[narcissism, vanity, exhibitionism, ambition, vanity, vanity, vanity]

27.6.08

Good thing my blood pressure's 90/60.

Once a week, I get an eco-bag full of vegetables from a farm in East Greenwich. The veggies are local, fresh, organic, and they don't require a jumbo jet's worth of fuel to get to Providence. But I have no control over what's in the bag or how much. This is a problem when I've got, say, a bagful of spinach, a pile of dandelion greens, 25 radishes and a handful of sugar snap peas. Sometimes, the farm distributes recipes, which helps with the cooking dilemma. But mostly I'm on my own. So I've devised some flavor rubrics and a method: chop, slice or otherwise transform the vegetables into bite-size pieces and throw them in a pan with some hot olive oil and...

Salt, lemon, pepper.
Salt, garlic, basil.
Salt, cilantro, cumin, turmeric, coriander.
Salt, salt, salt.

I could toss the result with pasta or rice (maybe add a chopped tomato). Or put it all in the food processor and have tapenade. A can of beans could be added in either case, for more protein. Or grilled chicken. The point is to get a method together that will result in reliably good, easy-to-make meals even when the farm sends an unusual vegetable ...

To be perfectly honest, the radishes make me a little crazy. I have no idea what to do with them.

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3 Comments:

Anonymous Carlos Alustiza said...

Cut the radishes in very thin slices, add salt, red wine vinegar, and olive oil (in that order, don't forget to toss between ingredients) and enjoy my favorite salad.

Fri Jun 27, 09:08:00 PM 2008  
Blogger Diane said...

What a wonderful idea, and not a moment too soon -- the farmers are coming back tomorrow. Thanks, Carlos!

Mon Jun 30, 07:06:00 AM 2008  
Blogger Anita Gutierrez said...

You could do them Mexican style:

thinly slice radishes
cube 1 haas avocado into bite sized pieces
1 tomato sliced or cubed
thinly slice 1/2 red onion
handful of cilantro

dressing:
lemon, olive oil, a pinch of chile powder, a pinch of cumin, salt and pepper.

If you want to make it into a meal:
Shrimp tastes wonderful mixed into the salad.

My sister loves to add a handful of black beans into the mixture.

Serve w/tortilla chips or as a veggie taco filling.

Be sure to let chill for 1 hour before serving.

Mon Jun 30, 10:02:00 PM 2008  

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