Recipe Files

The recipes for the Produce Club for the week of September 6 are:

Avocado Salad with Peaches

Avocado Ice Pops

Pears Poached in Red Wine, Cardamom and Orange

Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan Pine Nuts

Boiled Peanuts

Smoked Sausage and Black Eyed Peas

Dirty Rice with Smoked Sausage

Shrimp on Sugarcane with Rum Glaze

Avocado Salad with Peaches

Bon Appétit  | August 2011  by Greg Baker  The Refinery

1/2 red bell pepper, cored and seeded

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 almost-ripe avocados

8 cups arugula or sorrel

2 peaches, diced and peeled

Roast bell pepper. Peel and chop pepper; purée with red wine vinegar, vanilla, and sugar in a blender until smooth.

With machine running, gradually add olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Halve and pit avocados and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and place cut side down on a medium-hot grill until nicely charred, about 5 minutes. Peel and thickly slice.

Toss with arugula or sorrel and peaches. Drizzle dressing over.

Avocado Ice Pops

Epicurious  | July 2011  by Fany Gerson  Paletas    yield: Makes 8 to 10

Avocado ice cream is fairly common in Mexico. An avocado ice pop may sound unusual, but it’s very tasty and has a luscious creamy texture without any dairy. The lime juice not only helps keep the paleta green, it also enhances the flavor of the avocados

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

2 small ripe avocados

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut the avocados in half lengthwise. Remove the pit and scoop the flesh into a blender, along with the cooled syrup and salt. Blend until smooth, scraping the sides as needed. Add the lime juice and blend just until combined.

If using conventional molds, divide the mixture among the molds, snap on the lid, and freeze until solid, about 5 hours. If using glasses or other unconventional molds, freeze until the pops are beginning to set (1 1/2 to 2 hours), then insert the sticks and freeze until solid, 4 to 5 hours. If using an instant ice pop maker, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Pears Poached in Red Wine, Cardamom and Orange

Bon Appétit  | March 1997

1 750-ml bottle dry red wine

2 1/4 cups sugar

2 cups water

1/2 cup orange juice

2 teaspoons grated orange peel

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 cinnamon stick

4 firm but ripe pears, peeled, stems left intact

1 pint vanilla ice cream

1 plain or almond biscotti, crumbled

Orange peel strips (optional)

Combine first 7 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer. Add pears and return mixture to simmer. Reduce heat and simmer slowly until pears are tender when pierced with knife, about 25 minutes. Transfer pears to plate. Boil liquid in saucepan until reduced to 3 cups, about 20 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill pears in poaching liquid. Before serving, rewarm over medium-low heat until pears are heated through.)

Arrange 1 warm pear and 1 scoop of ice cream on each of 4 plates. Drizzle some poaching liquid over. Sprinkle with biscotti crumbs. Garnish with orange peel strips, if desired, and serve.

Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan Pine Nuts

Bon Appétit  | August 2010   by Ian Knauer

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

2 pounds medium zucchini, trimmed

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Small wedge of Parmesan cheese

Whisk oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and crushed red pepper in small bowl to blend. Set dressing aside.

Using vegetable peeler or V-slicer and working from top to bottom of each zucchini, slice zucchini into ribbons (about 1/16 inch thick). Place ribbons in large bowl. Add basil and nuts, then dressing; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Using vegetable peeler, shave strips from Parmesan wedge over salad.

Boiled Peanuts

The longer the peanuts cook, or sit in the salty water, the saltier they will become. Also the longer the peanuts cook, the softer the shells will become. Some people prefer their peanut shells soft and almost chewy, some prefer a little firm so you can pry open the shells.

1 pound of raw “green” peanuts (not the color green, but fresh raw peanuts which are called green peanuts)

1/4 cup kosher salt (or 2 Tbsp table salt)

4 cups water

Optional seasoning

2 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning, smoked paprika, shrimp boil mix, or even star anise

1 Thoroughly rinse raw unshelled peanuts in water.

2 Put water, salt, seasoning, peanuts in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil. Cover. Boil for 2 to 3 hours or longer (some boil their peanuts all day), until peanuts reach desired level of softness.

3 Drain. Eat up within a couple of days. Boiled peanuts don’t save as well as dry.

Smoked Sausage and Black Eyed Peas

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse   Show: The Essence of Emeril

1 pound smoked sausage

1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 medium)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

4 cloves of garlic

5 sprigs of fresh thyme

4 bay leaves

3 teaspoons finely chopped parsley

8 cups chicken stock

1 pound black-eyed peas

1 tablespoon minced garlic

6 cornbread muffins

1 tablespoon chopped green onions

Directions

In a large pot, over medium heat, render the sausage for 5 minutes. Stir in the onions, salt, cayenne, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and parsley. Saute for 5 minutes, or until the onions are wilted. Stir in the chicken stock, peas and garlic. Bring the liquid up to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours, or until the peas are tender. Spoon the peas and sausage in the center of a shallow bowl. Garnish with green onions. Serve with cornbread muffins.

Dirty Rice with Smoked Sausage

Recipe courtesy The Neelys   Show: Down Home with the Neelys

2 cups long grain white rice

5 cups chicken stock, divided

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound smoked pork sausage, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Make the rice, in a medium saucepan combine the rice and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until all the stock is absorbed into the rice, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile heat oil in a heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage. Once browned, add the garlic, onion, celery, and green bell pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup chicken stock and cayenne. Cook until the stock has reduced a little. Add the cooked rice and parsley and stir thoroughly. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.

Shrimp on Sugarcane with Rum Glaze

Recipe courtesy Steve Raichlen  Show: BBQ with Bobby Flay

2 (12- inch) batons sugarcane, cut into 24 (5-inch long and 1/4-inch wide) skewers

24 jumbo or extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

8 tablespoons butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 cup dark rum, (recommended: Mount Gay Rum)

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste

Pinch kosher salt, or more to taste

Directions

Trim off the ends of the sugarcane and cut them into skewers. Rinse the shrimp under cold running water and then drain and blot dry with paper towels. Skewer the shrimp on the sugarcane.

Place the brown sugar, butter, rum, mustard, vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and salt in a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook until the mixture is thick and syrupy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as necessary. Set aside a small amount of the glaze to be used for dipping the cooked shrimp. The recipe can be prepared up to 1 hour ahead to this stage; keep the shrimp in the refrigerator, covered. The glaze can be kept at room temperature.

Preheat the grill to high. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the shrimp kebabs on the hot grate and grill until cooked, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Generously baste each with glaze once before turning and once before removing from the grill. The shrimp will be firm and white when cooked through. Serve the reserved glaze as a sauce on the side.