The result was a hit – it kept well in the fridge, tasted good warm or at room temperature, and was perfect for picnics and polo matches.

Here’s my basic recipe. I’m sure you can imagine many variations. I just use what’s in the fridge – I’ve tried it with many cheeses, herbs, etc. and it’s very adaptable.

P.S. When I saw the Slice it Up recipe contest from OXO, I knew I had to enter. I love my OXO tools – for this recipe I’d use my mandoline (actually, I think my parents bought it for my husband, but I’ve taken it over), and my cheese grater.  I’m also totally enamored with my OXO vegetable peeler. I’m not just saying this for a contest, I really do love these tools!

This is my first time cooking with tempeh, and I’m honestly unsure what motivated me to buy it.  I had my doubts when I tried a piece raw – it tasted horrible!  But marinated and fried, it adds a good flavor and some protein to the salad.

Most of the other ingredients came from Rhode Island growers: the rye berries from Schartner Farms, the broccoli and garlic scapes from Pak Express.  The broccoli was so good that I ate most of the bag instead of putting it in the salad…even the stems were tender.

Ingredients

• 1 package tempeh (I used an 8oz package of LightLife 3 grain)
• 1 cup dried rye berries
• a handful garlic scapes (scallions would work too)
• 1/2 head broccoli (I also used the leaves)
• orange juice
• soy sauce
• olive oil
• cider vinegar

Directions

1. Chop the tempeh into 1/2 in cubes and marinate in a mixture of soy sauce and orange juice, just enough to cover.  I used about 2 parts OJ to 1 part soy sauce.
2. Prepare the rye berries: rinse with cool water and drain.  Bring 2.5 cups water to a boil, add rye berries, turn down the heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes.  If the rye berries are tender but with a bit of chewiness, they’re done.
3. While the rye berries are cooking, chop the garlic scapes into small (1/8 in) rounds and the broccoli into 1/4 in pieces (or larger if you’d prefer).
4. In a large bowl, prepare about a half cup of vinaigrette with some cider vinegar, olive oil, and pepper to taste.  It can be a bit on the sharp/sour side because we will add some sweetness – and saltiness – later.
5. When the rye berries are finished cooking, drain and toss with the vinaigrette, broccoli and scapes.  The warm rye berries will soak up the dressing nicely.
6. Drain the tempeh, reserving the marinade.  Fry in a skillet with a bit of olive oil, browning on all sides, about 5 minutes.  Pour the reserved marinade into the skillet, allowing it to cook down by about half.   If you used a lot of soy sauce, you might not want to use all the marinade so your salad does not end up too salty.  Mix the tempeh and cooked marinade into your salad, and season to taste if necessary.

Pickups from the beginning of the season (6/22/2010) and end of the season (9.15.09)

I looked forward to my Tuesday pickups, when I’d walk down the street with my IKEA bag and come back with an Iron Chef-like challenge to imagine a week of dishes with the bag’s contents.  Every second week, we got the most delicious assortment of multi-colored eggs.

This year, we won’t be doing the CSA.  We moved to a new neighborhood, and since J works late and I take the bus, it would be very hard for us to pick up our weekly allotment.  Instead, we’ll be putting aside money to spend at the Saturday farmers’ market, which is luckily in walking distance.  I’ll miss it – maybe one day we’ll be able to join again.

• Zephyr Farm’s blog:
• Farm Fresh RI’s CSA directory:
• Photos from my visit to the farm

This recipe is out of this world. It might sound involved, but after you make it once, you’ll find it’s totally worth it (and not actually that complicated).

Panch Phoran is a spice mixture composed of fenugreek, nigella seed, mustard seed, fennel seed, and cumin seed.

Braised Cauliflower with Panch Phoran Yogurt Sauce

• 1 small onion, peeled and coarsely copped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
• a 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup lowfat yogurt
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 head cauliflower (about 2 lbs), separated into bite sized florets
• 3 tbs vegetable oil
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 green cardamom pods
• a ¾ inch piece cinnamon
• 1 tsp panch phoran
• salt, to taste
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

In a blender, combine the onion, garlic, ginger and 2 tbs of cold water. Puree and transfer half of the paste to a large bowl with the yogurt, salt and sugar. Stir to combine. Mix in the cauliflower florets, turn the florets in the marinade to coat thoroughly and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until very hot, but not smoking. Add the cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon and panch phoran, stir and allow the spices to sizzle and pop, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining half of the garlic-ginger puree and stir for 2 more minutes. Add the cauliflower-yogurt mixture and cook for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let the cauliflower simmer for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and finish cooking until the cauliflower is tender, about 12-15 minutes. Check for salt, stir in the cilantro and transfer to a serving dish.

America is in financial turmoil, so I’ll betray my secrets and tell you how I whipped this up on a budget.  We bought jars of Kühne organic sauerkraut, made in Germany, from my favorite secret gourmet store.  If I was making this for dinner tonight, I would have stopped by the farmers’ market for apples, but since I had 20 pounds of apples on my shopping list and a budget to follow, I headed to Price Rite where I got Ginger Gold apples for only 99 cents a pound.

Baked Sauerkraut with Apples
adapted from Lüchow’s German Cookbook

• 1 quart sauerkraut
• 1/2 sliced onion
• 2 tbs butter
• 2-3 apples
• 1/2 bottle dry white wine
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 c. stock

Drain kraut slightly. Cook onion in butter until transparent. Add sauerkraut, stir cook slowly.

Wash, peel and core apples, dice fruit and add to sauerkraut.  Add wine and enough stock to cover.  Cook slowly, uncovered for 30 minutes. Add sugar, cover and cook in 325 oven 30 minutes longer.

The leftovers are delicious!

No food photo, but check out this asparagus napkin I silkscreened at AS220′s print shop yesterday!

Sometimes I gravitate towards recipes with multiple diced vegetables – I read them slowly, thinking of how therapeutic all that chopping will be (I suspect that visions of the beach do this for most people, but I’ll take what I can get). Last night I was reading Ruth Reichl’s Garlic and Sapphires, and when I got to the Risotto Primavera recipe, I knew it was the perfect fate for my Monday night and the extra bunch of farmers’ market asparagus I’d been saving.

While it doesn’t take that long to prepare, it’s the perfect evening “cooking retreat” – an excuse to turn off the phone, the TV and the computer, and immerse yourself in the acts of chopping vegetables and stirring risotto.

Now for the recipe…

Ruth Reichl included this recipe in her book Garlic and Sapphires (which I’m in the middle of, and loving her writing style). I made up for my lack of zucchini by using a bit more of the other vegetables. I also wasn’t ready to give up that much of my precious saffron stash, but 1/4 teaspoon made for plenty of flavor.

Risotto Primavera
½ pound asparagus
5-6 cups homemade chicken stock
½ teaspoon saffron strands, crumbled
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
1 smallish carrot, diced
2 small zucchini, diced
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup thawed frozen peas
½ cup Parmigiano cheese, plus extra for the table
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut off the tips of the asparagus and set them aside. Dice the top half of the stalks (discard the rest), and set the diced asparagus aside.
Bring the stock to a steady simmer in a saucepan. Remove ¼ cup of the stock. Add saffron and set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter with the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion and cook for about 6 minutes, until its golden.
Add the carrot and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the zucchini, diced asparagus, and ½ teaspoon salt, and cook for about 5 minutes more.
Add the rice and stir until it is coated with the oil. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Now slowly add enough simmering stock to cover the rice, and cook, stirring, until it has evaporated. Keep adding, stirring, and evaporating for about 20 minutes, until the rice is soft on the outside and still has a bit of a bite at the center. Add a few more spoonfuls of stock, remove the pan from the heat, and add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the cheese. Taste for salt and pepper, and serve with extra cheese for people to add to their own taste.