Pork with Garlic Scapes

One of our member’s favorite ways to eat garlic scapes adapted from the Woks of Life family food blog. Garlic scapes retain their bite and are enhanced with the various condiments and wok fire. Delicious! 

Ingredients

For the pork & marinade:

• 8 ounces pork belly

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• 2 teaspoons water

• 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine

• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

For the rest of the dish:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil 

• 5 dried chili peppers

• 1 teaspoon ginger (finely julienned)

• 1 medium carrot (julienned)

• 10 ounces garlic scapes (cut into 2-inch pieces)

• 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine

• 1/3 cup chicken stock or water

• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper (or to taste)

• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce (or to taste)

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, add the pork, cornstarch, water, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, and vegetable oil. Mix well and set aside for 20 minutes.

• Place the wok over high heat until it is just starting to smoke. Spread 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil around the perimeter of the wok. Spread the pork on the wok in one layer, and sear for 1 minute on each side. Remove the pork from the wok, and set aside. (For more tips on searing meat, see Judy’s post on how to keep food from sticking to your wok.)

• Add ½ tablespoon oil to the wok. Add the dried chilies, ginger, carrots, and garlic scapes. Stir-fry over medium high heat for 1 minute to give the scapes a good sear. Add the Shaoxing wine. Continue to stir-fry for another 20 seconds.

• Add the chicken stock or water, and increase the heat to high. Push everything into the middle of the wok, cover, and cook for 30 seconds. Remove the cover and stir the vegetables around the super hot perimeter of the wok to create some wok hei.

• Next, add the cooked pork and its juices, along with the ground white pepper, sugar, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Continue to stir-fry at high heat for another 20 seconds. Give it a taste and re-season according to your own taste.

• Add the cornstarch slurry, being sure to pour it directly into the standing liquid, and stir-fry for another 15 seconds. Transfer to a serving plate. Served with steamed rice.

Miso sweet potato and broccoli bowl

Miso sweet potato and broccoli bowl

From Smitten Kitchen

This dish with roasted vegetables and a savory sauce is a great way to use sweet potatoes and broccoli. Although the original recipe doesn't call for it, we usually add crispy chickpeas (tossed in olive oil and roasted at the same time as the veggies) for extra protein.

Serves 4

For the bowl:
1 cup dried rice (white, brown, red all work)
1 to 2 sweet potatoes (about 1.5 pounds)
1 large bundle broccoli (about 1 pound)
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse or kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons sesame seeds - can be white and/or black seeds


For the miso-sesame dressing:
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons white miso
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cook rice or grain in your preferred way. 

Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Cut tops off broccoli and separate into bite-sized florets. You can peel and chop the stem too!

Coat baking trays with a thin slick of olive oil. Layer sweet potatoes on tray(s) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, until browning underneath. Flip and toss chunks around, then add broccoli to the tray(s), season again with salt and pepper, and roast for another 10 to 20 minutes, until broccoli is lightly charred at edges and sweet potato is fully bronzed and tender. Toss chunks around one more time if it looks like they’re cooking unevenly.

While vegetables roast, prepare sesame-miso dressing: Combine everything in a blender, food processor, or in a pyrex measuring cup with an immersion blender. Taste and adjust ingredients if needed; the miso may seem salty at first but it balances the sweet potato.

Assemble bowls: Scoop some rice/grains into each, then pile on the roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli. Coat lightly with sesame-miso dressing and finish with sesame seeds. Serve with extra dressing on the side.

(Vegan) Ginger & Lime Lettuce Wraps

A recipe from CSA member Madi!

Ginger & Lime Lettuce Wraps

(Vegan) Ginger & Lime Lettuce Wraps
I am a huge fan of butterhead lettuce, and so I was stoked to receive a head of it in our last share. I made these delicious vegan lettuce wraps — you could, of course, opt for ground pork/chicken/beef, however, I had some Impossible Beef on hand at home and figured I’d give it a whirl. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
-1 lb ground meat, or vegan meat
-1 small white onion, diced
-3-5 cloves garlic, minced
-1-2 inch knob of ginger, peeled and minced (I went heavy on the ginger)
-Bunch of green onions***, sliced
-1 head of butterhead lettuce***
-1 lime
-1 tbs neutral oil
-Tender herbs (basil, mint, cilantro) to top
-For the sauce: Soy sauce, sriracha, hoisin, rice wine vinegar (all to taste - find your perfect sweet/spicy balance)

Recipe:
1. Heat skillet at medium heat. Crumble vegan meat into a skillet, and brown for 5-8 minutes. Remove meat from the pan once browned to your liking, and set aside in a small bowl.
2. Add diced onions and minced garlic to the skillet, with a bit of neutral oil, and cook until fragrant.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine a few splashes of soy sauce, sriracha, sweet chili paste or hoisin, and rice wine vinegar.
4. Add sauce and ginger to the onions in the skillet, and mix to combine.
5. Toss sliced green onions, your crumbled meat, sesame seeds, and the squeeze of 1 juicy lime into the skillet, and warm all together for a minute or two.
6. Spoon mixture onto your butterhead pieces, drizzle with more hot sauce, and top w/ either basil or cilantro, if desired!

Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Tumeric

From member Cara McAteer: The return of chilly weather this weekend brought to mind a fast and easy recipe from the New York Times cooking page for a chickpea stew that I had in heavy rotation last fall. Several ingredients from this week’s share will go nicely in it. I got onions this week and also young ginger which I think will be even better than regular ginger root in this stew. The bunch of kale that I received will be the greens. The recipe calls for red pepper flakes but the hot peppers from my share will make a more flavorful substitute. Instead of garnishing with mint as the recipe calls for, I will garnish with the cilantro from my share. To make this a heartier meal, I usually serve it over quinoa.

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup olive oil, plus more for serving
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, finely chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 (15-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 bunch Swiss chard, kale or collard greens, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces
1 cup mint leaves, for serving
Yogurt, for serving (optional)
Toasted pita, lavash or other flatbread, for serving (optional)

PREPARATION

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large pot over medium. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and starts to brown a little at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric, 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and the chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they’ve started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove about a cup of chickpeas and set aside for garnish.

Using a wooden spoon or spatula, further crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides. (This will help thicken the stew.) Add coconut milk and stock, and season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew has thickened, 30 to 35 minutes. (Taste a chickpea or two, not just the liquid, to make sure they have simmered long enough to be as delicious as possible.) If after 30 to 35 minutes, you want the stew a bit thicker, keep simmering until you've reached your desired consistency.

Add greens and stir, making sure they’re submerged in the liquid. Cook until they wilt and soften, 3 to 7 minutes, depending on what you’re using. (Swiss chard and spinach will wilt and soften much faster than kale or collard greens.) Season again with salt and pepper.

Divide among bowls and top with mint, reserved chickpeas, a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes and a good drizzle of olive oil. Serve alongside yogurt and toasted pita if using; dust the yogurt with turmeric if you'd like.

Moroccan-Spiced Carrot Hummus

New members Nicole & Bruce brought us a great use of our wonderful CSA carrots - carrot hummus! Recipe along with a photo tutorial you may have seen on our instagram!

Moroccan-Spiced Carrot Hummus

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound carrots, chopped into 1-inch chunks

• 3 whole cloves of garlic, peels left on

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained if from a can

• 1/4 cup tahini

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1/4 cup water + more to thin if necessary

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

• Fresh cilantro, minced, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Toss the chopped carrots and whole garlic cloves with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Scatter evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment and roast in the oven until the carrots are tender and lightly browned, 18 to 20 minutes. Toss carrots halfway through cooking. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic cloves out of their peels.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine roasted carrots, roasted garlic, chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, water and all of the spices. With the motor running drizzle in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Whirl away until smooth, scraping the sides down as necessary. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. If the hummus is too thick, add a little more water or oil and process until desired consistency is achieved.

3. Serve with minced cilantro and your favorite veggies and crackers.

RECIPE NOTES

Store the hummus in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.