Hello Rootabaga Subscribers,
Welcome to your first June produce subscription. What an exciting month for eating locally. This week we get the first taste of summer radishes! They’ll be arriving from the Valley on Friday morning, right in time to get packed into your Rootabaga subscription. Also new this week is lovage, a beloved herb to some and unknown to many more. Lovage is related to and likened to celery, and it can be used similarly, though the flavour really is unlike anything else. The leaves and stalks are great minced into an egg or tuna salad. And the stalk can be diced and used in soups, it’s delicious in a spring chowder with asparagus and fiddleheads. This week we also have enough portobello mushrooms to share with all our subscribers. And to eat them with, a really yummy recipe for Marinated Portobello Tacos. This week the small share has:
Portobello Mushrooms – Valley Mushrooms, spray-free
Onions – Country Magic, conventionally-grown
Sweet Mini Peppers – Stokdijk Greenhouses, conventionally-grown
Radishes – Elmridge Farm, spray-free
Lovage – Snowy River Farm, spray-free
Romaine Lettuce – Elmridge Farm, spray-free
Russet Potatoes – Noggins Corner Farm, conventionally-grown
The large share has everything above as well as:
½ lb portobellos instead of ⅓ lb
A full bunch of lovage instead of ½
⅔ lb of sweet mini peppers instead of ½
Rhubarb – Noggins Corner Farm, conventionally grown
Green Cabbage – Noggins Corner Farm, conventionally-grown
You might recall from a past Rootabaga post that portobello, cremini, and white mushrooms are all the same variety of mushroom, agaricus bisporus, just at different stages of maturation. Portobellos are sold at the mature stage and they have the most robust “mushroomy” or umami flavour. It’s best not to wash the mushroom caps in water as they can absorb excess moisture and become soggier once cooked. Rather, use a dry cloth to gently brush any dirt off them. Before cooking, twist the stem out (save them for flavouring soup stock) and scoop the gills out with a spoon. The gills are fine to eat, but they will dissolve during cooking and turn whatever you cook the mushrooms with an unflattering shade of grey.
This week I have another taco recipe to share. Tacos are so versatile we tend to eat them almost weekly at our house, but portobello mushrooms are one of our favourite fillings! Roasted and marinated portobello mushrooms and mini peppers layered over refried beans, pickled onions, shredded romaine lettuce, and creamy sriracha mayo – truly delicious.
- Portobello Mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Sweet Mini Peppers
- 1 onion
- ½ cup white vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½-1 cup water
- 1 can refried beans
- Shredded romaine lettuce
- ⅓ cup mayo
- 1 tsp sriracha or hot sauce of choice, to taste
- Tortillas
- Pickle the onions. This can be done in advance or at least 1 hour before for best flavour. Slice the onion into thin half rounds. Pack them into a small jar and fill with white vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 tablespoon salt, and the water, making sure that the onions are submerged.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare the mushrooms as recommended above. Slice into ½ cm slices, place in a tupperware container and drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, and the soy sauce. Gently shake to coat the mushrooms. On one half of a baking sheet, spread out the mushrooms and sprinkle with black pepper. Remove the stems and halve or quarter the mini peppers lengthwise, toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and place on the other half of the baking sheet. Roast the veggies for 20 minutes or so until tender.
- Prepare the beans by removing them from a can and heating them on the stove. Taste and adjust seasonings, I typically add a squeeze of fresh lime and some cumin to mine.
- Make the spicy mayo, mix the mayo and hot sauce together. Taste and adjust to desired spiciness level, sometimes I add a tiny bit of water to make it a better drizzling consistency.
- Assemble the tacos. If using store bought tortillas, put them in the microwave briefly to make them easier to roll. I have gotten into making my own tortillas, it's really not too labour intensive and the pay-off is huge. Homemade tortillas are extremely tasty. I use this recipe: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/best-ever-homemade-flour-tortillas/. First, spread some refried beans, top with lettuce, pickled onion, then the roasted mushrooms and peppers. Finish them off with a good drizzle of spicy mayo and enjoy immediately!
These tacos are so delicious. The marinated mushrooms burst with umami flavour that really compliments the beans, pickled onion, and spicy mayo. They are sure to impress whoever you cook them for, or enjoy them all to yourself!
Thank you for joining us and continuing to support local farmers and businesses in Nova Scotia. We hope you enjoy the new summer flavours of radish, lovage, and romaine lettuce in your meals this week!
Until next time,
Robin