Recipes for the week

Our finds were such that we planned to cook for the entire week with local vegetables and one young hen purchased from a local farm in Greene County, Rainbow Meadow Farms. Several recipes were used this week including Southern Vegetable Lasagna, adapted from Dori Sanders Farmstand Cookbook. I was most excited about this dish since I used the Swiss Chard from our flower garden as a key ingredient.

Other recipes from this week include the recipe mentioned above. This Southern Veggie Lasagna has been a favorite from years gone by, but it was particularly delicious this time. I agree with Barbara Kingsolver that when the ingredients are local (and most of them were...chard, sweet potatoes, onions, fresh herbs from our garden), food tastes more than wonderful. Here is the recipe...

Southern Vegetable Lasagna*

INGREDIENTS
10 lasagna noodles, uncooked (whole wheat is my preference)
1 1/2 pounds fresh greens (swiss chard, mustard greens, spinach), washed and cut julienne-style into small pieces
2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
2 small shredded sweet potatoes
1 cup chopped onion
2-3 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups tomato sauce
2-6 ounce cans tomato paste
1-16 ounce can crushed tomatoes
3-4 tablespoons fresh herbs (Italian parsley, basil, thyme, chives)
½ cup water
1 15-ounce container cottage cheese
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup crumbled feta
2 cups shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix chopped mushrooms, grated sweet potatoes, chopped onion, and minced garlic. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add these vegetables and sauté, stirring constantly for 6-8 minutes until tender. Stir greens in until wilted. Stir in water, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, fresh herbs, crushed red pepper, and salt/pepper. Heat through and set aside.

Mix cottage cheese, ricotta, ½ cup Parmesan cheese and salt/pepper to taste.

Layer several spoonfuls of tomato- veggie mixture in well-greased 13”x9”x2” baking dish. Add one layer of UNCOOKED lasagna noodles. Sprinkle 1-2 Tablespoons of water over noodles and spread half the cheese mixture over top. Cover with tomato-veggie mixture. Sprinkle with half of mozzarella, parmesan, and feta. Add one more layer of noodles, cheese mixture (save about 3 Tablespoons for the top) and a final layer of tomato– veggie mixture. Make sure that all edges of noodles are submerged in the tomato - veggie mixture. If not, push them down and add a bit of water to the top tomato – veggie mixture to ensure that noodles are well covered.

Top with remainder of mozzarella, parmesan, and feta. Dot with remaining ricotta/cottage cheese mixture. Seal well with foil. Place in preheated 375 degree oven.

Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove foil. Cook until brown and bubbly on top…probably about 30 more minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool at least 10 – 15 minutes so that lasagna can be cut into squares.

Serve with green salad and homemade whole grain bread.

Note: I often freeze part of this lasagna. I make it in two smaller casseroles and bake the one that I plan to freeze for the first 30 minutes only. I take it out of the oven, cool it, refrigerate, and seal well before I freeze it. When I plan to cook the frozen lasagna, I simply thaw it in the refrigerator and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until brown.

* adapted from Dori Sanders’ Country Cooking: Recipes from the Family Farm Stand, pp. 98-100, Algonquin Books: Chapel Hill, NC.

Another recipe transformed the mustard greens into a divine casserole that disappeared before our very eyes....

Greens and Four Cheese Casserole

A casserole with spinach or other greens and mozzarella, ricotta, feta, and parmesan cheeses.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 pounds greens, washed and trimmed (Swiss chard, kale, mustard, or collards)
salt and black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil (or 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. dried basil)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup half-and-half
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese (part skim)
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
4 ounces Mozzarella cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS:

Butter a 1 1/2-quart baking dish or casserole; preheat the oven to 375 degrees or 350 degrees for oven-proof glass.

Cut out and discard the tough stems; if using kale or collards, cut out thick center ribs. Rinse all the greens and shake off any excess water, chop them into 1/2-inch pieces. In a large skillet, sauté garlic in olive oil. Add the greens over low heat, adding them by handfuls and stirring them down as they wilt. Add 1/2 cup of water if the greens seem dry, then cover the skillet and braise for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender (only a few minutes needed for mustard greens or spinach). Pour off any liquid left in the skillet, then season the greens with salt and pepper, crushed red pepper, and basil. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Heat the broth and half-and-half in a saucepan (or in the microwave), just until bubbles form around the edge of the pan or bowl.

Melt the butter over low heat in a large skillet. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for one minute. Add the hot broth mixture all at once and stir over medium heat until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Whisk in the grated Parmesan and 1/2 cup of the ricotta. Stir the greens into the cheese sauce and pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and then distribute the grated mozzarella over the top along with crumbled feta. Add remaining ricotta in small dollops; bake for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the mozzarella is melted and lightly browned. Serve immediately.Serves 6.

-adapted from Greens and Cheese Bake, retrieved May 23, 2007 from http://southernfood.about.com/od/collardgreens/r/bl00311i.htm