Partitioning the First Share

As I noted last week, our first share was a lovely haul. CookMommie and I managed to make use of everything in the share with very few exceptions: the tops of the strawberries and some of the parsley. "What about the tops of the turnips, radishes and carrots?" you ask... they are consumed, and I'll explain how in a later post.

For now, a summary of what was put together almost entirely from this load:
4 large salads from the red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, radishes, carrots, mint, parsley & thyme
4 servings of fridge pickles from the beet and leftover radishes & carrots
4 servings of chipotle mashed turnips
3 servings of pea risotto
Also delicious strawberry-based breakfasts and chocolate-covered strawberries... with the mint, we made mojitos!

and, of course, baby's first encounter with peas and carrots.

More on that tomorrow...

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Fresh Pea Risotto

CookDaddie loves risotto. So does CookMommie. It's the perfect grain for so many different vegetables - it's easy to make, versatile and the perfect compliment to that special veggie in your life. I decided to use the bulk of the peas from our first share in my standard risotto recipe. Delicious. Making risotto is time consuming, but if you have a kitchen partner to chat with or a podcast to listen to, it's time well-spent. Even if you use that time for good old-fashioned thinking, you're making a wonderful meal, so it's still time well-spent.

An important note: if you save the water used to boil vegetables for other recipes, that's the perfect stock to use for this recipe. There's rarely a need to use store-bought vegetable stock. The water used to boil your vegetables retains many of the nutrients, so save it in a container in the fridge or freeze for later use. For this recipe, we used the stock leftover from the chipotle mashed turnips.

Fresh Pea Risotto

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 1/2 vidalia onion (finely chopped) or 2 shallots (finely chopped)
• 3 cups vegetable stock (approximately)
• 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 pound fresh peas, shelled (or 3/4 cup frozen peas)

1. Shell the fresh peas just before cooking. Then add the peas to boiling water for about 3 minutes. Quickly remove and cool in cold water. If you are using frozen peas, follow the instruction given.
2. In a small sauce pan, bring the stock to a gentle simmer. (It's important to add hot stock to the risotto.)
3. In a large sauce pan, melt the butter and heat the oil over medium heat.
4. Once the fats are heated reduce to low, add the arborio rice. Toast for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently enough to ensure the grains are not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
5. Add the white wine and stir.
6. Add the garlic and onion or shallots, stirring - careful not to burn.
7. Begin adding the stock, 1/4 cup at a time and stirring frequently. You're cooking by absorption method, so this will take some time. Enjoy the time!
8. Test the rice occasionally, and when the consistency is right for you, turn off the heat and add the Parmesan cheese and peas.
9. Stir, serve and why not enjoy it with a glass of that white wine you opened?

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Chipotle Mashed Turnips

Turnips are delicious on their own, but sometimes they're even better spicy. This is a simple, quick recipe and it also provides some vegetable stock which you can use for a meal later in the week. Dried chipotles are inexpensive, common grocery store products that keep well: they're dried! And c'mon, you know you love turnips.

Chipotle Mashed Turnips

• 3 medium turnips
• 1 cup milk (or less - to taste)
• 1 tbsp butter
• salt (to taste)
• 1 dried chipotle - seeded

1. Fill a small bowl with warm water and add the chipotle. Let this sit for at least an hour. If you don't have time to wait, add the pepper to a bowl of water and microwave on high for a minute or two.
   
2. Peel and dice the turnips into 1/2 inch cubes, give or take. Put them in a sauce pan and cover with cold water, plus about an inch of additional water on top.
3. Place the pan on the stove on medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
4. Let the turnips boil until they are tender (about 20-30 mins). Test with a fork.
5. Once they are done, turn off the heat and strain the turnips - save the liquid! It's perfect for a risotto
6. Return turnips to the pan, add the butter, milk and salt.
7. Dice the chipotle and add that to the mix as well.
8. MASH! MASH! MASH! (you could also dump it all in a blender or food processor if you want it smoother rather than chunky)
9. Enjoy.

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First Share Salad w/ Maple Thyme Dressing

This isn't much of a recipe - primarily it's all about throwing together lots of the fresh produce from the CSA and eating it raw. The fresh herbs are the key. This makes 4 large salads:

• 1 head red leaf lettuce
• 1 head green leaf lettuce
• 3-4 radishes (depending on size)
• 2-3 carrots (see above)
• fresh parsley (to taste)
• fresh mint (so refreshing)
• Optional:
• 2 cups cooked red kidney beans
• 6 hard-boiled eggs

Chop it all up and toss it! I don't peel my carrots, just make sure you scrub them well. For some extra protein - especially good if you are pregnant or breast-feeding - throw in some cooked red kidney beans or a couple of diced hard-boiled eggs.

The fresh herbs add some flavor, but the kicker to this salad is the dressing. My thanks to Ben for this:

Maple Thyme Dressing

• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar (can use red wine vinegar too)
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• fresh thyme
• salt & pepper

Whisk all of the ingredients together, then toss a salad serving with it just before eating. It's important not to toss the salad with the dressing too early. If you're bringing this salad to work or to the park, pour the dressing into an empty spice container. You can dress the salad in a tupperware and shake vigorously before eating. It's a simple, healthful and deliciously easy meal to eat at the table or while out on a play-date.

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