Dish 17: Spring Rolls

What happens when I wander places: I find projects. 

I was running errands in Brooklyn with no easy subway connection. There were busses between all these places but I don't trust them, so I walked. I love walking in the city- at the very least I get to connect up neighborhoods in my mental map. Usually I happen upon something I've heard or read about. This time it was an Asian market. It was small but decently stocked.

They had spring roll wrappers and vermicelli. So of course I needed to make spring rolls. 

Granted, I'd also seen this post on Macheesmo (one of my favorite blogs) and it seemed like a good way to use up some of my share.

The wrappers (a term I prefer to skins) were odd. Well so was the vermicelli- they looked more like plastic than anything. But it's always good to try something new. This was my first time making vermicelli- the internet told me to cook it like spaghetti so I did. 

It was a little weird. The noodles got lost in the water (they kind of turned invisible), and when I pulled them out my first thought was "jellyfish," which isn't exactly appetizing. Still, I tried them periodically and removed them from the water when they seemed about cooked. They got tossed in a little sesame oil to keep them from sticking together.

I also chopped/grated up a bunch of share and non-share veggies: carrots and daikon leftover from kimchi and mustard greens, mizuna, and red sails lettuce. In the future I would have prepped more of the grated veg.

To assemble just soak the sheets til they're pliant (not terribly long, 10-15 seconds) then put you veggies in and roll em up. No pics of the process, but there are tons of wrappers in the package so just dive in.

I ended up mixing and matching ingredients. The most delicious had the most variety- and that sesame vermicelli. Next time I'd like to wrap them a little tighter- or make sure the greens are more compact. A few wanted to fall out as I ate them.

I also need to plan more about what to put inside. They were fine, but with a considered flavor combination they could be awesome. 

Was worried leftovers wouldn't hold up but they were fine. Its a great dish for summer too- very little cooking required.

Dish 13: 3/4 Salad

Tasty as it is blurry.

I checked out an awesome book from the library- The Flavor Bible. I've only started to delve into it. The main draw for me was the flavor matchmaking section. Pick an ingredient and its very likely in the book with recommended pairings. 

There were a few quotes for salads (I know, you're thinking, again with the effing salads)- one that I liked was from Sharon Hage: "Every salad should have elements of bitter, salt, heat and texture." It goes on to describe some things she does at her restaurant, but in general it's a good starting point. But I'd say something more along the lines of sweet, salty, bitter and umami?

The greens were just a mix of romaine and red sails lettuce (a little bitter). I had a little less than a quarter loaf of last weekends sourdough getting stale, so I cubed it and made croutons with a little oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper (salty). I made them on the stovetop which I don't recommend.

My favorite part of the dish were the pickled beety onions (a little sweet). They're leftovers from my adaptation of this awesome recipe from Alton Brown. I use a lot of rosemary. Pickled beets are summer to me.

The salad got a little oil and apple cider vinegar for dressing, then some sunflower seeds. That all had an unctuousness that was nice.

I really enjoyed it, not sufficient for a meal but definitely tasty.

Delivery 2

Delivery 2 was much like Delivery 1. I'm happy there's levels of consistency and variation so I can build on prior experience but not get too stagnant- but I do wish kale had carried over. So it goes.

Here's the haul:

Bok Choi - 1 head

Chinese Cabbage - 1 head

Red Sails Lettuce -1 head

Romaine Lettuce - 1 head

Buttercrunch Lettuce - 1 head

Mustard Greens - 1 bunch

Mizuna - 1 bunch 

Sorrel - 1 bunch

Sage with Flowers - 1 bunch

Garlic Scapes - 6 scapes
 

And the highlights:

Sorrel: I had no strong feelings about this guy when I saw it on the list, but then I ate a leaf...awesome! A really nice citrusy bite, especially the stems.

From Wikipedia: "The plant's sharp taste is due to oxalic acid, which is a poison. In small quantities sorrel is harmless; in large quantities it can be fatal." Neat!

Lots of stuff to do with this guy- there are drinks, pesto, or some kind of tart? I read the flavor mellows when it cooks, so I'm thinking the pesto.

Butter Crunch Lettuce: This is the cartoon lettuce shaped lettuce- does it come across in pics? The leaves feel nicely pliant so I may use it in a wrap situation. Like this.

Sage (with flowers): Don't get me wrong- this is very pretty- but doesn't the effort of growing flowers take some of the oomph out of the leaves? Apparently sage is good with chicken liver- which I know, gross, but I need to eat more iron and that's one of the best sources. Also- liver mousse? Nom. Here are a few choices for when I'm looking.

Garlic Scapes: The sign said take six out of the bin, so I did. Apparently they ran out of rhubarb last week- I have a feeling the shareholders showing up last minute may be scapeless. There are interesting looking dips (apparently suuuper strong, so it's in the lead), on a pizza, or in okonomiyaki or biscuits. So- basically- all the things.

And our good friend Mr Chinese Cabbage. Obviously not new, but I got a monster-sized head. It's already been cut up for a second, appropriately spiced, batch of kimchi.

Oh and I found a little slug on my kale. He was kind of cute (no pics, sorry), but yeah, guess we know it's organic!