High Country CSAA project of Maverick Farms

store eggplant at cool room temperature rather than in the fridge.  Eggplant is great to soak up other ingredients and loves olive oil.  You can salt sliced or cubed eggplant for around 30 minutes before cooking to draw out juices and relax the flesh, this way the eggplant will soak up less oil during cooking and helps disperse any bitterness that can be present.  Garlic, tomatoes, and eggplants also love one another. Yogurt, mint, and spices (including cumin, cinnamon, paprika, cardamom, coriander, and turmeric especially) are traditional Middle Eastern pairings.

Baked Finger Eggplant, yogurt, and cucumber

Enough eggplant for 8, olive oil

For yogurt: half a cucumber; 3/4 cup thick yogurt; garlic clove; about 12 mint leaves; tsp of black onion seeds (optional); warm flat bread to serve

Preheat overn to 400*F. Wipe eggplants and cut them in half lengthwise. Pour a thin layer of olive oil into baking pan and place the eggplants, cut side down, in the oil. Bake until soft and squishy, about 40 minutes.

to make cucumber yogurt, wipe the cucumber half and grate coarsely. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside in a colander for half an hour. Squeeze the cucumber dry in the palm of your hand, then stir it into the yogurt. Peel and finely crush the garlic, chop the mint leaves, and stir both into the cucumber and yogurt. Toast the black onion seeds lightly. Transfer the yogurt to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the onion seeds.

Serve the eggplants on plates with the cucumber yogurt. Spread some of the baked eggplant onto a piece of the bread, spoon over a little of the yogurt, and eat.

The slender leaves cook in seconds, and only the very thickest stems are too tough. Steam the stems in a large shallow pan in finger's depth of water.  Get the water boiling first.  Lay the stems in a single layer, with most of the stems and heads protruding from the water.  They will steam rather than boil when covered with a lid.  Boiling broccoli can often damage the florets, so try a quick lunch by steaming the broccoli for 3-4 minutes.  Then lower the heads into a bowl and scatter them with toasted pine nuts; dark, smoky raisins; and a drizzle of olive oil.

Looking for something a little more cozy for a cooler evening?  Try this broccoli and bacon soup (two of my favorite things!):
Ingredients: medium onion; 2 Tbsp butter; about 7 oz of smoked bacon; 3 smallish potatoes; 6.5 cups chicken or ham stock; about 10.5 oz of broccoli; and 2/3 cup milk

Peel and coarsely chop the onion and soften it in the butter in a deep pan (keep it pale and translucent). Stir in half the bacon, snipped into short lengths (keep six short pieces for later), then the potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small pieces. Let the ingredients marry with as little color as possible, then pour in the stock and bring to a boil, adding salt and pepper as you go. Decrease the heat so that the mixture simmers gently for 15-20 minutes or so, until the potatoes collapse against slight pressure from the back of a spoon. Introduce the greens, trimmed of any exceptionally tough stems, and simmer for 10 minutes. The greens should still be bright. Pour in the milk, simmer briefly, then process the mixture in a blender until smooth, checking the seasoning as you do so. Broil the remaining bacon until crisp, then serve the soup in warm bowls, each with a piece of crisp bacon on its surface.

Savory Potato Crust
Ingredients: 3 medium potatoes (finely shredded); 1/4 cup egg substitute; 1 Tbsp canola oil; 1 Tbsp flour

Grease a 9-inch pie plate. Add the potatoes. In a small bowl, combine the egg substitute, oil, and flour. Pour over the potatoes, and pat the mixture in the bottom of the pan and up the sides to form a crust. Broil about 8 inches from the heating element for 15 minutes, or until browned. 

Variation: Add 2 Tbsp minced onion or 2 tsp dried herbs (such as oregano, marjoram, or basil) to the potatoes. Or, replace the oil with 1/4 cup shredded cheese.

This crust is suitable for almost any entree filling.

from "Preserving Summer's Bounty"

Thank you Mary for contributing this recipe. She says "In case anyone is wondering what to do with Thai basil, this is one of my family's favorite recipes:http://vietworldkitchen.typepad.com/blog/2007/06/chicken_pho_noo.html.   FYI there is a beef pho recipe at the same website.

Chicken Pho Noodle Soup Recipe (Pho Ga)

Chicken Pho Recipe (Phở Gà )

While beef phở may be the version that most people know and like, chicken phở is also excellent. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in phở gà (pronounced "Fuh Gah")within the Vietnamese American community, and a handful of restaurants are specializing in the delicate noodle soup. Some of them use free-range gà chạy or gà đi bộ (literally “jogging chicken” or “walking chicken”), yielding bowls full of meat that has a flavor and texture reminiscent of traditionally raised chickens in Vietnam.

If you want to create great chicken phở yourself, take a cue from the pros and start with quality birds. If you have never made phở, this recipe is ideal for learning the basics. It calls for fewer ingredients than other phở recipes, so you can focus on charring the onion and ginger to accentuate their sweetness, making a clear broth, and assembling steamy hot, delicious bowls. While some cooks flavor chicken phở broth with the same spices they use for beef phở, my family prefers using coriander seeds and cilantro to distinguish the two. To compare chicken with beef phở, see my beef pho noodle soup recipe.

Serves 8

Broth
2 yellow onions, about 1 pound total, unpeeled
Chubby 4-inch section fresh ginger, unpeeled
1 chicken, 4 pounds, excess fat and tail removed 
3 pounds chicken backs, necks, or other bony chicken parts
5 quarts water
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1-inch chunk rock sugar* (about 1 ounce)
2 tablespoons coriander seeds, toasted in a dry skillet for about 1 minute until fragrant
4 whole cloves
1 small or 1/2 large bunch cilantro (bound stems about 1 inch in diameter)

Bowls
1 1/2–2 pounds small flat rice noodles (bánh phở), dried or fresh
Cooked chicken, at room temperature
1 yellow onion, sliced paper-thin, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes and drained
3 or 4 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, leafy tops only
Black pepper

Optional garnishes
3 cups bean sprouts (about 1/2 pound)
10 to 12 sprigs mint (húng) 10 to 12 sprigs Thai basil* (húng quế)
12 to 15 fresh culantro* (ngò gai) leaves
2 or 3 Thai or serrano chiles, thinly sliced
2 or 3 limes, cut into wedges

Make the pho broth
1. Place the onions and ginger directly on the cooking grate of a medium-hot charcoal or gas grill (as pictured, to the right) or a gas stove with a medium flame, or on a medium-hot burner of an electric stove. Let the skin burn (if you’re working indoors, turn on the exhaust fan and open a window), using tongs to rotate onion and ginger occasionally and to grab and discard any flyaway onion skin.

After 15 minutes, the onions and ginger will have softened slightly and become sweetly fragrant. There may even be some bubbling. You do not have to blacken the entire surface. When amply charred, remove from the heat and let cool.

2. Rinse the cooled onions under warm running water, rubbing off the charred skin. Trim off and discard the blackened root and stem ends. Use a vegetable peeler, paring knife, or the edge of a teaspoon to remove the ginger skin. Hold it under warm water to wash off any blackened bits. Halve the ginger lengthwise and bruise lightly with the broad side of a cleaver or chef’s knife.  Set the onions and ginger aside.

3. Rinse the chicken under cool water. Detach each wing by bending it back and cutting it off at the shoulder joint. Add the wings and neck, if included, to the chicken parts. If the heart, gizzard, and liver have been included, discard them or save for another use. (Some cooks like to simmer the heart and gizzard in water and slice them for adding to the noodle bowls.) Set the wingless chicken aside.

4. Remove and discard any loose pieces of fat from the chicken parts. Wielding a heavy cleaver designed for chopping bones, whack the bones to break them partway or all the way through, making the cuts at 1- to 2-inch intervals, depending on the size of the part. This exposes the marrow, which enriches the broth.

5. To achieve a clear broth, you must first parboil and rinse the chicken parts. Put them in a stockpot (about 12-quart capacity) and add cold water just to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes to release the impurities. Dump the chicken parts and water into the sink (make sure it is clean), and then rinse the parts with water to wash off any clinging residue. Quickly scrub the stockpot clean and return the chicken parts to the pot. Put the chicken into the pot, breast side up.

6. Pour in the water and snuggle the chicken in between the parts so that it is covered with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Use a ladle or large, shallow spoon to skim off any scum that rises to the top. Add the onions, ginger, salt, fish sauce, rock sugar, coriander seeds, cloves, and cilantro and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes, adjusting the heat if needed to maintain a gentle simmer.

At this point, the chicken is cooked; its flesh should feel firm yet still yield a bit to the touch. Use a pair of tongs to grab the chicken and transfer it to a large bowl. Flush the chicken with cold water and drain well, then it set aside for 15 to 20 minutes until it is cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, keep the broth at a steady simmer.

7. When chicken can be handled, use a knife to remove each breast half and the whole legs (thigh and drumstick). Don’t cut these pieces further, or they’ll lose their succulence. Set aside on a plate to cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate; bring to room temperature before assembling the bowls.

8. Return the leftover carcass to the stockpot and adjust the heat to simmer the broth gently for another 11/2 hours. Avoid a hard boil, or the broth will turn cloudy.

9. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve (or a coarse-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth) positioned over a pot. Discard the solids. Use a ladle to skim as much fat from the top of the broth as you like. (To make this task easier, you can cool the broth, refrigerate overnight, lift off the solidified fat, and then reheat before continuing.) Taste and adjust the flavor with additional salt, fish sauce, and rock sugar. There should be about 4 quarts (16 cups) broth.

Assemble the pho bowls
10. If using dried noodles, cover them with hot tap water and let soak for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are pliable and opaque. Drain in a colander. If using fresh rice noodles, untangle them, place in a colander, and rinse briefly under cold running water.

11. Cut the cooked chicken into slices about 1/4 inch thick, cutting the meat off the bone as necessary. If you don’t want to eat the skin, discard it first. Set the chicken aside. Ready the yellow onion, scallions, cilantro, and pepper for adding to the bowls. Arrange the garnishes on a plate and put on the table.

12. To ensure good timing, bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat as you are assembling the bowls. (For an extra treat, drop in any unused white scallion sections and let them poach in the broth. Add the poached white scallion sections (called hành chần) to a few lucky bowls when ladling out the broth.) At the same time, fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil.

For each bowl, place a portion of the noodles on a vertical-handle strainer (or mesh sieve) and dunk the noodles in the boiling water. As soon as they have collapsed and lost their stiffness (10 to 20 seconds), pull the strainer from the water, letting the water drain back into the pot. Empty the noodles into a bowl. If you like, once you have finished blanching the noodles, you can blanch the bean sprouts for 30 seconds. They should wilt slightly but retain some crunch. Drain and add to the garnishes.

13. Top each bowl of noodles with chicken, arranging the slices flat. Place a mound of yellow onion in the center and then shower some scallion and cilantro on top. Finish with a sprinkle of pepper.

14. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a rolling boil. Do a final tasting and make any last-minute flavor adjustments. Ladle about 2 cups broth into each bowl, distributing the hot liquid evenly to warm all the ingredients. Serve immediately with the garnishes.

Copyright 2007, Andrea Nguyen, All rights reserved.  Recipe from Into theVietnamese Kitchen (Ten Speed Press, 2006)

*Notes:

Yellow rock sugar (a.k.a. lump sugar) is sold in one-pound boxes at Chinese and Southeast Asian markets. Break up large chunks with hammer.

This spread is lovely when used on garlic bread, as a sauce for fish, or when tossed with steamed vegetables.

6 cloves of garlic, whole

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill

dash of paprika

In a small saucepan, combine the garlic with water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain, let cool, and slip the skins off the garlic. Crush the garlic through a press. In a food processor or blender, combine the garlic, butter, dill, and paprika. Process until well combined, and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

to freeze: prepare recipe as directed. Pack in small freezer containers, and freeze. To serve, thaw the frozen butter in the refrigerator.

In a blender/food processor, process the basil and garlic until well chopped. With machine running, add the oil in a stream. Process until a smooth paste forms.
Cut 4 large squares of foil. Coat one side with no-stick spray. Divide the cutlets among the foil. Spread each with 1 tbsp of the basil pesto. Top with mushrooms and tomatoes. Cover with the remaining pesto. Sprinkle with cheese and pine nuts. Fold the foil to enclose the filling and seal tightly. Place the packets on a baking sheet. Bake at 375*F for 20 minutes.
To freeze: You can freeze the pesto by putting it into ice cube trays to freeze. Then you can put the pesto cubes into freezer containers for continued freezer storage. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator.   (source: Preserving Summer's Bounty)

In a 16 ounce glass, muddle (mash together) the basil leaves and lime wedges.  Add the simple syrup and rum.  Stir to combine.  Fill glass with ice cubes and add the splash of ginger ale.

(for those 21 and older!)

source: http://www.boulderlocavore.com/2011/08/costa-rican-basil-mojito-and-other.html

I copied this recipe from Bare Essentials' website because it sounds so good.

Ingredients

• Good-quality olive oil
• 4 medium-large, ripe tomatoes
• ½ cup chopped fresh basil, plus whole leaves for garnish
• 4 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 8 very thin slices mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450˚. Pour a little olive oil into a glass or enameled baking dish.
2. Cut tomatoes in half and roll cut part in olive oil; then turn over and arrange in dish, cut side up. Sprinkle each tomato with chopped fresh basil, crushed garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and a thin cheese slice. Drizzle again with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes, until tender and lightly browned. Garnish with whole basil leaves.