Khoresht e Rivas | Iranian Rhubarb Stew | خورشت ریواس

Khoresht e Rivas | Iranian Rhubarb Stew | خورشت ریواس

Thanks to long-time friend of Bug, Alexandra, for turning us onto this delightful concotion. This recipe was my first experience using rhubarb in a savory dish. It’s one we’ll return to every spring.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp oil 

• 2  medium onions (peeled and diced)

• 1 cups fresh chopped mint 

• 2 cups fresh chopped parsley 

• 1 tsp turmeric 

• 500 g cooked kidney beans (2 cans or use white beans, or meat)

• 2 cups vegetable stock (using a vegetable stock cube)

•   salt to taste (depends on stock cube salt )

• 1 tsp black pepper 

• rhubarb stalks (about 1 small stalk per person)

Instructions

0/4 Instructions

• Step 1Fry the onion in hot oil on low heat until beginning to brown (10 mins). Then add the mint, parsley, and a little salt. Mix and fry for 2 mins.

• Step 2Move the herb mixture to one side of the pan and add the protein to the other side. If you are using beans, they don't need much frying. If you are using substitute meat pieces, add a little more oil and fry until golden brown, adding turmeric towards the end.

• Step 3Pour in the vegetable stock, stir, and leave to cook until the liquid has reduced a little (about 10 mins). If you like, add more salt and pepper. Some stock may be salty enough already.

• Step 4Slice the rhubarb about 3cm long and add to the pan. Make sure the rhubarb is covered by liquid so it cooks through. You can stir it briefly but then leave it because the rhubarb breaks up easily. Add more water if needed but in the end we don't want too much liquid. Serve on rice (preferably prepared Iranian-style - see above for recipe link).

Bok Choy Coconut Curry

Bok Choy Coconut Curry

Prep Time: 10 minutes    Cook Time: 40 minutes    Serves: 4

Author: Dishing Up the Dirt

• 1 cup basmati rice (or rice of choice)

• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil

• 1 medium sized onion, diced

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 2 teaspoons curry powder

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• salt and pepper freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup vegetables stock (or water)

• 1 (15 ounce) can of chickpeas, drained

• 1 (15 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk

• 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

• 3 cups roughly chopped bok choy

Preparation

1. Cook the rice according to specific instructions on the package.

2. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, curry powder, red pepper flakes and a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute longer, stirring often to coat the onion and garlic in the spices.

3. Add in the vegetable stock, chickpeas and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the lime juice and bok choy and keep on low heat until the greens wilts down. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

4. Serve the soup with a scoop of rice and enjoy.

Notes

*Use this recipe as a guide *If you cannot find bok choy you can substitute with spinach *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary

Favorite Kale Pasta Sauce

Kale Pasta Sauce

(Joshua McFadden’s Recipe)

This has become a bug farms’ family fan favorite!!! Our kids LOVE it, and I relish in the fact that I can get them to scarf down gobs of kale wihtout a second thought. Once you’ve made it, the process is easy!

This shockingly easy, utterly tasty, and vibrant green-hued kale pasta sauce with olive oil and garlic is the ideal mid-week lunch or dinner. Recipe very slightly adapted from Joshua McFadden's Six Seasons Cookbook.

Author: Home Cooking Collective

Prep Time5minutes minutes

Cook Time21minutes minutes

Total Time26minutes minutes

Yields 2 large servings, or 4 small servings

Equipment

• Stand blender, or immersion blender with a large heat-safe cup

Ingredients 

• ▢2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

• ▢¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

• ▢Kosher salt and black pepper

• ▢1 bunch kale, about 10 – 12 ounces, any variety works here | thick ribs/tough stems removed**

• ▢8 ounces dried pasta, such as rigatoni or pappardelle

• ▢¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Instructions

• Set a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil.

• Prepare the garlic oil: Add 2 cloves garlic and ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil to a small skillet.

  Place over medium heat, and saute until the garlic begins to sizzle. Immediately reduce the heat to low, and cook until garlic is light golden, soft, and aromatic (about 5 – 7 minutes).

  Smash the garlic with the back of a wooden spoon to infuse as much flavor as possible into the oil, then remove from the heat. Transfer garlic and oil to the base of a stand blender (or a large heat-safe blender cup). Set aside.

• Cook the kale: Once the water is boiling, generously season with salt. Add kale leaves and boil until tender but not mushy, about 5 minutes.

  Use tongs to remove kale from the pot (they will be wet, that's okay!) and carefully transfer to the blender cup/base. Don't drain the pot!

• Cook the pasta: To that same pot of boiling water, add 8 ounces dried pasta and cook until al dente, per package directions.

  Transfer 1 cup of the pasta water to a heatproof measuring cup.

  Drain the pasta, then transfer back to the pot.

• Blend the sauce: Blend the kale, oil, and garlic until it resembles a thick puree. Continue blending, adding about a tablespoon of pasta water at a time, until you achieve a uniform, silky texture. I used about ½ cup pasta water here. You may not need all of it.

  Note: Use caution with hot liquids in a stand blender. Prior to blending, remove the small cap from the blender's lid and cover the opening with a kitchen towel to safely release steam. Initiate the blending process at a low speed, slowly increasing the speed in stages to prevent splashing and to ensure a consistent puree.

  Don't rush this; you want a very smooth sauce.

• Finish the pasta: Season the kale puree with salt and black pepper.

  Add half of the kale puree and half of the ¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to the drained pasta and toss to coat. Continue adding more puree as needed until the pasta is nicely coated, saucy, and vibrant green.

  If needed, add a bit more reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

  Note: If your sauce feels way too loose, you can put the pot back on low heat, stirring continuously until it thickens.

• Serve: Divide the pasta into serving bowls, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and garnish with the remaining cheese.

Pasta With Silkiest Eggplant Sauce

Pasta With Silkiest Eggplant Sauce From Francis Lam

Ingredients

• Salt

• 1 pound(450 grams) eggplant, cut into ½-inch (1.3-centimeter) slices

• 1/3 cup(80 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to finish

• 3garlic cloves, lightly smashed

• Leaves from 2 sprigs thyme or oregano, chopped

• 1 cup(240 milliliters) stock or water (Lam even uses water leftover from cooking lentils)

• 1 pound(450 grams) long pasta (spaghetti, linguine, whatever floats your boat)

• 2 tablespoonminced sun-dried tomatoes

• 6leaves basil, cut into a chiffonade

• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Step 1

  Lightly salt the slices of eggplant, stack them back together, and let it all hang out for 20 minutes. This will season it and water will drop out, allegedly removing the bitterness, if it’s there.

• Step 2

  Meanwhile, pour the olive oil into a wide, heavy saucepan, add the garlic cloves, and set over low heat. You’re just trying to get them friendly with one another, so don’t worry if nothing happens for a while.

• Step 3

  Dry off the eggplant and cut it into chunks. When you start hearing the garlic sizzle a little and can smell it, drop in your eggplant and stir to coat it all with oil. Turn up the heat a little bit to medium-high, add the thyme, and stir. When the eggplant starts to turn translucent and soften, add the liquid and let it come to a boil, then turn it back down to medium-low. Let it bubble for a bit and cover it, leaving a crack for steam to escape. Stir once in a while, so the bottom doesn’t stick.

• Step 4

  While the eggplant is softening, bring a large pot of water to boil, salt it, and cook the pasta to al dente.

• Step 5

  While the pasta is boiling, check on the eggplant. The liquid should be mostly absorbed or reduced after about 20 minutes. Once it looks mashable, mash it up with a spoon and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. It should be silky-smooth and garlicky and humming with oil.

• Step 6

  Drain the pasta and toss with the eggplant purée. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, and pepper and gild the lily with some more oil to serve.

Thai Basil Eggplant

Thai basil eggplant recipe

Author: I Heart Umami

We look forward to eggplant & Thai Basil every year so we can make this dish. We add red sweet peppers and onions to this dish as well (we've made several variation, but this recipe is the easiest to follow). 

 *while this recipe suggests not using Italian or globe-style eggplant for this recipe, we have used them before and it turns out great!

Don't have oyster sacue? Using fish sauce or Tamari works just fine. 

Ingredients 

• ▢16 oz Chinese eggplant 3 long ones, Thai eggplant (makhuea), or Japanese eggplant

• ▢3.5 cups room temperature water

• ▢3.5 tbsp distilled vinegar

• ▢2.5 tbsp tapioca starch or arrowroot or potato starch

• ▢3.5 tbsp avocado oil

• ▢0.75 oz Garlic 6 cloves, finely minced

• ▢2 whole Thai bird’s eye chili or 1 medium red fresno, serrano peppers

• you can also add sweet peppers and onions!

• ▢0.5 oz Thai basil or 0.6 oz Italian basil (a little over 1 cup loosely packed), plus more for garnish

Sauce:

• ▢1.5 tbsp Oyster sauce or Vegetarian oyster sauce

• ▢1 tbsp Fish sauce

• ▢1 tbsp light soy sauce or 2 tbsp coconut aminos

• ▢1.5 tsp brown sugar omit if using coco aminos

• ▢1 tbsp water

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

Eggplant prep:

• Slice off the tip ends of the eggplants. Rinse, drain, and slice it crosswise into 2.5-inch sections then quarter each section lengthwise.

• In a large bowl, add the eggplants and fill the bowl with tap water with vinegar. Place a plate up-side-down on top of the eggplants to help them submerge under the water. Soak for 10 minutes.

• After soaking, pat them dry and toss with starch.

Aromatics and sauce:

• In the meantime, finely mince the garlic. For small Thai chili peppers, you can either leave it in whole (less spicy) or remove the seeds and dice it. If using fresno or serrano peppers, remove the seeds and dice it.

• Combine the sauce in a bowl.

Cook eggplants:

• Preheat a large saute pan or wok pan over medium heat until it feels hot, add 3 tbsp oil. Swirl it around then add the eggplant.

• Turn heat up to medium-high. Add the eggplants and spread them out into a single layer. Pan fry the first side for 3 minutes. Flip the eggplants and add the remaining 0.5 tbsp oil. Fry for another 2 minutes. Ensure all sides are cooked evenly and the eggplants turn into a softer texture.

• Add the garlic and chili, toss for 10 seconds then pour in the sauce and finally toss in the basil. Toss everything together for 30 seconds and turn off the heat.

Serving:

• Transfer them to a large serving plate. Garnish with more basil on top. Serve hot or warm with a bowl of steamed rice.

Notes

• If using Italian eggplant, cook a bit longer until softened and add a touch more sugar to balance its slightly bitter flavor and thicker skin.

• Use a large (12-inch or bigger) pan to avoid overcrowding and help the eggplants sear, not steam.

• Thai basil is sturdier and more fragrant. If using Italian basil, add more and cook it briefly to preserve flavor.

• Make Ahead & Storage: For the best texture, soak the eggplants right before cooking. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pan over medium heat or in the microwave with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.

Zucchini Pie

Zucchini Pie
This recipe comes from our long-time CSA member, Elizabeth. It's her grandmother's recipe, and I love how easy it is. Definitely kid friendly. I love it when a pan comes together.