Asparagus in Creamy Lemon Pasta Sauce

This quick and easy dish was delightful; the delicate lemon flavor complimented the crisp spring asparagus.

Servings: 5
Time: 15 minutes

1 pound pasta
1.5 pounds asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter
Zest from 1 lemon (~1 tablespoon)
Juice from 1 lemon
1 cup half and half
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bring salted water to a boil and cook pasta per instructions.  Heat frying or saute pan on medium and add butter.  When the butter is melted add asparagus.  Stir frequently for 4 minutes until asparagus are bright green.  Add the lemon zest and juice and stir for 1 minute.  Add half and half as well as 1/2 cup cheese, turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 minutes.  Salt to taste, then turn heat to low.  When pasta is finished, mix pasta and sauce.  Garnish with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and parsley flakes.


Thanks Mott Family Farm for the amazing asparagus!

Easter (or Secular) Eggs Goldenrod

Every Easter I look forward to making my Great-Grandma Marjie's eggs goldenrod with the abundance of hardboiled eggs, but it doesn't have to be Easter to enjoy this hearty breakfast. 

Eggs Goldenrod
Makes 4 large portions (this recipe can be scaled to accomodate more or fewer servings)

8 slices of toast or 4 english muffins
8 hard boiled eggs

4 tablespoons of butter
4 tablespoons of flour
3 cups of milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder 
8 slices of toast
chives, chopped for topping (optional)

Peel the hard boiled eggs and separate the yolk from the white.   Put the yolks in a small bowl and use a fork to break into small pieces.  Coarsely chop the whites.  In a saucepan on medium heat, warm the butter until melted and bubbly then add the flour and stir until it makes a paste.  Add milk, a splash at a time, whisking constantly until lumps disappear.  Then add the salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Turn the heat to low and simmer until thickened, stirring often for about 10 minutes.  Mix in the egg whites.  Serve on top of toast or english muffins with a sprinkle of egg yolks and chives.

Quick Swiss Chard Quiche

1 bunch of swiss chard (~10 leaves)

2 spring onions with green tops (or 1 small onion), chopped

3-4 garlic scapes, chopped (optional)

1 basic pie crust

2 cups of shredded cheese of your choice (I used 1 cup mozzarella 1 cup cheddar)

5 eggs

1 cup half & half (or use milk- but it will be creamier with more fat)

Salt and white pepper to taste

Saute the onions and scapes until onions are translucent, then add the swiss chard and cook until just wilted.  Line a pie dish with the crust then add the shredded cheese to the bottom.  Spread the sautéed veggies on top of the cheese.  Whisk together eggs, half & half, salt and pepper then pour into crust.  Bake for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees, or until the eggs are solid.

Eggs Goldenrod

This recipe has been passed down in my family for generations.  It is a staple for Easter breakfast but it's delicious anytime extra eggs are available.  I made a smaller batch, but the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.  The basis of this recipe is a simple roux.

Eggs Goldenrod

Eggs Goldenrod
Makes 2 large portions

4 hard boiled eggs
3 tablespoons of butter
3-4 tablespoons of flour
~1 1/2 cups of milk
salt to taste
white pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder (optional)
4 slices of toast
chives for garnish (optional)


Peel the hard boiled eggs and separate the yolk from the white.   Put the yolks in a small bowl and use a fork to break into small pieces.  Coarsely chop the whites.  In a saucepan heat the butter until melted and bubbly then slowly add the flour until it makes a thick paste with the butter.  Add the milk, a splash at a time, stirring until the milk is completely incorporated into the butter and flour.  Stop adding milk when it reaches the desired consistency (thick but not too pasty).  Then add the salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Stir in the egg whites.  Serve on top of toast with a sprinkle of egg yolks and chives.

Blueberry Rhubarb Tart

I have a bunch of frozen blueberries and rhubarb in the freezer from last spring so I made this dessert with them. The tart crust recipe can be found here:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Tart-Shell-105760

For the custard filling I cheated a little and used Bird's custard powder with local milk. For the blueberry rhubarb topping:

2 cups chopped rhubarb

1 cup blueberries

1/2 cup water

sugar to taste

Simmer rhubarb, blueberries, water and a few tablespoons of sugar until thickened. Add more sugar if necessary.

Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage

In celebration of St. Patty's day I made some homemade corned beef and vegetables. They turned out fantastic! I followed this receipe to the t, and it was perfect.

I bought the brisket from Horizon View Farms at the Pittsburgh Public Market. I got a rutebega from a farmer's market when I was visiting Philadelphia. The potatoes and carrots came from the Penn's Corner Farm Alliance monthly farm stand. I bought the cabbage and turnips from Clarion River Organics, also at the Pittsburgh Public Market. I highly recommend this dish for next St. Patty's day or anytime you want to get in touch with your Irish side.

Creamy Mushroom Linguini

This is definitely one of the yummiest recipes I've made in a while and one of the least healthy (but it's just so good)!

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil (more if mushrooms look dry)

1 pound crimini mushrooms, cut into slices
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, cut into slices
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup cream
2 cups romano style cheese (I used a local romano style cheese called Tye from Hidden Hills Dairy)
1 pound fresh linguini (or 1 box)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  In the mean time saute the mushrooms in the butter and olive oil until tender (about 8 minute).  After about 4 minutes add the garlic.  Once mushrooms are tender and garlic is fragrant sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms, then slowly add the white wine. While the white wine is cooking start cooking your fresh pasta (start sooner if using dry pasta). Once white wine has reduced a little (about 4 minutes) add the cream.  Drain pasta then return to pot.  Add sauce to pasta in the pot then add 1 1/2 cups cheese and toss until evenly coated.  Top with the extra cheese when serving.

Frittata Recipe

Frittatas are a quick, easy and healthy lunch or dinner.

Frittata 

Servings: 3-4

2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite sized squares

1 medium onion, diced

1 tablespoon oil

1 cups of frozen or 2 cups fresh spinach, kale, swiss chard (or any other green veggie)

4-5 eggs, scrambled

In a 10 inch frying pan heat oil and fry potatoes until lightly browned then add onions and saute until translucent.  Next add veggie and saute until wilted or thawed.  Finally add eggs and cover frying pan with a lid.  When the bottom is browed it is done.  If it still appears a little runny on top put it under the broiler for a few minutes.  Put a plate upside down on frying pan and flip over quickly before serving.

Lentil, Spinach and Potato Soup

Lentil, Spinach and Potato Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup of lentils (I prefer french lentils)

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup of frozen spinach (or 6 cups fresh) torn into pieces

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil, until tender and fragrant.  Add broth and lentils, bring to a boil then simmer for about 10 minutes.  Add potatoes then simmer for another 15 minutes (or until potatoes are tender)  Then add lemon juice, spinach, salt and cayenne pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.  Serve hot.

Vegetable Stir Fry

All the farmer's markets have ended so I've been using the vegetables I've frozen.  Here's a recipe that uses frozen broccoli and bell peppers.  Fresh vegetables would work too.

Vegetable Stir Fry

1 1/2 cups jasmine rice

4 eggs

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 onion, cut in half then sliced lengthwise

1 cup broccoli (I used frozen)

1 bell pepper, chopped (I used frozen)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup rice wine

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon corn starch

Put 1 1/2 cups rice in a small pot with lid.  Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil, then turn down to very low (use a diffuser if necessary) and cook for 20 minutes.  While rice is cooking scramble eggs and cook in a small frying pan.  Also mix soy sauce and corn starch and set aside.  In a separate frying pan or wok, turn heat to med-high and add oil.  Once the pan is hot add the veggies (onions, broccoli, peppers, garlic).  Saute for about 3 minutes, until tender.  Then add rice wine and cook for another minute.  Next add soy sauce and corn starch mix.  Stir.  Finally mix in the cooked eggs and serve over rice.  I also add some chili garlic paste to make it a little spicy.

Radish Leaf Soup

Don't throw out those radish leaves, make this fantastic soup instead!  From epicurious.com

Radish Leaf Soup

1 tablespoon butter
1 large chopped onion
Leaves from 10-15 radishes, washed
5 medium potatoes (about 1.5 pounds), peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
3 cups of water or broth
2/3 cup milk

Melt butter in saucepan then add onions and saute until translucent.   Add radish leaves and saute until wilted.  Add potatoes and water.  Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.  Use an immersion blender to puree the soup.  Alternatively a blender can be used.  Season soup with salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with a splash of cream (optional).

Radish Hors d'oeuvres

I don't often make hors d'oeuvres, but I had about 15 radishes and I didn't know what else to do with them, so I made some snacks for the Steeler's game.

Chive Cream Cheese Stuffed Radishes

10-15 radishes

1 teaspoon chopped chives

3 tablespoons cream cheese

splash of milk

Chop off the ends of the radishes so they can stand up.  Reserve the greens for radish green soup (recipe in next post).  Use a melon baller or a small knife to core the radishes.  Reserve the cores for radish deviled eggs (for recipe see below).  Mix the chives, cream cheese and milk together so you get a frosting-like texture.  Use a pastry bag or a plastic baggie with the corner cut to deliver the cream cheese to the cored radishes.

Radish Deviled Eggs

8 hard boiled eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons diced radish
2 teaspoons diced chives
Salt and pepper to taste

Remove shell from eggs and cut in half.  Remove yolks and put in a bowl and mix with mayonnaise, mustard, radishes, chives, salt and pepper.  Spoon out mixture into hard boiled egg whites.

Garlic Lentil Soup

Garlic Lentil Soup

4 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 cups water
1 cup french lentils
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon fresh parsley (use less if dried)

Add water, garlic, lentils, and oil to a stockpot.  Bring to a boil and simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.  Use an immersion blender to blend the soup.  Then stir in thyme and parsley.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Potato Kohlrabi Salad

Potato Kohlrabi Salad

2 Kohlrabi cut into little pieces

12 medium sized potatoes, peeled and boiled

2 hard boiled eggs, cut into small pieces

Handful of dill (diced)

Handful of parsley (diced)

1 1/2 cups of homemade mayonnaise (see Local Lunch post for the recipe)

Mix and enjoy!

Homemade Mayonnaise

For lunch I made egg salad sandwiches with onions and radishes with homemade mayonnaise on homemade multi-grain bread.  It was my best batch of homemade mayonnaise yet!  Here's the recipe:

Mayonnaise

1 garlic clove

1 whole fresh egg

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp powdered mustard

1 tsp lemon juice

3/4 cup olive oil

Add the garlic, egg, cayenne, mustard  and lemon juice to a cup.  Then slowly layer on the olive oil.  Use a hand blender to quickly mix the ingredients.  (Warning: using raw eggs does come with the risk of salmonella).

Kohlrabi and Mushroom Pasta

When I get ingredients that I'm not sure what to do with, I like to serve them on pasta.  Here's the kohlrabi pasta recipe I tried:

Vegetarian Kohlrabi and Mushroom Pasta
Servings: 4
Total time required: 25 minutes

1 tbsp. butter (or olive oil)
2 kohlrabi peeled and cut into quartered slices
10 mushrooms sliced
6 small green onions diced
3 garlic scapes cut into little pieces (regular garlic could substitute)
Herbs (I used oregano from the garden)
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup cream
4 servings of pasta
Sprinkling of fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Bring a stockpot of water to boil, then add sliced kohlrabi and cook for a total of 12 minutes (cook pasta in the same pot, so add it in before the 12 minutes is done, so the pasta and kohlrabi will be done at the same time).  While kohlrabi is cooking, saute mushrooms and onions in butter for a few minutes, then add scapes and herbs.  Saute for a few more minutes then add white wine.  When white wine reduces, add cream and simmer.  When pasta and kohlrabi are finished, drain water and add to a large bowl and put sauce on top.  Mix well and sprinkle with Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Local Salad

Here's a salad I made with local lettuce, spinach, raspberries, snap peas, goat cheese (that I made), and non-local walnuts.  

First 100% Local Meal

This was my first 100% local meal (I'm a few days late in posting it- I made it on 6/6/10).  It was an omlette with spinach, onion, mushrooms, and cheddar cheese.  It was super tasty, and it felt great knowing that all of the ingredients were from nearby farmers!