Linguine with CSA Veggies Two Ways

This was my first big hit with the CSA (consumer supported agriculture) veggies. I knew it was good when J. joined me in eagerly grabbing a 2nd plate--usually I'm the only one going for seconds in our house! I need to properly credit Carol for this one. Shortly after the first CSA boxes arrived from Kenney Farm in Concord (via McCue's in Woburn), Carol was whipping up some interesting recipes and sharing via her new blog. With her help, I figured out two things: 1) I ought to think about roasting the root veggies like kohlabri; and 2) I could put a dent in the lettuce by sauteeing some of it. With these ideas in mind, I created Linguine with CSA Veggies Two Ways. Worth a try! (and you could certainly do a lot of riffs off this. Basic concept: roast some hard veggies, sautee some greens, use plenty of garlic, olive oil, a bit of cheese and enjoy).

1 kohlabri, chopped into bit sized chunks

4 small w

hite summer turnips, chopped into bit sized chunks

3 scallions, cut into 2 inch pieces (using green and white parts)

8 cloves garlic--3 of them minced, others whole

appx 6 tbsp olive oil

1 bunch radishes, halved (you could probably use the tops too but mine were not in good shape so I didn't)

1 small bunch arugula, coarsely chopped

a couple good sized handfuls of lettuce--I used iceberg--coarsely chopped

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

pinch red pepper flakes

10-12 ozs linguine

Preheat oven to 425. Combine the kohlabri, turnips and whole garlic with 1 tbsp olive oil. Roast for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, add the radishes and scallions to the turnip mixture, combine along with another tbsp of olive oil, salt & pepper. Roast for another 20 minutes. This is a good time to start boiling water to cook the linguine according to package instructions. After roasting the veggies for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and combine with another tbsp olive oil and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a tbsp of the olive oil in a skillet on medium, then add the minced garlic. Saute for about a minute, then add arugula and red pepper flakes, cook until it begins to wilt--a couple minutes. Add the lettuce, cook for a minute or two until it begins to wilt. Add the roasted veggies to the skillet, gently stirring to combine and re-heat the roasted veggies if needed. Then toss the veggies with the linguine and an extra tbsp or so of olive oil and the cheese. Serve and enjoy!

Wine Pairing: 2008 Domaine de la Solitude Cotes du Rhone. Very good quality CDR, matched the earthiness of the roasted vegetables nicely. Had a Burgundy the following night but liked this Cote du Rhone much better.

Chicken & Mushroom Farfalle with Garlicky Cream Sauce

I had quite a bit of grated cheese leftover from our wine & food pairing event the other day, as well as some cream. I was looking for a fairly simple way to put these ingredients together yet wanted something new. Here's what I came up with--definitely had a flavor worthy sharing!

1 small shallot, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp fresh oregano or other fresh herb on hand
10 ozs mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup cream
1/2 lb uncooked chicken breast, sliced crosswise, width about 3/4 inch
2 to 3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste, lean toward generous side on the pepper

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add shallot, saute about 5 minutes until softened, then add garlice, saute another minute. Stir in the mushrooms, cook about 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften. Stir in the cooking wine and thyme, cook a couple of minutes so the mushrooms absorb the wine.

Push the mushroom mixture to the sides of the pan, put another tbsp olive oil into the center of the pan and heat. Cook the chicken on 1 side until that side turns white, about 2-3 minutes, then flip to begin cooking the other side. When the outside of the chicken pieces are white and beginning to brown, stir up the pan to combine the chicken with mushrooms. Cook a couple minutes more until the chicken is nearly cooked through, then stir in the cream and simmer to finish cooking the chicken (the chicken will need about 10-12 minutes total cooking time--but cut a piece open to see that it is cooked through.

Cook the pasta while you work on the chicken and mushrooms. Add the pasta to boiled water shortly after you begin cooking the chicken. Drain the pasta, and toss with the chicken & mushroom mixture and the grated cheese. Serve with a salad or other green vegetable and enjoy!

Wine Pairing: I wasn't sure what would work best with this dish, so I got input from Ray Schaefer at Pairings. He immediately thought a sparkling rose would work well with the creamy sauce, and pointed me in the direction of the Louis Bouillot Cremant de Bourgogne Perle d'Aurore. This dry sparkling wine was pleasant to sip while I finished cooking the meal, and was right on target as a pairing for the dish. Ray could probably explain more about why the sparkling for creamy sauce works well; I just know I liked it!

Eat Local Journal Entry #1

The first Woburn Farmer's Market at Spence Farm on Sunday was a beehive of activity--and I'm not just talking about the local honey producer's booth. It was a great example of how locally produced food can help build community. People had a chance to catch up with other community members and get to know local food producers. I'm looking forward to enjoying this throughout the summer, and sharing about it here.

For the last couple of years, I've been increasingly focused on trying to eat more local food. This summer, I'm ready to kick it up a notch--in addition to enjoying the new Farmer's Market, I've signed up for the community supported agriculture (CSA) program through McCue's Garden Center, and have begun to enjoy the new Woburn Farmer's Market at Spence Farm.

One of my first stops was the booth of Samira's Homemade, a small Belmont-based business with traditional Egyptian and Lebanese dishes. I picked up some Ful Medammes dip, made from fava beans, and surprised the owner by telling him that I'd made Muhammarra several times. We rounded out our picnic by Horn Pond by getting some wonderful Tomme cheese from West Rivery Creamery and sourdough bread from Winchester-based Mamodou's bakery.

My real food objective on this trip, though, was picking up some vegetables to build our dinner around Sunday evening. We're still a bit early for fresh veggies here in New England, but the produce vendor did have a variety of greens to choose from, radishes and some small tomatoes. I picked up some green garlic and arugula, which became the foundation of a simple pasta dish--sauteed the garlic in olive oil, added 1/2 cup diced grape tomatoes for a few minutes then quickly sauteed the arulula. Tossed with cheese and another 1/2 cup tomatoes, and I had a simple farmers market dish.

Green garlic comes with long stems; the lower portion of which can be chopped and used along with the young garlic clove. The young man working the farm booth mentioned having wrapped chicken with the tops of the green garlic to infuse flavor while grilling. That gave me an idea to do something similar with swordfish I was planning to make along with the pasta. I made a marinade with the lower portion of the garlic, along with olive oil and lemon juice, then wrapped the fish with the tops. All in all, this proved to be a pretty good first meal from the farmer's market!

Wine & Food for June 15 Event (a few spots remain!)

Yesterday I was writing up the list of wine and food pairings for the Social Capital Inc. Wine & Food Pairing benefit event. I started getting awfully hungry and was disappointed I needed to wait a week! It occurred to me I shouldn't keep this lineup a secret as some others might want to join the fun after reading this. The tentative food & wine pairings are listed below; other details on this June 15 event at the Griffin Museum in Winchester, MA, can be found here. Advance sign-up is required.

We are fortunate to have the help of some wonderful experts in putting together good food and wine--Lori & Ray Schaefer of Pairings Wine and Food in Winchester. You'll be able to gain some insights into making good pairings from them as you enjoy the wine and food. And if you've liked the sounds of some of the things I've blogged about making--this is your chance to try some, as I'll be preparing a few of these dishes. I don't expect many will leave this event wanting more food that evening!

Pairing #1

Shaved Asparagus with Parmesan Dressing

Paired with a Muscat Sec, a traditional pairing for the tricky-to match asparagus

Pairing #2

Cheese (Tomme de Richelieu) with crackers

Paired with Rabbit Ridge Mystique, a white Rhone-style blend

Pairing #3

Bowtie pasta with vodka pasta sauce

Paired with Cascina Ballarin, a blend of Dolcetto, Barbera, Nebbiolo from Italy’s Piedmont region

Pairing #4

Steak & Mushroom Farro

Paired with Chateau Senteillac (red Bordeaux)

Pairing #5

Brownies

Paired with Penfolds Tawny Port

Bonus Round

There will be a station of cheeses, meats and breads with which you can order a glass (or two) of your favorites from the wine lineup above; or try the 6th wine that will be available to go with these items.