JUDI’S RECIPES – WEEK 21 – OCTOBER 25, 2022

OCTOBER 25, 2022

Hi Everybody,

Homestretch going on! Next Tuesday is our last day for pickup. If you have not yet volunteered to help at the CSA, please do so now.

This week we are getting more potatoes. Some of us have quite a stockpile. But, even if you only have a few, this is a great time to use your potatoes in a traditional Italian comfort dish: Pasta with Peas and Potatoes. I know what you’re thinking: “Two starches in the same dish?” Yes, yes, yes! It’s delicious comfort food and you should try it.

PASTA WITH PEAS AND POTATOES

Ingredients

1 onion, finely diced

1 large potato or two small potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 pkg frozen peas

5 c. water

1/2 lb tubettini, orzo, or small shells

1 TBS olive oil, plus more for serving

Grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions

1. Saute the onion in the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat until the onion is golden.

2. Add the potatoes and the salt. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Uncover and add the frozen peas. Cook, stirring for 1 minute.

4. Add five cups of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 more minutes.

5. Uncover and add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente (still chewy, but not mushy).

6. Remove the pot from the heat and drizzle lightly with olive oil.

6. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

7. Serve and pass the grated cheese.

HELPFUL HINT: For a little extra flavor, add cubed pancetta or bacon.

ANOTHER HELPFUL HINT: For a soupier version, add an additional cup of water.

It looks as if this will be a rainy week. This dish is perfect for Fall weather!

Have a delicious week!

Best,

Judi

 

 

JUDI’S RECIPES – WEEK 12 – AUGUST 2, 2020

AUGUST 25, 2020

Hi Everyone,

As the Covid quarantine drags on, I hope we’re all in good health and staying sane. Not an easy job, these days.

Today we have a roasted bell pepper recipe with a twist – spaghetti!

SPAGHETTI-STUFFED PEPPERS

 

 

 

 

Put the peppers directly over the flame of a gas-stove burner and roast until blackened all over. Alternatively, you can roast them under a broiler. Transfer the peppers to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let them stand for 15 minutes while they steam.  Peel off the skins with your fingers, slice off the tops, and remove the ribs and seeds.

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add salt. Cook the pasta for two minutes less than instructed on the package. Drain

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Swirl in the oil to coat, then add the anchovies, breaking them up with the back of a spoon until they are dissolved. Add the onion and capers and cook, stirring occasionally, just until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Pour in the vinegar and cook, stirring frequently, until the vinegar is almost evaporated. Add the pasta and toss to coat it.

  • Season the inside of each pepper with salt, then fill it with a heaping 1/2 cup of the pasta mixture, twirling the pasta with a fork to make it fit. Place the peppers side-by-side in a 2-quart baking dish. Bake until the pasta starts to brown in a few spots, 10 to 15 minutes. Let the peppers cool slightly before serving, topped with oregano or another herb.

    This is really yummy and easy to make.

    Enjoy, and have a delicious week!

    Best,

    Judi

 

 

 

JUDI’S RECIPES – WEEK 3 – JUNE 23, 2020

JUNE 23, 2020

Hi Everybody,

It is hot, hot, hot! And humid too.

This is great weather for eating vegetables. They contain a lot of water and will help to cool your body.

This week’s recipe is for rigatoni with a kale sauce. Even if you hate kale, you’ll love this dish. If you absolutely refuse to try kale, you can use spinach instead. This recipe is quick and very easy to make.

RIGATONI WITH KALE SAUCE

 

  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 2 smashed or chopped cloves of garlic, peeled
  • 1 lb kale with the thickest ribs removed
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • ½ lb rigatoni (or fusilli or penne or anything else you like)
  • ¾ cup coarsely grated Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add a generous amount of salt.  Heat the olive oil and garlic over medium heat and watch so the garlic doesn’t brown. When the garlic starts to sizzle, reduce the heat to low, and cook very gently until the garlic is soft and begins to turn light gold, about 5 minutes. Remove it from the heat and set aside.

2. When the water is boiling, add the kale leaves, and cook until they are tender, but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Pull out the hot kale leaves with tongs, and put them into a blender. (Don’t drain the water from the pot; you’ll use that same boiling water to cook the pasta.) Add the garlic and oil to the blender, along with a splash of hot water from the pot if you need some more liquid to process the kale. Blend into a fine, thick green purée. Taste the mixture, and adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper, then blending again.

3. Add the pasta to the boiling water, and cook until it is al dente. Ladle out about a cup of the pasta water to save for thickening and finishing the sauce, then drain the pasta and return it to the dry pot. Add the kale purée, about 3/4 of the grated cheese and a splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss the mixture until all the pasta is well coated and bright green, adding another splash of pasta water if needed so that the sauce is loose and almost creamy in texture. Serve right away, topping with an extra swirl of olive oil and the rest of the grated cheese.

Serves 2.

HELPFUL HINT; The sauce can be made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight in a container with a tight lid.

ANOTHER HELPFUL HINT: If you want to pump up the flavor of this dish, you can add lemon, hot pepper flakes or garlic scapes for some zip.

Enjoy! And let me know if you feel any differently about kale now.

Have a delicious week!

Best,

Judi