CSA Share Ninja Rescue: leeks, arugula and radishes

Photo by Nathalie Dulex via stock.xchng

Welcome back to the CSA Share Ninja Rescue feature, where you tell me what items in your CSA share are making you scratch your head or lose your patience and I provide you with some help in the form of recipes or ideas.

To see how it works, check out the previous installments:

• Cabbage, kale and peas
• Beets, turnips and fava beans

Commenters from last week have asked for recipe ideas for leeks, arugula and radishes.

Leeks
If you haven't cooked with leeks very much, be warned: they are very, very dirty. But they are also easy to clean -- check out this great demo video from Gourmet.

• Eggs baked in cream from The Wednesday Chef: This makes a lovely brunch dish or light dinner
• Vichyssoise: Potato and leek soup -- a classic!
• Ham and leek bread pudding via The Ninj and Thomas Keller (sort of): No bourbon, but still amazing

Arugula
Raw or cooked, arugula adds a great peppery tang.

• Creole shrimp remoulade over arugula from Cooking Light: Quick to prepare, and the spicy arugula is the perfect foil to the creamy yet tangy remoulade
• Try substituting arugula in any recipe that calls for spinach, especially if you like your food on the spicy side
• Make a pizza: using whatever dough or bread shell you prefer, layer on roasted tomatoes, a couple of handfuls of arugula and some big dollops of ricotta cheese -- cover with some shredded parmesan and mozzarella and bake.

Radishes
I hope your CSA includes different varieties of radishes than what we are used to seeing in the grocery store -- the flavors can be so different! Don't forget to save your radish tops, too, to use in salads and soups.

• Radishes with butter and salt via Orangette: So very French -- solo, as an appetizer or aperitif, or layered on a baguette for a quick lunch
• Radish and arugula salad (origin unknown, as I just have a uncredited printout in my recipe folder):
  

  Ingredients
  1 bunch of radishes, tops trimmed, thinly sliced
  2 cups arugula
  olive oil
  2 oz. shaved / shredded parmesan cheese
  salt and pepper
  
  Directions
  Toss radishes and arugula with olive oil. Add cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Eat.

So, whatcha gettin' in your box next week?