CSA week 15 wrap-up, week 16 start-up

My cooking went mainly according to plan last week. I did do a stir fry using the tatsoi and mushrooms and I did bake a chicken with the grape tomatoes. I added some potatoes there too which wasn't a bad idea, although switching out the garlic for a shallot was.

I also made a leek pie as planned, sort of. I decided to use sliced potatoes for the crust but I sliced too many and put a layer in the middle too so it was sort of a gratin. Plus I added a couple eggs to the cream and cheese the recipe called for so it's sort of a quiche too. It's interesting enough for a post, but I didn't measure anything or take pictures while I was making it so I don't think it would work.

Finally, I used the mizuna as a pizza topping which worked surprisingly well. I still haven't gotten around to making the dill curry, but I've got all the ingredients in hand and even have some naan, so it's just a matter of feeling like doing it.

Well, there's also the matter of the full freezer and the lack of empty storage containers for the leftovers. I hopes of doing something about that, I left both the kale and the escarole behind this week. There's also the matter that, on Saturday morning, I hadn't used the mizuna yet, so I still had that plus half the collards so I really didn't feel the need to bring two close equivalents home with me.

For those remaining collards, I ought to use them as I've already got a big bag of them in the freezer. I don't want to make a traditional mess of greens but it's hard to find other recipes when search results are flooded with variations on the Southern standard. I'll have to put some more effort into it.

As for this week, nothing remaining really needs a dish built around it. Maybe the green beans or beets, but there's not a whole lot of either. Those are side-dish amounts and that's easy.

I do have a lot of cilantro already, but it doesn't look like it's holding up well, so this might just replace it instead of adding to it. There is a Bancock fried chicken that calls for cilantro stems and roots that I might make, though. Also, I'm considering a roasted beet and strawberry ice cream.

If I don't go that route (probably because I didn't resist eating the beets immediately after roasting them), I might take another shot at a strawberry banana sorbet. My post on my first try two years ago is still getting Google hits, but I wasn't really happy with how it turned out. I'd like to give the searchers something more successful.

The only thing I haven't got any ideas for is the sprouts. I've used them before with cold noodles and on sandwiches but I want to do something different. I'll have to give that one a bit more thought too.

CSA week 19 - German leek bread

Well, German onion bread with leeks substituted in, anyway.

Ingredients:
Leek filling:
3 cups thinly sliced leeks (or yellow onions) [Luckily enough, that's exactly how much came in the CSA share.]
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons oil
1 Tablespoon butter

Sponge:
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons butter, softened

Dough:
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups flour

[You'll notice that I'm measuring this in volume instead of the better practice of measuring by weight. Partially that's because that's how the recipe I'm adapting is written, but given the uncertainty of the moisture level of the cooked leeks there's no real way to be precise. Use the volumes of flour and water as a rough guide.]

1. Mix all of the sponge ingredients and let it sit somewhere warm for an hour or twenty. Well, with the dairy in it, twenty probably isn't a good idea. Let it sit for as long as you're comfortable with.

2. To make the leek filling, melt the butter in the oil over medium heat. When it's stopped sizzling add the leeks, salt and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and reduced in volume by two thirds. [I cooked mine just a bit too long, but it still turned out fine so don't worry too much about it. My deep brown leeks were crispy, but I don't think that's what the recipe is aiming at.] Remove leeks, draining out most of the oil. Set aside to cool.

3. Mix three quarters of the leek filling with the sponge, flour and salt [holding back a little flour to give you some room to adjust the texture]. Adjust flour and water until you get a soft, but not sticky dough. Let sit for 20 minutes to autolyse then knead until gluten is well formed.

4. Let rise in a bowl covered with a damp cloth until doubled in volume. Stretch and fold and form into the final loaf. [I chose a wide flat shape to make the next step easier. The original recipe cuts it into six pieces and rolls those out into eight-inch lengths to make horseshoe-shaped rolls] Press the remaining leeks into the top of the loaf, cover and let rise until doubled again. [Only 45 minutes with my rather active yeast.]

5. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450 degrees (with your cast iron dutch oven in it if you're using that). When the dough's ready, bake for 30 minutes at 450 and 30 at 375 until the internal temperature reaches 210. The usual method of tapping the bottom to listen for a hollow sound doesn't work with this loaf. [My intention was to lower the heat from my usual method to avoid burning the leeks on the top of the loaf, but I neglected to turn down the heat for the first half hour.]


You can see the leeks on the outside blackened. They taste a little burnt, but they aren't too bad. And they come right off when cutting slices so they're kind of a waste anyway. Otherwise, the crust is light, crisp and flaky and the crumb is dense and soft with a bit of chew to keep it from wadding up like Wonderbread. The flavor is rich, hearty and a little sweet. It's not a flavor that calls out for snacking on its own; (A welcome change. Maybe I won't eat half the loaf within the hour for once.) It requires cured meat. Sausage is the obvious choice, but I think lox or smoked herring would work really well, too. Stinky cheeses are also a suitable accompaniment.

I've never made a specialty bread like this before. I wonder if I'll get tired of it before it gets stale.