Kale Salad with Roasted Squash

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-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

-Peel 1 butternut or delicata squash and then scrape out the seeds and cut into 1 inch chunks.

-Place squash on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

-Drizzle with 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper; toss well.

-Roast until golden brown, tossing halfway through, about 45 minutes in all.

-In a large salad bowl, combine the following:

The juice from 1 fresh lemon

3 TBS extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp salt and a pinch of pepper

-Tear the stems out of 1 bunch of kale.

-Cut the leaves crosswise into 3/4-inch ribbons and add to salad bowl.

-Toss kale with dressing, squeezing until leaves are soft.

-Let stand for at least 30 minutes.

-Chop ½ cup hazelnuts then toast on the stovetop or in the oven until lightly brown. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.

-After salad has sat for 30 minutes, add the roasted squash and nuts, along with ½ cup aged goat cheese.

-Toss well to combine and serve.

Kale Crisps with Lemon Zest and Sea Salt

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-Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

-Remove the stems from 1 bunch of kale.

-Toss the kale with 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil and spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheets.

-Bake, tossing kale and rotating sheets halfway through, until crisp, about 15 minutes.

-Let cool on baking sheet.

-Zest 1 lemon.

-Sprinkle the kale with the lemon zest and sea salt and toss to coat.

Kale Chips

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-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

-Oil a large baking pan with some olive oil.

-Stem 1 bunch of kale and cut into thin ribbons.

-Mix together the following:

2 TBS apple cider

1 TBS olive oil

A pinch of sea salt

-Toss the kale with the mixture and let sit for 5 minutes.

-Take the kale out of the marinade and spread the kale out on the baking pan.

-Bake the kale for 7 minutes and then stir it and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

-Bake for 5-7 minutes longer watch the leaves closely towards the end to make sure they don’t burn.

-Let cool a little and serve.

Kale Caesar

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-Remove the stems from 1 bunch of kale.

-Cut the leaves into thin strips.

-Place in a salad bowl and add the following:

1 clove of garlic put through a garlic press

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

-Toss well.

-Sprinkle on a big pinch of sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper and toss again.

-Add the juice of half a lemon and toss.

-Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

 

 

Kale and Ricotta Salata Salad

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From the January 2007 issue of Gourmet Magazine.

-Cut out and discard center ribs and stems of 1 bunch of kale. Cut the kale into very thin slices.

-Whisk together 1½ TBS fresh lemon juice, ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper.

-Then whisk in 4½ TBS of extra virgin olive oil in a thin steady stream.

-Place the kale in a salad bowl along with 1 cup coarsely grated ricotta salata cheese.

-Toss with dressing to coat and season with salt and pepper.

Kale and Carrot Confetti with Leeks and Feta Cheese

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-Cut 1 leek in half the long way, then rinse well between the layers.

-Slice the leek halves into thin half moon shaped pieces.

-Wash 1 bunch of lacintao kale, then stack in a pile and cut into thin ribbons.

-Then chop the kale ribbons into small pieces.

-Grate 1 carrot.

-Heat 2 TBS olive oil or ghee in a large pan over medium heat.

-Add the leeks.

-Let cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

-Add the shredded carrot and stir.

-Then add the kale and cook for another 5-7 minutes.

-When the greens are wilted, stir in the following:

Some crumbled feta cheese

A sprinkle of red pepper flakes

-Stir well and serve hot.

 

 

Jeweled Basmati Rice with Winter Squash and Currants from Moro East

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-Soak 1½ cups of basmati rice in warm salted water for 1 hour.

-Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

-Peel 1 winter squash and cut it into 1 inch pieces.

-Toss the winter squash with 2 TBS olive oil and ½ tsp sea salt.

-Spread it in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes until tender.

-In a heat safe bowl mix a big pinch (about 50 strands) of saffron with 3 TBS boiling water.

-Add in 2 TBS unsalted butter, which should melt. Set the saffron aside.

-Thinly slice and dice 1 fennel bulb or 4 stalks of celery.

-Heat 4 TBS unsalted butter in a medium saucepan.

-Add in the following:

A 6 cm piece of cinnamon stick

4 crushed allspice berries

-Then add the fennel/celery and ½ tsp sea salt.

-Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the onion is soft.

-Add the following:

1 TBS currants

¼ cup shelled/unsalted pistachios

½ tsp ground cardamom

-Cook for 10 minutes more.

-Drain the rice and add it to the pan.

-Stir together for a minute or two.

-Pour in 2¼ cups stock and stir well.

-Scatter the roasted squash on top of the rice.

-Cover with a circle of parchment paper, then cover with a tight fitting lid.

-Cook over high heat until boiling, then reduce heat and cook another 5-10 minutes until rice is tender.

-Remove paper and drizzle with the buttery saffron water.

-Replace the lid and leave to rest off the heat for 5-10 minutes.

 

Japanese Style Cucumber Salad

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-Cut 2 cucumbers or 4-5 pickles lengthwise into 1/8-inch thick ribbons using a mandoline or a manual slicer.

-Toss cucumber slices with several pinches of sea salt and let drain for 30 minutes in a colander over sink.

-Bring ¼ cup rice vinegar and 2 tsp sugar to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then cool to room temperature.

-Stir in ½ tsp soy sauce and ½ tsp toasted sesame oil.

-Toss cucumber with dressing and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

 

Insalata Caprese

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-Slice 3-4 tomatoes into ¼ inch thick slices.

-Arrange the slices on a large plate.

-Top each tomato slice with a thin slice from a fresh mozzarella ball (the kind that comes in water).

-Remove the pits and cut 8-10 Kalamata olives in half. Wash and pat dry 10-15 whole basil leaves (if you have some).

-Top half of the tomato/mozzarella slices with a Kalamata olive half and the others with a whole basil leaf.

-Sprinkle the slices with 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil or walnut oil and 1 TBS Balsamic vinegar.

-Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

 

Indian Spiced Carrot and Beetroot Salad from Plenty by Diana Henry

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-Soak 2 TBS raisins in some boiling water.

-Peel and grate 1 carrot, 1 beet and ½ a watermelon radish.

-Put the grated vegetables in a medium sized bowl.

-Add 1 tsp ground cumin, a drop of chilli sauce, 2 TBS walnut or olive oil, 1 tsp red wine vinegar and a couple of squeezes of lemon juice. Toss well.

-Add 1 TBS blanched almonds, ½ TBS sesame seeds, 1 TBS pumpkin seeds and 2 TBS chopped cilantro or parsley.

-Drain the raisins and add them along with a pinch of sea salt.

Iceberg Lettuce Wedges with Bacon and Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

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-For the dressing: Mix 1 cup good mayonnaise with 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper and 1 tsp hot sauce. 
-Stir well then add ½ cup coarsely crumbled blue cheese. Stir until blue cheese is incorporated. 
-Thin the dressing with water or buttermilk if necessary.
-Cut ½# pound of bacon into 1-inch pieces and cook over medium heat until just crisp. Set aside. 
-Cut 1 iceberg lettuce into 6 wedges, leaving some of the core intact to hold the wedge together.
-Place each wedge on a plate and add some dressing. 
-Cut ½ a sweet onion into rings, and add to the plates along with 1 tomato sliced into wedges.
-Add the bacon and some more black pepper.

How to Take the Bite Out of Radishes

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Salting them takes the sharp bite out of radishes and makes them sweet and delicious.

-For watermelon radishes: peel, cut in half or quarters and then into thin slices.

-For Pink Beauty radishes: cut each radish into thin rounds.

-Place the radishes in a glass bowl.

-Sprinkle with a big pinch of salt and let stand for 15-20 minutes.

-Taste them; if they are too salty you can rinse and dry them.

-Use in salad or as a small side dish. They are pretty and yummy!

 

How to Prepare Artichokes

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-Peel the first layer of outer leaves off of your artichokes, and peel the stem (once peeled the stems are delicious too).

-Add some lemon juice to a bowl of water, and float the artichokes in the water to clean them and keep them from browning. Swish them around briskly to remove all debris before steaming.

-Put the artichokes in a steamer basket over boiling water and steam until tender, about 25-30 minutes for medium/large artichokes. (You can pull off an outer leave to test if it the artichoke is tender.)

-Melt some butter in a pan, add a little garlic if you like.

-Dip and then eat each leave, scraping the meat off the leaf with your teeth. Yum!

-Once all of the edible leaves have been, well, eaten, scoop out the spiny inner leaves as well as the bristley hairs, leaving a delicious heart and stem. Eat and Enjoy!

How to Freeze Strawberries

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-Gently wash and then pat strawberries dry.

-Take the tops off.

-If you have room in your freezer, lay the strawberries in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

-Put them in the freezer for 24 hours then fill and seal freezer bags with strawberries, making sure to take as much of the air out of the bag as you can.

-You can also skip putting them on a cookie sheet and just put them in plastic bags and freeze them that way.

-Frozen strawberries will keep for a year; they are delicious in smoothies, pies and as ice cream topping.

-If you don’t freeze them on a cookie sheet, they will stick together in the bag. To break them apart, run them briefly under hot water so that you can break them apart.

 

Honey, Lemon and Dijon Vinaigrette

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Best made with Helsing Junction Farm honey!

-Put 2 heaping TBS honey in a small mason jar with a tight fitting lid.

-Add the following:

1 TBS Dijon mustard

2 cloves of garlic put through a garlic press or finely minced

The juice of 1 fresh lemon

A big pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper.

-Stir together well.

-Add ¼ cup olive oil.

-Shake until well mixed and serve fresh, makes about enough for 4 small salads.

Homemade Onion Rings

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Would this work with shallots too? We can’t see why not.

-Peel and slice 2 large yellow onions into ¼ inch rings (or a little wider) and separate them into rings. Set aside.

-Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep pot (cast iron works well).

-Pour 1 cup milk or buttermilk into a bowl. Set aside.

-Mix together the following in a medium sized bowl:

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

A pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper

-When the oil reaches about 365 degrees, drop a handful of onions into the milk.

-Take the onions out of the milk and drop into the flour.

-Toss to coat and gently shake off excess coating.

-Add the onion rings to the hot oil, making sure not to crowd them.  

-Fry, stirring occasionally until crisp and golden, 3 minutes for the first side and 1 minute or so for the 2nd side. 

-Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions to a plate lined with paper towel.  

-Repeat with the remaining onions, you will have to make several batches.  

-Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and serve immediately.

 

Homemade French Fries

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Why not consider making these cool looking fries too?

-Slowly heat 2 inches of oil (preferable one with a high smoke point) in a deep pot (cast iron works well).

-Cut 5-8 potatoes into long thin slices.

-Rinse potatoes in several changes of cold water and spread out to dry in one layer on some towels.

-When the oil is hot, carefully add a handful of the potatoes, making sure not to crowd them.

-Cook until well browned, about 4-5 minutes, turning once.

-Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined tray.

-Salt and serve warm, perhaps with some garlic aioli?

Home Fries with Peppers and Cumin

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The secret is to bring the potatoes just to a boil before sautéing them, it makes them fabulously crispy!

-Heat 1 TBS of ghee or olive oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking.

-Add 1 diced onion and 3-4 sweet peppers and cook stirring frequently until browned, about 8-10 minutes.

-Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

-Cut 1 pound of potatoes into ¼ inch thick slices.

-Place them in a saucepan and add water to cover by ½ inch and 1 tsp sea salt.

-Cook over high heat until water boils, then drain potatoes thoroughly in a colander.

-Heat 1½ TBS extra virgin olive oil and 1 TBS butter together in the large skillet.

-Add the potatoes in 1 thin layer (if you don’t have enough room you may have to use 2 pans).

-Cook without stirring for 5-7 minutes until one side is golden brown.

-Turn the potatoes, than repeat the browning process.

-Do this several times until all sides are well browned.

-Add back the onions and peppers, along with ½ tsp paprika and ½ tsp cumin and a sprinkle of sea salt.

-Stir to blend, then serve warm.

 

Herbed Meatballs

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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.