Ideas for what’s lingering in the fridge…

If you’ve had a busy week you may still have a full bag of produce waiting for action in the fridge.  It happens sometimes, and as long as you refrigerated everything except the tomatoes (cold ruins the flavor), you’ll be good to go.  Here’s what I did with my Freshness Farms produce over the last couple of days:

Cilantro, Radish, Anaheim pepper and Tomato – We combined these for a modern take on a favorite side dish – guacamole.  The addition of the mild Ahaheim pepper and rosy pink radish added color, a little crunch and a tiny bit of heat.  If you aren’t fond of radishes by themselves – try using small amounts in salads and dishes like this one.  The little bite the radish offers is mellowed out quite nicely by the creamy, mild avocado flavor.

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The Joy of Cooking from a farm bag…

More than 13 years ago our family entered the wonderful (and sometimes wild) world of Community Supported Agriculture, complete with its weekly ritual farm bag delivery.  Back in 1997, a shipment straight from the farm often meant searching for new and different ways to use broccoli (as an example) for weeks on end during the season and without the Internet to boot.  These days we’re lucky to enjoy a variety of just harvested produce from Freshness Farms, thanks to Blue Heron and Martinez Family Farms as well as other local growers in the Watsonville area.  Last week we received carrots, spinach, strawberries, heirloom tomatoes, dill, mushrooms and celery.  This week a whole different collection of seasonal treasures awaits us.

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Mushroom Ragu

This recipe comes from Alice Water’s The Art of Simple Food, one of the most used reference cookbooks in our kitchen.  This book contains a wealth of basic culinary information, and classic tried and true recipes that are winners every time.  I turn to this reliable volume knowing that whatever I make will come out just right!  As a variation she suggests adding one half cup chopped leafy greens (such as spinach or arugula) when adding the cream.

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French Potato Salad with Tomatoes and Fresh Dill

This is a wonderfully loose recipe that can be adapted for the ingredients on hand. Add canned drained beans like kidney or cannellini for a twist or use scallions in place of the onion.  If you’re looking to turn this into an easy main dish, add some drained canned tuna and quartered hard-boiled egg on top.  You can vary the herbs—add some parsley or chives if you like.  I love the dill, and it’s what really makes it special.

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