Scallion Pancakes

So this post is from 6 months ago - August 2013! Way back when it was hot and humid, people wore shorts and tank tops and drove with their car windows down. Summer seems like a distant memory with all the freezing temperatures and snow that's covering the sidewalks. I am so sick of the cold weather! Let's hope Punxsutawney Phil was wrong this year...

Anyway, this recipe should help warm you up on a cold winter night! It's perfect comfort food any time of the year, and it is also one of my favorite appetizers at a Chinese restaurant: scallion pancakes! It is a pretty simple recipe, but it does require a bit of time and expertise in flipping pancakes without burning them. However, this treat is worth the effort!

Frying in the frying pan!

Use a pizza cutter to slice the pancakes and serve it with dipping sauce. Unfortunately, I forget exactly what went into the homemade dipping sauce I made, but it was some combination of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, leftover scallion bits, ginger, and garlic. It also goes great with a cold beer!

And that's it!!! I am officially done blogging my food exploits of the 2013 CSA Season...and just in time! The CSA sent out an email notifying everyone it's time to sign up for the 2014 CSA. Guess it's time to start bookmarking more recipes to try this summer and fall...

The Caviar of the South

The first time I had pimento cheese was at the end of my first internship for graduate school. My supervisor and the other counselors arranged a surprise potluck lunch for me and my classmate/co-intern who had worked at the school for the past semester. All the counselors brought different foods - turkey wraps, arroz con pollo, salad, and pimento cheese. I had never had or even heard of pimento cheese at this point in my life, and to be honest, it grossed me out. However, I wanted to be polite (and maybe get a good letter of recommendation?), so I dug in to the spread. Surprisingly, the cheese wasn't as bad as I had expected and was actually rather tasty. When pimiento (aka pimento) peppers appeared at the market, I knew exactly what to do with them.

Pimiento peppers are some of the mildest peppers around. You may recognize them as the little red dots inside green olives. However, the most popular use for pimiento peppers is pimento cheese spread. The possibilities for the spread are endless - I found recipes for pimento cheese mac n' cheese, grilled cheese, sandwich spread, and many others that all required to first have some pimento cheese already made. In an attempt to keep things simple, I just ate mine with crackers!

This dip is obviously not the most healthy appetizer, so I would only make it again for a party. As tasty as it is, it can't be consumed by only one or two people!

Pepper Poppers Take 2

So, the CSA had jalapeño peppers a few weeks back....and since the lipstick pepper poppers were so delicious, I had to replicate the recipe using jalapeños. They turned out really great! Not much else to say that hasn't been already said in the previous post. I think these ones turned out even better than their not-so-spicy cousin! Who needs a bar when you can make your own jalapeño poppers?

And let this be a testament to how delicious they were: I didn't get any pictures of them :(

Pepper Poppers

Are lipstick peppers a real thing? They sound like some kind of weird beauty product, at least to this non-pepper eater. Believe it or not, they are an actual variety of pepper - who knew? Lipstick peppers are similar in size and shape to jalapeño peppers, but without any heat and a bit of sweetness. Because of their small size, they are perfect to make into Pepper Poppers! These are a delicious appetizer (or meal...) and are very simple and easy to make. They could probably freeze well, but if you are like me and my husband, they won't last more than 1 day in the fridge. You have been warned!

Pepper Poppers

Ingredients:

• 1 pint lipstick peppers (or other small peppers)
• 6 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
• Breadcrumbs, for topping
• Optional: hot sauce, for an extra kick

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil.

2. Wash peppers. Slice in half, vertically, and remove seeds and membranes. Set aside.

3. Mix cheeses and hot sauce, if using, in a small bowl. 

4.  Fill pepper halves with generous amounts of cheese mixture. Coat with breadcrumbs, to prevent cheese from burning. Place on baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 20 - 30 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese is melted.

5. Allow to cool (this part is really difficult!!!!) for 5 minutes. Enjoy! Hide any leftovers from your friends or family, you have my permission.

The Adventures of Finocchio

Have you ever studied a foreign language? In college, I studied Italian, and even though I haven't used it in almost seven years, there are still some words that just stick in my mind. Finocchio, which is Italian for fennel, is one of those words! So is "bicicletta" (bicycle) and the phrase "che cose hai fatto ieri sera" (what did you do last night?). 

It was hard to think of things to do with fennel - 3 bulbs were included in our share of the CSA, and fennel is not really a main ingredient. Fennel, in case you were wondering, has a very faint licorice taste. Both the fronds and the bulb are edible, so both parts are featured in these dishes. Here's what we made - 3 different meals!

Meal 1: Fennel Risotto

Have I mentioned before I studied abroad in Italy? Well, risotto was one of my favorite things to eat when I was abroad, and it continues to be one of my favorite meals to make...in the winter. Risotto is very thick and comforting, so it's probably not the best meal for a hot and humid summer day, but oh well! This fennel risotto tasted very fresh - definitely something I would make again if I am given fennel.

Meal 2: Salmon with Fennel

Not only did this salmon require the use of an ingredient with which I was unfamiliar (fennel), it also used a cooking technique I had never used before - cooking in parchment paper. As you can see, we were all of out parchment paper, so aluminum foil was substituted. This salmon was easy to make, and clean up was even easier. Served with a side of rice...YUM. Here's the recipe I used, straight from one of my favorite blogs, Simply Recipes: Salmon with Fennel.

Meal 3: Arancini

Another Italian word that sticks in my brain! Arancini means little oranges, but it is also the name for these fried risotto balls. These little fried risotto balls are another of my favorite foods from Italy, and whenever I see them on a menu, which is rarely, I always order them.  This preparation is also a great way to use up extra risotto. 

Ingredients:

• leftover risotto
• 1 egg, beaten (more, if needed)
• breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Roll risotto into small balls, about the size of a golfball. Coat with breadcrumbs. Dip in the beaten egg, then add a second coat of breadcrumbs. Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Repeat until all risotto is used up.

3. Bake 20-30 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately, or freeze.

Arancini not only are a great way to use leftovers, but they are also a really easy appetizer. If they are frozen, just pop them into a preheated oven and cook until warmed through. Some people serve them with tomato sauce, but I think they are great just the way they are :)

Appetizer Things

Have you ever made of one those dinners that's just a mix of everything you have left in the refrigerator/freezer? We had one of those types of meals this past week. It's always fun to figure out what to make with the random assortment of foods you find lying around. Here's our hodge podge dinner, featuring cauliflower and zucchini:

We had marinated chicken, buffalo cauliflower, and zucchini fries. The buffalo cauliflower was surprisingly delicious! We are big buffalo chicken fans, and I was a bit skeptical when it came to buffalo cauliflower. There was a flour/water/garlic powder batter that gave the cauliflower a really nice texture...and you can never go wrong with Frank's Red Hot Sauce. 

Zucchini fries...before the oven

Zucchini fries were another easy side to add to our random dinner. I didn't have buttermilk (not a staple in this kitchen) or eggs (expired a few days prior yet still sitting in my fridge...), so the zucchini were dipped in milk, then in breadcrumbs. Baked in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

These two random sides would make really good appetizers for a party! They are both very easy to make and are healthy alternatives to some of the more popular appetizers. I would definitely make these again the next time I have a party. Or the next time I crave junk food!