Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00

Cilantro Potato Salad

Cilantro Potato Salad


Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse. Serves 5-6.
1 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds potatoes, cooked and halved (unpeeled)
1/3 cup finely minced onions

In a bowl, stir together mayonnaise with cilantro, garlic, salt and 7 turns black pepper. Add potatoes and onions and toss to combine thoroughly; cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours before serving.

Published in Salads
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00

Cilantro and Potato soup

Cilantro and Potato soup


This is a delicious, satisfying soup. Like most soup recipes, there is lots of room for improvisation here with some options given below.

2 TB olive oil or butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped (or 2 leeks)
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 quart chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
2 medium potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
salt and pepper
1 pinch red pepper flakes
2/3 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
lime juice

Saute onion and garlic slowly until tender. Add the broth, potatoes. Cook til the potatoes are tender about half an hour. Add most of the cilantro leaving a few tablespoons for garnish. Use an immersion blender or food processor to puree. Serve hot or cold, and garnish with the remaining fresh cilantro. Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice before serving.

Optional: add 1 diced, seeded jalapeno pepper along with the broth and potatoes. Add up to 1/4 cup of cream to soup just before serving. Add a couple chopped scallions to the soup after pureeing.

Published in Soups and Stews
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00

Spinach-Rice Casserole

Spinach-Rice Casserole


Straight from the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen, 1977. I love this recipe. It's basic but oh so good. When greens are abundant as they are now, I make it a lot. It packs in the greens and brown rice. You can modify the recipe by skipping the cheese & eggs and making it vegan. It's hearty and healthy and the brown rice gives it a great chewy texture. Serves 4 - 6.

4 cups cooked brown rice (2 cups dry makes approx 6 cups cooked rice)
2 lbs. raw, chopped spinach (amount doesn't have to be exact)
(or a combo of spinach bok choy, mustard greens, turnip greens, swiss chard, kale)
2 cloves minced garlic
3 tablespoons butter (or 2 tablespoons olive oil)

4 beaten eggs (or egg substitute)
1 cup milk (skim or whole OK)
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar (less than this works great too)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons tamari (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
a few dashes each - nutmeg, cayenne (I like a little more than a dash of cayenne)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
paprika

Saute onions and garlic with the salt in butter (or oil). When onions are soft, add spinach or greens. Cook 2 minutes.

Combine the onion/greens mixture with the brown rice, eggs, milk, cheese, parsley, tamari, nutmeg, cayenne, sunflower seeds, paprika. Spread into buttered casserole and sprinkle on top.
Bake, covered, 25 minutes at 350 degrees F. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes. I like it best when it is a little browned on top.

Published in Dinner
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00

Napa Cabbage Picnic Salad Recipe

Napa Cabbage Picnic Salad Recipe


From www.elise.com This is a truly great salad for large summer gatherings. Much of it can be made ahead, and then assembled when you are ready to serve. If you still have pac choi in the fridge, use the crunchy white parts of the stems sliced thinly as a substitute for the snow peas and then use the greens in the spinach casserole recipe below! Serves 7-8.
1/3 cup slivered almonds
4 cups (.5 lb) coarsely shredded napa cabbage
6 ounces snow peas, strings removed, rinsed and thinly sliced
2/3 cups thinly sliced salad turnips
2/3 cups thinly sliced scallions (including greens)
2/3 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves

Dressing
1.5 Tbsp rice vinegar (seasoned or unseasoned)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 clove peeled and minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/2 cup mayonnaise

1. Spread almond slivers out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in a 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes, until nicely browned. OR toast in stick-free or cast-iron skillet on medium high, stirring frequently until browned. Careful not to burn. Set aside.
2. Combine cabbage, snow peas, radishes, scallions, cilantro in a large bowl. Can make this step a day or two ahead.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, ginger, and cayenne until sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the mayonnaise.
4. When ready to serve, gently combine the dressing and almonds with the cabbage mixture.

Published in Salads
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette


It should be strong flavored. If it needs more zip add a bit more garlic, or more black pepper, or more Dijon or all three.

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 T maple syrup
1 T Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper


Braised Winter Greens w/ Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar


Beet Greens, Mizuna and Kale are ideal for this recipe but some Pac Choi leaves would work in nicely too! From the Rebar Modern Food Cookbook by Audrey Austerberg and Wanda Urbanowicz.

1 large bunch 0f Greens
1 TB olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp red chile flakes
1 TB balsamic vinegar
cracked pepper to taste

Stem and wash the greens. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add oil, then garlic and stir until lightly golden. Add the chiles and greens. Toss with tongs, sprinkle with salt, and cover to allow volume to steam down. Uncover and continue to toss on high heat until greens are wilted. Add vinegar. Remove greens from pan. Return pan to burner. Reduce any remaining juices and drizzle over greens. Crack pepper over the top and serve immediately.
Serves 2

Published in Light Sides

Shepherd's Pie with Carmelized Onions and Cheddar Smash


From Cooking with Shelburne Farms.

For the Carmelized Onions
1.5 TB Olive Oil
1 lb Onions (about 3 medium), thinly sliced crosswise into rounds
1 tsp kosher salt

For the Potato Smash
1.5 lbs potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
2 garlic cloves, smashed with the flat of a knife
1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 stick butter, cut into 4 pieces

For the Lamb Filling
1/2 TB olive oil
2 medium carrots, scrubbed trimmed and finely diced (about 1.5 cups)
1 lb ground lamb
3/4 tsp fresh thyme minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 TB flour
1/2 TB tomato paste (or ketchup)
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup grated cheddar

Make the carmelized onions (up to one week ahead):
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium hear. Add onions and turn heat down to medium low. Sprinkle onions with salt and cook, stirring frequently to make sure they brown evenly, for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and soft. Set aside.

Make the smashed potatoes (up to 24 hours ahead):
Place a colander in a pot large enough to accommodate it, fill pot with water to bottom of colander, add potatoes and garlic cloves and sprinkle them with salt. Cover, set over high heat, and bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to active simmer and steam for 25-30 minutes until they break apart easily when poked. Remove colander from pot, pour water from pot, return potatoes and garlic to the pot. Cover with a clean dish towel and let potatoes dry out for about 5 minutes (but do not let them cool before mashing). Add the butter to the pot and use a potato masher to smash the potatoes and garlic until blended, but not smooth. Set aside.

Make the meat filling and finish pie:
In a large skillet set over med-high heat, heat olive oil until hot. Add diced carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add lamb, thyme, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes until the meat is no longer pink. Pour off the fat and discard. Sprinkle flour over the meat and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Then stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes longer. Pour in the stock, along with half of the carmelized onions. Increase the heat to high and simmer until gravy thickens slightly.

Spread lamb into a shallow casserole or baking pan. Spread potatoes on top. Distribute the remaining carmelized onions over the potatoes, and then sprinkle the cheddar in top. Bake until top is golden and crusty, about 20 minutes.

Published in Dinner
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00

Grilled Thai Chicken

Grilled Thai Chicken


This is a meal I have made numerous times that always gets rave reviews and the cilantro in today's share made me think of adding it here. It does require a quartered bird, but it's well worth the effort.

1 Chicken - Quartered, skin removed

Marinade:
1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1 TB white peppercorns, toasted and ground
15 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup minced cilantro stems (from about 1 large bunch)
1/4 cup soy
2 TB vegetable oil

After toasting and grinding seeds, add other marinade ingredients to food processor and blend until smooth. Add marinade to chicken parts in a ziplock bag or other sealed container. Marinate for 1-8 hours, turning container periodically to coat chicken.

Grill or bake chicken

Serve w/ sweet and sour sauce (yield 1/2 cup):
1 TB dried red chile flakes
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 TB rice vinegar
7 cloves of garlic
Toast chiles until fragrant (1-2 mins). Add salt, sugar, rice vinegar, cook until dissolved. Stir in garlic and remove from heat and cool completely before serving.

Serve with rice and Wilted Asian Greens from the May 6, 2009 newsletter posted on Pete's blog site.

Published in Dinner
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00

Citrus Herb Marinade

Citrus Herb Marinade


This is the standard steak marinade in our house. The steaks that meat share members will receive tomorrow will be wonderful with this marinade - I'd be preparing it tonight! Citrus really works well to tenderize a piece of meat and this marinade never disappoints. It is quick to prepare and substitutions work out just fine. You can prepare it ahead of time and it can sit in the fridge for up to a week.

Combine and then place with steaks in a ziplock bag or other sealed container.
1/4 cup sunflower oil or olive oil
1.5 TB lemon juice
1.5 TB orange juice
1/3 c parsley (or not, we often don't have it on hand and skip)
1.5 tsp dried thyme
1 crumbled bay leaf
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp black pepper

Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00

Simple Swiss Chard

Simple Swiss Chard


This is a simple quick and delicious way to prepare chard or beet greens as a side dish. It will be delightful with Cranberry Bob's Balsamic.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch Swiss chard, stalks discarded, leaves cut into wide ribbons
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil on a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook until tender and aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and balsamic vinegar; cook and stir until the chard is wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Published in Light Sides
Page 20 of 22
Nutrition is directly linked to the health and sustainability of any region. In Craftsbury, Vermont, Pete’s Greens has proven that organic farming can work year-round, offering fresh vegetables at any time of year. This approach helps communities become less dependent on imported produce and builds a stronger foundation for a future where quality food is part of the lifestyle, not the exception. However, modern life is full of contradictions. People strive for natural products and care about the well-being of their families, but at the same time, they often indulge in activities that carry certain risks. A clear example can be seen in the fact that interest in gambling continues to grow, despite all the warnings about the possible consequences. This topic is discussed in detail on the sitetorontomike.com, where it is discussed why online gambling continues to attract people’s attention despite its unsafety. On the one hand, the organic farm Pete’s Greens demonstrates how one can take a step towards health and harmony with nature. On the other hand, habits and temptations like gambling remind us that the choice is always ours. Ultimately, it is the mindfulness of our actions that shapes the future – whether it is the decision to eat more local vegetables or to be smart about our online entertainment.