Sometimes inspiration comes in the form of hearing what you already know from someone else. Two weeks ago, I experienced a renewed interest in my CSA after taking a cooking class called "Late Spring at the Farmer's Market" through the University of Richmond School of Continuing Studies.
The instructor gave us a few tastes of local and grocery store products to compare the difference between the two, which is more pronounced when they're sampled back to back. I'm already sold on fresh eggs, local strawberries, and turnips grown by someone I can talk to face-to-face, but it was the creamy, tangy, locally made goat cheese we had in class that re-opened my eyes about buying food at a farmers' market. Looking back, my meals during Week 3 seem much more interesting as a result.
On Wednesday, I prepared a salad with some of Week 2's kale, and massaged the leaves with my trusty Asian sesame dressing and lime juice. Sunflower seeds, corn, and edamame helped make the salad into a more substantial meal. That evening, I put together a penne, arugula and feta dish that turned into lunch on both Thursday and Friday.
Although it doesn't have anything to do with local produce, the encouragement I felt from my class led me to change my regular breakfast routine. I tried out a Martha Stewart recipe for breakfast quinoa, which was sweet and comforting. I'm not sure I'd want to eat it every day, but it was a nice switch from my usual wheat toast with peanut butter, and was very filling.
No vegetables were harmed during our Thursday night wine, cheese, and salami dinner, either, but the salami is local (to Harrisburg), and the round cheese and chutney were made within 100 miles of Richmond.
The dish I prepared in class was "Spring-to-Summer Vegetable Ragout Over Goat Cheese Grits," and I loved it enough to attempt it at home for some friends visiting from out of town (recipe below). I made a special trip to the St. Stephen's farmer's market for some extra vegetables, and picked up beautiful baby carrots and large, shelled peas.
The ragout can be made with a variety of vegetables - we substituted edamame for peas in class - and in my opinion, the dish can be eaten any time of the day. I finished the leftovers for breakfast one morning, and they tasted completely appropriate as the first meal of the day.
A head of broccoli and a container of little cucumbers also found their way into my bag at the market, and I added them, with some peas, to a Thai-inspired noodle salad as part of Shannon's birthday dinner. Along with the noodles, we had arctic char from Yellow Umbrella that Davy grilled, and it was absolutely delicious.
On Monday, Memorial Day, I sauteed the curly kale with some garlic and red pepper flakes, and used some of it to make a frittata. Going with what seems to be the theme this week, I only took pictures before I did anything with the veggies. Luckily, they're pretty enough on their own.
To finish the week, I made another kale salad, this time with tuna fish, cannellini beans, cucumber, lemon juice, and olive oil. It's ideal for warm weather, and could also be used as a sandwich filling.
My trip to the St. Stephen's farmers' market was the first I'd made to a market during CSA season (outside of picking up my share). I'm really going to try to keep it up as we move into summer, and continue to branch out with local products other than what's given to me each week.
Spring-to-Summer Vegetable Ragout Over Goat Cheese Grits
Yields: 4 servings
For the Grits:
1 cup water
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup stone ground white grits (coarsely ground)
1/2 T salt
2 t pepper
1/2 cup goat cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1. Bring the water and stock to a boil
2. Add the grits, and stir with a small whisk. Skim off any floating husks and reduce the temperature to medium. Continue stirring for five minutes, or until the grits absorb the liquid.
3. Remove from the heat and cover with a lid, or wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Set in a warm area for 35 minutes - the grits will finish cooking by steam.
4. Add the salt, pepper, goat cheese, and zest, and stir to incorporate. Keep warm until ready to serve.
For the Ragout:
1/2 cup shelled peas
4 oz small carrots
4 oz small zucchini or yellow squash
3 green or spring onions
3 cloves garlic
2 T olive oil
salt, to taste
1/2 cup stock or water
1 T chopped mint
1 T chopped thyme
1. Cut the carrots and squash into quarters lengthwise and then into 2 in lengths. Cut the onions in two inch lengths, quarter, and set aside. Slice the garlic thinly.
2. Cook the garlic in the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the carrots, onions, a pinch of salt, and the liquid. Cover and cook until the onions soften, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the squash/zucchini and cover. Cook until it softens, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the peas and cook uncovered until everything is tender (2-3 more minutes). Stir in herbs, taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Serve the ragout in bowls over the grits.
Tonight is the beginning of the second round of produce, and I'm in surprisingly good shape considering the pounds of greens we got last week. I gave our radishes, bok choy, some broccoli rabe, and about half of our lettuce mix to my parents.
The highlight of last week, for me, was the container of beautiful strawberries we got in our share. We polished them off in just a couple days, and I put them in a salad for lunch one day. They added a welcome burst of flavor to the lettuce. The salad also included a medium-boiled egg, my first ever homemade, which came from one of my co-worker's chickens.
I've stressed this before, but fresh eggs taste so much better than grocery store eggs, especially if you're eating them on their own.
We had a large bunch of Asian greens, and I'm not sure what all of them were, but they were pretty.
I chopped them and Davy sauteed them with garlic and sesame chili oil. We sprinkled toasted sesame seeds on them after they'd wilted down.
Davy was having a rough week, so I decided to make one of his favorite Chinese take out meals to go with the greens, which is sweet and sour chicken. I used a recipe I found on How Sweet It Is, and it turned out very well. The chicken is crisp, tangy, and not greasy at all. We served the chicken over rice, and the recipe mentions making extra sauce, but we had the right amount. Next time I would consider adding some chili flakes to the sauce, or even some sriracha for a little kick.
before the sauce
finished product
The gigantic bunch of broccoli rabe was taunting me every time I opened the fridge, and on Thursday I decided to put it to good use. It's hard to tell from the picture, but this is an overwhelming mound of greens.
Mimicking one of the best pastas from Mamma Zu, I browned sausage without the casing (a spicy chicken and red wine variety from Trader Joe's) and blanched the broccoli rabe.
Once the sausage was ready, I added the greens, garlic, and rosemary, and let the broccoli rabe cook a little. Once it was warmed, I threw in cooked pasta - about half a pound of cavatappi - and stirred in tomato sauce and about a half cup of ricotta. Luckily I really enjoyed the pasta, because I ended up eating it three more times. It's a pleasant blend of flavors and textures; the ricotta makes it slightly creamy, the greens add a slight edge, and the sausage is spicy and savory.
When I went to Trader Joe's, I also purchased shelled pistachio pieces and their Light Champagne Vinaigrette in anticipation of a few weeks of salads. On Friday I used them with the salad mix, and they worked well together, not to mention they added some variety to my boring routine.
I wanted to change the normal sauteed kale routine, too, by making kale chips. I think I baked the pieces for too long, because they came out more brown than green, and the taste reminded me of pumpkin seeds. They were also very unattractive. Kale chips may have to be conquered this week, or the next time we get a bunch of kale.
On Monday, the only veggies left were the garlic scallions, peas, and kale. I'm not usually into peas, but I figured that these had to be better than what I'm used to since they're in season. I shelled them and dropped them in boiling water for about five minutes.
While they were in the pot, I toasted four thin slices of bread and sliced a hard-boiled egg. I spread a thin layer of pesto on the bread, followed by a layer of ricotta cheese. When the peas were done, I drained them, rinsed them in cold water, and pressed them into the ricotta. I topped everything on the plate with pepper and lemon juice, and admired my work. The meal was relatively simple to put together, and light but filling. It would be great for a hot night when cooking isn't very appealing, or if you needed something quick and healthy.
There aren't going to be any strawberries in Week 2 because of all of the rain and we still have some sauteed kale to finish in the fridge, but I'm eager to see what this week brings.
