When the community feeds itself,
the land and the people prosper
Spring Vegetables
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Garlic Scapes Garlic Scape Pesto Garlic scape is the green leafy stalk that grows from the garlic bulb. In a blender, combine the Garlic scapes and extra virgin olive oil. Pour mixture Makes 4 cups. compliments of
Jersualem Artichokes A Salad Place for Sunchokes and Other Brights 1 pound jerusalem artichokes, scrupulously scrubbed, thinly sliced Mix the sliced Jerusalem artichokes, grated carrots, chopped apple, and nuts in a large bowl. Gently toss with chives and dill. In a small pitcher, whisk oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Dress the salad and garnish with capers. Chill only slightly. Serves 6 to 8 Cook's tips and tricks: tested and prepared for
Mint Mint Shortbread Cookies 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the dough on plastic wrap and roll it into a tube 1 1/4 inch around. Wrap again in plastic, then place in the refrigerator until the dough is firm — about 1 hour. Put cookie sheets into the hot oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, until Here is the source, as well as instructions for baking with children:
Radishes Radishes with Pasta & Radish Greens 1 cup sliced radishes with green tops Separate the greens from the radishes. Wash greens thoroughly and then Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Add onions and cook just until
they begin to soften. Add radish slices and greens. Cover and cook for
5 to 7 minutes or until greens wilt and radishes look almost
translucent. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add drained pasta to skillet and toss. Add cooking liquid from pasta
and stir. Sprinkle on the cheese and toss. Serves 2
Radishes with Pasta & Radish Greens 1 cup sliced radishes with green tops Separate the greens from the radishes. Wash greens thoroughly and then drain. Wash and trim radishes and slice thinly. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Add onions and cook just until they begin to soften. Add radish slices and greens. Cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until greens wilt and radishes look almost translucent. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add drained pasta to skillet and toss. Add cooking liquid from pasta and stir. Sprinkle on the cheese and toss. Serves 2 compliments of
Rhubarb Rhubarb Chutney 1 cup sugar or 15 packets Splenda Set rhubarb, currants, and onions aside. Stir remaining ingredients into a heavy skillet. Bring slowly to a simmer-boil and cook, stirring, till sugar is dissolved. Add remaining fruit and veg. Cook over medium heat till rhubarb is tender, but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Store in fridge overnight to blend flavors. Bring to room temperature for about an hour before serving. Makes about 2 cups Cook's tips and tricks: Sits nicely next to pork. Works wonders in a yoghurt and brown rice bread. Finds its way, wherever chutneys are known to lurk. Throw in a few strawberries or dried cherries for a shift in flavor and color. tested and prepared for
Rhubarb - Strawberry Sauce 5 cups rhubarb, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces Mix together and let stand overnight. In the morning pour into a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Then simmer over low heat for 10 min. stirring often. Add 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries. Stir well. Add 1 small pkg. strawberry jello. Stir all together and pour into a large bowl. Refrigerate. Serve as a sauce for dessert or as a topping over waffles, ice cream, shortcake or bisquick biscuits.
Rhubarb Jam Combine 4 cups chopped rhubarb and 4 cups sugar. Let stand 2 ½ hours or overnight. Put into a large saucepan and boil 10 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Add 1 small can crushed pineapple and 2 cups cut up fresh or frozen strawberries. Boil 5 minutes more.
Rhubarb Cake Dessert One yellow cake mix-mixed according to directions on pkg. compliments of
Roasted Rhubarb 14 ounces rhubarb 1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cut the rhubarb into 2-to-2 1/2-inch pieces and place in a medium bowl. Finely grate the zest of half the orange over the rhubarb and then squeeze the juice of the whole orange into the bowl. Split the vanilla beans and scrape out the seeds and place both in the bowl. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Serves 4 compliments of
Spiced, Rhubarb Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Topping: For the over the top sugar treatment add another 2/3 cups brown sugar stirred into 2/3 cups melted butter (after the above is in the pan - see preparation instructions below). Batter: Chop the rhubarb into 3/4 inch (bite size) chunks, lightly steam in the large skillet cover on until just tender. Remove rhubarb to storage bowl until needed (resist the temptation to put some of the rhubarb on vanilla ice cream you will need it all for this recipe - no really). Melt one cup butter in the large skillet stirring in the brown sugar, distribute evenly across pan. Add the rhubarb and pineapple chunks back to the pan, again distribute evenly over caramel mix. Or perhaps let a little more fruit mix be on the outer rings as oppose to in the center like I did last time. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly (yes evenly) over fruit. If you are an over the top kind of person this is where you add the extra melted butter and sugar mix again with emphasis to the outer rings as opposed to the center. Set the pan aside while you work on the batter. Measure dry ingredients into medium bowl and whisk together for an even mix of spices and flour. Cream the butter and sugar (I use a mixer) beat in eggs one at a time add vanilla, and cream, mix well. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk/water mix, mixing well with each addition. Pour batter over the nut/fruit/caramel. Bake at 350 for 75 minutes for the three egg or 50 minutes for the two egg batter. Use toothpick to test center of cake before removing from oven. Immediately after removing from oven plate the cake. I use the downside up of my largest cookie sheet held against the skillet and flip it over being very careful not to burn my hide or any other delicate parts. Let the cake cool for as long as you can stand before cutting in half. This could be served warm with vanilla ice cream very nicely or allowed to cool while you lounge peacefully after a nice meal. Then cut pieces perpendicular to that centerline preserving one half for freezing tomorrow morning. My largest Tupperware holds half of this cake just right for going into the freezer. Should keep for several weeks in the freezer until your sweet tooth begs for satisfaction. Mine never seems to last much longer in the freeze than it takes to eat the first half but then the second half is still fresh when thawed. I like it as coffee cake in the morning and desert cake in the evening and sometimes as an afternoon snack but hey I like baked goods. Possible Variations This 3 egg recipe works exactly in my 11 inch diameter, by 3 inch deep large skillet. It was prepared at an elevation of 6500 feet, adjust according to your elevation. If you have a smaller pan try a two egg version adjusting all ingredients by that ratio. If you don't like sugar and butter stop reading and go do something else. compliments of
Rhubarb - Strawberry Sauce 5 cups rhubarb which has been washed and cut into 1 inch pieces Mix together and let stand overnight. In the morning pour into a
large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Then simmer
over low heat for 10 min. stirring often. Add 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries. Stir well. Add 1 small pkg.
strawberry jello. Stir all together and pour into a large bowl.
Refrigerate. Serve as a sauce for dessert or as a topping over waffles, ice
cream, shortcake or bisquick biscuits. When my mother and neighbors started adding strawberries to their
rhubarb, we children thought it was special. It was a great and
needed match to make something so simple taste so much better! Rhubarb Jam Combine 4 cups chopped rhubarb and 4 cups sugar. Let stand 2 1/2
hours or overnight. Put into a large saucepan and boil 10 minutes or
until rhubarb is tender. Add 1 small can crushed pineapple and 2
cups cut up fresh or frozen strawberries. Boil 5 minutes more. Pour into hot sterilized jars. Cover. Keep in refrigerator. This recipe comes from a country school teacher who was a neighbor
and friend of my Mother. When we were home visiting she brought this
over for us to enjoy. Of course I asked her for the recipe. Rhubarb Cake Dessert One yellow cake mix-mixed according to directions on pkg. Pour into a greased 9X13 pan. On top of the mix spread 4 cups of
cut up rhubarb with 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Pour 1 3/4 cups whipping cream over all and bake at 350 for 50 to 60 minutes. Enjoy!
Spinach Warm Walnut Salad, Politely Dressed 2 tsp butter or good olive oil Heat the butter or oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add leek/onion/shallot choice and sauté for 5 minutes. Add walnuts and sauté for 3 more minutes. Add chunks of fruit and heat through. Remove pan from stove. Immediately add walnut oil, vinegar, and orange zest to warm pan and let sit for 20 seconds, or until thoroughly warmed. Arrange spinach on warm plates and top with cheese choice, salt, and pepper. Pour contents of the pan over the cheese and spinach. Spinach will wilt and cheese will melt. Serve immediately. Serves 2 as a meal or 4 as a starter Cook's tips and tricks: Filling the sink with cold water, allowing the spinach to float several inches above the sink bottom will give you room to laundry-churn the leaves, encourages the sand to fall away.
Stonebridge Calzone Dough: In food processor with plastic dough blade, place 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, 1 cup unbleached wheat flour, and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Process till mixed. With processor running, slowly pour yeast mixture down the feed tube until a ball forms (you may not use quite all the liquid). If the dough is too wet, add a little more flour. Let the processor "knead" the dough for one or two minutes until it looks elasticky. Place in oiled bowl and cover loosely with cloth. Let rise Filling: Place in food processor bowl with metal blade and process until mixed but not mushy. Preheat oven to 400. Divide dough into 8 balls. Roll out each on floured surface to six-inch diameter. Place on oiled baking sheet or jellyroll pan. Place filling in the lower half of the circle, leaving 1/2 inch edging. Fold over the dough circle and crimp well with fork (they'll leak out if you don't crimp well). Give the tops a few fork pokes for venting and rub with soft butter. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned. compliments of
Spinach Salad with Curry Dressing 1/3 cup peanuts Combine spinach with the apple, onions, and raisins in large salad bowl. Add peanuts and sesame seeds. compliments of
Spinach Fritters Process enough crackers and or stale bread to make ½ cup fine crumbs. (Michiko introduced us to using cooked rice instead for a wheat-free alternative). Add 4 scallions (enough to make 3 T minced) and process until minced. Add about 4 cups washed spinach leaves and process until you've got a compact consistency. Pulse in 1/4 tsp salt and 2 well-beaten eggs. Here you can also play with herbs like basil or tarragon. Once it's all mixed, make 3 inch patties and fry in hot olive oil, turning once to brown both sides. Makes 10-12 fritters. You can also make mini-fritters for appetizers! Compliments of
Spinach and Leek Gratin with Roquefort Crumble Topping Recipe on http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/232888 our modifications: tested and prepared for
Spinach Mushroom Gratin 1 cup diced onions, sauteed if you have the time Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil an 11 x 7 casserole dish (a 9 x 13 works too, just thinner). Spread half the tomato/onion mix in the bottom of the oiled pan. Sprinkle the orzo over the mix. Layer the greens, mushrooms, and 1 cup
Parmesan cheese, then add the rest of the tomato mix. Sprinkle with
the rest of the cheese and top with the sautéed bread crumbs. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 25 minutes, uncover and bake another 25 minutes until browned. compliments of
Tofu Scramble with Spinach one block organic extra firm tofu, squeezed and drained (we use white Heat about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet until very hot. Sauté green onions until soft, turn down heat to medium, add spinach and sauté until just wilted. Crumble the tofu into the skillet and cook until mixed with the veggies and warmed through, about five minutes. Pour on the Spicy peanut sauce until everything is coated and cook a few more minutes to heat. Serve over brown rice with a side salad. compliments of Spinach Egg Salad 4 tbl red onion, minced The day before, combine all ingredients, except for pine nuts and spinach. Taste for seasoning. Toast the pine nuts; cover tightly. Triple wash spinach, drain very well, and roll in a towel; refrigerate. The next day, just before supper, toss egg salad with spinach and pine nuts. Serve on lightly toasted birdseed bread with fruit on the side. Serves 6 Cook's tips and tricks: Why 13 eggs? Two per person and one for the house. Use older eggs. Poke a pinhole in the fat end of each egg. Place cold eggs in a saucepan and cover with water, plus an inch. Bring just short of a boil, 15 minutes. Drain immediately and run cold water over the eggs for 10 minutes. The shell will slide off. No, really. tested and prepared for
Spinach with Swiss Bake 2 tbl good olive oil Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9-inch square baking dish. Film a deep pot with olive oil. Skitter pepper flakes for 30 seconds over high heat. Sauté onions over medium-high flame till soft, but not brown. Add garlic and continue to cook two minutes. Add spinach, reducing heat to low. Cover and steam until completely wilted, but not dry. Add tomatoes and cook five minutes over low heat to warm through. In the meantime, mix eggs, cheese, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the spinach mixture; blend well. Turn into the baking dish. Top with bread crumbs and optional parmesan cheese with a few grinds of pepper. Bake until eggs are set, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Cook's tips and tricks: During the part of the growing season when we are likely to get tons of greens, I like to keep chunks of different melting and hard cheeses, flavored oils interesting and a choice of salts and fresh peppers on hand. Makes for tasty variety. tested and prepared for |