Posts tagged ‘local produce’

November 30, 2011

Pie Season | Parsnip and Butternut Tart

Pie.  Tart.  Deliciousness in a dish.

The recipe for this Any Season Fruit (or Vegetable) Tart (page 19) is from Gilt Taste.  It’s a surprising base that can skew sweet or savory.  But on first blush, you could only assume it would be sweet as the base is butter and sugar creamed together.  It has to be cake, right?  But no, with a full teaspoon of salt in it, as well as some savory and thyme (thrown in by me), this autumnal pastry was devoured by everyone, including Cherub.

I used a combination of parsnips and butternut squash, parboiling them for just five minutes in heavily salted water before draining them and adding them to the tart.  I also sprinkled in some dried thyme and savory.  To add a little extra oomph to the final dish, I shook up a quick chili and sriracha cream in a half pint ball jar until thick.  A tablespoon per slice adds a nice kick of heat.

Playlist included Video Games, by Lana Del Rey.

October 24, 2011

Final Harvest | Corn Milk Soup

It’s simply the best of the last of the garden.  Eight ears of the last of the sweet corn.  Cobs scraped completely clean, releasing all that sweet corn “milk.”  I think it’s what makes this soup special.

But perhaps, too, it’s that I added in the last few peppers still standing on my counter.  Another handful of tomatoes that were picked green in the back garden, but managed to ripen despite that deep insult.  And green onions picked up at the farmer’s market.  Plus two palmfuls of teeny purple potatoes (that were a growing experiment by me) from a more experienced gardener friend.  Generous pinches of fresh thyme from the terracotta pot on the patio.  Twists of pepper.  A blessing of salt.

Poach a few shrimp in the hot soup to make it more substantial.  Or some smoked haddock would be perfectly at home.  Or if you have leftovers, top bowls of soup with a crumbled a link of andouille and some sauteed shrimp for a take on a gumbo.  That’s what I’m going to do.

Corn Milk Soup, serves 6 to 8

4 strips bacon, sliced

2 green onions, thinly sliced

September 26, 2011

Things I Like | Green B.E.A.N. Delivery

I love local businesses.  I love local produce and groceries.  I love this idea.

Green B.E.A.N. Delivery (the BEAN stands for Biodiversity, Education, Agriculture and Nutrition) is a grocery delivery company that serves Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.  I truly admire their dedication to support local farmers and artisans in the area.  Their produce bins are chock full of local stuff from local folks (now realize, we do have a winter around here and the bins do reflect that come December).  Most recently they featured a really fantastic farm, Rock Dove.  And I have, quite honestly, had some of the best bacon in my life from these guys.

The small produce bin that landed so cheerily on my doorstep recently included plenty of fruits and veggies for our family for a week or so.  Heirloom tomatoes from Northridge Organic farm, a lovely bag of clearly organic greens, jalapenos, green beans, carrots, onions and plenty of fruit.  A lot of it local, but some from further away (I’m almost sure that we just can’t manage a great crop of flame red grapes here in Ohio).

I really loved how most all the fruits and veg were contained in brown paper lunch bags instead of plastic ones.  It gave me the feeling that everything was carefully hand packed with thought given to how things would best travel.  And I know, it’s better for the environment, too, isn’t it?  Bonus points.

Minimum orders start at $35, although you can order a $28 bin and supplement it with groceries like Snowville milk and that fantastic bacon to get it up to $35.  Just about any staple you could need you can find in their virtual aisles.  And orders can be made as rarely as every two weeks.

I can see giving this as gift to new parents, or people that perhaps just need the gift of time.  It’s certainly something that made my (much busier than usual) week easier.

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Playlist included Listen to Your Love, by Mona.

**Green B.E.A.N. Delivery gave me a free bin to review.   But of course you know that Persephone always says what she thinks, even if she’s been given something for free.  My opinions are, as always, my own.

September 7, 2011

Curds and Whey, Two Ways

Something has been stirring in me to make some more ricotta.  It’s so easy, you know every ingredient that goes in it (milk, salt, lemon), and there’s such satisfaction in making your own cheese.  I have, however, been distressed every time I’ve made it that I have so much whey left over after the curds separate out.  I mean honestly.  The cows at Snowville are such beautiful productive girls, how could I carelessly dump half of that milk down the drain?

I happily came across this great recipe for whey crêpes that are the most delicious ones I’ve ever had that weren’t made by a French person.  They are staggeringly good. 

July 9, 2011

After the Preserves | Fruit and Herb Vinegars

I’ve got three different bottles of fruit and herbs steeping in vinegar in the dark recesses of my basement spice shelves.  Birthed out of a craving for something savory out of all the pounds and pounds of fruit Cherub and I have been picking with friends lately.  I’ve made cobblers, pies, and grunts.  I’ve made syrups, jams and jellies (albeit almost accidentally, but that’s another post).  What to do with the dregs from the blueberry syrup?  The excess from 20 pounds of cherries?  Toss them in vinegar along with some herbs.  Let it steep for a few weeks in a dark spot, shaking the jars every once in a while when you walk by.  It’s as easy as that, and the flavors are only limited by your imagination.  And honestly, can you think of a nicer hostess gift?  Just strain into a vintage bottle, and cork.  Present with a handwritten tag noting the contents or perhaps a recipe for a simple vinaigrette.  You’re most certain to be invited back.

From left to right: Blueberry Tarragon, Cherry Shiso, and Cherry Balsamic

A few guidelines: for deepest flavor use

June 13, 2011

Backyard Foraging | Juneberry Muffins

It is a great pleasure to identify edible plants, trees and flowers to include in my culinary endeavors.  Most recently I rang my neighbor’s doorbell to ask if he wouldn’t mind if I picked a few bowls of berries from his Juneberry tree (a.k.a., saskatoon, shadbush, sugar plum, service berry, et al) in return for some baked goods and perhaps a cocktail, some jam and maybe some ice cream, or a cobbler.  The possibilities are endless.  He didn’t say no.

This recipe is not for a sugary sweet cupcake that masquerades as a muffin.  No, these are delicate-crumbed cakes – almost savory -  plump with jammy berries and a whisper of almond, echoing the notes of the berries’ seeds.

Old Fashioned Juneberry Muffins, makes 10, adapted from James Beard

2 c. sifted flour (I used unbleached all purpose)

1/2 c sugar

1 T baking powder

June 4, 2011

Persephone’s Drinks Cabinet | Sage Flower Sangria

Get some food people together and you can come up with some pretty tasty ideas.

At dinner recently, my friend Bethia pointed out how flowery Kate‘s sage plant was and plucked a few of the purple blossoms for us to pop in our mouths.  Our eyes widened and we were immediately smitten with the surprisingly honeysuckle-y sage-iness of the teensy lavender-colored blooms.  Enterprising Kate made up a quick batch of sage flower syrup and kindly gifted me a batch.  I love that girl.

I used some this afternoon in some red wine sangria.

My sage plant in the background with the last of the flowers on it. Note the syrup and the triple sec in the bottom of the pitcher. Make sure to give it a good stir.

Sage Flower Sangria, serves me and Hades…

1 bottle of red wine (inexpensive Rioja, Beaujolais and Lambrusco are all good kinds)

Small handful of strawberries, halved (Worthington farmer’s market has them in now)

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