Your box contains the following items, give or take any subs as the week goes on..
- 1 large head green romaine
- 1/2lb. mesclun and arugula
- 1lb. broccoli di cicco, spigariello
- 2lb. fresh cranberry beans
- 1 bunch walla walla and red torpedo spring onions
- 1 bunch mixed carrots
- 1/2lb. small padron peppers, with 2 medium hot padrons
- 1lb. mixed citrus
- 2 pieces yellow peaches/ white or yellow nectarines
We initially told you there’d be a head of celery in the box, but that was before we found so many padron peppers on the new plants, that we decided to put 1/2lb. in the box instead. They are from Galicia, Spain, and are ubiquitously known there as pimientos de padron. These are small ones, before they grow up to be really hot peppers. You also should have about two peppers that are 3 inches long or a little more. These are the hot ones. Treat them as you would a jalapeno, or serrano pepper. The small ones are best fried at high heat with a small amount of olive oil in your frying pan. They cook really quickly, 3-4 minutes at most. Let them get a little brown or black on one side, then toss in the pan a few times. Remove, sprinkle with your best salt, and eat while hot. They are a wonderful starter item. They are also great to put into other dishes after frying. I like to toss them into my scrambled eggs in the morning. If you like to cut corn off the cob, and sauté in butter, then toss a few of the cooked peppers into your corn. Remember to cut off the tough but small stem before. Please beware that occasionally a small one will be hotter than the rest, maybe one out of ten or fifteen. We will be putting these in the box regularly until the fall. This link will show you how they should be cooked and how they should look when done.
https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/05/spanish-style-padron-peppers-how-to-cook.html
The other signature item in your box this week, fresh cranberry beans, are from Louie Iacopi. Whether it’s been his English peas, favas, or more recently his bluelake beans, we all benefited from his Half Moon Bay farming successes. But I consider his fresh shelling beans to be a wonderful luxury, and I hope you will appreciate them as well. They need to be shelled from the pod, just like English peas. Put them in a pot of water, about twice as much water as beans, with a few garlic cloves cut up coarsely, a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and a generous amount of salt, as though you were cooking pasta. Feel free to add your favorite dried herb as well. Oregano, marjoram, thyme all work well. Fresh herbs also work well. Bring to a boil then turn down to a medium simmer, and cook until soft but not too mushy. About 20-30 minutes, depending on heat, amount of water, etc. When done you can add parsley, diced onions, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes. More olive oil and a little vinegar to make a bean salad.
Here’s David Lebovitz explaining with photos much of what I’ve said here.
https://www.davidlebovitz.com/fresh-shelling/
Enjoy,
Martin