I hope you are enjoying springtime. The bountiful rain and cold nights are giving us wonderful wildflowers, abundant vegetables, and the promise of a great year of stone fruit. Stone fruit, also called drupes, are those with a large stone inside: peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, apples and cherries. Or, the delicious fruit that makes summer so special.
Gaytan Family Farm
Blackberries
Asparagus
Beets
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Carrots
Strawberries
Kale - Curly Leaf
Romaine Lettuce
Leeks
Fox Farm
Salanova Gem Lettuce -
Red Mini Romaine Lettuce
RFC Add-In
Lemons
Tangelos
We have a special treat in this crop box, Salanova gem lettuce. The lettuce looks like a flower, and is very convenient. Remove the center and the leaves fall into your salad bowl. It tastes as good as it looks too.
Not a member yet? Why not? Click here to join the co-op at $100 for full membership. Be a member and a co-owner, bringing the power of economic independence to Riverside. Members can subscribe to our crop box too! $30/month with delivery available for $7.50/month. You benefit, your community benefits, and our partner farms and growers benefit.
I learned a new cooking trick! When you want to juice a lemon, as in this next recipe, try it. Poke a skewer into the end of the lemon that is not the stem. Pull your skewer out and squeeze the juice into your container. No seeds, no pith! This makes it easier to slice the remaining lemon. You could remove the zest first, if needed. Genius!
Braised Kale and Cauliflower with Meyer Lemon, Garlic and Olives
From whatscookinggoodlooking.com. Serves 2-4.
Ingredients
12 cloves of garlic, smashed
Olive oil
Red pepper flakes
Sunflower oil (or another high-heat oil)
1 head of cauliflower, sliced into 1/2 " thick pieces (most importantly is you want to have flat edges)
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 Meyer lemons (1 sliced thinly and 1 juiced)
About 8 kale leaves, ribs removes and roughly chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar
1/4 - 1/2 cup of Kalamata olives, roughly chopped (optional)
For serving: 1-2 cups of a cooked grain or rice such as quinoa, millet, brown rice, or wild rice.
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 350º.
In a medium sized heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid (a dutch oven), heat the olive oil (just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan) over medium heat. Add the garlic and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes and cook for 2-3 minutes until the garlic is light brown and fragrant. Do not burn the garlic! Pour the garlic, oil mixture out onto a sheet pan or plate.
Return the pot to the heat, crank the heat up to high, and add about 2 tablespoons of the sunflower oil. You want the pot to be super hot before you add the cauliflower because the goal here is to crisp the edges. Add the cauliflower to the pot in one layer, so that is does not overlap. It will probably take you 2-3 batches to cook all of the cauliflower, but you don't want to crowd the pot because the cauliflower will get soggy. Cook the cauliflower for about 2-3 minutes on one side and about a minute on the other. Remove and set on the same plate or pan as the garlic. Do this until all of the cauliflower has browned.
Turn the heat down to medium and allow the pot to cool a bit. Then add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, and the onions and lemons. Cook, while stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the onions and lemons are soft. Then add the kale, and season really well with salt and pepper. Cook for another couple of minutes until the kale has wilted.
Add the reserved lemon juice, the vinegar, and the olives. Nestle the cauliflower and garlic on top, cover with a tight fitting lid, and place it in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Remove and serve over quinoa, rice, or any other grain you like.
This will get even better over the next few days. Just store it in the fridge in an air-tight container and heat up over medium heat with some olive oil in a pot or pan.
French Peasant Beets
From food52. Serves 2 for dinner, 4 as a side.
Ingredients
4 Beets with greens (up to 6; I like a mixture of golden and red beets)
1 bunch Swiss chard (other greens will work: spinach or kale, or omit the greens)
3 tablespoons butter
1 shallot or some mild white onion
1 pinch Salt, or more to taste
1 pinch Freshly ground pepper, or more to taste
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons water
½ pound Bucheron cheese at room temperature (Mozzarella is good too)
1 loaf crusty peasant style bread (warmed in oven)
Directions
Scrub and peel the beets. Remove the greens and chop coarsely. Set the greens aside in a large prep bowl. Slice beets into 1/4 inch rounds.
Remove the ribs from the Swiss chard and coarsely chop and toss into bowl with the beet greens.
In a large saute pan, melt butter. Saute shallots.
Add beet rounds to the shallot butter mixture. Crack some pepper over the beets and a toss on a pinch of salt. Reduce heat and saute beets, turning over to ensure even cooking.
About 15 minutes later when beets are beginning to glaze and become tender, add greens and chard. Saute for about 5 minutes, then add wine and cover. Cook until greens are wilted, adding water if necessary. Allow liquid to be mostly absorbed into greens, adjust seasonings.
Scoop greens and beets into a low shallow bowl. Garnish with a sizable wedge of Bucheron and some crusty bread. Crack a little bit of pepper over the entire dish.
If you want to try a wintry dish, maybe winter’s last hurrah this year, try this cabbage. You can make coleslaw and sauerkraut all summer long.
Suspiciously Delicious Cabbage
By fiveandspice via Food52. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
1 medium green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon (heaping) grated fresh ginger2 tablespoons butter
¾ cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
In a very large pan, heat the butter over medium heat until it is melted and starting to bubble a little.
Stir in the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened.
Stir in the ginger and cook for about a minute. Then, add in the cabbage, stirring well to coat it with the butter and other flavors. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 15-20 minutes, until the cabbage has softened and caramelized.
Turn the heat to low and stir in the cream making sure to scrape any browned bits up from the pan bottom. Cover and cook over low for about 10 minutes. Uncover, add salt and pepper to taste. Then cook for a few more minutes, stirring once or twice, to let some of the liquid evaporate. Adjust seasonings as desired and serve.
I have served the Portuguese soup Caldo Verde many, many times. It is so easy, quick, and nutritious, plus I like the vegetarian version better. It is a winner when you have a vegan at your table, or are not sure about dietary preferences. I make the traditional soup with veggie broth and no sausage.
When Food52 posted this variation, I was stunned. It has a little different flavor, with more spices. Using mustard greens instead of kale adds a peppery bite too. I think kale would still be fine. And this could be made with veggie broth instead of chicken broth, and leave out the sausage.
Caldo Verde with Cauliflower
From Food52. Serves 6 to 8.
Ingredients
2 pounds cauliflower florets (from 1 medium head)
1 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
½ tablespoon smoked paprika
2 pinches salt and pepper, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for roasting
1 Spanish onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 cups chicken stock
½ pound smoked turkey kielbasa, sliced (Wellshire Farms brand is particularly good)
1 bunch mustard greens, shredded
¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
½ lemon, juiced
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 F. Toss cauliflower florets with cumin, smoked paprika, and liberal amounts of salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spread in a single layer in a roasting pan or baking dish and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove florets and set aside. Deglaze the roasting pan with 1 cup of the chicken stock, stirring to scrape up browned bits. Mix in with the remaining stock.
Sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-medium high heat until tender and translucent and beginning to brown. Add garlic and pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cauliflower and stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about an hour. Remove from heat and purée.
Return the puréed soup to low heat. Add sausage and cook about 10 minutes. (You can brown the sausage beforehand if you like.) Add the mustard greens and parsley and simmer another 5 to 10 minutes until the greens soften a bit. Remove from heat. Stir in the cilantro and the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkle of smoked paprika and a drizzle of olive oil
Orchietta with Cauliflower, Bread crumbs, Pancetta and Pepitas
From Food52. Enough for 8 cups pasta.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds cauliflower, broken into bite sized pieces
1 pound of orecchiette (if unavailable use conchiglie or cavatelli)
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup of good olive oil
3 thick slices of pancetta, cut into small dice.
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 lemon wedge
1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese
2 cup chopped parsley
Directions
Set a large pot of salted water to boil. When it gets to a boil, drop the cauliflower in and blanch for about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and set aside.
In a large, non stick skillet, dry toast first the bread crumbs until they are browned and then the pepitas until they start to pop. Set both ingredients aside.
Drop the pasta into the water to cook until al dente.
Put the oil in the skillet and fry the bacon pieces until crispy. Add the cauliflower and chopped garlic to the skillet and sauté for about 2 minutes.
Drain pasta (reserving a quarter cup of the pasta water). Add pasta to skillet with 1/4 cup of pasta water. Add lemon juice, Pecorino cheese, and parsley and mix well. Adjust for salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and stir in bread crumbs and pepitas.
Serve warm.