Sofrito

From Sarah Voiland, 2011 

Sofrito is a delicious flavoring substance that is classic in Puerto Rican cooking. You add it to anything from rice and beans, to soups and slow cooker dishes, to omlettes, to sauces for meat dishes. Once made, sofrito freezes really well in ice cube trays or other portion-sized containers for winter!  It will also keep well in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks.

1 onion
1 green pepper
2-3 cloves garlic
1 bunch cilantro leaves
1/4 tsp oregano (more if fresh)
2-4 tbs olive oil
salt to taste
1 tsp capers (opt.)
1-3 hot peppers (opt.)
1-2 roasted red peppers (opt.)
a few to a bunch of pitted olives (opt.)
Other optionals: black pepper, cayenne, paste tomatoes, cumin, culantro, annatto, celery, parsley, and many more!

No hard and fast recipe here! Something to play with! Multiply recipe for winter freezing. Wash, deseed, trim as needed. Chop into large chunks. Put all in blender, in batches if need be. I like to blend not as far as puree, but stop while there are still little bits of things, like tiny pieces of pepper and onion, discernible shards of herbs.

Mix everything in a bowl at the end if you did batches. Then refrigerate and freeze for later use. Or use some now!

To use, put some in a pan with oil and saute to meld the flavors before adding rice to boil or whatever it’s in your plans to make.
Lovely with red peppers too!

Fresh Tomato-Corn Salsa

From the contributor, CSA member Anna: “Thanks for the wonderful veggies that are coming in so far. I’m enjoying them very much. I wanted to share two recipes that I recently tried and love. I hope others will try and enjoy eating them as well.”

3 tomatoes, chopped 
3 ears corn
1 onion, chopped
1 pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 hot pepper, minced, or 1 tsp cayenne pepper
1⁄4 cup lemon juice or vinegar
2 Tbs. olive oil
Salt to taste
3 Tbs. cilantro

Chop tomatoes, salt and let sit in a colander for 30 min. to drain off extra juice. In the meantime, cut kernels from corn (yep, it’s delicious raw) and mix in the rest of the ingredients, adding the drained tomatoes last and salting to taste.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde

This salsa is awesome! Sweet and tangy. 

lb tomatillos (remove husks and cut in half)
3-6 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice, fresh is sweeter
1/4 cup diced sweet onion
1-3 diced jalapeno
chopped fresh cilantro, up to one bunch
1 tbsp maple syrup, or to taste
salt to taste
water, to desired consistency
for an extra twist add halved husk/ground cherries at the end

Roast tomatillos cut side down in a thick skillet until they soften most of the way through, and brown/blacken on the bottom. Then flip to cook the rounded side. You can snuggle the garlic cloves in there, cut in half, to roast at the same time. It’s okay if things blacken a little. You can also roast your jalapeno if you like.

Blend roasted tomatillos, garlic, olive oil, and lime juice. Add a little water if you want a wetter salsa or your blender needs help. Add onion, cilantro, jalapeno and a little salt. Blend for a second to mix. Taste, add maple syrup if desired, more salt if needed, same with lime juice, and then husk cherries at the end if you want them. Serve with corn chips or burritos or on enchiladas etc.

Tip: if you want to make a big batch, you can roast everything in the oven instead.

Super Simple Hot Sauce

A great simple hot sauce to whip up when you have extra peppers around. You can roast the peppers for this sauce also to give it that kind of flavor. Use red peppers for red sauce, green peppers for green sauce.

1/2 cup fresh hot peppers of choice, stems removed
2/3 cup white vinegar
1-2 tsp salt, to taste

Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Store in a clean container in the refrigerator – flavor gets better as it goes!

Roasted Red Pepper Hot Sauce

A great way to preserve hot peppers and enjoy them little bit by little bit. 

olive oil
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped onions
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
6 whole chiles any kind, stems removed
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tsp salt, or to taste

The types of chiles you use will affect the flavor and heat of the sauce. Choose any kind you like or use whatever you have. Roast the whole chiles, coated with olive oil, on a grill or under the broiler (or in a pan on the stovetop). Roast until the skins get browned and blackened in spots – gives good flavor.

Meanwhile, saute onions, carrots, garlic in a pan with a little olive oil until translucent. Once done, let the saute and the roasted peppers cool. Then put saute and peppers in a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth, adding vinegar until you get to the right consistentcy for you. Add salt to taste.

Pour finished sauce into a clean jar. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Makes about 4 cups.

Eggplant with Ginger and Garlic

1-3 eggplants sliced lengthwise in both directions to make very large match-sticks 
1 small head of garlic or 2/3 of a large head
½ inch chunk of fresh ginger
1 small hot pepper
oil for frying
soy sauce

Boil a couple inches of water (enough in your pot to mostly cover the sliced eggplant) with a splash of soy sauce and then add sliced eggplant. Cook until the eggplant becomes somewhat translucent but not fully cooked.  In a large cast iron pan, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan (about ¼ cup).
Mince garlic, ginger and hot pepper together and add to hot oil and stir for one minute over medium-high heat.  Add parboiled eggplant and turn quickly and often to coat.  Add another splash of soy sauce and continue cooking, stirring often until the toughest bits of eggplant have reached the yummy-soft stage.
Serve hot or cold, over rice, on a salad of lettuce or just by itself.

Indian-Style Okra

3 tablespoons butter 
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound sliced fresh okra
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp minced hot pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
salt to taste

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until tender. Stir in the okra, and season with cumin, ginger, hot pepper, coriander, and salt. Cook and stir for a few minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover the pan.

Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until okra is tender. Turn heat up and add garlic and cook a few more minutes.

Sunday Brunch Homefries

From Red Fire Chef Kristen Schafenacker, 2007 

1 lb potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes
1 delicata squash, peeled and cut into one inch chunks
1 hot pepper, diced
1 bell or sweet pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
salt and pepper

Bring a soup pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and squash. Cook for 5 minutes until par-boiled or potatoes are just beginning to soften. Drain. Heat butter in a skillet (preferably cast iron).

Add onions and both peppers. Saute a few minutes then add the potatoes. Salt and pepper during the cooking process. When able to stick a fork easily through the potatoes, they are done. Top with fresh salsa!

Caramelized Leeks and Apples

From Red Fire Chef Kristen Schafenacker, 2007

A sweet and savory side dish.

2-3 medium sized leeks
1 T brown sugar or maple syrup
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper
1½ T butter or margarine

Roughly ½ cup honey mustard (optional)
1 hot pepper (optional)
2-3 apples

Trim off the root and top edges of the leeks, leaving the middle part intact. Half the middle and chop into 1 inch rounds. Heat the olive oil and butter; when melted add the leeks and toss well. Cook slowly for about 10 minutes or until the leeks start to soften. Add sugar continue to cook for about 15 minutes, adding a small amount of hot water if the mixture starts to stick.

Slice apples into circles and arrange on a plate. Mix  mustard with minced hot pepper and spread atop apple. Top with a spoonful of caramelized leeks.