Monday, January 26, 2009

Heirloom Tomatoes at the White House?

There is a movement among Illinois organic food enthusiasts to convince the Obama Adminstration to install a garden at the White House. Here is a link to an article in the State Journal Register. And at the website whitehousefarmer.com, you can nominate a farmer to be the official White House farmer.

Thanks to Ellen Swirsky for the tip!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Oh no! Snow! January Meeting Cancelled

Due to bad weather, the January meeting has been cancelled. It's a great night to plan your garden!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

January meeting UPDATE

Join us for a Member Information Exchange! Irene Hogstrom will talk about How to Be Good Neighbors with Nature Preserves; Kim Christen will discuss Composting, and Erin Tuttle will introduce you to Micro Greens.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday, January 14. You'll find us, as always, at the Downers Grove Public Library, 1050 Curtiss St.

Preceding the meeting, the DGOG board will meet at 6:30 p.m. All members are invited to attend the board meeting.

Recipes

DGOG members share recipes using fresh vegetables. Try them now and again with your own harvest.

Romesco Dip
Make 2 1/2 cups
Work time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hr 5 min

4 red bell peppers
5 oz whole blanched almonds
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
3 tbls olive oil
1/3 cup loosely packed, finely chopped mint
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Broil red peppers 6 inches from heat. Turn occasionally and broil until charred--about 30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let stand 15 minutes. Heat oven to 350 F and spread out nuts on baking sheet and bake until golden--about 12 minutes, and cool. Peel skin from peppers, core and seed. In a food processor, puree together peppers, nuts, garlic, salt, vinegar and paprika. Add oil and process until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl and stir in mint and parsley. (Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 day. Serve at room temp.)
From Ladies Home Journal

Basil Tomato Tart
Prep: 30 minutes Bake: 35 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 of a 15-ounce package folded refrigerated unbaked pie crust (1 crust)
1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (6 ounces)
5 Roma tomatoes or 4 medium tomatoes
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

Fresh basil leaves (optional)
Directions
1. Unfold pie crust according to package directions. Place in a 9-inch quiche dish or glass pie plate. Flute edge; press with the tines of a fork, if desired. Line shell with double-thickness of foil. Bake in 450 degree F. oven 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 4 to 5 minutes more or until set and dry. Remove from oven. Reduce temperature to 375 degree F. Sprinkle crust with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Cool slightly on a wire rack.
2. Cut tomatoes into wedges; drain on paper towels. Arrange tomato wedges atop cheese in the pie shell. In a food processor bowl combine basil and garlic; cover and process until coarsely chopped. Sprinkle over tomatoes.
3. In a medium mixing bowl combine remaining mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, and pepper. Spoon cheese mixture over basil mixture, spreading to evenly cover the top. 4. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until top is golden and bubbly. Serve warm. If desired, garnish with basil leaves. Makes 8 appetizer servings or 4 main-dish servings.

Make-ahead tips: Prebake pastry crust; cover and let stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Slice and drain tomatoes; let stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Prepare cheese-mayonnaise mixture; cover and chill up to 2 hours.