Ingredients:
Green Garlic and Leeks:
4 medium leeks, white parts only
3 large heads green garlic
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup white wine
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
The Rice:
6 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1½ cups Arborio rice
½ cup white wine
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup crème fraiche or cream cheese
½ cup chopped chervil or parsley
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Quarter the leeks lengthwise, cut them crosswise into ¼-inch slices and wash them well. Remove any tough papery husks from the garlic then finely chop.
2. Melt the butter in a sauté pan. Add the leeks and garlic, stir to coat then add the wine and cook over medium–low heat until the leeks are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside while you cook the rice.
3. Have the stock simmering on the stove. Melt the butter in a wide soup pot over medium heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in the wine and simmer until it is absorbed, then add 2 cups of stock. Simmer until it has been absorbed, then raise the heat to high and begin adding the remaining stock ½ cup at a time. Stir energetically and continue adding liquid after each addition is absorbed. When the rice is done, stir in the leeks and green garlic, crème fraiche or cream cheese, chervil or parsley, and any minced garlic shoots. Taste for salt, and season with pepper.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1½ cups lentils
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup finely diced onion
1/3 cup finely diced carrot
1 /4 cup finely diced celery
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons curry powder (optional)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 celery root, peeled and cut into small cubes
sea salt
water or stock
To Finish:
1 tablespoon walnut oil (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
plenty of freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Rinse the lentils, drain them and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot; then add the onion, half the carrots, celery, bay leaf, garlic, and curry powder if using. Saute lightly over medium heat, taking care not to brown the garlic, for 4-5 minutes. Add the lentils, parsley, celery root, and season with salt. Add the stock and bring it to a boil. Simmer until the lentils are tender, about 35 minutes. Add the rest of the carrots during the last 10 minutes of cooking. If there is a lot of liquid left, drain it off ad save it to use in a soup or sauce. Return lentils to the heat and add the walnut oil, parsley, and vinegar. Check seasonings and finish with plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 bunches radishes, halved, quartered if small
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large green garlic, halved and thinly sliced, outer green removed
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Combine radishes, oil, salt, and pepper in a large roasting pan.
3. Roast for 10 minutes. Stir in green garlic. Continue roasting until the radishes are lightly browned and tender, about 10-15 minutes more. Stir in butter and thyme and serve.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 small red onions, thinly sliced into rounds
white wine vinegar
12 beets, including greens
olive oil
sea salt
marjoram pesto with capers and olives (recipe follows)
Directions:
1. Toss the onions with the vinegar nearly to cover and refrigerate until needed. They will turn bright pink.
2. Discard beet stems and any wilted leaves. Wash the rest and steam until tender, about 5 minutes. Set aside to drain then chop coarsely. Toss with a little olive oil and salt.
3. Leaving an inch of the stems and the tails on the beets, steam until a knife pierces them easily, about 25 minutes. Slip off the skins. Trim the tops and the tails, quarter and sprinkle with a little vinegar.
4. Make the pesto, setting aside half the toasted pine nuts as garnish. Toss the beets with it, leaving ample streaks throughout. Place them over the greens. Remove the onions from the vinegar and strew them over the beets. Garnish with the reserved pine nuts and serve.
Marjoram Pesto
Ingredients:
1 small slice country bread
2 tablespoons aged red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup marjoram leaves
3 tablespoons drained capers
½ cup pine nuts
1 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons pitted Greek olives
½ cup olive oil
Directions:
1. Remove the crust from the bread, then soak it in t vinegar on a plate.
2. Pound the garlic with ½ teaspoon salt in a mortar and pestle until smooth then work in the marjoram, capers, pine nuts, parsley, and olives until you have a smooth paste. Add the bread and the olive oil and work until the pesto is well amalgamated. Season with salt and pepper, taste for vinegar, and add a little more if you think it needs it. The pesto should be very thick.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 bunches radishes, halved if small, quartered if large
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large leek, white and light green part only, halved and sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Combine radishes, oil, salt, and pepper in a large roasting pan.
3. Roast for 10 minutes. Stir in the leek. Continue roasting until the radishes are lightly browned and tender, about 10-15 minutes more. Stir in butter and thyme and serve warm.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 cup dried cannellini beans, soaked for 4 hours or overnight
1 large onion, finely diced
2 leeks, white part only, diced
1 bunch kale, stems removed and slivered
1 small cabbage, quartered and cored, and chopped
2 plump garlic cloves minced with a pinch of salt
½ cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to finish
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Drain the soaked beans, then put them in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, add ½ teaspoon salt, then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until beans are tender, about 1½ hours.
2. While the beans are cooking, chop all the vegetables. Rinse leeks, kale, and cabbage, but don’t dry them.
3. Warm 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy, wide skillet. Add the onion and leeks and cook over medium–low heat until the onions are soft, but not browned, about 12 minutes. Add the kale, cabbage, garlic, parsley, and 2 teaspoon of salt. Cook with the heat on low and the pan covered until the vegetables are soft, and the volume has greatly reduced, about 30 minutes.
4. When the beans are done, add them along with a cup or two of their cooking liquid, to the pot. Simmer until the greens are completely tender. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve with or over garlic-rubbed toast, drizzled with the olive oil.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
2 cups pearl barley
7 cups water or stock
sea salt
1 pound broccoli crowns cut into florets
8 scallions, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 cup chopped fresh basil
2 cups Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette (recipe to follow)
fresh lemon juice
freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Place the barley in a strainer and set the strainer in a bowl. Run cold water through the barley, swishing with your hands, until the water runs clear. Drain well. Bring the 7 cups of water or stock to a boil in a large saucepan, add 1 teaspoon salt and the barley, cover and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the grains are just tender, about 30 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid. Fluff with a fork. Cool to room temperature.
2. Meanwhile blanch the broccoli in boiling water to cover for 1 minute. Plunge into cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well.
3. In a large salad bowl, combine the barley with the broccoli, scallions, pepper, carrots, and basil. Toss well.
4. Before serving bring the salad to room temperature. Pour the vinaigrette over it and toss again. Taste and add lemon juice, salt and pepper as needed and serve.
Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
Makes ¾ cup
Ingredients:
1 whole garlic bulb
about ¼ cup chicken broth or water
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Remove the papery skin from the garlic bulb. Slice off the top of the bulb to expose the tips of the cloves. Place the bulb in a small ovenproof bowl and pour in the broth or water. Roast for about 30 minutes, basting once or twice, until cloves are soft and browned. Remove garlic from the liquid and let cool.
3. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze out the cloves from the skin. In the blender, combine the remaining ingredients. Process until smooth. (Stored in an airtight container, the vinaigrette will keep for up 3-4 days in the refrigerator.)
Serves 5-6
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 shallots, halved
6 or more turnips, scrubbed and quartered
1 thyme sprig
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound pea pods, shelled (optional)
1 handful of chopped kale
dollop of crème fraiche or yogurt
4 large basil leaves, slivered
Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a skillet and add the shallots, turnips, and thyme. Add water to cover halfway up and a teaspoon of salt. Simmer while you shuck the peas, if using.
2. As soon as the vegetables are tender, after 12-15 minutes, add the peas and kale and cook until the kale is wilted down, a few more minutes. Stir in the crème fraiche or yogurt and add the basil. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve this as a side dish or a course by itself.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
2 medium potatoes, cubed and steamed
2 cups chopped kale, stems removed
freshly grated Parmesan cheese or Nutritional yeast
Directions:
1. In a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or a heavy skillet, heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic, rosemary, potatoes, and greens and toss well to combine. Sauté until kale is wilted, about 4 minutes. Then smash the mixture down into the shape of a pancake with a spatula. Continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or Nutritional yeast.
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil or sunflower oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 plum tomato, chopped
2 cup romanesco florets
1 cup diced potato with skin on
½ small red chili
1 cup water or stock
3 tablespoons plain yogurt or coconut milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
sea salt
pepper
Directions:
1. In a wok or large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, after about a minute, add the cumin and ginger and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the curry powder and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add the tomato, stirring well to combine. Add the cauliflower, potato, chili, and water or stock. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until all the vegetables are tender, 15-17 minutes.
3. Stir in the yogurt and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.