Elana’s Pantry

Community Supported Spinach Cake

Our weekly CSA share kicked in yesterday and we received a ton of fresh organic produce! For those of you who aren’t familiar, “CSA” stands for community supported agriculture. This relatively new socio-economic concept changes the way food is produced, distributed and sold, creating small scale closed markets for farmers in which the consumer participates in the risk and rewards of the farm.

One of the great benefits of the CSA (in addition to receiving produce the day it is picked) is that it gives farmers more time to do what they do best –grow food. By cutting out the middle man, the farmers also receive more money for their crops and save time by not having to market produce to stores.

Earlier this year my family purchased a “share” in this season’s crop from Abbondanza. This means we receive vegetables straight from the farm each week during the harvest months.

Frankly, our farm share is looking great this year –although we actually only purchased a “half share,” we received more greens yesterday than I could figure out what to do with. This sent me rummaging through my recipes last night in search of culinary solutions to my vegetable overload.

The biggest “problem” was spinach. What to do with the several pounds of spinach crowding out the other greens in the veggie drawer of my fridge? Spinach cake of course!

Spinach Cake
1 ½ pounds spinach, thoroughly washed, leave stems on if they are not tough
1 cup pine nuts
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs, whisked
½ cup currants
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. Wilt spinach in a large covered saucepan, over low heat (do not add water) 5 minutes, until tender
2. Drain and cool, then gently squeeze moisture out of spinach
3. Place spinach in food processor and pulse until coarsely blended, then set aside
4. In a small skillet, warm 3 tablespoons oil, add pine nuts and saute until golden brown
5. Add garlic to pan of pine nuts and saute together an additional minute
6. In a large bowl, combine pine nuts mixture, blended spinach, eggs, currants and salt
7. Spread mixture into a greased 10×7 inched pyrex baking dish
8. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes
9. Serve

Makes 12 spinach cakes

This spinach recipe is based on Claudia Roden’s Tortino di Spinaci. As I have mentioned before, she is my all time favorite cookbook author. I often hear her speaking about the history of Jewish food on NPR. She is basically a food historian, as well as a culinary genius.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do and that it solves your spinach harvest woes!

Passover Round Up

Passover is this Saturday! I have been cooking up many Pesach dishes of late and am happy to provide a round-up below.

A couple of notes:

I did not include a vegetable dish in the above list. Generally, I like to serve steamed broccoli or broiled asparagus with our Passover meal. I have linked to a squash pie recipe that I use during Passover as our squash “kugel.”

As you will notice, matzoh is conspicuously absent from the above list. I purchase a gluten-free oat matzoh for my boys, however, I do not eat grains, so I create an almond flour matzoh for myself to use as a vehicle for the Hillel Sandwich. My husband says the matzoh that I make is so bad, that I have deemed it unworthy of ‘blogage’.

Happy Pesach to you and yours!

Elana

Stuffed Mushrooms

Gluten-Free Girl recently announced she is with child.

Out here in Colorado, I have big news as well. Our pet house-bunny was neutered today. After humping every stuffed animal and slipper in the house, we took him to the vet only to discover that contrary to what the Humane Society had told us when we adopted him from their shelter, all of his reproductive capacities were fully intact.

Now, I know this is not the usual subject matter around here and it is even bordering on PG. Probably not a very appetizing way to begin a food post either. However, it was 70 degrees today and everyone has spring fever. Except bunny. He is hunkered down is his cage mourning the loss of his manhood. Alas, population control prevails. After all, you know what they say about rabbits.

Now, onto something more appetizing. Stuffed mushrooms. This classic dish is a favorite of mine, however, I figured I would have to give it up along with cheese –cheese really makes the stuffed mushroom. Happily, I was wrong.

Last week I posted my parsley pesto with sundried tomato recipe. Of late, I have been making stuffed mushrooms using this pesto as the filling. The nuts in the pesto make for a rich and tasty stuffed mushroom. These would be great hors d’oeuvres for a spring baby shower –congrats to Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef!

Butternut Squash Latkes

Hanukkah is a day away and that means only one thing: fried food! Lots of it. Yum. I confess, though it may not be the healthiest thing, I love a good crispy latke, or just about anything fried for that matter.

Below is my favorite recipe for latkes. I have been making these gluten-free latkes for 5 plus years and my family still rejoices each Hanukkah when I serve them.

This gluten-free latke recipe is one of my all time favorite dishes. Sweet in flavor and fried to a crisp –what could be better?

Kale with Gomasio

I’ve been laying low since Thanksgiving, cleaning my house with abandon, giving away everything the boys and I don’t use. That said, in between sorting stuff and testing desserts for the upcoming holidays, I’ve been relying on some staple seasonal vegetable dishes to take me through the dark season.

This is an easy, family favorite. Just steam the kale and sprinkle with gomasio.

This savory gluten-free vegetable dish is perfect for a cozy winter meal.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving. I find it challenging to write the word without giving some sort of gratitude. Each year, before we partake in our Thanksgiving feast, we go around the table and take the time to say a few words of gratitude, stating our thanks for things such a the food at the table, good friends and the roof over our head.

Thanksgiving and autumn in general seem to be such a good time to shed, simplify and return to basics. My favorite part of our Thanksgiving ritual each year is hearing what my boys have to say. My children ceaselessly remind me to be thankful for the most basic parts of my life and open my eyes to the wonders all around me.

With thanks given, I return to the topic of Newsletter #1: The Thanksgiving Menu. For those of you who are not signed up for my newsletter here’s what I’ll be serving this year:

The items above are recipes previously posted on my website. Just click the words and you will find yourself at the recipe. This is a year when I have had so much fun and have much to be grateful for. In that spirit, I wish you all a wonder-filled Thanksgiving!

Squash “Pie”

This dish is really more of a soufflé, though in my house it has come to be known as the cherished “Squash Pie.” This morning my dear friend Amado called looking for this recipe for his Thanksgiving feast.

Squash Pie
2 medium butternut squash, cut in half, seeded
3 tablespoons butter or grapeseed oil
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. Bake squash in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, until soft
2. Scoop squash out of skin, discarding skin
3. Place squash in food processor with butter (or oil), eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt
4. Puree until smooth and creamy
5. Place in a 9 inch tart pan or a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes
6. Serve

Serves 8

This recipe is my take on Sally Fallon’s “Butternut Squash Purée.” I wasn’t planning on including it in my Thanksgiving Menu, however, when Amado called begging for it, I decided it was a must. This delicious warm squash dish can be made dairy-free and is another great comfort food for the chilly season.

Chestnuts with Brussel Sprouts

In the process of creating this recipe I cooked chestnuts in a variety of ways. I report here: do not bother with the boiling method. This manner of preparation entails the painstaking prying of many little nuts from their shells. During that process I felt like a squirrel –with a knife.

My favorite way, providing both ease and the tastiest results, is the pan roasting method. After you remove the chestnuts from the pan, remove the shells while they are still warm and with a little luck, there will be less prying.

I tested this gluten-free Thanksgiving side dish on my husband tonight. As he ate it, he repeatedly stated that he didn’t like chestnuts. At the end of dinner after single-handedly devouring the chestnuts with brussel sprouts, he conceded that maybe chestnuts aren’t so bad and that he might actually like them, as he cleared away the empty serving dish.

Squash with Cherries

This is one of my fall favorites. I started making it years ago when we lived in New York. This dish showcases squash as great comfort food for the whole family.

Squash with Cherries
1 large butternut squash, peeled, cut into one inch cubes
½ cup dried cherries
3 vanilla beans
3 cinnamon sticks
10 slivers lemon peel
1 cup apple juice
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. Toss ingredients together in a large (9 x 13 inch) pyrex baking dish
2. Bake covered at 350 degrees for one hour
3. Remove cover and bake an additional 10 minutes to brown
4. Serve

Serves 8

Sweet and delicious, this gluten-free Thanksgiving side dish brightens up winter well after the holidays pass.

Kale with Cranberries

More kale mom! My boys fight over this one. The four of us can finish off the 2 bunches of kale that the recipe calls for in one sitting. Even when their dad is not home for dinner, the three of us can make this one “all gone“. One of my favorite ways to eat kale.