Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market

Red Lentil Soup

2012-02-14T20:40:00.000-08:00

I would have liked to have cooked up a fancy Valentine's Day meal, complete with this fabulous chocolate mousse, but busy travel itineraries, wintertime colds, and the demands of supervising the production of 99 cards, thwarted such plans.

In the end, it seemed fitting to turn to a well-loved family standby. This is a fragrant red lentil soup from Melissa Clark, that is delicious in its original incarnation, but which I've tinkered with over the years, adding more spices along with the cumin, and some sun dried tomatoes to the broth, and blending it into an intoxicatingly velvety and exotic puree.

I'm a little surprised that this spicy soup is a favorite with my chile-averse children. I think my daughter likes its smooth, silky texture, and my son probably finds the flavors familiar because I ate this so often when he was in utero. They also both love being able to play with the accompanying lemon wedges to their hearts' content. And I love being able to serve a simple, heart-warming meal that elicits repeated requests for additional helpings. Really, what better Valentine's Day gift is there than having one's food, cooked with love, be greeted with heartfelt enthusiasm?

Red Lentil Soup

Adapted from Melissa Clark

serves four

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, peeled chopped

2 carrots or 1 carrot and 1 parsnip, peeled and diced

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp chipotle chilli powder

1/4 tsp cayenne

salt totaste

1 quart chicken or vegetable broth plus two cups water (or use six cups waterwith 2 tsp Better than Boullion)

1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes

1 1/4 cup red lentils

lemon wedges for garnish

chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoonsoil over medium high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and sauté until it startsto caramelize, then add the dicedcarrot (and parsnip if using) and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Addspices and sauté until fragrant. Then stir in the tomato paste, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.

3. Add lentils and coat in spice paste. Then add broth and water andsun dried tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turnheat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste andadd salt if necessary.

4. Using an immersion or regularblender or a food processor, purée thesoup until smooth.

5. Reheat soup if necessary, thenserve with lemon juice and cilantro.

Rutabaga Dduk Bokki

2012-02-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

It's a little difficult to love a rutabaga. Compared to a genial, mild mannered potato, a rutabaga can come across as sharp and bitter. I like to temper its impact by roasting it together with a variety of root vegetables; mixed in with mellow, earthy parsnips and sweet beets, it brings complexity and depth to the discussion.

But maybe the rutabaga is just a bit misunderstood, and we should stop thinking of it as a bitter potato and embrace it as a big, lovable radish. In this way it can play a staring role in Asian dishes, standing in for sharp, crisp daikon.

During my first pregnancy Ihad strong cravings for sweet and spicy Korean stir fries that more thanonce sent my husband to Cafe Seuol for late night take out orders.Recently I've been experimenting with making a Korean street food, ddukbokki, that features these fun rod-shaped rice cakes. I started with this recipe, but wanted to include morevegetables, and it turned out that rutabaga was the perfect fit, adding bulk and a sharpness that balanced the sweet carrots and leeks.

This dish worked well for dinner becausethe kids enjoyed it deconstructed, having developed a taste for teriyaki beeffrom Ume Grill, and the grown ups enjoy a flavorful and satisfying one pot meal. And I think the rutabaga enjoyed being appreciated for its unique and special qualities.

Dduk Bokki

Note: this recipe includes teriyaki style beef, but for a vegetarian version, you could simply omit the beef or substitute in baked tofu.

Marinated beef
1/3 lb beef, such as tri tip
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
4 Tbsp rice wine
plenty of black pepper
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp corn starch

Rice stick stir fry
1/2 lb rice cakes (available at Asian markets in the freezer section)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp gochujang (Korean red pepper paste, in a box like this)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 rutabaga
2 carrots
1 leek (or 1 bunch of green onions)
2 medium bok choy or 1/2 small cabbage
1 Tbsp canola oil
sesame seeds for garnish

1. Set a large pot of water to boil. Slice the beef into thin slices. Stir together the sugar, soy sauce, rice wine, and black pepper, and marinate the meat in this while you prep the vegetables and rice cakes.

2. When the water is boiling, add the frozen rice sticks and cook for about 5 minutes until they are cooked through (taste to make sure). Then drain them in a colander and drizzle over a little canola oil to prevent them from sticking.

3. Peel the rutabaga and carrots and cut them into small matchsticks. Trim the root and green ends from the leek, slice lengthwise, and wash thoroughly. Then cut into 1/2 inch slices widthwise. Chop the bok choy or cabbage into thin strips.

4. Mix together the minced garlic, sugar, gochujang, soy sauce, and sesame oil and set aside.

5. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add the oil and when it is hot, add the sliced meat. Cook for a couple of minutes and then flip with tongs to cook the second side. Mix the cornstarch into the marinade, and when the beef is cooked through pour over the corn starch mixture and cook for another minute, stirring. Remove the beef to a plate, scraping off as much of the sauce as possible.

6. Return the pan to the heat and add a little more oil. When it is hot, add the rutabaga and carrot matchsticks and cook for a couple of minutes. Once they start to soften slightly, add the leeks, cook for a minute, and then add the bok choy or cabbage. Keep cooking and stirring until the vegetables are cooked through but still slightly crispy. Add the rice cakes and toss with the vegetables. Then add back the cooked beef and stir in the gochujang sauce. If the sauce seems too thick, you can add a little water. Cook everything together until it is warmed through and then remove from the heat and serve garnished with sesame seeds.

Fresh Corn Tortillas

2012-01-30T20:44:00.000-08:00

The best kind of present is one that arrives out of the blue, a package on your doorstep when you are least expecting it. A couple of weeks ago the mailman left me a tortilla press, a thoughtful early birthday gift from my sister-in-law. I'd never made fresh tortillas before, but now I had a mission. It turns out that corn flour and water are lots of fun to mix, squishing between your fingers, especially if you are four.

Although at first it seems like a crumbly mess, the mixture comes together into a smooth, soft dough. The tricky part is handling it after it has been flattened. You need to line the press with plastic wrap, and avoid pressing the dough too thin. Here again, being four comes in handy because your maximum strength produces a tortilla that's just sturdy enough to peel off intact from the plastic wrap and place onto a hot griddle.

The resulting hot tortillas were pliant and flavorful. We piled them with this tomatillo pork and beans made with Arikara beans from Lonesome Whistle Farm, accompanied by crunchy slaw with cabbage and radishes from Open Oak Farm, and this roasted delicata squash. Making these tortillas is really quite easy and quick, even feasible on a weeknight as a little surprise gift for the whole family.

Corn tortillas

adapted from Rick Bayless, makes about 12 tortillas

1 3/4 cup masa harina (fine corn flour, I used Maseca brand)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water, or a little more

1. In a bowl use your hands to mix the water into the masa and salt, adding the liquid in several steps, until it comes together into a smooth dough. Cover and let rest for a few minutes.

2. Heat a large two burner griddle or two skillets, one medium and one medium high.

3. Check that the dough doesn't feel to stiff and add another 1-2 Tbsp of water if necessary. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, roll into balls, and cover with plastic wrap.

4. Cover both faces of the tortilla press with plastic wrap (or use a plastic bag cut to fit). Place a ball of dough between the sheets of plastic and gently press to form a 1/8 inch thick disc.

5. Gently peel the plastic wrap from the dough, positioning you hand so that it supports the tortilla with your index finger at the top of the center. Hold the tortilla over the medium hot griddle with your hand underneath. Tilt your hand so that the edge of the tortilla parallel to you hand sticks to the skillet and then gently lay the tortilla onto the skillet as you roll your hand out from underneath it.

6. Cook the tortilla for about 30 seconds until it no longer sticks and the, using a metal spatula, flip it over onto the medium hot part of the griddle. Cook for about 30 seconds and flip again. Cook for another 30 seconds, until both sides browned in parts. Transfer to a basket with a towel to keep the tortillas warm. Keep cooking all the tortillas in an assembly line, stacking them on top of each other to keep warm. Enjoy immediately.

Salsify Sachets

2012-01-23T21:42:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our Open Oak Farm CSA, I've been introduced to a vegetable I'd never heard of before: salsify. According to Amanda Hesser's Essential New York Times Cookbook, salsify was last popular in the 1880s, and indeed one of the first items recovered from a search for salsify recipes is a listing of vintage recipes, including instructions for scalloping, stewing, and sauteing. It occurred to me that these gnarly root vegetables might do well baked in foil packets like this. And because they are supposed to have a mild oyster flavor (they are also called oyster plants), I thought they would taste nice with shallots and a lemony dressing, paired with fish.

Like awkward adolescents, salsify roots are gangly and hairy, and they start to blush brown as soon as you try to open them up. But a toss in lemony vinaigrette halted the discoloration. And after 30 minutes of roasting and steaming, they emerged from their foil packets mature and refined, with a delicate flavor more like artichoke hearts than oysters. I'm convinced that this charming vegetable is due for a comeback.

Salsify Sachets

serves two

2-3 salsify roots
1 lemon
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp white vermouth
salt and pepper
2 shallots, peeled and sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Prepare the vinaigrette. In a medium bowl, mix together zest from the lemon (a microplane grater works well for zesting), juice from 1/2 lemon, mustard, olive oil, white vermouth, and salt and pepper.

3. Peel the salsify with a vegetable peeler, cut the thicker parts into matchsticks the width of the thinner parts, and quickly toss the pieces into the vinaigrette as you go to slow the browning.

4. On a baking sheet, spread out two sheets of aluminum foil, about 10 inches long. Divide the salsify and vinaigrette between the two foils and sprinkle over the chopped shallots. For each foil sheet, fold one half over the other and then crimp the edges to make a packet. Place the foil packets on the baking sheet into the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes until the contents are soft and have started to caramelize. Serve warm, pouring all of the accumulated juices over the vegetables.

Note: If you can't find salsify, this recipe would also work nicely with other root vegetables like parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes, or fennel bulbs.

Pan Fried Cod with Capers

serves two

2 cod fillets

wondra or flour
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp capers
juice from 1/2 lemon
splash of white vermouth

1. Start heating a skillet over medium high heat. Season the cod fillets with salt and pepper and sprinkle over some wondra flour, shaking off the excess. When the pan is hot, melt the butter. Then add the fillets, press down with a spatula, and let them cook until nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Flip them and cook on the second side until browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove the filets to warm plates.

2. Add the capers to the browned butter in the pan and saute for a minute. Then add the lemon juice and white vermouth. Let the caper sauce cook down for a minute and then pour over the fish fillets. Serve at once with roasted vegetables and couscous to soak up the sauces.

Barley and Cranberry Bean Soup with Kale

2012-01-18T22:58:00.000-08:00

We didn't get a lot of snow last weekend, but enough to assemble a snow duck and enough to inspire a hearty winter soup.

I'd been wanting to try a barley and bean soup with our supplies from our Lonesome Whistle Farm CSA (heirloom purple barley and Vermont cranberry beans). I had a frozen ham bone and a cabbage from our Open Oak Farm CSA that I knew from experience would cook down into a rich broth.

I love the deep, smooth flavors of a slow cooked soup, but I thought it would be nice to contrast it with some bright, fresh greens. So to finish the soup, I sauteed some lacinato kale in olive oil with plenty of garlic and used this as a soup garnish with a light dusting of parmesan cheese, like our recent snowfall.

Barley and Cranberry Bean Soup with Kale

1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup hulled barley
1 small onion, chopped
1 15 ounce can chopped tomatoes
8 cups water
1 small or 1/2 regular cabbage, chopped
1 ham bone or ham hock
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
1 cup cranberry beans
salt to taste
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
8 leaves lacinato kale
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving

1. Heat a Dutch oven or heavy soup pot over medium heat. Melt the butter and saute the barley grains for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the onion and saute until very soft. Add the chopped tomatoes and a generous pinch of salt and saute for about five minutes. Add the water, cabbage, and ham bone. Bring to a boil and then simmer on very low, mostly covered, for about 2 hours.

2. Add the carrots, celery, and cranberry beans. Continue simmering on very low for another 2 hours. You could also cook the soup in a slow cooker on low for a total of about 6 hours, adding the carrots, celery, and beans after the first 2 hours.

3. When the beans and barley are soft but not mushy, finish the soup. Remove the ham bone or ham hock, shred the meat from the bone, and return the meat to the pot. Taste and add more salt as needed. Finish the soup with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar (about 1 Tbsp).

4. Shortly before serving the soup, prepare the garlicy kale topping. Cut the kale leaves from the center stem and slice them into 1/2 inch ribbons. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and when it is hot, add the minced garlic. Saute for about one minute and then add the kale and a pinch of salt. Saute until the kale is just wilted, about five minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

5. Serve the hot soup with a generous spoonful of sauteed kale on top and a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.

Other recipes for locally grown beans

Bruna Bönor
Cranberry Beans and Collard Greens
Paprkia Chickpea, Delicata and Kale Salad

Pumpkin and Rio Zape Bean Soup

Vegetarian Bean Chili

Black Beans and Huevos Rancheros

Falafel and Grilled Zucchini

Lentil Caviar Salad with Poached Eggs

Coffee Braised Lamb Shanks and Arikara beans

Green Flageolet Bean and Tuna Salad

Creamy green flageolet beans

Dutch bullet bean soup with Indian spices

Arikara beans with tomatillo pork

Ireland Creek Annie Baked Beans

Flageolet bean salad with fennel, orange, and tapenade

Arikara beans with roasted fennel and peppers

Jacob's Cattle bean and ham stew

Calypso beans with ginger and black mustard seeds

Ireland Creek Annie bean bruschetta

Lemon and herb Dutch bullet beans

Minty green flageolet beans

Dutch bullet beans and roasted squash soup

Rio Zape beans with toasted chile sauce

Arikara bean gratin

Calypso bean and leek soup

Barley Stuffed Cabbage

2012-01-12T22:08:00.000-08:00

We received this dramatically variegated January King Cabbage from our Open Oak Farm CSA that seemed too beautiful to shred. The broad leaves inspired me to try making stuffed cabbage and the purple hue seemed to call out for our purple barley from Lonesome Whistle Farm. Many of the stuffed cabbage recipes I looked at simmered the bundles in tomato sauce, but instead I let the tomatoes creep into the filling and simmer with the barley and some end pieces of Christmas ham. For a vegetarian version, one could include pungent dried mushrooms instead.

A cup of barley made enough filling for about eight cabbage leaves, although my cabbage head yielded only four leaves that were wrapping-sized. I'm sure the filling would have frozen well if we hadn't polished it off as a tasty risotto lunch. I softened the cabbage leaves by steaming them on top of the barley and then filled them with the cooked barley and crumbled feta cheese. After wrapping up these charming parcels, I simmered them (same pot, fewer dishes) in some red wine to infuse the cabbage, melt the cheese, and produce a tasty reduced wine sauce accompaniment.

Barley Stuffed Cabbage

1 cup hulled barley
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 leek, white and pale green part washed and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 anchovy fillets
1 cup red wine (divided use)
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 small chunk of ham or ham hock
1 cup boiling water
salt to taste
8 large cabbage leaves
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1. Warm a Dutch oven over medium low heat, add the butter and olive oil, and saute the chopped leeks until very soft and caramelized, but avoid browning them. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Then add the barley and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring, until it gives off a toasted fragrance. Now add the anchovy fillets, mashing them into the barley, and cook another minute. Then Add 1/4 cup red wine and cook until it simmers down. Finally, add the diced tomatoes, ham, a generous pinch of salt, and about a cup of boiling water. Turn the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the barley is soft, about 90 minutes. Stir occasionally and add more water if it looks too dry. You could also cook this in a slow cooker on low for about 3 hours.

2. Once the barley is soft and the consistency of a thick porridge, lightly steam the cabbage leaves for about five minutes by layering them gently on top of the barley and recovering the pot. When they feel pliable, remove the cabbage leaves to a plate. Shred the ham and stir back into the barley. Taste and adjust seasoning.

3. Spread out a cabbage leaf on a plate and spoon in about four soup spoons of the barley mixture. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Now fold the edges of the cabbage leaf up into a parcel. Repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves, until you have used up the barley filling (or transfer the remaining filling to a storage container to use another day).

4. Add the remaining red wine to the Dutch oven and gently transfer the cabbage parcels into the pot. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the cabbage is very soft and the feta cheese inside has melted. Uncover and simmer for another 10 minutes to allow the red wine to reduce. Serve hot with a drizzle of the reduced red wine sauce.

Other cabbage recipes
Pad Thai with Arrowhead Cabbage
Crunchy Carrot, Jicama, and Radish Slaw
Jacob's Cattle Bean and Ham Stew with Roasted Vegetable Garnish
Braised Red Cabbage

Swedish Oatmeal Pancakes

2012-01-08T21:56:00.000-08:00

Some recipes have a wonderful way of following you around like a tenacious honeybee. This is one I clipped from the San Jose Mercury News during graduate school, thinking it might be a hit with my then boyfriend, now husband, because if is reputed Swedish origin. We even made them for his parents, who doubted the providence but loved the pancakes. Then somehow the clipping went missing. Several years later, when we departed the Bay Area to start our jobs in Oregon, my best friend gave us a book of San Francisco recipes, and flipping through I discovered the recipe again, from Town's End Restaurant and Bakery in the Embarcadero. Now in our permanent library, these pancakes have become a signature dish for us. I shared the recipe with my friend Renee, who wrote about how they made her a little more tolerant of combining fruit into baked goods in her great blog Every Pot and Pan.

When our Lonesome Whistle Farm bean and grain CSA came with a bag of Scottish oats, I wanted to see if I could use them in this recipes. The original recipe calls for soaking uncooked rolled oats in buttermilk, but I thought these would need a little more softening up, so I mixed in a small amount of boiling water, and then warmed up the buttermilk before soaking (I discovered that microwaved buttermilk separates out, but you can simply stir it back together). This treatment worked great and the final pancakes had just enough bite inside with a lacy, butter crust and delicious toasted pear and almond finish.

Swedish Oatmeal Pancakes with Almonds and Pears
From Town's End Restaurant and Bakery
(makes about 32 pancakes)

2 cups Scottish oats

1/2 cup boiling water

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup flour (I used Red Fife Wheat Flour from Lonesome Whistle Farm)

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp melted butter

1 or 2 pears sliced

sliced almonds

1. The night before, put the oats in a large bowl and pour over the boiling water. Mix well. Microwave the buttermilk until warm (it will separate) and add this to the oats. Cover the mixture and let stand until it has cooled, the leave it overnight. If using rolled oars, omit the boiling water step and simply soak the oats in cold buttermilk for 30minutes or overnight.

2. The next morning , stir the eggs and then the melted butter into the oats.

3. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder andbaking soda in a bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into oats. You can thin with a Tbsp or two of buttermilk if necessary.

4. Heat a skillet and butter lightly. Use a soup spoon to ladle out pancakes, sprinkling first side with almondsand placing sliced pears on top. Let the pancakes cook until bubble on the edges are stable and they have lost their pale, raw batter appearance. Flip them and cook on secondside until the pears have browned. Serve warm with maple syrup.

Other recipes for locally grown grains

Creamy Barley Risotto with Dandelion Greens
Barley Risotto with Grilled Vegetables

Buckwheat Blini

Buckwheat Crepes

Gluten-Free Waffles

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Beets and Kale

Swedish Rye Cookies

Swedish Rye Knäckebröt

Teff Grain and Ricotta Pancakes with Apple Topping

Wheatberry Tabbouleh with Green Beans and Feta

Wheatberries with Snap Peas

Creamy Purple Barley Risotto with Dandelion Greens

2012-01-03T22:54:00.000-08:00

Our bean and grain CSA from Lonesome Whistle Farm included this remarkable purple barley. Last summer I had made a nutty barely risotto with grilled vegetables, but for a cozy winter dish I wanted something richer and creamier. I also had on hand some dandelion greens from our Open Oak Farm CSA. A little internet searching came up with a food52 recipe for ricotta risotto with dandelion greens and orange, which I adapted for barley. I also substituted lemon for the orange, which seemed to me a heftier pairing for the heartier grain.

Barley needs a lot longer to cook than arborio rice. You can shorten the time a little by soaking it overnight, but then you miss out on the opportunity to toast your grain in some fat before you simmer it. Instead I think the best strategy is to plan a leisurely weekend afternoon of cooking, bringing your barley just short of tender, and then reheat it and finish it off before dinner. This risotto doesn't require your undivided attention like a classic rice risotto, occasional stirring will suffice. And the lengthy cooking time allows you to concurrently simmer a stock seasoned with the leek greens and dandelion stems. When the barley is finally soft to your liking, finish it off with creamy ricotta and a zing of lemon zest. The final dish is both indulgent and healthy, a good transition from holiday feasting to New Year's resolutions.

Creamy Purple Barley Risotto with Dandelion Greens

inspired by gingerroot

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 bunch dandelion greens (or substitute another green)
1 medium or 2 small leeks
1 clove garlic
1 cup hulled barley
1/3 cup white vermouth
~4 cups stock or water
salt to taste
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
zest from one lemon

1. To make a quick vegetable stock, or enhance one you have, set a pot of about 6 cups water or a combination of water and stock to simmer. Remove the stems and spines from the dandelion greens and the green parts from the leeks, wash and chop coarsely. Add to the simmering pot. You can add other items from your vegetable bin such as parsley stems, celery, or a carrot. Season with salt to taste. You can keep the stock simmering on very low while you cook the risotto, and it will continue to intensify in flavor.

2. Chop the dandelion green leaves. Peel and mince the garlic clove. Heat a large saute pan or Dutch oven big enough to hold the cooked risotto. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and saute the minced garlic for a minute. Add the dandelion greens and a pinch of salt and saute until they just start to wilt, about 2 minutes. Remove to a bowl and reserve.

3. Rinse and finely dice the white and pale green part of the leeks. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter to the warm pan and saute the diced leeks until they are very soft and have started to caramelize, for about 6 minutes, but avoid browning them.

4. Add the barley and toast in the fat for a couple of minutes until it is fragrant and glistening. Add the white vermouth and allow to cook down. Now start adding the warm stock, a ladle at a time, and stir. You don't need to stir this as continuously as you would a rice risotto, but keep and eye on it, and taste periodically for texture and seasoning. I found that the barley needed about 90 minutes to reach the soft, creamy consistency I wanted. You could plan to cook it partially earlier in the day and finish it off just before dinner time.

5. When the barley is soft but still has some bite, stir in the sauteed dandelion greens and cook for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the ricotta cheese and lemon zest. Adjust seasoning and serve immediately.

Other recipes for locally grown grains

Barley Risotto with Grilled Vegetables

Buckwheat Blini

Buckwheat Crepes

Gluten-Free Waffles

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Beets and Kale

Swedish Rye Cookies

Swedish Rye Knäckebröt

Teff Grain and Ricotta Pancakes with Apple Topping

Wheatberry Tabbouleh with Green Beans and Feta

Wheatberries with Snap Peas

Root Vegetable Latkes

2011-12-28T19:28:00.000-08:00

Our CSA from Open Oak Farm provided us with a great selection of root vegetables. Inspired by my friend Elly's cabbage fritters and various Hanukkah recipes, I decided to experiment with root vegetable latkes.

The key to successful latkes is removing as much liquid from the potatoes as possible, which I did by squeezing them in a kitchen towel. The addition of grated carrots and parsnips helped offset the sogginess, and I used panko to bind the batter together with a little extra crunch.

You need to be patient with these so that they have a chance to cook through. It's best to distract yourself with other tasks like emptying the dishwasher or preparing other dishes. It's worth the wait. The final pancakes were crispy and flavorful with hints of sweet onion, carrot and parsnip among the potatoes. And they tasted delicous with the last batch of this apple sauce.

Root Vegetable Latkes

4 medium sized potatoes, peeled
1 carrot, peeled
1 parsnip, peeled
1 small onion, peeled
2 eggs
1/4 cup panko or bread crumbs
plenty of salt and pepper
canola oil for frying

1. In a food processor with a grater attachment or using a box grater, grate the potatoes. Transfer the grated potato to a dishtowel over a strainer.

2. Grate the onion, carrot and parsnip.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with salt and pepper. Fold in the onions, carrots, and parsnips. Wrap the grated potato in the dish towel and twist to remove as much liquid as possible. Stir the potatoes and panko into the batter.

4. Heat a griddle over medium low heat and coat well with canola oil. When the oil is hot enough that a test teaspoon of batter sizzles upon contact, spoon out pancakes of batter with a soup spoon and flatten with a spatula. Cook thoroughly until the first side is crispy and brown, about five minutes. Flip and cook until the second side is also brown and crispy. Eat at once with apple sauce, or keep the latkes warm on a platter in a low oven while you prepare the next batch.

Swedish Rye Knäckebröd

2011-12-25T12:25:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas season we prepare a Swedish Smörgasbrod, a tradition from my husband's family. This year, with a fresh supply of rye flour from Lonesome Whistle Farm, I was inspired to make our own knäckebröd or rye crackers for our Swedish feast.

I found a wide variety of recipes for knäckebröd on the web, and put together a version with a buttermilk starter sweetened with honey and lightened with a bit of yeast. To make the round crackers, we shaped the dough into a log, sliced it into disks, and rolled them flat.

Then my son cut out the centers, which we read were for cooling the crackers on a wooden spoon,

and my daughter made a pattern of fork pricks designed for breaking the crackers into radial sections.

The spoon cooling process required some precarious balancing, but the final crackers were a delicious component of our Swedish Smörgasbord of:

Knäckebröd (rye crackers)

Fyllda ägg (stuffed eggs)

Köttbullar (Swedish meatballs)
Inlagd Sill (pickled herring)
Inlagda Gurkor (pickled cucumbers)

smoked salmon and smoked trout
Bruna Bönor (brown beans, delicious prepared with Lonesome Whistle Farm's cranberry beans. Cook beans in water until tender. Mix in salt to taste, 1 tsp mustard, 3 Tbsp molasses, and 3 Tbsp cider vinegar and simmer for another half hour for the flavors to meld.)

Swedish Rye Knäckebröd

1 cup buttermilk

3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp yeast

1 tsp salt

2 cup rye flour

1 cup whole wheat flour, and more for rolling out dough

1. In a glass measuring cup, microwave the butter until it melts. Add the buttermilk and microwave a little longer until the mixture is warm but not scalding. Stir in the honey and yeast. Let sit for about 5 minutes until frothy.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the salt and a cup of wheat flour. Pour in the milk mixture and stir to combine. Now stir in the rye flour in several stages until you have a firm dough. Gather together the dough and knead gently into ball. Put into an oiled bowl, cover, and let sit for at least an hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a cylinder and then cut into eight disks. Roll each disk into a thin circle. Use a shot glass or cookie cutter to cut out a hole in the center (you can bake the holes as little crackers). Transfer the disk to a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Use a fork to prick all over including radial spokes along which the crackers can break.

4. Bake the crackers in batches for about ten minutes until they brown up along the edges. Cool on a wooden spoon threaded through the center holes.

Other recipes for locally grown grains

Barley Risotto with Grilled Vegetables

Buckwheat Blini

Buckwheat Crepes

Gluten-Free Waffles

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Beets and Kale

Swedish Rye Cookies

Teff Grain and Ricotta Pancakes with Apple Topping

Wheatberry Tabbouleh with Green Beans and Feta

Wheatberries with Snap Peas

Holiday Gift Ideas

2011-12-24T06:24:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for last minute holiday gift ideas, I can recommend this Dakota black popcorn from Lonesome Whistle Farm.

The beautiful black kernels pop up into bright white puffs, and even the ones that don't pop are tender enough to nibble on. My favorite way to eat these black and white treats is with melted butter, salt, and a drizzle of blackstrap molasses.

This year Santa also brought me these beautiful heirloom bean earrings created by Lonesome Whistle Farm farmer Kasey White (thanks Dan!). She has a selection of bean jewelry for sale, perfect for any bean enthusiast on your list.

Swedish Rye Cookies

2011-12-21T01:21:00.000-08:00

My son, born four years ago on Winter Solstice, is the antithesis of winter. From the moment he arrived, he has been a fiery ball of energy with the sunniest of personalities. Defying the laws of Mendel, he seems to have inherited only his father's Swedish genes, and has a head of white blond hair the color of a field of grain in the height of summer. With a new supply of rye flour from Lonesome Whistle Farm, I recruited my little Swede to help me test out this recipe for Swedish rye cookies from 101 Cookbooks.

The recipe calls for a combination of butter and cream cheese, which gives the final cookies a pleasantly tart flavor. The dough was quite easy to work with, and in no time we had a herd of reindeers.

The poor things never knew what hit them when they encountered my son's blizzard of colored sugars. Luckily, the cookies themselves are not too sweet and could stand the heavy drifts of decoration. We all liked the subtle rye flavor and we think Santa will too. These will definitely become part of our regular holiday baking repertoire.

Swedish Rye Cookies

from 101 Cookbooks

1 cup rye flour (from Lonesome Whistle Farm)

1 cup pastry flour (such as soft white winter wheat flour from Camas Country Mill)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup fine sugar

1. Sift together the flours and salt.

2. In a mixer or food processor, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar until very smooth. Then combine in the flour mixture, but avoid over-mixing. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten into a disc, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut into shapes. Place on parchment paper-covered cookie sheets and dust with colored sugar. Bake for about 10 minutes until just golden around the edges. At this point you can dust them with powdered sugar, if they haven't already been thoroughly sugared.

Other recipes for locally grown grains
Barley Risotto with Grilled Vegetables
Buckwheat Blini
Buckwheat Crepes
Gluten-Free Waffles
Quinoa Salad with Roasted Beets and Kale
Teff Grain and Ricotta Pancakes with Apple Topping
Wheatberry Tabbouleh with Green Beans and Feta
Wheatberries with Snap Peas

Cranberry Beans and Collard Greens

2011-12-16T23:17:00.000-08:00

I was excited that the first installment of this year's Lonesome Whistle Farm CSA included these heirloom Vermont cranberry beans, which I hadn't had a chance to sample last year. As a native New Englander, I wanted to honor these beans' heritage with a simple but enlightened preparation.

We also had some collard leaves from our Open Oak Farm CSA, which seemed like the kind of substantial green that Alcott or Emerson would have espoused. I started a bean pot with some sauteed leeks and jalapeno, and then simmered the beans until just tender.

Then I sauteed sliced collard greens with plenty of garlic in a shallow pan, to which I added the beans and their liquid. Another twenty minutes on the stove simmered off most of the bean juice, melded the flavors, and rendered the greens silky but not too soft. These beans were a delicious accompaniment to roast ham for dinner, and the leftovers were even more scrumptious the next day topped with a fried egg in a New England take on huevos rancheros.

Cranberry Beans and Collard Greens

2 cup cranberry beans, sorted, rinsed and soaked while you prepare the other ingredients

4 Tbsp olive oil (divided use)

1 large or 2 small leeks

1 jalapeno pepper

5 cups water

1 bunch collard greens

3 cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut off the root and green part of the leeks, slice the white part lengthwise, and rinse thoroughly. slice lengthwise again and then cut into 1/4 inch slices. Seed and chop the jalapeno pepper finely.

2. Heat a Dutch oven and add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Over medium low heat, saute the leeks and jalapenos until they become nicely caramelized, about 6 minutes, but avoid letting them brown.

3. Drain the beans and add to the pot along with 5 cups of water and a generous pinch of salt. If you like, you can presoak the beans for a longer period of time, but I find it unnecessary, especially with this newly dried beans. Bring the pot to a very gentle simmer and cook for about an hour (longer for older beans) with the lid cracked. Keep an eye on the liquid level. You want the beans to have some broth, but if they seem too soupy, simmer with the top off. Turn off the beans when they are just tender and add more salt and pepper as needed.

4. Rinse the collard greens, cut the center stem from the leaves, and chop them into 1/2 inch strips. Peel the garlic cloves and mince them.

5. Heat a large, shallow pan that can hold all of the beans. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil and briefly saute the garlic. Then add the collard greens and a generous pinch of salt and saute until they turn bright green and fragrant. Now add the beans and their liquid, mix, and let the collard greens simmer in the bean juices for about twenty minutes. Once the greens are the desired degree of tenderness and the beans have thickened, serve warm. These are delicious topped with a fried egg.

Other recipes for heirloom beans

Pumpkin and Rio Zape Bean Soup

Coffee Braised Lamb Shanks and Arikara beans

Green Flageolet Bean and Tuna Salad

Creamy green flageolet beans

Dutch bullet bean soup with Indian spices

Arikara beans with tomatillo pork

Ireland Creek Annie Baked Beans

Flageolet bean salad with fennel, orange, and tapenade

Arikara beans with roasted fennel and peppers

Jacob's Cattle bean and ham stew

Calypso beans with ginger and black mustard seeds

Ireland Creek Annie bean bruschetta

Lemon and herb Dutch bullet beans

Minty green flageolet beans

Dutch bullet beans and roasted squash soup

Rio Zape beans with toasted chile sauce

Arikara bean gratin

Calypso bean and leek soup

Paprika Chickpea, Delicata and Kale Salad

2011-12-10T20:56:00.000-08:00

This week from our Open Oak Farm CSA we received a bonanza of delicata squash. In the past I've roasted these squash with spices and scooped them into soup. But recently I learned from Heidi Swanson's blog 101 Cookbooks that you can eat the delicatas' thin skin, eliminating the need for scooping or peeling. Inspired by this recipe, I roasted up a dish of delicata pieces, tossed with sweet smoked paprika and fennel seeds, which my daughter found so tasty that she dubbed them "squash candy".

Another new smoked paprika recipe in my repertoire is this one for Smoky Fried Chickpeas by Aliwaks of food52, flavored with lemon peel, thyme, and garlic.

It occurred to me that the paprika-spiced meaty chickpeas and soft sweet squash would pair nicely in a winter salad. I had some remaining Open Oak Farm kale leaves, which I chopped and tossed with lemon juice and olive oil. For an extra kick of heat, saltiness, and crunch, I topped the salad with a dollop of my new favorite condiment, harissa, and some roasted delicata seeds. It proved to be a delicious combination, and I looked forward to packing some for lunch, but my daughter had polished off the supply of squash candy.

Paprkia Chickpea, Delicata and Kale Salad

Roasted Delicata Squash Pieces
1 delicata squash
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim off the stem and blossom ends of the squash and halve lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds (an ice cream scoop works well for this), reserving the seed for toasting. Cut lengthwise again and then cut the quarters into 3/4 inch wide pieces. Transfer to a baking dish and toss with the olive oil and spices. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally.

Toasted Delicata Squash Seeds
Separate the seeds from the pulp, but don't be too careful about it because the toasted seeds taste best with a little sweet, caramelized squash goop. On a baking sheet, toss the seeds with a tablespoon of olive oil and generous sprinkle of salt. Toast them in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes until they start to brown, but be careful not to let them burn. You can also toast them in a toaster oven.

Smoky Fried Chickpeas, adapted closely from Aliwaks from food52
1 cup dried chickpeas (or two cans of cooked chickpeas)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp smoked paprika (sweet, or a combination of sweet and spicy to taste)
peel from 1 lemon, cut into thin slivers
4 sprigs thyme
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
salt to taste

1. If using dried chickpeas, rinse and add them to a pot with a couple of thyme sprigs and enough water to cover them by an inch. Simmer on very low heat until they are soft, 1-3 hours depending on the dehydration of the beans. Remove the thyme sprigs and salt to taste. Drain and dry on a kitchen towel spread out in a baking dish.

2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. The oil is hot enough if a tester chickpea sizzles when it is added to the pan. Add enough chickpeas such that the bottom of the pan is just covered and they are not crowded. Add a similar proportion of lemon slivers and thyme leaves to portion of chickpeas being fried at the time. Fry, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas have crisped up and turned a toasty color, and transfer to a bowl. Cook the remaining batches of chickpeas as you did the first. Finally, fry the garlic slices until crisp and toasty brown.

3. When all the chickpeas and garlic have been fried, toss them with the smoked paprika and salt to taste.

This recipe makes more than enough chickpeas for the salad below, but these are also a great snack on their own.

Kale Salad (2 main meal salads or 4 sides)
~4 kale leaves
juice from 1 lemon
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup roasted delicata squash pieces (above)
1/2 cup smoky fried chickpeas (above)
1/4 cup toasted delicata squash seeds (above)
harissa to taste

Cut the green parts of the kale from the stem running through the leaves and slice into thin slices. Toss the kale leaves with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Layer on the chickpeas, delicata squash pieces, and a sprinkle of toasted squash seeds. Serve with harissa.

Other salad variants:
Top kale or other greens with the chickpeas and cubed avocado
Top kale or other greens with roasted squash pieces and fresh pomegranate seeds
Top kale or other greens with roasted squash pieces and crumbled stilton cheese

Two Chilis for a Crowd

2011-12-05T21:04:00.000-08:00

With the holiday season in full force you may find yourself, as I did recently, with a crowd of guests to feed. My strategy was to cook up a couple pots of chili. One, a vegetarian bean chili, used up the last of my supply of heirloom beans from Lonesome Whistle Farm just in time for the start of their new CSA season (you can admire the variegated hues of Calypsos, Rio Zapes, Jacob's cattle, and Ireland Creek Annies above and read an interview with farmers Kasey and Jeff here). The other chili, for the carnivores in the crowd, was inspired by a recipe from the Homesick Texan.

The first step was to make a chile paste. This might seem like a lot of work, but it's actually quite easy and one gets to savor the fragrance of toasted spices while transforming a prosaic pile of dried chiles into a thick, exotic concoction. I followed a similar recipe to this one, with toasted garlic cloves, cumin and fennel seeds, cinnamon, cocoa powder, sun dried tomatoes, and a selection of dried chiles including milder anchos and negros, and spicier guajillos.

For the beef chili, I cooked up 4 slices of bacon and then browned 4 pounds of cubed beef chuck (from Long's) in the drippings. Then I sauteed some onions and red pepper, combined in half of my chile paste, the beef, I bottle of dark beer, and 1 cup of coffee, and cooked the whole pot, covered, in a low oven for 5 hours. I must admit to a moment of panic when I tasted the chili at the end of the day and found that it was extremely spicy (I'd used a lot of guajillos), but thankfully, the heat mellowed overnight and the chili was delicious the next day with a cool and crunchy slaw (sort of like this one, but with a buttermilk dressing).

For the bean chili, I combined the remaining chile paste with a can of tomatoes and simmered the bean pot along side the meat. This chili also had a hefty kick to it, but was tempered with a generous dollop of sour cream. We had plenty of food for a crowd and more to enjoy for family meals during the week.

Toasted chile paste

(enough for one of these chili recipes)

12 dried chiles (for medium spiciness use 4 anchos, 4 negros, and 4 guajillos; for more heat increase the proportion of guajillos)

12 sun dried tomato halves

6 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

Heat a skillet and toast the chiles about one minute on each side until they puff up and become fragrant. Also heat the garlic cloves, still in their skins, until they start to blacken. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the stems and seeds from the chiles and immerse them in 2 cups hot water, along with the sun dried tomatoes. When the garlic cloves are done, peel them and put them in a blender. Toast the cumin and fennel seeds in the skillet until fragrant for about half a minute and add these to the blender, along with the cocoa powder, cinnamon, and salt. Spoon in the softened chiles and tomatoes. Add the soaking liquid, strained. Blend until you have a smooth paste.

Beef Chili

(Adapted from Homesick Texan, served 10-12)

4 thick slices of bacon

4 pounds cubed beef chuck

fresh ground pepper

salt

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 large onion, peeled and diced

1 red pepper, seeded and diced

1 recipe toasted chile paste (above)

1 cup coffee

1 bottle dark beer

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1. Heat a large Dutch oven and cook the bacon slices until the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon slices, dice and reserve.

2. Generously salt and pepper the cubed beef. Over medium heat, brown the cubed beef in the rendered bacon fat, working in batches so that you do not crowd the meat. Remove each batch to a plate.

3. Add a little canola oil if necessary and saute the onion until glassy. Add the diced pepper and saute another few minutes. Now add the chile paste and fry for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Then add back the beef with any accumulated juices, the diced bacon, and the coffee, beer, and sugar. Bring the pot to a simmer, cover, and transfer to a 250 degree oven.

4. Cook the chili for about 5 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat has melted into buttery softness and the flavors have blended. if it looks dry at any time, add a little water. Toward the end, taste and add more brown sugar and salt if necessary. This is even better cooked a day ahead.

Vegetarian Bean Chili
(serves 10-12)

6 cups assorted dried beans, sorted and rinsed

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 recipe toasted chile paste (above)

1 32 ounce can tomatoes

1 Tbsp brown sugar
salt to taste

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat the canola oil. Add the chile paste and fry for a couple of minutes until fragrant. In the meantime, add the canned tomatoes to the blender jar and blend into a puree (and to make sure to dislodge all of the chile paste).

2. Add the blended tomato puree to the pot along with the beans and enough water to cover the beans by about an inch. Bring to a simmer.

3. Transfer to a 250 degree over and cook for about 4 to 5 hours until the beans are soft. While cooking stir occasionally and add a little more water if the bean pot is getting too dry. Toward the end of the cooking time, taste and add more brown sugar and salt if necessary.

Serve either chili with sour cream, diced avocado, chopped green onions, and cilantro.

Turkey Pozole

2011-11-29T23:11:00.000-08:00

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, the media is full of military-style plans for tackling the big meal, but I feel that the real need is for a strategy to manage the leftovers. I'm game for one repeat of the turkey and trimmings, and there's nothing better than a turkey and cranberry relish sandwich picnic on an unexpectedly sunny post-holiday weekend, but after that I want a respite from all the rich and bland food. Turkey pozole is one approach to finishing off the bird with a meal full of spice and crunch.

We've joined Open Oak Farm's winter CSA, so we had plenty of fresh vegetables for a flavorful turkey broth, including carrots, onions, and kale and chard stalks that I simmered with the turkey remains.

For a spicy base, I used an easy recipe for Smoky Chipotle Salsa with Pan-Roasted Tomatillos from Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday. You sear halved tomatillos and garlic cloves and then blend them together with a chipotle pepper in adobe sauce (a tip on storing chipotle peppers: when you open a can, lay out the individual peppers with dollops of sauce onto a saran wrap covered cookie sheet, freeze them, and store them in a freezer bag for individual use).

In a big soup pot, I combined this salsa with a couple of cans of cooked hominy, a diced roasted poblano pepper, and the strained turkey stock. The resulting soup made a fiery backdrop for lots of tasty toppings. Because I was feeling a little tired of turkey, I kept this on the side, to be added at one's discretion, along with strips of fried corn tortillas, sour cream, radishes, avocado cubes, cilantro, and plenty of fresh escarole from Open Oak Farm. A virtue of this soup is that it makes for excellent leftovers (not that you need any), since the broth improves in flavor and you add fresh toppings every time.

Turkey Pozole

Turkey stock
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
stalks from greens such as kale or chard, chopped
carcass of one roast turkey (meat removed)
6 sprigs fresh oregano
about 12 cups water
salt to taste

Chipotle salsa
1 pound tomatillos
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 chipotle chili in adobe sauce
salt to taste

Soup
2 15 ounce cans hominy, drained and rinsed (or cook your own from dried hominy)
chipotle salsa (above)
about 8 cups turkey stock (above)
1 poblano pepper (optional)

Toppings
shredded roast turkey
corn tortillas, fried and sliced
sour cream
slice escarole or cabbage
sliced radishes
cubed avocado
cilantro leaves

1. In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onions until glassy, Add the carrots, celery, and green stalks and continue cooking until soft. Add the turkey bones and fill the pot with water. Add fresh oregano and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for about an hour. Adjust seasoning. Cool and strain. You can make this a day ahead, refrigerate the stock, and then degrease by removing the hardened fat from the surface.

2. Remove the husks from the tomatillos, rinse and halve. Heat a large skillet, add a thin layer of canola oil, and place the tomatillos cut side down along with the garlic cloves. Cook until the tomatillos are charred, then flip and cook a few more minutes until they are soft throughout. Cook the garlic cloves until they are soft and slightly charred. Scoop everything into a blender jar and add a chipotle pepper and generous pinch of salt. Blend into a smooth salsa.

3. Sear the poblano pepper over a flame until the skin is charred. Put in a bowl and cover with a plate so that the skin buckles off. When it is cool enough to handle, scrape off the charred skin, deseed, and cut into a 1/4 inch dice.

4. Heat a large soup pot, add the salsa and the rinsed hominy and cook for a few minutes. Add the diced poblano pepper and about 8 cups of the turkey stock. Simmer for about 45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

5. Serve warm in shallow soup bowls with the assorted toppings.

Roasted Apple Sauce

2011-11-23T21:16:00.000-08:00

I procured a box of these lovely liberty apples from SLO Farm at the Fill Your Pantry event a couple of weeks ago. We go through a lot of apples for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but with 20 pounds to use up, we needed to pick up the pace. So I hauled out our apple peeler (another kitchen gadget gift from my mother in law) and got to work on this recipe for Judy Rodger's roasted apple sauce posted as a genius recipe on food52.

The trick is to bake the apples, dotted with butter and covered, until they are soft, and then finish them, uncovered, at high heat that caramelizes the juices. The roasted apples were easily mashed into a sauce that made a delicious accompaniment to waffles for a crowd. And I could imagine them as a nice accompaniment to roasted fowl, if my kids hadn't devoured the remains. We have much to be thankful for this season, not least of which is living in this fertile valley with such delicious produce. Happy Thanksgiving.

Roasted Apple Sauce

Adapted from Judy Rodger's The Zuni Cafe Cookbook

12 apples (3 1/2 - 4 pounds)
2 tsp raw sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter
splash of cider vinegar (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel, quarter, and core the apples and arrange snuggly in a baking pan. Toss with the salt, sugar and cinnamon. Dot with butter and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

2. Bake for about 25 minutes until the apples are soft.

3. Raise the heat to 500 degrees. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for approximately 15 more minutes until the juice has evaporated and the apples have started to brown on their tips.

4. Remove the apples to a bowl and mash to the desired consistency. If desired, add a splash of cider vinegar.

Roasted Beet Vishyssoise

2011-11-18T22:28:00.000-08:00

On top of being drizzly and gloomy, the weather has suddenly turned frigidly cold with a chance of snow. High time to cook up a creamy pot of soup. And one with a brilliant magenta hue wouldn't hurt. Here's a take on a family favorite of leek and potato soup (Vishyssoise) that incorporates roasted beets for a rich flavor and glamorous color.

When preparing this soup, I realized that all the extra parts of the vegetables that would normally be discarded (leaves, stems, and peels) could be recruited into service for a flavorful stock.

And to make this into a real root to sprout recipe, I combined a handful of the tenderest beet greens with ginger and parsley for a pungent pesto garnish.

The final soup was elegant and soothing. It would make a nice accompaniment to blini or turkey panini.

Roasted Beet Vishyssoise

1 bunch beets, with greens (about 5 small or 3 medium sized)
4 small or 2 medium leeks
1 large onion
2 1/2 pounds potatoes such as Yukon gold (about 4 large potatoes)
olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 inch ginger
handful of flat leaf parsley
salt
pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop off the beet stems and leaves and reserve. Wash the beets well. Peel them, reserving the skin for the stock, and cut them into approximately 1 inch cubes. In a ovenproof pan, toss the beet pieces in olive oil to coat and salt and pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until they are soft and fragrant and just slightly charred around the edges.

2. Prepare the soup stock. Remove the green parts of the leeks, slice lengthwise, and wash thoroughly under running water. Chop coarsely. Peel and chop the onion. Rinse the beet greens thoroughly and discard any bruised or wilted leaves. Reserve a small handful of the tenderest and freshest leaves, with a couple of inches of stem, for the soup garnish, and chop the remaining stems and leaves for the broth. Scrub the potatoes well and peel them, reserving the peels, and covering the potatoes in cold water to prevent discoloring. Wash the ginger, peel it, and reserve the peels for the stock and the flesh for the pesto. Heat a large stockpot and add a glug of olive oil (approximately 2 tablespoons). Saute the onions and leek tops for a few minutes until they are glassy. Add the chopped beet stems and continue cooking until the vegetables are very soft, about 8 minutes, but make sure that they do not start to brown. Add 8 cups of water, the beet leaves and potato, beet and ginger peels, and parsley stems, and salt generously. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Strain and reserve.

3. Prepare the soup. Wash and chop the reserved leek whites. Heat a large soup pot and melt the butter. Add a small glug of olive oil (approximately 1 tablespoon) and the leeks with a pinch of salt and cook over medium low heat for about 8 minutes until the leeks are very soft. Add 6 cups of the strained vegetable stock. Cube the potatoes into approximately 1 1/2 inch chunks and add to the pot. Simmer on low for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are soft. Add the roasted beet cubes to the soup. Rinse the beet roasting pan with a ladle of vegetable stock and add this to the soup. Simmer on low for another 10 minutes. Then puree the soup with an immersion blender until completely smooth. Adjust seasoning and thin with a little more vegetable broth if necessary.

4. In the last few minutes before the soup is done, prepare the garnish. Put the peeled ginger in a food processor or mini chopper along with the reserved beet leaves and parsley leaves. Add a pinch of salt, a generous grinding of pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil (about 1 tablespoon). Chop into a coarse pesto.

5. Serve the soup warm with a dollop of the peppery beet leaf and ginger pesto.

Buckwheat Blini

2011-11-09T21:40:00.000-08:00

This weekend the Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Project is hosting two events for consumers to stock up on locally grown whole grains, fresh ground flours, dry beans, legumes, and storage crops (garlic, onions, roots and winter squash). SLO Farm will be at the Eugene event on Sunday.

Fill Your Pantry Farm Direct Community Bulk Buying Events

Linn County Fill Your Pantry (Shedd):

Saturday, November 12, 2011

2 to 6pm

At the former Methodist Church, 30090 Hwy 99E (approx 5 miles south of Tangent)

Click here for product list and pre-order information

Deadline for pre-orders: Friday, Nov 4

Sponsored by: Willamette Seed & Grain and Ten Rivers Food Web

Lane County Fill Your Pantry (Eugene):

Sunday, November 13, 2011

noon to 4pm

Hummingbird Wholesale's new building, 150 Shelton McMurphey Blvd.

Click here for product list and pre-order information

Deadline for pre-orders for Eugene sale: Thursday, Nov 10, 5pm

Sponsored by: Willamette Farm & Food Coalition and Hummingbird Wholesale

For more information call (541) 341-1216, or email info@lanefood.org

One locally grown and milled grain is buckwheat, which will be available at these events from Camas Country Mill, Lonesome Whistle Farm, and Open Oak Farm. Buckwheat is a good cover crop, but has a limited market. It is an excellent flour to include in gluten-free waffles and is a traditional ingredient in French savory crepes.

Another great use for buckwheat is in Russian blini, savory pancakes made with a yeast batter. In my family, these are considered the height of elegance, and we often serve them on New Year's Eve. These delicate disks are the perfect receptacle for any number of toppings. Start with a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream and then layer on caviar, smoked salmon, bacon bits, chives, or use another of your local bulk purchases to whip up a lentil caviar.

Buckwheat Blini

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 cup milk
3 eggs, separated into whites and yokes
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 cup buckwheat flour (or for lighter blini, you could use a mixture of buckwheat and white flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
more butter for cooking the blini
Any of the following toppings: creme fraiche or sour cream, smoked fish, bacon bits, chopped chives, lentil caviar

1. Prepare the batter at least 2 1/2 hours before you want to serve the blini. Combine the yeast and sugar in the warm water and let sit until it foams, about 5 minutes.

2. Whisk together the milk and egg yokes, and reserve the egg whites for later. Whisk in the melted butter. Then mix in the yeast mixture, the flour, and the salt until smooth. Let the batter rest in a warm place for 2 hours or more as it expands.

3. When you are ready to make the blini, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff and then fold into the batter.

4. Warm a griddle on medium low heat and grease it with butter. Spoon out the blini batter with a soup spoon to form pancakes approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Cook until they form permanent bubbles and then flip and cook an additional couple of minutes on the second side. The blini should be lightly browned on both sides. Remove to a warm platter and rebutter the pan with each batch.

5. Serve the blini warm with a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream and a sprinkle of any of the listed toppings.

Celeriac and Fennel Remoulade

2011-11-05T21:29:00.000-07:00

With rain forecast, there will be no extra Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market tomorrow, but perhaps you are lucky enough to have some remaining root vegetables from last week, like these formidable-looking celeriac from Sweetwater Farm.

A traditional French preparation for celeriac (celery root) is remoulade, in which the raw vegetable is shredded and dressed with mayonnaise. Looking for a lighter version of this dish, I experimented with adding in some shredded fennel root and dressing the fresh vegetables with a simple mustard and lemon vinaigrette.

The resulting remoulade was refreshingly crunchy with just a hint of anise flavor from the fennel and plenty of mustard punch that made it a nice accompaniment for fish fillets. This would also make a nice salad for a holiday meal as a contrast to the traditional spread of rich and creamy side dishes.

Celeriac and Fennel Remoulade

1 medium sized celeriac root
1 large or a couple small fennel bulbs
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
6 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.

1. Use a knife to trim away the hairy outside of the celery root, and cut into chunks that fit into a food processor funnel. Cut off the stalks and trim the fennel bulb and cut into similar sized pieces. Shred in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl and toss with a tablespoon of lemon juice to prevent discoloration.

2. Whisk the mustard, vinegar, remaining lemon juice, and olive oil together. Pour over the shredded celeriac and fennel, mix, and adjust seasoning.

Glazed Pear and Kale Pesto Pizza

2011-10-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

Sunday October 30th will be the last official market of the season for the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market, but if the weather is nice in November, the farmers may hold some additional impromptu markets. You can check back at this site for further updates. This Sunday you can expect the following produce from SLO Farm, Sweetwater Farm, and Songbird Farm:

apples, pears, Asian pears, and quince
the last of the season's tomatoes and peppers
cucumbers, summer squash, and eggplants
pie pumpkins and winter squash
root vegetables including carrots, beets, and potatoes
greens including kale and romaine lettuce
garlic and onions
eggs

This attractive combination of SLO Farm's pears, Sweetwater Farm's onions, and Songbird Farm's kale inspired me to create an autumn pizza in honor of the end of the harvest season.

For the base of the pizza I made a raw kale pesto with walnuts, which I tempered with creamy ricotta.

For the topping, I seared onions and pear slices and finished them with a splash of balsamic vinegar.

And then I assembled everything on a cornmeal-fortified pizza dough with a sprinkle of gorgonzola. All these components melded together into delicious celebration of the flavors of autumn, and, it occurred to me, served as a taste metaphor for the teamwork that contributed to the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market's second successful season. Many thanks to the dedicated vendors who brought us their delicious food all summer long, the support of neighborhood's businesses Sun Automotive and Eugene City Bakery, and the patronage of the market's loyal customers.

Glazed Pear and Kale Pesto Pizza

makes 1 large or 2 small pizzas

for the pizza dough
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1 1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup medium ground corn meal
1/4 cup coarse ground corn meal (polenta)
3/4 cups flour such as Camas Country Mill Hard red spring wheat flour

2 cups white flour
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

for the toppings

3-4 kale leaves
1/4 cup walnut pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
1/2 cup ricotta
1 large or 2 small ripe but firm pear
1 medium or 2 small red onion
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
freshly ground pepper
2 ounces gorgonzola cheese

1. Atleast two and a half hours ahead, prepare the pizza dough. In a large mixingbowl, mix the yeast and 1/4 cup warm water and allow to sit for a few minutesuntil it foams up. Mix in the remaining ingredients, alternating between theflour and water. You may need a little more or less of the water or flour,depending on ambient moisture. When combined, turn the dough onto a worksurface (I like to use a large silicone mat for easy clean up) and knead forseveral minutes until the dough is satisfyingly elastic. Transfer the dough toa lightly oiled bowl, or if using, loosely wrap the dough in the silicone matand transfer it right back into the dough mixing bowl. Allow the dough to rise untilit has doubled in bulk for a coupe of hours. You can also make this dough inthe morning and let it rise in the refrigerator during the day and it will beready at dinnertime.

2. Prepare the kale pesto. In a toaster oven or on thestovetop in a dry skillet, toast the walnut pieces until fragrant. Remove thekale leaves from the stems and put them in the bowl of a food processor withthe walnuts. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 2 Tbsp olive oil, the ricotta,and a generous pinch of salt. Process until you have a fairly smooth, brightgreen paste. Reserve.

3. Preparethe glazed onions and pears. Peal the onion and slice into 1/4 inch slices.Half and core the pear and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Heat a large skilletover medium high heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onionand pear slices in a single layer and allow to cook a few minutes until theystart to brown on one side. Flip the pieces and drizzle the balsamic vinegarover them, as well as a pinch of salt and grind of black pepper. Cook brieflyto let the vinegar cook down into a syrup, and then remove the slices to aplate, pouring over any remaining vinegar.

4. Preheatthe oven to 450 degrees and insert a pizza stone if you wish. Roll out thepizza dough into a thin sheet, approximately 15 inches in diameter (or you could make two smaller pizzas). Sprinklea pizza peel or baking sheet with polenta and place the dough on top. Spreadthe kale pesto in a thin layer over the dough. Layer the glazed pears andonions over the kale pesto. Crumble the gorgonzola and sprinkle on top. Ifusing a pizza stone, carefully slide the pizza from the peel onto the stone.Bake the pizza for about 16 minutes until the crust sounds hard when tapped andthe ricotta in the kale pesto has cooked through and lightened in color. Serveat once.

Pumpkin and Rio Zape Bean Soup

2011-10-21T00:06:00.000-07:00

This Sunday at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market you can expect the following produce from SLO Farm, Sweetwater Farm, and Songbird Farm:

apples: Liberty, Gala, Jonagold, and apples for processing available in bulk
pears and Asian pears
pie pumpkins and ornamental pumpkins
tomatoes: heirlooms and cherries
cucumbers, zucchini, eggplants, string beans
peppers including bell peppers, poblano, and hot peppers
root vegetables including beets, turnips, and kohlrabi
multiple varieties of potatoes
kale, chard, lettuce, Italian parsley, cilantro
onions, leeks, garlic
eggs, honey

As soon as we saw these lovely little pie pumpkins from SLO Farm at the market last Sunday, my kids started lobbying for pumpkin pie. All in due time, I thought (here's an excellent pecan praline version I like to make for Thanksgiving), but what I really wanted for a chilly October day was some soup. And what I really wanted in a pumpkin soup was something that had no resemblance to a pumpkin pie.

Also I still had some dried heirloom beans from last year's CSA from Lonesome Whistle Farm to use up before our next season starts. Inspired by a black bean and pumpkin soup from Smitten Kitchen, I combined these pretty purple rio zapes with a riot of autumn colors: our orange pumpkin, and red peppers and purple onions from Sweetwater Farm.

I started the soup with sauteed onion, peppers, and garlic, to which I added a rich spice palette of cumin, chipotle chili powder, and smoked paprika, and a chopped tomato.

While this base cooked down, my son and I attacked the pumpkin, me with a chef's knife and he with an ice cream scoop.

If you're deconstructing a pumpkin, you may as well use the goopy insides to make a quick stock, which can simmer while you carve off the skin and toast the seeds.

Then I quickly pureed the soup base into a paste in the bottom of my slow cooker, added in cubed pumpkin and beans, and left it to simmer on low for 6 hours. Once both pumpkin and beans were nice and soft, I fished out a few of the beans for texture, and pureed the rest. The final soup was rich and hearty with the natural sweetness of the pumpkin tempered by the toasted spices and beans, and it was enjoyed by even the most ardent pie proponents.

Pumpkin and Rio Zape Bean Soup

1 small pie pumpkin
2 cups (1 lb) rio zape beans (or substitute black turtle beans), sorted and rinsed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato diced (or substitute 2 Tbsp tomato paste)
2 Tbsp neutral oil such as grapeseed
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
8 cups water
salt to taste
splash of dry sherry
sour cream for serving

1. With a large chef's knife, slice the pumpkin in half and use an ice cream scoop to remove the insides. Reserve the seeds for roasting and use the remaining pumpkin pulp to make a quick pumpkin stock. Combine the pulp with about a quarter of the chopped onion, 8 cups water, the red pepper flakes, and a generous amount of salt. Simmer for about half an hour. Then pass through a strainer to collect all of the solids. You should have about 7 cups of stock. Taste and adjust seasonings.

2. While the stock simmers, cut of the skin of the pumpkin and cut the flesh into 1 1/2 inch cubes. If you like, toss the pumpkin seeds in olive oil, some coarse sea salt, and (if there are no objections from the peanut gallery) some smoked paprika, and roast in a 350 oven or a toaster oven for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally (watch that they don't burn).

3. Heat a skillet or the base of a slow cooker if yours can go on the stove top. Add the oil and saute the remaining chopped onions until glassy. Add the diced pepper and saute for another couple of minutes. Add the garlic and saute for a minute. Then add the spices and allow to toast in the oil for a couple of minutes. Add the tomato, reduce to a simmer, and cook for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until you have a fragrant, thick sauce.

4. At this point, your stock should be ready. Add a cup of stock to the spice base and transfer this mixture to the base of a slow cooker. If you want to ensure a smooth soup later on, you can use an immersion blender at this point to puree the mixture into a smooth paste. Now add the pumpkin cubes, the dried beans, and the remaining stock. Cook on low for about 6 hours until the pumpkin and beans are both soft. Alternatively you could cook this from the start in a Dutch oven on the stovetop over very low heat, which will require less time but more supervision and a little more liquid.

5. Once the beans and pumpkin are soft, you can finish the soup. If you would like to preserve some whole beans, fish out about 1/2 cup of them with a slotted spoon. Then puree the pumpkin and beans with an immersion blender. Taste and adjust the seasoning, add back the reserved beans and add a little water if the soup seems too thick. To brighten the flavor, add a splash of dry sherry as you rewarm the soup after pureeing it. Serve the soup with a dollop of sour cream, and, if they haven't already been nibbled away, a garnish of roasted pumpkin seeds.

Other recipes for heirloom beans

Coffee Braised Lamb Shanks and Arikara beans

Green Flageolet Bean and Tuna Salad

Creamy green flageolet beans

Dutch bullet bean soup with Indian spices

Arikara beans with tomatillo pork

Ireland Creek Annie Baked Beans

Flageolet bean salad with fennel, orange, and tapenade

Arikara beans with roasted fennel and peppers

Jacob's Cattle bean and ham stew

Calypso beans with ginger and black mustard seeds

Ireland Creek Annie bean bruschetta

Lemon and herb Dutch bullet beans

Minty green flageolet beans

Dutch bullet beans and roasted squash soup

Rio Zape beans with toasted chile sauce

Arikara bean gratin

Calypso bean and leek soup

Zwetschgenkuchen

2011-10-15T00:08:00.000-07:00

This Sunday at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market you can expect the following produce from SLO Farm, Sweetwater Farm, and Songbird Farm:

multiple varieties of apples and plums
pie pumpkins
tomatoes: heirlooms, cherries, and San Marzano romas
cucumbers, zucchini, eggplants, string beans
peppers including bell peppers, poblano, and hot peppers
root vegetables including beets, turnips, potatoes, and kohlrabi
kale, chard, lettuce
onions, leeks, garlic
eggs, honey

SLO Farm offers a variety of purple prune plums that my kids devour by the basketful.

As soon as I saw these jewel-like fruits, I had a flood of memories of sunny afternoons on the patio of my grandmother's home in a small town in Southern Germany, feasting on Zwetschgenkuchen, a yeasty cake covered with slightly tart plum halves and embellished with streusels. I recall the glee with which my sister and I realized that Germans have an official midafternoon meal devoted to the consumption of cake (Kaffee und Kuchen). It was a daily pleasure to be called away from daisy chain fabrication for the sole purpose of sampling yet another baked delicacy, accompanied by sweet, milky coffee.

To make my own zwetschgenkuchen, I combined a yeast cake dough from here and a streusel recipe from there, and recruited my daughter to arrange the plum halves (which she did with such conviction that I had to rescue a few drowning ones from the dough).

The baking cake filled the kitchen with yeasty, sweet aromas from my childhood that made me wistful for a Kaffeeklatsch with my mother and sister. But I was happy to watch my own childrens consume the cake with gusto and roll the exotic name around on their tongues.

Zwetschgenkuchen

for the cake dough
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 cups flour, such as Camas Country Mill's soft white flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract1 stick unsalted butter, softened and cut into 1 inch cubes

8 prune plums, halved

for the streusel

1/4 cup flour

1/8 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup white sugar
pinch of salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp butter

1. Combine the yeast and water and allow to stand for about 5 minutes, until frothing.

2. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt. Mix in the yogurt, egg, and vanilla extract. Then pulse in the butter in batches until it is all incorporated. The dough will be quite runny, and I found it easiest to leave it in the food processor bowl to rise. Allow it to rise for 1 1/2 or 2 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 10 inch round cake pan. Pour in the yeasty cake dough and cover with a layer of plum halves, pressed into the dough with their skin sides down.

4. Rinse out the food processor to make the streusel. Pulse together the dry ingredients. Then add the vanilla and butter and pulse until it is a coarse crumb. Sprinkle the streusel over the cake.

5. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 55 minutes, until the streusels are browned and a fork poked into the dough comes out clean. Allow to cool partially before serving.

Carrot and Cucumber Sushi Rolls

2011-10-07T22:22:00.000-07:00

This Sunday at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market you can expect the following produce from SLO Farm, Sweetwater Farm, and Songbird Farm:

apples, Asian pears, and prune plums
pie pumpkins
tomatoes: heirlooms, cherries, and San Marzano romas
cucumbers, zucchini, eggplants, string beans
peppers including bell peppers, poblano, and mariachi (mild red peppers)
root vegetables including beets, turnips, potatoes, and kohlrabi
curly kale, chard, basil
onions, leeks, garlic
eggs, honey

Songbird Farm sells these sweet, plump carrots, which became the core of a rainy day sushi rolling activity. The kids' renditions had none of the elegant symmetry of professional sushi, but they tasted delicious with our tsukemono (from Ume Grill's recipe), along with some teriyaki beef and sesame spinach and edamame beans. And the kids has so much fun rolling these that they made plenty of extras, solving the problem of what to pack for lunch the following day.

Simple Vegetarian Sushi

1-2 carrots, peeled, julienned, and lightly steamed (about 2 minutes)

1 cucumber, peeled and julienned

1 cup short grain sushi rice, rinsed

2 cups water

pinch of salt

4 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

6 sheets nori

1. Combine the sushi rice, the water, and a pinch of salt and cook over low heat, covered, until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir in the rice wine vinegar.

2. Meanwhile prepare the vegetables.

3. Spread several spoonfuls of rice over each sheet of nori, arrange a stripe down the center of about 4 carrot and 4 cucumber matchsticks, roll up and use a little water to adhere the edge of the nori sheet back onto itself. Carefully cut into pieces with a serrated knife. Serve with wasabi, pickled ginger, and soy sauce.

Ume Grill's Tsukemono (Japanese Pickles)

2011-10-05T23:33:00.000-07:00

The Sun Automotive lot on the corner of 19th and Fairmount has become a real neighborhood food hub. Not only does it house the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market each Sunday (running through October), but every evening, the Ume Grill cart sets up shop to offer delicious terriyake beef skewers and accompanying sides of wasabi spiked cole slaw, crunchy pickles and rice.

A complete meal includes a dessert of handmade mochi, and even a tea bag for a pot of hot or iced tea.

Ume Grill owners, Helen Nahoopii and Rayton Takata, are committed to using the freshest, high quality ingredients in their food. I asked Helen to contribute a recipe for produce from the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market, and she shared this method for preparing cucumber or zucchini pickles with seaweed.

Helen writes: "In Japan, tsukemono or pickles are used as hashi-yasume, literally “chopstick resters”, side dishes that have a totally different texture and flavor. So for instance if you had some grilled meat with a sweet-savory sauce as the main course, you might have some simple, crunchy pickled cucumber slices to go with it. Here is a simple, yet nice side-dish to accompany your next grilled dish!"

Helen was so thoughtful that she even provided me with the seaweed for this recipe, which she purchased at King's Asian Market on West 11th. I tried the recipe with some slender cucumbers from Sweetwater Farm and delicate zucchini from SLO Farm. Both were delicious with a sweetly spicy, mildly briny crunch.

Tsukemono(Japanese Day Pickle)

4 servings

2 small thin Englishcucumbers or small Japanese cucumbers when available, or 4 baby zucchini

1/2 inch kombu (seaweed) cutinto thin shreds with kitchen shears

7 T water

3 T rice vinegar

1 T cane or granulated sugar

1/2 tsp crushed chili peppers(adjust according to taste)

Rinse and then peelcucumbers, or simply rinse the zucchini, and cut into quarter lengthwise and then dice into 1/4 inch pieces.Place in bowl and in a measuring cup mix together other ingredients. Pour overdiced cucumbers or zucchini. Cover and let sit in refrigerator for up to three hours beforeserving.

Provided by Ume Grill Owners

Helen Nahoopii and Rayton Takata

Last of the Summer's BLTs

2011-09-30T23:48:00.000-07:00

This Sunday at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market you can expect to find:

apples: Liberty, Melrose,Honey Crisp
prune plums: Brooks and Stanley
pie pumpkins!
tomatoes: heirlooms, cherries, and San Marzano romas
cucumbers, zucchini, eggplants, string beans
peppers including bell peppers, poblano, and mariachi (mild red peppers)
root vegetables including beets, turnips, potatoes, and kohlrabi
curly kale, chard, basil
onions, leeks, garlic
eggs, honey

This will be the last Sunday for the Salmon People, so be sure to stock up on frozen fresh salmon. The Southern Willamette Bean and Grain stand has finished sales for the season, but you can plan to purchase their local beans and grains at the Holiday Market starting November 19 (these make great gifts).

With the autumn arriving in full force, it's time to start thinking about stocking your winter larder. Make up a couple batches of pesto and tomato sauce to freeze, cook up some plum preserves or apple chutney, and set aside some heads of garlic in your cellar.

But don't let the summer slip away without enjoying one last taste of ripe, fresh tomatoes. Make yourself a BLT with these golden beauties from Songbird Farm, lettuce leaves (and a few leaves of basil for good measure), crisp bacon, and slices of Eugene City Bakery bread spread with mayonnaise. And enjoy the sunshine while it lasts.

Pad Thai with Arrowhead Cabbage

2011-09-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

The past couple of Sundays, Sweetwater Farm at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market has had a bounty of cabbages, including that charming arrowhead cabbage in front, a character straight out of The Point.

I used this fellow, along with Sweetwater's fresh peppers, Songbird Farm's carrots and leeks, and SLO Farm's garlic, to whip up Mark Bittman's pad Thai recipe (I highly recommend the accompanying video that is truly empowering for anyone with linger reservations about cooking this dish).

As Bittman advises, you want to get all your components prepped before you start stir frying. Here I shredded the carrots for quick cooking, using a great little peeler that my mother-in-law brought me back from Thailand. This combination of vegetables -- the mild and tender arrowhead, the sweet leeks, and the colorful carrots and peppers -- created an especially delicious version of this dish. We had neither cilantro nor lime in the house, but torn basil and a squeeze of lemon did the trick.

Pad Thai with Arrowhead Cabbage

adapted from Mark Bittman

7 ounces wide rice stick noodles
I small head cabbage, such as arrowhead
2 small sweet peppers or 1 bell pepper
1 carrot
1 leek
1 clove garlic
2 eggs
1/3 lb shrimp or 1/2 lb cubed extra firm tofu (or omit and use another egg)
neutral oil such as grape seed

for the sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce
3 Tbsp tamarind paste
3 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

for garnish
roasted peanuts
chopped cilantro or basil leaves
lime (or lemon in a pinch)
hot sauce such as Sriracha

1. Soak the rice stick noodles in a bowl with boiling water for about 20 minutes until soft but not mushy. Drain and toss with a little oil to prevent the noodles from sticking.

2. Remove any torn outer leaves of the cabbage and chop fairly finely. Slit the white part of the leek lengthwise and wash very well to remove dirt between the layers. Cut into 1/4 inch slices. Shred or julienne the carrot and cut the peppers into match sticks.

3. Mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside. Mince the garlic.

4. Heat a large skillet that will be able to hold all of the ingredients. When hot, add approximately 3 Tbsp oil. If using tofu, add it now and let it brown without stirring it too much. When most cubes are seared on several sides, remove to a plate and add more oil if necessary. Then add the garlic and cook it for a minute. Crack the eggs into the pan and mix around to make some loose scrambled eggs. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring, for a few minutes over high heat. Add the leeks and cook for a couple minutes, stirring. Add the remaining vegetables and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring. Add back the tofu and the shrimp, if using, and once they are pink, add the noodles and the sauce. Toss together and cook for a minute until the noodles are hot. Remove from heat.

5. Serve the pad Thai topped with peanuts and fresh herbs and a squeeze of lime juice. Serves four.

Kohlrabi and Carrot Salad with Harissa

2011-09-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

The Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market will be held rain or shine this Sunday. You can expect to find:

apples: Gravenstein, Sansa, Akane
tomatoes: heirlooms and San Marzano romas
cucumbers, zucchini, eggplants, peppers, string beans
root vegetables including beets, carrots, turnips, potatoes, and kohlrabi
butter crunch leaf lettuce, curly kale, basil
onions, leeks, scallions, garlic
eggs, honey, pickles
fresh and smoked salmon
locally grown dried beans and grains

If you haven't tried it before, raw kohlrabi is a treat. Once you get over the thrill of owning a pet Martian and bring yourself to peel away its knobby exterior, you'll uncover a crunchy white root with a distinctive, subtle flavor. Here I paired kohlrabi with its carrot cousin in a simplified version of this spicy carrot salad, streamlined by the fact that it is now possible to find harissa in town (at Market of Choice).

Kohlrabi and Carrot Salad with Harissa

1 medium sized kohlrabi

2 carrots

juice from 1 large lemon

~10 mint leaves

2 ounces feta cheese

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 teaspoon harissa, or to taste

1. With a paring knife, generously peel away the rough skin of the kohlrabi, cutting away any woody bits. Slice the remaining white root into thin slices and cut into matchsticks (or use a mandolin to julienne). Toss in the lemon juice to prevent the kohlrabi from discoloring. Scrub or peel the carrots and cut into similarly sized matchsticks.

2. Toss the kohlrabi and carrots with olive oil and harissa. Sliver the mint leaves, dice up the feta, and stirs into the salad. Taste and add more harissa or salt as desired. Enjoy.

Fish Tacos with Fresh Corn and Tomato Salsa

2011-09-21T23:51:00.000-07:00

This week at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market, Sweetwater Farm had fresh corn and sacks of "salsa tomatoes", a bit bigger than cherry tomatoes but just as sweet. The diced tomatoes, along with kernels of quickly steamed corn, minced jalapeno pepper, and lime juice, made a delicious quick salsa to accompany fish tacos.

Fish tacos are another quick weeknight meal to keep in mind now that the school year has started up. To cook the fish, I followed a tip from food52 for panfrying with Wondra, which I spiked with a sprinkle of chipotle pepper. This worked wonderfully to give crisp fish fillets to tuck into warm tortillas with a pile of salsa and sprinkle of cilantro.

Fish Tacos with Fresh Corn and Tomato Salsa

serves 2-3

for the salsa
1 ear corn
~2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 jalapeno pepper
1 lime
salt to taste

for the fish tacos
1/2 pound fillets of a sustainable fish such as Pacific black rockfish
Wondra or other fine flour
~1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
salt
2 Tbsp neutral oil such as canola
6 tortillas
chopped cilantro

1. To prepare the salsa, shuck the ear of corn and steam it or boil it breifly until the kernels are just cooked but still have some crunch. I recommend sprinkling it with a few drips of water and microwaving for 2 minutes in a soup plate with a second one inverted on top. Coarsely chop the tomatoes. Seed and finely chop the jalapeno. When cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the corn cob. Combine these in a bowl with juice from one lime and salt to taste.

2. To prepare the fish fillets, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle the filets on both sides with salt, chipotle chili powder, and Wondra to coat. Add the oil to the skillet, and when hot, add the filets. Cook the filets, flipping once, until they are browned a bit on the outside and springy, rather than squishy when you press them with your finger. Remove to a plate.

3. Assemble the tacos. Warm the tortillas on a dry skillet until they are slightly toasted on each side. Distribute the fish filets onto the tortillas. Top with salsa and sprinkle over some fresh cilantro if desired. Eat at once.

Teff Grain and Ricotta Pancakes with Apple Topping

2011-09-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

Suddenly fall is in the air. And the produce offerings at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market this Sunday, from SLO Farm, Sweetwater Farm, and Songbird Farm, will be abundant:

apples: Gravenstein, Sansa, Akane
tomatoes: heirlooms, cherries, and San Marzano romas!
cucumbers, zucchini, beets, eggplants, peppers, string beans
greens, parsley, basil, garlic
eggs, honey, pickles

You can also expect fresh and smoked salmon from The Salmon People and locally grown grains and beans from the Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Project.

With the morning chill in the air, I decided to experiment with pancakes made with this teff grain from Camas Country Mill. Teff is a fine, protein-rich grain that can be cooked like polenta. I combined two Mark Bittman recipes for polenta pancakes and ricotta pancakes.

To accompany them, I cooked up our last remaining sansa apple with butter and cinnamon.

The pancakes turned out to be rich and fluffy with an appealing texture and were gobbled up by my initially skeptical daughter, who was not a fan of the results of an earlier experiment with wheatberry pancakes. We can't wait for tomorrow's market to replenish our apple supply.

Teff Grain and Ricotta Pancakes with Apple Topping

makes about 24 pancakes

pancake batter

1/4 cup teff grain

1 cup water

pinch of salt

1/2 cup ricotta

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 eggs, separated

1/2 cup flour (I used white, but one could use teff flour to makes these gluten-free)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp brown sugar

apple topping

2 apples, cored and chopped into ~1/2 inch pieces

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp turbinado sugar

1. Cook 1/4 cup teff grain in 1 cup of water with a pinch of salt, simmering for about 20 minutes and stirring occasionally until the water is all absorbed. You could do this the evening before and mix it with the ricotta and buttermilk to prevent it from hardening.

2. Prepare the apple topping. Warm a small skillet over medium low heat. Melt the butter, and stir in the chopped apples and cinnamon. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and fragrant. Stir in the sugar and cook for a minute longer. Reserve.

3. Mix together the ricotta, egg yokes, buttermilk, and cooked teff.

4. Combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and brown sugar.

5. Beat the egg whites until stiff.

6. Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until they are just incorporated. Then gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

7. Heat a griddle and when it is warm, grease with a little butter. Use a soup spoon to spoon the batter into pancakes. When permanent bubbles form around the edge and the color of the batter lightens on top, flip the pancakes and cooked them for a couple of minutes on the second side.

8. Serve the pancakes hot off the griddle with the apple topping and a scant dribble of maple syrup.

Green and Yellow Poached Salmon Salad

2011-09-13T23:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend's summery weather called for an easy and light dinner. And the produce selection at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market offered inspiration for a school color salad to celebrate the first football win of the season.

Poaching is a delicious way to prepare salmon on a hot day, to enjoy cold at the center of a salad. For this fresh fillet from the Salmon People, I prepared a bath of simmering salted water flavored with lemon and fennel fronds. Julia Child says the water should just be "shivering" but not bubbling. Then slip the fillet in the bath so that it is submerged and cook until it just becomes opaque and springy to the touch.

I nestled the cooled poached filet alongside yellow and green beans in a mustardy fennel seed vinaigrette and yellow tomatoes with plenty of fresh basil. A delicious summer supper with a crusty loaf of Eugene City Bakery bread.

Green and Yellow Poached Salmon Salad

1 salmon fillet (about 1/2 lb)
1 lemon, sliced
1 handful fennel fronds

1 large handful yellow beans
1 large handful green beans
2 large yellow tomatoes
1 sprig basil
1 handful lettuce leaves

1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp fennel seeds, coarsely crushed with a pestle
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Fill a large shallow pan with 3 inches of water. Add the lemon slices and fennel fronds and salt generously. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes to flavor the poaching liquid. Turn the heat down so that the liquid is just shivering and then gently slide in the salmon fillet such that it is submerged. Cook at this very gentle simmer for about 8-10 minutes until the salmon turns opaque and springy, rather than squishy, to the touch. Remove from the liquid and cool. If desired, chill before serving.

2. Prepare the bean salad. Boil a pot of salted water. Trim the bean. Cook until the beans until just tender, about 4 minutes, and run under cold water to halt the cooking process. Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together the mustard, fennel seeds, vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Dress the beans with the vinaigrette.

3. Cut the tomatoes into eighths. Toss with a little salt, olive oil, and torn basil leaves.

4. Arrange washed and torn lettuce leaves around the edges of a platter. Place the poached salmon in the center. Arrange the beans and tomatoes around the edges. Grind on some fresh pepper. Serve with fresh bread. Serves two.

San Marzano Roma Tomato Sauce

2011-09-09T22:36:00.000-07:00

This Sunday at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market you can look forward to the following products from SLO Farm, Sweetwater Farm, and Songbird Farm:

apples: Gravenstein, Akane, Sansa
tomatoes: slicers, heirlooms, cherries, and saucers (San Marzano romas)!
cucumbers, zucchini, beets, eggplants, peppers
greens, parsley, basil, garlic
eggs, honey, sauerkraut, kimchi

I know I've been writing a lot of posts about tomatoes lately, but I feel compelled, as a public service, to urge you to grab up some of SLO Farm's San Marzano romas while you can get them because they make the absolutely tastiest sauce you can imagine. They seem sort of dry when you chop them up, but you must restrain yourself from dousing them with wine or other liquids. Instead have faith and add them to a pan with olive oil, chopped garlic and a sprinkle of red pepper, and before you know it, they will have melted into an intensely flavorful sauce, perfect for pasta or pizza.

San Marzano Tomato Sauce

A dozen San Marzano roma tomatoes
1 or 2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
a sprig of fresh marjoram or a few leaves of basil
salt to taste

Chop the tomatoes into eights. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for a few minutes until the garlic is glassy but not browned. Add the chopped tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a pinch of salt and simmer on low, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes until the tomatoes have cooked down into a thick sauce. Adjust seasonings. Serve over pasta or use for pizza, or as the base for more elaborate sauces.

Kimchi Fried Rice

2011-09-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

With the school year starting up, I've been feeling in need of inspiration for more quick weeknight dinners. A while ago I'd bookmarked a recipe for kimchi fried rice from the food blog Orangette, but hadn't had any kimchi on hand. Luckily the newest addition to the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market, Sweetwater Farm, sells an assortment of homemade fermented cabbages, including sauerkraut and kimchi. I picked up a pint of kimchi, along with some fresh eggs, hefty scallions, and Swiss chard from Songbird Farm. To accompany the fried rice, I sauteed the Swiss chard with fresh ginger and Chinese black bean and chili paste.

The fried rice recipe started with chopped bacon into which the kimchi is fried, along with cooked rice, which is then topped with fried eggs, toasted sesame seeds, and scallions. The final dish was a delicious mixture of salty pork and spicy pickled cabbage, a sort of Asian choucroute garnie, and it was also easily modified for kimchi-averse family members because who doesn't like eggs and bacon for dinner? It met all the criteria for a weeknight meal: quick, satisfying, and easy to pull together now that we have a good local source of fresh kimchi from Sweetwater Farm.

Kimchi Fried Rice

serves two

1 half pint kimchi
2 cups cooked rice
2 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large or 2 regular scallions, sliced into 1/4 inch disks
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
2-4 eggs
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp sesame oil
salt to taste

1. Cook the bacon pieces in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon has started to crisp.

2. Add the white parts of the scallions and saute for a minute. Then add the kimchi and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has softened and most of the liquid has reduced. Add the rice, stir well, and cook until the rice starts to brown.

3. Meanwhile heat a small skillet. Toast the sesame seeds for a minute and remove to a bowl. Add the canola and sesame oil and when hot, crack in the desired number of eggs. Cook until the whites are set but the yoke is still runny.

4. Scoop the kimchi rice onto two plates. Top with the fried eggs and sprinkle with toasted sesame seed and the green parts of the scallions.

Ginger Chard Stir Fry

1 bunch Swiss chard, stems chopped finely and leaves sliced
1 inch ginger root, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 heaping tsp Chinese black bean and chili paste
1 glug (~3 Tbsp) rice wine

Heat a skillet or wok over medium high heat and add the oil. When hot, add the chard stems and ginger and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the black bean and chili paste and cook another minute. Add the chard leaves and saute until they start to cook down. Add the rice wine and cook for a couple more minutes until the rice wine boils off. Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately.

Smoked Salmon Tartine

2011-09-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

This Sunday at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market you can look forward to the following products from SLO Farm, Sweetwater Farm, and Songbird Farm:

fruit including plums, apples, and berries
cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, assorted peppers, cucumbers, pickling cucumbers
eggplants, zucchini, green beans, red & chiogga Italian beets with tops
curly kale, rainbow Swiss chard, and other greens
leeks, parsley, basil, garlic
eggs, honey, sauerkraut, kimchi

You will also find local grains and beans from the Southern Willamette Bean and Grain Project and the Salmon People will back back with their fresh and smoked salmon.

A delicious post-market lunch is smoke salmon and goat cheese tartines.

On a slice of fresh bread, such as Eugene City Bakery polenta bread, spread a layer of mild goat cheese, add a layer of smoked salmon, and top with cucumber and tomato slices.