Author Archives: Pumpkin Ridge Gardens

Portuguese Kale Soup

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  • 6-8 kale leaves
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1 lb. potatoes
  • 2 Tbs. butter
  • 1 lb. chicken sausage
  • 2 qts. vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1 c. chopped onions
  • 2 c. tomato sauce
  • 1/2 c. chopped carrots
  • 1 1/2 c. cooked kidney beans
  • 2 tsp. chopped garlic
  • salt and pepper

In a large pan, sauté onions, carrots, and garlic in oil and butter, cooking until softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth and peeled and chopped potatoes. Simmer, partially covered for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked. Mash potatoes against the side of the pot (or puree with some of the broth and return to pot). Stir in tomato sauce and beans and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add sautéed sausage and kale leaves cut into strips. Cook 5-10 minutes longer and season to taste.

Adapted from The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash.

Portabello Mushrooms filled with Bok Choy and Mint

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  • 4 medium sized portabello mushrooms
  • sea salt/ fresh cracked pepper
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 fresh mozzarella balls, sliced
  • 1 bok choy, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. ginger, sliced
  • 2 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • ½ onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Remove the stems of the mushrooms, place on a baking sheet, season, and sprinkle with fresh lemon juice. Place in the oven for approx. 4-5 minutes. Remove and put aside.  In a sauce pan add 1 tbsp. Olive oil, heat, add onion, season, and saute for 2 minutes, add ginger and bok choy and saute an additional minute, add fresh mint  Place the saute in the mushrooms, top with fresh mozzarella and place back in the oven for 5-7 minutes.  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.

Ponzu Grilled Salmon with Golden Beet Couscous

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Couscous:

  • 1  teaspoon extravirgin olive oil
  • 2  tablespoons  thinly sliced peeled shallots (about 1 large)
  • 8  ounces small golden beets, thinly sliced, peeled, and quartered (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1  cup  uncooked Israeli couscous
  • 2  cups  water
  • 1/4  teaspoon  salt
  • 1  cup  raw spinach leaves, trimmed

Sauce:

  • 1/2  cup  fresh orange juice
  • 2  tablespoons  brown sugar
  • 3  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2  tablespoons  sake (rice wine)
  • 1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice
  • 1/2  teaspoon  cornstarch
  • 1/8  teaspoon  crushed red pepper

Remaining ingredients:

  • 4  (6-ounce) salmon fillets with skin (about 1 inch thick)
  • Cooking spray
  • Lime wedges (optional)

To prepare couscous, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and beets; sauté 5 minutes or until shallots are tender and just beginning to brown. Stir in couscous; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add water and salt; cover and simmer 8 minutes or until couscous is tender. Remove from heat; stir in spinach. Toss gently until combined and spinach wilts. Keep warm.

To prepare sauce, combine orange juice and next 6 ingredients (through red pepper) in a small saucepan, stirring well with a whisk; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 1 minute.

To prepare fish, brush cut sides of fillets with 1/4 cup sauce; place, skin sides up, on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill salmon, skin sides up, 2 minutes. Turn salmon fillets; brush with remaining 1/4 cup sauce. Grill 3 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or desired degree of doneness. Serve with couscous and lime wedges, if desired.

Yields 4 servings.

Adapted from Kathryn Conrad, Cooking Light, JUNE 2005

Polenta with Braised Root Vegetables

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Start the polenta before you begin the braised vegetables. By the time the polenta is ready, you’ll have a wonderful topping and a comforting winter meal.

  • 1 cup polenta
  • 1 scant teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 pound rutabaga, peeled and cut in small dice
  • 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut in small dice
  • 1 medium parsnip, peeled, cored and cut in small dice
  • 1 large or 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice or crushed tomatoes
  • Pinch of sugar
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter or oil a 2-quart baking dish. Combine the polenta, salt and water in the baking dish. Place in the oven on a baking sheet. Bake 50 minutes. Stir in the butter, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the polenta is soft and all of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the cheese, if using. While the polenta is baking, cook the vegetables. Heat the oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, rutabaga and parsnip, and then season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and stir together for about a minute until fragrant. Stir in the tomatoes with their liquid, a pinch of sugar and salt to taste. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 15 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked down and fragrant. Add lots of freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt, and remove from the heat. Serve the polenta with the vegetables spooned on top.

Poached Brussels Sprouts on a Parsnip Bed

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  • 1lb parsnips
  • 3-4 cardamom pods
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 4 oz butter
  • 1lb Brussels sprouts
  • 1 large clove of garlic
  • 3/4 chicken or vegetable stock
  • freshly grated nutmeg

Peel the parsnips, cut them up roughly and steam or boil until soft. Extract the seeds from the cardamom pods, then grind finely in a coffee grinder with the coriander seeds. Put a dry frying-pan over a fairly low heat, add the ground spices and stir for a minute, then add half the butter. Stir until melted and remove from the heat. Purée the parsnips in a food processor with the spiced, melted butter and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Spread the parsnip purée in a large, round and shallow serving dish, bringing it up slightly around the edge. Loosely cover with foil and keep warm in a low oven.

Trim the sprouts if necessary and slice thinly lengthways. Peel the garlic and slice thinly crossways. Heat the remaining butter and stock in a pan over a medium heat. When the mixture is bubbling, add the sprouts and garlic. Cover and simmer for three to four minutes, until the sprouts are bright green and tender. Remove the lid and stir the sprouts around over a higher heat until the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat, taste and season if needed. Spoon the sprouts on the parsnip purée, leaving it showing round the side. Grate a generous amount of nutmeg over the sprouts and serve at once.

The parsnips can be cooked in advance and reheated and the sprouts take only a few minutes to cook, at the last moment.

Pizza Primavera

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For the dough:

  • ½ tsp. active yeast
  • ¼ cup warm water
  • 1 ½ cups unbleached flour
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil

For the topping:

  • 2-3 fresh onions, thinly sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 6 large plum tomatoes (canned or frozen)
  • 2 zucchini, thinly sliced
  • ¼ – ½ cup sliced black olives
  • ½ cup thinly sliced mushrooms
  • 1 cup grated mozzarella or 8-oz. soft goat cheese

In a small bowl, stir the yeast in the water and set aside until foamy.  Place flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center.  Add the beaten egg and olive oil in the well and begin incorporating the flour.  As you mix, stir in the dissolved yeast.  Continue mixing until a supple dough forms; you may need to adjust either the water or flour.  Knead the dough until silky smooth, transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover loosely with wax paper and let rest.  Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan or casserole, cook the onions and garlic in the olive oil over low heat until thoroughly softened and lightly golden; approx. 20 mins.  Add chopped tomatoes and cook, stirring often until the mixture is very thick; approx. 15 mins.  Season with salt and pepper and let cool.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees, divide the dough into two pieces and roll each piece out into an 8 inch crust.  Place the crusts on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, spread with the onion mixture, scatter zucchini, mushrooms, olives etc. and top with your choice of cheese.  If using the goat chesse or other soft cheese scatter in small pieces.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is golden.  Can be served hot or at room temperature.

Pimiento Salad

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Roast the peppers on a grill or under a broiler.  Place the peppers close enough to thoroughly char the skins, turning so that they are pretty uniformly black.  The idea here is to do this as quickly as possible with high heat so that the skins char but the meat doesn’t cook too much.  Let them cool in a paper sack for about ten minutes.  At this point, the skin should come off easily.  Remove the stem and seeds and slice thinly. Dress with the following vinaigrette to thoroughly coat the peppers.  This salad can be kept in the refrigerator for several days and improves the longer the peppers marinate.

Vinaigrette:

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 3 Tbs red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 5 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • black pepper

Press garlic into the bottom of  your salad bowl.  With a fork, mix well with salt until it forms a paste.  Mix in vinegar and mustard until salt is dissolved.  Whisk in olive oil to make an emulsion.  Add black pepper to taste.  These proportions are in no way set in stone.  You should experiment to find the proportions you prefer.  Also, other spices, herbs and vinegars can be used to vary the dressing.

Pickled Kohlrabi

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  • 3 kohlrabi, peeled and sliced ¼ in. thick
  • 2 carrots cut into sticks and parboiled 3 min.
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 sprigs fresh dill

Pickling Mixture

  • ¾ cup white vinegar
  • 1 ¼ cups water
  • 3 Tbs. sugar
  • 1 tsp. mustard seed
  • ½ tsp. dill seed
  • ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp. salt

Combine the carrots and kohlrabi and pack into a 1 quart har along with the garlic, bay leaf, and fresh dill.  In a sauce pan combine pickling mixture ingredients and bring to a boil.  Pour boiling mixture over the kohlrabi and carrots filling the jar completely.  Cover the jar.  When cool, refrigerate for 3-4 days before using to allow the flavors to blend.

From More Recipes from a Kitchen Garden by Renee Shepherd and Fran Raboff.

Pesto

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  • 4 c. fresh basil leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½  c pine nuts
  • ½  c. olive oil
  • ¼ c. melted butter
  • 3/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Put basil leaves, garlic and nuts in bowl of food processor.  Process until finely chopped.  With machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil and melted butter.  With a spoon stir in the cheese, salt and pepper.  This can be stored in the fridge for up to three weeks.  We have also had good luck freezing pesto in ice cube trays, which gives you quick easy pre-portioned pesto cubes.

Perfect Potato Latkes

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  • 4 baking potatoes
  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled and grated
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 4 extra-large eggs
  • 3 Tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • Pinch of baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Vegetable oil, for frying

Grate the potatoes, using a food processor or fine shredder.  Immediately transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and add the onion, lemon juice, eggs, flour, baking soda and salt and pepper.  Mix well.

Heat 1/8 inch of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Pour the batter into the hot oil with a large spoon and flatten with the back of the spoon to make 4-inch latkes.  Cook on one side until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes; then turn and cook on the other side, about 2 minutes.  (Turn only once).  Drain well on paper towels and serve immediately, plain or with topping.

Makes 1 doz. or 4 servings.

From The 30-Minute Kosher Cook by Judy Zeidler.