Mezza Dinner

Despite the 60-degree, rainy weather summer is coming, and we can see it in the change of local produce that is available!  I was inspired to start making dinner with some basil that I had in the refrigerator and fresh garlic scrapes from Open Oak Farm.  But then I realized that for several years I have wanted to make a mezza dinner with many of the recipes identified in the Moosewood Cookbook.  The pesto was just a start.  I also made tabouleh, walnut-green bean-egg dip, and hummus (made with rio zape beans from Lonesome Whistle Farm).  Each recipe was very easy to make and they all went well together especially served this with fresh bread from Eugene City Bakery and with fresh strawberries for dessert.

Pesto
1 bunch basil (from Eugene Local Foods)
3 garlic scrapes (from Open Oak Farm)
Olive oil
2 handfuls parmesan cheese
2 handfuls walnuts

Put everything in the food processor and blend until well mixed.  Serve over pasta.  The pesto was just a gorgeous brilliant color and so amazing!

Tabouleh

1 c hull-less barley (from Lonesome Whistle Farm)3 c water
1 bunch parsley (from Open Oak Farm)
2 garlic scrapes (from Open Oak Farm)
lemon juice from 1/2 of a lemon
1/3 c olive oil
1 tomato chopped
salt
pepper 

Cook barley in water.  Chop parsley and garlic together in the food processor, and then mix with olive oil and lemon juice.  Fold in barley once cooked and added in tomato, salt and pepper to taste.  Cool before serving.

The last item I made was a Walnut Dip from the Moosewood Cookbook that I have been wanting to try for years...but never seemed to have all the ingredients at the same time.  I don't think that it tasted like chicken liver pate (like the description says it would), but it was very tasty.

Walnut-Green Bean-Egg Dip 

1/2 onion chopped
Olive Oil
1 1/2 c green beans (from Thistledown Farm)
2 hard boiled eggs peeled
2 t lemon juice
1/4 c walnuts
handful parsley
salt and pepper  

Saute the onions in oil and then add green beans until softened, and then put them in the food processor with rest of the ingredients

Everything can be eaten together like this on a plate.

Or it can be eaten all mixed up like this mixed up on a high chair tray.  She seemed to especially like the pesto pasta.  However, dipping her fingers into all of the dips was great fun too!

Pan Bagnat

I love it when we manage to drive in our car on Sunday evenings so we can listen to  The Splendid Table on OPB!  I always turn off the car in my driveway inspired to try something new in the kitchen! I am so glad that we got to hear Melissa Clark describe her Pan Bagnat Recipe from her book In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite.  This time, I'm equally glad that my husband loved the idea too, rounded up all the ingredients, and orchestrated the sandwich creation.  Calling Pan Bagnat a sandwich does not really do justice to this tuna, basil, cucumber, tomato, garlic, anchovy, olive oil, mustard, onion, red wine vinegar, olive, hard boiled egg deliciousness.

On the bread, layer cucumber and onions in vinaigrette.  Then add tomatoes.

Next, add slice hard boiled egg.

Followed by basil leaves.

Next, add in olive halves.

Put the cucumber-onion vinaigrette on the other half of the bread.

Lastly, add canned tuna.

Carefully roll in foil and balance a heavy cookbook on top.

The best part of her description of making the sandwich is that it needs to be smooshed by 7-year old child or heavy skillet for 7-10 minutes on each side.  We substituted our 4-year old. 

It really does flatten!

And all the juices mix into the bread.

Served with fresh local cherries, strawberries and artichokes.

Next time, oh and there will be a next time for Pan Bagnat in our house, we will use a more substantial bread than the hoagie roll that we used that just didn't stand up to the smooshing.   But there is no denying that the flavor was amazing!  I can't wait to try this at the height of our local tomato and cucumber season!

Spanakopita

Our first Open Oak Farm CSA bag of the season included beautiful spring spinach.  This year we have been enjoying cheeses from Ochoa Cheese Factory in Albany, Oregon including a very mild feta cheese that they produce.  These two ingredients seemed like a perfect paring to make the spanakopita recipe in the Moosewood Cookbook.  I like that the mini title is "Heavenly Greek Spinach Pastry."  This is a great description!

It has been years since I made this recipe, but I have always remembered that it was well worth the time investment to work with the filo dough.  Unfortunately, there was not quite enough spinach from our CSA to make the right ratio to cheese for the filling so I included one 10 oz package of frozen spinach from Stahlbush Island Farms.  The garlic that I was fortunate to include was unbelievably fresh--the skins around the individual cloves were still soft.

The recipe was well worth the effort yet again.  It made a nice dinner for the whole family and has been delicious heated up or cold as leftovers with salsa on the side.

Spanakopita

Olive oil
1/2 onion chopped
1/4 t salt
1 T basil
1 T oregano
~ 1lb fresh spinach chopped (Open Oak Farm) 

10oz frozen spinach
3 cloves garlic (Eugene Local Foods)

1 lb crumbled feta (Don Froylan Queso Fresco)1 c cottage cheese
Olive oil
1 package whole wheat filo pastry (18 sheets) defrosted. 

Heat olive oil and saute onions until soft.  Add in salt, basil, and oregano.  The add chopped spinach and garlic and steam until garlic spinach is wilted.  Remove from heat and mix with cheeses.   

Oil a 9 x 13 baking pan.  Place one sheet of filo and drape over the edge of the pan.  Brush on olive oil. Repeat until there are 6 layers of filo on the bottom.  Spoon in half of the cheese-spinach filling.  Add 6 more layers of filo.  Then spoon in the remaining filling.  Cover with the last 6 layers of filo.  Fold the edges over and oil well.
Bake 375F for 40 minutes.  Serve hot or cold.

Strawberry Shortcake

For the past month, I have been buying groceries from Eugene Local Foods. It has been such a nice bridge between the end of the winter and the start of the summer CSAs.  However, when I am selecting the vegetables for myself, I tend to only buy staples (lettuce, carrots, collards) and do not experiment with a wider variety of offerings.  I do think that this is a great way to continue to buy local produce year-round, but I am so excited that today was the first day of Open Oak Farm summer CSA.  

It is so wonderful to come home with the cloth bag bursting with a variety of fresh produce including items I wouldn't self select.  (Can you hear me cheering?)  I'm looking forward to cooking with the garlic scapes, mustard greens, spinach, and bok choi on another evening.  But tonight I started with strawberry shortcake.  

I have so many memories revolving around strawberries, family, and friends.  Picking them, eating bowls of them, making jam, and eating strawberry shortcake. Yum.  I've requested strawberry shortcake as my dessert of choice for birthdays (even though my birthday is in late summer), a baby shower, and really any time we have fresh strawberries.  I think strawberries are best enjoyed in the company of people that I love.

I still have lots of buckwheat flour from our winter Lonesome Whistle Farm grain CSA, so I experimented with making my Grandmother's Biscuit recipe with some buckwheat flour.  Topped with a little whipped cream, milk, and of course strawberries it was delicious--especially shared with my family on a sunny Tuesday afternoon.  Maybe we can have strawberry shortcake for breakfast tomorrow too.

Grandma Marjorie's Strawberry Shortcake 

4 T butter
2 T sugar
1 c buckwheat flour (from Lonesome Whistle CSA)
1 c mixed wheat/white flour
2 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 c milk
2 pints strawberries (from Open Oak Farm and our garden)
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
2 T sugar
2 t vanilla 

Mix butter and dry ingredients in a food processor.  Slowly add in milk and mix until dough hold together.  Place on floured cutting board and flatten.  Cut out biscuits and place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake 425F for 12-15 minutes.


Cut strawberries into quarters and sprinkle with approximately 1 T sugar and let stand to allow juices to run. 

Mix whipping cream, sugar and vanilla and whip until soft peaks form. 

Plate biscuits with strawberries and whipped cream.  Serve with soy or cow milk.