nice portion of greens (about one "tong"ful) and then finally the bacon.
16. Serve with a salad and enjoy!

Fava Bean and Potato Salad

You could basically call this the "everything but the kitchen sink" potato salad.  I really tried to use inventive and different ingredients here for a fresh take on potato salad.  You will never buy pre-made potato salad at the store ever again!  I used purple potatoes in this recipe for added color!

Ingredients


1 zucchini (cut into inch thick rounds and then cut into half moons)
1 lb fava beans
1 lb new or yukon potatoes
10 oz creme fraiche
4 or 5 healthy springs of dill (chopped)
One salad onion or sweet onion (such as Walla Walla variety) thinly sliced

1. This recipe has three main steps.  Boiling the fava beans and zucchini is the first.  Heat a large pot of salted water on medium high heat, when boiling add fava beans and set timer for 2 minutes.  After two minutes is done, add zucchini and cook another 1 1/2 minutes
2.  Immediately remove from heat and using a slotted spoon, put veggies into a colander in the sink and run cold water over them for 2 minutes
3. Return pot of water to stove and reheat to boiling, then add potatoes and cook for 20 minutes (depending on how thick they are you might need to go 25)
4. Congrats you are done with two of the steps!
5. Next you need to shell the fava beans.  They should be in a long pod and to open you can carefully cut a slit in the bean with a small knife
6. Remove the beans from the pod and set aside and discard the pods
7. When you have accumulated the beans, now you have to squeeze out the actual bean from within this outer layer.  Once you try this you will know exactly what I'm referring too.  Be careful as these are slippery and can easily fall down the drain!
8. Set the beans in a dish and discard the husks
9. At this point the potatoes should be done
10. Drain them and turn them into a mixing bowl
11. Add the thinly sliced onion, the zucchini, beans and dill and stir to coat
12. Finally add the creme fraiche and stir to coat all of the veggies
13. Salt and pepper and enjoy!!