The Purloined Recipe

Serves 6

2 pounds young, tender carrots, peeled and cut into pieces 2 inches long by 1/4-inch thick
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper

Steam carrots until tender but firm, about 10-15 minutes. Place in a mixing bowl. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over carrots while they are still hot. Toss to mix and chill before serving.

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2 large bell peppers, sliced in half and emptied out
2 C of cooked grain of your choice (rice, quinoa, couscous, lentils, tempeh, etc.)
1/3 to 1/2 C fresh basil or other herb
1/2 C of diced onion
1 C of chopped tomatoes
1/4 C goat cheese
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

EXTRAS: toss in a small handful (1/4 C) of your favorite things like walnuts, capers, olives, sun dried tomatoes, anchovies.

Stuffing a bell pepper is so easy, stuff it with ANYTHING you want or have. This is a great dish for using leftovers.

Cut your bell peppers in half lengthwise. Take out the seeds and white
membrane–a spoon works well for this. Set the halves aside.

Get together all the stuffing ingredients and start throwing them into a bowl. You can substitute some of the grain with tofu, meat, wild rice, or Manoomin, which is mucho delicious! At Trader Joe’s this stuff is sold pre-cooked in a vacuum packed bag.

Mix it all up in a bowl, season it and taste it. Does it taste good? Could you eat this on its own? If you say YES then stuff the peppers! If you say no…play with the mix some more and get it tasting just right.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Line up your pepper halves in some sort of a baking pan and stuff ‘em! Chuck them in the oven and let it ride for about 30 minutes. When a fork easily pierces the skin of a pepper they are done!

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8 banana peppers
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound hot Italian sausage
1 pound mild Italian sausage
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

1. Cut off tops of peppers, and remove ribs and seeds. Chop edible portions of tops; set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Add peppers, reduce heat, and simmer until tender but firm, about 5 mins. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat butter in a medium skillet. Sauté reserved chopped pepper, onion and celery until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and garlic. Season with basil, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine egg, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan. Mix in hot sausage, mild sausage, bread crumbs and 1 cup of the tomato sauce mixture.
5. Using a piping bag or sausage stuffer, fill each pepper with the meat mixture. Place in a 3 quart casserole dish, and pour remaining tomato sauce mixture over peppers.
6. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 1 hour.

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Serves 6

At first glance, you may think that these vegetables are overcooked to death. Long slow roasting though allows the individual flavors to intermingle. The potatoes are meltingly tender without becoming mushy, the onions are marvelously sweet and the spices have mellowed. The smoked cheese adds a meaty quality so although this is a great side dish for grilled poultry and pork, it is also substantial enough to satisfy a hearty vegetarian appetite.

2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. yellow zucchini, cut in 1/3-inch rounds
½ lb. small red potatoes, scrubbed, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
3 large ripe tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
1 each red and green bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares
1 Serrano pepper, seeded and minced…(use your Chilepenos)
6 ozs white mushrooms, sliced ¼-inch thick
1 Tbs. each fresh thyme and basil leaves
¾ cup white wine
4 ozs smoked mozzarella, shredded
½ cup Parmesan, freshly shredded

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a roasting pan and place onions and garlic in pan.

Add olive oil and coat the vegetables. Cover with foil and roast for 30 minutes.

Remove and add remaining ingredients except cheese. Cover again and bake or 45 minutes. Cover and roast for another 45 minutes.

Remove cover, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until cheese has melted. Serve hot or just slightly warm.

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from Molly Beverly

Soft cheese layered with green herb and garlic paste. Simple to prepare; allow extra time for complete chilling. Serves 18 as an appetizer.

8 ounces Neufchâtel cheese (a lower fat cream cheese)
1 cup ricotta cheese

Pesto:

1 1/2 cups fresh large basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup pine nuts (I substitute walnuts)
2-3 small cloves garlic
Salt to taste

Garnish:

pine nuts, strips of red pepper and/or black olives

Combine Nuefchâtel and ricotta cheese and chill for 3 hours or more.
Meanwhile make the pesto. Place basil leaves in a colander. Cover with boiling water for 5 seconds, then drain completely and pat dry. Place in blender with olive oil, cheese, pine nuts, garlic and just enough water to make it run smoothly.

Blend until very smooth and thick. Add salt to taste. Chill.

To assemble spread half the cheese mixture in a 9X5-inch loaf pan. Brush with olive oil and cover with half of the pesto. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Cover this with the rest of the cheese. Brush with olive oil and layer the rest of the pesto. Sprinkle with pine nuts and decorate with strips of red pepper and black olives.

Refrigerate 12-24 hours before serving. Serve with slices of good French bread and raw vegetables.

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Serves 4

Vary the sauce with any tender herbs you have on hand.

3 shallots, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more for seasoning
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups packed mixed fresh herbs, such as mint, flat-leaf parsley, tarragon and Basil, finely chopped
¼ cup snipped fresh fennel fronds, finely chopped
Freshly ground pepper
¾ pound spaghetti or other pasta

1. Fill a large pot with water; bring to a boil over high heat. Add salt and pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, place shallots on a cutting board, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Using the side of a chef’s knife, crush into a paste. Transfer to a medium bowl, and add oil and lemon juice. Whisk to combine. Add herbs and fennel fronds to shallot paste, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Drain the pasta in a colander, and return to pot. Stir in the herb sauce. Serve warm.

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from Hallie Harron

Serves 4

Tians are traditional rustic provincial casserole dishes that are oven proof and pretty enough to bring right to the table. A regular oval gratin or casserole is also just fine for this. The eggplant technique, given to me by author Mary Evans was need to salt it and saves lots of time and oil that usually goes into frying. The mild eggplant devours the flavor from the sauce and is soft, succulent and delicious.

1 medium eggplant, about 1 lb, sliced ¼-inch thick
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3 large tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
3 ozs fresh mozzarella, hand shredded
4 eggs, beaten
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Oil an 10-inch oval tian, gratin or oven-proof skillet. Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling. Place eggplant slices in water and boil for 5 minutes. Remove with tongs to a paper towel and pat dry.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add fennel, onion, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Add tomatoes and cook for 7-8 minutes. The tomatoes will give off their juice and the liquid will have evaporated. Stir in ½ cup basil. Remove from heat. Line the bottom of the prepared pan with eggplant slices. Top with tomato mixture.

Pour eggs over the top. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with cheese and olives and remaining basil. Bake for an additional 20 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

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Serves 6

All the nightshades are braised together in a sauce of basil and cilantro, two herbs that are quite possibly even better in combination than they are separately. Serve warm or at room temperature with a spoonful of garlic-infused yogurt or a wedge of lemon.

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1½ pounds Yellow Finn, Russian Banana, or other waxy potatoes
2 large peppers, red and/or yellow bells or cubanelles
vegetable oil
1 cup packed basil leaves
1 cup packed cilantro leaves
3 large garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon roasted ground cumin
2 large onions, peeled and cut into eighths, or 16 very small onions
1 pound short oblong eggplants, such as Ichiban, quartered lengthwise
2 or 3 large meaty red tomatoes peeled, seeded, and diced
1½ cups cooked chickpeas (1 15-ounce can, rinsed)

Preheat the broiler. Bring 6 cups water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon salt. Slice the potatoes lengthwise about ½ inch thick, boil them for 5 minutes, and drain. Halve the peppers lengthwise, press to flatten them, then brush with vegetable oil. Broil, cut side down, on a baking sheet until blistered but not charred. Stack them on top of one another and set aside to steam. When cool, remove the skins and cut the pieces in half. Set the oven temperature at 350°F.

Coarsely chop the basil, cilantro, and garlic, then puree in a small food processor with olive oil, cumin and ½ teaspoon salt.

Toss all the vegetables with 1 teaspoon salt, some freshly ground pepper, and the herb mixture. Using your hands, rub the herb mixture into the vegetables, especially the eggplant, then add the chickpeas and toss once more. Transfer everything to an earthenware gratin dish. Rinse out the herb container with ½ cup water and pour it over all Cover the gratin dish tightly with foil and bake until tender, about 1½ hours. Remove the foil, brush the exposed vegetables with the juices, and bake for 20 minutes more. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

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from Molly Beverly
Serves 4.

When the harvest is on and the eggplant are coming in by the bushel, I take an afternoon to freeze a big batch of this for my winter stock of instant dinners. For an even easier version, substitute ready-made Italian tomato sauce.

Wine Tomato Sauce

1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or basil OR 1 Tablespoon dried
3 cloves garlic finely minced
1/4 teaspoon fennel seed
Salt and pepper to taste
Water to thin
1 medium eggplant
vegetable oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
Slice eggplant 1/2 inch thick. Lightly brush both sides of eggplant slices with vegetable oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

For sauce: In a saucepan mix together tomato paste, olive oil, wine, herbs, garlic and fennel. Add enough water to make a medium bodied sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Taste, add salt and pepper, and more herbs if desired. Top each slice of eggplant with a slice of mozzarella, a couple tablespoonfuls of sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Return to oven and heat until bubbly, about 10 minutes.
FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS: Bake eggplant as above, then lay out slices on foil. Cover with mozzarella cheese, sauce, and Parmesan. Wrap airtight and freeze. To use place frozen Eggplant Parmesan in a 350° oven for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

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(recipe from the book Local Flavors used with permission of the author, Deborah Madison)

Serves 6 as an appetizer.

I’ve been making Sun Gold tomato soups ever since sipping one that was astonishing at Casablanca restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The little yellow-orange tomatoes are so sweet that you really have to have the vinegar.

(At the restaurant they used a full-bodied Spanish Chardonnay vinegar.)

You needn’t serve more than a taste of this sweet-tart soup. It makes a stimulating,
eye-opening start to a summer meat on a hot day.

2 pints Sun Gold cherry tomatoes
2 shallots, finely diced
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons Spanish Chardonnay vinegar or champagne vinegar, plus a few
drops sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons finely diced and seeded Serrano chile, optional
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 firm avocado, finely diced
1 tablespoon chopped basil or cilantro

1. Pluck the stems off the tomatoes and rinse them. Add them to a heavy
   saucepan with a tight-fitting lid with half the shallots, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 cup
   water. Cook over medium-high heat, keeping one ear inclined to the pot. Soon
   you’ll hear the tomatoes popping. Take a peek after a few minutes to make sure
   there’s sufficient moisture in the pan you don’t want the tomatoes to scorch. If the
   skins are slow to pop, add a few tablespoons water. Once they release their
   juices, lower the heat and cook, covered, for 25 minutes.
2. Run the tomatoes through a food mill. You’ll have about 2 cups. Chill well, then taste for salt.
3. Just before serving, combine the remaining shallots in a bowl with the vinegar, chile if using, oil, avocado, and herbs. Season with a pinch or two of salt and some pepper. Spoon the soup into small cups, divide the garnish among them,
   and serve.

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