Dinner Time!

Our first CSA-infused meal:

1. Spinach* Salad (with kohlrabi* and pear slices)
2. Coconut Curry (with summer squash, broccoli*, red bell peppers, carrots, and scallions*)
3. White Rice
4. Asparagus
5. Dessert (not pictured): fresh pineapple

*from the CSA

I don't follow recipes, I make stuff up as I go along and throw things together. I hope that doesn't mean I'm kicked off this blog! What I can do is try to describe what happened in my kitchen.

1. Spinach Salad

I washed the spinach and pulled off any long ends. I washed and peeled the kohlrabi and sliced off the nub on both ends. Then I sliced it very thinly and cut it into small bite-size pieces. I washed the pear and left the peel on, slicing and cutting it into similar shapes. This made for an interesting eating experience because they looked similar but their textures and tastes were very different.

For a dressing I combined white miso, mustard, a sizeable amount of mirin, and a splash of soy sauce. A guess at portions... 2 Tbsp miso, 1 tsp. mustard, 3-4 Tbsp mirin, soy sauce to taste. I wanted a thick dressing that would cling to the washed and still wet (unspun) spinach. When I had the consistency I wanted I tossed it into the spinach and kohlrabi until evenly distributed. Then I gently folded in the pear slices and sprinkled sesame seeds on top.

2. Coconut Curry

I washed and cut veggies as I went along. I heated at least 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil in a pan and tossed the sliced carrots in first. Usually I'd start with garlic and ginger but we're out of both! Then I added the broccoli and stirred until evenly combined. Next the summer squash and red pepper. Stirred it all but didn't let anything cook too long. I added two cans of coconut milk, cause I like a lot of it. Also at least 1/2 cup dry unsweetened coconut flakes, maybe more. Maybe 2 Tbsp green curry paste and 1 Tbsp sugar. Usually you do the coconut milk and curry paste separately from the veggies so you don't end up with chunks of undissolved curry, but I've never had trouble with the green kind when I stir it well. With red I follow the rules. I let that all simmer for a few minutes--until the veggies were softened but still held texture--and then I added soy sauce to taste.

3. White Rice

This was made in my magical rice cooker. Oh, happiness!

4. Asparagus

I washed and cut off the stumps but left them long. I heated at least 1 Tbsp coconut oil in my cast iron pan (every meal I've ever made employs the cast iron pan, that and the kettle are fixtures on my stove). I let the spears roll around and get generously salted until they were done.

5. Pineapple

Just cut up and consumed... so ripe and delicious.