What did I get in my week five CSA?
4 ears of corn, a head of lettuce, a bunch of fresh basil, 3 pattypan squash, green beans, shallots, and the treats of the week: raspberries and a jar of brown mustard. The package of yellow shoots on the right is the farm's own 'Micro Popcorn'. I bought a package after I was given a sample to taste. They are baby sweet corn shoots that when chewed, overwhelm you with the taste of fresh corn on the cob and a deep sweetness - very unique. The basket on the left has some green apples and golden plums I bought at the farmer's market from Noquochoke Orchards. They made great snacks.
I roasted the corn in the oven to make my new old favorite, elote (see recipe sidebar). I served it with a green salad using the lettuce and shallots, plus tomatoes, jalapenos, avocado and lime juice.
The rest of the lettuce, more shallots and the mustard made great dressings for veggie burgers, which we whipped up throughout the week when we were feeling lazy.
I used the basil and more of the shallots to make a Thai-style fish stir fry. I marinated tilapia in soy sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce, and stir fried it with garlic, shallots, hot chilis, red pepper and carrots. I stirred in the fresh basil at the end, and served it over brown rice. It was very satisfying!
On a sunny Saturday, GP and I finally broke out my new Hot Pot BBQ from Black and Blum.
As you can see, this amazing feat of design is a combination terracotta flower pot and a charcoal grill. When it's not in use, it looks like a regular flower/herb pot. But the top easily lifts off and you have a charcoal grill ready to go for outdoor cooking. I received one this past Christmas and have been waiting to use it for summer grilling. I've kept stumbling upon recipes for panzanella - a salad made of roasted or grilled bread cubes and vegetables, and making it gave me an excuse to finally break out the BBQ.
The BBQ worked great, though GP and I are unsure how frequently we will use it moving forward, only because we really have no outdoor space with our apartment, so we stood in the neighbor's driveway with the pot on the ground, and we're also worried about smoke bothering the neighbors. Also, how do we put the charcoal out when we're done grilling? The grill has no cover to extinguish it, save for the terracotta flower pot, and you are advised not to use that piece, as it will burn. But we also can't stand outside in the driveway watching the pot for hours until the coals burn out. We poured water on the coals once we were done this time, but we'll have to find better places and methods in the future. I also need to plant something in the top!
The BBQ worked great, though GP and I are unsure how frequently we will use it moving forward, only because we really have no outdoor space with our apartment, so we stood in the neighbor's driveway with the pot on the ground, and we're also worried about smoke bothering the neighbors. Also, how do we put the charcoal out when we're done grilling? The grill has no cover to extinguish it, save for the terracotta flower pot, and you are advised not to use that piece, as it will burn. But we also can't stand outside in the driveway watching the pot for hours until the coals burn out. We poured water on the coals once we were done this time, but we'll have to find better places and methods in the future. I also need to plant something in the top!
Regardless, the salad was spectacular. The grill char added a great summer element to it. I based the recipe of off one from Epicurious, using the pattypan squash and shallots, with ciabatta bread, bell peppers and tomatoes. I dressed everything with olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, thyme and rosemary.
Lastly, I used the green beans to make a veggie frittata.
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