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For the spinach, I thought an easy night’s meal would be a spinach quiche. My search led me to the website “Once Upon a Chef,” by Jenn Segal. I like her recipe because it uses Gruyère cheese and shallots along with the spinach, eggs, heavy cream, nutmeg, salt and cayenne pepper.
Although I could have purchased a premade pie shell, I used a recipe by Stella Parks, Buttery, Flaky Pie Crust. I par-baked the crust for 15 minutes before adding the filling. The quiche filling had minimal ingredients. Thinly sliced shallots are sautéed in butter until soft. I added my fresh, chopped spinach to the pan along with some salt, covered and let the spinach wilt. In a bowl, the eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt and cayenne were whisked together. To the pie shell, I added the shallot/spinach mixture topped with shredded Gruyère and lastly poured in the cream mixture. The quiche was baked at 325° for approximately 50 to 55 minutes. For dinner, I paired the quiche with a tossed salad made with lettuce from my CSA box. The quiche came out wonderful. The shallots and spinach made for a light filling, the Gruyère added creaminess and a nutty flavor. Overall, a wonderful meal for a warm evening. In the April 2024 issue of Southern Living Magazine, they had an article on spring vegetable recipes including Creamy Garlic Scape Soup. I tore the recipe from the magazine in anticipation that this year we would also receive garlic scapes in our CSA box. Sure enough, they were there again this year. The recipe called for one cup of garlic scapes. As we only receive about a half dozen strands, I was only able to get 1/2 cup for the soup. I had to cut the recipe in half. The other ingredients needed are unsalted butter, a baguette, Yukon Gold potatoes, chicken stock, fresh bay leaves, fresh baby spinach and sour cream. The baguette and some of the butter were needed to make fresh croutons for garnishing. The balance of butter, was used to sauté the chopped garlic scapes until softened. Next, chopped Yukon Gold potatoes along with chicken stock, bay leaf and salt are added. The contents were brought to a boil on the stovetop until the potatoes were tender. Off heat, the spinach was added and stirred until wilted. Using a blender, the mixture was puréed until smooth; this was followed by sour cream and blending again. To serve, the soup is ladled into bowls and garnished with the croutons and, if you have enough, additional chopped garlic scapes. Wow, what an unexpected pleasure! The soup was rich and creamy and had a light garlic flavor. The Yukon Gold potatoes lent a hand in the creaminess of the soup, with the sour cream providing a richness and slight tang. A wonderful recipe which begs for searching for additional garlic scapes at the farm markets. Although several versions of coleslaw are in my files, so what’s one more? I found a recipe on the website “Kalyn’s Kitchen,” by Kalyn Denny for Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw. Her recipe for coleslaw had a nice twist, a creamy dressing made with white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar, Golden Monkfruit Sweetener, minced garlic, sesame oil, fresh minced ginger, Sriracha sauce and mayonnaise. For the vinegar, I used white balsamic glaze and substituted pure maple syrup for the sweetener. I whisked up the dressing before I tackled the vegetable portion of the recipe. Besides the Napa cabbage, you’ll need sugar snap peas, radishes, green onions, cilantro and toasted sliced almonds. My husband and I aren’t particularly fond of cilantro, so I left that out as well as the sugar snap peas that I didn’t have. The Napa cabbage is thinly sliced, then chopped. The radishes were sliced then cut in half as well as the green onions which are sliced. All the vegetables were placed in a large bowl to be covered by the dressing, then mixed. This was a delightful coleslaw. The dressing was very flavorsome, no one ingredient dominated, but blended created a creamy dressing, that had a hint of sweetness from the white balsamic glaze and maple syrup, the soy sauce provided an umami taste and the sesame oil a bit of nuttiness. This is a different type of coleslaw that would be welcomed at any summer gathering.
Spinach Quiche
From the website “Once Upon a Chef, with Jenn Segal” Servings: 4 to 6 Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes INGREDIENTS 1 9-inch-deep dish frozen pie crust 1 tablespoon butter ½ cup thinly sliced shallots 4 large eggs 1¼ cups heavy cream Pinch ground nutmeg ¾ teaspoon salt ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 cup (4 oz) finely shredded Gruyère, packed 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung free of water INSTRUCTIONS
Note: I usually defrost the frozen spinach quickly by placing it in a fine mesh strainer and running hot water over it. I then gather the spinach into a ball and squeeze it dry. It takes a few minutes of squeezing and re-squeezing to get all the water out. Be patient...you need the spinach completely dry, otherwise your quiche will be watery. Note: Don't panic if your crust cracks—you can easily fix it. Make a smooth paste by mixing 1½ tablespoons of flour with 1 tablespoon softened butter. Use your fingers to patch up and fill any cracks, then place the crust back in the oven for a minute or so to set. It should be good as new. Make-Ahead Instructions: This quiche can be made up to a day ahead of time and refrigerated. To reheat: Cover the quiche with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until hot in the center. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cooked quiche can be frozen for up to 3 months. Remove the quiche from the freezer about 24 hours prior to eating and reheat it, covered with foil, in a 300°F oven until hot in the center 
Creamy Garlic Scape Soup
By Ann Taylor Pittman “Southern Living Magazine,” April 2024 Active Time: 35 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes Servings: 4 Ingredients 1/4 cup unsalted butter, divided 2 cups cubed baguette 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided 1 cup chopped garlic scapes, plus 2 Tbsp. thinly sliced garlic scapes, divided 1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 3 cups) 3 cups unsalted chicken stock 2 fresh bay leaves 2 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach 1/2 cup sour cream Directions
Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw
From the website “Kalynn’s Kitchen Prep Time 25 minutes Cook Time; 2 minutes Prep Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 27 minutes Yield: 6 generous servings INGREDIENTS: 1 small head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced then coarsely chopped (see notes) 1 C thinly and diagonally-sliced sugar snap peas 1 C radishes, sliced into half-moon shapes 1/2 cup sliced green onion 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (see notes) 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted DRESSING INGREDIENTS:
INSTRUCTIONS
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