Pureed Celeriac Soup

Another tasty way to enjoy celeriac.

6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 large celeriac, peeled and cubed
3-4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
Chicken or veggie stock, or water
2-3 tsp dried sage (or more to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat some olive oil in a soup pot and saute the garlic and onions for 3-4 minutes. Add the celeriac and potatoes and enough water or stock to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the vegetables are tender (how long this takes will depend on the size you cut them to).

When the vegetables are tender, puree the soup with an immersion blender (or in batches in a food processor). Stir in the sage, salt, and pepper.

Serves 4-6.

Quiche with Dried Tomatoes and Blue or Goat Cheese

This quiche is similar to a recipe I posted in December, but even simpler and with more of a French flair than a Greek one. Use a fairly creamy blue cheese or a strongly flavored goat cheese. Plenty of local cheese choices, especially for the goat cheese. I used tomatoes from my garden that I dried last summer, which are a bit sweeter than dried tomatoes you typically buy.

1 9-inch pastry shell
1 medium onion, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup dried tomatoes
1/2-3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese
3 eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375. Prick the pie crust in several places with a fork, then pre-bake for about 15 minutes (weight it down with pie weights if homemade).

Rehydrate the tomatoes by soaking in boiling water for several minutes. Drain and chop.

If using onions, saute in olive oil until translucent. Place onions (if using), tomatoes, and cheese in the bottom of the pie shell.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Add salt and pepper. Pour into the pie shell. Bake quiche for about 35 minutes, until cooked through.

Serves 3-4.

The Joy of Freezing

It's late January and we're expecting another six inches of snow tomorrow. But last night I had pesto for dinner, bringing a welcome taste of summer basil into the kitchen--straight from the freezer. The further along I get in my efforts to keep as much of my food local as I can through the winter, the more grateful I am that we bought a chest freezer in the fall. Last summer and fall I bought or harvested basil, peppers, hot peppers, carrots, green beans, corn, fennel, peaches, and tomatoes and froze them, and I have been gratefully drawing on that store ever since. Without a good sized freezer, the whole endeavor would be much more challenging. Of course, this means that if you live in a small apartment, say, it's going to be harder. But chest freezers come in sizes down to 5 cubic feet (and up to at least 20), so unless you are extremely pressed for space you don't have to give up on the idea entirely. Our freezer in 10 cubic feet--we don't have room for something larger--and so far it has provided more than enough space. Chest freezers are not really all that expensive, either, and they are generally very energy efficient.

Volume Orders of Local Beef

Some local farms offer large volumes of meat at discounted prices. Wheelview Farm in Shelburne, for example, offers 100 lbs including a variety of cuts for $599.95 (or about $6/lb) or 100 lbs of ground beef in 1-lb packages for $449.95 (or about $4.50/lb) if you pick it up yourself. They also ship, but it costs more. If you've got a chest freezer and a few like-minded friends, this is an easy way to get local meat at a good price.

Things to do with celeriac

One of the local vegetables still readily available is celeriac (also known as celery root). It's a bit homely-looking, but delicious and versatile. It has a pleasant celery flavor with a texture more like turnip. To use it, slice off all the knobbly bits, then peel. Here are some ideas for what to do next:

1. Easiest: eat it raw! Slice it up or grate it and add to salad. Or use for dipping with hummus, etc.

2. Cube or slice and combine with other root vegetables of your choice (turnip, rutabaga, sweet potato, regular potato, carrot...) and some tart apple, then roast with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add some sage if you like.

3. Cube and toss into soups, stews, or casseroles. I particularly like it in lentil soup and pot pie.

4. Slice thinly and combine with potatoes and sweet potatoes in a creamy gratin.

5. Steam or boil and add to mashed potatoes.

Roasted Delicata Squash Cubes

This past week I planned to roast some delicata squash as I have done before, by simply slicing it open, seeding, and roasting. But by the time I got to the squash that I had, it had a lot of little bad spots all over, so I concluded that I would have to peel it. This was something of a pain, since delicatas are not smooth-skinned, but at least the skin is fairly thin. I then cubed it and tossed with a little olive oil, salt, and brown sugar, then roasted for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees. Delicious! Everyone at the table raved about it.

Farmers Market in Bernardston this Saturday

There will be a one-time winter farmers market in Bernardston this Saturday (1/24) from 9:00 - noon. Location: United Church of Bernardston (58 Church St.).

After that, it's only two weeks until Winter Fare here in Greenfield!