This Week's Delivery Saturday May 1 , 2010

Store In the Fridge:
rhubarb - Potomac Valley Farms
asparagus - Northern Neck Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
butternut squash - Potomac Valley Farms
spring onions - Northern Neck Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
baby bok choy - Northern Neck Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

The Butternut Squash is from the cold storage at PVF and is still delicious. Easiest and best way to cook it is slice in half, scoop out seeds, drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper, add some minced garlic to the area where you scooped out the seeds, and roast at 400 degrees until soft. Cool, scoop out, and eat or scoop while warm and puree for soup.

Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a relative of buckwheat and has an earthy, sour flavor. Botanically speaking, rhubarb is considered a vegetable, but it's most often treated as a fruit — though it's rarely eaten raw. Just like fresh cranberries, rhubarb is almost unbearably tart on its own and needs the sweetness of sugar, honey, or fruit juice added to it to balance out the acidity. Rhubarb's nickname is the "pie plant" because that is the primary use for this vegetable.

Spring Onions
If you're overwhelmed by the amount, just slice them up, sautee a bit, and add them to...everything: scrambled eggs, pasta, mashed potatoes, quesadillas, burgers, biscuits, polenta-yum!

Bok Choy

Chinese cuisine has made this cabbagelike vegetable popular. Bok choy has a tender and mild flavor, especially the immature baby bok choy, shown on the left. Part of baby bok choy's appeal is that you can cook the small vegetable whole, without breaking its leaves apart, thus adding a beautiful visual element to a dish. When cooking larger, more mature bok choy, cut the leaves from the stem and cook the stems first, since they will require a slightly longer cooking time.

Recipes

Stir-Fried Bok Choy

• 1 1/2 pounds baby bok choy
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 (1/4-inch) piece fresh ginger, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
• 2 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea or kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• pepper

Trim 1/4 inch from bottom of each head of bok choy. Slice bok choy crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Wash bok choy in several changes of cold water and dry in colander or salad spinner until dry to touch.

In wok or large sauté pan over moderately high heat, heat oil until hot but not smoking. Add ginger, scallions, and garlic and stir-fry until aromatic, about 15 seconds. Add bok choy, salt, sugar, and pepper and stir-fry 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon water, cover, and cook until wilted, about 30 seconds. Uncover, stir-fry 5 seconds, then cover again, turn off flame, and let steam in residual heat until just tender, about 30 seconds more. Serve immediately.

Rhubarb Cake

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups rhubarb, chopped
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup packed brown sugar

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla.
2. In another bowl, sift together 2 cups flour, soda, and salt. Add sifted ingredients alternately with buttermilk to creamed mixture.
3. Toss rhubarb with 1 tablespoon flour, and stir into batter. Spoon batter into buttered 9 x 13 inch pan, and smooth the surface.
4. Blend together 1/4 cup butter or margarine, cinnamon, and brown sugar; sprinkle evenly over batter.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes.

Roasted Asparagus

• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Snap or cut the dry stem ends off each asparagus and place on a heavy baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss. Roast until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.