Beet Gnocchi in Butter Sage Sauce

Gnocchi are surprisingly easy to make!

They did involve a bit of a mess, but they came together in just about the time it took to boil a pot of water.  I used a potato-less recipe because I didn't have any potatoes on hand, and ended up lightening up a recipe I found at Always Order Dessert.

Yes, I used the beets from last week's CSA delivery.  I'm behind, but thankfully my local produce is still fresh!

1/2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
1/2 cup fresh ricotta
1 cup roasted beat puree (approximately 2 large beets, roasted, peeled, and pureed)
2 cups whole-wheat flour, plus additional for flouring work surface
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 stick butter
bunch of sage, torn

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt and ricotta until smooth. Add the beat puree and mix until evenly combined.

Add the egg whites, one at a time, followed by the nutmeg and pepper.

Slowly add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time until it is all incorporated into the dough. If your dough seems a bit too wet, feel free to add an extra 1/4 cup of flour.

Turn the dough out onto a heavily floured work surface and knead for a few minutes. The dough will still be fairly wet, but you should be able to handle it.

Working with about a handful of dough at a time, roll out a long snake about an inch thick. Use a floured knife to cut out the gnocchi every inch and a half or so. Roll each gnocchi along the tines of a fork (or simply indent by gently pressing the back of the fork into the side of each nugget).

Place the formed gnocchi on a floured baking sheet.

When ready to cook, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add the gnocchi in batches. Let cook until they bob to the surface and then cook for an additional 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to pull out of the pot.

Finish the gnocchi in a skillet with the butter and torn sage. Let the gnocchi toast on one side (the contrast makes for an interesting texture) then serve with a sprinkle of nutmeg and additional torn fresh sage.

I assure you that the little bit of butter in this recipe goes a very long way.  Most of it gets left behind in the skillet anyway.  Any because this recipe makes enough gnocchi to feed an army, the amount of butter in any one serving is relatively small.  Enjoy!

Avgolemono

This week's stock: chicken.

I pulled all the meat off of the leftover Roasted Lemon Garlic Herb Chicken and set it aside.  Then I put the carcass into a stock pot, along with all my veggies trimmings from the week, and made a rich, wonderful stock.

I tasked my husband with finding a chicken soup recipe that he'd like to try.  He came up with Avgolemono from the January 2012 issue of Cooking Light.  It turned out to be the perfect choice, because I had lemon garlic chicken to add to this lemon garlic soup!

I followed the original recipe pretty closely, using slightly less oil and omitting the salt.  For garnish, I used sage and thyme, which I had on hand, instead parsley and basil.  And it was amazing.  My husband claimed this was the best soup he had in a long time.  Maybe even ever.

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
6 and 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken stock (preferably homemade!)
1/2 cup uncooked rice (I used wild rice)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
2 tablespoons thyme
2 tablespoons sage

Put olive oil in a pan and brown onions and garlic.

Add onions and garlic to a large pot and add stock.  Bring to a boil and then add rice.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Combine juice, cornstarch, pepper, and egg in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Slowly pour egg mixture into the pot, stirring constantly with a whisk.

Add chicken to the pot.  Cook until the soup thickens and the rice is done (about 5 more minutes).

Serve with thyme and sage on top.

Roasted Lemon Garlic Herb Chicken

I am really starting to love roasting whole chickens.  They turn out so much juicier and more delicious when cooked from scratch that way.  [Chickens should, of course, be free range and pastured.]

My most recent bird was rubbed with 2 cloves of garlic, the juice of 2 lemons, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, cracked black pepper (to taste), and some snips of fresh sage and fresh thyme, all of which I muddled together with a mortar and pestle.

I stuffed the bird with the quartered lemons from which I had squeezed the juice, and the woody sprigs from which I had stripped the sage and thyme leaves.  Then I cooked it at 400 degrees for an hour and fifteen minutes.

The resulting meat was so fragrant that I didn't even stop to photograph it before tasting!

Vegetable Broth

When I first considered joining a CSA, my biggest fear was wasting too much food. 

I wasn't sure I would know what to do with half of the "weird" veggies I received.  I was concerned that the volume of vegetables would be more than I could eat.  I was afraid I wouldn't commit to chopping, cooking, and otherwise preparing the food I received.  I simply didn't know how I would handle all of that perishable produce, and was concerned that it would all rot in the bottom of my 'fridge.

I did a lot of research before I joined my CSA on this very question.  And my research all led me to one place.

Broth.

If you don't know what the heck to do with carrot greens, make broth. 

If last week's veggies are still kicking around when you get this week's delivery, make broth. 

It's a CSA coping mechanism, and it's a good one.

As it turns out, though, I used most of my veggies in the first week.  [Success!]

But I did have plenty of scraps (carrot greens, kale stems, cabbage hearts, etc.) that I collected in a tupperware container in the 'fridge over the course of the week.  I threw them all in a stock pot on Sunday evening, filled it with water, brought it to a boil, and then allowed it to simmer on low for 3 hours. 

What emerged was a rich, dark broth that is fat-free and salt-free, but nonetheless flavorful and perfect for making soup or cooking grains.

I strained it into a metal bowl and allowed it to cool overnight in the 'fridge before moving it to tupperware containers.  I put half in the 'fridge for a soup I have in mind, and froze the other half for later use.

I really love making broth from scraps like this.  It must be good karma not to waste a single scrap of plant food, right?

Pork Chops with Braised Vegetables

My grandmother's pork chops are the most moist and delicious pork chops anyone has ever made.  My grandmother doesn't do much cooking these days, but she shared her recipe with me several years ago.

3-4 pork chops
Black pepper, to taste
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 green apple, chopped
1/2 very small head of cabbage, chopped
Teaspoon of olive oil
Water
Apple sauce and sage for serving (optional)

First, she puts pepper on both sides of each pork chop (she also puts salt, but I omit it).  Then she puts a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet and browns the pork chops for a few minutes on each side, just until golden brown. 

[This usually involves a lot of grease spattering on the wall.  And my mother yelling about such grease.  And my grandmother telling her to relax.]

Then she removes the pork chops from the pan (they're still raw on the inside...) and sets them aside.

In the same skillet, she puts a chopped onion, which she cooks until the pieces start to turn translucent in the remaining olive oil and browned bits from the pork chops.  I added sliced cabbage, apples, and carrots, too, but the original recipe is onions only.

Once the onions start to brown, she returns the pork chops to the skillet and fills the skillet with water until the pork chops are just covered.  She puts a lid on the skillet and cooks it on low for an hour.

My grandmother serves it with plenty of the "juice" and all the onions (or onions and other veggies, in my case).  A little apple sauce doesn't hurt, either.  And I had fresh sage, so I threw some of that on top of it, too.

This is a plain dish, for sure, but it is comforting and delicious.  I totally reject the idea that "comfort food" has to involve heavy, fatty food like macaroni and cheese.  Comfort food is whatever has been cooked for you, with love, for your whole life.  Whatever stirs up your memories.

[In this case, my memories involve my mom scrubbing the wall behing the stovetop before dinner was even served.]

I paired my pork chop and braised veggies with a green salad (romaine, kale, olive oil, vinegar, and black pepper).  Maybe one day my kids will think of pork chops and braised vegetables with a green salad as comfort food, too.  I can only hope!

["Mama, what are those SPOTS doing on the wall?"]