The Purloined Recipe

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.

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

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

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.

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

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, appetizers, basil, garlic, onions, tomatoes

You can use tomatillos fresh or roast them in the oven until they get soft and mushy. Chop the tomatillos, add minced garlic, green onions, green chiles or Jalapenos, cilantro, salt and pepper. Optional: olive oil and vinegar.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, chiles, garlic, miscellaneous, onions, sauces, tomatillos

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.

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

Winter squash, apples, and pears arrive earlier than you might guess. Summer apples, or transparents, begin in July, and the first winter squash are often here by August. However, we scarcely notice them until the fall weather has cooled everything down enough to make them seem appealing. It’s then that we might remember that squash and apples make a comfortable pairing, especially with a robust herb like rosemary, which unifies the sweet and savory notes of both parties.

Apple and pear ciders from the market are likely to be excellent, for fruit growers take great pride in making their own cider blends.

Butternut and Delicata squash will be the easiest varieties to use for this dish because they’re so easy to peel.

You can also make this dish using sweet potatoes, the starchy Japanese
varieties, or the sweeter, moister jewel and garnet types.

2 pounds Delicata or butternut squash
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
2 cups fresh unfiltered apple or pear cider
salt and freshly ground pepper
apple-balsamic or organic apple cider vinegar, to taste

Peel the squash, then dice it into ½-inch cubes or even smaller pieces. If using Delicata, remove the seeds with a long spoon, then slice it into rounds.

Melt the butter in a wide skillet and add the rosemary. Cook over medium heat to flavor the butter. After 3 minutes, add the squash and cider plus water to cover. Bring to a boil, add ½ teaspoon sea salt and simmer until the squash is tender, 20 to 25 minutes, by which time the juice will have reduced enough to provide a glaze for the squash. If not, raise the heat to reduce it quickly. Sprinkle on a teaspoon of vinegar and taste for salt. Add additional vinegar if you need to balance the sweetness, then season with pepper.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, onions, side dishes, squash - winter

Pastry

Basically just a shortcrust pastry. The quantities I use for one generous-sized galette are 12 oz. flour, 8 oz. butter 1-2 T sugar, salt, and water to mix.

2 ½ pounds butternut squash
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 small head of garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
1 small onion, finely chopped
10 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped, or 1 ½ tsp dried
½ cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup crumbled Roquefort or other blue cheese (3 oz.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Halve the squash; scrape out and discard the seeds and fibers. Lightly brush each cut side of the squash with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Place the garlic cloves in the cavities and turn the squash halves cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake for about one hour, or until the squash is tender when pierced with a knife. Remove the garlic and if the cloves aren’t soft, return them to the oven and bake a little longer.

The recipe can be made to this point up to 3 days ahead; wrap the squash and garlic separately and refrigerate.)

Scoop out the squash flesh into a large bowl and mash with a fork until fairly smooth. If the flesh is very wet, place it in a colander and let drain for a couple of hours. Squeeze the garlic out of its skin and mash.

In a small skillet warm 2 tsp of olive oil over low heat. Add the onion and sage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and beginning to color – 6-7 minutes. Add to the squash along with the mashed garlic and Romano. Mix well, season with salt and pepper and fold in half of the Roquefort.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

On a lightly floured baking sheet without sides, roll out the galette dough into a large round (or you can make individual smaller ones) and spread the squash filling over the dough, leaving a 1 ½ to 2 inch border. Sprinkle the remaining Roquefort on top. Fold up and pleat the border of the dough. Brush the dough with beaten egg.

Bake until the crust is nicely browned and cooked through. Serve hot or warm!

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, entrees, garlic, onions, sage, squash - winter

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 2-pound squash, peel, cubed\ - 6 Cups
1 14 1/2-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons dry Sherry
2 1/2 C(or more) canned vegetable broth
2/3 cup nonfat milk
2 Tbs chopped fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried
Nonfat plain yogurt, Fresh thyme sprigs

Other varieties of sweet yellow-fleshed winter squash-such as acorn squash-are perfect for this soup.

Heat olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add butternut squash and sauté until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and Sherry. Boil until almost all liquid evaporates, about 30 seconds.

Stir in 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash it very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Puree soup in blender in batches until smooth. Return soup to same saucepan. Stir in milk and chopped thyme. Bring to simmer.

Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

(Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Bring soup to simmer before serving, thinning with more broth, if desired.)

Ladle soup into bowls. Top with dollop of yogurt. Garnish with thyme sprigs.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, onions, soups, squash - winter, thyme, tomatoes

by Molly Beverly

A native American trio flavored with smoky roasted peppers. Makes 4 servings.

1 poblano or Anaheim chile pepper
1 pound zucchini cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
2/3 cup cream or evaporated milk
1/2 pound cooked chicken, diced OR 6 ounces jack cheese diced (optional)

Roast pepper under the broiler or over a gas burner until skin is black and bubbly all over. Rinse in cold water, then slip the skin off. Remove seeds and stem.

Chop coarsely.

In a large pan heat the oil. Add the zucchini and fry for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned. Remove zucchini and set aside. Add to pan corn, chile and onion. Sauté until browned, stirring occasionally.

Just before serving add cream, zucchini, chicken (optional) and salt and simmer a few minutes. Add cheese (optional) and remove from heat. Serve immediately with rice.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, chiles, corn, entrees, onions, side dishes, squash - summer