Week two of getting my CSA farm share and it is full of wonderful green bounty, including some strange veg. Opening the box I found a tangle of weird stems – garlic skapes – the bit at the top with a flower bud. Nestled at the bottom of the box was kohlrabi – a strange looking root vegetable. The kohlrabi still sits but the garlic I have tossed into my fancy new dual blender-food processor to make a fantastic pesto. The skapes give it a milder flavor. Instead of just basil, I stuffed the processor bowl with arugala from my own garden. Planted too generously this year, it is already very strong and spicy and threatens to bolt – then too bitter for my taste. A generous handful of walnuts, and parmesan cheese and scooped out over just-cooked orzo, it was a scrumptious summer dinner. Leftovers will get the addition of feta and grape tomatoes and be a pasta salad.
Did I say I loved my new kitchen tool? I also had a massive half a head (I split the share) of chinese cabbage that I shredded within minutes with carrot and a touch of scallions. Cleared that out of the bowl and made a dressing by adding a few inches of fresh ginger (easily peeled with a spoon- thank you Martha Stewart!) sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce and a scoop of peanut butter and a shake of red pepper and gave it a whirl in my new machine before mixing it with the cabbage mixture to make a slaw. Immediately delicious and after marinating in the refrigerator all night, ready for tonight’s dinner as a side to some Asian-y cooked chicken or maybe just (egads!) some really good hot dogs.
I could spend all day in the kitchen — but the garden and kayaking calls. Reports on those adventures soon.
