Can you believe Week 2 is already upon us?  Feels like just yesterday that we got the first update and here we are already enjoying radishes and broccoli rabe!  Shana is particularly excited about the beautiful radishes and the garlic scapes, her favorite, in today’s share.  She uses the scapes anywhere she would want a sharp oniony-garlic flavor: chopped in egg or chicken salads, on crostini, in salads or cooked down and blended into soups, dips etc.  Bob is looking forward to taking a second crack at garlic scapes.  Last year he used most of his batch for a pesto as Farmer John suggested but he found it too over-the-top in garlic flavor.  This year the scapes are going into a new favorite sauce: chimichurri.  Chimichurri is a good catch-all sauce that can use up just about any green herb, so it makes sense to add some garlic scapes but not to let them be the main ingredient.  Bob tends not to measure anything when making chimichurri, just throw the herbs, a hefty pinch or two of salt to taste, two glugs of red wine vinegar and drizzle in enough oil to get a spoonable consistency and you’re all set – spread over steak and you’re in heaven.  If you prefer to work from a recipe, here is a good one for Garlic Scape Chimichurri that features toasted cumin seed for a deeper flavor.  Jessica might be the most excited for the garlic scapes – she squealed when she saw them!  He suggestion for another way use the scapes:  “I like to grill my mine. I make a pouch out of foil or use a grilling basket, coat them will olive oil, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon, grill them for just a few minutes and they sweeten up.  So so yummy!”

As for the radishes, Shana likes to use Martha Stewart’s Quick Pickled Radish recipe; she also uses them to top Stewart’s Chipotle Chicken Tacos.  Last year in Week 2 when Bob tried pickling radishes for the first time, he admitted to eating them right out of the jar with a fork – give them a try and you will be too.

One of Bob’s favorite quick meals that he made for the first time with CSA peas is this: toast slices of a good loaf of bread (Calandra’s panella is perfect), spread them with warm ricotta and top with a mixture of smashed peas, olive oil and salt.  It’s so simple but so satisfying on an early Summer evening!

Serving Suggestions is a recurring article that will be posted weekly during the CSA season featuring photos, tips and recipes.  Content is provided by Jessica, Shana and Bob.  If you would like to submit your own photos or recipes, please email Bob at robertfcowper@gmail.com.  To read through previous Serving Suggestions articles, click here for an archive.  You can also use the handy search feature at the top of the right hand menu bar to search for the name of a particular ingredient you need help using.