Category Archives: Recipes

Spiced Parsnip Soup

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  • 1 1/2 lb parsnips, peeled and cubed
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 to 3 tablespoon oil
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 /2 to 1 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 to teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 4 to 5 cups vegetable or chicken stock

In a skillet sauté  the onion and garlic in the oil. Add the cumin, cardamom, coriander, turmeric and ginger and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the parsnips and stock and simmer gently until tender, about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Puree the soup in batches (or use your immersion blender) and serve hot.

Serves 6 to 8.

Spiced Lentils with Mushrooms and Greens

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  • ½ cup brown or green lentils
  • 3 Tbs. Olive Oil
  • ½ pound Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • salt
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ¼ tsp. ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp. ground coriander
  • ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp. turmeric
  • ½ Lb. coarsely chopped greens

In a small sauce pan, cover the lentils with 2 ½ cups water or broth and bring to a boil.  Cover and cook over low heat until lentils are tender, approx. 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a sauté pan, heat 2 Tbs. of the olive oil, add mushrooms and season with salt.  Cover and cook over moderate heat stirring, until the mushrooms are tender and starting to brown, approx. 5 minutes.  Add the remaining olive oil along with the garlic, cumin, coriander, pepper and turmeric and cook stirring until fragrant, approx. 1 minute.  Add the greens and cook until wilted, approx. 5 minutes.  Add the lentils and their cooking liquid to the mushrooms and greens and cook for 3 minutes.  Add more liquid if the lentils are too dry.  Season with salt and ladle into bowls.

Adapted from Food and Wine February 2011.

Spiced Broccoli and Tomatoes

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  • 1 lb fresh broccoli
  • 3 tomatoes, peeled and seeded
  • 1-2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 Tbs fresh shredded ginger
  • 1/8 tsp red pepper powder
  • salt & pepper

Chop broccoli into 1 inch lengths.  Cut tomatoes into chunks.  Heat oil in a wok or skillet.  Add ginger and fry, stirring for a few seconds.  Add broccoli, red pepper powder, and tomatoes.  Stir fry until broccoli turns dark green (cover for a few minutes if necessary).  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

SUGGESTIONS:  If you have kids and/or donít want a spicy dish, you can substitute paprika for the red pepper.  You can also add cumin and coriander for additional flavor.

Adapted from Indian Light Cooking by Ruth Law.

Spanikopita

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  • 1 lb. mixed greens
  • 1 onion or 2 leeks, chopped
  • ½ lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 3 eggs
  • 6 oz. feta cheese
  • ¼ c. parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • ¼ tsp. rosemary (optional)
  • ¼ tsp. nutmeg
  • ¼ lb. butter (1 stick)
  • 1 lb. filo dough

Wash and chop greens into ribbons. Bring 2 quarts of water to the boil. Drop in greens and boil for about 5 minutes. Drain in colander. Saute the onion, garlic and mushrooms in the olive oil with salt and pepper until tender. Squeeze any remaining moisture out of greens and stir them in to sauté pan. Cook for a few more minutes, then remove from heat.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl and crumble in the feta. Add the parmesan, black pepper, nutmeg, oregano and optional rosemary. Add a little salt, remembering that feta is salty. Stir in greens sauté mix.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt the stick of butter and brush a 2 or 3 quart oblong baking pan with it. Spread the filo dough out flat next to the pan. Brush the top layer with butter and lift it and the layer under it onto pan. brush next sheet with butter and lay it and the layer under it onto pan at a slight angle to the last layer. Continue to layer the sheets of filo, brushing every other one with butter and turning each one slightly so that the edges fan out over the sides of the pan. Stop when you have about 8 sheets left.

Spread the greens mixture evenly over the filo dough in pan, pushing it to the corners. Fold the edges of the filo dough over the mixture. Take the remaining sheets of filo and layer them on top of the greens mixture, again brushing every other sheet with butter, but this time pushing the edges down into the sides of the pan. It is difficult to do this neatly; just rumple the edges down into the sides of the pan (they will form a nice crisp edge after baking). Brush the top of the spanakopita with butter and make 1/2” deep diagonal slashes across it with a sharp knife.  Bake for 50 minutes, until the crust is puffed and golden. Cut into squares or diamonds and serve immediately.

Spaghetti Squash (Vegetable Spaghetti)

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The SPAGHETTI SQUASH, or vegetable spaghetti, is one of our favorite squashes.  It is a low-calorie, crisp-textured vehicle for sauces or seasonings.  This particular variety we grow is called Hi-Beta Gold.  It has been developed to contain a high percentage of beta-carotene.  It is excellent with any sauce you would use on regular pasta, especially primavera types.  There are two ways to cook it; boiling and baking.  In both cases the squash should be left whole.  For boiling drop into boiling water and cook for 20 to 30 minutes.  When a fork goes easily into the flesh, the squash is done.  To bake, prick squash and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes to 1 1/2 hrs. or until tender.  When the squash is cool enough to handle, cut in half length-wise, remove seeds, then with a fork “comb” the squash flesh.  The spaghetti will pull off in long strands.

Solyanka

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The recipe below is from the Moosewood Cookbook.  It is one of our favorite ways to use cabbage and potatoes together.  You can also use this recipe for a stovetop, one-pan version by simply topping the cabbage mix with the potatoes right in the pan you sautéed it in.

  • 4 medium potatoes
  • 4 cups shredded cabbage
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
  • 3 Tbs butter
  • 1/2 tsp caraway seed
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp dill weed
  • black pepper
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • paprika
  • 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup yogurt
  • 2 Tbs cider vinegar

Scrub (don’t peel) the potatoes, cut into small pieces and boil until mashable.  Drain and mash, while still hot, with cottage cheese, sour cream and yogurt.  Sauté onions in butter with 1/2-tsp salt.  After five minutes add caraway, cabbage and remaining salt.  Sauté until cabbage is tender.  Combine with potato mixture, and add everything except 2 Tbsp. sunflower seeds and paprika.  Spread into a deep buttered casserole.  Top with paprika and remaining sunflower seeds.  Bake at 350 degrees uncovered 35-40 minutes.

Soy Sausage-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

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  • 1 large head green cabbage
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped (2 cups)
  • 2 14-oz. packages beef-flavored soy sausages
  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ tsp. white pepper
  • 3 cups bottled pasta sauce or homemade tomato sauce

Lightly grease a large shallow casserole.  Remove 12 large leaves from the cabbage and set aside.  Shred enough of the remaining cabbage to make 1 cup.  Save the rest of the cabbage for another use.  Put the shredded cabbage, bay leaves and garlic in the bottom of the casserole.  In a separate pan, blanch the reserved cabbage leaves in boiling water for 3 minutes.  Remove and set aside.  Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat and saute onion and sausage for 3 minutes.  Reduce heat and add the rice salt, Worcestershire sauce and pepper.  Mix well.  Divide the mixture among the 12 leaves, rolling each one up, tucking the ends toward the center and fastening with a toothpick.  Place in the casserole dish.  Pour the sauce over the rolls, cover tightly and simmer 30 minutes.

Serves 6.

From The Whole Soy Cook Book by Patricia Greenberg.

Southern Mixed Greens

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  • 3 lbs greens coarsely chopped
  • 2 ham hocks
  • 1 qt. water
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 med. onion chopped fine
  • 2 Tbs red wine vinegar
  • black pepper

Trim fat from ham hocks and set aside.  Put ham hocks in heavy saucepan and cover with water.  Add red pepper flakes and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 45 minutes.  Render some of the pork fat in a skillet, add onions and cook slowly until they begin to brown.  Drain and add to ham hock broth.  Simmer until meat begins to fall from bones.  Stir in the greens, cover and cook about 30 minutes stirring and lifting the greens occasionally.  Add vinegar and pepper to taste.  Put meat and greens on a serving plate and serve pot liquor in separate small bowls.  We use the nitrite-free ham hocks from New Seasons. We have also substituted smoked extra firm tofu for the ham hock with good results (you need to use olive oil to replace the ham fat) when we wanted a vegetarian alternative.

From Winter Harvest Cookbook by Lane Morgan.

Sorrel Soup

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This soup has the consistency of cream of spinach soup with the unique lemony flavor of sorrel.  We serve this soup with a hearty, peasant style bread and hard cheese and fruit.

  • 3 cups chopped de-ribbed sorrel leaves
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cups stale bread, cubed
  • 3-4 Tbs olive oil
  • 1-2 cloves garlic
  • 2-3 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
  • salt to taste

In a large heavy bottomed pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent.  Add stock and cover. Add the bread chunks and allow the soup to simmer until the bread is thoroughly soaked.  Add the sorrel and simmer for 1 minute.  Place the soup in a food processor and blend until smooth.  More stock can be added at this time if the soup is too thick.  Add salt and pepper to taste and reheat if necessary.

Smoky Turkish Eggplant Cream (Hunkar Begendi)

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  • 1 ½ Lbs eggplant
  • juice of 1 lemon 2 Tbs. butter
  • 3 Tbs. flour
  • 1 cup hot milk
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • salt

Puncture the skin of the eggplants with a fork two or three times then char the skins on all sides either over coals or under the broiler (the flesh will become quite soft in the process).  Remove the charred skin and any hard seeds then drop the eggplant into cold water to which you’ve added the lemon juice (to preserve the color), and let stand 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan and remove from heat.  Stir in the flour then cook stirring until the flour is golden.  Whisk in the milk and continue to cook stirring until smooth.  Set over low heat and let cook for 5-10 minutes more stirring occasionally.  Drain the eggplant squeezing to remove excess water.  Mash the eggplant with a potato masher then add to the saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring, over low heat.  Stir in the cheese and salt to taste.  Serve hot.