perfectly imperfect

So several weeks ago I mentioned that a coworker introduced me to Imperfect Produce and that I was going to try it out. And now I have, and now, if I may say so, you must, too, because it is the best idea EVER.  and telHere's the deal:

Imperfect Produce

We source ugly produce directly from farms
Approximately 20% of fruits and vegetables in the U.S. never leave the farm just because they look a little different. Instead of ending up on your dinner plate, they end up left in the field or trucked to landfill. We think that’s crazy, and we’ve built a network of over 150 farmers and producers who agree. We buy their unloved produce, and they’re rewarded for their full harvest–not just for the pretty stuff.

You customize your box to get exactly what you want
Since our goal is to waste less food, we’re not going to send you produce you don’t want. You get to choose which items come in every box that ends up on your doorstep. Don't like kale? No problem. Extra carrots? You got it. Eager to try celery root? More power to you. Our seasonal menu changes each week, so there’s always something new and exciting to try–or you can stick to the staples, because we have those, too.

We deliver your customized box to your home
Shortly after you’ve chosen your produce for the week and finalized your perfect box, our drivers drop it off with a smile at your doorstep. To minimize our carbon footprint and make sure you get your produce on time, you’re assigned a delivery day based on your neighborhood. Don’t worry though–you don’t have to be home to receive a delivery. You can leave us detailed directions on where to leave your box until you can bring it safely inside.

You enjoy healthy, delicious produce and save money!
Everyone wins! The farmer is rewarded for his full harvest, the food and the resources used to grow it weren’t wasted, and you get delicious, healthy, affordable fruits and veggies. What’s not to love?


 sooooo they support farmers, prevent food waste and save you money.  That is what I call fabulous.  And it's so easy.  And, unlike the CSA boxes which I've done and loved, you can choose how often you want the box delivered, the size of the box, and you can curate the contents of your box!  So if, like my misguided mom,  you hate Brussels sprouts, you can omit them from your box!  It's so exciting! It's like Stitch Fix for food!  Well, no it's not, but it's still exciting.

WAIT A MINUTE - I JUST FOUND OUT YOU SPELL Brussels sprouts THIS WAY!  BRUSSELS IS PLURAL?  W. T.  F.

Anyway, here's what arrived last week:

unwrap the layers to find all the yumminess

and I really loved this, which gives guidelines on produce storage.  I'm pretty sure I will never put mushrooms in a paper bag but I love the tips.

Some of the items are indeed strangely sized.
The clementines were minute and the BRUSSELS sprouts were very large.  But overall it was a great haul and I'm thrilled at the bounty.

I had some pork chops thawed so decided to use as many of these ingredients as possible for a quick weeknight dinner.  

I mixed the potatoes with some salt, pepper, olive oil and dried rosemary.

Then spread them on a baking sheet.

I tossed the Brussell sprouts with the same mixture.

 Then I added some pork chops that I had rinsed, dried, coated in olive oil and sprinkled with s&p

I cooked the whole situation for about 20 minutes at 400, then flipped it and cooked it another 15.

The result?  The vegetables were delicious and the pork chops had the consistently of a lovely piece of shoe leather.  Next time I'll add the pork chops to the last 20 minutes. 

Adding a little balsamic reduction on the pork chops made it a bit more palatable. 

 But I can't wait for this week's Imperfect Produce box!!

I promise i'm not on their payroll, but use this code if you want to try it and I think you get $10 off your first box.

http://imprfct.us/kFNGR

Sunday Funday

Sunny, crisp fall Sundays fill me with joy.   Sundays, as I've blogged before, are just so packed with memories for me.  Opera and omelettes and football or golf - it's the Sunday soundtrack of my childhood.  I love perpetuating those sounds and smells and, for me, having a Bears game on while prepping some hearty meals is a little slice of October heaven.   This Sunday, while Dylan and I watched an incredibly exciting and devastating Bears game, I got to work.

This  week's menu:  Caldo Verde and a giant vat of homemade spaghetti sauce.

Caldo Verde is one of my favorite soups and it's awesome in the fall - packed with yumminess like kale and potatoes & sausage.  This time I used turkey sausage but any type of cooked sausage will do.

 Head up about 3Tbsp olive oil

sautee 2 large chopped onions and about 3 cloves chopped garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes on med-high

 thinly slice two large russet potatoes. 

I LOVE my mandolin. Thanks, Christy!

Add the potatoes and sautee under med-high heat for two minutes, stirring constantly.

 

  Meanwhile, prep a bunch of kale. 

 

  Wash it, remove the tough spine (fold each piece in half and just cut it off,) then thinly slice the pile of leaves.  set aside.

 Add 6 cups chicken broth or stock to the onion/potato situation.  (You could use vegetable stock and faux-sausage if you roll that way.)  Cover and reduce to a simmer and let cook for 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

At this point you can use a hand blender and pulverize the potatoes, if you like the soup more like a bisque, or just leave it as is, with the potatoes still somewhat intact but soft.

 MEANWHILE, back at the ranch, get yourself about a pound of cooked sausage.  You can get kielbasa or andouille or just cook up some turkey sausage, as I did here. 

Thinly slice the cooked sausage & add it to the soup, then let it heat to temperature, about 5 minutes. 

Then add the whole pile of kale you've cut into small ribbons/strips, stir into the soup and let it heat until kale wilts, about two minutes.  IT'S SO GOOD!

Next, I made a gigantic pot of my favorite spaghetti sauce. 

 Cook up 1 lb ground beef, 1lb spicy pork sausage, 2 tsp chopped garlic and two chopped onions until meat is cooked up and sausage is broken up into small pieces.

 Drain the disgusting fat.  Give some to your doggie he/she will adore you.

 Add all the things:

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp basil

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 large can tomato paste

1 can beef broth

1 lg can crushed tomatoes

1 lg can whole tomatoes, broken up by hand

fill one of the large cans with water to rinse out and pour that into the mix.

 simmer forever and ever.  Add a couple tablespoons chopped fresh parsley.

 ahhhhhhh, Sunday.

 my football watching buddy. One needs support when watching a loss like this one.

Then?  If you're really, really lucky, you get to invite over your friend Lindsay's two adorable sons Milo & Archie, aged 3&5, for dinner.   

 How lucky am I? 

Falling

Birthdays, beach, books and endless summer days have morphed into back-to-colleg kid #1, moving into an apartment kid #2, football season & college apps kid #3.  Life is busy and full and quite wonderful.

Pretty much took a hiatus from both cooking and blogging this summer, but September brings me back to order, to a strangely quiet house and to my kitchen.  I love this transition, always have, always will.  It's harder to get up, it gets dark earlier, reading at the beach is suspended until June - but I love this season, with football and crisp nights and jeans and boots and, wayyyyyy ahead, on the still-far horizon, the tiniest whiff of hygge.

But for now?  Here are a couple meals I've made in the past few days.  Nothing fancy, but they sure were yummy.  The chicken piccata pasta toss is a family staple - when dylan was little he called it 'slimy chicken pasta.'  with love, of course.    Enjoy the season!

Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss, aka slimy chicken pasta -  c/o Rachael Ray

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/3 pounds chicken breast tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 shallots, chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white wine

1 lemon, juiced

1 cup chicken broth or stock

3 tablespoons capers, drained

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 pound penne rigate pasta, cooked to al dente

Chopped or snipped chives, for garnish

Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and the chicken to the pan.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken until lightly golden all over, about 5 to 6 minutes

 

Remove chicken from pan and return the skillet to the heat.

  Reduce heat to medium. Add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter, the garlic and shallots to the skillet. Saute garlic and shallots 3 minutes.

 Add flour and cook 2 minutes.

 Whisk in wine and reduce liquid 1 minute. Whisk lemon juice and broth into sauce.

 

 Stir in capers and parsley. When the liquid comes to a bubble, add remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter.

 

 Add chicken back to the pan and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes. Toss hot pasta with chicken and sauce and serve. Adjust salt and pepper, to your taste. 

 

And next, this delicious broccoli side dish, found by my lovely niece Becca.  It is to die for.

Lemon Dijon Roasted Broccoli

1 lb broccoli florets,
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Lay the broccoli out on the cookie sheet.
In a small bowl, combine the oil, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Toss the dressing over the broccoli to combine evenly.
Bake at 400 degrees for ten minutes. Serve hot.

Edible Acres

This summer, for the second summer in a row, I subscribed to a weekly Community Supported Agriculture produce box.  The kicker/fun fact is that this produce is grown at our very own Evanston Township High School, through its Edible Acre project.

Edible Acre

The Edible Acre is a joint initiative by The Talking Farm and Evanston Township High School. On October 8, 2009, thirty-five to fifty ETHS students from the Horticulture, Senior Studies, Community Service and Green Team programs began installing the Edible Acre Pilot Project, a community garden designed, built and maintained by ETHS students in collaboration with community groups and the surrounding neighborhood.
The Edible Acre is a converted lot across from the high school's main entrance. It is a 5,000 sq. ft. organic community garden that consists of 29-4’ x 12’ raised beds. This food production project provides learning experiences, leadership opportunities and summer jobs for ETHS students, as well as fresh produce and health benefits for the larger community.
Matt Ryan works for The Talking Farm and has managed the ETHS Edible Acre since 2012. In 2014, Matt was hired on part-time to expand the garden and create a clear crop plan that extended the growth time all the way through the winter!
The Edible Acre has been able to procure 5,500 pounds of organic produce to our school between 2012 – 2014, and harvested a total of 2,800 pounds in 2015. The harvest is used in the student cafeterias throughout summer school and well into the regular school year.

 

This was the last of the (and only?)  perk(s) of Doug's time on the school board - since most of the food is used by the school's kitchen, only the faculty/staff/board are offered a chance to buy the summer surplus.   

So every Thursday I run over to the high school and pick up my box of produce.  I gotta tell you, these boxes offer some amazing and delicious produce.  And some true cooking challenges. 

There's always a note explaining the contents:

 

 Last week's box came with this produce - isn't it gorgeous?

and this note, by George:

 

 Fourth item down:  I said to Dylan, what does that say?  Pathy pans?  Patty Pans?  I looked it up and sure enough, these are patty pan squash.  You all probably know this already, but I was new to the patty pan world. 

So I washed and sorted what I thought were the pile of patty pans, until I realized that the two bottom left items were actually cucumbers. doh! Yellow cucumbers!  And delicious.

So we ate them. But I digress. 

The patty pans we cooked up.  

I washed and large-diced them with the ends cut off but skin on.

I looked around to see what I had on hand.  Spinach, which I washed up.

a couple chicken breasts, which I cut up and sauteed in olive oil, salt & pepper

and pasta, which I cooked up

 

I coated the patty pans with a bit of olive oil, s&p and roasted them in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until they were tender but not mushy.

Then I tossed the whole situation together:  patty pan, spinach, spinach, chicken, some extra s&p, tons of crushed red pepper and a bit of grated parmesan.

It was killer. 

Can't wait to see what this week's box will bring!  

Concurrently, a co-worker of mine gave me a coupon for the Imperfect Produce project.  Its motto is:   

Ugly Produce.  Delivered.  

Don't you love that? They source directly with farmers to use the roughly 20% of our country's produce that doesn't meet "cosmetic standards" - so doesn't make it to the grocery store - and often goes to waste.  

You can subscribe, you can customize your boxes, and it gets delivered to your home.

www.imperfectproduce.com

 Once my summer Edible Acres boxes are done, I'm signing up.  I'll keep you posted.