Ribeye and Panzenella

Nothing better than a Rib Eye steak medium rare.  Along side is my version of Panzenella.  Pretty basic.

Chop up what tomatoes you have...particularly ones that are very soft.  Add a smashed clove of garlic that you'll pick out before serving.  Add 1/2 red onion thinly sliced.  Add about 1/2 cup or less of olive oil.

I went out into the herb garden and just picked what looked good.  Parsley, chives and oregano.  Chop finely and add to bowl.  Mix well and allow to sit for at least an hour.

If you have stale bread all the better, but if not tear up a french loaf and lightly brown under the broiler.  I had stale bread and did not toast.

When ready to serve, cut up some cucumber add to bowl.  Salt and Pepper to taste and add bread.  Coat with the juices and serve at once.

You can scale this from a dinner for one to a neighborhood block party.

Happy Eating!

Freezing Veggies.

Hi,

Being members of the "farm" we get tons of veggies some weeks.  Last Thursday it was almost two quarts of aging green beans.  Way more green beans than I want to eat in a week so I decided to freeze some.  Below is my method and some pics to help get the process across.

Steps

Get a pot big enough to amply hold the veg.  Fill with water, salt generously and heat on high until boiling.  Set up a large bowl with ice and water for dumping the green beans in after cooking to stop the cooking process.

Rinse green beans well and drain.

I pinch the end off where the bean attaches to the vine.

When the water is boiling hard, drop the beans into the water.  Set a timer for two minutes.

You want to get them back to the boil as quickly as possible.

When the beans are finished, drain and immediately plunge into the ice water to stop the cooking process.

Once cold, spread them out on a cookie sheet.  Try to make sure that none are touching.

Get them in the freeze.  When solid, take out and place in a freezer bag pushing out as much of the air as possible.  Air is the enemy of frozen food.  This way you can take out a few for a salad or all for a dinner side.



Also date the bag.  It will be a wonderful treat in December when those tasteless beans from South America appear in the market.

Happy Eating!











Cucumber Soup

This recipe was super easy...I didn't need any water to thin out at the end.  I guess my cukes had a higher moisture content.  Also added some garlicy croutons and snipped chives on top.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chilled-creamy-cucumber-soup-recipe2/index.html

Appetizer Idea

Beet and Goat Cheese Nibbles

From this year's crop at the CSA we belong to, we've been getting beautiful beets. I used them as an appetizer last night and they were a hit.

This would make about 18 little nibbles.

1 large or two small beets.  I had yellow beets.  Cut large into two and steam in a double boiler for 20-30 minutes or until you can easily pierce with a knife.  Cool and then peel.
Goat cheese

I sliced and then cubed the beets and used the goat cheese as a filling.  Skewered.  Chilled before serving and sprinkled with fresh chives.  It could be any fresh herb really.

They were delish!

Happy Eating!

Beet Chips

From the organic food coop this week we got some lovely looking large yellow beets.  Lo-cal and straightforward.  These were great.  I have to work on getting the larger chips crisper sooner.

They went quick.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Slice beets very thin (I used my mandoline)

Spread evenly on a lightly greased cookie sheet, spray with nonstick spray and season with salt and pepper.  I used sea salt.

Roast 15 minutes, then flip the chips

Continue to roast 10-15 minutes, until chips are dry and crispy.

Very delicious

Happy Eating!