FARM SHARE

[bladespark]

The box was picked up today (they do delivery, but JJ is still leaving the house for grocery runs, so he just dropped by to pick it up and spared us the extra $10) and OH YES.

I immediately just ate a turnip, because baby turnips are love.

Then I had a lunch salad with excellent lettuce, a little torn kale, (it turns out to be super non-bitter kale, like I could have skipped all the "but what will I do with kale, I don't really like kale? worrying I did. Glad I didn't, though, for reasons I'll get to in a second) sliced radishes, and sliced baby turnips. Very simple, very delicious. Nom.

Then for dinner tonight I made kale, yam, and corn curry.

See, I don't really like kale. I mean, it's okay. But the usual sort of curly, super-bitter kale that one sees about is just not my jam. I can tolerate it, but I wasn't drooling at about it like I was about the rest of the box. But I hate to waste anything! What to do?

Well, there is one thing I've eaten involving kale that I didn't merely tolerate, but loved, and ordered every time it was available, the kale, sweet potato, and corn street tacos that were the vegetarian daily special sometimes at a local hipster taco place.

However, the idea of trying to make a million tacos to use up kale just didn't work. I needed something I could make in a big batch, to use all the kale before it went bad, and then freeze for later.

So I sat there thinking about the ingredients that I'd liked; kale, sweet potatoes and corn. Hmmm. And what do I have on hand I should be using up? Oh hey! Yes! I have two cans of coconut milk and half a tub of panang curry paste that I totally need to use up. And another local favorite dish of mine, is pumpkin curry. Which is to say, the same damn flavor profile as sweet potato! Perfect.

So I added yams (I like them slightly better than sweet potatoes) and a can of sweet corn to the grocery list, to be picked up along with the farm box.

Starting cooking I was a little nervous. I really did want to use up the whole bunch of kale, and I wanted to make a batch of freezer meals for the future, but this was not only a new recipe, it wasn't a recipe "from" anybody, it was something I made up, out of bits of other things I liked. All logic and everything I have learned over the past decade or so about cooking said it should work, but what if...? I'd be wasting a lot of food if it tasted bad!

But I forged ahead, and oh my god. It tastes AMAZING. It's sweet and spicy and just a tiny, tiny bit bitter, and it's just perfect!

Like, I would make this my go-to dish at any restaurant that served it. It's nearly perfect. I gorged myself, and made the freezer meals, and I'll have zero trouble using them up, I'm very sure!

The only thing I might tweak if I do it again is that I added a hair too much peanut butter to the sauce, I think. But only a hair, and it's still SO DAMN GOOD.

I'm absurdly proud of myself. Mister "burns boiled eggs" has come a long way since then!

Now, to attempt roasting bok choy tomorrow... :D Roasted bok choy over noodles is the plan, I think. And I have leeks and potatoes and lots more salad ingredients too! Mmmmmmm. Getting the farm share was a great choice.

Comments

[chalcedony_starlings]

It sounds amazing OvOvOvOvO

*resists swarming your kitchen*

*resiiiiists*

[ilyena_sylph]

You did amazing!

[cornerofmadness]

Sounds yummy. Often kale is too bitter for me too. I've never had baby turnips. Now I wish I had.

[nia_kantorka]

I learned the word kale today. Thank you! I like it even if it can be bitter, but your curry sounds wonderfully yummy. Glad the kitchen experiment worked well. 😊

[adafrog]

Yum!

[sbaw]

Sounds delicious! I normally hate kale, so I have trouble imagining a kale-centric dish that's appealing, but that combination seems like it would work brilliantly. Congratulations!

[silveradept]

That sounds good. Kale is also one of those things that I go "really?" about, but I'll bet it has had more to do with the preparation than the thing itself.