garlic

Recipe for My Green Tomatillo Salsa

by Anne Maxfield on January 26, 2012

Accidental Locavore Tomatillo SalsaThe Accidental Locavore has always preferred tomatillo salsa to the classic red variety. In the winter when tomatoes are awful, tomatillos are a lot more dependable, flavor-wise. This is an easy recipe and makes about 1 1/2 cups of salsa.

  • 10-12 tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
  • 1-2 Serrano chiles (jalapeños are fine too)
  • 1-2 good sized garlic cloves, not peeled
  • 2/3 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • Lime juice to taste (optional)

In a medium pot, place the tomatillos in enough water to barely cover them. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the tomatillos have changed from a bright green to more of an olive drab, about 5 minutes.

While the tomatillos are cooking, put the garlic and the chiles in a small frying pan over medium heat. Cook until they are starting to blacken on one side, turn and blacken the other side about 5-6 minutes total.

Remove the chiles and garlic from the heat. As soon as the garlic is cool enough to handle, peel it and put it in the work bowl of the food processor. Cut the stems off the chiles and add them one at a time to the work bowl. Drain the tomatillos, add them to the work bowl with the cilantro and a little salt. Process until the mixture is almost a purée, with a little texture. Taste and check for heat. Add the other chile if you’d like and/or lime juice. Serve and enjoy!

 

 

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The Accidental Locavore Recipe: Grilled Turnips

by Anne Maxfield on July 8, 2011

Accidental Locavore Farm Box Week 5Turnip greens are great on their own, just be careful to wash them well as they can be sandy. Sauté them slowly in some olive oil with garlic and/or a splash of white wine or chicken stock. Here’s an interesting way to use the turnips:

  • 1 pound turnips, sliced ¼” thick
  • Olive oil for brushing the turnips
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
  • Zest of 1 lemon

Light a grill or heat a grill pan. Brush the turnips with 1 tablespoon of olive oil on both sides. Season with salt & pepper. Grill the turnips over moderately high heat until tender, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter.

Put the olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and cook until just sizzling. Reduce the heat to low and cook the garlic until golden, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic! Remove from heat, add the parsley and ½ teaspoon pepper. Spoon over the turnips, top with the lemon zest, serve and enjoy!

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The Accidental Locavore Recipe: Arugula and Basil Pesto

by Anne Maxfield on July 8, 2011

Accidental Locavore Pasta With Arugula PestoThis is an old favorite of the Accidental Locavore, a lemony pesto with arugula taking the place of some of the basil. Adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook.

  • 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
  • 6 cloves garlic (if they’re big, use 1-2 less)
  • 5 cups arugula
  • 1 cup fresh basil
  • ¾ cup olive oil (you may not need quite this much, stop when it gets to a consistency you like)
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Put pine nuts and garlic in a food processor and process until a paste. Add the arugula and basil and process to a thick paste. With the machine running, add the olive oil in a thin stream (the pesto should be thick and spreadable, like a thick mayo). Add the lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste and process until combined. If you’re not going to freeze it, add the Parmesan and process until blended. Serve over pasta, fish or lamb and enjoy.

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Cook-Along Recipe for Gratin Dauphinois (Potato Gratin to You)

by Anne Maxfield on February 18, 2011

Accidental Locavore Potato GratinPotato gratin to go with rack of lamb for Valentine’s Day, what’s a better combination? So the Accidental Locavore went straight to the source for this week’s cook-along recipe, Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I wanted a recipe for a classic French potato gratin and found it with the Gratin Dauphinois. The only major change I made with it was to omit the cooking on top of the stove as I’m sure the gratin pan I have wasn’t flameproof, so I just cooked it in oven a little longer. The book says for 6 people, maybe my guests were just hungry, it fed 4. Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

  • 2 pounds potatoes (I used Yukon Golds)
  • 1/2 clove garlic
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) Swiss cheese, grated (I used a Gruyere from Murray’s Cheese)
  • 1 cup boiling milk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel the potatoes and slice them 1/8″ thick. Place them in a bowl of cold water, and drain when ready to use.

Rub the baking dish with the cut garlic. Grease the dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Drain the potatoes and dry them with a towel. Spread half of them in the dish. Sprinkle half the salt, pepper,cheese and butter over them. Add the rest of the potatoes, and cover with the rest of the cheese, butter, salt and pepper. Pour the boiling milk over the potatoes.

Julia says to set the baking dish over heat and when simmering move to the upper third of the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, the milk is absorbed, and the top is browned. I just popped them in the oven and cooked them until they were browned, about 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

My rating: 3 stars. The potatoes were a little overcooked, and there was no sign of the cheese. Next time, I would use more cheese, and maybe substitute cream for the milk. A little fresh thyme and/or nutmeg might help. It may have been the potatoes I used, but the dish was kind of watery. However, potatoes with cheese, milk and butter, how bad can it be? I’ll definitely keep rubbing the cut garlic on the baking dish.

Frank’s rating: 5 stars

Robin’s rating: 4.5 stars…”the potatoes were PERFECT, and seasoned perfectly to let the flavor of the potato shine…the only reason it’s not higher for me is because I would have probably put a little more cheese in it, but I love cheese!”

Schecky’s rating: 4 stars,” and say it was simple and delicious – a perfect compliment for the rest of the meal.”

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