So our Chocolate Covered Strawberry Sales seemed to be a hit with all of you, and our staff has been hand-dipping each individual order each day so that are super perfect for you and your loved ones! (The kids and I can't wait to get a taste of ours!)
So I don't know about you, but Valentine's Day will be just like any other day around our house, and I will be cooking so why not come up with something new and exciting, right?
Spaghetti Squash "Carbonara"
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper
1 large spaghetti squash (about 2 pounds), halved and seeded
1/2 pound bacon or pancetta, cut into small strips crosswise
1 tablespoon minced shallot
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup white wine
2 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Sprinkle the bottom of a large, shallow baking dish with 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoons pepper. Place the squash flesh side down in the pan and add enough water to come up about 1/4-inch. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and cook in the oven until the squash is just fork tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Once slightly cool, shred the squash with a fork and transfer to a large heat proof bowl.
In a large saute pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon until it becomes a light brown but is not yet crispy. Pour off most of the fat and then add the shallots and garlic. Saute for 1 minute until the garlic and shallots are fragrant and begin to caramelize. Add the white wine and cook until the liquid has completely evaporated.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs together with the cheese and the parsley. Season with the remaining salt and pepper. Combine the eggs with the bacon mixture, warming the eggs in the pan. (Do not let the eggs cook through.) Add the spaghetti squash and toss to thoroughly combine and until squash is heated through. Adjust seasoning, if necessary and serve immediately.
Or how about this yummy recipe:
Kale and Potato Gratin
1 1/2 pounds thin-skinned boiling potatoes such as red potatoes
1 bunch kale
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon Coarse salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup Bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Get a pot of water boiling large enough to accommodate the potatoes. Also prepare an ice bath.
Meanwhile, slice the potatoes 1/4"-thick. Set aside. Remove and discard the spines from the kale then chop the remaining leaves in 1/2"-thick ribbons by stacking the leaves and slicing in the direction of the veins. This doesn’t need to be exact, as long as you end up with a pile of roughly 1/2"-thick shreds of kale.
When the water is boiling, add a dash of salt and gently drop in the potatoes, cooking for about 2-3 minutes, until tender, but not cooked through. Drain and plunge into the ice bath. Drain again and dump onto a dish towel and blot.
In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the kale and rub the olive oil mixture aggressively into the leaves. Layer the kale and potatoes alternately with a sprinkling of bread crumbs and Parmesan in a 9″×12″ rectangular casserole or glass or ceramic baking dish.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes, until top is crispy.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Home again...
Roasted Beets with Feta
4 beets, trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
1/4 cup minced shallot
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil, and place onto a baking sheet.
2.Bake beets in preheated oven until easily pierced with a fork, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once done, remove from oven, and allow to cool until you can handle them. Peel beets, and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
3.While the beets are roasting, whisk together shallot, parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and red wine vinegar in a bowl until blended; season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
4.To assemble the dish, place the warm, sliced beets onto a serving dish, pour vinaigrette over the beets, and sprinkle with feta cheese before serving.
Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Soup with Lentils
courtesy of Katie Jett Walls (current customer)
6-8 cups of water, salted with 2 tsp of kosher salt
2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and diced
2 small white potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1 head of cauliflower, diced
1/2 of a small golden delicious apple, peeled and diced
1/2 c. red lentils (or mix of red lentils/split green peas)
2 c. veggie stock, plus 1 c of veggie stock (best when you make it yourself!)
3-4 strips of high quality bacon
Small onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, diced
2 tsp of salted butter
1/4 tsp each ginger, turmeric, cayenne, paprika
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper fresh ground pepper
cilantro
Salt the water, and put on high heat in a 4 qt. soup pot.
Scrub and dice the sweet potatoes and add them to the water. As they begin to boil scrub and dice the white potatoes, and add them to the pot.
While the potatoes boil, in a separate (smaller) pot, bring the lentils to boil in 2 cups of veggie stock. You’ll let these boil till they are soft but still a bit firm. Add a little more stock if necessary as they boil. Check them after 15 minutes for doneness.
Once the lentils are on, dice 1 head of cauliflower and add the pieces to the potatoes in the soup pot. Add add the apple as well. It’s ok if the veggies overtop the water surface. Cover and let boil till all veggies are soft, about 15 minutes.
Now fry 3-4 strips of high quality bacon to cripsy doneness over medium heat. While it cooks, dice the onion and garlic. When the bacon is cooked, take it out to drain on paper towel, but drop one piece into the lentils. Add the onion to bacon grease and saute, add garlic near the end to lightly saute.
Add the butter to the onion mixture, then add the spices, and 1/2 c of veggie stock. Stir to let the broth absorb the spices.
When lentils are done, add them to this spice mixture and stir.
Check your veggies with a fork – they should be soft now. Remove veggies from boil and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Use a whisk or pastry cutter to coarsely puree the veggies. Work gently so you don’t splash hot pulp onto your hands. You want the vegetable pieces broken up so they still have some shape but all pieces are small. The sweet potatoes will disintegrate the most. If you want a complete puree, use an immersion blender to thoroughly puree veggies (or run through the food processor in 2-3 batches). Stop when you’re pleased with the texture. Soup may still be watery – don’t worry, you will simmer it down a little more before serving.
Dice the bacon and add it to the soup pan with the veggies, along with another 1-2 tsp salt. Add the lentil spice mixture to the veggies and stir in in well, allow soup to simmer uncovered to your preferred consistency, or until the enticing aroma finally wins out and you have to eat it NOW.
Serve topped with freshly chopped cilantro.
4 beets, trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
1/4 cup minced shallot
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil, and place onto a baking sheet.
2.Bake beets in preheated oven until easily pierced with a fork, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once done, remove from oven, and allow to cool until you can handle them. Peel beets, and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
3.While the beets are roasting, whisk together shallot, parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and red wine vinegar in a bowl until blended; season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
4.To assemble the dish, place the warm, sliced beets onto a serving dish, pour vinaigrette over the beets, and sprinkle with feta cheese before serving.
Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Soup with Lentils
courtesy of Katie Jett Walls (current customer)
6-8 cups of water, salted with 2 tsp of kosher salt
2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and diced
2 small white potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1 head of cauliflower, diced
1/2 of a small golden delicious apple, peeled and diced
1/2 c. red lentils (or mix of red lentils/split green peas)
2 c. veggie stock, plus 1 c of veggie stock (best when you make it yourself!)
3-4 strips of high quality bacon
Small onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, diced
2 tsp of salted butter
1/4 tsp each ginger, turmeric, cayenne, paprika
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper fresh ground pepper
cilantro
Salt the water, and put on high heat in a 4 qt. soup pot.
Scrub and dice the sweet potatoes and add them to the water. As they begin to boil scrub and dice the white potatoes, and add them to the pot.
While the potatoes boil, in a separate (smaller) pot, bring the lentils to boil in 2 cups of veggie stock. You’ll let these boil till they are soft but still a bit firm. Add a little more stock if necessary as they boil. Check them after 15 minutes for doneness.
Once the lentils are on, dice 1 head of cauliflower and add the pieces to the potatoes in the soup pot. Add add the apple as well. It’s ok if the veggies overtop the water surface. Cover and let boil till all veggies are soft, about 15 minutes.
Now fry 3-4 strips of high quality bacon to cripsy doneness over medium heat. While it cooks, dice the onion and garlic. When the bacon is cooked, take it out to drain on paper towel, but drop one piece into the lentils. Add the onion to bacon grease and saute, add garlic near the end to lightly saute.
Add the butter to the onion mixture, then add the spices, and 1/2 c of veggie stock. Stir to let the broth absorb the spices.
When lentils are done, add them to this spice mixture and stir.
Check your veggies with a fork – they should be soft now. Remove veggies from boil and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Use a whisk or pastry cutter to coarsely puree the veggies. Work gently so you don’t splash hot pulp onto your hands. You want the vegetable pieces broken up so they still have some shape but all pieces are small. The sweet potatoes will disintegrate the most. If you want a complete puree, use an immersion blender to thoroughly puree veggies (or run through the food processor in 2-3 batches). Stop when you’re pleased with the texture. Soup may still be watery – don’t worry, you will simmer it down a little more before serving.
Dice the bacon and add it to the soup pan with the veggies, along with another 1-2 tsp salt. Add the lentil spice mixture to the veggies and stir in in well, allow soup to simmer uncovered to your preferred consistency, or until the enticing aroma finally wins out and you have to eat it NOW.
Serve topped with freshly chopped cilantro.
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