turkey meatballs for B :)

Parsley Turkey Meatballs

Again, its been awhile...this grad school thing is really getting in the way of blogging about food! And I guess, to be honest with myself, I have let crafting take on the role of major source of procrastination lately. I'm still cooking, but for some reason just not getting around to writing about it :(

This little project, though, was inspired by my dear friend B, who has moved far, far away! We were talking about writing recipes and I thought it would be good to start with something simple so she suggested meatballs. That always sounds good to me! Since its the fall, I decided to make them into a soup and use some CSA veggies, namely the spinach, to make a spinach and rice soup (in a veggie broth) with turkey meatballs, to really make it a meal.

Recipe-

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey (dark meat)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbs chopped parsley
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c bread crumbs
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Heat pan (preferably a cast iron 12 inch skillet) over medium high heat. Form meatballs - I made small meatballs, about 3/4 inch in diameter, since I was using these for a soup. Feel free to make them what ever size you want, and adjust cooking time accordingly. Again, since these were destined for a soup, I just browned them and let them finish cooking in the broth. Spinach and Rice soup with Turkey Meatballs
(in a new bowl I just made - oh crafts!)

One thing that I think is helpful in a recipe is to give the ingredients in the order that they will be used (not so important in this example) and also in the form that they will be added if possible. I think that this helps cooks get there mise en place together, even if they don't tend to do this consciously.

Getting into the cabbage

This recipe is probably not remotely authentic since I learned how to make stuffed cabbage from my Vietnamese mother... but it is pretty tasty. The cabbage is rolling in to the CSA now, and its nor really slaw time anymore, so I thought I would go for something warming and comforting like my mom's stuffed cabbage braised in tomato sauce. Our CSA also recently joined the Louis Waite Farm CSA which is a meat farm that is also sort of a farm co-op working with a bunch of other vendors in the area (upstate and southern VT) to provide other goodies like bread, honey, eggs and jams - yum! These week we ordered some ground beef among other things, and I thought stuffed cabbage would be a perfect thing to make.

This recipe is pretty simple and straight forward. I took the whole head of cabbage and submerged it in salted boiling water for a few minutes, until it begins to soften. I then strained it and cooled it under a little cool water to stop the cooking and make it easier to handle. Meanwhile, I diced an onion and began sauteeing it in a pan with a bit of olive oil. I peeled away the largest leaves of the cabbage - about 12 leaves in all - and cut out the tough base of the vein at the bottom. After the onions were cooked through I mixed in about a pound of ground beef (I think the package said 0.92), and a half cup of uncooked rice, with some salt and pepper. I scooped a heaping spoonful into each leaf and rolled it up, securing it with a tooth pick. I laid them in large, wide based pot and simmered them in about a cup and a half of red sauce which we had already made in the fridge, with about a cup of water or so to surround the cabbage about 3/4's of the way up, and add a little drizzle of olive oil. Cover and simmer for about an hour. It should be ready to go, but once you take the cabbage rolls out, if the sauce isn't as thick as you would like it, reduce it about until it is the desired consistancy. Enjoy!

The magic and mysteries of soup

Fall is here and I can really see it in the CSA share these days. We are now transitioning from all the lovely summer veggies to nice, hearty produce like the beautiful savoy cabbage, sweet potatoes, carrots, and of course squash of all kinds (including, acorn, dumpling, sunshine, butternut and buttercup). Squash can be a little intimidating to make and it does take a little time and care to prepare. This is especially true if you want to peel it and cube which can be a challenge for anyone (darn those sturdy skins!). I find myself roasting them a lot, particularly if I don't know what I'm going to make!

Last week I had some time and roasted a buttercup squash that I made into a delicious "pumpkin" cornmeal cake (alas, I forgot to take picture, but I'm sure I will make it again), and the rest of the squash turned into my favorite chocolate chip squash bread recipe (which I posted here last winter). Yesterday I had a little time, and a lot of squash from this week's share, so I cut an acorn squash in half and roasted it in a greased baking dish at 375 for about 45 minutes. I didn't yet have a plan for it, but I knew that if I roasted it the idea would come. This is also great for me, since I work a pretty full day on Fridays and would be a little pressed for time when I get home. When I finally did get home I decided to make Diane's Friend's "Pumpkin and Cheddar" soup. I happened to have everything on hand, including some home-made veggie stock in the fridge (which I substituted for the chicken stock in the recipe). I love making veggie stock and freezing it for later with all of the wonderful veggie scraps I have left over from prepping everything. Its great to have on hand and is a great last use for these scraps before they head to the compost bin!
The soup was delicious, which I already knew since Diane had made it last week. I love the smooth creamy texture and sweet and spicy flavors. I also added a bit of smoked salt to give a little more smokey flavor as well.

This recipe was featured this week in our CSA newsletter.