Place nuts and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add cilantro and lime, and pulverize. If using arugula, add now, and process until you’ve got a coarse-looking puree. Add oil, going gradually; stop machine and taste for herb/oil ratio. Add more if it feels “dry.”

Scrape down sides of bowl as needed, and transfer pesto to a small mixing bowl. Fold in cheese, if using, and season with salt & pepper. Makes about 1 cup, maybe more.

Source: Washington Post, 6/15/09

Mix the olive oil with the herbs. Toss in the rutabaga pieces and coat them in the mixture. Spread out on a cookie sheet. Roast at 400F, turning once, until they’re nicely browned, about 45-60 mins.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Pour 1 1/2 inches of water into a medium stockpot with a strainer basket and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add sweet potatoes, cover, and steam until fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Strain sweet potatoes, place in a large bowl, and let cool to room temperature. Mash them to a smooth puree with a fork or a potato masher (you should have 1 1/4 cups puree; discard any excess). Add butter, lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt, mixing after each addition.

In a small bowl, beat egg yolks lightly with a whisk for about 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat until they're a creamy lemon-yellow color, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add egg mixture to sweet-potato mixture and stir until eggs are thoroughly incorporated and filling is a consistent bright-orange color. Add flour a little at a time, stirring after each addition, until thoroughly incorporated. Add buttermilk and stir to incorporate.

With a clean, dry whisk and in a separate bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks, about 1 1/2 minutes. Gently fold egg whites into sweet potato — buttermilk mixture until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture into prepared piecrust and bake on middle rack of oven until the center is firm and set, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove pie from oven and cool completely on a rack. Serve at room temperature with a scoop of ice cream on the side.

PIE CRUST RECIPE

1 1/2 cup sifted, flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water

Sift dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Sprinkle in butter and refrigerate 30 minutes. Dust work surface with flour. Preheat oven to 325°F. Cut butter into dry ingredients using a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add ice water, a tablespoon at a time and tossing mixture with a fork to combine after each addition, until pastry holds together when pinched. Gather pastry into a round disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15 minutes or until ready to use. Roll out dough to a 12-inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan. Fold any excess dough that hangs below pan rim on top of rim so you have enough to crimp. Cut off excess to patch any holes or tears. Refrigerate for 15 minutes before filling or prebaking. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil over dough and carefully scatter pie weights in pan. Bake on middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove pie weights and foil, prick bottom of crust with a fork, and bake until bottom of crust appears dry, about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325F.  Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1 inch thick slices.  Butter a 13x9 baking dish and arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer. Mix brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Pour evenly over potatoes, cover with aluminum foil, and bake until potatoes are fork-tender, about 45 minutes. Remove foil, return potatoes to oven, and bake until glaze becomes syrupy, about 5 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Pour a thin layer of oil into a frying pan and place over medium high heat. Dunk tomato slices in beaten egg and then in corn meal. Fry, flipping over once, until golden and crisp on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot. 

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and simmer slowly until the green tomatoes are very tender (this can take an hour or two). Preserve for future use by filling clean half -pint jars with chutney, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Store in the fridge or you can process in a boiling water bath.  

From the old edition of Joy of Cooking cookbook.  

Toss the daikon with the salt and pour into a colander. Let it rest for 15 minutes over a bowl or in the sink. Make a brine by whisking together sesame oil, honey, rice vinegar, lemon juice and garlic in a large bowl. Rinse the daikon well under running water and then spread it out to dry on a clean dish towel, rolling it up gently so as to extract as much moisture as possible from the radish. Add the daikon to the brine along with the lemon zest and coat well, letting it marinate for one hour. Eat immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 month. Makes 2 cups.  

Recipe courtesy of Full Belly Farm.

Heat wok or large skilled over medium high heat, then add oil. Add cabbage and stir fry until cabbage just starts to wilt.  (Do not overcook.)  Add garlic, salt, pepper and cook 1 minute. Add ginger and cook 1 additional minute. Drizzle with lime juice and serve. 

Courtesy of Recipezaar

Roast squash: Preheat oven to 450°F. Halve squash lengthwise and seed, then cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-wide slices and season with salt. Roast slices, skin side down, in a shallow baking pan in middle of oven until tender and golden, about 50 minutes. Set aside 6 crescent-shaped squash slices for serving and keep warm. Cut flesh from remaining slices into 1/2-inch pieces, discarding skin.

Start risotto after squash has been roasting 40 minutes: Bring broth to a simmer and keep at a bare simmer, covered. Meanwhile, cook onion in butter in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add rice, garlic, and cumin and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup simmering broth and cook at a strong simmer, stirring frequently, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is creamy-looking but still al dente (it should be the consistency of thick soup), about 18 minutes total. (There will be leftover broth.) Stir in squash pieces, then stir in cheese, salt, sage, and arugula and simmer, stirring, 1 minute. (If necessary, thin risotto with some leftover broth.) Serve risotto immediately, spooned over reserved squash slices.

Gourmet Magazine, November 2001