Flatbread “Pizza” with Apples, Bell Peppers, Goat Cheese, and Thyme

A “there’s nothing in the house” recipe that turned into a winner.  Fresh farmshare leftovers made it so.
Time: 30-35 minutes
Serves: 2 hungry grownups for dinner
1 recipe Chickpea-Flax Skillet Flatbread, through Step 4, using onion, thyme and oregano.
2 apples, sliced thinly
1-2 green bell peppers, sliced thinly
2+ T crumbled goat cheese, to taste
1-2 t dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1. Prepare Chickpea-Flax Skillet Flatbread, through Step 4, using onion, thyme, and oregano.
2. Meanwhile, toss the apples, bell peppers, goat cheese, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl.
3. Top flatbread with apple mixture.  Broil for ~2 minutes, until cheese is melted.
4. Serve pizza with forks to catch the fallen cheezy goodness.

Moroccan Winter Fruit Compote with Rosewater

Simple.  Delicious.  Exotic.  More flexible than your yoga instructor.  And a great way to perk up those winter fruits you’re tiring of as March rains make way for Spring.

I made this compote when a friend recently challenged me to come up with a simple non-dairy dessert for brunch.  It packed well into tupperware, and I brought it over to her house still warm.  Dazzling.  And still sparkling for breakfast the next day when served cold with a dollop of thick yogurt.

If your dried apricots are less than perfectly plump — no problem.  Simply start out by soaking them for about 10 minutes in hot water, wine, in orange juice to plump them up.  This process is called maceration, a fancy word that you can throw around and impress your friends.  You can add the macerating liquid directly to the compote for extra flavor.

Rosewater is available in Middle Eastern groceries.  Use it sparingly — its scent is divine, but you can have too much of a good thing.  You can also macerate the dried fruit in the rosewater, or mix rosewater with water and spices for the macerating liquid, but be careful: rosewater can be overpowering.

Mix and match the fresh and dried fruits according to what you have on hand.  Here, I use a mix of apples, Bartlett pears, and dried apricots.  A pinch or two of salt will help imperfect, underripe, tired winter fruit shine.  Oranges might have been interesting added to the mix, and prunes could add depth and contrasting color.  Toasted almonds could change the whole dish.  Experiment.

The fruit cooks slowly, leaving you plenty of time to go and do other things, like commenting on this blog post to share your own variation on this recipe.  You can even make this recipe a day ahead.

This recipe was inspired by Mollie Katzen’s fruit compote recipes in her great ode to breakfast, Sunlight Cafe.  And it was also inspired by Morocco, of course — one of my favorite culinary muses.

Work Time: 10 minutes, after chopping the fruit
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
2 lbs fresh winter fruit, cut into 1.5 inch chunks, peeled if desired (apples, pears, oranges, bananas, maybe grapefruit, etc.)
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 C dried fruit  (apricots, prunes, figs, etc.)
1-2 T maple syrup, honey, or agave (to taste; desired amount will vary with sweetness of fruit)
Dash of cinnamon (to taste)
Dash of other sweet spices (cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)
Dash of salt (optional)
1 C walnut pieces, toasted if desired, or other nuts (almonds, pecans, etc.)
1-3 teaspoons rosewater, to taste (be careful not to overwhelm with too much of a good thing).

1) Place fruit in a saucepan.  Cover and cook slowly over medium heat, stirring about every 5 minutes.  (If using Bosc pears, you may need to add a bit of extra water in step 1 to keep them moist).
2) After about 30 minutes, stir in lemon juice, dried fruit, and salt (if using).  Cook for another 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, toast the nuts, if desired.
3) Stir in sweetener, cinnamon and other spices.  Turn off the heat.
4) Sprinkle sparingly with rosewater, to taste, and taste to adjust the seasoning, salt, and sweetener.
5) Inhale the heavenly smell.
6) Serve warm, room temperature, or cold, plain, topped with yogurt, creme fraiche, whipped cream, soft cheese, or even ice cream.

Food for Thought: Is it Possible to be a Locavore in a New England Winter?

Is it possible to be a locavore in a New England winter?  The Smart Green Gourmet is determined to find out.  After shopping at farmer’s markets throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall, I searched for a way to continue buying local, seasonal, organic/sustainable produce in the winter months.  Last winter, the only thing I could find at Whole Foods, Shaw’s, and Wilson Farm in the winter were turnips.  My dedication to local foods crumbled when confronted week after week with their purply-white peels.

So I had initially shied away from joining a winter farmshare for fear that I would eat nothing but  turnips all winter long.  But this winter I stumbled upon Enterprise Farms, which takes an innovative approach to wintertime Community Supported Agriculture.  Enterprise has created a regional “food shed” to supplement local New England organic produce with partner organic/sustainable farms from the East Coast.  This way my food still travels a shorter distance and consumes fewer resources than if I had bought it at the grocery store, and I can still support small farmers, but I can eat citrus and parsley as well as turnips.   Jordan and Kelley at Enterprise were also very helpful and were willing to tolerate my crazy travel schedule and let us try out a small share from February 1 through May 1.  They had many pick-up locations, including one right near me, and they even deliver by bike in a pinch.  So we signed on for a small share, which easily fits in a canvas shopping bag.  It was great to meet all of my neighbors as everyone lined up to receive their boxes of delicious produce.  Many brought their kids along to learn about local food.  Perhaps they were taking a cue from Michele Obama, who introduces schoolchildren to her White House garden as part of her crusade against childhood obesity, using fresh veggies to teach kids about healthy food and the Earth from which it grows. 

This week, I received:

 
The produce did not disappoint.  Tonight, the fresh arugula brought a breath of Spring to my Winter table in a salad with crisp apples, walnuts, roasted fennel, fennel fronds, and a sweet sherry vinaigrette.  And after today’s news, I’m especially glad to know where my salad is coming from.  Maybe tomorrow I’ll tackle the turnips.

Arugula Salad with Apples, Walnuts, Watermelon Radishes, and Rose Vinaigrette


A sweet rose vinaigrette pirouettes alongside the spicy kick of arugula and radishes in a salad that dances on your tastebuds.

Does rose vinaigrette smell better than it tastes? You be the judge, but one thing is for sure: your guests won’t stop talking about their sensory experience either way. Rose preserves are available at Turkish and Armenian grocery stores like Arax Market in Watertown. Middle Eastern and Indian groceries are also likely to have it in stock. You might try making this vinaigrette with rose water, which is more widely available at Middle Eastern, Indian, and health food stores.


Use watermelon radishes if you can find them. These tiny jewels, named because they look like watermelons when sliced open, add a burst of beautiful and surprising color to your winter table. I found mine (along with the other salad ingredients) at the Siena Farms stand at the Copley Square Farmers Market in Boston.

What follows below is more of a guideline than a recipe. All amounts can be varied to taste. Experiment with the right amount of rose jam and sweetener that works for you.

Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

For the Salad:
8-12 oz Arugula (or several handfuls), washed, spun, and patted dry
2 apples, cut into 1/2-1″ chunks. (if making the salad in advance, toss cut apples with lemon juice and refrigerate)
2 watermelon radishes, washed, scrubbed, and cut into half-moons
handful walnut pieces

For the Vinaigrette:
1-2T rose preserves
1-2T honey
~4T EVOO
Juice of 1 lemon
Sprinkle of Cinnamon
Salt to taste

1. Toss together salad ingredients except walnuts.
2. Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients, adjusting rose and sweetness to taste.
3. Toss salad with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with walnuts. Serve to delighted and fascinated guests who will ask, “what smells so unbelievably good?”

Arugula Salad with Apples, Walnuts, Watermelon Radishes, and Rose Vinaigrette


A sweet rose vinaigrette pirouettes alongside the spicy kick of arugula and radishes in a salad that dances on your tastebuds.

Does rose vinaigrette smell better than it tastes? You be the judge, but one thing is for sure: your guests won’t stop talking about their sensory experience either way. Rose preserves are available at Turkish and Armenian grocery stores like Arax Market in Watertown. Middle Eastern and Indian groceries are also likely to have it in stock. You might try making this vinaigrette with rose water, which is more widely available at Middle Eastern, Indian, and health food stores.


Use watermelon radishes if you can find them. These tiny jewels, named because they look like watermelons when sliced open, add a burst of beautiful and surprising color to your winter table. I found mine (along with the other salad ingredients) at the Siena Farms stand at the Copley Square Farmers Market in Boston.

What follows below is more of a guideline than a recipe. All amounts can be varied to taste. Experiment with the right amount of rose jam and sweetener that works for you.

Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

For the Salad:
8-12 oz Arugula (or several handfuls), washed, spun, and patted dry
2 apples, cut into 1/2-1″ chunks. (if making the salad in advance, toss cut apples with lemon juice and refrigerate)
2 watermelon radishes, washed, scrubbed, and cut into half-moons
handful walnut pieces

For the Vinaigrette:
1-2T rose preserves
1-2T honey
~4T EVOO
Juice of 1 lemon
Sprinkle of Cinnamon
Salt to taste

1. Toss together salad ingredients except walnuts.
2. Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients, adjusting rose and sweetness to taste.
3. Toss salad with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with walnuts. Serve to delighted and fascinated guests who will ask, “what smells so unbelievably good?”