Spring is in the air... and on your table.
Live Kohlrabi “Pickles”
courtesty of Kim Christensen, www.affairsofliving.com
These naturally fermented, vinegar-free kohlrabi “pickles” are crunchy, salty, and tart, and very reminiscent of classic cucumber pickles. The natural fermentation process allows the development of beneficial bacteria and creates a live food that helps regulate digestion and restore proper intestinal flora, just like yogurt or kefir.
Yield: one quart
2-3 large kohlrabi bulbs
2 Tbsp high-quality sea salt (Himalayan pink salt, Real Salt, or Maldon are excellent)
2 Tbsp minced fresh dill
1 Tbsp whole yellow mustard seeds
2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed, sliced in half lengthwise
optional: 1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes
1-1 1/2 c filtered water
1 1-qt. glass canning jar, sterilized with boiling water
Wash and peel kohlrabi well, then slice into long sticks about 1/4" x 1/4". Arrange sticks in jar, layering with dill and garlic. As you are putting them in jar, press down lightly with a wooden spoon, and continue filling until there is about 1" between kohlrabi and top of jar.
Mix together salt, 1 cup of water, mustard seeds, and red pepper flakes, and pour over kohlrabi. Add additional water as necessary to cover kohlrabi and fill until there is 1” space at the top. Cover tightly.
Let jar sit out at room temperature (ideally, 65º -70º F) for 3-4 days in a dark place on a plate or in a small dish to catch any possible leaks.. Hotter temperatures will make things ferment more quickly, cooler temperatures will make for slower fermentation. you may notice hissing sounds coming from the jar - that’s a good thing! After 3 days, carefully open jar over the sink (pressure builds up and it may fizz when you open), and try a pickle. It will be very salty, and should taste tart, slightly sour and yeasty. If not sour enough for your tastes, put cover back on and let sit another day or two.
Transfer to cold storage after fermenting. Can be eaten immediately, or kept for up to 6 months in the refrigerator. The flavor gets better with age!
Sauteed Zucchini with Garlic Scape & Spinach Pesto
Courtesy of Kim Christensen, www.affairsofliving.com
This is a delicious side dish that is easy to prepare and delicious. To make it a main course, toss it with cooked pasta, ice or quinoa, add white beans or cooked chicken, and stir in more pesto, to taste. Serve hot or chilled for a wonderful, versatile dish.
Yield: 4 servings
4 medium zucchini
olive oil
1/2 cup pesto, to taste (recipe follows)
2-3 Tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds
1-2 tsp lemon zest
lemon wedges
sea salt & freshly cracked pepper
Heat a heavy bottom saute pan and add pumpkin seeds. Toast until golden and starting to pop. Remove from heat. Add oil to saute pan, and heat over medium heat. Add sliced zucchini, stir to coat, and saute over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes, until just slightly softened and lightly browned. Remove from heat and place in serving bowl. Toss with pesto, adding sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Serve hot or chilled, garnish with pumpkin seeds, lemon zest, and lemon wedges.
Garlic Scape & Spinach Pesto
Yield: 2 cups www.affairsofliving.com
This pesto can be used a multitude of ways - toss with raw or cooked vegetables or pasta, use as a flavorful base for dressings and sauces, or use as a spread in sandwiches or wraps.
1 cup chopped garlic scapes
3 cups fresh spinach, lightly packed
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1/3 cup fresh parsley leaves, packed
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds, toasted
1 cup olive oil or 1/2 cup olive oil + 1/2 cup cold chicken or vegetable broth
juice & zest of 1 1/2 large lemons
Toast pumpkinseeds in a saute pan over medium until golden and starting to pop, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool while preparing other ingredients. Place garlic scapes and lemon juice in a blender or food processor and process until lightly chopped, then add spinach and herbs, and continue processing until just starting to mix. Slowly add olive oil/broth and continue to blend until smooth, scraping sides as necessary, then add pumpkin seeds and blend until finely chopped. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding more lemon juice if necessary. Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to a week. For longer storage, freeze in ice cube trays, then transfer to freezer bags. Thaw in refrigerator or at room temperature.
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp vinegar (I used 1 of rice vinegar, 1 salad vinegar but it doesn't really matter..you could use cider vinegar)
1/2 tsp yellow mustard powder
1/4 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp maple syrup
a dash of lemon juice
fresh ground pepper
Whisk together and set aside.
For the salad:
hard boil 2 eggs (cover eggs in cold water and bring to a boil, boil for 1 min then turn the heat off and let them sit uncovered for 15-20 min while you finish preparing the salad..if you are a fast chopper you can cover the eggs and they will be done in 8-10 min.. know your abilities!)
cook 6 strips of bacon in the microwave. Normally I am not a proponent of using the microwave, but bacon is greasy and messy and it likes to jump up and bite you and I find it is not fun to play with. It usually crisps up better in the microwave anyway.
One more hot ingredient. The asparagus. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a pan. When the oil is hot add chopped asparagus, 2 cloves minced garlic and a pinch of salt. Allow to cool just until the asparagus turns bright green (but still crunchy) and is coated with the garlic and oil (~3 min). Turn off the heat and set aside, squeeze some lemon juice over the top.
Rinse and chop spinach into bite sized pieces
add sliced mini cucumbers
diced red bell pepper
warm asparagus
sliced egg
crumbled bacon
Dress salad just before serving
"Bacon in a salad? yes, yes, yes!! a perfect blend... a blend of perfection..perfectly..uh...no, now I'm blowing smoke..but it IS damn good! I'm gonna have me some more!"
Rhubarb Salad with Goat Cheese
Courtesy of Culinary in the Desert
To shave the tartness off the rhubarb, we sliced the stalks into chunky pieces and tossed them with enough honey to coat just before they went into the oven. I would suggest trying to find stalks that are roughly the same size, while also being not too thick and fibrous to allow the pieces to cook evenly. It took less than 5 minutes in the hot oven for the rhubarb to go from firm to just tender enough that they were soft, yet still held their shape - you don't want them to turn mushy.
Since you don't want to work with pipping hot rhubarb, while it was cooling down, we made a clean dressing by whisking together olive oil with an equal amount of tangy white balsamic vinegar. If all you have is regular, dark balsamic, that would certainly be fine to us... the white is really used for aesthetic reasons, though it does feel a bit more sweet as well. With plenty of tender textures already happening between the rhubarb and spinach, the salad was aching for a crunchy contrast... which came in the form of thinly sliced fennel! Tossed together with the modest dressing, the salad was complete with a smattering of creamy goat cheese crumbles and a handful of toasted walnuts.
Delightful, with a notable spring influence, I was happily surprised how the licorice-y notes from the fennel playfully bounced off the tamed rhubarb to create an energizing salad that had us slowing down to savor each bite. If I had arugula around, its peppery quality would have been a nice compliment, but the homegrown spinach did the deed quite well on its own. I have to say, it is quite satisfying having only to walk out the back door, snapping fresh ingredients you need right off the plants, to complete a meal!
Rhubarb is one of the few colorful items at the Minnesota Farmers' Market in June. Everyone has had Strawberry Rhubarb - but have you tried the sour/tart combination of Sour Cherry and Rhubarb? This is a must for any summer BBQ.
Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler
Filling
2 lbs Rhubarb cut into 1/2" pieces
3 24oz jars Morello cherries (trader joe's -best!)
1.5-2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 1/2 cups reserved cherry juice
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp almond extract
Biscuit Topping (from The New Best Recipe)
10 oz (2 cups) flour
2.5 oz (6 TBSP) sugar
1/2 tsp bkg pwd
1/2 tsp bkg soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 TBSP cold butter cut into 1/2" cubes
1 cup buttermilk
2 TBSP raw sugar for sprinkling
Directions:
*Preheat oven to 425 F
* Prep Filling. Cut rhubarb, drain cherries (reserve juice). Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt together in dutch oven (or other large pot). Stir in wine and reserved cherry juice to dissolve. Add cherries and rhubarb. Let sit - to macerate - for at least 15 minutes.
While fruit is macerating - bake biscuits.
* Biscuits: in a food processer, blend dry ingredients. Add cold butter and pulse about 10 times until dough is in pea size balls. Transfer dough to a medium bowl and stir in buttermilk. Using a 1 3/4" scoop - create 12 dough balls on parchmet lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake until lightly browned on top and bottom (about 15 minutes.) Do not over bake - they are going back in the oven shortly. Leave oven on.
* Cook fruit. Stir fruit and liquid mixture over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Let simmer and thicken (1-5 minutes depending on how much liquid was released from rhubarb.) Cook this until it is the thickness of pie filling (or desired thickness). You can cook down the liquid - or dissolve more cornstarch in a bit of water over heat until thick to add to the mixture.
* 15 Minutes before serving: Pour hot fruit mixture into serving/baking dish. Place biscuits on top of fruit. Cook cobbler at 425 until fruit is bubbling and biscuits are deep golden brown (about 10 minutes if filling started hot, longer if you let filling rest). Serve warm.
Toss-and-Turn Asparagus:
1 bunch asparagus, approx. 1 lb.
1 sweet red pepper
8 oz. baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp. chives, chopped
¼ cup basil, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp. rosemary
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. roasted garlic
Wash and trim asparagus. Slice sweet pepper into ½ inch slices. Heat oil in sauté pan. Add garlic, rosemary and chives. Add sliced peppers, mushrooms and asparagus. Stir and toss in the pan 3-4 minutes. Add basil. Stir and toss until tender.
6 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup raisins
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
¾ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ginger
½ tsp. allspice
Combine all ingredients. Heat gently. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer ½ hour or until mixture is thick. Pour in sterilized jars and seal.
