What we ate for dinner

One of my very best friends just moved back to Minnesota from California. And, since I haven’t started Summer classes, I actually had a little time to spend with him, so I invited him over for dinner and whipped up some green curry. Our beer pairing was Bell’s Oberon Ale, and we followed the whole thing with ice cream from Pumphouse, a little walk, and a long long talk. Perfect!

Green Curry with Tofu and Hon Tsai Tai
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine via Epicurious

1 14oz pkg extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch cubes
3 Tbsp vegetable oil, separated
1 medium onion sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp green curry paste
salt
2 small-medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 14oz can light coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 bunch hon tsai tai, stems removed and coarsely chopped
chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime cut into wedges

1. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add tofu and fry, turning every few minutes until browned on all sides. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp oil in large frying pan. Add onion and cook until softened (about 3-4 minutes).
3. Add garlic, curry paste, a good sprinkling of salt, and cook for 1 minute more.
4 Add sweet potatoes, coconut milk, and water, and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender (about 5 minutes).
6. Add hon tsai tai and simmer until wilted (just a minute or 2)
7. Add cilantro to taste and remove from heat.
8. Serve over jasmine rice with lime wedges.

I have three whole weeks off school before Summer classes start. This is exciting for a lot of reasons, one being that I get to cook more than once a week. I’ve got plans for several nights this week to use up the ingredients of our CSA box.

Here’s what we got:

Spinach
Arugula
Parsnips
Sunchokes
Sorrel
Nettles
Rhubarb
Chives
Red Radish
Hon Tsai Tai
Green Garlic

And here’s the plan:

Soup: nettles, sunchokes, chives, green garlic
Green curry: hon tsai tai, green garlic
Pesto: sorrel, arugula
Veggie burgers: spinach, radishes, chives
Pie: rhubarb
Side dish: parsnips (roasted)

I’ll post recipes throughout the week.
I love having a plan.