From Bob:

Sorry for the delayed, and light, update this week.  Last Saturday I tried a recipe I had seen in an episode of America’s Test Kitchen for pasta with cauliflower.  It was a perfect way to use up last week’s head of cauliflower and some leftover onion I had in the fridge.  In place of the thyme the recipe called for, I added some of my home dried CSA savory and marjoram.  This one was a keeper and it was actually better leftover: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/7770-pasta-with-cauliflower-bacon-and-bread-crumbs.

Week 8 Share

From Shana:

What a share this week! Nothing like the first week of tomatoes- and what beauties! And the potatoes, the smell of the basil and fennel- we are lucky folks! I love this Blue Apron recipe so much that it’s become a regular in our home. It utilizes our potatoes, red onion and kale, and if you have a fruit share- it has an apple in it!  Even if you’re not a Blue Apron member, you can view the recipe free online here (just click away from the pop-up box asking for your email address, you do not need to enter it).

From Bob:

Before this week I had never cooked or prepared fennel so I was a bit unsure how to use it.  I saw a lot of summery recipes calling for it raw in salads or lightly grilled but I didn’t think I would love the strong anise flavor in a savory dish.  I stumbled on a slow cooker tomato sauce recipe that used fennel, onion and garlic as the base and was intrigued.  The low and slow cooking mellowed the flavor of the fennel but it definitely added something different to the sauce.  It was also a great way to use up some of my CSA onion (if you have any elephant garlic left use that in place of the regular garlic cloves too!).  For good measure I diced some leftover CSA squash, browned it, and added it to the sauce just before serving.

Week 7 Share

From Bob:

I recently bought Rick Bayless’ new cookbook, More Mexican Every Day, and have been cooking my way through it using as many CSA veggies as possible.  Last night, I paired some store bought poblano peppers and corn with last week’s spring onions, elephant garlic and this week’s squash to make his Creamy Roasted Corn, Poblano and Zucchini Tacos.  The cookbook suggests making a large batch of the rajas, the creamy poblano and onion mixture, to use as the basis for additional recipes throughout the week.  I’ll use the leftover mixture as the base for a tortilla soup tonight to which I’ll add stock, black beans, corn and some diced canned tomatoes (don’t waste your precious first fresh tomatoes on a soup!).  You can also puree the rajas, with a touch of cream or broth, into a flavorful sauce to go over grilled chicken or simple enchiladas.

From Nina:

I tried this recipe tonight. I was tired of roasting those whole chickens so I hacked one up with cooking shears and tried this. It was really, really good. Get to use your celery, onions and peppers too. http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Country-Captain

From Shana:

From Bob:

Still have leftover beets or radishes from last week?  I do and will be using these two recipes to help clean out the fridge:

• Beets: http://www.onceuponachef.com/2011/03/roasted-beet-salad-with-goat-cheese-walnuts-honey-dijon-vinaigrette.html
• Radishes: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-braised-radishes-with-shallots-bacon-recipes-from-the-kitchn-48969

I actually made the beet salad tonight and it was excellent.  Admittedly it was my first time making beets and I was a bit skittish but they were actually very good.  I paired tonight’s dinner with a lemonade to which I added mint (from my garden) and CSA rosemary.  You wouldn’t think of the rosemary as a welcome addition but it is – it lends a nice fragrant and herbal tone which balances the sweetness of the lemonade.

Unsure of what to do with those mondo-sized spring onions from this week’s pickup?  I found a good suggestion online: clean them well then slice in half lengthwise, leaving the root intact to keep it together, then liberally coat with oil and grill.  Definitely worth a try!