Here’s a Fun Fact (and it’s not even Friday!) – sometimes there’s a bit of a delay between when I take photos and when I actually take a close look at them.  Case in point: I made a Caprese salad a few weeks ago with some CSA tomatoes (aren’t they gorgeous?).  I wasn’t even going to take a photo since Caprese = easy peasy.   However, at the tweeted request of a Big Apple Nosh reader, I arranged a plate and took a few quick snaps.  When I pulled these photos from my camera just tonight, the above photo totally cracked me up.  I thought it would add ambiance to put a few tomatoes as a backdrop for the caprese, front and center.  What we are actually seeing here though, is tomato carnage.   The three tomatoes in the background are looking on in horror at their former vine-mate, sliced and diced and layered between dairy and herbs.  The smaller tomato on the right is trying to make a quick and surreptitious getaway.  Poor, poor tomatoes – soon met a similar fate the very next day.  As you can see, my personification of vegetables only goes so far.

Annnnyway, Caprese salad is a great option when you’ve got your bumper crop of late-summer tomatoes.  And it’s also one of the easiest and quickest dishes to make, ever.  You will need:

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My first experience with risotto took place years ago, when I encountered a neighborhood hole-in-the-wall that specialized in his creamy, luscious grain.  One delicious bite and I was sold; risotto, whether made with Arborio, Camaroli or other short-grain rice varieties, is what I consider the perfect marriage of two of my favorite things – carbs and butter. Wheeee!

When I received a batch of fava beans from my CSA, I wanted to re-create one risotto variety that I had tried so many years ago: fava bean and asparagus risotto.  I found this recipe online, which was in turn adapted from Mario Batali’s risotto recipe.  I’ve featured a recipe for wild mushroom risotto on this blog before, and I won’t lie – risotto is a hands-on endeavor, and you WILL be standing by the stove stirring, stirring, stirring.  However, the results are well worth it, and apart from the constant stirring and monitoring, it is quite an easy but impressive dish!

You will need:

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Happy Monday, everyone!  How was your weekend? Mine was spent preparing for Hurricane Irene; despite being surrounded by an evacuation zone, the hurricane itself was a bit anti-climactic – just heavy rain. I guess I shouldn’t complain, huh?  Well, it’s back to another week!  Today, I’d like to share with you one of my favorite CSA vegetables – the luscious fava bean.

My first experience with fava beans was in the form of a Chinese snack – fried, salted, oily and indulgent, this delectable treat was in the realm of potato chips and pork rinds; major deliciousness!  It wasn’t until years later that I first tasted my fresh fava bean, and the love was equally as fervent.  Preparing fresh favas requires a bit of work on your part, but the results are well worth it!

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Happy Friday! What are your plans for the weekend?  I’m hoping to watch The Help and hunker down for the hurricane.

Image via Driving and Dining

Today is National Cherry Popsicle Day!  Do you have cherry Popsicles in your freezer to celebrate?

BONUS FUN FACT:

“Popsicle” is actually a trademarked name, like “Walkman” or “Band-Aid.” The generic term is ice pop.  So I guess I should say today is National Cherry Ice Pop day

Happy Thursday, Noshers! We are officially past the middle of the week.  Got any weekend plans?

I got some exciting news yesterday and I HAD to share…

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If you follow me on twitter, you’ll know that I got 2 pints of fresh blueberries from my volunteer CSA shift last week when some unlucky soul forgot to pick them up.  I was so excited for these blue beauties – I didn’t sign up for a fruit share this seasons, so it was a sweet surprise.  And sweet they were – these were some of the most delectable blueberries I’ve had in a while.  Tweaking a apple crisp recipe from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, I threw together this easy but delicious blueberry crumble.  So delicious!

You will need:

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It’s my favorite time of the month – Artisanal‘s Cheese of the Month Club time!  In my last Artisanal post, I introduced you to four extremely mouthwatering cheeses.  Well, Artisanal has really outdone itself, because just when I thought it couldn’t get any better (and I’ve tried a LOT of cheese in my life), this month’s cheese plate is absolutely stellar.  I literally could not pick a favorite – each selection this month was jaw-dropping, drool-inducing, amazing.  I am seriously sad that less than half of each cheese remains.  Seriously. Sad.

But on to the cheeses! You will see them here in their full pre-Noshgirl-frenzy, glory!

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This past weekend I attended the PARKED! Food Truck Festival at South Street Seaport.  While I usually avoid the Seaport on weekends (it gets overwhelmingly overrun with crowds), 30+ trucks offering a variety of scrumptious eats was too tempting to pass up.

While I wish I could have sampled all 30 trucks, this was  tall feat even for me.  So I knew I had to choose judiciously:

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Phew! We made it, Noshers!  What are your plans this weekend?  I might check out the Parked! Food Truck Festival. Any other NYC peeps going?

Image via Tupperware

Mama Nosh taught me this fun fact, and I’ve used it numerous times. It really works!

To prevent plastic food storage containers from getting that stale smell, put a paper towel in the container before storing.  The paper will absorb the smell and your container will be smell-free!

This trick also works if the container already has an odor. Just pop a paper towel in there, seal it up and wait a bit. Within a few hours, the smell will be gone!

Have a wonderful weekend!

A while back, I was looking through my go-to reference book, Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything  – I’ve been consulting this book a LOT lately, as I’ve received veggie after unfamiliar veggie from the CSA.  A recipe for zucchini pancakes caught me eye for several reasons:

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