Burgers and Artichokes

Odd combination, I know, but that is what you get when you ask multiple people for the dinner suggestions.

Artichoke, mustard greens, parsley, and green onion from CSA box

Comments: Yum! I also made a butter, lemon, garlic dip for the artichokes that was good, just not the winning dip. :)

Verdict: *****

Hamburgers

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef
4 green onions, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp ground pepper
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

Burger toppings we used:
Sliced tomato
Mustard greens
Sliced cheese
grilled mushrooms
grilled onions
ketchup
mayonnaise

Directions:
Broil 3-4 min each side until done.

Serve on a bun with your preferred toppings.


Artichokes

Ingredients

3 lemons
3 whole artichokes
4 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions

Fill a large pot with just 5 cups of water. Squeeze 2 fresh lemons into water. Bring to a full boil over high heat. While water is heating, trim and discard the stems and tough outer leaves of artichokes. Tuck slivers of butter and slices of garlic into artichoke leaves. Drizzle with fresh squeezed lemon.

When water is boiling, place steamer insert in pot and set artichokes in steamer, stem-side down. Cover pot with lid and allow artichokes to steam for approximately 30 minutes, or until tender- can easily pull off a leaf.

While artichokes are cooking, mix together mayo, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and pepper and set aside for dipping the leaves and heart. Enjoy!

Frittata and Beet Roesti

Various greens (mustard and broccoli liscia), beets, rosemary from csa box

Frittata comments: would definitely use onions (I HAD green and red onions, and yet, somehow forgot to use them). Also, I would add less salt that I did (which I, of course, did not measure so how will I know???). I could probably have added more greens and will next time. Again, didn't measure... silly me.

Beet comments: I would not say beets are my favorite food, I would never choose them. But, as they come frequently in our csa box, I am always on a search for new ways to eat them. As it was valentine's day, what a great opportunity for something red for dinner. SOOOO... beet pancakes. They were pretty darn good, for beets. I did use 4 small yellow beets and 1 medium red beet. This may have made it slightly more sweet, which was probably good. I really enjoyed eating a bite of beets roesti with a bite of the over-salted frittata... the sweetness counteracted the salty. Perfect.

Verdict: Frittata - ***** Beets: ** (children were bribed with chocolate to finish their beets, and they did, too)



Both recipes from NPR. The recipes below include my changes for "next time".

Frittata
Makes 4 servings
Time: About 30 minutes

• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Broccoli greens, mustard greens, kale, chard, etc.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the butter or oil in a medium-to-large ovenproof skillet, preferably non-stick, and turn the heat to medium. Add onions and saute until just soft. While it's heating, beat together the eggs, cheese, salt, and pepper. Add greens to mixture. When the butter melts, pour the egg mixture into the skillet and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook, undisturbed, for about 10 minutes, or until the bottom of the frittata is firm.
3. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake, checking every 5 minutes or so, just until the top of the frittata is no longer runny, 10 to 20 minutes more. (To speed things up, turn on the broiler, but be very careful not to overcook.) Serve hot or at room temperature.

Beet Roesti with Rosemary
Makes 4 servings
Time: 20 minutes

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds beets
• 1 teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons butter

1. Trim the beets and peel them as you would potatoes; grate them in a food processor or by hand. Begin preheating a medium to large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
2. Toss the grated beets in a bowl with the rosemary and salt, then add about half the flour; toss well, add the rest of the flour, then toss again.
3. Place the butter in the skillet and heat until it begins to turn nut-brown. Scrape the beet mixture into the skillet, shape it into a nice circle, and press it down with a spatula. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the bottom of the beet cake is nicely crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Slide the cake out onto a plate, top with another plate, invert the two plates, and slide the cake back into the pan. Continue to cook, adjusting the heat if necessary, until the second side is browned. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.