The contents of my Medium box this week:

• Broccoli
• English Peas
• Fennel
• Green Cabbage
• Radicchio
• Red Romaine Lettuce
• Purplette Onions
• White Cauliflower

Look at this recipe I found online for roasted fennel salad with apple and radicchio! Perfect for this week’s box. NYTimes also has a similar salad recipe, with grapes instead.

When fennel is kissed by an oven’s fiery heat, its strong anise flavor is toned down and replaced by a mellow char and sweetness.

 Hana Asbrink, https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023055-roasted-fennel-and-grape-salad

I’m surprised that I forgot my go-to recipe for using up cabbage. It doesn’t even need to be cabbage, it can use up pretty much any vegetable.

LFFC shared this link in their email newsletter years ago: https://www.budgetbytes.com/savory-cabbage-pancakes-okonomiyaki/

This recipe doesn’t include nagaimo, dashi, bonito, or even Kewpie, but the pancake batter recipe makes a good vehicle for all and all shredded vegetables. And really, it doesn’t matter because it’s okonomi! I like a drizzle of Kewpie mayo, fresh scallion, and togarashi as the toppings. I also make and freeze extra okonomiyaki. Freeze individually before stacking in a freezer bag. I defrost in the microwave and then re-fry it for crispy edges.

The broccoli heads are small and mostly leaf. I like it, it reminds me that I’m buying vegetables, not a product that has passed commercial aesthetic standards. The leaf texture looks more like collards than lettuce, so I might try the long braise method vs. a sauté or blanch. Or, I might chop and add to the okonomiyaki. It’s such a versatile recipe.