Sliced Tomato and Basil Salad

From Sarah Voiland, 2014: “This is how we made our tomato salads growing up. I wanted to clean up dinner those evenings just to sip the juice on the empty salad plate.”

3 ripe tomatoes sliced in big slabs – more colors, more fun 
1 bunch basil or a little less – chopped into ribbons
Olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper

Optional ingredients or variations: 1-2 cloves diced raw garlic, slivers of pearl onions or sweet onion, fresh mozzarella slices, crumbled feta or blue cheese, a dash of balsamic vinegar, or drizzles of balsamic vinegar reduction, halved cherry tomatoes

You slice the tomatoes in slices like you would put on a sandwich and then lay them out on a plate or platter. Sprinkle with basil. Add any additional ingredients like garlic. Drizzle with olive oil so each tomato gets some. Evenly salt and pepper the surfaces. Serve.

Kohlrabi Pancakes with Flax Seed

Adaptable to many vegetables, these savory pancakes go great with Cucumber Tzatziki, plain yogurt, or sour cream.

1 pound kohlrabi (peeled)
3 carrots
3 tbsp ground flaxseed (whir whole ones in a blender or processor until ground)
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil for frying (coconut oil is tasty)

Grate the kohlrabi and carrot (a food processor makes it easy). In a large bowl, mix the ground flaxseed, flour and salt. Then mix in the shredded kohlrabi and carrot. With your hands, form smallish patties about 1/2 inch thick. Cook in a frying pan with the oil until each side is golden brown. Add more oil if needed between rounds of pancakes.

I love the way the ground flaxseed holds these together! You could also get them to hold together with egg if you don’t have flaxseed, about 1 egg per tablespoon of flax seed. In the early summer season, you could finely chop kohlrabi greens too, and add those in to this.

Pizza with Local Ingredients

Some good suggestions on making spring pizza from dough to sauce to toppings.

Spring Toppings

Shallots

Basil

Chives and blossoms

Baby greens

Sliced or grilled asparagus

Summer Toppings 

Sliced heirloom tomatoes

Quick-pickled hot peppers

Bell or Italian peppers

Grilled eggplant

Fennel

Arugula

Fall and Winter Toppings

Roasted squash slices

Thinly sliced potato, sweet potato, turnip, or beets

Caramelized onions

Rosemary

Pizza Dough:
Pizza dough is easy to make at home, and if you make a big batch you can freeze some for very easy use later (thaw it, shape it, let it rise 15 min, then top and cook) or cook your own pre-made shells to freeze. Pre-made shells from the store are also great. We are fond of making Deborah Madison’s pizza dough recipe from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I found someone had written it up online, so you can check it out here: Deborah Madison’s Pizza Dough Recipe. We usually up the amount of whole wheat a little bit. You could get some of our local whole wheat flour at the farmstands to use while it lasts.

Sauce:
Sauce for pizza is critical. I tend to do a little more ingredients with my sauce than Deborah Madison (whose simple sauce recipe is also in that link). For spring pizza sauce, cook up chopped green garlic, a bunch of olive oil, a bay leaf, oregano, basil, thyme, salt, black pepper, then add the tomato puree and cook down a little bit. (We have our Tomato Puree at the stands for sale while it lasts in the spring). Tasting it and tweaking it to get a nice rich flavor with enough salt is key. Other fun ingredients – red wine and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

To Cook:
Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Form your dough as thin as you can get it. Put on a baking sheet upon which you have sprinkled cornmeal. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Spread the sauce on top to cover nicely. Lay down greens if you’re using them. Then cheese, then other toppings that might need a little cookings. Possibly a little more cheese on top. Bake for about 12 minutes with a timer, watching for a nice browning of the cheese. And if it’s in my oven, don’t use the bottom rack, because it will burn the crust on the bottom. Enjoy!

Stuffed Winter Squash

2 delicata, acorn, or carnival squash cut in half length-wise and de-seeded
¼ cup goat cheese 
1 large onion or 3 shallots
2 cups cooked rice
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
1 Tbs. fresh chopped sage
butter or olive oil for sautéing
1 small bunch spinach or other green
salt and pepper to taste

Place squash face down on a greased backing sheet for 30-40 min at 350˚. While baking, prepare filling. Sauté onion or shallots in butter. When translucent, add garlic and sage and stir occasionally until onions are browned. Add spinach and when wilted, remove from heat.

Toast nuts and add to onion mix with rice, goat cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Fill squash halves and return to the oven for 20 min or until the tops start to brown.

Spaghetti Squash with Fresh Tomato Sauce

1 large spaghetti squash 
2 onions, chopped
5 tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch of basil
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
grated Parmesan cheese

Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place face down on a pan with ¼ inch of water and bake for 40 minutes at 350˚.

While baking start the sauce. Sauté onions and garlic and peppers for 5 min on medium heat. Add tomatoes salt and pepper to taste and simmer for the remainder of the squash prep time. Remove squash from the oven and stick a fork into the cut side. The fork should go in easily, but it should not be mushy.

Cool for 5 minutes and using the fork, scrape the strands of squash from the skin, trying to keep them intact. Serve immediately topped with the sauce, the fresh chopped basil and cheese.

Greggie Pie’s Cabbage Pie

1/2 cabbage 
1/2 onion
1/2 -3/4 cup fresh dill (not dried)
3 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup feta cheese
2 Tbs olive oil/ butter

Other veggies if you like:
carrots
mushrooms
summer squash

Prepare a pie crust (top & bottom) from your favorite recipe or storebought and set aside.
Chop onion into thumbnail size squares and begin to sauté in olive oil or butter. While that is sautéing chop cabbage into ribbons (1/4″ to 1/2″ width) and toss in after onions. Stir around and cover while you chop the carrots into bite size pieces. Toss carrots in and give another good stir.

Chop dill rather finely and add to sautéed mixture in pan. Sauté until everything is lightly cooked (it’ll get cooked again).
Transfer to a bowl where you add the feta and mix well. Cut hard boiled eggs into cubes or into slices, however you prefer.
Add half of sauté/ feta mixture into pie crust, then add the egg as a middle layer, then add the rest of the sauté mixture.
Roll on the pie crust top, cut slits for steam vents and put in oven at 375˚ for 45 min to an hour. Remove when pie crust is a nice brown.

Kasha with Summer Vegetables

1 cup roasted buckwheat groats 
1 egg
2 cups water or veggie stock
1 Tbs. butter
2 cups diced zucchini or summer squash
1⁄2 cup diced carrot
3 cups chopped greens (swiss chard, kale, spinach etc.)
3 garlic scapes chopped or 2 cloves garlic minced
salt and pepper

Beat egg and mix in buckwheat till groats are coated. Cook in a skillet until the egg is cooked and the groats are dry. Move groats to a pot of boiling water or stock, add 1⁄2 tsp salt and simmer for 7 to 12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

In the skillet, sauté the scapes and carrot in the butter for five minutes and then add the zucchini. When the squash starts to get translucent, add the greens and the groats and any additional salt and pepper and cook until the greens are tender (time will differ for different greens).

Beet and Winter Squash Strudel

12-16 phyllo pastry sheets 
oil or melted butter for brushing
2 large beets or 4 small
2 cup peeled and diced winter squash
1 cup goat cheese
1/2 cup ground walnuts

Prepare beets and squash:  Dice beets into 1/2 inch cubes.  Place beets and squash in a baking dish, cover, and roast for 30 minutes.  (note, this can be done ahead of time) Mix with goat cheese, beets, walnuts, and winter squash.

Lay six thawed phyllo sheets together by brushing one sheet at a time with butter and stacking on top of each other. Spread the beet mixture lengthwise near one side about 3 inches in width, leaving 1 inch on each end of phyllo. Fold the end into the mixture then begin to roll the phyllo up. Brush the top with the oil and repeat with remaining sheets.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until they begin to brown. Slice into 2 inch thick wedges.

For a Vegan version: It is possible to omit the goat cheese. I do recommend using crumbled tofu mixed with nutritional yeast and maple syrup or soy yogurt in place.