Ingredients:
2 ripe, firm apricots, pitted and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 fennel bulb, cut into paper-thin slices
2 beets, peeled and shaved into paper-thin slices
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon unrefined sugar or sweetener of choice
1 teaspoon each fennels seeds and coriander seeds, toasted
sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix the apricot, fennel, and beet slices together. In a separate bowl mix the lemon juice, sweetener, fennel seeds, and coriander seeds together and pour over the apricot mixture. Season with sea salt and pepper.
2. This is wonderful as is, but try putting it on top of some beautiful spinach for contrast of flavors and color. YUM!
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 leek, white and light green parts only
2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
sea salt
6 cups water or stock
2 teaspoons tomato puree
1 1/2 cup farro
3 bunches kale, stemmed and chopped into 1/2-inch strips
Freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese for serving
Coarsely ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Cut leek lengthwise in half and rinse well; coarsely chop. Pulse leek, celery, carrot, onion, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped.
2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped vegetables and a generous pinch of salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to soften, about 4 minutes. Add 1 cup of water and tomato paste, stir to dissolve paste. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has almost evaporated, about 20 minutes.
3. Add remaining 5 cups of liquid, faro, and kale, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until faro and kale are tender and flavors have blended, 20-25 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
4. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a little grated cheese, and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt and pepper.
Makes 8 servings
When you seethe, which is a great way to cook potatoes and root vegetables, you combine a liquid with butter and oil and cook until the liquid disappears. It leaves the vegetable – as you will see with these carrots – imbued with flavor.
Ingredients:
1 pound carrots, cut into thin coins
1 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley
Directions:
1. Put the carrots into a wide saucepan or deep skillet, add the orange juice and butter, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover and reduce heat to medium or medium-low, and cook at an active simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the carrots are crisp-tender.
2. The orange juice and the butter should have reduced to a creamy sauce. If they haven’t, uncover the pan and boil for a minute or two. Taste for salt, stir in the parsley, and serve.
Fennel perfumed with lemon and cooked long and slow is a great thing to have on hand in the refrigerator. Make a batch on the weekend, so you can have it ready during the week.
Ingredients:
3 large fennel bulbs
1 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
1/2 cup fruity olive oil
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (a Meyer, if you have one)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Cut off the stems of the fennel, and reserve some of the fronds for serving. Slice off the bottom of the bulbs about 1/2-inch thick. Some of the slices will fall apart; this isn’t a problem. Spread the fennel out in a very large, deep skillet, in as close to one layer as possible.
2. Pour in the vermouth and oil, add the lemon zest and juice, and season with fennel seeds, add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet, and simmer the fennel for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, giving a gentle stir once in a while. It should be melting when done. Serve this at room temperature.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
3 tablespoons boiling water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 bulbs fennel
2 teaspoons small capers (nonpareil)
Directions:
1. In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the sun-dried tomatoes and boiling water. Let stand until the tomatoes have just softened, 15-20 minutes (depending on the dryness of the tomatoes).
2. Add the lemon juice, oil, mustard, and salt to the tomatoes.
3. Cut off the fennel stalks and fronds. Finely chop 1/4 cup of the fronds and add the the bowl of dressing; discard the stalks. Cut the bulbs in half lengthwise and thinly slice crosswise.
4. Add the fennel and capers to the bowl and toss well to combine. Serve at room temperature.
Makes 4 servings
While this green bean dish is delicious hot, it is equally good at room temperature or chilled.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds green beans, halved crosswise on the diagonal
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, slivered
1+ cup Sungold cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
Directions:
1. In a vegetable steamer, steam the green beans until crisp-tender, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, basil, and salt and bring to a boil. Add the beans and cook, stirring frequently until the sauce is slightly reduced and the beans are tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and serve, or let cool then refrigerate until mealtime.
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups (or more) strips of mixed peppers
sea salt
6 large eggs
1/2 cup milk or milk substitute
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino or cheese of choice
2 cloves garlic, minced
freshly ground black pepper
chopped flat-leafed parsley or cilantro, for garnish
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat the oil in a ovenproof skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the pepper strips, season with sea salt and cook, stirring often, until they are tender and starting brown. This will take 15 minutes or so. If the peppers are browning too quickly, turn down the heat.
3. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, milk, and cheese together in a bowl. You want this to be well blended, but not light and frothy.
4. Turn the heat to medium-high, add the garlic to the peppers and cook for 30 seconds, or until it is fragrant. Pour in the eggs and season them with salt and pepper. As the eggs begin to set, scrape them with a spatula toward the middle of the pan, allowing the uncooked eggs to run down to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and scraping until the eggs have pretty much set, about 4 minutes; the frittata will look a bit raw on top, but it will have shape.
5. Slide the skillet into the upper third of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the frittata is golden and very puffy. Let it cool for a few minutes, scatter some chopped parsley or cilantro over the top and serve.
Serves 4
This makes a Vat of soup! It’s summer’s bounty we are cooking with here, so the soup cooks in a bit less then an hour. That’s enough time for the flavors to blend, but each vegetable will still taste like itself. You can serve the soup hot or at room temperature. Leftovers can be warmed gently.
Ingredients:
4 onions, sliced THINLY
1/4 cup olive oil
3-4 cups halved sungold tomatoes
3 ears corn, kernels cut off
1 pound summer squash, cut into thin half-moon slices
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/3-inch lengths
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and leaves cut into very fine strips
1 can cannellini beans
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup arborio rice or brown rice
8 cups cool water
olive oil and freshly grated Pecorino, for the table
Directions:
1. Take out your biggest soup pot, add the onions and oil, and place over medium heat. Cool until the onions start to soften and are becoming translucent. Add the vegetables and herbs, pour in the water , and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat, cover the pot, and cook the soup at a lively simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Add the salt – don’t be too stingy – and some pepper and stir in the rice. Cook for another 15-20 minutes (longer for brown rice, about 30 minutes), until the rice is tender. Taste the soup again to make sure you have seasoned it well. You can serve it now or leave it on the stove for a few hours.
3. Have a cruet of olive oil on the table so each serving can get a drizzle. And pass the Pecorino. Enjoy!
Sauteed in its own juices along with the garlic and shallots and spices, summer squash picks up a lot of flavor. A small amount of butter is added at the end to enhance the buttery texture of the squash.
Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 shallots, minced
1/2 cup water
2 pounds summer squash, shredded
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil (or more, to taste!)
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/4 teaspoons butter
Directions:
1. In a large skillet, heat the garlic, shallots, and water over low heat. Cook until the shallots are tender, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the summer squash, salt, basil, pepper, and nutmeg, and cook, stirring frequently, until the squash is tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the butter and cook just until melted, about 1 minute.
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 bunch arugula
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2-3 dashes hot sauce of choice (optional)
1 bunch radishes, trimmed and cut into wedges
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
Directions:
1. Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, sesame oil, ginger, and optional hot sauce in a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
2. In a large bowl, add all the vegetables and drizzle with the dressing. Toss to coat evenly. Serve on a platter.