* NOTE: We’re actually getting 1 or 2 large green onions in our share this week. I had assumed that we were getting the small ones, in large bunches, so adapt the recipes below to what you have. They will work just fine but you won’t have enough onions for the Black Pepper Tofu unless you grab another bunch at the market/store–which would be well worth it!
It’s not going to be so hot this week. Hurray! And we’re getting green onions—one of my very favorite items. I put them in most any salad or slaw, I often make Korean-style green onion pancakes as noted in week 2 (https://www.sauvieislandorganics.com/recipe/recipes-for-csa-week-2-4/) with them and this week Chard and Green Onion pancakes might be a nice variation.
The first cucumbers of the year will be wonderful in a simple salad of lettuce, some thinly sliced green onion and some grated carrot. Dress with a lemony vinaigrette or use rice vinegar and a little lime juice instead. Some toasted seeds or nuts are never amiss!
Green Curry with Summer Squash and Eggplant
New Potatoes and Indian-spiced Green Onions
Raita
Black Pepper Tofu with Scallions
Chard, Herb-roasted Chicken and Potatoes with Scallion Mint Vinaigrette
Carrot, Harissa and Feta Salad
Summer Squash Frittata
Thai Green Curry with Eggplant and Summer Squash
A quick curry, similar to ones you’ve seen here before but eggplant is a classic and very good ingredient so this is a good thing to do with the smaller quantity of eggplant you have this week. The curry is even better if you have kaffir lime leaves–Whole Foods and New Seasons and many Asian grocery stores typically have them. They freeze perfectly so if you see some but plenty and freeze for future curries. But don’t worry if you don’t have any.
Serves 4 (generously)
1-2 medium Japanese eggplants, halved and sliced into half rounds or diced
2 cups summer squash, cut into large dice or half-round slices
3-4 kaffir lime leaves (optional–see headnote)
1 – 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 heaping teaspoons (or to taste) green curry paste (Thai & True is a great local Oregon brand)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2-3 teaspoons fish sauce (can omit to make it vegetarian/vegan)
1 can coconut milk (full fat preferably but light will work too)
3 tablespoons basil, packed and roughly chopped
Salt to taste
Juice of half a lemon or lime (optional but good especially if you don’t have kaffir lime leaves)
White or brown cooked Jasmine or other long grain rice
Heat wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add ½ cup of coconut milk (use the thickest, part usually at the top of the can) and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally for 2-3 minutes. Add the curry paste, garlic and ginger and fry it for about 3-4 minutes until it’s fragrant. Then add the remainder of the coconut milk plus ½ can’s worth of water, lime leaves, if using, soy sauce and fish sauce. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and add the beans, eggplant and/or squash, if using, and simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the basil and cook for another minute or two. Adjust seasoning with a bit of salt or more soy sauce and/or fish sauce or salt if needed and finish with a generous squeeze of lime or lemon juice, if using. Serve hot over rice.
New Potatoes and Indian-spiced Green Onions
A lovely combination and the lemon juice ties it all together. You can play with the spices here and add turmeric, omit the chili flakes, add nigella seeds, etc. Have fun with it! And if you only have ground cumin and coriander you can substitute that with no problem though I love the crunch of the whole seeds.
Serves 4 as a side, 2 as a main with an egg or some such
1 ½ lb potatoes, scrubbed (no need to peel)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 bunch green onions (scallions), washed, trimmed and cut into about 2-inch lengths, greens and all
Salt
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
Juice of 1 lemon
Put the potatoes in a sauce pan and cover with water. Salt the water with about 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer until tender. If you have potatoes of varying size check them regularly and remove the smaller ones first as they get tender. Drain and roughly chop when cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil (or peanut or coconut oil) in a large skillet. Add the green onions and a few pinches of salt and cook over high heat until the onions begin to brown and blister a bit, about 3-5 minutes. Add the spices and stir well and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the spices are fragrant and toasted. Be careful not to burn the spices.
Put the potatoes in a serving dish. Top with the spiced onions, the lemon juice and remaining oil. Toss well and taste and adjust seasoning. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Raita
Raita is a cool yogurt and cucumber dish that’s used as a dip, topping, or sauce in Middle Eastern and Indian foods. It’s versatile, delicious and easy to make. You could spoon some of this over the potatoes and spiced green onions (above).
Yields about 1 1/4 cups
1 medium or 2 smallish cucumbers (you want about 2 cups grated cucumber)
½-2/3 cup of plain whole-milk yogurt or Greek yogurt
Juice 1 lemon
A little minced green onion
1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Pinch of ground cumin and ground coriander
Salt
Cut the cucumber(s) in half lengthwise (no need to peel). Scoop the seeds out with a spoon and then grate the cucumbers on the large holes of a box grater. You want small pieces so if they come out long, chop them a bit with a knife when you’re done. Squeeze some of the liquid out with your hands and place in a bowl. Sprinkle a little coarse salt on the garlic and mash with the side of a chef’s knife until you have a paste. Add this and all the remaining ingredients to the cucumbers. Gently mix and let stand for a few minutes so the flavors can come together.
You can serve this as a dip for pita (or other) chips. Serve it over rice with some steamed broccoli on the side. Serve it with roasted beets or with any Indian-inspired food.
Black Pepper Tofu with Green Onions
–adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
This dish takes some work but if you like strongly flavored spicy food it’s definitely worth it. Ottolenghi calls for three different kinds of soy sauce. I’ve made it with just plain old sauce and it was just fine. I now have the sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) and it does add something but really don’t worry about purchasing all three kinds.
Serves 4
1 3/4 lbs firm tofu
Vegetable oil for frying
Cornstarch to dust the tofu
4 tablespoons butter
½ bunch green onions, white and light green parts thinly sliced (the green parts to be used later in the dish)
3 Serrano chiles (deseeded unless you want it really hot), finely chopped
10 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
3 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
3 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2-3 tbsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns (use a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder)
6 more whole green onions, and the tops from the ones used earlier, cut into 1 1/4-inch segments
Start with the tofu. Pour enough oil into a large frying pan or wok to come 1/4 inch up the sides and heat. Cut the tofu into large cubes, about 1 x 1 inch. Toss them in some cornstarch and shake off the excess, then add to the hot oil. (You’ll need to fry the tofu pieces in a few batches so they don’t stew in the pan.) Fry, turning them around as you go, until they are golden all over and have a thin crust. As they are cooked, transfer them onto paper towels.
Remove the oil and any sediment from the pan, then put the butter inside and melt it. Add the greens onions (white/light green parts) chilies, garlic and ginger. Sauté on low to medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients have turned shiny and are totally soft. Next, add the soy sauces and sugar and stir, then add the crushed black pepper.
Add the tofu to warm it up in the sauce for about a minute. Finally, stir in the green onions and cook for another 2 minutues. Serve hot, with steamed rice.
Chard, Herb-roasted Chicken and Potatoes with Scallion Mint Vinaigrette
This is the loveliest platter of food—blanched chard and roasted chicken are dressed with the same, lemony, minty, green onion vinaigrette. You can also roast the potatoes and cook the chard and use perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs (cover eggs generously with cold water, bring to a boil, turn off heat and let sit in hot water for 8-9 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water) instead of chicken or you could use canned Oregon Albacore. The dressing is really what ties all together.
Serves 4
3 tablespoons sage, finely chopped
2 tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
1 large bone-in chicken breast half, preferably at room temperature (use eggs or Tuna instead—see headnote or use chicken legs or roast a whole chicken–it will just take a bit longer)
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 medium to large potatoes, well scrubbed and cut into thumb-sized chunks
1/3 cup water
1 large bunch chard, well washed and stems separated from leaves
Dressing
2 green onions, thinly sliced (greens and all)
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
6 tablespoons good olive oil (use the best you have)
8 sprigs mint, leaves picked and finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 450.
Mix the chopped rosemary, sage and salt with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl. Dry the chicken breast well. Use about half the herb mixture to cover the chicken on all sides, using your hands to thoroughly cover. Place chicken in an 8” x 13” baking dish.
Toss the potatoes with the remaining herb mixture and arrange the potatoes around the chicken. Add the 1/3 cup water and roast for 35 – 45 minutes. You can test the chicken by carefully cutting into the thickest part of the breast and checking for any pink flesh.
Meanwhile, stir together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning for salt. It should be quite tart so don’t be shy with the lemon juice.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (use about 1 tablespoon of salt for 3 quarts of water). Chop the chard stems into 1-inch pieces. Pile the chard leaves on top of each other and cut the leaves lengthwise once or twice (depending on how big the leaves are) and then cross-wise four or five times.
Add just the chard stems to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, then add the chard leaves and cook for another 2 minutes. Drain well and press out as much moisture as you can against the side of the colander. Return the chard and stems to the pan and cover to keep warm.
When the chicken is done carve the breast into slices. You might need to use your hands to carefully loosen the bottom of the slices from the breastbone. Arrange the chicken on a large platter with the potatoes and the chard and drizzle the chard and chicken generously with the shallot vinaigrette. You can certainly dress the potatoes too, if you have plenty of dressing.
Carrot, Harissa and Feta Salad
–adapted from smittenkitchen.com
This salad is addictive. And if you don’t have harissa in your pantry it will likely be a worthwhile addition (or you can make it yourself). It’s a wonderful addition to dressing and rubs and soups, etc.
Serves 4
about 1 pound carrots, scrubbed, trimmed and grated on the large holes of a box grater
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds or about half as much, ground (I used seeds but ground them first)
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds or about half as much, ground (I used the seed but ground them first, again)
1-2 teaspoons harissa (harissa varies widely in spice level; adjust yours to taste)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons mint, chopped
2 ounces feta, crumbled
In a small sauté pan, cook the garlic, caraway, cumin, and harissa in the oil until fragrant, about one to two minutes. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Pour over the carrots and mix. Add the herbs and mix. Leave to infuse for an hour and add the feta before eating.
Summer Squash Frittata
Whether you have just one zucchini/summer squash or three or four, they make a delicious frittata. And if you have lots of people to feed or want to stretch the eggs you have you can always add ½ cup -3/4 cup (or more) milk or even water to the egg mixture. Or if have you have a slice or two of bread lying around you can tear it into bit and add it to stretch the eggs and make it more hearty. The herbs are wonderful but you can skip in a pinch.
Serves 3 as an entrée 5-6 as a side.
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2-4 summer squash (see headnote), cut in half lengthwise and then thinly sliced cross-wise
2-3 tablespoons or more basil, parsley, oregano, etc. chopped
6-8 eggs (or whatever you have or want to use–see headnote)
Grated hard cheese or your choice or feta or goat cheese (optional)
Salt, pepper
Heat the 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 squash and a few generous pinches of salt and over med-high heat, stirring occasionally so as not to burn, until the squash is just tender and a bit browned.
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 more pinches of salt and several grinds of pepper and the herbs. Pour eggs over the vegetables and tilt the pan to evenly distribute the eggs. Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the eggs, if using. Cover and cook on medium heat for a few minutes. When the eggs are beginning to set take the pan off the heat and set under the broiler until the eggs are cooked and slightly puffed and golden.
Let the frittata sit for at least 5 minutes before cutting and serving. It will come out of the pan much more easily that way and is more flavorful. Serve with a slice of good, crusty bread and/or a salad.