Summer Tomato & Mint Sauce

Wondering what to do with all that mint in your garden?
Join forces with your abundant tomato harvest!
This summer pasta sauce is light, flavorful and refreshing.
Best served with medium shells or orecchiette.
Makes about 4 quarts. You may also serve over grilled chicken or fish.
Freeze some for later…

Ingredients

1/2 c olive oil
128 oz canned tomato or pureed fresh tomato
1 large sweet onion
3-4 Bell peppers
2 C chicken broth
12 cloves garlic 2 T dried fennel seeds (optional)
1/2 c dry vermouth or dry white wine (optional)
2 c chopped fresh mint leaves – Spearmint or peppermint will be fine.
2-3 tsp. each: fresh oregano, basil & thyme
or
11/2 each if dried
1 T Salt
Red pepper flakes (optional)
Black pepper (optional)
Parmesan cheese

Method
Use a large stock pot, heat olive oil over low-medium heat.
Add onion and pepper, semi cover and cook slowly until transparent, about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add garlic, cook slowly for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add fennel seeds, stir for about 30 seconds.
Add salt. Add tomato. Add broth. Add red pepper flakes (optional…to taste)
Add black pepper  (optional…to taste). Bring to a simmer – this may take about 1 hr.
Simmer about 15-30 minutes.. Note, this is not a thick sauce.
Stir in chopped mint. Simmer 10 minutes.
Remove from heat. Pour over pasta. Top with parmesan.

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Sunchoke Chips with Warm Blue-Cheese Dip

sunchoke harvest

Ingredients:
Greek Yogurt, 1 c.
Crumbled Blue Cheese, 4 T.
Ground Pepper, 1 tsp.
Salt, 1 T.
Rosemary, 1 1/2 tsp., finely chopped
Sunchokes, 2 lbs.
Fresh Chives, 2 T.
Vegetable oil

In medium saucepan over low heat, heat 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, 4 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese and 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper for about 10 minutes, stirring well to combine. Keep warm. In a small bowl, toss 1 tablespoon salt and 11/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary to combine; set aside. Thinly sliced 2 pounds of well-scrubbed large suncokes. In a large sauté pan with thermometer attached, over medium high heat, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil until it reaches 375ºF. Working in batches, fry sun chokes until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain and immediately sprinkle hot chips with rosemary salt. Garnish warm blue cheese dip with 2 tablespoons chopped chives and a dash more pepper and serve alongside chips.

Per serving:
protein 6g ; fat  19g ; carbohydrate 2-g ; fiber 2 g ; sodium 1.256mg ; cholesterol 11mg ; calories 268.

 

by Carrie Purcell

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Chili

Ingredients:
Olive Oil
Onions, 10, chopped
Green Bell Peppers, 6, chopped
Hot Peppers, 4 chopped
Ground Beef, 10 lbs.
Garlic, 10 T. chopped 
Red Kidney Beans, 40 oz.
Canned or Fresh Crushed Tomato, 28 oz.
Chili Powder, 20 T.
Cumin, 8 tsp.
Coriander, 8 tsp.
Black Pepper, 6 tsp.
Chili Sauce (Heinz)

Optional:
sour cream
shredded cheese

  • Heat olive over medium or low heat in a large soup pot. 
  • Add chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes. 
  • Add green bell peppers and hot peppers, stir and cook for 5 minutes
  • Add ground beef and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for 6-7 minutes.

Add garlic and red kidney beans and stir.
Add crushed tomatoes and stir until well combined. 
Season with chili powder, cumin, coriander, black pepper and chili sauce and stir well.

Simmer for 20 minutes.
Let rest for 5-10 minutes and serve.

 

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Buttercup Squash Soup

Ingredients:
6 Buttercup Squash, 4 Cups 
Butter 2 T.
Flour, 2 T.
Chicken broth, 101/2 oz. 
Apple Juice, 1 c.
Half & Half, 1 c.
Nutmeg, 1/4 tsp.
Salt, 1/4 T.

 

Wash, peel and cut squash into cubes.
Melt butter medium heat, add flour gradually, stirring until smooth and bubbly.
Add chicken broth and apple juice, bring to a boil.
Add cubed squash. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until soft, about 20 minutes. Cool thoroughly then puree. Return to pot and stir in half and half, nutmeg and salt. Stir thoroughly and serve warm.

Makes 4 cups.

 

 

 

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Blender Pesto

Ingredients:
Basil, 2 c. 
Olive Oil, 1/2 c.
Pine Nuts, 2 T.
Garlic Cloves, 2 peeled, lightly crushed
Salt, 1 tsp.
Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated, 1/2 c.
Romano Pecorino Cheese, Freshly Grated, 2 T.

Put the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic cloves and salt in the blender or food processor and mix at high speed. Stop from time to time and scrape the ingredients down toward the bottom of the container with a spatula. When the ingredients are evenly blended, pour into a bowl and beat in the two grated cheeses by hand. When the cheese has been evenly incorporated into the other ingredients, beat in the softened butter. You can add in an additional spoon of Pine nuts here if you like.

Before spooning the pesto over the pasta, add it to a tablespoon or so of the hot water in which pasta has boiled. 

 

Recipe by Marcella Hazen (The Classic Italian Cookbook)

 

 

 

 

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Customer Appreciation Days 2020

Our Customer Appreciation Days will be a little different this year – much like everything else. Please join us – socially distant style – for one of 3 days, depending on your name … October 5, 6 & 7, from 9 am – 4 pm, rain or shine!

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