Posts Tagged ‘Garlic’

• Pesto – A Rite of Summer

  Date: 08.12.2010 | Category: Real Food | Response: 0

  When pesto first showed up on the American foodie scene in the late ’70s, everybody started growing basil and making pesto. It became a rite of summer, up there with ballpark hot dogs, campfire s’mores and lemonade stands. Pesto’s popularity soon rivaled that of tabbouleh at potluck buffets nationwide. Everyone had the recipe, it was right there on page 80 of the Silver Palate Cookbook. Best of all, pasta with pesto was a great, cheap way to feed a lot of people.

  True pesto cognoscenti have always made their pesto with pignoli aka pine nuts, not the walnuts suggested by the Rosso/Lukins duo. But the price of a pound of pine nuts has recently rocketed past $23. Ouch. I’d always found walnuts to be too strong flavored for pesto but the thought of pouring $8 to $10 worth of nuts onto a spinning food processor blade made me cringe. Hell, that’s the price of a movie ticket or a six-pack of Harpoon’s UFO Hefeweizen (with a twist of lemon, a favorite summer brew).

  What to do?

  Unsalted pistachios came to my rescue. They’re buttery like pine nuts and a 7-ounce bag at Gagan Indian Grocery on Williston Road in South Burlington costs just $5.69. Ounce per ounce, that’s a savings of almost half. And their lovely green tint makes my homemade pesto even greener. Bring your friends and come on over for dinner.

  Pistachio Pesto
  from the FarmPlate Kitchen

  Our hot summer days have made the flavor of local basil a bit assertive. Soaking the leaves in ice-cold water for about 20 minutes will sweeten them right up.

  2 big handfuls of fresh-picked basil, stemmed and soaked in cold water
  1 cup (4 ounces) unsalted pistachio kernels
  4 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled
  A pinch of grated lemon zest
  About 1 cup good olive oil (save your best extra-virgin for the salad!)
  2 cups grated Parmesan and/or other hard salty cheese
  Salt and black pepper to taste

  Shake the water off the basil leaves as best you can. Put them in the bowl of a food processor. Add the pistachios, garlic and lemon zest. Pulse a few times to chop.

  With the motor running, pour in the oil in a stream. Turn off the motor and add the cheese, a little salt and a generous grinding of pepper. Process briefly to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Add more olive oil if the pesto seems too thick.

  Makes about 2 cups, enough to sauce at least 2 pounds of pasta. Pesto freezes well.

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• Corn-off-the-Cob Salad with Buttermilk-Herb Dressing

  Date: 07.14.2010 | Category: Recipes | Response: 0

  from the FarmPlate Kitchen

  Mazza’s in Colchester (both Sam and Paul) have fresh Vermont sweet corn this week.

  4 ears fresh-picked sweet corn, shucked
  ½ cup Monument Farms buttermilk
  1 tablespoon olive oil
  Juice of 1 lemon
  2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
  2 tablespoons sliced fresh basil
  1 clove garlic, minced
  Salt and pepper
  1 red or green bell pepper, diced

  Cut the kernels from the corncobs with a serrated knife. Bring a pan of water to a full boil, add the kernels and immediately pour into a strainer set in the sink. Rinse with cold water.

  In a mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, lemon juice, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the blanched corn and diced pepper. Stir to blend. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

  Serves 4

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• Mussel Salad

  Date: 05.19.2010 | Category: Recipes | Response: 0

  from the FarmPlate Kitchen
  

  Fresh mussels should be closed when you buy them. Make sure they can breathe on the trip home by leaving the bag open so air can circulate. Refrigerate immediately in an open container and use within a day or two.

  If you are lucky enough to have chives that are on the verge of blooming, snip a handful of buds and add them to the salad as well.

  3 pounds (2 quarts) rope-grown blue mussels
  4 cloves garlic (2 smashed, 2 minced)
  ½ cup white wine
  ½ cup olive oil
  1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  Juice from ½ lemon
  Pinch of saffron threads
  Aleppo pepper or other ground red chile, to taste
  1 red bell pepper, diced
  2 to 3 scallions, thinly sliced
  1 to 2 tablespoons capers
  Chopped fresh parsley
  Tender lettuce leaves for serving

  Rinse the mussels and check them over to make sure none are broken or cracked. Put the smashed garlic cloves and wine in a Dutch oven over high heat. Bring to a boil, add the mussels and cover the pan. Cook until the mussels have opened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

  In a bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, minced garlic, saffron and Aleppo pepper. Remove the mussels from their shells and add to the bowl. Refrigerate for an hour or so to blend the flavors.

  Before serving, add the diced peppers, scallions, capers and parsley. Toss to combine. Serve on the lettuce leaves.

  Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main course

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• Crazy ‘Bout Maine Mussels

  Date: 05.19.2010 | Category: Real Food | Response: 0

  Why do we love Maine rope-grown blue mussels?

  To start, they’re cheap, they’re meaty and they’re ever so sweet. Plus there’s no question about seafood sustainability issues with rope-grown mussels. Mussel farming on suspended ropes is considered an environmentally benign form of aquaculture compared to finfish farming, which can pollute and cause other environmental problems. Seafood WATCH gives the blue-black bivalves its Best Choice rating.

  Getting mussels ready for the pot used to be tedious. You needed a stiff brush to scrub each and every one to remove the crusty bits. Next you soaked them in fresh water with a dusting of flour floating on the surface, which was supposed to purge any unsavory elements. Then you tapped each one on the counter to make sure it would close and discarded any lifeless ones. Needless to say, the procedure did not lend itself to quick weeknight fare.

  Today’s farmed mussels are so clean and easy to prepare you could put them in the convenience food category. Begin with a quick rinse and an inspection to make sure there aren’t any cracked or broken ones. Many people yank off the “beard,” the fibrous threads that anchor the mussel to the mussel bed. Then you cook them. That’s it.

  It’s hard to imagine any mussel dish without a garlic component, whether it’s a traditional French moules au beurre d’ail or the fusion classic, Thai green curry mussels. Hen of the Wood Restaurant in Waterbury, Vermont, regularly offers delicious Maine mussels with a garlicky herb butter and grilled bread on the side. The Kitchen Table Bistro in Richmond, Vermont, steams Maine mussels in cider and flavors them with smoky local bacon and a killer garlic-laced aioli. We’ve even come across mussels and a dash of minced garlic on pizza on occasion at American Flatbread in Burlington.

  One of our favorite impromptu dishes is a Mediterranean-inspired mussel salad to serve as an appetizer or light main course. The individual components will vary depending on what’s in the fridge, but there’s always garlic and some superb Maine mussels of course.

  Mussel Salad
  from the FarmPlate Kitchen
  

  Fresh mussels should be closed when you buy them. Make sure they can breathe on the trip home by leaving the bag open so air can circulate. Refrigerate immediately in an open container and use within a day or two.

  If you are lucky enough to have chives that are on the verge of blooming, snip a handful of buds and add them to the salad as well.

  3 pounds (2 quarts) rope-grown blue mussels
  4 cloves garlic (2 smashed, 2 minced)
  ½ cup white wine
  ½ cup olive oil
  1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  Juice from ½ lemon
  Pinch of saffron threads
  Aleppo pepper or other ground red chile, to taste
  1 red bell pepper, diced
  2 to 3 scallions, thinly sliced
  1 to 2 tablespoons capers
  Chopped fresh parsley
  Tender lettuce leaves for serving

  Rinse the mussels and check them over to make sure none are broken or cracked. Put the smashed garlic cloves and wine in a Dutch oven over high heat. Bring to a boil, add the mussels and cover the pan. Cook until the mussels have opened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

  In a bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, minced garlic, saffron and Aleppo pepper. Remove the mussels from their shells and add to the bowl. Refrigerate for an hour or so to blend the flavors.

  Before serving, add the diced peppers, scallions, capers and parsley. Toss to combine. Serve on the lettuce leaves.

  Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main course

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• Mancha Mantel de Cerdo y de Pollo

  Date: 05.05.2010 | Category: Recipes | Response: 0

  (Tablecloth Stainer Stew with Pork and Chicken)

  This recipe is a fusion of two recipes from two different Mexican cookbooks, Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz’s The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking (Ballantine Books, 1985) and Roger Hicks’s Mexican Cooking (Quintet Publishing, 1995), as prepared by two Vermont cooks, Maple Corner’s Marialisa Calta and Charlotte’s Susan Stuck. Both cooks have stained tablecloths and happy guests to show for it.

  Adding the pomegranate molasses at the end of cooking was Susan’s idea. It’s hardly authentic, but its sweet-tartness has a way of waking up the flavors of the chiles, fruit and meat.

  8 ancho and/or pasilla chiles
  One 2-pound boneless Luna Bleu Farm or other Vermont pork loin
  1 Cloudland Farm or other Vermont roasting chicken
  1 thick slice fresh pineapple
  1 small plantain or 1 large slightly under-ripe banana
  1 jicama or 1 large tart apple
  Low-sodium chicken broth as needed
  3 tablespoons vegetable oil or lard
  24 whole almonds (with skin on)
  Two 2-inch cinnamon sticks
  8 unpeeled cloves garlic
  One 28-ounce can Muir Glen Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes, drained
  4 sprigs fresh cilantro
  1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste
  1 to 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses or tamarind paste
  1 cup fresh or frozen peas (optional)

  To prepare the dried chiles, wash them in cold water. Remove the veins, stems and seeds and tear the flesh into big pieces. Place the pieces in a bowl, cover with hot water and set aside to soak for about an hour.

  Cut the pork into 1 ½ inch cubes. Cut the chicken into serving pieces, removing the skin from the breast and thigh pieces. Cut the thick rind off the pineapple slice and cut it into cubes, removing and discarding the core. Peel the plantain or banana and cut into 1-inch pieces. Peel and dice the jícama or apple.

  Put the pork cubes in a saucepan with just enough cold water to cover. Cover the pot, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. While the pork is cooking, heat the oil or lard over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven and, working in batches, brown the chicken on both sides. Remove the browned chicken and set aside on a platter. Remove the pork from the cooking liquid after 25 minutes and set aside on the platter with the chicken. Strain the stock and measure it. Add additional chicken broth as needed to make 5 cups of liquid.

  Add the almonds and stir-fry for a few minutes until toasty smelling (the skins will start to rub off). Remove with a slotted spoon and put in a blender. Add the cinnamon sticks to the oil and fry, turning, for a minute or two until fragrant. Remove and place in the blender.

  Heat an ungreased skillet over high heat and add the garlic cloves, with their skins on. Cook the garlic, turning the cloves with tongs occasionally, until the skins are blackened and the garlic is soft. This will take about 15 minutes. Remove from the skillet and let cool a bit. Slip off the skins and add the garlic to the blender.

  Drain the chiles and add to the blender along with the tomatoes and cilantro. Add about ½ cup of the pork cooking liquid to the blender. Puree the contents. This is your mole; it will be quite thick and grainy. Pour it into the Dutch oven with whatever oil remains in the pot, and cook, stirring and scraping constantly, over medium-high to high heat for 3 to 5 minutes. The sauce will be thick and the color of dark chocolate. Add the remainder of the cooking liquid and bring to a simmer. Add the pork, chicken, pineapple, plantain or banana and jícama or apple. Add the salt and stir gently.

  Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover the pot and simmer until the pork and chicken are very tender, at least an hour. Taste the sauce and add more salt, if desired. Stir in the pomegranate molasses or tamarind paste and cook for a few minutes to blend the flavors. If you are adding peas, put them in about 5 minutes before serving.

  Serve with corn tortillas to sop up the sauce.

  Serves 8 to 10

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• Teriyaki Cloudland Beef

  Date: 04.30.2010 | Category: Recipes | Response: 0

  from Cloudland Farm, North Pomfret, Vermont
  1 pound semi-frozen boneless beef sirloin, preferably Cloudland Farms Black Angus beef
  1/3 cup soy sauce
  2 tablespoons apple cider or apple juice
  1 tablespoon molasses
  1 teaspoon dry mustard
  1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  1 clove garlic, minced
  1/3 cup water

  While the beef is partially frozen, thinly slice across the grain into long strips 1/8-inch thick.

  Combine the soy sauce, cider or juice, molasses, dry mustard, ginger, garlic and water in a glass dish.  Add the sliced beef and set aside to marinate for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature.  Drain the meat, reserving the marinade.

  On 8 long skewers, loosely thread the meat accordion-style. Place the skewers on a broiler pan or preheated grill. Broil or grill to the desired doneness, 5 to 8 minutes, turning and brushing occasionally with the marinade. (Discard any uncooked marinade.)

  Serve immediately.

  Serves 4

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• Green Mountain Ranch Dressing

  Date: 04.07.2010 | Category: Recipes | Response: 0

  from the FarmPlate Kitchen
  Perfect for crisp romaine salads. For a tasty, veggie-friendly dip, decrease the amount of buttermilk and increase the yogurt.

  2 cloves garlic
  Coarse sea salt
  ¾ cup buttermilk
  ¼ cup Cabot Creamery Greek Style yogurt
  3 tablespoons olive oil
  2 tablespoons lemon juice
  1 teaspoon maple syrup
  Dash of Worcestershire sauce
  3 to 4 tablespoons minced fresh herbs such as Italian parsley, thyme, oregano, chives, mint and/or basil
  Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  Sprinkle the garlic with some coarse salt and mash to a smooth paste with the flat side of a large knife. Transfer the garlic to a small bowl and whisk in the buttermilk, yogurt, oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce and herbs. Season with salt and a generous grinding of pepper.

  Makes 1½ cups

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• Simple Roast Chicken & Variations

  Date: 03.24.2010 | Category: Recipes | Response: 0

  from the FarmPlate Kitchen
  One 4-pound whole chicken
  2 tablespoons butter, softened
  1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, chives and/or tarragon)
  Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  Olive oil for brushing
  1 cup water or hard cider such as Woodchuck draft cider

  Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

  Mix together the butter, herbs, ¼ teaspoon of salt and a generous grinding of pepper. Gently work the herb butter under the skin on both sides of the chicken breastbone.

  Brush a V-rack with oil and set in a roasting pan. Set the chicken on the rack and brush with olive oil. Pour the water or cider into the roasting pan. Roast the chicken for 40 minutes.

  Increase the oven temperature to 425ºF and continue to roast until the skin is crispy and well browned, about 30 minutes longer. An instant-read thermometer should read 170ºF.

  Tilt the chicken so the juices from the cavity run into the roasting pan. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving. Strain the juices to serve over the chicken.

  ROAST CHICKEN VARIATIONS
  It’s still root vegetable season in our northeast corner of the U.S.–all of these variations would be delicious served with a selection of your favorite roots.

  Roast Chicken Pimentón
  Instead of the herb butter described in the recipe above, make a mixture with 2 tablespoons softened salted butter, 1 tablespoon pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika), 1 teaspoon minced parsley, ½ teaspoon salt and a pinch of sugar and work it under the skin. Roast as directed.

  Roast Chicken with Orange-Maple Glaze
  Instead of the herb butter described in the recipe above, simply work 2 tablespoons softened salted butter under the skin. Roast as directed. During the final 20 minutes of roasting, brush the chicken once or twice with a mixture of  2 tablespoons Seville orange marmalade, 1 tablespoon dark amber maple syrup and 2 teaspoons cider vinegar.

  Roast Chicken with 40 or 50 Cloves of Garlic
  Prepare the chicken for roasting as described in the recipe above. In addition, slice 1 lemon and place in the roasting pan along with the unpeeled cloves from 4 heads of garlic. Add 1 cup of white wine to the pan. Set the chicken on the V-rack in the pan. Roast the chicken then carve. Spoon the pan juices and garlic cloves over the sliced chicken. Diners can mash the cloves to savor with crusty Red Hen bread.

  Roast Chicken with Honey-Rosemary Glaze
  Instead of the herb butter described in the recipe above, work 2 tablespoons softened salted butter and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (or ¼ teaspoon dried) under the skin. Roast as directed. Meanwhile, heat in a small saucepan 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried). During the final 20 minutes of roasting, brush the chicken once or twice with the honey mixture.

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• Pete Johnson: Year-Round Farmer and Innovator

  Date: 01.29.2010 | Category: Farmer Beat | Response: 0

  Spring is only three weeks away–at least for the savvy Vermonters who’ve already signed up for their Spring Localvore Share from Pete’s Greens’ Good Eats CSA.

  Pete Johnson, the Pete in Pete’s Greens, is a rock star among New England organic famers, and his year-round CSA concept is spreading across the country. By growing salad greens in unheated, movable greenhouses on his 230-acre farm in Craftsbury, Johnson has made fresh local produce a cold-season reality here. Johnson is one of “a critical mass of new, innovative farmers” at the heart of “a massive wave of change,” says Dave Rogers, national policy director of NOFA (the Northeast Organic Farmers Association).

  The Spring Localvore Share begins on February 17 and runs through the first week in June. Good Eats CSA members pick up their weekly share at the farm or at one of 15 convenient pickup locations across northern Vermont. Members can look forward to a wide variety of roots, potatoes, onions, garlic, cabbage, celeriac, kohlrabi and other storage crops from the PG cellars plus shoots, sprouts and mesclun that are growing outside throughout the colder months. Frozen vegetables that were harvested and frozen at their peak of freshness last summer augment the fresh veggies. Tomatoes, spinach and braising greens, frozen squash puree and pesto are just a few of the sun-kissed delicacies on ice. By May and June, a wider variety of fresh grown crops will be available—pac choi, baby beets, turnips, scallions, Asian greens and many more.

  In addition to flavor-packed vegetables, share members also receive a wide variety of localvore staples from more than 30 producers in Vermont and southern Quebec. Offerings can include artisan breads, eggs, cheeses, organic Vermont flours, oats, cornmeal and other local grains, cooking oils, vinegars, sweeteners, miso, tamari and other basics.

  CSA members may also opt for a meat share, which features meats grown on the farm and meats and fish (yes! fresh trout!) from local producers. All meats are pastured and grass fed where applicable, and all are sustainably and naturally raised. Many products are certified organic.

  For more information about the farm or to find a CSA sign-up form, click here.

  For more images from Pete’s Greens, check out FarmPlate’s flickr gallery (Pete’s, too!).

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• Butternut Squash Minestrone

  Date: 01.13.2010 | Category: Recipes | Response: 0

  from the FarmPlate Kitchen
  1 tablespoon olive oil
  3 links Vermont Smoke and Cure Turkey-Sun Dried Tomato Sausage or other low-fat sausage, sliced
  1 large onion, chopped
  2 cloves garlic, minced
  2 carrots, peeled and diced
  1 celery rib, thinly sliced
  4 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
  2 cups diced butternut squash (about 10 ounces)
  One 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes (with juice)
  One 15-ounce can Great Northern beans, rinsed
  2 teaspoons dried oregano
  6 ounces baby spinach or arugula leaves
  Salt and a generous grinding of black pepper
  Shaved Vermont sharp Cheddar (optional)

  Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the sausage slices and cook until lightly browned. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

  Add the stock or broth, diced squash, tomatoes, beans and oregano. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.

  Stir in the spinach or arugula and cook until the leaves wilt, about 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into bowls and garnish with Cheddar if desired.

  Serves 6

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