Summer Session: Week 3 Boxletter and Contents

We continue on in the season of greens!  Just to put it all in perspective in case you’re feeling overwhelmed, in a few weeks these cool weather greens will be less abundant (well, except kale, there’s always kale) and you might even miss them and long for a salad!  We are giving everyone their favorite, kohlrabi this week! Taste wise it’s like if broccoli and cabbage had a baby.  Equally as awesome roasted as it is raw, don’t let this one just roll around in the back of the fridge for a few months before you throw it away, eat it!

Happy Eating!

Farm Tabbouleh

Here’s a recipe that uses what you have today, but can come in handy just about any week using what you have.  I may have said it before, but I’ll say it again: Don’t let the recipe tell you what to do, let it suggest things, but be an independent thinker! Make that recipe work for you and what you have!  Tabbouleh typically is a bulghur and predominately parsley driven salad with tomatoes and maybe cucumbers.  Here we sub in the mint and greens mix for some of the traditional herbs and radish and kohlrabi for the tomato and cuke.  A refreshing salad, that makes a perfect lunch.  Need some protein? Toss in some chickpeas or whatever meat you have laying around.  Not doing the wheat thing?  Sub in cooked quinoa.  See? You’re in control.  You can do this. 

1 cup fine bulghur (sometimes called #1, check the bulk section at PCC)

1 bunch parsley

1 bunch mint

5 scallions

3-5 radishes

1 kohlrabi, peeled

1 cup mustard/arugula mix

2-4 lemons juiced

½ cup olive oil

1 pinch salt and pepper, plus more to taste

Put the bulghur in a bowl, add boiling water to cover and let it sit at least 20 minutes. Remove the stems on the mint and parsley, finely chop them together with the greens mix, and put them in a large mixing bowl. Dice the radish finely or slice thinly, either will work just fine.  Dice the peeled kohlrabi into a size comparable to the radish.  While it’s not super important, it just eats better and looks nicer when things are the same size.  Otherwise you get a bite of a giant piece of kohlrabi and nothing else.  Add the radish and kohlrabi to the herb and greens mixture. Squeeze any remaining water out of bulghur and it to the vegetables. Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well, taste, and adjust seasoning and olive oil as needed.  If the bulghur is still warm it will suck up that lemon and olive oil quick so let it sit a bit, taste and adjust again before serving. 

Cold Sesame Noodles with Kale, Radish and Mint

Cold noodle salads are amazing in the summer and the radish and mint really add a great pop of flavor to brighten the dish.  Also, a dish like this is great for using any and all veggies in your share. 

1 kohlrabi, peeled and cut into ½ in chunks

2 garlic cloves, 1 finely grated, 1 thinly sliced, divided

1½ teaspoons sambal oelek, sriracha or gochujang

1 tablespoon plus ½ cup rice vinegar or red wine vinegar, divided

1/4  cup plus 2 Tbsp mild oil, divided

1-2 tbsp sesame oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more

3 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced, plus more for serving

1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled, minced fine

4 cups chopped kale, tough stems removed

I bunch radishes, thinly sliced

2 10-ounce packages fresh ramen noodles or two 3-ounce packages dried

Torn mint leaves and toasted sesame seeds (for serving)

Preheat oven to 450°. Toss kohlrabi with grated garlic, sambal oelek, 1 Tbsp. vinegar, and 2 tbsp oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until tender, 15–20 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk scallions, ginger, sliced garlic, 1 tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, and 1/4 cup vinegar and remaining ¼ mild oil in a large bowl. Add kale and sliced radish; toss to coat.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain; rinse under cold water. Add noodles and warm kohlrabi to kale and toss to coat. Divide among bowls and top with mint, sesame seeds, sesame oil and more scallions.  Taste and adjust for seasoning and serve!

Minty Drinks

A few other options for using the mint in the box this week.  The beauty of these is that you can sub in other herbs as well.  Lemon balm works particularly well, and even a mix of the two would be great!  The simple syrup will last about a week in the fridge and the tea will last 3-5 days once the herbs and tea bags are removed. 

(Mint was included in our delivery boxes only this week and soon enough we will have some for everyone else on the Upick as well)

Mint Simple Syrup

15 mint sprigs (1 bunch)

1 cup raw sugar

Combine mint, sugar, and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Using a fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth, strain mixture into a heatproof container and chill at least 25 minutes.

Quickie Mint Julep or Sparkling Mint Spritzer

Add 2 tsp syrup, 1.5oz bourbon, ice and additional mint sprigs to make your own little julep. 

Alternatively, add the syrup to cold sparkling water and ice for a nice refreshing drink (when it ever gets warm again!)

Mint Tea

2 bags traditional black tea

1 large bunch fresh mint, washed

Lemon slices, for garnish

Simple syrup (optional)

Fill a quart container with cool filtered water. Place the tea bags and fresh mint in the water. Cover the pitcher, then set it outside in a sunny spot for the better part of the day.  8 hours in the direct sun should be sufficient.

Remove the tea bags and allow the tea to chill in the refrigerator. Serve with lemon slices and if you care to sweeten your tea, a simple syrup works wonders, you know like the one you made above.

No time? Simply brew the tea hot and pour it over the herbs, let steep an refrigerate till chilled.

*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.