The Tongues and I
Beef Tongues
I just cannot turn down a bargain. Stopped in the store for a couple of things and found these beef tongues marked down. When I say marked down I mean 45 cents a pound!!! So I got them. I think I may have cooked one once years ago. I know my Mother would cook one once in awhile. Boiled it forever, as I recall. My pressure cooker is way too small so boiling it is. What I would love are ideas of what to do with them after they are cooked. I remember sandwiches made with thin slices from the deli. So if you have any ideas- now is the time. I’ll be cooking them tomorrow. And if you like tongue you might want to stop by in the near future- I am sure I will have plenty to share.
What a deal.
Stuffed Zucchini
Stuffed Zucchini
I got this over sized zucchini from my friend Carl. It was a round zucchini that had gotten to the size of a small pumpkin. I wanted to use it for dinner so I decided to hollow it out and stuff it. My friend Kat was coming over for dinner and I knew she’d be open to trying out my experiment. She’s pretty open to trying things out. I hollowed it out and lightly salted in the inside. I was wary to put uncooked meat in there because I wasn’t sure if it would get cooked through. Same thing for the rice. I ended up cooking ground turkey and seasoning it with cumin, oregano, paprika, salt and a little cayenne. I cooked the rice in a mixture of beef stock with some butter and fresh parsley. Tossed that mixture together and put it in the zucchini. I also added some mozzarella cheese after every few scoops of the filling. I had some marinara sauce so I added a bit of that for moisture and a chopped onion that I had sauteed in oil.
I had no idea on how long it would take so I set in in at 350 and covered the top with foil. It was done in about 90 minutes. The zucchini was still firm but tender enough to eat.
Ready for the oven
Stuffed Peppers
I had some extra filling so I made some stuffed peppers, too. I split the peppers and boiled them a couple of minutes to soften. I filled them and baked them, also covered in foil for about 45 minutes- then removed the foil and baked 15 minutes longer.
The meal was a big hit. I could have used any over sized zucchini. It was a great way to use something that at first might have been thought of as unusable, except perhaps shredded for zucchini bread.
Chicken with Coffee Glaze
Coffee Glazed Chicken
I am always trying out new ideas for sauces, glazes and the like. After making a coffee spice rub last week I decided to try my hand at using coffee for the base of a glaze/marinade for meats. I started with a couple of cups of strong brewed coffee and went from there. I brought the coffee to a boil and started adding ingredients I thought would work well together. By the time I was done the mixture had cooked down by half. The flavors worked well together and I was pretty happy. I am calling it a glaze but it can also be used as a marinade. I used it on chicken but I could see it working well on pork, beef, lamb or even mushrooms.
For the chicken I took cubes of boneless chicken breast and put them in a bowl and covered them with about 1/2 cup of the glaze. I put that mixture , covered, in the fridge for a couple of hours. I think overnight would be even better. I also soaked some bamboo skewers in water. I put the chicken on the skewers and baked them in a 425 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. I brushed them with more of the glaze about 10 minutes into cooking. I discarded the rest of the glaze I had soaked the chicken in. Unused glaze will keep in the fridge for a few weeks or could be frozen.
Here is the recipe for the glaze.
Coffee Glaze
2 c. strong brewed coffee
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. dark rum
4 cloves minced garlic
2 T. honey
2 T. hot sauce- or more to taste
2 T. whole grain mustard
1 T. salt, or to taste
2 t. paprika
1 t. smoked paprika
1 t. cinnamon
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring occasionally until mixture has reduced by half or a little more. You should end up with 1 1/2-2 cups when done. Use as a marinade or as a glaze for meats or mushrooms. Store extra in fridge.
Coffee Cinnamon Scones
Coffee Cinnamon Scones
If you love coffee I think you are going to love these scones. What better to have with your morning cup of coffee than a scone infused with coffee and cinnamon in the dough and finished with a coffee and cinnamon glaze? They are tender, full of coffee flavor and not too sweet. Simple to make, as with any scone the secret is not to over work the dough. You can eat these plain or with a bit of butter.
Coffee Cinnamon Scones
2/3 c. half and half
2 T. instant coffee powder or espresso powder
1 t. vanilla
1 egg
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
1/2 c. cold butter
1 T. half and half, for brushing the scones
2 T. cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling on the scones
Coffee Cinnamon Glaze- recipe follows
In microwave safe container combine half and half with the coffee powder and heat 30 seconds or so. Stir to dissolve coffee and cool down before using. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Add vanilla and egg to cooled coffee mixture and beat until smooth. Set aside. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Some small pieces of butter can still be visible. Stir in coffee mixture and mix gently until a soft dough forms. At this point you are supposed to press the dough into an 8-inch circle on a baking sheet. To get a really neat circle use an 8-inch cake pan. Sprinkle the pan with a little flour and put the dough in the pan. Press the dough into the pan. Turn the cake pan over onto an ungreased baking sheet. Do this part fast. Slam it down and then remove the cake pan. You will have a perfect 8-inch circle of dough. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough in half. If the dough is too sticky sprinkle the top with a little more flour. Cut in half again and then 2 more times. You will have eight wedges of dough forming 8 scones. Pull dough apart slightly using a spatula. They grow a lot when baking and this will give them more room to expand. Brush with the extra half and half and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until they spring back when touched lightly. Make glaze and drizzle over the warm scones. Makes 8.
Coffee Cinnamon Glaze
2 T. half and half
2 t. instant coffee powder or espresso powder
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. powdered sugar
Heat half and half and coffee powder together in microwave safe container for 10 seconds. Stir until smooth. Stir in cinnamon and powdered sugar until smooth and drizzle over the scones.
Press dough into 8-inch cake pan
Pull apart slightly before baking
Drizzle warm scones with glaze
Root Vegetable Soup
Root Vegetable Soup
When the air is chilly I am always in the mood for a nice hot bowl of homemade soup. This soup came about as I rummaged through the veggie bin. I had a number of root vegetables so decided to make them the focal point. I happened to have homemade beef stock, but you could easily swap it out for chicken stock or vegetable stock as well. There is a part of me that wants to call it root vegetables soup- but that sounds funny. So here it it- the recipe that was created based on what I happened to have on hand. The end result was really good.
Root Vegetable Soup
3 T. oil
1 onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 small parsnips, peeled and sliced
6 c. stock, I used beef
2 c. peeled and diced turnips, about 2 medium
2 c. diced potatoes, about 2 medium
2 c. diced tomatoes, or a (14 oz.) can of diced tomatoes, un-drained
1 medium sweet potato, diced
1/4 c. chopped parsley
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. hot sauce, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
In soup pot heat the oil and cook the onion until light golden. Add the carrots and parsnips and cook until they are light golden, too. Add the stock, turnips, potatoes and tomatoes and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer, covered, until veggies are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and remaining ingredients and cook until sweet potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve. Serves 6-8.
Chocolate Cappuccino Cookies
Chocolate Cappuccino Cookies
These cookies are great for those who like a more adult cookie. Not too sweet they are loaded with flavor. The combination of coffee and chocolate is one of my favorites. Simple to make, too. Just right for dipping in a cup of coffee.
Chocolate Cappuccino Cookies
1 T. instant coffee powder or espresso powder
1 T. hot water
1 egg
3/4 c. sugar plus extra for dipping
1/4 c. oil
2 T. corn syrup*
2 t. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa
2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
Dissolve coffee in hot water. In mixing bowl combine coffee mixture with egg, 3/4 cup sugar, oil, syrup and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Combine dry ingredients and add to coffee mixture. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheets spaced about 2 inches apart. Flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in the extra sugar, pressing to 1/4 -inch thickness. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 5-7 minutes. Centers should be set. Cool on a rack. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.
* If you don’t have corn syrup- or don’t want to use it, here is a sugar syrup you can make and use as a substitute.
Sugar Syrup- corn syrup substitute
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup Water
1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1/4 t. salt
Combine ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and cover the pot. Reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook to soft-ball stage. Stir frequently.
Soft ball stage occurs at 235-245 degrees. This stage can be determined by dropping a spoonful of hot syrup into a bowl of very cold water. In the water, use your fingers to gather the cooled syrup into a ball. If it has reached soft-ball stage, the syrup easily forms a ball while in the cold water, but flattens once removed from the water.
Remove from heat. Cool and store at room temperature. It will keep well for a month or two.
Homemade Bavarian Mustard
Homemade Bavarian Mustard
Some people take mustard very seriously. Maybe it just seems like that to me because I grew up in a house where my parents made their own sausage. There are so many mustards on the market, but I like to make my own. If you never made your own mustard you might want to try it some time. It is really easy and the flavor can be tweaked to suit your own taste. The other day I made this Bavarian inspired mustard made with beer. Since the recipe calls for 3/4 of a cup I normally double the recipe so I can use the whole bottle. You can, of course just make a single batch and drink the rest. It keeps in the fridge for a couple of months and can even make a nice gift.
Bavarian Mustard
3/4 c. beer
2/3 c. dry mustard
2 T. sugar
2 T. cider vinegar
2 t. salt
1-t. celery seeds
1/2 t. fresh grated ginger or 1/4 t. dry
1 egg, beaten
Combine all but the egg in the top of a double boiler and let stand 2 hours at room temperature. Stir in egg and cook over simmering water. stirring constantly until mixture thickens and egg is cooked, about 10 minutes. Pour into sterilized jars and cool before covering. Store in fridge for up to 2 months. Makes 2 cups.
Spontaneous Salad
Duck Egg Spinach Salad
Sometimes you have to get creative when cooking. You have to use what is on hand and make what you can of it. On a recent weekend away with friends we had planned out a menu but hadn’t thought about a salad. I brought along a bag of spinach as an after thought, but I didn’t have other salad ingredients with me. Friends surprised us with half a dozen hard cooked duck eggs from a relative. As the dinner approached we decided to use them together in salad. Amy found a bottle of raspberry vinaigrette with just enough left for the spinach. She also had some apple cinnamon goat cheese we had planned on using as an appetizer. All that was left was a crunch element. We did have some leftover hot dog buns from lunch. I cubed them up and added them to a skillet with butter, olive oil and some herbs. I cooked them until toasted. In the end we had salad that was really wonderful. I felt like we had done one of those cooking shows where you get a basket of odd ingredients and have to make them work together. Spinach from me, Scott’s duck eggs, Amy’s cheese and dressing and hot dog bun croutons. In the end a dish that didn’t just become a needed starter but was really good. Something I would make again. Maybe that’s the message to take away. Look at what you have and figure out a way to make it work. I use recipes all the time, but when you don’t have a recipe, or even a plan let you creative juices flow. You might just be surprised at what you can create.
Bittersweet Market Day
Tomorrow, Thursday, October 9, will be the last farm market at Blue Pike Farm. Sadly, it is not just the last market of the season but the last market at Blue Pike Farm, period. Due to an enormous rent increase Carl is being forced off of the property.This is a truly sad day for Carl and all those who have enjoyed coming to the farm.
I hope to see a lot of people at this final market. So many of you have been coming over the years. This will be the last chance. I appreciate all the support you have shown to Carl, myself and the other vendors. We all want things to end on as positive a note as possible.
Besides Carl with all sorts of great produce and his own honey there will be:
My stuff. I will be bringing all of my most popular baked treats including chocolate beet cake, pumpkin cake, zucchini and pumpkin breads and some surprises. I will also have Concord grape jelly in somewhat limited supply and our own Blue Pike Farm Pickled Hot Peppers. I will also have herb seasoning packets, cookbooks and some free treats for all who come to say good bye.
Dawn, of Alexander’s Alchemy has a great selection home made soaps and a new line of infused honey. She uses locally sourced ingredients and incorporates honey and wax from the bees of E Pluribus Apiary from Blue Pike Farm.
Canaan Fair Trade will offer extra virgin olive oil ( some from trees that are over 500 years old) and associated products: infused oils (garlic, peppercorn and chili pepper flavors), olive oil soap, hand-rolled couscous, zataar (a Middle Eastern spice), and three tapandes ( honey-olive, sun-dried tomato and green olive and caper)
To thank all of you Carl will be giving away garlic with a very interesting history. I am sure he will tell you, if you ask.
I want to thank so many of you for all the support you have shown. I will miss that very much.
Blue Pike Farm is located at 900 e. 72 street, just 1/2 mile South of the Shoreway. Market hours are from 4-7 pm.
Pork Roast with Coffee Spice Rub
Pork Loin with Coffee and Spice Rub
We were having a pork loin for a recent dinner with friends and I wanted to come up with something fun to season it with. I decided to go with a spice rub that included ground coffee. I played around a little but found a mixture that I think has just the right mix of seasonings. You can make a bigger batch and just keep it on hand. The rub would certainly go well on beef, lamb, duck and maybe even turkey. I plan on trying that out soon. The coffee gives the meat a wonderful, almost charred flavor, like it just came off the grill. It worked great on the pork loin but could also be used on chops being cooked in a skillet or grilled.
The tricky part was being sure not to over cook the pork loin. While it is recommended to go 20 minutes a pound on a boneless loin I went just a little under on the 5 1/4 pound roast we had, cooking it at 350 for 1 hour and 30 minutes. It came out cooked through and very juicy. Here is the recipe for the rub and directions on how to use it.
Coffee and Spice Rub
¼ c. ground coffee
¼ c. brown sugar
2 T. paprika
2 t. each cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder, salt and ginger
1 t. allspice
½ t. cinnamon
Combine all ingredients and stir to mix well. Store in a cool place, preferably in the refrigerator. Rub can be used on roasts or on chops, steaks and smaller cuts of meat. If using on chops that are being pan fried watch carefully as the sugar in the recipe could burn.
To use the rub: several hours before cooking place the roast in a shallow pan and sprinkle heavily with the rub. Use your hands to spread it evenly and cover completely. Place plastic wrap on clean surface and transfer roast to the wrap. Fold plastic wrap to cover roast , using more plastic wrap as needed so meat is sealed well. Return to fridge for at least a couple of hours, or overnight. When ready to cook, bring roast out and allow to stand 30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and place roast in a roasting pan on a wire rack.
For the pork roast allow about 20 minutes per pound. Larger roasts need a little less time per pound. When roast is finished- remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes, or a little longer before cutting.
Rest roast 5 minutes, then slice
