Lentil, Roasted Tomato and Escarole Soup

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-Cut 1 head of escarole cross-wise into 1 inch strips. Soak in ice water until needed to reduce bitterness.

-Put 1 basket of Sungold cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

-Pick off some of the skins and reserve tomatoes and juices when done roasting.

-Finely dice 1 leek and 2 carrots.

-Chop up 3 cloves of garlic.

-In a stockpot, melt 2 TBS butter over medium heat.

-Add the chopped vegetables and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.

-Rinse ¾ cup of French green lentils in several changes of water.

-Add the lentils to the vegetables along with the following:

1 bay leaf, the roasted Sungold tomatoes, salt, pepper and 5 ½ cups broth or water.

-Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 40 minutes.

-Drain the escarole then add it to soup and cook for 5-7 minutes more.

-Adjust seasonings and serve in four bowls topped with a little olive oil or truffle oil.

Lemon Cucumbers with Harissa and Sea Salt

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Harissa is a Tunisian spice whose main ingredients are roasted chili peppers and spices such as garlic, coriander seed, cumin and caraway. We use a powdered form here from Frontier Spices, that is available at many natural food stores.

 -Wash 2-3 lemon cucumbers and trim a tiny bit of the top and bottom off of each one.

-With out peeling, cut each lemon cucumber into 8 wedge shaped pieces.

-Lay on a platter, then sprinkle liberally with powdered harissa and fancy sea salt.

-Serve right away.

 

Leek, Potato and Cheddar Frittata

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-Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

-Dice up 1-2 medium sized potatoes into small cubes.

-In a large skillet sauté the potatoes in about 1 TBS butter and 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil for 5-7 minutes until beginning to brown.

-Add 1 leek and 2 cloves of chopped garlic and sauté for about 4 minutes more.

-In a large bowl beat together the following:

6 eggs

1 TBS water

A pinch of salt

-Add the vegetables to the eggs and stir to combine.

-Cut 4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese into small cubes and then stir into the eggs.

-Clean out the skillet and add 1 TBS butter.

-When the pan is hot, add the eggs.

-Immediately turn off the heat and put the pan in the oven.  

-Cook for about 15 minutes until eggs are just set. Do not over cook the eggs.

Layered Salad with Lemon Artichoke Dressing

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-Wash and spin dry 1 head of lettuce.

-Tear into bite size pieces and spread out on a large platter.

-Chop up the following and layer on the salad:

15 pitted Kalamata olives

Half a bunch of Pink Beauty radishes

¼ cup feta cheese

3-4 TBS sunflower seeds

-Rinse 1 can of cannellini beans and add to the salad.

 

For the dressing add the following to a blender:

2 drained artichoke hearts

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

The juice from ½ a lemon

A big pinch of Celtic sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

-Blend well then pour over the salad.

Lavender Scones

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-Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 425°F.

-Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

-In a large mixing bowl whisk 3 cups all-purpose flour with the following:

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 TBS baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp baking soda

-Take 2 tsp lavender blossoms off a bunch of fresh lavender. Add to the dry ingredients.

-Grate ¾ cup cold unsalted butter (1½ sticks).

-Add the butter to the dry ingredients and toss together lightly.

-Zest 1 lemon.

-In a small bowl whisk 1 cup buttermilk, 1 tsp vanilla and the lemon zest.

-Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until shaggy dough forms.

-Transfer to a lightly floured surface; knead until dough forms, about 5 turns.

-Pat into a 10x6" rectangle. Halve dough lengthwise.

-Cut each half crosswise into 4 squares. Cut each square diagonally in half into 2 triangles.

-Divide between baking sheets.

-Brush with 2 TBS buttermilk. Sprinkle with sanding sugar if desired.

-Bake until scones are golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 13-15 minutes.

-Transfer to wire racks; let cool.

-Served warm or at room temperature, with lemon curd is nice.

Late Summer Harvest Soup with Harissa

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This soup is fragrant with spices and sweet and sour (from the honey and tomatillos).

-Soak 1½ cups lentils for 4-8 hours. Drain and rinse.

-Chop up 1 small onion.

-Saute the onions in 2 TBS butter and a big pinch of salt until nicely browned, about 10 minutes.

-Deglaze the pan with 3 TBS white wine, sherry or broth.

-Stir in 4 cloves of chopped garlic.

-Heat a small heavy frying pan (cast iron works best) to medium hot.

-Throw in dried ½ tsp of cumin seed, ½ tsp of fennel seed, ½ tsp coriander seed, ¼ tsp celery seed and shake vigorously for a couple minutes until they start to 'just pop' and become fragrant.

-Immediately grind the spices in a mortal and pestle, a blender or a coffee grinder.

-Add the ground spices to the pan with the onions in it, along with ½ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp turmeric or ¼ tsp curry powder.

-Add 1 more TBS butter and another pinch of salt, and let the onions and spices cook for a few minutes.

-Peel 1 bunch carrots. Chop each carrot into half the long way and then chop into 4ths and then into small chunks.

-Chop up 2 fennel bulbs into small pieces.

-Add to the onions and cook for 5 minutes.

-Take the skins off of 1 pound of tomatillos then wash them.

-Cut the tomatillos into smallish pieces then add to the carrots along with 2 finely chopped jalapeno peppers (be careful when chopping peppers).

-Cook for a few minutes then add 4 cups broth or water, 2 TBS honey and the drained lentilsand bring to a boil.

-Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

-Taste for salt and add some freshly ground black pepper.

-Serve with a dollop of yogurt and some Harissa if desired.


Harissa:
Try rubbing this fiery Tunisian chile paste on meats or fish before searing or grilling, or stir a small spoonful into some mayonnaise for a sandwich spread with a kick. Also mix a dollop into butter and toss with steamed veggies or couscous. The hotter the chiles, the hotter the harissa, so experiment and use sparingly to taste.

-Heat a heavy small fry pan (cast iron works best) to medium hot.

-Throw in dried 1 TBS cumin seeds, 2 TBS coriander seeds and 1 tsp caraway seeds and shake vigorously for a couple minutes until they start to 'just pop' and become fragrant.

-Immediately get out of hot pan into a pestle/blender/coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder.

-Now in the empty hot dry ‘seed’ pan, throw in 4 smoked chile peppers, such as ancho or chipotle and 8 dried red chile peppers, such as New Mexico or cascabel.

-Shake/toss for a 1-2 minutes until they become fragrant.

-Immediately get them out the hot pan and also grind to a fine powder.

-Combine ground seeds and chiles with 1 whole head of finely minced fresh garlic, ½ cup olive oil and ½ tsp salt.

-Store in refrigerator in tightly sealed glass jar.

Large Batch Pesto Recipe

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The fresher the basil the better the pesto! Use about ½ pound of basil per batch and make several batches.

-Add the following to the bowl of a food processor or blender:

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic

½ cup pine nuts or walnuts

½ tsp sea salt

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

-Blend well.

-Then add 1/2 pound basil in handfuls. (You don’t have to remove much of the stems.)

-Blend until smooth and creamy.

-Freeze the pesto in small canning jars, plastic containers with a tight fitting lids or even plastic freezer bags.

-Pesto freezes well for up to 1 year.

Lacinato Kale with Lemon and Garlic

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-Bring a pot of salted water to boil (for blanching the kale).

-Wash a bunch of kale and then slice into thin ribbons.

-Boil the kale for 1-2 minutes then drain and set aside.

-Melt 2 TBS butter in a shallow pan, then add 2 cloves of garlic put through a press.

-Add 1 tsp grated lemon zest and the juice of 1 half a lemon.

-Add the kale and toss gently, adding salt and pepper as needed.
 

Lacinato Kale with Garlic and Anchovies

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-Wash and spin dry 1 bunch of kale cut into ½ inch wide ribbons.

-Thinly slice 4 cloves of garlic.

-Heat a 10-12 inch sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot.

-Add 2 TBS olive oil, 3 rinsed anchovy fillets and the sliced garlic.

-Cook until the garlic is light brown, about 1 minute.

-Add the kale and cook stirring constantly until wilted, about 5 minutes.

-Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with ½ lemon squeezed overtop and some grated Parmesan and red pepper flakes if desired.

Lacinato Kale with Cannellini Beans

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-Stem and chop 1 bunch of kale into thin slivers.

-Put the kale into a large pan with a little water on the bottom.

-Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and cook for 5-7 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

-In a large skillet, sauté 1 finely chopped onion in some olive oil.  

-Add the following:

2 cloves minced garlic

A pinch of dried rosemary

Some red pepper flakes

-Cook for about 3 minutes.

-Add ½ cup dry white wine and cook until the mixture is a syrupy sauce, about 5-10 minutes.

-Add 1 can of well rinsed and drained cannellini beans, the kale and a little water.

-Heat through and add a little sea salt and pepper.

-Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Lacinato Kale Caesar

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As addictive as potato chips but so much better for you!

-Remove the stems from 1 bunch of Lacinato kale and cut the leaves into small pieces.

-Place in a salad bowl.

-In a jar with a tight fitting lid, and add the following:

2 cloves of garlic put through a garlic press

1-2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

A big pinch of sea salt

Lots of freshly grated black pepper

The juice of 1 fresh lemon

-Mix. Pour over the kale and toss well.

-Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Lacinato Kale and Ricotta Salata Salad

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-Cut out and discard center ribs and stems of 1 bunch of lacinato kale.

-Cut the kale into very thin slices.

-Whisk together the following:

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 and toss well with dressing to coat.

-Top with 1 cup coarsely grated ricotta salata cheese and lightly toss.

Korean Style Cucumber Pickles

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-In a shallow dish whisk together the following:

1 TBS soy sauce

1 TBS rice vinegar

2 TBS sesame oil

A pinch of cayenne pepper

-Peel and thinly slice up 4-5 pickling cucumbers.

-Crush 2 cloves of garlic and then peel them.

-Add the cucumber and garlic to the vinegar.

-Stir to combine.

-Press down and spread out cucumbers in a glass baking dish.

-Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour but up to 2 days.

Kenearly Yellow Eye Bean Soup

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-Soak 1 pound of Kenearly Yellow Eye beans from 3-12 hours (beans are fresh so soaking can be brief).

-Finely chop the following:

2 cloves of garlic

2 medium sized leeks

-In a large ovenproof pot with a lid, heat 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil and then add the chopped vegetables.

-Sauté for 5 minutes, then add the drained beans, 10 cups chicken broth or water and 1 tsp sea salt.

-Cover the beans, then bring them to a boil and cook for 1.5 hours.

-Stir in 1 bunch lacinato kale, stemmed and chopped into small pieces.

-Let cook for half an hour more until beans are tender.

-Finish with 2 TBS butter and serve with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Cauliflower Curry from Food From Plenty by Diana Henry

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-Chop up 1 onion.

-Heat 2 TBS avocado oil or olive oil in a large pot and add the onion.

-Mince up the following:

4 cloves of crushed garlic

1½ inch pieces of fresh ginger

1 jalapeno pepper, (optional)

-Add to the onion and cook for 5 minutes.

-Then add the following:

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander seed

½ tsp sea salt

-Cook for another minute.

-Chop the following into bite size pieces…

1 head of cauliflower

2 handfuls of green beans or some chopped celery or fennel

1-2 Summer squash

-Add the vegetables to the pot and stir and cook for 4 minutes.

-Add 1 can of coconut milk and 1 cup of water to the veggies.

-Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook until vegetables are tender, about 7-10 minutes.

-Juice 1 lime, then add along with 1-2 TBS chopped cilantro. Taste for salt and serve.

-Serve with some plain yogurt if desired.

 

Kale with Tomato, Garlic and Thyme

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-Cut 1 bunch of kale into strips.

-Cut 1 pint cherry tomatoes into quarters.

-Thinly slice 2 cloves of garlic.

-Crumble up 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves.

-In a large skillet, heat 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.

-Add the garlic cloves and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds.

-Add cherry tomatoes and the thyme leaves.

-Cook until tomatoes begin to break down, 2 minutes.

-Add kale and cook until heated through, 2 minutes.

-Season with salt and pepper.

-Drizzle with another TBS of extra virgin olive oil and serve.

Kale with Red Beans, Cilantro and Feta Cheese

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From Local Flavors by Deborah Madison

-Soak 1½ cup dried red kidney beans for 4 hours or overnight.

-Drain the beans, cover them with plenty of cold water and bring to a boil.

-Remove any scum that rises to the surface, than add the following:

2 bay leaves

½ tsp thyme leave

3 chopped fresh garlic cloves 

A big pinch of sea salt

-Lower the heat and simmer until tender, about 1½ hour.

-Chop up 1 bunch kale into 1 or 2 inch pieces and rinse well.

-Bring a few quarts of water to boil and add some salt and the kale.

-Simmer until tender, about 3-5 minutes then drain.

-Heat 2 TBS butter in a wide skillet.

-Add the kale and the beans with enough of the cooking liquid so that there’s plenty of sauce.

-Add 1 bunch chopped cilantro (keep a little of the chopped cilantro for garnish).

-Simmer together for at least 10 minutes, than serve garnished with crumbled feta cheese and the remaining cilantro.