ITEMS
Daikon Radishes
Oyster Mushrooms
Red & Green Lettuce Mix
Parsnips
Dozen Eggs
Ground Pork / Lentil Burgers
PRODUCERS
Mill Crick Farm - Hamilton
Mother Fungi - Missoula
Local Bounti - Hamilton
Amaltheia Organic Produce - Belgrade
Dutch Girl Eggs - Churchill / Three Hearts Farm - Bozeman
Amaltheia Organic Pork - Belgrade / MMFEC - Ronan
Banh Mi-Styles Sandwiches
Banh Mi are a Vietnamese sandwich featuring a delightful combination of sweet & tangy pickled vegetables, spicy mayo, an umami-rich filling, and fresh herbs on a baguette that's soft on the inside and just slightly crunch on the outside. This combo makes it the kind of sandwich people get passionate about. We're not aspiring for authenticity here, but rather a flavorful approximation that is fun to make, fun to eat, and a welcome break from traditional holiday foods. The soft French baguettes at most grocery stores will work fine for the bread, but so would burger buns, kaiser or hoagie rolls, or skip the bread for "Banh Mi Bowls" with a cooked grain.
Quick Pickled Vegetables
These sweet and tangy pickles are great not just for Banh Mi, but also alongside rice or noodles dishes, on pho or ramen, burgers, hot dogs, lettuce wraps, etc. Recipe fills ~1 pint jar.
2 C vegetables, shredded or thinly sliced: a combination of daikon radish, carrot, and/or parsnip would be perfect, but you could also add cucumber or jalapeños for more kick.
2 Tbs unseasoned rice vinegar, sub apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs white sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
In a bowl, toss together shredded or sliced vegetables, vinegar, sugar and salt and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or stick in the fridge until you're ready to use them. The longer they sit, the tastier they'll be. Store any excess in the fridge for up to a few weeks, covered.
Spicy Mayo
1/2 C mayonnaise, whichever kind you like
2 Tbs sriracha or chili garlic sauce, or use 1 1/2 Tbs hot sauce like Tabasco, 2 tsp tomato paste, and a bit of minced garlic.
Whisk together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust to your liking. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Cover and set aside until you're ready to build sandwiches.
Banh Mi-style Filling with Ground Pork
This recipe makes a sloppy-joe style filling, but you could also mix the ingredients to make burger patties or meatballs.
1 Tbs vegetable oil or other neutral cooking oil
3 Tbs scallions or onion, finely chopped
2-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 lb ground pork
2 Tbs fish sauce (if you don't have/don't use fish sauce, soy sauce or tamari can be substituted)
1/2 tsp each kosher salt and black pepper, or to taste
1 Tbs chili garlic sauce (optional)
1/2 C chopped fresh basil
2 Tbs fresh lime juice (rice vinegar can be substituted, though lime juice is best!)
1 tsp fresh lime zest
Heat a skillet, add the oil, then the onion and garlic. Sauté briefly, about 1 minute, then add the ground pork. Cook, stirring and breaking up until pork is no longer pink, 7-10 minutes. Drain some of the pork fat off if there's a lot. Add remaining ingredients along with another 1 Tbs chili garlic sauce for added spice. Turn off heat and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Banh Mi-style Vegetarian Filling
This sauteed vegetable filling uses most of the same ingredients as above, but marinated tofu, sliced avocado, or the lentil burger patties with a little extra seasoning could all be good veggie fillings to try.
Instead of ground pork, use ~1 pound of vegetables, chopped small or sliced to similar sizes. The oyster mushrooms and parsnips would work, or use a whole pound of mixed of mushrooms, or maybe cauliflower, diced winter squash, zucchini, eggplant, or whatever sounds good.
Increase the oil to ~2 Tbs
Decrease the fish sauce (or soy substitute) and lime juice by half to start with. You can always add more, but the liquid in the vegetables may make it too saucy.
Heat a skillet, add the oil, then add the vegetables, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Let them cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes to brown a bit. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft and browned to your liking, 5-8 minutes depending on the veggies and cut size. Turn the heat down, stir in the garlic and scallions for ~1 minute, then add the fish sauce (or substitute), lime juice, zest, and basil. Taste and adjust for seasoning or liquid as needed.
Compiling your Banh Mi-Style Sandwich or Burger
With all your separate components prepared, slice the bread, smear with spicy mayo, add pork or veggie filling, top with pickles and a handful of fresh cilantro (sub mint or basil), and dig in! Serve with sliced jalapeños or sriracha for anyone who likes the extra heat.
Additional Recipes and Suggestions
Still craving holiday foods? Try this Roasted mushroom, parsnip, potato, and spinach casserole.
If you missed it, this hearty root vegetable and mushroom stew is a lighter take on beef stew.
This linguine with caramelized shallots, parsnips, and spinach is a surprisingly delicious way to use parsnips
There are many ways to make a roasted root vegetable salad. Here's one, here's another.
A frittata with some roasted or sauteed vegetables, a bit of cheese, and maybe some fresh herbs sounds delicious right now. Add a bit of dressed greens on the side and you have a beautiful meal...
I come back to this grain salad again and again because it's endlessly adaptable to what I have in the fridge. Lettuce greens, assorted root vegetables and/or mushrooms either sauteed or roasted, maybe a fried or soft boiled egg, and any cooked grain or legume in a nice, simple vinaigrette. Maybe some cheese, or nuts...