Leek Fritters

 Recipe Courtesy of Cavemen Gourmet.

 

 

Ingredients

-4 large leeks
-1/2 cup almond flour
-2 pastured eggs
-1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
-sea salt
-pepper

Directions

-Chop the leeks coarsely – I cut mine in 1/4 inch pieces.  Place in a medium size bowl and rinse under cold water.  I find that there’s a lot of hidden dirt in the leeks after I cut them so a quick rinse is necessary unless you like eating mud.

-Place the washed leeks in a pot of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes until tender.  Drain and set aside.  Once the leeks have cooled a bit, hand mix the leeks with almond flour, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper. Form small patties and arrange on a tray to fry.

-In a large skillet, heat olive oil and pan fry until golden (usually 2-3 minutes on each side).  Serve hot or at room temperature.

Delicata Squash and Roasted Mushrooms with Thyme

Recipe Courtesy of Gourmet.com
 

Ingredients

- 6 tablespoons olive oil
-1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
-3/4 teaspoon sea salt
-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
 - 2 lb delicata squash (3 medium), halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide slices
 - 2 lb mixed fresh mushrooms such as cremini, shiitake, and oyster, trimmed (stems discarded if using shiitakes) and halved (quartered if large)

Directions

- Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.
-Stir together oil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Toss squash with 2 tablespoons thyme oil in a shallow baking pan (1/2 to 1 inch deep) and arrange in 1 layer. Toss mushrooms with remaining 1/4 cup thyme oil in another shallow baking pan (1/2 to 1 inch deep) and arrange in 1 layer. Roast squash and mushrooms, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until vegetables are tender and liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated, 25 to 30 minutes.

Quinoa And Feta Stuffed Roma Tomatoes

Recipe adapted from Other Side of Fifty

Ingredients

-1/2 cup quinoa, cooked in 1 cup of chicken broth or Vegetable Broth
-4 large Roma tomatoes
-1 TBSP fresh snipped chives
-1 TBSP fresh basil, chopped
-2 ounces feta cheese
- freshly ground black pepper
-1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
-1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
-1-2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions

-Preheat oven to 435 degrees. Spray baking sheet with olive oil or coconut oil cooking spray.
-Cut tomatoes in half, lengthwise and hollow out seeds and any membranes. Place tomatoes cut side up on prepared baking sheet.
-In a small bowl mix together the chives, basil, and feta cheese. Stir in the cooked quinoa and season all with pepper.
-In another small bowl combine Panko and Parmesan cheese.
-Stuff tomatoes with quinoa mixture. Top with the bread crumbs. Lightly drizzle olive oil over the tops.
-Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven. Serve warm or at room temperature

Cardoon Gratin

Recipe Courtesy of Honest-Food.net

Ingredients

-Stalks from 1 large cardoon

-2 lemons

-Sea Salt

-1/4 cup all-purpose flour

-2 tablespoons bacon fat or olive oil

-1/2 cup coarsely grated provolone cheese or mozzarella

-1/2 cup finely grated pecorino

-Freshly ground black pepper

Directions 

-Bring a large kettle of salty water to a boil and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

-While the water is heating, use your fingers to zip off the little strings on the ribs of the cardoon stalks. You don’t have to get them all, just do your best. Don’t dig too deep or you will break the stalk.

-Juice one lemon and pour the juice into a large bowl of cold water. Chop the cardoon stalks into batons of whatever length you like; I like 2-inch batons. Put the cut cardoons into the lemon water to keep them from discoloring.

-Toss the already squeezed lemon pieces into the boiling kettle, then whisk in the flour. Let this boil for a minute or two. The lemon-salt-flour combo affects the cardoons in some way that keeps them a pretty light green and removes some of the bitterness. (This is Wolfert’s trick.)

-Toss in the cardoons and boil for 40 minutes.

-Smear olive oil or bacon fat all over the inside of a casserole just large enough to hold the cardoon pieces in one layer. When the cardoons are done, arrange them in the casserole. -Sprinkle over the mozzarella, then the pecorino. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the cheese begins brown.

-Serve with a wedge of lemon and freshly ground black pepper. Eat this with a malty beer or a shot of grappa or ouzo - it’s not a very wine-friendly dish.

Roasted Pepper and Eggplant Ajvar Spread

 Recipe Adapted slightly from Aida Mollenkamp.

 Ingredients
-2 pounds red bell peppers (about 5 to 6)
-1 small eggplant (roughly 3/4 pound)
-3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
-3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
-1 ounce fresh chives
1 tablespoon lemon juice
-1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
-1 teaspoon rapadura sugar or coconut sugar
-Kosher salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
-1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes

---

Instructions

-Heat oven to 450°F and arrange racks in the upper third. Halve each pepper, discarding stems and seeds. Place peppers, cut side down, on a baking sheet lined with foil.

-Cut eggplant in half lengthwise and drizzle it with about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a little salt and place it, cut-side down, on the baking sheet. Roast the peppers and eggplant until they are blackened, blistered, and the eggplant collapses when you press on it, about 30 minutes. (You can also grill the peppers and eggplant.)

-Remove the eggplant and set it aside to cool slightly. Remove the peppers, place them in a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap until the peppers have slightly cooled, at least 5 minutes.

-Use a spoon or ice-cream scoop to remove the pulp of the eggplant from the skin, and discard the skin. Put eggplant in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the garlic. Pulse the eggplant a few times so that it’s roughly chopped.

Tip:Ajvar can be made up to 4 days ahead of time; store refrigerated in an airtight container and bring to room temperature before serving. Taste and stir in more vinegar, sugar, salt, or olive oil as desired.

-Once peppers are cool enough to handle, peel them (reserving any juices that collect), discard the peel, and add the peppers and 2 to 3 tablespoons of the pepper liquid to the food processor. Add the chives and pulse 5 to 8 times to chop coarsely. Stir in the lemon juice, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and sugar. Taste and add more sugar if it is a bit sour, then add salt and freshly ground black pepper, as desired. Serve warm or room temperature as a spread or condiment.

Roasted Potato and Okra Salad

This recipe is courtesy of Erin's Food Files.

Ingredients

-2 lb small potatoes such as fingerling, red, or yellow-fleshed
-1 large bunch scallions, halved lengthwise and roughly chopped
-2 large fresh rosemary sprigs, plus 1/2 teaspoon chopped
-1/4 cup olive oil
-2 1/4 teaspoons salt
-1 teaspoon black pepper
-3/4 lb small (2- to 3-inch) okra, heads removed
-1 cup fresh corn (from 1 to 2 ears, I used a combo of frozen kernels plus 1 ear of corn)
-1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
-1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

Directions:

Roast potatoes and okra:
-Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.
-Halve potatoes lengthwise and toss with scallion pieces, rosemary sprigs, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread potato mixture in a large roasting pan and roast, stirring once, 20 minutes. Stir potatoes and add okra to pan, tossing to coat. Continue to roast until okra and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes more.
Cook corn while potatoes roast:
-Cook corn in 1 quart of salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Make dressing and assemble salad:
-Whisk together lemon juice, shallot, chopped rosemary, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until combined. Discard rosemary sprigs, then add hot potatoes and okra to dressing along with beans, corn, and salt to taste, tossing to combine. Serve hot or warm.

Roasted Beets with Red Onion, Poblano and Lime

This delicious and simple recipe comes from Kitchen Konfidence.



Ingredients
-1.5 pounds small red beets (I used 3)
-1 large red onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
-2 poblano peppers
-1/3 cup olive oil
-3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
-1 teaspoon kosher salt
-Freshly ground black pepper
-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions

-Preheat oven to 425°F.
-Start by preparing the beets. Trim the root and tip end of each beet, peel, then cut into wedges.
-In a large bowl, combine beets, red onion and whole poblanos. In a smaller bowl, add olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, kosher salt and several turns of black pepper, whisking to combine. Drizzle the liquids over the beets, red onion and poblanos, tossing to evenly coat.
-Spread vegetables out on a rimmed baking sheet then transfer to the oven. Roast until the poblanos and soft and blistered, stirring every 10 minutes (should take about 25 – 30 minutes). Remove the poblanos from the oven but continue to roast the beets and onions. Place the peppers in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Continue cooking the beets and onions until the beets are tender (10 – 20 minutes longer). Set aside to cool.
-Once the poblanos are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin, remove the stem and gently scrap out all seeds. Give the poblanos a rough chop.
-Combine beets, onion and poblanos in a serving bowl. Add lime juice and cilantro, tossing to combine. Season with additional kosher salt and ground black pepper if needed.

Sweet Corn Chowder

Usually, I'm not big on soups in the summertime, but this one tastes like summer.  My husband had three bowls, and even my 2-year old said it was "yummy!"

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3 large ears of corn, kernels removed and cobs reserved
1 onion, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
2-3 Yukon gold potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch chunks (do this right before you add them to avoid browning)
1/2 cup dry Vermouth
1/3 cup heavy cream
4-5 sprigs of thyme
1 Tbsp olive oil
plenty of salt and pepper


Method:
1.  Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed dutch oven or soup pot.  Add the carrots, onions, and celery.  Salt generously (you'll be using this to make the stock, so don't be shy with the salt!) and add a little pepper.  Cook until softened (about 5-7 minutes).
2.  Add the Vermouth and cook until it has cooked down a bit (you won't clearly be able to see the liquid).
3.  Add the corn cobs, thyme (tied to together in a bundle, for easy removal), and 6-8 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Allow the stock to simmer for about an hour, developing flavor from the veggies and the corn cobs.
4.  Add the potatoes to the soup and raise the heat to a low boil.  Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
5.  Remove the corn cobs and the thyme.   Stir in the corn kernels and the cream.  Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and allow the heat of the soup to cook the corn through for about 5 minutes.  Taste for salt and pepper (you may be surprised at how much salt you need, but remember that you are creating a stock from scratch, so it needs salt for flavor!)

Enjoy! 

Fresh Avocado Salsa

Here's a great summer salsa that's hearty enough to serve as a side dish or a salad.

Ingredients:

3 tomatoes, diced
1 ear of corn, removed from the cob
1 ripe Haas avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, smashed and finely diced
1 handful of cilantro, finely chopped
 juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

Method:

Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.   This salsa gets better if it can sit for an hour or so to allow the lime to take some of the edge off the onions and to allow the flavors to combine.  The lime should prevent the avocado from browning.  Avoid refrigerating, as this will ruin the tomatoes and avocado. 

Stuffed Chiles

This is my healthier take on chiles rellenos.  Rather than battering and deep frying, I treated these more like Mexican stuffed peppers.  The result was a satisfying, vegetarian dinner!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 large poblano peppers, halved and seeded
1/2 brown rice
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1/4 cup raisins
1 clove garlic, smashed and diced
1 Tbsp cumin
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup cheese (I mixed sharp cheddar and cotija)
chopped cilantro
salt to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Heat olive oil in a small to medium sauce pan.  Add the onions and saute until softened (about 5 minutes).
3.  Add the raisins and garlic.  Cook for about a minute.
4.  Add the rice and the cumin and toast for a few minutes, stirring regularly.
5.  Add the stock.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce to a simmer.  Continue to cook until the rice is cooked through and the liquid is all absorbed (about 20 minutes).
6.  Stir in the cilantro and fluff the rice with a fork. 
7.  Fill the chiles with the rice mixture.  Top with cheese.  Bake until the peppers are soft and the cheese is melted and bubbling (about 20 minutes).

Enjoy!

Gnocchi con Sugo Aglione

"Aglione" means "big garlic" in Italian, which refers to the fact that you leave the garlic cloves whole in this recipe, for a mild, delicious garlic flavor.  I learned the recipe for this sauce on our honeymoon in Sienna, and it has become a favorite in our family ever since.  The cherry tomatoes make it so creamy!  Don't be intimidated by the gnocchi.  It's the easiest fresh pasta to make, and my kids love helping!


Ingredients:
(Serves 4)

For the gnocchi
5-6 medium yukon gold potatoes, quartered (peeling optional)
3/4 cup all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 egg, lightly beaten

For the sauce
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (or quartered for jumbo cherries, in thirds for grape)
2-10 cloves of garlic, peeled but not crushed
2 Tbsp olive oil
red chili flakes to taste
salt to taste
parmesan and basil for serving


Method:

1. Place the potatoes in a steamer basket over a little water and steam until they are fork tender (I use one of those cheap metal ones you can find at any kitchen store that expand to fit most pots).

2. While the potatoes are steaming, make your sauce.  Start by heating the olive oil, garlic cloves, and chili flakes in a very large skillet.  Be careful not to burn the garlic--as soon as it has color, move on to step three.

3.  Add the tomatoes, and watch out, because it will splatter!  Salt to taste and smash the tomatoes down a bit with the back of a wooden spoon to facilitate break down.

4.  Cover the skillet and allow to simmer until the tomatoes start to break down, forming a creamy sauce with little skins in it for texture.  If it seems to watery, remove the lid and allow it to cook down a bit more.  When it's creamy enough to coat the back of a spoon, it's done.  You can turn off the heat and leave it while you focus on the gnocchi.

5.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

6. When the potatoes are fork tender, remove them from the heat.  While the potatoes are still hot, run them through a ricer or food mill and into a large mixing bowl.  The ricer will remove any peels, saving you a step in prep.

7.  Add the flour on top of the potatoes. Using the flour as an insulator to prevent the hot potatoes from instantly scrambling the egg, slowly pour in the egg.

8.  Stir vigorously with a fork to combine the ingredients.  Then knead with your hands (careful--it's hot!) until all the ingredients come together.

9.  Chop off a small chunk of the dough and roll it out like a snake, until you have a thick rope.  Then chop the rope with a sharp knife or metal pastry scraper into roughly 1/2 inch bits:

10.  Place one piece in the palm of your hand and gently roll the tines of a fork back and forth across it to shape the dough into the classic potato dumpling (this takes a few tries to get the hang of, but it's completely cosmetic, so no worries if some wind up smushed--they still taste good!):

11.  When the water boils, cook the gnocchi in batches, 2-3 minutes until they float.  That means the egg is cooked and they are ready!  Scoop them out of the water with a slotted spoon and add them directly to the sauce, stirring them in occasionally to be sure they are coated.  Continue this process until all of the gnocchi are cooked and in the sauce.

12.  Taste for salt, top with grated parmesan and fresh basil, and enjoy!  

Spicy Chili Garlic Salmon

This recipe comes from CSA members Christiane and Patrick from 28 Cooks

Spicy Chili Garlic Salmon

1 lb wild salmon filet, skin on
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 scallion, minced
2 cloves ginger, minced
2 tsp brown sugar, packed
1 tsp chili garlic sauce
1/4 tsp fresh minced ginger
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp white pepper

Combine oil through white pepper in a small bowl. Place salmon in a ziploc bag and pour marinade over. Allow to marinate for an hour or so. Preheat grill to medium high. Remove salmon from bag and place on preheated grill rack. Cook until desired doneness (I like mine more medium rare). Allow to rest for a minute before serving.

Chilled Golden Beet Soup

Ingredients:

3 large golden beets

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil [coconut oil would work as well]

1 small onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups of vegetable broth

1/2 cup almond milk

sea salt and course ground pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Scrub then halve your beets and drizzle a 2 teaspoons of olive oil and sprinkle sea salt and pepper on top. With your hands massage them until they are coated evenly with the olive oil. Roast them for about 45 minutes to an hour. Allow them to cool them and then you can peel off the outer layer or their skin; if the beets are thoroughly clean peeling off the skin is optional and leaving them on will create a deeper flavor.

2. In a blender combine the cooled beets with a cup of vegetable broth. Blend until smooth. I chose not to add my garlic and onion in at this point, because I wanted my final product to have some texture. If you'd like your soup to be extra smooth, add your onions and garlic in with your beets and puree.

3. In a large saute pan, heat the left over teaspoon of olive oil on low and add in the onions and garlic. Cook through for a few minutes, then add the remaining 2 cups of vegetable broth, the beet puree, almond milk and turmeric. Stir together well and allow to simmer for a few moments. This soup works well hot, but the flavors really develop as it cools. Allow to cool and then refrigerate to chill for a few hours.

Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt and fresh scallions, just because it's only slightly indulgent.

Serves: 4
Total time: 4-6 hours [1 hour if serving hot]

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