CSA Recipes: Week 2

Recipes for Week 2: (writing these up is making me hungry...)

Rhubarb Lemonade Spritzer (from Delicious Living, June '09 issue)

makes 2 quarts

6 C. water

1 C. natural cane sugar

6 C. coarsely chopped rhubarb

Zest and juice of 1 med.-lg. lemon 

(experiment with other fruits, such as lime, grapefruit, fresh ginger, strawberries etc. added to this rhubarb syrup)

1. In a saucepan, bring water and sugar to boil.  Add rhubarb. Return to boil, then simmer over low heat for 5 min. Add lemon zest and stir gently. Strain into a bowl, allowing pulp to drain for 10 min. w/out pressing. Pour liquid into a pitcher and add lemon juice. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (can be made several days in advance).

2. To serve, mix one portion rhubarb syrup with equal portion of unflavored sparkling water (or sparkling wine etc.)

Rhubarb-Lentil Soup (provided by Bonnie)

 
1 1/2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup dried lentils
2 cups finely chopped carrot
1 3/4 cups finely chopped celery
1 1/2 cups finely chopped red onion
1/4 chopped fresh parsley
2 cups chopped rhubarb
4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
6 tbsp whipping cream or creme fraiche
dill sprigs, for garnish
 
Pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over lentils in a small bowl; let stand 10 min.
 
Saute carrot, clerey, onion, and parsley for 4 min.  Add rhubarb, and saute for 3 min.  Drain lentils and add to pan.  Stir in broth and salt; bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer 35 min or until lentils are tender.
 
Remove from heat; let cool for 5 min.  Puree in blender; add pepper.
 
Combine dill and whipping cream in a small bowl.  Serve soup with a tablespoon of cream-dill mixture on top; garnish with dill sprigs.
 
Serves 6, about 1 1/3 cups of soup per serving.
 
187 calories, 6 grams fat, 8.5 grams protein, 7.3 grams fiber

Creamy Radish Green Soup (from the Oregonian Food Day section)

serves 2

2 Tbs. butter

2-3 Tbs. garlic scapes, minced

2 green onions, trimmed and slice 1/2" thick

1 heaping tsp. minces fresh ginger

1 bunch radish greens, chopped small

1 med. yam or sweet potato, peeled and sliced 1/2" thick

2 C. vegetable broth

1/4 C. half-and-half

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat butter in deep pan over med. heat.  Add garlic scapes, green onions, and ginger - saute 2 min.  Add radish greens and yam and stir to combine.  Add broth, simmer covered 10-15 min.  Remove from heat, let sit for 5 min.  Put soup in blender or food processor, blending for at least 30 seconds to make sure all the radish stems get pureed (otherwise soup will be stringy). Return to pan, add half-and-half, salt and pepper to taste.  Stir to combine and serve.

Braised Radishes
 

20 plump radishes

1-2 T. butter

1 shallot, diced

1 tsp. chopped thyme or several pinches dried

Salt and freshly milled pepper, to taste

Trim the leaves from the radishes, leaving a bit of the green stems. Scrub them.  If leaves are tender and in good condition, wash them and set aside.  Leave smaller radishes whole and halve or quarter larger ones.

Melt 2-3 tsp. butter in a small saute pan.  Add the shallot and thyme and cook for 1 minute over medium heat.  Add the radishes, a little salt and pepper, and water just to cover.  Simmer until the radishes are tender, 3-5 minutes.  Add the leaves if using and cook until they're wilted and tender, 1 minute more.  Remove the radishes to a serving dish.  Boil the liquid, adding a tsp. or two more butter if you like, until only about 1/4 C. remains.  Pour it over the radishes and serve.

Spring Turnips with Their Greens

(Serves 1-2)

4-6 small turnips, scrubbed, greens trimmed and washed (leave whole if very small, or halve or quarter them so that their sizes are fairly uniform)

Salt and freshly milled pepper

1-2 T. butter

A 1/4 tsp. thyme or lemon thyme

It isn't necessary to peel small and tender turnips.  Bring 2 quarts water to a boil for the greens.  Add 3/4  tsp. salt, then the greens, and simmer until tender, about 8 minutes.  Meanwhile, set a steaming basket over salted water for the turnips.  Steam turnips until they're tender, 8-12 minutes depending on their size.  Drain the greens, press out excess moisture with the back of a spoon, toss them with 1/2 the butter, and season with salt and pepper.  Arrange them on a plate.  Toss the turnips with the remaining butter, a few dashes of salt, a grind of pepper, and the thyme.  Pile the turnips on the greens and serve them together.  A lovely side dish.