Farro, Arugula & Apple Salad
Bright with radishes, apple and asparagus, this salad is a real stunner.
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked farro
1 cup sugar snap peas
4 asparagus spears
1 apple, cored and sliced into matchsticks
1 cup packed arugula, microgreens or other summer green of your choice
1 cup thinly sliced radicchio
1 cup thinly sliced radishes
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Edible flowers, for garnish
Herb-Shallot Dressing (see recipe)
Method:
1. Preferably while still warm, transfer the farro to a large bowl and toss with ¾ cup of the Herb-Shallot dressing.
2. Bring a small saucepan of salted water to a boil, and fill a medium bowl with ice water. Trim the sugar snap peas and blanch them in the boiling water for 30 seconds, drain, and then immediately plunge them into the ice bath.
3. Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus spears. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the asparagus into long ribbons or, alternatively, cut the spears into smaller pieces on the diagonal. Set aside.
4. Add salad greens and radicchio to the farro in the bowl and toss. Taste for salt and pepper and add more if needed. Transfer the farro mixture to a serving platter or bowl. Top with the snap peas, asparagus, radishes, and apples. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the top of the salad and add more salt and pepper, if desired.
Duck Egg Carbonara with Bacon
Creamy and indulgent, simple and satisfying, this classic-style carbonara dish gets an added boost from this week’s silky duck eggs.
Ingredients:
6 ounces thick-cut bacon, about 4-6 slices
1 pound bucatini
4 duck egg yolks, plus 1 duck egg
½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Cut the bacon into ½ inch pieces. Cook slowly on low heat in a medium skillet until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp, but not crumbling. Drain the bacon from the fat and reserve the drippings to use later. Let the bacon cool.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water. While pasta is boiling, whisk together the egg and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt, a couple twists of fresh ground black pepper, and the bacon.
3. When the pasta has finished cooking, drain and reserve about ½ cup of the cooking water. Transfer the pasta right away to the bowl of egg mixture. Use a pair of tongs to mix the pasta noodles in with the sauce, turning and scraping the sides of the bowl often. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water and 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat and continue to mix.
4. Gradually add in the grated parmesan cheese, mixing well before adding more, until you have used the entire ½ cup amount. Continue adding pasta water as needed until the sauce is creamy and emulsified, just a tablespoon at a time. (If you add too much water, the sauce will become thin and start to pool at the bottom of the bowl. Adding a little bit at a time will help you achieve that perfect luscious sauce without accidentally overdoing it.) Serve while hot. Garnish with a final grating of cheese and twist of black pepper.
Roasted Radishes with Brown Butter & Lemon
The sweet, nutty brown butter here lends a beautiful finishing touch.
Ingredients:
1 large bunch medium radishes
1½ tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Sea salt
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 450°. Brush a large heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Cut off all but ½ inch of green radish tops; reserve trimmed tops and rinse them well, checking for grit. Coarsely chop radish tops and set aside. Cut radishes lengthwise in half and place in a medium bowl. Add 1½ tablespoons olive oil and toss thoroughly to coat. Place radishes, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet; sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Roast until radishes are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Season to taste with more coarse kosher salt, if desired.
2. Melt butter in a heavy small skillet over medium-high heat. Add pinch of coarse kosher salt to skillet and cook until butter browns, swirling skillet frequently to keep butter solids from burning, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in fresh lemon juice.
3. Transfer roasted radishes to warmed shallow serving bowl and drizzle brown butter over. Sprinkle with chopped radish tops and serve.
Arugula Pesto
Stash this bright, zippy pesto in your freezer to add to the likes of pastas, soups or even grilled vegetables.
Ingredients:
4 cups arugula
1-2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1 cup olive oil
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a food processor, combine the pine nuts, garlic, arugula, Parmesan, and about 1 teaspoon salt and pulse to blend. With the machine running, pour in the olive oil through the food tube in a slow, steady stream and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
Citrus-Beet Slaw
A refreshing, spring take on classic coleslaw!
Ingredients:
3 medium oranges
1 large bunch baby red beets, peeled and shredded
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
¼ teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
Fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Method:
1. Using a fine grater, grate the zest from one of the oranges. Juice two of the oranges and then peel, seed and dice the remaining orange.
2. In a small bowl, combine the orange juice and zest, olive oil and then the lemon juice and zest. Whisk in the salt and set aside.
3. In a salad bowl, combine the diced oranges with the shredded beets. Drizzle with the dressing, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, tossing the salad a few times as it chills. Taste for seasoning and add more salt as needed; garnish with the parsley before serving.
Irish Apple Cake
Spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, this delicious apple cake is sure to be a new favorite.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten
4 apples, cored, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon each vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg
1 cup all-purpose flour
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Generously grease an 8-inch square cake pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg, apples, nuts, and vanilla and stir well. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix well.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake about 45 minutes, until the cake is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let the cake set in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Apple & Bacon
Also tossed with brown sugar and apple cider vinegar, this warm side is sure to wow.
Ingredients:
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed of tough ends
6 slices of bacon
1 tart apple, finely diced
2 large shallots, minced
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Method:
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until most of the fat has rendered and the meat is crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve. Drain all but 3 tablespoons of the drippings from the skillet. Meanwhile, shave the trimmed Brussels sprouts using a box grater or mandoline.
2. Add the diced shallots to the skillet and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes, then add the mustard seeds and stir to coat with the oil. Add the shaved Brussels sprouts to the pan and cook, again stirring until sprouts just begin to wilt, about 1-2 minutes. Add the apple cider vinegar and brown sugar and toss thoroughly to combine.
3. Remove from the heat and transfer to a serving platter. (Be sure to scrape up all the delicious browned bits from the bottom of the skillet when doing so!) Crumble the bacon over top and add the apple slices. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pears
This unique flavor combination is accented by salty pistachios.
Ingredients:
1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 pear, halved and cored
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup shelled pistachios, chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Place Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then, place pear halves, cut sides-down, on the baking sheet, making sure there is enough oil to coat their cut surfaces.
2. Roast for about 20 minutes, then turn the Brussels sprouts with a metal spatula so that both sides will get caramelized. After another 10 minutes, turn the Brussels sprouts again, also flipping the pear slices. Reduce the oven heat to 375°.
3. Add pistachios to the pan to toast slightly, removing the baking sheet from the oven after 5 minutes. Squeeze lemon juice directly over all the ingredients, then use a spatula to roughly chop pear halves. Toss thoroughly, check for seasoning, and serve warm.
F&L Apple Cake
Moist and incredibly flavorful, this apple cake comes together in just minutes!
Ingredients:
F&L apple cake mix
2 eggs
2 apples, cored and diced
Toasted walnuts and cranberries
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs and diced apples with the toasted walnuts and cranberries from this week’s delivery, and stir well to combine.
2. Pour batter into a greased cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly and serve warm.