Since we haven't been keeping up to well with posting recipes (I'm number one guilty here gals!) I thought we could use some inspiration. And I found it! Someone started a local food challenge - cook one meal per week with only local foods for each of the 12 weeks of summer. Each week there are new recipes to look at for inspiration. It is arranged by area of the country, so the people posting from the Northeast should have ingredients similar to what we have here in Phoenixville. Here's a link to week four Oh, it is called One Local Summer.
July 28, 2006
June 20, 2006
Sausage N Cabbage dinner
Sausage N Cabbage
1 head of cabbage, chopped
1 lb. of crumbled, browned sausage
2 c. shredded cheese
Brown Sausage, set aside. Saute chopped cabbage in sausage drippings until cooked to taste. Turn off heat, place sausage on top of cooked cabbage, and sprinkle cheese on top of all. Place lid on pot; viola, cheese melts. Delicious w/Alvin's sausage!
1 head of cabbage, chopped
1 lb. of crumbled, browned sausage
2 c. shredded cheese
Brown Sausage, set aside. Saute chopped cabbage in sausage drippings until cooked to taste. Turn off heat, place sausage on top of cooked cabbage, and sprinkle cheese on top of all. Place lid on pot; viola, cheese melts. Delicious w/Alvin's sausage!
Italian Wedding Soup
If you haven't made it before this is a good soup that can be altered pretty liberally off the basic recipe. (You must have the carrots, the greens, the meatballs and the pasta.)
I put some stock (about 4 pints) in a large pot and start adding:
cut up carrots - about 3
finely cut kale or spinach or chard might work too - about 4 cups
little meatballs (make your own or use pre-made - cut in half or quarters if they seem too big)
leftover cut-up chicken pieces
sage
parsley
miso
Get it all boiling and when the kale and carrots are done add a cup or so of orzo or pastina (little pasta). Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese on top. Even my "I don't like spinach and kale" guy enjoyed this one.
I put some stock (about 4 pints) in a large pot and start adding:
cut up carrots - about 3
finely cut kale or spinach or chard might work too - about 4 cups
little meatballs (make your own or use pre-made - cut in half or quarters if they seem too big)
leftover cut-up chicken pieces
sage
parsley
miso
Get it all boiling and when the kale and carrots are done add a cup or so of orzo or pastina (little pasta). Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese on top. Even my "I don't like spinach and kale" guy enjoyed this one.
Turnip Soup
It is getting a little too warm for soups. But, they are easy. Turnips are finished now (although we'll see some in the fall probably). This soup has just a few ingredients. The recipe is here. I added some garlic scapes while sauteeing the turnips and a couple tablespoons of miso with the stock. It was thumbs up all around.
June 18, 2006
Harvest Week #4 Sankanac
Wow! The harvest is exploding. Let's see whether I can remember the quantities!
1 head of cabbage (I took an extra head from the donation bin)
Asian Greens
Field Greens
6 sprigs of parsley
Kale
Swiss Chard
1 bunch of beets
1 head of cauliflower
1 head of red leaf lettuce
2 oz. ! of Broccoli (one tiny tree!)
The fruits of my research on storing veggies: I only researched freezing them, as I am not yet set up to can. I've wondered why veggies need to be blanched, as opposed to just chopped & frozen or even frozen whole.
From the 1984 edition of Putting Food By, Chapter 13, Freezing Vegetables:
"Blanching" - "Even after vegetables are picked, the enzymes in them make them lose flavor and color & sometimes make them tough, even at freezer temperatures. Therefore the enzymes must be stopped in their tracks by being heated for a few minutes (how many minutes depends on the size and texture of the vegetable) before the vegetables are cooled quickly and packed. This preheating is necessary for virtually all vegetables: Green (sweet) peppers are the notable exception."
The book continues, stating that steaming for blanching is an option.
I'm going to sample some of my frozen chard & see how tough it is. Personally, we may not notice any of the traits in the above paragraph, and it would cut down on my energy use and time if I didn't have to blanch, cool, then put into the 'fridge, then transfer to the freezer.
Unfortunately, it lists cabbage as a vegetable that doesn't freeze well because of its water content. I will plan to use it only in cooked dishes if I freeze it.
1 head of cabbage (I took an extra head from the donation bin)
Asian Greens
Field Greens
6 sprigs of parsley
Kale
Swiss Chard
1 bunch of beets
1 head of cauliflower
1 head of red leaf lettuce
2 oz. ! of Broccoli (one tiny tree!)
The fruits of my research on storing veggies: I only researched freezing them, as I am not yet set up to can. I've wondered why veggies need to be blanched, as opposed to just chopped & frozen or even frozen whole.
From the 1984 edition of Putting Food By, Chapter 13, Freezing Vegetables:
"Blanching" - "Even after vegetables are picked, the enzymes in them make them lose flavor and color & sometimes make them tough, even at freezer temperatures. Therefore the enzymes must be stopped in their tracks by being heated for a few minutes (how many minutes depends on the size and texture of the vegetable) before the vegetables are cooled quickly and packed. This preheating is necessary for virtually all vegetables: Green (sweet) peppers are the notable exception."
The book continues, stating that steaming for blanching is an option.
I'm going to sample some of my frozen chard & see how tough it is. Personally, we may not notice any of the traits in the above paragraph, and it would cut down on my energy use and time if I didn't have to blanch, cool, then put into the 'fridge, then transfer to the freezer.
Unfortunately, it lists cabbage as a vegetable that doesn't freeze well because of its water content. I will plan to use it only in cooked dishes if I freeze it.
June 13, 2006
Herbs - Freeze or Dry?
The Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden Cookbook recommends the following herb flavors are best retained by FREEZING:
basil
cilantro
chervil
dill
parsley
tarragon
And, the following have good flavor when dried:
basil
dill
lovage
mint
oregano
rosemary
sage
savory
thyme
And because this blog hasn't had any pictures yet. I give you "Kids and Chickens"
basil
cilantro
chervil
dill
parsley
tarragon
And, the following have good flavor when dried:
basil
dill
lovage
mint
oregano
rosemary
sage
savory
thyme
And because this blog hasn't had any pictures yet. I give you "Kids and Chickens"
June 11, 2006
Harvest week #3 Sankanac CSA
This week my 1/2 share brought me:
1 head lettuce
1 lb. kale
9 oz. field greens
2 oz dill
swiss chard
1 turnip
1 kohlrabi
2 heads of broccoli/cauliflower combination
unlimited u-pick strawberries!
1 head lettuce
1 lb. kale
9 oz. field greens
2 oz dill
swiss chard
1 turnip
1 kohlrabi
2 heads of broccoli/cauliflower combination
unlimited u-pick strawberries!
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