Lindsey's Spring Stir-Fry

From 2012 Farm Intern Lindsey

Heat sesame or olive oil in wok or frying pan. Add chopped garlic scapes. Cook on medium heat, just long enough to release aromas of fresh garlic into the oil. Remove scapes. Set aside. Thinly slice turnips and radishes. Saute for a few minutes. Add roughly chopped leeks and bok choi. Cook for a few more minutes. Add roughly chopped cress and re-introduce the garlic scapes to the vegetable mix. Cook 1 to 2 minutes. Serve over rice.

Katie's Easy Spring Pasta

From 2012 Farm Intern Katie

Melt some butter. Add 2 chopped garlic scapes, asparagus, peas. Add ¼ c milk or yogurt. Stir. Mix in 2 c cheese. Add chopped ¼ c basil. Salt and pepper to your taste. Mix with 1 package (16 oz) cooked pasta. Serve. Eat. Yum! You can also add sautéed greens if you like. 

Fried Rice over Steamed Greens

From 2012 Farm Intern Peter

In a wok or heavy iron skillet, warm a little olive or sesame seed oil on high heat. Add 2 medium chopped onions and two garlic cloves or one garlic scape, chopped. Sauté until just browning. Add two eggs and cook until firm. Add 2 cups cooked rice and cook 5 to 8 minutes. Remove rice. Add more oil to the pan and cook 1 handful of snow peas with ends snipped and 6 to 8 asparagus stalks, chopped (or other firm vegetables 0 turnips, carrots, radishes, broccoli, etc.). Mix in the rice. In a pot with ½ inch water, add 5 cups fresh spinach, 7 cups kale or 6 cups of Asian greens) and steam until tender, about 10 minutes. Serve stir-fry over steamed greens. Yields 4 servings.

Scotch Hill Stuffed Peppers

From Your Farmer Dela:

Top and seed 4 Bell Peppers. Saute chopped onions, eggplant and/or squash in butter or oil. Mix with 1 cup of rice or bread crumbs and 1 or 2 chopped tomatoes. Fill pepper with mixture and top with grated cheese. Bake at 375 F for 20 to 25 minutes. Use herbs of choice to flavor. 

Spotlight Southwest Salad

Chop 2 cups of tomatoes, 2 cups of corn, 1 medium green pepper, 1 medium sweet pepper, ¼ cup fresh cilantro, parsley or basil, 2 cups black beans, and combine with 1½ tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 Tb oregano (dry or Fresh) and 3 Tb olive oil, 1 clove garlic, 3 Tb lime juice or balsamic vinegar. Serve with warm tortillas or corn chips. Also good with fresh sliced Avocados. 

Eggplant Burgers

Slice 2 eggplants lengthwise ¼ inch. Brush with mixture of 2 Tb oil, 2 tsp balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp Dijon mustard. Grill until cooked. Stack eggplant together to form shape of burger. Top with Provolone Cheese and fresh basil. Brush buns with olive oil and toast on grill. Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

Tomato Bread Casserole

Cut ½ lb. loaf French bread, sliced  into cubes 1 inch by 1 inch, and melt 3 Tb. Butter. Combine bread and butter and toss together. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes. Place ½ the baked bread cubes in bottom of 7-by-13-inch baking dish. Top bread with layer of 2 lbs. of fresh thinly sliced tomatoes and follow with layer of 1 cup low fat ricotta or goat cheese. Mix ¼ cup olive oil; ½ teaspoon oregano; 2 cloves garlic, minced; and ¾ tsp seasoning salt and evenly pour over layer of tomatoes and cheese. Repeat layering of tomato and cheese. Top with ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes covered. Uncover and bake 7 more minutes to brown the top. Enjoy!

Baked Squash

Adapted From Charleston Recipes, 1950

Baked Squash: Cut available yellow squash in half lengthwise (Do not remove skin). Boil in salted water 10 to 15 minutes, drain, scoop out, leaving ¼ inch shell. Mash scooped out part and season with chopped onion, minced green pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Add crumbled bacon from 2 slices (fried crisp) and 2 tablespoons butter. Fill shells, sprinkle with buttered bread crumbs. Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes. Serve. 

Tony's Weeknight Stir-fry

At this time in a growing season, a garden has been producing from plants that may be 4 or 5 months old. Some varieties can start to be a little tough even when the plants still look healthy and keep yielding. When you’re unsure whether garden vegetables might be a little chewy, you can’t over-do it in using butter to cook them. My stir-fry last night – with most all the same garden vegetables you’re getting in this week’s share – proved the truth of this personal adage. Everything came out sweet and tender. I coated the pan with olive oil to start, dicing in green beans and carrots first, then eggplant and summer squash. Peppers, sweet corn, Asian greens, tomatoes, dried herbs, salt and pepper came last. All along the way, I added a little butter. With Dela’s fresh salad, what a meal! Send us your version as you experiment with quick stir-fries.

Tomato Pie from an Oak Park subscriber

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In alternating layers, fill 9 inch deep dish pie crust with 4 large tomatoes (sliced), ½ cup chopped fresh basil, 3 green onions or scallions (thinly sliced), ½ lb. bacon (cooked, drained, chopped), ½ teaspoon garlic powder (or minced fresh clove), 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper. In a small bowl, mix 2 cups shredded Cheddar (or favorite) cheese with ¼ cup organic mayonnaise. Spread mixture over top of pie. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.  Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil from top of pie and bake an additional 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Dela's Potato Kale Soup

Saute one chopped onion or leek in two TBSp butter with a chopped garlic clove and 2 TBSP chopped celery or bok choi until just cooked and soft. Add 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock and two large potatoes cubed. Cook potatoes in stock until soft, then puree. Remove stems from a bunch of kale, chop and add to the soup 5 minutes before serving. Do not over-cook the kale or it will taste too strong. Salt and pepper to taste. Cooked sausage, ham or Scotch Hill Farm brats are a nice addition for a heartier winter soup. Also, hot peppers can be added if you like a spicy soup. Kale is one of nature’s best medicines. It’s very good for you!