Catalan Allioli Sauce Two Ways

Allioli is a versatile garlic and oil sauce that is served across the Catalan region of Spain with all manner of dishes, from vegetables and bread to meat and fish. Here are two of the ways we like to serve it in my family: on crisp, oven-roasted potatoes and on homemade baguettes. But your imagination really is the limit. Just make this sauce once and spread its golden goodness on anything you like.

For the Allioli you will need:

A mortar and pestle

Coarse sea salt

1-2 heads of garlic

Extra-virgin olive oil

Fresh lemon juice

Directions for the Allioli:

Using a mortar and pestle, crush together the garlic and 1/2 tsp coarse salt until a thick, smooth paste forms. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Using a whisk and beating vigorously and continuously, add the oil drop by drop in a thin stream until the sauce thickens into a golden mayonnaise, about 15 minutes.  

For the Crispy Garlic-Roasted Potatoes you will need:

1/4 cup Allioli Sauce

About 12 small, roasting potatoes

One large sprig fresh rosemary
Additional olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400-degrees F. Slice the potatoes thinly, about 1/2-inch thick. Place sliced potatoes in a large bowl and toss with the 1/4 cup Allioli sauce. Add about 1 tablespoon of fresh, torn rosemary leaves. Spread the coated potatoes on a greased cookie sheet in layer one potato thick. Roast until golden and crispy, about 15 minutes on each side.

These make great leftovers! Just refrigerate left-over roasted potatoes, and then roast them a second time on a greased cookie sheet for about 10 minutes at 350-degrees F.

For the Allioli Baguette (aka Garlic Bread) you will need:

Allioli sauce
Butter
Brick of Parmesan cheese
A fresh baguette, preferably homemade* but store-bought will suffice

*I am a huge fan of the recipe for "A French Bread" in the Tassajara Bread Book, which I can't publish here. Anyone who likes to bake should own this book!


Directions for Garlic Bread:

Slice baguette, slather a tablespoon of Allioli sauce between each slice. Place a tab of butter between each slice. Heat at 350-degrees F for about 7 minutes. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Comfort Food Serving Suggestion:

Serve Crispy Garlic-Roasted Potatoes and Homemade Garlic Bread with a Native Son Salad (microgreens and arugula tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette) and homemade chicken pot pie. Enjoy!

Autumn CSA drop in Oxford?

Hi, Oxford Foodies! CSA member Lauren Klimetz is trying to organize an Oxford drop for Native Son Farm's Fall 2015 CSA. Only 25 members are needed, and she is just a few short.

If you live in Oxford and would like to keep getting a box of organic local produce week after week, all Fall long, contact her right away at laurenklimetz {at} gmail {dot} com.

Tofu, Eggplant, and Yard-Long Beans Stirfry

This recipe, adapted from recipes I found online, has been such a favorite at our house this summer, and with so many eggplants in my family's box—and in our garden—we probably eat it once every other week. But this week, it tasted even better with the addition of those gorgeous purple yard-long beans that were new to the share. I left our beans long to impress the kids, but, of course, you can also cut them up into smaller piece and mix them into the stir fry. And, yes, the kids were mightily impressed!

Tofu, Eggplant, and Yard-Long Bean Stirfry

1 cup of long grain white rice (yield two cups cooked)

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

7 tablespoons canola oil

1 pound firm tofu-drained, patted dry, and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 scallions slices (or substitute 1/2 of a small diced onion)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 chili pepper, sliced

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1 bunch yard-long beans

salt to taste

Cook the rice. In a separate boil, whisk together the hoisin, vinegar, and cornstarch.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu; cook, turning occasionally until brown, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer tofu to a plate.

Add 3 tablespoons of oil to the skilled. Add the eggplant, scallion (or onion), garlic, chili, and salt. Cook, tossing frequently, until the eggplant is tender, 8-10 minutes. 

In a separate skillet, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of canola oil and the yard-long beans, and cook over medium-high heat until beans are blistered, about 10 minutes.

Add the hoisin mixture, tofu, and all of the veggies together, and cook, tossing gently, until the sauce is thickened, about 1-2 minutes.

Serve with the rice and sprinkle with basil.

This recipe was adapted from recipes found on Real Simple and A Little Yum.

What's in the Box? Sep. 1, 2015

Here's what is in my box this week:

3 heads of garlic
4 eggplants
1 bunch yard-long beans
1 bunch basil
9 bell peppers
1 bunch arugula
1 bunch microgreens
2 cucumbers
5 Italian roasting peppers (variety "Carmen")
10 Padrón peppers


New this week:

Yard-long Beans
These Chinese beans are new to me, and, since I love purple vegetables, I can't wait to give them a try. Apparently they can grow several inches in a single day. Will Reed says they cook up just like regular green beans, but I think I'll try this recipe for stir-frying them and add them to one of my favorites:  Eggplant Tofu Stirfry.

Padrón Peppers
OK, these peppers have been in the box before, but, I confess that, not being a fan of spicy peppers myself, I was at a loss for what to do with them. I should have asked the farmer! Amanda Reed says she likes to add one (seeded and with membranes stripped) to guacamole. Alternately, she will add a whole one to a spicy soup or curry, and then remove it whole before serving the dish—a great idea for avoiding a burn from the pepper seeds. You could also blister them, like I did for these milder Shishito peppers.


Our family's meal plan for the week:

Tuesday dinner
Sliced bell peppers and cucumbers with a sprinkle of sea salt
Mixed arugula and microgreen salad with pesto dressing
Eggplant lasagna (made and froze from last week's share)

Wednesday dinner
Eggplant Tofu Stirfry with Bell Peppers
Stirfried Yard-long Beans
Blistered Padrón Peppers

Thursday dinner
Chicken pot pie
Arugula side salad
Garlic-roasted potatoes

Friday dinner
Homemade Pizza with pesto and Italian roasting peppers

Saturday dinner
Meatless Eggplant Meatballs
Garlic Bread
Pesto

What's in the box? August 27, 2015

I'm loving the end-of-season re-fresh that all of these fresh microgreens are adding to our diet. Lately, I've been taking whatever our leftovers were from the night before (eggplant, tomato, and feta salad or tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad, for instance), and just throwing them on top of a plate of arugula. This helps me eat my greens and use up my leftovers with zero thought or effort.

Here's what was in my box this week:

2 bags, arugula
1 bunch, basil
1 bag, microgreens
4 eggplants
4 heads, garlic
4 bell peppers
12 Shishito peppers
4 assorted peppers
2 sunflowers

Here's my plan for using it up this week:

Thursday dinner
Steak with garlic
Eggplant, tomato and feta salad on a bed of arugula
Spanish tapas peppers

Friday lunch
Pita pockets with turkey, avocado and microgreens

Friday potluck dinner
Homemade pizza with homemade pesto

Sunday dinner
Blistered Shishito peppers
Garlic bread
Cesar salad (with arugula)
Eggplant lasagna

Monday
Vegetable soup using tomatoes, peppers, and squash from my box that I froze back in July

Spanish Tapas Peppers

This recipe may seem daunting, with a number of ingredients not normally found on most of our pantry shelves; however, if you're willing to make a bit of investment, these peppers will pay dividends with flavor. They are incredibly fast and easy to make, and can be made ahead of time for a crowd-pleasing party appetizer.

Ina Garten's Spanish Tapas Peppers

1/2 cup cream sherry
1/2 cup golden raisins
6-8 bell peppers
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
3/4 cup chopped green pitted olives
8 oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained and minced
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1 scant teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
2/3 cup coarse breadcrumbs
1/3 cup good olive oil
Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the sherry and raisins in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Drain the excess liquid and set the raisins aside.

Meanwhile, cut each pepper in half through the core and remove the ribs and seeds. Cut each half lengthwise into 3 wedges and arrange them cut-side up in a single layer on a cookie sheet or two large oven-to-table baking dishes. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt.

In a medium bowl, combine steeped raisins, garlic, olives, anchovies, tomato, saffron, bread crumbs, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Spread a tablespoon or two of the mixture on each pepper wedge.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the filling is a little crisp on top. Spring with parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

*To make ahead, prepare the peppers with the filling, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake before serving.

This recipes was suggest by CSA member Jana Eakes and adapted from Ina Garten's Make it Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

Roasted Eggplant Caponata

This flavor-packed dip from the Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten is a great way to use up the end-of-summer eggplants. It's best made a day ahead-of-time, to let the flavors develop. It will also give you and your family something savory to munch on while you finish getting dinner ready.

Ina Garten's Roasted Eggplant Caponata

1 large eggplant (1 1/2 pound)
Good olive oil
1 ounces jarred roasted red peppers, chopped
1/2 cup large green olives, pitted and chopped
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
3 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons drained capers
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Toasted pita triangles

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.

Place the whole eggplant on the pan, prick with a fork in several places, and rub with olive oil. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, until the eggplant is very soft when pierced with a knife. Set aside to cool. Halve the eggplant, peel, and discard the skin. Place the eggplant, peppers, and olives in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until coarsely chopped. Pour into a mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the onion is lightly browned. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, and add to the eggplant mixture. Add the parsley, pine nuts, lemon juice, capers, tomato paste, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop. Taste for seasoning and serve at room temperature with toasted pita triangles.

Recipe from How Easy Is That? by Ina Garten.