Sorrel Pesto

Searching for a way to use all that sorrel?  This turned out to be a very good way to do it!

2 c. roughly chopped sorrel
1/3 to 1/2 c. parsley leaves (packed)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 c. pine nuts (or walnuts, if you prefer)
1/4 c. olive oil
1/3 c. grated parmesan (or more, if you prefer)
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth enough to meet your definition of pesto.  The result can be used as a thick sauce for fish, as well as on pasta or veggie pizza.

Young fava beans and pods

2-3 T. olive oil
1/2 (or more) chopped onion
2-3 garlic cloves
young fava beans, snapped and strings removed (like you would for a green bean)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 water or broth or white wine
2-3 T. fresh chopped herb (dill or oregano or basil or ?? or combo)

Heat oil in pan.  Add onion and garlic.  Cook a minute or two.  Add favas and saute two or three minutes.  Add liquid and salt.  Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Add more liquid if necessary until beans are tender.  Then remove lid, add a dribble or so more olive oil,  herbs, and continue cooking and stirring until liquid is gone (several minutes).  Season further if it needs it--and eat and enjoy.

Recipe developed by Kate

Stuffed Shiso leaves

Stuffed Shiso Leaves

• 12 or more shiso leaves, blanched in boiling water by dipping them in and out quickly
• Sushi rice, see below

Put a dollap of sushi rice off-center on one leaf. Fold bottom edge up and over rice, fold sides in, and roll up the leaf. Repeat with remaining leaves. Put on plate and enjoy. Next time I make this, I am considering making a dipping sauce, perhaps of shoyu (soy sauce) and garlic.

Sushi Rice -- from World of the East Vegetarian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey

• 4 T. rice wine vinegar
• 4 T. sugar
• ½ t. salt
• 6 cups freshly cooked Plain Japanese Rice*

Mix first three ingredients together and set aside. Once rice is cooked and while it is still warm, put it in a flat dish and slowly pour the vinegar mixture over while ‘stirring’ the rice gently. Continue to ‘stir’ the rice so that it cools.

* Note: I use a variety of rices—depends on what I have in the cupboard or what sounds good that time. What I used at the dinner last month was Sushi rice, a sticky rice.

Gone Fishin?

Hey all,

I recently found out that Lake Milton and Berlin lake have healthy populations of Walleye. I'm not a very experienced angler, but I love Walleye and thought it might be fun to go fishing in either lake sometime. If anyone's interested, give me a holler.

Danielle

Fennelated High Summer Minnestrone

I was inspired by the cool weather and the awesome stuff in my basket to make a hearty, fresh summer soup. I’m looking forward to eating this into the winter, as it made a lot.

Ingredients

Bunch of fennel
2-3 large carrots, or several small
Garlic
Onions (of the kind we get from BB farm)
Bay leaf
Shelly beans
Olive oil
Zucchini or summer squash rough chop
Corn, shucked, uncooked
Tomatoes, rough chop
Escarole, or other greens (Lacinato kale would also be delicious)
Salt and pepper

Add, fennel, carrots, garlic, onion and bay leaf to a large soup pot. Add water to cover, plus salt and pepper. Bring to a very soft boil and keep there for about 20 mins, or until fragrant.

Remove the fennel, leave as many carrots as you like. Add shelly beans and continue to boil at a low boil, till beans are soft.

Put a pan on medium high and add olive oil to film the bottom of the pan. When hot, add rough chopped garlic and onion, add zucchini. Add salt and pepper to taste. When done to your liking, add to soup.

Add the rest of the ingredients and continue at a low boil for a few more minutes, until greens are wilted. Adjust seasoning. Serve with grated parmesan.

Don't Forget!

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Cucumber Soup Recipe

This is a "nonrecipe" for the cold cucumber soup I made when we got together last weekend. I just threw things into the food processor and kept tasting until I liked it. But here is the rough guide.

Big ole bunch of cucumbers. I think I had the equivalent of 4-5 large.
Rice wine vinegar to taste, start with about a quarter of a cup
Buttermilk. Again, this is to taste. I believe I used about a pint.
Salt, fresh ground pepper, herbs. I used sorrel and chives

Cut cukes into medalions and process a little at a time in the food processor. Put through a fine mesh strainer. Once you have all the cukes processed, add vinegar, buttermilk herbs and salt and pepper and some of the cuke juice to the processor and process until fine. Put through the strainer once more. Mix thoroughly and chill 4-5 hours. Taste and adjust (it may need more or less buttermilk, vinegar etc).

Postscript: I made this again and added about a teaspoon of good curry powder. Wow, it was terrific! I also think adding a bit of sweet onion would be very good, too.