From www.101cookbooks.com

It’s convenient for me to make enough dough for two tart shells in one shot, so that’s what I call for here. You can always freeze the extra dough or shell for use later in the week/month. They seem to keep fine in the freezer, well wrapped, for a few weeks, but not much longer than that. Green garlic is also great in the filling in place of the garlic clove - a couple tablespoons (chopped).

Cornmeal Tart Shell:

2 1/4 cups / 9 oz / 255 g all-purpose flour
1 cup / 4.5 oz / 125 g spelt flour
scant 1 cup / 4.5 oz medium coarse corn meal
3/4 teaspoon fine grain salt
1 1/4 cups / 10 ounces / 280 g unsalted butter, cut in cubes
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup / 60 ml - 3/4 cup / 180 ml cold water

Turnip Green Filling:

1/4 lb. / 4 oz turnip greens, or spinach greens, de-stemmed
1 small clove of garlic
2 large eggs + 1 yolk
3/4 cup veg. broth
1/4 cup / 60 ml heavy cream
scant 1/4 teaspoon salt (more if broth unsalted)
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons herbs de Provence (opt.)
gruyere cheese & a bit of crushed red pepper flakes, for topping

special equipment: tart pans - 9-inch (23 cm) round, 8 x 11 inch (20 x 28) rectangle, or equivalent

Start by making the tart dough. Combine flours, cornmeal, and salt in food processor. Pulse in butter, 20+ pulses, or until the mixture resembles sandy pebbles on a beach. Add the egg yolk and 1/4 cup water. Pulse, trickle in more water if needed, just until dough comes together. Turn out onto a floured countertop and gather into a ball. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, shape each into a ball, press into 1/2-inch thick disks, and wrap in plastic, or place in baggies. Chill for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C. Place a rack in the middle of the oven.

When you’re ready to line the tart pans with dough, place one of the dough disks on a lightly floured surface and roll out until the dough is large enough to line your tart pan. I usually eyeball it - you can see in the photo the dough is about 1/6 - 1/8 inch thick. Dust underneath with flour to discourage sticking throughout the rolling process. Carefully transfer the dough to the pan. Don’t worry too much if you get a tear or hole, you can patch those up later with scraps. Work quickly to ease the dough into place, taking care not to stretch the dough. Press it along the bottom of the pan, out to the walls, and against the sides. Trim any excess dough - I use the palm of my hand against the edge of the tart pan to cut off any extra dough, alternately you can roll a rolling pin across the rim of the pan for a clean edge. Chill in the refrigerator for thirty minutes or so while you roll out your extra tart shell. Double wrap that one in plastic and freeze it for future use.

You’re going to partially bake the tart shell before filling it, so pull the shell out of the refrigerator, dock it with a fork, making small holes along the bottom of the shell. Line the shell with parchment paper and fill to the rim with pie weights or dried beans, bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the pie weights and finish baking for another 5 minutes, or until the crust is dry and just barely starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

To make the filling: Chop the greens and garlic in a food processor. You can do this by hand as well, but in this case the processor makes quick work of this. Add the eggs and yolk, pulse. Then the broth and cream. Lastly, incorporate the salt, mustard, and herbs. When you’re ready to bake, fill the tart shell and bake for 30 minutes or so, or until the center is set, and has firmed up to the touch. About 2/3 of the way through I like to sprinkle with a bit of gruyere cheese. I can’t help but zap the top of most tarts under the broiler for a minute or two just prior to pulling it out of the oven - it browns up the top nicely, and lends a rustic look to it. Finish with a sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes if you don’t mind a bit of heat.

entrees, garlic, other greens, spinach, turnips

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

Here’s a spectacularly fresh perspective on what it takes to make a cream of spinach soup. First, skip the cream. Next, refrain for boiling the spinach and potatoes-and refuse to fry any onions. Then get two lovely crisp apples out of the refrigerator. Set one on the counter next to an avocado, and take the other with you to munch on while you enjoy a little more of your summer’s day-perhaps outside on a bench, on a swing, up a tree… You’ve got lots of time. This sumptuously creamy, savory-sweet, and super-fresh raw-ingredients soup won’t take more than a moment to prepare.

Serves 2

2 tablespoons chopped or slivered almonds or other nuts
1 apple, peeled, cored, cut into chunks
1 cup water
2 cups coarsely chopped spinach (¾ pound)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, plus 2 small sprigs for garnish
1 ripe avocado, peel and pit removed, quartered freshly squeezed juice of ½
lemon
1 tablespoon almond oil or olive oil
½ teaspoon salt

1. Toast the almonds in a heavy, dry skillet (cast iron) over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until they are lightly browned and begin to smell toasty. (Be careful not to over toast them, as they will burn very quickly once they are toasted.) Transfer nuts to a dish to cool.
2. Put the apple chunks and water in a blender and puree. Add the spinach and tarragon; pulse the blender a few times to partially blend in the leaves. Add the avocado pieces, lemon juice, oil, and ½ teaspoon salt. Blend the ingredients until smooth, thinning with more water if necessary (add 1 tablespoon at a time). Add more salt to taste if desired.
3. Pour the soup into two bowls, top with the toasted almonds, and garnish each with a fresh tarragon sprig.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, soups, spinach

Serves 2 to 4

This pretty vegetable ragout should prove, if any doubt lingers, that members of the cabbage family can be delicate and pretty, especially in early summer.

Improvise with what you have: small onions or red scallions, spring leeks or green garlic, shallots in the fall, bunched spinach or loose leaves.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 spring onions or shallots, halved
6 or more small turnips, scrubbed and quartered
2 or 3 small kohlrabi, about golf ball size, peeled and quartered
1 thyme or lemon thyme sprig
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound pod peas, shelled
a few handfuls of baby spinach
dollop crème fraîche
4 large basil leaves, slivered

1. Melt the butter in a skillet and add the onions, turnips, kohlrabi, and thyme. Add water to cover halfway and a teaspoon of salt. Simmer while you shuck the peas.
2. As soon as the vegetables are tender, after 12 to 15 minutes, add the peas and spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted down, a few minutes more. Stir in the crème fraîche and add the basil. Taste by itself. With a starch (puff pastry, ravioli, even buttered toast), it can be offered as a vegetarian main dish.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, basil, cabbage, entrees, kohlrabi, side dishes, spinach, thyme, turnips

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.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, garlic, peppers, salad dressings, salads, spinach

from Molly Beverly

12 servings

1 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup warm water
1 Tablespoon yeast
1/3 cup olive oil
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white)
2 pounds spinach or other greens
2 cups onion finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tablespoons cumin seeds toasted OR 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup feta cheese drained and crumbled

Combine water and honey in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with yeast. Let sit about 10 minutes. Then add 1 teaspoon salt and 2 Tablespoons olive oil and 1 cup flour. Mix well, cover and set aside in a warm place to rise for one hour.

Rinse greens and slice thinly or chop coarsely. Heat 2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet and sauté onion over low heat until pale golden, about 15 minutes. Add cumin seed or powder, garlic and remaining 1 teaspoon salt to onion. Slowly stir in greens and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until soft.

You’ll need 1 1/2 cups liquid drained off the greens, so it’s OK to add a bit of water if needed while cooking. Sprinkle with lemon juice and drain in a colander over a bowl. Reserve cooking liquid. Set aside.’ In a large bowl, place 2 cups flour. Pour in the yeast sponge. Mix well and knead 10 minutes. Add liquid from cooking greens (1 1/2 cups needed) to make a soft dough. Return to bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours in a warm place.

Punch down and add crumbled feta. Knead to mix. Add spinach mixture, adding remaining flour. Dough will be moist and loose. Mix but do not knead.

Split dough in half. Form each half into a ball. Then oil each half generously with olive oil and place on baking sheet. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until 50% larger.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Just before placing bread in oven, spread into disks and dimple with fingers. Brush with olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, breads, garlic, spinach

Serves 4

5 oz. Arugula, cleaned and chilled
1 oz. fresh Spinach
4 tomatoes
1/4 lb. of mozzarella, fresh sliced
1/4 cup of walnut pieces or halves, toasted
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup walnut oil (optional)
1/16 cup balsamic vinegar

Arrange the arugula and spinach on a platter or individual salad plates. Place the sliced tomatoes and mozzarella overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then add the correct amount of vinaigrette and garnish with walnuts

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, arugula, salad dressings, salads, side dishes, spinach, tomatoes

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

Serves 4-6.

1 pound hedgehog mushrooms, brushed clean
1 pound baby spinach leaves
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet onion such as Maui or Vidalia, or 1 red onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Leave the mushrooms whole, but snip off the ends of the stems If the feel
   tough. Wash the spinach well.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and *sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat to high, add the mushrooms, and *sauté until they’re tender and most of the liquid, if any, has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season it to taste with salt and plenty of pepper.
   Transfer to a serving bowl or platter.
3. Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add another tablespoon of olive oil, swirl the pan, and in batches quickly *sauté the spinach just until wilted and a
   deep vibrant green. Season it with salt and pepper, and then toss with the
   mushrooms and onion.

onions, side dishes, spinach