Mashed Potatoes with sauteed onions and greens

This is a great comfort food sort of a dish. It's easy to prepare and came in at under half an hour prep time, which is nice. I purposely left out "turnips" in the title because I thought I didn't like turnips, but it turns out that they blend very nicely into this dish and they were quite tasty. Deborah Madison says that this can also be a summer dish, especially when farmers markets have sweet little turnips with their greens. The dish uses the turnip greens, but I made it with chard since the turnips I bought didn't have the greens attached. She recommended broccoli rabe in place of the turnip greens, but I couldn't find those either. I think most any greens will do.

Here's how to get started

Peel 4 russet potatoes (about 2 pounds) and cut them into chunks. Peel 3/4 pound turnips (8 to 10 small ones or a few larger ones.) Put them in a pot, cover with cold water, add 2 t. salt and 1 thyme sprig. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 20 - 25 minutes.

While those are cooking, slice 2 onions and saute them in 1 T. butter plus 2 t. olive oil (or whatever combination you like.) Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until golden and tender - about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

While that is cooking, wash and trim the greens. Cook in boiling salted water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and add the greens to the pan with the onions.

When the potatoes and turnips are done, scoop them out of the pot into a bowl. Mix in 3 ounces of goat cheese and some butter to taste (I used 2 T.). Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, mound the mashed veggies on a platter, and smother it with the onions and greens.

Cost to Prepare

2 pounds potatoes - $1.00

3/4 pound turnips - $2.00

3 oz. goat cheese - $4.50

2 onions - $1.50

turnip greens - free if you buy them attached to the turnips OR

chard or other greens - $2.50

salt, pepper, butter, oil, 1 thyme sprig - negligible

TOTAL for 4 people - $11.50

I actually didn't use all the goat cheese, so that made the dish less expensive.

Curried Couscous Salad

I just got a big head of cauliflower in my CSA box. I'm planning to use half of it for Bollito Misto, which I will post soon, but I may try to use the other half for Curried Couscous Salad. I made this recipe awhile back and it was very tasty. I didn't leave myself enough time for it to chill in the refrigerator, so we just ate it warm. We liked it even better warm than we did chilled the next day, but both are really good. It features roasted cauliflower, along with couscous, dried fruits, fresh vegetables and herbs, and a tasty dressing.

Here's the link to the original recipe from Giada de Laurentis on the food network:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/curried-couscous-salad-recipe/index.html

Asparagus & Leeks on toast

We just finished our asparagus and leeks on toast dinner. It was simple, tasty, and easy to make. We will definitely have this one again. It's a great recipe for spring because asparagus is just coming into season and new skinny leaks will be available for the next few months.

Let's Get Started

• You begin by soaking the top 5 inches or so of your asparagus in water for a few minutes. I used about a pound for the two of us. Soaking loosens any dirt that may be in the tips and gills of the stalk. Rinse and set aside.
• Slice 2 skinny leeks into rounds and rinse well in water to get out any dirt. The rings will come apart and this is fine.
• Rinse a couple big handfuls of small spinach leaves. If you're using pre-washed, then just set it aside to use later. If you're using regular bunches of spinach, cut off the stems, rinse well and then soak in water for several minutes, then rinse again. It's really hard to get spinach all the way clean and nothing ruins a dish like having dirt in it.
• Chop one garlic clove. The recipe calls for 2 heads green garlic, which is much milder than regular garlic. One clove worked out great for us. Use more if you like.
• Melt 1 T. butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and garlic and stir to coat them with the butter. Let them cook for a minute or two. Add 1/2 cup white wine or water. I didn't have any white wine open, so I used water. Cook for about 3 minutes.
• Add the asparagus and another 1/2 cup water. Simmer for about 8 minutes until the asparagus is tender. You should end up with about 1/3 cup of liquid still in the pan.
• While that is cooking, toast 2 thick slices of good, rustic bread. We used sourdough from Nightingale Bakery. (SOOO good!) When the toast comes out of the toaster (or oven), cover it with thin slices of Italian fontina cheese or Gruyere.
• Add the couple handfuls of spinach and another tablespoon of butter. Stir until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Add the juice from half a lemon. Taste for salt and pepper.
• Put one slice of toast with the cheese on each plate. Cut the toast in half. Cover with the vegetables and their juices.

Things I'd Do Differently Next Time

I only used the tips of the asparagus and saved the stems for another dish. I think next time I would cut the asparagus into smaller, bite-sized pieces and include the whole stalk of the asparagus (except the tough lower part, of course). I will definitely try this with white wine next time, although it was really terrific with just water. If I ever find green garlic at the farmers market or get some from my CSA, I will try it in this dish. I'm not really familiar with using green garlic, so this would be a great opportunity to try it.

Cost to Prepare

1 lb. asparagus - $3.00

2 leeks - $3.00 (1 pound)

1/4 pound baby spinach - $1.25

4 thin slices gruyere - $1.00

2 slices really good bread - $.75

2 T. butter (organic) - $.20

1/2 lemon - free from my tree outside

1 clove garlic, salt, pepper - negligible

TOTAL for 2 people - $9.20

This was just about the right amount for 2 people, but we were really full. You could make this as a side dish if you were eating some other protein source and it could easily feed 4 people.