from fine cooking
Penne with zucchini, fresh herbs and lemon zest
FROM THE MARKET:
2 medium zucchini cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/4" half moons
4 large garlic cloves thinly sliced or 2 - 3 minced garlic scapes
3 T each coarsely chopped basil, mint and flat-leaf parsley
IN YOUR KITCHEN:
¼ lb whole wheat penne
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c pine nuts
2 t finely grated lemon zest
1/4 c freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the penne and cook according to package instructions until al dente.
Put nuts in a dry frying pan and cook for 3 minutes over medium-heat, stirring frequently or shaking pan until golden. Keep an eye on pan at all times to prevent pine nuts from burning.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until barely tender and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic (scapes) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is soft and fragrant, an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon zest, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper.
Reserve 1/2-cup pasta cooking water and drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the zucchini mixture along with the Parmigiano, mint, basil, and parsley. Sprinkle with pine nuts and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss to combine, adding some of the reserved water if necessary to moisten the pasta, and serve immediately.
from the kitchen of Josh Salon
Josh's Award-Winning Chili
This took the top prize at our first Chili Cooking Contest in 2018. Our fire-fighting judges couldn't get enough.
FROM THE MARKET:
Grass-fed short rib*
Grass-fed ground sirloin*
Slab bacon
Fire roasted tomatoes*
White onion*
Garlic*
Scallions*
IN YOUR PANTRY OR FRIDGE:
Captain Lawrence Freshchester Pale Ale (2 bottles for Chili and 2 bottles to drink while making Chili)
Fire roasted poblanos & bell peppers*
Ancho chili (keep dried, don’t need to reconstitute)
Red kidney beans*
Liquid smoke
Brown sugar*
Tomato paste*
Low sodium beef stock*
Cayenne*
Cumin*
Coriander*
Smoked paprika*
Chili powder*
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Brown the short rib (boneless or with bones if you want to fish them out at the end), ground beef and bacon in different pans. Set meat aside, keeping oil/fat.
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Dump grease from bacon and ground beef in with left over grease from short rib, and use to cook veggies.
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Add red and yellow bell peppers and white onion to pan and brown for 5 minutes. Add garlic ( a lot of garlic, not too finely chopped) and cook an additional 2 minutes.
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Add dry spices and tomato paste, cook 2 more minutes while stirring.
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Put ground beef and short rib back in the pot, along with fire roasted pablanos and fire roasted tomatoes, beans, (I used canned), liquid smoke, beer and stock.
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Simmer in covered cast iron pot for +- 4 hours. Remove lid for last 30 minutes to thicken.
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Add in bacon and more chili powder and smoked paprika before serving.
Toppings:
Fritos
Sour Cream
Scallions*
Pickled Jalapenos (optional)
*Organic
from the NY Times and Mark Bittman (modified)
Layered Vegetable Torte
This took the top prize at our first Chili Cooking Contest in 2018. Our fire-fighting judges couldn't get enough.
FROM THE MARKET:
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch slices
4 medium zucchini or yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c chopped basil leaves
IN YOUR KITCHEN:
Salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2T garlic
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms lightly with half the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast or grill vegetables on both sides until soft.
Coat bottom and sides of 8-inch springform pan with oil. Layer a third of the eggplant slices into bottom of the pan, then layer in half the zucchini, mushrooms, tomato, garlic and basil, sprinkling each layer with a bit of salt and pepper. Repeat layers until all vegetable are used. Press the top with a spatula or spoon to make the torte as compact as possible. Sprinkle top with Parmesan and bread crumbs, and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon oil.
Bake torte in oven until hot throughout and browned on top, about 30 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before removing outer ring of pan, then let cool for another 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.
