Recipes

Over the years, FRESH has been collecting recipes from community members. Below, you can find different dishes ranging from sauces to bread! We hope you try out a new dish!

What do you want to cook today?

Spanish Yatti (empanadas)

Ital Fruity Coconut Bread

Huacatay Sauce

Abuela Carmen’s Sofrito

Cabbage Soup

Easy Pickles

Grilled Eggplant Sauce

Stuffed Collard Greens

Broiled Asian Eggplant

Carnitas

Noodle Salad

Fattoush

Caribbean Curried Long Green Beans

Spanish Yatti (empanadas)

Chef Ibiju’s Spinach Yatti

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 2 lbs fresh spinach chopped
• ½ cup fresh cilantro
• 1 small diced red onion
• 1 tsp fresh parsley
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 sprinkle turbinado brown sugar
• ½ small sweet red pepper chopped
• 1 or 2 crushed garlic cloves (to suit)
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Dough:

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tbsp organic corn meal
• ½ tsp honey
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• Ital Blend ( ½ cup of coconut milk, 1 tbsp of red onion, 1 tbsp of fresh cilantro, 1 tbsp of sweet pepper) this stock should be blended together in a blender and set aside.

Procedure: 

In a medium bowl, use a large spatula to bring together flour, yeast, corn meal, dry herbs, salt, honey and Ital Blend. Use spatula to clean the sides of the mixing bowl and to knead dough then, use hands to form a ball. Cover the dough bowl and let it rest. 

Add oil to a preheated skillet over medium heat. Sautee most filling ingredients for 5 minutes then add in spinach and set aside in a bowl. Add in fresh cilantro, dry herbs, olive oil and 2 tbsp of veggie stock. Adjust seasonings to taste. 

Preheat the oven to 350. Knead dough in bowl again, cover and let stand for an additional ten minutes. With a rolling pin on standby, lightly flour a smooth surface and bring the bowl of filling close. Portion dough into 12 to 16 balls. Roll out individual balls, place @ 2 tbsp of filling in the center of the dough and fold over once. Cut around the folded edge to smooth and crimp edges using a fork. Place yatties on a greased baking sheet so they are not touching each other. Bake in a preheated oven until golden brown–approximately 20 to 25 minutes. 

Ital Fruity Coconut Bread

Chef Ibiju’s Ital Fruity Coconut Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups bread flour
• 1 tsp dry yeast
• 1 small banana
• 6 prunes
• ½ cup turbinado sugar
• ½ cup of melted and cooled vegan butter
• 2 pinches of sea salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 3 grates of whole nutmeg
• ½ of a brown coconut blended with 1 cup of warm water
• Simple syrup ( ½ cup water and 2 tbsp turbinado sugar reduced down to half on stove and set aside until bread is finished baking)

Procedure: 

Combine in a large bowl: flour, sugar, yeast, salt, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg. Blend prunes with coconut mix and add into your large bowl ingredients. Knead all ingredients until texture is firm yet flexible. Cover and sit in a warm area to proof for 1 hour. 

Knead dough a second time and let sit for 2 hours. Make and set aside the simple syrup. 

Portion dough into buns or loafs and place on a pre-oiled sheet or in pans. Let sit for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350. Place bread in a hot oven for 25 minutes. Toothpick test bread readiness (may rest in the cooling oven with no added heat). Ready bread can be set out to cool a bit before brushing on simple syrup. 

Huacatay Sauce

Maria and Jenn Fiestas’ Peruvian Huacatay Sauce

@j.sloosh

#fyp #peru

♬ Marineras Norteñas – Grupo 5

Abuela Carmen’s Sofrito

Carmen Laura Diaz Lopez’s Sofrito

Cabbage Soup

From a 2020 CSA member!

For the Broth:

• 6 cups broth or stock, any kind
• 3 TBS olive oil or butter

Any herbs you’d like, I recommend:

• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp cumin
• 2 sprigs of thyme, lightly massaged

For the veggies:

• 1 head of cabbage, finely chopped
• 1 yellow or white onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely diced

Instructions:

1.  Warm up a large saucepan with 3 TBS of olive oil or butter. 
2.  Once warmed/melted, sauté the onion for 3 minutes or until translucent. 
3.  Add the carrots, celery, and garlic. Sauté for another 5 minutes
4.  Add the cabbage, tomatoes, and broth. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Jim’s Easy Refrigerator Pickles!

Easy Refrigerator Pickles from Jim Luce

Ingredients:

• 4 cucumbers, washed and sliced
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1 TBSP. salt
• 1 TBSP. celery seed
• 1/2 cup onion slices
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1/4 TSP. tumeric

Cooking Instructions

1.  Mix all ingredients, cold, in a large container. Transfer into covered jars or Tupperware.
2. Place the covered container in the refrigerator and let stand for a couple of days. The cucumbers will start to sweat in the acidic brine, allowing the mixture to produce its own juice. 
3. After 3-4 days, pickles will be ready for eating! If they’re not gone within days, they will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator.

Amna’s Grilled Eggplant Sauce  

Contributed by: Amna Azrag

Ingredients:

• 4 Eggplants
• 2 tablespoons Peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon Tahini 
• 1/3 cups Yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoons Black pepper 
• 1/4 teaspoons Salt
• 1/2 teaspoons Cilantro 
• 1/2 tablespoons Garlic 
• 1 tablespoons Green bell pepper 
• 1/3 cups olive Oil 
• 1 teaspoons of lemon juice 

Recipe 

• Grill the eggplant until all sides are burnt black
• Let eggplant cool down
• Peel the burnt skin off the eggplant
• Put in a pan then start smooshing the eggplant 
• Add peanut butter and tahini
• Mix then Put on low heat
• Add the seasoning, bell pepper, garlic and oil mix
• Add lemon juice 
• Leave on low to medium heat for five minutes
• Add the yogurt 
• And leave on low heat for 1 minute then turn off the heat.

Valerie’s Stuffed Collard Greens

Ingredients: (see bottom for vegetarian options) Serves 2-3

• 1 large bunch collard greens, about 10 leaves
• 2 cups pre-cooked rice, quinoa or bulgur
• 1 pound ground pork (or beef, or combination of both)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons red chili flakes – don’t overdo it
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock

Needed: 8×8 or larger Pyrex baking dish.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the collards for about 3 minutes until soft and pliable. Rinse with cool water, and drain. 
3. Trim off stems. If collards are very large, you can cut out an extra inch of large center vein so it can be easily rolled up without breaking. Set trimmed leaves aside.
4. In a large bowl, mix together pork (or beef), salt, and all spices in a bowl. Divide mixture into 5 portions and shape into oblong rolls. Place 2 leaves together, one on top of the other, on work surface. (They are double thickness to avoid splitting. Treat them as one.) Place mixture roll on top in center of leaf. Fold in sides over mixture, then roll up from bottom. 
5. Place stuffed rolls seam side down in the baking dish and add enough stock to reach 1/4 of the way up the stuffed greens. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake until meat is cooked through, about 30-35 minutes.

PRO TIP: Pre-blanching the collards and pre-cooking the grains in advance make assembly quick and easy. When stacking 2 leaves, facing them in opposite directions may make rolling easier.

VEGETARIAN OPTIONS: Meat can be substituted with a blend of finely diced carrots, onion, celery or zucchini to mix with the rice. Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

David’s Broiled Asian Eggplant

Contributed by: David Iscoe

SAUCE:

• 1/2 cup miso paste (white, red, awase, or a mix – should be the kind that comes refrigerated in a little tub, can be found at Fiddleheads in New London, New Asia Market in Groton, and Stop n Shop in Waterford, among other places)
• 2 tablespoon sake (any liquor store with a good wine section should carry it)
• 4 tablespoons mirin (found in the Asian food section at grocery stores OR substitute 2 parts sweet white wine, 1 part rice vinegar, + 1/2 teaspoon sugar)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or sugar)

EGGPLANT:

• 3 asian eggplants
• 2 tablespoons (or thereabouts) vegetable oil

GARNISH

• Handful of sesame seeds

EQUIPMENT:

• Knife
• Pan and stovetop
• Oven tray and broiler
• Parchment paper or aluminum foil

Steps:

1. Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl
2. Slice eggplants in half the long way (from end-to-end, lengthwise in other words)
3. Score the eggplants by making diagonal lines in the fleshy white inside in two different directions. You want to create a little checkerboard pattern, about 1/4 inch wide. Cut deep, but not all the way to the skin.
4. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add a thin coating of oil, then fry the eggplants skin-side down until the skin turns brown
5. Flip the eggplants over, fleshy-side down, and cook covered for 2-3 minutes. Uncover and check the doneness. When the white fleshy side is a golden brown, put the eggplants on your oven tray, skin-side down, flesh-side up (with parchment paper or foil if you want to make it easier to clean)
6. Turn your broiler on high
7. Brush the eggplants with your sauce, letting the sauce get down into the scored cuts, and making sure the surface is coated
8. Broil 4 minutes, or as long as it takes to get the sauce bubbling on the surface of the eggplants
9. When the sauce is bubbling, take out the tray and sprinkle all the eggplants with sesame seeds. Serve while it’s hot and the surface has just started to crisp – it’s extra delicious that way. The eggplants should be soft enough to eat whole, skin included.
10. Save the extra sauce left over – there should be plenty. It keeps for weeks in the fridge so you can use it for next week’s CSA portion, and you can also use it with other veggies or as a quick glaze for broiled salmon. 

Carnitas

Contributed by: Hannah Gant

Ingredients:

• pork butt
• 1 medium onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• salt

Directions:

Cover pork butt with water in a stock pot. Add cut up onion and garlic.

Cook down at a medium boil until water is gone.

Shred meat and enjoy as a taco or burrito filling with salt.

Noodle Salad

Contributed by: The Low Family

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbs. peanut butter
• 2 tbs. fresh ginger juice
• 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbs. sesame seed oil
• 2 tbs. brown sugar
• black pepper
• thinly sliced green onion (optional)
• shredded chicken breast (optional)

Main:

• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 cucumber (peeled and thinly sliced)
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• red cabbage, thinly sliced
• soba noodles

Directions:

1. Add soba noodles to boiling water
2. Add 1 cup cold water, then bring to a boil again
3. Cook until al dente, drain and rinse
4. Toss all ingredients and the sauce together

Fattoush

Contributed by: Sous Chef Alia

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. cucumber
• 1 medium-sized lettuce
• 1/2 loaf Arabic bread (pita bread), toasted or dried
• 1 lb. tomatoes
• 10 small radishes
• 1 tbs. salt
• 5 garlic cloves
• juice of 2 lemons
• 3 tbs. vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 onion
• 1/2 cup each chopped parsley and purslane

Directions:

1. Break the bread into small pieces
2. Chop the vegetables finely and combine them with the bread
3. Crush the garlic with salt and stir in the lemon juice, olive oil, and vinegar
4. Add the garlic mixture to the vegetables and stir well
5. Sprinkle a little sumac powder on the fattoush and serve

Ibiju’s Caribbean Curried Long Green Beans

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs fresh green beans
• 2 tbsp diced red onions
• 2 tbsp diced red bell peppers
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• Blended vegetable stock: 1 cup of water, 2 oz of coconut milk, and add a pinch of: fresh ground black pepper, paprika, basil, sea salt & half a tsp of apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Clean and cut off tips of green beans. Bring to boil a medium pot of water. Blanch green beans in hot water for ten minutes then turn stove off. Drain in a colander and set aside. Heat olive oil in a skillet and add in onions, peppers, and garlic. Sautee for 5 minutes and add curry. Stir in green beans and cook for another 15 minutes. Add in stock, salt , pepper, and nutritional yeast. Taste and remove from the heat source. Transfer to serving ware. Enjoy!