Buy Less Food! Try McEvoy Ranch's Five-Ingredient Masterpieces

Lately I've been writing a lot about reducing the complexity of my recipes for two reasons: In order to sustain the motivation to cook (which is way greener than going out all the time), you have to enjoy cooking. It can't be time consuming or a huge hassle. And using simple recipes highlights the flavors of the high quality local ingredients that you purchase. I'll be in San Francisco this week on vacation and one of my good friends Susan just happens to be a classically trained chef who also works for a fabulous organic olive oil company, McEvoy Ranch. So for this post Susan will pull together some of her favorite five ingredients masterpieces. The five ingredients do not include sea salt and freshly cracked pepper or their famous organic olive oil which are all a part of every recipe. Kohlrabi is a vegetable in the cabbage family and it grows at McEvoy Ranch outside of San Francisco along with the majority of the tasty produce in these recipes. Find out what's fresh from the ranch every week at McEvoy's Ferry Building Shop.

Kohlrabi Slaw

Ingredients:

4 kohlrabi

4 small fennel bulbs

1 bunch fresh basil

1 Meyer lemon

1/4 cup sheeps milk cheese, shredded

2 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper

Method

1. Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, slice kohlrabi into paper thin pieces.

2. Thinly slice fennel bulbs into roughly the same size ribbons as the kohlrabi and add to mixing bowl.

3. Wash basil and pile several leaves on top of one another. Roll basil leaves into a small cigar, slice as finely as possible and add to kohlrabi and fennel. Add cheese.

4. Add the juice of one lemon and several tablespoons of McEvoy Ranch extra virgin olive oil, tossing until vegetables are well coated. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well and chill before serving.

McEvoy Bread Salad

Ingredients

8 oz. organic sunflower sprouts, washed and dried

8 oz. organic micro beets, washed and dried

1/4 lb. Roncal (any hard sheep's milk cheese can be substituted)

1/2 green onion slab bread from Acme

1/2 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Using a serrated knife, cut bread into two large, flat rectangles. Brush the insides of the loaf lightly with olive oil and toast until golden brown. Once bread is cool, cut into rustic (roughly 2-inch) square chunks.

2. In a large bowl, combine greens and toss gently. Using a cheese plane or vegetable peeler, shave Roncal into thin curls over the greens. Add toasted bread, a squeeze of lemon, salt, pepper and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Toss well.

Fava Bean Crostini

Ingredients:

3 cups fava beans, shelled

2 lemons

2 lemons

1/4 cup olive oil, plus oil to finish

Sea Salt and pepper, to taste

1 tsp fresh herbs (tarragon, parsley and rosemary all work well)

4 oz. ricotta salata

1 sweet baguette, sliced and toasted

Method

1. Blanch fava beans, drain and set aside to cool; once cool, pop out of shell removing the waxy outer shell.

2. Pulse herbs in a food processor until finely chopped. Add favas, lemon juice and about 1/4 cup olive oil; pulse again until well blended. Season puree to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Generously spread puree onto baguette pieces and top with crumbled ricotta salata. Drizzle with McEvoy olive oil to finish and serve.

Fromage Blanc with Shaved Heirloom Radishes

Ingredients

1 bunch heirloom summer radishes

2 lemons

1 Acme rustic sweet baguette

6 oz Cowgirl Creamery Fromage Blanc salt

2 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Use a mandolin to thinly slice the radishes. Cover them with lemon juice and let them soak over night to remove some of the spice.

2. Thinly slice the baguette. Top with radishes, a dollop of fromage blanc, salt, and olive oil.