French onion pasta

This recipe is super easy and highly flexible. Its fairly small (no leftovers feeding 3 adults) so beef it up if you want leftovers. Always use yellow onions, best for caramelizing. I added mushrooms to the caramelized onions and I bet adding red peppers or other veggies would be tasty too.

2 tbs. butter

2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 port (or sherry, red wine, or additional broth)

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

8 ounces dry pasta like rigatoni, fusilli or orechette

5 sprigs fresh thyme (or some dried if you don’t have fresh on hand)

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 c. shredded Gruyere or parmesean

In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the onions and salt, stir and cook on low heat stirring regularly until onions are brown and caramelized, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Add the port to deglaze the pot by scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pot.

Add the stock or broth, pasta, thyme and pepper and bring to boil. Stir and cook, adjusting the heat to keep the pasta boiling. Cook until the pasta is softened and the liquid has reduced, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cheese. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.

Serve and top with more parmesan.

Mujaddara

This is such a delicious comfort food meal in the fall. It pairs wonderfully with kale and squash.

For the Crispy Onions:

• 2 lbs. onions, halved and sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch thick pieces

• 2 tsp. kosher salt

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil

  For the Garlic Yogurt Sauce:

• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

• 1 clove minced garlic

• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

  For the Rice and Lentils:

• 1 1/4 cups green or brown lentils, picked over and rinsed

• 1 1/4 cup Basmati Rice

• 1 recipe of the Crispy Onions, and 3 Tbsp. of the oil they cooked in

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tsp. ground coriander

• 1 tsp. ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice

• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

• 1 tsp. sugar

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Make the Crispy Onions:

1. Heat the onions and oil in a Dutch oven over high heat, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden brown and crisping up, about 25-30 minutes.

2. Drain the onions (Carefully!) into a colander, over a large bowl, reserving oil. Transfer the drained onions to a paper towel lined cookie sheet and set aside. (Personally, I like to add extra oil when caramelizing and don’t drain it off).

While the Crispy Onions are cooking:

1. In a medium sized saucepan, bring 4 cups water, 1 tsp. salt and lentils to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook until lentils are just tender, 15-17 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. While the lentils cook, place the rice in a medium sized bowl and cover by two inches of hot water. Let the rice stand for 15 minutes.

3. Swish the rice grains in the bowl to help release the excess starch. Carefully, pour off the hot water, keeping the rice in the bowl. Add cold water, swish again, and pour off the water. Repeat a few times until the water runs almost clear. Drain the rice in a fine mesh strainer. Set aside.

Prepare the Garlic Yogurt Sauce:

1. Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, salt, and garlic in a small bowl. Refrigerate until serving time.

Cook the Rice and Lentils:

1. Heat 3 Tbsp. of reserved onion oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the 3 cloves minced garlic, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and cayenne. Stir until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

2. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the edges of the rice begin to turn translucent, 3-4 minutes.

3. Add 2 1/4 cups water, 1 tsp. sugar, and 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil.

4. Stir in the lentils, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Cook until all of the liquid is absorbed, 10-12 minutes.

5. Take the pan off the heat. Fold a dish towel in half. Remove the lid of the pot, place the dish towel over the top of the pan and place the lid back on. Let stand for 10 minutes.

6. Fluff the Mujaddara with a fork. Stir in half of the Crispy Onions and the chopped cilantro.

7. Serve with Garlic Yogurt sauce and sprinkle with more Crispy Onions.

8. ENJOY!

Root Vegetable Gratin

Root Vegetable Gratin

1 onion, sliced
2 cups fennel,
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 lbs mix of sweet potato, potato, celeriac
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups chicken or veg stock
2 cups grated gruyere cheese
2 tsp thyme
2 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
2 to 3 Tbsp melted butter

Peel and slice veggies 1/4" thick. Heat oven to 350°F. Butter a deep baking dish. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat and add the onions and fennel. Sautee about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one more minute. Combine mixture with remaining vegetables, cream, stock, cheese, thyme, 1 Tbsp kosher salt and 1 1/2 tsp black pepper. Pour into baking dish. Mix breadcrumbs and butter and distribute over top of dish. Bake 1 1/2 hours uncovered, til very tender when tested with a knife. Let set 15 min and serve!

I made this for a meal train for friends who recently had a baby, and it was a big hit. Recipe and photo from Smitten Kitchen blog.

Gazpacho

This recipes was contributed by shareholder, Erika Zeros. Especially great when made in advance and chilled well! I added a few notes for variation.
 

Perfect for high summer when the tomatoes are going crazy and it's too hot to cook! If multi-colored tomatoes are available be sure to include a few and chop them for beautiful contrast.

Makes about 10 cups

1 medium-sized cucumber
5 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes
1 medium-sized red onion, diced, about 1 C (white onion or scallions will work)
1 or 2 jalapeno or serrano chilies, seeded and minced.
1/4 C chopped fresh basil (can go with cilantro for a different flavor)
Salt and pepper
2 or 3 T Champagne or white wine vinegar

minced garlic (if desired)

A few basil leaves for garnish.

1. Peel the cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Dice and set aside.
2. Peel the tomatoes. (Boiling water method: Score the bottom of each tomato with an X. Drop into boiling water for about 10 seconds, just long enough to loosen their skins. Rinse under cold water to cool them, then slip off the skins.) Cut tomatoes in half and take out the core. Place a mesh strainer over a bowl. Over the strainer, squeeze out the juice and seeds. Save the juice to add to the soup and discard the seeds.
3. Puree half of the tomatoes in a blender or food processor and coarsely chop the rest. Combine all of the tomatoes, tomato juice, onion, cucumber, chilies, and basil in a large bowl. Scoop out about 3 cups of the combined soup and return to the blender to puree. Return puree to the large bowl.
4. Season with 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 2 tablespoons vinegar and stir well.
5. Refrigerate and let sit for at least 1 hour before serving, to allow flavors to develop. Add salt, pepper, and more vinegar if needed. Serve chilled. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Tip: if the soup is too acidic, add a few pinches of sugar to balance the flavors before serving.

Beet Burgers

This is a crew favorite which comes from Recipes from America's Small Farms, by Joanne Lamb Hayes and Lori Stein, that I have adapted. It is a flexible recipe, you can use any root vegetables to equal 4 cups and use any leftover grain (I have used quinoa, spelt, millet,oats and barley - all great). I have made the recipe with rice flour to make it gluten free. 

Ingredients:

2 cups grated beets

2 cups grated carrots

1 cup cooked brown rice (or other cooked grain)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 cup sunflower seeds, best toasted

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup sesame seeds, best toasted

1/2 cup grated onion or 3 scallions chopped finely

3 T whole wheat flour

3 T chopped parsley

2-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced

2 T soy sauce

Optional - add a dash of cayenne or some finely chopped hot pepper to spice it up

Preheat oven to 350. Generously oil a baking sheet. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Form into patties and place on baking sheet. Bake approximately 25 minutes, or until browning on bottom and easily flippable without falling apart. Flip and back until just beginning to brown on the other side. The flipping is not necessary, but makes for a nice burger.