Pickled Green Tomatoes

2-3 green tomatoes

about a tablespoon kosher salt

1 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons whole mustard seed

pinch of celery seed

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 yellow onion sliced

1 green and 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced

 

Slice tomatoes to about 1/2″ thick, removing stem and blossom ends and place evenly on a baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with salt and refrigerate overnight. Drain in a colander for about an hour. Combine sugar, vinegar, mustard, celery seed and turmeric in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Add onions and simmer for about 5 minutes before adding tomatoes and peppers. Return to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour everything into a sterile mason jar and refrigerate for at least two weeks. Enjoy as you would a pickle along with your meal or as a stand alone snack…

Roasted Cabbage

Roasted Cabbage

1 cabbage (green, red savoy or napa will work)

1/3-1/2 cup olive or sesame oil

salt (corse kosher works best)

pepper

Pre heat oven to 425. Drizzle 1/2 the oil on a cookie sheet. Halve and then core the cabbage. Take each half and carefully slice it into 1/4″-1/2″ rounds being careful to keep the layers together. After each slice, transfer the layers intact to the oiled cookie sheet. Continue until the sheet is full. Fill all the spaces so the whole sheet is covered. Drizzle the remainder of the oil evenly on cabbage slices and finish with ample salt and pepper. Place the whole pan in the oven and set the timer to 10 minutes. Check for the beginning of browning at the edges and where the cabbage meets the pan. If you don’t see some browning keep cooking in one minute increments until you see browning. Napa will cook faster. You may want to brown the cabbage more (my kids fight over the crispy pieces).  Once you see browning take the sheet out of the oven and with a spatula carefully flip the slices, again trying to keep them together. This is hard as they are limp now. Return them to the oven for another 5-10 minutes (how crispy or not is up to you). This dish is great hot but we also keep some around in a container and add it to soups, salads or just as a quick cold or room temp side dish.

Edamame Steamed

INGREDIENTS

  • Salt
  • 1 pound fresh or frozen edamame in their pods
  • Black pepper to taste

PREPARATION

1.
To boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Add the edamame, return to a boil and cook until bright green, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain. To microwave: Put the edamame in a microwave-safe dish with ¼ cup water and a pinch of salt, cover partly and microwave on high until bright green, 1 to 5 minutes, depending on your microwave power.
2.
Sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and a little or a lot of black pepper. Toss and serve hot, warm or chilled with an empty bowl on the side for the pods.
YIELD
4 servings

Roasted Root Vegetables

Reprinted from the NYT

INGREDIENTS
  • 3 pounds assorted root vegetables: carrots, parsnips, celeriac, potatoes, turnips, etc.
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Chopped rosemary, thyme or parsley, plus more for garnish

PREPARATION

1.
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel vegetables (optional) and cut them into 1- to 2-inch chunks, put them in a baking pan and toss with the oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
2.
Put the vegetables in the oven and roast without stirring for 20 minutes, then check. If they look dry and are sticking to the pan, drizzle with more oil. Continue roasting, stirring or turning the vegetables once, for another 20 minutes or so. Stir in the herbs, then return the pan to the oven for another 20 to 40 minutes, until crisp. Remove from the oven. Garnish with rosemary or thyme.

 

Lentil Curry with Celeriac and Winter Squash

 

-Half, seed, and peel 1 winter squash–or other winter squash–with a sharp knife (the skin is actually not too hard to peel if your knife is good). Cut squash into 1/4 inch chunks. Similarly, carefully peel and chop 1 celery root into 1/4 chunks. Set aside.

-Heat a large pot over medium heat with 4 tablespoons of olive or coconut oil (I like coconut for this recipe) and toss squash and celery root in with:

1 large white onion, chopped3 cloves of garlic, minced2 medium carrots2 tablespoons of fresh, grated ginger1 teaspoon of salt

-Saute veggies for about 15-20 minutes until tender.

-Add 1 tablespoon of curry powder and 1/4 teaspoon (or more) of red chili flakes. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes.

-Add 1 cup of lentils (any type will do), 1 cup of water or chicken stock, and 1 cup of coconut milk. **Coconut milk can be omitted…just add stock or water instead.

-Cover and simmer mixture for 25-40 minutes until lentils are tender. Adding more stock or water if the mixture is getting to thick.

-Let cool slightly and serve with brown or wild rice. Garnish with a fresh herb like chive, cilantro or parsley! ENJOY!

Serves 4 to 5 large portions.

 

Tunisian Fennel, Greens, Chickpea Stew

Adapted fron  the New York Times

1/2 pound (1 1/8 cups) chickpeas, soaked in 1 quart water for four to six hours or overnight (or 1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained)

1 bunch Swiss chard or Kale , stemmed, leaves washed and coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 leek, white part only, cleaned and sliced

2 medium or 1 large fennel bulb, cored and chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, ground

1 teaspoon caraway seeds, ground

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, ground

1 tablespoon harissa (more to taste; substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper if harissa is unavailable), plus additional for serving. Try using a flavorful mildly spice pepper, minced, like and ancho or even jalapeño here as well.

1 tablespoon tomato paste dissolved in 1/2 cup water

Salt to taste

1 1/3 cups couscous (optional)

1. Drain the chickpeas and transfer to a large pot. Add 1 1/2 quarts water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer one hour while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

2. Tear the chard leaves off the stems. Wash the stems and dice. Wash the leaves thoroughly and chop coarsely. Set aside. Chop the fennel fronds, and set aside.

3. Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy casserole, Dutch oven or in any heavy pan with a lid. Add the onion, leek, fennel and a generous pinch of salt, and cook, stirring, until tender, five to eight minutes. Add the chard stems, and stir together for a couple of minutes until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and ground spices, and stir together for 30 seconds to a minute until the garlic is fragrant. Add the harissa or cayenne and the dissolved tomato paste, and stir together for another minute or two. Add the chickpeas with their cooking liquid, plus another cup of water if you think there should be more liquid in the pot. Stir together, and bring back to a simmer. Add salt, cover and simmer 30 minutes to an hour until the chickpeas are thoroughly tender and the broth fragrant. If using canned chickpeas simmer at the lowest heat just to bring the flavors together.

4. Stir in the chard greens and chopped fennel fronds. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until the greens are very tender and fragrant. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt, garlic or harissa/pepper as desired.

5. Reconstitute and steam the couscous. Serve in wide bowls, top with the stew and serve.

Scalloped Keuka Gold Potatoes

TOTAL TIME  1 hour 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons butter, more for greasing pie plate

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, minced

4 small cipollini onions, minced

1 tablespoons minced Rosemary

3 cups heavy cream

2 pounds (about 6 medium) Keuka Gold potatoes (unpeeled), sliced 1/8-inch thick

Salt

ground white pepper

PREPARATION

 

1.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch deep-dish glass pie plate.

2.

In a wide saucepan, combine 3 tablespoons butter, garlic, leek and onions. Place over medium-low heat and sauté until mixture is light golden, about 15 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons tarragon, the cream and potatoes, and mix well. Simmer gently until potatoes are barely tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

3.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to pie plate, spreading them evenly and pressing lightly to compact them. Drizzle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of cream from pan. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until top is light golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped tarragon, and serve.

Olive Oil Roasted Tomatoes and Fennel with White Beans

Makes 6 servings

active time
35 minutes

total time
1 hour 10 minutes

The sweetness of the tomatoes and the fennel is balanced by the savory, starchy beans.

Ingredients

  • 2 large fennel bulbs with fronds attached
  • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided
  • 2 pints grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
  • 4 large fresh oregano sprigs
  • 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 15-ounce cans cannellini (white kidney beans), drained

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F. Chop enough fennel fronds to measure 1/2 cup. Trim fennel bulbs and cut in half vertically. Cut each bulb half ito 1/2-inch-wide wedges, leaving some ore attached to each wedge.

Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 3 minutes. Add fennel wedges in single layer; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Cook until fennel begins to brown and soften, turning occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, garlic, and crushed red pepper; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Fold together gently.

Transfer skillet to oven. Bake fennel and tomatoes until soft, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Mix in beans and 6 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds. Bake 5 minutes longer to heat through. Transfer mixture to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with remaining chopped fronds. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Kale Chips

  • 20 cups kale, torn into bite-size pieces, washed and thoroughly dried
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Finely grated zest of 2 limes
  • Flaky sea salt, or to taste
  • Mild chile powder

PREPARATION

1.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Make sure the kale is dry; if it is not, it will steam rather than crisp in the oven.
2.
In a large bowl, toss kale pieces with olive oil and kosher salt; you may need to do this in 2 batches. Massage the oil onto each kale piece until the oil is evenly distributed and the kale glistens. Spread the kale out on 2 17-by-12-inch jellyroll pans (or do this in batches). Bake the kale chips until the leaves look crisp and crumble, about 12 minutes. If they are not ready, bake for another 2 to 4 minutes.
3.
Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Toss with the lime zest, sea salt and chile powder to taste.

Mashed Turnips and Potatoes With Greens

Adapted from The New York Times

This is inspired by colcannon, an Irish mix of mashed potatoes and kale or cabbage. This lightened version is a mixture of two-thirds turnips and one-third potatoes, with the greens stirred in at the end.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1.25 lbs turnips
  • .5 lbs. greens: Kale, cabbage, etc.
  • 1 pound russet or kueka gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 leek, white and light green parts only, finely chopped
  • 2/3 cup milk, or as needed
  • Freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION

1.
Peel the turnips and quarter if they’re large; cut in half if they’re small. Stem the greens and wash in 2 changes of water. Discard the stems.
2.
Combine the turnips and potatoes in a steamer set above 2 inches of boiling water. Steam until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the steamer and transfer to a bowl. Cover the bowl tightly and leave for 5 to 10 minutes so that the vegetables continue to steam and dry out.
3.
Fill the bottom of the steamer with water and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste and add the greens. Blanch for 2 to 4 minutes, until tender. Transfer to a bowl of cold water using a slotted spoon or skimmer, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop fine. Drain the water from the saucepan, rinse and dry.
4.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in the saucepan and add the leek and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until leeks are tender and translucent but not colored. Add the milk to the saucepan, bring to a simmer and remove from the heat.
5.
Using a potato masher, a fork or a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, mash the potatoes and turnips while still hot. Add the turnip greens and combine well. Beat in the hot milk and the additional tablespoon of olive oil if desired, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot, right away, or transfer to a buttered or oiled baking dish and heat through in a low oven when ready to serve.
YIELD
Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish.