Recipes

Ingredients
1 bunch leeks
1 bunch hearty greens
Dijon vinaigrette
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & pepper to taste

Method
1. Remove and tough or wilted parts of leeks and slice about  ¼” thick on the bias.
2. Place cut leeks in plenty of cold water and allow them to purge any dirt that clings to them. Remove leeks from water and toss with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Lay on a sheet tray and roast in a 350 degree oven until just brown and soft.  Allow to cool.
4. Toss leeks and greens witha  simple dijon vinaigrette (equal parts olive oil and apple cider vinegar, a bit of honey and dijon mustard to taste). You want this salad to be equal parts leek to green.
Note:  Top with crumbled local goat cheese or feta if desired

seaweed is an excellent addition to many recipes, adding flavor and saltiness and terrific texture.  Here, it’s roasted.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
5-6 red potatoes, chopped
8 cloves garlic, whole
10-12 brussels sprouts
large handful of dried Alaria seaweed, chopped
Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper

Method
preheat oven to 350F
1. Boil a large pot of water, add brussels sprouts and blanch for 2 minutes, then cool immediately in cold water. Slice into halves.
2. Combine potatoes, garlic cloves, brussels sprouts and seaweed in a roasting pan; coat generously with olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Roast for about 45 minutes, stirring once or twice, until vegetables are cooked through and just a bit crispy.

Ingredients
3 cloves garlic
1 large onion
2-4 cups chicken stock or water
1 large or 3 small heads of Broccoli, chopped
fresh parsley, sea salt and pepper to taste
1/2 to 1 cup cream, more if you like

Method

1. Sweat onions and garlic in olive oil or butter over medium heat until slightly soft.  Add broccoli and continue to cook.
2. Add chopped fresh parsley to taste, and then 2-3 tablespoons of flour to the vegetables and stir until thoroughly mixed.
3. Add stock or water to cover and bring to a boil. Strain, reserving some of the cooking liquid.
4. When soup has cooled a bit, blend gently, either in batches in a blender, or using an immersion blender.
5. Add cream until soup reaches desired consistency.  You can add back in some of the cooking liquid.
6. Season with salt and pepper.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts washed and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cubed into 1/2-inch cubes
4 cups vegetable stock
2-3 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves

Method
1. Heat a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat and add the oil. Add the leeks, onion, and sea salt and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion begins to turn translucent.
2. Add the garlic and stir well. Cook for 1 minute more

3. Add the potatoes and vegetable stock, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 20 minutes
4. Remove the soup from the heat and use an immersion/stick blender to blend the soup in the pot or ladle the soup into a blender, 1 cup at a time. Blend the soup with the fresh  rosemary leaves until smooth and free of chunks.
5. Pour smooth soup into a heat-proof bowl and continue until all of the soup has been blended. Transfer the blended soup back to the original soup pot and warm over low heat until heated through.
Serve hot with crusty bread.

2 stalks Celery
2 leeks1 winter squash(rough chop)
2 carrots
3 cloves garlic
2-3 cups dry black beans

Method
1. Soak Black Beans overnight in water.
2. Several hours before you want to prepare the soup, start cooking your beans in fresh water with a bay leaf.  Water should cover the beans by at least a couple of inches, but you can always add more if it gets low.  Cook the beans until they’re nearly done and then set aside.
3. Saute vegetables in olive oil or butter for 5-10 minutes over medium heat.
4. Combine vegetables and cooked beans in a large soup pot.  Add stock or more water to cover and bring soup to a simmer – you don’t want to overcook the beans!
5. Add cumin and chili powder to taste.  If you have dry peppers, put them in a cheese cloth and let simmer in the soup.
6. Season with salt to taste.
Garnish with sour cream, or creme fraiche, and serve with some crusty Balthazar bread!

Ingredients
5 apples, peeled and sliced
2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 c sugar
2 Tbsp fresh Lemon Juice
2-3 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 pie crust
for Crumb Topping:
1/3 stick butter, softened
brown sugar
flour

Method
1. Mix sliced apples with 1/2 of the sugar, lemon juice, butter and salt.  Just mix gently with your fingers until fruit is coated.
2. Mix cranberries with the rest of the sugar, separately.
2. Mix the topping with your fingers or a fork in a separate bowl, starting with the butter and adding flower and brown sugar until clumps form.
3. Place apples in the pie crust first, then cranberries, and then the crumbl topping.
4. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until apples start to ooze.
Serve with creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream

Ingredients
2 large Turnips or Rutabaga
2 Tbsp Butter
Salt and pepper to taste
½ tsp nutmeg, or to taste
Optional: Whole Milk, Cream or Crème Fraiche

Method
1. Peel and chop Rutabaga or Turnips into large chunks and place in a pot
2. Add water to cover and bring to a boil
3. Reduce heat and simmer until chunks are easily pierced with a butter knife
4. Strain and discard water.
5. Add butter and mash with a potato masher
6. Add Optional dairy and continue mashing until turnip has reached desired consistency.
7. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
Serve with a side of sautéed spinach

serves 2-3
Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash
4-5 plum tomatoes
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
fresh herbs, such as oregano, marjoram or thyme
Method
1. Roast the squash in halves, as described in “Tips and Techniques”, for about 45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, saute sliced onions until soft, add garlic, herbs and chopped tomatoes and saute 10-15 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
3. When Squash is done, scoop out the stringy, pasta-like insides and drain any excess liquid. Gently toss with tomato sauce.
Top with grated cheese, such as Sprout Creek Toussaint.

Ingredients
1 medium size Cheese Pumpkin
2 cups whole milk - hot but not boiled
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla

Method
Cut the top off the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds.
Beat eggs, sugar and maple syrup, and slowly add hot milk, whisking continuously.
Pour custard into the pumpkin and place the top back on.
Bake about 1 hour at 350F, until the pumpkin is almost cooked through, and a bit soft to the touch.
Remove the top of the pumpkin and allow custard to brown.
Remove pumpkin from the oven and allow at least 45 minutes for the custard to continue to set.

This dish couldn’t be simpler, and it’s absolutely delicious.  It basically amounts to braising garlic cloves in some type of fat until they’re soft and creamy.  Spread them on toasted bread and drizzle with a bit of the warm fat for the most comforting appetizer ever.

Ingredients
3 heads garlic
Olive Oil
Bacon Fat (optional)

Method
1. Separate garlic cloves and peel
2. Add to small saucepan and cover with fat of your choice - a mix of bacon fat and olive oil is quite delicious, but just olive oil is also fine.
3. Simmer, do not boil, until garlic cloves are soft and can be easily mushed.
*spread onto toasted bread and sprinkle with course sea salt