Baked Zucchini, Rice and Eggs

ribbed Roman zucchini

If we have zucchini in our Ranui Gardens CSA box this week—this must be summer. I can hardly wait for our tomatoes! This zucchini is ribbed Roman zucchini, Costata Romanesca, a varietal more flavorful and in my mind a step above the insipid green zucchini found commercially year round.
We also have shallots and marjoram and summer savory in our pick–here is an easy dish to show off all 4 garden-fresh goodies. Besides, I seem to always have a cup or so of leftover rice in the freezer since I cook up more than feeds the two of us with my 2 cups water: 1 cup rice ratio.
Sorry about asking you heat up the oven in this hot weather–know that you can prepare and bake this recipe before the temperature climbs to its daily high, either first thing in the morning or after dinner. It’s delicious hot, warm or cold. The cheese and breadcrumbs on top gets golden brown and crunchy: make in a shallow dish so every serving has some yummy topping.

shallots, marjoram, summer savory and chopped zucchini

1 slice whole grain bread, lightly toasted

1/3 cup toasted sunflower seeds, optional
2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
About 1 cup finely chopped shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 to 4 small/medium zucchini, cut in ½-inch cubes, 4 to 5 cups
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh summer savory
1 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup grated cheese, cooks choice
½ teaspoon Real salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a deep pie dish or an 8 x 8 baking dish (2 quart) with olive oil.
In a food processor, grind the toasted bread and sunflower seeds into crumbs. Set aside. (You can substitute panko or other ready-made breadcrumbs, if preferred.)
In a skillet over medium flame, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the shallots and garlic and cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes, until the shallots are translucent. Stir in the diced zucchini. Cook and stir until the squash softens, but remove from the heat before it turns mushy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped herbs and the cooked rice. Add the eggs and about half of the cheese along with the salt and cayenne. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
Evenly sprinkle the remaining cheese topped by the breadcrumbs. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Bake about 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Let sit a few minutes before cutting.
Makes about 6 servings.

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Chard Enchiladas

I wrote an article about spinach and chard for Salt Lake City’s monthly Catalyst Magazine, June 2012 issue. Enjoy my story and recipe for Chard Enchiladas.

“Enchilada” literally translates to “seasoned with chile sauce.” Most of us are familiar with the Tex-Mex version, filled with chicken or other meat, and gooey with melted cheese. Truly, enchilada variations are endless. You can include beans, maybe black or pinto. Or switch to whole wheat flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas. “Stack” the tortillas, with filling and sauce in between instead of rolling the filling inside each tortilla. The sauce can be green or red, purchased or homemade, it all depends on what’s in the pantry and how much time you have to prepare it all.

Cotija cheese, which is akin to Greek feta, is the classic enchilada cheese; try cheddar or Monterey jack instead—or since these enchiladas are fairly mild in their heat quotient—substitute pepper jack cheese if you want them more incendiary. Vegan cooks can skip the cheese altogether.

I learned to make enchiladas from my mother, who learned from a neighbor who owned a Mexican grocery store. Mom and many Mexican cooks fry their corn tortillas in oil to make them pliable, so they don’t absorb too much sauce and easily disintegrate. In the interest of lowering calorie content, mist the tortillas with cooking oil and warm them in the oven. Bathe the tortillas in sauce just before baking, as in the recipe below. Fresh jalapeño chile, especially with the seeds removed, is quite mild and hardly detectable in the filling; again if you want more “picante” heat, mince the jalapeño including its seeds. And if you don’t have a fresh jalapeño, use a smoked one from the can–these are the chipotles en adobo you may have used in chipotle mayonnaise or another recipe with Southwestern flavors.

As far as the yield, it will depend on the diameter of the tortillas and how much filling you put in each tortilla. Be cautious not to overfill, so you can easily roll the tortillas. It seems there is always more of one filling item leftover—just fill the last tortilla with whatever is left. Makes about 6 servings.

Chard Enchiladas

1 bunch chard, or fresh spinach, about 1 pound

2 tablespoons olive, canola or grapeseed oil

1 medium onion, cut in ¼-inch dice

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño chile, seeds removed, minced

¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves

½ teaspoon dried or 2 tablespoons fresh minced oregano

1 tablespoon balsamic or red wine vinegar

Salt, as needed

12 to 14 (preferably organic) corn tortillas

Oil mist, from purchased cooking spray, or from a refillable pump oil sprayer

1 bunch green onions, cut in ¼-inch dice

½ cup sliced black olives

8 ounces Cotija or feta cheese, crumbled

2 cups enchilada sauce, purchased or homemade

Wash the chard well. Trim the leaves away from the ribs. Cut the ribs in ¼-inch pieces and set aside, and then chop the leaves in 1-inch strips.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir the onion, chard ribs, garlic and chile for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the chard ribs are soft. Add the chard leaves, the cilantro and the oregano and continue to cook and stir until the chard leaves have wilted and shrunk in volume. Sprinkle with the vinegar and season to taste with salt.

Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with oil and spread about ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce around the oiled dish. Place tortillas on a baking sheet, 4 to 6 to a pan, depending on the size of your pan. Lightly mist both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray. Heat in the oven 3 to 5 minutes, until the tortillas are soft and pliable, no more.

Fill the tortillas in assembly line fashion, filling all the warmed ones on the pan before rolling them and placing them in the baking dish. With your fingers, spread a heaping tablespoon of the chard filling down the middle of each tortilla. Follow with a sprinkling of the green onions and olives, and finally with about a tablespoon of the cheese. Roll the tortillas around the filling and place them seam side down in the dish. Mist, heat and fill the rest of the tortillas repeating the first assembly line. (You can cover the pan at this point and refrigerate overnight..)

Ladle the enchilada sauce over the rolled tortillas, making a point to cover the ends first and spreading lightly over the middle. You want to be sparing vs. generous with the sauce, even if there are thumbnail patches of tortillas showing. Sprinkle with cheese or olives, for optional eye appeal. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.

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Quinoa and Parsley Tabbouleh

Quinoa Tabbouleh

High protein quinoa substitutes for traditional bulgur wheat in this Middle Eastern parsley and grain salad. Quinoa is considered a complete protein because it contains all 8 essential amino acids. It’s also higher in unsaturated fats and lower in carbohydrates than most grains. You can use red or tri-color quinoa, I used regular quinoa this time.

Rinsed quinoa

Remember to rinse the quinoa well as this will get rid of the saponin it contains.  Saponin is a natural pesticide quinoa produces so birds won’t eat it. It doesn’t harm humans; it just makes the quinoa bitter if not rinsed well.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed with hot water

2 cups water

1 bunch fresh parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped arugula leaves

1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch wedges, or 2 medium tomatoes, chopped

½ cup grated carrots

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Real Salt

Pinch cayenne pepper

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the quinoa and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Just as with rice, do not stir—tilt the pan to see if there is any water left. Set aside.

well-chopped parsley

Meanwhile, trim and discard the parsley stems. Chop, chop, chop the leaves until they are very fine, no piece larger than the head of a pin. you should end up with a heaping 1/2 cup of chopped parsley.

Transfer the quinoa to a bowl, fluffing with a fork. Stir in the chopped parsley, arugula, carrots and tomatoes.

In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and cayenne. Pour over the quinoa and toss well. Season to taste with more salt and lemon juice, if desired. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to chill.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

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Red Mustard Green and Soysage Pilaf with Oranges and Olives

Red mustard

You may have noticed an occasional red mustard leaf or two in our Ranui Gardens CSA weekly salad mix. This week John is giving us an entire ½ pound. This is a gorgeous “green”, more variegated purple/green than  red—though with cooking the bright purple color, disappointingly, leaches out. To preserve the color, toss the chopped greens into the rice mixture at the very end, just to wilt. Expect a spicy, peppery, substantial pilaf.

As with all greens, strip the leaves from the stems after washing. Discard the stems. If you just can’t stand throwing them to compost, chop the stems and sauté with the soysage. Soysage is my word for non-meat soy based “sausage.” I use Gimme Lean brand ground sausage style, which is readily available in grocery stores here in Park City. The flavor is so familiar that I once fooled my father-in-law, who grew up on a farm in North Dakota. As the name indicates, there is not a lot of fat in soysage, requiring a sauté with ample oil.

The pilaf recipe is a variation of one from my beloved reference cookbook, Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini, by Elizabeth Schneider. In my habit of penciled notes in the white margins of cookbooks, I jotted “excellent, double the cooking times.” I have included the additional time adjustment in the directions.

Chopped mustard, green olives and orange zest

Red Mustard Green and Soysage Pilaf with Oranges and Olives

1 tablespoon plus 2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil

1 cup brown basmati rice

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon fennel or cumin seeds

2 cups vegetable broth or water

4 to 8 ounces soysage, cook’s choice

½ pound red mustard greens, washed, stems removed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

¼ cup chopped pitted green olives

½ teaspoon grated orange zest

1 orange, peeled, cut into sections, and diced

1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

Heat the first tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until you see a bit of golden color, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and fennel, stirring another minute or so, but don’t let the garlic turn brown.

Add the vegetable broth, cover, and return to a boil. Lower the heat as low as possible and cook until all of the water is absorbed, about one hour. (To see if the water has been absorbed without stirring, tilt the pan to the side.) Let sit about 10 minutes; this “finishes” the rice.

While the rice is steaming, heat the remaining oil in a medium to large skillet. Cook the soysage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, until there is a golden, meat-like color to it. Set the skillet aside, but keep warm.

Prepare the mustard greens, olives, orange zest and sections and set aside. In a bowl, whisk the lemon juice and honey together.

When the rice is hot and has sat the requisite time, reheat the skillet with the soysage. Fluff the rice into the skillet with a fork, stirring in the red mustard, olives, orange zest and orange dice, along with the lemon/honey mixture, and incorporating the soysage. Serve as soon as the mustard has wilted.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Red Mustard Greens and Soysage Pilaf

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Basil and Arugula Pesto

Lush Basil

When life gives you basil, make pesto. Pesto stash in the freezer will brighten any winter day—and stirred into pasta, ooh-la-la. Make a point to use at least some of your fresh pesto immediately—it is the essence of summer. Lick it off a spoon if you must. Pack any remainder away in the freezer.

This is my basic pesto recipe. I use all basil if that is what I have, but it’s fun to add other greens too. And don’t be stuck on walnuts for the nuts. Feeling luxurious? Use pine nuts. Sometimes the only nuts I have in the pantry are sunflower seeds and I toast and grind them instead. Pesto is also wonderful with pecans or pumpkin seeds. Deer Valley chefs use sliced almonds.

Basil and Arugula Pesto

2 large garlic cloves

3 ounces Parmesan cheese, broken in pieces or already grated (don’t even think of using that sawdust in the green can)

1 cup tightly packed stemmed fresh basil

1 cup tightly packed arugula leaves

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

With the motor of the food processor running, mince the garlic by dropping it through the feed tube. Process until it is very fine. Add the cheese, basil, walnuts and salt. Process for about 10 seconds, stopping to move things around if they get hung up. With the machine running, pour oil through the feed tube in a thin stream, processing until everything is well blended.

Makes about 1 cup.

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Touchon Carrot Salad with Smoked Paprika

Smoked Paprika and Murray River Flake Salt

Spanish pimenton, it’s the spice of the year in my radar. I ordered this smoked ground pimiento peppers from World Spice Merchants in Seattle a few years ago and had not used it much–now I am seduced. Not like the paprika your Mom sprinkled on deviled eggs, but mysterious, subtly smoked paprika magically turns eggs and sautéed greens from simple to simply enchanting. For my birthday party, we made roasted garbanzos as one of the appetizers—and it was such a huge batch I just about used up the rediscovered jar of fire-red smooth powder. That would not be good. Isn’t it true that once something good is brought to your attention you notice it more and more? It feels like half of the recipes I see these days call for smoked paprika. And recently cruising the big box aisles at Costco, I spotted—you guessed it—smoked paprika in a mondo container. There is no comparison in a taste test—I have become addicted to the much deeper flavor of high-quality smoked paprika.

I had to make a special trip to Seattle. OK, just a wee side trip to the Pike Place store of World Spice Merchants while I was there visiting my sisters, aunt, niece and nephew.

VW family

World Spice Merchants ships all over the world and they sell spices from all over the world. I stepped up to the counter and placed my order. The clerk apologized, “I am sorry we are out of smoked paprika. We have the picanté smoked paprika in stock.” Why not, I’d made a special trip and was not going to leave empty handed.

Macrina lemon and lavender loaf

Another great Seattle destination is Macrina Bakery.

This week we have sweet touchon carrots in our Ranui Gardens CSA box. Dulce or picanté, smoked paprika in the dressing is a nice twist.

After you scrub or peel the carrots, make strips with the peeler. It’s a different flourish instead of familiar grated or diced carrot. Aim for 3/8 to ½-inch wide strips, working your way around as you peel.

Touchon Carrot Salad with Smoked Paprika

3 cups carrot strips

2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar or fresh –squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

Real Salt, to taste

Smoked paprika, to taste

Whisk the vinegar, olive oil and honey, adding a scant ¼ teaspoon of salt. Start with a pinch of the paprika and mix that in.

Mix the vinaigrette and the carrots in a bowl, cover and chill for at least an hour. Taste and correct the seasoning, adding more salt and paprika to your liking.

Serves 3 to 6.

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Twenty Minute Tamari Tempeh and Spinach

Spinach at the Portland Farmer’s Market

I keep a package of tempeh in the freezer so I always have it when I want it. Tempeh is fermented soybeans, and packs plenty of protein.  It could be described as nutty and mushroom-like in texture, as well as meat-like, so try this dish on people who say they don’t like tofu. I use Westsoy brand Five Grain Tempeh, and it seems to be easily available, but there are more tempeh choices out there.

Tamari is another fermented soy derivative. Regular soy sauce and tamari can be used just about interchangeably, just know that Japanese tamari is thicker, darker, and richer than its counterpart. Think of it as the kinder, gentler soy sauce. It has a more complex, smooth flavor compared to the overwhelming bite of a salty soy sauce. That is why I call for tamari in my recipes.

I think you will agree that salty tamari–spiked tempeh, barely bitter spinach and toasted sesame oil perform a lovely flavor dance. You can serve this quick dinner with steamed brown rice, particularly when you’ve planned ahead to get the rice going.

Twenty Minute Tamari Tempeh and Spinach

8 ounces tempeh

1 bunch fresh spinach, stems removed, washed

2 tablespoons coconut or peanut or canola oil

2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2 cups steamed brown rice, optional

Pull the tempeh from the freezer and unwrap the package. Place the tempeh in a saucepan with enough water to just cover the block of tempeh by ¼-inch of so. Season the water with about 2 tablespoons of tamari soy sauce. Bring to a boil and cook about 10 minutes, turning the tempeh after 5 minutes to thaw and flavor both sides.

While the tempeh is in the water, tear the spinach into pieces about the size of a credit card.

Remove the tempeh from the water and cut it into cubes, about 3/4-inch square. In a non-stick skillet, on medium high, heat the oil and add the tempeh. Stir and cook 5 to 10 minutes until the tofu is golden brown on a couple sides of the cubes. Add the spinach to the pan, right on top of the tempeh. Sprinkle with soy sauce, cover, and steam just to wilt the spinach, 4 to 5 minutes. Drizzle the sesame oil on top of the spinach and tempeh. Serve over rice, if desired.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

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Green Garlic, Basil and Edamame Salad

Bright green, freshly frozen and shucked, edamame is soybeans, right out of the bean pod. Perhaps you have enjoyed edamame in the shell as finger food, sprinkled with high quality finishing salt, at a sushi restaurant or at Deer Valley’s Royal Street Café. Edamame adds color (and protein) to any salad, and works well in any dish where you might normally use cold beans or green peas. Since we have sweet basil in our Ranui Gardens CSA box this week, it’s in this salad. Chiffonade/slice the basil leaves and add them at the last minute. Or feel free to skip the basil and substitute a different herb, such as chopped flat leaf parsley. This week’s green garlic is looking more mature than two weeks ago and more like the garlic we will see in a couple of weeks with its papery skin skin separating each clove. Now it is still very moist and maybe at the most flavorful of its cycle.

1 ½ cups frozen shelled edamame

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 stalks green garlic, trimmed and minced

2 tablespoons fresh basil, cut in chiffonade

¼ cup grated aged cheese, like Parmesan

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add some salt and the edamame. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, and then drain the edamame. Place in a bowl and stir in the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, basil and cheese. When everything is mixed, season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss again and serve over Ranui lettuce mix.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

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Eat your Ks and Qs

Happy Independence Day 2012. Enjoy our freedom and celebrate with this salad featuring two nutritional powerhouse ingredients, kale and quinoa, k and q.

Kale and Quinoa Salad

I took advantage of this week’s Ranui Gardens CSA assortment to incorporate as many veggies as possible—but know that this grain salad is very flexible. Just start with about 2 cups of any cooked grain, chop your own mixture of crunchy and leafy vegetables and allium (like scapes or scallions or shallots) and dress with acidic vinaigrette. For extra crunch and protein, toss in toasted affordable sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds, or splurge with pine nuts.

For today’s salad I steamed tri-color quinoa, but that is up to you. I also wilted the chopped kale, an idea from girlfriend Teri. We agree that it turns the kale more emerald in color and helps it absorb the dressing.

 Quinoa and Kale Salad

1 cup quinoa

1/2 teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon Real Salt

1 ½ cups water

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup rice vinegar, or freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

Large pinch cayenne pepper

Garlic scapes, as desired

Green shallots, as desired

1 bunch curly kale, washed

1 cup chopped pea shoots

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley

Radishes, (or jicama or water chestnuts) cut in ½-inch dice

Rinse the quinoa well with hot water to remove the bitter saponin coating. Strain in a wire strainer.

In a saucepan, bring the water and ½ teaspoon of the salt to a boil. Add the quinoa, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the water is absorbed. (As for rice, do not stir, but check every so often by tilting the pan to the side to see if there is any water left to absorb.) When the quinoa is tender and the water is gone, let stand, covered, and allow to cool.

Make a dressing with the olive oil, rice vinegar, garlic, remaining salt and cayenne. Set aside.

Toss the garlic scapes with olive oil and salt and pepper. Cook them on a grill and chop them, or chop them and sauté in a pan until tender. Chop the green shallots and sauté with a bit of oil as well. Put these in a large bowl.

Strip and discard the stems from the kale—them chop into ¼-inch by 1-inch strips. If you wish, microwave for about 30 seconds. Add the kale to the bowl, along with the pea shoots, cilantro and radishes. If your refrigerator offers other interesting vegetables, add them as well.

Dump the cooled quinoa on top of the veggies and pour the vinaigrette on top. Toss everything well. Season to taste with more salt and cayenne. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. If you are adding nuts or seeds, toss them into the salad just before sharing with your friends and family.

Makes 8 to 10 servings, of course depending on what you put in your salad.

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Rosemary Oatmeal Scones

This week’s CSA box

This recipe comes from my cookbook, Chocolate Snowball: and Other Fabulous Pastries from Deer Valley Bakery. Fresh rosemary is a must here; make these only when you have fresh rosemary on hand—like we Ranui Gardens CSA members this week. If you are questioning pastry with rosemary, you will find its strong, pungent, lemony, slightly piney and distinct flavor a delightful surprise. After all, rosemary is a member of the mint family, and we incorporate mint in desserts all the time.

Trivia: ancient Greeks and Romans used the dark grey-green needles as a culinary and medicinal herb and considered rosemary a symbol of fidelity, friendship and remembrance; brides wore garlands of it in their hair, as did Greek students during their examinations.

To impart the rosemary’s fragrance, strip the needles from the stem, chop them very finely, and steep in hot cream. When the rosemary infusion is cold, mix it into the dry ingredients. At Deer Valley we form the dough in rounds and freeze until needed.

Rosemary Oatmeal Scones

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

3/4 cup half-and-half cream

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut in 1/2-inch pieces

3/4 cup golden raisins

2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream, optional

1 tablespoon crystal or granulated sugar

Heat the rosemary and the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until very hot but not boiling. Refrigerate until the cream is cold, about 30 minutes.

Sift the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into a large bowl, and stir in the rolled oats. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients, using your fingers or a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With a fork, stir in the cold rosemary cream and the raisins, and mix until the dough comes together. It will be quite sticky. To form this soft dough into a round, line a 9-inch round cake pan with plastic wrap. Put the dough into the pan and fold the plastic wrap over to completely cover the dough. Form the dough into an even round disk, about 1/2 inch thick, by pushing the dough around under the plastic wrap. Refrigerate or freeze about 1 hour, or until cold enough to cut.

Preheat oven to 375˚. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, or coat lightly with butter or cooking spray. Cut the scone dough round into 10 pie-shaped wedges. Arrange on the prepared pan at least 1 inch apart. Brush with milk or cream, if using, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until the bottoms are light golden brown and your finger doesn’t leave an indentation when you touch the tops.

Makes 10 scones.

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