Torpedo Onions- Stuffed

Torpedo onions are special, flavorful, mild, and versatile. You are probably figuring that out on your own. If you have any left from your CSA share, here is another idea for a summer dinner.

Preheat the oven to 375.
Core the onions making a cup and save the insides minced for stuffing.
Saute minced onion, zucchini, herbs, and re-stuff the mixture into the onion cup.
Make a topping by dry sauteing bread crumbs. Stir constantly to avoid burning.
Mix in a little melted butter and some parmesan cheese.
Top the onion cups with the breadcrumb mixture and place in a baking dish to bake in the oven until the onions are soft and the tops are golden. Usually about 25-30 minutes
Enjoy

Purslane Pico

This salad/ pico de gallo is reminiscent of a nopales salad, except a
little less like Slimer from the Ghostbusters hit it.

You need:
Purslane 1 bunch stems discarded, minced
2 onions Diced
2 jalapeños minced
4 cucumbers diced
5 tomatoes diced
Juice from 1 lemon
Salt

Chop.  Mix.  Squeeze. Serve.

Add cilantro if you want more of a salsa-y salad. Enjoy. 
I had mine for our 4th of July BBQ. Boom.

Locavore's Confetti Slaw

Confetti Slaw    

1 c. grated green cabbage

1 c. grated purple cabbage

1/2 c. grated carrots

1/4 c. minced onion

1/8 c. dill pickle relish

2 tbls. fresh cilantro

1/4 c. mayonnaise

1/8 c rice vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together and enjoy the stunning beauty of this dish as well as the summer fresh flavor!

A Minestrone for Fall

While it is foggy in Ventura, you might enjoy a Minestrone. You might not think you like minestrone. This soup can evoke memories of trying to choke down soggy tomatoes and zucchini. Who would do that to a vegetable?
I've had a Minestrone Renaissance- I cook everything al dente, garnish it with plenty of fresh basil and freshly grated parmigiano reggiano from my great grandmother's Italian wooden cheese grater, and pair it with a hunk of Kate Pepper's delicious bread. Minestrone uses the vast majority of the ingredients in the summer harvest, and with some technique- it is a perfect light summer dinner. Give it another try.

I've been doing my minestrone research; minestrone means "the big soup" and comes from a style of cooking the Italians call "cucina povera"- the poor kitchen. Like most provincial food, it is based on what is abundant- so use what you got.

Start with a base of sauteéd onions and garlic cooked in butter and olive oil until they are translucent. Add your herbs (rosemary, thyme, fresh oregano or marjoram). Add stock and water in ratio with the amount of soup you want. While the stock is coming to a boil, prepare your ingredients.

Potatoes- cubed

Zucchini- cut in thick rounds, half moon, or quarters

Tomatoes- quartered

Peppers- sliced

Chard- cut into strips

Basil- cut into thin strips

Cannellini Beans- cooked, rinsed

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Add the potatoes to the stock and boil until tender. Add the beans.

Meanwhile, sauté the chard with salt and butter. In a separate pan, sauté the zucchini and sweet peppers just until al dente with more fresh herbs and salt and pepper.

When the potatoes are ready, combine the zucchini, peppers, chard, fresh tomatoes, and 1/2 the basil . Let simmer for a minute. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve in a large flat bowl and garnish with fresh tomatoes, basil, fresh shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a dash of cream. (You may like to add pasta shells at the end)

Guacamole

Does it need to be said that Guacamole would be a great way to use up some of the tomatoes and garlic, and even peppers that we are getting? Probably you've thought of this by now. In case you haven't? The fresh guac that we just made was absolutely delicious.

Here's a recipe to try, but you hardly need it. Gather the flavors you love and mash them all together.

• 3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

Farm Magic

A trip to the farm is always better than I imagine it will be. It's not that I imagine it will be dull, exactly. It's just that I never anticipate getting as much incredible knowledge and brilliant ideas as I invariably do, and yesterday was no exception.

I was at the farm yesterday when Liz shared her ketchup with me. Homemade ketchup is a revelation. It tastes so much more fresh and the individual flavors are much more distinct than in the store-bought varieties. Liz had made two varieties, and they were both fabulous - deep intense flavors that would have been luscious with a burger, or just about anything else you could cook up.

Lucky for me, I had a tip that Jamie Oliver has a great ketchup recipe in Jamie at Home, so I looked it up. The good news here is that we are getting many of the ingredients in our CSA boxes, so there isn't much to add to make it all come together. Ketchup is also easy to can (with all the vinegar, you don't have to worry so much), so you can make up a big batch and shelve it for your next barbecue party!

Homemade Tomato Ketchup

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 a fennel bulb, chopped (or, presumably, one small bulb)

1 stick of celery, chopped

olive oil

a thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1/2 a fresh red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

a handful fresh basil, stalks separated from leaves

1 Tbs coriander seeds

2 cloves

1 tsp black pepper

sea salt

2 lbs tomatoes, chopped

3/4 C + 2 Tbs red wine vinegar

1/3 C brown sugar

Put all ingredients, onion through sea salt, into a large pan and saute on low for 10 - 15 mins.

Add tomatoes and 1 1/2 C water and bring to a boil. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half.

Add basil leaves then blend the sauce in a food processor. Force the pulp through a fine mesh sieve twice. Place sauce into a clean pan and add vinegar and sugar. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce becomes the consistency of ketchup.

- Christiana Thomas