Shrimp, Roasted Vegetable and Basil Pesto Pasta

CSA Items used in the following recipes: Basil, garlic, eggplant, spring carrots, zucchini, summer squash, Walla Walla spring onions, broccoli and chives

This weeks CSA included a beautiful and tasty variety of vegetables and herbs including 2 eggplants, several squash, 3 tomatoes, a bunch of spring carrots, a head of broccoli, a beautiful red cabbage, a few green beans, a bunch of basil, a head of garlic and some chives.

I made pesto with the basil last night. I added a little white wine vinegar to some of the pesto and made a savory vinaigrette for my salad for lunch today and decided to use the rest in a pasta recipe for dinner tonight. I love pesto and I often find when I mix it with pasta it gets a little watered down and tastes bland, so I decided to roast vegetables to add to the pasta in order to intensify the flavor of the dish. I also sautéed some tender, sweet Louisiana gulf shrimp and added them to the dish. The result was a success. Tim says this is the best CSA dish yet and I have to agree with him!

RECIPE: Roasted Vegetable, Shrimp and Basil Pesto Pasta

Serves 4-6

2 small or one large eggplant

olive oil for drizzling

balsamic glaze for drizzling

salt and pepper

8 spring carrots

1 medium zucchini

1 medium summer squash

1 small head broccoli

1 bunch spring onions (or green onions with large bulbs)

olive oil for drizzling

balsamic glaze for drizzling

salt and pepper

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (preferably wild caught)

12 oz pasta such as penne or rotini, cooked according to package directions

1 recipe Basil Pesto (see below for recipe or use 1 cup prepared pesto)

Optional garnish: Grated pecorino romano (or other hard grated Italian cheese such as parmigiano reggiano or grana padano) and chopped chives

Preheat oven to 400º. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with very thin layer of olive oil. Cut eggplant into large cubes. Place eggplant pieces in bowl and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix with a large spoon until evenly coated. Spread evenly on aluminum foil and roast 10-15 minutes until tender. Use spatula to loosen eggplant from foil and wrap foil loosely around eggplant to keep warm.

While eggplant is roasting, slice squash into 1/4 in. thick slices. Rinse broccoli and cut off florets, reserving stem for another use. Cut onion bulbs from spring onions, remove outer skin, cut off roots and rinse. Scrape baby carrots and rinse. Pat vegetables with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Place another piece of foil on baking sheet and spray with cooking spray or oil lightly. Place vegetables in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix with large spoon until evenly coated. Spread evenly on aluminum foil and roast 15-20 minutes, stirring once, until tender.

While vegetables are roasting, cook pasta according to package instructions.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and add shrimp. Saute until shrimp are pink and opaque. Remove from heat.

Drain pasta and add back to pan with roasted vegetables, shrimp and pesto. Toss together until evenly coated.

Serve, sprinkling each serving with a little grated cheese and chopped chives.

RECIPE: Basil Pesto

Makes about 1 cup

1/2 c. grated pecorino romano (or other grated hard Italian cheese such as parmigiano reggiano or grana padano)

2 T sliced almonds (or pine nuts or chopped walnuts)

1 bunch basil

1 head roasted garlic, cloves divided and peeled or 2 cloves uncooked garlic, minced (NOTE: To roast garlic, remove out layers of garlic skin and cut off top to expose tops of individual cloves - drizzle a small amount of olive oil over cloves, wrap garlic head in foil and roast in a toaster oven for 20 minutes or until it feels tender when slightly squeezed)

olive oil

Place cheese and almonds in food processor and process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add basil and peeled roasted garlic or uncooked garlic. While processing, slowly drizzle olive oil into processor until mixture comes together and forms a smooth paste.

If not using immediately, place in a small container, cover with a thin layer of olive oil and store in the refrigerator.

The Asian Fusion Exclusion - UnStrawberry Orange Chicken Lettuce Wraps

CSA items used in this recipe: Garlic Scapes, Radishes, Bibb Lettuce

I have been thinking on the recipe for this post all weekend.  I wanted to use the strawberries in an Asian-inspired stir fry and I was determined it was going to work, despite the naysayings of a couple of friends, including Cynic. (Real name withheld to protect the innocent.  NOT!) I should know by now to take the advice of this wise woman as I've poo-pooed her advice before only to find myself in a mess, but as always I had to find out for myself. (Photo to the right is of Cynic and me loving on Homer.)

I have revised the recipe name from Strawberry Orange Chicken Lettuce Wraps to Orange Chicken Lettuce Wraps.  The strawberries were not terrible and there wasn't a morsel of the dish left when dinner was over.  However, I would not include them when I make this again. Although not offensive, they didn't add to the dish and they were more on the tangy side than I would have liked. I've made some other modifications to the recipe, including:

• This was the first time I cooked garlic scapes (I used them raw in the other recipes) and I found the garlic flavor is much milder when cooked.  I wanted more garlic flavor, so I have added a minced garlic clove to the recipe in addition to the two chopped garlic scapes which are all I used tonight.
• I used 2 teaspoons of grated ginger and I wish the ginger flavor had been more pronounced.  I upped the quantity to 1 tablespoon.
• I increased the number of radishes from 5 to 8.  The radishes were very mild, but added a crunchy element.
• I added only 1 tablespoon of brown sugar when I made the dish, but I was hoping for more sweetness.  I upped the amount to 2 tablespoons in the recipe.

I highly recommend this recipe with the modifications even if I did make it up myself. 

I served the lettuce wraps with Thai Kitchen Green Chile & Garlic Rice.  The coconutty sweetness of this rice side dish provided a nice counterbalance to the acid of the oranges.

RECIPE: Strawberry Orange Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Serves 4 as a Main Dish

For marinade/sauce:

2/3 c. orange juice (preferably freshly squeezed)

1 T. tamari soy sauce (or regular soy sauce, but tamari is recommended for fuller flavor)

1 t. chili garlic sauce (available in Asian section of most grocery stores - omit if you do not like spicy foods or use dried chile flakes to your taste)

1 T. cornstarch 

1 T. grated fresh ginger

1/2 t. grated orange zest (omit if not using freshly squeezed orange juice)

1/4 t. sesame oil (optional)

1 lb. boneless chicken breast, sliced in 1/4 in. slices

2 T. brown sugar

1 T. vegetable oil, peanut oil or other light oil (I used Annie's Natural's Basil Olive Oil)

2 garlic scapes, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced (use 2 cloves if not using garlic scapes)

8 small radishes sliced thinly (about 1/2 cup) - or 1/2 cup slivered almonds or water chestnuts

1/2 medium vidalia or other sweet onion, sliced in 1/4 inch strips (about 1 cup)

1/2 large red bell pepper, sliced in 1/4 inch strips (about 1 cup)

Optional: 3 T. fresh basil, sliced in thin strips

Whole bibb lettuce leaves

Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce (Recipe follows)

Whisk marinade ingredients together.  Slice chicken, pour half of marinade over and stir to combine.  Allow to marinate while prepping the other ingredients.

Add brown sugar to the remaining marinade and whisk with a fork to combine.  Set aside.

Chop garlic scapes, mince garlic, slice onion and red bell pepper and set aside.  Rinse and dry bibb lettuce leaves and return to refrigerator to keep crisp.  Prepare Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce per the recipe below.

Heat a large non-stick skillet or wok over high heat (lower temperature if your stove burns foods easily on high).  Swirl oil in hot skillet or wok.  Pour off marinade from chicken and add chicken to hot skillet a little at a time.  Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until the chicken pieces turn white.  Add garlic, radishes, onion and peppers to the skillet with the chicken and stir fry for a couple of minutes.  Pour remaining marinade over the chicken and vegetables and stir fry another minute.  Remove from heat and toss in optional fresh basil if using.

Serve with bibb lettuce leaves for wrapping and Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce.

RECIPE: Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce

1 T. tamari

1 T. water

1 t. chili garlic sauce (use more if you like it hotter)

2 t. brown sugar

Whisk the above ingredients together.  Serve in small individual bowls as a sauce for dipping the lettuce wraps.  Increase ingredients proportionately if you want more sauce.

Bruschetta & Shrimp Pasta

CSA Items mentioned in this post: Garlic Scapes

Since I have plenty of vidalia onions, tomatoes and fresh basil on hand, I decided to make bruschetta.  After making the bruschetta, I realized it was almost lunch time and wondered how I could make it part of a meal, so I decided to sauté shrimp, cook some pasta and toss it all together with freshly grated parmagianno reggiano and crumbled feta.  

The bruschetta was very nice by itself on crackers and it wasn't too bad tossed with the pasta and shrimp, but if I do this again, I'll make a couple of modifications.  First, I'll use a different type of pasta - probably fettuccine or angel hair. And second, rather than mixing the cheese in with the warm shrimp and bruschetta, which resulted in soggy cheese, I'll mix the shrimp, bruschetta and pasta and then top the plated servings of the mixture with cheese. 

Following is the recipe.  The bruschetta is also great as a snack or first course on crostinis and topped with a little shaved parmaggiano reggiano or similar hard Italian cheese.

RECIPE: Bruschetta

Serves 4 to 5 as an appetizer

2 small ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/2 small vidalia onion, diced

2 garlic scapes, finely chopped (substitution: 1 clove minced garlic)

3 T. basil, coarsely chopped

2 t. extra virgin olive oil (I use Colavita for everyday cooking)

Salt and pepper to taste

Shaved parmaggiano reggiano or other Italian hard cheese

Mix all ingredients and add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve on crostini and garnish with a little shaved cheese or mix into pasta (recipe follows).

RECIPE: Bruschetta and Shrimp Pasta

Serves 2

One recipe Bruschetta (see above)

20 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 T. olive oil

6 oz. cooked pasta (6 oz. dry weight before cooking)

1/4 c. shredded parmaggiano reggiano

2 T. crumbled feta (I used Bonnie Blue Goat Milk Feta)

Prepare bruschetta per recipe.  While pasta cooks according to package directions, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.  When skillet is hot, add shrimp and sauté a couple of minutes until opaque. Remove shrimp from skillet to a bowl to stop the cooking process. Drain the pasta and toss with the bruschetta and shrimp. Plate the mixture and top each serving with parmesan and feta. 

Pickled Kohlrabi & Vidalia Onions

This week's Crabtree Farms CSA was chock full of lettuces, a kohlrabi bulb, garlic scapes, radishes, rosemary and sage.

I am momentarily going into the kitchen to attempt a kohlrabi and vidalia onion pickle since someone gave Tim a bag full of Vidalia onions.  I'll be back later to document the process and the results!

Okay!  I'm back.  Here's what I did with the kohlrabi.  I'm going to let it marinate a few days and let you know how I end up using it.  I'm thinking it would make a nice condiment for fish tacos.

RECIPE: Pickled Kohlrabi and Vidalia Onions

1 medium kohlrabi bulb, peeled and sliced into matchstick size pieces

1/2 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced

1/3 c. white wine vinegar

2 T. sugar

1/2 t. dijon mustard

1/2 t. mild goulash paste (basically roasted red peppers and salt - highly salted and savory!)

Heat the vinegar, sugar, dijon mustard and ghoulash paste in a small saucepan and whisk until all ingredients are evenly dispersed and sugar has dissolved.  Remove from heat and pour mixture over kohlrabi and onion.  Marinate in sealed container in the refrigerator for a couple of days, stirring occasionally.