Week 3: Smells of licorice

Given that today is Summer Solstice, it's only fitting that the rain seems finally gone — its a perfect 80 degree day. This week's box was super-fresh and hefty. Having never shelled fresh beans/peas, nor cooked with fennel, it is a week of firsts. I plan to cook with the fennel tonight, but even when I cleaned it last week, it had an amazing anise fragrance.

Best week thus far!

Have you ever cooked with fennel? I had to search far and wide before I found a recipe that struck me — it's pasta with sausage and onions by Lidia Bastianich. Interestingly, my partner Brian was just at her New York City Italian market, Eataly and loved it. He said that even the most simple items like a foccachia were the best he'd ever had. If you don't know of Lidia, check out her PBS cooking show. It's a great mix of regional Italian dishes, plus background on the culture and artisans of each region. For example, she visited Alto-Adige on the northern border, and I couldn't believe how the schnitzels and warm potato salads differed from what we think of in the United States as typical Italian cuisine.

So, if I had to make one complaint about the CSA system so far, it's the repeated items. For a third week in a row, we received strawberries and potatoes. I typically don't buy potatoes, so almost 10 lbs of potatoes in three weeks is tough to accommodate. Otherwise things are going swimmingly and even with Brian out of town, I'm finding ways to cook everything.

Summary of week three: fennel (1 bulb), Tuscan kale (1 bunch), spinach (1 bunch), zucchini (variety), 3 lbs potatoes, English peas (1 cup shelled), baby bok choy (3 heads), red onions (2), strawberries (1 pint).