The Purloined Recipe

From CSA member Nika Nordbrock

10 oz. zucchini (about 2 medium), trimmed and chopped

½ c. chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 c. chopped white onion

5 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 ½ Tablespoons chopped, seeded jalapeno

1 ¼ teaspoon finely grated lime peel

1 ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Puree all ingredients in blender until smooth

cilantro, dips, onions, peppers, squash - summer

from Whipstone Farm

Pork (shoulder, chop, roast) chopped and sautéed OR 2-3 lbs. pot roast, cooked until it shreds easily OR 4 C. pinto beans, soaked and cooked until tender
2 onions diced
3 cloves garlic
3-6 roasted green chiles, skins and seeds removed
oregano, cumin, coriander
salt to taste
2 cups tomatillos, blended
½ bunch cilantro, chopped

Sauté the garlic, onions and spices about 10 minutes. Add meat or beans, green chiles and tomatillos to the sauté. Simmer until the mixture thickens. If you need to get it thicker, add corn starch, flour or even okra. Add cilantro when you remove from heat. This chile is excellent with warm tortillas.

The Recipes, chiles, cilantro, entrees, garlic, tomatillos

1 - 9×13 Casserole dish
4-5 - Med Assorted Squash
1/2 Red Onion
1/2 Head of Cauliflower - Broken into small florets
2 16 oz cans of tomato sauce or one Jar of Spaghetti Sauce
One handful Fresh Herbs - I use Basil, Oregano, Sage and Marjoram
3 Cloves of Garlic - pressed
Salt, Pepper and Red Chili Pepper Flakes to Taste
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese
Parmesan Cheese to Taste
Slivered Almonds

Chop assorted squash and onion. Layer in casserole with cauliflower. Pour tomato/spaghetti sauce, garlic, fresh herbs and Salt, Pepper and Red Chili Pepper Flakes over the veggie mixture. Add cheese to the top and then almonds.

Cover and bake at 350 for 40 minutes then take off the cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until browned.

*You can also turn this into a southwest dish by adding a can of tomatoes with green chilies, 1 can of plain tomatoes sauce and adding assorted bell peppers. Omit the Italian fresh herbs and add seasonings such as ground chipotle chili pepper, cumin and top with fresh cilantro.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, basil, chiles, cilantro, entrees, garlic, oregano, sage, side dishes, squash - summer

Serves 4 to 6

By the time the greens have cooked for 45 minutes, their sting is gone and they’re tender and silky. If you prefer slightly milder greens, use one bunch eachof mustard greens and chard, or all chard.

2 big bunches mustard greens, coarse stems removed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup white rice
2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup chopped cilantro stems and leaves
sea salt
plain yogurt, Goat’s Milk Yogurt with Cilantro and Mint, or lemon wedges

1. Wash the mustard greens well, then chop, but don’t dry them.
2. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, rice, ginger, cumin, and paprika. Stir to coat with the oil. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the cilantro and the mustard (and/or chard greens.
3. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, cover the pan, and cool until the volume has reduced, 10 to 15 minutes. Give everything a stir, then reduce heat to low, re-cover, and cook slowly for 40 minutes. There should be ample moisture in the pot, but check once or twice to make sure that nothing is sticking on the bottom. If the pan seems dry, add a few tablespoons of water.
4. Cook until the greens are really tender, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Serve warm or at room temperature, with yogurt spooned over the top or a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, cilantro, onions, other greens, side dishes, swiss chard

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.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, basil, cilantro, eggplant, entrees, garlic, onions, peppers, potatoes, salads, side dishes, soups, stews

(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.

appetizers, basil, chiles, cilantro, onions, soups, tomatoes

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

Serves 2 - 4.

Sorrel fares miserably when packaged in plastic clamshells—it just falls apart.

Plus sorrel is something you want to use by the bunch, not just by the leaf, and
the farmers’ market is one place you can often find this tart, lemony herb in
abundance.

Lovage is harder to find, even at the farmers’ market, but ask an herb seller if she has some or would consider growing it. It’s an easy herb to grow, and its bracing, dynamic flavor adds a tot of personality to all kinds of dishes. Together these herbs give this soup a mysterious flavor that’s a little hard to place but definitely exciting. (A small bunch of cilantro would do the same thing, lacking the other herbs.) Made with the lesser amount of liquid, the soup is thick and hearty. Using the full amount makes a more refined soup.

Serve with small croutons crisped in olive oil or with a few tablespoons of cooked rice in each bowl.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 small potatoes, thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
3 to 4 cups (6 to 8 ounces) sorrel, stems removed
4 cups chard leaves
1 cup lovage or cilantro leaves, finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
4 to 6 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock, or water
lemon juice or white wine vinegar
1/3 cup crème fraîche

1. Warm the butter and oil in a soup pot. Add the onion, potatoes, carrot. sorrel, and chard, along with the water clinging to its leaves. Add two thirds of the
   lovage and sprinkle 1½ teaspoons salt over all. Cover and cook over low heat
   until the greens have collapsed and the potatoes are partially cooked, about 15
   minutes. If the pan seems too dry at any point, add water in small increments so
   that nothing burns.
2. Add the stock or water, bring to a boil, and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Puree or leave the soup with some texture. Stir in the remaining lovage. Taste for salt and season with pepper and lemon juice or vinegar to taste to bring out the flavors. Sometimes several adjustments are necessary to get it right. Stir in the crème fraîche and serve.

carrots, cilantro, lovage, onions, potatoes, sorrel, soups, swiss chard

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

Serves 4 - 6

The Noodle Nests
2 eggs, separated
3 ounces, (1 3/4 cups) fine egg noodles such as fideos or capellini, uncooked
1/3 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
sea salt
peanut oil for frying

1. Beat the egg whites until they hold firm peaks, then stir in the yolks, noodles, cheese, and cilantro. Season with a few pinches of salt, then really work the mixture with your hands or a wooden spoon so that it’s more or less
   homogenous. It will look impossibly dry and stiff.
2. Heat enough oil in a medium skillet over medium-high hear to float the
   noodles, at least 1/3 inch. When it’s hot, drop the batter into the oil, dividing it into
   4 or 6 portions by eye.
3. Fry until golden, about 1 minute, then turn and fry the second side, another minute. Set aside on paper towels. These can be made hours ahead of time.

The Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 bunches scallions, including an inch or 2 of the greens, finely chopped
1 celery rib, diced
1 cup finely chopped cilantro stems and leaves, packed
Leaves from 1 bunch chard, green or rainbow (bright lights), about 6 cups, packed
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock, or water
Cilantro sprigs for garnish

1. Warm the oil in a soup pot. Add the scallions and celery and cook over
   medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. After a few minutes, add the cilantro and
   ½ cup water so that the vegetables stew rather then fry. Add the chard leaves,
   sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, then cover and cook until the chard has wilted
   down. Add the stock or water.
2. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and add the noodle nests to the pot. Simmer until the chard is tender, about 10 minutes. Taste for salt and season with
   pepper. Ladle the soup into soup plates, include a noodle nest in each bowl, and
   serve garnished with a sprig of cilantro.

cilantro, onions, soups, swiss chard

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

Serves 4.

The Saffron Dumplings (makes 20 small dumplings)
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pinches saffron threads
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup minced fennel greens
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs

1. Heat the milk with the butter, saffron, ½ teaspoon salt, and a little pepper.
   When the butter has melted, stir in the fennel greens, then add the flour all at
   once. Remove the pan from the heat and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon to
   make a smooth paste, then return the pan to low heat and work the paste until it
   leaves a film on the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat and beat in the eggs one
   at a time, until completely smooth.
2. Bring a large skillet of water to a simmer and add 1 teaspoon salt. Drop
   Loosely heaped teaspoons of batter into the pan. Cook gently until they’re firm,
   turning once, about 5 minutes. When done, transfer the dumplings to a plate and
   set them aside until needed.

The Soup
1 hefty or 2 smaller fennel bulbs, about 6 ounces
1 bunch scallions, including a few inches of the greens
1 large artichoke
1 quart vegetable stock, light chicken stock, or water
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon finely snipped chives
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
extra virgin olive oil to finish

1. Quarter the fennel bulb(s) and slice very thinly crosswise. Chop enough of the greens to make ¾ cup. Trim the scallions and slice them crosswise about ¾ inch
   thick. Pare and quarter the artichoke, removing the leaves and the choke, and
   slice.
2. Put the stock into a saucepan. Add all of the vegetables, half of the herbs, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil then simmer gently until the vegetables are
   tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the remaining herbs and the
   dumplings. Let steep for 10 minutes, then pepper lightly. Serve with a thin drizzle
   of olive oil in each bowl.

cilantro, fennel, onions, parsley, soups

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

Serves 4-6

Although this salad can be made at the last minute, it doesn’t suffer from being
dressed hours earlier, which makes it a good picnic salad. Add the peanuts just
before serving so they’ll be nice and crunchy.

THE SALAD
½ cup skinned raw peanuts
1 teaspoon peanut oil
1 large carrot
4 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
2 cups slivered lettuce leaves
3 thin scallions, including some of the greens, finely sliced diagonally
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons torn basil leaves,
Preferably Thai basil

THE DRESSING
½ jalapeno chile, finely diced
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup roasted peanut oil

1. Heat the peanuts in the oil over medium-low heat, shaking the pa occasionally, until lightly browned after a few minutes. Blot with paper towels and set aside.
2. Peel the carrot with a vegetable peeler and discard the skins. Then, with the vegetable peeler, continue removing long strips of the carrot until you’ve
   reached the core.
3. Combine the cabbage, lettuce, and carrot with everything except the nuts.
   Whisk the dressing ingredients together and toss with the greens. Add the
   peanuts just before serving.

The Recipes, basil, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, lettuce, lovage, onions, salad dressings, salads