Farm share, week 3

[magid]

• five summer squashes (lots of varieties, including zucchini, golden zucchini, striped zucchini, pattypan, cousa, summer squash (ie the yellow kind), and a two-tone summer squash (with green on one end)(I chose a variety of colors and sizes)
  
• two little pickling cucumbers
  
• six heads of new (uncured) garlic
  
• two bunches of French breakfast radishes, with greens (I found one buch where one of the radishes wasn't red, but purple!)
  
• two large bunches of greens (chard or kale; I chose the latter)
  
• two bunches of slender yet long scallions
  
• two bunches of cilantro (swapped for five more squashes of Unusual Size (ie the ones in the swap box, and another bunch of scallions)
  
• a pound of basil
  
• a pound and a half of mixed salad greens (half swapped for another bunch of radishes, because I still have salad greens from last week to use)

First thoughts: the cucumbers will go in some fresh salad or other, also the salad greens. Puree the basil with some garlic and/or garlic scapes from previous weeks, mix in some salt and olive oil, then freeze in dollops for later bursts of summer. Some of the radishes may be pickled, but I should find some other fresh use for them; they're so pretty! The greens will be sauted with alliums, possibly with the beet greens left from last week, some preserved lemon, maybe walnuts and black pepper, possibly chickpeas if eating now rather than freezing for later. Massaged kale with mashed potatoes a la colcannon, possibly also with other greens. Kale salad with lemon-tahini dressing and sunflower seeds. As for the squash.... pancakes and/or kugel. Squash relish with garlic and the two little fennel from last week (if so, need to get some (organic) lemons). Roasted squash. Pureed squash soup with alliums and herbs (maybe with cream? I experimented making a cold creamy soup last week and it turned out well, cooking & roughly pureeing onion, garlic, scapes, broccoli, broccoli leaves, kohlrabi leaves, already-sauteed shiitake mushrooms with umami seasonin and some cream)).

Comments

[minoanmiss]

I recently made a pasta salad based on a spaghetti recipe I read.

What I did was to cut summer squash into halves/quarters and then quarter inch slices, sprinkle them with 1/2 tsp table salt and brown them well on one side in a frying pan, and let them cool. I used 5 the first time, which was too many, so I used 3 the second time. When cool I combined them with a pint of halved grape tomatoes, a clamshell of picked basil leaves (the second time I blanched them, then stirred them into the olive oil), a pound of cooked and cooled tortellini, 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella torn into pieces, 1 level pint grated parmesan cheese (storebought, but I did get the real kind not the shelf stable kind), 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, and 1/4 cup olive oil. Then I added a few dashes of white wine vinegar (forgot to measure that, hahaha).

It's pretty good for lunch, holds up for several days, nice and tasty from the browning and the parmesan. I tore up the mozzarella for more surface area but it could definitely be chopped up.

[magid]

That sounds delicious!
My first thoughts are that I'd roast cubes of squash instead of sauteeing, because (a) less work, plus (b) less likely to end up mushy; and that artichoke hearts might be a nice add-in.

(I wish I could find kosher tortellini without having to schlep to Brookline.)

[minoanmiss]

That sounds like a great modification!

I think this would work without filled pasta -- I just like tortellini. Maybe I'll try it with radiatore or other short, frilly pasta and report back.