Red curry salmon chowder

I picked up this month's Living Naturally at Vitamin Cottage and saw this recipe. Sounded great although I had to go to Talin to pick up my red curry paste! I have already amended the recipe to how I will make it next time- more veggies and less fish.

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 small red onion (thinly sliced) 

3 cups mushrooms (sliced)

1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste

1 tablespoon fresh ginger (grated)

4 cloves garlic (minced)

14 ounces (1 can) light coconut milk

1 cups low-sodium vegetable

2 teaspoons low-sodium fish sauce

2 teaspoons honey

3/4 pound skinless salmon fillet (cut into large chunks)

3-4 small heads bok choy (thinly sliced crosswise)

1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves (thinly sliced crosswise)- Served with this

1/2 cup cilantro leaves and thin, tender stems- Served with this

2 large limes (cut into wedges)

 Heat coconut oil in a medium-large saucepan; cook onion and mushrooms for 3–5 minutes, until just softened. Stir in curry paste, ginger, garlic, and Fresno pepper(if using); cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in coconut milk, stock, fish sauce, and honey; bring to a boil and add salmon and bok choy. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 3–6 minutes (depending on salmon thickness), until bok choy is tender. Divide among four bowls, sprinkle with basil and cilantro, and serve with lime wedges on the side. 

 **Delicious and pretty fast to make. Next time, I will add more mushrooms and bok choy and less salmon. (I've already amended the recipe above- so I won't forget!) This is best way I've ever made bok choy! We all laughed when we ate it- because none of us could remember having salmon in soup!

Sausage and Kale Tart

I put this recipe on the menu this week thinking we would get kale from LPO. Since we got chard, I made this dish with chard. I had some sausage that I bought from LPO a while back. Be aware that the filling in this dish is loose- so you'll need a strong tart shell to handle it. I cut back on the butter in the shell. Next time I would consider putting some parmesan in the crust. The recipe was a winner in the 'best dirt cheap dinner' contest on food52.com.

the Tart Shell

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1 pinch salt
3-4 tablespoons ice water

Cut the butter into small cubes. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a food processor.   Pulse until butter is pea-sized. Slowly drizzle water through the top of the food processor while pulsing. You have added enough water when dough sticks together when pressed.  Remove dough from processor and press gently into a disc. Wrap disc in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Remove dough from refrigerator and unwrap.   Place disc on a lightly floured board.  Roll dough into a circle 12 inches in diameter.  Place dough in 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom.  Dock dough with a fork.  Lay parchment paper or foil over dough and fill with beans or pie weights.
Blind bake the tart shell (with pie weights) for 20 minutes. Then remove parchment and weights and bake an additional 5 minutes until the crust begins to brown.
Remove from oven and set aside on cooling rack.

the Sausage and Kale Filling

1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups onion, minced
2 garlic cloves
1/2 pound Italian sausage
1 bunch kale (a large bunch)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into thin strips
1 egg
1/4 cup ricotta
salt and pepper

Heat oil and butter in pan on medium heat. Add onion and garlic and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until onions are soft and light brown. Season with salt and pepper. Remove onions from pan and set aside.

Increase heat to medium and add sausage to pan. Brown sausage and break into small pieces. Remove sausage from pan and set aside. Drain all but 1 Tablespoon of oil from pan.

Add kale to pan. Pour white wine over kale. Scrap any bits from the pan and cover. Cook 3-5 minutes, until kale is wilted. Season with salt and pepper. If kale is still very wet, cook uncovered for a minute or two. The overall mixture should be fairly dry. Remove kale to a large bowl.

Toss cooked kale with cooked sausage and onions. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Toss mixture with basil, egg, and ricotta. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon sausage and kale mixture into cooked tart shell. Be sure to evenly cover the bottom of the tart shell. Bake the tart on a baking tray for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove tart from oven when the filling is set and the tart shell is nicely brown. Cool tart slightly on a wire rack. Slice and serve with a big green salad.

 **I think this was a nice dish. It was definitely hearty. The basil mixed nicely with the Italian sausage spices.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

A perfect end of summer soup. I was able to use the fresh tomatoes from my garden and a jar of romas that I had canned earlier. You can find the original recipe on the Food Network. I've amended the one below.

• 3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions 
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 quart chicken stock 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. 

In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and chipotle chile powder for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Coarsely blend with an immersion blender.  Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

 Tomatoes ready to be roasted.

Soup starting to cook.

**Finished product with some no-knead bread. Delicious soup. My husband said it tasted a bit like pizza sauce. Must be that fresh basil and garlic!

Grilled eggplant topped with caprese

While I was looking through local food IQ, I ran across this recipe. It is from Dave DeWitt's column, Playing with Fire.

Grilled Eggplants Topped with Caprese 
Eggplants come in a variety of shapes and sizes and this year I planted the long and slender Japanese eggplants, so I’m going to have to slice them in half lengthwise to grill them. Caprese is usually a salad with mozzarella cheese, but here it’s going to be a dressing for the grilled eggplant slices.

For the caprese:
1 Large ripe tomato, seeded and minced
5 oz. Mozzarella cheese, cut into a 1/4-inch dice
8 Fresh basil leaves, minced
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
2 Tbsp. Fresh lemon or lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
For the eggplants:
4 Small Japanese eggplants, sliced lengthwise (peeling optional)
2 Tbsp. Coarse sea salt
3 Tbsp. Olive oil
3 tsp. Fresh oregano, minced
1 tsp. Coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp. Hot red chile flakes
3 cloves Garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. Italian parsley, minced

To make the caprese, combine the tomato, mozzarella, basil, olive oil and salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside in the refrigerator until needed. After the eggplant is grilled, add the lemon or lime juice and gently mix everything together.

To prepare the eggplants, sprinkle the salt over the eggplant slices and let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse the slices and dry with paper towels. In a bowl, combine the oregano, black pepper, chile flakes, garlic and parsley. Brush olive oil over both sides of the slices and sprinkle them with the mixed spices.

Grill the eggplant slices over medium heat for five to eight minutes per side, depending on their thickness, then remove from the grill and transfer to a serving plate. Allow the slices to cool to room temperature, top with the caprese dressing and serve.

Yield: 4 servings • Heat scale: Medium

**This was delicious!

Pesto Zucchini Tomato Gratin

Perfect dish to try since I made pesto last week with the basil we got in the box. I found this recipe on another blogger's site- Gluten-Free Goddess.

For the topping:

2 cups Crunchy Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs or Cornbread Crumbs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Fresh or dried Italian Herbs or basil/oregano/marjoram, to taste

For the veggies:

3 medium zucchini, sliced in long pieces, 1/4 inch thick
5 cloves garlic, chopped
A handful of halved artichoke hearts
4 tablespoons prepared Favorite Basil Pesto
2-3 vine ripe tomatoes, sliced thick
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 pinch sea salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (garlic marinated mozzarella rocks)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a gratin dish or large pie plate.

Place the toasted crumbs in a bowl and using a fork, toss with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to coat; season with Italian Seasoning or dried basil/oregano/marjoram.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the zucchini, garlic and artichokes, and sauté briskly just until the zucchini is a bit golden and still tender-crisp. Remove from heat and pour the veggies into a bowl to cool slightly.

When cooled, gently toss the zucchini mixture with the prepared basil pesto, to coat. Layer the pesto veggies in the gratin dish or pie plate.

Spread a scant third of the crumbs on the squash mixture. Layer with slices of mozzarella. Top with sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle the tomatoes lightly with balsamic vinegar. Season with sea salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the tomatoes.

Bake the gratin until it is bubbly and hot, about 20-25 minutes.

Serve as a side dish or on top of a bed of hot brown rice penne tossed with basil pesto.

 **We ate this without the pasta as suggested.  I only used 3 garlic cloves which was plenty since the pesto was garlicy. It was delicious.

Basil Pesto

With the lovely bunch of basil we got this week from the harvest box, it begged to be made into pesto. I pulled this recipe from the food network. However, this is such a simple recipe, you could find it anywhere. I used garlic that I bought at the downtown farmer's market- they told me it is spicy.

Ingredients

• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese

Directions

Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

If using immediately, add all the remaining oil and pulse until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese.

If freezing, transfer to an air-tight container and drizzle remaining oil over the top. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and stir in cheese.

**Very nice, easy to make. I used almost 1/2 C oil instead of the 2/3 cup called for. I also used freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It filled this little jar.

Zucchini Tart with feta

I saw this recipe in an old issue of Saveur. They have it on their website, too.

SERVES 6

New Zealander Lynne Curry, who provided this recipe, serves this tart by the slice from her stand at the Matakana farmers' market.

1  10" × 13" sheet frozen puff pastry, 
   thawed and chilled
12 small zucchini (about 2 1⁄2 lbs.), trimmed
Salt
3 tbsp. butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, finely chopped, strained in 
   a sieve, excess moisture pressed out
1 cup (4 oz.) crumbled feta cheese
1⁄2 cup ricotta
2 tbsp. chopped basil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Fit pastry into a 9" × 12" baking sheet, pressing it against sides. Score around bottom inner edge of pastry (beside crease where bottom meets sides), being careful to not cut all the way through, with a paring knife. Prick bottom of pastry all over with a fork, line with a sheet of parchment paper that fits in bottom only, and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake until edge of crust begins to puff and color, about 25 minutes. Remove weights and paper. Bake until bottom is golden, 6–8 minutes more. Let crust cool.

2. Grate 4 of the zucchini on large holes of a box grater into a large bowl. Add 1 tbsp. of salt, toss well, and set aside to let weep for 30 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and wring throughly to remove moisture.

3. Meanwhile, slice remaining zucchini into 1⁄4"-thick rounds. Working in batches, blanch rounds in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 minute. Drain and spread out on a paper towel–lined sheet pan; set aside.

4. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. (Spoon out 1 tbsp. and reserve.) Add onions and cook until soft, 5–6 minutes. Add grated zucchini and cook, stirring often, until just beginning to brown, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; let cool.

5. Stir tomatoes, half of the feta, ricotta, basil, and salt and pepper to taste into zucchini mixture. Stir in egg and spread mixture evenly in crust. Arrange zucchini rounds, slightly overlapping in rows, like tiles, on top. Bake for 15 minutes, then brush top with reserved butter. Continue to bake until crust is deep golden, 10 minutes more. Let cool to room temperature, then sprinkle remaining feta over top. Cut tart into squares.

**I used spelt filo dough instead of the puff pastry (so I didn't do step one). I also did not parboil the zucchini (step 3). I put them on raw. It was a nice dish- the basil and ricotta were good additions to the layer under the sliced zucchini.

Pasta with chard, garlic, tomatoes and grilled chicken

I was inspired to make this recipe based on a piquant pasta recipe from my New Zealand Vegetarian Adventures cookbook. The tomatoes were brought home from our LPO work share- unfortunately they had been split on the top so couldn't be sold. Lucky for us!

1 lb pasta, cooked
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tomatoes, cubed
2 bundles Swiss chard, stemmed and cut into small pieces
1/4 C fresh basil, cut into pieces
1/4-1/2 C freshly shredded parmesan
Grilled chicken

Cook the pasta in a separate pot. Drain when finished.

Warm olive oil in a separate skillet, add garlic and begin to saute. When just fragrant, add the tomatoes. Simmer for a bit and then add the chard. Mix the chard into the tomato garlic mixture well and let simmer for a few minutes. Add the basil on top and take off the heat. Let the basil wilt a bit and then add the drained pasta.

Slice the grilled chicken.

**Delicious! It was especially flavored because I used the olive oil from my marinated sun dried tomatoes which was infused with garlic, salt, and thyme.  A great way to use your greens.

Zucchini fritters with pesto

This is a nice recipe- very simple. You can find it online in many places.

1 lb zucchini, grated
3/4 C flour
1 egg, separated
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper

Pesto- either home made or bought.


Put the grated zucchini in a sieve and sprinkle with plenty of salt. Leave for 1 hour, then rinse thoroughly. Dry well. OR put the grated zucchini in a kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess water.

Sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the enter, then add the egg yolk and oil. Measure out 5 T water and add a little to the bowl.

Whisk the egg yolk and oil, gradually incorporating the flour and water to make a smooth batter. Season and leave for 30 minutes (I don't do this step)

Stir the zucchini into the batter. Whisk the egg white until stiff, then fold into the batter.

Fry the fritters in oil until golden brown.

Serve with pesto.

**This isn't my favorite zucchini fritter recipe, but it is simple to make in a pinch.