CSA Inspiration: Garlic Scapes

My CSA starts next week and I am getting excited (and a little nervous about being able to use all that produce). I’m hoping that garlic scapes make an appearance in the first week or two, mainly because I can make this delicious, addictive dip. It’s great with pita chips or veggies (snap peas and red peppers come to mind) and will be a big hit at your next cocktail party or barbecue.

(What are garlic scapes, you may ask? They are the flowering stalks of a garlic plant. They offer a subtle garlic flavor.)

White Bean and Garlic Scape Dip

1/3 cup sliced garlic scapes (3 to 4)

Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. In a food processor, combine the garlic scapes with the lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Add the beans and process to a rough purée.

2. With motor running, drizzle olive oil through feed tube and process until smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 tablespoons water, or more, until the mixture is the consistency of a dip. Add more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice, to taste.

3. Spread out dip on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with more sea salt. Serve with vegetables and pita chips.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups.

Comfort Zone

This soup is hearty and rich, but healthy, low-fat, and low-calorie. In a small bowl, it's a great starter for a wintry dinner of roast chicken and potatoes; in a larger bowl and with a side salad, it's a great main course.

Black Bean and Pumpkin Soup

2 tbsp. olive oil
½ of a large onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb. plum tomatoes (5 or 6 large), peeled* and coarsely chopped
1 tbsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt
2 cans (14 oz. each) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
4 c. chicken broth, low-sodium or homemade
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

In a stock pot over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute, stirring frequently so they don't burn, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and saute until the onions are translucent, another 5-10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and salt, and saute until the tomatoes begin to release their juices and break down, another 5-10 minutes.

Add the black beans, pumpkin, broth, and vinegar, and raise the heat to medium-high. Let the mixture come to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Using a stick blender and taking the pot off the heat, puree the soup to a coarse consistency.

Serve alone or with a garnish of fresh cilantro, tortilla chips, or chopped red onion.

*Peeling the tomatoes is one extra step but it's really not that difficult, and vital for the proper consistency of the soup. Simply bring a pot of water to boil, and have a bowl of very cold water nearby. Core the tomatoes, and drop them into the boiling water for 15 to 30 seconds (depending on how ripe they are). Remove them with a slotted spoon and put them in the cold water to stop them from cooking, then peel away the skins.

Caliente!

Born on a cold winter day when I was trying to warm from the inside, and also use up some of the cans in my pantry, this soup is spicy and comforting at the same time. With the possible exception of the jalapeno pepper, you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry already.

Spicy Tomato Soup

3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 tsp. ground ginger (or 2 tsp. fresh, if you have it)
½ tsp. ground cumin
4 14-oz. cans diced tomatoes, with their juices
1 14-oz. can chicken broth (or 2 c. homemade broth)
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt

In a 5-qt Dutch oven or stock pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and pepper and saute for about 4 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the ginger. Continue to stir frequently for another 4 minutes, then add the cumin, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, the broth, the sugar and the salt and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.
Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender, pureeing in batches), finely puree the soup. Serve at once.

Brunchtastic, Part 2

Another brunch favorite were these moist muffins, which showcase an unusual combination of tastes. Using the ice cream scoop to measure the batter is an easy way to create uniformly sized muffins. For added texture, you could add a handful of chopped walnuts.

Pear Cranberry Muffins

2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 large ripe Bartlett pear, cored and cut into ¼ inch cubes
½ cup sweetened dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

Position an oven rack in the center and preheat oven to 400°. Line 12 muffin tin cups with paper liners.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, and salt in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs to break up the yolks. Add the sugar in a steady stream while whisking. Whisk for a couple of minutes until the yolks pale in color. Whisk in the oil and the vanilla.

Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet with a wooden spoon. Stir until there is only a little flour visible. Carefully stir in the pear and cranberries, taking care not to crush the pears, until there is no flour visible.

Using a 2 inch ice cream scoop, fill each of the muffin tins to the top, dividing the batter evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffin tin from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once they are cool enough to handle, remove the muffins from the tins and place on the rack.

Makes 12 muffins.

Brunchtastic!

Last weekend I hosted some friends for brunch. The crowd was smaller than expected due to a weekend long snowstorm, in keeping with tradition for my winter parties. I'm better than the farmer's almanac - if I'm throwing a party and it's the wintertime, it will snow.

Guests who braved the snow were treated to a bonanza of eggy and bacony delights. One of the highlights was homemade granola, which went amazingly well with the Stonyfield Vanilla Yogurt.

Granola

1 c. hazelnuts
1 c. almonds
1 c. walnuts
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 t. vanilla extract
2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 325°.

Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from the oven and let cool. With a rolling pin, crush the nuts until coarse.

In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, orange zest, and vanilla. Add the oats and stir to coat. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and toast for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the nuts.

To serve, stir into yogurt.

Keeps for a couple of weeks when stored in an airtight container.

Cookie Swappin'

This past weekend I channelled my inner 1950's housewife and hosted my annual holiday cookie swap party. There were many delicious treats, including Susan's jam-filled thumbprint cookies. She graciously agreed to share the recipe (and also some thoughts on mid-century cookbooks). Her musings, and recipe, follow.

The recipe is super-easy. Embarrassingly-so. You should give the 1950 Betty Crocker cookbook the real credit. You've got to see this thing. My mother-in-law found it when she was cleaning out my husband's grandmother's house. Ugh! There is a section at the front, explaining basics of cooking.

One part is titled: "If You Are a Good Mathematician You May Safely .. ."
And then underneath, there are two columns explaining how you can REDUCE RECIPES or INCREASE RECIPES. The first line:
"To double a recipe, use exactly twice the amount of each ingredient." Yes, the italics are in the original.

Well, the men behind Betty Crocker circa 1950 may think women are idiots, but they make a mean cookie. Here you go:

Thumbprint Cookies

Cream together 2 sticks of butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 2 egg yolks (reserve the whites in a small bowl), 1 tsp of vanilla, and I like to add 1/2 tsp of almond extract.

Sift (they are adamant that it be sifted!) 2 cups of flour. Mix well.

Roll into balls. (My first batch were too small; they work better when they are about 1.5 inches). Dip the top in egg white, and then in some chopped nuts. (I use pecans.) The recipe says it should be an ungreased cookie sheet, but mine all had some mild sticking, requiring a bit of prodding to remove. So I defer that. . . Place nut-side-up, and bake at 375 for 5 min. Take them out at 5 min, and gently make indentations in each one. Put them back in the oven for 7-8 more min, depending on your oven.

Fill with whatever jam, jelly, or pie filling you have around. I then sprinkle with the powdered sugar for decoration, but that isn't in the original recipe.

Carbo Loading with a Side of Spinach (for strength)

I'm off to work the overnight this evening. In addition to lots (and lots) of caffeine, I need a hearty dinner to start off the night. Tonight it was a pile of whole-wheat spaghetti with some sauteed spinach on the side.

Spaghetti al Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper, a traditional Roman dish) for one

1/4 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
Salt for the pasta water
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Lots of freshly ground pepper

Salt the water and bring it to the boil. Instead of putting the lid on the pot, place your pasta bowl on top to warm the bowl. Careful when removing it; it will be hot.

Cook the pasta to al dente. Put the olive oil in the pasta bowl. Drain the pasta and place it in the bowl. Put the cheese and pepper on top of the pasta. Toss with two forks. Add sea salt to taste. Enjoy!

Spinach with Pine Nuts, Garlic, and Lemon for one

1 tbsp. pine nuts
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 c. baby spinach
Juice of 1/4 lemon

Warm a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Toast the pine nuts, shaking the pan frequently. When they begin to brown and turn fragrant, remove them from the pan. Add the olive oil to the pan and let it warm for a moment. Add the garlic and cook for about twenty seconds, until it begins to brown and turn fragrant (sound familiar?). Add the spinach to the pan, tossing it frequently with tongs, until it wilts. Add the lemon juice, and remove from the heat. Toss with the pine nuts.