Cookbook

From WikiSutra

The co-op cookbook contains recipes for a variety of co-op-sized dishes, as well as tips on quantities. Many thanks to Louisa ('11) for compiling it!

Contents 1 General tips 1.1 How much should i make? 1.2 How should I make it? 1.3 Conversions & Substitutions 2 Guides by ingredient 2.1 Beans 2.2 Rice and Grains 2.2.1 Rice 2.2.2 Quick Grains 2.3 Vegetables 2.3.1 General wisdom 2.3.2 Roasting Basics 2.3.3 Beets 3 Recipes 3.1 Veggies 3.1.1 Raw Kale Salad 3.1.2 Vegetable Dumplings 3.2 Protein 3.2.1 Basic Hummus 3.2.2 Chickpeas 3.2.3 Baked Beans 3.2.4 Black Bean Chili 3.2.5 Leg of Lamb 3.2.6 Bi Bim Bap 3.3 Starch 3.3.1 Cold Sesame Noodles 3.3.2 Skillet Cornbread 3.4 Soup 3.4.1 Curried Squash and Red Lentil Soup 3.4.2 Roasted Tomato Soup 3.5 Bread 3.5.1 Pain à la Ancienne 3.5.2 German Caraway Rye Bread 3.5.3 Spinach Cheese Boule 3.5.4 Bernd das Kastenbrot 3.5.5 Rustic Light Rye Sourdough 3.6 Dessert 3.6.1 Brownies with Salted Butter Caramel Sauce 3.6.2 Carrot Cake 3.6.3 Bread Pudding 3.6.4 Polenta Cake

General tips

How much should i make?

rough estimates for big crowds

• about 8 cups RICE or GRAINS (check leftover fridge first to see if grains remain)
• about 6-8 cups dry BEANS should make about 12-16 c. cooked beans (prepare fewer beans if beans comprise only part of your dish)
• 2 big baking sheets of chopped VEGGIES
• fill the big wok with GREENS
• about 20 cups of flour for 6-8 loaves of BREAD
• the biggest pot for SOUP (generally at least 14-20 cups of broth)
• two heads of ROMAINE for cooks’ ass salad

How should I make it?

Not only do you need a bigger pot and more time to chop, but everything takes longer to cook.

Loading the oven down with two giant baking sheets instead of one multiplies the cooking time, so don’t be surprised if your tremendous amounts of cookies take tremendous amounts of time to cook. Ditto with stove-top cooking: making vats of soup means that it rarely takes “only a few minutes” for the onions to get translucent.

Chop more vegetables than you could ever imagine. Your chopped veggies should tower above your bowls. Prepare everything that you will need (to chop or to measure) for your recipe ahead of time. Otherwise, by the time you measure out 17 1/2 tsp of paprika, your onions might be burnt.

Conversions & Substitutions

Measurements

• 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon = 1/2 oz.
• 4 tablespoon = 1/4 cup = 8 oz.
• 8 tablespoon = 1/2 cup = 4 oz.
• 16 tablespoons = 1 cup = 8 oz.
• 2 cups = 1 pint = 1/2 quart = 16 oz.
• 4 cups = 2 pints = 1 quart = 32 oz.

Ingredient-specific equivalents

• 1 pound ONION = 2 1/2 cups sliced or chopped
• 1 pound SUGAR = 2 cups white
• 1 stick BUTTER = 4 oz. = 8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup
• 4 sticks BUTTER = 16 oz. = 32 tablespoons = 2 c.
• dry BEANS expand to 2-3 times their size when cooked

Substitutions

• 1 tsp FRESH CHOPPED HERBS = 1/3 tsp POWDERED HERBS or 1/2 tsp CRUSHED DRY HERBS (in general, divide the fresh herb by 3)
• 1 cup MILK + 1 tbsp. LEMON JUICE or white vinegar --> BUTTERMILK
• 1 cup - 2 tbsp ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR = 1 cup CAKE FLOUR
• When baking, assume UNSALTED BUTTER if unspecified. reduce salt in recipe by at least 1/2 tsp per stick if using salted butter in place of unsalted butter

Guides by ingredient

Beans

If you can get into the habit, soaking beans the night before you cook is a good thing to do. (Unless you are making something with lentils or split peas, neither of which require overnight soaking.) Why soak? Soaking beans cuts down on their cooking time.

People generally measure out 8 – 10 cups of dry beans. Soak the beans in about 3-4 times the number of cups of beans you have. Put the soaking bowl out the way somewhere. {The bean/grain tables along the dining room are a good place.)

If you can, change the beans’ water once or twice before cooking. But that’s kind of finicky. At the very least, rinse the beans out right before you cook them.

All bean types have different cooking times. Black beans cook up pretty quick (generally, 1 1/2 hours of simmering), while kidney beans, chickpeas, and pinto beans all take closer to 2 hours. It’s best to start cooking the beans as soon as you can, since bean cooking time is unpredictable (it depends on how old the beans are, how long they were soaked for, what type they are).

When you’re ready to cook, put the beans in the biggest pot, with lots of water. If you like, add a bay leaf, onion, or garlic to the pot to impart some flavor. Bring the beans to a boil, then bring the heat down and simmer. Don’t add salt or acidic ingredients until the beans are nearly cooked, as these ingredients slow the cooking down.

Rice and Grains

Rice

Rinse basmati, sushi rice, and wild rice, but not most other rice.

It’s easiest to use the absorption method with rice. Use a general ratio of 1 cup rice to 1 1/2 –2 cups water, plus a little kosher salt. Bring the water and salt to a boil in the big pot. Add rice, bring back to a boil, stir once, cover, and simmer until grains are tender. Don’t stir the rice a lot or lift the lid frequently; this leads to gummy grains. Let rice stand for at least 5 minutes after cooking, if it’s not already 6:35.

If you are LATE, don’t make brown rice. It is unmilled and takes longer to cook. Instead, make quick-E-grains like QUINOA or COUSCOUS.

Quick Grains

QUINOA: Rinse well, once if not twice or three times. Use ratio of 1 cup quinoa to 3-4 cups water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for at least 20 minutes. Quinoa is done when grains have gone from white to transparent, and the spiral-like germ has separated.

COUSCOUS: Using absorption method (good for Moroccan couscous), use ratio of 1 cup couscous to 1 or 1 1/4 cup water. Bring water and a little salt to a boil, stir in couscous, take off heat and let stand until water is absorbed and couscous is tender (at least 10 minutes). Fluff with giant fork-like thing.

Vegetables

General wisdom

Look in the walk-in for what vegetables are on their last legs. Use those first.

Don’t be afraid of chopping up too many vegetables. Be much more afraid of chopping too few. It is a sad night when you come in 10 minutes late to find all the vegetables gone.

At first, you should feel like you’re chopping too many vegetables. Abram says you should be chopping your vegetables for at least 45 minutes. Generally, it’s good to chop enough to fill two of the big baking sheets.

Don’t put vegetables with radically different cooking times on the same sheet. Start early with vegetables like beets and turnips.

Some things need to be peeled: beets, carrots, turnips. Other things don’t: sweet potatoes, eggplants, red peppers. Brussels sprouts are generally halved.

In tight oven parking, remember that many of these sheet pans can slide into the oven’s interior notches, essentially creating their own racks. If you are really pressed for space, consider cooking your vegetables on the flattop. It cooks faster, doesn’t take up oven space, and achieves largely the same effect.

Roasting Basics

Preheat the oven to a high heat, 450-500. Arrange the vegetables on one layer on the baking sheet. Pack them fairly tightly without overlapping them; most vegetables shrink pretty significantly in the oven.

Drizzle with OLIVE OIL and sprinkle with SALT, PEPPER, and/or GARLIC for easy prep. Check in on the vegetables occasionally, stirring or adding seasoning. If the pan is roasting unevenly, rotate the pan.

Here are some alternatives to the garlic-salt norm proposed by roasting-queen Emily Owens:

• put LEMON JUICE and/or rind, a few whole cloves of GARLIC, OLIVE OIL and SALT and PEPPER on green beans
• halve and oil SWEET POTATOES with just a little olive oil and/or paprika before heading into a hot oven for a while (400ish is usually good for these guys)
• adding ROSEMARY and/or THYME to white potatoes in an otherwise similar roasting fashion is delish
• toss veggies in a marinades of:
  • BALSAMIC, THYME/OREGANO, DIJON MUSTARD, OLIVE OIL and maybe a little bit of SUGAR (particularly tasty on red bell peppers or portabellas)
  • SESAME OIL or PEANUT OIL, SOY SAUCE, RICE WINE VINEGAR, SESAME SEEDS (carrots and brussel sprouts take this well)
  • SOY SAUCE and BROWN SUGAR or MAPLE SYRUP or even MOLASSES over sweet potatoes endless variations!

Beets

Don't wear white when ROASTING BEETS. Although beets have thin skins, they are a pain to peel. In this preparation, the beet slips out of its skin happily after roasting in a warm bath.

Preheat both ovens to 400°F.

Scrub the beets well. (This step is important; otherwise, the beets soak in their own dirt and end up tasting earthier than ever.)

Trim off the top and bottom of each beet. Prepare enough beets to cover two hotel pans (the large roasting pans with high sides) in one layer of beets.

Place beets in pans. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour 1/4 inch of water into each hotel pan. Cover the hotel pans tightly with tinfoil. Cook the beets in the oven for at least an hour (or more, depending on how many beets you’re cooking), until the beets are tender when poked with a fork. Be careful when handling the hotel pans; they are filled with steamy hot water and can spill easily.

When cool enough to handle, rub the skins off with a paper towel. They should come off easily.

Chop or grate beets, dress with a vinaigrette. Pair with garlic or orange flavors, or feta and roasted greens.

Recipes

Veggies

Raw Kale Salad

by Abram

• 1 bunch KALE
• 1 tbs. OLIVE OIL
• 1/4 tsp. SALT
• 1 RED ONION
• 1 tsp. DIJON MUSTARD
• fresh-ground PEPPER
• 1 AVOCADO
• 1/2 c. ALMONDS
• 1 CARROT
• 1-2 BEETS, peeled

1. Wash and de-stem 1 bunch KALE; chop finely. Pour on 1 TBS OLIVE OIL and 1/4 TSP SALT. Roll up your sleeves and toss and squeeze the kale until it wilts, about 3-5 minutes or so. Let sit 30 minutes.
2. Dice 1/4 RED ONION. Whisk the juice of a LEMON into a TSP DIJON MUSTARD a pinch of SALT, a grind of PEPPER, and the ONION. Let sit 15 minutes.
3. Slice or dice 1 AVOCADO & salt lightly; toast 1/2 c ALMONDS and chop; grate/shred 1 peeled CARROT and 1-2 peeled BEETS.
4. Whisk enough olive oil into mustard-lemon mixture to make a dressing. Add avocado, almonds, and root vegetables to kale and toss. Dress to taste.

Variations:

• Use 3-4 beets instead of the carrot. Substitute some grapefruit or orange juice for the lemon juice, and add the flesh of a grapefruit or orange.
• Add scallions, sesame, and toasted nori; make the dressing from mirin, sesame oil, tamari, and rice wine vinegar; substitute a very little ginger for the onion.
• Substitute for the root vegetables a diced tomato or two and some shaved parmesan.

Vegetable Dumplings

• 1/2 pound FIRM TOFU
• 1/2 cup coarsely GRATED CARROTS
• 1/2 cup shredded CABBAGE
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped RED PEPPER
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped SCALLIONS
• 1 tablespoon chopped CILANTRO LEAVES
• 2 tablespoon SOY SAUCE
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh GINGER
• 3 tablespoon minced GARLIC
• 2 tablespoon BROWN SUGAR
• 2 teaspoons SESAME OIL
• 1 EGG, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon KOSHER SALT
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground BLACK PEPPER
• 35 to 40 small WONTON WRAPPERS

1. Press the tofu, then chop it into small cubes. Grate the cabbage, toss with salt, and leave it to wilt for 15-20 minutes. After it has wilted, squeeze as much water as possible out of the cabbage.
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, adding more spices if desired. Fill wonton wrappers as you wish, placing finished, uncooked dumplings on a baking sheet lightly dusted with flour to prevent sticking.
3. Once ready to cook, place a strainer or steaming thing over a put of boiling water. Lightly oil the strainer/steamer and place as many dumplings as possible in it. Cover the pot and let steam for 5 minutes, or until the middle is hot. Serve with dipping sauce immediately. (A good dipping sauce is mostly soy sauce, with rice wine vinegar or mirin, sesame oil, ginger, scallions, garlic, and a bit of sugar added.)

Protein

Basic Hummus

For co-op proportions: use 6-8 cups dry chickpeas (makes about 12-16 cups cooked chickpeas)

• 4 cups COOKED GARBANZOS (CHICKPEAS)
• 1/2 cup TAHINI
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup best quality OLIVE OIL
• juice of 2 or 3 LEMONS
• 4 GARLIC CLOVES, more to taste
• 1 1/2 tsp SALT
• 2 teaspoons CUMIN SEED, more to taste
• freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Soak garbanzos in a bowl THE NIGHT BEFORE. Before cooking, drain chickpeas and rinse.
2. Fill the biggest pot with chickpeas, pour water to 2 inches above chickpeas. Bring chickpeas to a boil, then simmer until they are soft (not merely edible).
3. As chickpeas are cooking, toast the cumin seed in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant. They burn easily, so keep close tabs on them. Grind the cumin seeds in the spice grinder. If pressed for time, lightly toast ground cumin instead.
4. Combine chickpeas, tahini, warm water, olive oil, and the juice of 1 lemon in the bowl of the food processor. Process until smooth and creamy, pausing once or twice to scrape down sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add garlic, salt, cumin seed, and pepper to taste, and process to blend. Taste and correct seasoning if necessary. Add more lemon juice. Scrape into a large tupperware, label with date, and put in the fridge on the left.

Chickpeas

by Louisa For coop proportions, multiply by at least four.

• 1/4 c. XTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
• 1/2 c. diced ONION
• 3 cloves GARLIC
• 1 CHILE DE ARBOL, smashed (or any other small red chile0
• 1 tsp. THYME
• 1 BAY LEAF
• 1 1/2 c. dried CHICKPEAS
• 1 tsp. PAPRIKA
• pinch CAYENNE
• 1 CINNAMON STICK

1. Heat the biggest pot you can find over high heat for a few minutes. Pour in olive oil and wait a minute or two, until the oil shimmers. Add onion, garlic, chile, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir for a few minutes, coating the chickpeas with the oil and spices.
2. Cover chickpeas with water by 3 inches (or whatever you can manage). Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat down to low, place several paper towels on top of the chickpeas to keep them under the surface.
3. Simmer for 30 minutes, then add 2 1/2 TSP salt. Continue cooking on a low simmer about 1 hour, until the chickpeas are tender. When they are done, season with salt and pepper if necessary and cool in juices. Retain juices, serve as the whole messy pot with a big ladle.

I like these chickpeas as they are, but the recipe recommends serving with toasted cumin seeds, roasted beets, lemon juice, diced olives, parsley. That seems complicated to me.

Baked Beans

by Rojer

• beans
• onions
• garlic
• dried ancho chili (optional)
• paprika

1. Soak beans overnight/morning of (optional).
2. Preheat oven to ~250
3. Bring beans to boil on stove w/ olive oil & bay leaf (optional: a teensy bit of baking soda will help soften beans, but controversial - google if curious)
4. While boiling, prep hotel pans - peel & halve a couple onions, peel some garlic cloves. A dried ancho or two gives a very nice flavor as well.
5. When beans are boiled, drain beans but SAVE the hot bean juice. Cover the bean juice if possible to keep it hot.
6. Pour beans in hotel pan. Drizzle with more olive oil, sprinkle w/ paprika (or other spices of choice).
7. Pour hot bean juice into hotel pan until beans are slightly covered. You can supplement with a bit of stock for a richer broth. If you don't have enough bean juice, boil some water.
8. Cover in tinfoil and cook 3-6 hours.

The trick is to keep the broth hot while doing the transfer, otherwise the beans will take forever to cook. Also, if you have a nice le creuset in that bougie kitchen of yours, you can skip the transfer step entirely and just throw the whole pot in the oven. If you do that, figure out the proper liquid/bean ratio beforehand so you don't end up with too much (weak) broth.

Black Bean Chili

by Abram For healthy helpings and nearly assured leftovers, multiply by 5 or 6. (Use 10-12 c. beans).

• 2 c BLACK TURTLE BEANS (or a mix of black beans and kidney beans)
• 1 BAY LEAF
• 2 teaspoons GROUND CUMIN
• 2 teaspoons DRIED MEXICAN OREGANO
• 3 teaspoons PAPRIKA
• 2-3 tablespoons ground dry CHILE: e.g., ancho (medium-hot), pasilla (medium-hot), New Mexico (hotter), California (milder)
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoons CHIPOTLE CHILI POWER or 2-3 teaspoons chopped CHIPOTLE CHILI
• 1/2 teaspoon CINNAMON
• 1 teaspoon COCOA POWDER or 1/4 square baking chocolate or 1 triangle Mexican chocolate
• pinch of CLOVES
• 2 tablespoons CORN or PEANUT OIL
• 2 medium YELLOW ONIONS, cut in 1/4 inch dice
• 4 cloves GARLIC, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon SALT
• 1 1/2 pounds canned DICED TOMATOES
• 1-2 teaspoons RICE WINE VINEGAR
• 1/4 cup chopped CILANTRO

condiments, as desired:

• 1 cup chopped SCALLIONS
• 1 1/2 cups DICED RIPE TOMATOES
• 1/2 cup finely minced JALAPENOS, inner pith and seeds removed
• 1 cup SOUR CREAM thinned with milk
• 1 cup LIME WEDGES from 2-3 limes
• 1 cup chopped WHITE ONION and cilantro
• 1 cup grated PEPPER JACK CHEESE

1. Rinse beans in a colander and soak them in the refrigerator in plenty of water overnight. Drain the beans, cover with fresh water and bring to a rapid boil, skimming off the foam that rises to the surface. Lower the heat to medium, add the bay leaf, and cook for 1-1/2 hours, adding more water if necessary, until the beans are completely soft. Add 2 teaspoons salt and simmer 1/2 hour more. Remove the bay leaf.
2. Toast the cumin in a small dry skillet, stirring constantly, over high heat until the fragrance is released. Add the oregano and toast a few seconds more. Add the paprika, and immediately remove the skillet from the heat. Stir the mixture for a few more seconds as the skillet cools. Transfer the spices to a bowl and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and throw in the onions with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions have begun to wilt. Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot, lifting the lid to stir from time to time. Cook until the onions are soft. Add the garlic, the toasted spices, and all the other spices except chocolate. Cook for a minute, stirring constantly, then stir in the tomatoes and the chocolate. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Pour 2-3 cups of bean broth out into a separate pot and set aside. Add the tomato mixture to the beans, and adjust the consistency with the reserved broth. Allow the chili to simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to combine, then remove from the heat and add the cilantro and the rice vinegar. Taste for salt and serve.

Leg of Lamb

(Each leg serves 10-12; I don’t know how many meat eaters we will have)

• 1 cup WHOLE PLAIN YOGURT
• 1 tablespoon SMOKED SWEET SPANISH PAPRIKA
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground CUMIN
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground CORIANDER
• 1 head GARLIC, peeled
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
• 1/2 cup fresh LEMON JUICE
• 1/3 cup PACKED MINT LEAVES
• 1/4 cup KOSHER SALT, plus more as needed
• Freshly ground BLACK PEPPER
• 1 8-to-10 pound leg of AMERICAN LAMB, boned and butterflied (weight is pre-boning)
• 1/2 loaf FRENCH BREAD, cut into 1/2-in. thick slices.

1. In a food processor, combine the yogurt, paprika, cumin, coriander, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, mint and 1/4 cup kosher salt. Pulse until the mint and garlic are finely chopped.
2. Season the lamb on all sides with salt and black pepper. Lay the lamb fat-side down, roll into a tight cylinder and tie with cooking twine. Place in a container just large enough to hold it. Pour the marinade over the lamb and massage it into the meat. Dip both sides of the bread pieces into the marinade and place evenly over the meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Transfer the lamb to a large roasting pan, discard the bread and reserve the excess marinade.
4. Baste the lamb with the marinade. Cook in the oven until a meat thermometer reads 130 degrees, for medium rare, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours depending on the thickness of the lamb. Baste with the marinade from time to time during the first hour of cooking. Remove from oven, tent with foil and let rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

Bi Bim Bap

by Ashley

Beef/tempeh marinade:

• 1/2 cup SOY SAUCE
• 1/2 cup WHITE SUGAR
• 1/2 cup BROWN SUGAR
• 1/4 cup MINCED GARLIC
• 1/3 cup CHOPPED GREEN ONION
• 4 tablespoons TOASTED SESAME SEEDS

1. Marinade the beef/tempeh. Compile whatever vegetables you want (cucumbers, carrots, mushrooms, bean sprouts, spinach, cabbage, etc). Sautee them if they need to be sauteed, or leave some raw.
2. Cook the beef/tempeh. Serve everything over rice, topped with a fried egg and kochujang (chili bean paste). Infinite variations upon this are possible.

Starch

Cold Sesame Noodles

by Margaret

• 1 lb. PASTA cooked al dente and rinsed. Drain well.
• 2 cloves GARLIC
• a lot of GINGER ROOT (3 oz) cut into small pieces
• 1 TB DIJON MUSTARD
• 2 TB SUGAR (3 TB if the vinegar has no sugar)
• 1/2 c SESAME OIL
• 1/4 c CANOLA OIL
• 1/4 c RICE WINE VINEGAR
• 1/2 c SOY SAUCE
• 1/2 c MOLASSES (light, unsulphured)
• HOT CHILI OIL to taste--I use about 2 tsp.

1. Put garlic, ginger, mustard and sugar in cuisinart and puree. With the machine running, add in the rest of the ingredients for the dressing.
2. Pour dressing over pasta. Garnish with 1/4 c sesame seeds, toasted, and 1 bunch scallions, cleaned and sliced on the bias.
3. There is some discussion as to whether the noodles are best when they've had time to marinate in the dressing (I think so - that's how I always served them at Le Co-op) or when they are freshly dressed and served. They're good either way though.

Skillet Cornbread

by Abram serves 6-8, multiply by 4 or 5 if ambitious

• 1/2 c POLENTA
• 1 c BUTTERMILK
• 1 c WHITE CORN MEAL or CORN FLOUR
• 
1/2 c sifted ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
• 2 T BROWN SUGAR
• 
2 t BAKING POWDER
• 1 t BAKING SODA
• 1 t SALT
• 1/2 c UNSALTED BUTTER
• 1 JUMBO EGG, lightly beaten
  • optional: 1/2 c FRESH SWEET CORN;
  • 1/2 cup finely grated very sharp white CHEDDAR


1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium bowl, stir the polenta into the buttermilk and set aside.  Combine the remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add cheese if using.
2. Into the polenta-buttermilk mixture, stir the egg, all but 2 tablespoons of the butter, and the corn if using.
3. Put a 9-inch cast iron skillet in the oven with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
4. Carefully combine the dry and wet ingredients just until the dry ingredients are moistened -- do not overmix.
5. When the butter in the skillet is beginning to brown, spoon the batter into the skillet.  Bake for 15 minutes or just until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let the cornbread rest in the skillet 5 minutes, then invert it onto a plate.

Soup

Curried Squash and Red Lentil Soup

by Louisa

• 3 tbsp VEGETABLE OIL
• 2 tbsp UNSALTED BUTTER
• 1 1/2 lb BUTTERNUT SQUASH, peeled & cut into 1/2’’ pieces
• 1 large ONION, chopped
• 1 CARROT, chopped
• 1 CELERY RIB, chopped
• 2 GARLIC CLOVES, minced
• 2 tbsp. minced peeled GINGER
• 1 cup RED LENTILS, picked over and rinsed
• 2 qt. water
• 1 tsp. fresh LEMON JUICE, or to taste

1. Heat oil with butter in our biggest pot over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook squash, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, ginger, and 1 tsp. Salt, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Stir in curry powder and 1/4 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.
3. Add lentils and water and simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, 25 to 40 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Tomato Soup

by Ashley

• 1 (14-ounce) can CHOPPED TOMATOES
• 3/4 cup EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 stalk CELERY, diced
• 1 small CARROT, diced
• 1 yellow ONION, diced
• 2 cloves GARLIC, minced
• 1 cup VEGETABLE STOCK
• 1 BAY LEAF
• 2 tablespoons BUTTER (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped FRESH BASIL LEAVES

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, to taste, drizzle with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, vegetable stock, and bay leaf. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil and butter, if using. Puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth, or leave it chunky.

Bread

Pain à la Ancienne

from the Bread Baker's Apprentice (a ridiculously easy 2-day recipe for ridiculously good baguettes)

• 6 cups BREAD FLOUR
• 2 1/4 tsp SALT
• 1 3/4 tsp INSTANT YEAST
• 2 1/4 plus 2 tbs - 3 cups ICE WATER (as cold as you can get it)
• SEMOLINA FLOUR for dusting

1. Combine flour, salt, yeast, and 2 1/4 plus 2 tbs ice water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until ingretients are combined, then switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5-6 minutes. The dough should stick to the bottom of the bowl but clear the sides. (If it is too wet, add more flour a few tablespoons at a time, or if it is too dry and clearing the bottom of the bowl, drizzle a few tablespoons of water down the sides of the bowl.) Lightly oil a large bowl and immediately transfer the dough, turning the dough once to coat in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next day, take the bowl out of the refrigerator and set out for 2-3 hours, until doubled from its original, prerefrigerated size.
3. Preheat oven to 500 degrees and dust two baking sheets with semolina flour. Put a pan in the oven to prepare for oven steaming.
4. When the dough is ready, sprinkle counter liberally with bread flour. Transfer the dough to counter, sprinkle with flour, and gently roll and stretch it into an oblong about 8 inches by 6 inches. Using a pastry scraper, cut the dough width-wise into six lengths. Separate them and let relax five minutes.
5. Gently transfer each piece of dough to the prepared baking sheets, stretching them as you do so to form long, even baguettes. It should stretch easily-- if it is springing back, let the dough relax for a few more minutes. Score the tops of each baguette.
6. Put the pans in the oven, throw one cup of hot water into the pan in the oven, and close the door. After 30 seconds, spray the oven walls with warm water and close the door. Repeat twice more, then turn the oven down to 475 degrees.
7. After 8-9 minutes, rotate the pans to ensure even baking. Continue baking 10-15 minutes more, until the loaves are a rich golden brown and very light. Transfer immediately to a cooling rack.

German Caraway Rye Bread

bread-baking is just one of the “Many Talents of Martin Eiermann” makes two loaves

• 3 cups ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
• 3 1/2 cups RYE FLOUR
• 2 cups lukewarm WATER
• 1/4 cup UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER
• 3.5 tbsp ACTIVE DRY YEAST
• 1 tbsp CARAWAY SEED
• 1 tbsp SALT
• 1/3 cup MOLASSES
• 2 tbsp BUTTER (OPTIONAL)
• 1 tbsp SUGAR

8 2 tbsp OLIVE OIL

1. Mix it. The dough should be smooth and not sticky. Let rest for 60 minutes, until roughly doubled in size (this dough will not rise that much). Form into loaves. Put on a greased baking sheet, let rest for another 60 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, preferably with a steamed oven.

Spinach Cheese Boule

Makes two loaves

Poolish:

• 500g WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR
• 500g cool WATER
• 3 tsp DRY ACTIVE YEAST

Dough:

• POOLISH
• 400g BREAD FLOUR
• 100g WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR
• 2.5 tbsp DRY ACTIVE YEAST
• 20g SALT
• 200g cool BUTTERMILK
• 40g OIL
• 400g diced CHEESE
• 150g chopped SPINACH

Day 1: Make the poolish. Refrigerate overnight.

Day 2: Cook, cool, and drain the spinach. Make the dough. 90 minute resting, then shaped boules for proofing and preheat the oven to 500 (260C). Rest for 30 minutes, steam the oven. Load the bread.

Reduce heat to 470 (250C) and bake for 35 minutes.

Bernd das Kastenbrot

Makes two loaves

Biga:

• 160g bread flour
• 6g salt
• 14g dry active yeast
• 100ml cool water

Sourdough:

• 20g starter
• 210g rye flour
• 160g cool water

Soaker:

• 220g oats
• 220g semolina
• 120g sunflower seeds
• 60g flax seed
• 40g sesame seeds or similar
• 40g molasses
• 20g salt
• 640ml cool water

Dough:

• biga
• sourdough
• soaker
• 270g bread flour
• 100g potatoes
• 20g oil
• 60g dry active yeast

Day 1: In the morning, wake up, feed the starter, go to crew practice. Biga and soaker: mix, let sit for 2 to 3 hours, then refrigerate overnight. Sourdough: mix and let ferment overnight.

Day 2: Mix dough. It should be very moist and hard to kneed/form by hand. Let sit for 30 min. Pour dough into baking pan and let sit for another 60 min. Preheat oven to 450 (230C) while you’re waiting for the dough. Steam the oven. Put bread into the oven and reduce temperature immediately to 350 F(180C). Bake for 60 min. Remove from pan, bake for another 10 min.

Rustic Light Rye Sourdough

makes two loaves

Levain:

• 45 g starter
• 40g water
• 95g bread flour
• 5g whole wheat flour

Dough:

• 400g water (80%)
• 450g bread flour
• 50g rye flour
• 125g levain
• 10g salt

Day 1: Wake up and feed the starter in the morning, feed again at night.

Day 2: Make the levain in the morning. Let it rise for 8 to 12 hours (until doubled or tripled in bulk). Mix the dough. This dough should feel very sticky. Let rise for 3 hours, stretch and fold every hour. Refrigerate overnight.

Day 3: Let it warm to room temperature for 3 hours. Preheat the oven to 500 (260C). Steam the oven. Without deflating, divide the dough and stretch it gently onto parchment paper. Reduce heat to 450 (230C) and bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

Dessert

Brownies with Salted Butter Caramel Sauce

by Ashley

Brownies:

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) UNSALTED BUTTER
• 1 1/4 cups SUGAR
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER (natural or Dutch-process)
• 1/4 teaspoon SALT
• 1/2 teaspoon PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
• 2 cold large EGGS
• 1/2 cup ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
• 2/3 cup WALNUT OR PECAN PIECES (optional)
• 1/2-1 cup good quality DARK CHOCOLATE CHIPS or chunks (optional, but so delicious that it is a sin not to add them)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 8x8 pan with parchment paper, or grease thoroughly.
2. Mix butter, sugar, salt, and cocoa in a double boiler, stirring until smooth and just hot to the touch. Take off heat, letting stand until warm, not hot.
3. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.
4. Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack. Cover with salted caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce Makes about 1 1/3 cups

• 1 cup SUGAR
• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) SALTED BUTTER, the better you can get, the better it will taste
• 1/2 cup plus two tablespoons HEAVY CREAM, at room temperature

1. Melt the sugar over medium to moderately high heat in a larger pot than you think you’ll need–at least two or three quarts, whisking or stirring the sugar as it melts to ensure it heats evenly. Cook the liquefied sugar to a nice, dark copper color. Add the butter all at once and stir it in, before turning off the stove and pour in the heavy cream (The sauce will foam up quite a bit when you add it; this is why you want the larger pot.), whisking it until you get a smooth sauce.
2. You use it right away or pour it into a jar and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. When you take it out, it will likely have thickened a bit but 60 seconds in the microwave brings it right back to pouring consistency.
3. Serve over everything.

Carrot Cake

from Cora For CO-OP proportions, multiply by 3 and use the black, speckled roasting pan that looks like it should have a chicken in it. It will take longer to cook – an hour or more.

• 3 c. shredded CARROTS
• 1 1/4 cups SUGAR
• 2 cups FLOUR
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 2 tsp BAKING POWDER
• 1/2 tsp BAKING SODA
• 2 tsp CINNAMON
• 1/2 cup ORANGE JUICE
• 3/4 cup CANOLA OIL
• 1 cup RAISINS
• 1 cup WALNUTS (chopped)

1. Mix all dry ingredients together.
2. Add orange juice, oil, and carrots.
3. Fold in raisins and walnuts.
4. Bake 45 min. in greased dish.

Bread Pudding

for co-op proportions

• 6 c. BREAD, torn into 1 in-scraps (can be a mix of any type of non-savory bread, super-stale is fine)
• 1 to 2 c. ALMOND MILK (or rice or soy)
• 2 tsp VANILLA
• 1 tbs. CINNAMON
• 2 tbs. CORN STARCH or ARROWROOT POWDER
• 1/2 c. MAPLE SYRUP (best, but AGAVE also works)
• 3 ripe BANANAS
• 1 c. CHOCOLATE CHIPS

1. Lightly grease a deep baking dish. In a bowl, or directly in the baking dish, toss bread crumbs in almond milk. They should be soaked through, but not swimming. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Add cinnamon, vanilla, cornstarch, sweetener. Toss to distribute over bread. Add smashed bananas and chocolate chips and mix the whole pudding well.
3. Bake at 350 for about 35-45 minutes or until the top is nicely crusted.

Polenta Cake

a pretty top-notch cake from Nigella Lawson’s Feast

• 4 c. CANNED PEACHES IN JUICE (not syrup)
• 1 c. INSTANT POLENTA (or whatever fine cornmeal we have in the kitchen)
• 2 1/2 c. ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
• 1 3/4 c. SUGAR
• 4 tsp. BAKING POWDER
• 1 1/3 c. CANOLA OIL
• 1 1/3 c juice from the cans of peaches
• 4 LARGE EGGS (these will be happiest if they’re at room temp before baking)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease the sides and base of 10 inch springform pan with a little bit of canola oil. Drain the peaches, reserve the juice. Arrange the fruit in a fanlike display on the pan's base.
2. Measure the polenta, flour, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl. In a glass measuring cup, measure out the oil and fruit juice and beat in the eggs, then beat this into the dry ingredients and pour over the peaches in the pan. Bake for about an hour or until the tester comes out clean and the cake is golden brown on the top, springy to the touch and beginning to pull away from the edges of the pan. You may need to cover the cake with foil if after 45 minutes its still wet on top or if its browning too much.
3. Cool for a little bit before serving.