You have big, beautiful heads of Napa cabbage this week and if you’ve ever pondered making kimchi this might be the time. You can make a small batch and halve the recipe below if you’d like. You can also simply saute the cabbage with a bit of new garlic and ginger and finish with a little soy sauce for a quick side dish.
Green Curry with Broccoli
Napa Cabbage and Fennel Slaw with Toasted Sunflower Seeds
Napa Cabbage with Hot Bacon Dressing
Kimchi
“Dinner” Salad with Romaine, Hardboiled Eggs and New Potatoes
Farcous (Savory Chard and Parsley Pancakes)
Italian Parsley sauce aka Salsa Verde I & II
Green Curry with Broccoli
This is the simplest of curries. Just a few ingredients and the broccoli and garlic shine. I love to make this dish in the spring when new garlic is in the CSA share.
You can certainly add chunks of firm tofu or chicken to the curry if you’d like. Do so towards the end, just to warm through (the chicken would need to be already cooked).
Serves 4
About 3-4 cups broccoli florets and chopped stems
4 cloves young garlic, thinly sliced
1 can coconut milk (full fat)
2 – 4 teaspoons green curry paste depending on desired heat level (Thai and True is my favorite and a local product)
1 2/3 cup water (1 can’s worth of water)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Juice of 1 lime
Basil (optional)
Rice (for serving)
Everyone’s taste varies so experiment with the amount of curry paste. 2 teaspoons gives the dish a mild to medium kick and 3 is about medium.
Add the curry paste and ¾ teaspoon of salt to a large soup pot along with about ¼ cup of the thickest part of the coconut milk and the garlic. Coconut milk is often partially solidified at room temperature and you want to use the thickest (or solid) part for this early stage though if it’s all uniform, which it sometimes is, just use 1/4 cup and call it good. Over medium heat cook the curry paste and garlic in that small amount of coconut milk for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Then add the remainder of the coconut milk and one can’s worth of water and bring the curry to a simmer. Add the broccoli and cook for about 4-5 minutes until its tender but still bright green. If you have basil, add a handful of whole leaves at this point. Taste the curry and season with additional salt if needed. Finish with the juice of the lime and serve hot, over rice.
Napa Cabbage and Fennel Slaw with Toasted Sunflower Seeds
Napa cabbage makes wonderful slaw. It’s sweet, tender and a nice foil for most any herbs, spices, other veggies and dressing-types. This one uses lots of items from your share—fennel, parsley, radishes (if you have any leftover from last week—which I do). Use any seed or nut you have on hand. A quick toasting in the oven lends lots of flavor and crunch. I tend to toast 2 cups worth of sunflower seeds at a time to have on hand for just such salads.
You can also scale this up or down, as needed for your number of eaters, appetite size, etc.
Serves 4
4-5 cups Napa cabbage, thinly sliced (cut the cabbage in half or quarters, lengthwise and then slice thinly crosswise.)
1 head fennel (or more), trimmed, halved lengthwise and very thinly sliced
5 radishes, cut into match sticks
2 scallions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds
½ Serrano chile, minced (optional)
½ cup toasted sunflower seeds (tossed with a little olive oil and salt and roasted at 350 for about 12-15 minutes until deep golden
Vinaigrette
Juice of 1 lemon or 2 tablespoons cider or red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons or so olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
Toss the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over salad and toss well. Taste adjust seasoning with more lemon/vinegar and/or salt, if needed.
Napa Cabbage with Hot Bacon Dressing
–adapted from Food52 by Amanda Hesser
This is delicious and one of my favorite ways to eat Napa cabbage. Trust that the sauce will come together. The egg works wonders.
Serves 4 to 6
1 small-ish Napa cabbage, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (you’ll need 6 to 8 cups)
4 thick slices bacon, cut into 1/ 4-inch strips
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons red wine or cider vinegar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
Place the cabbage in a large salad bowl or on a platter. Cook the bacon in a medium skillet until fat is rendered and the bacon browned. Remove the bacon and set aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat (approximate, don’t measure) from the pan.
Set the pan over medium low heat. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and water and bring to a boil. Season with the salt. Gradually–and very slowly– whisk this mixture into the egg–you don’t want the egg to curdle.
Sprinkle the bacon on the cabbage, then pour 3/4 of the dressing over the cabbage and toss to mix. Add more dressing as desired. I think it’s good with plenty of dressing. Serve with a big green salad, some roasted potatoes and a cold beer, if you’re so inclined.
Kimchi
–adapted from Tigressinapickle.com
There are entire books on this wonderful Korean condiment and it can be made with many different kinds of vegetables, spices and aromatics. Here is a fairly classic, basic version that uses the traditional Napa cabbage. I sometimes halve this recipe which works well too.
Kimchi-making does not have to be exact. It’s best to taste as you go. Here are the approximate ratios that I have found work best for me.
- 1 part root vegetable(s) for every 5 parts cabbage. I use carrots, but turnips, daikon, radishes and the “honorary root” kohlrabi also work well.
- for every 5 pounds of cabbage and roots I add the following:
1 bunch green onions/scallions – white and green parts
1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons dried chile pepper (korean pepper is the most common of course, but i have found aleppo pepper to be a perfect substitute. If either are hard to find for you, mix hungarian (sweet) paprika two to 1 with cayenne and you’ll approximate the level of heat.)
2 large cloves garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar - 1/4 cup sea salt per quart of water for brine. (I use coarse sea salt, if yours is fine, it should be a scant 1/4 cup). note on water: chlorinated water can inhibit fermentation. It’s best to use spring or distilled water. Approximately 3 quarts of brine are needed for every 5 pounds of cabbage and roots.
Equipment:
- for every 5 pounds of cabbage and roots you will need a 1 gallon container (or 2 half gallons/4 quarts) for the fermentation process. I use a 1 gallon jar.
- you’ll also need a few large bowls or containers to soak the vegetables overnight.
This is the basic technique:
- clean and core cabbage, chop into approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces. Clean roots (Carrots, daikon, etc.) and slice very thin. I like to use a mandoline for this.
- make brine by combining salt and water. I make it in 1/2 gallon jars, shaking the jar until the salt dissolves.
- soak the cabbage and roots overnight in brine. Fill the containers with cabbage and roots and press down. Add some brine, cover with a plate and press down some more. add more brine as needed to submerge completely. Keep plate on top overnight and let it sit out at room temperature. After 8-12 hours drain the cabbage & roots, reserving most of the brine.
- chop up all of the aromatics and add sugar, mix together. combine this mixture with the drained cabbage and roots. If you are doing a large batch it is better to break it up into a few bowls to evenly combine.
- fill your fermentation containers with the mixture. Do not pack it too high or too tight, 3/4 full is perfect. add some of the leftover brine to cover completely. You will not need all of the brine.
- if you are using a crock with weights, place the weights on top of the mixture to submerge. If you are using glass jars, I use the plastic bag method–fill a ziploc bag with extra brine and seal it. Use this to weigh down the vegetables so they stay submerged. It’s good to check the kimchi once a day and give it a little stir with a wooden spoon to push any pieces that might have escaped to the top back in.
- ideally the fermentation container will be in a moderately warm environment, low 70′s is perfect. At that temperature it will take approximately 5-6 days to complete fermentation. I’ve definitely made batches in cooler weather and they were just fine but took a bit longer.
- taste! don’t be afraid to taste everyday! 2 or 3 days into it you will notice the bite of raw vegetable has dissipated. A day or two after, when you remove the weight, you’ll smell the sweetest, most delicious smell. then you’ll know your nearing the end of the fermentation process. It’s really up to you and your taste buds to decide on when it is ‘done’. Note: if something has gone wrong there is usually no question, your nose will know. It will smell bad. But this has never happened to me, and if you make sure your utensils, vessels and hands are clean it shouldn’t happen to you either.
- transfer to storage jars and store in the fridge for up to a year or even more. Technically speaking the fermentation process is still happening only at a much slower rate due to the lower temperature in your refrigerator.
“Dinner” Salad with Romaine, Hardboiled Eggs and New Potatoes
I love to add various cooked things to lettuce-based salads, in this case boiled eggs and new potatoes. You can add leftover chicken or bacon, a la Cobb Salad if you’d like.
Serves 4, depending on whatever else you’re serving
8 cups romaine, washed, dried and chopped into bite-sized pieces
2-3 medium potatoes, scrubbed and boiled until just tender and then cut into small-ish dice
2-3 hardboiled eggs (I cover eggs w/ cold water, bring to a boil, turn off heat and let sit covered for 9-10 minutes, then drain and cover with cold water), roughly chopped
½ cup parsley leaves
¼ cup thinly sliced red (or other) onion or 2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 head fennel (or more), trimmed, halved lengthwise and very thinly sliced
Vinaigrette
Juice of 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Put the salad ingredients in a large bowl or platter. Whisk the dressing ingredients until well mixed and pour over salad. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Farcous (Savory Chard and Parsley Pancakes)
–adapted from Around my French Table by Dorie Greenspan
These are an absolute cinch to make if you have a food processor. It takes 5 minutes to make the batter and a bit longer to fry them but they are so addictive. These are made all over Southwest France and I’m sure with variations of herbs and greens, but most typically they are made with chard, parsley and chives.
They also keep and freeze well and make great snacks. You can also experiment with different flours and combinations of flours if you’d like. Half whole wheat flour works well and I imagine spelt flour would too as would gluten free blends.
This recipe makes a lot of pancakes so you can cut it in half or make the whole thing and just leave some of the batter for the next day.
Scant 2 cups whole milk
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (see heanote)
3 eggs
½ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
½- 3/4 cup parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chives, chopped (optional)
1 bunch Swiss chard leaves, washed, shaken dry and center rib and stems removed (can save for other use)
Salt (these need a lot of salt! Start with 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt. Taste the first pancake (or the batter) and add more if they’re bland. They really need salt to lift up the flavors of the herbs and greens)
Freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil or olive oil for pan-frying
For optional topping: a little salt, lemon zest and juice stirred into plain Greek or whole milk yogurt or just plain yogurt.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees and place a baking sheet in the oven.
Put milk, flour, eggs, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Mix until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Add the chard leaves to the batter (little by little if you don’t have a lot of space) and blend, but don’t over blend. The mixture does not need to be homogenous and is better with a bit of variation in size of the chard leaf pieces.
You can make these pancakes large, like crepes (and use a crepe pan if you have one) or smaller, like regular pancakes. Pour about 1 tablespoon of oil into your pan (less if it’s a crepe/non-stick pan) and heat over medium-high heat. Add the batter to the pan for whatever size pancakes you’re making and cook until for a few minutes until the edges begin to brown and curl. Flip them over and cook them for a couple more minutes until evenly browned. Place in warm oven while you make the remainder of the pancakes.
These are wonderful with a dollop of yogurt (especially Greek yogurt) to which you can add a bit of lemon zest and little lemon juice. Make a green salad and you have a lovely dinner.
Italian Parsley sauce aka Salsa Verde
This is a versatile, zippy Italian sauce. I often just make it with parsley, garlic, lemon juice or vinegar, oil and salt but the addition of capers and little onion makes it even more fun. Some versions include a couple of anchovies so by all means use them if you have them. And some include a hard boiled egg, the yolk mashed and combined with the other ingredients and the white, finely chopped and stirred in at the end.
You don’t need to use a food processor and I actually prefer the slightly rougher texture of it when all is chopped by hand but I often use the processor.
1 medium bunch parsley, well washed and stems removed (but don’t bother picking all the leaves off the remaining stems)
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon (optional)
1 small shallot or chunk of onion, finely diced (optional)
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed (optional) and chopped up a bit
2 small garlic cloves, minced
½ cup good olive oil, or more
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or white or red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Either finely chop everything and zest the lemon (if using) and mix well or combine all the ingredients except the oil in the food processor and pulse until fairly uniformly and finely chopped. You don’t want to end up with a puree so don’t overdo it. Drizzle in the olive oil and pulse a couple more times. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper, lemon juice or vinegar if needed.
Salsa Verde—Suggestions for using it:
- Drizzle generously over roasted veggies (very good with roasted cauliflower)
- Use as a spread for sandwiches
- Dress hardboiled eggs, canned Oregon Albacore and boiled potatoes
- Use as a dressing for a pasta or rice salad
- Dress white beans with it or stir it into a white bean puree for a delicious spread
- Stir a few tablespoons into a soup when serving.
- Delicious with sautéed shrimp or other seafood or beef