Joya Gazpacho

from Joya Restaurant in Palo Alto 

submitted by Sue Gilbert

makes about 8 servings

10 Roma tomatoes, cored & peeled

½ red onion, peeled

1 English cucumber, peeled & seeded

1 red bell pepper, seeded

1 garlic clove, peeled

¼ cup sherry vinegar

6 basil leaves

½ teaspoon pimenton

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Using a food processor, puree tomatoes, onion, cucumber, pepper, garlic, sherry vinegar, basil and pimenton. Add olive oil slowly to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper.

There are many wonderful gazpacho recipes, and this is one of my favorites.

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

from Bon Appétit

adapted by Sue Gilbert and Katy Lonergan

makes about 8 servings

1½ tablespoons butter

¾ cup finely chopped carrot

¾ cup finely chopped celery

½ white onion, finely chopped

¾ cup smashed ripe banana

1 garlic clove, minced

5 cups chicken broth

2 cups canned pureed pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk

¼ cup sweetened condensed milk (or use maple syrup)

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground allspice

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt (to taste)

fresh ground pepper (to taste)

nonfat yogurt (for garnish)

cilantro or Italian parsley (for garnish)

Melt butter in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, celery, banana, and garlic and sauté until vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients. 

Simmer over medium high heat for about 15 minutes. If you wish to have a smooth consistency, you can either blend the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender. Just be sure to let the soup cool some before placing in a blender and only fill the blender about half full. 

Season with salt and pepper and adjust other seasonings, such as curry and cayenne if you wish.

This soup has a wonderful kick and is easily adaptable depending upon your preference for heat and/or sweetness. If you prefer it less sweet, add less banana and/or less sweetened condensed milk. If you prefer it less spicy, use less cayenne and/or more yogurt.

For especially easy prep, use one 14.5-ounce container of Trader Joe's mirepoix (diced carrots, onion, and celery).

The soup is even better the second day.

Curried Eggplant

photo by Romulo Yanes

from epicurious.com

submitted by Anne Halsted

serves 6

3 pounds Asian eggplants (about 6), cut crosswise into ⅓-inch thick rounds

1 ¾ teaspoons salt

1 large garlic clove, chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

2 teaspoons chopped fresh jalapeño chile including seeds

1 teaspoon yellow or brown mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon turmeric

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced lengthwise

1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

¾ cup water

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

¼ cup roasted cashews (1¼ ounce), chopped

Accompaniment:

steamed basmati or jasmine rice

Toss eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt in a colander set over a bowl, then let drain 30 minutes. Rinse eggplant, then drain again, pressing gently on eggplant to extract any excess liquid.

While eggplant drains, mash garlic, ginger, and jalapeño to a paste with ½ teaspoon salt using a mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a large heavy knife and transfer to a cup), then stir in mustard and cumin seeds and turmeric.

Heat oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add spice paste and cinnamon stick, then reduce heat to moderate and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Add eggplant and cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in water, brown sugar, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is tender but not falling apart, 20 to 25 minutes. Season eggplant with additional salt.

Discard cinnamon stick and serve eggplant sprinkled with cilantro and cashews, serve with rice.

You can use either Chinese or Japanese eggplants for this recipe; both varieties have purple skin, a long, slender shape, and small seeds. If you use a larger eggplant, be sure to adjust seasoning accordingly.

Ginger-Lime Slow Roasted Carrots

adapted from Homemade with Love
submitted by Katy Lonergan
serves 4

2 (1½-inch) pieces fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1½ tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
freshly grated zest of 2 limes
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
2 bunches thin fresh carrots, peeled and stems cut to 2-inch length

Preheat oven to 300° F.

Add the ginger, syrup, oil, lime zest, and salt to a small bowl. Adjust seasonings to taste. Beat with fork to mix well.

Arrange carrots on a sheet pan covered with aluminum foil (plus Silpat for security) for easy clean-up. Pour ginger-oil mixture over the carrots, hand tossing to coat well. Bake until tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour 15 minutes. (If using baby carrots from a bag, which are thicker, cook at 375° F.)

They taste great served hot, room temperature, even cold! If you can’t get the thin carrots, just cut the thicker carrots into ½-inch thick coins before roasting. Not as pretty on the plate but just as tasty! 

Massaged Kale

submitted by Susan Kirk

one bunch of curly kale - Cut stem away and chop

juice of 2 lemons (preferably Meyer)

3-4 tablespoons fruity olive oil

salt and pepper

In a medium sized bowl combine lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Put the chopped kale into the same bowl and massage the oil/lemon mix into the kale. Takes about 4 minutes.

Cover and marinate in fridge for at least 24 hours. Keeps a week.

Add to other salads, serve as a side dish, have fun!

Five-Spice Pork Bolognese

from Naples Daily News

submitted by Irene Tibbits

serves 4

12 ounces pasta

1 pound lean ground pork

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon five-spice powder

2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt and ground pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium-high. Add the pork and sauté for 2 minutes, or until fat begins to render from the meat. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Sauté until the carrots are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the five-spice powder and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or so. Stir in the Parmesan, then season with salt and pepper. Stir in a bit of basil.

Add the pasta, tossing to coat well. Serve topped with additional basil.

This Bolognese is nearly effortless. You can make it even more so by using the food processor to chop your vegetables. Other meats can also be used: beef, veal, or turkey.

Pasta with Burst Cherry Tomatoes

from The New York Times

submitted by Irene Tibbits

serves 8

1 pound fusilli pasta

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling

6 ounces pancetta, preferably thick cut, diced

6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

pinch of red pepper flakes

fine sea salt and black pepper, as needed

1 quart cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup fresh ricotta cheese, for serving

3 cups whole mint leaves, torn

4 scallions, preferably red scallions for color, thinly sliced

flaky sea salt, to finish

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until 1 minute shy of al dente. Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking water. Stir in ½ cup ricotta.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for 15 seconds, then add the oil and heat until it thins out and easily coats the pan when swirled. Add pancetta and cook until it starts to render its fat, about 2 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and a large pinch of salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until they burst, turn golden at the edges and shrivel up slightly, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add pasta to pan and toss with tomato-pancetta mixture; if the mixture looks dry add a little pasta cooking water a few tablespoons at a time. Cook over high heat until the pasta finishes cooking in the sauce. Add the butter and toss until it melts and coats everything.

Divide pasta among warmed pasta bowls. Garnish bowls with dollops of ricotta (other ½ cup ricotta), and top with a generous mound of fresh mint and scallions. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and more pepper before serving. Note: If you would like to leave out the pancetta (making the dish vegetarian), toss ⅓ cup grated pecorino in the pasta along with the butter.

This recipe may seem like it calls for a lot of mint, but that’s what makes this easy pasta dish so refreshing. Cooking halved cherry tomatoes in olive oil until they burst condenses their flavor and caramelizes their edges, and makes a very intense base for the pasta sauce in this dish. Pancetta adds richness and a salty tang, but if you’d rather leave it out, you can. Just toss in some grated pecorino cheese at the end along with the butter.