Week eight: got leeks
Monday, July 26th, 2010Leeks mean one thing, vichyssoise.
- Salad greens.
- Arugula. More carrots.
- More onions.
- My lagniappe: baby leeks.
Leeks mean one thing, vichyssoise.
This week’s haul is almost identical to last week’s except for grape leaves. I preserved these for later, canning-style.
Finally a significant portion of the share was not greens. These babies just begged to be pickled, asian-style, in the manner of David Chang.
I use a brine that is slightly adapted from the vinegar pickle recipe in the Momofuku cookbook, consisting of 1 cup hot tap water, 5 Tb sugar, 2 Tb salt, and 1/2 cup rice vinegar. Combine water, sugar, and salt, stir to dissolve, then add vinegar. Place sliced vegetables in clean jars and cover with brine. Refrigerate. Pickles are ready within a few days, and improve for a week after that.
The haul included the ubiquitous leafy greens, and then a little excitement.
Not surprisingly, salad greens and carrots went straight into salads. Turnips were pickled “in the manner of David Chang.” More on that later.
Braising greens were, well, braised. I sautéed pancetta until rendered, added greens, cooked until wilted, Then, added a bit of chicken stock, covered, and finished in a 300 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Results were tender and not mushy, delicious.
I fought back the urge to devour the peas raw, and instead blanched them for about 3 minutes and served with a decadent amount of butter.
Mint? Mojitos.