Community Support Agriculture

To make a long story short, I was able to get my hands on a friends portion of their CSA (CSA) this week. Included was a number of fun things but nothing terribly unusual, other than ground cherries. CSA's are a great opportunity and sharing program for both the urban dweller and the local farmer. I'm not sure how much my friend's paid and I'm sure there is cheaper stuff at the mega-grocery store. I do know that the tomatoes were perfect, the corn was sweet and savory, and the potatoes were gorgeous.

So last night I stopped at the store for some protein (flat-iron steak) and cooked up the rest with the portion of the CSA veggies: potatoes (purple and gold), white corn, hot chili pepper and plum tomatoes.

To start, I roasted the corn and potatoes at the same time. 425 degrees for about 45 minutes. While that was happening I marinated the steak. For the marinade, I chopped up the hot chili pepper and added soy sauce, mustard, Thai chili paste,

Sriracha Rooster sauce, fresh ground pepper and some toasted sesame oil. It was a quick 3o minute marinade, but it was tasty.

So after checking the potatoes and corn and giving them a turn, I fired up a super hot pan on the stove top. I drained a bit of the marinade off and tossed it in the pan. And after 4 minutes a side, and 5 minutes of resting, it was done. I sliced it against the grain and dinner was ready. I also wedged the tomatoes and with a little salt and pepper, they were set to go.

The final results. I also ate with chop sticks as it felt like a quasi-Asian meal.

I had to Photoshop these pics to lighten them up.

Summer Peaches

As I finished my peach this morning for breakfast, I recalled that I had yet another fabulous peach a few weeks ago and it was so good that I took a few pictures. Isn't the summer glorious for fruit?