Celebrate the start of summer in the DMV with a Maryland crab cake. These have just enough filling to hold them together and not one bit more! Spicy mayonnaise is the perfect sauce for these and this week’s radish blend offers perfect peppery heat!

Ingredients

For the crab cakes:

• 1 lb jumbo lump or backfin Maryland crab meat
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp Old Bay
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire
• 1 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs (about 2 slices of sandwich bread pulsed in the food processor)
• 1 tbs chopped parsley
• About 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 tbs olive oil

For the mayonnaise:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup radish blend microgreens
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Sherry vinegar

Directions

Make crab cake mixture: Pick through crab carefully removing any bits of shell. Reserve. In a large bowl, whisk together egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay, lemon juice, and Worcestershire. Add crab and gently toss to combine. Add bread crumbs and parsley. Toss gently again to combine. Overworking the crab may turn it into mush.Cover and refrigerate mixture for 1 hour.

Shape crab cakes: Shape mixture into 8 crab cakes, 1.5-2” thick. Place panko on a plate and press crab cakes into bread crumbs to lightly coat each side. You can cook them at this point, but chilling for one additional hour will make them hold together better. You can also freeze them now and bake them in the oven later.

Make mayonnaise: Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Season with a pinch of salt if desired.

TIP: Add Lindera Farms Ramp Vinegar instead of the lemon juice in the crab cakes and for the mayonnaise to make these extra special and local.

Asparagus soup gets a spicy burst of flavor from this week’s microgreen blend. Potato and leek help thicken the soup without overpowering the delicate flavor of fresh spring asparagus.

Ingredients

• 2 bunches asparagus, about 2 pounds
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbs chopped parsley, reserve stems
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced
• 2 medium red potatoes, diced
• 1 cup spicy microgreens, plus extra for garnish
• Butter
• Sherry vinegar

Directions

Snap tough ends from asparagus. Add to a 4 qt saucepan with stock, thyme, bay and parsley stems. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Melt butter in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add leeks and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes and cook for 5 minutes longer. Add 2 cups water and cook until water has evaporated. Strain stock into soup pot with potatoes and leeks, discarding herbs and asparagus ends. Cook, partially covered, until potatoes are soft. Cut asparagus into 2” pieces, leaving tips whole, and add to stock. Remove 10-12 tips after 3 minutes.

When asparagus is just tender add microgreens and purée in a blender or with an immersion blender. Stir through parsley. Season to taste with salt, pepper, butter and vinegar. Garnish with asparagus tips and additional microgreens.

Mom deserves something special and this not-too-sweet, creamy vinaigrette delivers! The microgreens bring peppery radish, sweet beets, earthy amaranth and earthy red cabbage adding complexity that delights without overpowering. This salad is all about delicate and elegant balance.

Ingredients

For salad:

• 2 cup Sunnies
• 2 cup Mother’s Day blend
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

For vinaigrette:

• 1 tbs roughly chopped shallot
• 5 large strawberries, hulled
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 cup neutral oil like Canola or avocado

Directions

Make vinaigrette: Place shallot, strawberries, balsamic vinegar and sugar in a blender. Season with a small pinch of salt and blend to purée. While the blender is on, drizzle in oil to form a creamy emulsion.

Assemble salad: toss sunnies and Mother’s Day blend. Drizzle 2-3 tbs dressing over each of four plates. Top with 1 cup of mixed greens and 1 tbs of slivered almonds.

TIP: Why am I using more processed ingredients like Canola oil and white sugar in this vinaigrette? They have more neutral flavors, allowing the more delicate strawberries and white balsamic to shine through.

This comes as more of a shock than it should, but braised radishes lose their pepperiness and taste like, well, root vegetables. Earthy, sweet brassica microgreens provide the perfect balance to the rich, buttery-ness of the radishes.

Ingredients

• 2 tbs butter
• 2 bunches radishes, tops removed and bulbs halved or quartered
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 cups chicken or veg stock
• 2 tsp white balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups Brassica microgreens blend

Directions

Melt butter in a 3 quart sauté pan over med heat. Add radishes and cook 5 min. Add fennel seed and cook 1 min longer.

Add stock, cover and simmer until radishes are tender, about 5 min longer.

Remove cover and reduce stock to glaze radishes. Deglaze pan with vinegar and toss with microgreens.

TIP: Brassica is one of the most prolific food producing genera of plants including cabbage, turnips, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, arugula, broccoli, cauliflower and even the seed processed to make Canola oil.