Thursday, December 24, 2009

Christmas Brunch- Cheese Grits and Sticky Buns with Pumpkin Butter

Let's face it- some days you just need stamina. Here are some lovely recipes for brunch, fit for tradition.

From the Freemans:
Crazy Aunt Sharon's Cheese Grits
3/4 Cups grits
3 Cups water
3/4 Cup butter
3 eggs, well beaten
1/2 lb. sharp cheddar
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. tabasco
paprika (sprinkle)

Add 1/2 tsp salt to water and cook grits 5 minutes. Add butter and stir to melt. Add remaining ingredients, and stir. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees or until set.

Pumpkin Butter
3 Cups fresh, roasted pumpkin
1 cup applesauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp ginger powder
2tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients, and cook over medium low heat for about 30 minutes, until the butter has turned brown, and is fragrant. Puree if needed.

Sticky Buns with Pumpkin Butter and Pecans
*I have not yet made these, but this is my plan.

2 cups pumpkin butter

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans


Roll out puff pastry to 12 x 18 inch rectangle. Spread pumpkin butter over dough, short 1 inch from one short end (for sealing). Roll toward this end, sealing by pressing dough with your fingers. Slice into 2 inch pieces.

For the topping, combine brown sugar, butter, and over low heat. Stir until sugar and butter are melted. Pour mixture into a greased 9" x 13" baking dish and sprinkle pecans on top. Place roll on top of pecans, close together. You can refrigerate the buns until ready to bake. Bring to room temperature, then bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, until they are golden brown. Invert immediately onto serving dish- serve warm.


Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Agriberry at St. Stephen's

From our friend Anne Geyer at Agriberry:


7.jpg

Agriberry "Sleigh" of favorite Apples to

St Stephens Wed. ( Oh and broccoli too )

Ok Agriberry fans- the weather is looking wonderful for Wednesday's evening market at St. Stephens Church on 6000 Grove Ave.! Your favorite apples-Honey Crisp, plus Granny Smith, Pink Lady and Fuji Apples to mix and match by the peck- For $20 a peck or six pecks for $99! How about having them in the wooden peck basket too? Add a ribbon and you have a super last minute drop off holiday gift!


Pickup from 4pm til sold out... or 7 pm.


Oh and Apple Cider too...think of holiday time mulled cider or freeze in serving size zip bags for winter/spring smoothies...


Yea Locavore fans, Yea Agriberry , and Yea Apples!

p.s. Farmer Chuck Geyer, picked Broccoli before the snow for us too...winter veggies are great!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Whitehouse Kitchen Garden and An Explation for Sweet Winter Veggies

A few weeks ago The RFC did a cooking segment for channel six featuring foods that require a frost to taste their best. After spending some time researching the cause of the excess sugars found in winter brassicas and cold season apples we were a bit hard pressed to explain it easily to others. This quick story about the White House kitchen garden has a sidebar that does a very tidy job of explaining why spinach and kale taste sweeter when the temperature goes down.

A Couple Quick Updates for Lakeside

Two of Lakeside Avenues food spots have undergone a major change in the last few weeks. First, after multiple overhauls the restaurant formerly known as The Fat Goat (previously known as Zed Cafe) closed its doors over Thanksgiving. The word is the owner is currently searching for a new location for the local food supporting, northside restaurant.
Second, the New India restaurant is now the Lakeside Sports Grill. Apparently, however, this restaurant is still under the same ownership, and you can still get Indian food via carry out! Interesting.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Backyard Farmers

My friends Jay and Rochelle started an organic garden last summer, and could not figure out why their tomatoes would not fruit. They were really disappointed, as they had purchased topsoil from a local farm, and had researched and purchased beautiful, organic plants. And after all of their work, nothing much happened.
Backyard Farmers came to their rescue, helping them amend their raised beds with compost and planting a cover crop. Shawn and Tim, two of the Backyard Farmers, tested the soil that Jay and Rochelle bought and found that it was dead and that the soil structure was too loose, so they introduced components that would encourage microorganisms and water retention.
Jay was so excited because the Backyard Farmers pulled all of the weeds, re- worked the beds then planted garlic in one bed, buckwheat in another, and rye grass in the third. These cover crops will help break up the hard pan under the amended sections, bring nutrition for later crops to access, and remain a weed deterrent. Jay and Rochelle can also add the biomass to their compost pile when they are ready to clear the beds to plant in the spring.
The Backyard Farmers will come back to the garden in the spring, and walk Jay and Rochelle through what seeds to purchase , when to plant and how to care for the crops. These knowledgeable horticulturists have made themselves available to their clients, and Jay and Rochelle are looking forward to growing their own food, and learning a lot in the process. Check out the BF website to get in touch with these mobile farm gurus.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Discounts on Local Food

Are you missing those once abundant fruits of summer? I know I am going through the basil pesto and canned tomatoes in my pantry like nobody's business. There is good news if you are willing to invest in a summer Community Supported Agriculture program early- you can get discounts on your membership!
Fertile Crescent is offering $25 off if you join before the end of January.
The cost of a full share for 20 weeks is $500.
The cost of a half share for 20 weeks is $300.
On farm pick up is $475 for a full share and $275 for a half share.
Adam Bressa and Darbi Jewell have been farming for in Green Bay for several years, and are expanding their markets and CSA pickups this year to include Byrd House, South of the James and the Market at St. Stephen's. Check out their lovely site for more info on their farm and how to sign up for their CSA!

Frog Bottom Farm sent this info for interested 2010 CSA members:
Next year we're doing an extended summer season -- from the first week in June through Thanksgiving week. That's 26 weeks. The full share will be $650 and the half share will be $350. Since this is more than last year, and a big amount for some folks to pay as one lump sum, we will offer payment plans.

For folks who pay in full by January 15, we're offering a discount -- the full share will be $600, and the half share will be $325.
I was a member of Frog Bottom's CSA for both the summer and winter season, and have really enjoyed talking food with Ali and Lisa. Check out their gorgeous farm site here.

Also, if you want local food NOW, Fall Line Farms is offering a huge discount on their memberships. Join for only $35.00, and enjoy shopping from 50 local vendors. Learn more about this amazing co-op here.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

RFC Cooking Class- How to Cook Grass Fed Beef

We have been asked to teach cooking classes using local ingredients to further the mission of the Farmers' Market at St. Stephen's. Since neither Shannon nor I know anything about cooking red meat, we asked Shannon's husband Matt to help us out. He did a great job!

Here is the menu, some notes and recipes from our early winter cooking class:

Matt Talks Grass Feed Beef:
So I've heard of a couple differing opinions on how to cook grass-fed beef, but one constant remains. Grass-fed beef has less fat and cooks much quicker than grain-fed. For this meal I'm using a london broil. about 1.5" thick. If you have time to marinade over night then do so with your favorite marinade. I like using a simple combination of salt, pepper, garlic powder, worcheshire sauce and a sprinkling of dried oregano. First I douse one side of my steak in worcheshire, sprinkle with salt, pepper,and garlic powder to taste (usually enough of each to lightly cover the surface). Next I sprinkle a light dusting of dried oregano, not too much though it can over power the other flavors.Then I flip the steak over and repeat the process. Cover and refrigerate over night.
If you are short on time you can use a rub and tenderize the meat with a meat tenderizing mallet. In the past I've used left over rubs from when I've made ribs, but they contain sugar which will burn and I wanted my steaks to taste like steaks and not ribs. So... I have been searching for a good steak rub and believe that I have found one. I wanted a little bit of heat and some smokey flavor which the chipotles do both. It's a smoked jalapeno. What's not to like?!Here's the link http://bbq.about.com/od/rubrecipes/r/bl10721c.htm .
I have found that by adjusting the amounts of ingredients you can customize a rub to your tastes, don't be afraid to experiment! I reduced the amount of black pepper in this rub by 1/3 since it also has chipotle's for heat. Once the rub is made sprinkle it on and rub it in on both sides then tenderize with the mallet. Your breaking down the connective tissue of the meat when you use the mallet. Tenderizing it manually instead of chemically. A process that is also achieved with acids like vinegar, found in most marinades.
First step in preparing to cook grass fed beef is to let it sit out and come to room temperature. The reason being that grass-fed beef contains less fat and cooks quicker. If you took it out of the fridge and started cooking the outside would cook faster than the inside resulting in a steak that looks done but is actually rare and not up to temperature inside. Secondly grass fed beef is better cooked in a pan than on the grill. The precious juices, which keep the meat moist, would be lost on a grill. If grilling, sear meat on both sides at high heat. Then reduce heat to low and baste frequently throughout grilling until the desired internal temperature is reached.

Once the meat has come to room temperature it's time to cook! For this meal I'm going to use a pan and the oven to finish the cooking process. Always pre-heat! Putting a hot steak into a cold pan does no one any good. Get the pan HOT and sear both sides of the meat, about 1-2 minutes per side or until nicely browned. Place the meat in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 10-15 additional minutes turning once about halfway through cooking. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the meat and the cut. Remove the meat about five degrees below your desired temperature. It will continue to cook as it rests. Temperatures are as follows:

Medium Rare:145

Medium: 160

Well Done: 170

London broil, as with most cuts of grass-fed beef, is meant to be served medium rare.
Once time is up remove the meat from the oven (checking to ensure that it is cooked to your liking) cover and let it rest for about ten minutes in a warm place. This will allow the meat to reclaim some of the moisture/juices lost during the cooking process and will make your meal that much more delectable. Once the meat has rested plate it up an serve it according to your recipe or tastes. London broil is served thinly sliced and goes quite well with my roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Recipe to follow.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Fresh Parsley
5 medium to large baking potatoes
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
3 Tablespoons butter (made from pastured cows)
salt and pepper to taste
1 large head roasted garlic (more to taste)
1/2 cup milk (from pastured cows)
Wrap the head of garlic in foil and roast at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until soft. Cook time depends on the size of the head. Boil potatoes until easily pierced with a fork. Drain well, and add the butter, and milk Mash with a potato masher, or use a mixer with a paddle attachment. Once milk, and butter is combined cut the bottom, or root end of the garlic heads off then squeeze them like tiny tubes of tooth paste into the potato mixture. Make sure not to include the papery skins. Add the parsley, salt, and pepper to your liking, and enjoy!

Apple Pie
Makes 1 pie

2 pie crusts (I use the flaky pastry dough from the Joy of Cooking.)
Oven at 350 Degrees

3 pounds of apples- several different varieties, peeled and sliced

Mix with:
1/2 cup of butter, cut up in bits
1 tsp each: ginger, cinnamon
pinch of cardamom
sprinkle of sugar

Roll out pie crusts until they are slightly larger than your pan. Place one in deep dish pie pan, and fill with apple mixture. Cover with other crust, and make four slits in top for venting. Brush with whole milk and sprinle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for at least an hour- perhaps and hour and 15 minutes, until top is golden brown. Serve warm with brown butter ice cream.