Author Archives: Pumpkin Ridge Gardens

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.

Peppercorn Ranch Dip

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  • 2/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup lowfat cottage cheese
  • juice of 1 lemon (2 Tbs.)
  • 1 tsp. coarsly ground peppercorns
  • 1 Tbs. minced, fresh chives
  • 2 Tbs. fresh chopped basil
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
  • salt to taste

In a food processor combine all ingredients except salt.  Process until a creamy dip is formed.  Season to taste with salt.  Transfer to a bowl and chill.

From Chips and Dips by Claudia McQuillan.

Penne with Kale and Potatoes

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  • ½ lb. kale
  • 2-3 Tbs. salt
  • 1 large yellow-fleshed potato, ¾” cubes
  • 14-16 oz. uncooked penne pasta
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3-4 Tbs. olive oil
  • fresh black pepper to taste

Clean the kale, removing tough ribs, and cut it into thin strips.  Bring 5-6 quarts of water to a rolling boil, add salt, potatoes and kale, cook for 5 minutes.  Add pasta and cook for ¾ of recommended time (should offer considerable resistance to the tooth).  Meanwhile, put the garlic in a large skillet and drizzle with 1 Tbs. olive oil over moderate heat.  When garlic begins to sizzle, remove from heat.  Drain pasta and vegetables, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water.  Add the pasta and vegetables to the garlic in the skillet and add 1 cup of the cooking water.  Cook over high heat, covered, until the pasta is done and surrounded by a creamy sauce.  Add more cooking water as needed.  Serve in bowls, topped with a drizzle of remaining olive oil and pepper.

Serves 8.

Adapted from Red, White and Greens by Faith Willinger.

Pear Salad Dressing

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  • 2 pears
  • 1/4-1/2 cup white wine
  • 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup rice wine or sherry vinegar
  • fresh thyme
  • 3/4 cup olive oil

Peel, seed and rough chop pears and braise in wine until nearly all liquid is gone.  Put cooked pears in food processor or blender.  Add remaining ingredients, except olive oil, to processor or blender and mix until nearly smooth.  Add the olive oil in a steady stream while machine is on.  Add salt and ground pepper to taste.  Warm and serve over spinach to create a wilted salad or serve room temperature over salad greens.  Add more fresh ground pepper to salad, and if desired, roasted hazelnuts chopped and/or blue, goat or feta cheese.

From Caprial Pence.

Pasta with Arugula and Goat Cheese Sauce

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Makes 4 servings.

  • a bunch of fresh arugula
  • 4 springs fresh parsley
  • 1 8 ounce container low-fat yogurt or sour cream
  • 1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
  • S and P to taste
  • 1 pound fusilli noodles
  • Grated parmesan cheese, as garnish

Before preparing sauce, fill a large casserole with water, and bring the water to a boil. Wash and clean well the arugula and parsley. Dry thoroughly. Trim and chop both the arugula and the parsley. Place the arugula and the parsley in a food processor. Add the yogurt or sour cream, goat cheese, salt, and pepper. Blend the ingredients thoroughly. Keep the sauce at room temperature until ready to use. Add a pinch of salt to the boiling water, and cook the fusilli noodles following the instructions on the package. When the noodles are cooked, drain them, and place them in four serving dishes. Pour the sauce evenly over the top of each serving and add some cheese to each dish. Serve immediately.

From A Complete Menu Cookbook for All Occasions by Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette.

Pasta Shells with Greens

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  • 1 -1/2 Lbs mixed greens
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 c. olive oil
  • small pasta shells for 4 people
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 6 chopped canned tomatoes
  • hard cheese

Heat a large pan of water for the pasta.  Chop greens finely, discarding any tough stem ends.  In a large skillet, heat olive oil and sauté the greens with the garlic stirring often.  The greens will reduce in volume.  When the greens are soft but still a vibrant green, season with salt and pepper and add the tomatoes.  Continue cooking to reduce the juice from the tomatoes.  When the pasta has cooked, drain and divide into serving bowls.  Top with the mixed greens and tomatoes, then sprinkle on some hard cheese such as asiago, pecorino or parmesan.   Serve immediately.