Now that it’s been 9 weeks since the start of the CSA season, I finally feel like I’ve gotten a handle on my farm share. What used to be an anxiety-provoking experience of how I was going to consume all of this beautiful produce, I now look forward to receiving my box, which feels a bit like Christmas in July.
Recipes In This Blog Post
On Monday afternoon, I receive my box. I send my 3 kids out of the kitchen so that my box can have my undivided attention. With a pad and pen beside me, I slowly pull each item from the box, catalog it in my pad, and lay it out on the kitchen island. When I am done, it’s quite a sight to behold. Then, it’s somewhat like figuring out a puzzle—what dishes can I make that would incorporate the most number of farm share ingredients? A bit like the TV show, Chopped, without the time clock (and $10,000 prize, unfortunately). But when I am done, I feel such satisfaction knowing that my family and I have a week-worth of healthy, not the same-old-same-old culinary experiences ahead of us.
There have been a few items that been staples in my CSA box: beets, kale, and potatoes.
I love beet salad. It screams summer! Because it takes 1 hour to roast beets in the oven, anytime my oven is on for another reason (eg, the potato pizza below), I trim all of my beets, wash them, wrap them in foil, and throw them in the oven alongside. Tip: make sure you put a tray or foil underneath the beets because the juices can spill out onto your oven floor! Once they’ve cooled, I rub the peels off and store them in the refrigerator, and I use them one at a time throughout the week. I love the Beet Salad recipe—but like to use candied walnuts, add a few thin slices of red onion, and put it over a heap of greens (eg, mesclun or arugula).
Everything goes well with bacon, and kale is no exception. I’ve learned that’s how the southerners eat kale. I put it atop some risotto, because my kids will eat anything that’s hidden in risotto. I use two recipes to make this dish, Quick Kale with Bacon, and Basic Risotto. Start with the Quick Kale with Bacon recipe, but instead of finishing off the kale with chicken stock, I add a bit of white wine instead. Transfer the kale onto a plate. Using the same dutch oven, make the risotto. Plate the risotto, top it with kale and chopped bacon, and serve. Tip: Make the entire package of bacon since cooking bacon (and discarding the fat) is such a messy task—use the leftover bacon for breakfast, BLT, etc. For other kale recipes, try the Neely’s Kale Chips (the combination of bitter kale and sweet brown sugar makes this dish), and Kale and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes.
Talking about potatoes, Potato Pizza with Goat Cheese is delicious! It was a great way to display and eat my rainbow potatoes. Good hot, or cold the next day. Good for dinner, or as an appetizer. I used store-bought pizza dough to keep things simple.
Share your CSA recipes by writing in the comments. Or better yet, save the recipes to Plummelo.com so that we can all try them!
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From the Editor