Salsa of Love

This time of year, when chiles and tomatoes are abundant and ripe, I make a salsa that I call, "Salsa of Love," because I'll make it for love, but not for money. Here's how it's made:

Crank the oven to 400 degrees, or if you're oven runs cool, crank it higher than that. Use a couple of pounds of very ripe tomatoes, and almost as many chiles. Use plenty of mild chiles, like Anaheims and Poblanos, and also hot ones, if you like it hot. It only takes a couple of hot ones to make it all pretty hot, and the mild ones have lots of great flavor too. Rub the chiles with a little bit of olive oil, and roast everything for 45 minutes to an hour, until the skins start to peel off the tomatoes and the chiles get brown and droopy. Don't cook the chiles long enough for them to get crispy.

When the veggies are cool enough to handle, chop a bunch of cilantro in your cuisinart, then remove the stems from the chiles and process them as well. Cut the cores out of the tomatoes and toss the tomatoes into the mix. Do it in a couple of batches if it starts to get sloppy.

When everything is fully whizzed, add salt and red wine vinegar to taste.

Share the love...

Turnip and Sorrel Soup

1. 2 quarts water

1 lb. turnips, trimmed and quartered

4 cloves garlic

1 cup chopped spring onions

2 cups loosely chopped sorrel leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh spearmint

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons miso (any kind)

black pepper to taste

Bring the water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan, then add all the ingredients except the miso. Bring it back to a boil, then lower the heat and cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Strain the veggies and puree them, adding stock as needed.

Add the miso to 1 cup of the strained broth and mix until smooth. Combine this mixture with the remaining broth and the pureed veggies, and reheat if necessary.

Radish and Peppercress Salad

I got some peppercress from Whistling Train Farm at the Columbia City Market earlier this week. Their sign said, "Similar to watercress, but easier for us to grow." You'd never see a sign like that at a mainstream supermarket, where all kinds of vegetables, like iceberg lettuce and roma tomatoes, are way too easy for producers to grow and handle, but that ease certainly isn't a selling point. With farmers' market vendors, though, we want to make their lives as simple as possible because they're heroes, really, fighting to preserve a way of life that benefits all of us.

I was curious about the peppercress, so I picked some up. I decided to try it with radishes, because they're also kind of peppery. Here's what I made:

1 bunch radishes, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons finely chopped peppercress

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon champagne vinegar

salt and black pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together. Makes 2 servings.

Herb Infused Olive Oil

Here's a tasty dipping sauce for a fine loaf of bread.

1/2 cup good olive oil

2 stalks spring garlic, cut in 1/4 inch pieces

2 sprigs rosemary

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Heat the olive oil gently in a small saucepan, then add the garlic and herbs. Cook on low heat for about 15 minutes, then strain and serve warm.

Kippered Albacore with Bok Choy

Fishing Vessel St. Jude makes a kippered albacore that is one of the finest fish products I've ever tasted. It's marinated, and then smoked. It comes in a variety of flavors: they're all good, but my favorite is the lemon-pepper. They say it's their slowest selling product, but every time I give it to someone to taste, they're blown away by it.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 leek, cut lengthwise, cleaned, and chopped
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups sliced bok choy cabbage
• 6 ounces St. Jude Kippered Albacore (any flavor) cut small

Heat the olive oil, then add the garlic, leeks, shallots, and salt. Cook on medium-low heat for about five minutes, until the leek and shallot are soft. Add the bok choy and cook for another ten minutes or so, until it's wilted and tender. Add the alabacore and cook gently for another five minutes, until it's heated through.

Cabbage Sprout Slaw

Nash's Farm has been selling bunches of sweet, tender sprouted cabbage. I made this cole slaw with them, and found it quite tasty and satisfying. Mix all the ingredients together. This recipe makes 4 servings.

1 bunch green cabbage sprouts, finely shredded

1 bunch red cabbage sprouts, finely shredded

1 carrot, grated

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried dill or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons mayonaise, or a vegan substitute

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-2 tablespoons white, distilled vinegar

Spring Greens with Field Roast Sausage

Last night was the fifth annual "Eat Local Now" Dinner, put on by Sustainable Ballard, along with BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies.) The event paired local chefs with local food producers to create a truly memorable meal.

I contributed this dish of spring greens with a locally produced vegan sausage product called Field Roast. I cooked it with veggies from Nash's Organic Farm.

Here's the recipe, scaled down to serve 4:

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 leeks, cut lengthwise, cleaned and chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 lb. Italian style Field Roast Sausage, sliced

8 cups chopped spring greens

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon vegan Worchestershire sauce

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the leeks and salt, and cook for a few minutes, then add the Field Roast Sausage and cook for a few minutes longer, until it starts to brown.

2. Add the greens, a few handfuls at a time, adding more and mixing them together as they cook down. Drizzle in the water a little at a time as you cook the greens.

3. When all the greens are soft, add the Worchestershire, cook a minute longer, and serve.

Roasted Asparagus with Spring Garlic

1. I had to celebrate the season's first asparagus, which Magana Farms brought to the Ballard Market last Sunday. I roasted them with leeks and spring garlic, two other seasonal favorites.

1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and chopped into 2-inch lengths

1 bunch spring garlic, trimmed and chopped

1 leek, cut lengthwise, cleaned well, and chopped

12-15 calamata olives, quartered lengthwise

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the chopped veggies with the olive oil and salt, then arrange them in a baking pan large enough to spread them in a thin layer. Roast them for 20-30 minutes, until they just start to brown.

Pasta with Spring Greens

I love pasta with any kind of greens. Come to think of it, I love pasta with just about anything. You can substitute any kind of greens you want, but I do recommend sticking with the sorrel, which has a special, lemony flavor.

I used pasta from Divino, sorrel and garlic from Stony Plains Farm, cabbage sprouts and kale buds from Nash's Farm, and shallots from Pipitone Orchards. This recipe serves 2.

2/3 lb. fresh pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup sliced shallots

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 bunch sorrel, trimmed and chopped

1 bunch cabbage sprouts, trimmed and chopped

1 bunch kale buds, trimmed and chopped

1. Boil water and cook the pasta for 4-5 minutes, then drain it well.

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a separate pan, then add the garlic, shallots and salt. Cook on low heat for a couple of minutes, until the shallots are transluscent.

3. Add the greens and cook medium high heat for about five minutes, until they're tender. Toss the pasta with the greens and serve.

Sorrel with Parsnips

Lately I've been playing with creating lots of flavor without adding much seasoning. This dish uses early spring vegetables: the sorrel and parsnips add sweet and sour flavors. Young garlic has a brighter flavor than the mature plant. I served my meal with Bhutanese red rice, a personal favorite. You can serve it as a side dish, or add any kind of protein to make it into a main dish.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 bunch (4 or 5 stalks) young garlic, chopped

3 parsnips, peeled and chopped

2 bunches sorrel, coarsely chopped

1/2-1 teaspoon salt

black pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil. Add the young garlic and cook for a few minutes on medium-low heat, until it's soft. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 5 to 10 minutes longer, until the parsnips are tender.

Ginger-Mint Iced Tea

I sell this unsweetened iced tea at my farmers' market booth. We only make it between April and October because it has a short shelf life and we don't sell enough to make it worthwhile during the rest of the year. People are always asking for the recipe so I'm posting it here, in honor of the fact that it's April now so we've started making it again.

1 quart water
2 peppermint tea bags or 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh ginger (no need to peel)

Combine the ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan and bring them to a boil. Turn off the heat and steep for at least ten minutes. Strain the mixture and pour it over ice to cool it, or cool in in the refrigerator and then dilute it to your desired strength.

Chickpeas with Leeks and Herbs

This weekend is the annual Vegfest at the Seattle Center. Each year I cater a dinner the night before the event starts for the principal people involved. It's one of my favorite meals that I prepare all year because I'm cooking for cookbook authors and other people who are heavily involved in the food world. Here's a recipe I came up with for this year's dinner.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 leek, cut in half lengthwise, cleaned well, and sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1/2 teaspoon salt

black pepper to taste

2 cups chickpeas, cooked or canned

1 tablespoon champagne vinegar

1. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan, then add the leek and garlic. Cook on medium low heat for about five minutes, until the leek is soft. Turn off the heat, then add the chives, tarragon, salt and pepper.

3. Combine this mixture with the chickpeas and vinegar. Serve at room temperature.

Brussels Sprouts with Cashews

One of my personal goals this winter was to learn to like Brussels sprouts. I've succeeded to the point that I'll be sorry to see them go.

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 leeks, halved lenthwise, cleaned well, and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
1/2 cup roasted, salted cashew pieces
2 tablespoons red wine
black pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet, then add the garlic, shallots,leeks and salt.Cook on medium-low heat for about five minutes, until the shallots are transluscent and the leeks are soft.

2. Add the Brussels sprouts, cashews, wine and pepper, and cook for about ten minutes longer, until all the veggies are soft.

Nettle and White Bean Bruschetta

It's nettle season! They're not just pesky, prickly weeds, but also a valuable food and herb. Eat them early and often, while they're here.Foraged and Found Edibles is selling them at local farmers' markets, and you can pick you're own, if you're careful. Handle them with gloves until you put them in the pan to cook.
This recipe makes enough to cover about 8 slices of bread.

1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium-sized shallots, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 large handfuls nettle leaves (see note above)
1 cup cooked white beans
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

8 small slices bread (day old is fine)

1. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan, then add the garlic, shallots, salt and rosemary. Cook for a minute or two, until the shallot is transluscent, then add the nettles and cook for about five minutes, until they've cooked down. Add the white beans and heat them through, then add the balsamic vinegar.

2. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet, and toast them at 375 degrees for a minute or two, until they're crispy on the outside but soft underneath. (You can brush the outsides with a little olive oil, but it's not necessary.)

3. Spread about a tablespoon of the bean and nettle mixture on top of each slice, and serve.

Winter Veggie Stew with Potato Dumplings

I was flipping channels a few months ago and I stumbled on Martha Stewart and Francis Ford Coppola making gnocchi. They were a pleasure to watch. I've never made gnocchi because everyone says you need a ricer to process the potatoes. I don't have one and I can't imagine buying a tool that I'll only use for one thing. FFC was saying that his grandmother would just use equal parts potato and flour, with nothing else. That gave me the idea to make dumplings using that ratio, something that could be cruder or rougher than gnocchi, but maybe with a similar mouth feel. This recipe makes 4 servings.

For the dumplings:
2 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
water to cover
1-2 cups white or whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the stew:
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, sliced lengthwise, cleaned well, and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 cups chopped winter veggies (carrots, parsnips, turnips, etc.)
2 cups water
2-3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (use Wizard or Annie's brands if you want to keep it vegan)
2 cups cooked white beans
3 Tablespoons rice flour

1. Cook the potatoes in boiling water for about 10 minutes, until they're soft. Mash them and then add the flour, mixing with your hands. It should be moist enough to hold together, but not sticky. Add the parsley and salt and work it in evenly.

2. Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the leek, garlic, salt and thyme. Cook for about five minutes, until the leek is soft, then add the remaining veggies.

3. Cook on medium-low heat for about five minutes, until the veggies are just soft, then add the water, Worcestershire, and white beans. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about five minutes.

4. Roll the potato mixture into balls the size of radishes, and drop them gently into the stew. Continue simmering for about five minutes, until they rise to the top.

5. Sprinkle in the rice flour a little at a time, stirring gently, until the broth starts to thicken.

Gold Beet Borscht

This is an quirky borscht, using a quirky beet. You can leave the veggies in big chunks because they'll be pureed.


1 pound gold beets
2 quarts water, divided
1 parsnip, trimmed and cut in chunks
1 carrot, trimmed and cut in chunks
1 leek, cleaned, trimmed, and cut in chunks
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
juice of half an orange
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1. Bring one quart of water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the beets, lower the heat, and cook for about 45 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring the other quart of water to a boil in another medium-sized saucepan, then add the parsnip, carrot, leek, garlic, salt, pepper and rosemary. Lower the heat and cook on a medium-low flame for about 45 minutes.

3. Take a beet out of the pot with a pair of tongs, run it under cold water, and test it to see if you can easily rub off the skin. If you can, peel all of the beets this way, then cut them into chunks. If you can't return it to the pot, cook it for another 5-10 minutes, then try again.

4. Add the peeled, chunked beets to the remaining veggies, along with the orange juice and balsamic vinegar.

5. Drain the veggies and set aside the broth. Puree them in batches, adding liquid as needed. combine the remaining stock with the pureed veggies and serve.

Peppermint Stick Beets

Speaking of beets...One of the market vendors does a nice display where he cuts open a chiogga beet so you can see the pink concentric circles inside. It made me think of peppermint stick ice cream, or candy canes, and I got to thinking about a way to prepare them that made this connection.

This is what I came up with. It's really nothing like peppermint stick ice cream or candy canes, but it is minty, and it is yummy.

4 medium sized chiogga beets
1-2 Tablespoons oilve oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh spearmint
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Peel the beets with a paring knife, then cut each one in half lengthwise and cut it into thin slices. Steam the beat slices for 5-10 minutes, until they're reasonably soft.

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium sized saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients and cook them for 2-3 minutes or until the shallot is soft and transluscent.

3. When the beets are ready, add them to the garlic and shallot mixture, cook for a minute longer, and serve.

Lentils and Barley

Lentils and barley are among the earliest foods cultivated in the Near East, where folks probably first started to farm. Someone could have made almost the same meal 8 or 10 thousand years ago.

This dish is a great example of how you don't have to spend a lot of money to eat local, organic foods: you can use 90% organic ingredients, including greens and garlic from the farmers' market, and still make this recipe for $1.50-$2.00 per person.

4-5 cups water
1 cup dried lentils
1 cup pearled barley
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon dried spearmint
1 bunch greens, cut in 1 inch strips (use kale, collards, chard, mustard greens, spinach, beet greens, etc.)

1 cup plain yogurt (optional)


1. Bring the water to a boil. Add the lentils, barley, garlic, salt and pepper.

2. Lower the heat and cook for about 20 minutes, then add the parsley, spearmint and greens.

3. Cook on low heat for about 20 minutes longer, until the lentils and barley are soft and most of the water is absorbed. Serve with yogurt, if desired.