Tortellini & Spring Vegetable Salad

This will be the last meal I share detailing our use of Week 1 items, because today Steve is picking up our Week 2 box (I heard a rumor there was rhubarb in the swap box today and I'm a little giddy about it)! I have an upcoming post planned to summarize our first week eating from the CSA and how we did with each of the items we received. That might be of interest to those who are curious about the real world practicality of this kind of service (myself included).

So, this spring pasta salad was a big winner for us. Steve said this was his favorite thing we made in Week 1. I thought the tortellini and goat cheese went great against all the veggies, and the simple oil & vinegar dressing was perfect. It came together so quickly and easily, and delivered far beyond what I was expecting, taste-wise. Best. case. scenario.

Tortellini and Spring Vegetable Salad on the kitchn

Used From Our CSA
asparagus
mixed greens (thrown in with some leftover grocery store baby spinach we also had on hand)
French breakfast radishes
red scallions (in lieu of chives)

Thoughts on the Recipe
- We used the frozen tortellini we had on hand, which was cheese (rather than pesto).
- I skipped the peas altogether. Fresh peas sounded good, but since we didn't have any, the idea of buying them frozen just to add them in with a bunch of other fresh, delicious things just didn't sound appealing. And peas aren't something we normally keep on hand for other recipes, so I just thought why bother?
- Leftovers assessment: It was ... okay. Definitely much better fresh. I actually ended up picking out the radishes at lunch the next day because I thought they really took on a bad, bitter flavor. Does anybody know why that might be? Is that a thing that radishes do once they've been cut?

Thanks for following along with our first week of CSA adventures. I can't wait to see what Week 2 brings!

Grilled Asparagus Tartines

I was totally smitten with this simple appetizer/side dish. Steve liked these too, but not nearly as much as I did, and I think I know why: this to me totally feels like something you would be served at a classy garden party or bed and breakfast. Where's my floppy sun hat? Personally, I can easily get behind food that is both delicious and makes me feel fancy, but I can see why Steve might not be so excited about that prospect.

Grilled Asparagus Tartines on Panini Happy

Sidenote: this website is completely devoted to recipes that can be made using a panini press. We don't have one ourselves, but I still think that concept is pure genius. Although we have been known to use our George Foreman Jr. to make paninis before - because we're resourceful (or maybe just desperate) like that.

Tartine: a fancy French open-faced sandwich topped with spreadable ingredients.

Used From Our CSA
asparagus
red scallions

I'm half counting the bread here too. It was not part of our CSA, but we grabbed it a few weeks ago at a local bakery for about $4. Then we cut it into thirds, froze them all separately, and collectively it lasted us two weeks - so good. We will be doing that again soon!

Thoughts on the Recipe
- If yesterday's chopped kale salad is the perfect make-and-take, dish, these tartines are the opposite of that. In my opinion, this is the kind of thing you want to pull off the skillet (or panini press, or grill), assemble as quickly as possible, and shove in your mouth while it's still hot and therefore at optimum levels of deliciousness. Is that allowed?
- These ended up being a little overboard on the oil for us, but I think it had more to do with our pesto than anything. Pesto is so easy to make but we got a small jar from the store this time around (whomp, whomp ... I know), and it was pretty oily. So next time I'll be more sparing with the oil when toasting the bread, unless maybe I have some homemade/less oily pesto.
- I sprinkled on a bit of kosher salt with the pepper.

We had these with a chicken dish we've made before, which we were able to use our CSA chicken breasts for. Check that recipe out here if you're so inclined (it's a work-intensive dish, but we enjoy it from time to time): Crispy Parmesan Chicken on The Comfort of Cooking. Together, they made for a delightful weekend dinner.