Mesclun Salad Mix
Mustard Greens or Yu Choy
Fava Beans or Sugar Snap Peas
Bibb Lettuce
Radishes
Scallions
Cilantro
This week’s share includes a number of crops that come from Asian descent and will make fabulous dishes within many types of cuisine. Yu Choy, if you are unfamiliar, is a floreting leafy vegetable related to bok choy, so crisp and mild in flavor. We eat it raw out in the field, very versatile and often sauteed or braised and served with a light dressing or in dashi or with chili and garlic. The mustard greens will be more pungent; but what a fabulous green, they can be finally chopped and cooked in a southern way with some vinegar and ham hock or made into a light pickle/ kimchi for adding to dishes. They are also fabulous mixed in with other vegetables and protein in a stir-fry. Do not be afraid of their peppery quality. Lots of recipes below ask for garlic, this is a great way to make use of the garlic scapes from last week. Each scape is an equivalent to 1-2 cloves of garlic and depending on how much garlic punch you want one can add larger or smaller chunks to your liking. We are hoping to get everyone fava beans and snap peas over the next two weeks; but due to some intense temperature fluctuations in April, you may only get one option this week. The 90 degree temperatures this week are not helping our cause, as both crops do not prefer heat. The point is enjoy what you get this week and savor every itty bitty amount. We encourage finding recipes for favas that do not necessitate removing the outer skin, as the texture and flavor are more dynamic and it requires less work. Many recipes from the middle east, leave the outer skin, whether it be in a rice dish or salad and pair with lemon, garlic, cilantro, and radishes. Need an simple salad to go with other Asian dishes (as you are getting loaded up on the lettuces), make a simple soy, rice vinegar, few drops of sesame oil dressing, add finely cut scallions and radishes and lots of fresh lettuce greens or use the lettuce for simple wraps with your favorite protein. Check out the recipes below and enjoy the share…… Autumn & Brian
Hot & Sour Seared Tofu with Snap Peas
Roasted Scallion & Snap Pea Spring Rolls
Stir Fried Chinese Mustard Greens
Lemony Fava Beans with Garlic & Cilantro
Stir Fried Fava Beans With Szechuan Peppercorns
ottolenghi’s radish & broad bean salad
Young Scallions with Miso Japanese Farm Food by Nancy Singleton Hachisu
Very thin young scallions
Organic brown rice miso
Clean the scallions. Cut off the root bottoms and any brown tapering of the tops. Peel off the tough or discolored outer layers. Spoon out a dollop of miso onto a medium sized plate. To eat, dip the scallion into the miso, scooping up about the same volume of miso to scallion. This simple dish makes a fresh before dinner appetizer and is especially good with mixed drinks or a beer.
Bitter Greens with Dashi – Japanese Farm Food by Nancy Singleton Hachisu
2 small bunches (1 1/3lb) Bitter Greens: mustard, turnip, or komatsuna
1/3 cup Dashi
2 Tbls Soy Sauce
2 Tbls freshly shaved katsuobushi or 3 Tbls hanakatsuo
Bring a large pot of hot water to a boil and place a large bowl of cold water on the kitchen sink. Hold the bunches of greens by their tops and lower the stems into the boiling water. Count to ten or twenty, then drop the greens into the pot and cook an additional 1-3 minutes. Scoop out the greens with a strainer and dump them immediately into the cold water. Turn on the tap and plunge your hands into the water, lifting the greens up directly into the stream of cold running tap water to cool them. Pull out a few connected strands and squeeze down the length of the greens to express the excess water. Ley the greens on the cutting board, cut off the end tips, and slice into 2” lengths.
Squeeze the greens one more time and arrange the clumps attractively on a medium-sized saucer with the cut sides face up. Season the dashi with soy sauce, pour over the greens, and sprinkle with shaved katsuobushi right before serving.
Variation: Also nice with some slivered citrus peel, such as yuzu or meyer lemon. Although in this case I would cut back, or omit the katsuobushi.