CSA Cooking: The June Share
I got my second Philly Foodworks share late last week (for an introduction to this partner ship, read this post). It included a quart of strawberries, a 4 ounce bag of mixed baby lettuces, a bundle of red radishes, a 12 ounce bunch of asparagus, 1 bunch of kale, a head of lettuce, a little bag of spinach leaves, and a cluster of white hakurei turnips.
Whenever I get a CSA share, one of the first things I do a triage the contents of the box. I make note of the things that aren’t going to last as long (this time, the lettuce mix and strawberries were at the top of the to-use list) and tuck the items that will keep better towards the bottom of the crisper drawer.
I combined the strawberries from this share with two additional quarts in order to have enough for a batch of strawberry chutney (that recipe is coming up later this week). This was the first time I’d made chutney from strawberries and I’m not quite sure why I waited so long to do it. It’s a lovely thing, particularly when eaten with tangy yogurt cheese.
I tackled that little bag of mixed lettuces on Sunday night. We ordered takeout sushi for dinner and needed a vegetable to round out the meal. A very simply salad was in order. Instead of turning to bottled dressing (which I do more than I’d like to admit), I did what my grandma Bunny would have done when confronted with truly beautiful lettuce.
I grated a little bit of raw garlic into the bottom of my small wooden salad bowl and added a half teaspoon dijon mustard, a pinch of salt, and a couple twists of black pepper. Using a little whisk, I worked in a tablespoon of champagne vinegar (apple cider, rice wine, or even balsamic would have also been good), and added some extra virgin olive oil (I can’t imagine I used more than 2 tablespoons). Once the oil was integrated, I gave it a little taste. It was very sharp, so I added a little honey for balance.
When the dressing was done, I added the washed and dried greens, turning them gently in the dressing with my hands until they were just coated. We ate it out of the bowl with our chopsticks and breathed fire-y garlic breath at each other for the rest of the night. For a less pungent option, you could grate in a little shallot or ginger.
Related Posts:
CSA Cooking: Ramp-infused Vinegar
CSA Cooking: Turkey Meatloaf and Quick Pickled Chard Stems
CSA Cooking: Kale Rapini Spread
