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csa week 14 and 15

9/1/2021

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In these waning days of summer, I am using the best the season has to offer in my cooking. For guests the other evening, I prepared Basil Pesto Cream Cheese Filled Cherry Tomatoes...yum! Week 15 CSA box from Dreyer Farms had ingredients in which to make pizzas:  Antonio’s Mozzarella, The Breadsmith Pizza Dough, plum tomatoes, arugula and corn. I did my take on two pizzas that Medusa’s of Asbury Park makes. One with prosciutto, nectarine, goat cheese, mozzarella, arugula and a drizzle of Villa Grimelli’s White Balsamic Glaze. The other pizza was topped with sweet corn, sliced plum tomatoes, mozzarella, goat cheese and basil. I had forgotten to pick up a small container of ricotta cheese, however, the tang of the goat cheese played well against the sweetness of both the corn and tomato. ​
Last week’s edition of The Wall Street Journal, had a recipe Seared Scallops with Sweet Corn, Cream and Bacon. The recipe was from Chef Fréderic Eliot owner of Fore Street, Scales and Street and Co. in Portland, Maine. It just so happened that my portion of week 14 CSA contained several ears of corn. Although the price of scallops has been exceedingly high, I bit the bullet and purchased a pound. I couldn’t resist preparing this recipe during peak season for Jersey corn.
 
Besides scallops, corn, cream and bacon, you’ll also need orange, yellow or red peppers, kosher salt, olive oil, sherry vinegar, a yellow onion, bay leaves and fresh basil or parsley. Although the recipe had you charring the peppers in a 450° oven, I roasted mine outside on my gas grill to keep my kitchen cool. The scallops are served in a cream corn sauce that you make by puréeing corn kernels and sautéed onions. These ingredients are then pressed through a fine-mesh sieve. This was quite tedious and I thought I would break my sieve. A colander may have worked or even my food mill to achieve the same end result.
 
Despite this minor inconvenience, this dish was scrumptious! You had the sweetness from the corn, a bit of smokiness from the bacon, sherry vinegar for richness and subtle sweetness and red pepper for color and crunch. This dish was heavenly. After posting an image on my Instagram page, I received a recipe request from a friend. I hope she and her husband enjoyed the dish.  
 
As I mentioned previously, I did have some peppers in my CSA box. A dish that my mother used to make was pepper steak. Her version had more of an Italian spin as it made with tomato sauce. I found a recipe at  www.delish.com for Best-Ever Pepper Steak. The recipe is by Laura Rege, February 2, 2021. For this recipe you’ll need, low-sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, cornstarch, vegetable oil, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, flank steak, red and green bell pepper, fresh garlic cloves, and freshly minced ginger.
 
As I was prepping the dish for supper last week, my husband had a late lunch and, therefore, this dish was sidelined for the night. I had already cleaned and sliced the peppers, made the sauce and sliced the meat. (A great way to achieve thinly sliced meat for stir-fries is to place the meat in the freezer for 30 minutes. It will be firm enough to make thin slices against the grain.) The rice was also in the process of being cooked.
 
However, the next day I was unexpectedly called to babysit and I was grateful to come home to a partially started meal. It didn’t take long for this dish to come together. First in the pan was the beef that cooked approximately 8 minutes. A little more oil and the peppers were added until softened. Lastly, I made a hot spot in the pan and added the ginger and garlic and cooked until fragrant. Beef went back in, sauce over the top and few turns and dinner was ready. The rice made the day before reheated perfectly in the microwave. My husband added a splash of low-sodium soy sauce and a bit Chinese mustard for a kick. This was a very tasty meal that takes approximately 30 minutes to prepare. A great addition to anyone’s meal 30-minute meal rotation.
 
My neighbor is very kind to share any extra fish he may have caught. We’ve had fluke several times and now he had some mahi-mahi. To prepare this mahi-mahi,  I found a recipe on the website Kitchn for a simple and easy method. The recipe is by Christine Gallary, (updated August 28, 2019). Besides the fish you’ll need a lemon, kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, olive oil, fresh garlic, cold unsalted butter and fresh parsley. The prep time is 5 minutes with a total cook time of 20. This was a super easy recipe to make and luckily for me I had all the ingredients on hand. This style of cooking fish was very clean and healthy. It was very light tasting and lemon gave the fish just enough zing! I’ll keep this recipe handy the next time my neighbor has any extra fish. 

​Seared Scallops with Sweet Corn, Cream and Bacon
Recipe by Chef Frédéric Eliot
Owner of Fore Street, Scales and Street and Co.
Both in Portland, Maine
From The Wall Street Journal
Saturday/Sunday, August 21, 2021
 
Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
2 orange, yellow or red peppers, stemmed and seeded
Kosher salt
3-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
4 ears of corn, shucked
1 yellow onion
1 cup heavy cream
2 bay leaves
3 (1/4-inch-thick) slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
16-20 large to medium-large scallops
Fresh basil or parsley, roughly chopped.
 
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut peppers into 2-inch-wide pieces and toss with 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil. Spread peppers across a baking sheet and roast until lightly charred in spots, about 10 minutes. Peel away and discard skins. Tear peppers into thin strips and toss with pan drippings and vinegar. Season with salt and set aside to marinate.
  2. Cut corn off cobs. In a blender, purée half the kernels until smooth. In a small pot over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add onions and sauté until softened, 3 minutes. Add puréed corn, cream and bay leaves. Gently simmer over medium-low heat until flavors meld, 5 minutes. Season with salt.
  3. Meanwhile, in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until golden brown on all sides, 3-5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a plate, leaving drippings in skillet. Working in batches to avoid crowding, lay scallops into hot skillet. Cook without flipping until scallops’ brown well on one side, 3-4 minutes. Transfer scallops to a plate.
  4. Pour creamed corn mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into hot skillet, pressing on solids to extract liquid. Discard solids. Liquid should cover base of skillet by about ½ inch. Pour off excess liquid or add cream as needed.
  5. Add reserved corn kernels to hot skillet and simmer until half-cooked, about 1 minute. Season with salt.
  6. Drain roasted peppers of liquid and scatter them around skillet. Stir in reserved bacon. Simmer until everything heats through, 1 minute, then nestle scallops, browned-side up, into skillet. Simmer 30 seconds, and turn off heat. Season with salt and garnish with fresh herbs.
seared_scallops_with_sweet_corn_cream_and_bacon.pdf
File Size: 58 kb
File Type: pdf
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Best-Ever Pepper Steak
by Laura Rege
From the website www.delish.com
February 2, 2021
 
YIELDS: 4 SERVINGS
PREP TIME: 15 Minutes
TOTAL TIME: 30 Minutes
 
INGREDIENTS
1/4 c. low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
4 tsp. packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. freshly minced ginger
Cooked white rice, for serving
 
DIRECTIONS
  1. Make sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk the soy sauce with the vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch. Set aside. 
  2. In a large skillet over high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add flank steak, season with salt, and cook until cooked through and seared on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove steak to a plate.
  3. Add 1 tablespoon remaining oil and red and green bell peppers to the skillet. Cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook stirring until fragrant. Return the beef to the skillet and pour over prepared sauce. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is glossy about 2 minutes more. 
  4. Serve with rice.
best_ever_pepper_steak.pdf
File Size: 41 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


​How to Cook Mahi Mahi: The Best, Simplest Method
By Christine Gallary
Updated August 28, 2019
From the website Kitchn
 
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
 
Ingredients
1 medium lemon
4 (4 to 6-ounce) mahi mahi fillets
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves
 
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Slice and juice the lemon. Cut half the lemon into thin slices. Juice the remaining half, you should have about 1 1/2 tablespoons of juice; set both aside.
  2. Season the mahi mahi. Pat the mahi mahi dry with paper towels. Season all over with 1 teaspoon of the salt and a few grinds of pepper.
  3. Pan sear the mahi mahi. Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet or nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat until just starting to smoke, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the mahi mahi and sear undisturbed until well browned on the bottom and the sides are cooked just past halfway up the fillets, about 4 minutes. Flip the fillets and continue to sear until just cooked through and the flesh flakes easily, 2 to 4 minutes more depending on the thickness of the fillets. Transfer to a serving platter.
  4. Add the lemon juice and garlic over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the lemon juice, garlic, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
  5. Add the lemon slices and butter. Add the lemon slices, then stir the butter in one piece at a time, waiting until each piece is almost melted before adding the next.
  6. Season the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the parsley. Taste the sauce and season with more salt and pepper and needed. Pour over the mahi mahi and serve immediately.
 
RECIPE NOTES
 
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 days.
how_to_cook_mahi_mahi.pdf
File Size: 45 kb
File Type: pdf
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    A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners.

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