Monday, May 18, 2015

May 16 - Vegetable Garden Week 7

Everything is growing! It's so nice to have radishes because we've already gotten to harvest a few and eat them. This is great because most things (tomatoes, beans, eggplants, cucumbers, etc) won't be ready for a few months. We put down mulch to try to keep down weeds and hold in moisture (we didn't do it last year) so hopefully that will make life easier in the long run.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Summer Rolls

These are the best summer rolls I've made. They were so fresh and flavorful and crunchy. I did use this and this for inspiration and sort of merged them. Yum!

Makes 8 summer rolls
Ingredients:
1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
2 carrots, peeled and shredded 
1/2 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
Snap peas
3 scallions, cut into matchsticks
1 handful cilantro, chopped
1 handful mint leaves
Red leaf lettuce, ripped into pieces
Handful of peanuts, roughly chopped
8 rice paper rounds

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Grilled Rack of Lamb

These lamb chops are fantastic! The flavors are so great, and it's really simple. I took the ingredients from this lamb rib recipe and converted it for a rack of lamb (basically just changing the cooking time/method). Can't wait to make it again. The vinegar baste adds a great tang, and I love pomegranate molasses with lamb for a sour sweetness. The sugar in the rub adds a crispy, flavorful crust when charred. It only needs an hour at room temperature to marinate in the spice rub, so it's a great weeknight dinner or pretty easy weekend dinner party meal. 

Ingredients:
1 rack lamb chops
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

Monday, May 4, 2015

Ramp Pizza

Yum! I love this pizza. I saw this recipe for thin crust pizza using tortillas and it's amazing. I highly recommend it! I decided to try it with a white pizza to showcase the great ramps I got at the market. It's crispy, salty, gooey, has bite from the ramps and savory chewiness in the bacon. 

Friday, May 1, 2015

Seared Scallops with Ramp Butter

This is a great spring dinner. The puree is a perfect canvas for the scallops, and the ramp butter is a nice flavor and glaze. Be sure the scallops are dry before you sear them to get a nice sear. 

Serves 2
Ingredients:
10 sea scallops
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp ramp butter (recipe here)
salt and pepper