CSA Round-Up

I've slowly been getting back in the studio and pottery action after a very busy summer.  I have some things to share and shows and classes coming up, but tonight I thought I would share a recipe.  This is our second year having a CSA Share with Early Morning Farm.  We really like the selection, and I also think it is a great price!  They have a lot of options for CSA Members, I definitely recommend checking it out if you are in the CNY area.  Pick up is Thursday so every Wednesday night I throw something together with whatever veggies are still floating around the fridge.  Tonight it was eggplant, bok choy, mizuna, carrots, and a yellow pepper.  I added in a yellow squash grown by the children at my son's school and rice noodles to make a lovely meal of Grilled Eggplant with Asian Stir-fry and Peanut Noodles.  You can scroll right through if you want to get directly to the recipe.  This took about an hour with many breaks and interruptions from a tiny human (2.5 year old boy) and serves 4-6 depending on your appetite!

A word about eggplant, most recipes call for salting it to remove the bitterness and or water.  This step is called sweating.  I can confirm this is definitely necessary!  One Easter I threw out a whole batch after skipping this step-it practically burned my tongue.  With the very fresh eggplants we get in our CSA this might not be completely necessary, but I still never skip this step.  Whenever using eggplant in a recipe I cut it in large thick slabs and then salt both sides.

I let this sit while I prep everything else for the meal.  

When you can see water on the surface rinse the eggplant and pat-dry.  Rinsing it will make sure that it does not turn out too salty.  I took a short break to play in the yard with my son while it was sweating, so you could really see the water on the surface when I got back into the kitchen.

We gave this eggplant a quick grill on both sides to finish it off, so I first marinated it with sesame oil, tamari (soy sauce),  and water.  Eggplant acts like a sponge so I always thin marinades for eggplant with water.  It never compromises the flavor.  Here I used equal parts of the sesame oil, tamari, and water to end up with about 1/4 cup marinade, but you can adjust to your taste buds.

I had a lot of greens to clean which is sometimes a chore on a week night.  I try to plan ahead sometimes by rinsing and washing in advance.  Tonight was not one of those nights!  I chopped all the greens in to bite size pieces and then washed them using a salad spinner.  Place the strainer filled with greens in the salad spinner bowl.  Fill with water, swish a lot, and lift out the strainer.  Dump and repeat three times or so.  Tonight I did just one, sometimes I do more.   Most recipes and guidelines suggest to wash and then chop greens and vegetables so you don't expose the pieces to extra dirt, etc.  Since I am not afraid of dirt and trust the source of my veggies I always cut and then rinse greens, I find this much easier.  You can do whichever you prefer.

I started with peanut sauce.  This is a pretty simple recipe that can easily be adjusted to suit different tastebuds.  I have been making it for years and now just mix it up off the top of my head.  It has a coconut milk base and is best made with natural peanut butter.

Once the peanut sauce came together I stir-fried the veggies over high heat in a cast iron wok using coconut oil which works great for high heat and has a pretty neutral flavor that lends itself well to asian cooking.  When stir-frying start with the harder vegetables that take longer to cook, like carrots, and end with the lighter ones like greens.  This will help everything cook evenly.  At this point hopefully someone you live with will come home and you can send them out to the grill with the marinated eggplant (3-4 minutes per side) while you boil the rice noodles according to package directions and toss them with the reserved peanut sauce.

I served this on our beloved plates made by Elizabeth Robinson.  Trust me this will taste best served on something handmade.  Enjoy!

Grilled Eggplant with Asian Stir-Fry and Peanut Rice Noodles

Ingredients:

Variety of vegetables not limited to:

2 carrots, 1 bell pepper, 1 yellow squash, and two bunches greens like bok choy and mizuna, and several garlic cloves

1 large eggplant

Tamari (soy sauce), toasted sesame oil, and water

1 can coconut milk

1/4 cup natural peanut butter

1 T each minced garlic, onion, and grated ginger

1 T tamari (soy sauce)

1 T toasted sesame oil

1 T honey or maple syrup

1 tsp turmeric

1 dash cayenne

1 lb rice noodles or other long thin noodle of your choice

Optional: chopped cilantro and sesame seeds to garnish

Make Peanut Sauce: Bring 1/4 can of coconut to boil over high heat, add garlic, ginger, and onion.  Saute for a minute or so.  Add rest of coconut milk and peanut butter, reduce heat to simmer.  Whisk until peanut butter is mixed with the coconut milk.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Adjust seasonings to taste and remove from heat.

Prepare Eggplant: Sweat eggplant according to directions above.  Mix equal parts tamari, toasted sesame oil, and water to make 1/4 cup marinade.  Pour over eggplant and let sit for 15 minutes minimum and up to one hour.  Grill or pan-fry 3-4 minutes per side.

Stir Fry: Chop vegetables into bite size small thin pieces that will cook quickly.  I like to julienne and dice for this.  Mince as much garlic as you like.  Heat a wok to high heat and add 1 tablespoon high temperature oil such as coconut.  Let garlic sizzle and then start to add vegetables in order of cooking times.  (longest first)  Add salt or soy sauce as desired.

Cook noodles according to package directions and toss with peanut sauce.  If sauce is to thick thin with some extra coconut milk or water.  Garnish if desired with sesame seeds and cilantro.  Serve with extra soy sauce and chili sauce, so taste can be adjusted to the each individual's liking.  

This is What I have Time For

I have been neglecting to post much since I started my new project. Mostly because conditions aren't perfect. For example, I have an idea for a great lighting set up that I can never complete for a multitude of reasons including my ever present infant under tow. So I shot some photos of some great pizza I made using a point and shoot camera in our regular lit kitchen because this is what I have time for. My little guy held still just long enough. In other happenings I have made it back to the studio for some brief moments and I am planning a cup sale in my online shop. I know it's spring everywhere else, but in New York we are deep in mud season.

Gluten Free Pizza Two Ways

I have been making this Bob's Red Mill recipe for pizza crust since it has been necessary for me to make Gluten Free Pizza. It is good every time, but it is especially good when I take extra care to time the yeast and warm water as the recipe calls for and lightly fill the cups with flour, not pack them. I always make a double recipe and cook the pizzas in cast iron skillets with olive oil and a sprinkle of cornmeal in the bottom. The first pizza is a more traditional Pesto Pizza that my partner prefers. The second pizza is a fancier Arugala and Brie pizza I prefer. Since moving to New York I have discovered brick oven pizza. When done well the crust is thin and crispy and the cheese is well done on top, when done poorly....it's just poor. This is the kind of pizza I prefer with gourmet toppings and just enough cheese to make it taste good, not ooze with cheese. I always use fresh mozzarella, which tastes better and spreads a lot so you don't have to use much.

After making the crust place it in your pan, when handling the crust make sure your hands are very wet, you may have to re-wet as you work the dough into a flat pizza crust. The next step is toppings.

For the Pesto Pizza:

You will need, about a half cup prepared pesto. Here is my recipe. 1 ball of fresh mozzarella, 1/4 cup diced tomatoes. Spread pesto over crust, top with tomatoes then, slices of fresh mozzarella. Be sure to give the mozzarella plenty of room to spread out, you may have left over mozzarella, I usually use about 1/2 a ball per pizza. Bake according to directions.

For the Arugula Brie Pizza

You will need 1 small round of brie, I used a really delicious goat brie, 1 cup arugala, 1/3 cup carmelized onions, 1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms soaked according to package directions, capers and sundried tomatoes to taste. Slice brie and cover crust with evenly spaced slices. Again you want to leave room between the slices of cheese, brie is very rich. Top with onions, mushrooms, and as much capers and tomatoes as you like. Bake according to directions. Add arugala piled on top for the last five minutes of cooking.

I totally made up all the measurements for the toppings :) So use them as a loose guideline! What do you like on your pizza?

P.S. These are featured on a lovely test for a cake stand I made last summer.