Creamy Corn Pasta With Basil

Every year, PHCSA Coordinator Colleen Kestner looks forward to corn season specifically for this pasta. She discovered this Melissa Clark recipe a few years ago as a way to use up the mid-season bounty of corn, but now can’t wait for it every year. It satisfies the creaminess and smokiness of a carbonara but with a fresh summer twist.

Creamy Corn Pasta with Basil

by Melissa Clark for the New York Times

Serves 3-4

• 12 ounces dry orecchiette or farfalle

• 4 ounces of pancetta or bacon, diced (optional)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling (skip if using pancetta or bacon)

• 1 bunch scallions (about 8), trimmed and thinly sliced (keep the whites and greens separate)

• 2 large ears corn, shucked and kernels removed (2 cups kernels)

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, more for serving

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, more to taste

• ⅓ cup torn basil or mint, more for garnish

• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

• Fresh lemon juice, as needed

• Fine sea salt

PREPARATION

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until 1 minute shy of al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.

2. Meanwhile, sautée pancetta or bacon until crispy, if using, then remove from pan and set aside, leaving rendered fat in pan. If not, heat oil in large sauté pan over medium heat. Add scallion whites and a pinch of salt and cook until soft, 3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water and all but 1/4 cup corn; simmer until corn is heated through and almost tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, transfer to a blender, and purée mixture until smooth, adding a little extra water if needed to get a thick but pourable texture.

3. Heat the same skillet over high heat. Add butter and let melt. Add reserved 1/4 cup corn and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. (It’s O.K. if the butter browns; that deepens the flavor.) Add the corn purée and cook for 30 seconds to heat and combine the flavors.

4. Reduce heat to medium. Add pasta and half the reserved pasta cooking water, tossing to coat. Cook for 1 minute, then add a little more of the pasta cooking water if the mixture seems too thick. Stir in 1/4 cup of the scallion greens, the pancetta (if using), the Parmesan, the herbs, the red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice to taste. Transfer to warm pasta bowls and garnish with more scallions, herbs, a drizzle of olive oil and black pepper.

Recipe Round-Up

Member Juliana Guimarães shared a round-up of her favorite recipes from all of last season’s CSA. As you can tell, she got creative with all those delicious veggies and experimented a lot. We’re so happy to share some of the recipes she recommends. If you make them, let us know and send photos!

Breaded Eggplant Cutlets - So delicious and easy to do it!

Butternut-Sausage Lasagna - As a granddaughter of Italians, lasagna is one of my favorite dishes of all time! When I came across this recipe was pure delight.

Brazilian Carrot Cake - As a Brazilian I was so surprised when I tried the carrot cake here in the USA, it’s completely different from the cake I grew up eating. So when I saw all the amazing carrots I got from the share, my first thought was: Carrot Cake!


Cabbage Rolls - For a period last season we got cabbages every week, and I need to be creative to make sure we are eating all before the next week come. So it pops on my mind the dish my grandmother used to do and I never cooked. My husband loved so much that he keeps asking me “When will you do Cabbage Rolls?”

Tabbouleh - I can eat an entire bowl of Tabbouleh on my own. I love it so much!

Summer Vegetable and Garlic Scape Catalan Paella

Garlic Scapes are one of the most fleeting, exciting crops to come from Windflower Farm every season. Member Salome Blignaut shares a recipe for using them and more!

This endlessly versatile paella, adapted from a NYT recipe by Perla Meyers circa 1989, is a great  for using any number of CSA summer vegetables: garlic scapes substitute really well for the traditional garlic, the recipe can be loaded up with onion, green onion or scallions as you please, summer squash does just as well as zucchini, and it’s fine if you don’t have bell peppers on hand. Chorizo or chicken sausage is also a wonderful addition, and it can be made spicy to taste. It’s simple to prepare and so satisfying, and makes great leftovers.

Note on paella pans: I make this recipe without a paella pan and find that it’s always great even if I can't get a soccarat. If you want to try for the traditional soccarat (crispy rice at the bottom), choose a heavy cast-iron pot or an oversized stainless steel pot (to increase the surface area the rice is cooking on). Make sure to leave the dish undisturbed during the final simmering period, and simmer at medium-low, not too low.

INGREDIENTS

4 tbsp olive oil
1 small fresh green chili pepper, finely minced / or sub red pepper flakes or dash of cayenne
1 large onion, thinly sliced or use 1 bunch CSA green onions (bulbs and stalks separated)
(optional) 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
(optional) 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
2 garlic scapes, sliced into thin rounds / sub 2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 tsp paprika or smoked paprika
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves / sub dried thyme
1 medium zucchini or summer squash, trimmed and cubed (opt: if leaving out bell peppers, add another squash or zucchini)
4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped / sub a can of diced tomato
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1 1/4 cups paella rice
2 cups chicken stock or bouillon
Lemon juice for garnish
Finely minced fresh parsley for garnish

OPTIONAL ADD INS:
Sliced green onions
Sliced scallions
Chorizo or chicken sausage, sliced in rounds and pan-seared

PREPARATION

1. In a large deep, 12-inch iron pot (or skillet with lid), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chili pepper, onion and bell peppers, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the onion is lightly browned.

2. Add the garlic scapes / garlic, paprika, thyme, zucchini / summer squash, and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Stir in the rice and chicken stock or bouillon and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the rice is tender. Taste and correct the seasoning. Garnish with finely minced parsley.

4. Serve the paella hot as an accompaniment to roasted or grilled meats or as a light Sunday supper, directly from the skillet, accompanied by a well-seasoned green salad. The paella can also be served at room temperature, doused with fresh lemon juice and a drizzle of fruity olive oil.

CREDIT: The original recipe by Perla Meyers is no longer available in the New York Times Cooking section, but was featured in the NYT on July 30, 1989:
https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/30/magazine/food-skillet-skills.html

CSA Salad Recipes

The beginning of the CSA season always brings a LOT of greens! It’s easy to get stuck in a rut with salads. One of our CSA member recommends a sesame-ginger dressing to inspire you. Here are some of her favorite combos, and a recipe for the dressing!

Sesame-Ginger Dressing

• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce (or sub coconut aminos)

• 2-3 tablespoons rice vinegar

• 1 ½ tablespoons pure maple syrup

• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

• 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger

• Optional if you want a creamy dressing: add 1 tablespoon tahini or cashew butter

Make the dressing by whisking together the following in a medium bowl or shaking in a mason jar: sesame oil, olive oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, garlic and fresh ginger. If you want a creamier dressing, add in a tablespoon of tahini or cashew butter.

Combo 1

CSA Oakleaf lettuce
CSA Tomatoes
CSA Cucumbers
Grapes
Manchego cheese
Toasted Sunflower Seeds
Sesame-Ginger Dressing

Combo 2

CSA Arugula
CSA Scallions
CSA Tomatoes
Avocado
Toasted Sunflower Seeds
Sesame-Ginger Dressing

Spicy Curry Noodle Soup with Koji, Sweet Potato & Chicken

With our first ever fresh ginger from Windflower Farm, PHCSA Coordinator Colleen Lynch riffed on this Epicurious recipe to maximize CSA ingredients (and simplified the cooking steps per the comments!) Absolutely delicious, easy & could be a one-pot meal if you cooked the noodles directly in the soup!

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 thinly sliced white onion or 2 thinly sliced shallots

• 3 garlic cloves, crushed

• 2 tablespoons lemongrass* (from bottom 4 inches of about 3 stalks, tough outer leaves discarded)

• 2 tablespoons minced or grated peeled fresh ginger

• 2 tablespoons Thai yellow or red curry paste*

• 2 tablespoons curry powder

• 1 teaspoon hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)*

• 2 13.5- to 14-ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk,* divided

• 5 cups low-salt chicken broth

• 2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)*

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 bunch of koji or other choy, stems chopped to 1/2-inch pieces, leaves roughly chopped, separated

• 1 large red-skinned sweet potato (yam), cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)

• 1 pound dried rice vermicelli noodles or other Asian noodles* (I used buckwheat soba noodles)

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced

• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

• 1/4 cup crushed peanuts

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

• 1-3 red Thai bird chiles or red jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced with seeds

• 1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

PREPARATION

1. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add next 4 ingredients; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in curry paste, curry powder, chili paste, and 1/2 cup coconut milk. Stir until thick and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add remaining coconut milk, broth, fish sauce, and sugar; bring broth to boil.

2. Bring pot of water to boil for noodles, if cooking separately. Cook noodles according to package instructions until just tender but still firm to bite, about 6 minutes. Drain; rinse under cold water to stop cooking. (Alternatively, you can add noodles to broth 2 minutes after sweet potatoes in next step.)

3. Meanwhile, add chicken thigh slices to boiling broth and stir. After 2 minutes, add cubed sweet potato. After 6 additional minutes, add choy stems. When chicken and vegetables are

4. cooked, about 2 additional minutes, add choy leaves to wilt.

5. Divide noodles among bowls and top with hot soup. Scatter green onions, peanuts, cilantro, and chiles over soup to taste. Garnish with lime wedges and serve with sriracha.

   *Available at some supermarkets, at specialty foods stores and Asian markets.