The Purloined Recipe

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

Serves 2 – 4.

4 slender leeks, including a little of the pale green, or 1 bunch scallions
6 carrots, yellow and/or orange, 3 to 4 inches long
12 little turnips with their greens
1 bunch radishes-pink, red, or purple, with ½ inch of their stems
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound fava beans, if available, shucked
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Slice the leeks crosswise about ¼ inch wide, then rinse them in a bowl of
   water and drain. Cut all but ½ inch of the carrot greens off, peel the carrots, and
   slice them in half lengthwise. Leave ½ inch of the turnip greens attached. Peel
   with a paring knife up to the shoulders. Leave smaller ones whole and cut larger
   ones into halves or quarters. Halve the radishes lengthwise; soak them briefly in
   a bowl of water, then rinse, especially the stems.
2. Bring 6 cups water to a boil and add 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Blanch the carrots, turnips, and radishes for 7 minutes, then scoop out and set aside. Drop the fava beans into the water for 1 minute, and then scoop them out, saving the cooking water, and rinse to cool. Pop them out of their skins.
3. Melt half the butter in a 8 or 10 inch sauté pan. Add the leeks and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, Add ½ cup of the vegetable cooking water, the blanched vegetables, half the herbs, and ½ teaspoon salt. Simmer until the vegetables are fully tender, 10 to 15 minutes, adding water in
   1/3 cup increments so that the pan doesn’t dry out. There should be a little
   sauce.
4. Add the fava beans, remaining butter, and lemon juice Raise the heat and
   swirl the pan back and forth until the butter has melted into the juice. Remove
   from the heat, add the rest of the herbs, season with pepper, and serve. If you’ve
   made the dumplings, add them during the last 5 minutes so that they’ll heat
   through.

carrots, leeks, onions, parsley, radishes, side dishes, turnips

(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.

basil, garlic, onions, parsley, peppers, soups, thyme, tomatoes

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

Serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as a side dish.

Bright Light or Rainbow chard is the variety with multicolored stems that are often
smaller and more tender than the big silver leaf or red-leafed chard. It works
beautifully here because of those narrow stems, but any variety can be used, of
course. Other greens can go in with the chard as well, such as quelites, nettles,
sorrel and spinach. Serve this gratin as a vegetarian main course or as a side
dish.

2 pounds chard, including half of the stems
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons chopped dill or parsley
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk or cream or a mixture of cream and stock
1 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese

1. Separate the leaves and chard stems. Wash the leaves in plenty of water,
   then coarsely chop them. Trim the ragged edges off the stems, wash them well,
   then dice them into small pieces.
2. Melt half the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and chard stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has begun to brown a bit, about 20 minutes. Add the chard leaves, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, and cook until they’re wilted and tender, another 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 F and lightly oil a 2-quart gratin dish. Melt half the remaining butter in a small skillet and add the bread crumbs, garlic, and dill. Cook, stirring for about a minute, then scrape the crumbs into a bowl and return the pan to the heat.
4. Melt the last tablespoon of butter, stir in the flour, then whisk in the milk.
   Simmer for 5 minutes, season with ½ teaspoon salt, and add to the chard
   mixture. Add the cheese, then taste the mixture, correct for salt, and season with
   pepper.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and cover with the bread crumbs.
   Bake until heated through and golden on the surface, about 25 minutes. Let
   settle a few minutes before serving.

dill, entrees, garlic, onions, parsley, side dishes, swiss chard

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

Serves 4.

Don’t just throw them away! The tender tops that come with your carrots are delicious in soups. Here’s one that uses both the carrots and their tops.

(serves 4)

1 bunch (6 small to medium) carrots, the tops and the roots
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons white rice
2 large leeks, white parts only
2 thyme or lemon thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons chopped dill, parsley, celery leaves, or lovage
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cups Vegetable Stock, light chicken stock, or water

dill, parsley, thyme

(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

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.

cabbage, onions, parsley, peppers, Recipes By Ingredient, salads, side dishes, The Recipes

Serves 6

4 medium tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges ( about 3 cups)
2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 medium Walla Walla Sweet Onions, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ pound goat cheese

1. In large glass serving bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions.
2. Mix together vinegar, olive oil, dill and parsley. Season to taste.
3. Toss vinegar- oil mixture over vegetables. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour to blend flavors. Toss again just before serving. Blend in goat cheese.

cucumbers, dill, onions, parsley, Recipes By Ingredient, salads, The Recipes, tomatoes