Greetings, Seasonal Eaters. Brooklyn’s finest CSA is sharing its fresh bounty and I am here to give you tasty ideas for your harvest. I have combined fruits, vegetables and herbs to create lemongrass and wine steamed mussels, eggplant parmesan swiss, eggs in a bell pepper hole and more. You should have some cooking experience as these are “recipe ideas”; there are no measurements or exact cooking times, so you can add the pinch and dash of your preference. Feel free to ask questions about this delicious CSA menu and share your recipe ideas in comments.

Enjoy,
Brandon

CSA Ingredient Share: Tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, jalapeno, kale, cilantro and lemongrass.

CSA Recipe Ideas:

• Stuffed Eggplant with Tomato Sauce
• Eggplant Parmesan Swiss
• Guacamole with Crab Cakes
• Eggs in a Hole of a Pepper
• Good Ol’ Classic  Kale with Tomatoes
• Lemongrass and Wine Steamed Mussels

1) Stuffed Eggplant with Tomato Sauce
Eggplant, halved lengthwise
Tomatoes, small dice, juices reserved
Bell peppers, small dice
Onions, small dice
Ground Turkey
Oregano, chopped
Parsley, chopped
Salt and Pepper, to taste

This recipe is inspired from a test I did for Saveur magazine, and it’s delicious. Sprinkle salt on the flesh of the eggplant, set aside. Cook and break up and lightly season ground turkey in a pan until browned, add herbs, peppers and onions. Add a splash of dry white wine, salt and pepper, and diced tomatoes and cook until the flavors blend. Scoop out a little flesh from the eggplant and fill with the tomato and meat mixture. Bake in the oven until the eggplant is cooked through. Garnish with herbs and serve.

2) Eggplant Parmesan Swiss
Tomatoes, diced
Garlic, minced
Peppers, diced
Eggplant, sliced
Swiss Cheese, sliced thin
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Dried Oregano
Dried Basil
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Marinade tomatoes in herbs, garlic, olive oil, peppers and a little salt for 1 hour. Add the tomato marinade to a saucepot and cook on low, covered, in lightly oiled pan until stewed.

In a lightly oiled baking dish, layer eggplant, stewed tomatoes and Swiss then Parmesan cheese, seasoning lightly. Add small dabs of butter to each layer. Bake at 350 until cooked through. Set the Eggplant Parmesan Swiss aside for 5 – 8 minutes then enjoy.

3) Guacamole with Crab Cakes
Tomatoes, jalapenos, and cilantro means 1 thing, guacamole.

Guacamole
Avocado, diced
Tomato, diced
Onion, small diced
Lime, juiced
Cilantro, chopped
Jalapeño, seeded and small dice

Combine ingredients in food processor until it becomes a paste or smash with your hands. Add this on top of a crab croquette with a segment of lime and enjoy. Guacamole works with chips too, of course.

4) Good Ol’ Classic  Kale
Kale, chopped into bite-sized pieces
Tomatoes, diced
Chicken stock
Onions, diced
Smoked turkey leg
Salt and Pepper, to taste

In a large pot, simmer turkey leg in chicken stock. Add onions and cook for 15 minutes. Add kale to pot, season with salt and pepper and cook until done. Lightly cook tomatoes in olive oil, until warm. When kale is finished, strain and combine the kale with tomatoes. Enjoy.

5) Eggs in a Hole of a Pepper
Eggs
Bell Pepper, slice into rings
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instead of eggs in a hole, put your eggs in a pepper ring. Slice the top of the pepper and remove the seeds and core. Slice the rest of the pepper to make ¼-inch rings. Place the pepper rings into a sauté pan, cook for 1 minute then flip the pepper ring. Add the egg into the pepper ring and cook until the egg is cooked through, season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cheese, crumbled bacon, herbs or all 3.

6) Lemongrass and Wine Steamed Mussels
Mussels
Lemongrass, rough chop
Flat leaf parsley, chopped
Unsalted butter
Flour
Shallots, small dice
Dry white wine
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Cleaning Mussels
Scrub the mussels and remove beards. Place them in a bowl with water and a little flour and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse mussels in a colander. Discard any mussels that don’t close when tapped or with a cracked shell.

In a large saucepot sweat the shallots and lemongrass in butter, about 5 minutes. Add mussels and ¾ of parsley, pepper, and wine.

Cover and bring to a simmer, shaking the pot regularly. When the mussels begin to open, move them to a bowl.
Strain the wine and mussel broth in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, adding any juices from the bowl holding the mussels. On medium heat, lower the broth to a simmer and cook to intensify flavor, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and top with a Tbsp of butter and taste for seasoning.

Add mussels to a wide shallow bowl and reheat in the oven. Spoon the broth over the mussels, sprinkle parsley on top, and serve.

Make sure to have plenty of bread around to sop up the broth.

What are you cooking with your fresh fruits and vegetables?

Photography by Brandon Johnson. Brandon is a chef , food writer, web consultant and recipe developer. Her experience includes working with Cooking Channel, The French Culinary Institute, Saveur Magazine, Food Network and Danny Meyer’s Union Square Events. Check out Brandon’s blog here –  Dresses & Appetizers.

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