Recipes by Sara Tilley

Savoury Zucchini Pancakes

1 extra-large zucchini

4 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

large handful chopped fresh herbs: try sage, rosemary and oregano

salt and pepper

olive or grapeseed oil for frying

Grate the zucchini, either with a food processor, or by hand. You should have about 3 1/2 to 4 cups of grated zucchini. Put the zucchini in a clean dish towel and wring out as much of the liquid as you can. Save to make Zucchini Power Juice (see below), or as the starter for some vegetable stock. Put the grated zucchini in a medium bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients. Stir together with a fork till well mixed.

Put a few tsp of oil in a cast iron frying pan and heat till a drop of water sizzles on contact. Drop zucchini mixture into pan and flatten down into pancake shapes with a fork. Fry on medium-low till bottom is golden brown, then flip and continue cooking. Place cooked pancakes in a warm oven while frying the next batch.

These are delicious served hot with your choice of condiments, at any time of day. Leftovers are also great sliced cold on top of salad.

Serves 2 – 4 people.

Zucchini Power Juice

The juice from one extra large zucchini (see above)

One clove of garlic

Salt

Cayenne

Juice of one lime

If you have a mortar and pestle, put the clove of garlic in there along with about a 1/2 tsp salt and pound into a smooth paste. Use a fork and a small bowl if you don’t have a mortar and pestle.  Add the paste, salt a dash of cayenne and lime juice to your freshly squeezed zucchini juice, and serve chilled. Adjust all seasonings to personal taste.

Makes 1 – 2 glasses of bright green veggie juice.

Orzo with Feta, Dried Berries and Greens

1 1/2 to 2 cups of orzo pasta (shaped like grains of rice)

Bunch of greens, chopped – beets/kale/chard/turnip/rapini etc

One or two beets, sliced (if available)

1/2 large red onion, chopped

1/2 cup dried berries – blueberries, cranberries, cherries, etc

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper

mixed fresh herbs – sage, rosemary, basil, oregano etc

1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Cook orzo and beet slices (if available) in boiling water till tender (7-10 min), and drain. Meanwhile sauté onion in oil on medium low heat till soft, then add the greens and vinegar and sauté gently, covered, till greens are tender. Add the dried berries, salt and pepper, fresh herbs and orzo, adjusting seasonings as necessary. Remove from heat and stir in feta cheese. Serves 4.

Elegant Salad with Fruit and Goat Cheese

Salad mix for two people, cleaned and placed in 2 salad bowls

1 ripe plum (or substitute peach, apricot, or pear)

1 banana

Chives or 1 green onion, chopped

Handful of walnuts or pecans

2-4 nasturtium blossoms

Cut the plum in half and remove the pit. Slice each half and arrange in the bowls. Slice banana and add to bowls. Chop and sprinkle nuts and green onion or chives. Set aside.

goat cheese, cut into 4 i/4 inch thick rounds

about 1/4 cup panko (Japanese) bread crumbs. You should be able to find these in the organic section of the supermarket.

I egg, beaten

Salt and pepper

Oil for pan

Put the panko crumbs in a small, shallow dish, and the egg in another, adding salt and pepper. Heat a little oil in a frying pan on medium heat (cast iron is best!). Carefully dip each round of goat cheese into the egg and then dip it into the crumbs, turning gently and coating both sides and edges in crumbs. Transfer to frying pan and fry till golden, turning once. The outside will be golden and crispy and the inside will be deliciously warm and melty. Right before serving, put 2 rounds of goat cheese on top of each salad and top with nasturtium blossoms, if you have them. Then drizzle everything with basil dressing and you are in heaven.

Basil dressing:

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

large handful of basil leaves, chopped

salt and pepper

If you have a hand blender, I suggest you break it out and use it to blend the dressing and emulsify it. If not, whisk ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Pour over your salad and enjoy. Leftover dressing can be covered and refrigerated.

Pickled Japanese Turnips

1 x Chinese white turnip

1 cup Vinegar

2 tbl Sugar

½ tsp Salt

1 dsh Pepper

¼ tsp Paprika

Method :

1. Peel Chinese white turnip. Cut lengthwise in half, then in 1/4-inch slices. Place in a bowl.

2. Bring vinegar to a boil and stir in sugar to dissolve. Pour over turnip. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and refrigerate, covered, overnight.

3. Drain, and sprinkle with paprika before serving.

VARIATIONS: For the Chinese turnip, substitute regular turnips. Peel and slice thin. Then sprinkle with salt, let stand 1 hour and drain. Heat the vinegar and sugar, as in step 2, but add the turnips to the pan and simmer, covered, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool in the pan. Then refrigerate, covered, overnight.

For the turnip, substitute the following vegetables in any combination: cauliflower (parboiled) or carrots, cucumbers, green peppers, chili peppers, round cabbage. Slice or dice the vegetables. Increase the amount of dressing as you increase the vegetables.

Jean-Philippe and I have been making this soup for years and it's even better with NL Organics produce!  Here is the recipe in case you want to add it to the newsletter or website.

Thanks again for the great food,
Angela and Jean-Philippe


Zucchini Purée
An easy soup that makes good use of large quantities of fresh zucchini.
 
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
7 medium zucchini (or 2 NL Organics zucchini!), unpeeled and sliced
1-2 onions, quartered
8 c. vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. heavy cream (optional)
 
Melt butter in a large pot.  Add olive oil, zucchini, onions and pepper.  Cover the pot and cook on medium heat until the zucchini and onions are translucent and soft (this should take about 15-20 minutes).  Shake the pot frequently to prevent sticking.  Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil.  Simmer 5-10 minutes.  Add salt.  Let the contents cool and then purée in a blender.  Reheat, add cream if desired, and serve. 
 
Makes 8-10 bowls of soup.  It freezes well if cream is not added (cream, if desired, should be added just before serving)

“Boren-kole” (“Farmer’s Kale)

This is a Dutch peasant dish that I grew up on. I made it once for my British-heritage in-laws and they thought it was the most gourmet dish ever. I had to make it for their Christmas dinner.

It’s very simple... Peel and cut potatoes into quarters. Put them in a saucepan covered with water and a little salt. Now cut the stems off the kale and chop up into bite-sized pieces. Put the kale on top of the potatoes and put the pot on to boil. Turn the heat down once boiling and cook until the potatoes are soft and the kale is steamed. Drain off any water, and mash the potatoes and kale together with a little butter, salt and pepper. Milk is optional if you are the type that likes really soft mashed potatoes. You can eat it as this (fancy mashed potatoes), or if you want to do it my Oma’s way, transfer the mashed mixture to a casserole dish, smooth it down and top it off with sausage rounds or bacon strips (vegetarians can use marinated tofu strips). Bake uncovered in a 375 oven until meat is cooked (or tofu is crispy) and the top of the potatoes are nice and crispy. The drippings from the meat/tofu will add the “gravy” to the potato dish. Serve hot.

Chinese cabbage Salad

5 oz. Chinese noodles, uncooked & broken up
1 med. head cabbage
1 carrot
2 stalks celery
2-4 green onions (tops too)
Few drops Tabasco or black pepper

Dressing

1/2 c. oil
1/4 c. vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. salt

Cook until sugar melts. Put on salad 1-2 hours before serving (1/2 cup slivered almonds toasted in small amount of oil can be added right before serving).

Beet Green Ghashi (South Indian Curry)