It's Lemon Season!

We tend to think of lemons as a summer fruit, however now is harvest time for most varieties.  Isn’t it nice to get a bit of sunshine in the middle of the cold dark winter?

Lemons are definitely good for much more than lemonade.  They heighten other flavors and add a brightness to many dishes.  They are full of vitamins, fiber, potassium, and lemony goodness.

Look for small, heavy fruit without bruises, cuts, or blemishes.  If you plan to use them fairly soon, leave them on the counter, or for longer storage, loosely wrap them and keep them in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.  If you store them in the frig, remember to take them out and let them warm up before using them.  Roll the lemon gently to loosen the juice sacks and then cut the lemon in half crosswise and remove the juice and pulp on a reamer or cut them lengthwise into quarters and squeeze out all the juice and pulp by hand.

I’m going to give you three favorite uses for lemons and another little secret is that it is also avocado harvesting time... can you beat the flavor of lemon and avocado too?

A delicious salad dressing is made with lemon and garlic.  I grow lots of garlic and I love using it all winter.  This quick little recipe for salad dressing will brighten up any winter salad.  When I say winter salad, I mean anything goes on a salad - except tomatoes.  To a chopped romaine, I add anything like cooked beans, grains, dried fruit like cranberries, or chopped apples, pears, or beets, carrots, or cooked potatoes, but never tasteless winter tomatoes.

Lemony Garlic Dressing

  
2-3 medium cloves of garlic - minced
3 lemons to make ½ cup of juice
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley - minced
1-2 teaspoons salt - to taste
1 tablespoon chia seed (optional, but makes a creamy dressing that doesn't separate)
 1 cup olive oil
½ cup water

Put all this is a blender and let it whirl until fully blended.  It will come out creamy and delicious.

Next, let’s make a simple and oh so delicious soup to go with that salad:

I had this soup years ago and never actually knew the name of it until recently when I was searching for just what it was.  Avgolemono is a classic Greek soup made with egg and lemon.  At first the pronunciation of the name might look a little overwhelming but it is Avgo (say - ah go (egg)) and lemono (say - lema no (lemon)) and there you have it.

There are some similarities to a Senegalese Lemon Soup, but the one I remember was Greek.

 Avgolemono

 8 cups chicken stock
 1 cup orzo pasta - this is Greek, or you can use rice
 4 large eggs, separated
 Juice of 3-4 lemons
 Freshly ground black pepper
Greek yogurt and lemon zest (optional)

Bring stock to a boil and add orzo or rice, simmering until tender, about 20 minutes. Season the stock to taste with salt, if necessary.

Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until peaks form.  Add the yolks and lemon juice, whisking continuously until it is all combined.

Temper the mixture by slowly adding about 2 cups of the hot stock into the egg-lemon mixture, while beating vigorously to prevent the eggs from solidifying.

With the heat turned off, add the beaten mixture back into the soup pot, whisking thoroughly to blend it all together.

Serve immediately with a nice romaine salad and a warm crusty bread.  I like to serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt in the middle with a little lemon zest and cracked black pepper on top.

I’m not through with lemons yet!  

I don’t necessarily recommend the soup and the following recipe together as that might be a bit much.  But, for that Sunday dinner, I have a local Hutterite chicken defrosted in the refrigerator and more garlic and lemons.  Here is a nice Mediterranean version of a roasted chicken.

                                                                                      Mediterranean Roasted Chicken

 
1 large, local roasting/frying chicken or about 4 pounds of cut up chicken

2 lemons - washed and chopped (skin and all) into about 8 pieces each

6-8 large cloves of garlic - peeled, smashed, and cut into ½" pieces




1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 fresh rosemary sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or Italian blend
2-3 teaspoons of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups of new or red potatoes, skins on, washed and pared into 2" chunks

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cut up the chicken into pieces if using a whole chicken.  Rinse and pat dry.
Place a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of the roasting pan and arrange the chicken skin side down.  Add the lemon sections, squeezing each one slightly to release the juice and pressing them down in among the chicken pieces. Scatter the garlic cloves and rosemary or spices over the chicken and dribble the rest of the olive oil over the chicken and sprinkle it liberally with salt and pepper.

Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes.

Raise the oven temperature to 400°F. Turn each piece of chicken over and add the potatoes to the pan, stirring to coat them well with olive oil. Return the dish to the oven and roast for another 40-50 minutes, or until the chicken and the potatoes are crisp and browned.

By now the smells of this roasting will have you a bit delirious, so serve it up with that salad and a glass of good red wine.

Enjoy!

Ginger Carrot Soup

I always wait until we've had a frost to harvest the carrots.  The story is that this time of year they convert some of their starch into sugar.  They are definitely sweet! 
This year we went straight from 70 degree days and very cool nights to 4 inches of snow on the ground.  When I realized the snow was coming, I quickly dug my bed of carrots and got another record harvest.  53 pounds of bright orange carrots out of one raised bed.  
Last year I was able to keep them well in a crisper drawer for months, but I've got too many this year for that.  I gave a few bags away to friends and family and today I made a delicious Ginger Carrot Soup. 

I originally got this recipe from my friend Jen and then made a few changes.  We had it last Thanksgiving as a first course and it was delightful.  My biggest word of caution with this soup is don't add salt until you taste it at the end.  I made the mistake once of using a salted stock and it changed the flavor dramatically.  The flavors here are delicate and require just a small amount of salt added at the end to balance the flavors.

Ginger Carrot Soup

1 stick unsalted butter
1 large sweet onion - chopped
3 pounds of carrots peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon fresh peeled and shredded ginger root
5 cups unsalted chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 cups half and half or heavy cream 
In a heavy bottomed pan, saute the onion in the butter until tender and translucent.  Add the carrots, ginger, and 2 1/2 cups of the stock and simmer until the carrots are tender. 

Allow the cooked carrots and onions to cool until they can be  handled.

Puree in batches in a food processor or use an immersion blender to make quick work of the hot ingredients without the need to cool.

Add the coriander and the orange juice concentrate.  The orange juice concentrate was my addition.  The original recipe called for grated orange peel and I found that had a bitter taste while not giving it the intensity of orange flavor.  So, I tried a couple of different things until I landed upon the orange juice concentrate, which adds just the right amount of flavor and sweetness without the bitterness of the peel.  Stir in the remaining cups of stock and add the half and half or heavy cream.

An immersion blender makes the job quick and less messy.

I actually prefer the heavy cream to the half and half, but being calorie conscious is always an issue.  I've found that I can also use half low fat milk and  the rest non-fat Greek yogurt and that works well too, with fewer calories. 

Warm the soup gently.  You do not want to bring it to a boil.

Balance the flavors with a little salt and if needed a tablespoon of brown sugar.

The flavors of this soup are at their peak when it is well warmed, but not hot, so be careful not to overheat it.

This soup makes an excellent first course, or with a chunk of bread and butter and/or a side salad is a full meal.

You can garnish it with a sprinkling of fresh chopped herbs or the way I love it garnished is with a scoop of Greek yogurt.

Like all soup, it is even better the next day so make plenty and refrigerate the leftovers for another day.

Enjoy!

Fire Roasted Marinara Sauce

 Fire roasting gives a slight smoky flavor to whatever you roast and so I thought it might be just the perfect way to start my marinara.  This sauce is made from tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs and a few peppers, freshly plucked from the garden.

Some people call it spaghetti sauce, or Italian tomato sauce, but marinara has a nice ring to my ear.  One theory suggests the sauce was invented by the Spanish in the mid 16th century.  Because of the high acid content of tomatoes, the sauce was resistant to spoilage, making it ideal for lengthy sea voyages and thus sprang the name marinara.  Whatever the name, fire roasting does add an additional element of flavor to the tomato.

Fire Roasting

Two more helpful reasons to fire roast are the removal of additional moisture, and if you want to remove the skins, they can be picked up in your fingers and tossed aside - no need to blanch and skin.

To get started, I took about 10 pounds of San Marzano tomatoes from the garden.  I washed them, cored them, sliced them in half lengthwise and removed the seeds.  I took a couple of onions and sliced them into ½ inch slices, and I cored and sliced lengthwise a couple of peppers.

Fire Roasted Tomatoes

Fire Roasted Marinara

10# fresh Italian paste tomatoes like San Marzano’s
2 large onions
4-6 cloves garlic minced
2-4 green peppers
2-3 Tablespoons fresh minced basil (1 TBS dried)
2 Tablespoons minced oregano (1 TBS dried)
1/2 cup olive oil - divided
3-4 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
1-2 Tbs sugar (optional or to taste)

Fire Roasted Peppers and Onions

Bring your grill to about 350 degrees with medium heat.  Put 1/2 the olive oil in a dish and brush the inside of the tomato with olive oil and place on the grill cut side down.  Quickly fill the grill with tomatoes and close the lid.  The temperature will have dropped to 200 degrees or below.  Wait until the temperature rises to 350 again.  Quickly open the grill and brush the top side of the tomatoes with olive oil and then check the first tomatoes that you put on.  They should have grill marks on them.  Using a spatula, quickly flip them over and close the lid again, waiting for the temperature to get back up over 350 degrees. 

Have a rimmed pan or bowl to put the roasted tomatoes into as juice will continue to run out after you take them off.  Remove the roasted tomatoes from the grill to the rimmed pan and let them cool.  Roast the other vegetables in the same way, brushing them with olive oil and leaving them on the grill to show a little black char marks, but not totally blackened.

Once the tomatoes are cool, you can use your hands to pluck the skins from the tomatoes if you wish, or you can just leave them on as they will be chopped up in the next step.

Add the chopped garlic and herbs to the sauce.

Drain off the liquid from the roasted tomatoes and reserve this liquid. Put the tomatoes into a food processor and pulse to chop finely.  Add the processed tomatoes to a large stock pot with the other 1/2 of the olive oil. Process all of the rest of the ingredients roasted and not and add them to the stock pot.

Thick sauce ready to be cooked

Simmer the sauce for 60-90 minutes stirring frequently. It will be thick and you will need to watch so that it does not burn.  Add the salt, pepper, sugar, and the juice that you reserved from the roasted tomatoes to suit your taste and thickness.

 





You should end up with about 6 pints (12 cups) of sauce.  You can place that into hot pint jars, seal them and put them in a boiling water bath for 35 minutes or you can cool the sauce and then put it into freezer bags in portions for future use.  Just like the pesto recipe that I gave you last month, there is no end to the uses you will have for this sauce, so make plenty!   

Got Basil - Got Garlic

Let’s make pesto!  

I've had no less than 3 inquiries about my pesto recipe in the last week, so it sounds like it's time. My basil and garlic are ready to go, so rather than wait another minute, here is my “not so secret” recipe.

Basil and garlic are among those Mediterranean medicinal herbs that are supposed to do great things for your health... and since they are so delicious, why not have them year round!

Traditionally, pesto is made with a mortar and pestle - thus the name pesto.  It is said to have origins in northern Africa, been domesticated in India, and perfected in Genoa, Italy.  Leave it to me to have to come up with my own recipe for the stuff, but I had some modern criteria I wanted my pesto to meet.

 


I wanted something that I could store and it would stay fresh throughout the long Montana winter.  I did not want to use pine nuts as I have had too many with an off/fishy taste.  A lot of the pestos I had tried were swimming in olive oil, thin and runny.  I thought mine should have less oil and more basil.  Also, with a food processor in my pantry, I was not about to use the mortar and pestle method.

This recipe is simple and only takes a few minutes to make, and you can enjoy it until the basil grows again next year.  (PS - plant more basil next year.)

PESTO
(makes about 4 - 5 cups)

4 cups packed (pack as many leaves as you can into a 4 cup measure), fresh picked, cleaned, and dry basil leaves 
(I use both the Genovese and the larger lettuce leaf varieties, The salad spinner makes quick work of the wash and spin, then I lay them out on a towel to dry, fluffing them a couple of times to assist in the drying process.)

6 large cloves of garlic, peeled
2 cups of walnuts
1 1/2 cups of shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese 
2 teaspoons of salt, or to taste
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
       
I start with the garlic and the lemon juice in the food processor.  Once the garlic is finely minced, I add the 4 cups of basil leaves and mince those.
Add the salt, walnuts, and cheese and the mixture will be very heavy.
 

With the food processor running, I drizzle the olive oil into the tube and continue to let it work until the whole thing comes together into a beautiful, creamy, light green color.

I then taste to see if it meets my satisfaction.  You can add more salt, more lemon juice, or more oil to your taste and process again until it is well blended and creamy.

 

Then put the pesto into jars or freezer safe containers that will hold about ½ to 1 cup each.  I use half pints, the tapered jelly jars work fine too.   Put them right into the freezer.  The pesto will retain it’s beautiful, fresh, light green color while frozen.  

Before you plan to use it, move a jar to the refrigerator to thaw.  It will keep for weeks in the refrigerator.  Once opened it will gradually oxidize on the top.  This is normal and doesn't hurt anything.
 
Here are just a couple of suggestions for using your pesto, beyond the linguine that is...

How about spreading it on a loaf of french bread, top with a little mozzarella and broil, or toss it with some new potatoes or green beans, make a green pizza by spreading it on the dough instead of a red sauce - then top with chopped tomatoes and a little mozzarella for a different style Margarita pizza.  I have even known someone that spreads it on a turkey sandwich as a condiment.  Let me know if you discover any great new uses for it, and I will be sharing some additional pesto uses as time goes on.

(Just as I was finishing this post, my husband came in and told me our neighbor was recovering from a fall. I decided to make a casserole for him using the left over pesto and a cabbage I had sitting on the counter - see the next post.)

Whole Sweet Cherry Preserves

A generous person living on the shores of Flathead Lake, allows us to pick cherries each year from her personal orchard.  She has a number of different varieties, but this year she said something that piqued my curiosity.  She said there was one tree that had just plain yellow cherries on it and that no one did anything with those.  That rang a bell in my head and it said, why not?

I checked out the tree and the cherries were just as sweet and delicious as any of the rest, and they were yellow.  I picked about a gallon and a half and thought I would make some whole cherry preserves from them as an experiment.   In the old days, nothing was there without a purpose and nothing went to waste, so I decided to do a little research.

I discovered they were called white cherries, even though they are a beautiful golden color.  They are the major type of cherry used for making maraschino cherries.  The FDA's definition of a maraschino cherry denotes this artificial process: “The term "Maraschino Cherries" is regarded as the common or usual name of an article consisting of cherries which have been dyed red, impregnated with sugar and packed in a sugar sirup flavored with oil of bitter almonds or a similar flavor.”  Not really very appetizing.  No wonder I have never liked maraschino cherries.  

I also discovered that these trees were often planted as a good cross pollinator for the other trees in the orchard.  That makes a lot more sense because there was only one white cherry tree in Nancy’s orchard.

In case you are fortunate enough to have one of these trees in your orchard or run across some of these white cherries at the co-op or farmer’s market, here is a recipe that I’ve formulated to make a big batch of whole white cherry preserves.  You can also use this recipe to make preserves for any type of sweet cherry and you can easily cut the batch in half.

Whole Cherry Preserves

 1.    Wash and drain, and then pit about a gallon and a half of cherries and toss them in about 1/4 cup of lemon juice. This helps keep them from turning brown while you process them.
2.    Heat them slowly and simmer for about 15-20 minutes to release the juice.
3.    Let cool and remove the cherries from the juice.
4.    Bring the juice to a boil and add 10 cups of sugar (or half of this if you are doing a half batch).
5.    After the syrup has boiled for a few minutes, add the cherries back to the juice and bring back to a boil and cook gently for 10-15 minutes.
6.    Turn off the heat and let stand in a cool place overnight (12-18 hours). This allow the air in the cherries to be expelled and helps the fruit to be suspended in the preserves rather than float on top.
7.    Get 12-15 half pint jars ready with lids and the equipment you will be using.
8.    Divide the cherries and juice in approximately half - I did two 7-8 cup batches.
9.    Sweet cherries do not have enough pectin to gel, even in the long boil process so it is necessary to add pectin.  I used one box of Sure-Jell for each of my batches.  I put my cherries and juice into a stock pot and added the pectin, stirring it into the cold juice.
10.    Then I brought it all to a boil that could not be stirred down and boiled it for exactly 1 minute.
11.    Skim and ladle the preserves into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch head space.  Wipe rims, attach lids and place in your boiling water bath.  At our altitude I process in the water bath for 25 minutes.  Check your book or the internet for  the processing time for your altitude.
12.    Remove from the water bath and invert on a towel (lid down) until cool.
13.    Once cool, turn the jars over and the cherries will settle beautifully and evenly from the top to the bottom of the jars.

Enjoy some now and certainly this winter the sunny color will bring a little sunshine to your toast!

Eggs - Another Spring Bounty

                  
Another sign of spring - EGGS!  If you have your own backyard flock, you will now be appreciating more and more eggs as the hens return to production from their winter rest.  

I thought I’d share with you a recipe that I developed over 20 years ago while living on Steamboat Island Road in Olympia, Washington.  Back then, I had 24 chickens and way too many eggs.  I would make this big batch of custard and have it for breakfast in the mornings.  You can cut the recipe in half if you aren’t ready for the big batch.

Farm Fresh Egg Custard

6 cups of milk (you can use any kind, whole to non-fat dry milk with water)
3/4 cup sugar    
1 3/4 cups of whole fresh eggs (10-12 eggs)
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon salt

Microwave the milk until hot (on high 5-8 minutes) or bring it to just below a boil on the stove.  This is called scalding.   Scalding is an old term for heating milk to 180 degrees prior to using it.  I don't understand all that happens in this process, but it does have an effect on the milk proteins and it reduces whey separation in custards and yogurt making.

Crack the eggs into a 4 cup measuring cup until you have about 1 3/4 cups.  Add the vanilla, sugar, and the salt, and mix together.  Mix thoroughly, but avoid incorporating air into the eggs. 

Mixed, strained and ready to pour into my custard cups.

Temper the egg with about a cup of the hot milk stirred quickly into the eggs and then pour the egg mixture into the hot milk and stir well to dissolve the sugar and salt and get the mixture consistent.

Then using a small screen strainer, I pour the mixture back into the measuring cup through the strainer.  The measuring cup makes it easier to pour into the custard cups.

After placing the pan in the oven add an inch of water to the pan.

Pour into custard cups (about 8 -12 cups depending on the size) and stand the cups in a pan with an inch of water. If you like, you can put a little sprinkle of nutmeg on the top of each cup.

Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  The custard will dome up and be jiggly when it's done.



Once cooled, cover and refrigerate your custard.  Serve it plain or if you desire, you can top it with a tablespoon of maple syrup, fresh strawberries or raspberries that have been tossed with a little sugar to bring out the juices, or a dollop of whipped cream.

Spring is in the Air!

The Window Herb Garden

We’ve made it through the month of March with it’s predictably cold and wet weather. Not that we can’t expect more of it in April, but the sun is well on it’s way back north. That means planting time!  I’ve had years of experience with trying to plant tomato seeds and the like in trays indoors, only to have them become tall and spindly and never make it to the garden. In my well earned wisdom of senior years, I don’t plant anything before April. Here on this mountain, the earliest outdoor planting can safely occur, is Memorial Day and even then sometimes things have to be covered from an occasional frost or snow flurry.

To curb my appetite for getting started, I get my seeds early, organize and dream, and just for fun plant some little pots of herbs for a kitchen window.  A few years back I was in need of pot markers. I searched around looking for something to mark the plants that suddenly go from a single small row in a seed tray to an entire tray or two in the greenhouse.  Here is my secret revealed!  I spied  a couple of yogurt containers in my recycle bin and a light came on in my head.  My markers just became free and unlimited.

Unlimited pot markers!

  
I bet you have a few of these empty containers around or know where to find them.  I start by cutting straight down the side and then around the bottom, removing the bottom entirely.  Then I cut strips along the side, about ½ inch each and point the bottom.  I use a black sharpie to write my plant name on the white side. 



I love these markers!  I save them from year to year for the plants that I always grow and always seem to need a few more for the plants I give away.


This year I bought a heat mat for starting seeds - wow does that make a difference!  Heat mat or not, put your little seeded pots in a plastic bag, blow it up like a balloon and put a twist tie on it.  This helps to keep the seeds evenly moist until they emerge.
 

Put your seed pots in a plastic bag to raise the humidity.

April's full moon is happening on the 6th so spring planting is ON! 

Slow Cooker Roast

Italian Pot Roast - Ready to cook!

I was planning something completely different for this post when a friend emailed and said, “We’ve used all the steaks and ground from our side of beef and now I’m left trying to figure out a good way to use up the roasts. I know you must have a tasty recipe or two.”

Well, yes I do.  Initially I thought I’d tuck the idea away for a while because I had already been working in a different direction.  But then ... oh what the heck, here it is.  Like I’ve said before, I’m not a recipe cook and so I never have anything written down.  That means I have to make it myself and try to figure out measurements, proportions, and times before I can give someone my recipe for anything.

Roasting is a slower cooking method for cuts of meat that are less tender.  The slower, longer cooking allows time for the connective tissue to break down and naturally tenderize the meat.

I was having company last Sunday and so I thought it was a great opportunity to document this recipe.  So I could enjoy my company and not be greasing up the kitchen while they were here, I decided - Let’s to a roast in the crock pot!  I did all the prep Saturday night and it took me about 45 minutes before I put it in the frig waiting for the next morning when I put the crock in the pot and cooked it for about 5 hours.

The minute my company walked in the door, the lid of the crock pot was being lifted with comments like "that smells delicious" and "what are you cooking".  The roast was ready in 5 hours with the first 3+ on high and then I turned it down to low.

Now, to make a long story short... I've had this post on my desk for over a week pondering how to explain the fact that this roast disappeared so fast that I had no time to photograph the final product or a plated version. This has bothered me, but short of remaking it just for the shoot, you'll have to take my word for how delicious it was and how quickly it disappeared.

You can change the flavor (country) based on the herbs and spices and a couple of ingredients.  I'm giving  you an Italian and a French version to choose from.  I made the Italian version, but the French version is equally as easy with a completely different taste.  It's all in the herbs!

Slow Cooker - Pot Roast

2-4 pound organic or natural beef roast - chuck, rump, shoulder
1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper OR a savory dry rub

ITALIAN                                                                     FRENCH
4 Tablespoons organic olive oil                                 4 -6 Tablespoons butter or olive oil
2 cups chopped carrot                                               2 cups chopped carrot
2 cups chopped onion                                               2 cups chopped onion
4 cloves of minced garlic                                           4 cloves of minced garlic

1 teaspoon sugar                                                      1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon dried parsley                                       1 Tablespoon herbes de Provence

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning                                     OR  1/2 tsp fennel seed (optional)
1 28 ounce or 2 14 ounce cans of diced tomatoes   1 tsp each thyme, marjoram, basil 
1 cup of good red wine                                              1 bay leaf

                                                                                   1 cup of good red wine 

                                                                                   2 cups beef stock

I like to use a savory rub on my meat.  It’s my own combination of herbs, spices, and salt.  If you don’t have a dry rub, you can just use salt and pepper.  Rinse the meat and pat it dry.  Rub the meat with the salt and pepper or rub, wrap it up, and put it back into the refrigerator for an hour or so while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  I do not incorporate a lot of salt up front, but suggest that you taste the final product and add salt to taste before serving.  This is a better overall way to reduce salt and let the flavor of the different herbs shine through.

Veggies and herbs

Put the chopped carrot, onion, garlic, and seasonings in the bottom of the crock pot.  If you want to, you can saute these in a little olive oil before putting them in the crock pot, but it is not necessary.  I don't saute for the Italian version, but the caramelizing would be a good support for the French version.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and brown the meat thoroughly on both sides.  Put the roast on top of the vegetables.

Browning the meat adds flavor

Add the tomatoes and top it off with 1 cup of red wine.  In the French version, since you don't have the juice from the tomatoes, add 2 cups of beef stock or water.

That’s it!  If you want to cook it tomorrow, refrigerate the covered crock until you are ready to start it.  Set the temperature at high and let it cook for about 3 hours and then lower the temperature to low and continue to cook another hour or 2 until the roast is fork tender.

If the sauce is too thin, you can put it into a pan on the stove top and bring it to a fast boil to reduce it to a thicker consistency.

You can also cook this in a roaster in the oven - I would have the oven at about 300 degrees and cook it for at least 3 hours or until fork tender, covered tightly.

I served mine over fluffy jasmine rice with a side of green beans, but serve it over your favorite rice - potatoes - polenta and with your favorite salad or veggie.  Enjoy!

Plain Old Onion Soup

I’ve been making my own version of onion soup for years.  I became curious as to why it was called “French” onion soup and not just plain old onion soup.    
I actually didn’t find a satisfying answer, but wikipedia says, “Onion soups have been popular at least as far back as Roman times. They were, throughout history, seen as food for poor people, as onions were plentiful and easy to grow. The modern version of this soup originates in France in the 18th century, made from beef broth, and caramelized onions. It is often finished by being placed under a grill in a ramekin traditionally with croutons and gruyère melted on top.”  

I suppose gruyère is French and thus makes it French Onion Soup.  If you use Swiss cheese instead, it could be called Swiss Onion Soup, or if you’re lucky enough to have local cheese...  I digress.

Superstar onions - 2011 harvest

Last fall, I harvested these beautiful Superstar onions from my garden.  Superstar is a day neutral onion that apparently does well here in the mountains above Missoula.  This box was full and so I’ve used a huge amount of them.  There are still plenty left and I need to do something with them soon before they begin to get the hint of spring and start sprouting.  So, it’s onion soup! 

 

Here’s my recipe.  You can make it from any country or cheese you desire.  Use up those stored onions now before they start sprouting.  If you’re out, look for some organic locally grown onions.

4-6 medium onions - sliced or chopped and drained
2-3 garlic cloves - minced
6 Tablespoons  unsalted butter
4 Tablespoons flour
1-2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
2 quarts hearty beef stock or 6 Tablespoons of low sodium Better than Bouillon - beef or veggie  in 2 quarts of warm water
1 cup of good red wine (Cabernet, Merlot, Zinfandel - optional but essential in my mind)
2 cups large cubed baguette or hearty toasted bread
1 cup shredded gruyère, Swiss, or cheese of your choice

Raw onions ready to saute'

 Onions have a lot of water in them and they will not begin to caramelize until the water evaporates and so I like to chop my onions rather than slice them.  (I don’t like long stringy onions when I try to take a spoon of soup.) I then lay them out on a paper towel and lightly sprinkle them with salt to help pull some of the water out.  I leave them to drain 20 or so minutes  and then I blot them with another paper towel before I begin.

While the onions are draining, I get the rest of the ingredients ready.  I’ve tried all kinds of ways for preparing the beef stock, from making my own, to buying prepared stock, to my absolute favorite way, organic - low sodium - Better than Bouillon - beef.  You can also substitute the beef with the vegetable variety for a vegetarian version with no loss of flavor.  I do NOT follow the 1 tsp to 8 ounces of water on the label.  I find that this is not rich enough for my taste - thus the 6 Tablespoons in 64 ounces of water.  Put the broth, the bay leaves and the thyme in the soup pot.

Caramelize the onions in the 6 Tablespoons of unsalted butter over medium to medium-high heat. All stoves are different and so I judge the temperature this way; if after 8-10 minutes you are not seeing any color around the edges of the pan, kick up the heat a little.  Keep a close eye on them.  They start out white.  As the water evaporates they become translucent, and then begin to caramelize. You want them to turn golden, not burnt or get crispy.  This can take about 20-30 minutes of your attention.  The pan will begin to pick up the browning as well. This is all good!

Onions translucent and caramelizing

Once the onions are caramelized, add the fresh minced garlic and the flour to the onions and continue to cook for another minute or two to lightly brown the flour.  Transfer the onions to the soup pot and de-glaze the skillet with the wine. If you prefer not to use the wine, you can use 2-3 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar in a cup of water to do the same.  Scrape all of the little brown bits from the sides and bottom and then dump this into the soup.

De-glazing the pan with red wine

Bring the soup to a simmer for about 30 minutes.  Taste for salt and pepper and season to taste.  Now it’s serving time....

For some reason, I object to being given a delicious bowl of soup that is difficult to eat, so my version began with the chopped onions rather than the sliced ones, I also chop my bread into large cubes that can be balanced on a spoon.  I prefer this over the huge slice that you have to try to cut into bite sized pieces in a steaming hot bowl of soup. And, I put the cheese in the bowl instead of dripping down the sides of the bowl. After all the work is done, is it too much to ask to have it move comfortably from the bowl to your mouth, without the extra effort?

I don’t always broil, but if you want that “look”, make sure your bowls can handle the heat of the broiler before you put them full of soup and goodness under the broiler.  Broil on Med or High for 5 minutes or until the desired color is obtained and serve.

This recipe will make 4-6 generous bowls of soup.  If you have only 1-2 for dinner, refrigerate the rest and enjoy another meal later in the week.  I frequently eat it without the garnishment of the bread and cheese.  It is that delicious all by itself.  Enjoy!

No Bake Chocolate Valentine Heart Cookies

Ok, I had decided to go healthy with the broccoli thing... but what’s Valentine’s Day without a little chocolate.  As a general rule, I don’t keep chocolate or cookies around the house. Why, because they don’t stay around the house –  they stay around my waist!

About once a year, I get a craving for those fudgie no-bake oatmeal cookies.  I decided to make a batch in the shape of hearts.  My little grandson has food allergies and can’t have most chocolate or most cookies - no eggs, no dairy, no nuts, no wheat, and so I made these so he could have them using shortening instead of butter and rice milk... awesome!


Start to finish, these are so quick -- no longer than 20 minutes.

The ingredients:
2 cups organic sugar
1/2 cup organic cocoa powder
2 tablespoons barley malt powder (optional)
1/2 cup shortening (or butter)
1/2 cup milk (or rice milk)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups rolled oats

Ahead of time, measure out the oats and set aside.   Place a couple of sheets of waxed paper on the counter for the cookies.
Combine the sugar, cocoa, barley malt, salt, shortening, and milk in a heavy sauce pan.  It’s best to use a 2 quart pan so you have room for the sugar to boil and to add the oats.
Bring the mixture to a boil and closely time the boil for 2 minutes.  The timing is critical because if you boil the mixture too little it doesn't set up and too long you won’t get it out of the pan before it sets up.  While it will still taste great, it’s one huge pile of formless stuff.
Take the pan off the burner and add the vanilla and the oats.  Stir together vigorously and then begin dropping by teaspoons onto the waxed paper.  I used two spoons to shape the hearts.

Delicious and delightful, and they have oats in them so they must be good for you, right?
Happy Valentine's Day!

BMW - (broccoli my way)

I heard there’s a beautiful crop of organic broccoli down at the co-op this week.  I love fresh sweet broccoli and steamed is always good.  A lot of people think just plain steamed broccoli is just too ... well, too green.  If this is you, I have a couple of alternatives that will help you win friends and influence people.  Here is a simple stir fry or roast possibility for that sweet, green, cold weather friend.

The ingredients I use for either are the same and I always tend toward the stir fry because it is so fast.

2-3 pounds broccoli
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 red onion chopped
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice (and a little zest if you have a fresh lemon)
1/2 teaspoon of dried basil (a tablespoon of fresh is even better or if you have some basil pesto* in the frig you can use a tablespoon of that)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

To stir-fry:
Cut the broccoli into small florets.  Peel the stalk and chop that into half inch cubes as well.  You paid for the stalk and it is one of the best and sweetest parts of the broccoli, so don’t throw it away!
Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet and add the broccoli and onion.  Toss it all around to get it coated with the oil and then add a couple of tablespoons of water and put a tight fitting lid of the skillet for a minute or two.  This steam gives a quick cook to the broccoli and will evaporate quickly.
Now add the minced garlic and the sea salt.  Toss that around for a minute or two and add the lemon juice, zest, and the basil or pesto.
This whole process should not take you longer than 5 minutes.  Be careful to not overcook the broccoli - you want it to be tender, but still bright green and not mushy.   
Have some rice, linguine, or fettuccine already prepared and put a helping of this on top with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese or serve it as a side dish. 

To roast:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the broccoli into florets and chop the stalks, same as above and place in a bowl.  Mix the olive oil, garlic, and salt.  Pour over the broccoli and onion and stir to coat evenly.  Put in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for about 20-25 minutes, until crisp-tender.  You don’t want it to be brown and mushy. Remove from the oven and toss with the lemon juice, zest, pesto* or basil.  Serve either as a side dish or over rice or linguine topped with the Parmesan cheese.

* some of you have my basil pesto recipe already and you know this as a year round ingredient in a lot of my cooking.  The rest will just have to hang in there until basil season, when I will share it with the world and then you too will always have a supply of the world's best basil pesto on hand.

Now, what are you waiting for?  Head on down to the co-op and pick up some of that delicious organic broccoli today.  Your body will thank you for it.

Still Enjoying Last Summer's Harvest

Several things about myself that influence the foods that I cook and love are likely to be familiar to you as well.  One, I prefer to spend my time doing something other than dishes and so if I can cook it all in one pot, that makes me happy.  Two, I love local produce and that means in the winter, it’s root crops like potatoes, beets and carrots, onions, garlic, and produce that I either grew in my garden and stored or purchased at the co-op from local sources.  Third, I’ve been known as the soup lady for some time now and even though I've moved on and sold my business The Art of Good Food,  I still identify with art, good food, and soup because it fits all my criteria.

With my new found freedom this winter, I’ve gone back to some of the recipes and cook books that I’ve used in years past.  This weekend, I dug out a cookbook written by Jeff Smith,  The Frugal Gourmet On our Immigrant Ancestors, copyright 1990.
I’ve actually made this recipe before and a number of other recipes represented in this book, but it’s been many years.  I was thinking about borscht last summer when I peeled, chopped, and froze a few quarts of Detroit Red beets that I grew in the garden. (I’ve never frozen beets before and they came out amazing, with good texture-like fresh cooked.)

I forgot to mention that I don’t cook from recipes.  I almost always use them as a jumping off point to do my own thing with what I have on hand. I am an artist and that translates into cooking as well as all other areas of my life.  Below is the recipe as Jeff published it, and how I put it together with my comments in italics.  You can follow Jeff, me, or use it as a jumping off point to do your own thing.

Russian Borscht
According to Jeff, he got this recipe from Father John, a Russian Orthodox priest and he claims it is the best soup imaginable.  (It is delicious for sure!)

        Jeff's
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic peeled and minced
1 pound of lamb stew meat chopped
1 medium onion
1 1/4 cup green cabbage cored and chopped
1 ½ pound ripe tomatoes diced
2 pounds red beets peeled and diced
3 ½ quarts beef stock
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 bay leaves
juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper     
   
                Mine
3-4 tablespoons olive oil (I don’t measure)
3 large cloves garlic peeled and minced
I did not use meat
1 large onion chopped
½ of a 6"green cabbage cored and chopped
1 pint of canned tomatoes or a 14oz can
3-4 cups chopped beets (I had peeled, chopped, and frozen the beets in a quart bag last summer.)
4-5 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon-Beef with enough water to cover veggies
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 large bay leaf
2 tablespoons lemon juice
I skipped the salt because of the bouillon
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Heat a heavy stockpot and add the oil, garlic, and lamb. Brown the lamb and add the onion. (If you are browning lamb or meat, it is best not to add the garlic until just before you finish with the onions.) Saute until the onion is tender and then add the cabbage, tomato, beets, stock, vinegar, bay leaves, lemon juice, salt and pepper (all of the rest of the ingredients).
Bring it all to a boil and simmer covered for 2 hours.  (You could do this in a crock pot for the day too.)  Add additional salt and pepper to taste.  (Mine was fine with the salt from the bouillon.) 

Jeff recommends dishing the soup into bowls and passing the garnish of sour cream and fresh chopped dill.  (While my soup was simmering, I stirred together a teaspoon of dried dill weed with about ½ cup of sour cream and put it back in the refrigerator until serving time. For my taste, the sour cream or you could use Greek yogurt is essential to the soup.)

I also whipped up a loaf of pumpernickel bread to serve with my soup for dinner.  I have 3 more quart bags stuffed with beets in my freezer and so I think overall, this was an excellent use of my summer harvest.