Oven Fried Tilapia, Spinach Risotto and Asparagus

Some of the items we get from the farm haven't made it to the blog yet because they weren't main ingredients in recipes I've featured. For example, the picture above shows some asparagus, which I steam most of the time and serve as a side veggie. We also receive lots of edible flowers each week, which we've used for garnish a few times. Most of them look like the pansy in the picture. And then there's the lettuce. There's a new variety or two or three every week! It is fun to try the different kinds that aren't sold in the stores because they don't harvest or ship or keep well enough to be mass-marketed. There are so many pretty colors and shapes and textures of leaves! I think that's what has been the most fun for me so far this season: seeing the abundance and variety of produce that God has created for us to enjoy!

We liked the spinach risotto (Ethan really liked it), although we decided we'd like to try it with less celery next time. The celery flavor was dominant. The recipe, which I found on the Turtle Farm website, calls for two stalks, including leaves, but I didn't have the leaves anymore so I just used the stalks.

The tilapia recipe is one of our favorites that I use fairly frequently. It calls for bread crumbs, which I used to buy at the store in a little canister. Then I discovered that it is SO EASY to make your own, that I don't buy them anymore. All you do is either lay out your extra bread (I use the ends since I don't like to eat them anyway) and let it get hard for a few days, or put it in the oven at a low temperature if you're in more of a hurry (200 works, I think) until it is all dried out and hard. Put it in a zip loc and beat it with your rolling pin or the bottom of a glass until the crumbs are the texture you like. These will store in the pantry for a long time. Now that I know how easy it is to make bread crumbs, I can't believe they are actually sold in stores! And people pay money for them!

Spinach Risotto

Campbell’s Nutrition Center

5 cups water or organic chicken or vegetable broth	2 ½ cups Arborio rice
1 bag (or 10 oz. torn large spinach) organic baby spinach	2 stalks organic celery, including leaves, cut into tiny pieces
Sea salt and organic black pepper, to taste	¼ cup organic white wine or broth
3 tbsp. organic extra-virgin olive oil	2 oz. grated pecorino romano cheese or other aged skim milk cheese
1 large red Bermuda onion, finely chopped

Measure the water or broth into a large pot. Add the spinach, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately turn off the heat and keep the spinach broth covered on the stove.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until the onion has softened.

Add the rice and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly for several seconds until the wine is absorbed.

Add 1 cup of the spinach broth. Stir well to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes, or until the rice absorbs the broth.

Add another half-cup of the spinach broth. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes, or until the rice absorbs the broth. The stirring should break up the spinach further into smaller pieces. Continue adding the remaining spinach broth, a half-cup at a time, stirring continuously for 2 minutes after each addition, or until the broth is absorbed. The risotto should be barely tender, thick, and creamy when done. Stir in the cheese. Taste for seasonings.

Oven Fried Tilapia

1 lb. tilapia fillets
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. cornmeal
2 egg whites
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. dried basil

Preheat oven to 450. Stir flour, 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper together in a shallow dish. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until white and frothy. In another bowl, combine bread crumbs, corn meal and basil.

To bread fillets, dip into flour, then egg, then bread crumb mixture.

Spray shallow baking dish with non-stick spray. Lay flat, tucking under any thinner ends or edges. Bake 10-15 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with fork.