CSA Panic Mode

Since I was out of town when my most recent CSA box arrived, I was already three days behind by the time I got my hands on the goods. My first night back in town I braised some collard greens with cippolini onions and black beans, but since then I've only had time for salads and raw veggies with hummus.

Which has left me with the following hanging over my head:

four cucumbers
a head of red cabbage
broccoli
cauliflower
green beans
beets
summer squash
garlic

I think I've found recipes to make use of everything, but tonight I started to panic. I decided to put those braising skills back to work on the red cabbage.

Braised Red Cabbage
Adapted from Gourmet, via Epicurious.com

Red cabbage (1 medium head, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced crosswise)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add cabbage, vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and pepper and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes or until cabbage is tender.

Full disclosure: I've just been standing over my stove eating it straight from the pan. At 10 o'clock at night. Because it tastes like salt and vinegar potato chips, only it's cabbage.

And to take an edge of the panic in a productive, CSA-type way, I improvised a cucumber cocktail. About one part vodka to two parts water, a tablespoon of lime juice, and a half teaspoon of sugar. I don't have any martini glasses, so I put the liquids in a wine glass and then steeped three cucumber slices and a tiny bit of mint tea in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. What I wound up with was light and refreshing. Maybe not perfect. But pleasant.




I'm feeling like I've got this a little more under control.