Cooking With This Week's Box
Asparagus:
Asparagus and Potato Frittata (See Below)
Wild Ramps:
Carola Gold Potatoes:
.jpg "Green Garlic Pesto with Radishes and Jammy Eggs") |
| Photo from www.brooklynsupper.com |
Chives:
Nettles:
Watercress:
Green Garlic:
Baby Arugula:
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Green Top Red Radishes:
Rhubarb:
Welcome to our third week of Cooking With the Box! We are excited to be featuring one of our favorite spring vegetables this week, Asparagus! While I seldom ever get past just simply roasting or sautéing asparagus, there really are many ways you can enjoy this vegetable. If you are looking for a few new recipes, I have two recipe collections to share with you. Surely you’ll find at least one appealing recipe in this article for 30 Minute Dinners for People Who Love Asparagus or 50 Asparagus Recipes That Celebrate Spring. I also have a simple recipe for Asparagus and Potato Frittata (See Below) Frittatas are a great carrier for vegetables that are in season and may serve as any meal of the day!
We’re happy to finally have sorrel to share with you this week! If you’ve been around for awhile you can probably guess which two recipes I’m going to mention for using sorrel as they are my two all-time favorites! You just can’t beat this Frosty Sorrel & Banana Smoothie. It’s a great way to supercharge your day! I also really enjoy this Sorrel Hummus recipe and like to use it as a spread on a wrap stuffed with other spring vegetables like handfuls of fresh greens, sliced radishes, grilled asparagus, etc.
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| Photo from www.northwildkitchen.com |
Rhubarb is also making its annual spring appearance! If pie is typically your first stop on the rhubarb circuit, consider trying this recipe for Rhubarb Juniper Pie. Personally, I like to make Rhubarb Almond Baked Oatmeal every spring. It reheats well for a quick breakfast option, which is always a bonus!
Chives won’t be around much longer as we have some spring onions that are nearly ready to harvest. But before we’re finished with chives, try this recipe for Vegan “Sour Cream” and Chive Popcorn, or if you’re more into cheese, check out this recipe for Cheddar Cheese & Chives Popovers. This may also be our last week for Nettles. If you have never tried nettles in baked goods, maybe this is the week to try this recipe for Nettle & Lemon Cupcakes with Lavender Icing!
I hope you’re having fun creating tasty meals with all of these spring vegetables. Next week we’re planning to harvest Hon Tsai Tai. If you don’t know what that is, don’t worry! I’ll tell you all about it next week! We’re also hoping to start harvesting cilantro, baby bok choi and baby white turnips very shortly. And…..we have a nice little crop of mini head lettuces that I’ve got my eye on for sending your way in the next 1-2 weeks. Plus, more salad greens will be ready very soon. Despite a late start to spring, we’re feeling very blessed and getting back on schedule a little more every day/week!
Have a great week!
Chef Andrea
Vegetable Feature: Asparagus
by Andrea Yoder
As a perennial crop, it takes a three-year investment to establish a field. During the first few years after asparagus crowns are planted, the goal is to build a large root system through the capture of solar energy that is stored in the roots. We also focus on weed control, which is especially important in a field that will be home to the same crop for multiple growing seasons. Conventional asparagus fields are often bare because they are sprayed with herbicide to keep weeds under control. Our asparagus fields are actually green because we employ a method of cover crops and hand weeding to control weeds instead of using chemicals. We sometimes also use mechanical cultivation, but the risk of damaging the root system is pretty great so we’re limited with this technique. While cover crops help to build soil fertility and help to decrease weed pressure, they also compete to a certain extent with the asparagus crowns. We do also walk the fields and pull weeds by hand. As you can see, asparagus can be a labor-intensive and challenging crop to maintain! Our cost of production is greater than conventional production, so if you ever wonder why our price might be higher than other growers, this is why.
Asparagus may be eaten raw, although it’s most often cooked. It may be steamed, boiled, sautéed, grilled, or roasted. The lower portion of the stem may be a little tough. If this is the case, simply snap or cut that portion off. You can save these pieces and use them to flavor vegetable stock. Be careful not to overcook asparagus or it will become soft, mushy and a dull olive-green color. Cook it just until it is bright green and tender. If you are boiling or steaming it, either serve it immediately or put it in cold iced water to stop the cooking process.
Asparagus pairs well with other spring vegetables including ramps, mushrooms, green garlic and green onions and peas. It is also often served with lemon, cheese, cream, eggs, mint, parsley, chives, dill, bacon, pancetta. Many times, I never get past simply roasting asparagus as it is good when just eaten in this simple form. It is also delicious in a quiche, frittata, scrambled eggs, risotto, or savory tarts.
We hope you enjoy the bounty of this year’s asparagus harvest and eat it to your heart’s content. Remember, we will only have it for a few more weeks!
Asparagus & Potato Frittata
Yield: 8-10 servings
¾ pound asparagus
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
2 green onions or green garlic, including green tops
6-8 small red or gold potatoes, unpeeled
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
½ tsp chopped fresh tarragon or parsley
2 Tbsp snipped fresh chives
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
11 eggs
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup shredded Swiss cheese
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
2 green onions or green garlic, including green tops
6-8 small red or gold potatoes, unpeeled
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
½ tsp chopped fresh tarragon or parsley
2 Tbsp snipped fresh chives
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
11 eggs
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup shredded Swiss cheese
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Trim the tough ends off the asparagus spears. Place the asparagus on a steamer rack over boiling water, cover, and steam just until tender, but still a little crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove from the steamer and cut into 1-inch lengths. Set it aside.
- Cut the potatoes into ⅛-inch-thick slices and set aside.
- In a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions or green garlic and sauté until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the potatoes, 1 tsp salt, the tarragon/parsley, and a few grinds of pepper and then sauté until the potatoes glisten, about 3 minutes, adding the remaining 1 Tbsp oil if needed to prevent sticking. Cover and cook until the potatoes are nearly tender, 6-8 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to high, and cook, stirring constantly, until the potatoes are browned, 7-8 minutes. Stir in the chives and asparagus and remove from the heat.
- In a large cast iron frying pan or ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Pour the eggs into the hot pan. Stir gently in the center and, as the eggs begin to set along the edges, use a spatula to push the edges toward the center, tilting the pan to let the uncooked egg flow to the edges. Cook until thickened but still moist, 3-4 minutes. Spread the onion-potato mixture evenly over the eggs.
- Sprinkle the Swiss cheese on top, transfer to the oven, and bake the eggs until they have set, and the cheese has melted, 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for a few minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.
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