Recipe Made: Spring Vegetable Risotto

Last night, I made a recipe from Cook's Illustrated - Spring Vegetable Risotto. Both my husband and I agreed, it was absolutely amazing. It was bistro quality, and due to some external interruptions (i.e. extremely cranky 10 month old who needed to go to sleep right when I should be stirring constantly), I was not as attentive as I should have been to a risotto but it still came out perfectly. 

The recipe uses leeks, asparagus, mint and parsley - all things you can get locally this time of year, though the herbs may be a stretch. It also uses lemons, garlic and frozen peas, which makes it a very economical dish for how amazing it is! I would definitely make it again, probably soon while everything is still in season. As with most risottos, it is complicated to make the first time, but next time I could definitely streamline the steps (knowing what you can prep ahead of time is half the battle, and I have found that Cook's Illustrated really does not clearly define this; most times I find at least one "surprise" prep item hidden in one of the steps).

Also, Cook's has this recipe up on their front page for free right now, but it will quickly fall into their Paid Subscription Only section. We do have a Cook's subscription, and it is a great source for recipes, product reviews, etc. The only issue that you need to keep an eye out for is that the online access does NOT come with the magazine subscription. Also, the website recently and silently created two levels of access, so you now need to pay extra for some of their recipes (I don't know what differentiates the two levels). It feels a bit like nickel and diming...just my two cents(/pun).

I would definitely print this recipe out to keep in my spring repertoire! 

Fridge Clean Out: (Detox) Cabbage Soup

So, this soup originally comes from a diet that was popular awhile back (late 90's? ish?) - the Detox Diet, also known as the Dolly Parton Diet. No idea why on the second one, but the first name makes sense. According to the diet, you are supposed to also drink hot water mixed with grade B syrup and cayenne pepper in the morning and a specific set of veggies and fruits over the next seven days. If you are interested, the specifics of the diet can be found here.

HOWEVER - this is just my version of the soup. I make a HUGE batch whenever I have a bunch of veggies I need to clear out, or I have put on a few pounds, or right after the holidays, or after a brewfest weekend. It tastes great, is extremely low in calories, really fills you up and is perfect for cold, rainy days throughout the year. It is extremely versatile and freezes very well. When I make it, I usually split it up - enough for a week in a container in the fridge, a big container for my grandparents, another for my mom, then the rest into a few quart size freezer bags for when I don't feel like cooking but still want something healthy.

And yes, it really makes this much. You really can't halve the recipe, since you use a whole head of cabbage plus enough veggies to balance the soup. I guess if you use half a head of cabbage for another recipe you can make a half batch, but I like the big batch with leftovers.

This is an EXCELLENT way to CLEAN OUT YOUR FRIDGE! Below I list the ingredients I generally use, but you can use almost anything to suit your tastes and the state of your pantry. This is a soup that is well suited to experimentation and adjustment for your family. If you have frozen and canned items left from last summer that need to make way for this year's harvest, this is the perfect soup for you!

Detox Cabbage Soup Recipe

First note: you need a BIG pot for this recipe! I use my 16 quart soup pot, which if you don't own one, I suggest one sized to fit your family. It is actually a good investment for making big batches with summer harvest vegetables.

Roughly chop the following into bite size pieces and smaller:
1 Head Cabbage
2-3 large onions
2 - 3 cans tomatoes (I use already diced ones) including any juice
2 - 6 peppers (red, green, yellow)
4 -6 stalks celery
4 - 6 carrots
8 oz. asparagus
Other options: zucchini, peas, eggplant, green beans, leeks, parsnips, etc.

Toss all these items into the pot, starting with the cabbage. You should end up with about an even amount of cabbage to other veggies. Add in:

15 - 20 oz. V8 juice (I use 3 little cans of the Spicy Hot version, which gives a nice kick to the soup)
1/2 - 1 cup of balsamic vinegar
Hot water, enough to cover all the veggies plus about an inch

I would put on the heat now, all the way on high. The soup takes a good amount of time to come to a boil.

Add in your spices. This is my general starting point:
Handful of parsley
Handful of dried onion
Handful of dried soup greens (if you have them around)
Tablespoon of black pepper
1 - 2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper
Spoonful of oregano
Spoonful of basil

You can adjust the spices, especially the pepper, according to taste. I don't put in any salt in the beginning, since it cooks for a very long time and the taste changes so much.

This is how my soup looked at this stage:

Bring the soup to a boil, then lower to a high simmer. Simmer for 2 - 3 hours with the lid off, until the veggies are soft all the way through. Depending on the mix of veggies, this can take awhile. I suggest starting the soup when you are going to be cleaning the house and can stir the pot every once in awhile when passing by the kitchen.

The soup is done when the veggies are nice and soft and the soup is reduced to the consistency you desire. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Some more parsley and oregano at this stage add a nice kick, as well as some more red pepper if you like spicy food. Eat your fill, then leave the soup on the stove with the lid on until it cools. Again, this takes a long time, so I generally just leave it overnight. In the morning it is still warm but ready to be doled into containers for storage and passing along!

This was my final product:

Enjoy!

Getting Ready For My CSA

My CSA share starts arriving May 5th.  Last year I found there were lots of leafy greens early in the season.  I'm looking forward to baby spinach, kale, collards and chard.  But first, I have to get my kitchen ready.  My freezer gets down right scary.  It is time to clean it out.  There is a bag of vegetable trimmings that I've been planning to use for stock all winter long.  It looks like the bag may contain some kale, beat greens and potato.  I'll give it a go and hope it is taste yummy.  I've also saved a strange combination of breads.  I hate the thought of throwing away a leftover bun or roll, and so they just seem to accumulate in my freezer.  Never matching up nicely to go with any meal.  To use them up I'll be making my own bread crumbs.  


Vegetable Stock:
- leftover veggies
- 3 gloves of garlic (don't even bother to peel) 
- 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- about 6 cups of water
- salt & pepper
- if the leftovers don't include onion and celery I'd add it
Put it all in a pot, bring to a boil, let it simmer for about 60 minutes and strain.  


* If you have plenty of time to cook here are some ideas for getting super soup stock.  Cook it for longer than 60 minutes.  When it comes to stock the longer the better.  Roast the vegetables in olive oil before boiling. 


Bread Crumbs:
-leftover bread
Tear the bread into pieces and pulse it in the food processor until it's coarsely chopped.  Spread the bread crumbs on a baking sheet at bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

About Me: Victoria

Hi, I'm Victoria, and I am a CSA member! This is my second year belonging to a CSA, though I have switched farms this year to a CSA that includes some fruit. I love cooking for myself and my husband, as well as my daughter who is just starting on solid foods. I will cook anything, though I tend to focus on traditional dishes (pasta, meatloaf, roast chicken, macaroni, etc.). My husband is also an avid cook who loves Asian inspired dishes and raw foods (sushi, ceviche, oysters, carpaccio...).

Cooking is a family activity at our house. We love to use fresh ingredients wherever possible. Our favorite cookbooks at the moment include Food Revolution by Jaime Oliver, I'm Just Here for the Food by Alton Brown, Cooks Illustrated (Magazine and Books) and so many more, mainly old ones passed down by our families. I am very excited to have a place to share recipes and other information about the CSA along with my fellow local food lovers!

Food, Inc. on PBS tonight, April 21st at 9 PM EST

Food, Inc., the outstanding documentary about the practices of the American food industry, will be broadcast on your local PBS station this evening. I strongly recommend watching it - if not this evening, then whenever possible. It is available through Netflix, Amazon and basically every other source imaginable. Fully recognizing that the filmmakers have an agenda and a point to make, the raw facts are just astounding.

Speaking for myself, at the very minimum it absolutely cured my occasional cravings for McDonald's or any fast food burgers.

Try This Week: Asparagus

It is still early in the season, but fresh, local produce is beginning to bloom at your nearby market. This week, think about making something with ingredients that are in heavy supply - they will be cheaper (good for you) and less resource intensive (good for everyone).

Asparagus is a great early spring item. I am trying out the Italian Asparagus Fettucini from Jaime Oliver's excellent site. Oh, and if you have not heard of it or signed yet, sign Jaime's petition to improve food in schools across America. It is in conjunction with his excellent Food Revolution program on ABC, which is worth watching just for the scene where he shows a group of kids what really goes into their chicken nuggets. Spoiler alert: watch for Jaime's visible heartbreak when every kid still volunteers to eat the 'chicken' nuggets.

Leeks are also a good item to keep an eye out for. They make excellent soups, especially when paired with potatoes. I will post items from other sources, but Jaime Oliver also has a lovely Leek Potato soup recipe in his book, Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals. This has been our cookbook of choice for the past few weeks and have really enjoyed everything made from it so far.

Finally, this is a great time to start cleaning out the fridge to prepare for your CSA goodies. Use up any leftover produce, especially frozen and canned items from last harvest. You can also start gearing up for this year's haul by making basic items that can be frozen ahead of time, such as stocks and spice blends. We will put up some recipes to help out as we make these items ourselves!

Happy Cooking!

Welcome to the CSA Café!

Welcome to the CSA Café! This is a place where you can learn how to make the most of your CSA membership. We are not farmers, produce sellers, chefs or in any way associated with CSA programs - we simply are members of local CSAs and looking to share our love of the produce we receive every week!

Why are we starting this blog? Especially if this is your first year joining a CSA, it can be hard to figure out what to do with a surprise box of produce every week. Finding recipes, knowing what you can save and what to use now, even knowing how to take care of the different items can be time consuming and even frustrating. Our goal is to help you "Use The Box" to maximum effect, for you and your family!

Leading up to the CSA season, we will post recipes to help you clean out your pantry, fridge and freezer as well as make some basic ingredients that you can use in conjunction with the items you will receive with your CSA. In mid-May, once most CSAs start delivering produce, we will start posting tips, recipes and other information on what to do with the items you are receiving.

We will introduce ourselves in the next few days. In the meantime, remember to sign up now for your local CSA! And if you aren't able to join a CSA or prefer to buy local produce from another source, no worries - this blog is all about eating what is in season to feed your family cheaply and healthily, no matter the source!