Summer Vege Bag - Week 3
Click on any vegetable that has a link to see previous posts with recipes and cooking tips. You can also browse and filter the whole vege bag archive by vegetable here.
Kia ora!
This week we have:
Carrots (Ahoaho māra kai)
Cucumbers (Ahoaho māra kai)
Radishes (Ahoaho māra kai & Crooked Vege Ōtaki) or Celery (Live2Give Organics)
Zucchini (Ahoaho māra kai & Crooked Vege Ōtaki)
Pak Choi (Crooked Vege Ōtaki) or Rhubarb (Ahoaho māra kai)
Microgreens or Pea Shoots (Crooked Vege Ōtaki)
Parsley (Crooked Vege Ōtaki)
Salad Mix (Crooked Vege Ōtaki)
Vege highlights + suggested uses:
Parsley
If you have a bit too much parsley this week, a few quick ideas that centre parsley:
Tabbouleh is a grain-based salad that’s quite simple to make, and works as a main dish or a side. Simply dice LOTS of parlsey (and any other herbs) and garlic very finely and toss through a cooked grain (typically bulghur wheat, but cous cous, quinoa also work well). There’s about 10,000 recipes online, so I won’t recommend a specific one.
Tomatoes are quite a common tabbouleh ingredient, but are still at least 3 weeks away.
Cucumbers work great, as well as finely sliced radish and carrots - I like quick pickling them (basically soak in vinegar or lemon juice + any spices you like while you make the rest of dinner).
Dress with oil + lemon juice (or other citrus). Honey, coriander, a pinch of cinnamon, or fresh mint are other great additions. Add some toasted seeds/nuts if you’re feeling fancy - the crunch really adds a lot to any salad.Gremolata sounds fancy, but it’s very simple. Finely chop parlsey, garlic and lemon zest. Mix. That’s it.
It’s great sprinkled over anything roasted, grilled meat, fish, on top of eggs, in a sandwich, tossed through a salad, in pasta (even as the main “sauce”), on pizza, added to soups, etc etc.
Traditionalists like to hand chop it, for the “rustic” texture. A food processor works fine too.
My first kitchen hand job insisted on making me hand chop 2kg of parsley as finely as possible every monday morning. He insisted it was the “only way.” When he wasn’t around, I’d use the food processor, saved myself half an hour, and he never noticed.
Ka kite,
Jon
