FOOD and gardening
Apr. 29th, 2011 09:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
apple_pathwaysI know it's spring and time to move onto spring vegetables, but there were some yummy-looking leeks in the grocery store the other day, and I couldn't resist! So here's a quick recipe:
Leek, New Potato, and Kale Bake
Ingredients
Instructions
Clean the leeks. I like to cut off most of the tough, green, fibrous tops and then slice them in half lengthwise. Rinse out the dirt between the leaves, and slice into 1/2" strips.
Heat 1-2 Tbs butter in a pan. (I always do about half butter, half olive oil. The butter tends to cook away pretty quickly, and the oil keeps everything sauteeing without adding too much saturated fat.) Add the leeks and the nutmeg, and sautee about 5 minutes.
Add the potatoes and the sliced garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the garlic softens, about 3-4 minutes. Add the milk and bring to a simmer. You really only need just enough milk to about halfway cover the veggies. Add the chopped kale, and stir until it wilts.
Pour the veggie/milk mixture into a casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese and bread crumbs, and bake in a 350 degree oven until the potatoes are cooked through, about 30 minutes.
Tomorrow, for my friend's graduation BBQ, I'm making an orzo pasta salad with marinated veggies. They had some GORGEOUS-looking eggplants at the grocery store: deep purple, and cream and purple-striped ones. I also bought some zucchini, yellow summer squash, a red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and some marinated olives and feta cheese. I think I'm going to add some oregano from the herb garden. What I can't decide is this: should I cook the veggies? How is eggplant raw? My instinct is to roast the veggies, but: before or after I marinate them? Hmm...conundrums.
(Good lord, is this journal boring! If it's not me complaining, it's me wittering on about food! When do I get my Old Lady badge?)
It was a beautiful sunny day, and I spent the afternoon puttering around in the garden. The cat accompanied me, and spent her time pretending to be a street-savvy Wild Animal. She very nearly went after a bumblebee who was working the hyacinths, but wisely decided he was out of her league.
I then went inside, and re-potted some of the seedlings I'd started that were getting too big for the starter trays. Remember the baby pictures I posted of my seedlings? Well, look at my pumpkins now:
THEY ARE READY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!
I also have a FANMIX up at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
sherlockmas. Check it out, and feel free to point and laugh at my taste in Angsty Chick Music. :P
In conclusion, SPRING IS FINALLY HERE! OMG, LOOK:
Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' 'bout! Happy weekend, everyone. xx :D
And now, to work on the latest Music Battle Challenge from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
evilhippo. This one is FIENDISHLY DIFFICULT: I must tell a story through my song choices, without repeating any artists!
Leek, New Potato, and Kale Bake
Ingredients
- Two medium leeks
- About a pound of red new potatoes, sliced thin.
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced
- Some kale - chopped (I'm sorry: I suck at measuring!)
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Nutmeg - about 1/2 tsp?
- salt and pepper
- Milk (1/2 to 1 cup)
- CHEESE! (I used smoked gouda. It was AWESOME!)
- Bread crumbs
Instructions
Clean the leeks. I like to cut off most of the tough, green, fibrous tops and then slice them in half lengthwise. Rinse out the dirt between the leaves, and slice into 1/2" strips.
Heat 1-2 Tbs butter in a pan. (I always do about half butter, half olive oil. The butter tends to cook away pretty quickly, and the oil keeps everything sauteeing without adding too much saturated fat.) Add the leeks and the nutmeg, and sautee about 5 minutes.
Add the potatoes and the sliced garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the garlic softens, about 3-4 minutes. Add the milk and bring to a simmer. You really only need just enough milk to about halfway cover the veggies. Add the chopped kale, and stir until it wilts.
Pour the veggie/milk mixture into a casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese and bread crumbs, and bake in a 350 degree oven until the potatoes are cooked through, about 30 minutes.
Tomorrow, for my friend's graduation BBQ, I'm making an orzo pasta salad with marinated veggies. They had some GORGEOUS-looking eggplants at the grocery store: deep purple, and cream and purple-striped ones. I also bought some zucchini, yellow summer squash, a red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and some marinated olives and feta cheese. I think I'm going to add some oregano from the herb garden. What I can't decide is this: should I cook the veggies? How is eggplant raw? My instinct is to roast the veggies, but: before or after I marinate them? Hmm...conundrums.
(Good lord, is this journal boring! If it's not me complaining, it's me wittering on about food! When do I get my Old Lady badge?)
It was a beautiful sunny day, and I spent the afternoon puttering around in the garden. The cat accompanied me, and spent her time pretending to be a street-savvy Wild Animal. She very nearly went after a bumblebee who was working the hyacinths, but wisely decided he was out of her league.
I then went inside, and re-potted some of the seedlings I'd started that were getting too big for the starter trays. Remember the baby pictures I posted of my seedlings? Well, look at my pumpkins now:
 |
 |
THEY ARE READY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!
I also have a FANMIX up at
sherlockmas. Check it out, and feel free to point and laugh at my taste in Angsty Chick Music. :P In conclusion, SPRING IS FINALLY HERE! OMG, LOOK:
Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' 'bout! Happy weekend, everyone. xx :D
And now, to work on the latest Music Battle Challenge from
evilhippo. This one is FIENDISHLY DIFFICULT: I must tell a story through my song choices, without repeating any artists!![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-04-30 03:37 am (UTC)(The orange and lemon trees you're planting confirm my suspicions!)
THAT IS SO EXCITING! I want to see pics of both. I'm such a garden nerd. :P
no subject
Date: 2011-04-30 01:15 pm (UTC)This winter was cold and we lost most of the flowers and herbs. But we're planting a lot today. I'll post photos. I'm very excited about the citrus although I have it on good authority that although my tree is full of little buds I need to pinch most of them to help the root stock this year. But still excited!
no subject
Date: 2011-04-30 08:34 pm (UTC)Can't wait to see your pics! I hope one day to have enough yard space for fruit trees. For the time being, I'll just live vicariously. ;)
no subject
Date: 2011-05-01 10:28 am (UTC)It doesn't close here. We have Faarmers markets 50 weeks a year. In November when the mornings are often in the 40s through about February one or two of the local markets go back by an hour so it's a little warmer for shopping and then get earlier in July and August when it's often 80 by the time the sun is up... but aside from a week at Christmas we have produce at the market year round.
This week at the market still had carrots, leeks, fennel, turnips, beets
plus artichokes, cauliflower in three colors, zucchini *loads of giant zucchini* and zucchini blossoms the first really nice tomatoes of the season all sorts of spring onions, potatoes, green beans, mushrooms.. but we always have mushrooms... and it was a relatively slow week as it rained.
Planted my trees yesterday and will plant herbs this weekend *big frost this year twice killed my herb garden* Pictures as soon as everything goes in.