Kale Sauce for Pasta

Adapted from Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables by Joshua McFadden and Martha Holmberg

Serves 4

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound kale, leaves stripped from thick ribs (save ribs for another use)

1 pound of pasta

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
Juice from 1 lemon

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, adding plenty of salt.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, put the garlic in a small pot over medium heat and add the oil. Cook until the garlic starts to sizzle, then reduce the heat to low and cook until the garlic is golden.
3. When the water boils, add the kale leaves and cook until tender (about 5 minutes). 
4. Remove with tongs to the work bowl of a food processor (or blender).
5. Bring the water back to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until desired doneness. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain the pasta. 
6. Add the oil and garlic to the food processor and process until smooth. Add about half the reserved pasta water and half the lemon juice. Blend until you have a creamy sauce. 
7. Transfer the pasta back to the pot and add the kale sauce and freshly ground pepper. 
8. Add the cheese, stir well, and taste for seasoning. It might need more lemon juice or salt. If the sauce seems dry, add more pasta water.  

Farm Box Delivery - 2/21/2018

Here’s what I will receive from Farm Fresh to You (FFTY) on 2/21/2018, and my menu plan built from that list, based on the planning methods mentioned in this post.

And by the way, if you sign up with FFTY using my referral code (KARA5878) you get $15 off your first delivery and I get $25. That’s what friends are for!

Produce	Recipe
King Richard leeks	I found it really hard to choose a recipe for leeks. They are delicious in so many things, but usually as a background ingredient or the star of potato leek soup. I love potato leek soup, but I make it too often and wanted to branch out to newer territory. Thanks to Eat Your Books, I found the following candidates among my cookbooks: Grilled Braised Leeks from Good Eats 2 Barley Risotto with Leeks and Speck from Hip pressure Cooking Marina Liveriadou's leeks with rice (Prassorizo), a Greek recipe from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian Winter Squash & Leek Risotto from Six Seasons
Haas avocados	Yay, avocados! Nothing makes me happier (well, that may be exaggerating a bit, but I love them). To be honest, I never end up doing much exciting with avocados. The simply get used in salads and on toast or sandwiches. For the record, my favorite version of avocado toast is homemade bread (of course), goat cheese, avocado, and a sprinkle of either Penzey’s Fox Point or Trader Joe’s chile lime seasoning.
Purple daikon radish	This is a new one for me. I have eaten daikon before but never had a purple one. At least some of this will go into the kimchi I will be making with the Savoy cabbage. Depending on how many radishes arrive (even one daikon can be huge), I might also make Quick Carrot and Daikon Pickles from Hot Bread Kitchen
Savoy cabbage	This is perfect for making kimchi. I have made kimchi before and we enjoyed eating it with Korean food. But lately I have also seen a lot of recipes using it as an ingredient (in fried rice, fritters, potato cakes) that I am looking forward to trying.
Nantes carrots	I’m usually happy to not plan anything in particular for carrots. They are just a good staple to have on hand. But sometimes we get them delivered several weeks in a row (hello, winter) and they start to pile up. Carrots with Browned Butter sounds like a simple, delicious side dish to go with...something to be determined. From Small Victories.
Green leaf lettuce	Salad, naturally. My habit is to tear the lettuce immediately, wash, and store it in my salad spinner. It stays nice and fresh until we have eaten it all.
Red potatoes	The current “summer” weather is making me think of potato salad. I love this Instant Pot recipe because it calls for cooking the potatoes and the eggs in one go.
Rainbow chard	Will probably use these with the beets in the recipe linked below.
Chioggia beets	Not sure if these beets will arrive with greens attached, but I hope so. Beet greens are very similar to chard (the plants are related) and can be used in any recipe calling for mild greens. These will get added to the rainbow chard and used at the same time. As for the beets, chioggias are fun because they are so pretty. Sometimes called candy cane, they are pink and white striped. I have made this recipe before and am looking forward to having it again. I will use the chard as the greens if the beets arrive greenless. Balsamic Glazed Beets and Greens.
Romanesco cauliflower	This recipe looks good: Garlic and Lemon Roasted Romanesco.
Shallots	I love to have shallots on hand as a pantry staple for vinaigrettes, chicken dishes, etc.
Spinach	Depending on the amount of spinach that arrives, this will either get mixed into the leaf lettuce for salad or sauteed with garlic as a side dish.

Loco Moco with Caramelized Onion & Mushroom Gravy

Loco Moco with Caramelized Onion & Mushroom Gravy

4 servings

Like many people, I first had this dish in Hawaii. It's apparently a long-time favorite of my dad's, and something he looks forward to every visit to the islands, but I somehow avoided even knowing what it was until our visit to Kauai last September. Dad and Joe ate it together on their first breakfast excursion (my step-mom, Linda, and I stayed in the timeshare and skipped the big breakfast that day). Then they talked about it for the rest of the trip (and each had it one or two more times).

I finally decided to try it on our last morning of vacation. I admit it didn't sound that appealing to me. I don't usually feel like eating meat for breakfast, I'm not a huge ground beef fan, and gravy isn't something I crave. But then we had breakfast at the old-school, locals' favorite Tip Top Motel Cafe & Bakery in Lihue, and it just felt like the right time and place. With my first bite of the magic combination of flavors that is loco moco, I was hooked. So of course, I had to make it at home. There are many styles and versions. This one is cobbled together from a few recipes and my own tastes. Feel free to riff!

Gravy

• 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
• 1 large onion, minced
• 2 cups brown or white mushrooms, chopped or sliced
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water to form a slurry
• salt and pepper

Beef patties

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp fish or oyster sauce
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp oil

Remaining ingredients

• Hot cooked rice
• 4 eggs, fried

Instructions

1. Caramelize the onions. Heat 1 tbsp oil in large skillet pan over medium heat. Add minced onions, sprinkle with salt, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove onions to a plate or bowl, divide in half, and set aside.
2. Prepare the patties. Combine ground beef with 1 tbsp soy sauce, pepper, fish sauce, green onions, garlic, onion powder, and half of the caramelized onions. Be careful not to over-mix. Form into 4 equal patties about 1/2 inch thick.
3. Cook the burgers. Heat cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush pan with 1 tbsp oil. Add patties and cook until browned on both sides but still pink in the middle. Remove from heat and let rest.
4. Make the gravy. Return the empty onion pan to medium heat. Add mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and cook until soft and browned (at least 10 minutes). Season with pepper. Return caramelized onions to the pan. Pour in stock and soy sauce, bring to a simmer. Add cornstarch slurry and continue to simmer until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and blend with stick blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve. Place a scoop of rice on each plate, top with 1 patty, one quarter of the gravy, and a fried egg.