Let's Thai One On!

There are many cool things about being part of a “CSA” farm. Beets are just one of them.

Yes, we got more beets this week in our vegetable share from Square 1 Farm. I cooked them up right away and momentarily regretted having given half of our share to our neighbor with whom we’re splitting the veggies.  I probably should have traded for an extra head of Speckled Trout. Who knew I’d be a beet lover?

But as the summer comes on in full strength and the volume of the weekly share increases, there are more new things to try!  I still haven’t gotten around to making kale chips, but this week the share came with a bunch of fresh “Thai Basil”. Wait… what?

Being of Italian descent, I’m pretty familiar with your basic basil. It’s the centerpiece of the historic “Pizza Margherita” said to be invented in Naples to honor Queen Margherita of Savoy, wife of King Umberto I, by resembling the colors of the Italian flag: red tomatoes, white mozzarella cheese, and green basil. It’s also the heart of pesto, that tasty green glaze for pasta.

But Thai basil? I’d never heard of it. It looks a little like basil – the leaves are green. That’s about it.  It has purple stems and the leaves are narrower and pointier than the more familiar variety.  The smell is reminiscent of basil, but with a licorice overtone that I imagined coming from the dark stems. I’m not a huge licorice fan. Fennel and anise are similar turnoffs so I was a bit skeptical.

Another cool thing about the whole CSA thing is that our farmers, Valerie and McKenzie, send out a weekly newsletter the day before the share comes in and they include some recipes that feature some of the week’s harvest. This week’s newsletter just happened to include a recipe for “Thai Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce”. But of course!

Now I don’t know how “authentic” this recipe is.  It uses jalapeno peppers, for example, rather than the traditional red Thai chili variety.  And I was skeptical of the mysteriously high fat coconut milk ingredient. But I decided to give it a crack anyway. I like Asian food so why not?

I cut and chopped and prepped a number of ingredients.  I supplemented with a few of the fresh scallions I’d also gotten this week and I substituted a red bell pepper I had for the prescribed green one. I only set off the smoke alarm twice using the recommended peanut oil and didn’t lose too many ingredients practicing my utensil-less pan flipping.

I read the last part of the recipe a little late to “serve over hot rice” so the entrée went right on the plate with a salad on the side. I tossed a few reserved scallions and a sprig of the Thai basil on top to give it a little flourish.

And it wasn’t half bad! It was pungent and colorful. The peppers and onions came out with just a bit of crunch left to them – just the way I like them. The sauce was smooth and tasty and the chicken tender, with just enough heat to warm the heart. Our guest from Spain, Miguel, even went in for a second helping!

I’m having so much fun with our veggies this summer! I can’t wait to see what we get next week! Maybe something else I’m not sure I care for like okra or kohlrabi!?!?