Pesto

The basil plants are fully grown, possibly even past the ideal time to harvest and make pesto.  But that did not stop this gardener from making some.

Recipes can be found all over the Internet.  Here's one.

What to do with too much chard

For Chard, Mustard, Kale, etc…

·         Sautee in olive oil and/ or ghee (available at  http://www.littleindiaaz.com/)

Any combination: onions, chives, shallots, garlic, etc… (Allium family).

Optional:

Fry bacon or pancetta along with these at this time if you eat pork;

Otherwise, add slivers of sundried tomatoes canned in olive oil. Set aside.

·         Microwave 1-2 buttered yams until just cooked, almost soft, let cool and set aside.

·         While sauté is in process, wash and stack bitter leafy greens, rolling into “cigar shape” from leaf tip to stem ends.

·         Julienne crosswise greens after making 1-2 longitudinal cuts down length of “cigar”.  Set aside.

·         Flavor oil in sauté with spices of choice; e.g., turmeric, curry powder,  popped  cumin or mustard seeds- to release essential oils. (Available at http://www.littleindiaaz.com/). Spanish smoked paprika (available at Whole Foods or online), cayenne, black pepper, etc…can be added now. Do not salt yet.

·         Braise / wilt down the julienned greens in the flavored oil.

·         Add water, low sodium free range chicken broth, or other broth to taste to aid braising. Cover and simmer.

·         Cube cooled yam into ½” dice. I use peel, you may choose to discard. Rinse and drain one can of white beans.

·         When greens cooked to desired level, adjust salt and pepper to taste. ( I prefer black salt from India, available at http://www.littleindiaaz.com/, which adds a slight sulphur taste, this is an acquired but  amazing exotic layer of flavor)

·         Gently add cubed yams and drained beans to braised greens.  Replace pan lid just to heat these additions. Do not over-stir and damage shape of beans and yams dice.

·        Garnish with toasted chopped cashews and serve with Modena balsamic vinegar and Arbequina olive oil.

Three Sisters Green Chile Potato Soup

Three Sisters Green Potato Soup

Courtesy of Pat Derx.

Ingredients:

4 Large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 c whole milk, use more if needed
2 c heavy cream or use 2 more cups of milk if you prefer not to use cream (I used a light cream)
1 tsp salt (or more)
8 strips bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced ( or 1/4 tsp. MINCED GARLIC:  you can buy this as a spice)
1 TB GROUND CUMIN
1 tsp OREGANO (or more)
1 can sweet corn, drained
2 cups of cubed zucchini (or more)
1 cups of cut green beans
2 cups of green chiles, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 tsp - 1 tsp of PENZEY'S FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER-season to taste
2 TB chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1/2 - 1c shredded Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 8 minutes
2. Drain and return to the pot
3. Add the milk, heavy cream and salt.  Heat over medium heat "DON'T BOIL"
4. In a skillet, cook the bacon and onions until the onions are translucent and tender
5. Add the garlic, cumin and oregano; and cook for an additional 2 minutes
6. Drain the mixture well on paper toweling and then add to the pot along with the corn, zucchini, beans, and chiles
7. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, until the zucchini is tender
8. Taste and add pepper and more salt to taste.
9. When ready to serve, serve in bowls with a sprinkling of cilantro and cheese.
10.  

Spiced Balti Cabbage

Spiced Balti Cabbage from "Indian, a collection of over 100 essential recipes" 

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 tbsp vegetable oil or peanut oil
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 lb 5 oz/600 g savoy cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
2/3 cup balti sauce (see below)
1/4 tsp garam masala
salt
chopped fresh cilantro to garnish


Balti sauce

2 tbsp ghee, vegetable oil, or peanut oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
14 oz/400 g canned chopped tomatoes
1 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cardomom
1 ay leaf
salt and pepper

Method

1 Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the cumin seeds and stir for about 80 seconds, until they start to brown.

2 immediately stir in the garlic and onion and saute, stirring frequently, for about 5-6 minutes, until golden.

3 add the cabbage to the pan and stir for 2 minutes, or until it starts to wilt.  Stir in the balti sauce and bring to a boil, stirring.  Reduce the heat a little and simmer for 3-5 minutes, until the cabbage is tender.

4 Stir in the garam masala and add salt to taste.  Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve.

Lemon, Lavender frozen yogurt

Lemon, Lavender frozen yogurt

Carol Duffell

3 cups of plain yogurt

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

120ml /half a cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

180ml / three quarters cup of organic wild flower honey

1 tablespoon fresh lavender sprigs or quarter teaspoon of dried

Put the yogurt, lemon zest and lemon juice in a large bowl and stir to combine.

Heat the honey and lavender in a small saucepan set over a medium heat, until you can smell the lavender’s scent. Strain through a fine sieve and allow to completely cool. Discard the lavender.

Add the lavender–infused honey to the yogurt and lemon juice mixture and stir to combine.

Transfer to a bowl of an ice-cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions until creamy and smooth. If you do not have an ice-cream maker pour the mixture into a freezer proof container. Put on the lid and place in the freezer.  After about 45 minutes check the mixture. As it starts to freeze around the edges beat vigorously with a fork, whisk, electric hand held mixer or spatula to break up the ice crystals. Repeat regularly until the mixture is frozen, about 2 to 3 hours. Serve in small scoops.

Shortbread with herbs

 

Shortbread with herbs

Carol Duffell

Ingredients

• 160g good-quality unsalted butter, straight from the fridge
• 250g fine plain flour
• Large pinch of salt
• 85g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary, young lavender leaves or lemon thyme
• Extra sugar, for dusting

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 1. Cut the butter into small cubes about the size of a hazelnut. (To stop the butter sticking to the knife dust with a little of the flour.)
2. Sieve the flour and salt into a large bowl and add the salt and the cubes of butter. Using just your fingertips rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. You can shake the bowl occasionally to bring the lumps to the surface.
3. Add the sugar and stir in the chopped herbs, then pour into a shallow tin and press lightly. Dust with a little more sugar.
4. Bake in the oven until pale beige, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes then carefully cut into segments. Leave in the tin until cold before removing.

Variation: A variation can be made by creaming the butter and the sugar together and stirring in the flour. You will end up with dough you can roll out quite thinly and cut into shapes. Delicious as an accompaniment to poached peaches or nectarines.

Squash-Rice Casserole

Squash-Rice Casserole, from Pam Smyth's kitchen.

Ingredients

8 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 ½
pounds)
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced fat sharp
cheese
1 cup fat-free sour cream or plain yogurt
¼ cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese,
divided
¼ cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven, bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until tender.  Drain, partially mash with a potato masher.  (Easier method microwave 10-12 minutes)


3. Combine zucchini mixture, rice, cheddar cheese, sour cream, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and eggs in a bowl, stir gently. Spoon mixture into a 13x9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

4. Preheat broiler. Broil 1 minute or until lightly browned. (This step is optional.) Yields: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)