MY GARDEN PEA POD SALAD

Serves 2 as dinner and about 4 as a side

DRESSING:

1 clove garlic, minced
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp white balsamic vinegar
3 T extra virgin olive oil
a mix of fresh herbs like mint, parsley & basil, chopped or torn
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix together until emulsified and set aside for flavors to meld for at least 20 minutes.

THE SALAD:

sugar snap pea pods
radishes
basil leaves
baby spinach
cucumber (I used a seedless variety)
nasturtium leaves

Thinly slice cucumber and radishes, tear spinach, nasturtiums and basil leaves. Tip and tail the pea pods but leave whole. Toss all together. Add dressing and toss. Serve immediately with toppings.

Toppings:

greek yogurt* topped with lemon zest
nasturtium flowers

*I drain my goat’s milk yogurt overnight and it makes a thick and tangy greek yogurt. You could use a plain greek yogurt instead.

We planted some collards, kale, radish and salad spinach this year for the first time and, even though we planted each in a 1 foot square plot, we got a really good crop. We harvested the salad spinach last week, the radishes two weeks ago and since and the collards for the first time this last weekend. Fresh collards cooked are so amazing. Easy to grow and easy to cook. They are firm to the tooth and keep well in the fridge for several days. Lovely as a lunch or a side for a dinner later in the week.
I am a fusion chef, so, I made this dish from several cultures. Do use either a Walla Walla or a Vadila onion for the flavor these sweet onions impart. The Spanish pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika)# was a revelation! It is so flavorful and, at only $3.49 for a 2.6 oz container, a good bargain. I am becoming an addict because it is so aromatic. The brand is De La Vera by SANMEL.

Vegetarian Collard Greens

Serves 8 1/2 C servings

2 lbs fresh collard greens
1 -2 T canola oil
2-3 fresh garlic cloves, minced
1 lg Walla Walla onion, chopped
4 C vegetable stock (I used Better Than Bouillon 1 T vegetable and 1 T mushroom + 4 C water)
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp unsalted butter
1 tsp ground Spanish pimenton# (paprika) or another smoked sweet paprika
1/4 C organic apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp dried bonito*
1/2 – 1 tsp Korean vinegar hot pepper paste (I use SAJO brand – this is used in making kim chee)

Prepare the collard greens by trimming the stems off, soaking and rinsing the greens and tearing the leaves in large strips.
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, add the onions and saute until they turn golden and get a little caramelized. Add garlic and saute for 2-4 minutes until they are translucent, add the stock and all other ingredients except the collards and bring to a boil, turn down and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust flavors as needed. Add the collards, bring barely to a boil, turn down the heat to a fast simmer for 30 minutes. You want the collards to still be somewhat green and firm and not mush!

Note: I used not only collards but some spinach and radish tops from my garden that just needed usin’.

*Bonito is a dried fish flavor enhancer use it or not, just adjust the other seasonings to your liking.

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES IN A CARNIVAL SQUASH

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2 pyrex pans, one 9″ X 13″, one to fit your carnival squash

A large Carnival Squash or several medium to small ones or you could use any other kind of roundish winter squash like acorn, buttercup, delicata or even the fairytale pumpkin.
EVOO

Wash and halve a large carnival squash and scoop out the seeds. Place in a pyrex dish cut side up and drizzle some EVOO on it. Bake 30 minutes, turning twice. Turn the cut side down and bake for about another 30 minutes until the skin side is soft when poked with your finger.

1 1/2 med sweet potatoes,diced
3 med red potatoes with yellow flesh, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 skinny leeks, cut in 1/2″ discs
2 nantes carrots (6″ long and fat), cut in half moons
1 large zucchini, diagonally sliced
1 small bell pepper, 1 small gypsy pepper, 4 tiny red peppers, diced or sliced in half moons
salt and black pepper, cracked
1-2 tsp herbs de province
if you can get organic carrots with tops or grow your own, add some tops to the mix
EVOO

Add mixed vegetables, salt & pepper, and herbs to a 9″ X 13″ pyrex pan and drizzle with some EVOO. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

To assemble: place the carnival squash half on the plate and scoop some of the roasted veggies into the center. Drizzle with a very little EVOO.

Serves 2 large portions. You could quarter the carnival squash and serve 4 or use smaller squash. We used a large one that we grew. I would use smaller. You will have lots of lovely roasted vegetables left over!

We are getting alot of greens out of our garden still. I’ve made sauteed greens, stir-frys, salads, rice/lentil/greens combinations, daal and was running out of ideas. I found this recipe in my recipe stash. I think it is 20 years old and I think it came from Southern Living magazine. I did change it somewhat. (They had chicken broth, I added some more herbs and used a combination of greens) The basics are the same. It is tasty and holds up well in the fridge for use within a week-no more. Not freezable.

GREENS SOUP

Makes about 8 servings
Takes about 1 hour to make

2 large shallots, chopped or 1 large shallot & 1 medium leek (washed well and sliced)
2-4 garlic cloves, peeled & pressed
2 T grapeseed oil
4 C Better Than Bouillon Not Chicken
4 C cleaned and shredded or torn in bits greens (I used arugula, chard, mixed greens and New Zealand spinach
2 medium zucchini, chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp fresh oregano
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
salt & pepper to taste
a slice of French baguette or 1/2 a slice of French bread per bowl, toasted
1/4 C grated parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
olive oil

Saute shallots and garlic in oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven, add broth, veggies and herbs. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Stir the pan to cook evenly. Add salt and pepper to taste, stir and simmer another 5-10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings.
Right before serving, toast the bread and add some cheese on top and broil until semi-melted. Drop on top of the soup in each bowl.
Serve immediately. Have some olive oil on the table for your guests to drizzle on top.

Well, I thought I’d start out with a shot of our raised bed SQFT garden. It’s been great this year. We have green ice lettuce, arugula, mesculin, spinach, and chard in the first box, four bell peppers (green, lemon (got one so far and 3 babies are growing), orange and tiny red), broccoli rabe, italian eggplant and a penthouse of nantes carrots in the second, lemon cukes (have two babies), burpless cukes (have 3 teenagers and 2 babies), bush beans, peas, acorn squash and zucchini (has female flowers just now) in the third bed, and the fourth bed is 12″ deep for the tomatoes…we have Brandywine (the Princess), Sweet 100, Green Zebra, Red Pear, Bush Goliath and Oregon Spring that has already produced a tom! I was replanting a Bush Goliath in May….I broke it in half. I stuck BOTH pieces in the bed and BOTH have flowers and seem to be very healthy. I hope the weather gets warm again. I’ve been sleeping under a sheet, blanket, bedspread and quilt the last few nights!

Here we go to the goodies. I made this chutney…just made it up with some help from my new favorite cookbook. I love Irish cooking and got this book on recommendation from another great cook, AND if you can find a 40% off coupon…it is well worth it. The onion jam recipe is a wonder. It reads like a novel, and if I ever get back to Ireland, I WILL go there.

CHERRY ONION SWEET AND SAVORY CHUTNEY

1 1/2 C fresh pitted dark, sweet cherries, quartered
1 1/2 C combination of chopped onion (I used red, white, yellow and walla walla)
2 T ghee
3 spicy garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/4 – 1/2 tsp sea salt (to taste)
1/4 – 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp light brown sugar (you need to judge if you need more or less sugar according to the sweetness of the cherries and the onions)
1/4-1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice seasoning (I make my own)
a good pinch of chili powder
1 – 2 T balsamic vinegar 1/2 dark and 1/2 white (to taste, I used 1 T total)

Makes about 1 1/2 C

Saute onion and garlic in ghee in a heavy skillet for about 15 minutes (you just want them translucent), add cherries and spices and vinegar and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover and turn down to low and cook for another 10 minutes. If the chutney is “tight” turn off, if not, let simmer uncovered for another few minutes until liquid is absorbed.
Put mixture hot into 1 C, sterile canning jars and screw the sterile lids on. Let sit until cool and keep in a cool pantry (60 degrees or less). You may want to refrigerate after opening. Especially if you live in a hot climate. Or you can just do a waterbath canning on this and keep it in your pantry. Let this mellow in your pantry for a few weeks. I made this the 5th and it tastes so much better today (the 19th).

I had a most prolific pear tomato plant that really produced in September/October, but it got too cool to ripen the toms. I pulled all the tomatoes off last week and let them sit to maybe ripen a bit before I turned them into jam. Boy, did they turn out wonderful! See the red pepper in the middle? A nice, polite cayenne-not too hot, not too mild. Sweet and savory and hottish! Lovely!

Hottish Green Tomato Jam

Makes about 3 cups

4 C chopped green (maybe some red if you have them, but they must be firm) tomatoes
3 C white sugar (it depends on how sweet the tomatoes are more or less)
1 large 4″ cayenne pepper, deveined, stripped of seeds and minced
3 T fresh lemon juice

Mix tomatoes with sugar and let sit overnight in fridge, covered. Mix a few times while it sits. Strain and drain for several hours. Cook the liquid until it thickens. Add lemon juice, pepper and toms. Cook down. Cover and let sit overnight in fridge. Mix and bring up heat. Prepare jars and lids. Place jam in sterilized jars and cap. Process in water bath for 10-15 minutes.

I could see adding some lemon zest to this or a really small amount of minced shallot or garlic.

It has turned cold and rainy here in the great PNW and last night I decided to make a favorite at our house, meatloaf stuffed peppers. We got some beautiful large bell peppers at the Oly Farmer’s Market last weekend and had a lovely dinner with our own homegrown salad of spicy arugula, chard and green ice lettuce with a homemade tarragon dressing. Simple? Yes! Savory? Yes! Satisfying? YES! It also makes a little meatloaf on the side to make some sandwiches from!

Meatloaf

1 lb. ground meat ( I used grass fed)
1/2 lb. ground pork with sage (also free range)
2 large bell peppers for stuffing (I used a red and a green)
2-3 T ancho peppers, roasted and diced (I usually buy and roast alot of different peppers at a time and freeze and pull out what I want when I need it)
1/4-1/2 C bell pepper, chopped ( I use the cut off tops and dice them)
1/4 C carrots, diced (I didn’t have them this time, but they do add a great flavor)
1/4-1/2 C caramelized onions
1/4 C raw Scottish oatmeal
2 cloves spicy garlic, minced
EVOO
1 egg
3 T tomato paste (I make my own)
1/2-1 tsp sea salt
1/2-1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (I think mixing other peppercorns here might be nice-like green, red, or Szechuan pepper)
1 tsp dried oregano
2 really good bacon strips

Preheat oven to 350

Cut off tops of bell peppers and dice. Wash out pepper shells and remove seeds and veins and drain. Sautee diced peppers, ancho peppers, diced carrots (if you have them), and garlic in some olive oil until soft. Set aside until cool.
Combine the meat, caramelized onion, sauteed veggies, oatmeal, spices, tomato paste and egg. Mix very well and stuff the peppers. With the leftover meat mixture, make a loaf. Cut each piece of bacon in half. Place 1/2 piece on each pepper and crisscross the other two halves on the loaf. Place the peppers and the loaf in a pyrex pan in the oven and cook for about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, basting the peppers and the loaf several times during the cooking. Let sit on a plate for about 15 minutes, slice the peppers in half and enjoy!

Zucchini Parmesan

2 C thinly sliced zucchini
1 C thinly sliced crimini mushrooms
1/2 C diced shallots
1 T minced fresh oreagno
1 T minced fresh rosemary
1 T minced fresh parsley
1/2-1 tsp sea salt
1/2-1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 or so garlic powder
EVOO
2 C tomato sauce, either homemade or something like Barilla, which is my favorite store bought
GOOD Mozzarella, sliced into thin discs
Parmesan, grated

Place the zucchini in a glass pyrex pan that lets the zucchini be one layer. Add the mushrooms, shallots, herbs and spices, drizzle some EVOO over top. Add the tomato sauce and spread it well. Cook in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes. Place the mozzarella discs on top. Bake for 10 minutes and add some grated parmesan. Place in oven and turn off. Let sit for 10 minutes and enjoy!

THAI BASIL COCONUT SOUP

8 C chicken broth (make your own, use a low salt one, or use something like “The Organic Better than Bouillon”)
3 C unsweetened coconut milk
2 tsp Masman Curry Paste (I use Mae Ploy brand)
1 T peanut butter
1 T dried shrimp, crushed or 1 T dried shaved bonito (this lasts forever)
2 C roasted vegetables (I used zucchini, squash, carrot, green beans, yellow sweet onion, mushroom roasted slowly in olive oil with herbs and various peppers like a ratatouille)
2 C fresh vegetables (I used all chopped: celery and leaves, carrots, white spicy onion, baby zucchini, mushrooms, scallions-in other words-clean out the fridge time!)
1″ fresh ginger, peeled and diced
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 C or to taste purple thai basil (licorice flavor)
1/4 C or to taste spicy globe basil (spicy not hot)
crushed roasted peanuts and basil sprigs to garnish
optional: 1 C shrimp, deveined & peeled

Makes 12 cups of soup, and it is freezable (just don’t add the shrimp until you are heating it up)

Heat chicken broth, coconut milk, Masman curry paste, peanut butter and dried crushed shrimp gradually to boiling and turn down to simmer for 15 minutes. Add the fresh vegetables, both basils, and fresh ginger and simmer for 15 minutes more. Taste and add salt, pepper, the roasted vegetables, and peanut butter or more curry paste if needed. Simmer 10 minutes and adjust flavorings to your liking. Take out the celery leaves-they add flavor but are not good to eat. Add shrimp and simmer until pink and curled.
Serve in bowls with a garnish of crushed roasted peanuts and sprigs of basil.

CUCUMBER GINGER SALAD

1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
3 small green scallions, thinly sliced (use some of the tops)
1/4 C red onion, diced
1″ raw ginger root, minced
1/4 C mint, torn in small pieces

Dressing:
1 T rice wine vinegar
2 tsp tamari sauce (wheat free soy sauce)
1 tsp Yeo’s sesame oil (you can find this at most Asian markets. It is an amber sesame oil.)
1/2 tsp Splenda

Mix dressing and let sit for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, slice, dice and mince the rest of the salad ingredients. Mix the dressing into the veggies and place in a container with a tight lid. Shake and let sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours, shaking a few times. Add sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste at the table if wanted.

4 side servings