Just as I was getting excited about getting less greens and root vegetables and more spring veggies, we got another full box of greens, radishes, and herbs. Here’s what we got last week:
dill
navel oranges
mixed lettuce
French breakfast or Easter egg radishes
spinach
stir-fry mix
yellow spring onions
green garlic
fennel
turnips
raisins
Perhaps a reflection of our waning enthusiasm, we’ve done a pretty poor job this time with using our CSA produce. That, combined with a hectic schedule prevented us from undertaking more time-consuming endeavors such as potato salad to make use of the dill.
It was not all a waste, however. TC’s mom and sister were a huge fan of the radishes, devouring them in less than 10 minutes, and his 18-month old nephew put away a good amount of the raisins. We also made a couple of new dishes, the first of which was a tomato, garlic, and potato frittata from the Gourmet cookbook. Frittata — never thought about it before, but it’s a cool word. Say it with me: FRIT-TA-TA.
Tomato, spring garlic, and potato frittata. This was one of the better looking servings.
Anyway, the only CSA ingredient we used for the frittata was the green garlic. Other ingredients included: eggs, parmesan cheese, basil, potatoes, grape tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and pepper. This was my first frittata-making venture, and I was nervous about not using the right kind of pan. The recipe calls for finishing the frittata in the broiler, but I did not have a 10-inch ovenproof skillet. So instead, I tried my best to flip the thing in the pan. I was partially successful. Luckily, TC doesn’t really care as much about presentation as I do. We enjoyed our imperfect looking frittata with a good dose of hot sauce. Overall, I’d say it was pretty good, but we both agreed that it could’ve used more basil and also some minced jalapeno or Serrano peppers.
The other thing we made was roasted mahi mahi with fennel, olives, and orange from theKitchn. We were both exceedingly skeptical about this dish for different reasons. My concern was that I’ve never cooked fennel; TC’s worry was that he hates the taste of licorice. Luckily, the fennel was pretty easy to prepare (thanks to helpful youtube videos) and the licorice flavor was super mild. It was so mild, though, that the whole dish lacked any kind of flavor or spice. It didn’t help that I forgot to add the oregano. D’oh! I think this dish definitely has potential, but as it was, it was just so-so.
Roasted mahi mahi with a side of couscous.
Well, at least the CSA box helped us to accomplish one goal this week, which was to force us to try new things! What about you — anything new you’ve tried lately that was a great success or colossal failure?
p.s. If you can’t get enough of CSA goodies, check out this awesome link party organized by In Her Chucks where bloggers from around the country are posting about their CSA treats!
April 24, 2012 at 10:21 pm
Your frittata looks amazing. We’ve been making a lot of salads as lettuce is in season and radishes too.
April 25, 2012 at 8:01 am
Yeah, I think that’s just the way it is for now: salad and more salad. We’re trying to stay positive and thankful for the fresh and healthy food.
April 25, 2012 at 12:24 am
The frit-ta-ta is very pretty! We just discontinued our box because we weren’t using it up–hard to cook when I’m only home 2 nights a week. But I did have one interesting cooking adventure recently. A friend-of-a-friend gave my friend recipes for Ethiopian stew and Persian rice. (Funny combo, eh?) My friend doesn’t cook, so passed them on to me. The Ethiopian stew was richly spiced and delicious. The Persian rice was tasty too (with raisins and cashews), but was supposed to have this amazing crusty bottom that totally did not happen. I guess I need to watch youtube videos on how to make crusty Persian rice.
April 25, 2012 at 8:00 am
That stew sounds amazing! I’ll have to get the recipe from you.
April 25, 2012 at 3:04 am
drool…. frit-tat-ta….
April 25, 2012 at 5:16 am
You can also cook the top of the frittata if you have a relatively flat lid for your skillet. Leave about a quarter-inch gap on one side for the steam to escape and the reflected heat will cook the tops of the eggs.
Also, fennel’s licorice flavor disappears as it’s cooked and becomes more nutty, so that should help (I like it roasted plain as part of a mixed roast like the fish).
For the dill, I like dilled carrots, which are pretty easy: cook the carrots until soft (usually either boiled or roasted), and then toss with butter, minced dill, and lemon juice. Also, garlic dill new potatoes: toss quartered new potatoes with olive oil, garlic powder, and dill, and then roast them at 425, tossing once, until golden with a bit of browning on the edges.
April 25, 2012 at 8:03 am
Thanks for the tips, Zach. I did use a lid for the frittata. I think they tell you to broil it so that the tops would be browned and the cheese melted.
One question: for the dill carrots and dill potatoes, how much dill do you put in?
May 7, 2012 at 6:00 am
As much as you want. The dill potatoes should be just enough to evenly and lightly cover the potatoes. The carrots are mostly “to taste.” I’d say maybe 2 tablespoons fresh (or basically a handful) for about 2 cups of carrots. But you know me: I’m borderline allergic to measurements.
April 25, 2012 at 10:51 pm
Lots of delicious options for fennel…I am not the biggest fan of licorice either but have found a few recipes that work well…check out this one: http://inherchucks.com/2011/12/02/braised-pork-with-orange-and-fennel/
April 26, 2012 at 3:40 pm
Sounds yummy! I love braised meat. I’ll definitely try this if we get fennel again. Thanks for the link!