Arugula Salad with Roasted Beets and Fresh Goat Cheese

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-Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

-Trim leaves off of 1 bunch of beets.

-Tightly wrap beets in double layers of foil to make a small package and roast until tender, about 1+ hour.

-When beets are cool enough to handle, remove foil.

-Slip off skins and stems from beets and cut into wedges.

-Bring to room temperature.

-Drizzle with the following:

Balsamic vinegar

Extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Sea salt

-Wash 1 bunch of arugula then spin it dry

-Spread the arugula out on a platter and place the beets on top.

-Serve with more oil and vinegar if desired.

Arugula Pesto II

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From Saveur Magazine’s August/September issue. Try a dollop on some ripe red tomatoes or on a steak.

-Wash and spin dry 1 bunch of arugula.

-In a food processor add the following:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

½ cup finely grated Parmesan

½ cup finely grated pecorino

1/3 cup pine nuts

1 TBS lemon zest

1 clove chopped garlic

-Process until finely chopped and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Arugula Pesto I

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-In the bowl of a food processor, combine the following:

1 bunch chopped arugula

1/2 cup chopped cilantro or basil

1/2 cup walnuts

1 clove of garlic

-Coarsely grind.

-While food processor is still running drizzle in 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil.

-Then mix the following by hand:

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Some cayenne pepper

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

 

Arugula Pecan Pesto

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From Mollie Katzen’s The Vegetable dishes I can’t live without.

-Chop 1 bunch of arugula into thirds.

-Wash and spin it dry.

-Put the arugula in a food processor along with 1 clove of fresh garlic, ½ cup pecans and a pinch of sea salt.

-Pulse until pulverized, then add 1 tsp fresh lemon juice and 1 TBS golden raisins.

-Run the processor again, drizzling in 3 TBS of olive oil in a steady stream. Taste for salt.

-Smooth the top of the pesto with the back of a spoon and add a think layer of olive oil to cover the top. Serve chilled.

Arugula & Roma Bean Salad with Walnuts

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For the dressing:

-In a small bowl whisk together the following:

2 cloves of garlic put through a garlic press

¼ cup walnut or olive oil

1 TBS white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

-Hard-boil 3 eggs, then cool, peel and coarsely chop.

-In a small skillet toast ¼ cup chopped walnuts until lightly browned.

-Take the stems off of 1# of Roma beans and chop into 1½ inch segments.

-Steam the beans for 5 minutes until just tender.

-Drain then refresh the beans under cold water and drain again.

-Transfer to a large bowl and add 1 bunch of washed and dried arugula leaves and half the eggs.

-Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.

-Top with the remaining eggs and toasted walnuts, adding some crumbled chevre style goat cheese if desired.

Apricot-Brandy Cobbler

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-Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

-Butter an 8-inch baking dish.

-Slice up about 8-10 apricots.

-Toss the fruit with ½ cup sugar and ¼ cup brandy.

-Spread the apricots in the buttered baking dish.

-In the bowl of a food processor, combine the following:

½ cup flour

½ cup sugar

½ tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

-Pulse once or twice.

-Add 4 TBS cold butter cut into bits and ¼ cup sour cream or yogurt and process for 10 seconds.

-By hand, mix in 1 egg and ½ tsp vanilla.

-Drop this mixture on to the fruit by TBS, do not spread it out.

-Bake until golden yellow and just starting to brown, 35 and 45 minutes.

-Serve immediately with a dollop of whip cream or ice cream.

Apricot Plum Tart with a Shortbread Crust

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-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

-For the shortbread crust:

-In a mixing bowl combine the following:

1 cup flour

1/3 cup butter

2 TBS powdered sugar

-Mix until crumbly and with no pieces bigger than a pea.

-Press into a 9-inch pie pan or tart pan.

-Cut and halve about 1 pound of plums and 1 pound of apricots, removing pits.

-Arrange in the crust, cut side up, making slightly overlapping concentric circles starting at the outside.

-Fit as many apricots/plums into the pan as possible.

-Mix together ½ cup sugar and 2 tsp ground cinnamon.

-Pour over the fruit.

-Bake for 45 minutes until plums are soft and filling is boiling.

-Cool on a wire rack and serve with whipped cream.

 

Apple, Carrot, Beet Ginger Juice

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-Place the following in a blender.

1 beet, rinsed, peeled and quartered

1 apple, cored and quartered

½-inch piece of fresh ginger (skin removed)

3 whole carrots, cut into chunks

-Blend until smooth, adding about ¼ cup of fresh apple juice or water if needed to get it moving.

-Then, place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and pour the juice in.

-Use a rubber spatula to press the pulp down and squeeze all of the juice out. Let stand for 5 minutes so you get most of the juice.

-Discard pulp and pour your juice into a container.

-Drink immediately or chill for a bit, it will keep in the fridge for a day or so, but tastes best when fresh.

 

Ancho Peppers with Ground Pork and Sharp Cheddar

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-Sautee the following together in a large skillet until lightly browned.

1 TBS ghee or butter

1 pound ground pork

-Put the sautéed pork in a large bowl.

-Grate 1 summer squash or take the kernels off of 1 ear of corn.

-Put the pan back on the stove and add 1 TBS ghee or butter to the pan.

-Then add in the grated squash or corn.

-Cook until tender, about 5 minutes, then set aside.

-Cut 6 ancho or Anaheim peppers in half the long way.

-Carefully scrape out the seeds.

-Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

-Grate ½ cup of sharp cheddar cheese and mix into the filling.

-Fill each pepper half with a mounded scoop of the pork filling.

-Place the peppers on the baking sheet as you make them.

-Bake for 20-30 minutes until peppers are lightly browned and the cheese is bubbling.

 

Amara

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-Take the stems and rib out of 1 bunch of Amara mustard greens.

-Cook mustard greens in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water, until wilted and tender, about 5 minutes.

-Transfer with tongs to a large bowl of cold water to stop cooking.

-Drain greens in a colander, pressing to squeeze out excess moisture, then coarsely chop.

-Cook 2 cloves of garlic put through a press in 2 TBS unsalted butter in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes.

-Add boiled greens, salt, and pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes.

 

Summer Ragout

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-Take the skins off of 4-6 tomatoes by cutting a big X on the bottom of each tomato and submerging them in boiling water for 5 minutes.

-Peel each tomato from the bottom up, then chop them into large chunks.

-Wash any combination of whole peppers, ancho, sweet Italian or shisito.

-You could also do an eggplant this way.

-Turn your broiler to high and put the oven rack as close to the element as possible.

-Put the peppers on a baking tray and let broil for about 10 minutes until one side is charred.

-Then flip the peppers and broil the other side.

-When the peppers are cool enough to handle, chop them up and the eggplant too if using.

-Chop up 1 head of fennel into small dice if you have it.

-You could also do a summer squash.

-Heat 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil in a medium saucepan.

-Add the chopped fennel/summer squash and sauté for 10 minutes until soft.

-Put 2 cloves of garlic through a press, then add to the fennel if using.

-Add the tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.

-Add a splash or two of red wine and cook for 10 minutes until tomatoes are broken apart and saucy.

-Finely chop up ¼ bunch of fresh parsley and/or a large handful of basil and then add it to the tomatoes.

-Season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and some red pepper flakes if desired.

-If you want to serve it with out any grains involved, you can make the meatball recipe below and boil the meatballs in the sauce, covered for 10 minutes.

-Or serve with pasta (Linguini? Orchetta?) and some good quality grated Parmesan cheese.

 

Herbed Meatballs:

Meatballs need a new name because they are awesome and their name is not.

-Use any combination of ground meat you like, our favorite is half pork and half beef, but you can also use ground turkey or chicken.

-In a large bowl combine the following:

1 pound ground meat

¼ cup finely chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, basil or flat leaf parsley)

1 egg

½ tsp sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper

-Gently mix, then shape into small 1.5 inch meatballs.

-You can simmer the meatballs in broth or tomato sauce for about 10 minutes over medium heat or you can bake the meatballs in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until nicely browned.

A Summer Curry

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You can make this with chicken or tofu and pretty much any vegetable in your CSA box.

For chicken, cut up 1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 3-4 thighs in to 1-inch chunks and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

-Cook the chicken pieces in some extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat until browned on the outside but not quite cooked all the way through.

-Don’t let the chicken pieces touch as they cook so they brown better; you can sauté it in 2 batches if you need to.

-Add a splash of sherry, white wine or chicken stock and deglaze the pan, then put the chicken and sauce aside.

-Cut up any or all of the following into bite size chunks…

1 summer squash

1 head of broccoli

2-3 carrots

2 handfuls of green beans

1-2 peppers

1 eggplant

-Add all of the above into the same pan you cooked the chicken in.

-Sauté 8-10 minutes until partly tender, then add 1-2 tsp curry powder and another splash of sherry or broth and stir well to deglaze the pan.

-Husk then wash 1# tomatillos.

-Add to the vegetables along with the cooked chicken or 1 pound of cubed extra firm tofu.

-Add 1 can of coconut milk and 1 cup of broth or so, depending on how soupy you want the curry. 

-Cook on low until vegetables are tender and chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 30-40 minutes.

-Stir well to incorporate tomatillos.

-Serve over rice.

A Stir Fry of Broccoli and Lamb from Plenty by Nigel Slater

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-Wash a 1 bunch of broccoli and cut into small florets.

-Peel the stem and cut into bite size pieces.

-Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute.

-Drain and set aside.

-Chop up 2 cloves of garlic.

-In a shallow sauté pan or wok, get 3 TBS peanut oil or ghee really hot.

-Add the garlic and cook stirring until soft but not colored.

-The author of this recipe (Nigel Slater) says, “it will appear that there is too much oil but bear with him.”

-Add 1 pound of ground lamb and let it color appetizingly, stirring to break it into small pieces.

-Add the drained broccoli.

-In a small bowl mix the following:

The juice and zest of 1 lime

1 TBS Thai fish sauce (nam pla)

1 tsp sugar

-Add to the hot pan and let sizzle briefly.

-Check for salt and stir in the following:

Some chopped chives or green onions

Fresh shell peas if you have some

2 grated carrots

-Serve warm.

 

A Side Dish of Spiced and Creamed Carrots, From Tender by Nigel Slater

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-Grate 1 bunch of carrots.

-Put 1 clove of garlic through a garlic press.

-Grate a 1-inch piece of ginger (we’ve been using a micro planner for this task).

-Finely chop a jalapeno (optional).

-Heat 2 TBS butter in a medium sized skillet.

-Add a tsp of mustard seeds and the garlic and ginger.

-Add the jalapeno and cook for a few minutes covered, then add the carrots.

-Let them cook, stirring occasionally for 3 or 4 minutes.

-Coarsely chop 2 TBS cashews and then toast them in a small skillet until golden and then set aside.

-Stir together the following then fold into the hot carrots:

4 TBS cream

4 heaping TBS plain whole milk yogurt

-Immediately spoon into a serving dish and top with the following:

A sprinkle of chopped cilantro and/or mint

Some freshly squeezed lime

The toasted cashews

-Serve warm.

 

A Rich Root and Cheese Soup for June Gloom

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Adapted from Tender by Nigel Slater.

-Chop up 1 fresh onion.

-Melt 4 TBS butter in a large heavy pot, then sauté the onion for 5 minutes.

-Cut 1 bunch of baby turnips into small cubes.

-Add to the butter along with 4 cloves minced garlic.

-Cook over medium heat with the lid on for 8-10 minutes, until the vegetables are golden around the edges.

-Sprinkle the following into the pot:

2 TBS flour

½ tsp of turmeric

½ tsp of dried red chili flakes (optional)

-Cook for 3 minutes, then add 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock.

-Stir well and cover.

-Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes until vegetables are soft.

-Pour into a blender and whiz up.

-Then add the following:

½ cup cream

2 TBS grainy mustard

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

-Dice 4 ounces extra sharp cheddar or Gruyere into small cubes.

-Put the cheese into 4 bowls, than ladle the soup over and top.

-Sprinkle with some finely chopped chives.

A Fall Salad with Comice Pears, Gorgonzola, Toasted Pecans and Dried Cranberries

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-Wash and dry 1 head of lettuce. Tear the lettuce into bite size pieces and put them in a salad bowl.

-Chop 1 bunch of arugula into 3rds, discarding the last 3 inches of the bunch. Wash, spin dry and add to the bowl.

-Cut about a third or a half of a radicchio into thin strips and add to the bowl as well, toss the greens together gently.

 -In a jar with a tight fitting lid, add 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil, 2-3 TBS Balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon or stone ground mustard and a pinch of salt.

-Press 2 cloves of garlic through a garlic press and add them to the salad dressing. Shake well.

-Toast a big handful of pecans in butter over low heat for 2 minutes.

-Cut 1-2 ripe Comice pears into bite size pieces.

-Pour all but a bit of the salad dressing on the salad, and toss to evenly coat.

-Sprinkle the pecans over the greens, along with the chopped pears.

-Add a handful of dried cranberries and about 1/8 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese.

-Top with the remaining salad dressing and serve.

 

5-Minute Beets from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

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-Take the tops off of 1 bunch of beets.

-Grate them into coarse shreds.

-Melt 1 TBS butter in a skillet then add the beets and toss them with ½ tsp salt and pepper to taste.

-Add ¼ cup water, then cover the pan and cook over medium heat until the beets are tender.

-Remove the lid and taste the heat to boil off any excess water.

-Taste for salt and season with a little lemon juice or Balsamic vinegar.

-Toss with 2 TBS chopped basil.

-This dish is nice served with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream.

A Thin Cake of Potatoes and Parmesan by Nigel Slater

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From Tender, this is a pretty amazing cookbook! He says, “Potatoes cut thinly are…blissful when cooked with stock or butter until they are sodden and meltingly soft.”

-Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

-Slice 2 pounds of fingerling potatoes as thinly as you can, you should be almost able to see through them.

-Melt 8 TBS of butter.

-Put 4 cloves of garlic put through a press or finely minced them. Set aside.

-Finely chop ½ bunch of flat leaf Italian parsley.

-Finely grate ½ cup Parmesan cheese.

-Put a little of the melted butter over the bottom of a shallow baking dish or a cast-iron skillet and cover it with some of the potato slices, overlapping them slightly.

-Pour on a little more butter, then season with some of the garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and a dusting of the Parmesan.

-Cover that with a further layer of potatoes, more salt/pepper, garlic, parsley and Parmesan.

-Then continue layering until you have used all the potatoes. Finish with butter and Parmesan.

-Bake for 45-50 minutes until deep golden brown and sizzling, pressing down very firmly once or twice with a large spatula.

-Remove from oven and let cool a little before serving.

 

 

Another Salsa Verde

We make green sauce at least once a week and eat it on everything, though it really shines on stir-fry, fish or grilled meat. It’s very simple to make, especially if you have a good micro-planning grater and a decent blender. You can also make this sauce in a food processor, but it doesn’t seem to do as good a job of finely grinding the herbs. You can make salsa verde out of most any herb and it always seems to taste great. This particular recipe would also be fab with green onions substituted for the chives.

-Wash and shake dry 1 bunch of dill and 1 bunch of chives. 

-You can also wash and shake dry 1 bunch of basil if you have it.

-Take the skins off 3-4 cloves of garlic then add them to the bowl of a blender and process.

-Zest 1 lime then juice it. 

-Add to the blender along with the following:

2 TBS olive oil

½ tsp Celtic sea salt

¼ cup cold water

-Leaving the rubber band on the herbs, chop them up stems and all until you get to the very end of the bunch.  

-Add the herbs to the blender in handfuls, processing in between until all are incorporated.

-Let process until a smooth sauce develops.

-Serve fresh only.

 

 

Stuffed Eggplant with Lamb and Pine Nuts

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-Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

-Cut 2 large eggplants in half the long way.

-Place the eggplant cut-side up in a roasting pan large enough to accommodate them snugly.

-Brush the eggplant with 4 TBS extra virgin olive oil.

-Season with sea salt and fresh pepper.

-Roast for 20 minutes.

-Remove from the oven to cool slightly.

-While the eggplant is cooking, make the stuffing...

-Mix together the following in a small bowl:

1.5 tsp ground cumin

1.5 tsp sweet paprika

1 TBS ground cinnamon

-Dice up 1 onion.

-Heat 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan.

-Add half of the spice mix to the pan along with the onion.

-Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.

-Add the following to the pan:

1 pound ground lamb

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 bunch chopped cilantro or a handful of basil

2 tsp tomato paste

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper

-Continue to cook and stir until meat is cooked.

-In a small bowl mix together the following:

2/3 cup water

1 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 tsp tamarind paste

4 cinnamon sticks

1/4 tsp sea salt

The remaining spice mix

-Cover the pan tightly with a lid or aluminum foil, return to the oven and roast for 1.5 hours.

-Twice during the cooking, remove the lid/foil and baste the eggplants with the sauce, adding some water if necessary.

-Serve warm, not hot or at room temperature.