Clean Energy Springfield

Thanks to Carey Smith Moorman, who submitted the recipe below for a local food meal (she submitted this awhile ago, but I'm still digging out from underneath PURPA stuff). If you have any recipes that you like and want to share, using what's at the farmer's market, in your garden, or at your CSA, send it along or post it wherever you have webspace and I'll link.

One of the great things about what Carey sent in is the flexibility she's included--she started with the basic stuff (roasted vegetables), and then added on a few variations, which is a great way to start eating locally. Take a look & give it a try.

-- Greg

Roaster Pan Delight

From the farmers market:
4 qts. new potatoes, red and yellow
3 medium onions
1 head broccoli
2 summer squash, green and yellow
4 medium beets, plus their greens also

From the garden:
5 burdock roots [UPDATE: See comments below for a discussion on using burdock roots.]
handfuls of:
garlic scapes
garlic mustard
lambs quarters
oregano
basil
lemon balm

From the shelf:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Starting with the vegetables that take the longest to cook, peel and chop to bite-sized portions. Add olive oil and your starting vegetables to your roaster pan, and bake at 375 degrees. Keep chopping and adding to the roaster pan, until the potatoes taste done. At that point, add greens, season with salt and pepper, and turn off oven. Serve in ten minutes.

This is a beginning path to roaster pan vegetables. For instance, you can add whatever vegetables and herbs you may have on hand or in your garden, and leave out whatever vegetables or herbs do not suit your fancy.

For delicious leftovers, reheat with scrambled eggs (those dark orange ones that only come from hens raised the old-fashioned way, that eat bugs and run around), and serve with red sauce (ketchup, salsa, hot sauce, etc.) and shredded aged parmesan on warmed tortillas. They're not only tasty in the morning!

Following are three dressings to use on any batch of roasted vegetables (given in roaster-pan sized measurements):

Cantonese Dressing
2/3 c. soy sauce
2/3 c. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger root
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tsp. ground anise

Italian Dressing
8 tsp. olive oil
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
12 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
6 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary (4-6 tsp. dried and ground)
2 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano
2 tsp. salt

Caribbean Dressing
6 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 med. onion, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger root
2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 fresh green chile, coarsely chopped, seeds removed for a milder "hot"