The Charmed Kitchen

Sausage with Veggies

With all the great local produce I have these days cooking has been more fun than ever. I wanted to make a dinner using as many veggies as possible but I was short on time. I opted for a take on sausage with peppers. I had some cooked Italian sausage I wanted to use and turned leftovers into a great new dish.  Layers of flavors and super easy.

Sausage with Veggies

oil

 1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

1 medium summer squash, diced

2 sweet peppers, any color, seeded and chopped

4 c. peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes

2 c. sliced cooked sausage- I used Italian, but use what you like

Salt and pepper to taste

Hot pepper sauce to taste

Heat oil in skillet and add onion, cooking until tender. Add garlic and cook another couple of minutes. Add remaining vegetables and sausage and cook until veggies are tender. Adjust seasonings. Serve over rice or pasta. Serve 3-4.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

I was given all the ingredients for stuffed peppers from Carl at Blue Pike Farm. He wanted me to can stuffed peppers for him. I ended up making him stuffed pepper soup instead. He can eat it the way it is or add rice to it later. I have to say that it tasted great and I canned quite a bit of it for him. Here is the recipe, if you want to make it, too.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

1 qt. chicken stock

6 c. chopped onions

8 c. seeded and chopped sweet peppers- about 14

8 lbs. fresh tomatoes, peeled and cut up

2 lbs. ground meat- cooked and drained well

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1/2 c. cider vinegar

 non-iodized salt to taste

pepper to taste

cayenne pepper to taste

Combine first seven ingredients in a large pot and bring up to a boil. Turn heat down to a simmer and cook until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir from time to time. Add remaining ingredients and cook 5 minutes longer. Ladle hot soup into clean, hot quart jars and fill leaving 1-inch head space. Use a plastic knife to remove and air bubbles. Wipe rims and screw on lids. Repeat with remaining soup. Place jars in a pressure canner and following the manufacturer’s instructions. Process quarts for 90 minutes at 10 pounds pressure, pints for 75 minutes. Yield: about 7 quarts.

Note: Soup could also be frozen instead.

Blueberry Pie

Had some friends in town over the weekend from the Netherlands. I wanted to make a dessert that was special and for me that was a blueberry pie. The pie was a big hit and I wanted to share the recipe with you. Andro and Tom- it was great to see you!!

Blueberry Pie

Pastry for 2 crust pie- recipe- The crust recipe I used is at the bottom of the page

2 ½ T. cornstarch

1 c. sugar

3 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

1 T. lemon juice

1 T. butter

 1 T. sugar, for sprinkling

Roll out half of the crust and place in 8 or 9-inch pie pan. You can roll out the top crust ahead of time, or even cut into strips for a lattice top. Cover remaining crust to keep it from drying out. In medium bowl mix cornstarch and sugar. Toss in berries and then sprinkle in the lemon juice. Allow to stand 15 minutes. If berries were frozen be sure they are not clumped together. Spoon mixture into prepared crust and dot with the butter. Top with the second crust or place strips on in a lattice design. If using a whole crust cut in decorative slits for ventilation. I used a tiny heart-shaped cutter for my pie. Moisten then crimp edges and shape decoratively or use a fork to seal. Place pie in lower half of hot oven. Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake an additional 40-50 minutes or until crust is brown and juices begin to bubble through the slits. Cool a little before serving.

Ready for the oven

Flaky Pie Crust

2 c. flour

1 t. salt

3/4 c. shortening, chilled

1 T. cider vinegar

4-5 T. cold water

Combine flour and salt and cut in shortening. Toss in vinegar and water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough holds together. Use a fork to toss the ingredients together and as soon as the mixture holds together stop adding water. Makes 2. Chill well before using

Steak and Pepper Omelet

I love to play around with different omelet fillings. Often I’ll use up whatever is around. With some red sweet peppers on hand and some leftover steak I got the idea for a steak and pepper omelet. It was wonderful.

Steak and Pepper Omelet

oil

1 small onion, sliced

1 small red pepper, seeded and sliced

1 c. cubed cooked steak

3-4 eggs

2 oz. cheese- cut in small pieces or shredded*

salt and pepper to taste

dash hot pepper sauce

Heat oil in skillet and cook onion until golden. Add a little salt to the onions while they are cooking. Add pepper and cook until tender-crisp. Remove from pan and set aside. Heat same pan adding more oil, if needed. Beat eggs in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper and hot sauce to your taste. Pour eggs into hot skillet and swirl to coat bottom of skillet. Using a spatula lift eggs a little and tip pan to allow uncooked egg to get to surface of the pan. Once omelet is almost set place some of the pepper mixture on one half. Top with the steak and cheese. Using a spatula gently fold the empty half of the omelet over the fillings. Allow to cook one more minute and slide onto a serving plate.  Top with the remaining pepper mixture. Serves 2.

* I used Pepper Jack cheese because that is what I happened to have. Use any cheese you like.

Ready to fold over

Wild Blackberry Jelly

I was given some beautiful wild blackberries and they have been in the freezer just waiting for me. Thanks to both Janice and Amy McWilliam. Decided to use some of them to make blackberry jelly. It came out perfect. Sweet and tart and full of the flavor of summer.

Blackberry Jelly

3 quarts blackberries*

1/2 c. water

1 box powdered pectin

5 c. sugar

Place the berries in a pot and use a potato masher to crush the berries. Add the water and simmer until the berries are soft. Strain out the solids and then pour the juice through several layers of cheesecloth to clarify. You should end up with about 4-5 cups of juice. Place juice in a pot and add the pectin. Bring mixture to a boil stirring constantly. Add the sugar and return mixture to the boil, again stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off any foam. Ladle mixture into clean, hot jelly jars and fill to 1/4 inch from the top. Seal and repeat with remaining jelly.  Place in a boiling water bath and process 10 minutes. Makes 6-7 half pints.

* Best if some of the berries are a little under ripe. Higher in natural pectin.

Note: I decided to take the solids and seeds and place them in a large jar and cover them with vodka so I can make liqueur later. We’ll see how that works out in a few weeks. I’ll sweeten that mixture later after filtering out the solids.

Lambsquarters Quiche

I was going to title this one Weed Quiche- but decided against it. I could already imagine the comments that would get!! I made 2 quiches yesterday- one baked conventionally and one baked in my crock pot. Both worked out great and both had one special ingredient- lambsquarters. Lambsquarters are a common plant- found almost anywhere soil has been turned. Most consider it a weed but I almost hate to call it that. Rather, I’ll borrow a term I got from Dr. Peter Gail and call it instead a volunteer vegetable. When cooked it tastes just like spinach. I love it for its flavor but also because long after summer heat has cooked the spinach in the garden lambsquarters continue to grow and thrive. There is a picture of them at the end of this post so you will know what they look like. If you don’t have them you can sub out with a 10 oz. package of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry or about a pound of fresh spinach, cooked, chopped and drained well. Here is the recipe, as promised.

Lambsquarters Quiche

1 unbaked pie crust

3 c. shredded cheese, divided

2 T. flour

1 leek, white part only, sliced and sauteed in oil until tender

4-5 cups lambsquarters leaves, washed and steamed until wilted

3 eggs

1 c. milk or half and half

salt and pepper to taste

hot sauce to taste

For conventional cooking preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place crust in a 9-inch deep dish pie pan. Toss 2 cups of the cheese with the flour and place in pie crust. Add the leeks and lambsquarters. Combine eggs with milk and seasonings, beat until smooth  and pour over the ingredients in the pie crust. Top with remaining cheese.  Place on a baking sheet and bake 45 minutes to an hour. Check quiche for doneness by inserting a knife off center. If it is clean quiche is done. Serve 4-5.

Crock pot directions: I started by spraying the inside of the crock pot with non- stick baking spray. I am sure I could have oiled it instead or maybe rubbed it with butter. Then I placed the pie crust in- trying to fit it as best I could. It was pretty easy. I added the fillings like I normally would, put on the lid and set it on high. I let the quiche bake for 2 hours. Leave it in longer if the crust is not brown enough.

Crock Pot Quiche

Lambsquarters

Crock Pot Quiche

I have to give credit for the inspiration on this one to Harlan Cheek. Last week he posted a recipe for baking a pecan pie in a crock pot. I was intrigued. It certainly would be cooler than turning on the oven. If it worked for pie would it work for a quiche? I had to find out. I followed his directions as best I remembered them. I started by spraying the inside of the crock pot with non- stick baking spray. I am sure I could have oiled it instead or maybe rubbed it with butter. Then I placed the pie crust in- trying to fit it as best I could. It was pretty easy. I added the fillings like I normally would, put on the lid and set it on high. I let the quiche bake for 90 minutes- then gave it a look. Harlan’s recipe said  to bake for 2-3 hours. It was set but the crust needed a little more time so I let it go another 30 minutes.

It worked!! A perfectly “baked” quiche in the crock pot.

OK- I can hear the question you want to ask-how do you get it out? We had errands to run so I turned it off and left it in the crock pot, uncovered, for an hour or so. It was still warm. I loosened the edges and removed the crock from the base. I placed my hand on the top of the quiche and turned the crock over. It came out right into my hand and I placed it on a serving plate. A little of the crust crumbled- but it mostly held together. Next time I might try 2 spatulas. Hindsight….

If you haven’t tried this before I urge you to try. I’ll post the recipe for the quiche soon. It was made with a weed from my yard- and lots of cheese. I would love to hear what you baked in your crock pot and how it turned out.

Quiche on the serving plate

Drying Plums

Plums are abundant right now and I recently got some Italian or prune plums. They’re small and very sweet. They also dry easily and turn into prunes. I’ve noticed lately that commercially they are often marketed as dried plums.  Maybe they think it sounds nicer than prunes. Well, no matter. To dry the plums I first placed them in boiling water for a minute.This helps to crack the skin and makes them dry easier. Especially important if you want to dry them with the pits intact. Since I was pitting them it probably wasn’t critical but old habits die hard.  I made a small cut in each and removed the pits. I then made a solution of 2 cups water and 1 t. crystalline ascorbic acid ( Vitamin C). I soaked them in the solution for a couple of minutes then drained them. I then put them in my dehydrator and 14 hours later I had prunes, or maybe I should say dried plums. Either way they are moist and sweet and I can enjoy them long after their season in over. I’ll pop them in the freezer- just to be extra safe and extend their shelf life. I also have some larger plums. I’ll dry those next. I’ll pit and slice them and give them the same ascorbic acid dip- although I could also have used lemon juice and water or citric acid. They’ll also be dried for use later in baking, granola and just for snacks.

Kale with Apples

I made this dish in honor of my friend, Mari, who harvested 100 pounds of apples from her tree the other day. She also has a lot of kale in her garden so here is way to enjoy them together.

Kale with Apples

3 thick slices bacon, chopped

5-6 cups sliced kale- tough stems removed

3 T. water or apple juice

3 apples, peeled if desired, cored and chopped

salt and pepper to taste

hot pepper sauce to taste

Cook bacon in skillet until crisp. Remove bacon and all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Add kale and saute until wilted. Add water or juice and cover. Cook over medium heat until kale is tender. This could take 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the type of kale and how old it is. Once the kale is tender add the apples and cook, uncovered, until apples are tender. Stir once in awhile to keep mixture from sticking. Most of the liquid in the skillet should cook off. Adjust seasonings and serve. Serves 2 as a side dish.

Sweet Focaccia

Focaccia is a wonderful Italian flat bread. Baked in a jellyroll pan, it is about an inch thick and is often used in savory dishes with cheese and other toppings-  like pizza. It is also sometimes split to make sandwiches. When I make focaccia I often add sauteed shallots, garlic and fresh rosemary. This time I made a lightly sweetened version. It only has 1/2 cup of brown sugar in it total- but gets a lot of sweetness from the dried fruit and orange juice. Loaded with dry fruits it could be a dessert or even a tasty breakfast. It was a big hit when a friend dropped in last night. It is moist and has a wonderful flavor and texture. You can leave it plain once baked or add a powdered sugar glaze. I added the glaze. 

Sweet Focaccia

3 cups assorted dried fruits (cherries, raisins, currants, cranberries or blueberries)

2 c. orange juice

1 packet yeast

1 t. sugar

3 ½ c. flour

2 t. salt

1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar

½ t. cinnamon

¼ t. nutmeg

6 T. cold butter, cut into bits

In a bowl combine the fruit and orange juice and let stand 20 minutes. Drain fruit, reserving 1 cup of the liquid. Heat liquid until it is lukewarm. In the bowl of an electric mixture combine yeast with warm juice and sugar and let stand 5 minutes. Add flour, half the brown sugar, seasonings and butter and mix until dough is well-mixed. Knead dough with dough hook for 5 minutes, dough will be sticky. Add fruit and mix until evenly blended. Transfer dough to floured work surface and just roll around to coat with the flour. Place in oiled bowl, turning to oil top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to double, about 11/2 hours.

 Note: At this point, if you would rather, you can punch the dough down and wrap it, then chill it overnight. Bring to room temperature before continuing.

Press the dough into an oiled 15×10 inch jellyroll pan and let it rise, loosely covered, for about 1 hour. Dimple the dough using your fingertips and sprinkle with the remaining brown sugar. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Note: The focaccia is just fine the way it is, but you can drizzle it with a powdered sugar glaze, or dust with powdered sugar. It makes a great breakfast dish, or the base for fruit shortcake,. If you wish to use large pieces of fruit like apricots, pineapple or mangoes, dip scissors in oil and use them to snip the fruit into smaller pieces. I sometimes also add 1/2 c. chopped nuts to the dough when I add the fruit. 

Note: Any focaccia made with fruit, vegetables, meats or cheese should be refrigerated. Also, baked focaccia can be wrapped well and frozen for a couple of months. Just defrost in the wrapping and then warm a little, if desired.

Freshly Glazed Sweet Focaccia