Sweet and Spicy Barley with Beans and Bacon

This is like homemade baked beans, with barley.

1 cup dried navy beans
8 oz. slab bacon, diced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
One 14-oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup pearled barley
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 T. balsamic vinegar
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
up to 2 T. chopped pickled jalapeno rings, or 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauced, minced

Soak the beans 12-16 hours in a big bowl of water. Drain.

Fry the bacon until it just begins to render its fat, stirring occasionally, in a 6-quart pressure cooker over medium heat.  Add the onion; cook until both have browned a bit, stirring often, about 4 more minutes. Pour in the broth and scrape up any browned bits in the bottom of the pot. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.

Lock the lid onto the pot, and raise the heat to high until pressure is reached. Cook for 18-20 minutes at pressure, reducing heat as much as possible while maintaining high pressure. Use the quick release method to bring the pot's pressure back to normal, unlock the lid and open the pot. Stir well before serving.

From the Great Big Pressure Cooker Book, by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

Zesty Wheat Berry-Black Bean Chili

Zesty Wheat Berry-Black Bean Chili

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large yellow bell pepper,chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
2 14-ounce cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1-2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
2 cups Cooked Wheat Berries
Juice of 1 lime
1 avocado, diced
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, chipotle to taste, broth and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.

Stir in cooked wheat berries and heat through, about 5 minutes more. (If using frozen wheat berries, cook until thoroughly heated.) Remove from the heat. Stir in lime juice. Garnish each bowl with avocado and cilantro.

From EatingWell: March/April 2007, EatingWell for a Healthy Heart Cookbook (2008)

Beet Risotto

2 medium beets, trimmed
1 bay leaf
1 T. unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 T. orange zest
1 cup arborio rice
2 T. raspberry or lemon vinegar
pinch sugar
1 T. sour cream or yogurt cheese

Put beets and bay leaf in a saucepan with 4 cups water, bring to a boil, and simmer, covered until the beets are cooked through (about 40 minutes, depending on size). Remove the beets, strain the water and discard the bay leaf, and pour the beet cooking water back into the saucepan.

Skin the beets. Chop 1 beet and set aside. Pure the other beet in a food processor, return to the strained broth, and bring the broth to a simmer. Keep it on a gentle simmer, covered, over low heat.

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter. Add onion and orange zest, and saute over medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the chopped beet and stir well. Add the rice and stir until it's well coated with the seasonings and glistening, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and stir until it evaporates, about 2 minutes.

Using a ladle, add about 1 cup hot broth. Stir constantly over medium heat until the broth has been absorbed. Add another ladleful and keep stirring until it's been absorbed. Continue the process, adding broth 1/2 cup at a time and stirring this way until kernels are plump and no longer chalk white in center. This should take 25 to 30 minutes altogether. It's almost done when the kernels are still separate but starting to bind, and there are pools of broth on the surface. It's done when the liquid has been absorbed, and the kernels are bound in what looks like very ricey, yet somewhat creamy, rice pudding.

When the risotto is done, stir in the sugar, sour cream or yogurt cheese, and stir well to blend.

This is from Diane Shaw's Almost Vegetarian. My changes: double the butter (I used salted), used balsamic vinegar (what I had), add more water after the broth is gone, skip the sugar, and just about triple the sour cream. We added a bit of salt at the end, and grated some fresh parmesan on top. Very nice.

Enchanted Broccoli Forest

I cook from the original Moosewood Cookbook a lot more often than from its followup, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest.  I never even realized until recently that the title was actually a recipe in the book, with little broccoli trees standing in a brown rice casserole.  It doesn't get any more Moosewood than that.  We had to try it.  The lemon butter broccoli was pretty good, but the casserole was bland.  I would double the onion and salt, and maybe throw some more vegetables in.

Enchanted Broccoli Forest

1 1-lb. bunch of broccoli, cut into spears and steamed until just tender

2 cups brown rice, cooked in 3 cups water until just done

Juice from 1 lemon combined with 2 tbsp of melted butter

Sauté:

1 tbl. butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 large clove crushed garlic

½ tsp salt

½ tsp dill

Lots of black pepper

½ tsp dried mint

cayenne pepper, to taste

Sauté together until onions are soft and translucent.  Add to the cooked rice.

3 large eggs

¼ cup parsley

1½ cup grated grated cheddar or Swiss cheese

Beat together well, then add to the rice mixture and spread into a buttered 8"x8" pan.

Arrange the broccoli trees upright in the bed of rice mixture and drizzle with lemon butter.  Cover gently but firmly with foil.  Bake 30 minutes at 325°F.

From The Enchanted Broccoli Forest

Free-Form Apple Onion Tart

Pastry:
1½ cups flour
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
8 T. butter
1 T. white vinegar
4-5 T. ice water

Onions:
1 lg. red onion, peeled, root intact
2 lg. spanish onions, peeled with root intact
2 T. olive oil
2 T. dijon mustard
3 T. thyme
salt/pepper
3 T. balsamic vinegar

Apple Filling:
4 golden delicious apples
2 T. butter
2 T. sugar
pinch of nutmeg

Pastry: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt, and pulse to sift together. Add the butter, pulsing to mix until the mixture resembles sand. Mix together the vinegar and 4 T. water. Mix vinegar mixture into the flour, enough that the dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board, and knead until smooth. Shape into a flat, round, cake. Wrap in foil and refrigerate 20 minutes.

Onions: Preheat the oven to 400° F. Cut each onion into 6-8 wedges, keeping some root on each piece to hold together. Mix olive oil, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the onions, and toss gently to coat. Arrange onions in a baking dish, rounded sides down. Sprinkle with vinegar. Cover with foil, roast for 45 minutes. Remove foil, roast for 30 minutes more, until very tender.

Apples: Peel, core, and quarter apples. Cut each quarter into 3 pieces. In a large skillet, melt butter, add apples, and sprinkle with sugar and nutmeg. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Set oven at 400° F. Roll out dough on a floured surface to about 9x11 inches. Transfer to floured baking sheet. Place apples on dough, and onions on top of apples. Curl up edge of dough around filling. Bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until pastry browns.

From the Boston Globe, probably 15 years ago but I don't have the original recipe--Jay sent me a copy.

Asian Eggplant

From Bon Appetit, via Epicurious.

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, stems trimmed
5 tablespoons canned low-salt chicken broth
2 green onions, chopped
2 large garlic cloves
1 small jalapeño chili, chopped
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

4 tablespoons peanut oil
1 1 1/4-pound eggplant, cut lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide slices and slices cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-wide-strips

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Combine cilantro, 1 tablespoon broth, green onions, garlic, chili and ginger in processor and puree until paste forms.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over high heat until very hot. Add half of eggplant. Cover skillet and cook until eggplant is tender and beginning to brown, turning once, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining eggplant.

Add cilantro paste and soy sauce to skillet and stir over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Return eggplant to skillet and add remaining 4 tablespoons broth. Stir until sauce thickens and boils and eggplant is heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4.

Cabbage and Carrot Stir-Fry with Toasted Cumin & Lime

Serves 6

1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
2 T. canola oil
3/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black peppercorns
1/2 jalapeno, seeded, ribbed, and finely chopped
6 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (about 2/3 medium cabbage)
2 cups julienned or grated carrots (about 3/4 lb.)
2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt; more to taste
1 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro sprigs, finely chopped
2-3 T. fresh lime juice

Toast 1 tsp. of the cumin seeds in a small skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until deeply browned and beginning to smoke, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder.

Heat the oil with the remaining 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, the coriander, and peppercorns in a large wok, and cook until the cumin is browned. Add the jalapeno and cook until sizzling and just starting to soften, 30 to 60 seconds, and then add the cabbage and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has wilted yet is still al dente, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the freshly ground cumin, salt, and sugar and cook for 30 seconds.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice and taste for seasoning. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold. From Fine Cooking.

Heirloom Tomato Bread Pudding

Heirloom Tomato Bread Pudding

Makes 12 servings
Prep: Approx. 15 minutes (so they say...after you chop/grate everything)
Cook: Approx. 55 minutes

1 pound of brioche or hearty white bread (I used a really nice roasted garlic farmhouse loaf)
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cups small onions - diced
2 Tablespoons finely chopped garlic
3 pounds heirloom tomatoes, peeled, seeded, drained and diced
2 teaspoons finely chopped thyme
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
1 Tablespoon coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
7 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cut bread into 1/2-inch cubes. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven and toast the bread, turning as needed, until golden brown (about 10 minutes).

2. Heat the oil and butter in a saute pan. Add the onions, and cook until translucent (about 6 - 8 minutes). Add the garlic and cook until aromatic (another 3-4 minutes). Combine with the tomatoes and herbs in a large bowl. Reserve.

3. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl just to combine. Add the milk, cream and salt, and stir lightly.

4. Mix the bread in with the tomato/onion mixture. Toss the Asiago with the bread and tomato mixture.

5. Butter eight 8-ounce ramekins and divide the mixture among them.

6. Pour the eggs and milk mixture over the bread mixture, dividing equally among the ramekins. Top each with Parmesan cheese.

7. Place the ramekins in a baking dish and fill the dish halfway up with boiling water to create a hot-water bath. Bake for 35 minutes and then broil until the top is crispy and browned.

Serving Suggestion: Place each ramekin on a dish, accompanied by a side of lightly dressed greens.

Suggested Wine Pairing: Barbera d'Alba, such as Renato Corino Barbera d'Alba, 2007.

Source: Chef Michael Schwartz - Premier Issue 'Yum Food & Fun' magazine. Found online here, and only modified slightly.

I needed more ramekins than they said, though I don't know how large mine are (relatively large, though). Also, I wasn't paying attention and grated both cheeses into the same container. So I tossed all of the cheese with the bread mixture, and there wasn't any on top. It was easier and surely just as good. This is amazing!

Summer Squash Soup with Pasta and Parmesan

From Cooking Light, and found online here. This soup makes the most of fresh summer herbs and squash.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 2 cups)

Ingredients

• 6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups water
• 2 1/4 cups uncooked farfalle (about 6 ounces bow tie pasta)
• 2 cups finely chopped yellow squash
• 2 cups finely chopped zucchini
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Preparation

Bring broth and water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add pasta, and cook 8 minutes or until almost tender. Add squash and the next 7 ingredients (through pepper). Reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes or until pasta is done and squash is tender. Sprinkle with cheese and basil.

We liked but didn't love this, but it might have paled in comparison with the tomato bread pudding from the same meal.

Vegetarian stuffed cabbage

From the original Moosewood Cookbook, which shouldn't be a surprise when you see that it's got gobs of butter, cheese, seeds and nuts.  I generally prefer the meatier version of stuffed cabbage that I've made.  I wouldn't mind finding a better tomato-sauce based vegetarian stuffed cabbage that I liked.

STUFFED CABBAGE
6 servings, 2 rolls each

1 large head green cabbage
1 medium carrot, diced
1 cup chopped onion
3 tbl. butter
1 clove crushed garlic
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¾ cup raw cashew pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 stalk chopped celery
2 cups ricotta cheese
¼ cup raisins
1 cup chopped apple
juice from one lemon
1-2 tbl.  tamari
1 tbl. honey
extra butter

1. Parboil cabbage in in a kettle of water 10-15 minutes or until outer leaves are easily removeable. Remove first 12 leaves.  Make sure the cabbage is cooked well enough so leaves will not break when rolled, but not so well that they disintegrate.  Save cabbage insides for another dish.

2. Saute vegetables (not apple), nuts and seeds in butter until onion is transparent and nuts roasted. Combine the saute (drain it well!) with remaining ingredients and season to taste.

3. Place 3-4 tbl. filling near the base of each cabbage leaf. Roll tightly, folding insides.  Place on buttered sheet and brush with extra butter. Cover and bake until heated through (about 25 minutes at 325°F).

Serve with yogurt or sour cream, on a bed of rice

 source

Fragrant Rice Noodles with Vegetables

Modified from a recipe in The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home.

Sauce:
3 T. fresh lime juice
zest of one lime
¾ c. peanut butter
2 tsp. brown sugar
¾ c. stock (vegetable, chicken, whatever)
1 T. fish sauce
½ tsp. salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
rooster (red chili) sauce to taste

6 oz. rice noodles (¼-inch wide)

2 leeks, well rinsed
2 small zucchini
2 small yellow squash
3 T. vegetable oil
¼ c. water

In a covered pot, bring 1½ quarts water to a boil. While the water heats, put all sauce ingredients except for the rooster sauce in a blender and puree until smooth. Gradually add rooster sauce to taste; adjust with lime juice, pb, brown sugar, or fish sauce as necessary to balance flavors.

When the water boils, add the noodles and cook for 3-5 minutes or until just tender. Drain, rinse briefly under cool water, drain again, and set aside.

Cut the leeks, zucchini, and squash into julienne sticks 2 to 3 inches long and ½ to ¼ inch wide. Heat the oil in a wok, and stir-fry the leek sticks on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and squash and stire fry for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender, adding a little water if necessary to prevent scorching. Add the noodles and about half of the sauce, and toss well until heated through. Serve immediately, with extra sauce on the side.

Scheherazade Casserole

From the original Moosewood Cookbook.

¾ cup raw soybeans, soaked in lots of water for at least 4 hours (or canned, drained and rinsed)
1 c. raw bulghur, soaked 15 minutes in 1 c. boiling water
2 medium bell peppers, chopped (they say green, I use red or yellow)
4 medium-sized fresh tomatoes, chopped
1½ c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ c. freshly-chopped parsley
3 T. tomato paste
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. basil
salt, pepper, tobasco to taste
1½ c. crubled feta

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place soaked soybeans in the blender with 1½ cups water (could cut down by ¼ cup or so). Puree. Combine pureed soybeans and soaked bulghur.

Saute the onions and garlic in a little olive oil, lightly salted. When soft, add peppers and saute 5 more minutes. Combine all ingredients except feta. Place in a large buttered casserole; sprinkle feta on top. Bake one hour at 375 degrees, covered for the first 45 minutes and uncovered for the last 15.

Szechwan-style eggplant

Tried this from Gourmet, via epicurious, and liked it.

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• a 1 1/4-pound eggplant, peeled if desired and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh gingerroot
• 2 to 3 teaspoons Szechwan chili paste*, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce*
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar* or white-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dry Sherry
• 3 scallions, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 red bell pepper, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Oriental sesame oil, or to taste

In a wok or large skillet heat the vegetable oil over high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it stir-fry the eggplant over moderately high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it is tender and browned. Transfer the eggplant with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

In a small bowl dissolve the cornstarch in the broth. To the wok add the garlic, the gingerroot, the chili paste, the hoisin sauce, the vinegar, and the Sherry and stir-fry the mixture for 30 seconds. Add the scallions and stir-fry the mixture for 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce, the brown sugar, the cornstarch mixture, stirred, the bell pepper, and the eggplant and stir-fry the mixture for 1 minute, or until the eggplant has absorbed most of the liquid. Remove the wok from the heat, add the sesame oil and salt and pepper to taste, and toss the mixture well. The eggplant mixture may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.

They suggest serving it with pita wedges, but I just made it as a side with lemongrass chicken and rice.

Winter squash risotto

1 butternut or acorn squash
½ cup olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic
2 cups arborio rice
6 cups chicken stock (or 3 cups homemade, 3 cups water)
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup grated parmesan
4 T. salted butter
salt and pepper to taste
more parmesan to grate on top

Cut the squash in half and clean out, then roast on an oiled baking sheet until very soft. Scrape out flesh. Mash roughly with fork. Start stock (or stock and water) heating in medium size pan; bring to a simmer and hold it there throughout. Heat olive oil over medium heat, then saute onion and garlic until soft. Add the rice and stir to coat while heating for approximately 1 minute. Add the wine, stirring constantly until the liquid is absorbed. Add the simmering stock, 1-2 cups at a time, stirring frequently and letting the excess liquid be absorbed with each addition, like any risotto. When most of the liquid of the final addition has been absorbed, add the squash, stirring until it is heated through and lumps are broken up. When the risotto is the desired consistency, stir in cheese, butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with more cheese on top.

Real men make their own quiche

Quiche has gotten a bad rap since 1982. OK, it's not like barbecuing a rack of ribs or something, but it's a pretty good summer meal, especially with all the vegetables we have to use up. I generally base my quiche on the Joy of Cooking quiche Lorraine recipe, although I use at least double the number of eggs for a single 9" pie shell, and somewhat less milk. The Joy of Cooking pâte brisée recipe is pretty foolproof for a crust, and nice and flaky.

6 eggs
about a cup of milk
two small heads broccoli
one onion, chopped and sautéed
3 strips prosciutto, chopped and lightly fried
about a cup of cubed jack & mozzarella cheese
chopped fresh herbs (oregano, thyme, etc.)

Chop the broccoli into fine florets. Separate one egg white to brush the pie dough before filling, and mix the yolk with the remaining 5 eggs. Stir in the vegetables, prosciutto, herbs and cheese, pour into the pie shell and bake at 375°F for about 40 minutes.

Jim and Monika Lasagna

Ok, not really, but at their wedding recently the food was really good. The thing I wanted to make at home, though....? Butternut squash and mushroom lasagna. Here's my first attempt, informed by this recipe on epicurious and a number of its commenters, and also by my very vague memory of theirs. Kels says it had less squash and more sauce (this actually makes roughly one cup more sauce than I used tonight). No doubt he's right. For reasons that aren't clear, I loved the lasagna at the wedding but didn't pay as much attention as I normally would have to ingredients and how it was put together. Probably the good company and fun time we were having, but my attempt at re-creating it is now suffering.

Sorry for the rough recipe, but hey, this is what you get when I really do it off of the top of my head.

Start with two butternut squash. I don't know how many pounds, because our scale only works when it wants to, which is rarely when I want it to. Biggish. You know, a little more than average. Cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, and roast them. Scrape out the innards. Melt about 3 T. butter in a saucepan, put in the innards, with about 5 frozen chicken stock cubes (ice cube tray sized) and heat everything up. Puree with a stick blender. Add water as necessary. Season with a fair amount of cayenne pepper and freshly-grated nutmeg, a moderate amount of ground ginger, a dash of ground clove, and salt to taste. Cook until pretty thick. Cool. You should have what looks to be way more than you need.

Chop a Vidalia onion fairly finely, and clean and slice 10 ounces of crimini/portabello mushrooms. Mince two cloves of garlic. Melt 3 T. butter in a pan over medium, gently sauteeing onions for several minutes. Add garlic, a very generous sprinkling of thyme, salt and pepper, and saute for another minute. Add mushrooms and cook for a long time, until most of the liquid cooks off. Set aside.

Make a bechamel sauce with 4 T. butter, 4 T. flour, and 3 cups milk. Stir in about a half pound of shredded fontina cheese.

Shred about a pound of mozzarella.

Assemble, using no-boil lasagna noodles, in a 13x9 pan: put a little sauce (about 1/4) in the bottom, then add a layer of noodles. Top with 1/3 of the squash, 1/2 of the mushrooms, cheese, 1/4 of the sauce, and then noodles. Repeat a full layer. Top with remaining squash, remaining sauce, remaining mozzarella, and then grate some parmesan on top. Wish that you had more sauce and fret that it isn't saucy enough for no-boil noodles. (Don't despair, it is.) Bake about 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Hmmm....tempted to tag this with "comfort food" as well as the obvious ones. Dense but good. Shows promise.

Bubble and Squeak

We don't post our old standbys often enough. This is one, that's simple, filling, and doesn't need any meat or side dishes. Bubble and squeak is just fried potatoes and cabbage. I'll often add onions or garlic, and maybe sausage if we have it around. Tonight we used up some grated beets we had, so it was nearly red flannel hash. It's good winter food, but we get potatoes and cabbage through much of the late summer and early fall from the CSA, so we'll make it almost any time. This is probably the first week we got both this year.

Chard and Beet Green Pie

We've had good and bad experiences with recipes from Mark Bittman. He is responsible for us making both No-Knead Bread and Banana Goulash. This is a pretty easy biscuit-style crust for a vegetable pie, but it didn't work as smoothly as I had expected. There wasn't nearly enough dough for both a top and bottom crust that size, so I made another half batch quickly to finish the top, and the bottom was too thin to be substantial. I would either double it or leave out the bottom crust entirely. And 8 chard leaves wouldn't make much of a pie, unless he uses chard that's a whole lot more substantial than what we get. I used over a pound of combined beet greens and chard. A little less would be OK, but not a lot less. Like his previous cookbook, The Best Recipes in the World, this one seems rushed, like the recipes haven't been fully tested. This recipe is definitely close to something good and easy, but needs a little work.

Kale or Chard Pie
2 tbl. butter
About 8 large kale or chard leaves, thinly sliced [I used much more]
1 medium onion, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped mixed herbs, like parsley, thyme, chervil, and chives
6 eggs
1 cup whole-milk yogurt or sour cream
3 tbl. mayonnaise
½ tsp. baking powder
1¼ cups all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Put the butter in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. A minute later, add the kale and onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are quite tender, about 10 minutes; do not brown. Remove from the heat, add the herbs, then taste and adjust the seasoning.

Meanwhile, hard-cook 3 of the eggs, then shell and coarsely chop. Add to the cooked kale mixture and let cool while you make the batter.

Combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, and remaining eggs. Add the baking powder and flour and mix until smooth. Lightly butter a 9×12-inch ceramic or glass baking dish. Spread half the batter over the bottom, then top with the kale filling; smear the remaining batter over the kale, using your fingers or a rubber spatula to make sure there are no gaps in what will form the pie's top crust.

Bake for 45 minutes; it will be shiny and golden brown. Let the pie cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing it into as many squares or rectangles as you like. Eat warm or at room temperature.

From How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, by Mark Bittman

Stuffed Zucchini, Turkish Style

This leaves us with only one zucchini to use before we get more on Sunday. This has been a standard for me for a long time. The herbs and cheeses are flexible, I will often swap out the dill and swiss cheese.

I've always wondered: how Turkish is this?

Stuffed Zucchini, Turkish Style

4 medium zucchini (about 7" long), halved lengthwise
3 tbs. butter
¾ cup finely minced onion
3 smallish cloves crushed garlic
3 beaten eggs
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
¾ cup grated Swiss cheese
2 tbs. freshly chopped parsley
1 tbs. fresh, chopped dill (or ¾ tsp. dried dill weed)
1½ tbs. flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika for the top

Scoop out the insides of the zucchini to leave a half-inch rim. Chop the innards into little bits and cook in butter with onions, garlic, salt (a few shakes) and pepper until onions are soft. Combine with flour, cheeses, herbs and beaten eggs. Correct salt and pepper. Fill the zucchini cavities and dust the tops with paprika.

Bake at 375ºF for 30 min. or until the filling solidifies. Serve with a fresh tomato salad.

From the original Moosewood Cookbook

Zucchini-Crusted Pizza

This is good way to use zucchini, and pretty tasty. The crust wasn't as crispy as I had hoped, I baked it around 20 minutes, I would let it go longer next time.

Zucchini-Crusted Pizza

A normal pizza on top, with a beautiful, substantial-yet-tender crust: golden, with flecks of green and a slight crunch.

The Crust:
31⁄2 cups grated zucchini
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup flour
1⁄2 cup grated mozzarella
1⁄2 cup grated parmesan
1 Tbs. fresh basil leaves, minced (or 1⁄2 tsp dried)
salt and pepper

Salt the zucchini lightly and let it sit for 15 minutes. Squeeze out the excess moisture.

Combine all crust ingredients and spread into an oiled 9x13-inch pan. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the surface is dry and firm. Brush the top with oil and broil it, under moderate heat for 5 minutes.

Pile all of your favorite pizza toppings on (tomato sauce, olives, sauteed mushrooms, strips of peppers, lots of cheese - etc.) and heat the whole mess in a 350ºF oven for about 25 minutes. Serve hot, cut into squares, with a big tossed salad.

From the original Moosewood Cookbook