sausage sandwich-pickles_FeedMeDearly

Our CSA box #7 arrived, all to be cooked, photographed, documented, and presented in a post that I almost considered calling “scenes from a family table”…or “the gluttons”. Having two short weeks of cooking due to travel, I sorely missed the feel of a chef knife in my hand and the sound of onions frying on the stove. There is no place where I feel more at peace and secure than in the kitchen.

We’ve had fun together this summer. I’d venture to say that we’ve had more fun than we’ve ever had. Living at the lake has been a bonding experience for the family, giving us the opportunity to sit together, share meals, relax, talk, and enjoy an occasional sunset.

With busy school schedules, babysitting help, and long work hours, it hasn’t always been possible for us to eat our meals together. This summer we’ve not only grown closer as a family, but my kids have also become better eaters. For better or for worse, I’ll tell you why in a minute.

But first, this week’s box:

week 7_FeedMeDearly

1. Carrots
2. Cucumbers
3. Ghost peppers*
4. Celery
5. Garlic
6. New potatoes
7. Fairytale eggplant
8. Red radishes
9. Kirby cucumbers*
10. Red onion
11. Yellow onion
12. Broccoli
13. Dill
* purchased separately

When I saw the weekly Bialas newsletter come out, I was ecstatic that fairytale eggplants were going to be delivered. I remember them from last year – small and beautifully mottled, without the seeds typical of larger varieties. I served this dish – a Greek-inspired plate of sautéed eggplant, ground beef, and tzatziki – 10 minutes after I arrived home from the market.

eggplant beef_FeedMeDearly

To make the sautéed beef & eggplant:

Start by making the tzatziki by mixing an 8-oz container of Greek yogurt with a squeeze of lemon juice, 1 small cucumber shredded and squeezed dry, ½ clove of grated garlic, and a handful of chopped dill. Season to taste.

Next, season and sauté in a medium pan some minced onion and 1 lb. of grass-fed beef, breaking up the beef until the onion is translucent and the beef is no longer pink. Transfer the beef to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan. If you’re using grass-fed beef, there won’t be a lot of fat; if using a fattier grind, drain some of the fat off, leaving 2-3 tablespoons. Slice 6-8 fairytale (or other) eggplants lengthwise, and sauté them in the remaining fat on medium-high heat until golden. Season to taste.

On a platter, pile the eggplants, then the ground beef, and finally the tzatziki.

Back to that “for better or for worse comment”, the rest of the veggies were still lying out as we were finishing lunch, and while I eating my last few bites of eggplant, my three little mice disappeared to go sampling the vegetables from the new box. Which generally wouldn’t be an issue, but this week they went straight for the ghost peppers, which on the Scoville heat index, are twice as spicy as a habanero. 30 minutes, a bucketful of tears, one frantic call to Poison Control, and two bowls of ice cream later, Sam and Emma were playing anew, unchanged except for a newfound appreciation for chili peppers.

I had to get the peppers out of harm’s way; my first use was a ghost pepper and rosemary-infused vodka (which presumably they won’t drink, but at this point, I’m not entirely certain)…

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

The rest of the ghost peppers went into batch #2 of the sweet and spicy fridge pickles that I told you about last week.

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kohlrabi_FeedMeDearly

Once in a while we hit a homerun with our mystery food challenge. And who would have thunk that it would be with a vegetable that I’ve never tried before. I’ve bought kohlrabi on occasion, only to let it wilt and die in the vegetable crisper – it’s one of those vegetables that sent me into a mild panic: do I eat it raw? Should it be cooked? But we’ve been now been eating kohlrabi as part of our regular vegetable rotation, and if you haven’t tried it yet, promise me that you’ll give it a go…

ME: Guys.  What is this called?

LAUREN: Cabbage.

ME: It actually looks like red cabbage, doesn’t it but it’s not.  Do you want to feel it?  Actually, you’ve been touching peanut butter.  Don’t touch it.  Do you want to feel it with like the side of your nose?

SAM:  No.

LAUREN: Ooooh.  It looks like —

ME: Yeah, with the side of your nose.

SAM: OK (feels it with his nose).

ME: Did it feel like cabbage from the side of your nose? Look, Lauren’s feeling it on her nose, too.

LAUREN: It’s a little rough; a little rough and smooth at the same time.

ME: Does it smell like anything?

LAUREN: Yummy. Is it a vegetable?

ME: It is a vegetable.  Do you want to smell it Sam?

LAUREN: Was it in your CSA?

ME: No it wasn’t in my CSA.  I bought it at the store.  It’s called Kohlrabi.  Isn’t that cool?  Have you ever heard that before? 

LAUREN: It’s called Kohlrabi?

SAM: It’s called Cool Rodney?

ME: What do you think it’s going to look like on the inside?

LAUREN: It’s going to be green.

ME: It is green on the inside.  That’s right!

LAUREN: I saw you cutting it.

ME: Oh, you cheated then. 

ME: Ok.  So I’m cutting all this thick purple skin off and then what we can do is — you can eat the inside; you can eat it either raw or you can eat it cooked.

LAUREN: Raw please.

ME: So, we’re going to try it raw, because you guys seem to like our food better when it’s raw than cooked. Why is that?

ME: Ok, here it is. You want to take a bite?

LAUREN: Yummy.

ME: Yeah.

EMMA: Yummy.  More please.

ME: Sam, you’ve got to try it.  Everyone’s saying, ‘yummy, more please.’

LAUREN: Yummy, more please.  Yummy, more please. [sing-song]

ME: Sam, everyone’s saying, ‘yummy, more please.’  Can you believe that?

LAUREN: More please.

EMMA: Yummy.

ME: Sam, want to try what everyone’s saying, ‘yummy, more please’ to?

LAUREN: More please.

[Sam tasting]

ME: Good, right?  What do you think, Sam? Do you want more?

LAUREN: Yummy, more please.

SAM: Yeah.

ME: Do you agree, ‘yummy, more please’?

SAM: [nodding head]

ME: Yeah?  There you go.  He nodded.  He said, ‘yes’!

SAM: Or ‘gross, garbage please.’

[everyone laughs]

ME: So what do you guys think?  Do we get Kohlrabi again?  It was kind of amazing, right?

LAUREN: More please.

ME: Sam, you want more too?

SAM: [nods head]

ME: Yeah?  Emma, you want more too? 

SAM: [nods head]

ME: Ok.  Cool.  That was a total success. 

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