Bittman's Kosher Pickles

Inspiration: A love for crisp pickles that still have a hint of cucumber, cucumbers from our CSA, and Mark Bittman's recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup kosher salt
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 pounds small (“Kirby”) cucumbers, washed (scrub if spiny) and cut lengthwise into halves or quarters
• At least 5 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 large bunch dill, preferably fresh and with flowers, or substitute 2 tablespoons dried dill and 1 teaspoon dill seeds or 1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1. Combine the salt and boiling water in a large bowl; stir to dissolve the salt. Add a handful of ice cubes to cool down the mixture, then add all the remaining ingredients.

2. Add cold water to cover. Use a plate slightly smaller than the diameter of the bowl and a small weight to hold the cucumbers under the water. Keep at room temperature.

3. Begin sampling the cucumbers after 4 hours if you’ve quartered them, 8 hours if you’ve cut them in half. In either case, it will probably take from 12 to 24 or even 48 hours for them to taste “pickle-y” enough to suit your taste.

4. When they are ready, refrigerate them, still in the brine. The pickles will continue to ferment as they sit, more quickly at room temperature, more slowly in the refrigerator. They will keep well for up to a week.

Notes: So easy, and a good way to use up those summer cucumbers. They're salty and tasty!

Liz's Rating: 8.5/10
Tim's Rating: 8/10

Romanian Bean Soup with Bacon and Chard (Ciorba de Fasole)

Inspiration:
The Amazing Race's third pit stop: Romania
and this recipe for Ciorba de Fasole.


Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound dry haricot, pinto or butter beans
  
• 6 pieces of bacon, sliced into 1-inch widths
  
• 2 litres water
  
• 1 bunch Swiss chard
  
• 2 egg yolks
  
• 1/2 cup sour cream
  
• 1 T vinegar
  
• salt and pepper
  
• small bunch dill
• crusty bread, for serving
  

Instructions:

1. Soak the beans in cold water for 3-4 hours.

2. At the end of the soaking time, cube the bacon. Drain the beans and put them in the saucepan with the bacon. (Make sure there will be plenty of room for the beans to expand.) Pour the water over. Bring to the boil, skim, and turn the heat down. Simmer the beans for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until soft. More time may be needed...keep checking the beans.

3. Shred the lettuce or other greenery and stir into the soup when the beans are soft. Cook for another 10-15 minutes.

4. Mash the beans a little to thicken the soup. Mix egg yolks, cream and vinegar together, and stir into the hot soup. Season. Chop the dill finely and scatter it over the soup.

5. Serve with bread.
   

Notes: When I started to make this, I thought, oh it's just another bean and bacon soup. But I knew I was wrong as soon as I stirred in the sour cream, egg yolk, and vinegar. I really enjoyed the chard with the other flavors. It's an interesting recipe, and I am glad I tried it.


Vegetarian Option: Omit the bacon.


Liz's Rating: 8/10
Tim's Rating: TBD

Siberian Pelmeni

Inspiration:
The Amazing Race's pit stop in Moscow, Russia
and
Erin's suggestion of Pelmeni, which she had at our local restaurant Moscow on the Hill
The recipe below is very loosely based on this recipe from The Food Network.


Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill, divided
  
• 2 ounces breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
• 1 egg, beaten
• salt and pepper
• gyoza or potsticker wrappers
• 8 cups chicken broth, hot
  
• very thinly sliced button mushrooms, to garnish (about 1/2-3/4 cup per person)

Instructions:

1. Soak breadcrumbs in cream.
2. Combine pork, 1/4 cup dill, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add breadcrumb mixture and mix.
3. Let sit up to 2 hours for flavors to combine (in refrigerator).
4. Place 2 teaspoons of pork mixture in each gyoza wrapper, preparing 4 at a time. Wet the edges and seal in half-moon shapes. Set aside under plastic wrap as you make the other Pelmeni.
5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil.
6. Boil Pelmeni for 7-10 minutes.
   
7. Place 8-12 Pelmeni in a large soup bowl. Top with a few ladles of broth, chopped dill, sliced fresh mushrooms, and more pepper.

My Notes:
I don't think the original recipe was very authentic, and my alterations make it surely non-authentic, so we'll call these "Lazy Non-Authentic Siberian Pelmeni." We both enjoyed this dish. You must use fresh dill.


Tim's Rating: 9/10
Liz's Rating: 9/10


Next Week on The Amazing Race Season Finale: Oregon, USA.

Spicy Pork Po'Boys

Inspiration:
Food & Wine

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 medium kosher dill pickles, very finely chopped
• 1/2 small shallot, minced
• Four 8-inch soft baguettes, split
• 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce (I despise iceberg lettuce, so I substituted mixed greens.)
  
• 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
• Hot sauce, for serving

Instructions:

1. Preheat a grill pan. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix the ground pork with the paprika, thyme, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Form the pork into twelve 1/2-inch-thick patties. Grill the pork patties over moderate heat, turning once, until they are cooked through, about 8 minutes total.
2. Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise with the Dijon mustard, pickles and shallot and season with salt and pepper. Spread the mayonnaise on both sides of the baguettes.
3. Place 3 pork patties on the bottom of each baguette and top with the lettuce, tomato and a few splashes of hot sauce. Close the sandwiches and serve.

Food & Wine's suggested beverage: "Juicy, blackberry-rich Southern Australian Shiraz: 2006 Jim Barry The Lodge Hill."

My Notes: This was really easy! The pork patties did not taste that much different than a spicy pork sausage blend, so you could buy bulk sausage if you want a super-quick dinner. Tim loved the sauce so much, he gave this recipe an 11 out of 10.

Liz's Rating: 9/10
Tim's Rating: 11/10

Disappearing Zucchini Orzo

Inspiration:

Zucchini and summer squash from our CSA and a recipe from the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Thanks to Helen and Lindsay for the book recommendation! If you haven't read this book, go directly to the bookstore and pick it up. (Don't wait until winter to read it; I am so glad I am reading it during CSA/Farmers Market season.) Don't borrow it from the library, because it's one of those books you should keep on your shelf.

Recipe PDF

Ingredients:

• ¾ lb pkg orzo pasta (multicolored is fun)
  
• 1 chopped onion, garlic to taste
  
• 3 large zucchini
  
• olive oil for sauté
  
• thyme, oregano, or dill
  
• ¼ cup grated parmesan or any hard yellow cheese

Instructions

1. Bring 6 cups water or chicken stock to a boil and add pasta.
   
2. Cook 8 to 12 minutes.
   
3. Use a cheese grater or mandoline to shred zucchini, sauté briefly with chopped onion and garlic until lightly golden.
   
4. Add spices to zucchini mixture, stir thoroughly, and then remove mixture from heat.
   
5. Combine with cheese and cooked orzo, salt to taste, serve cool or at room temperature.

Notes:
It's true the zucchini "disappears" in this recipe. You can't really taste it. However, this doesn't taste really like anything until the herbs, cheese, and salt and pepper are added at the end! I used one small and one medium clove of garlic; next time I will add much more garlic and herbs. This is a great way to use up zucchini! It's also a nice base recipe; you could add many other vegetables (spinach, tomatoes) to this base.


Liz's Rating: 8/10

Ranch Dressing

Inspiration:
An increasing dislike for bottled salad dressings and this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, chives, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
   
2. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Notes:
Perfect flavor!
It's a little thick for salad dressing, so you may want to thin it out with some buttermilk.

Liz's Rating: 10/10
Tim's Rating: 9/10

Tim Cooks: Tangy Lemon-Caper Dip

Inspiration:
A desire for a dip for our CSA veggies, and a recipe found in Better Homes and Gardens.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces light sour cream
• 1/2 cup yogurt, low-fat plain
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained and finely-chopped
• 2 teaspoons snipped fresh dill (or 1/2 teaspoon dried dill)
• 1/2 teaspoon finely-shredded lemon peel
• lemon peel and dill for garnish
  
• Assorted vegetable dippers (such as peeled baby carrots, zucchini slices, pea pods, yellow summer squash sticks, and/or red sweet pepper strips)

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, stir together sour cream, yogurt, capers, the 2 teaspoons snipped dill, and the 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel.
2. To serve, garnish with additional lemon peel and additional fresh dill or thyme. Serve with dippers.

Recipe Notes:
Nutritional Info (Per serving): Calories: 32, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 36mg, Dietary Fiber: 0g, Total Fat: 2g, Carbs: 2g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Protein: 1g. Exchanges: Fat: 0.5

Tim's Rating: 8/10
Liz's Rating: 8/10

Spinach-and-Feta Potatoes

Inspiration:
Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

• 4 baking potatoes (about 3 pounds)
• 1.5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 2 bunches spinach, coarsely chopped (about 8 cups)
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
  

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Bake the potatoes until cooked through, about 50 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over mediumhigh heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet; add the spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in the vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Add the spinach to the mushrooms; add the feta and stir until mostly melted. Stir in the pine nuts and dill; season with salt and pepper.
4. Cut a deep "X" into the top of each potato and squeeze together to open. Add 1/2 tablespoon butter to each potato then generously stuff each with the spinach mixture.

Suggested Beverage: Red wine (nothing sweet)

Rachael Ray's Notes: This meal for 4 costs $8.96, takes 15 minutes to prep and takes 50 minutes to cook.

My Notes: I don't really like baked potatoes, but this was really good!! It was also very filling. I ate one large baked potato with 1/2 the topping mixture and was very full. Notice that I said one large potato with 1/2 the topping mixture-- I think that the recipe works with two large potatoes, not four. I just kept the other two baked potatoes and will make breakfast home fries with them.

Tim's Rating: 8.5/10 ("I don't think I've had a baked potato in 10 years, and I didn't think I'd like this, but I do.")
Liz's Rating: 9/10

Chicken Hotdish

Inspiration: Tim's love for the "hotdish" made me choose this recipe from allrecipes.com, and Tim loved it.

Ingredients:

• 8 boneless chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch paprika
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
  
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed (optional)
  

Instructions:

1. Brown chicken in oil over medium heat and place in a 9 x 13 inch greased baking dish.
2. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.
3. Combine mushroom soup, onion soup mix, sour cream, lemon juice, and dill weed and pour over chicken.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for one hour, or until chicken is tender and sauce is brown.

Notes: I omitted the lemon juice and dill as I didn't have any on hand. Next time I will add them.

Tim's Rating: 9.5/10
Liz's Rating: 6/10