Red Pepper and Peach Chutney

I'm amazed at how one can take three or four common vegetables around the world and end up with thousands of different dishes.  Looking at the box of sweet and hot peppers this week, I was certain that they would end up as a red pepper salsa. Somehow I ended up diverting to the southeast a bit...all the way to the southeast of Asia, as a matter of fact.  I was searching through my collection of dried spices and found a packet of black kokum.  I found these little dried fruits at a spice market in Boston, but they may be available at a local Indian grocery upon request.  The sweet and sour smell of kokum, which happened to be right next to a few other aromatic Indian spices, was enough to convince me to boil up a tasty chutney. One thing led to another, and by dinner time I had Minty Potatoes and Squash, Tandoori Chicken, and Cucumber Raita to go with my chutney. If you want to pair it with other meats or vegetables, however, this red pepper chutney will easily add a delicious sweet and spicy kick to many other foods.

Ingredients: 4 sweet bell peppers 1-3 fresh red chili peppers, depending on how much heat you like 1 large peach 1 medium yellow onion 4-6 garlic cloves Juice from one lime 3 Tbs good apple cider vinegar 1 Tbs blackstrap molasses 2 Tbs local honey 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves, cardamom, coriander 1/4 tsp whole cumin seed 1 tsp paprika 1 cinnamon stick 1 dried black kokum (optional), or substitute 1 tsp tamarind paste

Method: Blanch the peach in boiling water, then dunk in a bowl of ice water and remove the skin and stone.  The texture of the chutney is softer if the skins of the peppers are removed. There are several ways to do this, but the first step is to remove the stem and seeds. Next, the skin needs to blister, either under a broiler, in a hot skillet, or on the grill.  I used the toaster oven on a broil setting and it worked well.  Before you peel the skins, let the peppers sweat in a covered bowl for at least 10 minutes, and they should slip right off.  There is a great tutorial with photos on theKitchn if you would like more detail on how to peel roasted peppers.  The red chili peppers are quite hot, so you may want to take care in removing their skins, or leave them on if you don't mind the texture.

Dice the peach, onion, roasted peppers, chili peppers (with seeds if you want more heat), and garlic.  Add to a medium saucepan with the remaining ingredients and simmer with a lid.  Stir occasionally, and cook for at least one hour, or until the chutney caramelizes to your preferred texture and sweetness.  Serve warm or cold.  Refrigerate extras, or seal in jars with a water-bath or pressure caner.

Minty Sauteed Potatoes and Squash

Ingredients: 8-10 small red potatoes 2 small zucchini or squash, sliced into 1/4 -1/2 inch slices 2 Tbs olive or canola oil 4 garlic cloves, minced 2-3 Tbs chopped fresh mint leaves Sea salt to taste

Method: Slice potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Place in a bowl with cold water and rinse the excess starch from the potatoes.  Drain, then lay the slices out on paper towel and pat dry.  Sprinkle with salt.  In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil in the pan on medium-high heat until it shimmers.  Test to see if the oil is hot enough by placing one of the potato slices in the pan.  It should sizzle when it's ready. Put all of the potatoes in the pan and occasionally stir gently, using a spatula to lift any slices that begin to stick.  Cover with a lid when you are not stirring the potatoes.  When they have begun to brown and are soft enough to pierce with a fork, add the garlic, mint and zucchini slices.  Saute until the garlic and mint are evenly dispersed and the zucchini is bright, but still crisp.  Serve immediately.

Chattatouille

When my daughter was three years old she insisted that I needed to watch Remi (a cartoon rat/chef from the 2007 animated film Ratatouille) make a 5-star version of ratatouille, so I "could make it just like he does." The animated food fascination started with this classic rustic stew of vegetables, and continued on with gingerbread that runs out of the oven, soup from The Tale of Despereaux, and Gruffalo crumble (though we did have to make some substitutions for that one.)

The ratatouille was by far the most interesting and fun cartoon culinary challenge.  Although I did find some recipes online from others who had tried to mimic the animated version, there were some parts of our final product that evolved from choosing the best of whatever was locally and seasonally available.  When we first tried Remi's ratatouille four years ago there was a bumper crop of eggplant in the region, and we happened to have beets available at the same time.  The weather this year has left us with a slightly different assortment of choices. But if you happen to be growing beets and eggplant in your home gardens, or find them at your local farmer's market, this version of the little rat's signature dish will have you licking your plate like Ego (the fictional food critic) did with his own serving.

Ingredients: 2 medium tomatoes (cores removed and quartered), or 1-2 cups of cherry tomatoes 1 red bell pepper, (or any other sweet pepper), seeded and quartered 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges 4 cloves of garlic, peeled Canola or olive oil Sea salt Black pepper 1 Tbs herbs de Provence 1 zucchini, thinly sliced 1 Medium Japanese eggplant, thinly sliced 1 or 2 small beets, thinly sliced

Sauce for garnish: 1/4 cup light olive oil or 4 Tbs butter Juice from 1/2 lemon 1/8 tsp turmeric 1/8 tsp fenugreek powder About 1/4 of a whole nutmeg, grated Dash of white pepper Salt to taste 6-8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and garlic in a baking dish and drizzle with some oil.  Season with the herbs de Provence, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the tips of the vegetables are dark brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes.  Puree the vegetables in a blender until smooth. Spread the pureed mixture over the bottom of a large baking or casserole dish. Place the sliced zucchini, eggplant and beets (alternately) in a fanned pattern over the top of the tomato and pepper puree.

Brush with a little oil and season with salt and pepper.  Cut parchment paper to the size of the dish and lay it over the top of the sliced vegetables.  Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

While the ratatouille is baking, prepare the lemon sauce for garnish.  Place all ingredients, except the basil, in a saucepan and whisk over low heat until the sauce is warm and begins to emulsify.  Remove from heat and stir in the sliced basil.  Place in a warmed jug. To serve the ratatouille, scoop out some of the vegetables and arrange on the plate.  Drizzle a little warm lemon sauce over the vegetables or on the plate.

Fresh Tomato Marinara

Photo courtesy of CSA member Oriel Wiggins

If you have never made your own spaghetti sauce, you are in for a sweet surprise.  This is so easy and amazingly delicious.  Also, if you are looking for a recipe for canning a case of beefsteak tomatoes, this is perfect.  Marinara is a simple tomato sauce used in Italian cooking.  Roma tomatoes are traditionally used because they have a stronger flavor and less water, but any good tomato will do. The most time-consuming part is removing the skins from the tomatoes.  If you leave the skins on, however, the flavor is great and the skins add more nutrients, texture and color.  So if you have less time to process the tomatoes, don't worry about doing that step. Make sure you do have time to let the sauce simmer for a while, however.  The key to a good marinara is to cook it low and slow.  With low-temperature cooking for a long period of time, the water and acids in the tomatoes reduce, while the rich flavor and natural sweetness intensifies.

Ingredients:
10-12 large beefsteak tomatoes (or whatever you have on hand) -about 6-10 lbs of tomatoes.
Sweet or hot roasted red peppers (optional)
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup dry red wine
3 bay leaves
Sea salt
Pepper
2-4 Tbs olive oil
Fresh basil, chopped

Method:
If you want to remove the skins of the tomatoes, cut an X into the bottom of the tomatoes.  Place a few at a time in a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds, or until the skins begin to crack.  Remove from the boiling water and immediately immerse in a bowl of ice water until cold.  The skins should slip away easily.  Remove the stems and quarter or chop the tomatoes.  If you are using red peppers and would like to remove the skins, click here for detailed instructions on how to remove them easily.

Place diced onion, minced garlic and the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed stock pot.  Saute on medium heat until they begin to soften, but be careful not to scorch the garlic.  Add the chopped tomatoes, peppers (if desired), wine, bay leaves, 2 tbs chopped fresh basil, and 1 tsp of sea salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to low and simmer with a lid for several hours. Stir occasionally. After one hour, if there is a lot of liquid, you can tip the lid to vent some of the steam and allow the moisture to reduce.  If you have any roasted red peppers and tomatoes in the freezer, you can puree them in a blender and add them to the sauce to thicken the consistency a little.  This also adds richness to the flavor.  The time it takes to cook a homemade marinara really depends on how much time you have, and how fresh or sweet you like your sauce.  Taste periodically.  When it tastes perfectly done to you, add more chopped basil and remove from heat.  Cover and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.  If you want a smooth, or more evenly textured sauce, you can use an immersion blender and pulse to the desired texture.

When the sauce is done, the possibilities are endless.  Use as a pizza sauce, over pasta, baked spaghetti squash, eggplant, or ground meats...and those are just the basics.  Marinara is a fantastic all-purpose sauce that is great for canning and freezing for quick meals.

Teriyaki Kabobs With Coconut Rice

Kabob Ingredients: 10-12 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes. One recipe for Teriyaki Marinade and Stir-Fry Sauce 1 Tbs corn starch 1 lb extra-firm tofu, beef, shrimp, scallops, or boneless chicken 1 medium squash or zucchini 1 or 2 sweet or hot peppers About two dozen cherry tomatoes 1 onion Fresh basil or cilantro (optional)

Coconut Rice Ingredients: (Adapted from Steamy Kitchen) 1 Tbs canola or peanut oil 1 Tbs local honey 1 tsp sea salt 2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed and drained 1 can unsweetened first-pressed coconut milk (about 1 1/2 cups) 1 1/2 cups water 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Method: Prepare the Teriyaki Marinade, refrigerate.  If using tofu, press well to remove liquid. Cut the tofu, beef or chicken into 1-inch pieces.  Place in a bowl with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the teriyaki marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to one day.  With the remaining teriyaki sauce, warm in a saucepan on medium heat.  Place 1 Tbs corn starch in a jug with 3-4 tbs water and mix well.  Just before the marinade begins to boil, stir in the corn starch and water.  Continue stirring until it thickens.  Remove from heat and set aside.

To prepare the coconut rice, heat oil, honey and salt in a medium to large sized saucepan on medium heat.  Stir and cook until the mixture begins to bubble. Turn heat to high and add the rinsed and drained rice to the pan.  Stir until coated well with the oil and honey mixture.  Add the coconut milk and water.  Continue to stir until the coconut milk is blended and smooth. When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until you can just see the rice under the surface of the liquid. Cover with a tight fitting lid and set a timer for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes, remove from heat, but do not open the lid.  Let rest for 10 minutes.  Toast coconut flakes in a dry skillet on medium to medium-high heat.  Stir frequently to avoid burning. It should take a couple of minutes.  Remove from the pan when it is golden brown. Set aside.

Assembling the kabobs can take some time if you don't have help, so you may want to do this step ahead of time.  When they are assembled you can place them in a sealed plastic storage bag or a covered casserole dish and refrigerate until you are ready to grill. To prepare the ingredients, cut the squash, peppers and onion into 1-inch pieces, or 1/4 inch ribbons for creative layering. Assemble the vegetables and meat/tofu onto the soaked skewers.  Brush with a little oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  When your barbecue is hot, place the kabobs on the grill, turning 1/4 turn every 3-5 minutes, or when the vegetables have blistered. If using chicken, shrimp or scallops, check to ensure it is cooked through before removing from the grill.  Place in a flat-bottomed dish and cover with the thickened teriyaki sauce.

When the rice is finished, sprinkle toasted coconut over each serving of rice, place kabobs on top, and garnish with basil or cilantro.