Foxtail Delivers! Finally, fresh veggies once again. Having to decide what to make for dinner has had me in the dumps. Of course all the while I’ve been away I’ve been cooking, but it’s been many of the tried and true staples of our household. Being away from Bloglandia has allowed me some free time for other endeavors like finishing our attic conversion, cleaning out the basement and getting through the school year with the toughest class ever – I’m okay.
This year I am splitting the CSA share with my neighbor because I’d like to get out to the farmer’s markets to embellish my supply. Last year there was not a single square inch remaining in the fridge on Thursday delivery day. Even so, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed with the greens. We got a huge bundle of spinach along with another gigantic stash of what I believe to be mizuna and a third mound of Arugula. There is enough broccoli for at least four meals as well as some lovely purple kohlrabi and radishes. Spring onions and a lovely herb pot topped off the box. This stuff just screams, “Miso Soup with Soba Noodles!”
Miso tends to be a little quiet for my liking, so I decided to embellish the soup with this crazy chutney. It’s a flavorful blend of ginger, garlic, lemon grass, lime zest, basil and cilantro. Next time I might think to add a serrano or thai chile to the puree as well, but tonight opted for a little garlic chile on the side to spice up the soup. This soup is bright and delicious for a cool early summer dinner.
Ginger infused Herb Chutney
- 2 large cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger, sliced
- 1 Tbs. lemon grass
- zest of one lime
- dash of salt
- 1 large handful fresh basil
- 1 large handful fresh cilantro
- olive oil – enough to pull the chutney together 2-4 Tbs.
Miso Soup
- Two quarts water
- 1 Tbs. coconut oil
- 1/2 cup miso paste
- 1 Tbs. Green Thai Chile Paste
- 2 Tbs. soy sauce
- 1 package soba noodles
- 1 large head broccoli, cut into pieces
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1 large bunch spinach
- 1 large bunch mizuna
- 3 green onions, sliced into rounds for garnish
Directions:
Make the chutney first by processing all the ingredients in a food processor. Drizzle the olive oil through the feed tube until a green paste forms. Set this aside in a serving dish.
Next put the water on to boil and add miso, chile paste and soy sauce.
Grate the carrots the long way so they are easy to eat with the soba noodles.
Once the water comes to a rolling boil add noodles. I cooked them for about four minutes before I added the carrots. Once the water began to boil again, slowly add the broccoli. If you add the broccoli too fast it will cool the water and stop the boil, so add it a few pieces at a time. Allow the soup to cook until the soba is tender, or for a total of about seven minutes from the time it first enters the water.
At the very last minute, add spinach. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with mizuna, green onions and the chutney.
Vegetarian Perspective 