spoonful focuses on our home town, New York, but I’m happy to introduce you to some new cities and what their local food has to offer. Our newest contributor Tiare Packard is a proud new member of her local CSA in Bend, Oregon. Tiare will be sharing the adventures and surprises that CSA brings for all of us to enjoy and experiment along with. Today she talks about taking a risk with Dinosaur Kale… yes it’s really called Dinosaur Kale.
Summer has almost arrived and today I picked up my first ever CSA box filled with the season’s crops of fresh fruits and vegetables. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture which is a direct connection from the farm to the table. It allows you to purchase “shares” from a farm which are usually picked up on a weekly basis. The share is a box which contains a wonderful variety of very fresh seasonal produce all throughout the farming season. It allows the customer to buy local and support farms in their area. A CSA is also very community oriented — I pick mine up at a local restaurant where families walk together to receive their box and you can chat with the farmer who grew your salad. Today there was even a local baker giving free samples of delicious bread to get the word out.
The best part about the CSA box is that each week has different items and you will always be surprised by the produce you receive. It challenges you to be creative with the produce and branch out from your normal recipes. You will almost always be greeted by at least one unusual vegetable each week — Kohlrabi, Kale, Chard, Romanesque Cauliflower, Fennel and on and on. At first it can be a bit intimidating, but just jump in and try a new technique or recipe and I can guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised.
This week in my CSA box, I received so many wonderful things including Red Leaf Lettuce, Radishes, Green Onions, Chard, Broccoli, Red and White Potatoes, Kale and best of all — a carton of organic Strawberries! All are in their freshest state and full of color and flavor. Everything is also organic, so you may encounter a little friend nestled between your lettuce leaves. Today I found a tiny slug! Be sure to do a few good rinses before you begin cooking.
In the spirit of being adventurous, I went straight for the oddest item in the box — Dinosaur Kale or Lacinato Kale (thank god for Google). I haven’t had a lot of luck cooking leafy greens in the past, so tonight I was determined to make them delicious. I chose a zesty combination to really give the greens a blast of flavor — Garlic, Chili Flakes and Lemon Juice. They turned out absolutely mouth-watering and I cannot wait to make them again. Note that this recipe can be used with just about any greens including chard, mustard greens, beet greens or collards. You may just need to adjust the cooking time to get the desired texture.
Garlic Chili Kale with Lemon
The greens will shrink considerably when cooked, but will still serve around 4 people as a side dish.
1 bunch of kale (about 20 leaves)
1 tbsp of kosher salt (to salt the water and also to season before serving)
2 tbsp of olive oil for sautéing
3 cloves of garlic, sliced thin or minced
1 tsp of red chili flakes
lemon juice
1. Boil a large pot of water and salt well.
2. Wash the greens to remove all dirt and trim the tough stems off. Chop roughly.
3. Add the greens to the boiling water and cook until tender. For kale, no more than 2 minutes.
4. Drain immediately and add to a bath of ice water. This will stop the cooking right away and also help the leaves retain a nice green color even after cooking. Squeeze out as much water as possible.
5. Sauté the garlic and chili flakes in olive oil in a large skillet for about 30 seconds, until the flavors come out.
6. Add the greens, stir with garlic and chili, cover and cook for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir occasionally. Serve in a bowl and toss with salt to flavor and a squeeze of lemon juice. You can also add a little lemon zest for even more flavor.
To find a CSA near you, visit Local Harvest.
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post by Tiare Packard
spoonful 
