Hello Rootabaga Subscribers,
Our favourite day has come again – Rootabaga subscription pickup day! This week we have more asparagus to share, with all of our subscribers getting a full pound. We also have more gala apples for your produce drawers as it’s been a few weeks since we shared apples. And last but not least, a fun new vegetable from Taproot Farms, Pak Choi! Also called Bok Choy, this flavourful green is a type of Chinese Cabbage from the diverse brassica family that brings us broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale and more. In our blog post this week I’ll talk more about what to do with your pak choi and share a recipe for Baked Polenta Squares with Asparagus.
This week the small share has:
Asparagus – Vermeulen Farms, conventionally-grown
Pak Choi – Taproot Farm, certified-organic
Sweet Potatoes – Elmridge Farm, spray-free
Spinach – Noggins Corner Farm, spray-free
Cucumber – Stokdijk Greenhouses, conventionally-grown
Gala Apples – Noggins Corner Farm, conventionally-grown
The large share has everything above, as well as:
3lbs of gala apples instead of 2lbs
Mini Greenhouse Peppers – Stokdijk Greenhouses, conventionally-grown
Hot House Tomatoes – Stokdijk Greenhouses, conventionally-grown
Asparagus is a true late spring delight. I wanted to challenge myself to try something new with it this week and polenta came to mind. If you’ve ever made polenta, you know it takes a long time to simmer ever so slowly on the stove as the cornmeal thickens into a rich creamy porridge. It’s not hard, but it’s a bit time consuming and hands on. I wanted a hands off version and opted to try something new – baked polenta! I’m so glad I did. The method is simple and you get a very similar texture in the end. You can eat it straight from the oven for a porridge consistency on the side of some fried Snowy River Pork Chops or Vessels Meats Sausage. Or you can wait for the polenta to cool, after which it will slice into neat squares with a consistency reminiscent of quiche. The options for fillings are endless, but I went with chopped asparagus, spinach, and feta cheese. The original recipe suggests bacon and spinach, and I think Snowy River Double Smoked Bacon would be delicious with asparagus as well if you wanted a make ahead breakfast option. Recipe inspired by: https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-breakfast-polenta-squares-with-spinach-bacon-breakfast-recipes-from-the-kitchn-200887, but modified for seasonal and local ingredients.
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups cornmeal
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 lb asparagus
- ⅓ lb spinach
- ½ cup Ran-Cher Acres Feta, crumbled
- ½ cup Ran-Cher Acres Gouda, shredded
- 4 cups boiling water
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Trim and chop the asparagus into 1 inch pieces. Chop and lightly steam the spinach until just wilted.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Whisk in the milk, cornmeal, salt, and pepper. Stir in the veggies and cheeses.
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Pour the batter into the baking dish, top with the boiling water and give everything a good stir to combine. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir the polenta, taking care to break up the clumps forming at the edges and bottom. Bake for another 25-30 minutes, until a knife slid in comes out clean. Either serve hot right away as a tasty savoury porridge, or allow to cool and slice into squares. I opted to eat the creamy polenta for dinner with meatballs and had the leftovers sliced for lunch. Delicious!
I kept the flavours in the polenta mild to enjoy the comforting and simple flavour. However you could easily add fresh herbs, a stronger flavoured cheese, or the suggested bacon to boost the savoury notes in the recipe. I personally find polenta delicious on its own! If you make this recipe or another version of baked polenta, please let me know as I’d love to hear about what you create.
For the pak choi, I recommend steaming or stir-frying it. Though you can eat pak choi raw, the flavour and texture really shines when cooked. Both the white stalks and the leaves are edible, only the very base can be a bit tough on larger plants, just make sure to wash thoroughly as they can trap bits of sandy soil. Either leave them whole, or slice them in half lengthwise. Pak choi has a slightly peppery and sour taste to me. They make a great addition to stir-fries, a brothy soup like ramen, or steamed on their own as a side to ginger beef and rice.
Thank you for supporting our Rootabaga subscription! Now is a great time to tell your friends to sign up too as the summer produce bounty starts to come into season.
If you know someone who might be interested you can send them here to sign up.
Looking forward to packing up your orders and sending them out!
Robin