Great Falls

We occasionally devote one of our meetings to enjoying food prepared by Club members using fruits, vegetables and herbs from their gardens. The following recipes were provided for your enjoyment.
 

Grilled Zucchini and Bell Pepper Fattoush   

ON THE GRILL

3 medium orange or red bell peppers (about 1 pound) stemmed, seeded, quartered

4 or 5 slender zucchini (about 1 pound) trimmed and cut lengthwise

2 5" or 6" pita breads, each cut horizontally into 2 disks or two 6 X 4 X 1/2" slices country white bread

olive oil for grilling

Prepare barbecue medium heat.  Brush peppers, zucchini, and bread on both sides with oil.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.  Grill peppers and zucchini until slightly charred and just tender, turning often, about 6 minutes.  Transfer vegetables to foil-lined baking sheet.  Grill bread until lightly charred and just crisp, turning often, about 3 minutes.  Transfer to sheet with vegetables and cool.  Tear bread into 1" pieces.  Do ahead vegetable and bread can be made 2 hours ahead.  Let stand at room temperature. 

FOR THE DISH

1 8 oz cucumber peeled, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2" cubes

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup (scant) pitted Kalamata olives, halved

1/2 cup (packed) fresh mint leaves

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tsp ground cumin

1 4 oz feta cheese, cut into q/2" cubes (scant 1 cup)

ground sumac (optional)

Cut peppers lengthwise into 1/2" wide strips, then crosswise into 1/2" pieces.  Cut zucchini lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2 " pieces.  Place in large bowl.  Add cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, olives, mint, and cilantro and toss to combine.  Add bread pieces.  Whisk 1/2 cup oil, lemon juice, and cumin in small bowl to blend.  Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.  Add dressing to salad, toss to coat.  Add feta and gently mix into salad.  Transfer salad to large bowl.  Serve, passing ground sumac around the table for sprinkling over it if desired.

Kale Chips 

 Pull pieces of the leaves off two bunches of kale into a bowl. Sprinkle 2 tbs of olive oil, a tsp. of salt, pepper, and/or several drops of hot sauce over the leaves.  Kneed the leaves until the oil, salt, pepper, and hot sauce are spread around on the leaves.  Spread the salted leaves out on a large, oiled cookie sheet, and bake it for about 30 minutes at about 350 degrees.  Serve as hors d’oeuvres or a snack.

Slow Baked Cherry Tomatoes   

Ingredients:

30 to 45 (depending on the size) cherry tomatoes, stems removed

3 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tsp finely chopped fresh marjoram, thyme, and/or oregano (use 1 tsp if dried)

2 tbs freshly grated parmesan cheese

salt to taste

Heat oven to 300 degrees.  Cut tomatoes in half, crosswise, and squeeze seeds out.  Brush baking dish with a thin coat of olive oil.  Place tomatoes, cut side up, in a single layer.  Crush garlic clove and mix with olive oil, herbs, and salt.  Drizzle olive oil mixture into each tomato.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake for 2 hrs.  The tomatoes will shrivel and be slightly browned.  Can eat as hors d'oeuvres or keep refrigerated for salads.

Roasted Vegetables with Rosemary 

Ingredients:

4-6 zucchini(1/2 lb.)

1 large (3/4 lb)  sweet onion - Vidalia

1 large red pepper

1 large yellow pepper

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

6-5 Rosemary springs.


1. cut vegetables into chunks
2. combine olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 375 degree oven for 20 mins. Toss vegetables then roast for 20 minutes more
3. discard Rosemary and serve warm with cut up Lemon Balm as topping

Potatoes and cherry tomatoes may also be added.

Serves 6-8
 

Marinated Goat Cheese  

Ingredients:

12 ounce log of soft goat cheese

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil         

1 Tablespoon whole pepper corns-tricolor mix

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 Tablespoons finely minced ginger

1/3 cup slivered fresh mint leaves (could use basil)

1 Teaspoon grated orange rind

½ to 2 Teaspoons Asian Chile Sauce-optional (I only use about ½ tsp)

Thinly sliced baguette of French bread ( could also stuff cheese into endive leaves)

Using a thin blade knife, slice cheese into ¼ inch thick slices and place in a single layer in a glass baking dish (I use a lasagna pan). Dip the knife blade in very hot water after each cut to make the slicing easier.

In a small bowl, combine the chopped garlic, ginger, mint, orange and chili sauce. Then heat the oil and peppercorns in a small saucepan over medium heat until the peppercorns begin to “pop”-about 3 minutes.  The peppercorns must pop or they will be too hard to eat.  Then pour in the garlic mixture and stir together for a few seconds.  Immediately pour over the cheese and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.  Or you can save covered in the fridge for several weeks.

To serve: While still cold, transfer the cheese to a decorative platter with a lip.  Pour some of the oil over the cheese and serve at room temperature with the bread.

Spicy Pineapple-Zucchini Bread                       Yield: 2 Loaves

Ingredients:

3 eggs                                                                          3 cups flour

1 cup oil                                                                      2 Tsp soda

2 cups sugar                                                               1 Tsp salt

2 Tbs vanilla                                                               ½ Tsp baking powder

2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini                        1 ½ Tsp cinnamon

8 ¼ oz. can crushed pineapple, well drained       ¾ Tsp nutmeg

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

With rotary mixer, beat eggs to blend.  Add oil, sugar and vanilla and beat until thick and foamy.  Spoon in zucchini and crushed pineapple and mix gently.  Combine flour, soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and nuts.  Stir gently into zucchini mix until just blended.  Grease and flour two 5x9 loaf pans.  Bake 1 hour at 350 F or until done.  Cool ten minutes and remove from pans.

Bruschetta   

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic

¼ cup fresh basil leaves

4 firm ripe tomatoes-cored and quartered

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

French bread cut into 1 inch slices

2 additional cloves garlic, crushed

In processor with steel blade process 1 clove garlic with basil until minced.  Add tomatoes and process with several on/off pulses until coarsely chopped.  Do not over process. Season with salt and pepper and 1 Tbs olive oil.

Mix remaining olive oil with 2 cloves garlic and brush on bread. Broil until slightly brown and top with bruschetta.

Sage Cornbread

Ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal (not cornmeal mix)

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage plus 12 whole fresh sage leaves

1 cup milk

1/3 cup honey

1 large egg

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat 10” cast-iron skillet in oven 10 minutes.

Whisk first 4 ingredients and 2 teaspoons chopped sage in large bowl to blend. Whisk milk, honey, and egg in medium bowl to blend.

Remove skillet from oven; add 1/2 cup butter. Swirl until butter is melted. Pour all except 2 tablespoons butter into egg mixture. Stir just until mixed.  Let stand while you arrange whole leaves, top side down, over bottom of skillet, spacing apart.

Carefully spoon batter over sage leaves in skillet. Bake until browned around edges and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Cool in skillet 5 minutes. Invert onto platter. If necessary, reposition sage leaves atop cornbread.

Lavender Shortbread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (3/4 pound) butter, at room temperature (no substitutes)

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons very finely chopped lavender florets (fresh or dried)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

2 1/3 cups flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325°F.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, lavender, and mint with an electric mixer. Mix until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour, cornstarch, and salt and beat until incorporated. Divide dough in half. Flatten into squares and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm.

On a floured board, roll or pat out each square to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Cut the dough into 1 1/2 -inch squares or rounds. Transfer to greased baking sheets, spacing cookies about 1 inch apart. Prick each cookie several times with a fork. (Or simply press evenly into lightly greased 9 x13" pan, and cut into square when slightly cooled.)  Bake 20 to 25 minutes until pale golden (do not brown). Cool slightly, then transfer to a rack. Sprinkle with lavender powdered sugar.

Garnish with lavender powdered sugar: Put a 4 or 5 sprigs of lavender flowers in a sealed jar with powdered sugar for a day before using the sugar. 

Makes about 4 dozen.

Cucumber Soup 

Ingredients:

3 large cucumbers

1 large zucchini

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons white pepper

2 teaspoons of dill weed

2 1/2 cups of chicken broth or more to almost cover the cucumber and zucchini

Skin some of the cucumber, cut in half, scoop out the seeds, and cut into slices.  Do the same for the zucchini. In a 5 quart pot boil the garlic, white pepper, cucumber, and zucchini slices for about 1/2 hour until soft. Put into a blender and puree. Pour into a Tupperware container, sprinkle dill weed on top, refrigerate and enjoy.

Asparagus Arugula Frittata

Ingredients:

4 eggs

3 tbsp of half and half (or milk)

1 tsp of minced fresh thyme

pinch of salt

fresh ground black pepper 

6 asparagus spears

2 T. bread crumbs

1/2 cup of shredded gruyere cheese (or combination of mozzarella and fresh parmesan)

2 tbsp of unsalted butter 

2 cups of coarsely chopped arugula 

Cut the asparagus in one inch pieces and steam cook for 90 seconds in the microwave. Pat dry.
Combine asparagus, cheese, and bread crumbs.
Melt butter in 10 inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat. When it just begins to foam and turn nutty, add the arugula. Saute until wilted about one minute.
Lower heat to low and pour in the egg mixture.
Cook until the bottom is set and the top is wet.
Sprinkle with asparagus mixture.
Broil for 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve immediately.