Eco Farm Family Recipes

Please look over these family recipes (numbered and following the list) to get some ideas for cooking the produce we grow.
(More ideas are available from Cindy's Greek vegetarian cookbook, "Diet of the Gods", available at the farmers' market and through the mail.)

1. Mushrooms in Tomato Sauce	2. Baked Mushrooms with Feta	3. Greek Village Tomato Salad
4. Whole Peppers with Vinegar	5. Stuffed Habanero Peppers	6. Roasted Okra
7. Okra with Tomatoes	8. Eggplant Dip	9. Pesto
10. Green Beans in Tomato Sauce	11. Zucchini in Tomato Sauce	12. Cucumber Salad
13. Marinated Squash	14. Marinated Boc Choy, Kale, or Broccoli Rabe	15. Sauteed Boc Choy, Kale or Broccoli Rabe, Greek Style
16. Sauteed Boc Choy, Kale, or Broccoli Rabe, Asian Style	17. Kale-O-Pita (Kale Pie)	18. Broccoli or Cauliflower Salad
19. Oven-Baked Potatoes, Greek Style	20. Potato Salad by Papoo	21. Greek Lettuce Salad
22. Spinach Salad	23. Baked Spinach with Feta	24. Creamed Spinach Soup
25. Baked Carrots in Mayonaise Sauce	26. Nichole's Fried Green Tomatoes	27. Sauteed Butternut Squash

1. MUSHROOMS IN TOMATO SAUCE
Ingredients: 1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms
1 large onion
2 or 3 cloves garlic
2 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 or 2 bay leaves
sea salt
black pepper
a long splash of dry red wine

Slice the onions into thin wedges and saute in olive oil until golden brown.
Add mushrooms to onion and saute briefly. Add remaining ingredients
and simmer for at least one half hour.


2. BAKED MUSHROOMS WITH FETA
Ingredients: 5 - 10 shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 or 2 zucchini, grated
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 lb. feta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
oregano

Saute onions in olive oil until golden. Add mushrooms and cook until wilted.
Then stir in grated zucchini and cook for 1 minute.
Add most of the feta, and mix. Add beaten eggs and mix well.
Brush pie dish with olive oil and pour vegetable mixture into pie dish.
Sprinkle top with remaining feta and oregano. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.


3. GREEK VILLAGE TOMATO SALAD
Ingredients: 3 lbs. tomatoes
2 small onions
feta cheese
Kalamata olives, pitted
extra virgin olive oil
oregano
red wine vinegar
sea salt
spicy brown mustard

Chop tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Peel onions and slice up.
Place tomatoes in bowl with onions on top. Sprinkle on feta, then add olives.
In separate container, combine remaining ingredients and shake well.
Pour dressing onto salad and serve immediately.


4. WHOLE PEPPERS WITH VINEGAR
Ingredients: 6 peppers of various sorts
red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Put a small amount of vegetable oil in cast iron frying pan, and turn on medium heat.
Add assorted whole peppers (sweet bell, Italian, cayenne, and/or others you prefer,
and put the lid on. You can pile on lots of peppers, and use a spatula to turn them
occasionally until all sides are browned. Pour red wine vinegar onto peppers in pan,
and allow to cook until wilted. Serve warm or at room temperature.

5. STUFFED HABANERO PEPPERS (Use spicy habanero peppers, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, green peppers, or any peppers you prefer.) Ingredients: 12 habanero peppers (or substitute with other peppers of similar size) 1 large onion, sliced into tiny pieces 1 or 2 cloves garlic, sliced into tiny pieces 2 8-oz. pkgs. chream cheese vegetable oil for baking dish Remove cream cheese from refrigerator 1/2 hour in advance to soften. Saute onion pieces in cast iron pan until nicely browned. Add garlic pieces. Rinse peppers, and then slice each in half from the stem side down. Remove all innards and seeds. Crowd pepper halves into 8 x 12-inch baking dish, open sides facing up. In large bowl, mix together cream cheese and browned onion and garlic pieces. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fill each pepper half with gobs of cream cheese mix. Sprinkle your choice of spice on top (cumin, parsley, garlic powder, curry, etc.) Bake for 30 minutes, or until browning on top, or you can broil it for a couple of minutes (but not with Corning Ware, which will break).

OKRA
(I am not a fan of okra. At all. But John adores it,
so once again, marriage helps further master
the arts of adoration and toleration.)

6. ROASTED OKRA
Ingredients: 1 lb. okra
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
optional: minced garlic

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Cut off okra stems, but don't cut into flesh.
In a large bowl, mix okra, olive oil, salt, and garlic. Place okra onto oiled baking pan,
and place in oven for ten to fifteen minutes. Open oven door and shake pan to turn okra.
Bake for another ten to fifteen minutes. Pour into serving bowl and enjoy.


7. OKRA WITH TOMATOES
Ingredients: 1 lb. okra
2 onions, sliced
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 16-ounce can tomatoes (or use fresh tomatoes, boiled whole in water for a few minutes to easily remove skins)
2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
1 tsp. sea salt
feta cheese

Cut off okra stems, but don't cut into okra flesh. Saute onions in olive oil until golden.
Add tomatoes, parsley, and sea salt. Add okra and simmer for 1/2 hour or more.
Serve with feta in or with dish.

8. EGGPLANT DIP
(I reserve this dish for company
or for when John is cranky and needs a lift.)

Ingredients: 1 large eggplant
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
juice from 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. capers
sea salt
black pepper
olive oil

Cut off eggplant stem. Wash eggplant and slice into 1/2-inch-thick slabs.
Brush eggplant slabs on both sides with oil and place onto oiled baking sheet.
Broil eggplant for a few minutes until nicely browned.
("Burned" gives the dip a nice smoky flavor.)
When eggplant is darkened, saute a chopped onion until golden.

Place all ingredients except capers in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Pour into bowl, mix in the capers, and serve as a dip with thick bread.


9. PESTO
Ingredients: 1/4 pound basil
a large squirt of extra virgin olive oil
2 or three cloves regular garlic (you can use elelphant garlic, but it's milder.)
a small handful nuts (walnuts, pecans, or pine nuts are nice)
sea salt
Optional: Romano or feta cheese

Combine all ingredients except cheese in blender or food processor. Then add cheese, if desired.
For dinner, put on hot pasta or steamed vegetables.
Also good on crackers or vegetable sticks.


10. GREEN BEANS IN TOMATO SAUCE

Ingredients: 1 lb. green beans
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, sliced into strips
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 16-ounce can tomatoes
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. sea salt
2 cups water

In saucepan, saute onion in olive oil until golden. Add garlic.
Rinse beans and remove stem. Cut into 2-inch pieces, or leave whole.

Add remaining ingredients to saucepan, and simmer for one hour or more
until beans are tender.


11. ZUCCHINI IN TOMATO SAUCE (WITH OR WITHOUT FETA)

Ingredients: 1 to 2 lb. zucchini, sliced into rounds
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, sliced into strips
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 16-ounce can tomatoes
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. sea salt
2 cups water
Optional: 1/2 lb. feta cheese, sliced into squares

In saucepan, saute onion in olive oil until golden. Add garlic.
Add zucchini to saucepan, and simmer for one hour or more.
If desired, add feta and allow it to slightly melt before serving.


12. CUCUMBER SALAD

Ingredients: 2 or 3 cucumbers, unpeeled but sliced
1 onion, peeled and sliced
(optional: 1/4 lb. feta cheese, crumbled)
6 Kalamata olives
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
(optional: 1 TBSP. spicy brown mustard)
oregano
sea salt
black pepper

Place cucumbers into salad bowl with onions. Sprinkle on feta, with olives on top
Combine remaining ingredients for salad dressing, shake well, and pour over salad.


13. MARINATED SQUASH (ZEPHYR OR ZUCCHINI)

Ingredients: 6 small zucchini
3 cloves garlic, pressed
red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
pepper

Wash zucchini and place in saucepan, whole. Cover with water and boil until soft.
Remove from pot and place onto plate. Combine remaining ingredients and pour onto
zucchini, allowing to marinate at room temperature for 1 - 3 hours, or overnight if possible.

Slice marinating zucchini into 1-inch pieces and serve.


14. MARINATED BOC CHOY, MARINATED KALE OR MARINATED BROCCOLI RABE
(Greek Style)

Ingredients: 1 lb. boc choy, kale (Red Russian or other) or broccoli rabe
1 or more cloves crushed garlic
¼ cup red wine vinegar
sea salt
black pepper
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Wash greens and chop into three- or four-inch-long pieces.
Place greens in saucepan and cover with water; boil for ½ hour or until tender.
Drain greens well, and place into a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Serve immediately or allow to marinate and serve at room temperature.


15. SAUTEED BOC CHOY, SAUTEED KALE OR SAUTEED BROCCOLI RABE
(Greek Style)

Ingredients: 1/2 lb. boc choy, kale or broccoli rabe, chopped into 3-inch pieces
1 large onion, sliced into lengths
1 clove garlic, minced
extra virgin olive oil

Wash greens and chop. Heat olive oil in pan on low, and then add sliced onions. Saute onions
until beginning to brown. Add garlic. Add greens and cook on low heat with cover until
quite wilted.

(An option is to add 1/4 lb. of feta cheese just before serving, and/or the contents of a can of anchovies.)


16. SAUTEED BOC CHOY, SAUTEED KALE OR SAUTEED BROCCOLI RABE
(Asian Style)

Ingredients: 1/2 lb. boc choy, kale or broccoli rabe, chopped into 3-inch pieces
1 large onion, sliced into lengths
1 clove garlic, minced
1 5-inch piece of fresh ginger root, grated after cutting away peel
vegetable oil

Wash greens and chop. Heat oil in pan on low, and then add sliced onions. Saute onions
until beginning to brown. Add garlic and ginger. Add greens and cook on low heat with cover until
quite wilted.

One thing you may have noticed is that most greens can be prepared in similar ways.
The first time I ever made "kale-O-pita" was when we'd been invited to a potluck dinner
and I wanted to bring spinach pie ("spanakopita") but we had no spinach yet; we just had kale.

My "kale-O-pita" was a raging success.

(The trick is to be creative and to have faith.)


17. KALE-O-PITA or KALE PIE
(Spinach pie using kale as a substitute for spinach;
boc choy also makes a nice substitute for spinach, as might many other greens)

Ingredients:1 pkg. filo dough
2 lbs. kale
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter or extra virgin olive oil
5 eggs
1/4 cup dill weed, chopped
1 lb. feta cheese
1/4 cup white rice, raw
sea salt
black pepper

Thaw filo dough THOROUGHLY (or you will have great difficulty separating the leaves. Wash, stem, chop,
and drain kale. Saute onion in butter or olive oil until golden. Combine onion with kale. Add
eggs, feta, dill, raw rice, sea salt, and pepper, and mix well.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: Melt butter or olive oil in small frying pan on stove.
Brush butter onto bottom and sides of a 9" x 12" baking dish, and place a layer of
filo dough lengthwise into dish. (Lay damp towel onto remaining filo leaves to keep them
from drying out.) Carefully brush butter or oil onto filo in dish. Add another layer of filo
and brush with butter or oil. Do this with eight more layers.

Pour in kale filling. Turn filo dough crosswise and lay half the next layer of filo dough onto
center of sipinach filling, brushing it with butter, and the folding its remaining half on top
of it, brushing it with butter. Do the same thing with another five to eight leaves of filo dough.
When finished, fold sides onto pie and brush down with butter. Using a sharp knife,
cut pie into 12 servings.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately one hour until nicely browned. Allow to cool before slicing.

These pies are traditionally served at room temperature.


18. BROCCOLI (OR CAULIFLOWER) SALAD

Ingredients: 1 bag of broccoli (or cauliflower)
1 onion, chopped
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
sea salt
oregano
optional: 1/4 lb. feta cheese, crumbled

Remove and discard large leaves from broccoli (or cauliflower). Chop it into bite-sized pieces
and place into a saucepan with two inches of water. Bring to a boil and steam for
about five minutes or less, keeping it firm. Drain broccoli (or cauliflower), and then pour back into saucepan
with cold water; drain again and combine with cold water in saucepan again until it is cool.

Drain broccoli (or cauliflower), and combine with remaining ingredients. Serve cool or cold.


19. OVEN-BAKED POTATOES, GREEK STYLE
Tastier than you would imagine;
on Christmas Eve many years ago we received a phone call from a friend living 3,000 miles away
who wanted this recipe to prepare for the following festive evening.

Ingredients: 3 pounds potatoes, cut into wedges
2 onions, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup water
3 Tbsp. tamari soy sauce
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. sea salt
black pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, and then pour into 9" x 12" olive-oiled baking dish.
Check it every so often to see if it needs mixing.
Bake at 350 degrees for around 2 hours.


20. POTATO SALAD BY PAPOO
("Papoo" means grandfather, and Cindy's father learned to make this grand potato salad in his later years.)

Ingredients: 6 medium potatoes, peeled, cut, and boiled until just tender
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 sprig fresh parsley
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. sea salt
dash of black pepper

Combine all ingredients and serve chilled or at room temperature.


21. GREEK LETTUCE SALAD

Ingredients: 1 large head lettuce, torn into 2-inch pieces
(optional) baby bok choy, torn into 2-inch pieces
3 scallions or 1 onion, sliced
3 radishes, sliced
2 handfuls of raw sugar snap peas, with ends torn and strings removed
1/4 lb. feta, crumbled
6 Kalamata olives, pitted
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
sea salt, black pepper, oregano
1 tsp. spicy brown mustard
Optional: 2 Tbsp. capers

Place lettuce into a large salad bowl, and artistically place vegetables on top.
Sprinkle feta over vegetables, and add olives (and capers).
For salad dressing, mix oil, vinegar, garlic, spices, and mustard in a separate container.
Pour dressing onto salad, toss well, and serve immediately.


22. SPINACH SALAD

Ingredients: 1 lb. spinach, washed and drained
6 mushrooms, sliced
1 onion or 5 scallions, sliced

Optional ingredients:
4 eggs, hardboiled and sliced
1/4 lb. feta cheese

Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. oregano or dill
sea salt

Combine all ingredients except eggs, and mix well.

Obtional: Top with eggs or feta


23. BAKED SPINACH WITH FETA

Ingredients: 1 lb. spinach
1 onion, chopped
1 - 3 cloves garlic
2 eggs
1/2 lb. feta cheese
1 tsp. agar-agar (a seaweed thickener available through Weaver Street Market)
1 tsp. sea salt
dill weed
extra virgin olive oil

Saute onion and then garlic in olive oil until browned. Wash spinach and chop
in a food processor. If you don't have a food processor, add chopped greens a
bit at a time to onions and garlic infrying pan until they're completely wilted.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Coat a 9-inch pie pan with olive oil. Pour spinach mixture into pan
cover with foil, and bake for 40 minutes.


24. CREAMED SPINACH SOUP

Ingredients: 1 onion, sliced small
small bunch scallions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cups dried pinto beans
1 lb. fresh spinach
1 quart unsweetened milk (soy or cow's)
1 or 2 large sprigs fresh dill, chopped, or 1 tsp. dried
sea salt
black pepper

Soak beans in water overnight. Drain beans, add fresh water, and heat on stove
to boiling. Simmer for fifteen minutes, then drain beans again. Add fresh water,
and heat again to simmer for another fifteen minutes. Drain beans. (Draining the
water several times is necessary only to help reduce gas in beans.)

Pour olive oil into soup pot and turn to medium heat. Saute onions until nicely
browned. Chop scallions and garlic, and add to soup pot.

Use blender or food processor to combine spinach, milk, and beans. Pour spinach
mixture into soup pot.

Simmer for one half hour. Add salt and pepper to taste,
and pour into soup bowls.

25. BAKED CARROTS IN MAYONAISE SAUCE
John's mother, Grandma Faith, had a great carrot recipe, which we use a lot during carrot season.

3 lb. carrots, sliced and parboiled
1 cup mayonaise
4 TBSP grated onion
1/2 cup water (from carrots)
1/2 cup grated breadcrumbs (I avoid flour and use grated walnuts or almonds instead)
2 heaping TBSP white horseradish
salt & pepper

Combine all the above ingredients and pour into a greased baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

26. NICHOLE'S FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
Our daughter prepared this dish after her Americorps expeditions to New Orleans and to Biloxi.
Fried tomatoes are delicious when eaten the same way that Greeks eat French fried potatoes: With lemon juice!
Fried green tomatoes are also good in a sandwich, or baked covered in tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

3 or more green tomatoes
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 egg
sea salt
black pepper
1 lemon or lime
2 cups vegetable oil

Pour oil into heavy frying pan and heat to medium high.

Beat egg and set into bowl. Combine dried ingredients in another bowl. Cut tomatoes into 3/4-inch round slices; dip each slice first into beaten egg and then in dry mixture.

Drop tomato circles one by one into hot oil and fry each side until golden. Drain on paper towels, squeeze lemon juice on top of each, and enjoy!

27. SAUTEED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

1 medium-sized butternut squash
1/2 stick butter
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves elephant garlic, sliced
kosher salt
cayenne papper

Saute onion in butter on medium heat. Add garlic.

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Cut halves into quarters and use potato peeler to remove all skin. Slice squash into 1-inch pieces, and add to onions and garlic. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes, lifting the lid to stir on occasion.

Serve when all vegetables are browned.

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