String beans made their first appearance this week, hurrah! It put me in mind to make a favorite Italian salad, string bean and potatoes, which would pair nicely with the steak pizzaiola I promised you I’d make again so that I could share a photograph along with the recipe for that super easy, and super tasty, dish.
But before we can get to that, let’s see what else Week 7 of the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) had in store.
Week 7 Haul
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Zucchini
- Cabbage
- String beans
- Onions
- Bok choy
- Red chard
What Rolled Over?
Just the collards! I’ve done a good job this season about staying on top of my weekly hauls.
Tomato Count
This week: 2
Season to date: 4
What I Made (Italics represent CSA vegetables used)
- Cucumber and jalapeno salad over jasmine rice
- Steak pizzaiola, Italian potato and string bean salad, kalamata boule
- Steak enchiladas with onions, tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, collard greens and swiss chard
- Pork stir fry with bok choy, red chard, onions and peppers with a cucumber and jalapeno salad and jasmine rice
- Zucchini bundt cake
Technique of the Week: Turn Leftovers Into Enchiladas
The volume of vegetables I bring home each week means that, after we’ve finished whatever delicious dinner I’ve made, there are leftovers. When those leftovers hit critical mass, I like to turn them into a filling for enchiladas. As long as they haven’t been seasoned strongly with spices or oils that will clash with chili powder, pretty much anything is fair game — the enchiladas we had this week were filled with the leftover steak and tomato/onion mixture from the pizzaiola, as well as some zucchini, summer squash and swiss chard that were lurking around in the fridge. I also had collards from the previous week that I’d washed and chopped, so I threw those in too. All of those items went into a skillet along with a very small amount of olive oil (they’d already been cooked in oil, so not much more was needed) to prevent sticking and seasoned with a tablespoon of chili powder. The filling was then rolled up in tortillas, placed in a baking dish, topped with enchilada sauce and shredded cheese and baked in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Easy, delicious and a good way to cut back on food waste!
Standout Meal of the Week: A Summertime Italian Feast
Steak pizzaiola
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the steak
1-1½ pound steak, like London broil
1 large onion, roughly chopped into a 1″ dice
5 garlic cloves, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped into a 1″ dice
½ teaspoon each dried basil and oregano
½ cup red wine
salt & pepper
Coat each side of the steak with a small amount of olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet, and cook the steak to desired doneness; remove from pan and allow to rest on a serving platter large enough to hold the steak and the sauce.
Using the same pan and retaining the drippings from the steak, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until just translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add the sliced garlic and cook 30 second, until fragrant. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and season with a good pinch of salt. Reduce the heat if necessary and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the basil and oregano along with a few grinds of fresh black pepper, and then add the wine, stirring well to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the mixture has thickened.
To serve, slice the steak and pour the tomato mixture over the top, allowing the juices to pool around the steak.
I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to faceplant in my potato and string bean salad
A photo posted by Jolie Kerr (@joliekerr) on
Italian potato and string bean salad
1 pound of string beans, ends trimmed
2 cups fingerling potatoes
1 small onion, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
heavy salt & 12 turns on a pepper grinder
Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pot using a slotted spoon and set aside; add the string beans to the same salted water, and cook for 7 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.
While the potatoes and string beans are cooking, prepare the dressing by combining oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss the potatoes, string beans and onions with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour up to overnight.
Join me here each week, as well as on Twitter and Instagram, as I wash, chop, cook and eat my way through my CSA using the hashtag #CSASurvival. Got questions for me? Ask away!
