June 23, 2007 Newsletter: Revenge of the Greens!

Week 2 (Cycle B)

It's the Revenge of the Greens! Like last week, this week we'll have lots of cooking greens, so we're continuing our focus on these leafy vegetables, this time around with info on preserving greens.

PRESERVING/ Dry Packing
This is the packing of blanced and drained vegetables into freezer-friendly containers or freezer bags. Here are instructions on how to dry pack cooking greens. This should come in handy if you think there's no way you can finish all your greens in a week, or if you'd ust like to squirrel them away for a far, far away rainy day. Use preserved greens as you would any other greens--in stir-frys, soups, stews, and broths.

• Cooking greens
• Large Pot
• Colander
• wire basket or net bag for blancing
• Large pans for cooling
• Ice cubes or ice blocks for cooling
• Cutting board, knives, pot holders
  
• Plastic freezer bags or other containers
• A timer or a clock with a second hand

1. Wash greens.
2. Tear or cut greens from their stem.
3. Meanwhile, bring 2 gallons of water for each pound of leafy greens to a rolling boil.
4. Immerse wire basket, blanching basket, or mesh bag containing vegetables. Do not add so many vegetables that the water stops boiling.
5. Count 30 seconds blanching time from when the greens are immersed in the vigorously boiling water.
6. Cover pot and boil at top heat the required length of time. You may use the same blanching water two to three times. Keep it at the required level. Change the water if it becomes cloudy.
7. Cool greens immediately in pans of ice water for the same time used for blanching (30 seconds). Keep water ice cold for chilling.
8. Drain the greens thoroughly. Extra water will form too many ice crystals.
9. Pack the greens tightly to cut down on the amount of air in the container. If using freezer bags, press air out of the unfilled part of the bag.
10. Freeze.

(Shout out to Wendy who researched this information!)

What's new this week?

Radishes are most often eaten raw. Use a stiff vegetable brush and scrub radishes under cold running water. Do not peel. Pare away the top and root end then slice, dice, shred, or serve whole. You can eat the greens too. Radishes add a great crispy tang to sandwiches. Radishes store well in the refrigerator once the tops have been removed.

Scallions (a.k.a. green onion and spring onion) are immature onions. They tend to be milder tasting than other onions and are typically used raw in salads in Western cookery. Diced scallions are often used in soup, noodle, seafood, and sauce in Eastern dishes. Wash under cold running water. I store my scallions in the fridge with the bulb part in a jar of water and a plastic baggie tightly banded around the lip of the jar.

Bok Choi (or bok choy) is thought to be the oldest of the Asian greens. The stalks are mild and crunchy and the leaves pleasantly tangy. The stalks and leaves have quite different textures and cooking times. Be sure to give the stems a minute or two to cook before you put the leaves in so that each part cooks to perfection. Store and clean boy choi as you would other greens.

Radish Confetti Salad

• 4 large radishes, washed and trimmed
• 1 medium carrot, trimmed
• 1 celery stalk, trimmed
• Six to eight scallions, cut into one-inch pieces
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup sweet rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 6 romaine lettuce leaves (or salad green mix of your choice)

1. Using a mandolin or box grater, shred the radishes and carrots.
2. Cut the celery into matchstick-size pieces. Toss the vegetables together in a medium bowl.
3. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, vinegar, celery seed and salt and pepper. Pour over vegetables and toss.
4. Serve on a bed of romaine lettuce.

Recipe from Watch Your Garden Grow

Basic Bok Choi Stir-fry with Peanut Oil and Garlic
Yield: 2 servings

• 1 pound bok choi
• 2 Tb peanut oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• salt or soy sauce to taste
  

1. Cut stems into 1-inch pieces and slice leaves coarsely.
2. Heat wok or heavy frying pan. Pour oil in. Add stems and toss over moderately high heat until somewhat softened, about 2 minutes.
3. Add sugar, garlic, salt and soy sauce. Add reserved leaves. Toss another 2 minutes. Serve.

Recipe from Asia Source (website of the Asia Society)

Tofu salad with asparagus & bok choy

For this recipe you need a frying pan or wok that’s big enough to hold the vegetables and a seperate grill plate, electric grill, or non-stick frying pan to cook the tofu in.

• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 4 oz. firm tofu, cut into thin slices
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 3 yellow squash, thinly sliced
• 1 head of bok choy, cut the base off and wash the leaves
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger, finely sliced

Dressing:

• 1 teaspoon shoyu (or soy sauce)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vegetarian fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh coriander, finely chopped

1. Sprinkle the sesame seeds onto a plate and press the tofu slices into the sesame seeds, to coat.
2. Mix together all the dressing ingredients.
3. Put both the frying pan and grill-plate on a medium high heat and brush with the olive oil.
4. Put the tofu on the grill plate and cook for about 3 minutes each side, or until golden brown. The sesame seeds may hiss and spit, but don’t worry about this.
5. At the same time put the asparagus and squash into the frying pan and toss to coat with the oil for about 30 seconds. Add the bok choy, scallions and ginger and again toss in the oil for a few seconds. Add two tablespoons of water and immediately cover with a lid. Leave to cook for about 3 minutes and then take the lid off and continue to cook for another 2 - 3 minutes.
6. Pile the vegetables and tofu up on a plate and drizzle over the dressing.

Recipe From Limes & Lycopene blog

Scallion Pancakes with Ginger Dipping Sauce
Yields 4 servings

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup ginger dipping sauce, recipe to follow

1. In a bowl, sift flour. Slowly add water in a steady stream while mixing with a wooden spoon. Keep adding water until a ball is formed. With the same procedure, one can use a food processor with a metal blade. Let ball of dough relax for about 30 minutes and cover with damp cloth.
2. On a floured surface, roll out dough into a thin rectangle. Brush on oil mixture, cover with scallion and season with salt and pepper. Carefully roll dough like a sponge cake. Cut into 4 pieces. Take one piece and twist 3 times. Make a spiral out of this and roll again and flatten to achieve a 5 to 6 inch pancake. In a hot non-stick pan, coat with canola oil and pan sear both sides until golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve immediately with dipping sauce.

GINGER DIPPING SAUCE:

• 1/4 cup thin soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Chinese chinkiang vinegar
• 1/4 cup sliced scallions
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon sugar

1. Combine all ingredients.

Recipe from TheFoodNetwork.com

Share your recipes:
If you use your CSA veggies to make something delicious, share your recipe with other members. Email the recipe and a picture (if you have one) to sugarshakes@gmail.com and we'll publish the recipe on the blog.