Potato Salad

I love potato salad but I'm not a big fan of mayonnaise. This version has less mayo, more spices and veggies, and a lot more flavor.

Serves 10-12 people as a side dish.


About 2.5 lbs Potatoes
4 sticks Celery
3 Carrots
1 small Onion
2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tbs Vinegar (I've been using white wine vinegar lately, but red wine vinegar or regular vinegar work just fine)
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Chili powder (optional)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise (nayonnaise for vegan alernative)
1/4 cup mustard (plain yellow, spicy brown, or whatever you prefer!)
Chives or Green Garlic (optional)



Slice potatoes and boil until soft. Rinse in cool water and put in large bowl.

In small bowl add oil and vinegar. Stir in the turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over potatoes, mix until potatoes are evenly coated. Put in fridge for 20 minutes.

Dice onions. Chop celery and carrots.

In small bowl mix mayo and mustard.

Mix the mayo/mustard in with the potatoes until evenly covered. Add the veggies and mix well.

On top sprinkle chopped chives or green garlic.

Chicken Curry

Now that the weather is getting warm, my desire to eat food as hot as the weather is coming on in full force. If you're not a big fan of spicy food leave out the peppers and the chili powder. This is a flavorful and creamy- but healthy- curry! Serve this curry on basmati rice topped with plain yogurt and fresh cilantro.


Serves 4-6


Ingredients:

1 lb Chicken (I prefer boneless, skinless chicken breast) cut into bite size pieces.
1 cup Plain Yogurt
3 Tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, diced
1 small piece Ginger (about a half inch long or so), grated
1 large onion, diced
4 Potatoes (You could use any root veggies. I used sunchokes and parsnips last week), sliced into thin, bite-sized pieces.
1 Serrano Peppers (or any kind of hot peppers), diced
2 T Vegetable or Canola Oil
1 tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Coriander
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Fenugreek (optional)
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Salt
1 cup water
Fresh Cilantro (optional)


In large pot saute onions and peppers on medium heat until onions are translucent, approximately 10 mins. Add garlic and ginger and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes. Add yogurt while whisking to prevent the yogurt from curdling. Whisk for about 5 minutes. Continue to whisk while adding the turmeric, chili powder, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and potatoes (or any root vegetable of your choice) and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Add the water, bring to a simmer and cover. The dish will need to simmer for about 45 minutes, coming back to stir every 5-10 minutes. If gravy gets low add more water. Add more salt and pepper to taste if desired.

Once the potatoes are soft and easily stabbed with a fork, you're ready to eat.You really can't overcook this dish. The longer you let it simmer the more flavorful it will be.
Serve a heaping serving on rice topped with plain yogurt and fresh cilantro.

Hint: For a faster cooking time, boil the potatoes before adding them to the curry, or leave them out all together. Also, other veggies, such as spinach or broccoli, go great with curry. So if you have them on hand, add them.

Au Gratin Vegetables

Au Gratin Vegetables

Adapted from Andreas Viestad's Kitchen of Light and made with spring CSA veggies from Harmony Valley Farm!

These Midwestern women love this dish any time of the year and adapt it to whatever happens to be in season and delicious at the time. Pair with fish, poultry or pork and a salad with a tangy vinaigrette for a delicious meal!

Serves: 6-8 people

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs sweet overwintered parsnips, sliced thin
1 lb sunchokes, sliced thin
1 lb potatoes, sliced thin (any variety of potato works, but the starchier the better!)
2 bay leaves broken in half
4 cloves garlic, cut in half
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
1/2 lb grated cheese (I prefer Gruyere, but often use a mixture of whatever I have on hand)

Preparation:
Mix together and spread out the slices of parsnip, sunchokes and potatoes along with the bay leaves and garlic in a oiled 13x9 baking pan. Whisk together the nutmeg, cream, milk, and half of the cheese in a separate bowl. Pour this over the top of the vegetables and mix a little to ensure the cheese is throughout the mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the dish. Place the dish in the middle oven rack and bake at 300F for one hour. Increase the temperature and bake for 20-25 more minutes until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven, and let it cool down and set for approximately 15 minutes before serving.

A Helpful Hint:
ANY sort of mixture of vegetables will work in this dish, so it is very versatile for any time of year. It has been made with cauliflower, broccoli, romanesco, sweet potato, rutabega, and even turnips in addition to the other vegetables listed above! I like to pair the vegetables with all different kinds of cheeses for this dish. Branch out and try something new!

A Time Saver:
Short on time to make this dish? Try the short cut method: take a box of ready prepared au gratin potatoes (Betty Crocker works well), and add some of your own ingredients. Layer in other chopped vegetables with the potatoes (I like to add broccoli and cauliflower). To the seasoning package, add some additional milk and cheese. When this is all mixed together, add a sprinkle more cheese to the top of the pan. This will only need to bake for about 30 minutes, and you will have your own delicious au gratin vegetables! This is a great way to use up the extra veggies in your fridge!

Be creative, and let us know what your favorite combination is!

Pizza with Mid May CSA Veggie Toppings

I love pizza more than I can describe. And with all the new and exciting veggies I'm getting in my Harmony Valley CSA, it seemed like a great opportunity to use up some veggies and indulge in a pizza pie.

I went half veggie-half cheese, which works well if you have any picky eaters in your household.

This recipe makes either 2 14-inch round pizzas or one large rectangular pizza in a cookie sheet (mine was 12 x 16 and 1 inch deep- but slight variations on size will work just fine). If only making one 14 inch round pizza, dough can be frozen for later use.

Preheat oven to 425

Pizza Crust:

3 1/2 Cups flour
1 1/3 cups water (at about 100 degrees F)
1 Tbs. Quick Rise Yeast
3 tsp. Olive Oil
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1-2 cups flour for kneading and rolling out dough

In medium sized bowl, whisk the yeast and sugar into the warm water. Set aside and wait for the yeast to bubble (about 10 mins). Add salt, pepper, and olive oil. Stir flour into mixture with fork until the dough is formed. On flour covered space, knead dough for 10 mins. Place dough back in bowl, cover with dish towel, set aside and let rise for 30 mins.


If making 2 round pizzas separate dough into two halves.

Roll out dough on well floured surface. If your pan requires it (cookie sheet especially) grease the pan then cover in light dusting of corn flour. Roll out the dough so that it is fairly thin and approximate to the size of the pan you are using. Place in pan and work dough so that it covers the surface, including the walls if using a cookie sheet. Using a fork, poke holes in the dough in several places. Allow dough to rise in pan for 10-15 mins.

Sauce:

1 16oz can crushed tomatoes
1 16oz can pureed tomatoes
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

In medium size bowl mix the tomatoes and spices.

Toppings:

12oz Shredded Mozzarella
Parmesan Cheese (just a little bit to sprinkle on top)

I used the veggies from last week's CSA box (with the exception of the shitake mushrooms). Though any veggies (or meats) could be used.

7-10 Shitake Mushrooms, dried or fresh
3 ramps, including the greens on top
1 bunch Sorrel
1/2 cup Spinach

If using dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrate in water. If you don't have ramps or sorrel, substitute in 2 shallots and an extra cup of spinach (for 1 1/2 cups in total).

Slice mushrooms into quarters. Chop ramps, sorrel, and spinach. Set aside.

Assembly:

Spread the sauce evenly over the crust. Sprinkle cheese evenly across the pizza. Top with veggies, on all or half of the pizza. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of veggies.

Bake for 25-30 mins. Allow to cool for 10-15 mins before serving.

Thin Crust Variation: I prefer thin crust pizza. Last night I halved the crust recipe and made it in a rectangular pan. The result was a nice thin, crisp crust.

Greek Pizza Variation Toppings:

4 Garlic Cloves
1 T Olive Oil
1 small Onion
10 oz. Mozzarella
3 oz. Feta
2 Tomatoes

Make the crust as described above.

Preheat the oven to 425.

Peel garlic cloves, wrap in tin foil packet with oil. Roast in oven for 30 minutes, about the time it takes for the dough to rise.

Chop the garlic and add to the sauce recipe above.

Assemble pizza as described above. For toppings, chop onion and tomato. After sprinkling mozzarella evenly over sauce, distribute the tomatoes and onions evenly. Crumble the feta, and sprinkle over the pizza. Following baking directions above.

Rhubarb Crisp

Sunday was Syttende Mai (Norwegian Constitution Day), and to celebrate, I hosted a small dinner party. The meal was rounded out by a warm rhubarb crisp with vanilla ice cream. This is the perfect dessert for spring, since rhubarb is just coming into season in Minnesota.



Rhubarb Crisp
Preheat the oven to 375 F

For the bottom:
4 cups rhubarb, diced
1/2 cup white or brown sugar
Mix together rhubarb and sugar and set aside.

For the crisp:
2/3 cup old fashioned oats
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter, melted
Mix together the oats, flour and sugar. Whisk in the vanilla with the butter, and slowly pour the mixture over the dry ingredients, stirring as you pour. Mix well. The topping should be crumbly but moist.

Assembly:
Spread the rhubarb and sugar mixture evenly in the bottom of a small pan (I used a 7x5 pan for a thicker crisp). Add the oats mixture evenly over the top. It will not completely cover the top of the rhubarb, but this is okay, it will look great when the rhubarb starts to bubble through. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, or until the crisp is starting to brown and the rhubarb mixture is bubbling through. Remove from the oven and let sit so it can cool somewhat before eating. Serve in bowls, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Serves: 6