When life (or the CSA) gives you garlic scapes, make pesto!

We grabbed our 3rd CSA pick-up this afternoon to find some lovely strawberries, 3 adorable radishes, an enormous head of escarole, a bag of salad mix, a head of Romaine lettuce, more garlic scapes and some scallions.

Now, I like salad. I like it a lot. But, Luke doesn't. Not only does this make for a sad tatertot, it also makes for an overwhelmed one. My fridge is overflowing with greens! 2 heads of lettuce, that giant escarole(!) and a bag and a half of salad mix is a lot for one person to try to slog through. But, I digress. It will all get sorted out. We will eat salads (both of us!) this next week until it comes out our ears. We will also make soup from the Escarole of Doom.

Now, back to the matter at hand: garlic scape pesto.

Garlic scapes are also known as garlic tops. Because garlic reproduces asexually, it shoots up tall stalks with buds on them with the hope of going to seed. Farmers, wishing for that energy to go into growing plumper heads, lop them off and sell them. Prior to the discovery they could be eaten, they would be thrown away.

They taste like garlic with none of the rawness of a raw clove and they can be used in exactly the same way. Some even use them as you would green beans.

I choose to make pesto from them, using just a bit of parsley to up the 'green' flavor quotient. With said pesto, you can throw it on pasta, mix it with balsamic vinegar and make dressing, cover a pounded chicken breast with it and pan fry or scoop it up with crackers and eat as is.

Garlic Scape Pesto

1 scant cup garlic scapes, chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup pine nuts (pignoli if you're hardcore)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup good quality olive oil

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the first four ingredients and pulse until everything is in tiny, uniform bits. Next, with the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil until combined and pesto-y. Eat!

Infused Vodkas

Luke and I attended the wedding of 2 longtime friends yesterday and it was just lovely! The ceremony was held in the assembly chambers inside the Capitol building in Madison with the reception held just across the street at Brochach (pronounced broka). I hadn't planned on drinking, really, but I was won over by the open bar and the spectacular pineapple infused vodka they had. I could have chosen to have it on its own, but I chose to mix it first with a little orange juice and then with Sprite. I stopped after 2, like the responsible driver I am.

Thinking to myself that we've got a decent sized party coming up and the seeming ease of making such a libation, I decided to give it a go. There are plenty of recipes out there for infused vodkas, but I decided to wing it. I dragged Luke out of the house this morning in search of a large container with a spigot, a fresh pineapple or 2, some farm fresh strawberries and some cheap but drinkable vodka.

Walking out of the grocery store with 2 1.75 liter bottles of vodka made me feel like quite the sot. They don't know me! They can't judge me! "This is in the name of culinary greatness!" I longed to scream. Keeping my mouth shut and my head down, I paid for my purchases and returned to the car.

Upon arriving home, I got to work. I chopped up one of the pineapples, not bothering to core it, tossed the pieces into the container, poured in one of the bottles of vodka and sealed it up. Now, it sits for a couple of weeks and hopefully, it will be spectacular.

Having a spare bottle of liquor and an empty mason jar, I also sliced up some of the previously mentioned strawberries and did the same thing with them.

Blueberry Scones and 1st Week CSA Share

I have been unusually busy of late and our social calendar has us doing something almost every weekend these days. This is our last (so far) empty weekend until the 11th of July. So if there's been a dearth of posts, it's due to my not having time. I am in the kitchen doing stuff, but I don't always remember to take photos or it doesn't come out as pretty as I'd like. (Note: I only share that which I deem cosmetically pleasing.)

Today was the 1st day in our 19 week CSA share season. A CSA is also called a farm share. You contact a local farm offering such a program, pay a set amount and end up with lovely farm fresh produce that varies throughout the season. Madison's own local organization (MACSAC) is a great resource if one happens to be interested in such a thing. They can answer a lot of questions and even have a low-income assistance program.

As seen in the photo, we received a head of lettuce, a huge bag of salad greens, a bag of spinach, salad turnips with their greens and a bunch each chives and garlic scapes. I am excited to see what the rest of the season brings and, after being anxious for this day since January, I was not disappointed.

We also received a basil plant from our farm and it has taken up residence on the roof of Sjölind's Chocolate Haus with the herby cousins I'm cultivating (thyme, parsley, oregano, more basil and nasturtiums). The cousins are currently in micro stage and I did a bit of thinning yesterday. Luke was wondering what was taking so long when he came out to check on me. He found me hunched over a pot of basil saying, "I'm having to make Sophie's choice over and over again!". Fortunately, I was able to transplant the larger ones into another planter and I took the thinlings home as "microgreens" and used some both in my eggs (from another local farmer, we receive a dozen a week) this morning and on my salad with dinner.

I've also been making a lot of scones lately. I tried my hand at blackberry and, while tasty, they were not pretty and the seeds were simply too large for me to really be rapturous about them. Then I tried blueberry and hit the jackpot. I've made 2 batches so far and they've both been delicious.

Blueberry Scones
(425* for 15-20 mins. - makes 8)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. chilled, unsalted butter
1 cup fresh blueberries, washed and picked over
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425* and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Using the large hold of a box grater, grate the butter into the flour mixture and, using a pastry blender, fork or fingers, combine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add liquid ingredients to dry and gently fold in blueberries. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times for a cohesive dough. Press dough out into a 7" round and cut into six equal triangles. Arrange on baking sheet and brush with cream, sprinkling with demerara sugar if desired.

Bake scones 15-20 mins. until they are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with butter or at room temperature. They are excellent plain and I recommend freezing them should they sit around too long. Because of the fruit, they tend to mold a bit soon. I just take one at a time in the freezer and microwave it for 30 or so seconds at 40% power.

Lemon Ricotta Tart

Tomorrow marks Memorial Day and the start of the grillin' season. To celebrate, we're heading down to the in-laws' for some grilled meats and sunshine in the backyard. It would seem that I am unable to visit someone without bringing along some sort of food or three. For this particular occasion, I chose potato salad (even though I really hate peeling eggs) and what was to be either lemon bars or a lemon tart. The time came this afternoon when the potato salad was complete and it was time to make a dessert. I looked at the recipe I planned on using for bars, compared it to the tart recipe and decided they were exactly the same thing using different presentation. Then, I started to wonder if I really wanted to use 10 eggs and 1 1/2 sticks of butter. I was willing to do it, but I knew there was something else out there. I settled upon a sweet tart crust courtesy of Smitten Kitchen with a minor tweak and a lemon ricotta filling. This reduced my egg usage to 3, butter to 1 stick and used only one lemon. The ricotta part came from having had a tub sitting in the fridge for a bit waiting for some pasta to come along and use it.

I clearly went way overboard in the decorating, selecting the best of the purchased blackberries, straining the seeds out of some raspberry jam and making artistic use of the pastry brush. A little thing I learned: when your only fine mesh sieve is dirty and you don't want to wash much more, a tea strainer does a fine job of evenly dusting confectioner's sugar. Stroke of genius!

It certainly looks pretty, but the recipe for filling made a perfect amount for filling the tart shell, so I have no idea how it will taste. The conclusion of that will have to wait until someone eats some.

Lemon Ricotta Tart
(375* for 25-30 mins to blind bake crust,
350* for 20-25 mins for completed tart)

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick plus 1 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Place the flour sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 5 or so times to combine. Sprinkle the butter pieces over the flour mixture and pule 8 times or so until it resembles coarse cornmeal with some larger pieces of butter remaining. Add egg and almond extract and pulse just until it starts to stick together. This can be tested by pinching some between your fingers.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to fit into a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently place in tart shell, trim to 1/2" border (I fed the excess to Luke) and tuck border under to fortify outside crust. Place crust in the freezer for 30 mins. and preheat the oven to 375*.

When the oven is hot, place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet and, pressing to achieve a close fit, line the shell with aluminum foil. Bake for 20-25 mins., remove the foil and bake for another 5.

While the shell bakes, prepare the filling:

4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
the zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
12 oz. ricotta cheese
1/4 c. sugar

Combine ingredients in a bowl and, when the tart shell has finished baking, remove it from the oven, reduce the temperature to 350* and pour in the filling. For a proper set, the tart shell should still be warm. Place the tart back in the oven and bake for 20 mins. until the middle wobbles just slightly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Dust with confectioner's sugar or decorate as desired.

Edit: Diagnosis? Delicious! One guest even told me she'd be willing to pay $40 for one. There wasn't a crumb left.

New and Improved Sub Rolls!

I have a tendency to overcommit myself to the kitchen on weekends and when I have other things to do, I try to cram all of my projects into one day. This past Saturday, we went to Schaumberg for a giant mall/Ikea trip and I came home with some really snazzy woodland creature cookie cutters. Moose, anyone?

Anyway, with Saturday a cooking wash, I went nuts on Sunday. I made pizza sauce, cookies, rhubarb compote, raspberry jam and the bagels I mention below. By the end of the day (we even had a dinner guest for whom I made the cookies), I was pooped and may have to reevaluate just how crazy I am willing to go in the name of culinary exploration.

Back to the business at hand, I have been doing a lot more with bread lately and experimenting with what I can easily make at home and what I might want to stick with buying. So far, homemade wins almost all of the time given the right recipe and my having time. This past week alone, I have made honey whole wheat sandwich buns, bagels and now these beauties. I wasn't completely satisfied with the previous recipe I'd made since they turned out to be a bit salty. Sure, they have their applications, but I think these may be a superior all purpose roll for hot dogs, subs and, shaped differently, burgers. The recipe does require more ingredients, but nothing you can't find in a local supermarket. I found it in one of my bread machine books, this one by Beth Hensperger. We made some lovely meatball subs with them for dinner and they are a perfectly flavorful complement.

As previously stated, I am a cheater, but normal bread making rules apply.

Hamburger Buns and Hot Dog Rolls
(375* for 15-22 mins. - makes 8)

1 cup water
1 large egg
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 cups bread flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
2 Tbsp. instant potato flakes
1 Tbsp. gluten
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 tsp. yeast

Toss everything together in the bread pan and set for the dough cycle. When cycle ends, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 8 equal(ish) pieces. Shape as desired (6 in. oblongs for long rolls or tight rounds for burgers). Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet or, if you've run out of parchment, a buttered one sprinkled with cornmeal. Flatten each piece by pressing with your palm. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 mins., preheating the oven during this time and running off to play Plants vs. Zombies.

Before placing them in the oven, glaze them with 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp. water. If desired, sprinkle glazed rolls with 1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame seeds or poppy seeds.

Bake for 15 to 22 mins., depending on size, until lightly browned. Remove baked rolls from baking sheet with a spatula and cool completely on a wire rack.

Mother's Day Brunch Pt. 1

I have a growing list of things I have recently made and fully intend to post, and before yesterday, this wasn't one of them! These scones were the result of my waking up early and fretting about how my quiche(s) would be received. I figured if no one liked the quiche, at least these would be there to save the day. I needn't have worried, but they turned out well, all 6 were eaten and they were quick to throw together with fairly minimal ingredients. Not only was everything well received, Luke really liked the scones, so I made a second batch just for him when we got home.

Most of the time when I am looking for a new recipe, instead of looking through my shelf full of cookbooks, I head to the internet knowing there are only 1,000,000 times more options out here than there are in my library. I often end up choosing things from Chow's forums. I really enjoy a good pumpkin scone, but didn't want one of the Starbuck's knockoffs. I settled upon one from Joy of Baking but I tweaked it a little. Theirs calls for both nuts and raisins, which are both tasty, but none of my eaters like them. It also calls for an egg wash and a dusting of coarse sugar. I thought a glaze with a little cinnamon and fresh grated nutmeg would be prettier, so I went with that. Next time, I might brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon before baking.

Pumpkin Scones
(400* for 20 mins.
serves 6)

2 cups flour (I used bread flour because I was low on all purpose)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick butter
1/3 cup buttermilk (I use powdered and water)
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400* and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl whisk together dry ingredients and set aside. In a smaller bowl combine pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla. Grate the stick of cold butter into the dry ingredients and blend with a pair of forks or a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add wet ingredients and stir until combined. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times before shaping it into a disk about 7" around and 1 1/2" high. With a chef's knife or bench scraper divide into sixths and place on baking sheet. Place in oven and bake 20 mins. They will be puffed and just beginning to turn golden. After removing them from the oven, place them on a cooling rack and allow to cool, glazing if desired.

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 T. milk or cream
pinch nutmeg
pinch cinnamon

Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix until it forms a thick icing. Spoon over cooled scones and allow to set slightly.

Sub Rolls

I decided last week that I was going to try making my own sub rolls. I had been pretty unhappy with the ones offered at the grocery store of late. They tend to be pale, gummy things that essentially taste like a really huge cotton ball. Usually when making bread, I just toss all my ingredients into the bread machine and let it work its magic. But, this project was going to require me to get my hands a little dirty. Granted I allowed the machine to make the dough for me, but the shaping and second rise were up to me. They turned out incredibly well. Well enough for me to make a second batch the next day and double it! They are crusty and flavorful, well worth the time it took. Better yet, it only takes 4 ingredients!

While I am a cheater, standard bread making rules will easily apply with regards to kneading, rising and punching down.

Sub Rolls
(makes 4-8" rolls)

3 cups bread flour
1 cup water
2 tsp. salt
1 T. yeast

Toss all ingredients into bread pan and set for the dough cycle. When the cycle completes, remove dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Divide evenly into 4 parts and roll into 4 8' inch oblongs. Place the oblongs about 2-3" apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Place the baking sheet in a draft free place for about an hour (I use my oven). 20 minutes prior to the end of the rising, remove the baking sheet and preheat the oven to 450*. When the oven comes to temperature, remove the kitchen towel and put the rolls in to bake for 5 minutes, either spritzing the oven with a spray bottle or tossing in a couple of ice cubes. After 5 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 400* and spritz/ice cube again, this time baking for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Edited to add: As it turns out, these are actually a bit salty for any application other than a cheesesteak. I have found a better, lighter roll with less salt that suffices beautifully.