Ring the bells! Fire the cannons! Eat 12 grilled pizzas covered with ramps and artisanal mozzarella!

It’s CSA season!

Finally… here come the daydreams about various sautéed greens and their accoutrements, salad brainstorms on overheated subway platforms, incredibly specific queries on foodgawker, and ruminating on if #csalove is a better hashtag than #ilovemycsa. (It isn’t. #csalove is about people who really love a children’s cheerleading school in South Carolina.)

And this is just the first month, when all you get are various green leaves! No telling what will happen to my co-workers once we get actual whole vegetables to cook with! Any time I open my mouth to tell them about previous or past dinner plans I will be met with a cold shoulder and an “I miss winter” eye roll.

This dinner was from the night of our first haul, from the Brooklyn Beet CSA. I’ve never cooked with tatsoi before but hope we get more soon! It’s similar to bok choy but less bitter and as delicious raw as it was lightly stir-fried. We also received thyme, cilantro, baby kale, mizuna (new favorite salad green), “light Asian greens”(?!), and red garner, whatever the heck that is. Apparently it doesn’t exist on the internet. (Please prove me wrong!)

Tatsoi and Tofu Stir-fry with Soba Noodles

streamlined and adapted from simple seasonal

½ t toasted sesame oil
½ t sunflower (or peanut or canola) oil
½ 14-oz. pkg super-firm tofu, in bite-sized cubes
1/2 t soy sauce
a pinch garlic powder
2 shitakes, thin slices
1 red bell pepper, thin slices
2-3 c tatsoi, stems and leaves, roots cut off and washed thoroughly (or another green!)
3.1 oz soba noodles
2 scallions, white and light green parts only, sliced
sprinkle of black sesame seeds (or white)

Sauce:
1 c broth
2T brown sugar
2T soy sauce
1T rice vinegar
2 t toasted sesame oil
1T corn starch
1 t garlic powder
¼ t ginger powder
⅛ t cayenne pepper
scant ⅓ c miso

Press tofu cubes under a heavy plate, a layer of paper towels, and some cast iron skillets for 20 minutes to an hour before you start cooking. (Or don’t, but removing its moisture now helps it get crispier later!)

Heat both oils in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add tofu chunks and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until lightly browned on all sides. Once browned, add soy sauce and garlic powder and cook for another 30 seconds. Take out of skillet and set aside in a bowl.

Place red pepper in same pan (no need to add extra oil). Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Remove and add to tofu bowl. Next, add shitakes until they brown, about 3-5 minutes. Don’t crowd them or they won’t brown well!

Meanwhile, cook soba noodles according to instructions on package. Make sure to rinse with cold water when done cooking.

Also meanwhile, make your sauce. Whisk together all ingredients in a small saucepan, except miso. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2 minutes. It should thicken slightly. Remove from heat and whisk in miso.

When mushrooms are done, add peppers and tofu back to pan, along with your tatsoi. Lower to medium-low heat. Cook until greens start to wilt, about 1-2 minutes. When that’s achieved, add noodles and sauce. Cook for another minute to evenly coat and warm through. Serve topped with scallions and black sesame seeds. #csadinnerlove4eva