Kohlrabi Fritter and Tomato Stack

While this certainly makes a fancy brunch dish, it is also a hearty summer dinner plate.

2 cups grated Kohlrabi and other Veggies (I used zucchini and 1 ear of corn)
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs
1 tsp Salt
1 TBSP Summer Savory
5 Solar Eggs
1 Tomato
4 tsp Pesto
4 tsp Chevre or other Soft Cheese
1 Bag of Salad Greens or 1 head lettuce

serves 4

Combine the grated veggies, salt, and summer savory in a bowl. Transfer the mixture to a collander and strain for a few minutes. You can use a paper towel to push some of the moisture out. The salt will help draw out the moisture, so it will also be helpful to do this ahead of time, and allow the mixture to sit for up to 30 minutes.

Add bread crumbs and one egg until the mixture is sticky, but still mostly veggies. What you want to avoid (it won't be a bad thing, it'll just be more similar to a pancake) is creating a dough or batter. The mixture should be just sticky enough to form a loose ball. Pan fry the balls in vegetable or cocounut oil on med-high heat, 5 minutes each side, until golden brown.

Pan fry or poach 4 eggs. Pan frying is certainly easier, but here are some tips for poaching eggs:

• Boil water in a large pot, then reduce to a simmer
• Add 1 tsp Vinegar and 1 tsp salt to the water
• Crack one egg at a time into a small mug
• Stir the water counter-clockwise, and then slowly lower the mug into the water to release the egg into the current.
• It'll take about 2 minutes to cook
• I certainly try to do 2 eggs at once (one right after the other), but have had the best luck by being patient, and cooking one at a time. Wait for the water to simmer again before adding the next egg.

On a plate, prepare a bed of greens. Slice the tomato into four big slices, one per plate. Put the still-hot kohlrabi fritter right on top of the tomato. Put a teaspoon of chevre and a tablespoon of pesto right on top of the fritter, and top with an egg.

Napa Cabbage Picnic Salad

2/3 cup slivered almonds
8 cups (1 lb) coarsely shredded napa cabbage
12 ounces snow or snap peas, thinly sliced
1  1/3 cups thinly sliced radishes
1  1/3 cups diced scallions
1  1/3 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves

Dressing
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
4  minced garlic scapes
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 cup mayonnaise

Spread almond slivers out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in a 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes, until nicely browned. OR toast in skillet on medium high, stirring frequently until browned. Set aside.
Combine cabbage, snow peas, radishes, green onions, cilantro in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, garlic scapes, sesame oil, ginger, and cayenne until sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the mayonnaise. When ready to serve, gently combine the dressing and almonds with the cabbage mixture.    Serves 12

Ruby Red Beet Slaw with Red Shiso and Papalo

It's time to use some obscure herbs for the U-Pick garden! We grow them because they're delicious, and now you can use this great recipe to familiarize yourself with them for the first time. Have you cooked with red shiso or papalo before? Tell us about it (in the comments) so we can share it with our community! 

Salad:
1 lb Beets
1 Head of Napa or Green Cabbage
1/4 of an Onion
3 Sprigs Papalo (or cilantro)
3 Sprigs Red Shiso (or basil)

Dressing:
1 Handful of Sesame Seeds
1/4 Cup Sesame Oil
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
1 TBSP Maple Syrup
1 tsp Sriracha or other Hot Sauce

Peel your raw beets, and then grate or food procees them. Sprinkle salt, and set aside until the dressing is mixed up.

In a bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, sesame seeds, vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup, and sriracha. Chop your herbs and add to the dressing. Pour the dressing over the grated veggies, stir well, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. For best flavor, allow the salad to sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Ginger Turmeric Stir-Fry

Before I used a wok I never understood the magic of the wok. I can't explain the magic, but it comes through in every stir-fry. 

Ginger Turmeric Stir-fry

2 TBSP Coconut, Sesame, or Peanut Oil
1 Bunch Hakurei Turnips
1 Bunch Baby Pac Choi
1 Small Onion
1 Zucchini
1 TBSP Freshly grated or Ground Ginger
1 TBSP Ground Turmeric
1 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Peanuts or Cashews
1 Bunch Cilantro (optional)
1 Bunch Scallions (optional)
2 cups cooked Jasmine Rice
1 lime

Start the rice according to package instructions. My jasmine rice takes almost an hour, so I will often set this first thing after work, take a shower, and then start prepping the rest of the meal.

Heat 2 TBSP Coconut oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and peanuts. After the onion begins to soften, add 1 TBSP ginger and 1 TBSP tumeric. Stir in so the herbs and the oil create a light paste over the onions. Once mixed in, add the zucchini, pac choi, and hakurei turnips. My goal is to have some crunch left in the zucchini, pac choi stems, and turnips, so I like to let them cook for about 5-7 minutes.

Chop cilantro and scallions into a bowl. Serve your plate with the veggies over the rice, and the fresh herbs over the veggies. Adding a touch of crushed peanuts to the top and a wedge of lime will finish it off nicely.

How to Carve a Chicken

There are countless ways to cook a chicken. Roast it, grill it, stuff it, brine it. But the best way to finish off any bird is by carving it simply and effectively. You only need 2 knives to do this correctly. A sharp, small, boning knife will be the best tool for the majority of this procedure. A sharp chef's knife is useful for slicing the breast.

1) Check Done-ness

When the breast reads 165 degrees F, remove the legs. Take the bird onto a cutting board, and cut along the thigh where the leg connects to the bird. When you get down to the bone, cut the joint between the thigh and the body while pulling back on the drumstick. Put the legs back into the cast iron/grill/oven/stovetop until they too read 165 degrees.

2. Allow to Cool. Let the bird rest at least until the legs are finished cooking. This will prevent the juices from leaving the bird, and will help keep the breast juicy. After at least 20 minutes, cut a straight line down the spine. You will be cutting one on each side. You will then move on to the wings to allow the breast to cool a bit.

3. Wings. Gently pull back the wings so you can see the seam where they connect to the body of the bird. Cut along that seam until you can see the bone. Then gently cut the joint between the bones while pulling back on the wing with your nondominant hand.

4. The Breast. Cut along the side of the spine while pulling back with your fingers. Your goal is to do a combination of pulling and cutting to release the breast in one large piece. 

Here you can see the right side of the bird, which has already been carved, and the left side of the bird, where the breast is almost fully off of the body.

5. Finish. Once you have cut the breast off of the bird, you will take a larger chef's knife to finish. Cut against the grain with even spaced slices. Once you have cut the breast, scoop the entire sliced piece onto your knife, and gently place it on your serving platter.

Cooking with the Crew: Scallion Pancake

When I was a kid, the only thing I would eat from the Chinese take-out place in my town were scallion pancakes. I still love them today, and I even see versions of them at local farmers markets. Some places make them looser, more like a batter, and wrap them around eggs (just add more water and stir in the green onions instead of knead them in). I still love them stiffer,  blistered on top, flaky on the inside. I find they are a great addition to meals, similar to a biscuit or pita.  

Scallion Pancakes

4 cups flour, plus more for dusting (I used 50% sprouted wheat, 50% all-purpose)
4 tsp kosher salt
peanut, sesame, or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups chopped scallions and/or green onions
2 cups hot water

Add 4 cups of flour to a large bowl. Slowly work in one cup of hot water, incorporating 1/4 cup at a time. Stop when the dough is sticky, but still thicker than a batter.

Divide the dough into quarters.

Roll or knead each piece of the dough while mixing in the salt, red pepper flakes, scallions/green onion, and a few teaspoons of oil. I like to add a few, roll the dough into a ball, add a few more, roll it into a log, add a few more, coil the log, add a few, and roll it back into a ball. Try to keep the oil on the inside of the dough (make a depression, add a bit, and roll it in) to keep the rolling surface clean.

When you are done rolling the dough (no more than 10 min or the dough will stiffen), flatten the balls into 8-9" wide circles.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Pan fry each side of the pancake for 3-5 minutes per side.

Dipping Sauce
Mix together 1/2 cup soy sauce, half of the chopped green onion/scallions, i tsp sriracha, and 1 tsp honey or maple syrup. A splash of lime juice never hurt anyone either.

Cooking with the Crew: Herbed Potato Salad

1 Pint of Potatoes
Half of one bunch of Radishes or Hakurei Turnips
1 Cucumber
Tops of Green Onions
1 Bunch (total) of fresh Parsley and/or Basil
1 TBSP Butter

Boil the potatoes (or grill them, roast them, whatever you like) until they are fork tender. You won't be cutting the potatoes again, so be sure to cut larger pieces into fractions for even cooking times. Chop the basil/parsley and green onion tops. While the potatoes cooked, drained, and still hot, add a tablespoon of butter and the herbs. Mix in, salt gently, set aside to cool.

Slice the radishes and cucumber as thinly as possible. Whisk together the ingredients in the simple dressing below, and allow the radishes and cucumber to marinade in it until the potatoes have cooled off. Wait until the potatoes have cooled completely, and stir everything together. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Dressing:
1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 TSP Stone Ground Mustard
1 TSP Honey or Maple Syrup
Salt and Pepper to taste