Grow, Cook, Dine

As a kid my mom and my best friend's mom made popovers for us regularly. I started day dreaming about slathering butter and jam on the piping hot puffs of eggy goodness and promptly went out to buy a popover pan. 

Using fresh eggs from my cousin's chickens and the last drop of milk we had I successfully made these surprisingly simple but tricky treats this morning.

I used Epicurious' Teatime Perfect Popover recipe. Everything needs to be at the right temperature for these to successfully puff up and it's essential you don't open the oven too soon or they will collapse. If you like to check the oven often this is when the oven light actually comes in handy. 

Next time I will let the butter pieces come to room temperature with the rest of the ingredients and put it in the pan after it warms in the oven to ovoid a spattering of melted butter I got in the face pulling the pan out. 

Final product slathered with butter and Green Jam Man Strawberry and Plum with Rosemary Jam.

Summer means farmer's markets and for me being a rather lazy cook. Because the produce is so fresh I can get away with simple dishes that do not require a lot of effort without compromising flavor.

This recipe is a result of a trip to the farmer's market and whatever I could dig up in the kitchen.

Ingredients

1 sweet potato diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 can of black beans

3 ears of corn

1 scallion thinly sliced

1 avocado

1 lime

salt and pepper for seasoning

4 large flour tortillas

1/2 cup of salsa

1/2 cup grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 425°. Toss the sweet potato, olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet for 20-25 minutes until they are soft.

Meanwhile mash the avocado with the juice from half the lime and a little salt.

Rinse and drain the black beans. Cut the kernels off the corn and mix in a bowl with the beans. Add the scallion.

When the potatoes are done mix them into the bean and corn mixtures. Squeeze the juice of half the lime into the mixture. Season with salt and pepper and mix together.

This is the perfect work week lunch. The salad makes a great addition to some leafy greens. The recipe makes a lot and the flavor only gets better as the week goes on.

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic chopped

1 shallot diced

1 large zucchini large diced

1 large yellow squash

2 red bell peppers large diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

1 cup quinoa

1 pint cherry tomatoes sliced in half

1 bunch of fresh basil chopped

fresh mozzarella or other cheese

Dressing

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

pinch of salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Toss the garlic, shallot, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, and olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables in a foil lined baking sheet.  

Roast for 20 minutes. Toss the vegetables once and roast for another 20 minutes or until they start to brown. Don't roast too long or they might get soggy.

Meanwhile you can start cooking the quinoa as directed on the packaging.

Whisk together the mustard and balsamic vinegar. Drizzle in the olive oil while you whisk. Season with salt and pepper. While vegetables and quinoa cool get the tomatoes, basil and cheese ready.

Toss everything together once the veggies and quinoa have cooled off. You may not need all the dressing so start with a little. 

My mom used to make a version of this recipe when I was growing up. I've spiced it up a bit and added some fresh seasonal ingredients. This Mexican Tortilla Pie is a quick one and easy to adapt with the things you like. It also makes great leftovers!

Ingredients

Pie

6 10 inch tortillas

1 can refried beans

1 cup salsa

1 ear of corn

1 cup of shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, or a mix)

Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad

1-2 heirloom tomatoes

2 ears of corn

1 avocado

1/2 lime

Hot sauce (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly grease or spray a pie dish. Place one tortilla at the bottom of the dish.

Mix together the refried beans, salsa, and corn. I like this tip about how cut the corn kernels off the cob. 

Spoon in 1/4 of the refried bean mixture into the tortilla and spread. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese on top.

Place another tortilla on top of the cheese. Repeat this three more times until you've used all the beans, salsa and cheese.  Once you've added the 6th tortilla to the top of the pie cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.

While the pie bakes dice the tomato and cut the kernels off the other ears of corn. Put the tomato and corn in a bowl. Dice the avocado and add it to the bowl. Squeeze the juice the lime over the mixture. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and toss it all together. 

After 20 minutes remove the foil from the pie dish and bake for another 10 minutes until the top layer has just started to brown. Let it cool for a few minutes before slicing. 

Top your slice with big scoop of the corn, tomato and avocado salad on top. Put some of your favorite hot sauce on top if you like. 

Given a choice I will usually pick a chocolate dessert over any other type. But there is something about the summer and fresh berries that make this berry crisp the obvious choice.

This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart's Blueberry Crisp.

Ingredients

Filling

2 cups fresh strawberries

2 cups fresh raspberries

2 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

Preheat the over to 375°. Mix all the filling ingredients together in a bowl. Try not to squish the berries! Pour the mixture into an 8 inch square baking dish. 

In a small bowl mix together the oats, baking powder, and salt for the topping. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar with a mixer until smooth and fluffy. Stir the oat mixture into the butter mixture. Use your fingers to squeeze the mixture together. Crumble the topping over the berries.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the berries and bubbling and the topping is browned. Cool before serving with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

I am really loving bok choy lately. The combination of the crunchy white stalks with the leafy green ends make it perfect vegetable for asian inspired dishes. After finding some organic bok choy at the farmers I came up with this easy weeknight dish with soba noodles. 

Ingredients

2 servings of soba noodles

4-5 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons ginger

2 scallions

2-3 heads of bok choy

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons mirin

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 cup shelled edamame

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Chop the garlic. Finely mince or grate the ginger. Slice the scallions keeping the white and green parts separate. Wash and separate the bok choy leaves. Whisk together the soy sauce, mirin and sesame oil. 

Once the water has come to a boil cook the soba noodles as directed on the packaging. Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water and set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet on medium high. Toss in the garlic, ginger, and white parts of the scallions. Cook until the scallions start to soften and the garlic and ginger become fragrant. 

Add the bok choy and edamame to the pan. Cook for another 2-3 minutes tossing frequently. Add the sauce and green scallions. Stir until everything is coated with the sauce. 

Place the soba noodles on two plates and spoon the bok choy mixture on top.