CSA week 4

This is our fourth week on the CSA and here is what came in the box:
-1 bunch green onions
-1 bunch radishes
-1 bunch hakurei turnips
-2/3 lb bag of baby leaf lettuce mix (There was a choice between this and Asian mix.  After 3 weeks of the Asian mix, I was happy to take a break and consume some more lettuce)
-1 head of butter leaf lettuce
-1 large Bok Choy
-2 bunches curly kale
-1 small bag of sugar snap peas
-1 2inch parsley plant


Ok, let me start off by saying these bunches of green onions that you get in the box are NOT your grocery store scallions by any means.  They are massive and if green onions could be on steroids, these would be it.  Imagine seeing a 2-3 foot spiky palm perennial in your backyard and that would be a pretty good description of the onions at first glance.  Needless to say we are still going through the bunch from week 3 so we haven't even touched week 4 yet and I'm going to have to get creative very quickly.  Can you actually freeze green onions for future use (or would that be one of those ideas that turns into a forgotten treasure in the back of the freezer 8 months down the road?)  If you live close and are need of some green onions, don't you dare go buy them...I will be more then happy to share! 


The hakurei turnips were the gem of this weeks box.  I hoarded my bunch from week 3 and cooked them along with the week 4 bunch and they were so good!!!!  If you are at a farmer's market or happen to to stumble upon them at a speciality grocery store, buy them up immediately.  All I did was cut off the green leaves, trim the bulbs up and quarter or half them depending on size.  In a small saute pan, melt a few tablespoons of butter and toss the cut up turnips in.  Let them saute until soft and starting to brown in spots (about 10-15 minutes) and then sprinkle a teaspoon or two of sugar on top and let them caramelize in the pan for a few minutes longer.  Super easy and so delish (so much so they I actually bought another bunch on Wednesday at the New Haven farmer's market. 

We had another batch of stir fry one night for dinner that I used some of the bok choy, snap peas, and green onions in and this is fast becoming one of our go to summer meals.  Another night's dinner was a big salad with rotisserie chicken which we all love as well and I used one of the bunches of kale on the quiche I made in week 2 that was for lunches.  Finally, Tuesday nights dinner was a big winner across the board and another great way to use the kale in a very easy pasta dish.  I'm sure at this point, you must be saying to yourself "How the hell does this girl whip up these ridiculous, gourmet sounding meals most nights after coming home from working in New York City all day?" but I promise this literally took 25 minutes start to finish from walking in the door.

Rigatoni with Sauteed Kale and Ricotta
-Boil the pasta. (Look I'm not giving instructions on how to boil pasta, plain and simple.  You can handle it.)
-In a large frying pan, saute torn up pieces of kale with a few gulgs of olive oil until wilted or tender.  Season with salt and pepper. If kale isn't going to happen in your kitchen, throw in spinach instead but give it a shot.  To save even more time, this is one of those steps that can be done when you have a free 15 minutes during another point in the week and the sauteed kale can also be used on pizza, quesadillas, eggs or just be itself as a colorful green addition to your plate.   
-Once the kale is ready to go, add a few cups of your favorite tomato sauce to the pan and let cook on low for a few minutes until heated throughout.  Toss the cooked pasta into the pan with the sauce and let everything cook together for a minute or two until all of the flavors blend and the pasta is evenly coated. 
-Finish the pasta off with a few tablespoons of fresh ricotta and some chopped up fresh basil and dinner is on the table. 

 
If you are looking to inundate your diet with kale like I have, here is a another easy recipe for a kale and white bean soup that my fellow CSA-er Maria shared with me as well that was really good.