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RECIPES

Listed below are some favorite recipes by Dowling gardeners past and present. If you have a favorite recipe you would like to share with, please contact: Please check to see if the recipe has a copyright, if so, please contact the person or organization for permission to place the recipe on a non-profit garden website.

Brussels Sprouts Braised in Cream

  • Brussels sprouts. Remove all discolored leaves and cut the stem afresh. Split the sprouts vertically, along the broad axis
  • Unsalted butter
  • Freshly ground salt and pepper
  • Heavy cream
  • Freshly-grated whole nutmeg

Use a pan that is large enough to accommodate all of the split sprouts in a single layer. On medium heat, melt butter to cover the pan bottom and place the sprouts split side down in the butter. Add moderate salt and pepper. Sauté the sprouts for 2 - 3 minutes, until a sample sprout is just beginning to brown on the cut face. Add heavy cream until the cut sprouts are half submerged. Reduce heat to medium low. Add nutmeg, a pinch for every 6 whole sprouts. Cover and cook until al dente, about 8 - 10 minutes. Serve immediately. From: Jeffrey Loesch

Chard Cheese Pie 

  • 6 cups lightly cooked chard, well drained
  • 1 onion sautéed in olive oil
  • 2 cups low fat cottage cheese
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • juice of one lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 cup whole grain bread crumbs
  • Paprika
  • variation: add 1/2 cup Swiss cheese and omit lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together the cottage cheese, eggs, lemon and salt. Stir a cup of this mixture into the chard and onion and press it down in a well greased 8 X8 inch pan. Spread the remaining cottage cheese mixture evenly over the top and sprinkle on the bread crumbs and paprika. Bake for about a half an hour or until set. Allow to stand for several minutes before serving. From: Laurels Kitchen Cookbook

Curried Kale and Squash Soup

  • 4 C. Kale, with stems removed, washed and chopped
  • 3 C. winter squash, peeled and diced
  • 4 Tsp. olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 C. uncooked wild rice
  • 1 C. dried lima beans
  • 6 C. vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1 Tsp. curry powder, salt, and black pepper

In a large pot, saute onion in oil until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add remaining ingredients, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until rice and beans are tender and soup is good and thick. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 8. From: the St. Paul Farmers Market Produce Cookbook

Green Fried Tomatoes

Since we are all sitting on a pile of green tomatoes, I am sharing my recipe, which was originally a southern favorite. I have generalized it to allow for diversity in tastes. The key point is to fry the battered tomato slices slowly enough to cook them without burning the coating. Doing it right brings out a nutty sweetness that offsets the natural sourness of the tomatoes, giving a tasty tart nuttiness.

Cut large green tomatoes into 3/8-inch slices.

Dip each slice in beaten egg, then dredge in one of the following:

  • corn meal (traditional)
  • saltine cracker crumbs
  • fine bread crumbs (I use these.)
  • Fry slowly in one of the following:
  • bacon grease (traditional)
  • butter
  • olive oil
  • Alternative: (I use a mix of butter and olive oil.)

Figuring out when they are done is tricky. If the tomatoes are beginning to ripen a bit, they will soften more than ones that are completely green. Test the softness with a fork. For completely green tomatoes, the slices are ready when they have the consistency of a ripe (but not over-ripe) slice of tomato. Partially ripe slices will need to have the consistency of a slightly over-ripe tomato

Serve immediately or keep warm while finishing the rest of the batch. From: Jeffrey Loesch

Green Tomato Pie

  • 6 medium-size green tomatoes, sliced 1/8” thick
  • 1 14” circle pie pastry, chilled
  • 3 /4 cup golden raisins
  • 1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind and 2 Tbs. lemon juice
  • 1 Tbs. cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 4 Tbs.. flour
  • scant 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
  • 2 Tbs.. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • confectioner's' sugar

Place pastry in 9” pie pan. Combine tomatoes, raisins, lemon rind and juice, vinegar. Stir and set aside. Combine sugar, flour, salt and spices in small bowl. Sprinkle 2 Tbs.. over pie crust and toss rest with tomatoes. Put filling into crust and dot with butter. Fold pastry up over filling. Bake 425 degrees for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 325 and bake 50 minutes more until filling is bubbling and crust is golden. Cool completely; dust with confectioner's' sugar. from: Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts by Martha Stewart. New York, NY, Clarkson Potter Inc., 1985

Original Andalusia Gazpacho

  • 4 medium tomatoes *
  • 2 medium green peppers **
  • 1/2 medium onion
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 medium cucumber (sweet, not tart or bitter) peeled
  • 1 slice bread ***
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar ****
  • 2-3 pinches of salt
  • really cold water

Cut all the ingredients into pieces (they don't have to be small-the blender will do the rest) and throw them into a big bowl, throw on the salt, pour the oil and vinegar over the top and mix up. Fill the blender to about 3/4 full with mix (loose) and then pour in enough water to come up to about 2/3 the height of the mix. Blend away at a high speed until well blended. That's it.

Note: The water separates from the rest very quickly with this soup, so it's the type that you'll want to move around constantly while eating and of course stir or shake well before serving. In the south we drink it from a glass to accompany lunch or dinner.

* The original idea is to peel the tomatoes, but I don't ** Shouldn't be bell peppers; should be a long slender type that is a bit bitter, not sweet. From: Spanish Taw

Taeng Kwsa Brio Wan Vietnamese (Sweet and Sour Cucumber)

  • 2 large cukes peeled and sliced very thin
  • 1 small red onion halved and sliced very thin
  • 1/4 to 1/2 dried chili flakes
  • 4 Tsp. sugar
  • 1/2 C. water
  • 5 Tbs. white vinegar
  • 1/2 Tsp. salt

Place cukes, onions, and chili flakes in a mixing bowl. In a small sauce pan dissolve sugar in the water over low heat. When just dissolved, remove from heat, stir in vinegar and add salt. Pour over cukes. Stir and refrigerate. Keeps (theoretically) for several days. Ours are gone in a day. From: Judith

Summer Ratatouille

  • 2 cups high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 pounds eggplants, pealed and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ pounds red onions, coarsely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 ½ pounds green and red sweet peppers, seeded and stemmed, chopped into ½-inch pieces
  • 3 pounds zucchini and/or yellow summer squash, trimmed, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2–inch pieces.
  • 3 pounds fresh paste tomatoes, chopped into ¾-inch cubes
  • 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • ½ cup chopped fresh dill
  • ½ cup chopped fresh basil
  • 3 tablespoons fresh oregano or 2 tablespoons dry oregano
  • 1 tablespoon fresh-ground black pepper

Preheat oven on bake to 400 degrees F. Put eggplant into a roasting pan or other oven-proof pan with a tight-fitting cover. (Alternative: tightly cover an oven-proof pan with aluminum foil.) Pour 1 cup of olive oil over the eggplant, sprinkle salt over it, and toss thoroughly. Cover and bake for 35 minutes. After placing eggplant in the oven, put the rest of the olive oil in a Dutch oven or other pan with capacity to hold all ingredients. (At least 6 quarts). Sauté the onions on high until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, dill, basil, oregano and black pepper. Stir thoroughly and cook uncovered on medium for an additional 10 minutes, stirring regularly). Remove the eggplant from the oven and add to the main pan. Stir thoroughly and simmer uncovered for an additional 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve hot or room temperature, or put into plastic freezer boxes, label and allow to cool, then freeze. Eating this rataatouille during the winter will bring fond memories of summers past!

Roasted Tomato Garlic Soup

  • 12 tomatoes -- *see Note
  • 2 carrots -- cut in 1" pieces
  • 1 large onion -- quartered
  • 2 whole heads garlic -- peeled (or more, to taste)
  • olive oil
  • 2 cups chicken broth -- (or 3)
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil -- (or 1 Tbs. dried)
  • cream -- to taste

Core tomatoes and cut in half. Place, cut side up, on foil covered cookie sheet with carrots, onion and garlic. Brush with olive oil. Bake at 400F for about an hour, or until veggies are roasted and a little blackened. Place in a large saucepan with the chicken broth and basil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Blend with a stick blender (or in small batches in a blender) until almost smooth. Add cream to taste. To can: Process in a pressure canner, pints for 60 min. and quarts for 70 min. For dial gauge canners use 11 pounds pressure at 0-2000 ft., 12 lbs. at 2001-4000 ft., 13 lbs. at 4001-6000 ft. and 14 lbs. above 6000 ft. For weighted gauge canners use 10 lbs. pressure at 0-1000 ft., and 15 lbs. over 1000 ft.

*Note: These measurements are approximate...I use whatever it takes to cover the cookie sheet. This makes 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of soup. From: Katie C., Harvest Forum

Tomato and Bread Soup

  • 3/4 day old baguette
  • 3-4 large tomatoes, ripe
  • Several large handfuls of basil
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped or pressed
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Dark balsamic vinegar
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

Cut baguette into bite size (crouton size) chunks, place on cookie sheet in 300 degree oven for 15 minutes, dry and crisp. After removed from oven--in a large skillet heat 3 Tbs. olive oil and garlic. Sauté briefly, then add bread chunks till all the oil is absorbed. Turn off heat and sprinkle with sea salt.

In a large bowl, cut tomatoes into chunks, chop basil, add croutons. Toss and drizzle with 1-2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar and olive oil to taste. Mix and serve. Use less olive oil if desired. (Great as a left over on lunch the next day.) From: Judith

Sweet Tomato Cobbler (2 parts))

Tomato Filling (part 1)

  • 4 pounds tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup loose brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp cloves
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 5 slices of crystallized ginger, finely diced
  • 1 T lemon juice and zest of one lemon
  • Cook this mixture in a heavy bottomed saucepan or skillet until slightly thickened over medium heat. If using yellow or orange tomatoes, lower the heat. They tend to scorch faster.

    Cream Biscuit Cobbler Dough (part 2)

  • 2 cups White Lily flour (if you can get it)
  • ¾ cup heavy cream (make a soft somewhat sticky dough that you can drop from a spoon)
  • ½ tsp soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 T baking powder

Use a well-seasoned iron skillet, pour in the hot tomato filling. Spoon big fluffy clumps of the biscuit dough on top, covering the filling. Bake at 450 for about 15-20 minutes. This dough stays very pale, and will be only barely brown when done. The tomato filling usually bubbles up here and there between clumps of dough. Serve with ice cream. From: Unknown

White Chili with Tomatillos

  • 2 whole chicken breasts, skinned and diced
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup fresh chilies, chopped (I use red and green jalapenos)
  • 1 14 1/2 oz can chicken broth (preferably Swanson's Natural Goodness)
  • 1 pound Tomatillos, husks removed and chopped, (about 10)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried
  • juice of 1 lime (to taste--use less if tomatillo are unripe
  • 2 15 oz cans of white beans, drained and rinsed
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • chipotle pepper powder to taste

Sauté` diced chicken in oil over medium heat in heavy skillet until cooked; remove and set aside. Add onions, garlic, and diced chilies e.g. jalapenos) and salute` until slightly browned. Add broth, Tomatillos and spices. Bring to a boil and simmer 25 minutes. Add lime juice (to taste--start slow) and beans and heat thoroughly. Add salt, pepper and powdered chipotle pepper (check Penzeys or Whole Foods) to taste. May adorn with chopped raw onion, grated cheddar, chopped avocado, sour cream or other condiments, if desired. Great with hot corn bread. From: The St. Paul Farmer's Market Cookbook. A fast and tasty soup for those who refuse to eat red chili.