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

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.

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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 recipe is a take on a classic from Japan that uses daikon radish greens. Of course, if you still have some of those tasty roots attached to your leaves, they will be delicious cubed and cooked to tender-crisp succulence right along with the leaves. You will find miso paste in the refrigerated section of most specialty stores, health food stores, and many supermarkets. If you are unfamiliar with its distinct flavor, start with a light-colored variety for a milder, sweeter taste.

Toasted sesame oil, also widely available, has a deep, roasted sesame flavor that makes any dish taste unique. Untoasted, or “light,” sesame oil will not impart the same flavor.

Serves 2

1 bunch radish or turnip greens or both
1 tablespoon miso paste
1 tablespoon peanut oil
Sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 cups hot cooked rice

1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the greens and boil for 1 minute.
2. Drain the greens in a colander and run cool water over them to stop the cooking. Let drain again, then gently squeeze out any excess water with your hands. Transfer the greens to a cutting board. Chop finely and set aside.
3. Put the miso paste in a small bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons water; then add a little more water so that the miso is thinned just enough to stir into other ingredients.
4. Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped greens; cook, stirring until they are tender and heated through. Add the thinned miso paste. Add sugar to taste; stir the ingredients until thoroughly combined. Remove from heat; stir in the toasted sesame oil. Serve over rice.

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Winter squash, apples, and pears arrive earlier than you might guess. Summer apples, or transparents, begin in July, and the first winter squash are often here by August. However, we scarcely notice them until the fall weather has cooled everything down enough to make them seem appealing. It’s then that we might remember that squash and apples make a comfortable pairing, especially with a robust herb like rosemary, which unifies the sweet and savory notes of both parties.

Apple and pear ciders from the market are likely to be excellent, for fruit growers take great pride in making their own cider blends.

Butternut and Delicata squash will be the easiest varieties to use for this dish because they’re so easy to peel.

You can also make this dish using sweet potatoes, the starchy Japanese
varieties, or the sweeter, moister jewel and garnet types.

2 pounds Delicata or butternut squash
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
2 cups fresh unfiltered apple or pear cider
salt and freshly ground pepper
apple-balsamic or organic apple cider vinegar, to taste

Peel the squash, then dice it into ½-inch cubes or even smaller pieces. If using Delicata, remove the seeds with a long spoon, then slice it into rounds.

Melt the butter in a wide skillet and add the rosemary. Cook over medium heat to flavor the butter. After 3 minutes, add the squash and cider plus water to cover. Bring to a boil, add ½ teaspoon sea salt and simmer until the squash is tender, 20 to 25 minutes, by which time the juice will have reduced enough to provide a glaze for the squash. If not, raise the heat to reduce it quickly. Sprinkle on a teaspoon of vinegar and taste for salt. Add additional vinegar if you need to balance the sweetness, then season with pepper.

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by Molly Beverly

A native American trio flavored with smoky roasted peppers. Makes 4 servings.

1 poblano or Anaheim chile pepper
1 pound zucchini cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
2/3 cup cream or evaporated milk
1/2 pound cooked chicken, diced OR 6 ounces jack cheese diced (optional)

Roast pepper under the broiler or over a gas burner until skin is black and bubbly all over. Rinse in cold water, then slip the skin off. Remove seeds and stem.

Chop coarsely.

In a large pan heat the oil. Add the zucchini and fry for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned. Remove zucchini and set aside. Add to pan corn, chile and onion. Sauté until browned, stirring occasionally.

Just before serving add cream, zucchini, chicken (optional) and salt and simmer a few minutes. Add cheese (optional) and remove from heat. Serve immediately with rice.

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3 cups cooked zucchini , drained
2 egg yokes
1 cup finely crushed saltines
1/4 cup flour
2 egg whites

1. Place cooked squash mixture in a bowl and mash.
2. Add egg yokes, saltines and flour; stir well.
3. Beat egg whites until stiff.
4. Fold into squash mixture and drop into hot oil.
5. Fry until golden brown; drain on paper towels.

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1 - 9×13 Casserole dish
4-5 - Med Assorted Squash
1/2 Red Onion
1/2 Head of Cauliflower - Broken into small florets
2 16 oz cans of tomato sauce or one Jar of Spaghetti Sauce
One handful Fresh Herbs - I use Basil, Oregano, Sage and Marjoram
3 Cloves of Garlic - pressed
Salt, Pepper and Red Chili Pepper Flakes to Taste
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese
Parmesan Cheese to Taste
Slivered Almonds

Chop assorted squash and onion. Layer in casserole with cauliflower. Pour tomato/spaghetti sauce, garlic, fresh herbs and Salt, Pepper and Red Chili Pepper Flakes over the veggie mixture. Add cheese to the top and then almonds.

Cover and bake at 350 for 40 minutes then take off the cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until browned.

*You can also turn this into a southwest dish by adding a can of tomatoes with green chilies, 1 can of plain tomatoes sauce and adding assorted bell peppers. Omit the Italian fresh herbs and add seasonings such as ground chipotle chili pepper, cumin and top with fresh cilantro.

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from Molly Beverly

6 servings

Hurray… summer squash. Official beginning of summer.

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds summer squash, diced
4 heaping Tablespoons finely chopped white onion
3/4 pound tomatoes, chopped (or substitute 1 cup canned, chopped tomatoes)
2 Serrano chiles, more or less to taste
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
4 Tablespoons epazote leaves (optional)
4 Tablespoons Mexican queso fresco, crumbled or muenster or jack cheese grated
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)

Heat oil in a large skillet and add squash, onion, epazote and salt. Stir and sauté until just tender, about 10 minutes. Blend tomatoes, chiles and garlic in blender.

Add to squash mixture. Cook until squash is soft and vegetables are moist but not runny. Adjust seasoning. Garnish with crumbled or grated cheese.

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There are many ways to stuff a blossom: 1) cream cheese, mixed with chopped chives, salt and pepper, 2) sautéed sweet corn, chopped green chiles, chopped onion with an egg to hold it together, 3) crumbled and cooked Italian sausage, chopped sweet pepper, a little parmesan cheese and tomato sauce. You get the idea—almost anything goes. All stuffed blossoms can be dipped in a light batter (recipe follows) and fried until golden or baked in an oiled pan at 325o until cooked throughout. For a simpler variation, omit the cheese stuffing and fry the blossoms plain. For a more elegant variation, servedrizzled with a light, well seasoned tomato sauce.

Serves 6-8

1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups (12 ounce can) beer
salt to taste
30-40 squash blossoms
1/2 pound of any good quality cheese
safflower, sunflower or peanut oil

Beat together flour, beer, and salt. Let sit at least 3 hours. Cut cheese into small pieces and stuff each blossom. Heat 1/4-1/2 inch oil in wide skillet. Dip blossoms in batter, then fry in oil until golden brown.

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from Danielle Adams

Filling:

1/2 small container of Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Medium Tomato - Chopped
Handful of Basil - Chopped
Little Bit of Diced Onion
Dash of Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Batter:

Trader Joe’s or Other Buttermilk Baking Mix
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Water
Enough Veggie Oil to fill about 1/2 of a Medium Sized Skillet/Pan

Make the batter and allow to sit for a bit. Combine all ingredients for the filling.

Fill the Squash Blossoms with the filling, make sure to close the tops of the blossoms after by either pressing them down in to the filling a bit or gently twisting them a bit. Preheat your pan on med-Hi heat.

Dip the blossoms in to the batter and make sure your pan is hot enough. Gently place the blossoms into the pan and cook them until golden brown on each side. I usually turn down the heat to medium at this point.- they cook very rapidly and you should only need to turn them once. I add a little extra salt, pepper and red chili pepper flakes on them after frying too!

P.S. I am a total throw it together and see how it turns out cook… so please let me know if you have any questions about how I made these!!!!

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Very simple and special. Allow 4-5 blossoms per person.

Rinse blossoms. Steam over boiling water for about 1 minute or until fork tender. Serve with salt, freshly ground pepper and butter.

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