This is yet another one of those recipes that relies on the dewy and just-plucked integrity of the main ingredient— and isn’t that nice? In fact, it’s not really a recipe at all, more of a collection of prime ingredients, brought together in the perfect marriage of fresh and effortless.

After the much-awaited arrival of freshly picked asparagus, in all of its bright green and dusky purple-tipped glory, what could be better than eating it raw (!), thinly shaved, with its two best friends: parmesan and lemon juice.

There are no exact measurements in this recipe. Everything is to taste, so taste as you go along to make sure you’re getting all the Parmesan, nutty, and lemony flavors you want.

Ribboned Asparagus Salad with Lemon

• 1/4 cup pine nuts or sliced almonds, toasted and cooled
• 1 pound asparagus, rinsed
• 1 lemon, halved
• Olive oil
• Coarse salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 to 2 ounces Parmesan cheese

No need to snap off the tough ends of your asparagus. Lay a single stalk on its side on a cutting board. Holding onto the tough end, use a vegetable peeler to shave off thin asparagus ribbons from stalk to tip, peeling away from the tough end in your hand. Discard the tough ends once you’re done peeling.

Gently pile your ribbons on a medium-sized serving platter. Squeeze some lemon juice over the asparagus, drizzle it with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.

Toss gently and then use your peeler to shave curls of Parmesan right off the block, over the asparagus. Sprinkle with some toasted nuts.

Repeat with remaining asparagus, a third of the remaining bundle at a time. Eat immediately.

Recipe and images from The Smitten Kitchen (Smitten Kitchen, we love you).

This recipe couldn’t be simpler. You roast carrots with olive oil, salt, pepper and a smidgen of cumin. When they’re done, you top them with slices of fresh avocado, some squeezes of lemon juice and fresh seasoning. And that’s it. But this is so much more fun than your standard roasted carrots, ubiquitous alongside every winter roast. It’s just getting warm, we don’t need some heavy side of mashed potatoes. No, these are summer roasted carrots, sweet and toothsome, contrasted with fresh ingredients.

Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad
Inspired by The Spotted Pig

• 1 pound carrots, scrubbed or peeled and cut into two-inch segments (angled if you’re feeling fancy)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 an avocado, pitted and sliced
• Juice of half a lemon

Roast the carrots: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss the carrot chunks in a medium bowl with two tablespoons of the olive oil, cumin and as generous of a helping of salt and pepper as you like.

Spread them on a roasting sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, or until tender and browned. Of course, roasting time will vary depending on the thickness of your carrots.

Finish the salad: Once the carrots are roasted, arrange them on a serving platter with slices of avocado on top. Drizzle the salad with the last tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice and extra salt and pepper, if it needs it. Eat immediately.

from The Smitten Kitchen

Today is May Day, yet even though (according to the pagan calendar) May Day marks the official start of summer, well, it certainly doesn’t feel very summery outside. As we wait with bated breath for the late spring and early summer weather to catch up with the harvest, here is a delectably easy side dish that is at once a throwback to chill winter’s comfort foods and a nod to the early spring bounty of tubers and onions.

Caramelized Shallots

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 pounds fresh shallots, peeled, with roots intact
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons good red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch ovenproof* saute pan, add the shallots and sugar, and toss to coat. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the shallots start to brown. Add the vinegar, salt, and pepper and toss well.

Place the saute pan in the oven and roast for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the shallots, until they are tender. Season, to taste, sprinkle with parsley, and serve hot.

* If you don’t have an ovenproof saute pan, it works to start this dish in your frying pan then scrape the shallots and sauce into a baking dish when it’s ready to go in the oven.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Ina Garten

The piles of glorious fresh spinach at the Co-op this weekend would have made Popeye proud, but the bounty of greens had us wondering what we could do with them besides the ubiquitous spinach salad. Put away the walnuts and the vinaigrette, this Mark Bittman write-up about how to make the leafy green superfood shine is right on time:

Spinach Is a Dish Best Served Cooked
Mark Bittman, NYT 4/5/2012

If spinach has the reputation of being the homework of vegetables, it was not helped by its ’70s “revival” in the form of raw spinach salads. Spinach has many charms — truly singular flavor, the ability to be transformed by cooking in myriad ways, its famous health benefits — but salad is probably the least convincing.

Here, spinach undergoes four completely distinct treatments: superfast wilting in a pan; not-much- slower steaming in a pot; braised and almost a full meal; and superslow, a technique I really love, and one that results in astonishingly fine creamed spinach and the like. (These are generally so high-fat that they effectively neutralize spinach’s supposed health benefits, an interesting paradox.)

A few pointers: fresh spinach is a given, but really fresh spinach — dirty spinach, in bundles rather than bags — is preferable, especially if it comes in bunches, still attached to the little pink “crowns” that attach leaves to root. (Eat those; they’re good.) Two pounds is not too much for four people; less than a pound is not enough. (These recipes were tested with one and a half pounds.) Do not forget salt.

In these groups, the wilted and the braised are more likely to make satisfying main dishes; the other two, steamed and superslow, produce dishes that feel like sides, although they’re hardy enough, especially those in the last group. The differences among them are quite stark.

I have left out other options: you can flash-fry spinach, tossing it into a hot wok or pan with a bit of oil and some chilies and garlic; it’s done in seconds. You can also plunge it into boiling water, cool it, squeeze it dry and top with lemon and olive oil or soy sauce and sesame oil.

In short, this isn’t the end of the options. Only when you reach that end should you start messing around with the salads.

WILTED

STEAMED

BRAISED
SUPERSLOW-COOKED

For recipes and further instruction check out the rest of the article here.

Food brings us together, to tell stories, to recount histories, and to connect with one another over sustenance. This is especially true of a traditional Seder dinner. The Passover Seder is the Jewish ritual meal that marks the beginning of the Passover Festival with the re-telling of the story of the exodus. The Seder tradition, like most religious customs, varies between denominations and can even differ from family to family— but one constant is the Seder plate. The Seder plate contains six symbolic foods used during the Seder:

• Maror and Chazeret: Two types of bitter herbs, symbolizing the bitterness and harshness of the slavery which the Jews endured in Ancient Egypt. For maror, many people use freshly grated horseradish or whole horseradish root. Chazeret is typically lettuce, whose roots are bitter-tasting.
• Charoset: A sweet, brown, pebbly paste of fruits and nuts, representing the mortar used by the Jewish slaves to build the storehouses of Egypt.
• Karpas: A mild green, usually parsley, symbolizing the new growth of spring, which is often dipped into salt water or vinegar, symbolizing tears.
• Zeroa: A roasted lamb bone, symbolizing the lamb offered in the Temple in Jerusalem.
• Beitzah: A hard boiled egg, symbolizing the korban chagigah (festival sacrifice) that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem and was then eaten as part of the meal on Seder night.

The seventh symbolic item used during the meal—a stack of three matzot—is placed on its own plate and symbolizes the unleavened bread that didn’t have time to rise in the haste of the exodus.

Many people will be having their Seder tonight, but for anyone having their Seder tomorrow, Saturday, stop by the Co-op! Our shelves are stocked with matzo and we have beautiful fresh white horseradish root as well as prepared horseradish for Maror and lettuces for Chazeret. We have apples, honey, and walnuts for Charoset, parsley for Karpas, and eggs for Beitzah. While we don’t have lamb shank for Zeroa, we do have beets—often substituted for Zeroa in vegetarian Seders. Stop by Thirst Wine Merchants (members who join The Greene Hill Food Co-op in April receive 15% off any purchase), pick up some kosher libations, and Chag Sameach, or, have a joyous festival.

Seder Plate image from YumSugar.

This tofu dish is a veggie version of a Chinese classic, best served with plain steamed white rice. The original recipe calls for double the number of chillies, but even this version is very hot, so sensitive palates may want to take it down even further. Bonus: Everything but the sweet soy is available at the Co-op!

Vegetarian Black Pepper Tofu

• 800g/28oz firm, fresh tofu (a small package is usually about 400g/14 oz.)
• Cornflour, to dust the tofu
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 150g butter (2/3 cup)
• 12 small shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 8 red chillies, thinly sliced
• 12 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tbsp chopped ginger
• 5 tbsp crushed black peppercorns
• 3 tbsp sweet soy sauce (or regular)
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 4 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 16 small, thin spring onions, cut into inch long segments

Cut the tofu roughly into 1 inch blocks and toss them in cornflour, shaking off the excess. Pour in enough oil to come 1 inch up the sides of a large frying pan, and bring up to frying heat. Fry the tofu in batches in the oil, turning the pieces as you go. Once they are golden all around, and have a thin crust, transfer to a paper towel.

Remove the oil and any sediment from the pan and throw in the butter. Once it has melted, add the shallots, chillies, garlic and ginger, and sauté for about 15 minutes on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the contents of the pan are shiny and totally soft. While you wait, crush the peppercorns, using a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder. They should be quite coarse.

When the shallots and chillies are soft, add the soy sauces and the sugar, stir, then stir in the crushed pepper. Warm the tofu in the sauce for about a minute, then add the spring onion and stir through. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Many thanks to co-op member Talia for this recipe and the mouth-watering image! Read the full recipe here, and check out Talia’s lovely food blog InnBrooklyn.

Carrots can feel sort of ubiquitous- as orange mush in a Gerber jar, in their smooth shaved-down “baby carrot” form, or as soft rounds in Campbells chicken soup. In these standard grocery iterations, you might forget how absolutely scrumptious a simple, honest carrot can be. That is, until you get your mitts on a crisp, fresh, sweet, somewhat knobby, and delicious organic carrot from the Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op. Banish all thoughts of cafeterias, snap into a fresh local root, or try making these vegetarian thai carrot burgers for yourself.

Thai Carrot Burgers

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bunch scallions, including 1 inch of the dark green part, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
• 1 serrano chili pepper, finely chopped (with the seeds if you prefer more heat)
• 4 cups grated carrots (about 8 medium)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons natural, unsweetened peanut butter
• Juice of ½ lime
• ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro
• ½ cup toasted bread crumbs.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Warm 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan that has a lid. When hot, add the scallions and cook just until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and serrano pepper and stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Stir in the carrots, salt, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the carrots are soft but not mushy.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg whites, peanut butter, and lime juice. Stir in the carrot mixture and the cilantro. Fold in the bread crumbs. Let sit for about 10 minutes to allow the crumbs to absorb some liquid. Adjust seasonings. Shape into 4 patties.

In an oven-safe skillet or nonstick sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the patties and brown 2 or 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the burgers are firm and cooked through.

Red cabbage slaw goes nicely with these burgers, either as a side or served directly on the burgers, as does julienned cabbage that’s been tossed in a bit of rice vinegar and salt.

Recipe and image from Lukas Volger, via the NYT, check out his “Best Veggie Burger Project” for more amazing recipes.

Have you seen the bright, shiny jars of Spectrum Organic Virgin Coconut Oil lining the shelves at the Co-op and thought “what on earth do I do with that?” The answer is: pretty much anything! Coconut oil has been used as fuel for lamps and biodiesel cars, as a base ingredient for infant formula and some soaps, as a main ingredient for luxe cosmetics and deep-moisture hand and hair treatments, and, of course, for cooking.

The pristine, opaque, and saturated-white oil is one of the few existing fats that remain solid at room temperature. Heat the oil up, though, and it melts beautifully- imbuing a nutty, earthy, slightly sweet coconut flavor into anything that cooks in it. Try it in lieu of olive oil the next time you’re cooking gingery shrimp, spicy jerk chicken, or bitter greens. Coconut oil is also AMAZING for popping popcorn. You may recall big movie theaters coming under fire a few years ago for using bad-fat hydrogenated coconut oil to pop their popcorn- virgin oil has none of that bad stuff, but all of the delicious goodness. To pop your own, melt three tablespoons of coconut oil in a large heavy bottomed pot (one with a lid!) on medium-high heat, add 1/2 cup popcorn kernels, cover, and let the magic happen. More info on popping popcorn on your stovetop here (if you’ve never done it, try it!).

Since coconut oil is solid at room temperature, it also makes an ideal substitution for butter in baked goods: good news for vegans, those with dairy allergies, and people who just love a subtle coconut flavor.

Double Coconut Muffins

• 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup full fat Greek-style yogurt, at room temperature is best
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature is best
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut, divided

Preheat oven to 375°F. Either grease 10 muffin cups with butter or coconut oil, or line them with papers/cupcake liners.

In a small saucepan, warm your coconut oil just until it melts. It should still be on the cool side.

In a medium bowl, whisk together your flours, baking powder and salt. Stir 1/2 cup shredded coconut.
In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, sugar, coconut oil, yogurt and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients until just combined.
Divide batter among prepared muffin cups then sprinkle the top with remaining 1/4 cup coconut, about 1 to 2 teaspoons on each.

Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out batter-free, about 20 minutes. Transfer muffins to a rack and let cool.

Yield: 10-12 standard muffins

recipe and images from Smitten Kitchen.

more info on coconut oil from the NYT here.

Members shopping at the co-op last night might have noticed a beautiful bin of leafy greens labeled: Gomen, Brassica. For those not familar with gomen, the name generally refers to many kinds of dark, edible, leafy greens— collards, kale, slick mustards, and turnip greens— to name a few. Brassica is the latin name that identifies these particular soft, bright green leaves as Ethiopian Mustard, Abbyssinian Mustard, or yabesha gomen in Amharic.

Occasionally difficult to find stateside, these greens have the same delicate spice of typical mustard greens, but more of the smooth-leafed consistency of collards. The best of both worlds! We recommend trying them in this simple, traditional Ethiopian preparation- one that involves a stellar compound butter known as niter kebbeh.

Stewed Gomen with Niter Kebbeh

• 1½ pounds gomen
• ¼ cup niter kebbeh, ghee or olive oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 2 fresh hot peppers, seeded and minced (or to taste)
• 1 cup broth
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon cardamom

Tear stems from gomen, and wash greens well. Bring a large pot of water to boiling. Add greens to water and boil briskly for 15 minutes. Drain, squeezing water from greens. When cool enough to handle, slice them thinly.

In a large skillet or stir fry pan, melt the niter kebbeh (you can also use oil). Add onion, garlic, ginger and hot peppers and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Add greens, broth, salt, pepper and cardamom. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until most of water has evaporated from pan. Serves 4 as a side.

recipe from africanchop.

Spotted this week at the Co-op: all kinds of kale! Well, two kinds of kale anyway: the standard green curly kale we’ve all come to know and love, and lacinato kale- a smooth, darker-leafed kale also known as Tuscan Kale, Black Leaf Kale, or, more imaginatively, as Dinosaur Kale.

Lacinato kale has been a staple in traditional Italian cooking for centuries (it’s the dark green hiding out in classic minestrones), and it is described as being sweeter, less bitter, and more delicate than its rambunctious cousin curly kale.

For those of you who are tiring of hearty soups and healthy salads, we thought we’d offer a different kind of recipe for this occasionally benighted green, one close to our snacking hearts: chips.

Kale Chips

• 1 bunch fresh kale
• 3 tbs olive oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and dry the kale.

Cut the leaves off the stalk and into smaller chip-sized pieces (they will shrink a bit, so you don’t have to cut them too small).

Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and cover with kale. Bake for about 8-10 minutes (depending on your oven), checking halfway through since these have a tendency to burn very easily.

You’ll know the chips are ready when the edges begin to turn darker green.

You could add any seasoning to make your chips more interesting. Red pepper flakes instead of black pepper? Cumin and a squeeze of lime? A bit of japanese 5 spice blend and maybe a hit of ponzu? In that vein, sesame oil instead of olive oil? The possibilities are endless. Ahhhh, kale.

Recipe and kale chip image adapted from a daily something.