Parsnip Fritters

1 pkg. Fresh parsnips (about 6)

Flour for dredging

Butter Cook parsnips until tender, mash with a bit of butter, salt and pepper. When cooked, shape into 3-unch patties. Dip into flour and sauté on both sides in butter. So simple and sso springtime delicious.
Submitted by Stuart Welch,  January 2007

2 Large sweet onions (Vidalia, Walla Walla,or Maui) peeled
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut onions in half from top to bottom. In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and mint leaves. Smear mixture all over the onions; place in a small baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes. Baste with the juices. Continue roasting for another 20 to 30 minutes or until onions are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven. Place onions on a serving platter or individual serving plates. Makes 4 servings.
Recipe adapted from the cookbook called The Best of Thymes by Marge Clark.

Avocado Salad:

1 ripe tomato, peeled
2 hass avocados
1/2 onion, minced
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 chopped green chile, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Mash together the tomato and avocados. Stir in remaining ingredients. Serve with warm tortillas. (Try to use Hass Avacado's for this recipe)

Optional: Mix in pomegranate seeds for added color and a unique but authentic variation.

2/3- cup lemon juice
2- tbsp. ground coriander
2- tsp. red pepper flakes
1- tbsp. salt
3/4- tsp. ground white pepper
1 1/3- cups vegetable oil
8- lbs. Fresh California Sweetpotatoes (yam variety)
1- quart diced green sweet pepper
2- cups chopped onion
2 2/3- cups roasted, salted peanuts; coarsely chopped
1 1/3- cups chopped cilantro

For dressing: Combine lemon juice, coriander, pepper flakes, salt and ground pepper. Beat in oil. Store in refrigerator.
Cook sweet potatoes in slated, boiling water just until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook. Cool; peel and cut into 3/4 inch cubes. Combine diced sweetpotatoes, green pepper, onion, peanuts and cilantro. Gently toss with reserved dressing. Chill. To serve: spoon 1 cup salad onto individual lettuce-lined plate.
The Sweet Potatoe Council ,  February 2007

A perfect alternative to a side of regular potato fries.

4 large sweet potatoes
water, very cold
ice
oil, for deep frying
salt, to taste

Peel the sweet potatoes. Cut or slice each sweet potato into the size/shape you want you fries. In a large bowl, put the raw sweet potato pieces. Cover with very cold water and add in some ice cubes. Refrigerate for 1 – 2 hours. In a deep fryer, heat the oil. In batches, fry the sweet potato pieces for 1 – 2 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown. Drain each batch and allow to cool slightly on absorbent paper towel. Just prior to serving, sprinkle with salt to taste.
Sweet-Potatoe-Recipe.com

Soto Banjar Indonesian Chicken Noodle Soup

4 c. defatted chicken broth
3 c. water
4 large flat-leaf parsley sprigs
2 fresh cilantro sprigs, roots and stems slightly crushed
1 whole chicken breast (1 to 1 1/4 lbs.), rinsed well
3 medium boiling potatoes (about 12 oz.), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch    cubes
4 oz. shallots, peeled
4 large cloves garlic, peeled
3 tbsps. olive oil 1 tbsp. peeled fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1 cinnamon stick (3 inches long) coarse salt and freshly ground black   pepper, to taste
2 c. cooked angel hair pasta 3 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered 1/4 c. chopped green celery leaves or fresh cilantro leaves
1 lime, thinly sliced
Directions Combine the chicken broth, water, and parsley and cilantro sprigs in a medium-size soup pot. Bring to a boil and add the chicken breast. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken and let cool slightly. Shred the meat from the bones in 1 1/2 x 1/2-inch pieces, discarding the skin and bones. Set aside covered. Strain the broth and return it to the pot. Add the potatoes to the broth. Cut half the shallots and half the garlic lengthwise into very thin slices. Heat the oil in a medium-size nonstick skillet over low heat. Add the sliced shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain. Reserve for garnish. Finely mince the remaining shallots and garlic and the ginger together with the cardamom. Add to skillet and cook uncovered, stirring, over low heat until aromatic, 3 to 4 minutes. Add this mixture to the broth along with the cinnamon stick, salt, and pepper. Cook covered over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the broth with a slotted spoon. To assemble, lay out 4 to 6 shallow soup or pasta bowls. Arrange the chicken, pasta, eggs, and potatoes in sections in each bowl, so that it resembles 4 wedges. Heat the broth until piping hot and adjust the seasonings. Discard the cinnamon stick. Ladle the broth into the bowls and sprinkle with the reserved shallots and garlic. Sprinkle the celery leaves or cilantro atop and float a lime slice in the center of each bowl. Serves 6 as a first course, 4 as an entree. (Recipes from Sheila Lukins' All Around The World Cookbook by Sheila Lukins (Workman Publishers, copyright 1994 by Sheila Lukins)

1 lb mussels, scrubbed, de-bearded
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp saffron threads, crushed
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 canned crushed tomatoes with added puree
1 garlic clove minced
1 bay leaf
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
4 eight ounce skinless salmon fillets
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

METHOD

Combine mussels and wine in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover and cook until the mussels begin to open, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer mussels to a large bowl (discard any that did not open). Pour liquid from the saucepan into a 2 cup measuring cup. Stir in saffron. Let cooking liquid stand 15 minutes.
Add enough cream to cooling liquid to measure 1 1/3 cups. Transfer to a large saucepan. Stir in tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf and cayenne. Simmer over medium heat until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill mussels and sauce separately).
Heat in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add salmon, rounded side down. Cook until bottom is golden, about 3 minutes. Turn salmon over. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until salmon is opaque in center; about 4 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Leave covered to keep warm.
Bring sauce in large saucepan to a simmer over low heat. Add mussels in shells; stir until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Place 1 salmon filet on each of 4 plates. Divide mussels among plates. Spoon sauce over salmon and mussels.
Serve with Brut Champagne or a dry, aromatic white wine, like Viognier. Don't forget to serve with a good crusty bread for sopping up the sauce. Serves: 4    (receipe provided by Paula Schommer)

Plum and Apricot Cobbler Recipe

Ingredients
8 fresh plums
8 fresh apricots
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar (divided)
2 tablespoons instant tapioca
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of kosher salt
6 tablespoons ( 3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup whipping cream

METHOD
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut plums into quarters, then cut each quarter in half crosswise. Cut apricots same way. Put fruit in 2-1/2-quart shallow earthenware baking dish. Sprinkle on 1/2 cup of sugar. Grind tapioca in food processor until fine, then sprinkle it over plums. Toss to coat fruit. Set aside.

Put flour, baking powder, salt and 2 tablespoons of remaining sugar in food processor. Cut butter into 6 pieces and add it on top of dry ingredients. Process until butter is in pea-size pieces. Add cream and process until dough is soft and crumbly. Take dough out and press it together with your hands.

On lightly floured surface roll dough out to inside dimension of your baking dish. Lift it with your fingers spread wide underneath and place it over fruit. Tuck in any edges that stick out; dough doesn't have to lie smooth. Brush top with water and sprinkle on remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Make 4 slashes in dough to allow steam to escape.

Put cobbler in oven and immediately turn temperature down to 350 degrees F. Bake until top is firm and lightly browned and fruit is bubbling around edges, about 35 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature, plain or with lightly whipped unsweetened cream or vanilla ice cream.

Yield: 12 servings