Week 3... turnips and arugula

The loot:

Squash

Scallions

Lettuce

Bok Choy / Pak Choy

Arugula

Turnips

Cucumbers / or Snow Peas

Farmers’ choice item

I confess, I was soooo not excited for this week (and sorry, it's been like two and a half since I actually got the crop... I have to catch up with week 4 and an upcoming week 5). I really am not a fan of any kind of 'choy', even with my Asian heritage. In fact, I argue that I am entitled to say I really dislike it because I *have* grown up eating various 'choy's on many occasions... and not one of them tasted good. And turnips????? Hello, do I live in a poor Communist Slavic country? Have you ever heard the words "turnip" and "delicious" in the same sentence? I didn't pay a premium price for food to get the ultimate of all castaway vegetables. I've never eaten turnips before. I had no idea how they would taste. I was very scared.

I'm pretty sure all the choys rotted in my refrigerator that week.

First up: I attempted to recreate one of my favorite spinach, potato and egg frittata recipes, substituting turnips for potatoes and arugula for spinach. I threw in a few 'real' potatoes just in case the turnips were horrible.The verdict? Weeeelllllllll... turnips make an okay substitution for potatoes. Arugula, sadly, does not make an okay substitution for spinach. I don't know if it's arugula in general or this nice, mature, old (read: very bitter and tough) organic kind that is killing my taste buds. Either way... I choked this down (anything tastes better with tons of cheese, right?) and sallied forward.

Second to bat: Matt's vegetarian friend was coming over for dinner. What better way to use up produce than to force my overabundant verdance on her! I didn't take pictures because by the time I was finished I was exhausted, had used up every single cooking utensil, and the food didn't really look all that appetizing, but I made pan-fried vegetarian dumplings (I figured frying them in oil would mask any potential weird vegetable flavor) and cabbage fried rice. It wasn't too bad. But I really like my meat.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound firm tofu
• 1/2 cup coarsely grated carrots
• 1/2 cup shredded Napa cabbage
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
• 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Bowl of water, plus additional water for steamer
• 35 to 40 small wonton wrappers
• Non-stick vegetable spray, for the steamer

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Cut the tofu in half horizontally and lay between layers of paper towels. Place on a plate, top with another plate, and place a weight on top (a 14-ounce can of vegetables works well). Let stand 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, cut the tofu into 1/4-inch cubes and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the carrots, cabbage, red pepper, scallions, ginger, cilantro, soy sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, egg, salt, and pepper. Lightly stir to combine.

To form the dumplings, remove 1 wonton wrapper from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the tofu mixture in the center of the wrapper. Shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.

Using a steaming apparatus of your choice, bring 1/4 to 1/2-inch of water to a simmer over medium heat. Spray the steamer's surface lightly with the non-stick vegetable spray to prevent sticking. Place as many dumplings as will fit into a steamer, without touching each other. Cover and steam for 10 to 12 minutes over medium heat. Remove the dumplings from the steamer to a heatproof platter and place in oven to keep warm. Repeat until all dumplings are cooked.