SPECIAL DELIVERIES.

Byline: Randi Bjornstad The Register-Guard

Last week, Ivy Cotler's dinner "guests" ate Spinach Enchiladas Suizas - corn tortillas layered with spinach, onion and garlic in a light Swiss cheese and green chili cream sauce - for dinner.

This week, they'll dip their forks into her Mediterranean Baked Orzo, a casserole of tiny pasta, artichokes, black and white beans, tomatoes, capers, feta cheese, raisins and apricots.

Next week, it'll be something else again. But no matter what's on the weekly menu at Ivy's Cookin', it's hearty, vegetarian and something that allows Cotler's clients, as she puts it, "to be guests in their own homes."

Of course, take-out food - even home-delivered - has been around for decades, but Cotler believes her home-cooked, home-delivered meals stand out in the crowd.

She's been cooking, packaging and delivering her entrees all over town for almost 13 years - as many as 30 per week - and by now some of her longtime customers have become much more than an entry in her address book.

She describes one elderly woman as "extremely well-traveled, articulate and just downright lovable."

Another couple, John and DJ Rawlings, she calls "two of the loveliest, most loving, upbeat, interesting people I know."

The Rawlings return her enthusiasm.

"She's become a friend - she's in our home every Thursday," DJ Rawlings said. "We feel free enough, if we're going to be out, to have her just come in and put the food in the refrigerator and lock the door behind her."

The Rawlings - he's 85, she's 82 - first subscribed to Cotler's weekly cooking service years ago but stopped when they moved to the Alpine Springs assisted living complex in west Eugene, because the facility has its own dining room. Many residents eat their main meal at midday in the dining room, and some cook for themselves in the evening, as the Rawlings did at first.

"Then, a year ago in February, John had a stroke," Rawlings said.

"Our daughter who lives in London remembered Ivy, and she was the one who got us in touch with her again. Ivy saved our lives here - we've both had a stroke, and we're sort of crippled up."

Now, once again they receive the weekly delivery from Ivy's Cookin' "every Thursday, like clockwork," she said. "It's a terrific service."

One of Cotler's small entrees - the 9-by-9-inch version - "gets us by for three meals," Rawlings said. "With a little salad and juice, we're all set."

For those with more robust appetites, the smaller pan probably holds four servings, Cotler said. A larger size, delivered in a 13-by-9-inch size, contains about eight servings.

Her client list goes far beyond the elderly.

"Mostly, my customers are busy working people with more money than time," she said. "This is the kind of food they would cook if they had time."

It's also the kind of food they order for their friends and relatives. These days, Cotler often gets orders for gift meals - for new parents, people with illness in the family, birthday treats or just friendship.

"I think giving a gift of food is a really sweet, nurturing thing to do for people," she said.

In past years, the demand for her deliveries sometimes flagged during the hot summer months, so Cotler diversified into a sideline she calls Ivy's Cookin' Culinary Boutique.

She makes jams and fruit butters - among them gingered apple, honey pear preserves and caramelized apple butter - as well as plum syrup and chutney, fruit cordials, brandied cherries and several salad dressings.

"With that, I stay plenty busy all year-round," she said. "It's not an easy way to make a living - you have to be a cook, a business person and a people person - but my customers are wonderful people, and that makes my job a pleasure."

She credits her love of cooking to her Russian grandmother.

"I have such happy memories of just hanging out in her kitchen," she said. "She was one of the happiest people in my life, and a really good cook. She cooked everything. I remember her meat pies, and she made the best pie crust in the world."

Because of the need to be available to her regular customers - she calls them her "DLCs," or "darling little customers" - every week, Cotler rarely takes a vacation. But she manages to bicycle or hike nearly every day and take an occasional long weekend jaunt.

"It's a nice life. I like it. I'm pretty happy," she said.

Ivy's Basil Pesto With Fettucine

3 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves

4 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese 

1/4 cup pine nuts or toasted almonds

1/2 cup olive oil 

2 cups nonfat or low-fat cottage cheese 

1 pound fettucine or other favorite pasta

1/4 cup minced sun dried or fresh diced tomatoes (optional)

1 cup cooked cocktail shrimp (optional)

1 cup steamed vegetables (optional)

Puree basil, garlic, salt, cheese, nuts and olive oil in a food processor to create pesto.

Remove to a bowl; return 1/4 cup pesto to the food processor, and store the rest for future use.

Add the cottage cheese to the food processor and mix well.

Boil fettucine or other pasta in a large pot of lightly salted water, according to package instructions. Drain well. Toss with pesto-cottage cheese mixture.

Add optional ingredients, if desired. Serve with green salad and bread.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Source: Ivy Cotler.

Lime and Ginger

Salad Dressing

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt or 1 teaspoon tamari (soy) sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon grated, peeled fresh ginger root

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Whisk ingredients together and toss with salad greens for a tangy taste. For a mellower flavor, add olive oil to taste.

Source: Ivy Cotler.

Torta de Calabacitas

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped fine

2 teaspoons cumin 

3 large zucchini (about 1 1/4 pounds), grated

3 to 6 large garlic cloves, minced fine

3 tablespoons minced, seeded jalapenos (less for milder flavor)

Salt to taste

Vegetable oil to coat plate

3 large (burrito-size) flour tortillas

2 to 4 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (based on personal taste)

Plain yogurt, sour cream, salsa or guacamole (optional)

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion with cumin under tender. Add grated zucchini and garlic; saute until mixture is dry and zucchini tender.

Season with salt. Add jalapenos and cook 2 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl and cool.

Place a tortilla on a flat, oiled plate. Sprinkle with half of the cheese and half of the zucchini mixture. Top with a second tortilla and repeat layering. Place the last tortilla on the top and press firmly to compact the torta.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon butter in a heavy, 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Slide the torta into the skillet. Cover and cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Using a spatula, slide the torta onto a plate.

Melt the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter in the skillet. Invert the torta into the skillet - try putting a second plate on top and flipping it over, then slide it, uncooked side down, into the pan - and cook again until the bottom is golden grown, about 4 minutes.

Transfer to a serving plate and let stand 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with garnishes of choice.

Serves 4 to 6.

Source: Adapted by Ivy Cotler from Bon Appetit magazine.

Pickled Green Cherry Tomatoes

A great way to use up those end-of-season cherry tomatoes that won't ripen otherwise.

4 half-pint (8-ounce) jars

1 pound green cherry tomatoes (about 4 cups)

1 to 2 large peeled garlic cloves per half-pint jar

1 to 2 peppercorns per half-pint jar

3 tablespoons pickling salt or non-iodized salt

2 cups water

1 cup cider vinegar

Remove stems from tomatoes; wash and dry. Pierce each tomato several times with a toothpick and pack into hot, sterilized half-pint jars to within 1 inch of the top. Add garlic and peppercorns to each jar.

In an enamel or stainless steel saucepan, combine salt, water and vinegar and heat until nearly boiling. Add the brine to the jars, fully covering the tomatoes. Cover the jars and store in a cool place for 6 weeks or longer before using, adding more brine if needed to keep the tomatoes covered.

Pickled tomatoes will last up to a year in the brine.

Source: Ivy Cotler, adapted from Jane Brody's "Good Food Gourmet" cookbook.

Pickled Jerusalem Artichokes

2 1/2 pounds Jerusalem artichokes, trimmed and sliced (about 1 quart)

3 garlic cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons pickling spice

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup white wine vinegar or other vinegar at 5 percent acidity

3/4 to 1 cup hot water

Pack the artichokes into a 1-quart plastic tub or canning jar. Add the garlic, pickling spice, sugar and vinegar. Add water to barely fill the container. Cover with the lid and shake to help dissolve the sugar.

Refrigerate for 1 to 2 weeks before using. Keep in refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Yields 1 quart.

IVY'S COOKIN'

What: A once-a-week delivery service of a home- cooked entree; cook Ivy Cotler provides the month's menu in advance.

How it works: Customers call or e-mail Cotler on Monday to place an order for Thursday delivery; orders may be picked up on Wednesday, by special arrangement.

Cost: $23 for a 9-by-9-inch entree, which provides four ample servings; $32 for a 13-by-9-inch entree, at least six servings.

Certification: Licensed and inspected by the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

Information or orders: Call 485-4200 and leave a message, or e-mail [e-mail].

CAPTION(S):

Ivy Cotler prepares enchiladas in her Eugene kitchen for delivery to a customer. Brian Davies / The Register-Guard Spinach Enchiladas Suizas were on the menu last week for clients of Ivy Cotler, who has been cooking and delivering entrees all over town for almost 13 years.