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

Crisp young turnips mixed with dried apricots and toasted walnuts, then tossed with a refreshing, flavorful yogurt-based dressing, make for a unique and special salad that will delight your dinner guests. This recipe is a great way to use up any leftover turnip or radish greens.

Serves 4 to 6

½ cup walnut pieces
4-5 young turnips, cut into matchstick-size sticks
½ cup finely sliced dried apricots
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
1 bunch young turnip greens or radish greens, coarsely chopped
½ cup mild-favored vegetable oil
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup vinegar
¼ plain yogurt
2 shallots, quartered
1-2 jalapenos or other chili peppers, stems and seeds removed, quartered
1 clove garlic, quartered
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon grated horseradish
1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Salad greens of your choice.

1. Toast the walnuts in a dry, heavy skillets over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned and fragrant. (Be careful not to over toast them, as they will burn very quickly once toasted.) Transfer the walnuts to a dish to cool.
2. Combine the turnips, apricots, and walnuts in a large bowl and stir to combine.
3. Put the parsley, chopped greens, vegetable oil, olive oil, vinegar, and yogurt into a blender; process briefly, until the ingredients are just combined. Add the shallots, chili pepper, garlic, dry mustard, horseradish, and soy sauce or tamari; process until thick and creamy. If necessary, thin the dressing with a little extra yogurt or a tablespoon of cold water.
4. Pour the dressing over the turnip-apricot-walnut mixture; toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Line individual plates with a generous amount of salad greens; spoon the turnip mixture on top. Serve immediately.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, chiles, garlic, lettuce, other greens, parsley, salad dressings, salads, 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

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.

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makes 4 quarts

2 cups walnuts, roasted
2 cups garlic, roasted
2 cups cider vinegar
3 cups vegetable oil
3 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
fresh or dried thyme

Coarsely chop walnuts and garlic. Mix together. Taste. Adjust

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This is not a recipe, per se, but a simple concept. Once you learn the concept, you’ll never need a “recipe” again and can easily adapt the ingredients for your own taste profile and the quantities for a single serving to a crowd.

Use a garlic press or a fork to mash a garlic clove in a salad bowl. If you prefer a hint of garlic, rub the clove along the bowl’s sides and then discard it. Add some salt, then a dollop of a favorite mustard. Rub these together with the fork. Pour in a double splash of vinegar, your choice, but the less harsh the vinegar, the better the dressing.

With the fork, whisk the vinegar into the mustard-salt mixture. Add a splash of good olive oil and whisk again. The traditional proportion of oil:vinegar is 3:1. Add some freshly ground pepper.

Taste the dressing, then adjust the ingredients to mirror your own taste profile. If you wanted a simple oil and vinegar dressing, you’re done!

The Recipes, salad dressings

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 Jalapeño chile, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix vinegar, juice, chili, garlic and mustard together. Whisk in oil and season with salt and pepper.

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Preparation time 40 min. chilling time 2 hrs. 308 calories

Serves 4

1 pound small potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
½ pound whole green beans
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
4 teaspoons brown mustard
3/4 teaspoon dried dillweed
Lettuce leaves
1 - 6 1/2 ounce can tuna, drained and broken into chunks
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and cut into chunks
½ small red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
2 hard-cooked eggs, cut into wedges

1. In a large saucepan bring 2 inches of water to boiling. Add potatoes and green beans. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or just till tender. Remove beans with a slotted spoon; drain potatoes. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours.
2. Meanwhile, for dressing, in a screw-top jar combine lemon juice, oil, sugar, mustard, dillweed, 2 tablespoons water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cover and shake well to blend. Chill for 2 to 24 hours.
3. To serve, place lettuce leaves on a platter. Arrange potatoes, beans, tuna, tomatoes, onion, and eggs atop lettuce. Shake dressing and drizzle over salad.

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from Molly Beverly

4 generous servings

3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Grated rind of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons finely minced fresh oregano
OR 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano (in the cellophane packages with Mexican spices)
2 Tablespoons drained capers
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large white onions, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes (For the last catering job I modified this to 1 onion and 2 pounds potatoes)
3 Tablespoons minced parsley mixed with 1/2 Tablespoon grated lemon rind, for garnish

In a large bowl combine vinegar, lemon juice and rind, oregano, capers, salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil. Add onion slices and mix well.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and boil until just tender.

Drain. Rinse in cool water, and while still warm, slice 1/4 inch thick. Add to dressing and toss gently to coat with dressing. Cool to room temperature.

Garnish with parsley and lemon rind.

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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

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

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