Tacos With Cooked Greens & Smokey Sofrito Sauce

Ingredients 1 package of soft corn tortillas 1 lb chicken breasts, tenders or thighs 1 bunch lacinato or red kale, washed and sliced thinly. 3-4 banana peppers, sliced 1 tomato, diced 1 bunch cilantro, chopped 3-4 green onions, chopped Sliced avocado, or 1 recipe for Auntie's Guacamole (optional) 2 limes Sea salt & Pepper

Smokey Sofrito Sauce: 1 large sweet red pepper 1 small sweet onion 1 medium tomato 6 cloves of garlic 1 Tbs vinegar 1 tsp local honey 1 Tbs smoked serano chili powder, or another smoked chili powder Sea salt

Method: Prepare the Smokey Sofrito Sauce first.  You can do this a day or two in advance if necessary.  Cut the sweet pepper in half, and remove the stem and seeds.  Cut the onion in half and peel the dry outer layers.  Cut the tomato in half, remove the hard core from the stem end.  Place the pepper halves, onion halves and tomato halves on a hot barbecue grill or under a broiler.  Cook until the skins begin to blister and turn black. Turn and cook the other side the same way.  Remove from the grill and let cool.  Place the vegetables in a blender with the peeled cloves of garlic, vinegar, honey, and chili powder.  Puree until smooth, and adjust seasonings to taste. Refrigerate unused portions.

To prepare the chicken, rinse and pat dry with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.  Heat some oil in the bottom of a heavy skillet and brown the chicken until it is golden and crispy on the outside.  Remove from the pan and let cool. Meanwhile, put the chopped kale in the same skillet where the chicken cooked and saute until it wilts, while also dislodging the chicken fond that is stuck to the pan.  Add a little salt and some good apple cider vinegar to the kale.  Cook for one minute more, then remove from the pan. Shred the chicken with a fork.  Place in a bowl and toss with the chopped cilantro, juice from two limes and a little olive oil if the chicken seems dry.  You can also add some of the sofrito sauce if you want more flavor.

Brush the corn tortillas with a little oil and heat in a clean skillet, one or two at a time, and on both sides.  Layer the ingredients on the tortillas and serve with warm or cold smokey sofrito sauce.

Hearty Homemade Pot Stickers

I should preface this post with saying that I'm not a professional pot sticker-maker.  Actually, this was my first time.  I was staring at a bag of frozen pot stickers from Costco, and looking at my bag of freshly milled flour from Sonrisa Farm, and thought to myself, "I could do this...and I bet it would be better because it's fresh, whole-wheat, and full of local goodies." So I gave it a whirl.  I was surprised at how easy it is to make homemade pot stickers, and in case I miss the convenience of pulling them out of the freezer for a quick meal: This recipe made enough for filling our bellies and the freezer.

Filling: 1 lb ground pork, chicken, or pressed tofu 1 head of napa cabbage 1 bunch green onions, chopped 1-2 tbs grated fresh ginger 6 garlic cloves, minced 1 Tbs toasted sesame oil 1 Tbs soy sauce 1 Tbs Mirin (or can use honey and rice vinegar) 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Dough: 1 lb (3 cups) Sonrisa Farm stone ground whole wheat flour 1 tsp salt (optional) 1 cup warm water

Sauce: 1 recipe for Teriyaki Marinade and Stir Fry Sauce (or make a simple dipping sauce with rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce and garlic)

Method: Wash and thinly slice the napa cabbage.  Place in a bowl and salt generously to draw out the moisture.  Let stand for about 15 minutes. When the cabbage has wilted, squeeze out the moisture (you can use your hands or wrap it in cheesecloth or strong paper towels).  Place the cabbage in a large bowl with the ground meat or tofu and the remaining ingredients.  Mix well with your hands so the ingredients are thoroughly combined.  If you want to test the mixture for flavor balance beforehand (which I recommend, because the strength of your ginger and garlic can vary), cook a spoonful of the mixture in oil or water for about 5 minutes.  Adjust seasonings to the filling as necessary. Cover and refrigerate until the dough is ready.

To prepare the dough, mix the salt into the flour and slowly add the warm water while stirring with a fork.  When the ingredients are combined the dough will feel quite firm (harder than a pizza dough, softer than pasta dough).  Let rest for 10 minutes.  Then begin to knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until the texture is uniform.  Pinch off one-inch cube pieces of dough (or less if you want smaller pot stickers), roll into a firm ball and set aside until you have portioned out all of the dough.  With a rolling pin, flatten and turn the dough until you have made a circle a bit larger than the palm of your hand.  It may stick to your rolling pin a bit, but should peel off easily.  You can use a little flour for dusting the board and pin, but be careful to not use too much or the pot stickers may not seal easily.  If you have someone to help with the filling and sealing, the process can go quite quickly.

Put a spoon or two of the filling in the center of the disc of dough and stretch the dough around the filling and pinch the sides together across the top.  Place the pot stickers in a heated, well-oiled, non-stick skillet with enough water to cover the bottoms of the pot stickers by about 1/3.  Cover with a lid and steam for 15 minutes. Serve with Teriyaki sauce or a simple dipping sauce.  If you want to freeze extras, place the uncooked pot stickers on a baking sheet covered with waxed or parchment paper and freeze.  Once frozen, place in a freezer-proof bag or container.  Cook as directed above.

Roasted Vegetable Stew With Beans & Spiced Chicken

This is a great soup to get you in the mood for late-summer and early-fall.  It is rich, hearty, and full of flavor.  The key is finding your favorite spice blend to create a signature flavor.  I tend to habitually reach for the sweet and spicy Jamaican Jerk blend.  But Alchemy Spice, a local spice and herb blender in Chattanooga, has an inspiring selection of blends.  What's best, is the fantastic flavor of freshly milled spices, as opposed to the bland old ones found in a grocery store. You can find Alchemy Spice online, at the Chattanooga Market, and in local specialty food shops. Ingredients: 3 Sweet peppers (any color), seeded and coarsely chopped 3 Medium tomatoes, cut into wedges 1 Yellow onion, coarsely chopped 6-8 cloves of garlic, minced 1 qt chicken or vegetable stock 3 cups beans (black, white or red beans, cooked and drained, or fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces) 1 lb boneless chicken, or leftovers from a roasted hen 1 Tbs your favorite Alchemy Spice blend (like The Jerk, Neo Masala, or Bayou Ya-Ya Cajun blends) Juice from one lime or lemon 1 Bunch cilantro, chopped (optional) Canola or olive oil Sea salt Black pepper

Method: Place the chopped peppers, tomatoes, and onions in a baking dish.  Coat with some oil, then season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Bake at 375 degrees for at least one hour, or until the vegetables are black on the tips and have begun to caramelize.  While the vegetables are cooking, season the chicken with the spices and brown in a heavy-bottomed stock pot with a little oil.  If you are using meat from a whole hen, rub the hen with the spices before roasting.  Chop the cooked chicken, and set aside.  Place the roasted peppers, onions and tomatoes in the stock pot with the chicken or vegetable stock.  Pulse with an immersion blender until coarsely pureed, or pulse in a conventional blender and return to the stock pot.  Add the beans, chicken, lime or lemon juice, and cilantro.  Simmer for a few minutes (or until the beans are cooked if using fresh green beans).  Serve with freshly baked corn bread.

Sweet Pepper Salsa With Peaches & Basil

Most of these ingredients were in the previously posted red pepper chutney recipe, but this raw-food version is amazing, and so lovely on top of grilled meats, in a taco, or with almost anything. Mix the following ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Serve immediately, or chill in the refrigerator for up to one day.

4 cups of diced sweet peppers (mixed colors) 1 red chili pepper, diced (optional) 1 cup diced yellow or sweet onion 1 large firm-ripe peach, diced  3-4 cloves of garlic, minced Juice from 1 lime 1 tsp sea salt Freshly ground black pepper About 15-20 10-15 large fresh basil leaves, chopped finely

Summer party Idea: Bite-sized squash fritter with smoked salmon, garlic & herb goat cheese and sweet pepper salsa

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.