Recipe Links: Wisconsin Week 5, Chicago Week 3

1. Oregon giant snow peas, 2. Sugar snap peas, 3. Radishes, 4. Lettuce mix, 5. Curly cress, 6. Bright lights chard, 7. Oregano & Basil, 8. Zucchini [Not pictured: Bok choi, Cucumber]

The past couple weeks have brought some fearsome weather our way. Although it proved too much for some of the greens in my garden patch, the greens Tony and Dela have provided us this week look as beautiful as ever! Summer is starting to creep into our shares this week, bringing us our first taste of cucumbers and zucchini.

Peas: Oregon Giant snow peas, Sugar snap snow peas

Snap pea salad with burrata I love pairing sweet peas with mild, fresh cheeses like this. Good quality fresh mozzarella would be an excellent substitute for the burrata here.

Snap pea and radicchio slaw The colors in this slaw are beautiful. Red cabbage would also work in place of the radicchio, for a milder bite. This week's cress works pretty well with snap peas, too!

Cucumber snap pea salad Combine the snap peas and the first cucumber this week for a sweet, refreshing salad. A sprinkling of feta brings a savory contrast to your plate.

Radishes

Apple radish salad, from Farm-fresh and Fast, pg. 39 Check out this recipe in FairShare's newest cookbook for a great combination of tart, crisp apples and peppery radishes!

 Radish and avocado sandwich Serve these open-faced and you've got a great little appetizer for a summertime gathering. I'd suggest toasting the bread first for a difference in texture.

Lettuce mix

Lentil Salad with Fresh Peas, Pistachios, Mint & Sheep's Milk Feta Lots of contrast in this spring salad. The lentils and feta easily make this a filling dinner salad, but the fresh peas and mint keep things light and springy.

Baby lettuces with feta, strawberries, and almonds Another light salad option for this week. Grab some local strawberries while they're around and enjoy this simple salad.

Cress OR Bok choi

Cress adds lovely pep to otherwise bland or subtle dishes. Try tossing some in an egg or tuna salad sandwich.

Stir-fried bok choi crisp tofu, and daikon salad Making sure the tofu crisps is key to convincing any soy skeptics in your life. I find slicing and pressing it between towels to be an effective way of keeping the outside crisp.

Chard

Mark Bittman's Braised Chard with Olive Oil and Rice, from How to Cook Everything, pg. 285

1 lb chard, washed and trimmed
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 small carrots, roughly chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup white rice
Juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Cut the stems out of the chard leaves. Cut the leaves into wide ribbons and slice the stems (on the diagonal if you like); keep the leaves and the stems separate.
2. Put all but a tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the chard stems and carrots, along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chard is tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Add the chard leaves, some salt and pepper, the rice, and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover, adjust the heat so the mixture simmers, and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the water is absorbed; the mixture should be moist but not soupy. Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold. (At this point, you may cover and refrigerate the dish for a day, and then reheat it). Just before serving, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and the lemon juice.

Oregano & Basil

Use this week's fresh herbs in a salad like the zucchini ribbon salad below.

First cucumber OR Zucchini

Crunchy creamy cucumber avocado salad A simple, cool summer side, easily made vegan by leaving out the feta. 

Zucchini with mint, basil, and walnuts Anything from Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy is bound to be good; this slightly adapted recipe looks like it will stand up to that reputation.

Zucchini ribbon salad Toss some of your basil or oregano into this lovely salad; it really brings out the lovely green flavor of raw zucchini.