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

Raw young turnips are sweet, with a tender-firm crunch. In this refreshing salad, lemon juice and tart, crispy apples accentuate both of these qualities. For a sweet treat, try tossing in some raisins.

Makes about 2 cups

1 cup peeled and grated raw young turnips
1 cup peeled and grated tart apples
½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Toss the turnips, apples, parsley, lemon juice, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

The Recipes, parsley, 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

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

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.

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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 Cory and Shanti Rade

Japanese Salad Turnips, sliced about ¼ inch thick
Sugar snap peas, strings pull off, cut into 1 inch pieces (optional)
One of the following herbs: chives, garlic chives, green onions or dill, chopped
Rice vinegar
Olive oil
Sesame seeds, toasted
Salt

Place all the vegetables in a bowl, add the oil, vinegar, salt and sesame seeds. Mix well. Place in the fridge for at least an hour to let the dressing soak in. Enjoy.

This recipe also works well in summer with cucumbers in place of turnips.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, cucumbers, salads, turnips

1 c. fresh or frozen green peas
1 med. size carrot, peeled & chopped
1/2 sm. stalk celery
1 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut in sm. cubes (about 1/4 c.)
2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. buttermilk
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp. plain low fat yogurt
1 1/2 tsp. mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. balsamic or red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. dried basil, crumbled
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. Sugar

In small pan, bring 1 inch of water to boil; add peas and carrots and cook 5 minutes. Drain; rinse under cold water; drain. Place in medium bowl; add celery and cheese; toss well to mix.

In small bowl, combine buttermilk, green onions, yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, basil, pepper and sugar. Spoon over salad and toss well. Cover and refrigerate.

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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.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, beans, dill, lettuce, onions, potatoes, salad dressings, salads, tomatoes

Red tomatoes, white potatoes, green olives and capers.

Serves 4-5

1 1/2 pounds red or white potatoes, all about the same size
2 large ripe tomatoes (select firm ones that will not fall apart when cut)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons capers
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes in simmering water until just tender for 20-30 minutes depending upon the size of the potatoes. Drain and allow to cool.

Peel, and cut into 1-inch pieces. Core tomatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks.

In a large bowl combine potatoes, tomatoes, onion, olives, capers and garlic.

Add olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and toss to mix. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Keeps refrigerated up to 5 days.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, garlic, onions, potatoes, salads, tomatoes

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.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, onions, oregano, parsley, potatoes, salad dressings, salads