Tag Archives: Dallas Farm to Table

Corn, Orzo, and Basil Salad

Basil, Corn, Orzo Salad With Basil Garnish  

½ medium red onion, finely diced

¼ cup white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 ears sweet corn, shucked

8 ounces orzo pasta

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced into ¼-inch pieces

1 ½ cups torn leaves of sweet basil or lemon basil 

Stir the red onion, vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper together  in a large mixing bowl.  Let it sit while you continue with the recipe, allowing the acidic ingredients to mellow the raw bite of the onion.  

Hold the ears of corn upright on a large cutting board and cut off the kernels, being careful not to cut so deep you shave the cob.  They should give you about 5 cups of kernels. 

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.  Add the orzo and when it is just tender, after about 8 minutes, add the corn kernels to the pot.  Cook until the water boils again, then drain in a colander, and rinse with cold water. 

Stir the olive oil in to the bowl with the dressed onion.  Toss in the pasta and corn, red bell pepper, and basil until evenly combined.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. 

Yield:  10 servings

Recipe from The Herbal Kitchen by Jerry Traunfeld

Linda

Basil Butter

Basil Butter With Bread                                       2 sticks softened unsalted butter

                                        2 gloves of garlic, peeled

                                        1 cup packed basil leaves

                                        1 TBS. fresh squeezed lemon juice

                                        2 TBS. grated parmesan cheese

                                        ¼ tsp. kosher salt

                                        1 tsp. crushed red pepper (opt.)

Place cleaned basil leaves, parmesan cheese and garlic in a small food processor and process till finely chopped.

Add to butter.  Then add lemon juice, salt and crushed red pepper.  Mix well.  Place in any container you wish and refrigerate.  Butter will last in the refrigerator 2-3 weeks.  Can be frozen for up to 3 months and just slice off chunks as needed.

Paula

Have A Blast With Basil

 

One of the stars of summer surely is the well-loved herb – basil.  But did you know how many ways this fragrant little plant could be incorporated into cooking, healing and pleasure? 

Tomato Tart Basil Pesto; Corn, Orzo, Basil Salad; Watermelon, Peach, Tomato, Basil In Cup

Starting in May then continuing on until October the possibilities for allowing Basil to grace both table,  home, and garden are endless.  Here are some of our favorites: 

Basil Lunch Medley 

Tomato Tarts with Basil Pesto 

Corn, Orzo, and Basil Salad 

Peach, Watermelon and Tomato Salad With Mint and Basil 

Italian Bread with Basil Butter 

Basil Lime Shortbread 

Citrus Basil Punch

Linda

Dallas Garden Buzz would like to know if you would like some of these recipes!

Cheesy Hot Quiche Squares With Fresh Jalepenos

Cheesy Quiche with Fresh Jalepenos on metal tray  

8 eggs

½ cup all-purpose flour

 1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

4 cups (1 pound) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 ½ cups cottage cheese

¼ cup chopped jalapeño peppers from the garden

Beat eggs 3 minutes.  Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to eggs, and mix well.  Stir in cheese and chopped peppers.

Pour into a greased 13-x-9-x2-inch baking pan; bake at

350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes; cut into squares.  Yield:  about 12 servings.

Linda

Lemon Verbena Thins

 Lemon Verbena Cookies on a tray with dragonfly decoration

Cookies

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup shortening

¾ cup sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1-2 tablespoons minced fresh lemon verbena

Lemon Glaze (optional)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon butter, softened

l.  Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate bowl, cream shortening and sugar.  Beat in egg and next 3 ingredients.  Stir in dry ingredients thoroughly.

2.  Shape dough into two 6-inch rolls.  Wrap tightly with wax paper.  Freeze overnight.

3.  When ready to bake cookies, slice dough slightly thicker than 1/8-inch.  Place cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

4.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden.  Remove from baking sheet and place on a cooling rack.

5.  To make lemon glaze, combine lemon juice, sugar, and butter.  Frost cookies with glaze.

Yield: about 3 dozen

Steep lemon verbena leaves in hot lemon juice to intensify juice’s flavor. 

Linda

Dragonfly Sugar Cookies

Dragonfly Iced Sugar Cookies

 Shortbread:

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

2 T vanilla extract

4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

Powdered Sugar Icing: 

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

¼ cup milk

1 tsp vanilla or almond extract (optional)

To make the shortbread:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, or grease generously with butter or cooking spray.  Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed until fluffy.  Add the vanilla and beat until combined.  In a separate bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder.  Add the flour mixture slowly to the butter mixture, stirring on low speed.  Stop beating as soon as the flour mixture is completely incorporated.  (Overbeating will produce a tough cookie)

Form the dough into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling out.  On a flat, smooth floured surface, roll the chilled dough out to ¼ inch thickness.  Cut out the cookies  Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, placing them ½ inch apart.  Combine the dough scraps and reroll the dough to cut out more cookies.  Roll any subsequent scraps into a thick log, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 10 minutes. Cut ¼ inch thick rounds of the log to make round cookies.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until light brown around the edges. Cool the cookies for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Remove with a spatula and cool completely on racks about 5 minutes before icing.

To make icing:  Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and extract.  Divide the icing into parts for different colors.  Use food coloring to tint. Can brush on or dip cookies face down into icing, being sure to cover the whole cookie.

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temp up to 1 week or tightly wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap for 1 month in the freezer.

Iced Sugar Cookies from Rebecca Rather’s “The Pastry Queen”

Karan

 

A Profusion of Cucumbers

Maybe it’s something to do with the submarine shape: cucumbers and zucchini over run our gardens this time of year. ‘Fess up, Ann. Was that you close to midnight last week frantically turning a bunch of cucumbers into pickles?  Or looking up cucumber dip recipes?

One of the most prolific cucumbers in Ann’s garden wasn’t even invited. The cucumber’s home garden was across the alley and down the street, and this summer it appeared in Ann’s yard.  Didn’t yo’ mama teach you any manners, cucumber?

Cucumbers Growing in a Dallas Vegetable Garden on a Trellis

AgriLife Extension horticulturists Sam Cotner and Jerry Parsons tell us how to create cucumber nirvana in our gardens: work amended soil into rows 4-6” high and at least 36” apart for good drainage.  Plant 3-4 cucumber seeds on top of the row every 12-14 inches.  Thin the cucumbers soon after they emerge.  Cucumber vines can reach 6-8 feet or more. 

In large gardens, cucumbers can trail on the ground, but in small gardens train cucumbers on a fence, trellis or wire cage. (If using a trellis or cage plant 3-4 seeds in hills 4-6” high around the edge of the container.)  Soak the plants weekly if it doesn’t rain; use drip irrigation or water in the morning or early afternoon being careful not to get water on the foliage.

Sliced Cucumbers

Farmers markets often carry the little pickling cucumbers that grow 3-4” long and keep their crunch when pickled.  They can also be used fresh in salads.  Suggested varieties include Carolina, Liberty, Saladin and County Fair 87.  Slicing cucumbers reach 6-8 inches long and are ideal for fresh vegetable trays and salads.  Varieties include Sweet Slice, Burpless, Dasher II, and Slicemaster.  Cucumbers for a fall garden can be planted August 1-15.

Jars of Cucumbers on the kitchen counter

Wait a minute….there’s the doorbell.  Image that, a basket of CUCUMBERS! Could that be from you, Ann?

Elizabeth

Don’t forget our Cucumber Dill Sandwich Rounds Recipe

Garden Party Sparkles With Peach Cake and Dragonflies

The July 14th garden party menu was in place.  A few more details and we would be ready for the day. Captured by the beauty of the dragonfly, our theme quickly developed around this unique and fascinating creature.  Invitations, nametags, garden stakes,  decorations, and even cookies were all bearing a strong resemblance to the winged wonder.  (And how appropriate that one of the interns even came wearing a dragonfly necklace!)

Dallas in July usually means that our gardens are full of cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, lemon verbena, basil, pineapple sage, and more.  All this and a few surprises became part of our menu.

Cucumber Ready to Be Picked,Growing in a Dallas Garden

 Who could resist a chunky piece of fresh peach pound cake?  Of course, the difficult part was deciding whose peaches should go into the cake batter.  Which area would receive the honor?  Parker County peaches, East Texas Lorings, or maybe even a few from the Texas Hill Country.  Why not just give them equal standing and use a little of each?  Talk about a flavor explosion!

Peach Pound Cake in front of periwinkles, next to strawberries

And those luscious lemon verbena thins, light as a feather and topped with sweet goodness, disappeared in a flash.

But the real crowd pleaser had to be the melt-in-your-mouth but almost too pretty to eat yummy little dragonfly sugar cookies.

Dragonfly Iced Sugar Cookies

 Ah, yes, we were treated to a delightful show of nature in all her glory.  Did 87% humidity stop anyone from savoring every moment of our time together?  Of course not!  As any true gardener will tell you-gardening isn’t for sissies.

And so, after months of anticipation, we proudly proclaim that the class of 2012 is now fully initiated, ready to “dig in and get growing!”

We wish them all a very successful and meaningful start to a lifetime of gardening adventures.

Linda

Cucumber Dill Sandwich Rounds

Tray of Cucumber Sandwhichs at Dallas Garden Party1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated

1 (8 oz) pkge cream cheese, softened

1 small shallot, minced

1 T mayonnaise or 1 T milk

¼ tsp dried dill weed

2 loaves Pepperidge Farm very thin white bread

2 T butter or margarine, softened

1 medium cucumber

1 pkge fresh dill, for garnish 

Shred cucumber; pat shredded cucumber between absorbent paper towels to remove excess moisture.  Combine cucumber, cream cheese, minced shallot, mayonnaise, and dill weed.  Mix well. 

Cut crusts off bread. 

Spread one side of each slice of bread with 1 tsp butter, and spread cucumber filling evenly over butter on 1 slice.  Place 2nd piece of bread on top.  When all sandwiches are made, wrap in plastic wrap, placing wax paper between each layer, and chill at least 8 hours.  Before serving, cut into circles with biscuit or cookie cutter or glass.  1 ½ inch cutter makes a good sized round sandwich. 

Score small cucumber with tines of a fork.  Cut 11 (1/4-inch) slices from cucumber, and cut slices into quarters.  Reserve remaining cucumber for other uses.  Insert a cucumber wedge, point side down, in top center of each sandwich.  Add a sprig of dill from your garden for garnish. 

Yield: 30  sandwich rounds

Karan

Strolling Along The Garden Path

  Sunflowers in a glass bottle staked to show the garden path   On Saturday July 14, we welcomed a new class of Master Gardener Interns to a morning of “meeting, greeting and eating” in Linda’s  backyard.   A chorus line of dancing sunflowers (courtesy of the Earth-Kind® Demonstration Garden) turned their perky little “faces” to greet the guests.  Over 120 Mentors and Mentees found each other along the way ready to embark upon the journey ahead.

Dallas Garden Party

 Another “garden feast” had been planned, orchestrated and beautifully prepared by a committee of enthusiastic volunteers, otherwise known as “foodies.”  How we love those garden-themed events that give us the opportunity to think creatively and exercise our culinary skills!

 And so it was decided, this one would highlight the best that our July gardens had to offer, especially those glorious herbs and veggies.  

Our menu included a “little of this,” and a lot of “that.”  Here’s a sampling of what we munched on throughout the morning:

 Strawberry Lemonade Coolers 

 Jalapeno Pimento Cheese Sandwiches

 Cucumber Dill Sandwich Rounds

Cheesy Quiche Squares 

Crudité Tray with Spinach/Herb Dip

 Strawberry Bowl 

 Fresh Peach Pound Cake

Lemon Verbena Thins

Dragonfly Sugar Cookies

Summertime Iced Tea 

 Linda

Keep following Dallas Garden Buzz for these recipes!