The Purloined Recipe

(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.

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

Serves 6

2 cups chopped watermelon (seeds removed)
3/4 cup chopped Walla Walla Sweet Onion
3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped seeded jalapeno chilies
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir together all ingredients in bowl, Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour to blend
flavors. Stir before serving.

chiles, cilantro, dips, miscellaneous, onions, Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, watermelon