Ideas for the height of harvest season

What week is it? Summer recently took a turn toward the crazy and then I got sick for three weeks and all but lost interest in anything except applesauce and here we are over a month since my last post. Illness or not, now is the time of year when I typically look back and wonder what happened during the past three months: May seems to be my last memory with everything since a fleeting blur. Suddenly I'm wearing a sweatshirt in the morning and the peppers and eggplants are rushing to create mature seeds before winter sets in. All the more for us to harvest! So in lieu of a new recipe (I have some that I will get around to posting later, but they aren't super relevant to what we're seeing in the CSA right now) I would like to offer some ideas for crops we are seeing a lot of or that may be particularly challenging. You can always use the search function at the top of the blog, too! This is not exhaustive!

Carrots
Carrot coconut curry coup
Carrot miso soup 

Cucumbers
Cucumber salad
Cucumber yogurt sauce
Refrigerator pickles (be aware - they're sweet!)

Daikons
Daikon crust pizza (Sub the radishes for kohlrabi. Feel free to just dip in/top with marinara sauce instead of making pizza.)
Daikon salad/salsa (Sub the radishes for salad turnips.)

Eggplant
Grilled
Ratatouille (Feel free to up the eggplant significantly!)
Roasted

Jalapenos
Refrigerator pickles (Disclaimer - mine are three days in and way too spicy. Results tba. You may consider removing some seeds/membranes, but this doesn't make them quite so quick and easy.)
Schug

New Zealand Spinach
Coconut curry
Sautéed (sub the spinach for the kale and decrease the cooking time)

Leeks
Leek fritters
This looks fun! Haven't tried it!
Dehydrate

Zucchini and Summer squash
Au gratin
Coconut curry (version 1) or Coconut curry (version 2)
Refrigerator pickles 
Zucchini crust pizza (Sub the squash for kohlrabi. Feel free to just dip in/top with marinara sauce instead of making pizza.)

And something that combines a little of everything that is not to be missed
Panzanella

Bruschetta

Why don't I have a photo of bruschetta for this post? Because I would like to make the point that the typical bruschetta topping of tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, etc. is incredibly adaptable. For example, it is excellent over quinoa. Also, this photo turned out much better than the ones of the topping on toast.

I have a pretty solid recipe for bruschetta topping that I have refined over the years and, even though I have posted about it before, I think it warrants another mention (and an updated recipe). Along with the copious amounts of garlic I think a high-quality balsamic vinegar makes a difference here. I use this one. You could also use cheaper balsamic and reduce it.

Bruschetta
Ingredients

• 3/4+ pounds tomatoes, chopped
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1-1.5 tbsp. good balsamic vinegar (again, I use this one) 
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed and chopped small (I used the equivalent of one basil "ice cube" that I froze earlier this summer, which includes a little olive oil) 
• 1/4 tsp. salt or to taste
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• Baguette, cut into thin slies
• Parmesan cheese to taste

Directions

• Combine the tomatoes, garlic, oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 10 minutes, ideally longer.
• Optionally, if you are feeling inspired, rub each slice of baguette with a clove of garlic and brush with oil. 
• NOT optionally, lay out the slices of baguette on a baking sheet and top with grated Parmesan cheese. 
• Broil the bread and cheese (or bake on high heat) for 2-3 minutes, or until toasted and melted.
• Serve the bread with the bruschetta topping.

I haven't tried this, but I also know it would also make an excellent panzanella (bread salad).

Sautéed Kale

Apologies for my two-week absence; I have no excuses. 

We have had an abundance of beautiful kale in this year's CSA (every week so far?). I recently heard that, supposedly, Pizza Hut was the largest purchaser of kale prior to 2012 - for salad bar garnishes. I was surprised/felt ahead of the curve for once because I am proud to say that I have been a kale lover since at least 2008. Kale is a strange and confusing vegetable to me because it has this reputation of being a foodie/hippie/health nut darling that no one really likes. Is this true? I think it's incredible! I'm not trying to sound superior at all here - I mean it. It holds up miles better than lettuce in a salad and adds so much more flavor than spinach in cooked dishes. That being said, kale must be handled appropriately. It must be thoroughly marinated and massaged in raw applications, or risks being leathery. It must be cooked down and paired with strong flavors in cooked applications. 

This is by far the simplest way I have prepared kale and truly among the best. I adapted a recipe from Sam Sifton at the New York Times, making one very important substitution. Every ingredient plays a role, but seriously, don't skimp on the garlic.

Sautéed Kale

Adapted from here 

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3 large cloves garlic (or equivalent), peeled and minced
• 1 large bunch kale, de-stemmed, chopped (relatively small)
• 1/2 cup stock (I used Better than Bouillon chicken base)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar, or to taste

Directions 

Heat butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook gently until fragrant. Do not brown.

Add kale to the pan, turn the heat to medium-high, and add the stock. Toss to combine, covering if necessary to decrease the volume before tossing. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the kale is soft and wilted, but still quite green. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring, until all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper (caution - I didn't need much salt at all). Add vinegar to taste and toss to combine. This is especially wonderful the next day.

I suspect this dish would be good with seasoned rice vinegar, though you'd have to watch the salt level. 

Coleslaw

I know we didn't receive cabbage this week, but I would like to share "my" coleslaw recipe in case you find yourself with cabbage at some point in the future or still have some in the fridge (it lasts!). I put "my" in quotes because I feel like this recipe has become mine, even though I haven't really altered the original.

I have never really been a fan of traditional mayonnaise-based coleslaw as a standalone dish; I think it serves its greatest purpose alongside barbecue sauce on a pulled pork sandwich. What I like about this version is that the dressing is fairly light and the slaw is dressed fairly lightly on top of that. I also like the contrasting sweetness from the sugar in the dressing. It's something I can enjoy as more of a salad, on its own and it has become a part of our standard BBQ dinner party fare.

You can find the recipe here. I typically shred the carrots and cabbage on a box grater, though a food processor with a grating attachment certainly makes quick work of it and is essential for large batches.

CSA Week 7 - July 21st, 2016

CSA Week 7 includes kale, lettuce, parsley, celery, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, jalapenos, carrots,green onions, onions, garlic, and beets. 

Note that you can freeze celery stems to make stock and dehydrate the leaves to use as an herb (or use them fresh).

Carrot Miso Soup

This carrot miso soup from Smitten Kitchen is so simple and satisfying. It calls for 2 pounds of carrots so you will need to use a couple weeks' shares, source elsewhere, or scale it down. Watch the saltiness of your broth since the miso is quite salty. Remember not to boil miso if you can help it (it depletes the health benefits). I always think this soup is better the day it is made, unlike many soups. Find white miso at Fresh Thyme, Jungle Jim's, or CAM (among others).

Find the recipe here.

Salad turnip salad with avocado and quinoa (Don't skip over this post!)

Sometimes it happens that I come across something so great that I feel guilty for every second that I don't share it here. So it was with this salad, which uses salad turnips, cucumber, cilantro, lemon, and red onion. The original recipe (written originally for spring radishes) came from a blog post by a Food Corps member. Her enthusiasm about this dish  is palpable in the blog post and completely warranted; it is hands-down the best way I have prepared salad turnips to-date and one of the best things I have cooked  in a while. 

The amount of red onion in here is alarming, but necessary to balance out (overpower?) the mustard-y flavor of the salad turnips. Be sure you chop everything very small so it can marinate in the lemon juice. 

Striving to turn the dish into a meal I combined it with avocado and quinoa and topped it with an egg in the vein of Sleepy Bee Cafe's wonderful Warm Quinoa Bowl. I am thinking about serving this for a bbq by combining the salad with the avocado and quinoa ahead as more of a grain salad. The salad would also be good eaten with tortilla chips, like a salsa. 

By the way, if you are looking for more ideas on how to use radishes and salad turnips check out this daikon cake (parts 1 and 2) and radish kimchi from last year (both projects) as well as this kimchi noodle bowl. There's always pizza crust (just sub in whatever)!

Salad turnip salad with avocado and quinoa 
Adapted from here
Makes about 3-4 bowls (though you may need to make more quinoa)
Ingredients

• 2 cups finely chopped  peeled salad turnips (about 4)
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced
• 2 tbsp. (or more to taste) cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1-2 tbsp. lemon juice
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• For the "bowl" 
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 avocado, chopped 
• Optional eggs for each bowl cooked over-easy or over-medium (or however you prefer), ideally cooked in bacon fat

Directions

Cook the quinoa. Rinse it well in a colander and combine it with 1 cup water and some salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to stand for about 10 minutes. Uncover and allow to cool slightly before serving. 

Prepare the salad. Combine the onion and garlic with the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Toss frequently, allowing the lemon juice to mellow out the onion and garlic while you prepare the other ingredients. Add the salad turnips, cucumber, and cilantro. Add a few grinds of black pepper and a few shakes/grinds of salt. Toss. Eat right away or allow to marinate at room temperature or in the fridge.

Combine the salad with some quinoa and avocado in a bowl. Top with an egg. Sprinkle the whole dish with a little extra salt. 

Cold Spicy Kimchi Noodles

Jonathan and I love noodle bowls. I'm pretty sure I would make noodle bowls for dinner every night if I had the time and energy. We also love kimchi. Actually, we are obsessed with kimchi. Needless to say, the decision to try this kimchi noodle bowl, from David Tanis of the New York Times, was a no-brainer.

I keep a relatively well-stocked Asian pantry, but if you don't, look for kimchi along with gochujang, gochugaru, red miso, and fish sauce at Jungle Jim's or CAM. You can also get kimchi at Kroger and various other stores, but it is often so much more expensive and not as tasty as the Korea-brand stuff (which I have only ever seen at Jungle Jim's)! The 64-oz jars don't last long around here (though they would last long). Thanks to Chris and Barbara for turning us on to this brand. Try Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme, and Fresh Market if you want for some of these things, though, again, you'll probably be paying more and have less selection.

The time estimate on this dish is definitely off in my opinion; it takes much longer than 30 minutes to prepare. But, given you have time, it is completely worth it. The noodles are definitely spicy, but chock full of flavor. It uses cucumbers, green onions, tomatoes, and radishes (you could probably sub salad turnips) from the CSA. You can vary amounts and substitute the vegetable components as desired.

Find the recipe here.

CSA Week 5 - July 7th, 2016

CSA Week 5 includes salad turnips, beets, jalapenos, summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes(!), carrots, celtuce, parsley, green onions, 'sugar loaf' chicory, cabbage, kale, green beans, basil and lettuce.

Ideas include kale Caesar salad, saag paneer, grilled green onions, celtuce and potato coconut curry, celtuce stir fry, radicchio with sausages, cucumber salad, cucumber yogurt sauce, falafel, green beans with almond pesto, beets with curry sauce, carrot salad, carrot coconut curry soup (you would have to supplement the carrots or scale down the recipe), and caprese salad/sandwiches.  

Celtuce and potato coconut curry

I have recently coined "coconut curry" as a verb. As in, I am going to coconut curry this celtuce tonight. I use it all the time as a technique for using large amounts of just about any vegetable in combination with just about any other vegetable and making it taste absolutely delicious. There are tons of versions of this out there. On this blog you can find it here, here, and (in soup form) here. This is my own adaptable version, with techniques and ingredients gleaned from countless sources (including those mentioned above). Basically, you saute an onion, add a can of your favorite curry paste (I use the Maesri stuff you can get at CAM for super cheap - my favorite so far is masaman) and a can of coconut milk, simmer whatever veggies you like in that mixture (I used celtuce, potatoes, and greens this time), and serve it all over rice. There is very little way to go wrong. The coconut milk and curry paste give everything a rich mouthfeel and an excellent flavor. 

Celtuce and Potato Coconut Curry
Ingredients

• 1-2 tbsp. cooking oil (coconut is especially good)
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 4 oz (1 can) Maesri Masaman curry paste (or whichever one you like) (you could use less than a full can for a less intense flavor) 
• 1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar 
• 2 tsp. fish sauce, or to taste (this is kind of a lot) 
• Vegetables, chopped. For example, the above had
• 4 medium red potatoes
• 2 celtuce(s), peeled and chopped 
• Kohlrabi and beet greens from one CSA
• Juice of 1/2 lime, or to taste.
• Cilantro for serving.
• Rice for serving. I prepare rice as follows:

• Combine 1 cup rinsed long grain or basmati rice, 2 cups water, 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and let stand at least 5 minutes before serving. 

Directions
Saute onion in oil over medium heat until slightly browned. Add the garlic and curry patse and saute a minute or two, until fragrant. Add coconut milk and a coconut milk can full of water. Add 1 tbsp. brown sugar and 2 tsp. fish sauce. Simmer 10 minutes. Add the veggies in reverse order of the time they take to cook. In this case add the celtuce first, cover, and simmer for a few minutes. Then add the potato, cover, and simmer. Once those are pretty much tender add the greens, cover, and simmer until wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Remove from heat and add lime juice. Serve over rice and garnish with plenty of cilantro.

Grilled green onions (Cebolitas asadas)

We have been receiving a lot of green onions in the CSA. It's great to have a seasonal version of onions available to add flavor to an array of dishes. Working through the generous bunches can be a bit of a challenge, though, when the onions aren't taking center stage. Grilling them reduces their volume significantly and makes them a standalone item. With some butter and soy sauce in the mix they take on a wonderful mild flavor, almost luscious. They would make a great side dish for a barbecue. One disclaimer - the thinner dark green parts of the onion charred a bit too much for my liking. You may want to remove them or just be particularly careful. Maybe grill them separately? The thicker white and light green parts were great. 

Grilled Green Onions (Celbolitas Asadas) 

Adapted from here 

Ingredients

• 20 or so green onions (large ones), washed and trimmed
• 2 tbsp. butter, cut into small chunks
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce

Directions

Place onions on a large sheet of foil and evenly distribute butter and soy sauce. Seal securely in the foil. 

Grill in the foil for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the foil and place across the grate of the grill. Grill for 5-10 minutes on each side, until soft and lightly charred. 

Note: The recipe also says this can be done under the broiler in a similar way. 

Curry sauce for beets and more

I discovered this recipe in Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Though I've had the book for years now (thanks, Caitlin!), for some reason I never discovered the awesome list of salad dressings (though to my credit, the book does have over 700 pages). After being introduced to beets with curry sauce by Kristen when she was at Gabriel's Place and to a wonderful curry dressing by the chefs at the New School, I had been trying to make something that could compare. This was my first success. The sauce has intense flavor and a little lingering bite from the lemon juice (which you could mellow with more oil or sour cream if you wanted) that pairs so wonderfully with roasted beets. Madison also suggests pairing the sauce with asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and grain-based salads. It is, without a doubt, the best way to eat roasted beets. When I roast beets I chop them quite small, about 1/2" x 1/2", toss them with oil and salt, and bake at 400F for about 20 minutes, tossing half way through.

Curry Sauce
From here
Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. yogurt, mayonnaise, or sour cream (I used sour cream and can't speak to the other two)
• 2 tsp. curry powder (my favorite is this) 
• 1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 5 tbsp. neutral-flavored oil 
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro

Directions
Press or mince the garlic or pound in mortar and pestle with the salt. Add the salt if you didn't yet. Mix with the sour cream and the curry. Stir in the lemon juice. Whisk in the oil. Let stand for 15 minutes, then stir in the cilantro. Let stand for at least 15 minutes for the flavor to develop. Adjust flavor if necessary.

CSA Week 3 - June 23rd, 2016

CSA Week 3 includes kohlrabi, celtuce, salad turnips, specialty radishes, beets, green beans, peas, dill, basil, parsley, lettuce (Salanova), arugula, kale, green onions, cabbage, and radicchio.

Ideas include kale Caesar salad (which I did last night and will re-post about soon), saag, alternative pizza crusts (with the radishes, turnips, and/or kohlrabi), which I have been enjoying plain with good marinara sauce instead of as pizzas, arugula salad, green beans with almond pesto, celtuce stir fry, radicchio with sausage, and grilled radicchio (which I have yet to try and will post about if successful).

Celtuce stir fry

And now! The moment we've all been waiting for! What to do with celtuce!

This one has a bit of a story:

Akshay assisted me with Farm-to-Table camp on Thursday of last week, when the campers were making a PF Chang's copycat lettuce wrap recipe with ground turkey, mushrooms, onions, and water chestnuts. He suggested using celtuce in the veggie mix, which I offered as an option to the campers. Most used at least some and I realized when tasting their creations how adaptable this mild-flavored vegetable is with other strong flavors (like the delicious sauce that goes on the wraps).

I adapted the recipe further at home this week, eliminating the water chestnuts, onions, and meat and using only celtuce, green onions, and mushrooms as the vegetable filling. Jonathan, who spent most of the time I was cooking intentionally ignoring what was going into dinner, deemed it "quite acceptable," which, if it's not clear, was high praise. We ate it over rice, but I think you could just as easily enjoy it as a lettuce wrap for the PF Chang's experience.

By the way, children can be very astute when it comes to flavor and texture; one camper called the celtuce "Peanut Butter Celery" for its nuttiness and crunchiness.

Celtuce stir fry 
Adapted from here, by way of my work here.
Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. cooking oil (e.g. canola)
• 2 celtuce(s?), peeled and chopped small
• 1/2 lb. mushrooms (about 7 medium-sized mushrooms), chopped small
• 5-6 large green onions, white and most of green parts, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic (2 small cloves), minced
•  Stir Fry Sauce
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar
• Special sauce (see below)

Directions

• Make the stir fry sauce by whisking the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar in a small bowl.
• Heat 1 tbsp. oil in the skillet over medium-high-to-high heat.
• Add the celtuce and stir fry for a few minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.Add the mushrooms and stir fry for about two minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the green onions and stir fry sauce. Stir to combine and heat through.
• Remove from heat and place filling in a bowl.
• Place filling over rice, in lettuce leaves, or over lettuce (as a salad). 

Special sauce 
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp. ketchup
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. garlic and red chili sauce 
• 1 tsp. Chinese hot mustard, or 1 tsp. of a mixture of mustard powder mixed with hot water until loosely pasty

Directions

• In a small bowl or jar mix the sugar with the water.
• Add the soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice, sesame oil, and garlic and red chili paste. Mix well.
• Add 1/2 tsp. mustard to the sauce and mix.
• Taste and add more mustard to taste.
• Taste add more garlic and red chili sauce to taste (it’s spicy).
• Adjust any other ingredients.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Radicchio with caramelized onions and sausage

I adapted this dish from a recipe Peggy provided with the week 1 CSA. My version used the 'Sugarloaf' radicchio, the one that looks sort of like Romaine lettuce and that I'm not sure is really a radicchio (I think it's just a chicory). As we've discussed before, radicchio is bitter, it's supposed to be, but this dish really balances that bitterness with the sweetness of well-caramelized onions and the savoriness of sausage. The lingering crunchy texture of the radicchio is particularly satisfying against the textures of the onion and sausage. I suspect there might not be as much crunch if you're using the more delicate 'Bel Fiore' radicchio.

Radicchio with caramelized onions and sausage

Adapted from here.
Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 tsp. oil, divided
• 2 medium onions, red or yellow, halved and thinly sliced
• A few pinches of salt
• A few pinches of sugar
• 1 large head radicchio, cored, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (this is what I'm currently using, available at Jungle Jim's) 
• 3 chicken sausages, casing removed and cooked (I used two Greenacres Tomato Basil and 1 Greenacres Sweet Italian, just because that's what I happened to have in the freezer)

Directions

Melt butter with 1 tsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions plus a few pinches of salt and sugar and cook until caramelized (soft and brown), stirring often, about 25 minutes. Add the radicchio and saute until wilted, a few minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook over medium-high heat until the liquid is mostly absorbed (but be sure the radicchio retains some texture!). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, remove the casings from the sausages and cook them in 1 tsp. oil in a skillet, breaking up the meat until no pink remains. 

Mix the cooked sausage into the radicchio/onions and serve. 

Fiesta salad

I have been making the original (taco) version of this dish for longer than just about any other recipe in my portfolio. Though I have always been a fan of dinner salads, I have more recently discovered how much more I enjoy some dishes as salads. For one, it stretches out the eating experience, unlike eating something like a taco that's gone a few bites. It also stretches out the ingredients. Obviously, it's healthier. And, in a way, I think it allows you to taste the flavors more since they are less concentrated. It sounds unappetizing, but the best way I can describe this phenomenon is that the lettuce is diluting the other ingredients in the best way possible. I think it's similar to mixing strong coffee or alcohol with water in order to discern the individual flavors more, an idea I picked up from this great book.

Packing leftovers for lunch is the only challenge, since components need to stay pretty separate for storage.

Fiesta Salad
Adapted from here.
Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. cooking oil
• 1 medium onion, red or yellow, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano 
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 pound ground turkey or beef
• ~1 cup tomato salsa (whatever you like, I have enjoyed this one lately
• 1 avocado
• Hard shell corn tacos
• Grated cheddar or pepper jack cheese
• Sour cream
• Lime wedges
• Lettuce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the taco shells for 3-5 minutes, until crispy and delicious, but not browned. 

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add all the spices and stir to blend. Add meat and stir, breaking up the chunks, until fully cooked. Add salsa to the pan and stir to combine. 

Top lettuce with meat mixture, avocado, broken up taco shells, cheese, sour cream, and lime.

I have also eaten this salad with just the meat mixture and rice. Also very good. 

Some notes on storage

While talking to Jonathan earlier this week I realized that CSA storage might be a topic of interest to some. I think I've developed some pretty solid systems to maximize freshness for as long as possible. I will list my tactics in my perceived order of importance below.

1) Get the vegetables into the fridge as soon as possible (with the exception of onions, garlic, under-ripe tomatoes, and a few other items we'll be seeing, but in the case of week 1, everything should go in the fridge).

2) Seal EVERYTHING (greens, roots, peppers, eggplant, squash, etc.) in air tight plastic bags. I found some hefty 2.5-gallon bags for larger items like kale.

3) Cut the greens off things like radishes, carrots, turnips, kohlrabi and beets (see photo above). Store the greens separately if they are good-quality and you are going to cook with them. Not only do greens make fitting the roots in bags difficult, they can transpire and make the roots lose moisture.

4) Washing loose leafy greens in cold water and spinning them dry before sealing them up can help extend their storage life in my experience, especially if they are a little wilted.

Italian Salad

I posted about this salad a year ago, but I really think it warrants another mention since this week's CSA included both radicchio and iceberg. Plus, I didn't include the recipe in the original post and I have made a few key modifications. Also! It's amazing!

This recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen, my most reliable source of great recipes and ideas. It's a salad that works great as a meal since it includes meat, cheese, chickpeas, and other hearty components, but I also serve it for dinner parties alongside other dishes.

Iceberg really shines here, providing the necessary mild flavor, crunch, and juiciness (due to its water content) to balance out the strong textures and flavors throughout the rest of the dish.

The radicchio from the CSA is so incredibly beautiful, as you can see in the first photo. It's a loose head with a green and white base and beautiful purple flecks. Radicchio is supposed to be bitter, but I appreciate that this radicchio is somewhat less bitter from what I have experienced elsewhere. It has a somewhat lighter texture, too. All in all, it makes for a very balanced salad.

Italian Salad
Adapted from here

Ingredients
Dressing
4 cloves garlic
1 scant tbsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salad
1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, drained
1 small (or 1/2 medium or 1/4 large) red onion, peeled and sliced into paper-thin rings
1/2 pound provolone, sliced 1/8-inch thick and cut into 1/4-inch ribbons (I used pre-sliced for convenience)
1/2 pound salami, peeled, sliced 1/8-inch thick and then cut into 1/4-inch ribbons (again, I use pre-sliced)
4 medium or 8 small pickled pepperoncini, sliced into rings
1 1/2 pounds cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in halves in quarters
1/2 tsp. salt
1 head iceberg lettuce, cored and cut into 1/2-inch ribbons
1 head radicchio, cored and cut into 1/2-inch ribbons

Directions
Roughly chop the garlic, then mash in a mortar and pestle with the oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix the oregano paste with the lemon juice and vinegar in a jar (my preference so I don't have to toss the whole salad right away since this makes a lot) or in your salad bowl. Add the oil and shake/mix until combined.

Mix the tomatoes with the 1/2 tsp. salt and set aside.

Gently fold the dressing (leaving some out if your heads of lettuce or radicchio are small) into the the chickpeas, red onion, provolone salami, and pepperoncini.

When ready to serve, add the tomatoes, lettuce, and radicchio to the salad bowl and toss to combine. Taste and add additional dressing if needed (if you set some aside). As you can see above, I added the tomatoes last, but there's no need to.

Note: As I alluded to above, I like to set aside half the dressing, greens, tomatoes, and chickpea/meat/cheese mixture for leftovers since this salad gets soggy in the fridge and it makes a ton. I would say it makes enough for at least 5 meal-sized salads.

CSA Week 1 - June 9th, 2016

Here we go again! The 2016 Greenacres CSA started for me today and I chose to do a bi-weekly share this year instead of a full share. I love this idea since it is logistically easier for both the producers and the CSA customers compared to a split share. The produce is so high-quality and fresh that much of it will last through the two weeks and beyond (unlike grocery store produce). It's time to shift the way we plan our meals and get ready for a summer of new culinary adventures.

I plan to continue this blog, though my posts will probably be less frequent. I'll do my best to make them worth your while, though. I'll also provide links to recipes and ideas already on this site that might be helpful for the week's share.

With that out of the way, CSA week 1 includes leaf lettuce, iceberg lettuce, radicchio, celtuce, green onions, garlic scapes, kohlrabi, red specialty radishes, round red radishes, salad turnips, and kale.

Some ideas include kale Caesar salad, garlic scape pesto, kohlrabi pizza, mashed kohlrabi and co., the incredible Italian chopped salad that uses both radicchio and iceberg (!!), and saag paneer (with kale and the the kohlrabi, turnip, and radish leaves)

p.s. I feel I should admit that I still have some leftovers from last year's CSA in the freezer and dried in the pantry. These leftovers include frozen scapes, frozen kale basil pesto, dried parsley, and dried celery leaves.