CSA Week 4

I just picked up my share for this week which consisted of:

2 zucchini
1 bunch French Breakfast Radishes (with greens)
4 beets (with greens)
1 bunch arugula
1 bunch spinach
1 huge head of green leaf lettuce
1 bag shell peas
1 large bunch of scallions

Zucchini
My aunt put a bug in my ear about a lasagna she made using sliced zucchini instead of lasagna noodles. This intrigues me so I may try that this week.

French Breakfast Radishes
I found this recipe online at New York Magazine. I'm sure that all types of radishes can be interchanged, but I had the hardest time finding recipes specifically for this variety.

Kyle Bailey’s Butter-Poached Radishes

1 bunch French breakfast radishes (about 3/4 lb.), greens and bottoms discarded
3 tbs. unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste
3 dashes raspberry wine vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1 tsp. fresh tarragon

(1) Depending on size, halve or quarter radishes lengthwise. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet until melted. (2) Toss in the chopped radishes and season with salt and pepper. Sauté over low-medium heat until they become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the raspberry wine vinegar and sauté approximately another minute until the radishes turn a vibrant pink. Add the vegetable stock and the remaining tablespoon of butter and cook for another minute to glaze the radishes. (3) Remove from heat and tear fresh tarragon leaves directly onto the radishes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve as an accompaniment to roast chicken, pan-seared duck breast, or meaty fish like striped bass.

Beets
I REALLY enjoyed my beets the last time just boiled, chilled and added to a salad. I may try Karen's suggestion she got from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook: boil and serve hot with butter & salt.

Arugula
I'll likely save a few leaves to throw in a garden salad because I like the bite it gives. Last time I made a cannellini bean, onion & arugula salad which was fantastic. This time I'm thinking of a different arugula salad, which is on the sweeter side, courtesy of Farmer Dave's recipe blog.

Spinach
I think I may venture back into traditional Italian (I made a giambotta last week) and make pasta e fagioli (pasta fazool). The recipe on Farmer Dave's recipe blog calls for swiss chard (which I have on hand frozen from last week) OR spinach. In any event, I think I'm going to try the recipe (likely with the chard) and maybe make a simple spinach saute (or spinach squares).

Green Leaf Lettuce
Lots of salad...duh

Shell Peas
I already have 2 batches of peas frozen from previous weeks. I may try this Green Peas with Cheese and Herbs. I already have fontina cheese that I had bought a few weeks ago for a risotto that I had intended to make (but didn't). Can I just say that I LIKE shelling peas??? I sat in front of the TV shelling peas last week. I also must say that the pea quality has gotten better as the weeks go by (They're a nice size now. Week 1 they were pretty tiny).

Scallions
These have so many random applications, I'll probably throw them into things here and there. I also saw a recipe for grilled scallions with sesame oil that I may try once they're near the end of their shelf life. Also intriguing is rotini with green vegetables and peanut sauce. I wonder if almonds would work just as well.