5/26/2012 Basket - Completos (Loaded Hot Dogs)

Completos (Loaded Hot Dogs)
Uses from this basket: Tomato, bell pepper
Other produce: Avocado, onion

• 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 2 avocados, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• mayonnaise
• grated mozzarella cheese
• hot dogs & buns

Heat olive oil in frying pan over medium heat.  Cook onions and bell peppers, stirring periodically, until caramelized.   Place hot dogs in buns.  Top with mayo, avocado, tomato, onions & peppers, and cheese.

5/26/2012 Basket - Mexican Rice Burritos

Mexican Rice Burritos
Uses from this basket: Romaine lettuce, tomato

Cook a package of Mexican rice according to the directions on the packet. Stir in a can of green chilis and a can of drained kidney beans. Serve with tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and tortillas.

5/26/2012 Basket

This week's basket was from the Ripple's Drive-In location.

We got:

• 1 head Romaine lettuce
• 5 ears corn
• 2 artichoke
• 2 orange bell peppers
• 5 carrots
• 5 tomatoes
• 1 cantaloupe
• 4 peaches
• 5 oranges
• 11 Fuji apples
• 7 bananas

We also got the tropical pack this week:

• 1 pineapple
• 1 coconut
• 1 plantain
• 1 mango
• 3 lemons
• 10 lychees
• 2 vanilla beans
• 1 bag mint leaves
• 1 ginger root

5/19/2012 Basket - Split Pea Soup

Split Pea Soup
Uses from this basket: Carrots, onion
Other produce: Celery

•   2 1/2 cups dried split peas (1 pound), sorted and rinsed
• 8 cups water
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 2 medium stalks celery, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 1 ham bone, 2 pounds ham shanks or 2 pounds smoked pork hocks
• 3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices (1 1/2 cups)

Heat all ingredients except carrots to boiling in 4-quart pot, stirring occasionally; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes.

Remove ham bone; let stand until cool enough to handle.  Remove ham from bone.  Remove excess fat from ham; cut ham into 1/2-inch pieces.

Stir ham and carrots into soup.  Heat to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer about 30 minutes or until carrots are tender and soup is desired consistency.

*Recipe from The Big Red Cookbook from Betty Crocker

5/19/2012 Basket - Sausage & Tortellini Soup

Sausage & Tortellini Soup
Uses from this basket: Carrots, onion, tomato
Other produce: Garlic

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups beef broth
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 4 tomatoes, chopped
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 3 dried basil leaves
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 ounce) package frozen tortellini

In a large pot, brown sausage over medium heat.  Remove sausage and set aside. Saute onion and garlic in the drippings (my sausage was surprisingly lean so I also added a little bit of olive oil to help the onion and garlic along).

Stir in beef broth, wine, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, parsley, tomato sauce, and sausage.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the tortellini according to package directions and set aside.

Add tortellini and simmer for another 10 minutes.  Remove basil leaves before serving.  Garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired.

5/19/2012 Basket - Enchiladas with Cheesy White Wine Sauce

Enchiladas with Cheesy White Wine Sauce
Uses from this basket: Onion, green bell pepper

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 pound chicken tenders, cubed
• 1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chiles
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces Velveeta, cubed
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• tortillas

Heat olive oil in frying pan over medium high heat.  Add onion, bell pepper, and chicken.  Cook until chicken begins to brown.  Stir in green chiles.  Remove from heat.

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in white wine and heat to boiling.  Stir in bouillon until dissolved.  Blend the cornstarch and the cream until smooth.  Slowly stir cream into saucepan.  Simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Stir in Velveeta until melted.  Add about half the sauce to the chicken mixture.  Fill tortilla with about 1/4 cup chicken mixture and sprinkle with a little cheese.  Wrap up and place in 9x13 pan. Continue until pan is full (I ended up with 8 enchiladas).  Spread remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until sauce is bubbly and  cheese begins to brown.

5/19/2012 Basket - Beef Bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon

Uses from this basket: Carrots, onion

Other produce: Mushrooms

I made Julia Child's beef bourguignon. I used the following recipe, taken from this website, as adapted from her book, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" (onions here, and mushrooms here). It was quite an undertaking (especially since we don't have any oven-safe stove-top dishes), but the end result was pretty tasty. I served it over egg noodles. 

Ingredients

One 6-ounce piece of chunk bacon

3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

3 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes

1 carrot, sliced

1 onion, sliced

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons flour

3 cups red wine, young and full-bodied (like Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone or Burgundy)

2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups brown beef stock

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cloves mashed garlic

1/2 teaspoon thyme

A crumbled bay leaf

18 to 24 white onions, small

3 1/2 tablespoons butter

Herb bouquet (4 parsley sprigs, one-half bay leaf, one-quarter teaspoon thyme, tied in cheesecloth)

1 pound mushrooms, fresh and quartered

Cooking Directions

Remove bacon rind and cut into lardons (sticks 1/4-inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and lardons for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté lardons in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a flameproof casserole over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.

Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Heat fat in casserole until almost smoking. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the lardons.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the excess fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes.

Toss the meat again and return to oven for 4 minutes (this browns the flour and coves the meat with a light crust).

Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in wine and 2 to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered.

Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove.

Cover casserole and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with one and one-half tablespoons of the oil until bubbling in a skillet.

Add onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling them so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect them to brown uniformly.

Add 1/2 cup of the stock, salt and pepper to taste and the herb bouquet.

Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but hold their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet and set onions aside.

Wipe out skillet and heat remaining oil and butter over high heat. As soon as you see butter has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add mushrooms.

Toss and shake pan for 4 to 5 minutes. As soon as they have begun to brown lightly, remove from heat.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan.

Wash out the casserole and return the beef and lardons to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms on top.

Skim fat off sauce in saucepan. Simmer sauce for a minute or 2, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.

If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons stock. Taste carefully for seasoning.

Pour sauce over meat and vegetables. Cover and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times.

Serve in casserole, or arrange stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles or rice, and decorated with parsley.