CSA Week 10

In our 10th CSA box we got: 1 tomato, 1 sweet pepper, 3 hot jalepenos, 2 eggplant, 2 lb Keuka Gold potatoes, 2 fresh sweet onions, 1 head Tocliavari garlic, 1 bunch beets, 1 bunch carrots, 2 lb zucchini, 3 patty pan squash, 1 zapalito squash, 3 cucumbers, 1 lb green beans, 1 lettuce, 1 head kale, 1 punch parsley, 1 bunch basil

The boxes keep getting heavier!

Even though we are getting more food in pounds, it's going toward fewer meals as I make more main courses out of the more substantial veggies.  Here's what we did this week:

A huge baked Ratatouille (garlic, parsley, eggplant, patty pan squash, sweet onion, bell pepper, tomatoes).  We ate this for days, and PomPom loved it

Zacchini linguini with garlic and basil. This was SOOO good, I'm posting the recipe below; it was on the flyer

Mashed potato and kale cakes. Frozen for lunches for PomPom

Roasted green beans with lemon zest and sliced almonds (chilled these and brought to a picnic!). No recipe, just how it sounds

Used the lettuce and beet greens with Costco's Chinese Chicken Salad kit.  Comes with two kits, so we'll have this again next week

Zucchini bread sub wholewheat flour and I used a mix of zucchini and zapalito (sliced and frozen for toasting and eating slice by slice!)

Carrot date cupcakes (freezing these)

I'm collecting my beets to make a big batch of fermented beets with ginger.  I'm coming up with more and more ways to preserve the summer bounty for some yummy winter eating

Zucchini Linguine

4 zucchini (about 2 pounds of any summer squash or a mix will work)

4 large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

1/4 cup grated pecorino-romano cheese

3 TBSP pine nuts, toasted

2 TBSP oil (I used grapeseed oil)

10 leaves fresh basil, cut into chiffonade

Cut the zucchini into thin slices then stack and slice again into "linguine" (or use a mandolin, or use a spiralizer, which is what I did).

Coat a large pan with oil, on medium heat, saute garlic until fragrant (about  minute).  Add zucchini, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until the zucchini renders it's liquid and is tender with a gentle bit (don't overcook or it will fall apart; timing depends on thickness of the squash, so just taste as you cook).

Remove from heat and toss with half the cheese, pine nuts, and basil. Saute for one more minute (cheese will melt).  Plate and top with remaining cheese, pine nuts, and basil.

Great served with grilled chicken sausage!

CSA Week 9

In our ninth CSA box we got: 1 head cabbage, 1 small head broccoli, 1 tomato, 1 green bell pepper, 2 conchos jalapeños, 1 small eggplant, 2 lb Red Norland potatoes, 2 fresh sweet onions, 1 bunch carrots, 2 lb zucchini, 3 patty pan squash, 1 zapalito squash, 2 cucumbers, 1.5 lb green beans, 2 heads green leaf lettuce, 1 bunch chard, 1 head garlic, 1 bunch curly parsley, 1 bunch basil

Isn't that a gorgeous spread?

Here's the plan:

Italian Pasta Salad (2 cups cooked macaroni, 3/4 cup chopped salami, 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese like mozzarella, asiago, or blend, small head of broccoli chopped, 1 carrot chopped, learned handful of grape tomatoes quartered, 1/4-1/2 cup mayo, 1 Tbsp parsley chopped, to taste: garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper

Fried rice: 2 cups long grain rice, like Jasmine, cooked, 2 cups cooked and cubed Andouille sausage, 5 eggs, 2 carrots chopped, 1 bell pepper chopped, 1 sweet onion chopped , 3 cloves garlic minced, 1 jalapeño moved, 1 zapalito squash chopped, 3 scallions chopped, 1/2 bunch cilantro chopped, season liberally worth soy sauce, sesame oil, and Chile sauce (e.g. sriracha)

Garlic-parsley mashed potatoes, Parmesan-basil roasted green beans, baby back ribs

Chinese chicken salad with shredded chicken breast, shredded cabbage, scallions, pepitas, almonds, cilantro, jalapeño.  Similar to this, but doctored.  Poach the chicken in water seasoned with parsley, a few smashed garlic cloves, and salt

Pasta with chard, garlic, chevre; crab caught by Jeremy in the Puget Sound; grilled patty pan squash; side salad of lettuce, tomato, sweet onion, carrot

Zukanoush! I don't see the point of the chunks of zucchini on top, and I'll incorporate the eggplant in there too

Drowning in Lettuce!

If you've participated in a CSA, you have almost definitely cursed the volume of lettuce that you get through the season. It's great at the beginning, because you're not getting a whole bunch of anything else, and after winter you're delighted by the delicate greens. Anything green, really. As the season wears on and you continually receive a couple heads of lettuce every week, you have probably despaired. Even the most dedicated can't eat that much salad and stay interested. Especially after the rate and volume of other produce ramps up in your box.  Not to worry, I've got some solutions for you! 

Early in the season we had two HUGE heads of lettuce every week.  I thought that would peter out, but we're still getting weekly lettuce into August.

We already posted about Petits Pois a la Francaise, a delicate dish of cooked lettuce and shelled peas.

Try lettuces blended into healthy green smoothies, wilted into fried rice and udon soup, or as a condiment: 

Pickled, as in Shalotta, or

blended, as in Aji Sauce

1/4 head of lettuce, torn into pieces (iceberg is fine, romaine is better) 

3 jalapeno chiles, seeds and veins removed (leave some seeds if you like spice) 

1/4 cup mayonaise 

5 green onions 

1/2 bunch of cilantro leaves (try to avoid the stems) 

1/4 cup roasted, shelled pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas)

juice of one lime

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp black pepper 

1 tsp garlic powder (I sustituted with about 6-8 cloves of garlic- yea a lot) 

Whiz up everything until smooth, in a food processor. Put on everything. 

Use as wraps in place of tortillas for a healthy, gluten free lunch or for amazing roasted pork a la Momofuku's bo ssam.

Sturdier lettuce, like romaine, can even be grilled! Drizzle with your favorite high-heat oil (we use grapeseed oil) and toss on the grill with the rest of your meal and dress with Caesar dressing for quite a fancy side Caesar salad.

Think outside of the CSA box and tell me your creative lettuce recipes!

CSA Week 8

We're two weeks late on this one, but hopefully you'll forgive us. Two weeks ago I was busy making a sales goal (not something I thought I'd ever say, but something I'll share about soon!), then we went to the lake, then drove to the Washington State Peninsula for a week long visit! 

In our eighth CSA box we got: 1.5 lb Carola potatoes, 2 "red of Tropea" onions, 2 sweet onions, 1 bunch carrots, 3 beets, 1.5 lb zucchini, 3 patty pan squash, 2 zapalito squash, 1 cucumber, 1/2 lb green beans, 1 red leaf lettuce, 1 butter lettuce, 1 bunch kale, 1 head garlic, 1 bunch thyme, 1 bunch basil (also picked up some peaches, blueberries, and huckleberries, and have some beets, green onions, and peas from my dad's garden). 

Here's what we're did:

Not very summery, but beef stew (ground beef from Wild Aspen Ranch, carrots, red onion, garlic, green beans, thyme), topped with Colcannon (mashed potatoes with cooked greens; we did arugula from our garden). I didn't use a recipe, just made these with my natural talent. No recipes because I don't think I can remember even approximate quantities at this point. ;)

Beet and beet green risotto with horseradish (recipe from the Tolstoy flyer this week; copied below)

Chile-lime summer squash saute (recipe asleep from the flyer; see below), grilled chicken (marinated in lemon juice, honey, garlic, salt and pepper) and sweet onions

Petits pois a la Francais (peas, green onions, and butter lettuce, sauteed), roasted green onions (this was a side dish to grilled steak at the lake)

Zucchini bread (I subbed sprouted whole wheat flour)

Caprese salad (basil, mozzarella, tomatoes, with balsamic vinaigrette)

Planned but did not happen because we went to the lake:

Chicken lettuce wraps with banh mi veg (pickled daikon and carrot) and rice

Udon soup with carrot, wilted lettuce, sauteed sweet onion, and grilled Salmon

Pickled beets, basil-arugula pesto (I've been making and freezing pesto like it's my job; I guess it is), kale chips, veggie stock with all the trimmings and wilted bits

Ended up leaving lettuce and kale or at the lake along with the cucumber for others to use. 

Beet and beet green risotto

1 small onion
1 lb red beets with greens (~3 medium)
4 cups water (I used homemade veggie stock)
1 cup Arborio or long grain rice
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 Tbsp bottled horseradish

Finely chop onion and trim seems close to tops of beets.  Cut greens into 1/4 inch slices and chop stems. Peel beets and cut into fine dice. In a small saucepan bring water/stock to a simmer and keep at a bare simmer.
In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook onion in butter over moderate heat until softened. Add beets and stems and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in rice and cook, stirring constantly,  1 minute. Stir in 1 cup simmering liquid and cook, stirring constantly and keeping at a strong simmer, until absorbed. Continue cooking at a strong simmer, adding liquid, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition absorb before adding next. After 10 minutes, stir in greens and continue cooking and adding liquid in the same manner until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, about 8 minutes more. (There may be liquid left over.)
Remove pan from heat and stir in Parmesan.
Serve risotto topped with horseradish.

Chile-lime summer squash saute

2 lb summer squash and/or zucchini, cut into matchsticks
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more
1/4 cup toasted pepitas
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (grapeseed, olive, etc)
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 copied jalapeño
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
freshly ground black pepper

Place squash in a colander in the sink or over a large bowl and toss with 1 teaspoon salt. Let squash stand 10 minutes, then squeeze well to remove as much excess moisture as possible (do not rinse).
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, jalapeño, and red pepper flakes and cool, stirring often, until fragrant, but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add squash and cook, tossing occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and fold in pepitas.

CSA Week 7

In our seventh CSA box we got: 1.5 lb Austrian crescent fingerling potatoes, 2 "red of Tropea" onions, 2 fresh sweet onions, 1 bunch carrots, 3 beets, 1 lb zucchini, 1 patty pan squash, 1 zapalito squash, 1 cucumber, 1 green bell pepper, 2 mild jalapenos, 2 lb fava beans, 2 heads green leaf lettuce, 1 bunch chard, 1 bunch Italian parsley, 1 bunch basil

Yay for summer squash!

So much food it makes me tired to think about preparing (so we went out tonight, ha!), but here's the plan:

Fava beans braised with salt pork (recipe called for pancetta, but have salt pork in the freezer, we'll use some parsley here too); lemon-garlic fingerling potato salad

Grilled chicken; grilled sweet onion and bell pepper; quinoa with garlic, red onion, tomato

Borscht (including beet greens; I'm following this recipe but with my friend's edits) and green salad

Steak; grilled summer squash (zucchini, patty pan, zapalito) with parsley; buttered egg noodles with garlic, parsley, and bread crumbs

Chard-basil-garlic pesto (add juice of half a lemon to this recipe; double or triple this and freeze in dinner portions for a taste of summer in the winter!) with zucchini "pasta", peas, sauteed sweet onion, sausage; green salad with carrots and sweet onions  (Note:  I've got a spiralizer and we got another big zucchini free, so we're going to whirl it into noodles!)

Spicy (jalapeno) shrimp and avocado salad on a bed of lettuce

That's six dinners and we went out the first night, so we'll have to be diligent to make this happen! 

We're also having salads for lunch, I'm making veggie stock with all our snippets and wilted bits (it'll go in the borscht), and I'm making rice vinegar pickled carrots, daikon, and jalapeno for banh mi.

CSA Week 6

In our sixth CSA box, we got: 2 lbs new potatoes, 2 "Red of Tropea" onions, 1 fresh sweet onion, 1 bunch carrots, .75 lb zucchini (three small), .75 lb snap peas, 1 lb shelling peas, 2 lb fava beans, 1 head red leaf lettuce, 1 head green leaf lettuce, 1 bunch kale, 1 head garlic, 1 bunch sage, 1 bunch basil

OMG, so much!

This was a weird week.  We had a dear old friend to dinner on Wednesday, the day we picked up the box, then were at my parents' house Thursday and Friday night (with a plan for Saturday night, though we came back early).  I didn't meal plan, needless to say.  To compensate, I created a elaborate meal for our dinner party using as much of our box as possible.  :D

The big meal consisted of the following: 

Lamb and Fava Bean Stew.  I got the butcher at my local grocery with a decent meat department to cut up a leg of lamb into stew meat chunks.  They gave me the weight I wanted without the bone and changed the same price per lb as the whole leg with the bone in; love those guys!  From the box I used both red onions, garlic, and the fava beans.  I also used the homemade veggie stock in this.  We're saving all the discard bits for stock and it's working out very well!  The lamb stew turned out great.  I totally recommend it.

Hashbrowns made with the potatoes, sweet onion, and sage.  This was okay.  I tried to broil it to make the multi-dish meal easier on me, but I should have fried them.  Just so you know, the key to crispy hashbrowns is to shred, then rinse the starch away, just like you rinse rice before cooking it.  Then drain and throw it in a salad spinner to get it as dry as possible.

Garden salad using red leaf lettuce, sweet onion, carrot, and snap peas from the box and arugula (from our garden!) and tomato.

I dressed the salad with this avocado dressing, to which I added a bunch of basil from the box.  This dressing is good, but THICK, so be careful not to over-dress the salad.  Soooo easy to do.

We ended up taking the most of the remaining produce to my parents house, eating some and leaving the rest there.  In trade we brought home a ton of freshly shelled peas from their garden traded peas in shell for shelled peas, haha), a couple of HUGE daikon radish, and a bunch of garlic scapes.  Tried roasting the scapes, but they were pretty tough, so I think they are past their delicate prime.  I'll probably cut them way down to get rid of the tough stalks and make more pesto out of them and what's left of the basil.

Tonight we had brown butter pan-fried hake, fried sage leaves, and herbed rice and wild rice (with a bit of shredded carrots mixed in) with those roasted scapes.  Let me tell you the hake and sage more than made up for the scape failure (the failed scape?).  It turned out to be brown butter because I put the butter in the pan to melt then forgot about it.  Haha.  Luckily I caught it before it burned.  Anyway, fried the hake in the butter and it tasted like LOBSTER.  Except more tender and juicy.  It tasted like lobster WISHES it tasted.  It was so good!

Doesn't look like lobster, but sure tastes like it.

Tomorrow we're having chicken burgers (purchased from Costco, quite good!) on Dave's Killer Bread buns.  I'm thinking I'll make a lemon-sage aioli, and top it with more arugula from our garden.  Carrots from the box and peas from dad's garden.

What did you eat this week?

CSA Week 5

In our fifth CSA box, we got: 2 lbs new potatoes, 1 bunch carrots, 1 bunch beets, 1.5 lbs snap peas, 1 lb shelling peas, 1 lb fava beans (I picked up an extra lb, seen in picture, because I love favas), .25 lb snow peas, 1 butter lettuce, 1 head green leaf lettuce, bit of beet thinnings (called beetniks by Tolstoy), 1 bunch garlic scapes, 1 bunch chard, 1 head garlic, 1 bunch Italian parsley 

The haul just keeps getting bigger!

Last week I didn't meal plan beyond the a few notes and it was a mistake. So, here's my plan for this week:

Tortilla Española (using half the potatoes, and some of the parsley); a salad of butter lettuce, beetniks, shelling peas, radish sprouts.

Grilled teriyaki salmon; marinated snow peas, baby zucchini, scapes, bean sprouts, green onions.

Beef bulgogi (we'll see if I cheat and pick up some pre-marinated, or go fully homemade); sauteed snap peas; steamed rice.

Nigella's "Back from The Bar Snack." I make this for a meal, not a snack. It's super yummy!

Fava bean, mushroom, and scape Farrotto (risotto with farro, using garlic and parsley, maybe homemade veggie stock, otherwise chicken stock); sauteed chard and beet greens with garlic.

I'll be saving all the pods and other veggie trimmings this week to make stock. Hopefully I'll have my act together and have the stock ready for the farrotto.

Chocolate-beet cake!

If you want to try out some of these recipes, check out the links above!

Updated to add: maybe don't try that Esquire recipe for Tortilla Española; it's not as good as I've had before.  Still looking for a good recipe, I guess.  Have one to share?