Starting Out Simple

The weather has been so nice lately, I thought a light salad would be great. I love the little bite that arugula has, so I chose this over the red leaf for now. For me, turning a salad into a meal doesn't mean throwing 15 ingredients and a heavy dressing into the mix. It means poached eggs.

Gonna have to work on staging.

My poached eggs are less than camera worthy. And the money shot of the bright yellow yolk oozing out of its little white cocoon was a complete mess. But, ooh, were they delicious. My goal this weekend is to work on my food photography skills.

Arugula Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette and Poached Eggs

• 2 cups Arugula, trimmed and washed
• 2T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1.5T Red Wine Vinegar
• 2T White vinegar
• 2 Eggs, room temperature
  
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Getting everything prepped for this recipe will make it go much more smoothly. There will be things going on in quick succession, so having everything laid out will help. Trim the arugula and soak in cold water while preparing the other ingredients. Fill a sauce pot with 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer.

In a large metal or glass bowl whisk red wine vinegar while drizzling olive oil in. (I tend to use a lower olive oil to vinegar ratio than most vinaigrettes call for. I've accounted for that here. If it tastes to vinegar-y to you, add more oil.) Season dressing with salt and pepper to taste.

When the water is barely simmering, add 2T white vinegar. Crack one egg at a time and hold with two hands as closely to the water surface as tolerable. Open the egg so that it falls into the water in one piece and the yolk is completely surrounded by white. Repeat with second egg. Poach for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

While the eggs are poaching, toss the arugula in the dressing. Arrange on a plate. Use a vegetable peeler to shave a few pieces of cheese to the salad.

When the egg is finished, use a slotted spoon to gently remove the eggs. Place on top of salad and enjoy!

Week One

Yesterday I picked up our first box. The farm is only 2 miles from my house, and I had never even seen it before! Shows what you can miss when you're not paying attention. Here's the spread.

My camera skills definitely need some work.

We have: 1/2 Gallon Apple Cider, White Potatoes, Watercress, Arugula, Hydroponic Lettuce, Cherry Belle Radishes, One Dozen Brown Eggs, Gouda Cheese.

My husband isn't home right now (travels for work), so I can't really "dig in" yet. I did pop one of the little radishes as soon as I got home. It was possibly the best tasting radish I've ever eaten. Very sweet, with a little bit heat at the end. And juicy. Why have all the radishes I've eaten before been dry? Maybe that's why I thought I didn't like radishes. I also had to sample the cider. It's has a certain thickness to it, and is quite sweet. With how much Josh loves cider, the only option here is to drink it straight.

So let's see. What to do with the first haul? I think the arugula and lettuce will be solely salad fodder. Maybe a nice light red wine vinaigrette. A few poached eggs. I haven't done much with watercress before. A little research yielded a nice, simple leek and potato soup and a grilled cheese that just happens to include the Gouda. Excellent!

Now I need an idea for those radishes...if I don't just eat them like little grapes in the meantime.

Welcome

Hello Everyone! My name is Bianca, and I'm starting a new adventure. My husband Josh and I signed up for a local farm share. We want to eat more fresh, simple foods. I'm going to document the products we receive, as well as the recipes in which they are used. I'm trying to focus on recipes that use few ingredients and let the true flavor of the food speak for itself.