The Purloined Recipe

2 cups mashed potatoes
2 cups frozen corn kernels (thawed) or cooked corn cut off the ear
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup canola oil (for frying)

In a medium mixing bowl, combine potatoes, corn, egg; mix with spoon.

Place bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Using clean hands, form mixture into 1 1/2inch diameter patties; dip each patty in bread crumbs, coating both sides.

Over medium heat, in a large non-stick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil until hot. Fry the patties, a few at a time, for 2 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom; flip and cook another 2 minutes on the second side. (If flatter, more crispy cakes are desired, flatten cakes while cooking with spatula).

Transfer finished cakes to a baking sheet and keep in a warm oven (200 degrees) until all cakes are cooked. Transfer cakes to a serving platter and serve with salsa, if desired.

For the Salsa:

1/2 cup finely chopped yellow pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
4 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion

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2 large bell peppers, sliced in half and emptied out
2 C of cooked grain of your choice (rice, quinoa, couscous, lentils, tempeh, etc.)
1/3 to 1/2 C fresh basil or other herb
1/2 C of diced onion
1 C of chopped tomatoes
1/4 C goat cheese
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

EXTRAS: toss in a small handful (1/4 C) of your favorite things like walnuts, capers, olives, sun dried tomatoes, anchovies.

Stuffing a bell pepper is so easy, stuff it with ANYTHING you want or have. This is a great dish for using leftovers.

Cut your bell peppers in half lengthwise. Take out the seeds and white
membrane–a spoon works well for this. Set the halves aside.

Get together all the stuffing ingredients and start throwing them into a bowl. You can substitute some of the grain with tofu, meat, wild rice, or Manoomin, which is mucho delicious! At Trader Joe’s this stuff is sold pre-cooked in a vacuum packed bag.

Mix it all up in a bowl, season it and taste it. Does it taste good? Could you eat this on its own? If you say YES then stuff the peppers! If you say no…play with the mix some more and get it tasting just right.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Line up your pepper halves in some sort of a baking pan and stuff ‘em! Chuck them in the oven and let it ride for about 30 minutes. When a fork easily pierces the skin of a pepper they are done!

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8 banana peppers
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound hot Italian sausage
1 pound mild Italian sausage
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

1. Cut off tops of peppers, and remove ribs and seeds. Chop edible portions of tops; set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Add peppers, reduce heat, and simmer until tender but firm, about 5 mins. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat butter in a medium skillet. Sauté reserved chopped pepper, onion and celery until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and garlic. Season with basil, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine egg, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan. Mix in hot sausage, mild sausage, bread crumbs and 1 cup of the tomato sauce mixture.
5. Using a piping bag or sausage stuffer, fill each pepper with the meat mixture. Place in a 3 quart casserole dish, and pour remaining tomato sauce mixture over peppers.
6. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 1 hour.

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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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from Molly Beverly

Soft cheese layered with green herb and garlic paste. Simple to prepare; allow extra time for complete chilling. Serves 18 as an appetizer.

8 ounces Neufchâtel cheese (a lower fat cream cheese)
1 cup ricotta cheese

Pesto:

1 1/2 cups fresh large basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup pine nuts (I substitute walnuts)
2-3 small cloves garlic
Salt to taste

Garnish:

pine nuts, strips of red pepper and/or black olives

Combine Nuefchâtel and ricotta cheese and chill for 3 hours or more.
Meanwhile make the pesto. Place basil leaves in a colander. Cover with boiling water for 5 seconds, then drain completely and pat dry. Place in blender with olive oil, cheese, pine nuts, garlic and just enough water to make it run smoothly.

Blend until very smooth and thick. Add salt to taste. Chill.

To assemble spread half the cheese mixture in a 9X5-inch loaf pan. Brush with olive oil and cover with half of the pesto. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Cover this with the rest of the cheese. Brush with olive oil and layer the rest of the pesto. Sprinkle with pine nuts and decorate with strips of red pepper and black olives.

Refrigerate 12-24 hours before serving. Serve with slices of good French bread and raw vegetables.

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Serves 4

Vary the sauce with any tender herbs you have on hand.

3 shallots, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more for seasoning
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups packed mixed fresh herbs, such as mint, flat-leaf parsley, tarragon and Basil, finely chopped
¼ cup snipped fresh fennel fronds, finely chopped
Freshly ground pepper
¾ pound spaghetti or other pasta

1. Fill a large pot with water; bring to a boil over high heat. Add salt and pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, place shallots on a cutting board, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Using the side of a chef’s knife, crush into a paste. Transfer to a medium bowl, and add oil and lemon juice. Whisk to combine. Add herbs and fennel fronds to shallot paste, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Drain the pasta in a colander, and return to pot. Stir in the herb sauce. Serve warm.

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from www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu

Serves 4

This is a home-type dish that is as simple to prepare as “scrambled eggs with…” but much more nutritious. Serve as a side dish, a brunch main dish or as a filling in tortillas and pitas.

1 cup purslane
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium-size ripe tomato, chopped (not skinned)
1 SERRANO or jalapeno chile, finely chopped, or freshly cracked black pepper, according to taste
2 to 3 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 egg beaten

Set aside a few raw sprigs of purslane for garnish. Steam or blanch the rest until tender-crisp (three to five minutes). Drain thoroughly, transfer to a plate covered with several layers of paper towels and blot dry.

In a large pan, sauté garlic and onion in vegetable oil until soft. Add tomato and chile, and sauté until the mixture becomes sauce-like.

Season with soy sauce. (If you aren’t using the chile, add freshly ground black pepper.) Sauté until mixture is warm and the flavors marry.

When ready to serve, add the beaten egg to the warm mixture in the pan and mix gently. The egg will bind the mixture loosely but should not harden into scrambled eggs. Garnish plate servings with reserved sprigs.

PER SERVING (estimated): 91 calories, 4 g protein, 9 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat, 68 mg cholesterol, 200 mg sodium, 68 percent U.S. RDA Vitamin A, 77 percent U.S. RDA Vitamin C.

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from Molly Beverly

Serves 4

6 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
4 Tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 cup shelled walnuts
3 ounces ricotta cheese
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
½ pound Italian (imported) fettuccine
1 pound Swiss chard
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Walnut halves for garnish

In a medium skillet sauté the garlic in the butter or olive oil. It should gently sizzle until barely golden. Remove from heat. Place half of this garlic and oil in a blender or food processor. (Leave the other half of the garlic and oil in the pan for later.) Add walnuts, ricotta, milk and Parmesan cheese. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Wash the chard and remove the large central stem. Take a few leaves and roll them up together tightly. Using a sharp knife, slice this roll into thin shreds. Repeat with the remaining chard. (Now the chard is about the same shape as the fettuccine.) Reheat the skillet with the butter or oil and garlic over medium heat. Add the chard and stir until it wilts.

Lightly salt to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook al dente.

Drain, add sauce from blender and toss to coat each strand. Serve each serving with a mound of pasta topped with the chard, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, a grind of fresh pepper and a walnut half.

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from Hallie Harron

Serves 4

Tians are traditional rustic provincial casserole dishes that are oven proof and pretty enough to bring right to the table. A regular oval gratin or casserole is also just fine for this. The eggplant technique, given to me by author Mary Evans was need to salt it and saves lots of time and oil that usually goes into frying. The mild eggplant devours the flavor from the sauce and is soft, succulent and delicious.

1 medium eggplant, about 1 lb, sliced ¼-inch thick
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3 large tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
3 ozs fresh mozzarella, hand shredded
4 eggs, beaten
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Oil an 10-inch oval tian, gratin or oven-proof skillet. Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling. Place eggplant slices in water and boil for 5 minutes. Remove with tongs to a paper towel and pat dry.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add fennel, onion, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Add tomatoes and cook for 7-8 minutes. The tomatoes will give off their juice and the liquid will have evaporated. Stir in ½ cup basil. Remove from heat. Line the bottom of the prepared pan with eggplant slices. Top with tomato mixture.

Pour eggs over the top. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with cheese and olives and remaining basil. Bake for an additional 20 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

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Serves 6

1 1/2 pounds eggplant
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped scallions
1 1/4 cups plain yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
Coarse salt, to taste
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon, to taste, cayenne pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons roasted cumin seeds, crushed
Paprika for garnish

Roast eggplant on open flame, on a gas burner, grill, or under an electric broiler, until thoroughly charred, turning as needed. Remove and cool, then peel and chop pulp coarsely. pat the pulp dry with a paper towel and place in bowl. Add tomatoes and scallions, and toss to mix.

Blend yogurt, sour cream and salt. Heat oil in a large frying pan until hot. Add ginger and cayenne pepper and let sizzle fro 10 seconds. Add eggplant mixture. Fry until lightly browned and drier. turn off heat. Stir in coriander and half the
cumin. Cool. Add to yogurt. Mix well. Serve sprinkled with cumin and paprika.

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