Harvest Recipes

Cold Sesame Noodles
with Cucumber

Roasted Eggplant and
Garlic Dip

Hearty Portuguese Kale Soup

Melon with Feta, Red Onion,
and Pine Nuts

Roasted Tomato Soup

2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar or rice vinegar

1/4 teaspoon sugar

Salt to taste

1/8 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

6 ounces Chinese noodles (rice or cellophane) OR angel hair pasta

1/2 seedless cucumber, cut lengthwise into thin spears and crosswise into thin slices (about 1 cup)

1 scallion, minced, OR 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

1-1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted lightly and cooled

In a small bowl stir together oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, and red pepper flakes until sugar and salt are dissolved.

Cook noodles according to package directions and drain in a colander. Rinse noodles under cold water until cool and drain well.

In a large bowl toss noodles with sauce, cucumber, and scallion or coriander until combined well and divide between 2 plates. Sprinkle noodles with sesame seeds.

back to top

Roasted Eggplant and Garlic Dip
Makes about 2 cups

1 large eggplant (about 1-1/2 pounds)

1 teaspoon olive oil plus additional for coating eggplant

1 large head garlic, unpeeled

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste

1/3 cup well-stirred tahini (sesame seed paste)

3/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Pita wedges, toasted if desired

Preheat oven to 450°F. Prick eggplant with a fork several times, place on a baking sheet, and rub with just enough oil to coat.

Cut off and discard top quarter of garlic head to expose cloves and set garlic in middle of a large piece of foil. Drizzle garlic with 1 teaspoon oil and enclose completely in foil. Place foil packet next to eggplant on baking sheet and roast in middle of oven, turning eggplant after 30 minutes, 45 to 50 minutes, or until eggplant is very soft and collapsed.

Unwrap garlic carefully and cool eggplant and garlic on baking sheet.

Transfer eggplant to cutting board. Cut off and discard stem end and halve eggplant lengthwise. Scoop flesh out into a bowl, scraping as close to skin as possible. Pour off any liquid accumulated in bowl.

Squeeze roasted garlic from skins into a food processor. Add eggplant, lemon juice, tahini, parsley, and salt to taste and blend until smooth and parsley is minced fine. Dip may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Transfer dip to a bowl and serve with pita wedges.
--Gourmet, January 1995

back to top

Hearty Portuguese Kale Soup
Serves 8

1/2 lb. garlic sausage, such as andouille, linguiça, or kielbasa

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
(about 1-1/2 cup)

2 cloves garlic, finely minced (2 tsp.)

4 medium red or white boiling potatoes
(about 1-1/2 lb.)

8 cups chicken stock, homemade, canned, or bouillon

12 cups trimmed and coarsely shredded kale

2 cups cooked beans, such as pinto, kidney or cannellini (See note, or use canned beans)

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Peel the potatoes, cut into chunks, and place in a bowl of cold water.

Pierce the sausage, cover with water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes to remove excess fat. Drain, discard the water, slice the sausage into slices and reserve.

In a 7-quart Dutch oven, heat the oil, add the onions and garlic and stir, sautéing for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and add the potatoes, stirring, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Crush the potatoes lightly in the pot, using a potato masher. Add the shredded greens and simmer for 15 minutes more. Add the cooked beans and reserved sausage and season to taste. Serve hot.

Note: Presoak 1 cup dried beans in 4 cups of water overnight, or bring beans in water to a boil, boil for two minutes, cover pan and set aside for one hour. Discard water and replace. Simmer gently for 45 to 60 minutes. This will yield approximately 2-2/3 cups.

back to top

Melon with Feta, Red Onion,
and Pine Nuts
Serves 8

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 red onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 cantaloupes

1 honeydew melon

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

1 tablespoon fresh line juice

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces)

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

In a large skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook onions, stirring occasionally, until just softened. Remove skillet from heat and cool onions.

With a sharp knife cut a slice from top and bottom of each melon to expose flesh and arrange with a cut side down on a cutting board. Cutting from top to bottom, remove rind. Halve melons, discarding seeds, and cut 1 cantaloupe half and 1 honeydew half into 1-inch-thick wedges.

Arrange wedges on a platter. Cut remaining melon into 3/4-inch chunks and in a bowl toss with mint, lime juice, and pepper to taste.

Spoon melon mixture over melon wedges on platter and top with onions, feta, and pine nuts. Just before serving, toss mixture to combine.

back to top

Roasted Tomato Soup
Serves 6

1-1/2 tsp. olive oil

3 lbs. ripe tomatoes, stemmed, seeded, and halved (8 to 10 medium tomatoes)

2 red onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

3 cups defatted, reduced-sodium broth
or stock

3 Tbs. chopped fresh basil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the broiler. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray anbd place tomatoes on it, cut side down. Broil for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the skins are blistered and blackened. Let cool, then slip off skins.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 additional minutes, or until onions are softened.

In a food processor or blender, combine the tomatoes and onions and process until smooth. Return to the saucepan. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot or chilled.
--The Eating Well Recipe Rescue Cookbook

back to top

Updated weekly: