Felafel

Localvore Notes: This dish will be served to attendees at the NOFA-VT Winter Conference "Localvores" education session. The spices of the Moosewood Cookbook Felafel recipe have been doubled in this recipe. . . taste-test your first felafel and see if you want more cider vinegar, salt or spice.

2 c cooked soldier beans, drained (save the stock)
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp salt
1/4 c finely minced onion, chives, scallion (whichever you have)
2 T minced parsley
1/4 c stock from the beans
2 tsp cider vinegar
a few dashes cayenne
1/3 c flour
sunflower oil for frying

Combine all ingredients except flour in food processor until you have a uniform batter. Add flour and stir until combined. You can cook right away or store in tightly covered container in fridge for several days. Heat a heavy skillet and add about 3 T. oil. When it is sizzling hot, drop Ts of batter into the pan, flattening each slightly. Saute until golden and crisp. Add oil as needed. Keep warm in oven until serving time.

Gypsy Soup

Localvore Notes: Use whatever you have on hand to create a wonderful spicy soup medley using this recipe adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook.  Serves 4-5.  This soup is very flexible. Any orange vegetable (carrot, pumpkin, squash, sweet potato) can be combined with a green vegetable (peas, green beans, peppers). Use what you have; green beans and sweet potatoes are an especially delicious combo. If you have potatoes or parsnips use them. If you don't have celery, don't worry! And if you don't have fresh or canned tomatoes, maybe some salsa? Innovate!  Note that you will want to have some cooked local beans prepared such as black beans, kidney beans or soldier beans.

2 medium-sized ripe tomatoes
2 Tbs.oil (local sunflower oil if you have it)
1 butternut squash or 2 cups peeled, diced sweet potatoes
2 cups chopped onion
3 medium cloves garlic, crushed
1 stalk celery, minced
1 rutabaga
4 carrots
1tsp. salt
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. basil
dash of cinnamon
dash of cayenne
1 bay leaf
3-4 cups water
1 medium bell pepper, diced
2 cups cooked local beans  

Bring medium-sized pan of water to a boil. Core tomatoes and plunge into boiling water for a slow count of 10.  Remove tomatoes and peel.  Cut open, squeeze out and discard the seeds. Chop remaining pulp and set aside.  Heat oil in soup pot. Add onion, garlic, celery, and sweet potato and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add salt and saute 5 minutes more. Add seasonings and water, cover and simmer about 15 minutes.   Add tomato pulp, bell pepper and cooked beans. Cover and simmer for about 10 more minutes, or until all the veggies are as tender as you like them. Taste to adjust seasonings.

Localvore Hash

3 potatoes
4 beets
4 carrots
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 c milk
2 T butter

Peel and cut vegetables. Put through meat grinder. You can also cook them first, and mash them together. Add milk, salt & pepper, to taste. Put into greased casserole dish, dot with butter, and bake at 350 degrees until done (about 1 hour if vegetables are not cooked, about 25 minutes if cooked).

Local Potato Salad

6 cups potatoes, any variety or combination (30 oz.) cut into bite-size pieces
¼ cup finely chopped red onions
2 Ts chopped fresh parsley
1 Ts chopped fresh dill
1 Ts chopped fresh chives
3 hard-cooked large eggs, finely chopped
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 Ts sunflower oil
1 ¼ tsp Maine sea salt
½ tsp dried pepper, or pepper flakes
1 garlic clove, minced

Boil potatoes 15 minutes, until tender.  Drain; cool slightly and place in a large bowl.  Add onion, parsley, chives, and eggs to bowl; toss gently.   Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients.  Pour over potato mixture; toss gently to combine.  Serve warm at room temperature or chilled. 

Potato Gnocchis With Fresh Tomato Sauce

Localvore Notes: Goes nicely with local greens salad with tomatoes, peppers, cukes.

2 ½ lb large baking potatoes
1 ½ c whole wheat flour, divided
1/4 t salt
2 large egg yolks
1 gallon of water
tomato sauce
grated cheese

Bake potatoes at 400 degrees for 1 ½ hours or until done; cool slightly. Scoop out pulp. Save skins for potato skins (with local cheese and bacon). Mash pulp. Place 4 cups mashed potatoes in a large bowl.

Add 1 cup flour, 1/4 t salt and egg yolks to mashed potatoes and stir to combine. Knead until smooth (about 2 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 T at a time to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky). Divide dough into 6 portions. Shape each portion into a 10 inch long rope. Cut each rope into 10 (1-inch) pieces; roll each piece into a ball. Working with one dough piece at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying) using your thumb or index finger, roll dough piece down tines of a lightly floured fork (gnocchi will have ridges on one side and an indentation on the other). Place gnocchi on a lightly floured baking sheet. Bring 1 gallon of water to boil in a large stockpot. Add half of gnocchi; cook 3 minutes or until done (gnocchi will rise to the surface). Remove cooked gnocchi with slotted spoon; place in a colander to drain. Repeat with remaining uncooked gnocchi. Serve immediately with sauce, sprinkle with cheese. Enjoy!

Potato-Onion Pancakes

Localvore Notes: Serve these with maple yogurt for a delicious treat! For a surprisingly tasty variation, try adding grated beets.

4 or more potatoes, washed, peeled (or scrubbed really well) and grated
1 onion, grated
3-6 T. flour
salt & pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten
sunflower oil
applesauce and yogurt for garnish

Grate potatoes and drain for at least 5 minutes, periodically squeezing out the juice. Mix with onion, flour*, salt, pepper and eggs. Fry Ts of this mixture in butter or sunflower oil until well-browned. Flatten with spatula so they are of even thickness throughout. Serve with applesauce and yogurt. *If you let the drained/squeezed juices set for 10 minutes, you can drain off the liquid and use the potato starch that is left instead of flour.

Quick Scalloped Potatoes

Localvore Notes: A tasty recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated. If you don't have an ovenproof skillet, you can do it in a regular skillet on the stove top and then transfer to a Pyrex baking dish.

2 T unsalted butter
1 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme or 1 T. fresh, chopped
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
5 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8" slices
1 c vegetable broth or plain water
1 c cream
2 bay leaves
1 c grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a 8" cast iron (ovenproof) skillet, melt butter and saute onions until soft and lightly browned. Add spices, saute 30 seconds, then cream, broth, bay leaves, and once blended, sliced potatoes. Bring to a simmer, then lower heat, cover, and cook on stove top 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves, sprinkle cheddar on top and bake in oven 15 minutes. Remove from oven when cheese is melted and browned, and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Roasted Vegetable Chowder

1 ¼ lb. small potatoes, scrubbed
1 lb. carrots, scrubbed, trimmed and halved lengthwise
3 ears fresh corn, shucked
1 cup vegetable broth
5 cups whole milk
4 medium leeks
2 Tbs. local butter
6 oz. local Canadian-type bacon (optional)
1/3 cup flour (whole wheat pastry would probably be best)

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange, potatoes, carrots and corn on two rimmed baking sheets. Coat vegetables generously on all sides with oil. Roast 20 to 30 minutes until tender. Let cool while preparing leeks. Cut roots from leeks. Pull off 1 or 2 tough outer green and while leaves. Cut off tough top green portion. Cut leeks in half lengthwise and swish in a large bowl of water, changing water as needed until all dirt is removed. Cut crosswise into thin slices. When roast vegetables are cool enough to handle, cut potatoes in ¾ inch pieces, carrots crosswise in ½ inch slices and cut corn from cobs. Melt butter in a 4-to 5 quart pot. (If using regular local bacon- you might want to cook them first without butter) Add leeks and stir over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes until wilted. Stir in Canadian bacon if using. Whisk broth with flour until smooth. Stir into leeks. Cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes until thickened. Add milk; cook 2 minutes or until chowder is thickened and hot.

Vermont Maple Apple Pie

Localvore Notes: Low sugar, a whole wheat pastry crust, delectable Vermont flavor. Best served with a slice of local cheddar cheese.

Whole Wheat Crust:
2 c whole wheat pastry flour
½ tsp salt
3/4 c butter or shortening (or ½ of each)
4-6 T cold water

Mix flour and salt together. Mix in butter or shortening with fingers or pastry cutter (mix should be crumbly). Add cold water. Form pastry dough into a ball and refrigerate for 30 minutes. On a floured surface, divide and roll pastry out into 2 shells. Place bottom shell in 9-inch pie plate.

Maple Apple Filling:
6 c peeled, sliced apples (Northern Spy, and Cortland apples are best)
2-5 T Vermont maple syrup (riper apples are sweeter and will require less syrup)
3 T flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c apple cider
1 T butter

Mix together apples, flour, cinnamon, and salt and fill bottom shell. Drizzle syrup over the top, add cider, dot with butter, and cover with second pastry shell. Cut several slashes in top crust. Bake in preheated oven at 425º F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375º and bake about 35 minutes.

Wheat Berry, Black Bean, and Vegetable Stew
Localvore Notes: Look for black soy beans in the organic section of your local food co-op. Other local beans may be substituted.

1 c uncooked wheat berries
2 c hot water
4 c water
1 tsp Maine Sea Salt
1 T Butterworks sunflower oil
1 c chopped onion
½ c sliced carrot
1 T chopped fresh rosemary
2 c chopped Savoy cabbage
1 lb whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 lb black beans, cooked and drained
2 T chopped fresh parsley

Combine wheat berries and 2 cups hot water in a bowl; let stand 1 hour. Drain mixture through a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid. Combine wheat berries, 4 cups water, and salt in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes. Remove from pan. Add oil to pan; heat over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, celery, carrot, and rosemary; sauté 5 minutes. Add the reserved soaking liquid and wheat berry mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Stir in cabbage and pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes; simmer mixture for 10 minutes or until the wheat berries are tender, stirring occasionally. Add soy beans; bring to a boil. Cook mixture for 10 minutes or until thick. Stir in chopped parsley.

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