CSA News: Week 5- June 28 to July 4

This Week’s Share

Share Notes

• Broccoli: Enjoy the abundance of broccoli while its here, just a couple more rounds before its gone until the fall.

• Napa Cabbage: This crunchy and delicious treat is great fresh or cooked, so try it in a salad, sauté it up, or throw it in a soup to enjoy is mild and sweet flavor.

• New Potatoes: Just in time for 4^th of July are the red, white, and blue new potatoes. Make a festive salad for your holiday BBQ, or just enjoy them for their brilliant hues. You may notice the potatoes are unwashed, and that is because we didn’t want to further peel their delicate “new” skins. Also, make sure to keep them refrigerated as they have not yet developed a thick and protective skin.

Recipes

Broccoli Recipes

Ginger Broccoli (and Napa Cabbage)
Adapted from Eating Well in Season by Jesse Price

Note: Originally this recipe calls for just broccoli, but Napa (Chinese) cabbage is also wonderful prepared this way. Try adding some sliced up Napa cabbage in with the broccoli, or you can substitute a head of Napa cabbage for the broccoli to try it on its own. Also great over rice to make a meal out of it.

1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons garlic scapes (or regular garlic), minced
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
6 cups broccoli crowns, trimmed and chopped (about 1 pound broccoli)
1/2 to 1 head Napa (Chinese) cabbage, cut into 1/2-inch strips
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon fish sauce (can substitute tamari soy sauce)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant but not browned, 30 seconds to a minute. Add broccoli and cook, stirring, until the broccoli is bright green, 2 minutes. Add in Napa cabbage and drizzle water and fish sauce over the broccoli and cabbage; reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until the broccoli is just tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in vinegar just before serving. Makes 4 servings, about 1 cup each.

Humble Vegetable Casserole
From The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Molly Katzen

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
1 pound of broccoli, chopped
2 medium (or 4-6 smaller) potatoes, thinly sliced
3/4 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon fresh dill, minced
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup chopped sweet pickle
1 1/2 packed cups grated cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
3/4 cup milk
Paprika

Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a large heavy skillet, cook the onions over very low heat in the butter until they begin to soften, 3-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, broccoli, potato slices, and salt. Stir and cover. Continue cooking over medium-low heat until the potato slices are just tender (8-10 minutes). Don’t overcook, as this will cause the vegetables to become boring.  Season the cooked vegetables with pepper and dill, stirring to well-acquaint everything with everything else.

In a separate bowl toss together the chopped egg, pickle, grated cheese and caraway seeds. Spread half the cooked vegetable mixture into the bottom of your buttered deep-dish casserole. Sprinkle half the egg-cheese mixture over the vegetable layer, distributing it evenly and unimaginatively. Spread the second half of the vegetable mixture, then sprinkle the other half of the egg-cheese mixture. Pour the milk over the top of the casserole, and dust with paprika. Cover, and bake for 30 minutes.

Roasted Baby Potatoes & Broccoli
From http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com

6-8 small/baby potatoes
2 cups broccoli florets
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Boil a large pot of water and boil the potatoes for 4-5 minutes. Remove from water and let cool. Once cooled, slice in half and combine soy sauce, broccoli florets, butter, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper along with half of the parsley. Mix thoroughly and place in an oiled baking. Place into the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and taste, re season with sea salt, cracked pepper, butter or soy sauce if needed. Enjoy.

Napa (Chinese) Cabbage Recipes

Chinese Noodle Soup with Cabbage
From Serving up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman

8 cups chicken/vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce, or to taste
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or sherry
6-12 mushrooms, chopped if large
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
3 garlic scapes (or cloves), minced
3 scallions, finely chopped
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound Chinese egg noodles
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 cups chopped cooked chicken, chopped (or 1 pound tofu, cubed)
4-6 cups Napa Cabbage, chopped
1 carrot, julienned
Chinese chili paste with garlic (optional)

Combine broth, soy sauce, rice wine, mushrooms, ginger, garlic, and scallions in a large saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and sesame oil and cook until the noodles are barely tender. Drain well and return the noodles to the pot to keep warm. Add the chicken/tofu, cabbage, and carrots to the broth and simmer for another 10 minutes, until the carrots are tender. To serve, place a nest of noodles in each bowl. Ladle the broth, vegetables, and chicken/tofu over the noodles and serve hot, passing the chili paste at the table for those who like a little spice in everything they eat.

Ginger Broccoli (and Napa Cabbage)
(see above in Broccoli Recipes)

New Potato Recipes

Herbed New Potatoes
From Serving up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman

2 pounds new potatoes, washed
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (dill, oregano, chives, savory, chervil, tarragon, parsley, marjoram, alone or in any combination)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring about an inch of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the potatoes in a steaming basket, cover, and steam for 25 to 35 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. Transfer the potatoes to a warmed serving bowl. Pour in the butter, and sprinkle the herbs and salt and pepper over the butter. Toss gently. Serve immediately.

Carrot, Fennel, & Potato Medley
From What’s Cooking Vegetarian by Jenny Stacy

For Vegetables:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 pound potatoes, cut into thin strips
1 fennel bulb, cut into thin strips
2 carrots, grated
1 red onion, cut into thin strips
Chopped chives and fennel fronds, to garnish

For Dressing:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic wine vinegar
1 garlic scape (or clove), chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons clear honey
Salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a skillet, add the potato and fennel slices, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until beginning to brown. Remove the vegetables from the skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Arrange the carrot, red onion, and potato/fennel mixture in separate piles on a serving platter. Mix the dressing and pour over the vegetables. Sprinkle with chopped chives and fennel and serve immediately or leave in the refrigerator until required. Delicious served with crusty bread to mop up the dressing.

Roasted Baby Potatoes & Broccoli
(see above in Broccoli Recipes)

Humble Vegetable Casserole
(see above in Broccoli Recipes)

Romaine Lettuce Recipe

Caesar Salad
From Shannon Raider, a former SIO Farmer

Note: If you like a little less intensity you can adjust the taste, just put in less garlic and anchovy.

1-2 head(s) romaine lettuce, washed and torn into salad-size pieces
3 garlic scapes (or cloves)
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tin of whole anchovy fillets
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2-6 shakes of Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons Worcester sauce
1 raw egg yolk or 1 coddled egg yolk*
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

In the bottom of the bowl that you will serve your salad into, work 3 scapes/cloves of garlic into a paste with 2 tablespoons olive oil and pinch of salt using two forks. Next, add half a tin (or one of those tiny jars) of whole anchovy fillets into the garlic paste in the same fashion. Adjust anchovy amount to your liking. Then add 1 tablespoon dry mustard, 2-6 shakes of Tabasco sauce and 2 tablespoons Worcester sauce. ( Whisk in the raw egg yolk or coddled egg yolk*. Whisk in 3/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup lime juice. ( Stir in grated Parmesan Cheese (at least a 1/4 cup, but I like a lot of cheese). ( Add salt and generous amounts of ground black pepper to taste. ( Pour dressing into a jar and toss salad in the well seasoned bowl, toss with as much dressing as you like. ( Extra dressing can be stored for up to one week in the refrigerator.

*Coddling causes the egg white to cook and leaves the yolk liquid. This sterilizes the egg of any bacteria that could contaminate. Bring egg to room temperature. Place the egg in a small bowl or mug and pour boiling water around the egg until it is covered. Let stand for exactly 1 minute. Immediately run cold water into the bowl.