2022 Produce CSA Week 11

How exciting to have both a huge cantaloupe and a watermelon in today’s box. Haven’t cut into the watermelon yet so I don’t know if it’s yellow or red, seeded or seedless, but in any case, I’m delighted. We were gone for the Fourth of July to South Carolina where I frozen chunks of watermelon and drank watermelon slushies every day. Exactly what was needed when the temperatures were in the upper 90s. I’m testing some frozen fruity drink recipes for the AJC this week, so these melons are likely to be used in the same way. If that’s not your thing, check out the cantaloupe and watermelon recipes at grassfedcow.com.

Was hoping for more corn – two ears here – because I wanted to try a recipe for honey grilled corn. I’ll have to get to a farmers market and pick up a few more ears! And I totally neglected to do the annual reminder two weeks ago when the first corn appeared. It’s organic. There are likely to be corn worms at the end of the cob. I take a serrated knife and cut off about 1 1/2 inches down the cob and discard the end before husking the corn. That generally captures the worm and sends him to the compost. (Guess I’m assigning gender to cornworms these days.) I hear if you have chickens, the corn worm is quite a delicacy.

Peppers galore! A huge bunch of kale! And three red onions which is more than I remember receiving in all of years past. So ….

I have company coming this weekend. They’re getting the Savory Breakfast Strata from Nealey Thompson of Cook’s Warehouse – recipe down below. She made hers with chard but I’m using kale.

And because we have a bounty of cucumbers, I’ll make the Cold Peanuts Noodle Salad with Cucumbers from Alexander Stafford, down below. I thought we had something similar posted at grassfedcow.com, but didn’t see anything (I could be missing it!) so here’s another recipe to consider. We like the dressing a little sweeter, so we add some honey.

Maybe you’d rather make pickles with your cucumbers – there are at least a dozen recipes on the cucumber recipe page. There’s also a simple cucumber and onion salad that will make short work of those cucumbers and as many onions as you want to include.

And with all those peppers … if you have too many, chunk them up and put them in the freezer (like that celery). There’s more information on that on our pepper recipe page. I have some Cauliflower Bolognese from Stop Think Chew and I’m likely to turn most of those peppers into Shakshuka. Heat up the sauce and peppers, then crack eggs into the hot sauce and steam. Yum. Maybe that will be the second breakfast for our houseguests. If you want to start from scratch, there’s a Shakshuka recipe on the website. Just add chunks of peppers.

Savory Breakfast Strata with Kale, Mushrooms, and Cherry Tomatoes

1 (16-ounce) loaf Italian bread, cut into 1-1/2 to 2 inch cubes
Extra virgin olive oil
2 leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced (or green onions – do you have any left in your veg drawer? it’s ok to substitute some red onion)
2 – 3 large sprigs thyme
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 bunch kale, stripped, chopped, and rinsed but not dried
1 pound mushrooms from your favorite mushroom farmer, cleaned and quartered
1 quart cherry tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
6 tablespoon dry white wine (use a mini bottle if you don’t have a large bottle on hand)
8 large eggs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces Gruyere, grated on large holes of box grater

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Transfer bread cubes to sheet pan and cook until toasty and dry, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

In a large Dutch oven, heat a glug of olive oil over medium heat. Add leeks, thyme springs, and a big pinch of salt and sauté until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute or so. Remove thyme springs and transfer to a separate bowl.

Add the greens to the skillet and a big pinch of salt and cook, tossing occasionally, until wilted but still bright, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the leeks.

Add another splash of olive oil to the skillet and add the mushrooms and a big pinch of salt. Cook until golden brown, about 5 – 7 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the vegetables.

Add a big glug of olive oil to the skillet and add the whole cherry tomatoes and a big pinch of salt. Cook until the tomatoes just start to burst, about 5 – 7 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the other vegetables.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine cream, milk, wine, eggs, Dijon, and plenty of salt and pepper. Whisk until mixture is very well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning. You want to it to be very well seasoned. If this mixture is bland, the whole dish will be bland. (Yes, I taste my raw egg mixture. It’s the only way to know if it is good. Use pasteurized eggs if this makes you nervous.)

Add the bread cubes, sauteed vegetables, and grated Gruyere to the egg mixture and carefully mix until everything is evenly and very well combined.

Pour the mixture into a buttered 9 x 13 casserole dish. It’s okay if some of the bread edges poke out. Loosely cover with plastic wrap (don’t smoosh it) and transfer to the refrigerator to chill overnight.

When ready to bake, turn oven on 350 degrees F and remove strata from the fridge to warm up a bit. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue cooking until puffed and golden brown, about 35 to 40 more minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Cold Peanut Noodle Salad with Cucumbers

For the dressing:

1/2 cup peanut butter or other nut butter
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 cup water plus more as needed
2 garlic cloves, finely minced or grated
2 teaspoons grated or finely minced fresh ginger
2 to 3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce, such as Sambal Oelek, optional
Flaky sea salt such as Maldon

For the Salad:
1 lb. frozen udon noodles or 8 oz. dried noodle of choice
1 to 2 large cucumbers, sliced or spiralized
2 to 4 scallions, thinly sliced to yield a scant cup
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, optional
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup peanut-ginger dressing plus more to taste

Make the dressing. In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup, water, ginger, garlic, and chili-garlic sauce, if using. Season with a pinch of sea salt. Taste. Adjust with more lime or salt to taste. As the dressing sits, it may thicken. If it does, thin with a tablespoon of water until it reaches the right consistency.

Boil the noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the udon or noodles of choice according to package instructions. My frozen udon noodles have been taking roughly 5 minutes to cook through. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Prep the cucumbers: I’ve been loving using my spiralizer for this one. You could use a mandoline, too, or you could simply slice your cucumbers as thinly as possible. To spiralize, cut off the very ends of each cucumber, then fit the cucumber into the spiralizer and turn until the cucumber has been transformed into thin whisps. I’ve been using about 8 ounces of spiralized cucumbers for this recipe.

Make the salad: Place the noodles into a large bowl. Pat dry with a towel if still wet. Toss with 1/4 cup of the dressing. Noodles should be nicely sauced. Add the cucumbers, scallions, cilantro, if using, and peanuts. Toss again. Taste. Add more dressing to taste if the salad seems underdressed — I usually add a splash more — or a pinch of sea salt if it tastes underseasoned. Serve immediately or transfer to quart containers and stash in the fridge. Store extra dressing in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.