Four Nights A Week

Adventures in Eating

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Amy’s Writing, Photography and Art can be found at amybisson.com

  • 09 Jun 2026: Herb Mustard Vinaigrette

    One of the best features of our CSA share at Clark Organic Farm, is that we get to go out into the fields and pick our own additions to the market shares available every week in the barn. There is something calming and therapeutic to being out in the fields, and while it is early in the summer share season, we are beginning to be encouraged to walk out into the fields and pick fresh herbs from the fields.

    Having access to fresh herbs is a treat for us as we no longer have a back yard or herb and vegetable garden, something that was a regular feature of our years as single family property owners. My success rate with window gardening is a bit sketchy, so whenever offered, I deeply appreciate and take advantage of pick-your-own.

    This “recipe” is based on a vinaigrette that I have had in my head for years; not sure where I learned the proportions, but the ones shared below work for me. I often make it on the fly, but with so much wonderful leafy produce coming our way, I’ve begun making it is small batches that will last for one or two days.

    I love the acidic flavors or vinegar, so be forewarned. My versions are often vinegar-forward. Adjustment the portions to suit your personal tastes, mix-and-match the herbs, and make this your own.

    Herb Mustard Vinaigrette

    Ingredients

    • EQUAL PARTS: extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar (for this version, I shy away from balsamic and stick with something a little subtler)
    • About a tsp of Dijon mustard (do not use yellow “hotdog” mustard Grey Poupon, Grey Poupon Country Dijon, Maille, or Edmond Fallot)
    • a bit of honey or maple syrup to counteract the acid
    • About 2-3 TBSP of chopped herbs (whatever is fresh – try to avoid dry – parsley, chives, dill, thyme, oregano)
    • salt, pepper to taste

    Method

    • Put everything in a jar with a lid for shaking
    • Shake well and then allow to sit for 15-30 minutes or even better, refrigerate overnight and allow those flavors to blend.

  • 07 Jun 2026: Roasted Golden Beet Soup (Hot or Cold)

    We have a bit of an HVAC issue in our condo currently, meaning we have no air conditioning on some fairly warm almost-summer days. Living in a renovated brick mill building, the sun has warmed up the brick walls and sills, and so, I have been in search of a dinner-time cool soup.

    On one of our days of respite, I managed to roast the golden beets we received in our Clark Farm CSA share, and put those in the fridge for “later”. I’ve been roasting beets with their skins on, and the method I’ll quote below is readily found across the web. It also saves me from trying to peel raw beets of any color and avoiding the telltale finger and hand discoloration.

    This soup was a stove top recipe. The first night we consumed it warm(ish); on the redo (leftover night!), the soup which was refrigerated overnight had the advantage of allowing individual ingredients to blend subtly. Also, as a cold soup, the advantage of a chilled soup for dinner in a very warm condo meant we could eat something homemade.

    Roasting Beets

    Preheat oven to 400 F. A sheet pan with sides is the best way to “contain” the beets. Have foil squares ready for wrapping the beets individually. (Sometimes I line the sheet pan with foil and then seal the beets in with foil on top of the pan.

    Wash/scrub the beets, leaving the skins intact. I trim the beets to within an inch of the top, but generally leave the bottom as is.

    Rub a bit of olive oil on each beet and season with salt and pepper.

    Roast for about 60 minutes, testing for doneness with a skewer.

    Allow the beets to cool in the packets before removing skins. This can generally be done with a paper towel or by slipping a paring knife under the loose skin and pulling it away.

    Use or store as needed.

    Roasted Beet Soup

    Ingredients

    • About a pound of pre-roasted beets
    • Shallot (or onion)
    • Garlic of some type (I used our CSA share green garlic here)
    • Seasonings: Salt and pepper, add herbs like thyme if you wish
    • About 2 cups of vegetable broth

    Method

    1. Sauté the shallots and garlic in olive oil or butter, but don’t let them brown. (about 5 minutes)
    2. Add the roasted beets
    3. Add liquid (vegetable broth), salt, and pepper and other flavorings/herbs
    4. Heat gently to rewarm the beets if they’ve been refrigerated. It doesn’t need to be boiling, but a nice warm temperature will help blend the flavors
    5. Off heat, use a hand blender to make everything very smooth. Since the beets were pre-roasted, this should not be too difficult. If the soup seems too thick for your liking, simply add more liquid.
    6. If serving warm: dish it up, add yogurt or sour cream and garnish as you wish. For a cold dish, put the soup in a container and refrigerate several hours (or overnight). Serve as you wish.

  • 03 Jun 2026: Turkey Burgers with Green Garlic and Parsley

    Part of our CSA share included green garlic, which I had not heard of before. Different from garlic scapes, green garlic is baby garlic or garlic before it develops into segments or cloves. It has a mild flavor, but will need to be cleaned thoroughly (think leeks). Forager|Chef has lots of information on using green garlic, including drying the stalks for future use.

    For this week, though, I stuck with a more traditional use: chopping finely and adding to turkey burgers. This recipe from Martha Rose Shulman of the New York Times was delicious. So good that I needed to snap a cellphone photo instead of the usual food shot because dinner was on the table! The recipe is gifted through my subscription to the Times.

    Turkey Burgers with Green Garlic and Parsley

    Martha Rose Shulman in NYTimes Cooking

    Ingredients:

    • Onion
    • Green garlic
    • Olive oil
    • Flat leaf parsley
    • Ground turkey
    • Ketchup
    • Buns
    • Accompaniments: sliced onion, tomato, lettuce, pickles, red pepper, ketchup and mustard (and we used some pickle relish and sliced cheese too)

  • 29 May 2026: Kale, Couscous & Tofu Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing

    Clark Farm CSA, how we have missed you!


    This was our first week of the Clark Farm Summer CSA (more info on the CSA here); the difference in produce we get from our CSA share and those we find in local food stores is indisputable. This week’s share includes leafy greens (kale, lettuces, arugala), radishes, beets, and carrots, as well as a new one for me: green garlic. Stay tuned.

    Because we support and participate in Clark Farm’s CSA we have a commitment to try everything and incorporate the produce from our share into weekly meal planning.

    Tonight’s meal reflects the sweltering heat we’ve been living with in our condo. Over the winter, the building’s cooling tower needed replacement which revealed the supply piping needed replacement which then revealed that the heat exchangers needed replacement. Besides being impressed that I have a working knowledge of what those are, it means our condo has had no AC and won’t for some time still while things get fixed. A recent heat wave warmed up our old brick mill building quite nicely and hasn’t quite let go despite a change back to more seasonal temperatures.

    So in dealing with the inside of our home where temperatures haven’t gone below 83 degrees, I have had an aversion to turning on our range. So Hetty Lui McKinnon‘s no cook salad was just the thing. That it uses some of the fresh organic kale from our CSA share was a delightful bonus.

    Because I have a subscription to the NYTimes Cooking column, I’m able to gift this recipe. Take my advice and download it now for upcoming summer days when the heat of a kitchen makes getting dinner together difficult.

    Kale, Couscous and Tofu Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing

    Hetty Lui McKinnon in the NYTimes

    Ingredients for the Couscous and Salad

    • Couscous
    • Olive oil
    • Kale
    • Package of baked tofu
    • Cilantro

    Ingredients for Carrot-Ginger Dressing

    • Olive oil
    • Carrot
    • Rice vinegar
    • Shiro (white) miso paste
    • Fresh ginger
    • Garlic
    • sugar

  • 05 May 2026: Roasted Cauliflower & Lentil Salad

    Hetty Lui McKinnon is one of my favorite New York Times Cooking contributors, and this warm and delightfully flavored salad is a great example why.

    Roasting cauliflower and onions, and cooking smashed garlic along with the lentils, added remarkable layers of flavor which was then complimented by the creamy, simple dressing of Greek yogurt and olive oil.

    The recipe is gifted through my New York Times subscription here, but the ingredient list of what to have on hand follows.

    Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Salad

    Hetty Lui McKinnon in the New York Times, 26 April 2026

    Ingredients

    • Large red or yellow onion
    • Medium (2 lb) head of cauliflower
    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • Ground cumin
    • Ground coriander
    • Smoked paprika
    • Green or brown lentils
    • Garlic
    • Plain Greek yogurt
    • Baby spinach
    • Fresh cilantro or mint
    • Slivered almonds

  • 19 March 2026: Jamie Oliver’s Eggplant Parmesan

    Buona Festa di San Giuseppe!

    When we visited Sicily in 2025, we had the good fortune to be in Palermo during Sicily’s annual St. Joseph’s Day festival. So today, I’m recalling the beauty of Sicily with our own state-side celebration.

    While the traditional meal would be pasta with sardines (fresh) and bread crumbs followed by some incredible pastries, my dish tonight was a more traditional Italian American one: Eggplant Parmesan. We are more mindful of frying these days, and so, when I found this five-star recipe in the New York Times created by Jamie Oliver and adapted by Marian Burros, I was game to try it.

    Through my subscription to the New York Times, I’ve gifted the recipe below. It’s simple, delicious, easy to prepare ahead, and on the more-healthy side of eggplant parm.

    Ingredients

    Jamie Oliver’s Eggplant Parmesan

    • 3 medium large eggplants
    • Olive oil
    • Onion
    • Garlic
    • Dried oregano (for the sauce)
    • 28-oz. can no-salt plum tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
    • Red wine vinegar
    • Fresh basil leaves
    • Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
    • Dry bread crumbs
    • Fresh oregano (for the topping)

  • 11 Mar 2026: Flour’s Famous Banana Bread (Kind of)

    We are fortunate in that we live close to Boston and Flour Bakery + Cafe. While Joanne Chang, the artisan baker behind this locally revered favorite cafe and bakery, is pretty famous for her Sticky Buns, the Banana Bread that Flour turns out is my favorite. Do yourself a favor when you visit Boston and be sure to hit up one of Flour’s bakeries – you won’t regret it. And then go out an buy the book (there are several, but my favorite will always be the first).

    In today’s adventure in baking, we had quite a few overripe bananas and a container of yogurt calling. So I set out to bake Flour’s Famous Banana Bread and to give a nod to a nearly used container of yogurt by subbing one-for-one amounts with the called-for canola oil. I certainly don’t object to using little oil or butter, but since I had an opportunity to use up the yogurt, I went with that. (It yields about 50 calories difference, so you be you).

    The recipe for Flour’s Famous Banana Bread can be found on page 66, of flour: Spectacular recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery + Cafe as well as on the Food Network site. The ingredient list follows:

    Flour’s Famous Banana Bread

    Ingredients

    • Unbleached all purpose flour
    • Baking soda
    • Cinnamon
    • Salt
    • Sugar
    • Eggs
    • Canola oil (I used Non-fat plain yogurt)
    • Ripe bananas
    • Crème fraîche (I used Greek yogurt)
    • Vanilla extract
    • Walnuts (omitted, food allergy in the house)

  • 21 February 2026: Pea Veggie Dip

    Our granddaughter loves peas. Well, she loves them as long as they are frozen. I’m not certain I understand a 7 year old’s palate, but I am glad she enjoys vegetables in any form. It also had me recalling a dish we sampled at one of Daniel Boulud’s restaurants near Lincoln Center.

    While this isn’t a replication of the appetizer we experienced, I do like this version. Along with hummus, it has become one of our pre-dinner snacks served with crudité or crackers.

    The general structure is thawed green peas, some kind of soft cheese and shaving of hard cheese and seasoning. The dip keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for several days.

    Green Pea Veggie Dip

    Ingredients:

    • 1 bag of frozen peas (thawed)
    • 1 to 1 1/2 cups soft cheese (I use whatever might be in the fridge – ricotta, cottage cheese in any of their forms. Don’t try this with yogurt, sour cream or cream cheese)
    • about 1/4 cup of grated parmesan or romano
    • Salt, pepper to taste
    • Options for dill or basil

    Method:

    1. Thaw the peas – they can be cold and they should be uncooked, but thaw them.
    2. Add all of the ingredients into a food processor.
    3. Blend until you reach the texture you like. (I like it a bit coarse.)
    4. Serve with raw veggies or crackers.

  • 14 February 2026: Sur La Table’s Chocolate Panna Cotta

    We’ve participated in some great online cooking classes with Sur La Table. This one, Date Night: Italian Eatery, appears periodically. As is our habit, we cook at home for Valentine’s Day, and this recipe collection was a great special treat: Spaghetti alla Carbonara (with option to make your own pasta), Shaved Fennel & Pear Salad with Bitter Greens and Pecorino, and Chocolate Panna Cotta.

    The classes are generally $39 (a few are 2-day sessions) in which I’ve learned some great techniques for juggling multiple dishes. We usually download the recipe packet and prep everything ahead so that we can focus on the chef’s instructions during the cook along. At the end of 2 hours, there’s a marvelous meal to share.

    This recipe yields 8 4-ounce servings which will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.

    Chocolate Panna Cotta – Sur La Table Chef

    Ingredient List

    • whole milk
    • powdered gelatin
    • heavy whipping cream
    • vanilla bean paste
    • granulated sugar
    • salt
    • semi-sweet chocolate

  • 12 February 2026: Beans in Tomato-Basil Sauce

    If it’s Wednesday, we’re going to make a bean entree. I was introduced to Simpli Organic dry beans by the talented Amanda Leahy, the CSA Manager at Clark Farm Carlisle, and wow! What a difference the brand of dry beans can make! Also, once moving toward more local and organic suppliers meant I had access to a whole new range of beans.

    This variety, Gigante beans, are an extra large, white colored and kidney shaped bean often used in Greek cuisine. They are wonderfully creamy in texture and very mild tasting.

    Today’s recipe for Gigante Beans in Tomato Basil sauce originated on the Simpli website (the brand of beans I used for this recipe). I adapted it to retain the general idea of the dish, but used what I had on hand. You should too.

    One change I made was necessitated by the first instruction: I usually cook beans from scratch in my Instant Pot, and that has the advantage of allowing me to be a little more last minute (soak or no-soak works) as well as pre-cooking quantities for later use. My current favorite method comes from Simply Recipes (Emma Christiansen) and you can find it here – “How to Make Fast, No-Soak Beans in the Instant Pot.” Game-changer.

    Gigante Beans in Tomato Basil Sauce based on a recipe found on Simpli

    Ingredients

    • SIMPLI regenerative organic certified gigante beans
    • SIMPLI EVOO (I used my usual pantry brand)
    • SIMPLI Peruvian Pink Salt (I used Himalyan)
    • Matriak Tomato Basil Sauce (I used Mutti brand)
    • Basil (for topping)
    • Parmesan (for topping

    Method

    1. Cook the gigante beans according to your preferred method until they are tender and creamy (I used the method mentioned in the headnote)
    2. Warm up the tomato basil sauce in a separate pan.
    3. Combine tomato sauce and gigante beans
    4. Garnish with torn fresh basil and a sprinkle of parmesan
    5. Serve with olive oil and salt