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Recipes from the Farmers' Market
from Karen and John at Pollinator Paradise

(page 2: Salads, Soups and Sandwiches)

ARUGULA SALAD

To create a great spicy salad, remove stems from leaves of arugula; add fresh fruit (grapes, Mandarin oranges, peaches, berries, pears, pineapple tomatillos, etc.), cucumber, toasted walnuts and crumbled feta or cotija cheese.  Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Or, add the arugula, cucumber, and grapes to other salad ingredients such as cherry tomatoes, lettuce, and cooked green beans.  The oil and sweet fruit counter the spicy flavor, so it is not as strong as in the raw leaves.

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CAPRESE SALAD or SANDWICH

Simple - Elegant - Very summer.  Hardly needs a recipe:

Slice two juicy fresh red tomatoes crosswise.  Arrange them artfully on a plate.  (It's important to be artful for this dish).  Coarsely chop 2-3 basil leaves per tomato slice and sprinkle them on the tomatoes.  You could stop here for a heavenly flavor combination.  

For Caprese, slice a ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, no more than a day old, into 1/4" thick rounds, and place one on each tomato slice.  Drizzle with a dab of olive oil.

For the sandwich, arrange the tomatoes on a slice of very fresh sourdough French or Italian bread.  Add the basil, cheese and oil as described above.  Eat open faced, or top with another slice of bread.

A few leaves of arugula would be an excellent variation on this salad or sandwich.

Fresh mozzarella is expensive and hard to find.   It is soft, unlike the mozzarella that you see in most supermarkets for pizza and pasta dishes.  In Boise we purchase it at the Boise Food Co-op.  Use it within a day of purchase.

Some variations, elsewhere on the web:  http://www.altomontes.com/recipes.html#recipe2 ; http://www.epicurious.com/e_eating/e07_mozzarella/caprese/caprese.html   

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JACQUE SCOTT'S ROASTED PEPPERS

Jacque Scott is the Market Manager for the Nampa Farmers' Market.  She submitted the following recipe for publication in the Idaho Press Tribune for the week of Sept. 15, 2003.

When you roast peppers what you actually do is burn the skin of the pepper until it is black. Just set your gas grill to high, or bring charcoal grill to high heat. Place the peppers on the grill and turn them over and over until the skin is charred. You can do this also under your broiler or over a medium high flame. After all the sides are blackened, put them in a paper bag to cool. When cool, remove them from the bag; core, seed and peel off the blackened skin. They are now ready for using in a recipe. I like them with a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, but here is a recipe that is delicious also.

ROASTED PEPPERS WITH MOZZARELLA  (Another variation on the Caprese Salad)
2 sweet red peppers
2 sweet yellow peppers 
2 sweet green peppers 
3 T. olive oil 
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped 
1/4 t. salt 
1/8 t. pepper 
10 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced 
1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced 

Roast and peel the peppers. Cut into sections. Combine oil, garlic, salt, pepper and basil in a small bowl.  Slice mozzarella. Arrange on platter, alternating with pepper slices.  Drizzle oil over top. For best flavor, let dish stand overnight. 8 servings.

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GREEN TOMATILLO SALSA

5 cups tomatillos, quartered or chopped

1½ cups seeded, chopped Anaheim or other long green chiles

2 (for mild) to 12 (very hot) seeded, chopped cayenne and/or jalapeño chiles

1 large onion, chopped

Juice of one lemon or ½ cup bottled lemon juice

6 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed

1 Tbsp ground cumin (optional)

3 Tbsp fresh oregano (optional)

½ cup chopped cilantro leaves (optional)

1 Tbsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan; stir over high heat until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until peppers are cooked and tender. Freeze if you won’t be eating it promptly; this variant isn’t acidic enough for safe canning.

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TABOULI SALAD

2 cups cracked wheat (bulghur)
2 cups very hot water
1 cucumber, chopped
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, (8) sliced
½ cup fresh chopped mint,
2 cups fresh chopped flat-leaved parsley
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
½ lb. feta cheese, cubed or crumbled (optional)

Dressing:
½ cup fresh lemon juice
¾ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

Soak the cracked wheat in hot water until the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Drain any excess water, if necessary, and squeeze dry. Combine the salad ingredients, including wheat, in a medium bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients together and stir into the salad mixture. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Makes about 8 cups, 12 to 16 servings.

http://www.greatpartyrecipes.com/greeksaladrecipe.html

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CREAM OF SPINACH SOUP
(from the Sunset Book of Soups and Stews, 1969):

1 bag of spinach leaves, washed
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons flour
1/8 tsp thyme
dash nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
Sour cream or yoghurt
Croutons

Melt butter in a large pan, add the spinach, cover and cook over high heat for 5 minutes or until spinach is limp.  Pour into an electric blender and whirl until smooth, or press through a wire strainer to make a puree.  Mix the milk with the flour and add to the spinach.  Return spinach to pan; add the thyme, nutmeg and salt.  Cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened.  Serve hot with sour cream or yoghurt, and croutons added to each portion.  Makes 4 servings.

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Updated 9/24/2003
© Karen Strickler