Squash-aroo

We headed a bit south to the Farmers Market last week and bought up some of the yummy butternut squash that are out. Ofcourse we made up some of our Roasted Squash Soup for the season.
Much against the FDAs recommendations (ek!) I do can my soup for the winter. I roast the squash, heat it again with the veggies, puree it, water down the soup, reheat it, and then can it under 10 lbs of pressure for 30-40 minutes. I've been doing this for 3 years now and never had a single can go bad. That being said, be careful when canning thick veggies like squash and pumpkins, it is only recommended that you can them in cube form, not puree. I might try some of that with the last butternut squash I have sitting in my cabinet....

Until then we used the other squash up in a wonderful tart recipe that I have. It's really great for left overs and is amazingly sweet and refreshing.

Ginger Squash Tart

1 Par-baked crust

4 c. peeled, seeded, cubed squash (~1 large or 2 small)

4 tbsp butter

1 onion sliced thinly

4 inches ginger, minced

4 eggs

1 c. buttermilk

1 c. gruyere cheese
salt/pepper

Partially bake a pie crust in a pie pan until slightly browning and cooked (about 15 minutes or according to your recipe) Let cool slightly.

In a large saute pan heat butter. Add squash and salt/pepper to coat. Heat for about 20 minutes or until soft. Remove to a large bowl. Let cool and mash till a smooth (or slightly chunky) texture is made.

In same saute pan heat onion and ginger till clear, about 5 minutes. Add to squash mixture, adjust salt/pepper to taste. Whip milk and eggs together, fold into squash mixture with cheese.

Add filling to the crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until firm (like a cheese cake)

Let cool slightly and enjoy.

Tour de Farms

We had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Tour de Farms this past weekend at the Oliver Kelly Farm.

Chef Mike Phillips (formally of the Craftsman here in the Twin Cities) was the featured pork proveer. Luckily I had worked with him the week before and he was able to sneak us on the list. He'll be starting a new venture into the small circle of pork products with a company called Green Ox, selling locally to the Irish Pubs in the cities starting this fall and in the spring of 2011. I can only imagine how amazing the dishes at The Local, Kieran's, and the Liffy will be after he gets his products in!

The locally grown food was amazing, pairing deliciously with the beer and wine. Clouds blew away for the afternoon and the sun shone out for the picnic blankets to be spread out in the feild.
The farm was really pretty and the event so much fun. If you live in the area you should really check it out!

Califlower Curry

Jen this ones for you.


We've started making our fall soups for the year. Going to farmers markets and stocking up on veggies.

When we went this Sunday we didn't expect to find $1.00/head califlower, but when we did, we couldn't pass up the chance to try out a batch and can the extras.

This recipe is from my inlaws and gets better and better as it sits. Try out a batch before the summer is over!


Califlower Curry Soup

2 tbsp olive oil
1 Califlower head, washed
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
4 celery stalks
24 oz chicken stock (4 cans)
1 - 2 tsp tumeric
1 tbsp oregano (fresh is best)
1 tbsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup honey

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Saute onion, celery and garlic till translucent, about 5 mintes on medium. Add califlower, oregano, and thyme cooking till slightly browned. Add tumeric until it coats the veggies.

Add stock, bringing to a boil and cook 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low for 5 more minutes. Turn heat off and add honey, salt, and pepper. Using a stick blender puree till just smooth (can keep texture if you like that)

Reheat to desired temperature. Serve warm. Store for 2-3 days in fridge, freeze or can.

Drying out

We've gotten a lot of peppers (jalapeno, bell, etc) from our CSA share at this point in the season. So last week I dehydrated some peppers in strips to store for the winter.

It's a very simple process: Clean and slice the peppers in to strips or chunks, dehydrate for about 3-4 hours until completely dry and slightly brittle, store in an airtight container.

This could also be done in the oven at the lowest setting (150-200 degrees) for 1-2 hours.

I know I used up all of my peppers from last year before the snow melted and it was so nice to just grab a pinch of dried spicy-ness for pizzas or risotto or breakfast eggs rather than pick up over priced and bland peppers during the winter.

Ant Work

This weekend was scheduled for canning.

Every year we take a weekend (or multiple) and can tomatoes for the winter months. We visit the Farmers Market / CSA stands and stock up on peppers, basil, onions, and tomatoes. It takes a full weekend to processes everything using my pressure canner, but it's so worth it!

Two full boxes of fresh tomatoes

Assorted left overs from our plant and the CSA

Roast them in olive oil, salt, and pepper

Wonderful with peppers and garlic

Blanching station for de-skining

The final products: Roasted Pepper Sauce, Stewed Tomatoes, Tomato Basil Soup, Tomato Sauce

2010 CSA

We are very excited to be signed up for the CSA again this year.

Last year we tried out Harmony Valley which was a really wonderful introduction to the local CSA programs here in the city. They have an amazing Cheese Share which we signed up for again this year, that comes out of Wisconsin.

For the Veggies we decided to try Driftless Organics in 2010. This farm is in the same region in Wisconsin, my childhood home, as Harmony Valley is. And to bring it even closer to home, I went to middle and high school with the founders, Josh and Noah.

From the site:
"Driftless Organics came into being fifteen years ago under the name Rainbow Potatoes. It was started by Josh and Noah Engel, ages eleven and nine respectively, and as the name suggests they grew a colorful spectrum of potatoes; more than twenty varieties in all. As they themselves grew, so did their ambition and the number of crops they planted. What began as a quarter acre field of potatoes on their parents’ organic dairy farm has now expanded to over one hundred acres of vegetables, fruits, small grains and sunflowers; all grown in the driftless region of local Southwest Wisconsin. Noah and Josh have been joined in recent years by Mike Lind and his small herd of grass fed beef cattle, further diversifying the operation. The three of them work together to provide sustainably grown organic food at an affordable price to people like you."

I can't wait to share what wonderful things we get in 2010!

I have been making scalloped potatoes wrong my entire life.

Until now.

So I decided in case there was any one reading this blog who is also making the same mistakes, that I would share my new found love.

I am already obsessed with potatoes. I don't know if it comes from my Irish background or just because I love hearty filling carbs, but its there. Until now my favorite has been twice baked. I think that was only because they actually turned out delicious and smooth.

Not like my scalloped, which have always been overcooked and runny. I would boil the tots, cut them as thin as I could with a knife by hand, and mix them with cheese and cream. Eatable but not that great.

I tried slicing them thicker. Mixing the cheese with egg whites. Making them from raw potatoes. Nothing worked!

Flipping through the new edition of Cooking Light I saw an Au Gratin article listing all the different types you could make. They had the regular potato, squash, sweet potato, carrot, and some others. But what caught me was how they prepared them.

The key, I have found, is pre-baking in the liquid. Of course! We have some wonderful cheese from the CSA and it goes perfect with the potatoes from my mom's garden. The simple recipe is just this:

2-3 medium potatoes, washed and sliced thin (I use a mandolin)
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup milk (1% in our house)
1 tbsp flour
1/2 c cheese (gruyere or a flavorful cheddar mix)
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tbsp butter
salt/pepper

Heat potatoes, onion, garlic, milk, and flour over heat until partially cooked through and mixture thickens, not too fast or milk will curdle. Flavor with salt and pepper.
Spread butter over dish. Pour potatoes into dish, coat with shredded cheeses.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until top is brown and bubbly. Let cool slightly.

Peachy

Yes it's fall. But I'm still hanging onto the last of summer here in Minnesota. It seems we've gotten the warmest months right here at the end.
Hot, blustery days (yes that's a word) followed by storms and oppresive humidity. Lovely.
So with all this warm weather, it doesn't quite 'feel' like fall yet. When my in-laws came into town last weekend, I just couldn't bring myself to make my normal Apple Pie. Too fall too soon. I'll hang onto summer.


Peaches. mummm.... there were some beautiful peaches in the store which I thought would go well with the raspberries we got in our CSA cache that week.
My mom said she'd been going through a bunch and canning them into pie filling by blanching them. So I tried that. OMG she was right! The skins just slide right off and they are so easy to slice up.
Just boil the peaches in water for about 5 minutes and then dump into ice water to let cool.

They turn out just right, baked slightly without falling apart.

Slice them up, mix with tapioca filling, sugar and a little lemon juice, then stuff them in a pie. Sprinkle some raspberries on top and cover with your favorite pie recipe.

And hold onto summer.

Corn Dressing

It's been raining for a good 3 days straight. Cloudy and dark clouds are constantly blowing across the sky, threatening to burst open at any moment. The poochie does not like this weather. It means no long walks, no laying on the grass, and no yummy smells coming from the grill.

Like I've said before, during the summer if we're not grilling it's because it's raining. So instead I've been doing a lot of salads. The lettuce out there is amazing right now. So many great varieties and veggies to throw in. Back in January I posted about some easy homemade dressings, it's a great time to use up all that grilled corn that ends up as leftovers.

Our CSA share has the most amazing cheeses with it also. Experimenting with cheeses and nuts on salads is our new favorite cuisine thing to do. It's a great way to use up all those packages of frozen nuts which we all have at the bottom of the freezer door. That and roasting in butter and honey for a chewing snack, but that's for the dessert pictures I have to upload....

Pink cake, red drinks

Through our CSA we've gotten a lot of rhubarb. I've always been a fan of the classic crumble that almost everyone has a recipe for. But I didn't want that! I wanted something different. Something not the norm. Something like, oh I don't know, cheese cake....

My sister has a great recipe for cheesecake. Over the years it's been a classic staple at the hubby's birthday. Nothing says I love you and happy birthday like a peanut-butter chocolate cheesecake.

On the Whipped blog I visit there was a post about summer drinks, which reminded me of the Mexico vacation we went on this spring. It was filled with Mojiotos, Sol, and Sangria. I've always wanted to try making a batch of Sangria, so that's what I did this weekend along with the cheesecake.

The tartness of the rhubarb is a smooth match to the rich sweetness of the cheesecake filling. It was hard for me to eat just one slice.
And Sangria is my new favorite summer drink! So refreshing on the hot days we've been having, without leaving you feeling like you've had one too many beers in the sun. I would recommend it for any wine or non-wine drinker.


Rhubarb Cheesecake
2-3 cups crushed graham crackers
3 tbsp melted butter
2 pkgs cream cheese, room temp
2 eggs
1/2 cup + 1 tsp sugar
1 cup rhubarb, chopped
1 clove, crushed
2 tbsp water

For crust: Mix crackers and butter together until sticky. Press into the bottom of a spring form or other tall pie dish. Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes or until slightly browned. Remove and let cool slightly.


In a sauce pan heat rhubarb, clove, 1 tsp sugar, and water until rhubarb has broken down and is soft, about 8 minutes. Let cool.

In a mixer combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cream cheese till blended. Add eggs one at a time mixing slowly.

Pour over crust leaving about 1/4 cup back. Beat saved portion with the rhubarb. Spoon over other filling in dollops, using a knife to swirl into bottom filling. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Center should be slightly giggly and edges just browning. Let cool at room temp then place in the refrigerator till ready to serve.

Sangria

4 cups red wine

2 cups citrus soda (sprite, sun drop, 7up)

2 cups water

sliced fruit (lemon, lime, orange)

ice

Mix liquids together. Slice fruit into rounds, until desired ammount. Sqeeze leftover juice into mixture. Add ice, sitr, and let cool.

Weekend farming

Our weekend was busy. Between golfing, yoga, gardening, bread baking, and dinner with friends we tried to find time to hit the Minneapolis Farmer's Market on saturday morning.

It's an interesting mix of food, flowers, crafts, and the odd/hopefully interesting items people try to sell.

Set below the skyline of the city, next to the police impound station are rows of stands that are filled each morning with local farmers. There are a lot of not-so-local farmers also. Many are Organic or CSA that travel up from southern minnesota or over from wisconsin.

It's a little confusing at first. There isn't really a rhymn or reason the the setup. There is a craft market at the beginging where you can find pottery and garden ornaments. The whole atmosphere kinda sucks you in and pulls you along with the other gawkers who are just there for the sights and smells.

Once you smell the fresh roasted cinnamon almonds you are almost in the heart of the stands.

There were many new vendors this visit. Home-made pasta, dog treats, many new salsa stands, and a fresh honey station where a flat of bees were keeping eveyone interested.

It was a nice saturday morning....