From Garden to Table

Getting ready for the tomato planting required harvesting of the remaining lettuces, spinach and some of the celery.  It was so exciting to be able to cut all of the greens and celery, clean them and then prepare them for our Sunday evening dinner.  Our dinner was a delicious salad of such fresh, crisp mesclun with some added small pieces of stilton, toasted walnuts, radishes and scallions. The celery risotto was a very nice surprise with so much flavor from the many skinny celery stalks and many of the leaves.  This was a wonderful surprise of fresh vegetables from my garden to my dinner table.  We enjoyed our dinner with a bottle of Big House Red, a blend of 10 varietals with so much flavor and so little money (under $10).  

The salad!

The celery stalks, chopped and ready for cooking

The celery cooking in the risotto

 

The finished celery risotto

Celery Risotto Recipe

The Ingredients:  4 bunches of small, skinny celery, cut into small strips

                        1-2 TB olive oil

                        5-6 garlic cloves, chopped

                        2-3 TB chopped fresh parsley

                        1 small onion, chopped

                        1 can of diced tomatos, drained

                        3.5 C of vegetable broth

                        1.5 TB of meyenberg butter

                        1 Cup of arborio rice

                        1/2 C of white wine

                        1/4 C grated parmesan cheese

                         juice of 1 meyer lemon

                         salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the risotto in the traditional way.  Add some of the celery leaves and the lemon juice near the end of the incorporation of the broth.  Add the cheese after the cooking is complete. 

More Asparagus for Rosh Chodesh

With one bunch of asparagus remaining, another recipe develops.  This is very simple, looks beautiful and is absolutely delicious.

Asparagus Tart

Ingredients:  One sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed, scored around the edges to create an edge.  Pierce throughout the center of the pastry.

                    One bunch of asparagus

                    Olive oil

                    3 small onions, diced and caramelized with
                    3 TB minced garlic

                    1 Cup grated Gruyere

                    Basil olive oil

                    Salt and pepper

Bake the puff pastry on parchment paper at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes after scoring the inside square with many marks.  Remove from the oven and spread the caramelized onions and garlic on top.  Add the grated cheese and then place the asparagus spears side by side on top.  Brush the asparagus with basil oil and season with salt and pepper. Return to the oven for 15-20 minutes until the asparagus is cooked.

Fresh Asparagus from the Farmer's Market

After visiting the Farmer's Market today and returning with six bunches of beautiful, skinny, fresh asparagus spears, we had fun with the following two projects in the kitchen.

March Cooking Project- Pickling Asparagus

5 large garlic cloves, sliced

Allspice berries

Coriander seeds

Black peppercorns

Nutmeg

Red Pepper flakes

4-5 small bunches of skinny asparagus spears

2.5 Cups of white balsamic vinegar

2.5 Cups of water

2.5 tsps. pickling salt

2 TB sugar

In each of five jars, put slices of garlic, 3-4 allspice berries, 5-6 peppercorns, 4-5 coriander seeds, a dash of nutmeg, a few shakes of red pepper flakes.  After trimming the asparagus spears, insert and pack tightly, spear down, into the jars.  

In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the balsamic vinegar, water, salt and sugar and stir.  Bring to a boil.  Pour the hot liquid over the asparagus in the canning jars.

Close the sterilized jars with the sterilized lids and rings.  

Process the jars in the boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Store the cooled jars in a cool, dark place for at least three weeks.

March Farmer's Market Risotto

Ingredients:  2 TB. Meyenberg butter

                   1 small onion, diced

                   5 garlic cloves, minced

                   Olive oil

                   1/2 cup of white wine

                   1 Cup of arborio rice  

                   1 Cup chopped crimini mushrooms

                   1.5 Cups of sauteed chopped asparagus

                   10 spears of fresh asparagus, cut into thirds

                   5 cups of vegetable broth

                   1/2 cup of grated pecorino romano

                   2 TB chopped fresh parsley

                   salt and pepper to taste

Saute the chopped asparagus in olive oil and reserve for later.  Saute the garlic, onions and mushrooms in the butter until almost caramelized and reserve for later. Saute the rice in a small amount of olive oil and stir until coated for approximately 2-3 minutes.  Add the wine wine and stir.  When incorporated, begin adding 1/2 cupfuls of the heated broth, stirring until incorporated.  Repeat until near the end of the 5 cups and then add the reserved vegetables.  When all of the broth is absorbed, add the cheese and parsley and serve.

We enjoyed the risotto with a bottle of Rendez-Vous Beaujolais Nouveau 2009.  The wine is a typical beaujolais - inexpensive, youthful, fruity and easy to pair with food.

       

March garden news

 Baby carrots- first harvest!

The only broccolini!

Bay leaves drying

Sage leaves drying

Tomato and pepper seedlings