Summer is here! Tomatoes, corn on the cob, cantaloupe and nectaplums. And just to make it all sweeter, a jar of local honey.
You have the makings of salsa in this box, or great sides for a BBQ.
Fox Farm
Honey
Apples
Nectaplums
Pluots
Gaytan Family Farm
Cantaloupe
Jalapenos
Onion - red/yellow
Celery
Bell Peppers - Mixed colors
Sweet Corn
Cilantro
Corona Farm
Red Slicing tomatoes
OS Farms
Garlic
Green Onions
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.
If you love elote, Mexican street corn, you will want to try this pasta salad. It hits all the right notes.
Street Corn Pasta Salad
From Ambitiouskitchen.com. Serves 6.
Ingredients
For the corn
2 large ears of corn, shucked and cleaned
1-2 teaspoons avocado or olive oil
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin
Freshly ground salt and pepper
For the pasta
8 ounces bow tie pasta (or your favorite pasta)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 avocado, diced
1/3 cup goat cheese crumbles
½ cup diced red onion
For the cilantro pesto
1 cup cilantro leaves (about ½ a bunch)
1/3 cup roasted or raw cashews
1 small lime, juiced
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeño, seeded
2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons water, if necessary to thin the pesto
To garnish:
Extra cilantro
1/2 avocado, if desired
2 tablespoons goat cheese crumbles
Directions
Preheat grill to high. Drizzle corn with olive or avocado oil. Sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Place the corn directly on grill and turn occasionally until corn is charred and cooked, about 10 minutes. Allow corn to cool then cut the corn from the cob and set aside.
While the corn is cooking, you can boil your pasta until al dente, according to the directions on the pasta package. Once the pasta is done, drain, rinse with cool water then add to a large bowl.
Next make the cilantro pesto: Add cilantro, cashews, lime juice, garlic clove, jalapeno, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Process until smooth, add water if necessary to help thin the pesto and make it easier to process.
Add the pesto directly to the bowl with the pasta and mix to combine. Next add in the corn, red bell pepper, avocado, goat cheese and red onion. Gently mix together. Place in fridge for serving for later, or serve immediately! Once ready to serve, garnish with extra cilantro, avocado, goat cheese and jalapeno slices, if you'd like.
If you make ahead, don’t add the avocado until ready to serve.
We all get a disappointing cantaloupe or other fruit sometimes, but never fear, it can be saved. This tip is from JoyKitchen.
Saving a not great cantaloupe or nectarines or strawberries
Directions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Wash, cut in half, and remove the seeds from the cantaloupe. Cut into wedges, and then into cubes.
If you like, toss the cubes with a little sugar or vanilla sugar. If the melon is a very sweet one, it will not need the extra sugar. If it's on the watery side, though, adding a little sugar helps with the caramelization. Vanilla sugar is a lovely addition, and if you ever use vanilla beans, there's no reason you shouldn't have some vanilla sugar tucked away in your pantry. If you don't have any, make some straightaway. It's a nice little secret ingredient to have on hand.
Roast until the melon begins to look a little shriveled and has started to caramelize, about 20 minutes. Cool completely. Serve over oatmeal, yogurt, ice cream, custard, or anywhere else where you need mild fruit accompaniment.
What do I do with fennel? Many people become aficionados when they taste fennel. There are a number of ways to use fennel. It can be eaten raw, or braised, or caramelized. All versions will have a slightly different flavor.
Braised Fennel
From Reluctantgourmet.com
Ingredients
2 medium fennel bulbs
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fennel fronds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¼ cup dry white wine
½ cup homemade or low sodium chicken stock
Directions
Trim fennel bulbs from stalks, reserving some fronds to chop for garnish. Cut bulbs lengthwise into 1/3-1/2” slices. Do not trim root end, so the slices stay together.
Heat a 10-12” sauté pan until hot. Add the oil and wait until the oil shimmers before adding the fennel.
Season with some salt and pepper and sear fennel to caramelize, turning once. The fennel should be a rich golden brown.
Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
When the wine has reduced to a syrup, add the chicken stock and put the lid on the pan.
Braise over very low heat for about ten to fifteen minutes, or until the fennel is very tender.
Before serving, garnish with chopped fennel fronds.
The flavor of the braised fennel can be changed with lemon juice and parmesan cheese.
The recipe below is quite quick.
Linguine with Sardines, Fennel, and Tomato
From Food 52. Serves 2-4.
Ingredients
1 pinch Kosher or sea salt
1 tin sardines packed in olive oil (about 4 ¼ oz.)
1 splash extra virgin olive oil
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled, smashed, and roughly chopped (up to 3 cloves total, to taste)
1 small or ½ large bulb fennel, fronds reserved
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes, or more to taste
1 cup canned peeled tomatoes with their juice, gently crushed
2 ounces white (dry) vermouth
1 medium lemon, juice and zest
1/3 cup toasted bread crumbs
3/4 pound dry linguine
Directions
Bring a very large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
Open the sardine tin and drain a tablespoon or so of the oil into a wide skillet (the amount of oil in the tin will vary by brand, so add additional extra virgin olive oil if necessary to make up a tablespoon). Warm the oil over medium-low heat and add the garlic, cooking until fragrant.
Trim the fennel and slice the bulb very thinly (a mandoline works great here). Add to the skillet with a sprinkle of salt, raise the heat to medium, and cook until the fennel is soft and beginning to caramelize. Add the chile flakes and let them sizzle for a minute, just until fragrant, then add the tomatoes with their juice. Cook until the liquid is reduced, then add the vermouth and let that reduce slightly.
Add the sardines to the skillet with the tomato and fennel mixture, breaking up slightly but leaving some chunks. Zest the lemon and combine a tablespoon or so of zest with the toasted breadcrumbs, then set aside. Juice the lemon and add the juice to the pan. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
Add the linguine to the boiling salted water, cooking it until it is just short of al dente. Using tongs, transfer the linguine to the sauce to finish cooking, adding a little bit of the starchy pasta water and tossing gently to combine. (You'll want to leave this a little wet, as the breadcrumbs will soak up the sauce and dry the pasta out a bit once you've added them.)
Transfer the pasta and sauce to a large warmed serving bowl (or individual pasta bowls), add a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle on the toasted breadcrumb-lemon zest mixture, and garnish with picked small fennel fronds and the remaining lemon zest.