The Perfect Roasted Potato

I have this idea in my head that everyone knows how to roast potatoes in the oven.  Who really needs a recipe for roasted potatoes?  But when I took a bite of those crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, delicious little red potatoes...I had one of those, "I need to take a photo of my food because it's that good," moments. I'm pretty sure the success has to do with the quality of the potatoes.  I have been roasting potatoes in the oven for decades.  Same method every time.  But sometimes they just taste amazing.  The little red potatoes in this week's CSA share were prime examples of when all is good in the world. So if you are standing in your kitchen with your little red potatoes, wondering if you want to steam, mash, saute or roast them for dinner tonight, the answer is roast!  And here is how you do it: 10 small red potatoes 1/4 cup oil, melted butter, or dripping from a roast Sea salt Black pepper Fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, etc.), optional Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash potatoes and pat them dry.  Cut the larger ones in half or quarters, and leave the smaller ones whole so that they are all relatively the same size.  Place the potatoes in a glass or ceramic baking dish that is large enough for the potatoes to have a little space between each one. Coat with the oil, butter or dripping.  (I used canola oil for mine and they are delicious, but butter and dripping are fantastic if you want to indulge.)  Generously sprinkle sea salt and freshly ground black pepper over the potatoes. Place in the center or top shelf of the oven and bake for a little over one hour, or until they are golden and crispy on the edges.  Serve hot.

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.

Basil & Peach Gelato (Vegan)

I have nothing against cows or the milk they produce, especially milk from those happy grass-fed cows.  But 30% of the world can't digest milk products, and millions more choose not to eat animal-related foods.  That's a lot of people who don't really enjoy ice-cream.  And even for the 70% who do, this coconut-based gelato is phenomenally good. I would love to say I made this up in my kitchen, but the credit goes to CSA member Oriel Wiggins, who scooped out a bowl and handed it to me. She smiled wickedly, as she knew I would want the recipe...and want to share it with the world. It would be immoral to keep her recipe, and this goodness, hidden from the basil-loving, peach-loving, ice-cream-loving population of this great earth.  Don't worry if you don't have an ice-cream maker, David Lebovitz will tell you how to make it by hand in your freezer.

Ingredients: 2 cans unsweetened first-pressed coconut milk, chilled 1/2 cup local raw honey 2 locally grown ripe peaches, pitted 15 to 25 large basil leaves 1 tsp vanilla dash salt

Method:  Put all ingredients in the blender and blend thoroughly. Taste and adjust sweetness to your preference.  You may also add more basil to taste. (note: sweetness and flavors are subdued when frozen so take that into consideration when tasting the mixture) Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturers instructions, or click here to follow the David Lebovitz instructions for making it without an ice-cream maker.

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

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.