Recipes

Ingredients:
4 pounds tomatoes, seeded (optional), juice reserved
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
sherry vinegar
olive oil, to finish
chopped basil
2 scallions, including a bit of the greens, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Chop the tomatoes by hand until they are fine, almost like a puree. Put the tomatoes in a bowl add the reserved juice and 2 teaspoons sea salt. Cover and chill well. Taste and add more salt if needed. If the tomatoes are very tart, add 1 teaspoon sweetener and a few drops of vinegar to balance the flavors. Taste and continue adjusting until you have it the way you like it.
2. Ladle the soup into bowls and thread with a spoonful of olive oil over the top of each. Add pepper and garnish with the basil and scallions.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
4-5 beets
2 handfuls beet greens
2 small red or yellow onions
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Trim the beets, leaving an inch of the stems and tails, and rinse off any loose soil. Put them in a pan with ¼-inch water, cover with foil and bake until they are tender when pierced with a knife-about 35 minutes, depending on their size. Let them cool; then slip off their skins and slice them into ¼-inch rounds or quarters.
2. Wash and dry the greens and slice the onions into thin rounds. Quarter the eggs. Make the vinaigrette below.
3. Gently toss the sliced beets, and onions together with all but 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette. In another bowl, dress the greens with the remaining vinaigrette. Lay the beets on a platter and set the greens around them. Garnish with the egg, and chopped parsley and finish with a grinding of pepper.

Serves 4

The Vinaigrette

1½ tablespoons strong red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
sea salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons walnut oil

Combine the vinegars with the mustard and salt; then whisk in the oils. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Ingredients:
2 bunches scallions, including most of the greens
1 sweet pepper
2 tablespoons avocado or sunflower seed oil
12 ounces tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 celery rib, chopped
1 scant tablespoon chopped ginger
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped mint
2 jalapeno or poblano peppers, seeded and minced
1 quart vegetable stock
sea salt
2 large avocados
½ cup buttermilk

For garnish: 2 teaspoons chopped mint and juice of 1 lime

Directions:

1. Set aside a few scallions and a quarter of the bell pepper then coarsely chop the remainder. Heat oil in a soup pot and add the tomatillos. Saute over high heat until they color, about 5 minutes, then add the chopped vegetables, ginger, herbs, and half the peppers.
2. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatillos are browned in places, about 10 minutes. Add the stock and 1 teaspoon sea salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the tomatillos fall apart, 15-20 minutes. Let cool, then puree with the avocadoes and buttermilk. Chill well. Taste for salt.
3. Finely dice the reserved scallion and pepper and mix them with the mint, lime juice, a pinch of salt, and the remaining peppers. Scatter a spoonful of the mix over each bowl and serve.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
½ cup dried currants
1 large head celery
5-6 pale green celery leaves
2-3 apples
4 parsley sprigs
10 walnuts, cracked and left in large pieces
1-2 tablespoons walnut oil
lemon juice
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. If the currants are hard, cover them with warm water and set aside to soften while you cut the celery and apples. When they are soft, after 10 minutes, drain and squeeze out any water.
2. Separate the stalks of celery and peel away the tough outer part. Slice the celery into thin pieces, straight across or at an angle. Cut the apples into quarters, or sixths if they are large, and thinly slice them crosswise. Finely chop the celery leaves and parsley and crack the nuts.
3. Combine celery, apples, currants, celery leaves, parsley, and walnuts in a bowl. Toss them with just enough walnut oil to coat everything lightly. Add the lemon juice to taste, salt lightly, season with pepper and toss again.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1 large bunch broccoli
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
10 Kalamata olives, pits removed, chopped into large pieces
3 tablespoons roasted sweet peppers (roasting instructions below)
2 teaspoons finely chopped marjoram, or ½ teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
2 ounces feta cheese

freshly ground pepper
lemon wedges

Directions:

1. Cut the broccoli into fairly large florets. Set aside stalks for another purpose or peel them and cut into spears or rounds and include a few of them in this recipe. Steam the broccoli until it has cooked as much as you like. While the broccoli is steaming, prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. When the broccoli is cooked, warm the oil in a large pan with the sliced garlic. Remove the garlic when it has browned then add the steamed broccoli, olives, peppers, marjoram, and parsley. Saute over lively heat until everything is warmed. Scatter the cheese over the broccoli, season it LIGHTLY with salt, and add pepper to taste. Serve the dish warm. The cheese will soften and melt into the vegetables. If you like, serve with a wedge of lemon and eat it as a warm salad.

Makes 2-4 servings

To Roast the Peppers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the peppers in half, de-seed and brush lightly with oil on both sides. Set them cut-side down on a cookie sheet and roast until the skins are wrinkled and loose, about 10 minutes. Set the peppers in a covered bowl to steam for about 10 minutes. Then peel away the skins with a sharp knife.

Ingredients:
3 sweet peppers
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place the peppers in a roasting pan and roast, turning every 15 minutes, for 45 minutes, or until the skins are wrinkled and slightly charred.
3. Transfer the peppers to a cooling rack. When cool enough to handle, peel the peppers over a bowl, allowing the juice to collect in the bowl. Discard the skins. Combine the peppers with the collected juices and balsamic vinegar in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt.
4. The coulis will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:
1½ pounds potatoes, scrubbed well
Mustard Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3-6 leeks, cut in half, cleaned, and cut into 3-4 inch lengths
1 cup chopped ripe tomato
¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley or basil

Directions:

1. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, enough to cover the potatoes by 2 inches. Place the potatoes in the saucepan and, over medium-high heat, cook until tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the pan, and set over the heat and shake until the potatoes are dry.
2. Prepare the dressing (recipe below) while the potatoes cool.
3. Cut the potatoes into 1/4-inch thick slices and place in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool slightly more if needed, then add just enough dressing to coat lightly. Toss gently to mix thoroughly.
4. Arrange the cut leeks in a single layer in a large, shallow pan. Add water to barely cover and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, until tender when pierced with a wooden skewer, about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the remaining dressing over the leeks and let stand for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the leeks from the dressing and arrange them with the potatoes in alternating stripes on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the tomato and chopped herb, and drizzle the dressing remaining in the leek pan over all. Serve at room temperature.

MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients:
1/3 cup vinegar of choice of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon sweetener (optional)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2/3 cup olive oil

Directions: In a bowl or a jar with a cover, combine the vinegar, or lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper, and mustard. Cover and shake well. Add the oil and whisk or shake to emulsify.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 pound squash, halved or cut to your desired liking
olive oil
sea salt and pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon yellow miso paste
1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread the squash on a baking sheet in an even layer. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and red peppers flakes if using.
2. Roast for about 10 minutes or less, until just barely cooked and a bit browned in spots.
3. When the squash comes out of the oven, put them on a platter and dot with miso paste to melt.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 cup white grape juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup sweetener of choice
1 vanilla bean
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
mint for garnish

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, combine the juices, sweetener, and vanilla bean and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the strawberries, remove from the heat, and divide among 4 dessert plates or goblets. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 scallions, white part only, finely chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
6 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons sweetener, if desired
½ cup coarsely chopped basil leaves
¼ cup wine vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The compote will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Makes 1½ cups