Saturday’s local dinner (not part of any challenge) was:
- Homemade corn chips with salsa verde (recipes below)
- Pan sauteéd chicken breasts (from Ox Hollow) with cumin (not local)
- Steamed broccoli (from Waldingfield)
Salsa Verde Recipe
- 1 lb tomatillos (from Rose’s)
- 1 cilantro ice cube (from our freezer, most likely from Missy’s of Goshen, NY)
- 2 cloves of garlic (from our pantry, local but co-mingled)
- 2 T diced red onions (from Missy’s of Goshen, NY)
- 1/2 jalapeno pepper (from Stone Gardens), seeds removed — use more if you like it hot or medium
- juice of 1/2 lime (not local)
- pinch of salt (from Maine)
Husk and wash the tomatillos. Cover them with water in a saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes. Place half the tomatillos in a food processor with everything else and whiz until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining tomatillos and pulse a bit to retain some chunks. Return mixture to the saucepan with a pinch of salt and simmer for 10 more minutes. Serve warm or chilled. This particular recipe is fairly mild. Use more jalapenos to raise the heat.
Homemade Corn Chips Recipe
- 1 cup cornmeal (I used the coarse-milled polenta corn from Wild Hive)
- 1-3/4 cups boiling water (from my well!)
- 1/2 t salt (from Maine)
- 1 t butter (from VT, foraged while visiting friends there)
- canola oil (not local)
Preheat oven to 450°. In a Pyrex bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add boiling water and butter and stir until butter is melted. Microwave from 1 to 4 minutes (until the corn grains are not crunchy). Place heaping teaspoons on a well-oiled cookie sheet. Flatten as best as you can. I first finger-pressed them, then used a mini-roller to flatten them further. Good luck, they are delicate and this is time-consuming! Bake for 15-18 minutes.
Dessert was Apple Crumb pie that I picked up from Silverman’s Farm on Halloween and vanilla ice cream from Rich Farm, possibly from this very cow:
Notice what the cow is eating!
Note: Rich’s ice cream stand will be closing the day before Thanksgiving.
I love that you made your own corn chips – how industrious! That salsa verde sounds and looks amazing. I love salsa verde – well most Mexican food really. I like the idea of the cilantro ice cubes. Do you just put some chopped cilantro in and top it with water? What a great idea!
Hi Jen,
The corn chips were tedious though…I probably won’t ever make them for a crowd! I’m thinking that next time, I’d make some polenta, pan fry that, and drizzle the salsa over it–same flavor, less time consuming.
To make the cilantro ice cubes, we picked the cilantro leaves and put them in the food processor with enough water to make them, ummm, process. We poured that thick, liquidy mixture into ice cube trays. We do the same with basil. I seems to me that you can do this with a number of herbs.
I just have to say, that cow is adorable 🙂
I love the idea of the cilantro (and other herb) ice cubes…. only hitch is that my freezer is so full with veg/fruit I’ve frozen I can’t find space! I think I’ll have to plan better, since this is a stellar idea while its winter and herbs are rare.