Recipes of the Week - September 1st

Basic Fresh Garden Tomato Sauce

• 3-4 lbs tomatoes (no need to peel), peeled, seeded at chopped (See peeling directions below) 2 sweet peppers 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 garlic cloves, finely minced 1 medium onion, finely chopped ½ cup basil, chopped black pepper (to taste) 1 can of tomato paste you may wish to add chopped hot peppers or red pepper flakes for a sauce with zing!

If you are using heirloom tomatoes instead of plum-type, slice off the top of the tomato & sweeze out the extra juice before placing into a food processor. Combine the tomatoes & sweet peppers in a food processor & process until almost a puree. If you prefer to peel the skin off the tomatoes you will need to drop the tomatoes into a pot of boiling water for about 1-2 minutes. Remove & drop into ice water and after they are cooled down you can peel the skin off with a paring knife. Heat oil in a medium sauté pan. Sauté onion in oil for 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes (or chopped hot peppers) for last minute. Add tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper. Allow to simmer slowly for 30 minutes. Stir in the can of tomato paste at the end. You can leave out the can of tomato paste, but will have to simmer the sauce for 1 ½- 2 hours. Tomatoes Rockefeller (tomatoes & spinach) from: http://southernfood.about.com/od/spinach/r/bl30710q.htm

• 3 large tomatoes, cut in half 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion 2 tablespoons minced parsley (try Par-cel) 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature 1 cup chopped spinach, cooked, well drained (about 2 cups fresh spinach) salt and pepper to taste 1/4 teaspoon paprika 2 tablespoons Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Place tomatoes cut side up in a lightly greased baking dish. Combine onion, parsley, butter, spinach, salt and pepper, and paprika; spread evenly over tomatoes. Top with the bread crumbs and bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Par-Cel – Looks like parsley, tastes like celery. Excellent for salads, casseroles, soups and stews, and for drying. Add to your favorite salad and into your rice recipes. Many people are known to successfully substitue Par-cel for cilantro or parsley in their favorite dishes. As many say, “add it to anything that requires a refreshing bite”. Curried Chicken Salad (with par-cel) from: http://fromgardentokitchen.blogspot.com/2007/08/cutting-celery.html

• 1 pound cooked chicken (you can sub tofu for vegetarians) 3-4 sprigs cutting celery (Par-Cel) 1/2 cup diced red onion 1/2 cup currants (or 1/4 cup raisins chopped) 1/2 cup cashews or peanuts 1/4 cup mayonaise 1/2 cup sauce (recipe below)

Once cooked and cooled, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Serve immediately or chill for later.

Sauce:

• 4 tablespoons madras curry powder 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar 1/3 cup sugar 2 teaspoons salt 2 cups canola oil

Toast the madras curry in a dry pan over medium heat. The curry will become more fragrant. Remove from heat and transfer to a blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend until thoroughly mixed. Swiss Chard Bake from: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1650,152160-250192,00.html

• 1 1/2 lb. Swiss chard 1/2 onion, minced 2 tbsp. butter 4 eggs, well beaten 1 c. buttermilk 2 tbsp. flour 1/2 tsp. salt Few drops of pepper sauce 1 pkg. shredded cheddar cheese

Wash and peel stems from chard and drop in boiling water. Cook about 3 minutes before adding the leaves. Cook another 3 minutes. Remove from water and cut into pieces. Cook onion in butter a few minutes. Then add the Swiss chard to skillet with onion and butter stirring constantly to the flavor of onion and butter. Set aside. Beat eggs, add buttermilk, flour and salt and pepper. Mix well together. Combine cheese. In greased casserole place a layer of chard and a layer of cheese until all in dish. Cover with egg mixture. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.