Tomato Pie

Two Pie Crusts

Ingredients:
 2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cake flour
3 tsps powdered sugar
¾ cup cold or frozen butter
½ tsp salt
1 egg
2 tsps white vinegar
¼ cup ice water

Directions: Combine flours, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Grate the butter into the dry ingredients, stopping to coat the shredded butter with the dry ingredients 3-4 times while grating. Combine egg, vinegar, and ice water in a separate bowl and then stir into butter and flour mixing until just combined. Shape dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and place dough in freezer for 10-15 minutes. Divide dough into two equal parts and roll out each piece of dough to desired size, and place in a pie pan. To use a food processor: Pre-chop cold or frozen butter. Combine dry ingredients into food processor with blade attachment. Pulse a few times, add butter and process for 30-40 seconds or until butter is cut into the flour and mixture resembles corn meal. Pour in the wet ingredients and process for 30-40 seconds or until mixture is moist and beginning to come together. Pour out onto plastic wrap and quickly shape into a ball with your hands, cover, and place in freezer for 10 minutes before rolling out and pre-baking. To prebake pie crust: preheat oven to 400, use a fork to poke holes in the bottom of the crust, cover rolled out crust with parchment paper, fill with weights or beans, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove weights and parchment paper and continue baking an additional 5-10 minutes.

Two Tomato Pies

10-15 tomatoes
1 large bunch fresh basil leaves , chopped
1 1/2 cup green onion, shallots, or red onion, thinly sliced
2 9­inch pre­baked pie crust
 3 8-oz containers pimento cheese
salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven to 350. Lay out paper towels, remove stem from tomatoes  and slice in half  to expose the seeds. With your  fingers remove the watery seed pods from each half of tomato this will remove most of the moisture. Slice tomatoes and lay out onto paper towels. Lightly salt the tomatoes and let rest for 10 minutes. Using fresh paper towels pat dry the tomatoes and place in the bottom of the pre-baked pie crusts generously season with salt and especially pepper. Cover tomatoes with a layer of basil leaves then onions. Spread pimento cheese over the top to make a thin cheese crust going all the way to the edge. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Fresh or Fermented Kimchi

Fresh or Fermented Kimchi

1 large head of cabbage (Napa, Savoy, or Green)
1 bunch spring/green onions
½ cup carrots, grated
½ cup radishes, cut as matchsticks
1 TBL grated ginger
1 TBL garlic, minced
2-3 tsps sea salt
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Cut cabbage into ½ inch strips and separate into ribbons. Cut spring onions into small disks using all of the white part and half of the green part. Combine cabbage, onions, carrots, and radishes in a stainless steel, glass, or wooden bowl along with salt. Stir and squeeze veggies for about 10 minutes or until the juices from the cabbage are released. Add in the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes.  Can be eaten immediately or stored in refrigerator for 10 days. To ferment: Sterilize two-quart mason jars and their lids. Pack the kimchi into the jars, pushing the contents down so that liquid covers the top of the vegetables. Loosely place lids on jars and leave at room temperature for three days. Store in refrigerator for up to a month.

Buttered Cabbage

Buttered Cabbage

1 small head cabbage about 2 ½ lbs
4 Tbl butter
Salt and pepper
extra dollop of butter
Optional seasonings 1 tsp caraway seeds and ½ tsp celery seeds

Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil.  Remove outer leaves from cabbage and cut cabbage into quarters and discard the core, then cut into 2 inch pieces.  Submerge cabbage into boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain.  Return cabbage to pot and stir in butter, salt and pepper, and optional seasonings.  Serve in bowls with extra dollop of butter melting on top.

Beet Greens with Green Beans

Beet Greens with Green Beans

2 Tbls Olive Oil
½ small onion, chopped
1 cup green beans, trimmed
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small tomato, chopped or ½ pint canned
¼ tsp thyme
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1-2 Tbl cider vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and stir until onion is browned about 10 minutes. Stir in green beans and cook until lightly browned. Stir in beet greens, tomato, and garlic and cook until beet greens are wilted. Stir in remaining ingredients adding vinegar a little at a time until desired amount is added. Delicious served over rice.

Green Tomato Salsa

Green Tomato Salsa

3 green tomatoes
1 small onion
1 jalapeno, seeded to desired heat*
1-2 garlic cloves
1 large lime, juiced
2 Tbl fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

For chunky salsa chop tomatoes, onion, garlic and jalapeno and stir with remaining ingredients. For smooth salsa add all ingredients to food processor and pulse to desired consistency.
*Jalapeno note: the seeds and white membrane in a jalapeno contain most of the heat.  Removing everything creates a mild salsa, leaving some seeds and membrane create a hot salsa.

Baked Eggs with Rainbow Chard

Baked Eggs with Rainbow Chard

1 bunch rainbow chard or any other in-season greens, thinly sliced
Butter to grease ramekins
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tsps olive oil
1 small green onion, tomato, or pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350.  Generously butter 4 6oz ramekins. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat, add garlic, and stir constantly for 1 minute. Stir in chard, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring a few times and adding a little water if skillet gets dry. Remove from heat and drain excess liquid. Stir in ½ cup parmesan and ½ of the green onion, tomato, and/or pepper. Divide mixture evenly between ramekins, break an egg into each ramekin and sprinkle with remaining cheese and veggies. Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper, place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake until egg whites are almost completely set, about 15-20 minutes.

Spring Quickle Salad

Spring Quickle Salad

1 cup rice vinegar
3 Tbl honey
1 Tbl salt
2 cups thin sliced carrots, turnips, and/or beets
1/3 cup olive oil
1 Tbl lemon juice
1 Tbl rice vinegar
2 Tbl Honey
12 cups spring greens
¼ cup fresh herbs
Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring 1 cup of rice vinegar, honey, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add carrots, turnips, and/or beets. Let sit just until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Combine oil, lemon juice, 1 Tbl rice vinegar, honey, and salt and pepper to taste in a small mason jar with a lid. Shake jar vigorously for 1-2 minutes. Combine spring greens, herbs, pickled vegetables, and salad dressing

Yogurt Salad Dressing or Dip with Spinach and Garlic Scapes

Yogurt Salad Dressing with Spinach and Garlic Scapes

1 cup olive oil
2 Tbl apple cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
½ cup spinach leaves
4 Tbl parsley, chopped
6 large fresh basil leaves
½ tsp salt or to taste
2 garlic scapes, chopped
1 cup greek or plain yogurt
¼ cup buttermilk (optional)

Blend all ingredients except yogurt for 1 minute. Add in yogurt and buttermilk. Pulse 10-15 times or just until yogurt is incorporated.  Chill for at least an hour before serving. Store in fridge for up to a week. Omit buttermilk to make a dip for fruit, veggies, or chips.

Bok Choy and Radishes

Bok Choy and Radishes

1 head bok choy
2 Tbl Butter
1 Tbl Olive oil
12 radishes, thinly sliced
½ onion, sliced
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1/4 tsp salt

Cut off and discard root end of bok choy and separate the green leaves from the stalks. Cut leaves into slices and set aside. Cut stems into 1 inch pieces, heat a sauté pan over medium heat for a minute then add butter, olive oil, and bok choy stems, cook for 5 minues. Add rest of ingredients and cook for 3 minutes or until desired tenderness.

Using a Whole Chicken

Chicken Finger Salad and Chicken with Rice

1 whole chicken, fresh or thawed most of the way

Chicken and Rice Ingredients:
1 split onion or 2 if small or 1 bunch green onions
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme
2 cups rice
3 Tbl butter
Salt and pepper

Chicken Finger Salad Ingredients:
¾ cup buttermilk
¼ tsp each cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and paprika
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp each garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper
¼ cup buttermilk
Lettuce, spinach, carrots, peppers, broccoli, cabbage, other veggies
Cheese in small chunks
green onions, toasted pecans or croutons
Favorite salad dressing or these suggestions: honey with yellow mustard, extra-virgin olive oil and a splash of water or Pepper vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper

For whole chicken: Remove breasts from chickens so you have 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts. Slice breasts into thin strips for chicken fingers. Stir sliced breasts into ¾ cup buttermilk, 1½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp each cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Cover and place in fridge until next day. Place remaining chicken in large stockpot for chicken and rice.

 For Chicken and Rice: Cover 1/3 of chicken in stockpot with water, add onion, bay leaf, thyme sprigs, and 2 tsps salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 1½ hours. Turn off heat and let chicken sit covered for another hour. Remove everything from broth leaving the broth in stockpot. Let chicken cool enough to handle. Bring broth to a simmer, add rice and cook until rice is tender 10-25 minutes depending on rice. Meanwhile remove bite size pieces of the meat from the cooled chicken setting aside the bones, onion, and bay leaf. Add bite size pieces of chicken to rice and broth during last 8 minutes of cooking. Serve in bowls and freeze in meal sized portions. Then make a delicious bone broth to freeze. Cook bones, onion, and bay leaf in water to cover for 18 hours. Discard everything but the liquid and use broth for future meals.

For Chicken Finger Salad: Remove breasts from fridge and buttermilk onto a plate – let them stay drippy wet. Combine flour, 1 tsp baking powder 2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp each garlic powder, paprika, pepper. Stir in ¼ cup of buttermilk either from marinade or new. Dredge chicken fingers in flour sticking coating to chicken. Heat 2-3 inches oil in cast iron skillet or wok and heat to 365 degrees. Fry chicken fingers in heated oil for 2-3 minutes a side. Combine salad ingredients in salad bowl and top with chicken fingers and favorite dressing.

Zucchini and Eggs

Zucchini and Eggs

2 tsps olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 medium zucchini, sliced
salt and pepper

Heat small skillet over medium heat. Add salt and pepper to beaten eggs. Add oil to skillet along with zucchini and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook zucchini until tender stirring occasionally. Spread zucchini in a single layer in skillet and gently pour egg over zucchini. Cook until egg is firm. 

Jerky

Jerky

2 lbs thinly sliced meat (pork, chicken, or beef)
¼ cup soy sauce
1 TBL Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp black pepper and garlic powder
½-1 tsp smoked salt

Combine all ingredients into a large plastic zipper bag to marinate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Determine amount of salt needed by how long you will marinate. Use less salt for longer marinating times. Remove meat from marinade and drain strips on towels to remove excess marinade. Place cooling racks inside cookie sheets and place strips of marinated meats on cooling racks close together but not touching. Dehydrate in a 140 degree oven until dried completely. Begin checking at 3 hours and cooking time will be based on thinness of meat strips. Alternatively, use a dehydrator by following the manufacturer directions for drying jerky. Jerky is best stored in jars or plastic zipper bags in the freezer but can be stored for about two weeks on the counter.