Jun 20 2012

Webster’s Home Grown Recipes

Recently I blogged about how to start an organic garden, and as a follow up, I’ve compiled this  list of recipes from some of our Webster bankers to share with our online community. Please feel free to share some of your own, or pass them along!

 

Corn Bhagia [buh-jee-ah] a.k.a Corn Fritters

You can obtain some of the ingredients at a specialty Indian or Asian food store.

Ingredients

• corn
• besan flour (a.k.a. chick pea flour or graham flour)
• salt
• sugar
• cumin seeds
• water
• red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

I don’t use exact measurements. I shuck the kernels off the corn and add the salt, sugar and cumin seeds in a bowl. (Remember, you can always add more, but you can’t take away.) Then add a minimum of a tablespoon of flour and some dashes of water until it makes the batter stick. I use a small teaspoon or a small ice cream scooper and pour the batter into a hot vat of vegetable oil that has a high smoke point. (Tip: Avoid using olive oil.) Most experts will say around 350 degrees. Remove the bhagia (or fritters) when they’re golden brown.

-Submitted by Annu Leighton

Pureed Vegetable Stock

This was taste-tested and approved by my older cousin Nita, who’s doing an awesome job of living a relatively salt free diet. I use this stock as a substitute for water and add little or no salt when needed. For example, my “Americanized” Vegetable Biryani is simple:  I cook 1 cup of basmati rice to 1 ½ cups of my stock with less than a teaspoon of salt. Generally, I cook it on high for approximately 15 minutes.

Ingredients

• extra virgin olive oil
• carrots (washed and peeled)
• celery stalks
• 1 large red onion
• 1 large yellow onion
• cloves of garlic
• 1 or 2 bell peppers (any color)
• vegetables of your choice (the more the merrier)
• 1 or 2 bay leaves (fresh or dried)
• cracked pepper
• chopped sprigs of thyme (fresh or dried)
• chopped chives (fresh or dried)
• chopped parsley (fresh or dried)
• a minimum of 6 quarts of water

Directions

First, sauté onions on low in extra virgin olive oil until they turn slightly brown. Next, add the garlic, carrots and the rest of the vegetables. Add the herbs in just before you add the water. Let it simmer for up to 2 hours. After it cools down slightly, remove the bay leaves and puree the vegetable with an immersion blender. I store some in the fridge and freeze the rest.

-Submitted by Annu Leighton

 

Sugar Cookies

This recipe will yield 3 dozen cookies.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup of salted butter (softened)
• ¾ cup of white sugar*
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• colored sprinkles (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to  325 degrees. Combine flour, salt and set it aside. Cream the softened butter and sugar* with a mixer. Add egg and the vanilla extract. Beat until well mixed. Add the flour mixture and mix everything together until you form a large ball. Wrap the dough mixture in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour. (You can place this in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.) Roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness, cut the desired shapes, decorate and bake for about 13-15 minutes. Do not brown.

*Want a neat way to trick…er…encourage your kids to eat more fruits or vegetables? You cut some of the sugar and introduce some natural food coloring. For example, you can get orange from shredded carrots, red or pink from roasted beets, blue from vine picked blueberries, etc.

-Submitted by Gloria D. (Customer Care Center)

 

Baked Zucchini Fries with Home Made Ketchup

Ingredients

Ketchup

• 1 lb. ripe tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

Fries

• 1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 medium zucchini (peeled), cut lengthwise into 2-inch-long and 1/4-inch-thick pieces

Directions

1. Combine all the ketchup ingredients in a blender and blend until almost smooth. Transfer to a frying pan and simmer over medium heat, three to five minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator to cool.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Place the flour in another medium bowl and the beaten eggs in a smaller bowl.

4. Dip the zucchini sticks first in the flour until lightly coated, then in the beaten eggs. Roll them in the bread-crumb mixture until well covered.

5. Transfer the zucchini pieces to a nonstick baking sheet and bake until the zucchini is tender but the coating is crisp, about 20 minutes. Let the fries cool slightly before eating.

Serve with the ketchup for a healthy way to add some zest to any BBQ.

-Submitted by Amanda Gabriele

 

Balsamic Garden Green Beans

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1.5 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch lengths

Directions

Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Heat the oil, vinegar, garlic, salt & pepper together in a small sauce pan over very low heat stirring constantly until the garlic is fragrant, about three minutes. Do not let the mixture come to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand while preparing the green beans. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook until barely tender, about five minutes. Drain in colander and transfer to serving dish. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar mixture, toss well and serve hot.

Intro Kids to Eating Tomatoes

Do your kids love pizza but haven’t acquired the taste of raw tomatoes?  Here’s a great one to try:

Slice open a tomato; grate the open side over a bowl until you only have the skin left. Toss in a little extra virgin olive oil with salt and pepper to taste. Serve on sliced Italian bread or toasted garlic bread. This goes well with herbed ricotta, too. When you combine this with the herb ricotta, it’ll taste like a mini, cold pizza.

-Submitted by Alicia M. (Customer Care Center)

 

Please share your garden recipes and cooking ideas in the comments below!

By Annu Leighton • Adults • 7 • Tags: corn fritters, garden, green beans, recipes, sugar cookies, vegetable stock