This week’s garden is getting very green.
What to do with Cucumber, Endive, Fava, Fennel and more, including a cherry pie.
Recipes and suggestions compiled by Larchmont-based Farm Share which delivers Community Supported Agriculture. Shares are still available on a pro-rated basis.
Chocolate Chip Squash Muffins
from Farm Share’s Gail Brussel:
These are really easy and really good– our kids devour them. We make them as mini-muffins and freeze to use for after-camp treats as well as school lunches.
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup organic sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded squash
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1) Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
2) Combine the egg, oil, milk, lemon juice and vanilla; mix well.
3) Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
4) Fold in squash, chocolate chips and walnuts.
5) Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.
6) Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes about a dozen big ones or 24 minis. Yum.
Japanese Turnip Pancakes with Kale and Miso Mayo (Okonomiyaki)
from mindbodygreen.com
serves 4
If you don’t want to use the turnips, feel free to substitute potatoes. You can also use leeks instead of scallions/onions, and any leafy green is okay to use in place of the kale. But don’t skip the cabbage!
Ingredients for Okonomiyaki
2 cups cabbage, sliced into fine strips
1 large or 3 small turnips, grated
1 cup packed kale, sliced thinly into ribbons
1 clove garlic minced
1 inch piece of ginger grated
1 small white pearl onion chopped
1 Tbsp. tamari
A few green scallions, chopped, plus more to garnish
A few sprigs of cilantro to garnish
A big pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup flour – we use whole wheat flour (your favorite gluten-free flour option works, too)
2 eggs, beaten
1-2 Tbsp. peanut oil or any oil of your choosing with a high smoking point
Ingredients for Spicy Miso Mayo
1 Tbsp. safflower mayo
1-1.5 tsp. Sriracha (depending on how spicy you like it!)
1 tsp. white miso (or more to taste)
A splash tamari and water until desired thickness is reached
Directions
Whisk together spicy miso mayo ingredients and set aside.
Wash and prep the veggies.
Whisk the eggs and add to the vegetables with the flour, stirring until well combined. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with the oil; then, using your hands, start with about a 1/2 cup amount of the cabbage veggie mixture, forming it into a patty. You can add a little more if it appears to be holding shape and then lay onto the hot griddle. Make the pancakes as big or as small as you like.
Add a few more patties to the pan as if you were making regular pancakes, then press down on the top of each with the back of a spatula and allow to cook on one side for about 5-7 min, checking occasionally to prevent them from burning. Flip and cook the other side for another 5 min until golden brown.
Keep warm in a warming oven covered in foil until you’ve run out of cabbage mixture, then serve immediately. Garnish with chopped cilantro, spicy mayo, scallions and bonito or dashi flakes.
Warm Endive & Fennel Salad
from Honest Fare
Ingredients
Curly endive
Red onion
Fennel bulb
Apple cider vinegar
Lemon juice
Kalamata olives
Romano cheese
Coarse sea salt
Cracked black pepper
Olive oil
Directions: Pluck several leaves of endive; wash and fully dry; tear into pieces and set aside. Thinly slice some red onion and fennel. Dice some Kalamata olives and grate some Romano cheese and set aside for later too.
Get some oil nice and hot on your pan and add the red onions and a pinch of coarse sea salt. Cook on med-high heat until they begin to brown. Remove and set aside. Add a little more olive oil and the fennel to the pan with another sprinkle of sea salt and cracked black pepper. Cook fennel undisturbed for about 3-5 minutes per side. Once fennel is soft and golden brown, add a nice splash of apple cider vinegar to create some steam and deglaze the pan.
Now add your cooked red onions back to the pan and a good amount of raw endive. Remember, the endive will cook down so you can add more than you’d think. Toss quickly and squeeze lemon juice overtop. Remove from heat just as endive begins to wilt. Top with diced olives and cheese.
from Sonna Schupak:
Fava Beans and Garlic Scapes:
Cut several garlic scapes into 1/4 inch pieces and saute them for about 2 minutes in olive oil (sprinkled with a bit of salt).
Add 1 10-oz box of mushrooms, sliced into thick chunks (I also used the stems, cut in half) + a bit of sherry, salt, and a splash of heavy cream (I was thinking of my recipe for chicken marsala).
Continue cooking for a few minutes until the mushroom are tender, then add 2 weeks’ worth of fava beans, and continue heating until the beans are warm.
Meanwhile, cook and drain whole wheat pasta.
Ladle the mushroom & fava bean mixture onto the pasta, and then toss in a generous amount of parmesan cheese.
I served this with a green salad with sliced (raw) kohlrabi, beets, and cukes – all from the farm.
Sour Cherry Pie
Ingredients
One 8 or 9-inch pie crust for double-crust pie (store-bought or
homemade is fine), chilled
1/4 cup flour, plus additional for work surface
1 1/4 cups organic sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4-5 cups fresh sour cherries, washed, stemmed and pitted
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil
2) Prick the bottom and sides of 1 of the pie crusts with a fork. Refrigerate both pie crusts.
3) In a bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Add the lemon juice and combine. Add the cherries (and other fruit if you wish) and toss gently to combine, preferably with your hands. Set aside.
4) Gently scrape the filling into the crust that was pricked with a fork. Scatter the butter pieces evenly over the cherry filling. Place the remaining pastry circle on a lightly floured work surface. Using a sharp knife, cut it into 3/4-inch wide strips. Arrange the strips over the filling in a lattice.
5) Place the pie on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 45 – 60 minutes longer, or until the filling is bubbling and thickened and the crust is golden. If needed, cover with foil to prevent overbrowning. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.
