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

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.

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2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 2-pound squash, peel, cubed\ - 6 Cups
1 14 1/2-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons dry Sherry
2 1/2 C(or more) canned vegetable broth
2/3 cup nonfat milk
2 Tbs chopped fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried
Nonfat plain yogurt, Fresh thyme sprigs

Other varieties of sweet yellow-fleshed winter squash-such as acorn squash-are perfect for this soup.

Heat olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add butternut squash and sauté until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and Sherry. Boil until almost all liquid evaporates, about 30 seconds.

Stir in 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash it very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Puree soup in blender in batches until smooth. Return soup to same saucepan. Stir in milk and chopped thyme. Bring to simmer.

Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

(Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Bring soup to simmer before serving, thinning with more broth, if desired.)

Ladle soup into bowls. Top with dollop of yogurt. Garnish with thyme sprigs.

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(Cream Of Squash Blossom Soup)

A delicate, creamy soup flecked with gold.

Serves 4

3 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 pound squash flowers (40-50), chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups light chicken stock
1/3 cup sour cream
2 Anaheim chiles or sweet peppers, charred, peeled, seeded and chopped

Melt butter and sauté onion and garlic until translucent. Add chopped flowers and salt. Cook over low flame, covered for 10 minutes or until flowers are tender. In blender buzz flowers with 1 1/2 cups stock.

Return to pan and add remaining stock. Cook over low flame for 8 minutes. Stir sour cream until smooth and add to soup. Reheat soup but do not boil, adjust seasoning and serve garnished with chopped chiles or peppers.

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From Molly Beverly

Serves 8 to 10

1 ounce dried mushrooms OR 4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 onions, chopped
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium beets, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns, crushed
1 Tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup chopped cabbage

If using dried mushrooms, simmer them in 3 cups water for 15 minutes. Set aside.

Sauté fresh mushrooms in oil until golden. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add beets, carrot and celery, cook 5 minutes. Add 6 cups boiling water, bay leaf, peppercorns, lemon juice or vinegar, and tomato paste and simmer 15 minutes. Drain dried mushrooms from stock and chop them. Add mushroom stock and mushrooms to soup.

Add cabbage and simmer 20 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf.

Taste, add salt and pepper as needed. Cool to let flavors blend. Serve cold or reheat with sour cream.

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from Lester Darazs

Ingredients:
¼ cup extra light olive oil (or lard, or what ever shortening preferred)
4 cups of onions, coarsely chopped
6 cups of white Hungarian (Gypsy) peppers, or bell peppers, cut to about 1” pieces
8 cups of vine ripened tomatoes blanched and peeled, chopped to I” pieces
2 tsp salt, l tsp coarsely ground black pepper, 1 tbsp of Hungarian paprika.
1 pint tomato juice
1 Ring of Polish sausage, or Hungarian sausage, or Chorizo
2 Tbsp sugar
2 teaspoons or more crushed chile, optional
In a large nonstick pot (about 6 qt) sauté the onions in the olive oil, under lid, until the onions are slightly limp, about 8-10 mm. med.

Heat. Do not brown.

Add paprika and stir quickly to coat all the onions with the paprika, and quickly add the tomato juice, all of the tomatoes, stir to just mix, and spices and sugar, stir and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to mix it all up, and cover, Cook for about 30 mm on medium heat, stir occasionally to keep from burning on the bottom, reduce heat to low and simmer partly covered for another 30-45 mm, or until the Lecsó gets to the desired consistency.

Adjust to taste.

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1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 TBSP olive oil
1 pound spicy sausage in chunks
2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained
5 Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
2 pork chops
3 TBSP hot chopped pepper
1 bunch Kale – washed, dried, shredded
½ head Savoy cabbage, shredded

In a large soup pot, cook onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until soft. Mix in sausage, beans, and potatoes, and then add pork chops to the pot. Season with salt and pepper, and add enough water to the pan to cover all of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender. Once potatoes are tender, taste soup, add peppers and more salt and pepper. Stir in kale and cabbage, and increase heat to gently boil. Kale only needs about 5 minutes. You may add some water if the soup got too thick, I like this soup on the brothy side.

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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

All the nightshades are braised together in a sauce of basil and cilantro, two herbs that are quite possibly even better in combination than they are separately. Serve warm or at room temperature with a spoonful of garlic-infused yogurt or a wedge of lemon.

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1½ pounds Yellow Finn, Russian Banana, or other waxy potatoes
2 large peppers, red and/or yellow bells or cubanelles
vegetable oil
1 cup packed basil leaves
1 cup packed cilantro leaves
3 large garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon roasted ground cumin
2 large onions, peeled and cut into eighths, or 16 very small onions
1 pound short oblong eggplants, such as Ichiban, quartered lengthwise
2 or 3 large meaty red tomatoes peeled, seeded, and diced
1½ cups cooked chickpeas (1 15-ounce can, rinsed)

Preheat the broiler. Bring 6 cups water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon salt. Slice the potatoes lengthwise about ½ inch thick, boil them for 5 minutes, and drain. Halve the peppers lengthwise, press to flatten them, then brush with vegetable oil. Broil, cut side down, on a baking sheet until blistered but not charred. Stack them on top of one another and set aside to steam. When cool, remove the skins and cut the pieces in half. Set the oven temperature at 350°F.

Coarsely chop the basil, cilantro, and garlic, then puree in a small food processor with olive oil, cumin and ½ teaspoon salt.

Toss all the vegetables with 1 teaspoon salt, some freshly ground pepper, and the herb mixture. Using your hands, rub the herb mixture into the vegetables, especially the eggplant, then add the chickpeas and toss once more. Transfer everything to an earthenware gratin dish. Rinse out the herb container with ½ cup water and pour it over all Cover the gratin dish tightly with foil and bake until tender, about 1½ hours. Remove the foil, brush the exposed vegetables with the juices, and bake for 20 minutes more. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

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from Molly Beverly

Makes 2 cups.

Adapted from Mediterranean Cooking by Paula Wolfert (a great cookbook with a multitude of fantastic eggplant dishes.) Fire roasting the eggplant infuses it with a wonderful smoky flavor. If you have your barbeque going, definitely roast an eggplant for this dip. If not, use the oven-stove top method.

Greek Version:

1 medium eggplant, about 1 pound
2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt
1/3 cup olive oil

Roast the eggplant. This works best on a gas or charcoal grill, outside, so your house does not heat up. Alternatively use a gas burner on your stove or roast in the oven on highest heat. Cook eggplant, turning occasionally until blackened and blistered and completely soft. Remove stems. Place roasted eggplant in blender or food processor (or finely chop). Add remaining ingredients and blend. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Served chilled with sesame crackers or wedges of pita bread.

Syrian version:

Add 1/2 cup plain yogurt.

Lebanese version (Baba Ghanoush):

Add 2 Tablespoons tahini, sesame seed paste. (Available at health food stores.)

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Serves 4 to 6

Everything about this dish is summery and fresh-including the cook, who hasn’t
had to hover over a steamy stovetop to achieve this surprisingly intense blend of
flavors. A shareholder recipe-tester says the sour cream gives this soup lovely
richness and suggests using a little finely chopped fresh dill for a pretty garnish.

4 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 to 2 cups water
2 cups plain yogurt (or 1 cup plain yogurt combined with 1 cup sour cream)
1 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
Several fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
1 tablespoon honey
1 to 2 teaspoons salt
2 scallions, finely chopped

1. Combine the chopped cucumber, 1 cup water, yogurt, garlic, mint, dill, honey, and 1 teaspoon salt in a blender or food processor. Puree the ingredients, adding more of the water until the soup is a consistency you like. Season with more salt to taste.
2. Transfer the soup to a large bowl and chill for several hours. Garnish each serving with chopped scallions.

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