Curried black Eyed Pea Soup

• 1 Tbsp olive, coconut, or avocado oil

• 1 large onion (white or yellow), diced (1 large onion yields ~2 ½ cups or 300 g)

• 1 large sweet potato cut into 1-inch cubes (or use any root vegetables of your choice)

• 1 large red bell pepper, diced into 1/4-inch pieces

• 4 medium cloves garlic, minced (4 medium cloves yield ~2 Tbsp or 18 g)

• 1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger

• 2 Tbsp curry powder

• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

• 1/2-3/4 tsp sea salt

• 1 Tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce

• 4 cups vegetable broth

• 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk

• 1 cup dried black eyed peas, cooked (or use two 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed, in place of 1 cup dried beans)

• 3 cups chopped kale or cabbage

• 1-2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, sweet potato, and bell pepper and sauté until slightly softened, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, red pepper flakes, and salt and cook for 1 minute, stirring until fragrant.

Add the soy sauce or coconut aminos, broth, and coconut milk and stir to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the black eyed peas and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a simmer and cook (uncovered), stirring occasionally for 15 minutes or so.

Stir in the kale and cook until wilted, about 5-10 minutes. Add the lime juice and adjust as needed, adding more coconut aminos for depth of flavor, salt to taste, and/or red pepper flakes for heat.

This soup is delicious on its own or paired with rice, cornbread, or toasted bread. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Aunt Jane's Vegetable Soup

My Aunt Jane is an excellent chef and last time she visited she whipped up this simple yet tasty soup with farm vegetables. Perfect and nourishing for the winter share and quick to cook up for week day dinners.

8 cups vegetable stock (She uses the vegetable Better than Bouillon)

2-3 cans of beans (kidney, red, chick pea, whatever you like) drained and rinsed

3-4 cups chopped root vegetables (carrots, potatoes, rutabagas, kohlrabi, etc.)

1-2 cups chopped cooking greens

1/4 thinly sliced cabbage (about an inch long)

Couple Tablespoons olive oil

salt and peppers to taste

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 ribs celery, chopped

1 can chopped tomatoes, drained

2 bay leaves

Pour oil into a soup pot on medium heat and fry onions and celery until transparent. Add garlic and cook for a few minutes more not letting garlic brown.

Add chopped roots and cook for 5 minutes or so stirring regularly. Add the broth, bay leaves and the drained chopped tomatoes. Let simmer for about 20 minutes then add beans, greens and cabbage. Simmer about 15 minutes more.

Finish with salt and pepper to taste. I also like to add a little bit of acid like lemon juice, or my favorite Ume Plum vinegar.

Harissa Roasted Butternut Squash with Dates

• 2–3 pounds Butternut Squash, cut into 1-inch cubes

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil

• 2–4 Tbsp Harissa Sauce

• 1/2 tsp Sumac Powder (optional)

• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp Salt

• 4–5 Pitted Dates, chopped

• 1/4 cup Toasted Almonds, or Cashews

• 1/4 cup Tahini

• Chopped Parsley, or Cilantro for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss together the butternut squash, olive oil, harissa, sumac (if using), garlic powder, cinnamon, and salt. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Roast the squash for 40-45 minutes, or until the squash is tender, and caramelized on the outside.

Remove the squash from the oven and transfer to a serving dish. Top with chopped dates, nuts, and drizzle with tahini.

Squash salad with lentils and goat cheese

3/4 cup black or green lentils
6 cups peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash (1-inch cubes) (from about a 2-pound squash)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika or sweet smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
4 cups baby arugula (optional)
1 cup soft crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves (optional)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus additional to taste
Roasted seeds (about 1/2 cup) from your butternut squash (optional; see note above)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss squash cubes with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika and salt. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheet and roast 20 minutes. Flip pieces and roast for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. Cool.

Meanwhile, soak lentils for 10 minutes in a small bowl, then drain. Cook lentils in boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water, then drain and cool.

Combine lentils, squash, any oil you can scrape from the baking sheet (I didn’t get enough for this to be worth it) with arugula, if using, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper and extra vinegar, if desired (we felt it needed it). Divide among plates and pass with remaining goat cheese to sprinkle.

Madhur Jaffrey's stir fried cabbage with fennel seeds

• 1 1/2 pound green cabbage (half a large head)

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

• 1 medium-large onion (about 7 ounces), peeled and cut lengthwise into fine half rings

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala

Remove coarse outer leaves of the cabbage. If you have a cabbage half, cut it in half again lengthwise, and then core the sections. Cut each section lengthwise into very fine, long shreds.

Put the oil in a wide, preferably nonstick or cast-iron pan, and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the cumin, fennel, and sesame seeds. As soon as the sesame seeds begin to pop, put in the onion. Stir and fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onion has browned a bit.

Put in the cabbage. Stir and fry for about 6 minutes or until the cabbage has browned somewhat. Put in the salt and cayenne. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring now and then, for another 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions appear caramelized and soft. Note: you may need to do this in a couple batches.

Stir in lemon juice and garam masala.

Curried lentils with sweet potatoes

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped small

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated

• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala

• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded if desired, then minced

• 4 to 5 cups vegetable broth as needed

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)

• 1 1/2 cups dried lentils

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 cups Swiss chard, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

• Juice of 1/2 lime

• 1/3 cup finely chopped roasted or tamari-flavored almonds, for garnish (optional), available in health food stores

• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder and jalapeno. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Stir in 4 cups broth, lentils and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and continue to cook for 10 minutes or until they start to become tender. Stir in chard and salt and pepper, and continue cooking until lentils are tender and chard is cooked, about 30 to 45 minutes total.

Just before serving, stir in cilantro and lime juice. Spoon into a large, shallow serving dish. Garnish with almonds, if desired, and scallions.

Brown sugar coconut glazed rutabaga salad

• 3 pounds rutabaga, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks

• 2 tablespoon coconut oil, warmed to melt

• 1 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, divided

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar or coconut sugar

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil, or organic canola oil

• Freshly ground pepper to taste

• 4 scallions , finely sliced

Preheat oven to 375°F.

1. Toss rutabaga, coconut oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl to coat. Spread the rutabaga out in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring once or twice, until the rutabaga is almost completely tender, and browning on the bottom, 30 to 35 minutes. Scrape the rutabaga back into the bowl. Add sugar and toss to coat. Spread the mixture back out onto the pans and return to the oven. Cook, stirring once or twice, until the rutabagas are glazed with the brown sugar, 8 to 12 minutes longer. Mound on a large serving platter.

2. Combine vinegar, oil, pepper, and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt in a small jar. Cover and shake to combine. Pour dressing over the vegetables and top with scallions.

French Onion Soup (In the oven)

French onion soup takes a lot of time to caramelize and braise the onions. Doing it in the oven allows you make to walk away from the stovetop and do other things and not worry about burning the onion.

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

• 6 large yellow onions, halved and cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 4 pounds)

• salt

• 2 cups water, plus extra for deglazing

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth

• 2 cups beef broth

• 1⁄4 cup dry red wine

• 6 sprigs fresh thyme

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 sprigs fresh parsley leaves

• ground black pepper

  Cheese crouton

• 1 baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices

• 4 1⁄2 ounces swiss cheese, sliced 1/16-inch thick

• 1 1⁄2 ounces grated asiago cheese (about 3/4 cup)

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400°.

Place butter in pot and add onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, covered, 1 hour (onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume).

Remove pot from oven and stir onions, scraping bottom and sides of pot. Return pot to oven with lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until onions are very soft and golden brown, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours longer, stirring onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.

Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat.

Using oven mitts to handle pot, cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until liquid evaporates and onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes, reducing heat to medium if onions are browning too quickly.

Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until pot bottom is coated with dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary. (Scrape any fond that collects on spoon back into onions.)

Stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes.

Repeat process of deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown.

Stir in wine and balsamic vinegar, stirring frequently, until wine evaporates, about 5 minutes.

Stir in broths, 2 cups water, the thyme, bay leaf and parsley (tied with twine or wrapped in cheese cloth for easy removal from pot) and 1/2 teaspoon salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot.

Increase heat to high and bring to simmer.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove and discard herbs, then season with salt and pepper to taste. (It always takes way more salt then you expect).

For the croutons:

While soup simmers, arrange baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in 400-degree oven until bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

To serve:

Adjust oven rack 4 to 6 inches from broiler and heat broiler.

Set heat-safe soup bowls or crocks on rimmed baking sheet and fill each with about 1 1/2 cups soup.

Top each bowl with two toasted baguette slices (try not to overlap) and divide Swiss cheese slices, laying them in a single layer, if possible, on bread.

Sprinkle each serving with about 2 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese and broil until well browned and bubbly, 7 to 10 minutes.

• If using regular soup bowls, broil the toasts and the cheese only and then place the toasts on top of the soup.

• Cool 5 minutes and serve.

Broccoli Rubble Farro Salad

• Salt

• 1 cup semi-pearled farro

• 1 pound broccolini or regular broccoli (previously: 2 pounds, see note)

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• Red pepper flakes, to taste

• Finely grated zest, then juice, of 1 lemon (juice before zesting only if you enjoy being grumpy)

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 4 ounces pecorino romano, grated or ground in a food processor

Bring a medium/large pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, add broccoli and boil for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, until slightly softened but still crisp overall. Scoop out with slotted spoon or tongs, then drain.

Add farro back to same pot and cook, simmering, for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender. (Since there are so many varieties of farro, however, if your package suggests otherwise, it’s best to defer to its cooking suggestion.) Drain and tip into a large mixing bowl; cool to lukewarm.

Pat drained broccoli dry on towels, trying to remove as much excess moisture as possible. Chop into small (roughly 1/2-inch) bits. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add garlic and pepper flakes, to taste, and cook for 1 minute, until garlic is faintly golden. Add chopped broccoli, lemon zest, and salt (I use a full teaspoon kosher salt here, but adjust the amount to your taste) and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 more minutes, until broccoli is well-seasoned and slightly more tender.

Add broccoli and every bit of garlic and oil from the pan to the bowl of farro and stir to combine. Add lemon juice, black pepper and more salt to taste (but 1/2 teaspoon of each is what we used) and stir to combine. Stir in cheese.

(Vegan) Corn chowder

Cream Base

• ½ cup raw cashews

• ¾ cup water + more for soaking cashews

Soup Base

• 2 tablespoons oil

• 1 medium yellow onion , diced

• 2 celery stalks , diced

• 3 cloves garlic , minced

• ½ teaspoon dried thyme

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 4 ½ cups veggie broth

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 teaspoon sea salt , more to taste

• Fresh cracked pepper , to taste

• 4 cups fresh corn , cut off kernels from 4 corn cobs (frozen can be used)

• 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (optional)

Cream Base

• To prep the cashews, boil water in a small pot and remove from heat. Add cashews and cover for 15-20 minutes. Drain and rinse the cashews and discard soaking water. Place them in a high-powered blender with ¾ cup of water. Blend on high until very smooth. Set aside.

Soup Base

• In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat and add onion and celery. Sauté until tender, about 3-5 minutes.

• Add garlic and sauté for 30-60 seconds until fragrant

• Now add the thyme. Sauté 30-60 seconds until fragrant.

• Sprinkle flour over veggies and stir constantly for 30-60 seconds. This will cook off the raw flour taste. 

• Stir in broth and add potatoes, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Turn heat up again to medium-high to simmer. Once simmering, turn heat back to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.

• Add corn kernels and cook for another 8-10 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender and corn is cooked. Remove bay leaf. 

• Turn heat to low and slowly stir in cashew cream. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed. Warm for 1-2 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice if desired.

• Optional: to give the soup base more body, place 1-2 cups of soup in a blender and pulse 2-3 times, then pour back into the pot and stir (you can also use an immersion blender). You can skip the blending if you prefer a chunkier soup.  

• See note for topping ideas. Enjoy!

Tomato sauce with butter

A simple sauce recipe from Italian cooking star Marcella Hazen.

• 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, blanched, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped (about 4 1/2 cups), or 1 (28-ounce) can imported Italian plum tomatoes (such as San Marzano) (undrained), chopped

• 1 medium-size (10-ounce) yellow onion, peeled and cut in half lengthwise

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 1/2 ounces)

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Place tomatoes in a medium saucepan; add onion, and stir in butter and salt. Cook over medium-low, uncovered, stirring occasionally and mashing any large pieces of tomato using the back of a wooden spoon, until fat floats free from the tomatoes and is incorporated into the sauce as it slightly thickens, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Season with additional salt to taste. Remove and discard onion.

Summer bean salad

2 large bell peppers

• 1 poblano pepper or a third bell pepper

• 3 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 pound dried, cooked)

• 1 cup chopped tomatoes

• 1/2 cup chopped red onion

• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 4 tablespoons sherry vinegar

• 2 garlic cloves or 1 large, minced with a teaspoon or two of oregano

• 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped basil

• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh oregano leaves (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano)

• Freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

• 1 to 2 cups radicchio in 1/4-inch ribbons or torn into bite-size pieces

Heat your broiler. Put your peppers on a rimmed baking sheet and broil, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Set the peppers aside to cool until you can handle them.

In a big bowl, add the beans. When cool enough to handle, break the peppers open over the beans and let the peppers’ juices run out. Pull the charred skin and seeds from the peppers and discard. Sometimes, I find it easiest to give each pepper strip a quick rinse under cool water to remove clinging seeds. Cut the peppers into thin strips and add to the beans along with the onions and tomatoes, plus any more juices that collect. Chop garlic with herbs until finely minced and add to bowl. Drizzle the oil, vinegar, and lemon juice over the salad and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and herbs. Toss to combine everything. Here, you can add ribboned radicchio, as I do, or you can put torn pieces on a plate later and serve the bean salad on top of it. The salad is ready to eat now, but it’s even better after marinating for an hour or two.

Lemongrass tofu bahn mi

• 2 (8-inch) baguettes

FOR THE DO CHUA (PICKLES):

• 1 cup

  julienned daikon

• 1 cup

  julienned carrots

• 1/4 cup

  sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon

  salt

• 1/2 cup

  white vinegar

• 1 cup

  water

FOR THE TOFU:

• 6 to 8 ounces

  extra-firm tofu (half a standard package)

• 1 tablespoon

  soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon

  vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon

  sesame oil

• 2 bulbs

  lemongrass, minced

• 1 clove

  garlic, minced

FOR THE SPREAD:

• 4 tablespoons

  mayonnaise

• 1 tablespoon

  finely chopped cilantro

• Siracha to taste

ADDITIONAL FILLINGS AND GARNISHES:

• 1 medium cucumber, sliced lengthwise

• 1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, sliced

• Small handful cilantro, thai basil, mint in any combination

MAKE THE DO CHUA (PICKLES):

1. In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt, vinegar, and water. Add daikon and carrots and toss. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Drain completely before using.

MAKE THE TOFU:

1. Cut tofu into 1/4-inch-thick slices and press between clean kitchen towels or paper towels to rid of excess water. In a shallow dish, combine soy sauce, vegetable oil, sesame oil, lemongrass, and garlic. Place tofu in dish, gently coat slices with marinade, and arrange so they overlap as little as possible. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Cook in a skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp on each side.

MAKE THE SPREAD:

1. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and cilantro. Add siracha to taste, if desired.

TO SERVE:

1. Slice baguettes lengthwise, leaving one side as a hinge. Add spread on top and bottom halves. Arrange fillings and garnishes: cucumber, do chua, tofu, jalapeño, herbs.

Hot Pepper Relish

• 3 cups chopped hot chili peppers – You can use a mix of peppers and add in a sweet pepper to lower the heat

• 3/4 cup white wine vinegar

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 2 cloves garlic chopped

• 1/2 small onion chopped

• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard seed

• Salt to taste

Add all ingredients to a large pan and heat to medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a light boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer about 25-30 minutes, or until liquid is reduced and absorbed into the mixture.

Add to a jar and allow to cool.

Roasted summer vegetables

Summer Roasted Vegetable Medley

Chopped eggplants, summer squash, zucchini, onions, peppers

chopped basil

a drizzle of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Toss chopped vegetables in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Set oven to 425, poor vegetables on a cookie sheet in one lyer and raost in oven.

Flip veggies after 15 minutes and roast until carmelised.

Take out of oven and sprinkle basil on top and serve. Drizzle with balsamic if desired.

Makes a great sandwich filling with a drizzle of balsamic and olive oil.

Eggplant with garlic sauce

Eggplant with garlic sauce is so yummy and this recipe is delicious. We are luck because light and dark soy sauces are not hard to find around here. You can get them at Mom’s house in Amherst and I recommend having them on hand because they are great for all sorts of veggie recipes.

• 10 oz eggplant (about 2 small Asian type eggplants, but any eggplant will do) , chopped to bite-size pieces

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon water

• 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Stir-fry

• 2 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)

• 1 teaspoon ginger , minced

• 3 cloves garlic , chopped

  Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, mix well.

  Sprinkle eggplant with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and mix by hand, until eggplant is evenly coated with with a thin layer of cornstarch.

  Add 2 tablespoons oil to a big nonstick skillet and heat over medium high heat until hot. Spread eggplant across the bottom of the skillet without overlapping. Cook the eggplant one side at a time until all the surfaces are charred and the eggplant turns soft, 8 to 10 minutes in total. Transfer the eggplants to a plate. If the skillet gets too hot and starts to smoke, turn to medium heat.

  Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil, the ginger and garlic into the same skillet. Stir a few times until fragrant. Add all the eggplant back into the skillet. Mix the sauce again until cornstarch is fully dissolved and pour it over the eggplant. Immediately stir a few times, until the eggplant is evenly coated and the sauce thickens. Transfer everything to a big plate.

Maple mustard beets and greens

• A bunch of beets with their greens

• 1 tbs olive oil

• sherry vinegar or whatever vinegar youlike

• dijon mustard

• maple syrup

• salt to taste

Clean the beets and beet tops well. Dirt likes to get trapped where the greens attach to the beet so I'll pay special attention to there, sometimes trimming it away. Chop the beets and greens. Heat the oil in the pan and add the beets. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring as needed. Add a cup of water and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until beets begin to soften. Add greens and cook until the greens and beets are tender. Add a squirt of mustard, a glug of maple syrup and a sprinkle of vinegar and stir. Sprinkle a little salt to taste. Adjust dressing to taste depending on how you prefer them.

Refrigerator pickles

Yummy pickles that are quick to make and no canning necessary. They can be stored in the fridge for a couple weeks (recipe is not for canning)

Ingredients: 

• 3 Lb. pickling cukes

• 5 c. water

• 1 1/4 c. cider or white vinegar

• 1 c. sugar

• 1/4 c. salt

• 2 dill flower heads

• 3 garlic cloves

• 1 chili pepper

• 1 tsp. pickling spice

Directions: 

Bring to a boil water, vinegar, sugar, salt. Let cool. Slice cukes into rounds and put them and the rest of the ingredients in a sterilized jar and pour cooled liquid over them. Put in refrigerator.

Credit: 

Max's former boss's Meghan Arquin's amazing pickles!

Shaved fennel and crushed olive salad

• 1 cup castelvetrano (large, green) olives

• 2 large fennel bulbs, tough outer leaves discarded, bulbs, stems, and fronds separated

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 tablespoons white wine or champagne vinegar

• Finely grated orange zest from most of 1 orange (1 teaspoon)

• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

• Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper

• 1 lemon

• 3 ounces thinly shaved aged provolone cheese, or another sharp cheese, such as pecorino (about 1 cup)

• Flaky sea salt, to finish

  Crush olives with a flat-bottomed cup, the side of a chef’s knife and remove pit. Coarsely chop olives so that you get big, chunky pieces and add to a medium bowl. Coarsely chop fennel fronds until you have about 1/3 cup and add to bowl. Thinly, but not paper-thin, slice fennel stems crosswise and add them too. Add oil, vinegar, orange zest, and red pepper to bowl; season with kosher salt and black pepper, then stir to evenly combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as you wish.

  Halve fennel bulbs lengthwise. Using a mandoline or your exceptional knife skills, very thinly shave fennel crosswise. Transfer fennel to a second, larger bowl. Zest one-quarter of lemon over. Juice the lemon over it. Season with salt and toss to coat; add more salt if needed.

  Combine and toss the fennel and olive mixture and serve.

Smitten Kitchen's Chopped Salad with Feta, Lime, Mint and Sunflower Seeds

A flexible keeper to hold onto for all season.

Chopped Salad with Feta, Lime, Mint and Sunflower Seeds

3 cups chopped, crunchy vegetables like radishes, cucmbers,carrots, peppers, etc.

2 cups thinly sliced lettuce
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta, queso fresco or ricotta salata
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup well-toasted sunflower seeds, salted or unsalted
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse or Kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon chile powder or 1/8 teaspoon each your choice combination of chile powder, cumin, cayenne or sumac
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint leaves

Mix the vegetables, feta, scallions, seeds and mint in a medium bowl. Whisk lime juice, olive oil, salt, spice and black pepper in a small dish and pour over vegetables, tossing to evenly coat. Adjust with more salt or pepper as needed. Garnish with mint and crunch-crunch-crunch away!