kind food kitchen

Arugula Salad with Seasonal Fruit & Balsamic Vinaigrette

2012-03-05T08:15:00.000-08:00

This salad has very similar ingredients to very popular farmers market Roots wraps...

Arrange on a plate:
a handful of arugula from Suzie's Farm (or spinach or spring mix or mizuna...)
a few pieces of thinly sliced red onion from Schaner Farm
in spring or summer: a couple of strawberries from Suzie's or JR Organics Farm, sliced
in fall or winter: several slices of apple from Smit Orchards
a tablespoon of walnut from Terra Bella Farm, halves or pieces, toasted
a tablespoon of Point Reyes blue cheese (or feta), crumbled
drizzle with...

Balsamic Vinaigrette
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (try Ensenada olive oil for something very special!)
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon or whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Wisk or blend ingredients together with an immersion blender.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups

Avo Chocolate Mousse

2012-03-04T07:47:00.002-08:00

or ganache, or pudding...this vegan dessert is rich and intense, and you'd never guess it was avocado based! Another Roots favorite:

2 cups avocados, skinned, pitted, slightly mashed (about 3) from Schaner Farm or Heritage Farm
2 tablespoons organic, fair trade coconut oil, melted
2 teaspoons organic, fair trade, pure vanilla extract (I make my own)
1 cup organic, fair trade cocoa powder, sifted
1 pinch sea salt
7 fluid ounces raw organic agave
Add avocado, coconut oil, vanilla extract, cocoa powder and salt to a food processor. Start the food processor and slowly pour in the agave. Blend until very smooth.

Makes about 4 cups. Keep refrigerated for a week or freeze for a month.

Serve with local organic fruit (blackberries or strawberries are my favorite when in season) and sprinkle with chopped & toasted local organic walnuts from Terra Bella Farm.

Variations
add a pinch of ground cinnamon and/or cayenne while blending

Strawberry Horchata

2012-03-02T15:16:00.002-08:00

There are some amazing strawberries to be had at the farmers market, especially from Suzie's Farm and JR Organics Farm.

I first had strawberry horchata with a friend at El Mercado in East LA. She swore it would be awesome and ordered me a licuado de medio horchata y medio agua fresca de fresa. And I was hooked. I would then order it wherever I happened upon a licuado shop or fruteria. But I would always get funny looks - this was apparently a strange request. So I started making it at home. And it was very popular when I sold it as Roots.

3&1/2 cups brown rice
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
about 12 cups hot water (or milk or a mix of the 2), not boiling
1 cup agave
1 tablespoon vanilla extrac t
2-3 pints strawberries

Put the rice and cinnamon in a gallon pitcher and fill the pitcher with the hot water. Allow it to cool, cover and refrigerate overnight. Blend the mixture for several minutes until the rice is a gritty, oatmeal texture. Stain through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids to remove the liquid. Return the liquid to the pitcher and compost the rice solids.

Remove the green top from the strawberries. Add the agave, vanilla, and enough strawberries to mostly fill up the pitcher. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.

Makes about a gallon.

Simple Cream of Cauliflower Soup

2012-03-01T17:53:00.001-08:00

...or broccoli, or a mix of the 2, whatever you picked up at the North Park farmers market today...

3 tablespoons Spring Hill butter
1 onion, chopped
2-3 pounds of Romanesco cauliflower from Suzie's Farm, chopped
1/2 - 1 cup of Strauss whole milk (cream on the top preferred)
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a medium pot over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add a large handful of chopped florets and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes. Transfer them to a bowl and set aside.

Melt the remaining butter in the pot. Add the onion and the rest of the cauliflower and cook, stirring, until the onions are translucent and soft. Add water until the veggies are barely covered, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Blend until smooth with an immersion blender. Add milk, salt & pepper to taste. Garnish with the cooked florets.

Bean Soup from Leftovers

2012-02-27T17:30:00.001-08:00

We made bean and rice burritos yesterday. And after eating beans from scratch, we end up with a bit of leftover beans in a lot of beany broth - which lends itself very well to being turned into soup on this cold and rainy day...

(amounts are approximate and will vary depending on how much leftovers you have)

a cup of cooked beans in a few cups of beany broth
1/2 cup or so of leftover cooked rice
1-2 tablespoons olive oil or Spring Hill butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 carrots, quartered and thinly sliced
a celery rib, diced
a few cloves of garlic, minced
any other veggies lurking in your fridge? some roasted cauliflower? sugar snap peas? tomato? a handful of chopped greens?

In a pot, reheat the beans in their broth as you cook up the rest of the ingredients (if you have a parmesano cheese rind you've been saving, add that to the pot, too).

In a separate pan, saute the onion, garlic, carrots and celery (this is also a good time to add any dried herbs or spices you want) until just soft and add them to the beans along with the rice. Saute any additional veggies until just soft and add them, too or add already cooked veggies straight into the pot. Fresh greens or herbs go in last. Gently simmer for a few minutes. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Family Brunch & Chile Relleno Casserole

2012-02-24T17:33:00.000-08:00

I'm starting a new family tradition - Sunday potluck brunch at my place. It's easy for us all to get busy and time passes quickly. But a Sunday brunch every few weeks seems to be a good opportunity to spend time together. And potluck makes it easy and casual. And I get to pick up almost all my ingredients Saturdays at the Mercato. Last weekend, I made my version of my mother's recipe:

Chile Relleno Casserole
4 pint baskets of chiles (anaheim, poblano, hungarian...) from JR Organics Farm
1 pound of Monterey jack from Spring Hill, grated
1 dozen eggs from Schaner Farm
½ cup Strauss milk from People's
3 tablespoons flour from People's

Roasted the chiles on a cookie sheet in the oven at 400º, turning once, until the chiles are soft and the skins are blackened. Allow them to cool, peel off the papery skin and remove the stems and seeds. Slice the chiles and spread them out in a buttered, 9"x13" baking dish. Top with with the cheese.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and flour and pour into the baking dish. Bake at 375º for 20-30 minutes until fluffy and golden.

Serves 12.

I served it with a roasted salsa verde (ingredients from Schaner, JR and Suzie's), sour cream and avocado.

Simple Marinara Sauce (and thoughts on canning tomatoes)

2012-02-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

I don't buy fresh tomatoes out of season (if you want to learn more about the tomato industry, Tomatoland is a great book). But I do still crave their tomato-y goodness, so I keep a few cans of organic tomatoes around, perfect for quick sauces and soup. Tomatoes are one of those foods that when cooked, can be even healthier for you: cooking tomatoes increases the amount of lycopene (a phytochemical associated with decreased cancer risk) that our bodies can use.

When I lived in Pennsylvania, I worked on a family farm, where tomatoes - especially sauce tomatoes - were a big crop for them. People would buy sauce tomatoes (I recommend San Marzanos) by the bushel (or peck; did you know there are 4 pecks to a bushel?) for canning. And at the end of tomato season, I helped the family can enough tomatoes to last them through the next season (lots - an all day event). Before this experience I thought canning your own goods wasn't worth the trouble when they come so cheap in the grocery store. But I have a wiser perspective now. When you grow your own food, you gain a deep connection with that food and you are intimately involved in so much of what goes into producing it. You want to treat each tomato with the respect it deserves and allow it to express it's tomato-ness (especially on the palate!).

But I didn't put up tomatoes last summer so I'm stuck with Muir Glen for now.

Marinara
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, cut in half again and sliced thin
1 rounded tablespoon dried oregano
1 rounded tablespoon dried basil
a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/2 cups (28 oz) canned crushed or ground tomatoes
sea salt, optional

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium heat and add the onion & spices. Cook, stirring, until onions are soft. Add garlic and cook a few minutes more. Add tomato and cook, stirring, until it bubbles. Reduce heat to low and cook to desired thickness. Add sea salt to taste if needed (canned tomatoes usually contain enough salt that you may not need to add any more).

While the sauce is simmering, I boil up my pasta (I prefer angel hair or penne) in salted water and cook until just before tender. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, I transfer the pasta (and the water that clings to it) into the sauce and allow it to finish cooking together.

Variations
Add other chopped vegetables in with the garlic (such as summer squash)
Top with your favorite Italian cheese (such as pecorino or parmigiano reggiano)
This sauce also works well as a pizza sauce when reduced until very thick.

How to Cook Beans from Scratch

2012-02-01T08:09:00.000-08:00

Home-cooked beans made from scratch are sooo delicious! They are vastly superior than canned for many reasons: texture, flavor, you get awesome bean broth, they are cheaper, you can add your own seasonings, and I find it very satisfying.

It is very easy to cook dried beans from scratch but they do require some advanced planning because they take awhile to soak and cook. (You can also cook fresh or sprouted beans super fast but I'll talk about those later...)

Other than thinking about the approximate amount of cooked beans I want to end up with...

(kitchen tip: 1/2 pound dried beans = 1 cup dried = 3 cups cooked)

...I don't really measure ingredients, but here's the method I use:

Sort your dried beans: spread them out on a flat surface (like on a baking sheet) and make sure to remove any bad looking beans and anything that is not a bean (like little stones and grains).
Rinse the beans with water. This removes dirt or anything else their surface has come into contact with.
Ideally: in a bowl, cover the beans with water by a couple inches (about 3 times as much water as beans), cover with a lid, and soak overnight in the fridge or for at least 4 hours. The soaking water contains the bulk of the raffinose (a bean sugar that we can't digest), so tossing this water after soaking helps eliminate gas. (If you forget to soak beans ahead of time, don't despair; you can still pull it off with a quick soak: boil beans in soaking water for a few minutes, the cover and let soak in the hot water for an hour.)
Drain & rinse the beans, then cover them with fresh water plus about an inch in a pot.
Boil the beans on a good hard boil for about 10 minutes and skim off any foamy scum that forms on top of the water (cuz who wants to eat bean scum? Also, it can boil over and make a terrible mess).
Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook time will depend on several things: pre-soaked beans cook faster, small beans cook faster than big ones, old beans that have been sitting in your cupboard for years may not ever get tender. Generally, pre-soaked beans will take 45 minutes to an hour to simmer until soft and tender, with larger beans taking close to an hour and a half. So start 'em early; beans keeping warm on the stove waiting for the rest of the meal to be ready is not a bad thing. Also, you can cook beans in a crock pot.
After you skim off the bean foam and reduce the heat, this is a good time to add any flavorings to the pot. I always add 1/4-1/2 onion, 2 peeled whole garlic cloves and a couple sprigs of parsley, cilantro (for Mexican food), or epazote (for black beans). If you don't have fresh herbs, you could use a teaspoon or more of dried herbs. These additions enrich the flavor of the beans and the beany broth.
While your beans are simmering, periodically check the water and add more as needed to keep the water level completely covering the beans.
Periodically, scoop out a bean or 2 and taste to see how they are coming along. If they are getting close to done, this is the time to add salt to taste. Do not add salt earlier in the cooking process or it will make your beans tough. Some people like to cook their beans until they are super mushy but I prefer to cook them until they are a kinda soft creamy texture when I bite into them but they still hold their shape.
Now they are ready to eat! You can serve them in their broth, drain them (save the broth for soup!) or mash them (add in the broth as needed when mashing).

If you grow your own or find them at the farmers market, cook beans fresh out of their shell! You can find beautiful heirloom varieties and fresh favas (which take forever to shell but are amazing) and cannellinis. In a pot, cover fresh beans with water, bring to a boil, add your seasonings (except salt) and simmer on low heat until tender, adding salt in the last few minutes of cooking. Fresh beans will cook up in 10-30 minutes.

Or, Suzie's Farm sells sprouted beans, which you can eat raw or simmer like I've described above.

Brother's Bday Brunch

2012-01-27T15:50:00.000-08:00

One of my brother's has a birthday this month and while I'm not big on presents, I love to get a bit of the family together and share a meal made with love.

me and my brother, almost 30 years ago

For me, brunch is easier and simpler than a dinner party, so I'll probably get a chance to actually sit down and eat with the family. Here's what I'll be serving:

muffins

poached eggs

roasted fingerling, yukon, & purple potatoes

sautéed garlicky lacinato kale

strawberries (JR Organics Farm has beautiful, delicious berries in season now!)

fresh squeezed citrus juice from Schaner Farm

organic, fair trade coffee & teas

Pasta Salad

2012-01-26T12:50:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to make pasta salad but it's been so cold I've only wanted to eat hot food. But now it's warmed up a bit...

3 cups dried bite-size pasta (penne, bowtie, corkscrew...), boiled up in salted water until al dente (I'm using an interesting, beautiful little pasta I picked up at the Hillcrest Farmers Market)
1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans
1/2 pound 5 grain tempeh, cubed small
olive oil
2 tablespoons tamari (soy sauce)
balsamic vinegar
1/2 red onion, sliced very thin, from Schaner Farm
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced, from Schaner Farm
1 small romanesco cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces, from Suzie's Farm
large handful of fresh parsley leaves, chopped, from Suzie's Farm
3 baby heads of gem romaine lettuce, chopped, from Suzie's Farm
1 teaspoon dried oregano
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a loaf pan, bake the tempeh cubes tossed with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, tamari, and a tablespoon of vinegar, at 350° for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy slightly warm or allow to cool (it will keep beautifully in the refrigerator; this is a good one to keep around to pack for lunches).

Makes 6-8 servings

Variations
Mix it up the beans with whatever you might have on hand (kidney, cannellini...) or skip beans altogether.
Don't have or don't like tempeh? Skip it.
Use whatever herbs and veggies are in season: basil, tomato, celery, summer squash, bell pepper...
Use other greens or leave greens out.
Use other vinegars (such as red wine).
Try adding olives or toasted pine nuts.

Kale for Breakfast

2012-01-25T10:34:00.000-08:00

I eat a fair amount of kale. I love the flavor and it's a "superfood" (very high in many nutrients especially to prevent cancer). It's grown year-round by most of the SD farmers and it's very easy to grow at home.

My favorite kale is lacinato or "dino" kale because the stems are soft enough that I don't need to destem it (I can eat the whole leaf - faster to prep and less waste), it's easy to cut (the leaves lay flat and I can chop the thicker stem parts real thin so they are easier to eat), the texture is less tough, it's a beautiful dark color and the flavor is wonderful - sweet, delicate, earthy and green!

I love to cook it for breakfast as a bed for a bit of roasted fingerling, Yukon, or sweet potatoes, topped with an egg from Schaner Farm or drizzled with a touch of stoneground mustard and local honey.
Yum yummy yuminess.

Sautéed Kale
For each serving:
a large handful (a cup or so) of Suzie's Farm kale sliced about 1/4" - 1/2" ribbons (thinner on the steamy parts)
1/2 teaspoon Springhill butter or olive oil
a clove of Schaner Farm garlic, peeled and minced
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Melt butter over medium heat in a sauté pan. Add the kale, toss with the butter, and cook, stirring for a couple minutes. Add the garlic and cook stirring for a couple more minutes (I like my veggies just softened and still al dente but if you prefer softer greens, cook them longer). Season with a bit of sea salt and pepper.

Variations
Add a pinch of red pepper flakes in with the garlic.
After cooking, add a splash of lemon juice or vinegar to brighten the flavor.
Add other vegetables: increase the amount of oil or butter and sauté thinly sliced onions or other veggies for a few minutes before adding the kale.
Try other greens, such as mustard, dandelion, chard, or a mix.

Filo Rolls of Winter Greens

2011-12-31T17:50:00.000-08:00

Filo dough tends to make me crazy; it's a bit tedious to work with but once in a while I'll break it out for special occassions. Peoples Co-op carries an organic filo, which is nice because I don't have the talent to make such thin sheets of dough from scratch.

1 cup or so of extra virgin olive oil
1-3 fennel bulbs - Suzie's has them but they are small (leaves and stalks removed), diced
3 medium leeks, julienned
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 medium bunch kale, sliced
1 medium bunch mustard greens, sliced
1 medium bunch chard, sliced
1 tsp fennel seed, toasted, freshly ground
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
½ package filo dough

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add fennel and fennel seed; cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add green onion/leeks and garlic; cook for 2 more minutes. Add greens; cook until wilted, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in mint and pine nuts.

Lay 1 sheet of filo dough on flat work surface. Brush half with oil (the long half), fold in half (the long way) and brush top with oil. Place ¼ cup of green filling at one end of phyllo and roll up into a cigar shape. Place roll on parchement-lined baking sheet. Repeat ad nauseum (just kidding).

Brush rolls with oil. Bake at 375º until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Oh-so-pretty.

Stuffed Mushrooms

2011-12-31T15:30:00.000-08:00

A bit old-school but so delicious...

1 pound whole mushrooms (prefer cremini but white also work), destemmed (save stems form your stock)
1 tablespoon olive oil + more for drizzling
1 tablespoon butter (or more olive oil)
3 shallots, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
sea salt
fresh thyme, destemmed, minced
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup vegetable stock
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, destemmed, chopped
Parmesano reggiano, optional

In a large bowl, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper over mushroom caps; toss to coat. Place on a baking sheet (hole side up). In a large skillet, melt butter and/or oil over medium-high heat and cook shallots until soft. Add garlic, thyme and a few pinches of salt and cook, stirring constantly until just soft. Remove from heat. Toss in remaining ingredients (except parm) until combined, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Stuff mushroom caps with mixture. Grate parm on top if desired. Bake at 350º for about 15-20 minutes, until caps look well-cooked. Let cool slightly before serving so folks don't burn their mouths.

Smashed Cannelini Bean Spread

2011-12-31T14:59:00.000-08:00

4 cloves garlic from the Schaners, peeled, pressed
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves from Suzie's or the Schaners, minced
sea salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 cup cooked cannellini beans (Suzie's Farm recently had them fresh in the pod!), saving the cooking liquid
juice of a lemon from the Schaners or your tree

Over medium heat, sweat the garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil with the sage and a few pinches of sea salt until tender. In a food processor, add the beans, another tablespoon of oil, lemon juice, 1/4 - 1/3 cup bean broth, red pepper flakes to taste and the garlic mixture. Blend until smooth, salt to taste, maybe add more bean broth if it's too thick.

Makes about 1&1/2 cups.

Top with a drizzle of your favorite olive oil, fresh chopped parsley, caramelized onions, and/or some nice olives. Serve with toasted ciabatta.

Build Your Own Cheese Platter

2011-12-28T21:15:00.000-08:00

Easy, fast, delicious and beautiful! Choose your favorite combinations from any of the following catagories:

Cheeses
Go with what you love, or ask your local cheese monger (Mary from Taste) to help you with your selections (which is always fun and you get to taste a bunch of lovely cheese). I like to choose 3 that go together somehow (maybe all from the same region) or I choose 3 that are completely different. My favorite is to have one soft, one hard, and one blue.

Breads & Crackers
Bake your own or buy local. Choose an assortment or just one type. I almost always choose a fresh crusty baguette to slice up, maybe a seeded baguette to pair with a mild cheese.

Fruit
Fresh, dried, jammed or compoted, pick fruit that pairs well. I tend toward fresh, so right now that's dates, apples and persimmons. I would avoid citrus, but maybe that's just me.

Nuts
My favorites are walnuts from Terra Bella Farm or almonds from Smit Orchards.

Honey
If you like, drizzle over cheeses, nuts, or fruit. Or put it in a little bowl for dipping. I love local honey and there is a lot to choose from. Right now, I'm loving the buckwheat honey in People's Co-op bulk section.

Roasted Garlic
Lovely to include if it goes with the cheeses. Lately, I get my garlic from Schaner Farm. I especially love roasted garlic with soft cheese such as brie or Nicolau goat cheese (a recent favorite).

A Few Examples

triple cream brie & cranberry compote wrapped and baked in a pie crust
goat chevre rolled in chopped parsley and chives with roasted garlic
english stilton, cotswold & derby cheeses, with toasted walnuts, fresh figs (quartered) and local wildflower honey
saint-andré, winchester gouda & point reyes blue cheeses with pear, raspberries, cashews and local orange blossom honey

Arrange your selections on a pretty platter or a wood or stone serving board. I start with the cheeses arranged toward the middle, I slice thin and fan out hard fruit or pile berries in between the cheese, place the nuts so they might cascade down the cheese or fruit, then lightly drizzle honey over a bit of the fruit and nuts. Finally, I fan out sliced baguette or crackers in a circle around or alternatively, serve in a basket lined with a cloth napkin. Don’t forget to include a cheese knife, preferably one for each cheese.

Artichoke Boursin Dip

2011-12-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

This a take on a traditional boursin spread that my friend, Rae, would bring to parties when we lived in Pennsylvania. Rich and creamy, the red pepper kick helps slow down how fast this dip disappears. Miss you, Rae!

4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, destemmed
a pinch of crushed red pepper
8 ounces neufchatel cheese, room temp
1½ tablespoons butter, room temp
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
about 2 cups cooked or .canned artichoke hearts, drained, more or less to taste
1 cup shredded parmigiano reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons chives, finely snipped

Buzz garlic, thyme, and red pepper in food processor until fine. Add neufchatel, butter, salt and pepper and buzz until smooth. Scrape into a bowl.

Briefly buzz artichokes in food processor until chopped (this also helps clean the food processor). Stir to combine artichokes, parm, and chives into the creamy goodness. Let refrigerate for a thick consistency.

Serve with crackers, bread, blue corn chips or crudité

New Years Eve Party Foods

2011-12-27T15:00:00.000-08:00

This is the first year in quite a while that I will not be cooking for a New Year's party. My spouse and I usually head up to the Bay Area to hang out with my spouse's family. And for New Year's we come up with a menu of small plates or finger foods, usually around some theme or another. But here's some party food menu ideas (I'll be posting recipes during the week)...

Easy Nibbles
cheese plate with seasonal fruit & nuts
bowl of lovely olives
homemade pickled vegetables

Dips & Spreads
artichoke boursin dip & pita crisps

crudités & hummus
blue corn chips with assorted salsas & guacamole
smashed cannellini bean spread with caramelized onions & toasted sliced ciabatta

Finger Foods
stuffed mushrooms
soup shots
filo rolls of winter greens

Something Sweet
open-faced cookie sandwiches of ginger molasses crisps with vanilla bean neufchatel frosting & persimmon slices
mini hippie bars
mini mexican mocha brownies

Not my Grandmother's Trifle

2011-12-26T16:48:00.000-08:00

My take on trifle this winter is not so traditional but it was delicious. I spooned persimmon pudding into the bottom, added a few chunks of ginger spice cake, topped with a few spoonfuls of honey vanilla apple compote, then whipped up some Strauss heavy cream sweetened with maple syrup, and topped with a few pieces of toasted pecans. It was well received and can be made well in advance of serving. The cake and compote can be made a few days ahead of time, the pudding, whip cream and assembly up to 24 hours before serving. You can assemble it in a large container for multiple servings, but a big spoonful of glop isn't very pretty on the plate, so I choose to layer mine in small clear glass cups or jars for individual servings.

Winter Fruit Salad

2011-12-24T15:09:00.000-08:00

I'll be having brunch tomorrow with my mom, siblings, and extended family. After wishing a happy holidays to my farmers today, here's what I'll bring to share:

a few tangerines from the Schaners, peeled and segments pulled apart
a few fuyu persimmons from Heritage Farm, cut in half and sliced thin
a fuji apple, a pink lady apple, a century apple pear, all from Smit Orchards, all cored and sliced thin
1/2 pound of medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
seeds of a pomegranate from the Schaners (here's a kitchen tip on removing the seeds)
local honey, optional

Toss the fruit pieces together and serve drizzled lightly with local honey.

Persimmon Pudding

2011-12-24T14:13:00.000-08:00

A highly experimental recipe but it worked! This was part of my take on trifle for my winter solstice menu, which turned out beautifully (I need to get better about taking pictures). You generally find 2 varieties of persimmon at the markets: fuyu (short, squatty shape) and hachiya (more oblong, teardropish shape).

fuyu

The fuyu you can eat firm and are a bit sweeter when they are just a bit soft). I do not recommend eating hachiya unless it is very, very ripe, super soft, and jelly-like, almost translucent. If it's not, the hachiya is very astringent, which I find extremely unpleasant (but if you don't know what I'm talking about you may want to try it just for the experience).

hachiya

3 hachiya persimmons
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups half & half (or milk and cream)
1/3 cup evaporated cane sugar

Scrape the soft flesh out of the persimmons and puree until smooth, yielding about 1 1/2 cups, and set aside.

In a sauce pan, heat milk/cream/half & half and sugar on low heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved and milk is steaming (do not boil).

While the milk is heating, in a separate boil, briefly beat the egg yolks with a whisk. After the milk is steaming, very slowly whisk half of the milk into the yolks, then whisk the mixture all together in the saucepan. Add the persimmon puree and cook, stirring occasionally for another 10 minutes to thicken. If you like a very smooth texture, pour through a fine strainer.

Serve warm or cool with ginger spice cake, maybe with some whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup and toasted pecans.

Variations
Add 1/2 a vanilla bean to the milk or cream while heating, then remove pod and scrape seeds into the milk.
Add a pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg with the persimmon.
Use honey or maple syrup instead of sugar.

Honey Vanilla Apple Compote

2011-12-22T19:12:00.000-08:00

I was planning a pear compote but none were to be had at the farmers market, but that's why seasonal cooking is so fun; it's like your own personal iron chef ("and the secret ingredient is...")

4 apples (a variety that bakes well, such as granny smith), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4" thick
juice of 1/2 meyer lemon from the Schaners
1 tablespoon Spring Hill butter
1/2 vanilla bean, cut length-wise in half
1/2-2/3 cup local honey

In a bowl, toss the apple slices with the lemon juice and set aside. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter on medium-high heat. Scape the vanilla seeds into the butter and add the pod, too. Add the lemoned apples and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples have softened but still keep their shape, about 10 minutes. Add the honey and cook a few more minutes. Remove the vanilla bean (give it a gentle rinse, allow it to dry, and add to your vanilla). Voila!

Serve warm over ginger spice cake with whipped cream or creme fraiche. Have any left over? Save it for the morning and stir it into oatmeal.

Seasonal Fruit Crisp

2011-12-14T09:34:00.000-08:00

One of my very favorite desserts. Easy enough for any day, delicious enough for fancy events. Or maybe even a special breakfast.

Crisp Topping
6 tablespoons butter or nut oil
¾ cup rapadura sugar
2/3 cup flour
½ cup rolled oats and/or chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans...)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Fruit Filling
5 cups of seasonal fruit (today I'm using granny smith apples from Smit Orchards, halved, cored, and sliced)
½ tablespoons rapadura or evaporated cane sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, lemon zest, other other citrus or spices of your choice

Mix crisp topping ingredients together until crumbly and set aside. Cut fruit (if needed) about ¼ inch thick. Toss with sugar and spices of your choice. Arrange in a buttered loaf pan and cover with topping. Bake at 375º until golden and bubbly about 60 minutes

Serve warm with ice cream! Can be baked in small ramekins for individual servings.

Variations
Awesome with stone fruit, berries, rhubarb...
Toss fruit with a squeeze of lemon or a splash of juice

Tomato Soup

2011-12-13T14:55:00.000-08:00

Based on a recipe from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (which is like my bible)...

2 tablespoons Spring Hill butter
1/2 large onion from Schaner Farm, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
the tiniest pinch of ground clove
a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
2-3 cups of vegetable stock
a splash or more of Strauss half & half or milk
freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat and saute onion, celery, basil and clove until they vegetables brown. Add the tomato and stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes with lid askew. Puree until smooth, stir in milk and season to taste with pepper. Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches, or garnish with your favorite crackers and/or grated cheese (mozzarella, jack, smoked cheddar from Spring Hill...)

Serves 4

Sugarsnap Pea Soup

2011-12-12T16:32:00.000-08:00

This was a what-do-I-have-to-make-soup-right-now recipe and it turned out awesome...

1&1/2 tablespoons Spring Hill butter or oil
1/4 of an onion from Schaner Farm
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon rosemary from Suzie's (dried up from Thanksgiving)
1 potato from Sage Mountain Farm, quartered and sliced thin
1/2 cup white wine leftover from Thanksgiving
5 cups fresh sugarsnap peas from Suzie's, tough ends removed, chopped
sea salt
4 cups vegetable stock
freshly ground pepper

In a large pot, melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter on medium high heat and saute 1 cup of chopped pea pods, just for just a couple minutes and set aside. Melt the rest of the butter in the pot and saute the onion and herbs until soft. Add the potatoes and wine, bring to a boil and simmer until most of the liquid have evaporated. Add 4 cups of peas, hot stock and a bit of sea salt, bring to a boil, cover and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. Puree until smooth, season to taste, add that 1st cup of sauteed peas and garnish with buttered croutons.

Serves 4

Tuscan Winter Vegetable Soup

2011-12-10T17:10:00.000-08:00

This recipe is based on my take on minestrone, winterized (by what is available at the farmers market in general and Suzie's farm stand particularly) for these chilly days. Leave the skin on if you use kabocha or delicata squash.

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
½ cup diced fennel
½ cup diced carrot, beet, or turnip
1 cup winter squash, chopped into ½" cubes
¾ cup cannellini beans
¾ cup any type of bush beans with an edible pod (green bean, yellow wax, dragon's tongue...), remove tough end, chopped on a diagonal in 1" pieces
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup kale, dandelion or mustard greens, chopped
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
red pepper flakes

Sauté the onion, fennel, garlic, herbs and in oil in a large pot on medium heat until they start to soften. Add carrots, squash and bit of salt and cook until they start to soften. Add beans, greens, and stock, bring to a boil, and simmer with lid askew until the squash is soft, about 10 minutes. Season to taste.

Garnish with fresh parsley and/or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Yorkshire Pudding

2011-12-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

This is an English classic also known as popovers and usually cooked around a roast or in beef fat. But after I became a vegetarian at 12 years old, my English grandmother, while she was concerned I wouldn't get enough protein, would always cook a few in muffin tins in oil for me.

3 tablespoon butter or oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon flour
½ tsp sea salt

Cut each tablespoon of butter into 4 equal pieces. Place each piece of butter in the 12 cups of a muffin tin. Place the muffin tin in a 450º preheating oven to melt butter (do not brown or burn!).

Whisk together eggs and milk. Whisk in flour and salt until well combined. Pour batter evenly into the hot muffin tin, each cup about half full.

Bake for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 350º and bake another 5-10 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 12 popovers

Ginger Spice Cake

2011-12-08T15:21:00.000-08:00

This wonderfully moist cake happens to be low-fat. Applesauce makes a great fat replacer in many cakes or quick breads (such as carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin cake). Try making your own applesauce (I'll post that recipe soon); I see local apple trees ripe for harvest.

1 cup applesauce
½ cup molasses
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs from your backyard or favorite farmer
2/3 cup rapadura sugar
1/3 cup oil
1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Mix together applesauce, molasses and baking powder. Add eggs and sugar and beat 3-4 minutes. Gradually beat in oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix just until combined.

Bake in greased and floured 9x9 pan at 325º for 40-45 minutes until it starts to pull away from the sides and a knife comes out clean. Cool on rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm with fresh seasonal fruit (I like persimmons or blackberries) or cranberry compote and whipped creme fraiche sweetened to taste with maple syrup.

Honey-Glazed Carrots with Thyme

2011-12-07T09:11:00.000-08:00

I saw some beautiful carrots this week from Suzie's Farm and J.R. Organics Farm. In general, the orange ones are a bit sweeter but the purple and red ones are just so beautiful. I love purple vegetables but the color usually fades when cooking or pickling. And the honey-glaze will make the orange color a little more brilliant (plus they taste really good!).

1½ pounds carrots, scrubbed well
1 tablespoon Spring Hill butter
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, destemmed, minced from Suzie's or the Schaners
2 tablespoons local honey (try a citrus variety)
sea salt from Salt Farm

Remove carrot tops and any scraggly tips. Cut on a diagonal about ½ inch thick (or leave tiny carrots whole). In a large skillet on high heat, boil a thin layer (about 1/8 inch) of water and add carrots. Cook until water has evaporated and carrots are slightly soft, about 5 minutes.

Add butter and melt; toss to combine. Add thyme and toss to combine. Add honey and toss to combine; cook until lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.

Makes about 8 servings

Winter Solstice Menu

2011-12-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

X-mas Eve when I was very young

The Winter Solstice is December 22nd this year. I don't celebrate Christmas (way too commercial and material for me) but I'm happy for the opportunities to spend time with my family and friends. Growing up, the English side of my family always had a large Christmas Eve celebration, which is the inspiration for much of this menu.

The spread back then

Wassail
Honey Thyme Carrots
Minted Sugarsnap Peas
Roasted Winter Vegetables
Yorkshire Pudding with Onion Sauce
Sauteed Mushrooms with garlic
Trifle of Ginger Spice Cake, Honey Vanilla Apple Compote, Persimmon Pudding & Maple Whipped Creme Fraiche topped with toasted pecans

Muffins for Breakfast

2011-12-04T10:02:00.000-08:00

This morning we're making blueberry muffins with lemon zest (we like it real lemony so we use the zest of 2 good-sized lemons, which we have a ton of from my mom's friend). Served with Schaner Farm pomegranate orange juice and scrambled eggs with chives from Suzie's Farm and a beautiful, flaky Murray River salt from Salt Farm that we picked up at the Little Italy farmers market yesterday.

Here's a basic muffin recipe (based on a Joy of Cooking recipe) that you can change seasonally...

1 cup buttermilk (or other dairy - see variations)
2 eggs
2/3 cup rapadura sugar
3 oz melted butter or oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (we make our own)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup unbleached flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1¾ cup fruit (we like to go pretty heavy on the fruit - fresh, frozen, or dried fruit of your choice)

Whisk wet ingredients (buttermilk, eggs, sugar, butter & vanilla) together. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flours, baking powder & soda, salt). Mix wet and dry ingredients together until just combined, then briefly stir in fruit or any other ingredients that suit your fancy. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes before popping them out of the pan. Best when served warm!

Makes 12 standard-sized muffins.

Variations

Instead of buttermilk, use yogurt or sour cream (or use milk or cream and eliminate the baking soda)
Try fresh shredded zucchini, carrot, or winter squash such as pumpkin; fresh chopped apple or persimmon; dried fruit, such as coconut, cherries, figs; or frozen berries.
Decrease butter or oil to 1/4 cup and add 1/4 cup of apple sauce or pumpkin puree
Add a handful or 2 of chopped nuts (almonds, Chandler or red walnuts from Terra Bella Farm, pecans, macadamia - they grow locally)
Add 1-4 teaspoons of zest (of lemon, lime, Buddha hand, orange, tangerine...) with the wet ingredients
Add a teaspoon or so of your favorite spice with the dry ingredients (cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg...)
Substitute some of another grain, such as cornmeal
Add a handful of oats, hemp seed, ground flax seed, or toasted wheat bran with the dry ingredients

Mushroom Soup

2011-12-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

¼ cup olive oil or butter
½ ounce dried wild mushrooms, rehydrated in 2 cups hot water (save the mushroom liquid)
1 pound fresh white, cremini, or portobello mushrooms, chopped (save stems for stock)
2 medium onions or leeks, white & pale green parts, chopped (save dark green parts for stock)
1 large bulb fennel, chopped (leaves and stalks reserved for stock)
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, destemmed, chopped (save stems for stock)
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped (save stems for stock)
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup almond milk
seasalt
freshly ground black pepper
fresh parsley, chopped (save stems for stock)

Prep all your ingredients and then use scraps to make your own stock.

Sauté 2 tablespoons butter or oil & mushrooms in a wide pot on medium-high heat until the mushrooms releash their liquid and then start to brown, sticking to the pot. Add the onion, fennel, 2 tablespoons of oil and cook, stirring until lightly caramelized. Add garlic, thyme & sage and cook a few more minutes. Add the mushroom liquid and stock; bring to a boil and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Add the almond milk; puree (if you want it to be smooth) and season to taste. Garnish each serving with parsley.

Makes about 4 quart

Variations
Use celery instead of fennel.
Use cream or milk instead of almond milk.
Add 2 more cups of stock and 1 cup of wild rice, barley, or wheat berries while simmering.
Add a cup of wine after cooking garlic & herbs; simmer until most of the liquid evaporates before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Carrot Ginger Soup

2011-11-29T15:21:00.000-08:00

It took me forever to come up with a carrot soup recipe that suited my tastes - the surprising addition of salsa is what finally did it for me.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, coarsely chopped (from Schaner Farm)
2½ teaspoon ginger, fresh, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced (from Schaner Farm)
2 cups carrots, chopped (from J.R. Organics Farm or Suzie's Farm)
¼ cup salsa
3 cups vegetable stock
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Sauté the onion in the oil in a pan on medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger; cook another 2 minutes. Add carrots and salsa; cook for 1 minute. Add broth, bring to a boil, and simmer covered until carrots are soft, about 20 minutes. Puree and season to taste.

Garnish with crema & cilantro

Serves 4-6

Yuletide Wassail or Hot Mulled Cider

2011-11-28T17:19:00.000-08:00

So, hot cider is not what wassail was originally, but it's the version we know today. My mom made it every winter for every holiday event we ever attended, when caroling, or whenever she wanted to evoke a holiday mood. It was her thing. Here's my version of her recipe:

1 whole cardamom pod
½ teaspoon whole cloves
1 stick mexican cinnamon
4 thin slices fresh ginger
juice of an orange (or 2) off one of the many local trees heavy with fruit
1 quart fresh apple cider or juice (Smit Orchards is the best I've found)

Lightly crush whole spices. Gently simmer all ingredients for about 20 minutes (longer for a spicier cider) in a pot on the stove or a crockpot. Serve piping hot and while a-wassailing!

Makes about 4½ cups

Variations
Use other citrus instead of an orange
Add cherry or pear juice
And other spices, such as star anise

Apple Praline Pie

2011-11-28T07:56:00.000-08:00

Okay, so the tarte tatin didn't quite work out how I wanted it to this year; I've still got a single pie crust I made; I picked up some more Granny Smith and Fuji apples yesterday morning from Smit Orchards at the Hillcrest farmers market; I love apple crisp more than pie; so here's what I'm gonna do:

Roll out & form my a pie crust

10 apples, peeled, cored
1&1/2 tablespoons rapadura sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
juice from 1/2 a lemon

Cut apples in half and sliced about ¼" thick. Toss with sugar, cinnamon & lemon juice. Mound in the unbaked pie crust.

Topping
2/3 cup rapadura sugar
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup flour
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup pecans, chopped
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix topping ingredients together until crumbly and cover the top of the pie.

Place pie on a baking sheet and bake at 375º until golden and bubbly, about 60 minutes.

Serve with the leftover maple whipped Spring Hill sour cream.

Variations
Use other fruit seasonally: pears, berries, stone fruit...

Pie Crust

2011-11-28T07:39:00.000-08:00

This is not my favorite task...

Pie Crust (based on Martha's Pate Brisee)
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon evaporated cane sugar
4 oz butter (from Spring Hill), cold, cut into 1/2" cubes
2-3 tablespoons ice water

In a bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add the butter and using your fingers, quickly mix the dough, smashing the butter into smaller and smaller pieces with your finger tips until the mixture resembles coarse meal. You still want to be able to see little pieces of butter and you don't want the heat of your fingers to melt the butter so don't over do it. (Alternatively, you can process for a few seconds in the food processor but I like to use my hands.)

Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time and combine just enough so the dough holds together without being wet or sticky. If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time. Form a ball, wrap in plastic and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month. To make a pie shell, allow to come to room temp, then roll out about 1/8" thick and big enough to line your pie plate. Line your pie plate to form your crust, cutting or crimping the top edge (any extra dough scraps can be topped with cinnamon and sugar and baked on a baking sheet for a little sweet treat) . If pre-baking, poke bottom with a fork a few times or put foil and a handful of dried beans over the bottom of the pie crust when baking.

This is enough for a single pie shell. Double this recipe if you want crust on top of the pie as well.

Make Your Own Mayo

2011-11-27T06:42:00.000-08:00

Be not afraid - this is very easy. The only problem is it makes about a cup and it only lasts a day or two. So make it when you know it will be consumed (like for potato salad or lots of people having sandwiches). If you want to make less you could look for smaller eggs and decrease the rest of the ingredients; sometimes the Schaners have little guinea fowl eggs. Or if you want to make a big batch, sometimes they have larger turkey eggs.

You are using a raw egg - again, be not afraid. Do you know where your local eggs come from? Do you keep them in the refrigerator once you get them home? Do you use them up and get fresh ones often? Are you immunocompromised? (yes, yes, yes, no) Good, then you have nothing to fear.

Mayonnaise
1 egg from your backyard or favorite farmer
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice from a local tree heavy with fruit
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 cup oil (more or less, depending on the size of the egg)
½ teaspoon sea salt
pinch cayenne pepper

In a food processor or blender, combine the egg, lemon juice and Dijon mustard. Process on high speed for 15 seconds. With the motor running, pour the oil in a slow, steady stream and process until emulsified. Watch while you're adding the oil: once it's real thick, (it will be harder to incorporate more oil and you don't want to over blend) and the oil just starts to pool on top, STOP. Add the salt and cayenne, and pulse briefly to blend.

Makes a bit more than a cup will keep for about 24 hours.

I never liked mayo until I made it myself. This is sooo much better than the shelf-stable stuff.

Variations
Try making with olive oil or half olive oil
Use different types of mustard
Use lime instead of lemon
Stir in chopped fresh herbs
Stir in other spices (black pepper, saffron...)
Make Aoli (garlic mayo): add 2-3 cloves of garlic to the blender first; blend well and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Kitchen Tip: How to Crack an Egg
Crack the egg gently (not too soft, not too hard) on a flat surface (e.g. your counter top), not the lip of your bowl. This way, the egg shells don't go into the egg white and you shouldn't get any shell in your recipe. Crack eggs one at a time into a separate small bowl before adding them to your recipe. Then, if you do happen to break little pieces of shell into your egg, they are easily removed.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

2011-11-26T18:42:00.000-08:00

Breakfast this morning:
poached Schaner eggs with hiwa kai salt from Salt Farm & freshly ground pepper
homemade rolls with Spring Hill butter & local honey

Lunch today:
delicious sandwich of homemade mayo, arugula persimmon salad, cranberry compote & stuffing on multigrain sprouted bread (might sound strange but it was awesome)
Smit Orchard's apple cider with Schaner pomegranate seeds

Dinner:
straight-up leftovers - stuffing, smashed potatoes, broccoli, cheese sauce, mushroom gravy, twice (well, now thrice) baked sweet potatoes followed by pie

Sauce Bechamel (White Sauce), Mornay (Cheese Sauce) & Soubise (Onion Sauce)

2011-11-26T10:03:00.000-08:00

Sauce bechamel is a very basic French white sauce that works well as a "mother" recipe for lots of different things and variations: in gratins, lasagnas, and other casseroles, over steamed veggies, mashed potatoes or Yorkshire Pudding. This is based on the very standard Joy of Cooking recipe.

1&1/4 cups milk
1/4 onion
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
sea salt
freshly ground white or black pepper

In a small saucepan, heat the milk, onion & bay leaf on low heat, uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove and compost the onion & bay leaf and set milk aside.

In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter on medium low heat, add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until golden brown. Slowing whisk in the warm milk until well incorporated (no lumps). Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.

Makes about 1&1/2 cups

Variations
After it thickens:

stir in 1/4 cup grated cheese blend from Taste or smoked cheddar from Spring Hill
add a tablespoon fresh minced herbs (chives, parsley...)

As the first step, saute an onion or a couple shallots (sliced very thin, sauteed until soft); then proceed with the recipe as written.

Pumpkin Praline Pie with a Ginger Cookie Crust

2011-11-23T17:40:00.000-08:00

I'm still searching for the perfect pumpkin pie recipe. Last year, I used the recipe from Chez Panisse Desserts, which was quite good but not perfect. Here's my attempt this year (very unconventional and a bit more complex):

Crust
about 9 ginger molasses crisps
5 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons rapadura sugar

Grind the cookies in a food processor to a fine crumb and measure 1&1/2 cups. Melt the butter and stir in the crumbs and sugar. Press firmly in the bottom and up the sides of a pie plate.

Filling
2-3 small pie pumpkins
1/2 cup rapadura sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
a pinch of ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup heavy cream
seeds from 1/2 a vanilla bean
3 eggs, beaten

Cut pumpkins in half, deseed, and bake, cut side down, for minutes at 400, until soft when pierced. When cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh and add 2 cups to a food processor. Puree with rapadura, spices and salt. In a small pot, cook puree at low heat to evaporate off some moisture, stirring in the cream. Remove from heat, allow to cool a bit and whisk in the vanilla and eggs quickly.

Pour the hot filling into the crust and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, or until the top of the pie just starts to crack.

Topping
1 cup pecans, chopped fine
1/2 cup rapadura sugar
pinch sea salt
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

While the pie is baking, mix together the topping ingredients (except for the evaporated can sugar). When the pie just starts to crack, top with the topping mixture, sprinkle the evaporated cane sugar over the top, and bake for another 10 minutes.

Peter Schaner's Autumn Salad

2011-11-22T16:12:00.000-08:00

I wasn't planning on a salad but that's one for the wonderful things about seasonal, local cooking. My spouse's mom is bringing arugula from her garden and one of my very favorite farmers, Peter Schaner, said "Here, use these in your thanksgiving salad" as he handed me a couple of persimmons, a pomegranate, and a lime. And I'm quite happy to oblige!

homegrown arugula or your favorite greens
persimmon, cut in half and sliced thin
pomegranate seeds
vinaigrette of lime juice, olive oil, sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

When I make a vinaigrette, I usually make it one part vinegar or citrus juice and 2-3 parts oil.

Kitchen Tip
One trick to getting the seeds out of the pomegranate is to score the outside with a knife and peel it apart underwater and loosen the seeds in a bowl of water. The seeds sink and the skin and pith float.

I love salad but I find at any event, most folks don't eat salad, so make way less than you think you'll need.

Winter Squash Lasagna

2011-11-21T19:57:00.000-08:00

I had a lot of Suzie's Farm squash around and picked up some lovely ricotta from Taste Cheese for tonight's dinner inspiration...

3 small-medium-sized winter squash (butternut, kabocha, honeybear acorn, delicata...)
olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 bulb garlic cloves, peeled
1 egg
2 cup ricotta
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, destemmed, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, destemmed, minced
1 tablespoon fresh sage, destemmed, minced
1 package lasagna noodles
1 cup white wine or broth
1/2 pound mozzarella, grated
Parmesan, grated, optional

Cut squash in half and scrape out the seeds. Slice half the squash (varieties with edible skin: kabocha, delicata) in 1/2" slices. Lightly oil all the squash and roast in oven at 400 until halves and soft and slices are caramelized. Add the garlic and onion to the sliced squash and remove when cooked. Set the sliced squash, garlic and onion aside. When the halved squash is cool enough to handle, scrape out flesh and puree until smooth in a food processor with wine or broth; salt and pepper to taste.

In a separate bowl, beat egg and stir in ricotta, herbs, salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.

Boil noodles in salted water until a little soft but still undercooked, about 4 minutes.

In a 13x9" baking pan, coat bottom in a light layer of squash puree, then a layer of noodles, a light layer of ricotta mix, then a layer of roasted squash, garlic and onion. Repeat until pan is full, ending with a layer of noodles. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan and bake at 350 until golden and bubbly, about 40 minutes.

Serve on a bed of arugula and drizzle with a balsamic reduction.

Serves 8-12

Variations
Add sauteed mushrooms in with the roasted veggies.

Ginger Molasses Crisps

2011-11-20T18:36:00.000-08:00

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
1 cup rapadura sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
sugar in the raw for rolling, optional
1/4 cup minced candied ginger, optional

Sift all dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, cream butter, sugar, egg & molasses together. Stir in candied ginger if you like. Stir in the dry ingredients. Shape into 1" balls and roll them in the sugar. Flatten them out a bit on a greased cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes at 350°.

Make about 3 dozen cookies.

Make your own Mustard

2011-11-20T10:02:00.000-08:00

I've only made mustard once and I was very encouraged by the results! The recipe I started with came from a great food blog: Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. I like a mostly whole grain, mildly hot, intensely flavored mustard. I originally made the recipe with cold liquid (cuz I wanted to see how spicy it would be) and it turned out much too spicy for me. Also, I thought the recipe was too dry (so dry it was difficult to spread) so here is my adjusted recipe for next time:

3 tablespoons black or brown mustard seeds

2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds

3 tablespoons mustard powder

1/2 cup warm white wine, water, juice, or beer

3 tablespoons vinegar (cider, white wine, or sherry)

2 teaspoons salt

Grind the whole mustard seeds for a few seconds in a spice or coffee grinder, or in a mortar and pestle, leaving them mostly whole. Pour the semi-ground seeds into a bowl and add the salt and mustard powder. Stir in the warm liquid and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir in the vinegar until well combined. Pour into a glass jar with a lid and store in the fridge. Wait at least 12 hours before using. It will last several months in the fridge.

Makes about 1 cup.

Variations

With the salt & mustard powder, stir in additional flavors of you choice:

2 tablespoons honey
1 large clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 tablespoon minced onion or shallot
1 teaspoon minced hot chili
1/4 cup minced fresh herbs (I like parsley, chive, and/or thyme)
a pinch to a teaspoon of dried herbs or spices: cayenne, red pepper flakes, dill,

Or mix up the types of vinegar (or try lemon juice) or the type of liquid used (remember, cold liquid makes the spiciest mustard; warm for medium spice; hot liquid for mild).

Pancakes Made Healthier & Tastier

2011-11-19T07:37:00.000-08:00

Personally, pancakes are one of my favorite breakfasts, especially for special occasions or guests. But I want them to be healthy and wholesome, not refined and processed. Fortunately, this is easy to accomplish… One simple change to a basic pancake recipe is using whole wheat pastry flour (or other whole grain flour) instead of all-purpose. Any basic “mother” recipe (traditional, vegan, wheat-free…) you might start with, you can make all sorts of variations, depending on what’s in season and what’s in your pantry that morning.

Try one or more of these additions sprinkled into the batter:

spices (cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla…)
citrus zest (lemon, orange, Buddha hand…)
whole grains and seeds (oats, toasted wheat germ, quinoa flakes, raw hemp seeds, chia seeds…)
fresh seasonal or dried fruit (sliced strawberries or bananas, dried blueberries or shredded coconut…)
chocolate chips, carob chips, cocoa nibs
nuts (sliced almonds or macadamia, walnut or pecan pieces…)

And for toppings:

fresh seasonal fruit or fruit compote (sautéed peaches or nectarines, apple pear compote...)
spreads (nut butters or chocolate hazelnut or jams or lemon curd…)
maple syrup or honey
whipped cream or coconut crème

One of my very favorite combos is to add several healthy spoonfuls of grains and seeds to the batter and top with lemon curd and fresh blueberries. Or try pancakes for dessert: chocolate chips & vanilla in the batter, topped with sliced strawberries & whipped cream!

Start playing with your favorite pancake recipe or try mine:

Pancakes
1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
3 tablespoons rapadura sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 to 1 1/4 cup milk, apple juice, yogurt, buttermilk or sour milk
3 tablespoons oil or melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder & salt. In a measuring cup, beat the eggs; then mix in the other wet ingredients. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Stir in any additions (spices, grains, seeds, fruit...) and pour out a few tablespoons of batter on a lightly oiled or buttered hot griddle or skillet on medium-low heat. Cook for a few minutes and when you see bubbles appear and the edges look a little dry, flip the pancakes gently with a spatula. Cook a few more minutes until golden brown on each side.

Serves 4-6. Spare pancakes can be frozen and saved for a quick breakfast later.

Wild Mushroom Gravy

2011-11-18T16:55:00.000-08:00

This is a great addition to the holiday table for vegetarians or meat-eaters. A rich, thick gravy that is excellent on garlic smashed potatoes or Yorkshire pudding.

1 stick butter
¼ pound white mushrooms, chopped
¼ pound crimini mushrooms, chopped
1 ounce dried wild mushrooms
3 large shallots, minced
1/3 cup flour
1 cup red wine
¼ cup cream
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Rehydrate the dried mushrooms in 3 cups of hot water until soft. Reserve the liquid and chop the mushrooms.

Melt ½ stick butter in a large sauté pan. Add mushrooms and shallot; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the liquid is cooked off and the mushrooms brown.

Add and melt ½ stick butter; over low hear, stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in cream, then mushroom liquid, then wine; simmer 6-8 minutes until thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Puree if you’d like it to be smooth.

Thanksgiving To Do List - One Week Away

2011-11-17T17:21:00.000-08:00

So, here's what I've accomplished on my checklist so far:

I've sent the Evite (25 guests and counting...)
I've created a menu & food shopping list (some will be foraged, most from the farmers markets and the rest from the OB Peoples Co-op)
I've pickled my vegetables for apps
I've got beds & linen for family flying in
I've got all the kitchen equipment I need
I'm borrowing tables, chairs, silverware, plates, and glasses
I've bought all non-perishables & stuff from Peoples

Here's what I'll do this weekend:

Make cranberry compote
Clean up the house & yard
Buy perishable ingredients at the Little Italy farmers market

2 days before:

Make gingerale, if I get ahold of my friends recipe (otherwise, I think I'll get some elderberry syrup and serve with sparkling water)
Continue to clean the house...
Prepare the serving pieces, plates, flatware, glasses, etc.
Iron cloth napkins or tablecloths (ya, right; sure I will)

Day Before:

Endless cleaning of the house!
Cut and cube bread for stuffing
Make pies & tarte dough
Peel & cut the Yukon potatoes, then refrigerate them in a pot of cold water
Assemble ingredients for side dishes
Set up tables and chairs

Thanksgiving Day:

Fortunately, I have several friends and family coming early to help with all the preparations for the meal. I've encouraged folks to come whenever they like, bring an appetizer or their favorite holiday dish if they wish to bring something to share. We'll keep nibbles out and drinks flowing throughout the day...

9am Start rolls; See pomegranates;
Squeeze oj & slice melon for breakfast

10am Roast garlic; Start sweet potatoes; chop broccoli

11am Start tarte tatin; chop carrots & parsnip

12pm Form rolls;
Chop onion, celery, apples & herbs for stuffing;
Prep mushrooms & shallots for gravy

1pm Finish stuffing and bake;

Prep Brussels sprouts; Make salad
2pm Boil mashed potatoes; Boil parsnips & carrots;

Make sauce mornay; Make gravy;

Sweet potatoes in oven;

Steam broccoli; Roast the Brussel sprouts;

Finish and garnish all dishes (except rolls)
3pm Serve dinner; Rolls in oven

Give thanks & enjoy the bounty!

5pm Make coffee; Whip cream; Serve dessert

Make music & have fun!

Grandma Roberts' Rolls

2011-11-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

Soft and tender, I love to make these rolls and remember my spouse’s very sweet grandmother, who made these rolls every holiday with her family.

1 cup scalded milk (this means heat just to a boil and remove from heat)
¼ cup evaporated cane sugar
¼ cup butter
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 eggs
1 cup unbleached white flour
2½ cups whole wheat flour

Add yeast to ¼ cup of warm water and let proof for 10 minutes.

In a separate, large bowl, mix milk, sugar, butter, and salt. Let cool until it is lukewarm (otherwise, you'll kill the yeast).

To the mixture, add the yeast, eggs, and flour. Beat until smooth. Cover with a warm, slightly damp towel. Let it rise for 2 hours.

This next part can be a bit tricky until you get the hang of it: roll out ropes about of the dough on a well floured surface; form and cut into individual knots (forming the roll). The dough will be sticky, so don’t be shy with the flour. Place rolls on parchment paper on baking sheets. Let it rise for 2 more hours.

Bake at 425º for 10-12 minutes until golden brown on top. We don't bake the rolls until the rest of dinner is served because these are best right out of the oven!

Roasted Vegetables

2011-11-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite way to prepare many vegetables:

Pick one or a mix of a few types, being mindful that different veggies may have different cook times -

Snap tough ends off asparagus or green beans.
Cut large Brussels sprouts in half.
Cut large veggies into bite sized pieces, such as fingerling potatoes from Sage Mountain Farm, carrots, parsnip, rutabaga, turnip, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, squash, bell peppers, onion...

Drizzle lightly with olive oil, season with sea salt & freshly ground pepper, and toss to coat. Roast on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan at 400° until well cooked, stirring occasionally. Asparagus cooks fast (10 minutes or less), root veggies and winter squash can take awhile (45 minutes or so)…

Variations
Add additional flavors after roasting-

drizzle with balsamic vinegar or port reduction
toss with your favorite vinaigrette, fresh herbs, and/or mustard
add a squeeze of lemon
top with shaved Parmesan ribbons or citrus zest

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

2011-11-14T17:05:00.000-08:00

A savory alternative to candied yams. For this recipe, choose sweet potatoes that are small, round and about the same size

6 small sweet potatoes (I like garnet), scrubbed well, poked with fork several times
6 tablespoons butter from Spring Hill
4 small shallots, minced from Schaner Farm
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced, plus more for garnish from Suzie's Farm or Schaner Farm
¼ cup rapadura sugar
2 large eggs from backyard chickens or the Schaner's
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
4 ounce gruyere cheese, finely grated, plus more for garnish
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Bake sweet potatoes at 400° until tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle. Slice each potato in half lengthwise. scoop out flesh, leaving about a 1/8-inch border all around potato halves and set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in small skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until soft, about 2 minutes. Add rosemary and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat, add 4 tablespoons butter and set aside.

Place flesh in a bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Add shallot mixture and remaining ingredients. Mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon mixture into potato halves. Top with extra gruyere. Bake at 400º until golden, about 20 minutes. Garnish with fresh rosemary.

Makes 12 servings

Garlic Smashed Potatoes

2011-11-14T07:31:00.000-08:00

This is a simple recipe but mashed potatoes are a staple for my holiday table. For more rustic mashed potatoes leave the peel on.

4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled or well scrubbed, cut into 1” pieces
½ stick butter
½ cup milk
sea salt

freshly ground pepper
2 bulbs of roasted garlic

In a large pot, cover potatoes with water (this can be done the day before and stored in the fridge overnight). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until soft, about 15 minutes.

After draining away the water, add butter, milk, salt and pepper to taste, and squeeze in garlic cloves. Mash with a potato masher, ricer, or whip gently with an electric mixer.

Makes 8-10 servings

Holiday Stuffing

2011-11-13T08:06:00.000-08:00

Based on my Aunt Pat’s Stuffing, this vegetarian stuffing so good, I never miss the bird!

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
6 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups multigrain (or other locally baked) bread, cut into ¾” cubes
½ bottle white wine
2 cups apple juice
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup fresh cranberries (or ½ cup dried)
1 cup golden raisins
1 large green apple, diced
fresh chopped herbs:

1/4 cup parsley

2 tablespoons sage

1 tablespoon rosemary

2 tablespoons thyme
sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

Warm the oil over medium heat. Add onion, sage, thyme & rosemary and cook until the onions just begin to soften. Add garlic and celery and cook a couple more minutes.

Combine all ingredients - except wine and juice – and place the mixture in a large baking dish. Moisten by adding about a third of the wine and juice. Cover and bake at 350° for about an hour, periodically adding the rest of the wine and nectar to keep it moist.

serves 8-10

Thanksgiving Quinoa

2011-11-13T08:01:00.000-08:00

This recipe is based on what I usually make as a Thanksgiving stuffing, and would be a great stuffing for those avoiding wheat.

4 cups quinoa, well rinsed
4 cups water
sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
1/4 cup garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
1 large crisp & tart apple, peeled and diced
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup pecan, roasted & chopped
1 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
4 cups apple juice
black pepper

In a large pot, bring the water, quinoa, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover, and cook until water is absorbed (about 10 minutes). In a wide-bottom pot or large skillet, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Saute onion until soft. Add thyme, sage, rosemary & garlic and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the wine, turn off heat and allow to steam, uncovered. Add all ingredients to the cooked quinoa, and cook, stirring until liquid is absorbed. Salt & pepper to taste.

Serves 8-12

Pickled Vegetables

2011-11-12T17:27:00.000-08:00

Suzie's Farm and Schaner Farm had some lovely vegetables today at the Little Italy Farmers Market so I'm pickling them. This method is not meant to be shelf stable and should be stored in the refrigerator. Each of these recipes makes a 1 quart jar:

Pickled Cucs
about 8 spiny little cucumbers, quartered
4 yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon dill
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons evaporated cane sugar
1 tablespoon sea salt

Pickled Beets
6 small beets, peeled & cut into sixth
1/4 yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 sprigs fresh parsley
a pinch of black mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sea salt

Pickled Peppers

6 assorted sweet peppers, cut into 1/2" strips

whole garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon oregano

a pinch of red pepper flakes

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons evaporated cane sugar

1 tablespoon sea salt

Pickled Thyme Carrots

3 bunches whole small carrots

8 sprigs fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon sea salt

Pickled Indian Carrots

3 bunches whole small carrots

1/4 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 sprigs fresh cilantro

a goodly pinch of saffron

1/4 teaspoon whole black mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

1/2 cup coconut vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons evaporated cane sugar

1 tablespoon sea salt

Stuff the herbs, veggies & spices in a quart-sized jar. In a small sauce pan, bring the water, vinegar, salt & sweetener to a boil. Pour into jar to the top. Screw the lid on tight and allow to cool. Store in the refrigerator for a couple days before eating.

Thanksgiving Menu and Preparations

2011-11-12T07:52:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is my favorite meal to cook. I do not celebrate its beginnings, but I give true thanks for all that I have to be grateful for. I love to share my thanks through mindful and loving preparation of very special recipes. Over the years, my menu has changed a bit, with my adaptations of coveted family favorites and new additions as my sense of family has expanded.

This year's menu is pretty ambitious, with even more items from scratch, some required to be made several weeks in advance (my spouse has been saving a few bottles of his latest beer). Some friends of ours shared fruited gingerales they made recently that I want to attempt to recreate...

Appetizers
potluck
homemade pickled vegetables

Drinks
homemade grapefruit gingerale
homebrewed Mad Stork black IPA & assorted local beers
family-made wines

Dinner

arugula, persimmon & pomegranate salad
sweet & savory stuffing

cranberry compote
yin yang smashed garlic potatoes & carrots with parsnips
wild mushroom gravy
twice baked sweet potatoes
balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts with homemade mustard
broccoli with sauce mornay
Grandma Roberts’ rolls

Dessert
fair trade organic decaf coffee
apple tarte tatin
pumpkin praline pie in a ginger cookie crust
whipped maple sour cream

So that's the plan so far. I'll be posting these holiday recipes and various preparations during the next week or so.

This weekend: taking stock of what we have and what we need to accommodate the 30 folks that we'll share a meal with.

beautiful turkey at City Farmers

Happy Cooking!

Roasted Garlic

2011-11-11T17:35:00.000-08:00

So many uses for wonderfully delicious roasted garlic. Lately we've been eating it spread on Bread & Cie ciabatta with Nicolau Farms classic chevre and some local honey. Schaner Farm and Sage Mountain Farm both have awesome garlic.

whole bulbs of garlic
olive oil
sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Chop the tops off the bulbs, leaving them intact but exposing the cloves. Set them on foil (which can be reused). Drizzle oil over the bulbs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap up the foil to enclose. Bake at 425º until cloves are caramelized and very soft, about an hour.

Cranberry Compote

2011-11-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

Great on stuffing, rolls, baked brie, sandwiches and all your favorite holiday foods. This recipe is based on Julia Child's cranberry sauce. And I think I'm going to can it this year for Winter Solstice gifts...

1 large granny smith apple, peeled, diced
1 large orange, zested, peeled, diced
1 cup orange juice
3 cups fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
½ cup maple syrup
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, ground

Pour juice and cranberries into large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, including orange zest and peel. Cover pan and bring to boil over high heat. Stir, reduce heat to medium, and cook covered for 5 minutes, until all cranberries burst. Uncover, reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes, until thick. Remove orange peel. Cool to serve at room temp. Can be kept frozen for several weeks.

Makes 2½ cups

Calabacitas - Una Receta de Mi Familia

2011-11-08T16:35:00.000-08:00

Growing up, my nana made this for me and her abuelita, Narcissa, made it for her. It's still one of my very favorite meals. I feel a very strong tie to my maternal line, especially to Narcissa, whom I never met but I feel her presence. She was a farmer, a healer, a spiritual women deeply connected to nature. I have a lot to learn from her...

Que piensas de estar en el web, tartarabuelita?

2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, quartered and thinly sliced
2-3 summer squash, quartered and thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound heirloom tomato, chopped
3 ears corn, kernels cut off the cob
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
sea salt
1/3 pound jack cheese, shredded, optional

Add the oil to a large skillet on medium-high heat, allowing it to heat up for a few minutes. Add the onions and cook until soft, stirring frequently. Add the squash and garlic; cook until just soft, a few minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, corn and cilantro and salt to taste. Top with cheese, cover and turn off heat. Keep covered until cheese has melted.

Serves 4-6

Serve with tortillas and beans or use it as a filling for tacos, burritos or enchiladas.

I like oatmeal?

2011-11-07T09:15:00.000-08:00

Many of the foods I thought I didn't like (for example, sun-dried tomatoes), I have found I do like them once I try them from the farmers market, made from scratch, not full of chemicals and/or refined unto death. We have forgotten what food tastes like and we've allowed ourselves to be convinced by trillions of dollars in advertising that the latest concoction in a brightly colored package is something we should put in our bodies for nourishment.

I never liked "oatmeal" (I use the term loosely here) before last week because I never ate real oatmeal until last week. Oatmeal is easy, fast, hearty, wholesome, warm ...and you can add so many different things to it to suit your tastes.

1&1/3 cup water
2/3 cup oats
pinch of sea salt

Stir ingredients together in a small pot, heat to a boil, bring the heat down to a simmer, cover and cook about 5 minutes. Done! Enough for you and a loved one.

Variations
Try other grains (cook times & amount of water will vary): barley or quinoa flakes, millet...
Sweeten it up: honey, maple syrup, rapadura, jam...
Spice it up: cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom, chai...
Add chopped nuts or seeds: almonds, pecans, walnuts, chia, hemp...
Thin it out with more water, milk, cream, buttermilk, hemp milk...
Add fresh seasonal fruit (right now, chopped apples or persimmon)
Add dried fruit: blueberries, coconut, peach, cherries...

Winter Root Vegetable Stew with Cobbler Dumplings

2011-11-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

If the weather forecast can be believed, we've got some cold days and colder nights headed our way, which makes me think of making this recipe. It's Thursday so I'm headed to the North Park farmers market to hit up Suzie's Farm, J.R. Organics, Smit's, and Spring Hill Cheese.

2 tablespoon oil (I like olive) or butter
2 cups (about ½ pound) leeks (or onions), julienned
1 fennel bulb, chopped (about 1½ cups)
3 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
¼ pound fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped (I like cremini)
1 ½ pounds (3-4 cups) root vegetables, chopped (I like Yukon potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and maybe a turnip or rutabaga but you could also use winter squash or other hardy veggies)
4-5 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp fresh parsley, stemmed & minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, stemmed & minced
sea salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

1. Prep the veggies: trim dark green parts (keep for stock) from the leeks, score leeks lengthwise, then cut the leeks into pieces about 1 inch in length; wash thoroughly and drain. Chop fennel & veggies into about ¼-½ inch cubes (keep roots end, fennel fronds and stalks for stock). Roughly chop mushrooms (save stems for stock).

2. Make the stock.
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, chopped
any vegetable scraps
1 bay leaf
3 fresh sage leaves
2 springs fresh parsley
2 springs fresh thyme

In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil on high heat, add the onion, garlic, carrot, and vegetable scraps (tops, peels, stems, ugly or tough parts. Nothing rotten or dirty. No onion skin, garlic skin, nor stinky veggies such as turnips or rutabagas), stirring occasionally until you see some caramelization. Cover completely with water, about 6 cups, add herbs and bring to a boil, add ½ tsp sea salt and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain out the vegetable pieces.

3. Make the cobbler dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
8 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces (6 if you add cheese)
1 cup milk
½ cup grated cheese (cheddar, gruyere, parmesan…), optional
1 tablespoon fresh herbs, chopped (chives, parsley, thyme, sage…)

In a medium bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, and salt. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your finger tips, until the texture is crumbly. Stir in the milk until well combined, then mix in the cheese and herbs. Set aside.

4. Make the stew: in a deep, wide skillet, melt butter or heat oil on high, add leeks, fennel, mushroom, thyme, and garlic, stirring frequently, and cook until the mushrooms give up their liquid and start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped winter veggies; cover completely with stock and season with a bit of salt. Bring to a boil and stir in the parsley. Drop large spoonfuls of the cobbler dough on top of the stew; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt & pepper after portioning stew and cobbler into bowls for serving.

Serves 4-6

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

2011-10-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

I'll be heading to the Little Italy farmer's market tomorrow for Suzie's Farm pumpkins so I can make this cake for a Halloween party...

4 eggs, beaten
2 cups rapadura sugar
¾ cup oil
2½ cups cooked, pureed pumpkin
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground clove
½ teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup red walnuts from Terra Bella Farms, chopped (for garnish)

Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder spices and salt together; set aside. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar together; mix in oil, applesauce and pumpkin, then blend in flour mixture just until combined. Bake in well greased, well floured bundt pan at 350° for an hour (in my convection oven, I bake at 335 for 50 minutes). Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack.

Maple Neufchatel Glaze
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons rapadura sugar
zest of half of an orange
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
4 ounces neufchatel cheese, at room temp
a pinch of sea salt

Mix syrup, sugar, milk, zest, and vanilla until sugar dissolves. Combine and beat all ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake and garnish with walnuts

DIY Vegetable Stock

2011-10-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

Making your own vegetable stock is pretty easy, it really doesn't take too long, and makes a hugh difference in the quality of your soup. If you're planning ahead or if you hate to throw anything away until its fully used (even before it hits the compost!), hang on to your clean vegetable scraps (tops, peels, stems, seeds, ugly or tough parts) whenever you're cooking. You can freeze the scraps until you're ready to make stock. If you're about to make soup, prep all your veggies first, save your scraps and use them to make your stock.

This method works best if your making soup with lots of scraps (corn cobs or squash skins & seeds) or if you've squirreled away veggie scraps in your freezer. If your scraps are meager, add an onion, a few carrots, a few celery ribs and a few crushed cloves of garlic for a very basic stock. Rough chop veggies before adding them to the pot.

I start with a little olive oil in the pot and caramelize the veggie scraps before adding water for a rich vegetable stock. Once you've got a nice fond (but not burnt!) in the pot, add your herbs (such as a bay leaf, a few springs of fresh parsley and thyme, a few fresh sage leafs) and give a stir while it cooks a couple minutes. If you've saved bean broth or a parmesan cheese rind, you can add that, too. Then add enough water to cover your veggies, a bit of sea salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain out the veggies and your stock can go straight into the soup (or freeze it for later).

What if the stock is weak?
The easiest fix is to boil the stock down to concentrate the flavors. Or you can add "cheater" ingredients to richen the flavor: veggie bouillon cubes or powder (this is the cheater ingredient I keep on hand), nutritional yeast, Quick Sip, or Braggs.

What doesn't go in the stock?
Never use rotting vegetables; send those straight to the compost bin (the quality of your food can only be as good as the ingredients that go into it). It is also a good idea to avoid using veggies that get stinky when overcooked (like broccoli, cabbage, kale, turnips, etc). I also avoid onion and garlic skins and pepper because I think they make the stock bitter. Don't use strong tasting (or strong colored) veggies or herbs (fennel, beets, basil, rosemary...) in the stock unless they are also used in the soup.

Winter Squash Soup

2011-10-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

Folks love this simple soup and always ask me for the recipe. I made it Art of Agriculture event at Wild Willow Farm last year and I'll be making again at the Farm for a fundraiser for Seeds @ City Urban Farm.

My very favorite squash is butternut and I also love pumpkin (so many varieties!), kabocha, honeybear acorn, delicata and tahitian, but use your favorite winter squash or a mix...

1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
2 cups onion, coarsely chopped
5 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped (keep the skin, seeds and scrapings for your stock)
5-6 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped
2 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Sauté the onion and squash in oil in a large pot on high heat stirring frequently until lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add herbs and broth, bring to a boil, and simmer covered until the squash is soft, about 20 minutes. Puree and season to taste.

Makes about 8 cups

Garnish with sage puree, chopped parsley, small pieces of roasted veggies, sprouts or micro greens, and/or buttered croutons.

Variation
Try roasting the squash before cooking the soup.

Sage Puree
10 sage leaves, blanched
¼ cups extra virgin olive oil

In a blender or with an immersion blender, blend sage and olive oil until very smooth.

Buttered Croutons
Melt a tablespoon (or so) of butter in a skillet over medium heat, toss in cubed bread (just enough to make a single layer in the skillet), salt and pepper to taste and sauté until golden brown.

Another Tomatillo Salsa

2011-10-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

Back in my college days, I worked in Fruitvale and there was this great Mexican restaurant we'd sometimes eat lunch at and they had a wonderful, smooth, avocado-tomatillo salsa. After picking up Farmers Market ingredients from Schaner Farm and Suzie's Farm, here's my attempt at recreating it:

4 large tomatillos, husk removed, rinsed well, quartered
1 medium avocado (or half of a Reed - my favorite variety)
1 jalepeño
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon lime juice or to taste
sea salt to taste
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped fine, leaves & stems

In a food processor, buzz all ingredients except cilantro until very smooth. Stir in cilantro.

Very simple. I served this at a party recently and it went over big!

Iced Teas & Herbal Tisanes

2011-10-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

Technically, if it's herbal it's not called tea, it's called tisane. But nobody really uses that word so I just call it herbal iced tea even if I'm just steep herbs and no actual tea is involved. Whatever you call it, herbs are grown locally and tea isn't so I often steep herbs, on their own or with fruit and sometimes tea, to make lovely, refreshing drinks.

Here's some general guidelines:

I use water just below a boil to steep tea/herbs/fruit
I use about 2-3 bunches of fresh herbs or 1-2 ounces of dried herbs/tea per gallon of water.
I steep herbs or fruit generally for about 20 minutes, tasting along the way for strength.
I steep tea any where from 3-12 minutes, depending on the tea. I like strong tea but I want to pull the leaves out before it gets bitter. If I'm using the same tea leaves multiple times the 1st steep is shorter and I'll add a couple minutes to each progressive steep (e.g. 3 minutes the 1st steep, 5 minutes the 2nd steep)
I only use the highest quality tea and herbs I can find. Tea can get super expensive but a little goes a long way.

I recently made a lavender-mint-lemon verbena tisane for an event at Suzie's Farm (using all ingredients grown at Suzie's, of course), which was also very popular when I made it for the farmers markets. Steep the leaves only on the verbena, strip them from the stems. I think the stems are bitter. But the lavender flower and leaves give good flavor, and most other fresh herbs you can steep the whole bunch. Here's a few more I love:

fresh chocolate mint
white peony tea & dried orange peel
oolong & lemongrass
black tea with dried orange peel, fresh ginger & honey
dried hibiscus flower (think jamaica), plain or with citrus
virgin "sangria": hibiscus, rosehips, raspberry leaf with fresh fruit & agave.

Pour over ice and add sweetener as desired. I also love to cut lemonade with iced tea/tisane.

Melon Agua Fresca at Suzie's Farm

2011-10-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

With Suzie's providing the ingredients, it was very easy to make wonderful agua frescas for their Pumpkin Palooza this year. And boy did they go fast! Here's how I made them:

For about a 1/2 gallon of agua fresca:
about 8 cups watermelon chunks (or any melon your like), seeded and rinds removed
large handful of fresh mint leaves or lemon basil leaves (optional, and use whatever herbs strike your fancy)
a tablespoon of fresh squeezed citrus juice (lime, lemon or whatever you like)

Put all your ingredients in a blender and add water to cover at least half the melon (add more water as desired) and blend well. Strain liquid with a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth (I use a rubber spatula to force as much liquid as possible through the strainer). Pour over ice and enjoy!

Ian's Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-10-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

We've monkeyed with many cookie recipes over the years and Ian's got this one absolutely perfected...

2/3 cup evaporated cane sugar
1 stick cold butter, cut into 1/2" cubes (must be cold!)
1 egg (love those Schaner Farm eggs!)
1&1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I make my own)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup & 2 tablespoons all purpose unbleached wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
a heaping cup of chocolate chips (fair trade of course)
3/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped (Terra Bella Farm has lovely ones)

Cream the sugar and butter together. Add the egg, vanilla and salt and mix well. Add the flour and soda and mix until just combined. Fold in the chips and nuts. Drop rounded spoonfuls of dough on a greased baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 8-12 minutes.

Makes 2 dozen.

Variations
Chocolate chocolate chip cookies - reduce flour to 1 cup and add 1/4 of fair trade cocoa powder

Make Your Own Vanilla Extract
This is very, very simple: after you use vanilla beans, save the pods! They can be wiped clean or gently rinsed (if you've boiled them in cream, for example) and dried. Put them in a dark glass jar (with a tight fitting lid) or bottle with 1/2 cup of rum, brandy or vodka (Ballast Point makes rum locally). Wait a couple months before using. Keep adding vanilla pods whenever you use them!

Creamy Salad Dressings

2011-10-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

I usually prefer vinaigrettes but sometimes a creamy dressing is the perfect compliment.

A dollop of creme fraiche with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt is simple and beautiful on butter lettuce garnished with fresh chives. Here's a couple more favorites...

Ranch Dressing

Nothing like the bottled stuff (which I now find inedible), freshly made ranch dressing is wonderful, and for me, a comfort food full of nostalgia. We love it on green salads with lots of vegetables (we got the perfect haul today from Suzie's & JR's Farms: lettuce, red cabbage, cherry tomatoes, armenian cuc, broccoli and purple carrots), on potatoes, or as a dip for crudites, sweet potato fries, and even pizza crust. This recipe is also a good example of how recipes can easily be adapted to what you have on hand. I vastly prefer to use fresh ingredients, but dried spices can work in a pinch.

2 - 4 cloves garlic (you could sub granulated or powdered garlic)
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup sour cream, crema, or crème fraiche (you could even use plain yogurt or mayo)
¼ cup (or more) milk (or buttermilk, half & half, nonfat…)
¼ cup minced fresh herbs (flat-leaf parsley, chives maybe some thyme and dill or sub in dried herbs)
1 green onion, minced (or shallot, red onion or even onion powder or dried onion…)
1 teaspoon lemon juice (or vinegar - apple cider, white wine, sherry…)
Freshly ground black pepper

Mash the garlic and salt to a paste with the side of a chef's knife. In a bowl, whisk it together the rest of the ingredients (start with ¼ milk). If it’s too thick, thin with milk to desired consistantcy. If you use dried herbs/garlic/onion, let it sit for a hour or 2 before using).

Cotija Cilantro Dressing

This one's perfect for any kind of mexican or "taco" salad. Try it on romaine with diced heirloom tomatoes or salsa fresca, black/pinto/kidney beans and broken tortilla chips.

1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon pepitas, toasted
1/4 bunch (or a handful) fresh cilantro
3/4 oz cotija cheese

Blend with immersion blender until smooth.

Back-to-School Lunches with PB&J

2011-09-27T15:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes its hard to come up with ideas of what to pack yourself (or your kid or spouse) for lunch but bringing your own lunch is a great way to to care for yourself, family and our earth: decreased packaging & waste, increased nutrition & love, and where ever you might buy your lunch I'm pretty sure they're not using much in the way of local and organic ingredients. When I was little, it was the highlight of my day when I found "I love you" written on the napkin my mom tucked into my lunch box.

So there's the obvious choices:

fresh or dried fruit
fresh cut veggies
nuts
thermos of soup
sandwich or wrap
crackers or baguette with cheese or avocado
leftovers (might require kitchen access it heat stuff up)
salad (green, pasta, potato, etc)

Or you could pack any number of combos of bruschettas, dips, spreads, or salsas with veggies, crackers, pita, or baguette.

Here's a twist on a brown bag classic:

Roots' PB&J
On Sadie Rose multigrain bread, spread freshly ground peanut butter (or your favorite nut butter) and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Add a layer of sliced banana (but bananas are have a short season locally and are very unsustainable otherwise so try sliced apples instead). Sprinkle with a generous tablespoon of chopped toasted walnuts from Terra Bella Farm and drizzle with local honey. Spread the other slice of bread with Jackie's BRB Jam (or another local seasonal goodie - there are lots to try these days at the farmers markets)

Enjoy gooey deliciousness!

Ode to Julia: Leek & Potato Soup

2011-09-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

This recipe is based on Julia Child's. It's one of my very favorite soup recipes and was very popular at Roots. It's simple, hearty, comforting, delicious, cheap, and easy to put your own spin on...
3 cups leeks, julienned
1 cup onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
3 cups Yukon potatoes, well scrubbed & chopped (I leave the peel on for a more rustic soup but you can peel it if you prefer)
4 cups vegetable stock
sea salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil or butter over medium-high heat in a large pot. add the leeks and onions; cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring. add the potatoes and stock. bring to a boil; let simmer for 20 minutes. You can leave the soup chunky, or just blend half, but I prefer to blend (with an immersion blender) until mostly smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish options
sour cream or crème fraîche, grated dubliner cheese, fresh chopped parsley, chives or green onion, buttered croutons, blue cheese crostini…

Variations
add in other vegetables: carrots, parsnips, turnips, rutabga, cauliflower, winter squash, sorrel, spinach, kale…
sweet potato & leek soup: use sweet potatoes instead of yukon, garnish with grated gruyere cheese and fresh minced rosemary
broccoli potato soup with cheddar: add a bunch of broccoli (rough chop florets; peel and shred stalks) to the last 5 minutes of simmering. garnish with shredded cheddar cheese.

Kitchen Tip

Julienned Leeks

With a paring knife, remove the tough, dark green parts of leaves (save for stock). Starting at the root base, insert the knife through the leek and draw up through the top. Repeat, cutting leek lengthwise into thin strips. cut into 1½ inch sections, removing root base. place julienned leeks in a bowl of water and stir vigorously to rinse away all dirt.

A Trio of Hummus (& other variations)

2011-09-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, the plural of hummus is hummus (but I had to look it up). Anyways...
Hummus is a very easy recipe to riff on and I'm kinda into serving trios of things, so let's start with the "mother" recipe:

4 large cloves garlic (I like garlic, but if you don't you can skip or use less)
1 cup garbanzo beans, cooked from scratch (yummy) or canned
1/4 - 1/3 cup tahini
pinch of ground cayenne
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3-5 tablespoons garbanzo broth (if you cooked them from scratch) or water, more if you like a thinner hummus

In a food processor, buzz the garlic until minced. Add the garbanzo beans, tahini & cayenne. In a separate container, combine the olive oil, lemon juice and broth/water. Turn on the food processor and slowly pour in the liquid. Blend until very smooth (a few minutes).

Makes about 1&1/2 cups. Top with a drizzle of your favorite olive oil and sprinkle with za'atar (a middle eastern spice mix). Serve with fresh pita and crudités.

A few suggestions for variations:
Fresh herbs - I served a cilantro hummus at Roots, if you'd like to duplicate it...add 1/2 bunch of cilantro (stems & leaves) (or parsley or basil - leaves only) and buzz with the garlic before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Roasted garlic - roast a full head of garlic and add the caramelized cloves in before adding the liquid.

Sun-dried tomato - I didn't like these until I tried them from Terra Bella Farm & Sage Mountain Farm and they taste amazing. Add a handful and buzz with the garlic before adding the rest of the ingredients

Roasted red pepper - or try roasting any of the beautiful peppers from Suzie's Farm. Add 1-2 roasted, skinned, seeded peppers in with the garlic and blend until pureed before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Baba ganoush - roast a smallish eggplant and scoop out the flesh to replace the garbanzo beans (and hold off on the water)

Garlicky Cesar Salad Pasta

2011-09-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

My spouse made this for me on our first date and it's been one of my very favorite meals ever since. This recipe is based on a traditional Cesar Salad (from TJ) but I skip the anchovies.

Croutons (yes, of course, make your own)

1/3 loaf of stale ciabatta, baguette, multigrain or whatever is handy (Sadie Rose and Bread & Cie are my favorites, until I learn to make awesome bread), cut into 1/2" cubes

olive oil

sea salt or garlic salt

Heat a large pan on medium-low. Add the bread cubes and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Add a few pinches of salt. Toss to coat well and toss every now and again to allow the croutons to brown evenly. Toast until golden.

Dressing

6 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (from Calivirgin or Good Faith)
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
juice from ½ small lemon (off my tree)
2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed (from Sage Mountain Farm)
1&1/2 teaspoon dijon or stone ground mustard (try SoNo until you learn to make it yourself)
a goodly pinch of sea salt
2 goodly pinches of fresh cracked black pepper

Mix well or blend dressing ingredients together (I just make this in a jar, screw the lid on and shake).

1 big head romaine lettuce, cut or torn into bite sized pieces (JR Organics has amazing lettuce!)
½ cup parmesano reggiano cheese, microplaned
1/4 pound angel hair pasta (I get mine in bulk at OB Peoples Co-op)

sea salt

Heat a couple quarts of water to a boil, add a couple teaspoons of salt, return water to a boil and add pasta, stirring occasionally. Angel hair cooks real fast and I hate over cooked pasta so taste it after 3 minutes and see if it's al dente. As soon as it's done, drain it (do not rinse!) and give it a light coating of the dressing so it doesn't stick together.

In a separate large bowl, toss the romaine and dressing, then add the parm and toss to combine.

Plate a handful of angelhair, top with a big helping of salad and garnish with croutons.

Serves 2-4

Hippie Bars!!!

2011-09-16T20:04:00.000-07:00

another Roots favorite...(a long list of ingredients but you can get all them at OB Peoples Co-op)

1 cup butter, room temp
2/3 cup evaporated cane sugar
1 cup rapadura sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 toasted wheat germ (you can toast raw wheat germ in a pan on low heat if you can't find toasted wheat germ)
2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup raw hemp seed (no, these won't get you high)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1&1/2 cups chocolate chips (fair trade, of course; let's not support slavery for African children)

Beat butter and sugars until well-combined. Add eggs, pb & vanilla and mix until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, mix together flours, wheat germ, oats, hemp seed, baking soda & salt. Then mix into the wet ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Press dough into a buttered 13"x9" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 28 minutes.

My Best Chocolate Cake

2011-09-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

I looove chocolate cake and i've spent years seeking out, taste testing (well, somebody has to!) and perfecting these recipes...
The Cake
1 cup all purpose unbleached flour
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1½ cups evaporated cane (or your favorite) sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 egg + 1 yolk
1/3 cup oil (I like safflower or sunflower)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1 inch of vanilla bean seeds, scraped)
¾ cup buttermilk or yogurt (or milk with 1 T sour cream)
¾ cup water (or ½ cup water and ¼ cup coffee)

Combine the dry ingredients in a stand up mixer. Mix in the vanilla, water, buttermilk, oil, and eggs to combine (do not over mix).

24 cupcakes: Fill paper-lined cupcake pans full of batter. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes, rotate pans (if needed) and bake another 12 minutes.

8” round layer cake: Pour batter into a greased and floured cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for about 35 minutes.

13”x9” cake: Pour batter into a greased and floured cake pan. Bake at 350° for about 55 minutes.

and of course...
Chocolate Frosting

6 tablespoons butter (from Spring Hill - that's the secret to the best frosting), room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1 inch of vanilla bean seeds, scraped)
½ cup + 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, sifted
1½ cups (or more to taste) powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons milk (or 2 tablespoons coffee and 1 tablespoon milk), more or less to desired consistency

Blend all ingredients until smooth in a food processor.

Two bowls of Chili

2011-09-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

Black Bean Chili a Roots favorite...

2 teaspoons olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped
1 pasilla chili (they are not hot), chopped
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon dried oregano
cayenne to taste (start with a pinch, if you're wimpy; up to 1/2 teaspoon if you like it spicy)

1½ teaspoon paprika
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
¾ cup tomato, chopped (fresh or canned)
juice of ½ an orange
3 cups cooked black beans

salt to taste

Sauté the onion, bell pepper, and spices in the oil in a pan on medium heat until soft, about 7 minutes, stirring (do not brown). Add garlic and tomato and cook for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat, add orange juice and puree until mostly smooth.

Return to heat, add beans with their liquid and cook for 15 minutes. Salt to taste.

Garnish Options: sour cream, cheddar, jack cheese, avocado, cilantro, green onions

Simple Vegan Chili
½ tablespoon olive oil
½ cup yellow onion, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped

¾ teaspoon cumin, ground
¼ teaspoon cayenne
3 cups diced tomato (fresh or canned)
3 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups cooked kidney beans, drained or with liquid if you want it soupier

salt to taste if using fresh tomato and cooking your own beans.

In a large pot, saute onions and celery in oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until onions just begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer.

Variations
Add other ingredients: carrots, zucchini, black beans, black-eyed peas, garbanzo beans…

Salsa Fresca

2011-09-10T14:27:00.000-07:00

The tomatoes are so beautiful and bountiful right now. I made a very straight up, simple salsa last night (to put on top of a chile relleño casserole; more on that later):

4 tomatoes, medium sized, diced (whatever you've grown or is your favorite, 2 if they are big ones)
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
¼ cup onion (red, yellow, or green), finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
¼ bunch cilantro chopped
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½-1 minced fresh chile, such as a jalepeño, serano or habinero

Combine all ingredients. Makes about 2 cups.

Variations
Blend ingredients for a smooth salsa
Add other ingredients: black beans, corn kernels, diced avocado…
Diced canned tomatoes can be used when fresh tomatoes are out of season

Mexican Mocha Brownies

2011-09-07T21:58:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a while since I've made these because they are so rich pero muy delicioso!

1 stick butter

2 oz unsweetened chocolate

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

½ teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon finely ground fair trade mexican coffee beans
a pinch of cayenne, optional

Melt butter and chocolate together over a water bath and stir to combine. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients until combined. Spread mixture into 8x8 pan lined with buttered parchment paper. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes until set. Cool slightly before removing. Cool completely in fridge. Cut into 1½” (or so) squares.

Mexican Mocha Glaze

¼ pound powdered sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons kahlúa, heated

milk and/or coffee to thin

whole coffee beans

Blend all ingredients (except milk) until smooth in a food processor. Add milk as needed to thin glaze enough that it will pour. Pour glaze over brownies to coat completely and top each one with a coffee bean.

Makes about 20 little brownies.

Pesto!

2011-08-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

I've been super stuck on pesto lately. We've been making it every week for the past month and putting it on everything: sandwiches, pasta, salad, roasted potatoes, poached eggs, garlic bread... especially awesome with heirloom tomatoes from the Schaners and fresh mozzarella from Taste (unless I plan ahead to make the cheese myself)

4 cloves of garlic (this is a garlicky recipe)

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

2 bunches basil (about 2 cups packed, from the Schaners, Suzie's or JR Organics)

2 ounces blue cheese (Point Reyes is a good go-to, if not a bit ubiquitos)

1/2 cup olive oil (I love Calivirgin and Good Faith Farm)

goodly pinch sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a food processor, pulse the garlic until minced. Add the pinenuts, basil (leaves only), blue cheese and start to blend. Drizzle in olive oil while blending to desired consistency. Salt & pepper to taste. Use immediately or cover with olive oil and store in fridge.

Makes about 2 cups.

Variations:

Vegan - just skip the cheese, might need more oil and/or nuts

Try other combinations of herbs, nuts/seeds & cheese:

cilantro & pepita with queso fresca
arugula & walnut with stilton
lemon basil & pecan with ricotta salata & maybe some honey!

Peach Salsa

2011-08-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

4 peaches, diced
1 Tblsp freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice (add zest too if you like)
¼ cup red onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
¼ bunch cilantro, chopped including stems
¼ tsp sea salt
1 (or more to taste) minced fresh chile, such as a jalepeño, serano or Suzie's padrons

Combine all ingredients. Makes about 2 cups

Try served with quesadillas with Spring Hill Monterey Jack!

Carrot Cake

2011-08-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

Beautiful carrots at the farmers market this week from Sage Mountain Farm & Suzie's Farm, so it was the perfect time for carrot cake.

1 cup all purpose unbleached flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups rapadura sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup safflower or sunflower oil (choose a high oleic variety -these are high in monounsaturated, healthier fats: read the label)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
4 eggs from Schaner Farm
3 cups carrots, grated, tightly packed

Combine the dry ingredients in a stand up mixer. Mix in the oil, applesauce, and eggs to combine (do not over mix). Stir in the grated carrot.

24 cupcakes: Fill lined cupcake pans full of batter. Bake at 350° for 11 minutes, rotate pans and bake another 11 minutes.

8” round layer cake: Pour batter into 2 greased and floured cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for about 40 minutes.

13”x9” cake: Pour batter into a greased and floured cake pan. Bake at 350° for about 55 minutes.

Neufchatel Frosting

¼ pound butter (from Spring Hill: the secret to a perfect frosting), room temp

8 oz neufchatel cheese, room temp

1/2 vanilla bean (or 1½ tsp vanilla extract)

6 oz (weighed) powdered sugar

2 pinches sea salt

Scrape vanilla seeds from the bean (save the pod for vanilla sugar or make your own extract). Blend all ingredients until smooth in a food processor

Simple Corn Soup

2011-07-27T08:31:00.000-07:00

This is a very easy, very delicious recipe that you can tart up in many delectable ways...

4 ears corn, remove husk and silk
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1/3 cup grated potato
Sea salt to taste

Cut the kernels off the cobs and set aside. Put the cobs (and any other appropriate veggie trimmings if you got 'em) in 5 cups water, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Strain out the veggie parts and now you've made your own broth.

In a soup pot, melt the butter (or heat the oil) on medium heat. saute onion for a minute, add potato and about a cup of the broth. Cover and simmer until soft, about 15 minutes.

Add the rest of the corn broth and half the corn kernels. Simmer for a few minutes and then blend the soup until smooth (be careful! it's hot). Add the remainder of the corn kernels and salt to taste. Serves 4.

Variations:
garnish with roasted tomatillo salsa, crema or dry jack, a little lime zest & tortilla chips

garnish with diced heirloom tomatoes, julienned basil & mozzarella

garnish with parsley and serve with cheddar puffs (i'll post the recipe for those soon)

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

2011-07-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

Sage Mountain Farm had gorgeous tomatillos this week and they have some of the best garlic!

1 small head garlic cloves, skinned
a few of your favorite chilis (or more or less to taste) - this week: padrons from Suzie's Farm
a little olive oil
1 bunch fresh cilantro (from the Schaners), chopped, including stems
1 small onion, diced small
sea salt to taste

Toss tomatillos, garlic and chilis with a little drizzle of olive oil and roast on a baking sheet under a very hot broiler until blistered and soft (5-10 minutes), stirring occasionally. Cool; transfer to blender, including juice, and blend to a course puree. Add cilantro and onion and season with salt to taste.

Makes about 4 cups - if this is too much, freeze or can some of the puree (before adding cilantro and onion) for later.

Kitchen Tip: Peeling Garlic
Pull cloves apart. Using a wide chef’s knife, cut offtough base of clove. Place theside of the knife flat against the clove, parallel with the cutting board. Very carefully – don’tcut yourself - crush (lighly if you want to keep the cloves whole, with more force if you're going to be mincing) the clove between the cutting board and the flat side ofthe knife. The skin now can be easily removed.

Make you own sour cream/crema/creme fraiche

2011-07-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

This is easy to make and just requires a little thinking ahead when menu planning

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons buttermilk

Combine cream and buttermilk well in glass jar and cover loosely. Let stand at room temperature for about 12 hours, or until thickened. Stir and refrigerate. It will keep in the refrigerator for 7 days.

My Favorite Zucchini Recipes: Calabacitas & Zucchini Quick Bread

2011-07-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

Both of these recipes were handed down through my mom's family...

Narcissa’s Calabacitas
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pound summer squash, sliced into bite-sized pieces
3 large tomatoes, diced
5 cloves fresh garlic, pressed
2 cobs fresh corn, kernels sliced off the cob
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
sea salt & pepper
2-3 ounces cheddar or jack cheese, grated

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, squash, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently until start to soften. Stir in corn, tomatoes, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste. Top with cheese and cover until cheese is melted. Serve with tortillas.

Serves 4-6

Zucchini Bread (or Muffins)
3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
3 cups grated zucchini
½ cup nuts

Beat eggs light and foamy. Mix in oil, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Add zucchini and nuts; mix until well combined.

For muffins: bake in cupcake tins at 325º for 20 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.
For bread loaf: bake in 2 greased 9x5 loaf pans at 325º for 1 hour.
Cool on rack.

Variations
Eliminate the cinnamon (or not) and add ¼ cup cocoa powder and ½ cup chocolate chips.
For a lower fat version, replace 1/3-2/3 of the oil with applesauce.

fresh squeezed lemonade

2011-06-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

Lemonade is a beautiful thing. I'm so happy to have a lemon tree but if you don't, there are tons of trees around town heavy with fruit: make friends with your neighbor or stake out a tree that's easy to reach. And they are almost always in season here in san diego.

Here's my basic recipe:
in a 1 gallon container -
2 - 2 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (including pulp)
zest of a lemon (optional)
1 1/2 - 2 cups your preferred sweetener (I usually use agave or a simple syrup made from evaporated cane juice and sometimes half honey)
Fill the rest of the container with water.

Lemonade is very easy to rift on using a vast array of seasonal ingredients. Add any of these ingredients before filling the container with water. All amounts are approximate, so just use what you got and adjust to taste:
a tablespoon of zest and/or the juice of lime, buddha hand, tangerine, orange, grapefruit, and/or kumquat
a handful of fresh lavender or rose geranium, steeped in a cup of hot water for 20 minutes, strained
1 cup cucumber, blended and a handful of fresh mint, blended and strained
8 cups watermelon, seeded and blended
a cup pineapple guava or dragon fruit, blended
a cup pomegranate juice
a cup berries, blended (and maybe strained; blueberry was a favorite)

My little sister and I recently made an amazing lemonade with mulberries from my tree and strawberries and blackberries from the farmers market.

I also love to cut the sweetness by mixing lemonades with various iced teas and herbal tisanes.

Here's a few of my favorite combos:

raspberry lemonade & mint tisane
orange lemonade & white peony tea
mixed citrus or berry lemonade & jamaica (hibiscus tisane)
lemonade & oolong tea
citrus lemonade & black assam ginger tea

Serve over ice and garnish with edible flowers!

eggs and backyard chickens

2011-06-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

We are very fortunate to be fostering a friend of mine's chickens, 3 of which lay beautiful eggs. we even got one with a double yolk! I'd heard of these but never saw one in real life before - how special. We were surprised how big the egg was compared to their normal eggs.

Our favorite way to prepare the best eggs is to poach them:
Take your eggs out of the fridge to allow them to come to room temp (or use your fresh eggs from this morning!).
Cooking one egg at a time, crack your egg onto a small plate and set aside.

in a small pot, bring a few cups of water to a simmer. Add a splash of vinegar and pinch of salt. Swirl water to create a little "whirlpool" action and slide your egg into the center of the whirlpool (this helps keep the white of the egg together). Cook for 2-3 minutes, depending on how runny you like it (I like my yolk a bit cooked so i slice into the poaching egg about half way through the cooking process.) Use a slotted spoon to lift your egg out of the water and place on buttered bread with a bit of salt and pepper, a bed of dressed mixed greens, your favorite breakfast potatoes or hash. mmmmm...cheese sauce eggs!

mulberries: 1st harvest & 1st canning

2011-05-07T20:45:00.000-07:00

Jamming is not hard and what an awesome way to use fallen fruit!
We just bought a house and we have not had time to plant a garden yet (we're working hard on the house - a fixer) but thankfully we have many fruit trees! So today I made jam with a friend of mine with some experience under her belt. Here's our basic recipe:

First we boiled our ball jars and lids (separately) for 10 minutes and left them to sit in the hot water.

6 generous cups lightly smashed mulberries
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (also locally harvested)
1/4 cup good balsamic vinegar (next time I'll add another tablespoon - thank you for the suggestion Galen!)
4 cups evaporated cane juice (next time I'll use sage honey)
1 tablespoon pectin (next time I'll use apples)
1 tablespoon calcium water (it came with the pectin so we used it)

We mixed the sugar in with the pectin and set aside.

We brought the fruit with the lemon juice, vinegar & calcium water to a boil, added the sugar-pectin and simmered, stirring for 1-2 minutes. We brought it back up to a boil and turned off the heat.

One at a time, we filled up the jars to 1/4 inch from the top, wiped off the rim, screwed the lids on fairly tight and returned the hot jars to the boiling water for 5 or so minutes. it was so easy that we made another recipe:

3 1/2 cups minced local citrus, seeds & white pith removed (many kumquats, 3 tangerines, 2 oranges & a lemon)
zest from 2 oranges and a lemon
3 1/2 cups minced loquat, peeled & seeded
2 cups fresh local orange juice
2 cups evaporated cane juice
1 1/2 tablespoons pectin (mixed into the sugar)
1 tablespoon calcium water

We brought the fruit & juice to a boil and simmered for 20 minutes, added in the calcium water, brought back to a boil, stirred in the sugar-pectin for 2 minutes and then filled the jars in the same manner as above.

We got 3 pints of mulberry jam and 4 1/2 pints of loquat marmalade resting undisturbed for the night. Can't wait to try them on fresh baked biscuits!

Thanks Celeste!

kitchen scraps beyond composting

2011-03-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

of course we could compost our kitchen scrapes but some can be used in other ways as well:

make stock (or freeze for later) from scraps of onions (but not too many of the papery, bitter tasting skins), leeks, garlic, carrots, parsnip, celery, mushrooms) to make stock later. for a quick veggie stock, caramelize veggies scrapes in a little bit of oil and add any other scrapes from your soup recipe, herbs (such as bay leaf, parsley, thyme, and sage), enough water to generously cover and a bit of salt if you like. bring to a boil and simmer for a half hour for a rich vegetable stock. strain out the veggie bits and compost or feed to animals (my dogs always loved these super soft veggies)

carrot tops and peels are also great raw for dog snacks (some dogs like raw broccoli and other veggies or fruits as well)

feed chickens and ducks your greens, tomato bits, and strawberry tops

broccoli stems can be peeled and chopped small or grated, raw in slaw or salads, or cooked where ever you use the florets

tough vegetable parts (like chard stems and leek greens) can be sautéed until soft for eating

use old bread and heels for bread crumbs and croutons (or freeze for later)

increase nutrient value and decrease waste if you leave peels on and scrub vegetables clean when cooking with carrots, potatoes, parsnips and turnips

free ingredient: spent grains

2011-03-13T07:08:00.000-07:00

Ian has been brewing his beer from whole grains (malt, barley, etc). After boiling out all the sugar and starches from the grains, they still are full of protein and fiber and have many uses:

compost (of course), livestock feed (chickens love them), and baking! here's my favorite spent grain recipe i've adapted from Alewife:

Spent Grain Pizza or Focaccia

1 pkg. dry bread yeast (or catch your own)

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 tsp local honey

1/4 cup olive oil

2 T local honey

1 tsp sea salt

1 cup bread flour

1 cup spent grains

1/2 cup water

2 ½ - 3 cups bread flour

olive oil for bowl

flour to sprinkle bread board

course corn meal

Proof yeast by mixing with ½ cup warm water and ½ tsp honey. Let sit a few minutes until a layer of foam appears. In large mixing bowl, mix together olive oil, honey, and salt. Blend in yeast mixture and 1 cup flour. In a food processor, buzz 1 cup spent grains and ½ cup water for a couple minutes until semi smooth. Add grains to yeast slurry and mix together well. Add remaining 3 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well with each addition. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead well until elastic and shiny. then, form into a ball. Drizzle a little olive oil into a bowl, add the dough ball and turn to coat. Cover bowl with one of those plastic grocery bags you’ve got shoved in a drawer and place in a warm place to rise for about an hour. When ready to use, push dough down, deflating it. Bring sides in to center and flip dough over. Put dough out onto floured board and pat out evenly.

For pizza: cut dough into 8 equal sized pieces for individual pizzas. Shape each piece into an evenly round ball and place on a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with course corn meal. Cover with those plastic bags and let rest for a ½ hour. Place baking stone or quarry tiles in oven and preheat at 500º for a ½ hour. Pat and pull pizza dough to flatten add desired toppings and let rest, covered, another 15 minutes. Carefully transfer to the baking stone and bake about 8-12 minutes.

For focaccia: form half the dough into long loaf on a baking sheet sprinkled with corn meal. Decorate focaccia with slashes, drizzle with olive oil and sea salt or top with herbs, garlic, or caramelized onions. Cover and let rest for about a ½ hour. Preheat your baking stone at 400º and bake focaccia for about a ½ hour.