Rebecca's Recipes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy Valentine's Day to all -- may your pots be kissed with love and full of vibrant health! I look forward to hearing from you. Have a great week and enjoy all this wonderful bounty from the farm. Blessings, Rebecca [click here to email Rebecca]
[late note from Debbie: when Rebecca was given the veggie list it contained radicchio, but Tom has taken it out and substituted watermelon radishes or parsnips]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BROCCOLI and CHICKPEA DALServes 6
2 C dried chickpeas, rinsed
1-3 serrano chiles, coarsely chopped (remove the seed and membrane to get a milder flavor)
1 qt. vegetable or chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt divided
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 bunch broccoli, stems sliced half-inch thick and tops cut into 1 1/2-inch florets
4 tsp. black mustard seeds
1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
hot cooked quinoa or basmati rice
1. Put chick peas in a large pot, add water to cover by 2 inches; soak overnight. (Or bring to a boil over high heat then turn off heat and soak for about 2 hours.) Drain. [Or just use canned? 1/2 C dried = 1 C cooked, so probably 2-3 cans would do it. - Debbie]
2. Pulse half the chickpeas in a food processor with 1/4 C fresh water until coarsely chopped. Pour into pot used for soaking. Repeat with remaining chickpeas, more water, and the chiles. Add the broth, 1 C water, the turmeric, ground cumin, and 3/4 tsp. salt to pot.
3. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until chickpeas are tender, stirring occasionally, 40-50 minutes. Meanwhile cook onions in oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until deep golden, 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Stir broccoli into the chickpeas, return to simmering, and cook until tender, about 12 minutes.
5. Stir mustard and cumin seeds and remaining 1/4 tsp. sea salt into the onions and cook over medium-high heat, stirringm until cumin turns a shade darker, about 2 minutes. Set aside about a third of the mixture and stir the rest into the dal. Ladle dal and quinoa or basmati rice next to teach other in bowls and top with reserved onion mixture. Add more salt if needed.
CANDIED LEMON PEELYield: about 2 tbsp. candied peel per lemon
1 organic lemon, washed well (I use several lemons since this is a process)
2 1/2 C organic cane sugar
1. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel from the lemon in vertical strips. Try to remove only the yellow zest, avoiding as much of the white pith as possible. Save the lemon for another use.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the peels with 2 C cold water. Bring to a boil, then drain off the water. Again add 2 C cold water, bring to a boil, and drain. Repeat the process a third time, then remove the peels from the pan and set aside.
3. Measure 2 C of the sugar into the pan and add 1 C water, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Add the peels and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the peels are tender and translucent, 10-15 minutes. Drain (I save the sugar water for reuse elsewhere) and allow to cool.
4. Measure the remaining 1/2 C sugar into a medium bowl and add the peels. Toss to coat. Using a fork or your fingers (I prefer to use my fingers), remove the peels one at a time, gently shaking each to remove any excess sugar. Store in an airtight container*. The peels will keep for several weeks.
[*I would think you'd want to let them air dry before storing? If so, then after coating in sugar, I'd lay them out on a cookie sheet or waxed paper or something and allow to dry before storing, so they didn't clump together. But I have never made these before so I could be wrong! ;-) - Debbie]
These are kind of decadent, but delightful on a lemon cookie, mixed into a citrus-mixed greens salad like the one that follows, or floated in your evening tea for a nice surprise!
MIXED GREENS CITRUS SALADServes 4-6
2 C arugula
2 C Asian greens
1 small head radicchio, torn into small pieces
1 grapefruit, supremed
1-2 oranges, supremed
1 crisp pear, sliced
juice and zest from an orange
juice zest from a lemon
honey, to taste
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
olive oil
1. In a large bowl, toss the greens and radicchio together.
2. Add the prepared grapefruit, oranges, and pear to the greens.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice and 1 tsp. each of the zest from them. Slowly drizzle in enough olive oil to emulsify the dressing while whisking. Taste it -- you may want to add a little honey to brighten and sweeten it. Adjust the seasoning with a pinch of sea salt and some fresh cracked pepper.
4. Drizzle the dressing over the greens and toss to slightly coat. You want the dressing to barely coat the greens, citrus and pear. Add more dressing if desired.
5. I like to add pumpkin seeds to top and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds if available. This is a light and refreshing salad.
RADICCHIO SLAW with WARM HONEY DRESSINGServes 6-8
1 medium head radicchio
1/2 head cabbage
1 bunch arugula
Dressing:
1 tsp. fennel seed
3 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. vinegar of choice (I like to use Champagne vinegar)
1/2 C olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Quarter radicchio through the core then remove the core. Slice the leaves into 1/8th-inch ribbons. Do the same with the cabbage.
2. Put ribboned radicchio and cabbage in a large bowl, cover with ice water and soak for 20 minutes. Drain and repeat. Drain again and pat dry, then set aside.
3. Trim the stems from the arugula and set aside.
4. To make the dressing, toast the fennel seeds in a small skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant and lightly colored, 3-5 minutes. Let cool, then crush seeds in a mortar and pestle or grind in a spice grinder.
5. Combine honey, vinegar and ground fennel in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the honey dissolves. Remove from the heat and whisk in olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper.
6. Toss the radicchio, cabbage, and arugula in a large bowl. Add enough warm dressing to coat the salad; you may not need all of it. Toss well and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.
ROMANESCO PUREEServes 4
5 C cauliflower florets (1 head)
3 C vegetable stock
1 tbsp. Spike seasoning (or curry powder)
1/2 C finely cubed carrot
1/4 C finely cubed celery
1/4 C chopped green onion
1 tsp. hot sauce
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/2 C peas
1 tbsp. brown rice miso
1. Combine the Romanesco and stock in a stock pot. Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is fork tender.
2. Transfer the contents of the pot to the blender and puree until smooth. Return puree to the stockpot. Add the remaining ingredients except for the peas and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the peas and miso.
3. You can substitute broccoli for cauliflower in this recipe, or use a combination of both - yummy!
SHERRIED ONION SOUPServes 4
The Spanish combination of onions, sherry, and saffron is delicious in this golden soup thickened with almonds. It can be served warm or chilled.
3 tbsp. butter
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 small garlic clove, finely minced
pinch of saffron threads (if you don't have saffron threads - they are expensive - you can substitute a TINY pinch of turmeric for the golden color)
2 ounces blanched almonds, toasted and finely ground
3 C vegetable stock
3 tbsp. sherry
1/2 tsp. paprika
sea salt and pepper to taste
1. Melt butter over low heat. Add the onions and garlic, and stir for about a minute to ensure that they are thoroughly coated in the butter.
2. Cover the pan and cook the onions, very gently, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes until they are soft and tender.
3. Add the saffron threads (or the pinch of turmeric) to the pan and cook, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes. Add the almonds and cook, stirring constantly, for a further 2-3 minutes.
4. Pour in the stock and the sherry with 1 tsp. salt and the paprika. Season with plenty of pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring, then lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
5. Pour the soup in a food processor or blender and process until smooth, then return it to the rinsed out pan. Reheat gently, without allowing the soup to boil, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if desired.
6. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with toasted, flaked almonds and a little chopped fresh parsley, then serve immediately.
KALE, WATERMELON RADISH and CARROT SALADServes 6 or more
1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves chiffonnaded (stacked, rolled tightly, then cut into thin ribbons) then cut crosswise, so the ribbons are about 2 inches long
watermelon radishes (as many as you like; I'd use an entire bunch bunch) cut into fine julienne
3-4 carrots, cut on the diagonal, then into julienne strips
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
4 tbsp. olive oil, plus oil for massaging the kale
2-3 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
juice of half a lemon
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
1. Put ribboned kale in a large bowl and sprinkle with a little olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Gently massage the kale with your hand until kale starts to break down and get tender. You want to stop massaging before it gets liquidy. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the Balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and garlic. Slowly whisk in the olive to make an emulsion. Taste to see if it needs more vinegar or oil. I don't season this dressing with salt because I think the Dijon is salty enough. You may want to add some salt to please your palette.
3. Add the julienned carrots and radishes to kale and toss gently.
4. Toss vegetables with vinaigrette lightly to coat. If this is not enough dressing, you can double the recipe. This salad marinates as it sits and is even better the next day.
5. I add toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds to this salad for a little protein and sometimes sprinkle a little nutritional yeast on top for an extra boost and flavor.
