Sharing My Share

I live in Brooklyn and post about what I cook with my seasonal community-supported agriculture shares. I like food, tech, writing, photography, yoga, and traveling.

[sharingmyshare]

The Fastest Kimchi

This kimchi is not what you’d probably receive if you ordered or bought kimchi at any Korean restaurant or grocery store. But it is a savior of time, a soother of souls, and the solution to those moments when you just need kimchi now (or have a giant head of Napa cabbage sitting in the fridge daring you to figure out how to use it all).

The recipe is mostly based off of this one from Holly at Beyond Kimchi, except part of the emergency here is that even thought I live in NYC, there were no places convenient to me that sold Korean hot pepper. I owe you a few warnings:

I used red pepper flakes and even though I reduced the amount from the recommended amount of Korean hot pepper, I wound up with very spicy kimchi. Beware. 

Kimchi is traditionally fermented and can be stored for long periods of time; this one is meant to be eaten immediately or within a few days.

Use gloves when mixing the kimchi. The heat from the peppers will make your hands hurt for hours and will burn everything you touch if you mix the kimchi by hand.

The Fastest Kimchi

Ingredients

2 lbs. Napa cabbage

1/2 cup sea salt

5 cups water

4-5 garlic cloves

1-inch by 1/2-inch piece ginger

1 small onion, diced

2 tablespoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tbsp. red chili flakes (or 5 tbsp. Korean hot pepper)

Instructions:

Remove the stem of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage leaves into bit-sized pieces (1 or two cuts vertically and 2-4 cuts horizontally, depending on how large the leaves are.) Place the cabbage leaves in a large heat-proof bowl.

Combine salt and water and boil to dissolve the salt. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes, then pour over the cabbage leaves in the bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes; flip the cabbage over and soak for 5 more minutes. Rinse and drain thoroughly.

While the cabbage is soaking in the brine, combine garlic, ginger, onion and fish sauce in a mini food processor and purée until smooth. Pour the puree in a small bowl; mix in the chili flakes and sugar.

Toss the cabbage leaves with the chili mixture to coat evenly. Pack the cabbage into glass jars or into a shallow glass or ceramic dish with a tight-fitting lid, pouring any leftover spice mixture onto the kimchi before covering. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

[sharingmyshare]

Pickled Garlic Scapes

You might think that garlic scapes sound overwhelming to pickle and eat on their own. The result, however, is mellower than you might think – the sweetness and tanginess of the apple cider vinegar tone down the sharp garlickiness of the scapes, making them suitable for snacking on by themselves, or chopping up to add into sandwiches or salads.

If you wind up with a large amount of scapes like I did, pickling is a great way to extend how long you can enjoy them in the fridge.

Pickled Garlic Scapes

Ingredients:

1/2 pound garlic scapes

2 tbsp. dill leaves

1 tbsp. peppercorns

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup water

1 tbsp. salt

Instructions:

Clean and trim garlic scapes. (You can cut into lengths if you want them to fit vertically into your jar, or just leave them in one piece and you can coil them up to fit in the jar stacked horizontally.)

Put the dill and peppercorns in the bottom of the jar, then pack the garlic scapes on top of them.

Boil the vinegar, water, and salt together, and pour over the garlic scapes until the jar is full and the scapes are fully covered. Allow to cool, put the lid on, and place in the fridge. Let sit for 24 hours before digging in.

[sharingmyshare]

**CSA Week 7: July 16, 2016**

zucchini

spinach

curly parsley

lettuce

spring onions

Japanese eggplant

cucumbers

eggs

[sharingmyshare]

Non-Traditional Tofu Banh Mi Sandwiches

Before I basically gave up eating meat, my partner and I would sometimes go to this great hole-in-the-wall banh mi shop in Brooklyn. Now I don’t cook meat at home and only eat it a couple times a year, and that banh mi shop is closed. Though I never sought out a replacement banh mi shop, I still crave that shop and still love the idea behind these sandwiches: savory, crunchy, spicy, sweet, vinegary goodness all on a soft, chewy baguette.

This one is not in the least bit traditional. (Who gets to say what “traditional” is, anyway?) I used marinated, seared tofu instead of meat, and Thai basil instead of cilantro. No daikon, no cucumber, no jalapeño, since none of those things were in our CSA share and I didn’t feel like hunting them down. I used butter instead of mayo. 

But goodness gracious, it was delicious. And I did quick-pickle my CSA carrots, so that’s got to count for something...right?

Tofu Banh Mi Sandwiches

makes 2 sandwiches, with leftover carrots

Ingredients:

10 oz. fresh tofu, but into about 8 medium-sized blocks

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. sesame oil

juice of 1/2 lime

1 garlic clove, minced

1″-inch length of ginger, 1/2 inch wide, minced

1 tsp. + 1-2 tbsp. olive oil

3 smallish carrots, julienned or cut into matchsticks

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 baguette, cut into sandwich-sized lengths (6 inches or so each) and sliced in half

butter (optional – or mayo, if you prefer)

1/4 cup thai basil leaves

Sriracha

Instructions:

Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, garlic, ginger, and 1 tsp. olive oil. Pour over tofu pieces in a shallow glass or ceramic dish, cover tightly, and refrigerate for 15 minutes - 4 hours.

Mix together the carrots, sugar, salt, and vinegar in a glass jar. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to an hour.

When you’re ready to assemble the sandwiches, heat the remaining oil in a medium-sized pan over medium heat. Place the tofu blocks in the pan on a single layer and cook until browned, about 3 minutes per side.

Make your sandwiches! Spread some butter on both halves of each bit of bread. Arrange 4 blocks of tofu on each sandwich, drizzle with a healthy squeeze of sriracha sauce, add a few forkfuls of carrots, and top with half of the Thai basil. Serve immediately.

[sharingmyshare]

Veggie Green Curry

Thai-style curries with coconut milk and curry paste are a staple in my house. They come together quickly (the curry is prepped and cooked in the time it takes to make rice), are intensely satisfying no matter what the weather is doing, and there are infinite variations. Have vegetable odds and ends you don’t know what to do with? Toss them in a curry. Don’t have enough fresh veggies? Add a few handfuls of frozen peas or peppers. Make it vegetarian or add your favorite animal protein; serve with noodles or rice.

This is less a recipe and more a variation on a theme; I used the ingredients I did because our CSA provided us with Thai basil and with veggies that were begging to be put in a curry (including the frozen peppers from the first week that we hadn’t used up yet), but use whatever you like best.

Veggie Green Curry

(serves 2 but easily scales up)

Ingredients:

2 oz. green curry paste

1 tbsp. coconut oil

1 tbsp. minced ginger

1-2 cloves minced garlic

1 can coconut milk

about 3 cups chopped veggies (I used carrots, spring onions, zucchini, Napa cabbage, and frozen peppers)

1 cup shelled cooked edamame or tofu cubes

1/2 cup Thai basil leaves

1/2 tbsp. fish sauce, optional

Instructions:

Heat the coconut oil in a wok or large sauce pan. Add the ginger, garlic, and onion, and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the onion begins to soften. 

Add the curry paste and fry for 1 minute. Pour in the coconut milk, stir the mixture until the curry paste is evenly incorporated, and then bring to a boil. 

Add the vegetables and tofu/edamame and simmer until the veggies are crisp-tender (how long that takes will depend on what vegetables you’re using). 

Turn the heat to low, then stir in the fish sauce and most of the Thai basil. Cook for 1-2 minutes longer, then remove from heat and serve over rice or noodles. Top with scallions, more Thai basil, and a dash of lime juice, if desired.

[sharingmyshare]

CSA week 5: July 9, 2016

head lettuce

carrots (with greens)

garlic

zucchini

chiogga beets (with greens)

Thai basil

eggs

Napa cabbage

[sharingmyshare]

Tofu, Carrot, Spring Onion Salad

This salad tastes a whole lot like a deconstructed Vietnamese summer roll, but unlike summer rolls, this is barely any work and you don't have to fuss with wrappers.

Best of all, it's easy to toss in a container and take to the park for a picnic!

Tofu, Carrot, Spring Onion Salad

Ingredients:

3-4 cups butter leaf lettuce, washed and torn into large pieces

1/3 cup chopped spring onions

2 medium-sized carrots, cut into matchsticks

1 block of tofu, cut into 4 chunks

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tbsp. sesame oil

2 minced garlic cloves (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)

1-2 tbsp. coconut, canola, or peanut oil

Sriracha or other hot sauce, for serving

Instructions:

Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and garlic in a large ziploc bag and shake vigorously to mix together. Add the tofu blocks to the plastic bag, seal, and place in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours (or overnight), flipping once so the tofu absorbs the marinade on both sides.

Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the tofu, about 2 minutes per side.

Remove from heat, place the tofu (2 pieces per serving) on a bed of lettuce, carrots, and spring onions. Drizzle with Sriracha and serve immediately.

[sharingmyshare]

Lemony Dill & Garlic Scape Pesto

In addition to the extra garlic scapes we got when we worked our CSA shifts, we also found scapes at our food co-op for super cheap. In our enthusiasm, we wound up with well over a pound of garlic scapes in a week, so I’ve been making garlic scape everything.

Since we also got a substantial amount of fresh dill in our last pickup, I made this non-traditional but delicious take on pesto. It has a wonderful, bright flavor that’s great on eggs, in sandwiches or pasta salads, and slathered over roasted or grilled vegetables (or fish or chicken, if you’re a meat eater).

Lemony Dill & Garlic Scape Pesto

Ingredients:

1/2 cup roughly chopped garlic scapes

1/2-3/4 cup fresh dill leaves, tightly packed

juice from 1/2 a lemon

1/4 cup walnuts

1/3-1/2 cup olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Put all of the ingredients together in a mini food processor. Pulse a few times to combine, then process for another 90 seconds or so until emulsified and pretty smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides and add more olive oil as necessary to achieve the desired consistency.

Store in the fridge for a week or freeze until ready to use.

[sharingmyshare]

Blueberry-peach crisp for a summer holiday.

[sharingmyshare]

Week 5: July 2, 2016 - spring onions - radishes with greens - butter leaf lettuce - shell peas - eggs - zucchini - kale - dill - broccoli

[sharingmyshare]

Tempeh, red onion, and arugula sandwich with red pepper jelly and garlic scape butter, all on a multigrain roll. Perfect for a picnic!

[sharingmyshare]

Steamed Beets & Beet Greens with Tahini Sauce

I normally like to roast beets, but during the summer, who wants to turn their whole apartment into an oven? Steaming the beets takes about the same amount of time, but is substantially less sweltering.

This dish uses the plant from root to tip, and can be served warm, room temperature, or chilled, depending on whether you want to make it ahead of time or not. If preparing in advance, just store the components separately (greens, beets, sauce, parsley).

Steamed Beets & Beet Greens with Tahini Sauce

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized bunch of beets with their greens

1/4 cup parsley, minced

1/4 cup tahini

1 tsp. garlic powder or 1 minced garlic clove

1 tbsp. lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)

1/4-1/3 cup water

salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

Cut the greens away from the beets. Scrub the beets with a vegetable brush and wash the greens.

Place the beets in a steamer basket above 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil, cover, and steam on medium head for about 30 minutes, until a fork easily pierces the beets.

Remove from heat, allow to cool, then trim the beets and slip off the skins. Slice beets into rounds, half-moons, or wedges.

Roughly chop the greens, add to steamer basket, cover, and steam for 2 minutes. Toss with tongs, cover again, and steam for 1 minute more.

Make the sauce: whisk the garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and tahini together. Gradually whisk in water, little by little, until you achieve the desired consistency (about as thick as a runny yogurt works best). Taste, and adjust salt and pepper.

To serve, make a bed of greens, then layer the beets on top, drizzle with tahini sauce, and sprinkle with parsley.

[sharingmyshare]

We came home with some lovely fresh strawberries at the end of our CSA shift on Saturday. They were just on the verge of overripe on Saturday, so we ate some fresh, added some to a Sunday smoothie, and then I turned most of the remaining berries into strawberry jam.

Canning doesn’t make sense for fairly small batches, so this jam got tucked in the freezer for a later date when we need a little taste of summer.

[sharingmyshare]

Pea Salad with Radishes & Feta

Fresh sweet peas are so good on their own that I don’t often do much more than steam and swirl with a little butter. But this time, I wanted to try something different, so I made this salad with some of this week’s radishes.

The cumin adds an interesting depth, and the feta provides enough salt for the whole dish. Next time, I’d probably use lemon instead of lime juice and would add some fresh dill if I had some.

At any rate, this is a great little dish that still allows the peas to shine while adding some complexity.

Pea Salad with Radishes & Feta

Ingredients:

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. lime juice

1 tsp. honey

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 pound fresh shelled peas

1/2 bunch of radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced (halved if the radishes aren’t very small)

1/2 cup crumbled feta

Instructions

Whisk together the cumin, lime juice, honey, and olive oil in a small bowl. Season with a little salt and pepper; set aside.

Boil the peas until just tender, about 3-4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. 

Combine the radishes, peas, feta, and dressing in a large bowl. Toss to coat the vegetables evenly.

Serve room temperature or slightly chilled, alone or over greens.

[sharingmyshare]

CSA Week 4: June 25, 2016

arugula

butter lettuce

radishes with greens

beets with greens

shell peas

garlic scapes

lacinato kale

eggs

[sharingmyshare]

Spinach & Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas, Sundried Tomatoes, and Herbs

Early CSA season here means lots of greens and fresh herbs. After long months of root vegetables, I always welcome the more colorful, more varied flavors that summer brings.

This salad keeps wonderfully in the fridge (don’t mix with spinach until you’re ready to eat) and is great as a dinner on its own or as a side dish.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa (any kind)

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1 cup cooked chickpeas (drained and rinsed if using canned)

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

3-4 garlic scapes, finely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tsp Dijon mustard

dash of red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups roughly chopped spinach (or any other salad green)

Instructions:

Cook the quinoa: rinse, put quinoa in a pot with 2 cups of water, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork or a wooden spoon and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley, and garlic scapes.

Prepare the dressing: whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, red pepper flakes, and some salt and pepper.

Once the quinoa has cooled to room temperature, add it to the chickpea, tomato and herb mixture. Pour dressing over everything and stir to combine thoroughly. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper if needed.

For best results, let the salad absorb the dressing for 1-3 hours. Serve cold or at room temperature. 

When ready to serve, mix the quinoa a bit, then spoon over a bed of spinach.

[sharingmyshare]

CSA Week 3: June 19, 2016

shell peas

parsley

snow peas

spinach

lettuce mix

hakurei turnips with greens

garlic scapes (!!!)

eggs