All posts by Dawn

Beet Chips with Curried Sour Cream

July 22, 2010Appetizer, Side Dish, UncategorizedDawn

Type of dish: Appetizer, Side Dish

4 medium beets with sets trimmed to 1 inch
2 cups water
2 cups sugar

For sour cream:
2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon Madras curry powder
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Make chips:
Peel beets with a vegetable peeler, then slice paper-thin with slicer, using stems as handles.

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add beets, then remove pan from heat and let stand 15 minutes. Drain beets in a colander, discarding liquid, then let stand in colander 15 minutes more.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 225°F.

Line a shallow baking pan with nonstick liner, then arrange beet slices snugly in 1 layer (it’s not necessary to use any partial or broken slices) and season with salt and pepper. Bake beets until dry, about 1 hour. Immediately transfer chips to a rack to cool (chips will crisp as they cool).

Make curried cream while beets bake:
Cook onion in oil in a small skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in curry powder and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir onion into sour cream in a bowl along with chives, salt, and pepper. Serve curried cream with beet chips.

Recipe courtesy of Gazy Brothers Farm

Peach Salsa with Lime Juice and Honey

July 22, 2010Appetizer, Condiment, UncategorizedDawn

Type of dish: Appetizer, Condiment

4 small peaches, peeled and diced
Juice of 2 limes, about 1/4 cup juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 to 3 Tablespoons diced bell pepper
1 Tablespoon finely minced jalapeno pepper, or to taste
1 heaping Tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
2 Tablespoons finely chopped red onion or sweet onion

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until serving time. The flavors are best if the salsa is refrigerated for 4 hours or overnight. Serve with grilled or broiled fish, pork, or chicken, or just with some tortilla chips.

Makes 1 1/2 to 2 cups.

Recipe courtesy of Gazy Brothers Farm

Crash Hot Potatoes

July 21, 2010Side Dish, UncategorizedDawn

Type of dish: Side Dish

12 whole new potatoes (or other small round potatoes)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Rosemary (or other herbs of choice) to taste

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil. Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.) Remember that potatoes need fat and salt to taste really good, so don’t skimp!

Bake in a 450ºF oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Recipe courtesy of Gazy Brothers Farm

Baingan Bharta (Eggplant Curry)

July 21, 2010Main Dish, Side Dish, UncategorizedDawn

Type of dish: Main Dish, Side Dish

1 large or 3-4 small eggplant
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Place eggplant on a medium baking sheet. Bake 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender. Remove from heat, cool, peel, and chop.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix in cumin seeds and onion. Cook and stir until onion is tender.

Mix ginger, garlic paste, curry powder, and tomato into the saucepan, and cook about 1 minute. Stir in yogurt. Mix in eggplant and jalapeno pepper, and season with salt. Cover, and cook 10 minutes over high heat. Remove cover, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro to serve.

Recipe courtesy of Gazy Brothers Farm

Grilled Peaches with Crème Fraîche

July 21, 2010Breakfast, Dessert, UncategorizedDawn

Type of dish: Breakfast, Dessert

1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons honey
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 8-ounce container creme fraiche (homemade recipe below)
6 firm but ripe peaches (halved, pitted)
lemon/lime zest (optional)

Whisk 1/2 cup honey, balsamic vinegar, water and vanilla in small bowl. Whisk crème fraîche and remaining 2 Tablespoons honey in medium bowl to blend. (Glaze and crème fraîche mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately. Refrigerate crème fraîche mixture. Re-whisk both before using.)

Prepare grill (medium-high heat). Brush peaches generously with half of glaze. Grill until heated through, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes on each side.

Arrange 2 grilled peach halves, cut side up, on each plate. Drizzle with remaining glaze. Spoon some crème fraîche mixture into center or on top of grilled peaches.

Grate lemon/lime zest for a bright, aromatic citrus punch!

Crème Fraîche
Crème fraîche is super simple and quick to make, plus, it adds a new dimension beyond sour cream. Make this, it will make you happy. We’ve included 2 variations for culturing the cream, buttermilk and sour cream. The culture is ultimately what dictates the flavor of the crème fraîche, and the sour cream will give a slightly sweeter, and creamier texture. The buttermilk will give you a bit more tang. Enjoy.

2 cups heavy cream
2 Tablespoons sour cream or buttermilk

Combine ingredients and gently heat to approximately 100ºF. Transfer to a glass canning jar, or stainless-steel, or porcelain container. Keep it covered in a warm (yes, warm place, it is perfectly safe) until it has thickened, usually 24-36 hours. After the cream has thickened, place it in the refrigerator. It should keep for at least a couple weeks.

Recipe courtesy of Gazy Brothers Farm

Balsamic Zucchini

July 21, 2010Side Dish, UncategorizedDawn

Type of dish: Side Dish

3 or 4 fresh zucchini (depending on size)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
Cooking spray

Wash and cut, unpeeled, zucchini into 1/2 inch slices. Combine remaining ingredients into a bowl, or pan, large enough to hold all zucchini slices. Add zucchini and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, up to 24.

Spray grill with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Preheat grill for approximately 5 minutes. Grill zucchini 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until desired golden-brown color is obtained.

Recipe courtesy of Gazy Brothers Farm

Kohlrabi & Apple Slaw with Creamy Coleslaw Dressing

July 21, 2010Salad, Side Dish, UncategorizedDawn

Type of dish: Salad, Side Dish

1 pound fresh kohlrabi, trimmed, peeled, grated or cut into batons with a Benriner
2 apples, peeled, grated or cut into batons (try to keep equivalent volumes of kohlrabi:apple)

DRESSING
1/4 cup cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon good mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt & pepper to taste – go easy here
Fresh mint, chopped

Whisk cream into light pillows – this takes a minute or so, no need to get out a mixer. Stir in remaining dressing ingredients, the kohlrabi and apple. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Gazy Brothers Farm

Spicy Bok Choy in Garlic Sauce

July 21, 2010Side Dish, UncategorizedDawn

Type of dish: Side Dish

1 pound bok choy
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons light soy sauce
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Trim off the ends of the bok choy and chop, keeping the white parts separate from the green as they will need to cook longer. Rinse and spin or pat dry. Set aside.
In a small bowl or cup, stir together the vegetable oil and sesame oil. In a separate larger bowl, stir together the water, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Set this aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the bok choy stems first; stir fry for a few minutes or until the pieces start to turn a pale green. When stems are almost cooked, add the leaves; cook and stir until leaves are wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the bok choy to a serving dish. Pour the sauce into the skillet or wok, and set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Pour over the bok choy and toss lightly to coat.

Recipe courtesy of Gazy Brothers Farm

Calabacitas con Elote (Zucchini with Corn)

July 21, 2010Main Dish, Side Dish, UncategorizedDawn

Type of dish: Main Dish, Side Dish

2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound zucchini, sliced
3 small tomatoes, chopped
1 fresh poblano chile pepper – seeded, deveined, and chopped
salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Place the corn in a saucepan with enough water to cover; bring to a boil. Place a cover on the saucepan, reduce heat to medium, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir the onion and garlic in the hot oil until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Mix the zucchini and tomato into the onion and garlic; cook together 5 minutes. Stir the corn kernels into the mixture; add the poblano pepper. Season with salt and pepper; stir. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook until the zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the cotija cheese and fresh cilantro to serve.

Note: Cotija cheese is a dry grating cheese similar to Parmesan. If you can’t find cotija, you could use Parmesan instead.

Recipe courtesy of Gazy Brothers Farm

Roasted Beet, Peach, and Goat Cheese Salad

July 21, 2010Salad, Side Dish, UncategorizedDawn

Type of dish: Salad, Side Dish

2 beets, scrubbed
1 bunch lettuce, rinsed and dried
1 bunch arugula, rinsed and dried
2 fresh peaches – peeled, pitted and sliced
2 shallots, chopped
1/4 cup pistachio nuts, chopped
1 (4 ounce) package goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375° F. Wrap each beet in aluminum foil, and place on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the beets are tender, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Allow the beets to cool slightly, then remove the skins. Let the beets cool to room temperature, or refrigerate until cold. Once cooled, thinly slice the beets.

Place the lettuce and arugula into a large mixing bowl. Add the sliced beets and peaches; sprinkle with the shallots, pistachios, and goat cheese. In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper until emulsified, and pour over the salad mixture. Toss well, and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Gazy Brothers Farm