Fall bounty

As a Halloween baby, it figures that I own pumpkin cookware such as a pumpkin-shaped spatula and cookie cutters…but now I get to add a pumpkin pot to the list! A Le Creuset pumpkin pot!  This turned into a delicious fall meal: pot pie and a collard green salad!

Wild mushroom barley soup with ham bone

Based largely off of ib‘s favorite mushroom barley soup (Please to the Table, p. 86), we made a lovely winter meal. The leftover ham bone (and some ham left on it) from our greenmarket ham for jambalaya added a nicely complementary base to this hearty soup.

Oven fries with simple chili

It was going to take way too long to make one of my favorite soups, so, tonight, to use up some of the many beginning-to-sprout potatoes, we made oven fries that had recently been featured in the Times.  We made a simple tomato and bean chili as a dipping sauce, and, for good measure, melted some leftover Havarti and Jarlsberg cheeses.

Fun veggie dishes

As we were about to just throw together something, we realized that we could combine a couple of fun “first course” dishes that didn’t seem like too much work: fingerling potatoes with carrots and rutabagas.  The vegetables were just boiled so all the deliciousness came from the greenmarket veggies themselves and the little touches in the sauces.

First try at steak

Steak, from what I understand, takes practice.  Well, this was our first try.  We didn’t get the best results with our sirloin, but we did make a great side: mashed potato with turnips and pears.

Tortilla…the spanish kind

Based on Bittman’s recipe for Spanish tortilla (and a small misread of the fritatta recipe), we threw together a simple eggs-for-dinner meal.  We sauteed sliced CSA potatoes with s&p and then onion, orange bell pepper, mushrooms, and CSA garlic.  We were out of olive oil so substituted peanut oil with good success.  These veggies were mixed with 6 beaten eggs and < 1/2 C parmesan cheese (from the fritatta recipe, but worked really well here).  After a few minutes on the stove and ~10 minutes in a 375oC oven, the tortilla was cooked and delicious.  Next time, some fresh herbs might brighten things up a bit, but you really can’t fail with this standard tortilla recipe.

Celery root bisque with croutons

We needed to find a good use for our CSA celery root (celeriac), so we found this recipe for a pureed celery root and potato bisque.  With home-made croutons and buckwheat kasha, it was a great meal.

More po-tay-toh

We had plenty of potatoes to eat for the week (2 pounds each!) so we went for the pure and simple baked potato.  We steamed CSA broccoli and melted cheddar and jarlsberg cheeses for a rich and satisfying topping.  ib was even so wonderful as to start everything cooking so we could practically sit and eat when I got in.  With fresh bread and more jarlsberg on the side this was a perfect weeknight meal!

Curry, part II: potato, collards, and chickpeas

With more potatoes as well as collards begging to be eaten, we came back to this tasty and satisfying curry.  Served with the great Kasteel beer this was delicious!

Po-tay-toh

In preparation for receiving 2 lbs. potatoes per person tomorrow, some cooking with potatoes was in order.  I needed something quick, so latkes it was.

I used the tried an true: grated potato (2 med-small potatoes), diced onion (1/4 med white onion), s&p, and 1 egg; mixed and fried.  Served with some sour cream, this was a quick and simple lunch that never fails.