Short rib and cabbage soup

This month has been very busy for work - which has meant little time for cooking, and even less time for blogging. I even forgot to pick up our last box in the vegetable CSA - the fact that it was a Tuesday that day completely escaped me.

I did manage, though, to make good use this week of the pot roast and the short ribs we got with our meat CSA. Working at home helped with that - otherwise, there would have been no time to turn the pot roast over every 30 minutes for the 3 or so hours it was in the oven. I made Donna's soup at the same time.

Sure, cabbage soup sounds not so exciting. I admit, when the research assistant extraordinaire first brought some in to the lab for me to try, I was skeptical. Instead of being just boring cabbage soup, though, this soup was amazing. Meaty, and filling, and slightly sweet; the cabbage was perfectly tender. I loved this soup. Donna wrote the recipe down for me from memory, but I couldn't find the short ribs she described in my grocery store - so when they arrived in the first meat delivery, they were earmarked for that purpose immediately.

I used the quantity of short ribs I was given - 4 really meaty strips - and had to leave out a can of tomatoes because the pot I was using just wasn't big enough to hold it all - and it was still delicious. To be true to Donna's original and amazing recipe, though, here it is! (Thankfully, this freezes well, since it makes a ton of soup.)

Donna's Short Rib and Cabbage Soup

8 sets of short ribs
4 beef soup bones
1 head green cabbage, chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 cans tomatoes - no salt or herbs added
1 can tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup - 1/2 cup brown sugar

In the biggest pot you have, cover the short ribs with cold water. Bring to boil. Boil for 30 minutes, skimming the scum that rises to the top off while boiling.

Add remaining ingredients, erring on the low side for the sugar and salt (you can always add more later to taste). Cook on low for several hours, or until the cabbage is tender. Remove the bones from the soup, and cut the remaining meat into bite-sized pieces; return to soup.

Soup is better the second day, and freezes very well. Top with Parmesan cheese for extra deliciousness.

New CSA?

As the vegetable CSA winds down, I told myself I wouldn't sign up for another one. Despite the vegetables being amazing, and the opportunity to challenge myself to try new recipes and experiment with vegetables I wouldn't normally buy, the box's arrival on Tuesday created two stresses that became worse with a 9-to-5 job: picking up the box added a hour to my commute (downtown and back), and coming up with a plan for the week's meals in the middle of the week.

However, I'm a sucker for local food, and a recent trip to the local grocery store reminded me why I was so excited about getting the boxes in the first place: the produce varies in quality, and it adds another step to think about where it comes from. And while I do indulge in berries flown in from around the world on my morning cereal, I like to try to buy seasonally otherwise. I like the close contact with the source of the food.

So when I saw that Culinarium is offering a winter CSA, I was curious. The bi-monthly boxes would include typical winter vegetables, some hot-house produce, and other local fare (maple syrup, etc.) One plus: they offer delivery for a nominal fee. The downside? Delivery is at noon on Thursdays, which just won't work for us. And the box's arrival is still mid-week. I'm disappointed, but I recognize that it just won't be feasible for us this winter. Instead, I'll try to head down to Culinarium on a regular basis to stock up on what they've got on hand on the weekends. I encourage anyone in the Toronto area to check out this winter CSA, though - I wish we could do it.

The bright spot in this is that the meat CSA is working out very well. It's more manageable because it arrives only once a month, and the fact that the meat is frozen gives a great deal more flexibility with meal planning. I'm already looking forward to my Thanksgiving turkey...

Two hauls!

Excuse my laxness in putting up any new posts - this month has been a very busy one. P's grandfather (100 years old!) passed away, then P and I went to London for a week, and then his parents visited for a long weekend. On top of that, work has been ramping up progressively, all with good things - but cooking and taking pictures and posting has been low on the list of activities, after sleeping, patting our cat, and trying to keep up with the laundry.

In any case, the two new CSA portions were picked up yesterday. The penultimate vegetable box, and another big bag of meat. Here's what was in the vegetable box:

A big pile of red potatoes
2 carrots
3 beets
A bunch of Mizuna greens
A Delicata squash
2 onions
A green bell pepper
A Sicilian eggplant
A Tiger baby watermelon

I've amassed a serious squash collection in my cabinet - I don't think I've used any of the squashes we've received yet because I find them a bit of a pain to use, since they can be so difficult to peel and slice up. They also go bad the slowest, so I have more flexibility in when I use them. The next few weeks, though, will be squash-tastic - if you have any squash recipe suggestions, please pass them along.

As for the meat, I'm very excited about using it all. I can't rattle it all off from memory, but there was osso buco in there, and pork sausage, a beef roast I can make a pot roast with, T-bone steaks, and a rack of lamb...the list goes on, but those are definitely my highlights. I think with the beef roast and the assorted root vegetables I've gotten in the last little while, a pot roast is definitely on the list of future posts.

Swiss Chard & Potato Soup

In this week's box (which I realize I never posted about), we got a bunch of Swiss chard. Since the weather has now definitely turned toward fall, it seemed like a good time for some soup. Here's an easy recipe for a hearty, comforting soup that makes a nice centerpiece for a delicious meal. If you're not a fan of bacon, just use a tablespoon or two of olive oil.

Swiss Chard and Potato Soup

2 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch wide pieces
1 leek, sliced thin crosswise and washed thoroughly
1 cup carrot, cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 cups new potato, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
6 cups chicken stock
1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon in large saucepan until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; put on paper towel-lined plate. Saute leek in remaining fat until softened; add salt. Add carrot and potato to pot; stir. Add chicken stock, and simmer until the potatoes and carrots are cooked through. Add Swiss chard to pot, and cook for a few minutes until softened. Add bacon back to pot. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Baking class - finally!

Today was the first session of the baking class I'm taking through the Continuing Education program at George Brown College. Months after going for a tour there, going through the whole rigamarole of not getting in because I didn't apply early enough (What? You need my high school transcripts, too?), and ultimately finding a day job that keeps me happy doing what I already know how to do pretty well, the day of the first class finally arrived.

First day's class: pie dough and uniforms. Our instructor gave us a tour through some of the equipment we would need. Unsurprising to those who have seen my kitchen, I own about 95% of what's on the list already. However, that will not stop me from visiting Cayne's tomorrow to get better versions of what I have (my scraper isn't bendy enough!), and to fill in the gaps.

Then we traipsed down to the bookstore and picked up our uniforms. It is required we wear them in class, and they were included in the cost of the class. I'm guessing this is a bonus of the fact that the sizes were made for men, but...I'm a size XXXS. In pants and the top. It just made the kitchen even more of a fantasy land of gumdrops and rainbows than it was before!

After we all had our uniforms, our instructor demonstrated how to make pie dough, and then sent us to our stations to follow through. After this, I think I'm no longer afraid of pie dough - finally, someone checked over my shoulder to tell me that yes, the pea-sized blobs of shortening were the right size, and yes, I had mixed in the water-sugar-salt mixture enough. Ina Garten just can't do that from your television set. Now I, the timid pie-baker, want to practice this week making pie. If that's not already my money's worth on this class, I don't know what is.

Next week: we use that dough to make apple pie. I'll have pictures to show off our results!

Panzanella

I have a hard time thinking a meal is complete without bread. So to make bread an integral part of the main course? Perfection.

This panzanella, or Italian bread salad, was an delicious way to showcase the fresh tomatoes from the CSA, as well as the milkweed pods we had picked up a week or so ago. The recipe originated in the Mark Bittman book, Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express: 404 inspired seasonal dishes you can make in 20 minutes or less, that I've been writing so much about. I decided to just go on memory for the components from last time. To substitute for capers, I used the milkweed pods, which are brined, but are larger and squishier than capers. The rest was a jumble of tomatoes, bread, basil, parsley, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. While I'm sure I left out a few traditional parts, the result was delicious. Thank goodness for half-baguettes - any larger, and I would have just kept eating the bowl of salad until it was gone...

Tomato, goat cheese, and basil pizza

This pizza was inspired by my friend L - her dad had made a ravioli with similar ingredients last week. The pizza has fresh tomatoes from the CSA, goat cheese, and fresh basil from the balcony garden. The base was the pizza dough I've made before. Very simple, and it was great cold for lunch the next day.