This week’s box includes: Radishes, head of lettuce, cabbage, broccoli (or cauliflower), tomatoes, cucumbers, white onion, summer squash (yellow & zucchini). You can see a photo that can help with identification on our Facebook page or check out our weekly video on Instagram.
Need storage instructions? Visit our fruit & veggie home pages. Click on the pic and a new page opens with storage instructions and a list of recipes curated by Conne Ward Cameron over the years.
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Wish I could remember exactly what my former boss used to say about farmers and gambling. You have to be risk tolerant in the extreme to make a living in conditions that are utterly outside of your control. The weather this year, oh my. Dry hot April, dry cold May, now wet as a noodle.
Apparently broccoli likes this weather. I’m guessing that the year of broccoli may be coming to a close since this week’s installment was florets instead of an entire head. Be aware that you may need to trim the stalk ends before storing if it’s smelling pungent.
My broccoli needed trimming, so I’m going to eat it sooner rather than later this week. [Or maybe you received cauliflower. If so, skip ahead.] I’m happy to have one more shot at including this NY Times recipe from Eric Kim – some sweet apple is just the thing to tame this week’s broccoli.
Apple and Broccoli Salad
From Eric Kim via NY Times Cooking
1 pound broccoli with stalks
1 crisp sweet-tart red apple, such as Pink Lady or Honeycrisp
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
½ to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (depending on heat preference), plus more to taste
Salt and black pepper
1 (1 ounce) chunk Parmesan, plus more to taste
Cut off the broccoli’s stalks, then peel off and discard the tough outsides. Thinly slice the stalks crosswise at an angle, so you end up with long planks. Thinly slice the broccoli’s florets lengthwise. Add the broccoli to a large bowl.
Quarter, core and thinly slice the apple, then add to the bowl. Splash the vinegar and lemon juice over the apples to prevent browning.
Add the olive oil, oregano, red pepper, ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Using a Microplane or the fine holes of a box grater, finely grate the cheese over the salad. Toss to combine, then taste for seasoning, adding more salt, lemon juice and red pepper as desired. Garnish with a final dusting of cheese, if desired.
Serve immediately or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. (The longer it sits, the more the flavors will balance and the broccoli will tenderize.)
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No one but no one is going to struggle with enjoying the tomato and onion in this week’s box. The onion is on the sweet side though technically it doesn’t have the flattened shape that I associate with the sweet varieties. We had slabs of them on burgers last night with a Caesar salad on the side. Scroll down for more on that salad.
If you’re looking for other onion ideas, that crisp just-harvested onion would be a great base for fried onion rings, recipe below. This box also screams for the zucchini-tomato-onion casserole my mother used to make, originally published in Marigolds to Munch On, the cookbook assembled by the Junior League of Peoria in 1970. Thanks, ladies. Our childhoods were sustained on this fare. I’ve amended the recipe based on how I make it now, and also to reduce the quantities to match what we received in the box this week.
Tomato-Onion-Zucchini Casserole
Originally contributed by Mrs. W. Stuart Reyburn (This convention of not using the wife’s actual name baffled me as a child.)
2 large tomatoes, sliced
3 zucchinis or summer squash, sliced into rounds
1 large onion
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
Slice onions crosswise about ¼” thick. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Array onion slabs in a layer, let them sit until they’re softened and just starting to brown. Turn heat off. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar, fresh cracked pepper, salt. Layer sliced zucchini on top of the onions, then tomato slices on top of the squash. Salt & pepper to taste, top with bread crumbs mixed with parmesan. Cook at 350 until veggies are done and bread crumb topping is lightly browned.
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We have a similar recipe in the archives, shared by Conne Ward Cameron: Tomato and Squash Gratin. The fresh basil in this recipe is a delicious summery addition.
One last onion recipe, this one from Chef Ryan Smith co-owner/chef at Staplehouse. Celery and Green Onion Soup sounds delicious right now – and maybe you’re still holding on to that celery from last week. Of course you’re going to want to top the soup with “…a small salad of lemon zest and juice, carrots, and the fried sourdough.” I love that our recipe archives include recipes from local chefs alongside fast-and-easy feed the fam recipes.
Homemade Fried Onion Rings
From Eating on a Dime
1 onion sliced into ½ thick slices and divided into rings
½ cup flour
2 large eggs
½ cup milk
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Vegetable oil For frying
Slice 1 onion into ½-inch thick slices and separate the slices into rings. Place ½ cup flour in one small bowl. In a second bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs and ½ cup milk until well combined. Place 1 cup panko bread crumbs in a third bowl.
Dip each onion ring into the ½ cup flour, then coat it in the mixture made with 2 large eggs and ½ cup milk, and finally coat it in the 1 cup panko bread crumbs. Place the coated onion rings on a plate until ready to fry.
Continue to do this until all of the onions have been coated.
Add oil to a small saucepan. You’ll need about 2 inches of oil. Heat on medium heat until it has reached a temperature of 375 degrees F.
Place the coated onions in the oil and fry on each side until the onions are golden brown. I cooked mine for approximately 2-3 minutes per side.
Transfer fried onion rings to a plate lined with a paper towel. Allow them to cool (they will be hot). You can top them with salt to keep them crisp at this time.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
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The lettuce parade continues! We received a head of iceberg lettuce in our box. That there’s such a thing as locally grown iceberg lettuce makes me unreasonably happy. Salad of the week in our house will be iceberg wedges topped with toasted pecans and crumbled blue cheese. Little cubes of fresh radish would be welcome here, too, as would crumbled bacon.
I’ve added my long-time favorite Caesar Salad recipe to our recipe archives. Originally from the 1981 edition of the Joy of Cooking, this recipe has the honor of leading the Salads chapter of that classic book. Since I no longer refer to the recipe when making it, my edits over time were interesting. Over the years, I’ve tripled the amount of garlic, transitioned to balsamic vinegar instead of wine vinegar, only use the egg’s yolk, added honey, and completely forgot about the dry mustard. I’m sharing my edited version, though keep in mind that the quantities of garlic make for a pungent result.
Finally, the cabbage. Lots of cabbage recipes await in our archives, including Spicy Cabbage and Sweet Onion Slaw and Grilled Steak Tacos with Spicy Slaw.
While in the Joy of Cooking I found the following recipe for Roquefort Coleslaw. The extra Roquefort Sour Cream Dressing would be great on those aforementioned iceberg wedges, too.
Roquefort Coleslaw
Irma says, “Based on a recipe from Herman Smith. His engaging little books, Stina and Kitchens Near and Far, have appealed to all lovers of good eating and reading.
1 ½ cups young white or red cabbage
1 cup apples
Lemon Juice
Parsley
Roquefort Sour Cream Dressing
¼ lb Roquefort or blue cheese
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon onions or chives
1 cup cultured sour cream
Shred cabbage finely. Peel and cut apple into long, narrow strips. Sprinkle apple strips with lemon juice to keep them from discoloring. Combine dressing ingredients in a bowl or blender.
Toss salad lightly with dressing. Serve at once, garnished with parsley.
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Coming soon: Potatoes! Garlic! Once the garlic gets started, it’ll be in almost every box until we run out of it.
Here’s to enjoying all of your veg this week,
~ Suzanne