Spring has arrived and I know this because there are super cute radishes in my CSA. I'll roast, slice, and pickle these little cuties but my favorite way to eat them is just as they are with butter and maldon salt or with some whipped goat cheese and black pepper. Few things make me happier right now than sitting outside with a beer after work and chowing down on some radishes. I highly recommend you try it.
It really doesn't get any easier than this. Let the ingredients speak for themselves and you won't be disappointed. If you're not super into goat cheese (sorry, this blog will be a huge disappointment) then I recommend mascarpone or maybe even some backed ricotta?
Stuff
radishes
goat cheese
dash of milk
black pepper
Steps
Mix the goat cheese with the milk and black pepper until you get yogurt like consistency. Wash the radishes and enjoy your simple spring snack.
Here's the thing. I don't love green beans. They're fine, but if they didn't appear in my CSA or cross my path at Thanksgiving, I'd probably never touch the things. It's not that I actively dislike them, I'm just very "meh" on them. When they do show up in my CSA (hi SPRING), I usually end up throwing them in a pasta dish or a curry or covering them with cheese and pesto so they just taste like, well, cheese and pesto.
But this time I was determined to find a way to eat them that was a little bit more adventurous but still really easy. So I do what I always do when I'm looking for inspiration... ask myself WWDMD (what would Deborah Madison do). After looking over the green bean recipes in Vegetable Literacy, I discovered I kept almost all the ingredients for the last recipe on hand at all times (olives, onions, garlic...) so I was set. The recipe did not disappoint and it is now my go to for green beans. The strong flavors of the onion and olive balance out the blandness of the beans. It's a perfect lunch or light dinner and with all the different colors, it always looks delightful.
Madison's original recipe uses shallots in apple cider vinegar instead of red onions in red wine vinegar and tomatoes instead of almonds (but I wanted some crunch). I usually have red onions kicking about and I adore them, but I can't eat them raw without some considerable stomach upset, so I've started pickling them for salads. It's pretty simple and can be done anytime from 30 minutes to 1 week in advance. I simply slice the onions, put them in a bowl or jar, cover them with 50% red wine vinegar and 50% hot water, and add a pinch of sugar.
Steps
Put water on to boil and add a pinch of salt. Top and tail the green beans and put them on to boil. Roughly chop the olives and mince the garlic. Mix them together in a small bowl with a good splash of olive oil. Roughly chop the almonds.
Once the beans are cooked, remove from the heat and drain them. In a bowl mix the green beans with the olive/garlic/oil mixture.
To serve, place the beans in a bowl and scatter the almonds and red onions on top. If you don't care about presentation, just mix everything together and go at it.
Full disclosure, I truly intended to share this dish with my roommate as a lovely late Sunday afternoon snack, however, when it was ready to be eaten she was enjoying a weekend nap and so I ate the whole thing myself. She later asked if there were any left overs (because I could have easily put half of this in the fridge) but I had to admit I'd just casually eaten half a bag of frozen peas and an entire burrata in one sitting.
So I'm kinda done with winter and it looks like spring is finally springing but it always take a little while for the produce to catch up. So this is a cheats spring lunch in that two (peas and breadcrumbs) of the three main ingredients are frozen... but when the peas pop in your mouth with the fresh lemon and mint and you mix the creamy burrata with the crispy breadcrumbs, I promise it'll satisfy all your spring cravings.
Stuff
burrata
1/2 bag of frozen peas
juice of 1 lemon
handful of mint
handful of breadcrumbs
pinch of chili flakes
olive oil
little bit of butter
salt & pepper
Steps
Steam or microwave the peas. Chop the mint. Once the peas are cooked, add in butter, mint, and lemon juice. Stir and season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle olive oil in a small pan. On a medium heat, toast the breadcrumbs with the chili flakes until crispy. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour peas in a bowl, place burrata in the center. Scatter the breadcrumbs over the peas and cheese. Eat immediately.
