The Purloined Recipe

kohlrabi, onions, parsley

from www.101cookbooks.com

5 tomatoes, cored (if necessary) and quartered
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and quartered
3 medium yellow onions, peeled, quartered
extra-virgin olive oil
5 plump cloves of garlic, unpeeled
fine-grain sea salt
2 – 3 cups light vegetable stock or water
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and position 2 racks in the middle of the oven. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, alternately you can just rub them down with a thin glaze of olive oil.

Arrange the tomatoes, skin side down, on a baking sheet. Coat the bell pepper and onions with olive oil and put them on the other baking sheet along with the garlic, place the pepper skin side down as well. Give both sheets a light showering of salt, then bake until the tomatoes start to collapse and the onions start to brown and caramelize, about 45 minutes. Turn the onions if they start getting overly dark on the bottom .Check on the garlic as well, once the cloves are golden and oozy inside, pull them from the oven.

Peel the garlic, dump all of the roasted vegetables into a big, high-sided bowl, and puree with a hand blender. Alternately, use a conventional blender or food processor and work in batches. Blend in a cup of the stock, and keep adding the rest 1/2 cup at a time until the soup is the desired consistency. I like a little chunk and texture to this soup particularly if the weather has a bit of a chill, but smooth or chunky is your call. Add the paprika and a bit more salt if needed – adjusting to your taste.

Serves 4.

garlic, onions, peppers, soups, tomatoes

I used yellow summer squash here, but you can certainly substitute any green summer squash/zucchini.

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 cup / 2 oz / 55g unsalted butter
fine grain sea salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves

1 pound / 16 oz / 450 g potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

2 1/2 pounds / 40 oz / 1+kg yellow summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch slices

4 cups / 950 ml good tasting vegetable stock
1 cup / 240 ml buttermilk
1 bunch of chives, chopped

In a skillet, over medium heat, toast the cumin seeds until they are fragrant. Just a minute or two. Use a mortar and pestle to pound the seeds into a fine powder. Alternately, you can use an electric spice grinder. Set aside. In the same skillet, melt the butter and cook until it’s brown and gives off a deliciously nutty aroma. Remove from heat, stir the cumin into the butter along with a generous couple pinches of salt, then set aside in a warm place. You want the butter to stay liquid until you’re ready to use it.

To make the soup, heat the butter in your largest pot or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and a bit of salt. Saute for a few minutes, or until the onions start to get translucent. Stir in the potatoes and squash and cook for another 7-10 minutes, or until the squash starts to soften up. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of the stock (most of it) – the stock should just barely cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, roughly another 25 minutes. Remove the soup from heat, puree completely with a hand blender, then stir in the buttermilk. If you need to thin the soup out with a bit more stock, you can do so. Taste and add more salt if needed. Serve each bowl topped with plenty of the cumin butter, and a sprinkling of chives.

Serves 10.

garlic, onions, potatoes, soups, squash - summer

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

Excerpted with permission from Farmer John’s Cookbook: the Real Dirt On Vegetables: Seasonal Recipes and Stories from a Community Farm by Farmer John Peterson and Angelic Organics (Gibbs Smith, Publisher). www.AngelicOrganics.com/cookbook

This version is moist and refreshing. It has lots of juicy tomatoes and dressing, as well as lots of fresh green parsley and mint. Don’t worry if you don’t have exact quantities; as long as you remember to keep things in balance by cutting back the mint (and perhaps the onion), it won’t matter if you use a little less of the other ingredients. You may also make this a drier Tabbouleh by using a larger proportion of bulgur.

Serves 6

1 cup hot water
½ cup bulgur
3 cups chopped fresh parsley
2 tomatoes, seeded, finely diced (about 2 cups)
½-1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
½ cup finely diced onion (about 1 medium onion)
2 large scallions, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons) plus more to taste
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground allspice

1. Combine the water and bulgur in a large bowl. Cover and set aside until the bulgur has completely absorbed the water, 30 minutes to 1 hour. (If after 1 hour the grains are plump and there is still water in the bowl, strain the bulgur and squeeze out any excess water.)
2. Stir the parsley, tomatoes, mint to taste, onions, and scallions into the plumped bulgur. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and allspice; toss until thoroughly combined. Add lemon juice to taste (this salad should be lemony but not unpleasantly tart).
3. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes to let the flavors develop. Serve at room temperature.

mint, onions, parsley, Recipes By Ingredient, salads, side dishes, The Recipes, tomatoes

Excerpted with permission from Farmer John’s Cookbook: the Real Dirt On Vegetables: Seasonal Recipes and Stories from a Community Farm by Farmer John Peterson and Angelic Organics (Gibbs Smith, Publisher). www.AngelicOrganics.com/cookbook

If you enjoy the tangy-sweet taste that comes from adding mandarin orange segments, raisins, or chunks of apple to a salad, then you already know how delicious fruit and salad dressing can be. In this salad, choi provides a succulent base for a mixture of apples, grapes, mild onion, and freshly toasted almonds, all smothered in a luxurious poppy seed dressing. (The Sneaky secret to the dressing’s impossible smoothness is silken tofu, which purees beautifully and makes an exceptional, flavorless base for soups, sauces, and dressings.)

This recipe yields more than 2 cups of dressing, so you’ll have plenty left over for other salads. Silken tofu is widely available in grocery stores and health food stores.

Serves 4 to 6

½ cup slivered, blanched almonds
1 cup mild-flavored vegetable oil
½ cup honey
½ cup white vinegar
4 ounces soft silken tofu
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 ½ teaspoons dry mustard
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika (optional)
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 bok choy or other white-stemmed choi/choy, trimmed, stems cut diagonally into thin slices, leaves sliced into thin strips
1 large sweet apple, peeled, cored, diced
1 cup red or purple seedless grapes, halved
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Toast the almonds in a heavy (preferably cast iron) skillet over high heat until they begin to brown slightly. Transfer the nuts to a bowl to cool.
2. Put the oil, honey, vinegar, tofu, poppy seeds, dry mustard, alt, and paprika in a food processor or a blender. Process or blend the ingredients until smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in the onion. On cover the dressing and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve the salad.
3. Toss the choi, apple, and grapes in a large bowl.
4. Pour the dressing over the ingredients; toss until everything is thoroughly combined. Cover the bowl and set it aside at room temperature for 15 minutes to let the flavors develop.
5. When you’re ready to serve, stir in the toasted almonds. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

bok choy, onions, Recipes By Ingredient, salad dressings, salads, The Recipes

4 servings, 2 cups each

Dressing:

1/4 c. tomato juice
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3c. chopped green pepper
Coarse-ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

Salad:

6 c. mixed salad greens
2 c. diced tomatoes
1 c. diced cucumber
½ c. thinly sliced basil
1/3c. crumbled Feta cheese
1/4 c. sliced green onions
15-oz. can cannellini or
other white beans, rinsed

Combine dressing ingredients with a whisk. Salad: combine greens and
remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing mixture, tossing gently to combine. Serve immediately.

basil, cucumbers, garlic, lettuce, onions, Recipes By Ingredient, salad dressings, salads, The Recipes, tomatoes

from Kate & Mike O’Connor-Masse, Chino Valley Farms

2 pints (1 ½ lbs) Romas, diced
1/3 cup chopped sweet red onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Salt & pepper, to your taste
Shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Sliced baguette or Italian bread, lightly toasted.

Combine Romas, onion, garlic, basil, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Spoon tomato mixture onto toasted bread slices, or over mozzarella, if used. Mozzarella is optional, but it does prevent the topping from soaking the bread. Serve immediately.

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I have never measured anything to make this recipe before – so take my quantities with a grain of salt! – Shanti

Tomatillos (about a pound)

Garlic (3-4 cloves)

Hot peppers such as serrano, jalapeno, etc (1 to 5 peppers depending on how hot you like it)

Cilantro (1/2 bunch)

Salt (no idea – maybe 1/2 teaspoon, just add to taste)

Remove the husk from the tomatillos and rinse in cold water.  Remove the stems and seeds from the peppers.  You can make this salsa by either boiling the tomatillos and chiles for just a few minutes until soft, or by roasting them both in the oven or on the grill until the tomatillos are soft and the chiles are blistered.  Both methods make a great salsa – each one has a unique flavor.  Take your tomatillos and chiles after you boil or roast them, put them in the blender with some garlic and salt and puree.  Taste and adjust the salt. Transfer to a bowl and add fresh, chopped cilantro.

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Janet Grossman

This is a great way to use tomatillos and Poblano peppers if you don’t want to make salsa. We think it tastes like a stroganoff sauce, and I always add lots of sliced mushrooms. Serve over pasta, baked potatoes, grains and vegetables. I put it over pasta and steamed purple green beans this week.

2/3 c. cashew pieces (raw)
1 1/2 lbs fresh tomatillos
1 fresh Poblano pepper, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup unsweetened soy milk

Grind cashews to powder in blender or small coffee grinder and set aside.

Removed and discard outer husks from tomatillos, wash thoroughly, and chop tomatillos. Put tomatillos into a large skillet or flat-bottomed wok.

Add Poblano pepper, garlic, onion, salt, cumin, and pepper to skillet. Cook over high heat about 6 or 7 minutes, stirring to cook evenly.

Add soy milk to skillet and stir well. When mixture begins to bubble, add ground cashews a little at a time. Stir until thickened and smooth, about 2 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

garlic, onions, peppers, Recipes By Ingredient, stews, The Recipes, tomatillos