Well, it’s been over a year since my last Boxing Day post. Lots of excuses reasons, I suppose, from the physical fatigue of working straight through COVIDtimes to the mental fatigue of, nine years into this CSA-focused project, fighting to find something fresh to say about, say, kale. But last week at the shop, a…
Tag: starter
Puff-Pastry Tomato Tarts
The Great British Baking Show. Love it. Every season, it seems like Paul and Mary have the bakers make puff pastry at least three or four times. I’m mesmerized anew each time. I’ve tried it myself from scratch exactly once. Made the lean dough (yes, by hand and pastry scraper). Chilled it. Pounded the butter…
Squash Blossom Specials
Yesterday, for the first time in years, our sharebox included a carton of squash blossoms—a dozen or so beauties, each about four inches long. I knew they wouldn’t last long, even in the fridge, so I wanted to use them right away. There you go. A double-dip, blossom-binge day: Squash Poppers stuffed with goat cheese to…
Microgreen Goddess
“What the heck is a microgreen, anyway?” That’s what a long-time Moore Brothers CSA participant asked me yesterday. “Um, I’m not sure. I’ve always assumed they’re just teensy radish greens, but I’ve never looked it up.” Well, now I have. Turns out, they’re pretty much any super-young salad green (arugula, chard, radish, mustard, beet, and…
Start the Clock: Asparagus Tarts
Since Sheila and I were away on vacation last week—missing both the season’s first farmer’s market and first CSA delivery—our Asparagus Clock started yesterday. Yes, the Asparagus Clock. For about seven glorious weeks each year, we binge on fresh, local asparagus. And when I say binge, I mean we probably eat it four times a week. And when…
Grill … Whoosh … Baba Ghanoush
Somehow, after last Tuesday’s sharebox, I wound up with three different kinds of eggplant. A few of the tender, wee ones found their way into a mixed sauté of zucchini, tomato, and onion. But come Monday, a day ahead of this week’s CSA delivery, the others, though still in great shape, were taking up valuable fridge real…
The Beet Goes On . . .
. . . and on . . . and on. It’s a perfect storm: another Nor’easter, the Sochi games, and a crisper full of CSA beets. While I was home at Christmastime, I saw a piece in the Trib whose lede spoke the truth. When you’re busting your way from the Loop to the Art…
Boxing Day 