we also get to pick up a CSA basket. That’s Community Supported Agriculture for those who didn’t know. This week “we” got:
1 bunch of beets
1 bunch swiss chard
Red leaf and green leaf lettuce
Radishes
Leeks
3 zucchini
5 peaches
1 roaster chicken (frozen), 5 fresh griller sausages, 1 dozen eggs, multigrain bread
Well the peaches were a no-brainer. They were delicious out of hand, and we practically ate them all the first day.
As for the swiss chard, we were intrigued by a Rocco DiSpirito recipe from his book Flavor consisting of Swiss Chard w/ Indian Lime Pickle. The lime pickle was purchased a while ago at the Asian market and had been taunting us from its perch in the cupboards ever since. Well lime pickle, your day has come. Lime pickle is an Indian condiment where whole limes are sliced or chopped and mixed with salt, sugar and Indian spices, then jarred for a while to allow the flavors to develop and the limes to soften. Needless to say it packs a load of tangy, salty and sweet flavor, where a little goes quite a long way. The recipe called for two bunches of swiss chard leaves, but as we only had one bunch, we simply used the beet greens that came attached (free of charge) to our bunch of beets.
On to the recipe then:
Blend about 1/8 c. lime pickle with 3T lemon juice, 2T olive oil until smooth (we added a bit of water to make it happen).
Blanch one bunch of swiss chard, leaves only (and the beet greens) for a few minutes, shock in ice water, and squeeze the excess water out
In a skillet heat a bit of olive oil, add 1T shallot until translucent (4-5minutes). Remove from heat, add chard/beet greens, lime pickle puree, 1t lemon zest, s+p, mix vigorously, (pray that it is going to taste good) and serve warm
.
The chard was very good, talk about big flavor. Took some getting used to as it was very tangy and very salty, and a bit sweet. But good, and definitely not boring. The beet greens worked fine here too and it felt good not to waste them.
Next, we tried cooking with the radishes. This took the form of Warm Barley Salad w/Braised Radishes. Pretty exciting stuff as we’ve eaten radishes raw in salads or even pickled our own, Asian style, but have never actually cooked them.
Cook 1c. barley in boiling water until tender (about 25-35 minutes), drain and rinse to cool a bit. Set aside in a large bowl.
Heat a skillet with some olive oil, add 8 radishes, sliced thinly, ¼ c raspberry vinegar, and a little less than 1T agave nectar, simmer on low until radishes are tender and glazed. Add 1T lemon juice to the skillet, then scrape everything into the bowl with the barley, add 1c. diced celery, and a handful of chopped celery leaves. Season, stir, eat.
Wasn't sure what to expect from the braised radishes but was pleasantly surprised. Definitely not my favorite vegetable to eat (raw, or cooked) but it had a bitter, peppery bite and the fruity and tart flavor of the vinegar glaze helped out the nutty but neutral barley. And the cool celery (and leaves) made for a nice warm/cool contrast. Not bad and it would be fun to make again if a bag of radishes lands on our doorstep, though we probably won't go looking for any.
Finally, feeling pretty ambitious (and hungry) we also did Glazed Beets and Carrots, w/ Cumin Dressing over Red and Green Leaf lettuces. This was based upon a recipe calling for baby beets and feta. We figured that by chopping our “adult” beets down to a proper size, the end result would be the same, sans feta of course.
So, medium skillet, 3T olive oil, add 3 beets (peeled and chopped into about 8 pieces), and a handful of baby carrots. Cook covered until beets are crisp-tender (about 5 minutes depending on the size of your beets). Uncover the pan and add 2t agave nectar and 2T white wine vinegar, stirring until vegetables are glazed and tender.
Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon, then whisk in another 1T white wine vinegar and ½ t cumin, then pour over the vegetables. Let dressed vegetables cool slightly.
Add some torn leaves of green and red leaf lettuce to the vegetables, toss it around, sprinkle on some slivered almonds, and whoop, there it is.
This was fun and delicious as the carrots (and everything else) take on the crimson color of the beets. Everything glazed up perfectly and cooking chopped beets in a pan (no boiling or roasting) was a new trick. Only thing to change for next time was perhaps to get a little more "dressing" out of the whole process. Or maybe use less lettuce. Either way it was tasty and healthy and really what more can you ask for.
So CSA wrap-up . . .
The peaches were delicious and didn’t last long. We also had found 3 leftover, older peaches, so we chopped ‘em, added some minced habanero, a bit of sugar and cooked it into a sweet and spicy jam. Pretty sneaky huh.
We got to cook with radishes, were inspired to try lime pickle, ate lots and lots of greens (swiss chard, beet greens, red and green leaf lettuce), and were able to make a couple of quarts of veggie stock with the leeks and some less than fresh celery and carrots. Darn frugal. It was quite a whirlwind and now all we have are a few leftovers, 3 lonely zucchini, and about 6 days until next weeks basket.
**New post below**
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