Last night for dinner I pulled some lamb shoulder chops out of the freezer that I bought at the end of the farmers market this fall from Crabapple Farm.
Cooked under the broiler (or on the grill at another time of year) they make for a fast but fantastic meal. I took some pesto out of the freezer to go with them--a great combination with lamb. I served these with mashed winter squash and rice pilaf.
4 lamb shoulder chops (thawed if frozen)
1/2 cup pesto (thawed if frozen)
Spread the pesto over the chops, liberally covering both sides. If you have the time, let them sit for 30-60 minutes to absorb some of the pesto flavor.
Preheat the broiler. Place the chops under it and broil for 3-4 minutes per side, until cooked medium rare (or more if you like).
Serves about 4.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Winter Fare - WOW!
I just got back from Winter Fare, and all I can say is, if you happen to be reading this before it closes at 2pm on Saturday and you have not yet been over there, drop whatever you are doing and go right now!
I came home with three kinds of potatoes, sweet potatoes, arugula, kale, salad greens, onions, squash, carrots, eggs, wheat, and maple syrup. And the only reason I stopped there was that I was on foot with Nate in the stroller and ran out of room to carry it all (should have brought the car!). There was an absolutely incredible array of fresh produce, all grown by local farmers. Red Fire Farm had the biggest set-up, with box after box of all different kinds of greens, roots, squash, and more. It was the first one I saw when I walked in and it just about blew my mind--especially the greens. There was also meat from three or four different vendors, honey and maple products, herbs, apples, seed, jam and pickles, baked goods...amazing.
AND the place was packed, right from the moment it opened at 10:00 and getting busier as the morning went on. Clearly there is a real hunger for local produce right on through the winter. I keep hoping that one of these years Greenfield will have a real winter farmers market, open bi-weekly or monthly.
Now I am going to sit back and happily ponder what to cook this week with this wonderful bounty! Maybe I'll start by grinding some of that wheat and making bread.
I came home with three kinds of potatoes, sweet potatoes, arugula, kale, salad greens, onions, squash, carrots, eggs, wheat, and maple syrup. And the only reason I stopped there was that I was on foot with Nate in the stroller and ran out of room to carry it all (should have brought the car!). There was an absolutely incredible array of fresh produce, all grown by local farmers. Red Fire Farm had the biggest set-up, with box after box of all different kinds of greens, roots, squash, and more. It was the first one I saw when I walked in and it just about blew my mind--especially the greens. There was also meat from three or four different vendors, honey and maple products, herbs, apples, seed, jam and pickles, baked goods...amazing.
AND the place was packed, right from the moment it opened at 10:00 and getting busier as the morning went on. Clearly there is a real hunger for local produce right on through the winter. I keep hoping that one of these years Greenfield will have a real winter farmers market, open bi-weekly or monthly.
Now I am going to sit back and happily ponder what to cook this week with this wonderful bounty! Maybe I'll start by grinding some of that wheat and making bread.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Pizza with Fennel, Peppers, and Feta
Thank goodness (again) for the freezer. I froze a few small packages of fennel in the fall and am very much enjoying them now--along with the much larger supply of bell peppers I put in there. Red peppers can be cut in half, seeded, and frozen as is. They are easy to chop while still frozen. For fennel it is best to dice it first. For this pizza, you can put the frozen veggies on it directly without thawing.
1 14-inch pizza crust
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 - 3/4 cup diced red pepper (frozen)
1/2 cup diced fennel (frozen)
1/2 cup crumbled feta
3-4 oz. shredded mozzarella
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Paint the pizza crust with a little olive oil to prevent sogginess.
Spread the tomato sauce over the crust, then top with the pepper, fennel, and feta. Spread the mozzarella over everything. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until crust is golden brown and cheese begins to brown.
Serves 3-4.
1 14-inch pizza crust
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 - 3/4 cup diced red pepper (frozen)
1/2 cup diced fennel (frozen)
1/2 cup crumbled feta
3-4 oz. shredded mozzarella
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Paint the pizza crust with a little olive oil to prevent sogginess.
Spread the tomato sauce over the crust, then top with the pepper, fennel, and feta. Spread the mozzarella over everything. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until crust is golden brown and cheese begins to brown.
Serves 3-4.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Winter Fare this Weekend!
Don't miss Winter Fare this Saturday from 10-2 at Greenfield High School!
This is the February answer to the Harvest Supper held each August. In addition to a farmers market with storage crops, greens, maple products, honey, pickles, bread, jam, and more, there will be workshops, a Soup Cafe put on by local restaurants using local foods, and a barter fair where you can bring any excess you might have in the way of storage crops, dried goods, or canned goods and trade them for something you don't have.
It promises to be a great community event as well as a wonderful way to get your hands on some more local food in the dead of winter. I was pleased to see that it will be at the high school this year--last year's venue, the 2nd Congregational Church, was extremely crowded. My son (then five months old) started to freak out almost as soon as we got inside so I had to leave almost immediately, which was decidedly disappointing.
This is the February answer to the Harvest Supper held each August. In addition to a farmers market with storage crops, greens, maple products, honey, pickles, bread, jam, and more, there will be workshops, a Soup Cafe put on by local restaurants using local foods, and a barter fair where you can bring any excess you might have in the way of storage crops, dried goods, or canned goods and trade them for something you don't have.
It promises to be a great community event as well as a wonderful way to get your hands on some more local food in the dead of winter. I was pleased to see that it will be at the high school this year--last year's venue, the 2nd Congregational Church, was extremely crowded. My son (then five months old) started to freak out almost as soon as we got inside so I had to leave almost immediately, which was decidedly disappointing.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Celeriac-Potato Pancakes
This weekend, all I could find for local produce at Green Fields Market was celeriac and turnips. And I don't much like turnips. So I bought some more celeriac. Here's what I did with it last night.
1 large celeriac, peeled and cut into chunks
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
2 tsp salt
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala (optional)
Pepper to taste
3 eggs, beaten
4 cubes cilantro from the freezer, thawed (optional)
Plain yogurt for topping
Chutney(s) of your choice for topping
Shred the celeriac, potatoes, and onions (easiest with the grating attachment of a food processor). Place in a colander in the sink. Sprinkle with salt, mix, and let sit for about 15 minutes. Press out excess moisture and transfer to a large bowl.
Stir the garlic, flour, cumin, garam masala (if using), and pepper into the shredded vegetables until well combined. Add the eggs and cilantro and stir to coat.
Heat a large skillet (or two) and add some canola oil. Scoop the celeriac mix into the pans with a large spoon and form pancakes. Press them together so they will hold. Pancakes should be about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Fry until crispy on one side, then flip and fry until crispy on the other side and cooked through in the middle.
Serve hot, topped at the table with plain yogurt and/or chutneys of your choice.
Serves 4-6.
1 large celeriac, peeled and cut into chunks
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
2 tsp salt
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala (optional)
Pepper to taste
3 eggs, beaten
4 cubes cilantro from the freezer, thawed (optional)
Plain yogurt for topping
Chutney(s) of your choice for topping
Shred the celeriac, potatoes, and onions (easiest with the grating attachment of a food processor). Place in a colander in the sink. Sprinkle with salt, mix, and let sit for about 15 minutes. Press out excess moisture and transfer to a large bowl.
Stir the garlic, flour, cumin, garam masala (if using), and pepper into the shredded vegetables until well combined. Add the eggs and cilantro and stir to coat.
Heat a large skillet (or two) and add some canola oil. Scoop the celeriac mix into the pans with a large spoon and form pancakes. Press them together so they will hold. Pancakes should be about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Fry until crispy on one side, then flip and fry until crispy on the other side and cooked through in the middle.
Serve hot, topped at the table with plain yogurt and/or chutneys of your choice.
Serves 4-6.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Peach Pie with Streusel Topping
Last September I sliced and froze nearly 16 quarts of peaches from Clarkdale. This weekend I pulled out a package and made this pie--and boy was it good! Be sure to drain the thawed peaches well or the pie will be very soupy.
1 9-inch pastry shell
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp white flour
1 tsp cinnamon (1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp)
1/4 tsp nutmeg (1/8 tsp + 1/8 tsp)
4-5 Tbsp cold butter, in small pieces
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp corn starch
2 quarts frozen peaches, thawed and well drained
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Make the streusel topping: In a food processor, combine the brown sugar, flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp nutmeg. Pulse briefly. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is in very small pieces. Add the walnuts and pulse a couple times. They should be in small pieces but not totally ground. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the white sugar, corn starch, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp nutmeg.
Place the peaches in a medium bowl and add the sugar and cornstarch combination. Stir to coat.
Places the peaches in the pie shell. Spread the streusel topping over the peaches.
Bake the pie for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 40-50 minutes until crust is nicely golden brown.
1 9-inch pastry shell
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp white flour
1 tsp cinnamon (1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp)
1/4 tsp nutmeg (1/8 tsp + 1/8 tsp)
4-5 Tbsp cold butter, in small pieces
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp corn starch
2 quarts frozen peaches, thawed and well drained
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Make the streusel topping: In a food processor, combine the brown sugar, flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp nutmeg. Pulse briefly. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is in very small pieces. Add the walnuts and pulse a couple times. They should be in small pieces but not totally ground. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the white sugar, corn starch, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp nutmeg.
Place the peaches in a medium bowl and add the sugar and cornstarch combination. Stir to coat.
Places the peaches in the pie shell. Spread the streusel topping over the peaches.
Bake the pie for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 40-50 minutes until crust is nicely golden brown.
Dried Tomato Quiche with Cheddar and Thyme
It seems I've been on a bit of a quiche kick lately. Hope I'm not boring anyone. I think it's partly because local eggs, milk, and cheese are available all winter long and I have a lovely stash of dried tomatoes in the pantry from last summer's garden. So here's another variation on the theme. A note about quiche: if you're using a deep dish pan, increase the eggs to 4 and the milk to a full cup.
1 9-inch pastry shell
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup dried tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
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.
Saute the onions in olive oil until translucent. Add the tomatoes and thyme and saute another minute or so. Place onions, 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.
1 9-inch pastry shell
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup dried tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
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.
Saute the onions in olive oil until translucent. Add the tomatoes and thyme and saute another minute or so. Place onions, 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.
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