Beet, Orange, and Apple Salad

Inspiration:
Tim's newfound love of beets and allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds beets
• 2 cups shredded beet greens
• 1 large orange
• 2 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored
• and sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted sunflower seeds, toasted

Instructions:

1. Wash and dry beet roots and greens. Shred greens to measure 2 cups and set aside.
2. Place beets in a sauce pan with enough water to cover. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and allow to cool.
3. Trim and peel off skins; cut into 8 wedges.
4. Peel and section orange. In a bowl, combine orange sections, beets and apples.
5. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and garlic. Pour over beet mixture and toss well.
6. Arrange 1/2 cup beet greens on 4 salad plates. Top with beet mixture, sprinkle with sunflower seeds and serve.

Notes: Loved this recipe. It's not for beginners--kind of time consuming--but it's delicious. Next time I'll double the dressing recipe and keep the salad ingredients the same. I may also add in an extra orange.

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

Pesto alla Anna

Inspiration:
A Lidia Bastianich recipe, adapted and printed in GQ


Ingredients:

• handful of almonds, lightly toasted
• bunch of fresh basil
• 1 large clove garlic
• pinch of crushed red-pepper flakes
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes
• salt and black pepper
• 1 pound spaghetti
• Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (for the non-vegans)

Instructions:

1. Boil water for the pasta, and cook when ready.
2. Place the almonds, a handful of the basil, the garlic, and red-pepper flakes in a food processor. Process while drizzling in about a half cup of olive oil, until pureed but still chunky.
   
3. Add the cherry tomatoes. Process until incorporated. The sauce should look like bolognese--thick and hearty, a yellowish orange. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Just before pasta is done, scoop out about a cup of cooking water. Drain pasta.
5. Place sauce in a large serving bowl. Add some of the water (start with just a little) and stir until the sauce is smooth.
6. Add pasta to the bowl and toss until coated. Let cool a bit, then toss with lots of Parmigiano-Reggiano (if desired).
7. Taste. Season. Serve. Devour.

Recipe Notes: A bright, bracing alternative to traditional pesto genovese. And as easy a recipe as you'll find, provided you own a food processor.

My Notes: Super easy and flavorful. A nice bright bunch of flavors as spring arrives but the winter produce still fills the grocery store.

Liz's Rating: 8.5/10
Tim's Rating: 9/10

Bánh Mì

Inspiration:
My love for bánh mì and a marinade from Cooking Light, seen on Elizabeth's blog.


Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
  
• 1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 1 pound flank steak, trimmed
• sliced fresh jalapeños, shredded carrots, and cilantro
• baguette

Instructions:

1. To prepare steak, combine first 6 ingredients in a large flat dish. Add steak; cover and marinate in refrigerator 20 minutes, turning occasionally.

2. Prepare grill or broiler.

3. Remove steak from refrigerator; discard marinade. Place steak on grill rack or broiler pan lightly coated with oil; cook until desired doneness.
   
   
4. Slice steak against the grain; pile on baguette with veggies. Top with fish sauce or a combination of fish sauce, fresh ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, lime juice, and sugar.

Notes: These were delicious, but I probably won't make them again. Why? Because we are lucky enough to be able to purchase bánh mì from many nearby Vietnamese-owned restaurants for about $2.50 each. If I didn't have that option, I would be making this often.


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

Coriander-Orange-Scented Red Lentil Soup

Inspiration:
My new favorite cookbook: The Splendid Table's How to East Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift


Ingredients:

• 1 small bunch (1-inch-diameter bouquet at stems) fresh coriander (cilantro)
  
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 medium onions, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
• 4 large garlic cloves, fine chopped
• One 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and fine chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander seed
• Zest and juice of 1 medium orange
• One 14-ounce can vegetable or chicken broth
• 2-1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup red lentils, rinsed and sorted
• Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon
• 2/3 to 1 cup additional fresh orange juice

Instructions:

1. Wash and dry the bunch of coriander. Cut off the bottom 2 to 3 inches of the stems and chop them fine. Set them aside. Coarse-chop half of the remaining coriander leaves, refrigerating the rest for another dish.
2. Generously film the bottom of a 4-quart saucepan with olive oil and heat it over high heat. Stir in two-thirds of the onions, and season with salt and pepper. Saute until the onions begin to brown. Blend in the coriander stems, garlic, ginger, ground coriander seed, and the orange zest. Saute for about 20 seconds over high heat, or until fragrant. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.
3. Pour the broth, water, lentils, and remaining onions into the same saucepan. Bring to a gentle bubble, partially cover, and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the lentils are nearly tender. Add the sautéed seasonings and additional salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pot tightly and simmer for another 15 minutes to blend the flavors. (At this point the soup could be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen, and reheated.)
4. Just before serving, stir in the juice from half a lemon, the juice of the zested orange, and the additional orange juice to taste, starting with 2/3 cup. You will probably want almost the entire cup of additional orange juice, but trust your own taste. Then sample the soup for salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and adjust them as needed.
5. Scatter the coriander tops over the soup, and ladle it into deep bowls.

Recipe Notes:

• Serves 2 to 3 as a main dish; 4 to 5 as a first course
  
• 10 minutes prep time; 25 minutes stove time
• If you use only one organic ingredient for this recipe, let it be the orange, since the peel is cooked into the dish.
• The inspiration here is pure East India. India glorifies dried peas and lentils like no other place on Earth, and Indian meals often include a souplike dish called dal. Cooks there marry lentils and spices in a unique way with a technique you'll find yourself using in other dishes.
• Since legumes are notorious for smothering flavors, Indian cooks sauté the seasonings separately, adding them toward the end of the cooking time to create bright, true tastes.

My Notes:
This was a little too orange-y for us, and I didn't even add the total amount of orange juice. I would try this again and mix up the proportions a bit. If you LOVE orange, this soup if for you. One nice thing about this recipe is it's really "fresh" tasting due to the citrus and cilantr0-- a nice thing during the cold winter days and nights.

Tim's Rating: 8/10
Liz's Rating: 7/10

Lemon-Parsley Pork Chops

Inspiration:
Parsley from our CSA and Everyday Food

Ingredients:

• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 bone-in loin pork chops, (about 8 ounces each)
  
  

Instructions:

1. Mince lemon zest; combine in a small bowl with parsley, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Cook in skillet until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
3. Add 1/2 cup water to skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover, and simmer gently until pork is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer pork chops to a platter or serving plates; drizzle with pan juices as desired, and sprinkle with lemon-parsley mixture.

Notes: This is a yummy, fresh-tasting recipe. It would be perfect for winter when we need some freshness for our taste buds, since quality lemon and parsley are available year-round.


Tim's Rating: 9/10
Liz's Rating: 9.5/10