Honeyed Carrots and Oranges

Serves 8

2 pounds very small carrots, scrubbed; or regular carrots--trimmed, peeled, and cut into thin sticks 

1 orange, cut into 8 pieces 
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons small dill sprigs

Heat oven to 375° F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the carrots and orange with the oil, honey, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Roast, tossing once, until tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle with the dill.

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Baked Tomatoes, Squash, and Potatoes

Serves 8

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 small tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 medium yellow summer squash, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, sliced 1/4-inch thick
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil over medium and cook onion until tender and lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Arrange the onion on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Overlap tomato, squash, and potato on top of the onion. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with thyme and Parmesan, and drizzle with more oil. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, 30 minutes more.

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Parsley Root Fries

Serves 2-3

*Note: If you cannot find parsley root, this recipe is delicious with parsnips and celery root (celeriac).*

3 large parsley roots – about 1.5 lbs / 700 grams

high-heat cooking oil

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

fresh rosemary (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C. Peel roots and cut them into french-fry sized sticks. The thinner, the crispier they will be. Toss with some oil, a few pinches of salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary if desired. Roast for 20 minutes, toss, and place back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes until golden on the edges with crispy ends and a tender center. Serve immediately with Roasted Tomato Ketchup. (See link for the ketchup.)
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Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Ricotta

Serves 2-4

For tomato sauce:
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pound plum tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
For squash blossoms:
1 cup whole-milk ricotta (preferably fresh)
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup finely chopped mint
2/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided
12 to 16 large zucchini squash blossoms
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chilled seltzer or club soda
About 3 cups vegetable oil for frying
Equipment: a deep-fat thermometer

Make tomato sauce:
Cook garlic and red pepper flakes in oil in a 2-quarts heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, water, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.
Prepare squash blossoms: 
Stir together ricotta, yolk, mint, 1/3 cup parmesan, and 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
Carefully open each blossom and fill with about 2 rounded teaspoon ricotta filling, gently twisting end of blossom to enclose filling. (You may have filling left over.)
Whisk together flour, remaining 1/3 cup parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and seltzer in a small bowl.
Heat 1/2 inch oil to 375°F in a 10-inch heavy skillet. Meanwhile, dip half of blossoms in batter to thinly coat. Fry coated blossoms, turning once, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes total. Transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain. Coat and fry remaining blossoms. (Return oil to 375°F between batches.) Season with salt. Serve with tomato sauce.

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5 Ways with Green Tomatoes

Besides frying them, what can you do with green tomatoes? Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of the Splendid Table show on NPR, has some new and tasty ideas for us to try!
First off, Lynne recommends either serving green tomatoes in a raw preparation or cooking them all the way down. Anywhere in between and she says they end up rather slimy.
With this in mind, here are some of the ideas she gave a caller with a surplus of green tomatoes:
1. Green Tomato Salad - Raw green tomatoes add a great crunchy texture to late-summer salads.
2. Green Tomato Chutney or Salsa - Toss those green tomatoes with onions, garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, and vinegar for a basic pickled chutney.
3. Green Tomato and Yogurt Soup - With cucumbers and garlic, this is an excellent version of the Middle Eastern and Eastern European classic.
4. Green Tomato Curry - Make a basic curry with a coconut milk base and then add the green tomatoes at the very last second.
5. Pasta with Green Tomatoes and Ricotta - This would be good hot or cold!

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Lentil Soup with Parsley Root and Carrots

Serves 4-6

1 lb  Dried lentils, -washed and drained
1/4   c  Lard, bacon drippings, -or oil
2 md  Onions or leeks, chopped
1 parsley root or parsnip, chopped
2  md Carrots, sliced
1 c  Sliced fennel or celery
8 c   Water
1 t Salt to or to taste
Several whole black pepper-corns
2  Whole cloves
2  Bay leaves
1 lg Potato, peeled and grated
2  lg Links (or 4 small) smoked -sausage, skin pricked-with fork
 2 tb Good vinegar
In a large pot, heat fat and add carrots, root vegetable and onions. Saute until onions are golden. Add lentils, water, celery, and seasonings. Grate the potato into the mixture and add sausage. Simmer covered 1 hour until lentils and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaves. Add vinegar just before serving and adjust salt. Serve with a crusty bread and salad.  

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Kale and Quinoa with Creole Seasoning

Serves 4

1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 quarts water
1 bunch lacinato (dinosaur) kale, sliced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning 

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan; stir in quinoa. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until quinoa is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan; cook kale in boiling water until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain. Heat olive oil in the same saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir shallot until softened, about 5 minutes. Add kale, cooking and stirring, until desired doneness. Mix quinoa into vegetable mixture and season with salt and Creole seasoning.

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