Roasted Autumn Harvest Vegetable and Bulgar Wheat Salad

Autumn is the best time of year at the farmers market, especially here in SLO county. I have to say that September through November are probably the most abundant three months of the entire year, and I feel sorry for whom ever does not take advantage of it. Summer and autumn sort of crash into each other, and it seems like everything is in season. It is amazing to see autumn apples right next to dry farmed watermelons; pumpkins next to bell peppers and green beans; and tomatoes next to collard geens. I LOVE it!!! I have been so busy lately that I feel like autumn is passing me by way to quickly. I have hardly entered the kitchen except to throw something quick together (between teaching night culinary classes, my one year old, and my husband's two businesses, I feel quite swamped). This recipe sort of came out of using up what was left in the fridge before the next mornings trip to the farmers market. I really like it, but I have done bulgar wheat salads before. I love whole grain salads though... they are so easily adapted to any season, are nourishing and filling, and typically quite easy to prepare. Hope you like it!! Oh... and I know I have been using sheep milk feta and goat cheese way too much... I am going to try and incorporate some different cheeses in. It is just that they both are so good, especially with autumn fruits (by far the most unique of the year)!!!

Roasted Autumn Harvest Vegetable and Bulgar Wheat Salad
Serves 4 as a side dish
Autumn
-1 cup bulgar wheat
-1 3/4 cup vegetable stock or water
-1 bulb fennel cut into 1/2" wedges through the core
-1 small orange bell pepper, seeds removed and pepper quartered
-1 small red bell pepper, seeds removed and pepper quartered
-2 portobello mushrooms, sliced into 1 inch slices
-1 red onion, cut into 1/2" wedges
-1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-salt and fresh ground pepper

Combine the bulgar wheat and vegetable stock in a sauce pot. Add a good pinch of salt and bring to a boil, immediately turn down to a simmer, cover, and cook until the bulgar wheat has absorbed all liquid, about 10-15 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.

Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Toss cut autumn vegetables with the extra virgin olive oil, a good pinch of salt, and a few grindings of fresh pepper. Pour out onto a baking sheet or tray, and roast in the oven until tender and slightly browned in areas, about 20-25 minutes. Set aside to cool. Rough cut the vegetables into bite sized pieces. In a large bowl combine the vegetables with the bulgar wheat. Finish the recipe as follows...

To Finish
-1/2 cup toasted and chopped walnuts
-1/3 to 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese or sheep milk feta
-1/4 cup chopped basil
-Juice of 1 orange
-1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
-2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Toss the bulgar wheat and vegetables with all of the above ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Peruvian Beans with Roasted Peppers, Sheep Milk Feta, and Cilantro

I bought a large bag of Peruvian beans today at the farmers market in SLO. Also known as a Mayocoba bean, this tan, oval shaped bean is similar to a pinto bean in both flavor and texture, and is used quite a bit in Latin American cooking. It cooks up nice and plump, with a creamy texture and good flavor, and it holds it shape perfectly. The beans I bought today were picked and dried just recently, so they took no time to cook, about 40 minutes with no soaking. The older the bean, the longer the cooking time!

I have never worked with this bean before, so I decided to keep it simple. I had a few small red and yellow bell peppers to use up, as well as a bunch of cilantro. I also just bought a very good, very soft and creamy sheep milk feta, and decided to incorporate that as well. The below recipe is what came out, and I really like it! My 1 year old daughter and I ate these beans with a side of roasted sweet potatoes and some steamed and marinated collard greens, all from this mornings market. Autumn is by far the best time of year at the farmers market here on the central coast!

Peruvian Beans with Roasted Peppers, Sheep Milk Feta, and Cilantro
Serves 4 as an entree, 6 as an entree with tortillas
Autumn

For the Beans
-1 cup freshly dried Peruvian Beans
-1 bay leaf
-1 dried chipotle pepper
-salt to taste

Pick over the beans and discard any pebbles and/or twigs. Rinse the beans well. Place in a large, heavy bottomed pot and cover with four times the amount of water. Add in the bay leaf and chipotle and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer, and cook the beans until tender but still holding their shape, about 40 minutes. Add salt to taste and simmer five minutes more. Strain the beans, saving the broth, and discard the bay leaf. If you like heat, mince up the chipotle and add back into the beans, otherwise, discard. Set the beans and broth aside.

To Finish
-1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
-1 small onion, diced small (about 4 ounces)
-1 small red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced
-1 small yellow bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced
-1 large clove garlic, minced
-Cooked beans from above
-1 cup bean broth
-1/4 packed cup sheep milk feta
-1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
-salt and fresh ground white pepper to taste
-Lime wedges and fresh tortillas

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add in the onion. Saute, stirring often, until the onions begin to soften, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the diced peppers and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes more. Add in the beans and the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the liquid has reduced to about 2-3 tablespoons. Turn off the heat and stir in the feta and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground white pepper. Serve with lime wedges and tortillas if desired.

Warm Apricot and Toasty Goat Cheese Salad with Wild Arugula and Walnuts

Last Saturday some really terrific apricots showed up at the farmers market. They are very small with the largest being about the size of a golf ball. I decided to stuff the apricot halves with goat cheese and then put them under the broiler to slightly brown the top. Paired with some spicy and nutty wild arugula, this salad is probably one of my all time favorites. The arugula is dressed simply to taste with the best quality extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, coarse salt, and fresh ground white pepper.

Warm Apricot and Toasty Goat Cheese Salad with Wild Arugula and Walnuts
Serves 2-4
Mid Summer

-3-4 apricots, halved and pits removed
-2 ounces goat cheese at room temperature
-1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
-1 bunch wild arugula (also known as sylvetta), washed and spun dry
-Best quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar
-handful of toasted and chopped walnuts
salt and fresh ground white pepper

Pre-heat the broiler on high

Place the apricots cut side up in an oven proof baking dish. Mix the teaspoon of olive oil into the goat cheese and season to taste with salt and fresh ground white pepper. spoon the cheese into the apricot halves. Place under the broiler and cook until warm and the cheese has begun to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a large bowl, dress the arugula to taste with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and fresh ground white pepper. Arrange onto plates. Scatter a few walnuts onto each plate and divide the apricots accordingly. I like to drizzle a little more olive oil onto the plate.

Fava Bean-Basil Pesto

Here is a terrific puree to use on crostinis, in a sandwich, as a dip, of even as a pasta sauce. In the picture, I slathered my Fava Beans-Basil Pesto on garlic rubbed crostinis and topped it off with thick slabs of sheep milk feta and sliced Early Girl tomatoes. We ate plate fulls of these for dinner! To learn how to use fava beans, see the recipe Sauteed Zucchini and Fava Beans with Mint and Taragon.
Fava Bean-Basil Puree
Makes 1 ½ cups
Late Spring, Early Summer

-2 pounds fava beans in pods (1 ¼ cups shelled and peeled)
-1 ½ cups packed basil leaves
-1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ small yellow onion, diced
-2 tablespoons vegetable stock or water
-Salt and fresh ground white pepper to taste

Shell and cook the fava beans until tender according to the instructions in the Sauteed Zucchini and Fava Beans with Mint and Tarragon recipe.Peel the fava beans and set aside. You should have roughly 1 ¼ cups peeled beans.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Dunk the basil leaves into the boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove and immediately shock under cold running water. Squeeze out any extra liquid and set aside.

Heat ½ tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, add in the diced onion. Cook the onion until it begins to soften, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the 2 tablespoons of liquid and cook until the onions are tender and the liquid as evaporated. Set the onions aside.

Set up a food processor fitted with an S-blade. Add in the fava beans, basil leaves, sautéed onion, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground white pepper.

Sauteed Zucchini and Fava Beans with Mint and Tarragon

Lots of summer vegetables are showing up at the market such as green beans, tomatoes, peaches, and zucchini. Lots of zucchini actually, and here is my first recipe of the season. I had to add in fava beans, they will not be around for very long!My nine month old daughter has discovered she loves steamed zucchini chunks, it is her new favorite snack!

Sauteed Zucchini and Fava Beans with Mint and Tarragon
Serves 4 as a side dish
Early Summer

-1 1/2 pounds fresh fava beans
-1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-2 shallot lobes, sliced thin
-8 small zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
-2 tablespoons chopped mint
-1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
-1 tablespoon butter
-salt and fresh ground white pepper to taste

Peel the fava bean pods and remove the beans. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanch the fava beans until tender, about 2-4 minutes for smaller, very fresh beans, longer for larger, older beans. Drain and shock under cold running water. Slip the beans out of their skins. Discard the skins and set the beans aside.

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat. When hot, add in the sliced shallots. Cook 2 minutes or until slighty soft and beginning to brown. Add in the zucchini and a little salt and white pepper. Saute, stirring frequently, until the zucchini are just tender and slightly brown, about 5 minutes. Add in the fava beans, mint, tarragon, and butter. Heat through and allow the butter to melt. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground white pepper.

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