Published in Bob’s Fresh and Local CSA Newsletter, 7/5/2017
I’m excited to know that we have garlic scapes coming through again this week along with Bok Choi, kale, cabbage and Swiss chard, all favorites among my family and friends.
My son makes a dynamite chard omelet for us all every Sunday as part of our traditional shared meal (and why not — he grew up on them!). Last week I made garlic scape pesto, and it was so good I’m looking forward to trying it again this week to slather on homemade bread or mix into pasta.
Bok choi I like to chop roughly, keeping the stems separate from the leaves. I stir fry the stems with loads of onions, green onions if I have them, thin-sliced regular onions otherwise. I add in the leaves for a moment and season. It’s a delicious part of lunch for me. Alternatively I add carrots Julienne to the stir fry and cook up brown Basmati rice to add to the mix with Asian seasoning. The peas coming in this week will also make a nice addition to that stir fry or to salads.
Here’s a delightful kale salad with a light, slightly sweet, slightly salty flavor. This recipe is from Israeli Chef Yotam Ottolenghi, and Palestinian Chef Sami Tamimi, co-owners of stellar restaurants in London and co-authors of some beautiful cookbooks.
KALE SALAD
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped into ribbons or shreds (about 8 cups)
- 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt to taste
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely grated (about ½ cup)
- 1 crisp apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup sliced raw almonds
- 3 tablespoons pitted oil-cured olives (about 9 olives), halved
- Black pepper to taste
Directions
Note: Instead of steps 1 and 2, especially if I am short of time, I make a dressing of the olive oil, juice of the lemon and seasonings, drizzle it over the kale and toss in.
1. In a medium bowl, combine kale and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Using your hands, massage kale until olive oil coats the leaves and they begin to wilt, about 1 minute.
2. In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, cumin and turmeric. If you like these seasonings, you can add more, but begin with the recommended amounts. Add mixture to kale and continue to massage the leaves until well combined.
3. Add carrot, apple, raisins, almonds, olives, and toss until just combined. Season with salt and pepper. Let the salad rest for 10 minutes, then serve.
GARLIC SCAPE PESTO
Great to spread on bread, and in thinking up a title, it occurred to me it could make a great “sauce” for cabbage steaks.
Ingredients
- Any sweeter flavor leaves, 2 very big handfuls (I use spinach when available — this week I used kohlrabi greens
- Basil leaves, 1 very big handful (I tried it without the basil since I shared it with someone who doesn’t like basil, and it was good, though I prefer it with basil)
- Pine nuts, 1/3 cup
- Garlic scapes, woody stems and all, 6
- Salt, 1 tsp.
- Pepper, 1/2 tsp.
- Crushed red pepper, 1/2 tsp.
- Lemon, juice of one small (about 1/8 cup)
- Extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup
Instructions
- Cut up the scapes and process them briefly in a food processor.
- Add all leaves and pulse until even and granular.
- Add everything else and pulse, then blend, to uniform texture — but do leave texture.
- When plated, top Middle Eastern style with a little additional extra virgin olive oil for garnish.
If you’d like more information about the CSA, please visit Bob’s Fresh and Local (produce) and All Grass Farms (livestock, chickens, milk and cheese).
For more, visit my blog, vegetatingwithleslie.org, “Like” me on FaceBook/Vegetating with Leslie or follow me on Twitter, @vegwithleslie.
From the farm. Love seeing all those beautiful greens coming in:
