The Purloined Recipe

from Lester Darazs

Ingredients:
¼ cup extra light olive oil (or lard, or what ever shortening preferred)
4 cups of onions, coarsely chopped
6 cups of white Hungarian (Gypsy) peppers, or bell peppers, cut to about 1” pieces
8 cups of vine ripened tomatoes blanched and peeled, chopped to I” pieces
2 tsp salt, l tsp coarsely ground black pepper, 1 tbsp of Hungarian paprika.
1 pint tomato juice
1 Ring of Polish sausage, or Hungarian sausage, or Chorizo
2 Tbsp sugar
2 teaspoons or more crushed chile, optional
In a large nonstick pot (about 6 qt) sauté the onions in the olive oil, under lid, until the onions are slightly limp, about 8-10 mm. med.

Heat. Do not brown.

Add paprika and stir quickly to coat all the onions with the paprika, and quickly add the tomato juice, all of the tomatoes, stir to just mix, and spices and sugar, stir and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to mix it all up, and cover, Cook for about 30 mm on medium heat, stir occasionally to keep from burning on the bottom, reduce heat to low and simmer partly covered for another 30-45 mm, or until the Lecsó gets to the desired consistency.

Adjust to taste.

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Serves 4

2 large red bell peppers
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces aged goat cheese
1 small head lettuce, such as red leaf or Bibb

1. Heat grill to high. Roast red peppers on grill until charred, turning as each side blackens. Transfer to a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Using paper towels, peel off blackened skin.
2. Lay peppers flat on a clean work surface. Using a sharp paring knife, cut open peppers and remove seeds and ribs. Slice into ½-inch-wide strips. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, and season with salt and black pepper; set aside.
3. Slice goat cheese into four pieces, and place directly on grill. Heat, covered, until cheese starts to soften and melt. Remove from grill.
4. Place one piece on each serving plate. Arrange lettuce leaves next to cheese on each plate. Drizzle greens and cheese with remaining tablespoon oil; season lightly with salt and black pepper. Divide reserved peppers among plates; serve immediately.

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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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Serves 8

1 pound spinach, cleaned and dried
1 cup dried figs, quartered
1 small Jicama cut in julienne strips
1 red bell pepper seeded and cut in thin strips

Dressing:

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 jalapeno chili, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Whisk together dressing ingredients.

When ready to serve–

Toss spinach in a bowl with half the dressing and arrange on plates. Toss figs and Jicama together with remaining dressing and place on top of spinach.

Garnish with red pepper strips and drizzle with remaining dressing.

Orange Variation:

Substitute oranges for figs. Cut through the skin and outer membrane of the orange. Slice orange and cut into quarters.

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

Serves 4 as a main dish.

This September soup is flushed with the colors of early fall. In addition to their attractive appearance, the yellow-hues signify more sweetness in the peppers and less acidity in the tomatoes, making a soup with a softer flavor than if it were made with the green peppers and red tomatoes bought, perhaps, a few weeks earlier. If you have thick, meaty peppers and the time to grill them first, they’ll make the soup slightly smoky and silky textured. Otherwise, just chop them with the skins on. Smoked Spanish paprika will also give the soup a hint of smoke.

1 pound yellow or orange tomatoes
1/3 cup white rice
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
3 yellow or orange bell peppers (add Whipstone peppers to taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch saffron threads
1 bay leaf
2 thyme sprigs, leaves plucked from the stems
1 teaspoon sweet paprika or ½ teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 quart Vegetable Stock, Chicken stock, or water
slivered opal basil or chopped marjoram and parsley for garnish

1. Bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Slice an X at the base of each tomato. Plunge them, 2 at a time, into the water for about 10 seconds, then remove and set
   aside. Add the rice and ½ teaspoon salt to the water, lower the heat to simmer, and cook until the rice is tender about 12 minutes. Drain.
2. Chop the onion. Mince the garlic with a pinch of salt until mushy. Dice the
   peppers into small squares, removing the seeds and membranes first. Your
   should have about 2 cups. Peel and seed the tomatoes, reserving the juice, then
   dice the walls and mince the core.
3. Warm the oil in a soup pot and add the onions, peppers, saffron, bay leaf,
   thyme, and paprika. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion
   has begun to soften and color, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, then stir in the
   tomato paste and 1 teaspoon salt. Give it a stir and add 1/4 cup water. Stew for 5
   minutes, then add the tomatoes, their juice, and the stock. Bring to a boil, then
   reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes.
4. When ready to serve, reheat the soup with the rice, then ladle it in bowls. Or make a mound of rice in each bowl and spoon the soup around it. Season with
   pepper and garnish with fine slivers of opal basil leaves or marjoram chopped
   with a few parsley leaves.

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from Michelle Smedema

4 strips thick-sliced bacon, cut into small pieces
1 cup chopped onions
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped bell peppers
1 medium-size head cabbage, shredded
Two 15 or 16 ounce cans whole tomatoes if you have them, cut up
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar (optional)

Fry the bacon in a large frying pan. Add the onions, parsley, and bell peppers
and cook over a medium fire, stirring, until the onions are clear. Add the
cabbage and mix well. Add the tomatoes, cayenne, and salt and let simmer for
45 minutes. (Some like to add the vinegar for tartness.) Serve hot.

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