When I saw all of the beautiful spring onions in our box last week, with more on the way this week, for some reason this scene flashed in my head. Ah, the wisdom of Shrek. I love my cartoons.
The thing about onions is that they form the base of so, so many things we cook. I don't know about your kitchen, but my family of three easily goes through half a dozen in a week. The question is, when we get beautiful onions like these, the early spring ones, how can we actually feature them in the dish? What can we do beyond just using them in mirepoix?
An obvious thing that comes to mind is French onion soup. That recipe is the right spices, but instead of chicken broth, use a good-quality homemade stock. If you can make or buy some demi-glace, even better! While the Irish aren't known for their onion soup, this one still deserves a try.
The frittata that we made with last year's spring onions is still a great choice.
While these are usually fall dishes for me, a pork stew with onions is great on chilly spring evenings. (Here's another.)
Caramelized onions are an outstanding pizza topping!
Another dish that brings back summer days is cucumber salad. If you remember our post on coleslaw, the debate was vinegar vs. cream-based dressings. Cucumber salad is much the same premise. Slice the veggies really thin, then let them marinate in a dressing overnight. If you found a dressing that works for your coleslaw, then by all means repurpose it for cucumber salad! I will say that, in my experience, cucumber salads have more add-ins beyond cucumbers than coleslaws do beyond cabbage.
My go-to cucumber salad is one my mom used to make, and it uses some of the fantastic spring onions that were also in last weekend's box. Slice both the cukes and onions very thin. I use a mandoline, and it gets the job done in a real jiffy. A word of caution: The blade of a mandoline is incredibly sharp. Never, ever, ever, *EVER* use it without either the included safety guard, or a kevlar glove. Trust me on this, I have had several trips to the emergency room while learning to use my mandoline and I don't want you to have the same problem. And isn't that what always gets them on Top Chef? After slicing your veggies, take some dill weed from your herb pots (how are they doing, by the way?) and chop that as well. So you have:
The dressing is simplicity itself:
a little squirt of olive oil,
a few tablespoons of white vinegar (to taste),
salt & pepper,
and a little water.
Put it in a sealable container, shake it up, and let it seep in the fridge overnight. This is something you'll find in my refrigerator pretty much continuously from now through September or so.
One raging debate about cucumber salad is whether or not to remove the seeds. I find that when they're sliced thin, you don't have to. If your recipe calls for more chunky pieces of cucumber, then you probably want to slice it the long way and scoop out the seed compartment with a spoon. Cukes can definitely be enjoyed skin-on, but in salads I usually peel them. Pickling cukes, though, traditionally have a thinner skin and are just fine left unpeeled. You don't just have to turn them into pickles! When we just cut them up and serve them at the table with a sprinkle of salt, my 5-year-old loves "stripy" ones (peel half the skin off, leaving a striped pattern along the cuke.)
Have you found any good dressings for cabbages and cucumbers? I've made this one with tahini (you can find it at most upper-end grocers) which is really interesting. Here's a creamy one on my list to try with our most recent cache of cukes. Of course, the ultimate cucumber salad dressing is tzatziki sauce. This tuna salad has cucumbers in it too, making it really refreshing for lunch on really hot days.
Please share any of your favorites in the comments section!
This week’s box features fresh, local kale. Wandering around the store today, I noticed that there were lots of Vidalia onions as well as beautiful white mushrooms.Vidalia onions have a mild, sweet flavor that just screams, “Caramelize
me!”While you can use these in any
recipe that calls for onions, you might want to save these for something where
you can cook them loooooow and sloooooow.A little butter, a small pinch of salt, and a good bit of time over a
medium-low flame turns them into magic.
Don’t crinkle your nose over plain ol’ white mushrooms,
either.Chefs around the world prize
these mushrooms, due to their versatility and flavor.Remember to never wash mushrooms.All
they need is a soft brush to remove any debris on them (a clean paper towel
works well too), and they’re ready to go.Quarter the big ones and halve the small ones, toss them in with your
caramelizing onions, and you’ll have a great side for steaks or topping for
brats.
Kale has become quite the nutritional star lately.It’s a great source of fiber and
vitamins.If you’d like to show off your
skills in the kitchen a bit more, make a frittata.Sounds impressive, right?
Just between you and me, that translates to, “Fancy Italian
omelet.”It sure sounds more impressive
to say frittata, though.Making them is
about as simple as an omelet, too.So,
your mushrooms and onions are done caramelizing, right?The kale goes quicker.First, tear off the leafy part from the firm
stems.You can save the stems for stock,
or even prepare them like a root vegetable.In a hot skillet, add a little olive oil and put in the leaves.Toss them with tongs, and in a minute or two
they’ll wilt.You still want them to be
bright green, so take them out as soon as they do wilt, and mix with your
mushrooms and onions.Now, the omelet
part.It’s meant to be shared, so figure
2 eggs per person and beat them all together.A splash of milk in the eggs makes it fluffy.With a frittata, you beat the eggs until
they’re a little foamy so that it’s lighter.The “fixins,” meaning your kale, mushrooms and onions, are mixed in with
the eggs, too.Don’t forget salt and
pepper.Pour into an oven safe skillet
(a cast iron pan is even better) over medium to medium-high heat and just let it sit.Yes, the bottom and sides will set up
before the top does.When all but the top
has set, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and place under a low broiler until the
top sets.See, now you’re impressing
everyone!
When I told one of my foodie friends what would be in the
box this week, she said, “Oooh, you have to tell them to make Sexy-Time
Pasta!”Pardon me…?Well, here’s the details:
Sexy-Time
Pasta
ingredients:
1-2 tbsp olive
oil
3-6 slices of thick
cut bacon, cut into bite size pieces
(the more bacon you
use, the less olive oil you'll need)
10 oz sliced
mushrooms
1 pint cherry
tomatoes, sliced in half
1 med onion, diced
small
1 bunch of kale or baby
spinach
1 lb short pasta (e.g.,
rotini)
3/4 c. grated Parmesan
(Or more. I love cheese.)
Salt & pepper to
taste
directions:
1) Heat olive oil and
bacon in skillet over medium heat until bacon is golden.
2) Bring a large pot
of salted water to boil. Add pasta and spinach, cook about 3 min until spinach
is vibrant green. Scoop out spinach and rinse under cold water to stop the
cooking. Drain well and set aside. Continue cooking pasta for another 7 min
until almost al dente. When draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
3) Move bacon to
edges of pan and add mushrooms, onions and a pinch of salt to middle of pan, in
as close to a single layer as possible. Turn heat up to medium-high and cook
until mushrooms and onions start sizzling and turning brown (about 5 min). Reduce
heat to medium, add cherry tomatoes and stir bacon and mushrooms together, cooking
until mushrooms are tender. (5-7 min)
4) Reduce heat to
low. Add drained pasta to skillet. Gradually stir in 1 cup of pasta water. Toss
over low heat until sauce is silky and pasta is well coated.
5) Turn off heat. Add
spinach and cheese and season with pepper. Toss well. When serving, sprinkle
more cheese on top. (And then maybe some more. Because really, I love cheese.)
Serve immediately for best results, but can also be served cool as pasta salad.
It’s a variation on pasta
carbonara, with tomatoes instead of the rich egg, and you could easily
merge the two recipes.Yes, I asked her
why it’s called “Sexy-Time” pasta.And
no, she wouldn’t tell me.
Oh,
did you see the cool
trick for slicing cherry tomatoes?What a time saver!
Despite yesterday's weather, I'm convincing myself that Spring must really be here because SPRING ONIONS have arrived! It's almost as awesome as the springtime arrival of asparagus. Almost. If this is your first encounter and you've been eyeing those giant sprouty things suspiciously, fear not because you are in for an awesome treat. It's like a two for one deal with spring onions, because you get the green part which are somewhere between a chive and a leek, and then the bulb which is like, well, an onion. But a delicate and sweet one. Plus, the ones in this week's Crop Share are Vidalia spring onions, so that means even more sweetness. I know for sure I'll be using two of the bundle to make my favourite Chicken In A Spring Onion Cream Sauce (is amazing over meaty fish like salmon or swordfish too!), but I made myself reserve one of the bundle to experiment with. On Saturday we got a call that afternoon from some friends to come over for dinner, and since you should never show up to a dinner party empty handed, I decided to whip up a salad from among the Crop Share ingredients I just brought home. And thus the following yummy and crisp salad was born! So if you're sheepish about the spring onions, let this salad be your gateway drug into spring onion mania!
Pear & Spring Onion Salad with a Tarragon Dijon Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sliced almonds, unsalted
1 Tbsp local honey
1 head leaf lettuce, chopped
1 Vidalia spring onion, ends trimmed and diced (both green and white parts)
2 pears, cored & thinly sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar (I used some of the delicious Chardonnay White Wine Vinegar from Virginia Vinegar Works that's available at Nalls)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp Kosher salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried tarragon
In a skillet over medium heat, toss almond slivers with honey to evenly coat and toast almonds until golden brown. You'll want to keep a close watch and stir fairly often to prevent any almonds from burning. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, toss together lettuce, diced spring onion, pear slices and cooled, honey almonds (you'll likely have to break them apart as when they cool they turn into almond candy).
Then in a medium sized bowl, briskly whisk together oil, vinegar and dijon until you have a smooth, creamy dressing. Add in salt, pepper and tarragon and whisk to fully incorporate. Pour as much or as little of the dressing over the salad as desired, toss to coat and serve.
Makes a wonderful side salad with dinner, or add in some grilled chicken, shrimp or salmon to turn this into a complete meal.
This simple, unassuming recipe allows its fresh ingredients do the driving, to terrific result. Spring onions are onions harvested while still immature. With a bulb generally less than 2″, they are characteristically tender and sweet and still have healthy long green stems. This recipe can be used as a topping for roasted vegetables, grilled pork chops and even scrambled eggs. We can't wait to hear how you all are using it!
Ingredients
4 T Butter
2 1/2 lb Spring Onions (tops removed)
Salt and Pepper
5 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
Note: This also stores well in the fridge for several days and reheats well, so it can be made ahead without affecting the flavor.
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