What we ate for dinner

Our first CSA box came from Harmony Valley last week, and it was everything I dreamed of. It was all I could do to not sprint the 3 blocks to our pickup location (I definitely would have had Sara not been walking with me). Upon returning home with our bounty, I immediately put some asparagus in the oven to roast for dinner.

Figuring out what to do with the rest was more of a challenge, but I made a master plan for using everything and we’ve done pretty well so far — especially since it’s finals time. There’s a lot to cover, so I’ll have to do these posts in installments. Here’s a recipe I came up with to use up a good portion of our vegetable abundance:

Lemony Lentil & Spring Vegetable Salad

3/4 C French lentils
3/4 C pearl barley
2-3 C parsnips chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
5 sunchokes peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
6 garlic cloves, peeled
6 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 bunch ramp bulbs sliced thin
4 radishes sliced
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 large or 2 medium lemons
salt
black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add lentils and barley and boil until tender — but not mushy (about 20-30 minutes).  Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
3. Toss parsnips, sunchokes, and garlic cloves with olive oil, spread on a rimmed baking sheet, and roast in the oven, stirring occasionally (or, not at all if you’re forgetful like me) until partially browned (about 20-30 minutes).
4. In a large bowl, combine cooked lentil mixture and roasted parsnip mixture with ramps, radishes,  lemon zest & juice, remaining 4 Tbsp olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste.

Never heard of a sunchoke? Neither have most people. This was the first time I’d cooked with them and I think roasting is the way to go — it seems to bring out their artichokey flavor. They’re hell to peel, though — look at all the nubs:

Time: 45 minutes