Week 3, Part 2: Orange, Radish, and Mint Salad; Couscous With Mint and Peas

Sense a theme here? I can't say for sure if the minty foods we've been eating this week have made us feel any cooler, but it's been worth the shot.

Both of these recipes are a little more accessible than the spiced potatoes described in my previous post. They use only common ingredients and don't require any oven time.

Orange, Raddish, and Mint Salad
(Adapted from Ellie Krieger. The combination sounds odd, but the salad is a little sweet, a little peppery, and very refreshing. )

4 navel oranges, sectioned or supremed (see note)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
6 large radishes, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste

Combine the orange segments, onion, radish slices, and mint in a bowl. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, or let the flavors blend an hour or two in the refrigerator.

Note: To "supreme" an orange: Using a small knife, cut the top and bottom off the orange, stand it on one end, and cut away the peel and pith, following the curve of the fruit. Cut along each segment of the orange and remove the fruit from its membrane. You can leave the orange pieces whole, or cut in half. Add any juices that accumulate on your cutting board into the salad.

Couscous With Mint and Peas
(From many sources)
 
2.5 cups water
1 cup fresh shelled peas
1 10-ounce box plain couscous (about 1.5 cups), uncooked
3 sprigs mint, leaves only
Juice from 1/2 lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the peas and cook gently 2 minutes. Add the couscous, cover the saucepan, and remove from heat.

Let stand 5 to 10 minutes, until the couscous absorbs the water. Fluff the couscous mixture with a fork, then stir in the mint and lemon juice. Season to taste.

Week 5: Fresh Pea Soup

Lots of good stuff in the share this week: Lettuces for salad, beets for roasting, onions for sauteing, summer squash for stuffing, more squash for roasting, and raspberries (yes!) for eating out of hand while cooking all that other stuff. Plus, a good friend gave us a taste of her CSA with a gift of some beautiful scallions and fennel and chard and herbs, in exchange for a couple of squash and some peas.

Let me tell you about the peas. Caboodle and I have shelled a good 10 pounds of peas over the past two weeks. We may have reached the end of the season, as the pea pods this week were positively enormous -- a tad overgrown, really -- with individual peas the size of chickpeas. Still, the peas were nibble-worthy raw, and even better in soup.

Split pea soup, made from dried peas, is definitely stick-to-your-ribs, cold-weather comfort food. I found fresh pea soup, on the other hand, to be something of a revelation: far lighter, more delicate, and quick to cook. As hot soups go, this is a plausible one for a summery day.

Fresh Pea Soup
(Inspired by Ina Garten)

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 medium carrot, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
4 cups vegetable stock
5 cups shelled fresh peas
2/3 cup chopped mint leaves (loosely packed)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp chopped chives, for garnish (optional)

Heat the butter and olive oil together in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until the vegetables soften. Add the stock, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the peas, lower the heat, and simmer the soup until the peas are tender, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on size. Remove from the heat and add the mint.

Let the soup cool a couple of minutes, puree it in batches in a blender or food processor, and return it to the soup pot. Add the lemon, salt, and pepper, adjusting seasonings to taste. Reheat the soup if necessary, and serve hot, garnished with chive if desired. Serves 6.

Week 2 (Part 2): Pasta With Spinach and Peas; Sesame Noodles With Radish

Kit and Caboodle cannot live on salad alone. For that, we have pasta.

Fortunately, it's hard to go wrong with vegetables and pasta. We combined peas and spinach (both from this week's share) to make a Spring-y alternative to red sauce. Meanwhile, we used up a new bunch of CSA radishes in an Asian-inspired side dish to accompany grilled chicken and grilled romaine.

Pasta With Spinach and Peas

(Inspired by many recipes. I don't care for creamy sauces, but you could easily substitute heavy cream for the quarter-cup of water.)

1 pound dried pasta, any shape (I used penne)

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces fresh spinach leaves, washed well, roughly chopped if large

1.5 cups shelled fresh peas

1/4 cup water

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook and drain the pasta as usual. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or a large skillet with a lid over medium heat. When the oil is hot, sauté the garlic for about a minute (do not let it brown), then stir in the spinach in two or three handfuls, letting it wilt a bit between additions.

When all of the spinach has wilted (this takes just a couple of minutes), add the peas and water (or cream, if desired). Cover the pot and simmer the vegetables for about 3 minutes, or until the peas are tender. Remove from heat, then add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the vegetables over the pasta. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Sesame Noodles With Radish
(Adapted from The Boston Globe Magazine)

1 package (about 13 ounces) whole wheat or "whole grain blend" linguine
3 Tbsp sesame oil, divided use 
2.5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2.5 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1.5 tsp sugar
6 to 12 radishes, cut into short matchsticks (about 1.5 cups when sliced)
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into strips
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
5 scallions, thinly sliced

Cook the pasta as usual in a large pot of boiling water. Drain the noodles and rinse them with cold water until they are cool to the touch. Drain again thoroughly. Place the noodles in a large serving bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and toss to coat.

Whisk the remaining sesame oil with the vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the dressing to the noodles, along with the radishes, cucumber, sesame seeds, and scallions. Toss well and serve.

Week Two: Zucchini-Feta Pancakes

I heard a radio clip on NPR the other day from the show Promises, Promises. Around here, it's more like Radishes, Radishes.

What do you get with a CSA?
You get enough lettuce to last a lifetime ...*

(*sung to the tune of I'll Never Fall in Love Again.)

Three heads of lettuce this week, plus peas, cilantro, zucchini, beets, strawberries, a purple basil plant, and broccoli rabe. Not a tremendous load of produce to get through, which pleased me, because this was too busy of a week for much serious cooking.

For a quick dinner early in the week, I braised a head of Boston lettuce with peas and wine and mixed that into pasta. The remaining heads of lettuce became salad, as did the beets and beet greens. The broccoli rabe, I hate to say, looked a bit pathetic. The leaves will be dispatched in a pot of vegetable soup today; the stalks went directly into compost.

Highlight of the week was the zucchini, which became savory pancakes. Serve them as a light entree or side dish. The recipe makes enough for two to four people, depending on the rest of your meal and the eating habits of your children.

Zucchini-Feta Pancakes
(slightly adapted from The Moosewood Cookbook)

4 eggs, separated (yolks optional)
4 cups (packed) grated zucchini (2 to 3 zucchini)
1 cup finely crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup finely minced scallions
1 Tbsp. fresh oregano, finely minced (or 1 tsp. dried oregano)
Salt (I did not add any, because of the feta)
Black pepper to taste
1/3 cup flour
Olive oil or cooking spray, for frying pan

In a large bowl, mix together the zucchini, egg yolks (if using--I left them out), feta, scallions, seasonings, and flour. Beat the egg whites until stiff, and gently fold them into the zucchini mixture. Heat a little oil in a frying pan, or use cooking spray. Add spoonfuls of batter and cook on both sides until golden. I found that the pancakes had a tendency to stick (probably because of the cheese) and remained soft even when browned.

Soup's On

I make soup all year round, but I love, love, love soup on a cold day. My pantry is stocked with dried peas and lentils for spur-of-the-moment pots of goodness, but sometimes I break out more time-consuming recipes. On a rather blustery day, Mother Wolff Soup simmered on my stovetop for about four hours, requiring only the occasional stir. The soup came out more brothy than I expected -- especially in light of the ingredient list: lima beans and barley and rice and potatoes. Still, Kit went for a second bowlful, and leftovers improved from sitting in the fridge for a day or two, so the recipe is a keeper.

A much quicker soup is Vegetarian Split Pea. It's stick-to-your-ribs thick and it goes from pantry to table in less than an hour.

Mother Wolff Soup
(adapted from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant)

4 quarts water
1/2 cup dried lima beans, soaked overnight
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup barley
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp dried dill
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup diced onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
1 cup diced potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 tsp salt
ground black pepper
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup chopped canned tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a large soup pot, combine water, drained limas, rice, barley, garlic, dill, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover and simmer for 1.5 hours.

About an hour into the simmering time, heat the oil in a large frying pan and saute the onion and carrots for a few minutes. Mix in the paprika, potatoes, carrots, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, then add in the peas and cook, covered, a few minutes more.

Remove the bay leaf from the soup pot and add in the sauteed vegetables, tomatoes, and parsley. Add more salt and pepper if desired. Simmer the soup, on low heat, for another 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
(adapted from various recipes)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
7 cups water
1 lb dried split peas
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
Juice of one-half lemon (or more, to taste)
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp salt
Paprika to taste

In a 5-quart Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion and carrot until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the water, peas, and thyme to the pot; bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the soup for about 40 minutes or until the peas are soft, stirring occasionally.

Measure out 4 cups of soup and puree them in a food processor. Return the pureed soup to the remaining soup in the pot. Add salt, lemon juice, and paprika to taste. (For a "meaty" taste, try this with smoked paprika. Or, for another flavor profile, leave out the paprika and sprinkle in curry powder.)

Repurposing Contents

Yup, I followed my own advice and made Bubble and Squeak. This one featured leftovers from a couple of dinners: mashed potatoes, carmelized onions, and peas.

Coincidentally, The Boston Globe this week debuted a food column about creating new meals from parts of a previous one. I find columns like this just a tad silly: Don't all cooks do this naturally? (Thinking here ...) Okay, I suppose they don't, but it's standard operating procedure at Chez Swiss Chard.

I love Thanksgiving dinner because it provides a mother lode of secondary meals. The carcass becomes stock. Stock becomes soup or the base of a sauce. Sauce plus leftover turkey meat becomes turkey a la king or curry. Sauce plus leftover turkey meat plus leftover vegetables becomes tetrazzini (if you add pasta) or shephard's pie (if you top it with leftover mashed potatoes). The possibilities aren't endless (unless you have a really big turkey) but it's well worth the effort to roast that bird.

Here's a dairy-free take on turkey tetrazzini that I concocted several Thanksgivings ago. It makes good use of leftovers.

Turkey Kosherzzini
(Adapted from Jane Brody's Good Food Book)

1 tablespoon pareve margarine or olive oil
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups turkey or chicken stock
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/3 cup sliced scallions or onions
leftover cooked vegetables, such as broccoli, peas, or green beans (amount is flexible; let's say 1 to 2 cups)
2 cups cooked turkey, cut into small cubes
1/2 pound spaghetti, cooked and drained

In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, saute the mushrooms in the margarine or oil until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in the stock. Add the Worcestershire sauce and simmer, stirring, until the sauce has thickened a bit. Add the bell pepper, scallions or onions, and leftover vegetables and mix well. Stir in the turkey and spaghetti.

Pour the mixture into a greased 2-quart shallow casserole or baking dish. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through.