I’m thrilled to be back here, creating and assembling ideas and recipes for the delicious SIO produce.
Cooking with a CSA share can be a liberating and creative experience. The decision of what raw materials are best has been made for you so you are left with mixing and matching and experimenting and eating! Many of the recipes and ideas I will provide throughout the season will encourage you to adapt the quantity or spice level or substitute different vegetables and herbs, etc. Your taste and experience will be your best guide and I look forward to hearing about how you use or don’t use these recipes. And I always welcome feedback and suggestions so please be in touch at Katherine@cookwithwhatyouhave.com.
And by all means use the radish tops, either in the pesto or in the frittata or in anything else you dream up. They have a little bite to them and are lovely both cooked and raw.
Happy spring and happy cooking!
Green Garlic/Garlic Scape Notes
Grilled Garlic Scapes and Fennel
Fennel Frond and Green Garlic Yogurt Sauce (for grilled veggies, salmon, etc.)
Chopped Salad with Bok Choi, Radish and Fennel with Tahini Yogurt Dressing
Green Salad with Radishes and Toasted Sunflower Seeds
Green Garlic/Scape and Kale Frittata
Garlic and Ginger Bok Choi
Green Garlic/Garlic Scape Notes:
Green garlic, the immature stalks and just forming bulbs that look much like green onions are sweet, mild and tender. You can use much of the stalk, but remove a few outer layers which can be fibrous, depending on the age of the green garlic. It looks like this week’s green garlic is on the larger side so just use the bottom few inches of the stalk, peeled of the few outermost layers.
Also this time of year hard neck garlic plants produce a flower stalk (though it doesn’t actually produce a flower) called scapes or whistles. Sometimes they are straight and sometimes quite curly. They are juicy and mild and much like green garlic can be used more liberally than mature garlic and are wonderful as a pesto or as additions to soups, sauces, egg and cheese dishes or stir fries.
Green garlic loves a gently sauté in a little butter; add some bread crumbs and some red pepper flakes and toast some more. Boil some pasta and toss is with the green garlic and crumbs and top with some Parmesan and a scattering of minced garlic scapes.
Green Garlic and Radish Top Pesto
You can use any part of the garlic—head, stalk, scape—in this pesto or a combination of all. I made a batch of garlic scape pesto this week (with 7 garlic scapes) to which I added 1 cup of parsley. It was delicious but quite spicy and strong.
I spread this on toast and topped it with chopped hard-boiled egg and pickled onion. I dressed pasta with it, thinned out with some hot, starchy pasta cooking water and I drizzled it, thinned out a bit, on canned Oregon Albacore.
For this week’s share adding the radish tops will mellow out the garlic a bit.
Makes about 1/2 cup to 1 cup, depending on how many radish tops you add.
1 (or 2) bunches radish tops/greens, washed and dried
Several garlic scapes
2-3 cloves green garlic and some of the stalk
½ cup parsley or basil (optional but very good)
2-3 tablespoons almonds or hazelnuts or walnuts
1 – 1 ½ ounces Parmesan or aged Asiago (Asiago Stella)
1/3 cup (or more) olive oil
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
Sea salt
Process everything in the food processor, adding the lemon juice and olive oil at the end. Process until everything is fairly smooth. Taste and adjust for salt and/or lemon juice. Add more oil if it’s too thick.
Grilled Garlic Scapes and Fennel
I grilled these three things this weekend–you don’t have scallions this week but the fennel and garlic scapes are perfect for grilling.
I grilled a big pan of garlic scapes, scallions and fennel slices on the bbq this weekend. I tossed them with just a little olive oil and sea salt and grilled until tender and blackened in places. We ate them as is or dipped into some of the garlic scape and fennel frond yogurt sauce. They were perfect—the scapes mellowing a bit and the fennel sweet and rich with just a little crunch left.
Fennel Frond and Green Garlic Sauce with Lemon (for grilled veggies, salmon, etc.)
I served this on grilled fennel and garlic scapes and with grilled salmon.
Makes about 3/4 cup sauce.
½ cup (or more) finely chopped fennel fronds
1 garlic scape, minced or 2 cloves green garlic with some of the stalk, minced
½ cup (or more) Greek yogurt (full fat preferably)
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ a lemon (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon good olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning. You want it good and lemony.
Chopped Salad with Bok Choy, Radish, Fennel and Tahini Yogurt Dressing
This is a robust, bright salad that is begging for seasonal adaptations, protein additions (leftover chicken) etc. And it’s good the next day, if a bit softer.
Serves 4 as a side.
3 cups finely sliced bok choi stems
3 cups thinly sliced bok choi leaves
1 bunch radishes, chopped or sliced
1 head fennel, trimmed and diced
Handful of fennel fronds, finely chopped
1-2 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped mint (optional)
1/3 cup toasted, chopped almonds or toasted sunflower seeds
Dressing
2 tablespoons Tahini (sesame paste)
2-3 tablespoons Greek Yogurt (or sour cream or mayonnaise)
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 garlic scape or 2 cloves green garlic, minced
Juice of 1 small-ish lemon
A tablespoon or so water or oil to thin if it’s too thick
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Place all chopped veggies in a large bowl. Whisk dressing ingredients until emulsified and smooth. Taste for seasoning. The dressing should be quite strong since it’s going to dress a lot of veggies. Toss veggies and seeds or nuts with dressing, mix well and taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.
Green Salad with Radishes and Toasted Sunflower Seeds
I try to keep toasted sunflower seeds on hand to add to salads (can do so for this one and the chopped one, above, this week) and other dishes.
However much washed, dried lettuce you want to use
Sliced or chopped radishes
¼ cup or more toasted sunflower seeds (15 minutes at 350 degrees with a little olive oil and salt)
A little minced green garlic or garlic scape
Lemon juice
Good olive oil
Salt and pepper
Toss everything together. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Green Garlic and Kale Frittata
This is one of my quickest, go-to dinners for a busy day. The options are literally infinite as to what to include. In this version green garlic and kale are the core, with a bit of feta. You could the radish tops too this week. This is wonderful the next day in sandwiches or as a snack. It’s just as good at room temperature as it is cold or warm. To make this a bit heartier, you could add potatoes cut into small dice that you cook with the green garlic.
Serves 4-5 as a side, 2-3 as a main.
3-4 cloves green garlic cloves and some stalk, outermost layers removed and a couple of scapes, washed and finely chopped
2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ½-inch dice (optional—see headnote)
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
6-8 eggs (or whatever you have or want to use)
1 bunch kale, washed and chopped (and radish tops, see headnote)
2 ounces feta or fresh goat cheese (optional—can omit choose or substitute some Parmesan or even sharp cheddar)
Salt, pepper
Heat the butter and oil in a heavy sauté pan or well-seasoned cast iron pan or non-stick (if it’s heatproof and can go in the oven). Add the green garlic/scapes and a few pinches of salt to pan and sauté over medium heat until they soften about 7-8 minutes. Add the kale and radish tops, if using, and turn up the heat to medium and sauté, stirring often, for about 5 minutes until tender and wilted.
Set your oven to broil.
Lightly whisk the eggs until they’re just broken up—no need to get them frothy or really well mixed. Add a few generous pinches of salt and several grinds of pepper and crumbled feta or goat cheese. Pour eggs over the vegetables and tilt the pan to evenly distribute the eggs. Cover and cook on medium heat for a few minutes. When the eggs begin to set around the edge take the pan off the heat and set under the broiler (uncovered) until the eggs are cooked and slightly puffed and golden.
Let sit for a few minutes before cutting and serving. It will come out of the pan much more easily that way. Serve with a slice of bread and salad.
Garlic and Ginger Bok Choi
–adapted from Food52
Quick and satisfying and good with rice.
Serves 4 as a side.
1 head bok choi, washed
3-4 cloves green garlic and/or some stalks and scapes, minced
1 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
Peanut oil (or other oil)
Salt
¼ – 1/3 cup dry white wine or water or broth/stock
Rice for serving, optional
Separate all the stalks from the base. If the stems are really wide cut them in half lengthwise and then into 3-inch lengths. Slice the greens into long, wide ribbons.
In a large skillet heat enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly for a about 2 minutes until fragrant and beginning to color. Add the bok choy stems and leaves and a few pinches of salt. Mix will with the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute. Add the liquid and stir well and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the stems are tender but still have some bite.
Serve hot over rice with some chili sauce if you’d like.