There was such an abundance of wonderful late summer produce at the farm yesterday I literally couldn’t choose what to focus on. So I decided to share some new and some old recipes for several of these wonderful veggies coming our way, including lemongrass, radishes, bok choy, green peppers, tomatillos, raspberries, husk cherries, eggplant, cilantro, jalapeños and scallions. Enjoy!
- - 1 bunch lemongrass, bottom 3 inches cut and reserved
- - 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- - 1 jalapeno, seeded, deribbed, and minced
- - ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- - ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- - ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- - ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- - 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- - 1 tablespoon lime juice
- - 3 tablespoons water
- - 1 tablespoon coconut oil, divided
- - 2 small boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
- - 1 small eggplant, or ½ med/lg, chopped into ½" pieces
- - 1 large green or red pepper, chopped into ½" pieces
- - 1 bunch radishes, cut into eighths
- - 1 bunch bok choy, thinly sliced, white ends and greens separated
- - 6 scalions, thinly sliced
- - ½-3/4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- - ½ cup full fat coconut milk
- - sliced radish, garnish
- - chopped fresh cilantro, garnish
- remove reddish outer layer of lemon grass. Chop lemongrass stalks into small pieces. Place in the bowl of a blender (the smaller the blender bowl the better). Add ginger, jalapeño, spices, lime juice water and oil. Blend until mixture becomes a smooth paste. See aside.
- Heat ½ tablespoon coconut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken in batches (so as not to overcrowded the pan and steam instead of browning it), turning once, until browned and cooked through. Using tongs remove cooked chicken to a bowl.
- Add ½ tablespoon coconut oil back to pan and return to burner. Reduce heat to medium. Place eggplant, peppers, and radishes in pan and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add curry puree and ½ cup of broth. Stir well and bring to a bowl. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until eggplant is tender (add more broth at any point if there is too little liquid to cook the vegetables). Uncover pan and add white part of bok choy. Stir and cover. Cook for 5 minutes. Add coconut milk, bok choy greens, cooked chicken and scallions. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until chicken is warmed through, greens are tender and sauce has thickened (add more broth if sauce is too thick). Serve topped with sliced radish and minced cilantro.
Husk Cherry, Raspberry and Jalapeno Salsa
INGREDIENTS:
– 1 pint husk cherries
– 1 pint mixed golden and red raspberries
– 1 jalapeno, seeded, deribbed, and minced
– 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
– honey or other sweetner to taste
METHOD:
Cut each husk cherry in half. Mix all ingredients gently in a medium bowl. Allow to sit for 20-30 minutes for raspberries to release some juices and for the flavors to meld. Serve with tortilla chips or sweet plantain chips (my personal favorite).
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Salsa Verde
INGREDIENTS:
– 2 pounds tomatillos husked and rinsed
– 2 whole jalapeno, rinsed
– 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
– 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
– 1 large onion, chopped
– 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
METHOD:
1. place tomatillos, unpeeled garlic, and jalapenos on a sturdy baking sheet. Preheat broiler with top rack placed 6 inches below heat. Broil tomatillo mixture, turning pieces every couple of minutes, until vegetables are lightly charred but soft, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a heavy stockpot on medium heat until hot. Add onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent and soft, about 8 minutes. Srape onion into a blender or food processor bowl but keep pan ready to use again.
3. Squeeze garlic from skins and place in blender or processor bowl with onions. Peel as much skin as possible off of jalapenos and split open, using a small sharp knife to remove seeds and ribs. Place jalapeno flesh (without seeds and ribs), along with all of the tomatillos and any accumulated juices, in blender or processor bowl. Add 1/4 cup broth and blend until completely smooth.
4. In stockpot used to cook onions, add 2 teaspoons oil and heat on medium-high heat. Add tomatillo mixture all at once. Mixture will splatter and sputter so be careful. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture darkens and thickens, about 4 minutes. Add remainder of broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and, cook, stirring frequently, until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 10-15 minutes. Add salt. Taste and adjust salt level if necessary.
SOURCE: adapted from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen
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Simple Roast Radishes
INGREDIENTS:
– about 6-8 radish roots, small ones quartered, large ones cut in eighths
– 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
– 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
– 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with a sheet of foil. Spray or brush foil with olive oil. Toss radishes with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread out on baking sheet. Bake, stirring a couple of times, about 15 minutes, or until radishes are nicely caramelized and tender.