Recipe Files

This week's produce Club recipes include:

Black-Eyed Peas and Brown Rice

Mediterranean Farro Salad

Carrot Soup with Orange and Ginger

Smoked Sausage Cassoulet

Peach Blueberry Cake

Black-Eyed Peas and Brown Rice

This grain-and-legume mixture is a true Southern-style comfort food akin to Hoppin’ John. Buy frozen, cooked black-eyed peas, or start with the dried legume and cook up a batch yourself, freezing any extra for future meals.

4 cups cooked, cold long-grain brown rice

1 1/4 cups water

1 onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

3 cups frozen black-eyed peas

1 butternut squash, about 1 lb., peeled, seeded and cut into cubes

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 tsp. hot-pepper sauce

Put the rice in a large bowl and gently separate the grains and break apart any lumps. 

In a large fry pan, bring the water, onion, celery, garlic and pepper to a boil, stirring frequently. Add the black-eyed peas and squash and return to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the peas and squash are tender and most of the water has evaporated, about 20 minutes. 

Add the rice, bell pepper and hot-pepper sauce; simmer, stirring and tossing frequently, until heated through, about 5 minutes. To serve, transfer to a bowl.

Serves 6.

Adapted from The Mayo Clinic Williams-Sonoma Cookbook, by John Phillip Carroll (Time-Life Books, 1998).

Mediterranean Farro Salad

Farro, an ancient grain, is available in Italian groceries, health-food stores and most well-stocked markets. If you cannot find farro, you can use bulgur instead. Place 1 cup bulgur in a large heatproof bowl and pour in 2 cups boiling water. Let stand for 30 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

1 cup farro

Juice of 2 lemons

1/4 tsp. salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

8 radishes, thinly sliced

1/2 English (hothouse) cucumber, peeled,

  halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

1/3 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves,

  finely chopped

6 oz. baby spinach

5 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

In a saucepan over high heat, combine the farro and 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the grains are plump and tender to the bite, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, uncover and let cool slightly. (The farro can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and stored in the refrigerator.)

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, salt and a pinch of pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until smooth. 

Add the radishes, cucumber, mint and farro to the vinaigrette and toss to coat evenly. Gently toss in the spinach and feta and serve. Serves 4

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Salad, by Brigit L. Binns (Oxmoor House, 2007).

Carrot Soup with Orange and Ginger

3 Tbs. olive oil

2 leeks, including tender green portions,

 thinly sliced

6 carrots, about 1 lb. total,

 peeled and thinly sliced

1 red potato, about 1/2 lb., peeled and

 coarsely diced

1 1/2 tsp. peeled and minced or 

 grated fresh ginger

5 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

2 tsp. grated orange zest

Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

Thin orange slices for garnish (optional)

Fresh mint sprigs for garnish (optional)

In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the leeks and sauté until just slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, potato and ginger and sauté until the vegetables are just softened, about 5 minutes more. 

Add the stock, cover partially and simmer until the vegetables are completely softened, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. 

In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches, leaving some texture, and return the soup to the pan. Alternatively, process with a stick blender in the pan until the desired consistency is reached. Set the pan over medium heat and stir in the orange juice and zest. Season with salt and white pepper. 

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish each serving with an orange slice and a sprig of mint. Serves 4 to 6. 

Serving Tip: For an alternative garnish, top the soup with fried ginger. Peel a 5-inch piece of ginger and slice it into a very fine julienne. In a small fry pan over medium-high heat, pour in vegetable oil to a depth of about 1/2 inch. When the oil is hot, fry the julienned ginger until crisp and golden brown, 20 to 30 seconds. Using a skimmer, transfer the ginger to a paper towel-lined plate or tray. When cool, divide the ginger into 4 to 6 portions and use to garnish each serving of soup.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Soup, by Diane Rossen Worthington (Simon & Schuster, 2001).

Smoked Sausage Cassoulet

Bon Appétit  | March 1999    Colm Wood, West Topsham VT    yield: Serves 8 to 10

Make this a day ahead for the best flavor.

2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup olive oil

3 pounds assorted fully cooked smoked sausages (such as kielbasa and andouille)

4 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced

6 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 medium apple, peeled, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 1/2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage

1/2 cup brandy

2 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes with roasted garlic in juice

3 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained, liquid reserved

1 10-ounce package frozen baby lima beans, thawed

1 cup (or more) canned chicken broth

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

4 cups diced country-style bread

1 pound tomatoes, seeded, diced

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

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Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium heat. Add sausages; sauté until brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer to plate and cut into 1/2-inch rounds.

Add leeks and garlic to same pot. Sauté until beginning to soften, about 8 minutes. Mix in apple, rosemary and sage. Add brandy and simmer until almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Mix in canned tomatoes with juices, canned beans with 1/2 cup reserved liquid, lima beans, 1 cup broth, tomato paste and cloves. Add sausages. Season with pepper.

Bring cassoulet to boil. Cover pot and transfer to preheated oven; bake 30 minutes. (Can be made up to 2 days ahead. Uncover; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until cold; cover and keep refrigerated. Before continuing, rewarm in covered pot in 350°F. oven 40 minutes, adding more broth if dry.)

Heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add bread and sauté until golden brown, stirring often, about 25 minutes. Combine fresh tomatoes and parsley in large bowl; mix in bread. Season topping with salt and pepper. Spoon onto warm cassoulet. Bake uncovered 15 minutes longer.

Peach Blueberry Cake

Gourmet  | August 2005   yield: Makes 8 servings

This cake bakes for a long time at a moderate temperature, which helps keep the ripe fruit from bursting and releasing its juices. The easy-to-make pastry bakes up moist and crumbly, with a texture that’s like a cross between a biscuit and a cake.

A note from our cooks: We’ve received some letters from readers complaining about a burned crust when making the peach blueberry cake (August 2005 cover), so we ran through the recipe two more times. Baked in a standard light-colored metal pan, the cake was perfect; baked in a dark metal pan, however, it burned — be aware that the cake’s high sugar content makes it more susceptible to burning at high heat. As you’ll see in “Tips: A Guide to Using Gourmet’s Recipes” (located on the recipe index page) we recommend always using light-colored metal pans for baking. Dark metal pans, including nonstick, will cause your baked goods to brown more quickly. Manufacturers suggest reducing the oven temperature by 25 degrees when using dark pans.

For pastry

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

For filling

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca

2 lb firm-ripe large peaches (about 4), halved lengthwise, pitted, and each half cut lengthwise into fourths

1 cup blueberries (1/2 pint)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Special equipment: a 9- to 91/2-inch (24-cm) springform pan; an electric coffee/spice grinder

Make pastry:

Pulse together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Add egg and vanilla and pulse just until dough clumps and begins to form a ball, about 15 pulses.

Press dough onto bottom and evenly (about 1/4 inch thick) all the way up side of springform pan with floured fingertips. Chill pastry in pan until firm, about 10 minutes.

Make filling while pastry chills:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.

Grind 2 tablespoons sugar with flour and tapioca in grinder until tapioca is powdery, then transfer to a large bowl and stir in remaining 6 tablespoons sugar. Add peaches, blueberries, and lemon juice and gently toss to coat. Spoon filling into pastry and bake, loosely covered with a sheet of foil, until filling is bubbling in center and crust is golden, about 1 3/4 hours.

Transfer cake in pan to a rack and cool, uncovered, 20 minutes, then carefully remove side of pan.

Cool cake to barely warm or room temperature, then cut into thick wedges with a sharp knife before serving.