Weekend Wrap-Up (June 5-6)

Banger, Mashed Turnip and Turnip Greens with Onion Gravy

The amount of cooking taking place in our apartment is going to be steadily increasing over the summer because our CSA share has started up again. Every Thursday, we get a box full of veggies and fruits, and Tom has to figure out something to do with it all. It's been warm so far this year, so hopefully we'll get a good variety of things. Last year we got a lot of the same things, like cabbage (not one of my favorites), so that wasn't very fun.

For the most part, the CSA share is a good thing because we eat a lot of veggies and try some things we might never purchase at the farmer's market or grocery store. When was the last time you purchased daikon or watermelon radishes?


There are a few downsides to getting the CSA share though. Have you ever seen that show Chopped, where chefs get a basket of mystery ingredients and they have to figure out what to make with it? Sometimes, that's like the CSA box. Last year, Tom made cabbage every conceivable way, and it got to the point where it was just ridiculous.

But overall, the CSA is a great thing, and if you have one in your area, it's a really positive thing to be involved with.

This weekend, Tom was gone most of Saturday at the Ominivore Food Festival, and Sunday we were ducking rain showers at the Mets game, so he didn't cook too much.

Here's what he made this weekend:

- Strawberry Rhubarb Tart
- Honey Vanilla Ice Cream
- Strawberry Whole Wheat Pancakes w/ Rhubarb Maple Syrup
- Spinach/Fresh Mozzarella Omelet w/ Leek and Spring Garlic Confit
- Sauteed Spinach w/Elephant Garlic, Lentils w/Elephant Garlic/Spring Onion Vinaigrette
- Blue Corn and Molasses Muffins
- Beet Green, Parsley, and Spring Onion Pesto
- Lamb Sausage w/ Rhubarb/Parsley Jam, Farro Pilaf, Butter-Poached Peas and Radish
- Buckwheat Sourdough Bread

He has a few other things already in the works for next weekend (bacon, blackstrap molasses ham) but I'll comment on those next week when they're ready and eaten.

So let's review some of the highlights:

Strawberry Rhubarb Tart with Whipped Cream

The strawberry rhubarb tart was really good! Tom served it with either whipped cream (which he made) or his homemade vanilla/honey ice cream. The crust was crispy and flaky (which made Tom very happy) and the filling was very sweet and tart. The ice cream/whipped cream helped add creaminess and balanced some of the tartness. Overall, it was a really good dessert using seasonal ingredients. I enjoyed it and I don't even like strawberries! (I have issues with the seeds)

Strawberry Whole Wheat Pancakes with Rhubarb Maple Syrup

Tom likes to make breakfast at least one of the mornings on the weekend. His favorite go-to's are eggs, pancakes and muffins. This weekend we had the latter two. (sorry, no muffin pictures!) Growing up, I thought the only way you could make pancakes was with Bisquick, but now I know that's not the case. Tom likes to try different things when he makes pancakes- these had white whole wheat, so they didn't taste much different than regular pancakes.

Lamb Sausage w/ Rhubarb/Parsley Jam, Pesto, Farro Pilaf, Butter-Poached Peas and Radish
 (Accidentally photographed this from behind, sorry Tom! Now get over it!)

For Sunday dinner, Tom made lamb sausage with two 'sauces', and farro and peas. The peas were fresh, and if you've never had fresh peas, you're missing out. They are so much better than frozen peas. They taste green and fresh, and if they're done right, they pop in your mouth. Tom likes to make fun of chefs when they do the smear of sauce on a plate, but he did it here. He couldn't find mint at the store or farmer's market, so he paired the lamb sausage with a rhubarb jam. I ate my sausage with it, but Tom didn't until the very end when he realized I was on to something. The tartness of the jam worked well with the lamb. He also put some finely chopped raw rhubarb on top of the sausage for a little crunch.

Next weekend, Tom has some smoking projects (bacon, ham, he's even going to smoke some bread) so I should have some interesting stuff in next weekend's post!