Summer Session – Week 2 Boxletter

Hope everyone enjoyed the first week and is ready for this week’s box!  We have two greens mixes in this week’s box. First, a young braising mix that is great both raw or lightly cooked as well as our Tokyo bekana greens.  The latter is a type of Chinese cabbage that can either be bunched or cut as a loose leaf, which is what we’ve done today.  These young leaves are great added to a salad to add texture and flavor. 

For our ¾ and Full shares we have the first appearance of the beloved kohlrabi.  This is the one vegetable that stumps a lot of folks at first.  A member of the brassica family, it has a flavor like a cross between cabbage and broccoli stems.  This strange little orb is best peeled and from there you can shred it into slaws and salads, cube it and roast it or cut into sticks and eat it raw with hummus like you would a carrot. 

Happy Eating!

-Liz

‘Any Kinda Greens’ Fritters

Making little fritters is a perfect way to get through those greens painlessly. These are great little guys on their own or with a tzatziki dipping sauce. I’ve also taken them and used them as a falafel substitute in a wrap or pita with hummus and sliced radish, pickled peppers, hot sauce and a handful of raw greens. They make for an awesome lunch or dinner! Try adding in a little shredded kohlrabi to up the veggie quota!

2-4 C greens of your choice (the young braising mix would be great here!)

3 tablespoons olive oil or grapeseed oil

1 small onion, diced fine

Salt, to taste

2 cloves garlic, chopped

½ cup cilantro or parsley, chopped fine

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 cup panko (or other) breadcrumbs

¼ cup crumbled feta

1 or 2 eggs

Oil for frying

Pulse greens in a food processor or finely chop with a knife—they should be small but not puréed or mushy. Set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the oil, onion, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, cilantro or parsley, and cumin seeds. Stir for 30 seconds. Add greens to pan and sauté for a minute or two, until they have wilted. Turn the mixture into a large bowl. Let cool for five minutes, then add the breadcrumbs and feta. Mix well, then taste for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary—this is your chance to get the seasoning right while the mixture is egg-free. Crack one egg into the bowl and mix with your hands to incorporate. Squeeze a small ball of the mixture. If it holds together, begin portioning out the remaining mixture into small balls. If it doesn’t hold together, add another egg. I usually find one egg to be enough. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add balls to pan—they should sizzle when they hit the oil—then turn heat down to medium or medium-low. Cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Use a fork to flip the balls to the other side and cook for another 2 minutes or so. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Mixed Greens Salsa Verde

Here’s a recipe that is perfect for using the multitude of greens heading your way this time of year.  Sure there’s salads and stir fries but why not make this awesome little condiment that’s oh so good on all kinds of meats and fish as well as stirred into eggs, potatoes, couscous, quinoa, pasta…you see where I’m going right?  Even better, it keeps in the fridge for at least week so you can just keep on using it on everything all week long!  Or until you get next week’s box and get more greens to make another batch!

2 cups finely chopped greens mix (couple good handfuls)

1T finely chopped winter savory, oregano or parsley

1-2 garlic scapes, finely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup capers, rough chopped

2 T fresh lemon juice or sherry vinegar

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.  Let flavors mix and mingle about an hour before serving.  Serve at room temperature. 

*Not feeling all the chopping?  Toss the greens, savory, and garlic scape in the food processor and whir it up.  Don’t puree it, but just give it enough pulses to get it to come together real nice.  Stir in the remaining ingredients. 

Roasted Hakurei Turnips with Salsa Verde

1 bunch hakurei turnips, greens removed but keep them!

1 shallot, finely chopped

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400.

Remove the greens from the turnips,  chop them roughly and set them aside, and slice the larger turnips into quarters and the smaller turnips in half.

On a rimmed baking sheet toss the sliced turnips with the shallots. Drizzle with the melted butter (melt the butter on a stovetop) and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and bake until the turnips are tender and lightly browed, about 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss with the greens and dress with the salsa verde. 

*Grilling tonight?  Do this same recipe in a cast iron pan on a grill!  Serve with some grass-fed beef or pastured chicken or just on their own!

Kale and Kohlrabi Tahini Slaw

Kohlrabi does great in slaws as it is very reminiscent of cabbage in flavor.  It adds a nice crunch in this little salad and the tahini dressing gives you a different spin on a traditional mayo based slaw. 

1 medium sized kohlrabi, stems and greens removed

1 bunch Lacinato kale

1-2 garlic scapes, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

For the Tahini-Lemon Dressing:

1/4 cup tahini

2-3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 teaspoons honey

3 Tablespoons water + more to thin if necessary

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients and whisking until smooth.  If the dressing is too thick add a splash of water. If the dressing is too thin add a little more tahini. Taste test and adjust seasonings as necessary.

With a mandoline or a sharp knife slice the kohlrabi into thin rounds. Then stack the rounds and slice into thin matchsticks.  Cut the kale into thin ribbons, removing and thick stems.

Place the kohlrabi and kale in a large salad bowl. Add scapes, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Drizzle in the dressing and toss until well combined.

Adapted from “Dishing up the Dirt”

*As always, use these recipes as a guide, nothing is hard and fast, taste as you go and adjust spices and seasoning as it suits you.