Tonight, Tonight

Obama cupcake art by Zilly Rosen of Zillycakes

Smitten Plus

Butternut squash and caramelized onion galette, a la Smitten Kitchen. What's not to love? Squash, sage (one point for me!), pastry dough. And I got to use the goat's cheese that Shawn made last week. Yea, it's a time commitment, but for a dish that reliably dazzles? Why not? Sumptuously photographed at the link above, the directions were also as detailed as they needed to be. I would just add two things about the dough. The butter doesn't need to be perfectly cut into the flour--the second time I made this I was sans pastry cutter, and try as I might with a fork it stayed pretty chunky, but worked just fine. The other is when you mix in the water to form a the dough into a ball--i always had a lot of flour and flour/butter scraps left in the bowl that wouldn't stick to the ball. It always looked like way too much, and I'd fret, but it was always fine. If it doesn't stick, don't add more water (and don't try to knead it in!), there will be enough dough.

Italian Peasant Soup

I found this recipe in an old edition of the MACSAC cookbook, From Asparagus to Zucchini. It's a great resource, listing probably every veggie you'll find in a (temperate climate) CSA box with tips for general handling and preparation as well as specific recipes for each.

I like stews, but I'm trying to like soups. They're trickier, though. Brothy soups are like salads to me, easy to do badly, but a really nice one can be, well, really nice. This one didn't quite live up to expectations. But it would make a nice base to riff off of if you're looking for a vegetarian way to fill that chicken soup niche.

Soup Recipe Here