CSA Scramble

Every Sunday Jack and I look forward to an email from Kettle Pond Farm denoting our upcoming CSA share for the week. Each week typically introduces something new from the week before, and sometimes, something new even for us. We try to plan our weekly meals around our share, but that does not always work due to timing. When that happens, we always designate one night to be a "CSA Scramble." We try to come up with a recipe that will use at least 1 item from the share, but the more, the merrier.



Last week we received quite a lot of veggies in our share, which would be great under any other circumstance but our own. We had a share pick up of Monday night, and a planned shore getaway with my family on a Tuesday night, leaving us one night to try to eat our share in one mass quantity. We made three different types of pestos, cooked one dinner, and decided to bring tomatoes with us to my parents. I decided that it would be best to keep our 1.5 lbs of potatoes behind as they usually keep well for a long time.



While we were not 100% successful in using every item from the CSA, we did use our regular and Chinese eggplant, kale, and spices in a Sauteed Kale and Eggplant recipe from Mark Bittman. The dish was surprisingly delicious, and even better the next day as leftovers, as the flavors had melded together better. The recipe was very simple to put together, and took significantly less time to cook than anticipated. I loved the way that the bitterness of some of the kale offset the savoriness of eggplant.



Mark Bittman certainly came through in a pinch. His cookbook, "How to Cook Everything," is quite a fabulous cookbook, especially for beginners like me. I recommend it for any cook, but especially first timers. You can purchase it here, or look for them at Williams Sonoma- the outlet usually has them half price!

Sauteed Eggplant with Greens, adapted from Mark Bittman

1.5-2lbs eggplant
Salt
1/3c EVOO
1 tbsp minced garlic (I used roasted garlic I had saved)
Black Pepper
1/4c chopped basil leaves
1 lb of Kale or Chard (I used about half of that)

1. Peel the eggplant is skin is think, and slice into 1/2 inch cubes. Salt them if time allows
2. Put EVOO and all but 1 tsp of garlic in large skillet over medium heat. Two minutes later, add eggplant. Stir and toss almost constantly until eggplant begins to release some of the absorbed oil, roughly 5 minutes
3. Continue cooking eggplant, stirring frequently about 30 minutes. About halfway through the 30 minutes, add the kale or chard. Add additional olive oil if necessary. (This whole step took me only 15 min because of the heat of the kitchen)
4. Sprinkle with Parm. cheese and pepper. Serve as side dish or topping for pasta/rice.