Faux Pho (Vegetarian)

This recipe is from the cookbook Bowl by Lukas Volger
 

6 cups shortcut pho broth (see below)
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 onion, diced or one bunch scallions, sliced on the diagonal
5 plump garlic cloves, sliced into thin slabs
1 tablespoon neutral-tasting oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
½ lb cooking greens: spinach, kale, chard, bok choi etc.
1 cup peas, shelled or with pods
½ lb medium-width rice noodles
1 small green chili (Serrano, jalapeno or Thai), sliced into very thin rings
1 bunch fresh parsley, cilantro, or a combination, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving

1. Place broth in a pot and heat to a simmer.  Stir in the salt and sugar.  Keep warm until serving.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.  Add onions/scallions and garlic.  Cook until beginning to brown, 10-15 minutes.  Pour in vinegar and scrape and stir the skillet to mix in the brown bits.  Remove from heat.
3. Bring a saucepan of salted water to boil.  Add greens and cook briefly, until bright green and wilted.  Remove to a plate with a spider skimmer.  Add peas and blanch briefly in hot water.  Transfer to a plate with a spider skimmer.
4. Add noodles to the boiling water in a steamer basket so they’re easy to remove. Cook until tender, 4-7 minutes.  Divide noodles into four bowls.
5. Top noodles in each bowl with greens, peas, browned onions and chili slices.  Ladle hot broth over each serving.  Serve immediately, passing herbs and lime wedges at the table.

Shortcut Pho Broth
1oz fresh ginger
2 quarts vegetable broth or water
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 whole star anise
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 stalk fresh lemongrass, smashed and coarsely chopped
Small handful of fresh cilantro stems

1. Turn a gas burner on high.  Using heat-safe tongs, hold ginger over flame and turn it as needed until charred all over.  This will take 5-7 minutes.  Alternatively, if you don’t have a gas range, blacken ginger in the over broiler.
2. In a saucepan, combine broth/water with blackened ginger, garlic, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and lemongrass.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook for 25-35 minutes.  Add cilantro stems and simmer another 5 minutes.
3. Strain broth through a cheesecloth-lined sieve: gather up ends of cheesecloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.  Once completely cooked, pack broth in containers and store in the fridge for up to 1 day or in the freezer for up to 2 months for later use.

Big Wok Rapini Stir Fry

This is a Moose Meadow Farm original!

1 tablespoon neutral oil like coconut or canola
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic or shallot, finely chopped
1 dry cayenne pepper, crushed, or 1/2 teaspoon powdered cayenne
2-3 carrots, sliced on the diagonal
1 5oz bag rapini, roughly chopped (stems and all)
2 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

1.  Heat oil in a large wok.  When hot, add carrots, ginger, garlic or shallot, cayenne, and a pinch of salt.
2.  Mix vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl with a whisk.  Set aside.  
2.  Stir fry until the aromatics are fragrant and the carrots begin to soften and brown.
3.  Add rapini and sitr fry to mix.  Add rice and stir to mix.
4.  Add vinegar sauce, turn off heat, and stir to mix everything together.  Serve immediately.

The Best Dip

We make this all the time!  It is a gread dip for raw carrots, peas, beans, peppers, lettuce leafs and cucumbers.  A Moose Meadow Farm original recipe.
 

1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 tablespoon miso
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup water (more or less, depending on how thick you like it) 

Mix together in a blender or with a fork, energetically.

Peperonata

This recipe comes from Mark Bittman.  It is good enough to be served as a side dish, or it is delightful as a sauce for pasta or potatoes.  It couldn’t be any easier!  Serves 4.
 

1 yellow or purple onion, halved and sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
4-6 colored sweet peppers, halved, seeded, and sliced
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes with seeds and juices
2 sprigs fresh basil, leaves only
Salt to taste
 

1. Saute onion in olive oil in a wide, deep skillet until soft.  Add peppers and cook until wilted.  Add tomatoes and basil leaves.
2. Bring to a boil, then simmer until thick, about 15 minutes. 
3. Remove from heat and serve.

Stuffed Peppers

Serves 3 as a main dish, 6 as a side dish.

6 colored sweet peppers

1 bunch chard, chopped

1 lb cooked chorizo

2 cups cooked rice

1 bunch chard, shredded

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Cilantro

1.      Preheat oven to 450F.  Cut the top off of each pepper and remove the seeds.  Combine chard, chorizo, rice and cheese in a large bowl and toss a few times to combine.

2.      Spoon some of the mixture into each pepper, lay onto a baking sheet or casserole dish, coat the outside of the peppers with olive oil, and bake for 30-40 minutes, until soft and blackened in places.

3.      Remove from oven, sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro, and serve.

How To Freeze Peppers

6 lbs colored sweet peppers

2 cookie sheets

2 one-gallon freezer bags

1.      Cut peppers into the size and shape that you like to use.

2.      Lay them on a cookie sheet.

3.      Freeze for about 2 hours.  Remove from cookie sheet, place in freezer bags, squeeze the air out, label the bag and replace in the freezer.  They will then be good for use in any cooked dish or even good enough to eat raw when thawed.

Classic Kimchi

1 head Chinese cabbage, cut into 1” wide strips

2 carrots, cut on the diagonal into 1/8” slices

1 bunch scallions

1 hot chile pepper or dried red chile flakes

1 tablespoon salt

1” knob fresh ginger

1.      Place all the ingredients in a large bowl.  Gently massage the mixture with your clean hands until the vegetables start to release some water.  Keep massaging until you see significant liquid.

2.      Place a clean plate over the mixture so that it covers everything right to the edge of the bowl.  Let sit on your counter for 3-5 days, and taste every day to test tanginess.

3.      Once kimchi has reached your desired tanginess, it should all fit into a quart-sized mason jar and can be kept in the fridge to halt fermentation for up to a few weeks. 

Moose Meadow Farm Chili

This recipe is a Moose Meadow Farm original.  Add ground beef if you like a richer chili.

2 cups dry red kidney beans, soaked overnight (or about 5 cups cooked)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped

2 medium onions, diced

4-5 colored sweet peppers, cored and chopped

2 lbs tomatoes of any variety, cored and roughly chopped

1 fresh jalapeno or cayenne pepper, or dried chiles to taste

Salt to taste

Cilantro and yogurt or sour cream for garnish

1.     Cook the beans if using dried.  Drain the soaking water, add fresh water to cover by several inches, and turn onto high heat with the lid on until the water starts to boil.  Turn heat to medium-low and continue to cook with the lid cocked until beans are almost tender, about 1 hour.

2.     Meanwhile, sauté the garlic, onions, peppers and chiles in olive oil over medium heat until the onion is translucent.  Salt to taste.

3.     If using cooked beans, at this stage drain them and add them to a large soup pot with a little fresh water, then add the sauté mixture.  Add the sauté mixture to your cooking beans if using dried.

4.     Add all the chopped tomatoes and stir.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Continue to cook until the beans are fully tender and the tomatoes have dissolved into the beans, 20-30 minutes more.  Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and yogurt or sour cream and serve.