Mustard Green Notes
Mustard Greens with Cilantro, Rice and Ginger
Mixed Veggie Japanese Pancakes (turnips, broccoli, beet greens, scallions)
Korean Scallion Pancakes
Beet Notes and Beet Sandwiches
Pureed Beets with Yogurt and Za’atar
Indian-inspired Spinach and Potatoes
Such good things this week–I have a feeling I say that every week. Pick up a bunch or two of cilantro this week when you’re out since several of my favorite dishes in this packet call for it. If you make just one thing, make the Mixed Veggie Pancakes. Happy cooking!
Mustard Green Notes
I love, love, love mustard greens. They have a wonderful bite but are so fresh and tender and even the stems are tender so you can use them both raw and cooked. They do tend to spoil more quickly than other greens, I find, so use them as soon as you can. I like adding them to green salads, raw, cut into thin ribbons. I also think they are particularly good with eggs (thinly sliced on egg salad sandwiches) and other rich ingredients. The rice recipe below is wonderful and a good way to use up a lot of mustard greens if you need to get through them.
Mustard Greens with Cilantro, Rice and Ginger
–inspired by Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
This is an incredibly good use for the mustard greens. Don’t be deceived by the small amount of rice. This makes quite a good quantity. And it’s absolutely wonderful with a fried or poached egg on top the next day (or the first time around). And the rice will cook through with the moisture still clinging to the mustard greens.
And if you have a half share and only get one bunch of mustard greens, you can make this with one bunch and add your beet greens or some spinach or just use fewer greens and add a couple of tablespoons of water to the pan when you add the greens (since there will be less water clinging to leaves if you’re using fewer greens).
2 bunches mustard greens (or one bunch mustard plus beet greens or spinach—see headnote)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
1 onion, diced
1/3 c white rice (I usually use basmati), raw
2 tablespoon finely chopped, fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Pimenton (smoked paprika) or regular if that’s what you have
1 cup cilantro steams and leaves, chopped
Salt
Greek yogurt and lemon juice for serving
Wash and chop greens, but don’t dry.
Heat oil in wide pan over medium neat. Add onion, rice, ginger, cumin and paprika and stir to coat with oil. Cook for two minutes then add cilantro and mustard greens. Sprinkle with 1 to 1 ½ teaspoon salt, cover pan and cook until volume has reduced, 10-15 minutes. Give everything a stir, reduce heat to low, cover again and cook slowly for 30 minutes or so. There should be enough liquid in the pan, but check a couple of times to make sure the rice isn’t sticking, adding a few tablespoons of water if so.
When greens are tender, serve with yogurt and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Mixed Veggie Japanese Pancakes
I just made this variation of Okonomiyaki, the Japanese Cabbage Pancakes I rave about here frequently. These were even better. And Sauvie Island Organics member Jessica Roberts reminded me of a recipe on smittenkitchen.com that used a variety of vegetables in this kind of pancake. It IS the perfect CSA recipe in that you can use whatever bits and pieces you have on hand. I made these with kohlrabi, carrots, spring onions, a few leaves of chard and broccoli. I use my Okonomiyaki batter and sauce which are quite different that the Smittenkitchen ones but if you’re curious you can look up that one here.
And this is just a template—mix and match as you wish. And my family of three eats this, and only this, for dinner when I’m short on time. A salad would be a great addition though.
Makes about 15-18 4-5-inch pancakes
2 cups broccoli, finely chopped (like ¼-1/2-inch pieces), stems and florets
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
3-4 turnips, cut into matchsticks or grated on the large holes of a box grater (I prefer matchsticks since grating makes the batter a bit wet but either way will work)
3 cups mustard greens or beet greens, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves and stems, chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
4-5 eggs
Scant ½ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
Oil for pan frying
Sauce:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Sriracha or other spicy chili sauce
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
In a large bowl whisk the eggs with the flour, salt, sesame oil and soy sauce into a fairly smooth, thin batter. There may well be a few lumps but they will work themselves out so don’t worry about them.
Add all the vegetables and herbs and mix well. Taste for seasoning. You’d be surprised how much salt they need.
Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of oil in the largest skillet you have over medium high heat. I make my pancakes about 5 inches in diameter but make them as big or small as you like. You can one very large one and then cut it into wedges. Cook about 3 minutes on either side until nicely browned an crisp. Proceed with the remaining batter. You can keep them warm in a 250 degree oven.
Mix together the mayonnaise, Sriracha and soy sauce and serve the pancakes topped with the sauce.
Korean-inspired Scallion Pancakes
I plant lots of scallions in my little garden so I have them whenever I need them. Both Chinese and Koreans make scallions pancakes, the former is more of a flatbread and there’s no egg involved and it’s a bit more of a project. Have a look here if you’d like to make them: I highly recommend this recipe.
The Korean version (of which of course there are many) is quicker and is more of a crepe-like batter. And the ratio of batter to vegetable is much higher than in the veggie pancakes above.
The batter is best if you can let it sit for at least 20 minutes before frying the pancakes.
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups flour
1 bunch scallions, washed, trimmed, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced into 2-inch length (green parts too)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
Oil for panfrying
In a large bowl whisk the eggs, flour, water and salt until smooth. Add the scallions and incorporate. Let the batter rest.
Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add a thin coat of oil (olive, sunflower, peanut, . . .). Traditionally the pancakes are made large, like a crepe, covering the whole surface of the pan and then cut into wedges for serving. I sometimes do that and sometimes make them small, pancake-sized.
So spoon in however much batter you want and cook the pancakes for about 3 minutes on one side until golden brown and then flip and continue cooking another minute or two until the other side is done.
Serve with soy sauce or this spicy dipping sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or about 2 teaspoons Sriracha or other hot chilli sauce)
1/2 tablespoon scallions, thinly sliced
1 small clove garlic, minced
Stir all ingredients together and serve with the scallion pancakes.
Beet Notes and Beet Sandwiches
Boil or roast all your beets (see below recipe). If you have enough, save out one or two to make sandwich or two. I’ve been eating beet sandwiches lately, sometimes with sliced hardboiled egg and homemade mayonnaise and sometimes with goat cheese and sometimes with kimchi and cheddar. I do put most anything on a sandwich and usually I like the result.
Toast some good, crusty bread. Mash up some fresh goat cheese with some minced garlic or or do the same with butter or mayonnaise (homemade or store bought). Spread bread generously with mixture. Sprinkle on a few slices of scallion, layer sliced roasted or boiled beets on top and sprinkle with sea salt. Add a layer of spinach or lettuce and sprinkle with salt. Add some sliced hardboiled egg or anything else that strikes your fancy and a drizzle of olive oil. Top with another slice of bread or eat open faced. As you can tell I think sandwich contents should be salted and oiled. Enjoy!
Pureed Beets with Yogurt and Za’atar
–adapted from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sam Tamimi
This is a gorgeous, easy to make and elegant dish. I just eat it by the spoonful and spoon it into warm pita bread. It makes quite a bit so halve the recipe if you’d like but go ahead and roast all 6 beets while you’re at it and use half for something else.
6 medium beets (1 1/2 pounds), trimmed and scrubbed
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 small Serrano chile, seeded and minced
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon za’atar (middle-eastern spice mix including hyssop and sesame seeds—I found it at People’s co-op recently). You can substitute a mixture of dried thyme and toasted sesame seeds.
Salt
1/4 cup roasted skinned hazelnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Preheat the oven to 350°. Put the beets in a small roasting pan and add 1/4 cup of water. Cover with foil and bake for about 1 hour, until tender. Let cool slightly.
Peel the beets, cut into wedges and transfer to a food processor. Add the garlic, chile and yogurt and pulse until blended. Add the olive oil, maple syrup and za’atar and puree. Season with salt. Scrape into a wide, shallow bowl. Scatter the hazelnuts, goat cheese and scallions on top and serve with bread.
Indian-inspired Spinach and Potatoes
–adapted (only very slightly) from Tender by Nigel Slater
You can halve this recipe if you have or only want to use one, not two bunches of spinach. This recipe makes quite a lot.
Serves 3 as a main or 5-6 as a side
4 medium potatoes, Yukon or other waxy kind, scrubbed and cut into large-ish chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 medium onion, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2-inch chunk of ginger, finely chopped
½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 medium bunches spinach, well-washed and chopped, stems and all
Salt and pepper
Fresh lemon juice
Greek yogurt, for serving (optional)
Cook potatoes in salted water until tender (shouldn’t take more than 6-7 minutes). Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet heat the oil or butter and sauté the onions until starting to brown. Add the garlic, ginger and spices and stir well. Cook for a few more minutes until fragrant and a bit toasty. Add ½ cup or so of water and the reserved potatoes. Stir well and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and stir well and cook for just a few minutes until wilted. If the spinach gives off a lot of liquid turn up the heat and cook most of it off. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice. Top with Greek yogurt if you’d like.