the perfect vinaigrette

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallot or red onion
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons quality walnut oil (I used olive oil)

From Food Network

Recipe calls for baby spinach and goat cheese, but this is good with everything.

CSA challenge, week 1: box o' greens

I have to do research to figure out what everything is, but so far I have to find recipes for:

-Radishes
-red-leaf lettuce (4 heads); this is the best lettuce I've ever had. We put good olive oil and kosher salt on it and it rocked.
-mint (will use for mohitos)
-Spinach--we used some for salad, some (sauteed with garlic) for linguini with pine nuts, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, and basil
-collard greens, which I sauteed with some pancetta and was delicious
-bok choy, which is quickly wilting
-a bag of very fragrant and not overly bitter arugula.

2 quarts strawberries (no recipes needed, except I plan to pick 8 more on Friday)

Here's one greens recipe I've found so far:

Crustless Greens Pie
Yield: 6 Servings

1 1/2 lbs swiss chard
1/2 lb arugula
3/4 lb dandelion greens
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion; finely chopped
2 cloves garlic; minced
1/2 sm yellow pepper; seeded and finely chopped
2 sm zucchini; grated
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 extra large eggs; lightly beaten
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated jarlsberg cheese
1/4 c fresh bread crumbs

Trim the chard, arugula and dandelion greens. Discard the stems and chop the leaves. Preheat the oven to 375F. Heat 1 Tbsp of the butter with the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and cook one minute. Add the garlic and cook one minute longer. Stir in the pepper, chard, arugula, dandelions, zucchini, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook covered, over medium heat, until very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the cover and cook, stirring frequently, until all liquid has evaporated, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Beat the eggs into the greens and pour the mixture into a buttered 9-inch glass or ceramic quiche pan. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and Jarlsberg cheeses.

Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in the bread crumbs and saute until golden. Spoon them over the pie. Bake 25 minutes. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving. Serves six.

Spinach salad with goat cheese

I'd suggest using half the mustard and adding a teaspoon of good honey instead. Also, I used olive oil instead of walnut oil, and toasted pine nuts instead of walnuts.

From the Food Network

Ingredients

Dressing:
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallot or red onion
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard [1 tsp is enough if you don't like it mustardy]
[1 tsp honey]
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons quality walnut oil, (see Cook's Note)

Salad:
8 cups baby spinach leaves, stems trimmed, washed, and dried
1/2 cup whole or chopped toasted walnuts
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese

Directions
In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, shallot, mustard, [honey] salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil to make a creamy dressing.

Put all but a large handful of the spinach in a large bowl. Toss with most of the dressing. Add remaining spinach and continue tossing until well coated.

Serve immediately topped with goat cheese and walnuts.


Cook's Note: If your walnut oil is very strong, use half walnut oil and extra-virgin olive oil.