CSA Week 15

Here's this week:

• The Biggest Daikon Evar!

Ok I'm sure there have been bigger ones. But it did remind me of the freaky Radish God from Spirited Away. I like his little rice-bowl hat.

The plan for this one is to grate some and make pickled daikon and carrots for Bahn Mi's this week. Meredith has already made a batch of rice-flour baguettes. (nom nom nom) The rest will go into Daikon Kimchi with the chard.

• Mizuna

Into a salad most likely. Or maybe on the side with some kimchi and korean spare-ribs if we go that route.

• Chard

Kimchi

• Grapefruits

I hate grapefruit. But Meredith doesn't.

• Lettuce

Salads that I should be eating more of anyway.

• Cherry Tomatoes

Salads probably.

• Yellow Squash

Who knows. Something. Maybe grilled or sauteed.

Leftover Wrapup

• Pasta Verde "CSA"

This was an attempt to accomplish several things with one go. I wanted to use a lot of last week's veggies at once, I wanted to try some of the guanciale, I wanted several meals, and I didn't want to go to the store. Thus, Pasta Verde CSA was born.

It began with a pesto. The remaining half of the arugula leaves were blanched for 15 seconds in the water that would later boil my pasta. Then it went into the food processor with three cloves of garlic, some Italian and Thai basil from the yard, some walnuts from the freezer, some grated parmesan, and some salt and pepper. I whizzed it up and then drizzled olive oil in until it became pesto. Set aside.

Into a large skillet went some chopped guanciale (about 6 oz) and some chopped pancetta (maybe 3 oz? I just used what I had left). You can see on the right that though recipes often use them interchangeably they are quite different (mmmm cured fat...). The guanciale is on the left and the pancetta on the right. Some good friends made the guanciale using a Berkshire pig jowl that they then cured, while I cured the pancetta a month or so ago. Both are delicious but taste different both in flavor and texture. Anyway, these were cooked on medium to render out some fat until they were golden brown and crispy delicious. Removed and drained.

Poured off the fat into a coffee cup, then put about a tablespoon and a half back in. In went two cloves of garlic, minced, and the lower bulbs of the three spring onions, chopped. Also one chopped green bell pepper was added. Cooked until the onions started to brown a little, added some red pepper flakes and some mexican oregano. Added the spring onion tops, chopped at this point and cooked till wilted. Then in went the kale, stems and veins removed, leaves rolled up and thinly sliced. Added a glug of white wine vinegar to sharpen the greens then wilted the kale for about 3 minutes.

Three minutes was long enough to cook the pasta, some fettuccine (about 12 oz.). Drained the noodles, added the greens to the pot, then the noodles, then the pesto. Mixed it all up, garnished with guanciale and pancetta and some more Parmesan. It was delicious, and used up a lot of my CSA veggies at once. I was really happy with how the kale came out, but more pleased with how crispy, salty and delicious the guanciale was!