Lettuce Soup

I have no idea where I found this recipe, but it came with this note: “Equally delicious warm or chilled, a simple pureed soup of lettuce, potato, onion, and chicken stock is seasoned with hints of parsley, nutmeg and lemon and fortified with a touch of cream. Unlike lettuce in the raw, the soup only gets better as it sits and can be gently reheated throughout the week.”

Storing lettuce: rinse the leaves and spin them dry in a salad spinner. If you have space, storing the leaves in the salad spinner is great. But that takes up a lot of room in the refrigerator. You can wrap the washed leaves in a dry tea towel and then drop that into a plastic bag that you don’t seal tight. I find that if I clean the lettuce when I get it home, I’m a lot more likely to add it to a sandwich or make it into a salad then if I have to do all that prep when I’m ready to eat.

CSA Salad with Buttermilk-Green Onion Dressing

The gorgeous head of lettuce in my CSA box made me run for the salad bowl. Slice up the radishes you don’t put into a sandwich, add the cucumbers and then make this simple dressing. You could sliver some of the Napa cabbage into your salad as well. And what about boiling up a few of those eggs and adding egg halves? Now you’ve got a perfect lunch or light dinner.

Radish Sandwiches

I’m going to start you off with what has been the most widely publicized Atlanta recipe for the past few months, the Radish Sandwiches with Butter and Salt from Steven Satterfield’s new cookbook, “From Root to Leaf.” They’ve been everywhere from the New York Times to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A reminder from a master chef of how simple things can be best. The recipe in the book calls for two bunches of radishes, but of course, you only received one. So make half the recipe, or run to your local farmers market tomorrow or over the weekend and pick up more.

Here’s what he says in the book about the recipe: “The French figured out a long time ago that the best way to cut the heat of a raw radish is to dip it into softened butter and sprinkle it with salt. They also take it one step further and put it on a baguette, turning it into a light lunch or a snack with wine. The trick is not to skimp on the radishes or the butter. Think of the radish as the meat and the butter as the mayo. If you’re feeling creative, whip the butter with fresh herbs like chives or tarragon. I like to pair this with chilled spring greens soup or wrap it in wax paper and take it on a picnic.”

Storing radishes: Go ahead and remove the greens and rinse the radishes. You can save the greens to add to a salad, or to make pesto. But if you leave them on the roots, they’ll sap some of the energy. Keep the roots in a plastic bag with some ventilation. They should hold up to a week.

Purple Kohlrabi Slaw

I love cooked kohlrabi, but it would be sort of a shame to cook that pretty purple kohlrabi. How about a slaw? This is an unusual take on slaw, using yogurt instead of the usual mayonnaise or sour cream. Apple is traditional in these kinds of slaw. When apples are not in season, you could use blueberries or firm chopped peach instead.

Notes on Greens

Greens storage: All of the sturdy greens (chard, bok choy, cabbage, kale) should be stored the same way. Put them into a plastic bag and leave it unsealed. Put into your vegetable crisper. The outer leaves may wilt, but the inner leaves will be fine. And for other uses for your greens: think about braises, making Read More…

Stir-Fried Bok Choy

This recipe comes from Bill Schroeder of the Buford Highway Farmers Market. He uses stir-fry sauce for convenience sake. You can find it at most grocery stores these days, but you can also just add a little soy sauce and sugar in its place. To make a more exact replica, you’d stir a little cornstarch into water and add that at the last minute to thicken up the sauce.