Fresh Friday: Fresh-Dill Basmati Rice with Stil-fry Greens and Chickpeas

Follow along with me on my resolution to eat not just locally, but seasonally in San Francisco.  Fresh Friday!

This recipe was a little longer and more detailed (read complicated) than I would normally have time for on a weekday dinner, but I made it on a day off, so I had time to prep everything before hand, and start it before my husband came home from work. I omitted the masala, because I didn't have any,used quick-cooking brown basmati rice, used leaks instead of shallots, and added three or four small bunches (heads?) of bok choy along with the stir-fry greens. It was delicious, and the lemon makes it really fresh and light.  It wasn't hearty enough to be a meal, but could a good side to a lemon chicken I think. 

Fresh-Dill Basmati Rice with Stir-fry Greens and Chickpeas

2 cups basmati rice
1 pound stir-fry greens, washed and thick stems removed
2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 shallots, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 bunch fresh dill, large stems removed, chopped finely (about 3/4 cup)
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups water or vegetable stock
1-2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
Freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne
Juice of 1 lemon
1 lemon, sliced into wedges (optional)

In a medium-size bowl, rinse the basmati rice with a few changes of water, then cover with at least 2 inches of water. Set aside while preparing the other ingredients, allowing the rice to soak in the water for at least 20 minutes. When ready to use, carefully drain the rice with a fine-mesh strainer.

Steam the greens either in a steamer or a large, covered pot filled with about 2 inches of boiling water. When the greens are limp and bright green, transfer them to a bowl to cool and squeeze as much water as possible from it.  Roll tightly into bunches and chop finely.

In a large, heavy-bottomed 4-quart pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, fry for 15 seconds, then add the shallots and onion. Sprinkle with the garam masala and sauté the mixture until the onions and shallots are soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the drained rice, folding to coat the grains with spiced oil mixture. Add the chopped dill, winter greens, chickpeas, vegetable stock (or water), salt, lemon zest, pepper, and cayenne. Cover and increase the heat to medium-low and tightly cover. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is fluffy, watching carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Remove from the heat, sprinkle with the lemon juice, fluff the rice with a fork, and cover again. Allow to sit another 10 minutes before serving with lemon wedges.

From Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

Fresh Friday: Moroccan Spiced Spaghetti Squash

Follow along with me on my resolution to eat not just locally, but seasonally in San Francisco.  Fresh Friday!

Errr, Monday.  Sorry this week's Fresh Friday is a little late, due to my soft foods diet and vicodin-induced nausea, there wasn't much cooking going on other than a big pot of French onion soup.

I made this squash and served it with an simple salad of spinach from the farm and radicchio from a friend's garden, a little parm and a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar, along with green beans that we sauteed in the spices and butter that were left in the pan.  It got rave reviews and was crazy easy.

Moroccan Spiced Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash
3 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt

I sliced the squash lengthwise, rubbed with a little of the butter and turned the halves upside down on a silpat-lined baking sheet, and roasted for 45-50 mins in a 400 degree oven.
When it comes out of the oven, the squash halves look just like any other squash,  turn them over and let cool slightly, then using a fork, scrape the tines across the short side of the squash and pull it out as it "spaghetti's up."
In a skillet over med heat, melt the butter and saute the garlic a little bit, then stir in your spices, and toss the strands of the squash in the butter. Serve hot and eat it up!

recipe from Gourmet, February 2002

Fresh Friday: Bittersweet and Nutty Mustard Greens

Follow along with me on my resolution to eat not just locally, but seasonally in San Francisco.  Fresh Friday!

Week 3:

-- I served this with a roasted acorn squash

Bittersweet and Nutty Mustard Greens 

2 Pink Lady apples
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon raw sugar
A pinch of cinnamon
1 bunch of mustard greens
2-3 leeks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup walnuts, pecans or almonds (I used pine nuts that I toasted because it's what I had)

Core and dice apples into ½ inch cubes.  Melt butter in a medium skillet and add apples.  Sprinkle with raw sugar and cinnamon and cook over medium heat until soft and somewhat caramelized.  Remove from heat and set aside on your serving dish.

Toast nuts on a small baking sheet in a 350°F oven for 5-7 minutes until golden.

Wash mustard greens and leeks thoroughly. Cut off any tough stems on the greens and tough green tops of the leeks. Cut the greens into one-inch wide strips and thinly slice the leeks.  Using the same skillet as before, heat olive oil over medium high heat and sauté garlic slices until golden.  Add greens and leeks, stirring constantly until everything is wilted (about 90 seconds).  Lower heat and stir in soy sauce or liquid aminos.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes until greens are tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine apples and nuts with the greens in the skillet.  Toss well and serve immediately.  

adapted from straightfromthefarm.net

Fresh Friday: whole wheat pasta with chard; roasted romanesco with cilantro dressing

Follow along with me on my resolution to eat not just locally, but seasonally in San Francisco.  Fresh Friday!

Week 2:

Whole Wheat Pasta with Sauteed Chard
boil water, cook your pasta.
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Finely chop 2 leeks, add to the skillet with salt and pepper and a touch of garlic if you like, and saute in the heated oil for a few minutes.  Add the chard, and coat with the oil and stir with the leaks, saute until limp, and toss with your pasta and a touch more olive oil.  Sprinkle with Parmesan, and eat it up!


Roasted Romanesco with Cilantro Dressing

One or two heads of romanesco
salt and pepper
chili powder
olive oil

Heat oven to 425 degrees, cut the romanesco into bite-sized florets.  Put a tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl, and add a pinch of chili powder, salt, and pepper.  Toss the romanesco in the bowl and coat with the spiced oil, and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven until starting to brown, I think it was like 25 minutes for ours.

Cilantro Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1/2 lime
1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
1 tsp honey
salt to taste and fresh ground pepper

While the romanesco roasts, combine everything for the dressing in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Dip the roasted romanesco in the dressing, or I guess you could drizzle it over the top

This romanesco recipe came from our farm's, eatwell.com, via cristiescorner.com

Fresh Friday

I'm starting a series this year, to partner with my resolution to eat locally AND seasonally. "Fresh Fridays!"  I know how much easier it is to do this in California than most other places in the country, however, let me just tell you, we're getting slightly over eating winter greens in our house. Here's the deal:  we're using our CSA box and a food wheel as our guides -- even if the food wheel doesn't say it, if it comes in our CSA box, we count it as allowable, and can buy more of that from the market if we need to.  In the Bay Area, seasonal vegetables in January are bitter leafy greens like spinach, kale, mustard greens, bok choy, and we're getting leeks, broccoli, romanesco, oranges, some apples, and winter squash. Frozen and canned food is allowed, however, we're really trying to be local as well, and are therefore trying to avoid them as much as possible.

Week 1:

Winter Squash Baked Risotto  (this recipe is adapted from one from Real Simple, and it's both simple and amazingly delicious. We've made it so far with butternut, acorn, and red kuri squashes, all have been great!)

about 3 cups of squash cut into 3/4 inch cubes.
1 cup pearl barley
about 2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
5 or 8 oz of spinach, however much you like/have
salt and pepper
tsp of garlic

Prep your squash and your onion, pre-heat oven to 350, and then heat olive oil in a dutch oven on the stove. Add the onions and garlic and saute until soft, about 3 minutes, crack some salt and pepper in there.  Add the squash and saute another 5 minutes until it's soft too.  Add the barley and stir, cook for one minute, add the wine, cook for another 3 minutes, add the broth, stir and bring to a boil.  Put the lid on and transfer your dutch oven to the heated oven, and cook for 45 minutes.  Pull it out, stir in the butter and most of the Parmesan, and then the spinach.  Garnish with the rest of the parm sprinkled on top.  Serve it with your same dry white and enjoy!  serves about 6.

photo credit: Real Simple