Baby Bok Choy, bunched
Braising Mix (baby Kales & Collards)
Dill
Leeks – LPF
Panisse Butter Lettuce
English Peas (in shell)
French Breakfast Radishes
Fingerling Sweet Potatoes
Fresh Turmeric
This week, we’re sharing three VERY different recipes. From the top, there is a cozy and earthy green pea soup that is saved from being bland with the addition of leeks and dill. The leeks in your share this week are grown by Ellen & Cole of Little Pond Farm. They are a certified organic farm and produce quality food grown with care. A subtley sweet and more mild allium, leeks provide a unique yet subtle enough flavor to a dish.
Split Pea Soup with Leeks & Dill
Ingredients
- Several large sprigs fresh dill (about 1/2 medium bunch), plus more for optional garnish
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, washed well and chopped
- 1 medium carrot (2 ounces), diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, divided, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided, plus more to taste
- 1 pound dried green split peas , rinsed and picked over for stones
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
Instructions
- Tie the dill, reserving a few sprigs for garnish if desired, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine.
- In a large soup pot over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the leek, carrot and celery and 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the split peas, then add the broth, herb bundle, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until the peas have lost their shape and the soup looks creamy, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the herb bundle, taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Sprinkle with the reserved dill, if using.
Recipe by Ellie Krieger from the Washington Post
Next up is a sweet potato blondie recipe that Chef Richard Vaughn, a culinary instructor at Eastside High School, adapted for our Cane Boil event in January. Some folks got to enjoy these soft blondies before they sold out, and we realize there were many guests who didn’t get the chance to try them. Chef Vaughn sent over the recipe so you can try them at home. Note that this version uses cane syrup as the sweetener. If you don’t have cane syrup at home, you should drop everything and go get some! (Just kidding). You can still sub out maple syrup in the same quantity.
Sweet Potato Blondie
The final recipe this week is a traditional Chinese dish made popular in Shanghai and served during Lunar New Year:
Braised Chinese Mushrooms with Baby Bokchoy
Ingredients
- 2½ ounces small dried Chinese Mushrooms(70 grams)
- 10 ounces Shanghai baby bok choy (280 grams, bottoms trimmed and split in half lengthwise)
- 2½ tablespoons vegetable oil(divided)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- ¼ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoons regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (use vegetarian oyster sauce to keep the dish vegan)
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
Instructions
- Place the dried Chinese mushrooms into a medium bowl, and pour 2-3 cups of hot water over them. Place a plate over the bowl so the mushrooms are completely submerged. Because the mushrooms are small, they should reconstitute quickly. After 15 minutes, cut off the stems of the mushrooms and return them to the water to soak for another 15 minutes.
- Wash your cut Shanghai bok choy in a large bowl of water so the vegetables are fully submerged. Agitating or stirring the vegetables in the water will release any dirt or sand. Repeat this process another 2 times or as necessary, until the water is clean and there is no sand or dirt at the bottom of the bowl.
- After your mushrooms are done soaking, transfer to a plate and gently squeeze out the excess water. Set the mushrooms and the soaking water aside.
- Bring 6 cups of water, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil. Blanch the Shanghai bok choy for 40 seconds, stirring occasionally. They should be just wilted and bright green. Scoop out the bok choy into a bowl and pour 2 cups of cool water over them. The water will stop the cooking process, but you don’t want your veggies to be ice cold, so pour the bok choy into a colander right after they’ve been submerged in the cool water. Drain.
- Next, arrange the bok choy into a circle around a large serving plate, with a space in the middle for the mushrooms.
- Now, heat your wok over medium high heat. Spread 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil around the perimeter. Add the finely minced garlic and mushrooms, and stir fry for 10 seconds. Stir in the Shaoxing wine.
- Next, carefully pour the mushroom soaking water into the wok, making sure that you don’t pour any sediment from the bowl into the wok.
- While the liquid comes up to a simmer, add ¼ teaspoon dark soy sauce, 1½ tablespoons regular soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or vegetarian oyster sauce, 1½ teaspoons sugar, ⅛ teaspoon sesame oil, and ⅛ teaspoon white pepper. Stir until combined, and turn the heat down to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Next, mix the cornstarch slurry and slowly pour it into the sauce while stirring constantly. After letting the mushrooms cook for an additional minute, taste the sauce. If needed, re-season with more soy sauce, sugar, or oyster sauce to your own preference. Add more hot water if the sauce is too thick or more cornstarch slurry if the sauce is too thin. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Transfer the mushrooms and sauce to the center of your cooked Shanghai baby bok choy, and serve this Braised Chinese Mushrooms with Bok Choy immediately for best results!
(photo and recipe credit: The Woks of Life)