Shaved Chioggia Beets, Arugula, Peaches and Sweet and Salty Pecans

I used to think that chioggia was Italian for candy-stripe; now I believe that is not true—although chioggia beets have candy-cane appearance when sliced. This salad, with the sweeter than regular beet chioggias, raw and very thinly sliced, shows off their red and white circles. You really do need a special tool, a culinary mandoline, to shave beets very thinly—unless you are very talented with a very sharp knife.

Shaved Chioggia Beets, Arugula, Peaches and Sweet and Salty Pecans

For each person at the table, prepare a decent handful of arugula, preferable with the stem removed, a half of a local peach, one or two small chioggia beets and about a tablespoon of the pecans.

Sweet and Salty Pecans

For the pecans: Pour about 2 tablespoons of maple syrup in a small skillet. Stir in 1 teaspoon of olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ cup of chopped pecans. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the pecans are toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool.

For the beets: Using a culinary French or Japanese mandoline, shave the beets crosswise as thin as possible.

Cut the peaches into slices about 1/3-inch thick.

In bowl, whisk 2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil together. Add a pinch or two of salt.

Just before serving, gently toss the arugula with a small amount of the dressing. In a bowl, do the same with the beets and peach slices. Arrange the arugula on plates, followed by the beets and peaches. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper and garnish with the candied pecans.

Read Full Post »

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.

Read Full Post »

Spinach Frittata

Tiny Perfection–Ranui Farm Eggs

Farm fresh eggs–some members of Ranui Gardens CSA signed up for the weekly egg option and are enjoying Sue’s cartons of Tiny Perfection. There is just no equivalent to eggs from chickens that gallivant freely and happily.

This frittata recipe calls for spinach, though chard and arugula substitute easily. The same with cheese—use what you have on hand—I made my last frittata with diced fresh mozzarella and Kerrygold cheddar became the golden brown topping. And I am still whittling away at the jar of thyme in the fridge.

Serve your frittata warm, right from the broiler, or chilled, with a salad the next day.

Spinach Frittata

2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 bunch spinach, chard or arugula, or a mixture any of these

Real Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 farm eggs

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 cup diced fresh mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Heat half of the oil in a 9 or 10-inch skillet on medium low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring every so often, until the onions are soft and very translucent, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove and discard the stems from the spinach and chop it coarsely. When the onions are ready, stir in the spinach, adding one third at a time, and stirring the spinach until it wilts to make room for more spinach. When all of the spinach has wilted and practically disappeared, season generously with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Add the garlic, the wilted spinach, the thyme and the cup of cheese.

Wipe the skillet with a paper towel to clean out any spinach/onion residue. Heat to medium flame, adding the other half of oil. Pour in the egg and spinach mixture. Set the timer for 10 minutes. You don’t have to stir the eggs, just let them cook until they set.

Preheat the broiler. After 10 minutes the eggs should be cooked with a bit of liquid on the top. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over those moist top eggs and slide the skillet under the broiler, about 6 inches from the flame. Cook until the cheese is golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Cut into wedges to serve.

Makes about 6 servings.

Spinach Frittata

Read Full Post »

Arugula Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette and Candied Pecans

Last night I had mizuna and roasted summer squash salad for $5–at local’s night at a local restaurant. Now we don’t have any squash in our Ranui Garden’s CSA box this week and it’s arugula instead of mizuna, but the concept is transferable; excellent fresh veggies with a light and slightly sweet dressing. Use the ratio you wish of the peppery arugula to salad greens.

½ cup pecan pieces

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar

½ teaspoon Real Salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons honey

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 or 2 carrot, peeled into strips

Arugula leaves, stems removed

Ranui salad greens

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, over medium heat, stir the pecans and sugar until the nuts are toasted and the sugar melts into them. Set aside to cool. Break them apart into pieces.

Make a vinaigrette dressing by whisking the vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic and honey together,  then whisking the in the olive oil.

Toss the greens with the carrot strips, candied pecans and the dressing. Arrange on plates.

Read Full Post »

Gazpacho Ranui

I confess that we haven’t yet emptied our fridge of last week’s Ranui Gardens CSA box—I worked late 4 evenings and so did Robbie and we didn’t have the energy to cook a “real” meal. One warm evening I sat on the deck at 8:45 and devoured nothing but a grilled ear of corn from Wednesday’s Park City Farmer’s Market. Just last night Robbie grilled the zucchini and a couple of yellow onions, filling for quicky burritos, along with black beans, cheese and salsa. I still have parsley, well preserved in a jar of water; a cucumber and most of last week’s green onions await rescue from our cold produce bin. Bring it on, this seasonal splendor, and let nothing go to waste. Tonight I am making gazpacho, to delve well into today’s new late August bounty.

Gazpacho. Usually a raw puree of fresh tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, olive oil and an acid, like wine vinegar, gazpacho is cold summery soup. The name is Spanish, from the Andalusia area of the south of Spain, where fresh vegetables have a much longer season than we do here in the Utah mountains, but the ingredients are local and were gathered today, well except for what’s still in the fridge from last week.

As you can see, this recipe is not written in stone: I want you to feel free to change things around depending on what’s in your larder. Substitute lemon juice or Key lime juice for vinegar, add more or less of any vegetables, some in the puree, some neatly diced for texture.

Green Gazpacho with Feta Crumbles

This week mine is quite green; because I used less of the V-8 and a green heirloom tomato and added the arugula. Garnish your version with crumbled feta cheese or hard boiled egg for added protein, and toasty croutons for crunch. Try “white” gazpacho, with a cup or so of plain yogurt stirred in the puree, and the tomatoes diced, on top for color.

Gazpacho Ranui

2 or 3 garlic cloves

8 to 16 ounces V-8 or Knudsen Very Veggie juice

2 cucumbers, peeled and seeded

1 or 2 small zucchini

1 green bell pepper or 1 Anaheim chili pepper

2 or 3 ripe tomatoes

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar, red wine vinegar or lemon juice

Handful arugula, stems removed and discarded

Fresh chopped herbs, such as basil, thyme and/or oregano

Fresh chopped parsley or cilantro

½ cup or so sliced green onions

2 cups cold vegetable broth

Sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

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 V-8 juice. Coarsely chop half of the cucumber, zucchini and bell pepper. Put that into the processor. Finely dice the other half of these vegetables and set aside for garnish. Coarsely chop the tomatoes; add them to the processor. Add the arugula. Process until smooth. Pour into a bowl and whisk in the oil, vinegar, herbs, green onions and veggie broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve very cold, chilled over an ice bath or after some time in the fridge. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Read Full Post »

Mole Enchiladas with Arugula, Potatoes and Carrots

Day of the Dead Altar

For the last few autumns, to celebrate the Day of the Dead, I’ve been traveling to Oaxaca Mexico, at the same time many Mexican families gather for the November 2 holiday honoring their deceased ancestors, relatives and friends. It is not at all a morbid celebration, but an all-night party, with huge feasts of tamales and chocolate and flowers and incense and tequila and more, including the 7 traditional moles of Oaxaca. I am not giving you a recipe for mole here, only recommending that you use it as the sauce for this casserole of stacked tortillas and vegetables. In fact, I suggest you purchase a jar of good quality mole (Dona Maria is easy to find) and use it as a base for your sauce. The jar says mix 1 part mole to 4 parts water. Substitute V-8 juice or tomato juice for some of the water. Heat this red mole, whisking until smooth, adding a scant tablespoon of almond or peanut butter.

3 cups chopped potatoes (1/2-inch dice)

1 cup chopped carrots (1/2-inch dice)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch arugula, stems removed and discarded, leaves coarsely chopped

12 to 15 corn tortillas

1 cup crumbled cotija or feta cheese

Real Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 to 5 cups red mole sauce or enchilada sauce

½ cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Steam the potatoes and carrots separately until they are just tender to the bite, but not soft, about 10 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Cook and stir the onions until they are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook and stir another minute or so. Stir in the potatoes and carrots and the arugula. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush some oil in a deep casserole dish. Put about ¼ cup of sauce in the bottom.

Lay a tortilla down, sprinkle a little of the vegetable mixture on top and then about a tablespoon of the cotija cheese. Spread with a few tablespoons of sauce. Lay down another tortilla, follow with vegetables and cheese and sauce, continuing this stacking and layering until you are out of filling. End with a tortilla dipped in the sauce. Sprinkle with the Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake until the sauce begins to bubble around the edges, about 30 minutes.

Makes about 8 servings.

Read Full Post »

Ranui Greens and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese Vinaigrette

The 11-ounce roll of goat cheese from Costco in my fridge begs to be made into this dressing. Use a mixture of greens and arugula.

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

summer savory at Ranui Gardens

3 tablespoons sherry wine or red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped summer savory leaves

1/3 cup goat cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Whisk the olive oil, vinegar and savory in a bowl with a fork. Add the goat cheese, smashing and whisking it into the dressing. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Read Full Post »

Incredible Shrinking Greens and Spaghetti with Beet Greens

Do you feel as if you’re overwhelmed with greens? Besides salad greens, you have spinach, kale, chard, beet greens, radish greens, collards, mizuna, mustard greens, arugula—you name it. What to do? Shrink them. Wilt your greens down to manageable, edible amounts. A pound of greens, occupying half of the veggie bin in the fridge, cooks into just about 2 cups of tangy cooked sweetness.

Spaghetti with Beet Greens

You want to trim the center rib and stem off most greens. With chard and beet greens, reserve these ribs, dice into pieces and sauté with onion and/or garlic. Last night I made Spaghetti with Beet Greens and the beet ribs tinted the spaghetti pink. I still have a stash of Pesto 2008 in the freezer so I added 3 large dollops of pesto for seasoning. If you don’t have any pesto, add a couple of minced garlic cloves with the onion and beet stems.

1 large bunch beet greens

8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 yellow or red onion, sliced

About 1/4 cup basil pesto

1 tablespoon sherry wine vinegar or other vinegar or lemon juice

Sea salt and red chile flakes

Wash the beet greens. Trim the leaves from the ribs. Cut the ribs into 1/4-inch pieces. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until it is tender to the bite (al dente).

Onions and Beet Stems

Over medium high flame, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and beet stems and cook and stir until the beet stems soften a bit. Add the garlic, if using. Chop the beet greens into 1-inch ribbons and add to the skillet. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens wilt and shrink. Stir in the pesto, and gently toss in the cooked spaghetti, stirring to mix well. Sprinkle with the vinegar. Season to taste with salt. Serve red chili flakes at the table for those who like some heat.

Makes 2 or 3 servings.

Beet Green Ribbons before shrinkage

Read Full Post »