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Local St. Paddy’s

Mar 17th, 2013
by sophie.
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While I know that real Irish people (in Ireland) don’t eat corned beef, I have these culinary adventures on my list and today seemed like the right day to make my As-Local-As-It-Could-Be Reuben Sandwich.

rueben

The corned beef began as a brisket from Eagle Wood Farms. I followed Alton Brown’s recipe for corning, except instead of his spice list from faraway places, I got a pre-made mix of faraway spices from Penzey’s in Norwalk. I added salt and potassium nitrate (yes), not local. I brined it for 10 days, turning it every morning and evening. I cooked it with:

corned_beef

The sauerkraut began as cabbage from Sport Hill Farm, fermented per Sandor Katz‘s instructions. This would have been a great entry in the Westport Market’s cabbage contest, but there wasn’t enough time for the fermentation. It’s been fermenting for several weeks now. This is not my first attempt, but it is my first attempt that worked!

fermenting_sauerkraut

I made the rye bread following Martha Stewart’s recipe (mostly).

  • bread flour – red hard spring wheat from Wild Hive
  • rye flour from Wild Hive
  • honey from Swords and Plowshares
  • butter from Smyth’s Trinity Farm
  • yeast and salt: not local. I didn’t use caraway seeds.

Color me delightfully surprised when the loaf really did “tip out” of the loaf pan!

rye_bread

The Swiss cheese is Cry Baby from Arethusa Farm Dairy. (Thank you, Lisa from New Morning! I owe you big time.)

The dressing. Sigh. Should it be Thousand Island or Russian? What constitutes an authentic recipe of either? Here’s what I made:

dressing

Served with a dill pickle, fermented right here. Original cucumbers from Daffodil Hill Growers.

And that’s my sandwich. I hope you had a happy St. Paddy’s Day!

 

Chocolate Chili

Jan 6th, 2013
by sophie.
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I really like this chili recipe! It’s a great winter meal and the flavors are incredible. I like that it’s so easily adaptable to local sources and it’s perfect for using up the foods I put by for the winter. (I really do need an upright freezer!) It’s also an easy and fun recipe to change up a bit each time, based on my mood and what’s on hand.

This time, I swapped out the jalapenos for a poblano pepper and added a bell pepper and swapped out the maple syrup for honey. I left out the beans. Last week, I got chipotle bacon at the farmer’s market and that worked out excellently in this dish.

Sources:

I wasn’t in the mood to bake the corn bread, so I just had corn instead. I really do prefer having my corn in the winter! It seems like there’s so much of it and I take it for granted in the summer, but nothing brings back the bounty of summer like hot buttered corn in January!

This is not a “challenge meal.” For the first time since I became a locavore, I’m not participating in a Dark Days Eat Local Challenge. The regular challenge isn’t running this year (though there is a small group from another region doing their own thing). I will still be eating locally throughout the dark days but actually, finding local food in the winter no longer the challenge it once was. I am lucky to have many nearby farms and farmers markets that go through the winter. Meat and dairy are easy to come by in these parts. And I collected and put by enough veggies and those “ancillary items” you need to make soups, stews, one pot slow-and-low meals (like tomatoes, onions, garlic, and herbs). The challenge remains cooking from scratch while living and working in the 21st century!

I did come across the Pantry Challenge, which is about using what you have before you go out and buy more stuff. I like the idea of using up the things I put by and clearing out the freezer to make space for the new season. Truth be told, I still have a lot of food from last year in there. (Cut me some slack—it’s a chest freezer and I have to empty it out to find anything! It’s not like I haven’t been pining for an upright freezer for like forever.) Since I found this challenge a bit late and it isn’t exactly what I’m looking to achieve, I’ll be doing my own little “use up my stuff” challenge.

In fact, the corn, tomatoes, and poblano pepper I used in tonight’s chili are from my 2011 collection!

All things in moderation, except zucchini

Aug 7th, 2012
by sophie.
3 comments

In case you’re wondering what became of all of that zucchini that came through in the previous weeks…

Zucchini bread

There were the many trials with this zucchini bread. I adapted this zucchini bread recipe. Items above with the asterisk (*) are the adaptations. The original recipe called for one cup of grated zucchini, but I wanted to use more—I had a lot of zucchini. Unfortunately, the extra zucchini raised the moisture content, so I had to back off on the oil. About the oil—I don’t use “vegetable oil” so coconut oil seemed like the perfect substitute. (It was! The flavor profile on this bread is outstanding!) The recipe also called for a full cup of sugar and I whittling it down a bit was unnoticeable. It’s still too moist so I’ll be working on it some more. The zucchini, egg, and flour are local. Everything else is not.

  • 1- 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 extra large egg
  • 3/4 cup sugar*
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil*
  • 2 cups grated zucchini, drained*
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Giambotta

I made this dish a lot last year as a slight alternative to ratatouille. Basically, it’s a sautéed fusion of produce that’s seasonal right now: eggplant, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, garlic, and peppers. I used some fresh minced cayenne for heat. I don’t have any sweet peppers yet and it was fine. Some folks also add potatoes, which is a nice touch. I don’t have a new picture, so the old one will have to do. I like to spoon it over toasted Italian bread slices, like a warm bruschetta.

Zucchini refrigerator bread and butter pickles

I followed Maggie’s refrigerator zucchini recipe, as written but halved. I probably should have packed the zucchini tighter, because I ended up needing to make more of the liquid to cover the veggies. The flavor is good and these go well on burgers or straight out of the jar. They’re on the sweet side and I could probably get away with reducing the sugar.

 

 

Grilled zucchini with Tzatziki sauceGrilled zucchini with Tzatziki sauce

This dish helped finish off the zucchini while also providing an outlet for the plethora of cucumbers. I used this Tzatziki recipe, opting for the mint version rather than dill. I also used lime juice instead of lemon. After draining my yogurt to “Greek” it, I had about two cups, not three, but I left the other quantities as written.

After allowing the flavors to meld with the cucumbers (minus the yogurt), I drained off the liquid. The liquid is delicious in its own right, a juice of cucumber, mint, lime, and garlic. It mixed well with Onyx, our locally distilled moonshine, hence, the Tzatziki-tini…

Okay, not a zucchini drink, but still, yum!

Challenge Meal: Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Dec 4th, 2011
by sophie.
1 comment

It’s been over a week since Thanksgiving and my refrigerator is still packed. Most of it’s not leftovers from the meal, but more of the extra things I bought  just in case. Just in case something didn’t work out and I’d need a do-over. Just in case I needed options. Just in case I underestimated appetites (ha!).

Surveying my stores, I clearly overdid dairy. I also still have a respectable squash collection. And I had some mushrooms about to enter the use-it-or-lose-it zone. So, there you have it, my first meal for the 2011-2012 Dark Days Eat Local Challenge is Spaghetti Squash Alfredo with cultivated wild mushrooms.

I decided to go with the microwave method of cooking the squash instead of the longer methods of baking or boiling. I cut the squash in half lengthwise, placed it in a baking dish with about a half of an inch of water, and covered it with plastic wrap. I microwaved it for about 10 minutes in total. I used a fork to liberate the squash strands that resemble spaghetti, hence the name.

I made the sauce using this Alfredo sauce recipe. I used Pleasant Valley cheese from Sankow’s Beaver Brook, an aged sheep’s milk cheese, which has a flavor similar to Pecorino Romano. It’s not exactly Parmigiano-Reggiano, but it’s a relatively minor taste adjustment to keep the meal local.

I pan sautéed the mushrooms following Julia Child’s Champignons sautés au beurre recipe. This is my first time using mushrooms in this dish. Initially, I was thinking they’d make a great side dish. At the last moment,  I threw caution to the wind, and added them on top.

Spaghetti squash doesn’t have much flavor of it’s own, so the richness of the Alfredo sauce really brought it to life. It did have a nice mild crunch which is something you don’t usually get with fettuccine. The mushrooms made the flavors interesting, in a good way.

Sources:

For dessert, black raspberry ice cream with whipped cream because I still had a lot of heavy cream (and ice cream) and I wanted to play with my new toy gadget.

What a cool thing! Easy to use and fast too. I was really impressed with this gadget. (No, I’m not affiliated with them!)

Sources

These challenge posts will be recapped with the other Mid-Atlantic region participants every two weeks, beginning December 11, over at Not Dabbling In Normal by Emily of Tanglewood Farm.

 

Thanksgiving 2011

Nov 25th, 2011
by sophie.
14 comments

This was an interesting year for agriculture, to say the least. Still, our farmers and producers were able to pull it off. Here’s our Thanksgiving 2011 feast:

Appetizers:

Soup

Chicken soup with bowtie pasta or brown rice. Broth made from chickens from Stone Gardens Farm, Stuarts Family Farm, and Laurel Ridge Farm. Onions and carrots from Holbrook Farm, celeriac from Yale Farm, parsnips from Don Taylor Farm, Danbury, CT and Migliorelli Farm, and my own garlic. Pasta and rice: not local.

Main Course

Dessert

Beverages

Thank you to my family for their help in making this a fabulous day!

Hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving.

Challenge Meal: Caponata

Aug 20th, 2011
by sophie.
3 comments

Life is funny. There you are, making your Giambotta, marveling at its resemblance to its first cousin Ratatouille, when along comes Caponata.

It seems that the Sicilian version of Caponata introduces something in a brine, like olives or capers. Some are arguing that if it isn’t Sicilian, it isn’t Caponata. I’m reserving judgment until I get to try it Sicilian style.

For a version without the brined punch, I found this recipe for Greek Caponata from Giada De Laurentis (go figure) which is a baked version of the Giambotta I made (and similar to the Ratatouille from the movie (sans the decorative arrangement of the ingredients).

I served it over polenta, using Anne Burrell’s recipe, where you let it set, then pan-sear it. I didn’t use any of the herbs that Anne did because hers was meant to accompany braised lamb shanks. I added butter to the polenta mixture instead of mascarpone (about 2 T) and seared them in butter too. Mmmm.

Food sources:

  • garlic, summer squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplant from Sport Hill Farm
  • red onion from Newtown Cedar Hill Farm
  • tomato puree from Don Taylor Farms, Danbury, CT (from the freezer)
  • oregano, dried, from my garden
  • extra-virgin olive oil  from Italy
  • corn meal from Wild Hive Farm and Micro Mill
  • milk from Stone Wall Dairy, Cornwall Bridge, CT
  • butter from Ronnybrook Farm Dairy

Despite baking for about an hour, the individual flavors of the eggplant, zucchini, and summer squash came through. While this dish goes perfectly with some crusty Italian bread, the polenta was a pleasant accompaniment, moving the whole meal into the comfort food category.

Since I was serving this over polenta, I left out the potatoes. I don’t think that took much away from the overall flavor profile. Next time, I’ll use thyme instead of oregano. Will it still be Greek?

Update: Almost forgot the beverage! Here’s my CukeTini:

  • 1/2 cup  of cucumber juice (about 1/2 cucumber) either through the juicer, or use the food processor and pass through a strainer
  • 1 T lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp dried mint leaves (or 1 T if using fresh)
  • 1 jigger of gin

Very refreshing. I’m thinking about adding garlic and dill and calling it the TzatzikiTini. H/T to Two Farm Shares for this fabulous idea.

 

Giambotta

Aug 16th, 2011
by sophie.
4 comments

In Pixar’s movie, Ratatouille, the food critic is dismayed at being served a peasant dish, ratatouille. But as he tastes this dish, made so well, so lovingly, with the perfect co-mingling of flavors, he experiences a complete transformation. It could happen.

Then there’s giambotta, an Italian vegetable stew, and first cousin to ratatouille. I don’t know which came first and which is the spin-off. Both dishes were born in regions of countries where they tend to use fresh, local ingredients and let the inherent flavors do the talking.

Both dishes have nearly identical ingredients: zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, onions, garlic, potatoes, and tomatoes. (Note: these are all in season right now here in CT!) With giambotta, you cook the ingredients together (for the most part) and allow the flavors to meld. Generally, with ratatouille, you cook the ingredients separately and then bring them together so as to retain the the distinct flavor of each item.  Generally.

There are several variations on this dish, some approaching giambotta. Julia layers the cooked ingredients  into a casserole. Remy’s ratatouille (from the movie) arranges the raw ingredients into a casserole. At Cooking For Engineers, the ingredients are cooked together, but in a very deliberate, methodical order (like a precision giambotta).

I don’t have a family recipe for giambotta, so I borrowed Rachel Ray’s. I figured that since her meals are under 30 minutes, the flavors would meld modestly but still retain some individuality. And in fact, that’s how it happened. I was faithful to the recipe except fpr leaving out the bay leaf. It probably didn’t need the chicken broth either. (For a slight variation, see Sara Moulton’s recipe.)

Food sources:

You can serve giambotta as a side dish. You can serve it over pasta. You can make a meal of it by starting with sauteed meat (like Italian sausage). don’t care for meat? Try adding cooked beans instead. You can also drain off the liquid and use it as the filling in a vegetable lasagne or even in a fritatta. You can freeze it and do any of those things to bring summer sunshine to the dead of winter. As they say, the possibilities are endless.

Zucchini Fritters

Jul 11th, 2011
by sophie.
2 comments

Patti (my CSA farmer) is on a zucchini roll lately. She made zucchini brownies (which I heard were fabulous) and went on to share this link to Zucchini Five Ways.

Now is the time to ferret out the zucchini recipes since it’s just the beginning of what’s looking like a long and prosperous zucchini season. Here’s a recipe for zucchini fritters to the collection.

This recipe is based liberally on another one from a kindred spirit.

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup chopped scallions
  • 1 cup corn meal
  • 8 basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini

Beat the eggs, then mix all of the remaining ingredients together with the eggs. Drop in quarter-cupfuls onto a medium hot greased griddle or skillet and cook until browned.

Top with sour cream or a yogurt dip. I “Greeked” some yogurt and dolloped it as-is. Nice. Different.

Sources:

I’m also sharing this for the Weekend Blog Carnival at Hartke Is Online.

Bone broth Stracciatella

Jul 1st, 2011
by sophie.
No comments yet

Bone broth is making a come-back. It used to be quite ordinary but with inexpensive and convenient broths and stocks available in cans and boxes, few take the time to make this delicious, nutritious food. And that’s a shame because you could be getting chondroitin, glucosamine, and collagen for free! The boxed and canned broths aren’t made from bones, so they don’t have the same nutrient profile. It turns out that bone broth also helps you lose cellulite!

I first started hearing about bone broth this past winter and went for it with a passion.  As soon as my bone collection (in the freezer) reaches critical mass, I’m making bone broth.

To raise awareness and encourage people to consume this helthful yet forgotten food, CheeseSlave is hosting a Bone Broth Challenge for the month of July. Earn points, get healthy, win prizes! (How lucky am I that I just made a big pot of it this week!)

So, I hereby kick off Bone Broth Month with this dish: Stracciatella, an Italian egg drop soup.

There are a number of recipes out there; I used Giada‘s, mostly (without the basil).

Sources:

Great idea, CheeseSlave!

Stracciatella

Eat Local CT Challenge Week 3

Jun 23rd, 2011
by sophie.
2 comments

For Sport Hill Farm’s Eat Local CT Challenge, I made a broccoli quiche and…

Broccoli lettuce soup!

The pie crust had a great flavor—my new flour mix is a winning combo. The soup was interesting and tasted mostly like coconut.

Sources

pie shell

  • Red Fife flour from Curtis Eck (HT Lisa) and Soft White Winter Wheat flour from Wild Hive
  • butter from Ronnybrook

quiche

soup

CSA Week 3 Wrap Up

Or, where did all of that food go?

The broccoli rabe (or rapini, if you prefer) was the first to go! Here it is, going down for the wilt with the garlic scapes, sauteed in olive oil.

Patti gave me a great idea for lettuce: chicken salad wraps. Here’s my chicken salad (chicken from Stone Gardens Farm) wrapped in Patti’s Red Butterhead lettuce.

And of course, there was the escarole and bean soup (along with the soup on a crostini).

Arethusa Farm Dairy
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