Hmmm …. guess I’m on a green onion binge. Well, here’s one more idea.
I’m spending a lot of time at my main job looking at magazines that focus on health. I’ve really come to appreciate little Prevention magazine and you’re also going to be seeing a lot of their recipes this year. This one comes from their book “Quick and Healthy Low-Fat Cooking.”
First, a warning. You’re going to get lots of pickle recipes this year. Not sure why, but I’m on a pickling binge. And you can pickle anything. Really. These are going to be refrigerator pickles – really just seasoned vegetables that you can keep refrigerated for up to a month or so. Lots of health benefits from pickles and fermented vegetables, so I hope you’ll enjoy them.
Justin Burdett of Miller Union demonstrated this recipe at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market just about a year ago. Put up some of those pretty green onions you got today. Won’t be long before they’ll just be a fond memory.
Justin called for champagne vinegar, which sounds a bit more decadent that it really is. It’s pretty reasonably priced, but you could substitute white wine vinegar or even apple cider vinegar and still get good results. He also cools the brine before pouring it over the vegetables – that keeps the green onions from turning olive green right away and preserves the fresh flavor a little more. Since the green onions are tender, they don’t need even the little bit of cooking that happens when you pour boiling liquid over your vegetables. And it also means these are absolutely, positively refrigerator pickles. No sitting around at room temperature for these savory bits.
Finally – CSA season is upon us. I’ve missed the surprise of the weekly box – such fun to guess what might be in store for us every Wednesday.
Today’s box gives us two big hints for boxes to come – a beautiful bunch of spring onions or scallions or green onions (call them what you will) that will grow to become beautiful big storage onions in later boxes. I’m thinking these are sweet onions, although they’re not Vidalias since we don’t live in that neck of the woods.
And garlic scapes – those little pigtails. It’s the sign of a true CSA connoisseur if you recognized them right away. We’ve had recipes for garlic scape pesto and probably garlic scape pasta, check the Riverview recipe archives. For me, this year, I’m slicing mine into salads with that lovely head of lettuce and arugula. Love, love, love them. And looking forward to the heads of garlic those scapes presage.
And kale! And eggs! Maybe this means it will be a banner year for eggs as well.
I’ve been wanting to share this recipe for ages. Two years ago, Joe Truex prepared this for his demo at the Morningside Farmers Market. Ann Brewer who’s been running those demos since the dawn of time tries to coordinate her demos with what I’m featuring in the AJC’s weekly “In Season” column. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. This was a case where Joe was NOT. HAPPY. (so I am told) with the ingredient Ann had decided he would feature (which of course was all my fault since I had decided to feature green onions). But once he prepared the dish, he fell in love with it, and it became a special at the old Watershed location. No telling that he’s still making it, but now you can make it at home.
This recipe came from King Arthur Flour. If you still have an onion from earlier this season, you’re golden. If not, Vidalias will still be at the market for a few more weeks.
This recipe is great for using up some more of those greens. It will work with your beet greens, radish greens, turnip greens or chard. I wouldn’t use the collards, they just need a little more cooking to be tender. An adaptation of a recipe from Rebecca Lang’s “Quick-Fix Southern: Homemade Hospitality in 30 Minutes or Less.” Greens and onions are such natural companions.
The first recipe I’m sharing is one I learned at the cooking class. The class was led by Gulshan Singh who teaches the most accessible Indian food I know. As much as I cook, and I cook a lot, I always learn something new from her. Tonight’s class was full of recipes featuring onions. Here are some lovely onion fritters – delicious served with yogurt mixed with a little chopped cucumber and some cumin and salt. Saute some of your greens in a little olive oil to serve alongside the fritters and you’ve got a wonderful dinner in very little time.
Did you see this recipe Deborah Geering published in her blog for Atlanta magazine? It was listed as “Vidalia Onion and Tasso Tart”. I’ve adapted just a smidge. Her notes:
“Taqueria del Sol chef David Waller shares this seasonal recipe featuring Georgia Vidalia onions and tasso, a smoked, cured pork product popular in Cajun cooking. Serve the tart for brunch or a light supper with a green salad. Note that the tart’s crust must be prepared in advance. Lard gives the crust’s dough a flaky texture. If you prefer, you may substitute solid vegetable shortening, butter, or a combination of both.”
Now the onions in our box aren’t Vidalias, but they are sweet onions so they’ll work perfectly here. Easy enough to substitute whatever ham you can get for the tasso. Or eliminate it. Or use bacon …. or Riverview sausage ….. or …….
Any pasta will do. This recipe came from Fine Cooking magazine.
This easy recipe is adapted from one prepared by Seth Freedman, the East Atlanta Village Farmers market chef. It’s really a quick pickle and will keep in your refrigerator for up to a week, with the cucumbers and onions softening and becoming more pickle-like the longer they sit in the brine.
This recipe is adapted from an idea I saw from Whole Foods. Squeezing out the seeds and pulp from the tomato will keep your sandwich filling from becoming soggy.
