Yummy Yards CSA Box #7

Woo hoo! Tomatillos! I didn’t know they would grow in Vancouver!

With mild trepidation I drove to the pick-up location: what if my box contained cabbage or broccoli instead of tomatillos? We’re all off broccoli, temporarily, and I’ve had enough cole-slaw to last the rest of the summer. What I really wanted was those tomatillos!

OH JOY! The three choices were laid out on a table. MY choice! Woo hoo hoo!

For me there really was no other option: salsa verde! I learned to make salsa verde from a Mexican widow all dressed in black at the University of Guadalajara.  So you know it’s gotta be good.

Salsa Verde

• Remove the papery skins from a whack of tomatillos. Wash them, but don’t expect to get the annoying stickiness off.

• Place the tomatillos in a large pot with just enough water to barely cover the bottom of the pot. Add an onion, cut into chunks, a few cloves of garlic, and a shake of oregano.
• Now you’ve got 3 choices: either add some jalapeno peppers right from the start, or add uncooked, chopped jalapenos after cooking, or char the peppers and add them at the end. I recommend the 3rd choice for extra deliciousness.
• Put the lid on the pot and simmer gently until everything is soft and the tomatillos turn the colour of mid-70’s kitchen appliances.
• Blend. Taste for salt.
• Stir in a whole bunch of chopped cilantro and some optional parsley.

To char peppers:

• Open your windows; turn on your kitchen fan!! This recipe is a very good way to test if your smoke detectors are working.
• Place a cooling rack that you don’t care about over your gas burner on the stove. Turn the flame to high. Place washed, whole jalapenos on the rack and let them char, turning every so often with tongs until blistered all over.
• Place in a bowl and top with a plate until cool enough to handle. Remove the skins by scraping with the edge of a paring knife (your fingers will tingle for the next 24 hours, or so, if you don’t wear rubber gloves.  Somewhat unpleasantly.)  Rinse briefly under cool water. Remove the seeds.
• Chop fine and add to salsa. Ahh, smoky goodness.
• Wash the warped, discoloured rack and put it away until next time. Wipe the black, flakey wisps off your stove, walls and fan hood. It’s worth it.

We ate the salsa with quesadillas smeared with cream cheese, sprinkled with mozzarella and stuffed with sautéed mushrooms, green onions and chopped kale.  Some of us had left over chopped chicken in it, too.

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Today I made chiles rellenos, using Hungarian peppers stuffed with mozzarella. The Hungarian peppers weren’t exactly what I was looking for (i.e. poblano), but they did the trick and were delicious.  Served it with the salsa verde and calabacitas made from baby zucchini, fresh from the garden.

Chiles Rellenos de Queso con Salsa Verde

• Char the peppers over the flame, allow to sweat in a covered bowl, then peel using the side of a paring knife.
• Make a neat slit along the length of each pepper and carefully remove the seeds. Leave the stems intact.
• Stuff loosely with mozzarella cheese. Secure the flap closed with a toothpick.
• Dredge in flour, then coat with beaten egg.
• Shallow fry in oil until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towel. Serve with the warm salsa verde.

Calabacitas

• Sauté diced onion and zucchini in oil until barely cooked.
• Add roasted jalapeno, chopped fine, and about a cup of frozen corn kernels. (Of course, fresh corn in season would be the best). Heat through.  Add chopped cilantro.
• Finish with a few splashes of heavy cream, salt and pepper to taste. Crumbled feta cheese is delicious here, too.

Calabacitas make a colourful side dish, and are excellent with corn tortillas.  Here they are, hiding inside these corn quesadillas, with a little salsa verde and quinoa salad on the side.

Quinoa Salad with Lentil Sprouts Recipe

As for the rest of the box:

Beets – boiled in skins until tender.  Skins slipped off under water.  Eaten hot with butter and salt, just like my Mom makes them.  This might be my very favourite dish of all.

Brussels sprouts leaves – tried them in a cabbage roll-esque dish with sage tomato sauce, unsuccessfully.  Ended up eating the filling and the sauce, but leaving the leaves (sorry, Emi).  If there ever is a next time I will chop them up and add them to sautéed kale.  Or blend into pasta sauce.  (Kind of hope there is no next time.)

Chard and green onions – sautéed in olive oil with half a left-over zucchini.  Man, I love those barely wilted greens.

Carrots, cucumber – all of it eaten by my son while using the computer.

Kohlrabi – not yet eaten, but plan to slice thinly and eat with salad.

Salad greens – I’ve got to admit I’ve got an awful lot of salad greens left in the fridge.  Must eat more salad…