Garden Vegetable Stew

 

This is one vegetarian dish that even the die-hard meat eaters will enjoy! The quality of your veggies will turn this from ordinary to amazing and full of flavor. Its filling and incredible versatile based on the vegetables and herbs you use. This veg stew is perfect over a boiled potato or polenta. With the eggs from our hens, we love poaching an egg and placing it atop this gorgeous garden stew, adding a little protein and making it into more of a meal. Plus, eggs are hot right now!! Which just cracks us up (who comes up with these things?! By the way kale is out and cauliflower is in!) 

Remember with simple dishes like this its important to use the best quality ingredients. This is just the base for the veggies - use what you've got /like/grow. Add in potatoes if you want, etc.

Garden Vegetable Stew
serves about 6

This is just the base for the veggies - use what you've got/like/grow. Add in potatoes if you want, etc.

1 long eggplant
1 onion
1 pepper
1 zucchini
1 bulb of fennel
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
salt & pepper
a couple of large tomatoes, diced or 1 jar of whole crushed tomatoes
herbs of your choice (rosemary, thyme, bay leaf etc)
optional: capers, olives

Dice all your vegetables in a large dice, keeping them separate. Since its a stew the sizing isn’t exact. But don’t mix all the veggies together in a bowl.

In a large heavy pot, with a little bit of olive oil on medium high heat, sauté the onion for a few minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Then remove from the pot. We are just looking to start the onions cooking.

Repeat the same process, a little bit of olive oil, salt & pepper, sauté for 2 minutes or so and then remove, with each of the remaining vegetable except the tomatoes.

Keep an eye on your pan heat - you don’t want it too hot or too cool: too hot and they will burn your vegetables, too cool and you’ll sweat instead of sauté the vegetables.

Then return all the vegetables to the pot, together, along with the tomatoes and your herbs (and capers/olives if you like). Bring the pot up to a simmer and let slowly simmer until all the vegetables are tender. OR I like to pop it in a 375 F/190 C degrees oven, uncovered for about 45 minutes to an hour or until the vegetables are soft and the liquid has reduced some.

Check your seasoning, remove the herb stems and finish with good extra virgin olive oil on top.

If you like, poach an egg and place atop or serve with boiled potatoes or grilled polenta. Makes a great hearty vegetarian dish. It will get better as it sits in the fridge. Change up the vegetables as you like or play with the spices.

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary

Why do roasted potatoes taste so much better in Italy?! Well, it could be a few reasons. First the potatoes are golden and buttery to begin with (and homegrown at our farm) and secondly because they are made with with a two-step roasting process. This two part cooking process uses two different temperatures to achieve the desired flavor and look of the potatoes. The first half of the cooking time done at the lower temp is primarily to cook the potatoes until soft. The second half of the cooking time is done at a higher temp to get that gorgeous golden color. (The movement of air with a convection fan will act in lieu of raising the oven’s temperature.) 

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary

Serves 4

4 medium sized yellow potatoes (you can use any type you like, but we prefer gold/yellow potatoes) - peeled or skins left on is your choice.
whole clove of garlic, skin removed
salt & pepper
olive oil
small sprig of rosemary (do not cut into pieces)

Place a roasting pan in a cold oven and preheat to 350 F/180 C degrees.
Cut your potatoes into chunks, the larger the size, the longer it will take to cook. The smaller they are cut, the crunchier they will get and a shorter cooking time is needed.

In a bowl, combine the potatoes, a little salt & pepper, clove of garlic and rosemary sprig broken in half - do not chop it up. Toss the potatoes with a very little amount of oil, just enough to coat it. Too much oil will result in greasy potatoes.

Once the oven comes up to temperature, carefully remove the roasting pan and line with parchment paper. Place the potatoes in a single layer on the roasting pan, not too crowded.

Place in the oven and roast until they are soft about 20-30 minutes (depending on the size you cut your potatoes). They will not have much color yet. Remove from oven, with a spatula give the potatoes a flip/turn and return to oven.

Now, if your oven has a convection fan, turn it on - leaving the temperature the same - allowing the the potatoes to continue to roast until they have good color. (about 15-20 minutes depending).

If your oven does NOT have a convection fan raise the temperature to 375 F / 190 C degrees until your potatoes have a nice color, cooking about another 15-20 minutes (depending).

During the 2nd half, you may need to give the pots another turn/flip with the spatula.
To serve, remove the garlic & rosemary sprigs.

Chicory Salad with Anchovy Dressing - Puntarelle alla Romana

Chicory with Anchovy Dressing

Until fairly recently there was a certain amount of discussion outside of Rome as to what puntarelle are. Turns out they're chicory shoots of a variety known as Catalogna, picked while still young and tender. Slightly bitter, crisp and fresh this pairs perfectly with salty anchovies and a squeeze of lemon.

Chicory with Anchovy Dressing
puntarelle alla romana (salsa di alici)

1 head of puntarelle, chicory, radicchio, endive or any winter lettuce.

Prepare the puntarelle: Remove the spindly outer dark green leaves to reveal the heart. This resembles a weird looking bunch of white asparagus tips. Remove the stalks from the center core, slice in half length wise and wash. Spin dry thoroughly.

Dressing:
1 spoonful of lemon juice
3 spoonfuls of olive oil
1/2 clove of garlic, minced finely
1/2 - 1 anchovy filet
salt & pepper

This recipe is really simple and can be expanded to make as large as a quantity as you want - just follow the three to one ratio.

In a bowl or mortar and pestle combine the garlic, lemon and anchovy. With either a fork or pestle make sure everything is pulverized and mixed together well. Once you are ready, continuously stir, drizzle in the olive oil. Give it a good stir until the oil has fully incorporated.  Taste and adjust the salt & pepper and acid to oil ratio.

Make a tiny bit or enough to feed an army - it’s easy & delicious!

Braised Escarole with Pancetta

Braised Escarole and Pancetta Recipe

Serves 4

1 head of escarole
5-6 thin slices of pancetta or guanciale, prosciutto, speck
half a glass of white wine
2 cloves of garlic
couple of stems of thyme - leave in tact & no need to chop (it makes it easier to remove)

Start by cleaning the escarole. Cut it into six wedges, leaving the core intact. With a piece of kitchen twine, tie the wedges into bundles to prevent them from separating.

In a pan, rosalare or lightly brown 2 cloves of garlic in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Raise the heat, add the escarole and a crack of salt and pepper.  Cook for a couple of minutes until the greens begins to wilt. Then give everything a turn. Add in the thyme sprigs and lay the slices of pancetta over the top. In goes the white wine. Cover with parchment paper, lower the heat and allow to braise on the stove top or in a 350/175 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until the escarole is tender.

To serve, cut off the twine, remove the thyme and cloves of garlic and discard (unless you love them).

Fennel and Peach Salad

 On a hot night this is an ideal, super simple, light and refreshing summer salad. The crunch of the fennel & sweet peaches pair perfectly! There are only a handful of ingredients; shaved fennel, peaches, extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper. The key to keeping the fennel flavor from overpowering everything is to shave it very fine with a mandoline.

(Side note: It may not be proper Italian but when it's over 90 F / 30 C it's on the menu.)

Fennel and Peach Salad

1 bulb of fennel, core removed, sliced paper thin on a mandoline or meat slicer
2-3 of peaches, sliced
a few tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and gently toss. Let sit five minutes and serve!

Roasted Root Vegetables {Heirloom Beets & Carrots}

Move over mashed potatoes! This winter why not try something different like roasted root vegetables?  Parsnips, rutabagas, beets, carrots, fennel, etc. go great with rich meats or as a side dish or antipasto. As autumn comes to an end and fresh vegetables are harder to come by we like to mix and match our root veggies. For example why not add potatoes or carrots to your mashed potatoes adding a bit of color and complexity to the taste.  It's easy to do too, simply peel the carrots or beets and dice and boil in the same pot as the potatoes. Then mash'em, adding in your butter and milk. You can also braise or grill certain root vegetables.

On a side note: I grew up hating beets because my parents forced us to eat them from a can! It was horrific. I promise you that fresh picked beets taste nothing like the tinned variety.

Root vegetables are rich in nutrients, low in fat and calories, inexpensive and usually available throughout the year.  Beyond that, they have wildly varying characteristics.  Radishes are pungent, carrots sweet, beets earthy.  Others, like parsnips, turnips, and rutabagas, have more subtle flavors. Root vegetables preserve well in the ground or in a dry cool place.

Fresh from the garden carrots and "candles of fire" beets

Roasted Root Vegetables

Keep in mind that different veggies have different cooking times. For instance the beets will need to be boiled & skinned first, where as the carrot can be roasted raw.

serves 6

1 bulb fennel
2-3 med. beets (we use a long variety, but you can use the classic round beet as well)
a bunch of baby carrots or 2-3 normal carrots, peeled & left whole
couple cloves of garlic, skins removed
handful of parsley leaves, whole
salt & pepper
olive oil

In a pot of boiling water, cook the beets until a knife easily slips through them. Drain & allow to cool. Once you can handle them, rub the beets with a damp kitchen rag & the skins will slough off. If you are using long beets like the photo above, simply quarter them length wise. For the traditional round beets, cut them into 1 inch square chunks.

Take the fennel, cut in half & remove the bottom core by cutting an inverted ‘V’ at the base.   Then simply slice the fennel lengthwise into inch wide pieces.

If you have baby carrots, just clean them up & throw them in whole, they look gorgeous! If not, cut your carrots by quartering them lengthwise - use your judgement & try to keep your cuts similar to the size of your fennel.

Toss all the root veggies in a bowl with a couple cloves of garlic left whole, a few pinches of salt & crack of pepper, finishing with 2-3 glugs of olive oil. Toss everything together & layout out a baking pan with parchment paper.

Bake in a hot oven 400 F or 200 C for about 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven, give everything. If you have a convection setting turn it on now, if not raise the temp. to 425 or 215 C. Continue roasting for another 15-25 minutes depending on the size you cut your vegetables. The cooking time is generally about an hour in total, I like to keep it in until the edges get the burny crispy edges. Five minutes before the veggies are done add you whole parsley leaves atop & give it another turn. Be careful not to leave it in too much longer, you don’t want the parsley to burn, but just wilt.


Serve with a drizzle of really good olive oil & serve with anything: roasted chicken, grilled meats, fish, put it on cibatta bread with soft cheese - all by itself, you name it, it’s delish!

Sauteed Spring Greens (Liscaro) with Garlic & Olive Oil

Liscaro has more aliases than an escaped convict - in our neck of the woods it is called liscaro, but travel outside our valley and it goes by agretto, lischi, roscano, baciccio, barba del negus. Just another example of how regional & local the cooking (& language) is in Italy! If you like spinach then you will love liscaro (or whatever you prefer to call it) - the flavor is a bit more subtle than spinach & not as irony. Even though it looks like blades of grass, I assure it tastes nothing like it (and yes, I've eaten grass!) 

Sauteed liscaro makes a delicious healthy side-dish, filling for an omelet or fritatta, tossed into salad - basically anywhere you'd add a leafy green veg, you can add liscaro - but nothing is better than simply sauteed with olive oil & garlic!

Sauteed Liscaro

serves 4

2 bunches of liscaro, pick of the roots  tough woody stems until you reach the softer leaves, wash 2-3 times.
2-3 cloves garlic whole, skin removed
olive oil
salt
chili flakes
lemon

In a big pot with boiling salted water plunge in the cleaned liscaro for 3-4 minutes.

While it is cooking in the water, get a pan & on low heat cover the bottom with olive oil.  Toss in the garlic and cook gently until lightly brown. Then remove the garlic & discard.

Once the liscaro is finished boiling, drain & throw it in the pan with the olive oil and sautee on med heat for a couple (2-3) minutes. Season with salt & chili flakes to taste.

At the very end, add a good squeeze of lemon on top & give it a mix. Serve.

Spring Side Dish: Peas & Pancetta

Sweet peas have arrived at the farmers market, spring is here! Peas & pancetta - one of my favorite dishes that I only eat in Spring when the peas are bright & fresh.   I can't get enough, I don't know if it's the peas or the pancetta - is it the green veggie or the fatty pork that I love so?! Maybe I should just have another spoonful...

Peas & Pancetta

piselli & pancetta

serves 4
12 oz or 330 gr of fresh shelled sweet peas, rinsed
4 oz or 100 gr pancetta, bacon or guanciale, cured pig’s cheek (omit if vegetarian)
1 small onion, sliced
1-2 cloves garlic
2-3 cherry tomatoes, halved
spoonful red wine vinegar
small handful parsley, chopped
tiny bit of mint, chopped (optional)
salt & pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Bring a medium pot up to boil. In the meantime, in a medium skillet on medium-low heat, slowly render down the pancetta for 4-5 minutes, trying not to brown it and not crispy. If it starts to brown remove the pan from the heat or lower the flame.

Next add garlic & onion, sauté for 5-6 minutes.
(Vegetarian Note: Just omit the the pancetta & sauté the onions & garlic in olive oil.)
When the onions & garlic are about 2 minutes from being ready, add the tomatoes.

At the same time toss the peas in the water and blanch for 2-3 minutes. You want them approximately half-cooked. Strain the peas and throw them directly into the pan with the pancetta adding a spoonful of the pea-water. Allow to cook until peas are cooked but still have a bite.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt & pepper.
Just before you serve, toss in the herbs and drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil.

Braised Fennel with White Wine

Photo: Simply Recipes

Fennel is a versatile vegetable that is often looked over for being too tough. Braising is a great way to soften this hearty root vegetable known to aid in digestion. The acidity & fruitiness of the wine compliments the aniseed flavored fennel and with a good drizzle of olive oil it finishes this dish perfectly.  Serve with meat!

Braised Fennel with White Wine
finocchio al vino bianco

1 large fennel cut into wedges (keeping the center core intact)
2 cloves of garlic
few glugs of olive oil
pepper flakes to taste
glass of white wine
salt & pepper
aromatics optional: lemon zest, orange zest, fennel seeds, herbs, chilies ... you get the point, anything you like.


In a pan on low heat, add a few glugs of olive oil and sweat garlic until lightly golden, then discard the garlic. Raise the heat add the fennel and sautee 1-2 minutes on each side to get color.
Season with salt & chili flakes to taste.
Add in aromatics of your choice. (Don't over do it - a sprig of rosemary, a twist/zest or two of lemon or just a couple juniper berries, we still want the flavor of the fennel to come through.)
Reduce heat to low. Add in wine & cover.
Braise on low heat until tender, about  20-25 minutes.
It may be necessary to add in a bit of water if it gets too dry.
Check seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Serve with a drizzle of good olive oil atop.

Pear & Pine Nut Salad with Honey Vinaigrette

Rosy cheeked, angelica pears, native to the Metauro Valley are found in the markets throughout autumn in our area of Le Marche. One of my favorite ways to use these sweet small pears is tossing them with pine nuts, parmesan and a sweet honey lemon vinaigrette - creating an irresistible salad!

Pear & Pine Nut Salad with Honey Vinaigrette Recipe

Insalata di pera e pinoli

Ingredients:

1 small head of soft leafed lettuce, cut, washed & dry
2  small pears, cubed
100 gr pine nuts, toasted
juice of half a lemon
honey
extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan

Method:

In a bowl, juice the lemon with a spoonful of good honey. As you stir drizzle in olive oil approximately twice the olive oil than lemon juice.

Give it a taste - if its too olive oily- give it a squeeze of lemon, like wise in the reverse order. Set aside.  Toss lettuce with half the pears and pine nuts and the dressing add a crack of pepper and sprinkle of salt. Once in serving bowl, top with the rest of the pine nuts and pears and shaved parmesan.

Savory Chard & Prosciutto Tart

Eating your greens, never tasted so good: Savory Chard & Prosciutto Tart

Nutrient rich swiss chard goes by many names (bietola in Italian), found in many colors and is a cousin of kale. Chard is a hearty green with a nice bitter bite, holding up better than spinach when cooking. Its fibrous leaves wilt nicely into soups, perfect simply sauteed with garlic & olive oil or elevated to more than just a leafy green when mixed with prosciutto and packed into a savory pie shell!

Garden Tip: Chard is a regenerating plant meaning you can cut it to eat & it will reproduce more leafy greens.

Chard Tart Recipe
Torta di Bietola

Pastry Dough
Ingredients:
2 3/4 Cups (250 gr) all purpose flour
3/4 Cup (150 gr.) butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
2-3 Tablespoons ice water
pinch of salt

Method:
Sift flour into a mound, add the butter & pinch of salt. Rub together with your fingers or food processor. When mixture resembles crumbly coarse sand incorporate the egg & water. Knead 2-3 times.
Form into a disk, wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Filling
Ingredients:
2 Cups (400 gr) of cooked, drained and squeezed dry greens (chard, spinach, escarole, etc.)
1 Cup (250 gr.) sheep’s milk ricotta cheese
zest of half a lemon
generous handful of Parmesan
2-3 slices of prosciutto, chopped
salt & pepper
1 egg, separated

Method:
Cook your greens in boiling, salted water depending on the toughness (spinach may only need 20-30 seconds, chard needs 3-4 minutes).  Drain and squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the greens. Combine the greens in a bowl with the ricotta, parmesan, lemon, prosciutto, salt & pepper. Taste & check your seasonings.

To Assemble the Tart:
Preheat oven to 350 F/ 185 C

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and split in half. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch or 1/2 cm thickness and line the bottom of a tart or pie pan. (We use 9-inch or 25 cm but you can make individual tarts as well.)

Once pastry is lined in pan, brush with egg white then fill with a generous amount of the chard mixture (filling in evenly).
Top with the other half of the dough, rolled out to the same thickness. Pinch the edges, closing the tart securely. Brush the top with egg yolk. Cut 2-3 slits to allow  the steam to escape.

Place in oven, bake 45 minutes - 1 hour until pastry is golden brown & filling is bubbly. Serve warm or room temperature.

Sauteed Spinach - Garlicky Goodness!

It doesn't get any simpler than sauteed spinach! When its done right I can't get enough of that garlicky goodness, when its mushy - its an inedible mess. (The key is in the squeeze! Read below) We grow loads of spinach, which requires lots of washing to get all the extra sand & grit off the leaves. 

Enjoy this 5-minute dish, again & again! 

As an old sailor used to say,  "I'm strong to the finish 'cause I eats me spinach."

Sauteed Spinach with Garlic

serves 4

1.5 lb of fresh, raw spinach leaves, triple washed
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
salt & pepper
squeeze of lemon

Be sure to wash your spinach well rinsing away all dirt & sand thoroughly.

Heat a med pot of boiling salted water. Blanch spinach 30-45 seconds. Drain & allow to cool.
In a large frying pan on very low heat, heat olive oil & brown 1-2 cloves of garlic. Once garlic is brown, remove & discard. 
Press spinach between your hands to drain most of the water out. Give it a good squeeze!
 Add it to the pan & sauté for 3-4 minutes, season with salt & pepper. Squeeze of lemon at the end & serve.

Potato & Cabbage Mash

Nothing says home cookin' like mashed potatoes.   For a "new" spin try the classic rustic Italian recipe of Potato & Cabbage Mash (Lesso di Patae e Cavolo Verza) by adding cabbage to boost the flavor. You can't get any more simplistic - a perfect example of cucina povera or peasant cooking. This dish goes great with stews, roasts and chicken.

We grow kilos & kilos of potatoes and rows of cabbages so we eat this all winter long!

pounds of freshly dug-up potatoes from the garden

Potato & Cabbage Mash

Lesso di patate e cavolo

Serves 4

1 head of savoy cabbage or cavolo verza, rinsed, cored & chopped
3 medium potatoes, (I grow & use yellow potatoes but use what you like)
2-3 glugs of olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
salt & pepper


Bring a large pot of water up to a boil with a healthy pinch of salt. Toss in your potatoes with the skins-on. Cook until a knife slides into the potato easily (just like you would for mashed tatters), remove from boiling water & allow to cool slightly. Then peel potatoes once you can handle them.

In the same pot bring new water back to a boil with a pinch of salt.
Place cabbage in boiling water 8-10 minutes until soft. Remove cabbage from water & set in colander, draining excess water.

In a large frying pan (don't use Teflon pans for this!) on med-low heat slowly heat oil, rough chop your garlic & add it to the pan. Gently sweat for moment or two without burning or becoming brown. Then begin adding your potatoes to the pan, smashing them with a fork, incorporating the garlic & oil.

Give your cabbage a squeeze to remove some of the excess water, add the cabbage to the pan & continue smashing the cabbage with the back of the fork until the two are incorporated.

Taste. Season with salt & pepper, add another drizzle of olive oil if it seems dry.
Serve.

cavolo verza from our garden

Garden Casserole

Perfect for those crisp fall nights- hearty fall veggies in a casserole with crunchy bread - keeps you toasty by the fire! Our garden is filled with these veggies & it is one of the easiest ways to utilize what we've got! Plus - this recipe is ridiculously simple!!

Ingredients

* 2 nice sized potatoes (yukon gold are best), peeled & thinly sliced
* 2 medium zucchini, sliced on the bias with seeds removed
* 2 shallots, chopped
* couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
* handful of fresh herbs, chopped (oregano, parsley or marjoram)
* salt & pepper
* extra virgin olive oil
* good bread

The Steps~

* Pour a little oil in a casserole dish (oven safe).
* Make a layer of potatoes covering the base of the dish
* Layer of zucchini
* Salt & pepper
* drizzle of olive oil
* couple of tomatoes ( does not have to fill in completly)
* sprinkle of shallots
* salt & pepper
* drizzle of olive oil
* chopped herbs
* repeat these steps until the dish is filled eding with potatoes on the top & a final drizzle of olive oil
* bake in a 400 degree oven until it is bubbling & a knife slips in easy & soft. Cooking time depends on size & height of your caserol dish - normally about an hour - hour & half.