Uh, well, we were a little flaky with our veggie share last week. I don’t know what we ate, but it wasn’t a whole lot of vegetables. My husband made a saute mix of chicken livers/gizzards from a BoBo Chicken with some kale, cremini mushrooms that came out kind of weird so I’m not even going to go any further other than I ate it.

So, on a way more delicious note, PLGCSA Member and Board Member Pavani Thagirisa sent me this recipe (modified) of what she did with her share. She is an excellent cook and so this is probably guaranteed to be tasty!

Spinach/Kale/Chard Dal

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The first week of the CSA. . .

It’s always a little bit of a transition to go from “choice of vegetables” to eating what the farmer gives us. I have to admit, sometimes not having a choice is kind of nice. The farmer gives you your veggies for the week and then you just gotta deal and eat ‘em.

This week we got FOUR heads of lettuce, bok (pac) choy, tatsoi—er, basically, a lot of greens and some radishes. Well, we haven’t eaten the bok choi or tatsoi, but FOUR heads of lettuce? Luckily, we split our share with our neighbor, but she doesn’t like salad (yeah, I know. . .), but their parakeets do! For us, we had a dinner with some friends so it was perfect for a salad for 4 adults and two kids.

The random salad I made was with what I had. Just take any veg you have, wash and cut it into thin slices on a diagonal (in this case, it was romaine and green leaf lettuce, carrots, cuke, purple onion). Call me picky, but I’m not a fan of salads that have cubed veggies in them. I thinly sliced the radishes and added those too and had some sunflower seeds and added those (any nut will do).

I also had some croutons I made from some old bread (perfect use for bread going stale). Croutons are extremely easy to made and so gratifying. Just cube up day-old bread (not the pre-sliced kind, but that might work), toss with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. You can add any dried herb (oregano or italian spice work nice or lemon salt) too. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, tossing them half way through and store in an air tight container. It’s really so nice to have.

For salad dressing, we only use olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The proportions are 2 parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar, but if you like more tart and less oil, then change it up. I added 1/2 a squeezed lemon to this dressing and it felt extra summer-y.

Grind some pepper over the salad, add some semi-soft cheese like ricotta salada, goat or feta and it’s a meal.

Considering we’re getting another share tomorrow, we are probably gonna have a “eat it or compost it” moment. More on that later. . .

Now that we are starting our CSA season, at times, we get vegetables that we don’t normally eat, haven’t seen before or are just “tired of.” The CSA is a great opportunity to branch out and try new things or reinvent old standards. Here are some links to sites that I have used to experiment or find new ways to cook vegetables. I have had great success with each one. If you have a recipe you love and would like to share, please send it to comm@plgcsa.org. We hope to feature specific recipes in the future.

1. Epicurious.com
This site is the archives of Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines (both owned by the same company) with user ratings and level of difficulty. Just type in an ingredient and find many, many recipes that include it. I’ve used it for Thanksgivings, vegetarian recipes, potato and leek soup, random ingredients I have that I need to put together into something edible, and quick 15 minute recipes.

2. Allrecipes.com
This site is like having everyone’s recipe box at your fingertips. Many of the recipes have that home-cooked feel and there are user reviews and ratings with suggestions on improvements. We found several baked buffalo wing recipes here and a gyro loaf.

3. The New York Times Dining Section
For the foodie in you, there are reviews, recipes (from Mark Bittman, among others), and stories. The NYT Magazine also has a (very small) food section but has some excellent recipes. This recipe for Guinness Pot Pie is really amazing (but skip making the trotters and you can make it all veg by using tofu!).

This is a super easy recipe, adapted from The Joy of Cooking, for a soup that uses the Kale and Potatoes we’re expecting this week. See the bottom of the recipe for tips on making it vegetarian.

Saute in olive oil in a large soup pot until tender but not browned:

• 1 med onion, chopped
  
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Stir in and bring to a boil:

• 8 cups of water (or 6 cups water + 2 cups chicken broth)
  
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
  
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Reduce the heat once it comes to a boil and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or the potatoes are soft. Remove the pot from heat and use a potato masher to mash the potatoes right in the pot. Alternately you could use an immersion blender, but I prefer a coarser chunky texture.

In a separate skillet, cook in olive oil until browned:

• 6 oz linguica or chorizo sausage

• 4 cups shredded kale

Simmer for 5 more minutes then stir in:

• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Serve with warm crusty bread

Some alternatives:

For a vegetarian version, add the spiciness with some dried chiles or a jalepeno instead of the chorizo. Add a little extra garlic and use vegetable broth for extra flavor.

Try adding some shredded cabbage at the same time as the Kale

We had a cooking demo with Kate Strassman of Kate’s Renegade Aboveground Kitchen (KRAK). Kate showed us how to make her excellently tasty and flavorful Coconut Corn Soup and her all-purpose quick and easy dressing. Recipes are below.

The Coconut Corn Chowder was quick and easy and had complex flavors of ginger, chili, garlic, coconut and vegetables. This soup is also vegan. The soup base, as Kate mentioned, makes a good base for any kind of soup you want to make b/c you can really add whatever vegetables you have on hand. Kate prefers the heaviest coconut milk you can find and I would agree, that the fattier, the creamier! The finishing touch is a good dose of minced cilantro.

Kate’s Dressing, equally simple yet complex in flavor, can be used as an alternative to butter or olive oil on steamed vegetables or salad. We also thought it would taste great with pasta or any starch if you are looking for a good quick meal. The Bragg’s is like soy sauce (salty and vinegary) but is a little thinner and has good amino acids in it. Nutritional yeast, similar to brewers yeast is full of B vitamins and has a nutty, cheesy flavor. So, the dressing is good for you!

One interesting nutritional note that Kate pointed out about oils is that not all oils are created equal. Oils that are processed correctly will not seem “oily.” For example, she pointed out that if you were washing out a bottle that had high quality refined oil in it, you would not need a lot of soap. She also pointed out that you should not use olive oil for high temperature frying/sautes. Not only is it a low temperature oil (it will smoke and burn at high temps), it can also be carcinogenic!

On a sad note, Kate is leaving us in PLG and Brooklyn at the end of October. Fortunately for her, she will be going to India at the end of the year to teach English! No doubt she will be eating and cooking (and teaching) her way through the country! Best of luck to you Kate! I feel fortunate to have been able to get to know you a little!!!!

THANKS KATE!

============= Coconut Corn Chowder =============
base:
1 can fatty coconut milk (no light stuff!)
3 tablespoons canola, peanut, or coconut oil (not olive oil! it’s just not right for this recipe!)
2 onions
5 cloves garlic
1-2 inches grated ginger
2 tsp chili flakes
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
2-3 tsp salt
cilantro

optional, but yummy:
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp smoked paprika
12 curry leaves

veggies!
3-4 ears of corn* (a must)

plus optional combos of these:
1-2 small zucchini
1 bell pepper of sorts
tomatoes are yummy
scallions or red onions
slivered collards, chard, kale

Coarsely chop your onions, garlic, and ginger.

Heat oil in the bottom of your medium sized soup pot, and add cumin, mustard, and chili flakes. Sauté until the seeds start to sputter and change color. (medium high heat) Add ginger, garlic, curry leaves and onions– Sauté until onions are translucent.

Pour in the coconut milk, plus 2 - 3 more cans of water. Add salt, turmeric, smoked or regular paprika. If you are cooking with collards or zucchini (half-inch cubes), add them at this point since they take a little longer to cook. Also, if you want to make this extra hearty, you could add a can of rinsed and strained chick peas at this point in time. Stir and cover, (medium heat), let broth bubble and infuse itself with yumminess for about 8 minutes.
While this is happening, shuck your corn, and with a sharp knife carefully sliver off the corn kernels from the  cob into a bowl. Mince your pepper into little cubes, tomatoes, onions, and chard or kale. Add all the veggies into the bubbling pot. And stir for just a minute, then turn off burner and remove from heat. This is what makes this soup delicious– crunchy, still tender vegetables. Do not overcook! Mince your cilantro, stir in it in, and Enjoy!

============= Kate’s Dressing =============
Do not cook with this. Simply dress steamed vegetables, tofu, or salads:

Find a clean jar or bottle.
Fill it 1/3 way with flax oil
Fill it 1/3 more with Bragg’s liquid aminos
Then 1/4 more with apple cider vinegar
Add 3 minced garlic cloves
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons black pepper

shake! keep in fridge.

I just love this recipe for Tzatziki from The Joy of Cooking. It’s a cucumber and yogurt salad that can be used as a dip or spread, or even eaten with a spoon. I’ve left out the step of draining the yogurt and instead specified that you use Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is much richer and creamier than regular yogurt because it has already been strained of excess whey. I’m convinced the garlic mashing step is key to the amazingly tasty and refreshing dip that this makes.

Tzatziki (4-6 servings)

• 2 cups Greek yogurt
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• salt
• 2-3 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 teaspoons snipped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil

Toss the diced cucumber together with 1 Tsp of salt in a colander. Let it stand and drain for 30 min, then press the excess water out, quickly rinse, and blot dry.

Meanwhile, chop the garlic, then mash it together with 2-3 pinches of salt using the flat of your knife against the cutting board, until a paste is formed.

Combine the cucumber, yogurt, garlic mash, herbs, and vinegar in a bowl, adding salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the top with 1 Tblsp olive oil.

Serve with pita bread, fried zucchini, an indian curry, fried green tomatoes, cucumber sticks, or salmon.

Last year I would often pick up my share towards the end of distribution and would see bags and bags of leftover celery. The poor celery was so often passed on by members who just didn’t know what to do with it. I would always take my share of it only to have it sit in my crisper uneaten. Big beautiful green and purple heads with more flavor than I ever tasted before, being accustomed to  the watery white crunch of the grocery store kind.

We got this season’s first heads of celery a couple weeks ago. So in anticipation of the abundance we saw of this vegetable last year I thought I’d gather some ideas and recipes for us. 

Celery belongs to the Umbelliferae family whose other members include carrots, fennel, parsley and dill. It’s a great source of vitamin C and contains an active compound called pthalides, which can help lower cholesterol. And it’s true that celery has negative calories!

When grown conventionally, celery is in the top ten list of vegetables on which pesticide residues have been most frequently found; yet another reason to celebrate our organic and biodynamic CSA!

Storage: 

Celery is often refrigerated in plastic bag in crisper, but many swear by tinfoil wrapping for this veggie, saying it lasts much much longer.

Wilted ribs can be crisped by placing them in ice water for several minutes.Use the leaves as soon as possible as they do not keep as well as the stalks

101 Ways To Enjoy Celery

• Ants on a Log: celery spread with peanutbutter and topped with raisins
• spread with cream cheese
• stuffed with an anchovy
• try out a celery soup recipe: classic, curried, curried with miso and shitake
• diced into tuna (or salmon) salad
• use the leaves in place of parsley 
• Bloody Mary’s
• in fact, use it as a stirrer for any drink! (except an egg cream)
• add to a stir fry
• dipped into hummus
• dipped into ranch dip
• an excuse to indulge in lobster or shrimp salad (chop up a few stalks, mix it with the shellfish meat, mayo, salt & papper, eat in a hot dog bun)
• chopped into chicken salad
• cut the stalks into handy sizes, store in a baggie, use in place of nicotine gum
• use the leaves in home fried potatoes
• chop it and mix with diced radish, onion, dill, and mayo. Serve with some tasty Whitefish Salad from Russ & Daughters
• chop the base off and grow it as a house plant
• use diced stalks to add crunch to homemade salsa (or to brighten store bought)
• Make a celery, apple, pecan salad. Eat it with blue cheese dressing.
• make the classic mirepoix by using it with carrots and onions as the base of soups, sauces, stews, and stocks
• celery pilaf
• if all else fails, chop the stalks up, bag and freeze them for later use in cooked recipes (not for later raw eating as freezing will affect the texture)

I used to think that bacon was just another pork product. That is until I read an article in the New York Times Magazine a couple of years ago about a very special bacon smoked here in NYC by Schaller and Weber on 86th and 2nd Ave. The article was accompanied by a very nice detail shot of some beautiful bacon

After reading said article, we acquired some of this pretty pork and true to the photo, it is the best bacon I have ever had. It is double smoked and does not come precut so you can cut it however you like, for whatever meal you are going to need it for. Seriously, after eating it, I thought about it for the rest of the day. Some people might find it too strong, but I find the smoke, fat, salt and meat combo just to my liking. It’s not like your storebought bacon–mostly fat. It is like the American version of pancetta or something.

The most recent issue of Cooks Illustrated reviewed artisanal Applewood smoked bacon. They ranked Vande Rose Farms Artisan Dry Cured Bacon their highly recommended pick. But it’s $14 for 12 ounces plus shipping ($20). Schaller and Weber’s bacon is roughly $10/pound. Plus they have some meat stick thing called TV Snack. Picture it to be a nice german Slim Jim.

Anyway, I’m not really writing about just bacon (but I have been thinking about it a lot). Really, I am writing to pass along a recipe for Kale/Chard that is cooked with bacon since our CSA has been getting the kale/chard combo consistently throughout the season.

This recipe takes about 15-20 minutes to make. It’s really tasty. If you don’t eat bacon for whatever reason, I can’t help you–it wouldn’t be the same without it. We discovered variations of this recipe in both summer issues of Gourmet and Bon Appetit.

I short, it goes something like this:

Garlic
Kale
Bacon
Pasta (Preferrably ziti, penne, farfalle, etc.)

Cook some bacon and set aside. In about 2-3 tablespoons of the bacon oil, saute the garlic and add the kale or chard. Add a little crushed red pepper. Cook until it’s tender. Meanwhile, cook the pasta til al dente. Slice bacon into 1/2 inch piece and throw it in the pan when the kale/chard is almost done. Add to pasta and grate some cheese over it. You can also squeeze lemon over the whole mess for a nice finish.

Easy! Tasty! The end

Those of us with fruit shares have been inundated with plums lately! Let your plums ripen on the counter,  testing them gently by squeezing the whole fruit in the palm of your hand. When ripe, try out some of these recipes:

Those small plums with sheer, golden yellow skin are are Shiro plums originally from Japan and used here in an Artisanal Cocktail. If you can’t find the herb shiso, I’d substitute mint.

Shiro Plum Cocktail 

• 2 Shiro plums, pitted
• 2 shiso leaves (a Japanese herb also called perilla or beefsteak)
• 1 oz light rum
• 1 oz shochu (a Japanese liquor)
• 1/2 oz lemon or lime
• 1 small piece of ginger root, peeled
• 1/2 oz simple syrup

Puree plums, or simply muddle them in cocktail glass or shaker. Gently muddle shiso leaves until flavor is released. Muddle ginger root. Add ice to fill. Add rum, shochu, citrus, simple syrup. Shake. Strain into glass, over ice. Garnish with shiso leaf.

If you can bear the oven being on these Honey-Roasted Plums with Thyme and Creme Fraiche sound like a dream. 

Plum Butter

Plum Crumble

And a Mark Bittman recipe for Plum Puree Sauce for Grilled Meats

Yum!

Poor kohlrabi. Always left in the bin.

Many members pass on this funny looking vegetable because they don’t know what to do with it, but it’s actually pretty versatile. Kohlrabi can be steamed, roasted, boiled, or baked. It can also be eaten raw - try combining it with apple, carrot, onion, and parsley to make a slaw using this recipe.