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Box Flyer

Digital Flyer, July 15th-Bay Area

Your box contains the following items, give or take any subs. 

  • 1lb. green little gems
  • 1/2lb. mesclun
  • 1lb. broccoli di cicco/spigariello/green chard
  • one large head romanesco cauliflower
  • 1 big bunch scallions
  • 1 head celery
  • 1lb. rainbow carrots
  • 1lb. mixed citrus
  • 2 pieces yellow peach and white or yellow nectarine

This week’s signature item is one very large head of romanesco from Lakeside Organic Gardens in Watsonville. I thought I could get smaller heads, and you would have gotten two of those like the initial newsletter said, but they didn’t have enough of those so instead you get the big one. Think of it like regular white cauliflower, but better. You can cut it into the little florets that reflect their individual conical shapes, or quarter the head and roast the pieces like roasting white cauliflower. I like to make pasta a la palina, a Sicilian recipe for spaghetti with, in this case, romanesco, ½ cup golden and dark raisins (soak them in hot water to soften and plump them up), 1/3 cup pine nuts or almonds, 1 medium onion, pinch of saffron, 2-3 cloves garlic, 3-5 anchovies, chili flakes, marjoram or oregano, parsley, parmesan or pecorino cheese grated, and bread crumbs. Start with the onions in the pan, then add garlic, saffron, marjoram or oregano, anchovies, romanesco florets, and cook at medium heat. Add the nuts and raisins, chili flakes, a few minutes later. You should be boiling your noodles while doing this. Add pasta to the pan with the sauce, and add a ladle of pasta water to simmer the whole thing together for a couple of minutes. Serve with parsley, bread crumbs, and grated cheese. 

Celery soup is normally a winter thing, but we are still a couple of weeks away from the beginning of tomato season, and with all the foggy weather this week, maybe celery soup can find a home in July. I like to make mine with chicken stock and to not puree it. I like to throw in a few carrots, a potato, onion, with some dill at the end. Save the blanched leaves in the heart to scatter in the bowl before serving. 

Also, celery is one of the three key parts of mirepoix, a French word (happy Bastille Day!) describing the fundamental base of so many dishes in French cooking: chopped celery, onion and carrots, cooked slowly in oil or butter. 

Enjoy!

Martin