Southwestern Grilled Vegetables

Any seasonal vegetables will work here, but I do recommend including a tomato and some onion for their flavors. As the tomatoes soften and cook, they will spread themselves over the rest of the vegetables, contributing to the seasoning. Peppers will be nice here when they're ready. I used summer squash and eggplant along with the tomato and onion.

8 cups mixed seasonal vegetables, cubed
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
A couple fresh limes, quartered (optional)

Toss the vegetables in a bowl. Combine the vinegar, oil, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and miss well. Drizzle over the vegetables and stir to coat. Let sit for up to 30 minutes if you have time.

Grill the vegetables in a grill basket. Start them over high heat, stirring every 5-7 minutes. After 10-15 minutes, reduce heat to low and continue to grill until tender, another 10-15 minutes. If you like, turn the heat back up for a few minutes at the end for additional browning.

Top the vegetables with cilantro and a drizzle of fresh lime juice at the table.

Serves about 4.

Thai Peanut Curry with Pork and Vegetables

With coconut milk and peanut butter in the sauce, this is rich, savory, and very satisfying. You can make it entirely with seasonal root vegetables or, if you have peppers in the freezer, use some of those as well (as I did). If you can, pick up a little fresh cilantro at the farmers market today to go on top. Serve this over rice or tossed with noodles.

1 lb ground pork
2 medium onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp minced ginger root
1 large ripe bell pepper, diced (or 1 cup diced carrots or other root veg)
2 cups peeled and cubed sweet potato
1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk (lite is ok)
1-2 tsp Thai red curry paste, or to taste
1/3 - 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
2 tsp lime juice, or to taste
1-2 tsp rice vinegar
1-2 tsp Thai fish sauce (optional)
Salt to taste

Brown the pork in a Dutch oven or similar deep pan. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and cook with the pork for 2-3 minutes. Add vegetables and stir well. Add coconut milk and curry paste and stir well. Cover and cook over low-medium heat until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the peanut butter, lime juice, rice vinegar, and fish sauce (if using). Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. With the peanut butter stirred in, the sauce will be fairly thick.

Serve hot over rice or toss with noodles.

Serves 4-6.

Summer Vegetable Fried Rice with Egg

Fried rice is my go-to dish when I have a bunch of leftover cooked rice in the fridge. You can throw almost anything into it, so it's a great way to clean out extra or aging veggies in the fridge or use whatever the garden is producing in bulk. The vegetables listed here are what I happened to have on hand, but feel free to mix it up. You can throw in diced leftover steak or shredded chicken, chopped bacon, etc., but I also like this version, with a fried egg on top. This makes a good sized batch - we had a few servings leftover after feeding my family. I suggest only frying up as many eggs as you are sure you will serve in the first round; you can also cook a few more later if you need to, or you can cook them up fresh for the leftovers.

Canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp grated ginger root (optional)
1 pint shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1-2 sweet peppers, diced
1-2 hot peppers, seeded and diced (optional)
1 large carrot, diced
1-2 medium summer squashes or zucchinis, diced
4 cups cold cooked rice (white or brown)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup cashew or peanut pieces, lightly toasted (optional)
1 cup Thai basil leaves or cilantro (optional)
1 egg per serving

Heat a little canola oil in a wok or large skillet. Add the onion, ginger (if using), and shiitake mushrooms and stir-fry over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the remaining veggies and continue to stir-fry until tender by not mushy. Drizzle in a little soy sauce if the vegetables are sticking too much to the bottom of the pan.

Add the rice to the pan, breaking it up with your fingers if it is clumped. Stir to mix with the vegetables, then drizzle with the soy sauce and make sure it is well combined. Stir in the nut and Thai basil or cilantro, if using. Cover the fried rice and set aside.

Fry enough eggs to place one on top of each serving. Sunny side up makes an attractive presentation, but over easy is fine, too. Ideally the yolk should remain at least somewhat gooey so it can mix in with the fried rice as you eat.

Serves about 6.

Chipotle Turkey Chili

We had a big bird this year, and after finally stripping all the meat off the bones, I've got several meals worth of diced and shredded turkey meat in the freezer - perfect for soup, chili, casseroles, or pizza. Tonight we had this chili, where turkey plays a starring role but in a totally different context than the typical Thanksgiving fare.

Olive oil
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cups chopped tomatoes (canned or frozen is fine)
3-4 cups diced or shredded cooked turkey
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 -1 tsp chili powder
3 bell peppers, diced (any color(s))
1-2 cups cooked black beans
1-2 cups cooked kidney beans
Salt and pepper to taste
1 or more chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
Shredded cheddar or jack cheese for topping (optional)

Heat a little olive oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the garlic and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and turkey, then stir in the cumin, chili powder, peppers, and beans. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, or longer if desired. Stir in minced chipotle to taste, plus salt and pepper.

Serve hot. Top with cheese at the table if desired.

Serves about 6.

Coconut-Ginger Braised Chicken with Peppers and Carrots

I made this Thai-themed dish inspired by the last of the Thai basil (you can substitute cilantro, which is more plentiful this time of year) in the garden plus the colorful peppers and carrots that are coming in abundantly right now. You can use bone-in chicken parts if you like - no need to stick to thighs - but they will need to braise longer to be fully cooked. Serve this over rice.

Canola oil
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
3 Tbsp minced or grated ginger
1 1/2 - 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs
1 14-oz can coconut milk (lite is fine)
2 large sweet peppers, sliced the long way
2-3 large carrots, sliced into rounds or matchsticks
1 tsp lime juice, or to taste
Salt to taste
1/4 cup chopped Thai basil or cilantro

Heat a little canola oil in a large skillet or braising pan.  Add the shallots and ginger and saute over medium high heat for about 1 minute, then add the chicken. Brown quickly, turning over once, then add the coconut milk. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through.

Once the chicken is cooked through, add the vegetables and continue to simmer for a few minutes until they are tender but not too soft. Add lime juice and salt and stir to combine well. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.  Stir in the Thai basil or cilantro and remove from heat.

Serve hot over rice.

Serves 4-6.

Smoky Turkey and Lentil Chili

Turkey goes really well with smoky, spicy flavors, making it a natural for chili. I tossed in lentils instead of the usual beans for a change of pace, and it worked well. This makes a nice big batch to feed a crowd, but feel free to halve it.

Olive oil
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, diced
2 Tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
4-6 cups chopped tomatoes (canned or frozen - thawed first)
1 1/2 cups lentils
About 3 cups water
4 cups shredded cooked turkey
3 bell peppers, diced (red or green)
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced (or to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream and/or shredded cheddar for topping (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the garlic and onion and saute over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the cumin and chili powder and saute for another minute or so to toast the spices. Add the tomatoes and their liquid, then the lentils and enough water to comfortably cover them. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils are nearly tender, 20-25 minutes.

When the lentils are nearly tender, add the peppers and minced chipotles. Simmer until the peppers are tender, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot, topped with cheese or sour cream if desired. Serves 6-8.

Early Snow

It's still only October, but there's a good three inches of snow on the ground and it's still falling thick and fast outside my window. In anticipation of the storm and the cold weather that has accompanied it, earlier this week we finally brought in all the last cold sensitive items from the garden - tomatoes (ripe, half ripe, and green), sweet peppers, and hot peppers. We still have broccoli, leeks, fennel, carrots, radishes, and lots of greens out there that like the cold and will probably be just fine.

Green peppers (both hot and sweet) will continue to ripen if brought indoors and kept somewhere cool and dark. Some people like to bring in the whole plant and hang it upside down, but I've also had good luck just keeping a big pile of peppers in a paper bag in my chilly pantry. Tomatoes will also ripen indoors, though the quality will never be as good as summer tomatoes (even the ones that ripen on the vine late in the season suffer in flavor from the cold nights).

I roasted the ripe tomatoes and put them in the freezer. The half ripe ones are sitting in a bowl to ripen over the next week or so. The green ones (about 10 lbs) I think I'm going to use for Green Tomato and Apple Chutney, which I will can (but first I need to get some more canning jars).

Green peppers can be frozen just like ripe ones (halve, seed, freeze freezer bags), but I'm hoping some more of mine will ripen up before they shrivel. The hot peppers I decided to try pickling this year, something I have not done before. Now I have 9 half-pint jars of lovely red, green, and purple pickled hot peppers. Pickling mellows their heat and intensifies their flavor, making their great for pizza, salsa, Mexican eggs, nachos, etc.

Pizza with Fire Roasted Red Peppers and Goat Cheese

We've been enjoying the first sweet red bell peppers out of our garden lately. Tonight I roasted three of them on the grill and made this pizza. Grilling is an easy way to roast lots of peppers at once, so if you want to freeze some for later or puree some for romesco sauce (super highly recommended), it's a good way to go. Be sure to use thick walled bell peppers, not the thinner walled frying peppers, which are much harder to peel.

1 14-inch pizza crust
Olive oil
3 oz shredded mozzarella
3 fire roasted red peppers, sliced into strips
2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves
3 oz crumbled goat cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly paint the pizza crust with olive oil.

Spread the mozzarella over the pizza crust, then top with the peppers. Sprinkle with sage, then add goat cheese. Add a sprinkling of salt and pepper to taste.

Bake the pizza for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is done and the cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Sausage Stew with Chickpeas

This was my first use of Hager Brothers sausage, available at Hager's Farm Market on route 2 in Shelburne. It was good!

I served this over butternut polenta, which was an excellent combination. But you could also eat it straight, perhaps with cornbread on the side.

1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium-large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups tomatoes (canned or frozen) and their liquid (thawed if frozen)
2 bell peppers, diced (green or red, frozen is fine)
1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
1 tsp dried sage
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the sausage in a Dutch oven or large pot, breaking it into chunks as it cooks. Pour off most of the fat, then add the garlic and onions and saute with the sausage for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, peppers, chickpeas, and sage and simmer for 10-30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves about 4 (4-6 if served with polenta).

Chipotle Salsa for Canning

Another day, another mountain of slicers on the counter. This recipe makes a smaller batch than the last one, but the proportions are similar.

If you don't want to bother with proper canning, you can "refrigerator can" this stuff: ladle it into sterilized jars and top with sterilized lids and rings, then refrigerate. The jars will seal as the salsa chills, and the result will keep for a couple months in the fridge.

6-7 cups chopped tomato solids (see instructions below)
2 medium onions
1-2 sweet peppers
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, to taste (I used 3)
1/2 - 3/4 cup cider vinegar
Salt to taste

Core and seed tomatoes, and peel if it's easy to do so with a knife. Chop in a food processor until well chopped but not pureed. Pour into a colander or sieve and shake/toss until much of the liquid has drained out and a more or less solid mass remains. Remove to a bowl (or one of my favorite kitchen items, an 8-cup measuring bowl/cup with a pouring spout). Repeat until you have 6-7 cups. Drain again, then put in a large saucepan.

Chop the onions, peppers, and chipotles in the food processor until well chopped but not pureed (pulsing works well for this). Add to the tomatoes in the saucepan.

Bring the vegetable mixture to a boil. Add the vinegar (1/2 cup is enough, but add more if your taste buds think it needs it) and salt, then simmer for a few minutes.

The salsa is now ready to eat or can.

To can the salsa, ladle it into sterilized pint jars and top with sterilized lids and rings taken directly from hot water. Boil in a hot water bath for 15 minutes, then remove and cool on a rack. (Or use 1/2 pint jars and boil for 10 minutes.) You should hear the ping of each lid as it seals down. If any jar fails to seal, refrigerate and eat in the next week or two.

Yields about 4 pints.

Salsa for Canning

In the last three days I have picked 30 pounds of tomatoes from our garden (we have 9 plants). While the bounty is thrilling, it is also rather overwhelming. I have been drying the cherry tomatoes and freezing the paste tomatoes, but what to do with the mountain of slicers? It turns out salsa is a great way to use these juicier specimens.

The amount of whole tomatoes you will need for this recipe will vary depending on the variety (or varieties) you use, so I am not giving a set number of pounds to start with. I would make sure you have a good ten pounds or so on hand, though. Just keep chopping and draining until you have about 10 cups. You can also use more peppers than listed here, if you want - up to about 5 cups.

10 cups chopped and drained tomatoes (see instructions below)
3 cups seeded and chopped peppers (sweet and/or hot)
4 medium red onions
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 cup lime juice
1 cup chopped cilantro
Salt to taste

A food processor is the easiest way to deal with all the chopping for this recipe. Don't process to the point of pureeing - just pulse until everything is well chopped. Some chunks are fine.

Core each tomato and peel if it's easy to do so (as is true of some heirloom varieties). Squeeze out some of the liquid and seeds. Chop the tomatoes in a food processor, then dump out into a colander or sieve. Shake/stir/toss until much of the excess liquid has drained out and you have a semi-solid mass. Measure (number of cups) and set aside. Repeat process until you have 10 cups of the semi-solid tomato mass.

Chop the peppers and onions in the food processor as well, then place them in a large pot along with the tomatoes and cumin. Bring to a boil, then simmer for a few minutes. Add the lime juice, cilantro, and salt, and turn off the heat.

At this point you can eat or can the salsa.

To can the salsa, ladle it into sterilized pint jars and top with sterilized lids and rings taken directly from hot water. Boil in a hot water bath for 15 minutes, then remove and cool on a rack. (Or use 1/2 pint jars and boil for 10 minutes.) You should hear the ping of each lid as it seals down. If any jar fails to seal, refrigerate and eat in the next week or two.

Yields about 8 pints.

Pizza with Corn, Green Pepper, and Bacon

I am down to my last few packages of frozen corn from last summer. Every time I use some, I am blown away by the sweetness and flavor. It's in a completely different league from the frozen corn you buy at the store. Here I combined it with some frozen green peppers from last year's garden and a little Bostrom Farm bacon. Use a tomato sauce that is fairly plain, if you can, with flavorings that don't scream Italian too loudly. Alternatively, try a light coating of salsa instead. In summer, you could make this with chopped fresh tomatoes in place of sauce.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce
3/4 cup corn kernels (frozen is fine)
1/2 cup diced green pepper (frozen is fine)
3-4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
2-3 oz. mozzarella, shredded or cubed

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly paint the pizza crust with olive oil.

Spread the sauce over the crust, then top with corn, pepper, and bacon. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for about 18 minutes, until crust is golden and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Fajita Stir-Fry

Some steak from our beef share, peppers from the freezer, and onions from Winter Fare added up to some excellent south-of-the-border flavor. If you want to do this properly, serve with fresh warm flour tortillas. I didn't have tortillas on hand and didn't feel like making them (not hard, but too much time), so I served it over rice instead, which worked great. You don't really even need the toppings, but they do add to the overall experience. Flank steak is traditional for fajitas, but really any relatively inexpensive boneless steak will do. Be sure to cut across the grain.

1 1/2 lbs steak, trimmed and thinly sliced across the grain
2 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper
canola oil
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, sliced
3 cups chopped bell peppers (multiple colors is nice)
Salsa for topping (optional)
Shredded cheddar or jack cheese for topping (optional)
Sour cream for topping (optional)

Toss the sliced steak in a bowl with the lime juice, chili powder, cumin, and salt and pepper. If you have time, let it marinate for up to an hour. If you don't have time, even a few minutes helps.

Heat some canola oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron. Cook the steak over high heat, stirring periodically. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add a little more oil to the pan, then add the garlic and onion. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes over high heat (you want it to brown a bit), then add the peppers. Continue to cook over high heat (again, browning a bit) until tender. Add the beef back in and remove from heat.

Serve over rice or with warm tortillas. Pass toppings at the table.

Serves 4-6.

Minestrone from the Freezer

Tonight I felt well enough to cook - and eat - a proper meal for the first time in a week. But I still wanted something sort of comforting. I pulled kidney beans, chickpeas, red peppers, green peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes out of my freezer and made this yummy soup. The frozen ingredients work great. You'll need to thaw the tomatoes and beans (at least partially) but the others can go in frozen. You can also try this again in the fall, when the weather has cooled enough for soup but the veggies are still all available fresh; you might even be able to score some fresh shell beans to use then.

olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups chopped tomatoes and their liquid
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans or cannellini
2 medium carrots, in thin rounds
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper
1 cup diced or shredded zucchini
Water or stock (chicken or veggie) as needed
1 cup dry elbow macaroni or similar pasta
1-2 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat some olive oil in a soup pot. Add the garlic and onion and saute over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, beans, carrots, peppers, and zucchini, and enough water or stock to generously cover. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the veggies are tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Add the pasta, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper. Return the soup to a boil, then simmer again until the pasta is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves at least 6.

Variations: substitute other vegetables with whatever you have.

Sausage, Pepper, and Tomato Stew

Sweet Italian sausage from Wells Tavern Farm, peppers and tomatoes from my freezer, onions from Winter Fare...simple and satisfying. Cornbread would be a good accompaniment.

1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings (if any) removed
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
6 cups chopped green and/or red bell peppers (frozen is fine)
4-6 cups chopped tomatoes and their liquid (frozen or canned, thawed if frozen)
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 1/2 cups dry whole wheat macaroni
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the sausage in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Pour off most of the fat, then add the garlic and onion and saute over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the peppers and saute another 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and basil and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, bring back to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook until pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper and serve.

Serves 4-6.

Cottage Pie

Cottage pie is a traditional dish much like shepherd's pie, but made with ground beef instead of lamb. Traditionally it is made with carrots and celery, but you can vary the vegetables with whatever you have on hand. I like the colorful result with the combination below - all items I had in my freezer - but you could also use celeriac, turnip or rutabaga, cabbage, green beans, peas, whatever. I usually end up making this from scratch, but it's a great way to use leftovers, whether ground meat, cooked veggies, or potatoes. It would be awesome with garlic mashed potatoes (just add roasted garlic when you mash the potatoes).

This makes a generous batch; feel free to halve it.

2 - 2 1/2 lbs potatoes, in chunks (peeled or not as you choose)
1 Tbsp butter (or more to taste)
1/4 cup milk (or more to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
1 cup diced red pepper (frozen is fine)
1 cup diced green pepper (frozen is fine)
1 1/2 cups corn kernels (frozen is fine)
2 lbs ground beef (thawed if necessary)
1 1/2 - 2 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup beef or veggie stock

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Have a 9x13-inch baking pan ready.

Begin by getting the potatoes going: bring them to a boil in a large pot of salted water and cook until tender, 15-20 minutes. When they are done, drain and mash with the butter and milk. Stir in salt and pepper to taste.

While the potatoes cook, heat the olive oil in a very large skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes, then add the carrot. Saute an additional 3-4 minutes, then stir in the red pepper, green pepper, and corn. Cook over medium heat until tender. Add the beef and raise the heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until beef is browned and cooked through. Stir in the thyme and add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the flour over the beef and veggie mixture and stir it in, then add the stock. Simmer, stirring periodically, for about 5 more minutes, until the sauce thickens a bit.

Spread the beef mixture evenly into the baking pan. Top with mashed potatoes in an even layer. Bake for about 30 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and potatoes begin to brown.

Serves 6-8.

Slow Cooker Southwestern Beans

This is a staple in our house for nights when I won't have time to cook. I am still feeling very pleased with myself for freezing so many red peppers last fall--the supply is going strong and I am enjoying one of my favorite vegetables right through the winter. I usually serve these beans over rice, but you could also do them more like a soup. I've listed the vegetables I like to add, but it's entirely flexible: you can use more, less others, or none at all.

3 cups dried black beans, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
1 large onion, chopped
2 bell peppers (any color), diced
Tomatoes, chopped (optional: as many or few as you like; frozen or canned both fine)
1 cup corn kernels (frozen is fine)
3/4 cup salsa
Water
Salt and pepper to taste
Shredded cheddar for topping
Hot sauce for topping (optional)

Combine all ingredients except water and salt and pepper in the slow cooker. Add water until the beans are fully but not generously covered. Add more water if you want the end result to be more like a soup or you won't be able to check on the beans while they cook.

Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8-9 hours. Add salt and pepper before serving. Top with shredded cheddar and hot sauce at the table.

Serves 6-8.

Farmhouse Sausage Chili

I adapted this from a recipe in the Joy of Cooking. I used chorizo from Not Your Ordinary Farm and tomatoes and peppers from the freezer.

1 lb chorizo or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large onion, chopped
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried sage
1-2 bell peppers (red or green), diced
1-2 hot peppers, seeded and minced (option)
3-4 cups chopped tomatoes (seeded)
3-4 cups cooked red beans (2 15-oz. cans)
Salt and pepper to taste

Start cooking the sausage in a dutch oven or soup pot (I like to use a cast iron dutch oven for this sort of thing), breaking it into chunks as it cooks. As the fat starts to render, add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion starts to turn translucent. Add the cumin and sage and cook for another minute or so. Add the bell peppers, hot peppers (if using), tomatoes, and beans. Simmer for 15 minutes or so. Add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Serves 4-6.

Veggie Pot Pie

There is something so satisfying about pot pie on a chilly night. This vegetarian version is chock full of in-season root vegetables, and of course you can use local dairy products as well.  Instead of a pastry crust, I like to make it with a tangy yogurt-based biscuit topping.  Skip the pepper if you don't have any frozen.  And, of course, you can always add some turkey or chicken if you like (a good use for some of those Thanksgiving leftovers in a few days!).

Filling
1 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium potatoes, cubed
4-5 small turnips or rutabaga, cubed (about 2-3 cups)
1 large carrot, in ¼-inch rounds
1 green pepper, diced (from the freezer!)
1 Tbsp dried parsley or 1/4 cup frozen
1-2 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2-3 Tbsp white flour
¾ cup milk, room temperature

Crust
1 ½ cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup plain yogurt
¼ cup milk

Preheat the oven to 425˚. Oil a 2-quart casserole dish.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the garlic and onions and sauté until the onions begin to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the potatoes, turnips, and carrots and sauté over medium heat, stirring often, until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Add a little water if necessary to keep from sticking to the pan. Add the pepper and continue to sauté until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the parsley, tarragon, salt, and pepper, and stir.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and mix thoroughly. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the milk and stir continuously until the mixture thickens. Add a bit more milk if desired.

While the vegetables are cooking, make the dough for the crust. Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Add the yogurt and mix until well blended. Add milk gradually until the dough becomes fairly easily spreadable.

Pour the vegetable mixture into the dish. Spread the dough over the top of the vegetables.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the crust is cooked through and the pot pie is bubbly.

Serves 4-6.

Variations:
1. Add tofu, chicken, or turkey.
2. Substitute 2 tsp dried oregano and 1-2 tsp dried thyme for the parsley and tarragon.

Slow Cooker Lamb Cacciatore

Chicken cacciatore is the classic, of course, but I didn't have any chicken in the freezer so I thought I'd try it with lamb. Delicious! I used lamb riblets from Crabapple Farm, but this should work with chops or shoulder chops or any other type of bone-in cut that comes in smallish pieces. This recipe involves one big cheat in the form of bottled tomato sauce, but if you have your own homemade, by all means use it! Something with a fairly classic flavor is good--like simple marinara, tomato basil, or mushroom. I took green peppers out of the freezer and added onions that I stocked up on from the Farmers Market before it ended.

16-20 oz. bottled tomato sauce
1 medium onion, sliced lengthwise
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 green bell peppers, diced
Lamb for 4 servings (frozen is fine)
Salt and pepper to taste

Spread half of the tomato sauce, the onion, garlic, and pepper in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the lamb on top (you can take it straight from the freezer). Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the lamb. Cook on Low for 7-8 hours. Serve over rice or pasta.

Serves about 4.