Recipes

Ingredients
1 red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 small cucumbers, diced
4 tomatoes, diced
¹⁄₈ cup olive oil
¹⁄₄ cup ginger, minced or grated
¹⁄₄ cup garlic, minced or grated
¹⁄₄ cup cilantro, minced
3 tablespoon rice vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
other toppings, optional

Instructions
1. Working in small batches, place first four ingredients into a food processor or blender and pulse until cut to your desired consistency. I opted for something a bit chunky but you could just as easily puree everything.

2. Transfer processed vegetables into a large bowl and stir. Add olive oil, ginger, garlic, cilantro and vinegar. Stir to mix.

3. Taste and add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Stir well.

4. Cover and chill until very cold. Serve with bread, sour cream, croutons, avocado, shrimp, etc.

Note: The second time I made this I added ¹⁄₈ cup of minced lemongrass.  Delicious.

Comments
I’ve only had gazpacho a few times but I’ve loved it every time.  Most recently, at TenPenh, I had an Asian-inspired gazpacho that was fantastic and this was my attempt to replicate that.  This tastes like summer.  I served it with toasted bread things, but it would be fantastic with actual croutons as well. I’m looking forward to having this for lunch the rest of the week.

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Ingredients
6 small beets, trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
4 cups chicken broth
¹⁄₂ small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
¹⁄₂ cup dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated

Instructions
1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Tightly wrap beets in a double layer of foil and roast on a baking sheet until very tender, 1 ¹⁄₄ to 1 ¹⁄₂ hours. Cool to warm in foil package, about 20 minutes.

3. When beets are cool enough to handle, peel them, discarding stems and root ends, then cut into ¹⁄₂-inch cubes.  The skins should come off fairly easily.  

4. While beets are cooling, bring broth to a simmer in a saucepan. Keep at simmer, covered.  (The quick and easy method that I use here is to put the broth in a microwave-safe measuring cup and nuke it for 5 minutes.  It’s then easy to nuke it a few more times during the cooking process as needed to keep it warm.)  

5. Cook onion in oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.

6. Add wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until fully absorbed, about 1 minute. Stir in ¹⁄₂ cup broth and simmer, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding broth, about ¹⁄₂ to 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be fully absorbed before adding the next, until rice is just tender and creamy-looking, 18 to 22 minutes. “Constantly” means every few minutes, you do not actually have to stir the rice every moment of these 18 to 22 minutes.  

7. Stir in beets, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until heated through. Stir in cheese and remove from heat.  Depending on the variety of beets you have, the risotto might turn pink or red or purple.  Serve and enjoy.  

Comments
This recipe is inspired by one at epicurious.com.  The beets I had were a variety that is variegated red and pink, they don’t bleed as much as normal beets so my risotto didn’t get a lot of colour from the addition of the beets.  This was a very enjoyable dish, Art and I both had seconds of the risotto.  The beets added a sort of earthy and sweet flavor that complimented the rest of the risotto very nicely.  For my first experience with beets, I’d say this was pretty successful! Next time, if I have them, I might add a few more beets.

Shown here with Marinated Eye Round Steak.

Internet - Epicurious

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
¹⁄₂ teaspoon mild paprika, preferably hungarian
6 small yellow summer squash, cut into 2 by ¹⁄₂-inch strips
2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
Juice of one lemon, about 1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons
4 ounces soft chèvre, thinned with milk to a yogurt-like consistency
Salt, optional

Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and paprika and sauté until the onion is well wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the squash, dill, and lemon juice and sauté 1 minute more. Cover the pan and cook over low heat until the squash is barely tender, about 4 minutes.

2. Remove from heat and stir in the chèvre. Taste and add salt if necessary. Serve right away.

Note: Any summer squash or zucchini can be used in place of the yellow squash, or a combination of whatever you have on hand.

Comments
This is adapted from the Gardeners’ Community Cookbook and was chosen to use up the yellow squash I’d gotten from the market.  And, of course, I love goat cheese.  The recipe turned out great and I’d love to experiment with other squashes in the future.

Shown here with Broiled Salmon with Fresh Tomato Salsa.

The Gardener’s Community Cookbook

Ingredients
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
3-4 cloves (one per chicken breast)
1 bay leaf, broken in half
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 cup white wine
¹⁄₂ cup sour cream

Instructions
1. In a large skillet, place butter and garlic and heat to medium temperature, about 2 minutes or until garlic is light brown.

2. Add chicken and cook, turning, about 10 minutes or until brown on all sides.

3. Place onion slices on bottom of pan under chicken.  Poke one clove into each chicken breast and add bay leaf to skillet.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; pour wine over chicken.

4. Cover, reduce temperature to low and simmer about 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

5. Remove chicken to serving plates and keep warm. Turn heat on skillet to high and reduce sauce for 5-10 minutes. Add sour cream and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes until warm but not boiling. Spoon pan sauce over chicken.

Comments
I’ve been cooking this recipe for a bit over a year now and it’s seen drastic changes from its original form.  The original recipe called for a mere single clove of garlic.  I’m still not sure how a recipe can get away with garlic in the title yet only have one measly clove!  Even the first time I made it we knew that the flavors would work, so I tweaked it until it turned into this.  This is super tasty and a nice, low-maintenance dish to make.

Shown here with a fantastically nutty Lundberg rice blend - Wild Blend.  It made the whole house smell edible while it was cooking.

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Ingredients
For turnips
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds medium turnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch-thick wedges
1 ¹⁄₂ cups water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For bread crumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

Instructions
1. Braise turnips: Melt butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, then add turnips, water, lemon juice, and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Increase heat to medium and stir turnips, then briskly simmer, uncovered, until all of liquid has evaporated and turnips are glazed and just tender, 20 to 35 minutes (they should be cooked through but still retain their shape).

2. Make bread crumbs while turnips cook: Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook garlic, stirring, until pale golden, about 1 minute. Add bread crumbs and poppy seeds and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and salt to taste. Just before serving, sprinkle bread crumbs over turnips.  

Comments
I found this recipe on epicurious.com while searching for recipes that would use up the turnips I’ve been getting.  Sadly, I don’t have a scale at home and I didn’t end up with anywhere close to 2 pounds of turnips!  But I made this anyway and it was great.  The leftover bread crumbs went on Art’s salad and he was pleased with the result there as well.  These were very flavorful and I think it would be easy enough to modify this recipe for potatoes if turnips aren’t available.

Internet - Epicurious

Ingredients
1 ¹⁄₂ to 2-pound pork tenderloin
Olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 or 2 sprigs fresh herbs (I’ve used rosemary and thyme, both with great success)

Instructions
1. Rub tenderloin with oil, salt, pepper, and herbs. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate for an hour or two in the refrigerator.

2. Preheat oven to 375*F.

3. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in an over-safe sauté pan over high heat. Sear tenderloin on all sides until nicely colored all over. Transfer pan to oven and roast for 10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145*F. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before thinly slicing on the bias.

Comments
This is a tried and true recipe in my home.   I think it originally came from a Food TV chef, but I can’t remember which one.  The result of this recipe is tender, moist, and flavorful.  It’s also super easy to throw together which is a huge plus.

Shown here with Risotto with Currants, Pine Nuts, and Feta Cheese.

Internet - Food TV

Ingredients
1 pound orzo pasta (Orzo is little rice-shaped pasta)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium zucchini (I used the Zucchini pictured in this week’s CSA post) 1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1-2 teaspoons fresh oregano
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions
1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook orzo as instructed on package, about 7 minutes. Drain.

2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Shred zucchini using a cheese grater, mandolin, or food processor. Sauté zucchini with onion and garlic until lightly golden.

3. Add thyme and oregano to zucchini mixture and stir thoroughly, then remove from heat and combine with orzo and parmesan cheese. Salt to taste and serve cool or at room temperature.  

Comments
I am currently reading an amazing book called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  It’s by the wondering Barbara Kingsolver and talks about moving her family from Tucson, Arizona to the Appalachians in order to farm and feed her family from local food.  Of course, the book addresses zucchini, because there always seems to be an over-abundance of it if you grow your own vegetables.  This recipe was included in that section and I knew that I had to try it.  

Both the zucchini in the dish and the dish itself certainly do disappear!

Shown here with Filet Mignon with Fresh Herb and Garlic Rub.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Ingredients
³⁄₄ cup butter (1 ¹⁄₂ sticks), room temperature
3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 ³⁄₄-ounce package dried porcini mushrooms (I couldn’t find dried porcini mushrooms, so I used a “forest blend” of dried mushrooms instead)  
6 1-inch filet mignon steaks

Instructions
1. Mix first 4 ingredients in small bowl for herb butter. Season butter to taste with salt and pepper. Using a food processor or spice grinder, grind dried porcini mushrooms to fine powder. Transfer powder to plate. Season mushroom powder with salt and pepper. Press steaks into powder to coat both sides well.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons herb butter in heavy large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add steaks to skillet and cook to desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to plates. Spoon rounded tablespoon of herb butter atop each steak and serve.

Comments
I have no idea where this recipe is from originally.  I do know that about two years ago I was getting a bit tired of making the same filet mignon recipe over and over again.  (I know, it’s a rough life when you get tired of filet mignon.)  This recipe was suggested to me online and I filed it away for future use.  Finally, two years later, I decided to make it.  I’m sorry I waited so long!  

This turned out perfectly.  The mushroom coating was inspired and the compound butter was phenomenal.  I can’t wait till I’m able to make it using fresh herbs from my garden instead of the packaged ones from the grocery store.  As Art said, “Without the butter this is great.  With the butter it’s incredible!”  This is definitely a keeper of a recipe and it helps that it was very easy to throw together.

Shown here with Disappearing Zucchini Orzo.

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Ingredients
2 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 ounces mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 to 1 ¹⁄₂ pounds kale, tough stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped, rinsed and drained
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (about ³⁄₄ pounds)
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
1 cup polenta or cornmeal
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350*F.

2. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Add the garlic, onion, and mushrooms and stir to mix. Add the kale, tomatoes, and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon of the salt. Without stirring, cover the pan and cook over medium heat until the kale is wilted well below the top of the pan, about 5 minutes.  I used a 12-inch skillet that has pretty high sides.

3. Stir to mix the kale with the other ingredients in the pan, cover again, and continue cooking for 5 minutes more or until the kale is well wilted. Transfer the mixture to a large baking dish or ovenproof casserole and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Place the polenta, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and another cup of water in a medium bowl and whisk to smooth.

5. Pour the polenta mixture into the boiling water and whisk to mix. Reduce the heat to medium or low to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the polenta is thick and stirs easily away from the sides of the pan with bubbles rising from the center as you stir, about 20 minutes.

6. Pour the polenta over the vegetables in the casserole, spreading evenly. Bake for 30 minutes or until the polenta forms a crust and shows a few golden specks across the top. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and serve right away.  

Comments
This recipe is adapted from a recipe in The Gardener’s Community Cookbook.  It’s the first time I’ve ever had kale and I’m not entirely sure if I’m sold on it yet.  This dish was good, and flavorful, and if you like kale you’ll most likely like this.

The Gardener’s Community Cookbook

Ingredients
1 can coconut milk (I believe cans are around 13.5oz.)  
6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (I use the all natural kind)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons green onion, minced
2 teaspoons thai style chile sauce, thai red curry paste, or Sriracha
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon lime zest
¹⁄₂ cup fresh cilantro, minced
3 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Instructions
1. Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Bring just to a simmer while stirring. Do not boil.  Continue cooking until sauce thickens, approximately 5 minutes.

2. Remove from heat, store in the refrigerator if not using right away.  Reheat before serving.  Recipe makes about 2-3 cups.  

Note: The original recipe stated that the sauce may be strained after removing it from the heat if desired, but I’ve never desired to do that.  

Comments
While in the Phoenix airport, I had a Thai wrap that was served with a delicious peanuty dipping sauce.  This was the recipe I found in the attempt to recreate that sauce.  It’s a nice, thick sauce that’s very easy to throw together.  I tried to spread it out on a plate so you could see all the delicious herbs throughout.  Some of that basil is basil from my own herb garden!  

I serve this most often with “Thai Burritos.”  These involve cold shredded chicken, cold rice, sliced cucumber, shredded cabbage, and shredded carrots all in a tortilla shell.  It could also be tossed with noodles and any toppings you like.  It’s fairly versatile.

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