Market Day
I will be at the Blue Pike Farm market today from 4-7 pm. Last week I got the most beautiful tomatoes ever. Seriously, natural works of art. Tasty, too. I will have fresh baked pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, chocolate beet cake and so much more. Stop in and say hello. Blue Pike Farm is located at 900 E. 72 Street, just 1/2 mile south of the Shoreway.
Zucchini Potato Pancakes
Zucchini Potato Pancakes
I really like putting potatoes and zucchini together in this dish. They work so well together to produce a pancake that is crispy on the outside and tender inside. I’ve made this dish with just potatoes and with just zucchini- and I like them. For some reason the pairing up really works well, though. We made this dish is class last night and everyone liked it a lot. Rather than make a bunch of smaller pancakes we did them as a sort of large pancake. Worked out really nicely.
Zucchini Potato Pancakes
4 medium potatoes, I used red skinned
2 medium zucchini
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 T. flour
¼ t. baking powder
1 t. salt or to taste
Pepper to taste
2 T. grated onion, I used dried chopped onion
½ c. oil
Peel *and grate potatoes. Place them in cold water and set aside. Trim zucchini and grate coarsely. Place in large bowl. Drain potatoes and squeeze dry. Place between towels to get out excess moisture and place in bowl with the zucchini. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the oil and stir to combine. Heat oil in a skillet. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the potato batter into the skillet. Cook several minutes per side or until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels and serve. Serves 6-8.
* Peeling is really optional. I chose not to and I think they worked out fine. Personal choice.
Corn and Zucchini Saute
Corn and Zucchini Saute
For those of you looking for another way to use some of those zucchini this dish is really fun and easy. The flavors of the zucchini, corn and peppers work really well together and makes a tasty side dish in just a few minutes.
Quick Corn and Zucchini Sauté
2 sweet peppers, seeded and cut into strips
2 medium zucchini, sliced
Oil
2 c. corn kernels cut from cobs, about 4 ears
1 t. garlic salt*
½ t. Italian seasoning
In oil cook peppers and zucchini until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook 4 more minutes, or until heated through. Serves 6-8.
*Feel free to use 1 teaspoon of salt and some fresh garlic, I often do.
Caramel Pumpkin Scones
Caramel Pumpkin Scone
I love the flavor of these scones but also their sort of rustic appearance. The soft dough is dropped by spoonfuls onto baking sheets. I use an ice cream scoop to do this. They rise up into tender, slightly sweet scones with cracks over the surface. I have made these before and normally top them with a powdered sugar glaze. Alas, I was out of powdered sugar and didn’t feel like making any so I had to improvise. I decided to make a vanilla flavored caramel instead. It worked out well and I will do this again, even if I am not out of powdered sugar.
Here is the recipe.
Caramel Pumpkin Scones
4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 t. each salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and ginger
1/2 t. cloves
1 1/2 sticks cold butter
1 c. cooked pumpkin or winter squash
3 oz. milk
2 eggs
Caramel:
2/3 c. sugar
3 T. butter
2 t. vanilla
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line them with parchment paper. Set aside. Combine flour with sugar, baking powder and spices and stir to blend. Cut in butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Combine pumpkin or squash with the milk and eggs and stir into the flour mixture. Stir until well mixed. Dough should be just a little sticky. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop dough onto the prepared baking sheets- leaving a couple of inches between them. Hint: If you spray a little non-stick spray on the cookie scoop first the dough will pop out easier. Bake for 15 minutes or until scones are browned on the bottom and just getting golden on the top. If you want to put both baking sheets in the oven at the same time- switch them half way through the baking time and allow a few extra minutes. Remove scones to cooling rack.
Meanwhile make caramel by placing the sugar in a small saucepan and cooking over medium heat until sugar has melted and turned a golden color. Remove from the heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Mixture will bubble a lot. Keep stirring until smooth. Mixture is really hot. You can hold the scones and dip the tops in the warm caramel mixture or use a spoon to drizzle the caramel over the top. If you are dipping the scones transfer the caramel into another container- the saucepan will be hot and make it tricky to dip them without getting burned. I used a shallow metal bowl and it worked great. Caramel will be very shiny and sticky but will cool down and become less shiny and sticky. Makes about 20-30 depending on the size of the scoop you use.
Oxtails with Tomato Gravy
Oxtails with Tomato Gravy
One of my favorite meals when I was growing up was my Mother’s oxtail soup. It would simmer for hours and the house always smelled so good. I got some oxtails the other day and decided to braise them. They were amazing and so simple to do. The hardest part of cooking oxtails is having to wait for them to cook long enough to get tender.
I started by browning the oxtails in a pot. I then covered them with water, added some onion, celery and salt and covered the pot. I cooked the oxtails at a simmer for a couple of hours. Once they were getting tender I added carrots, potatoes, corn on the cob ( broken into 3 -inch pieces) and 3 cups of fresh tomatoes which I had peeled and chopped. I also added half a cup of red wine, more salt and fresh ground pepper. As the veggies I got tender I left the lid partially off so the liquid would reduce.
I pulled out the meat and veggies and set them aside, loosely covered with foil while I finished the tomato gravy. I skimmed fat off the top of the liquid in pan and increased the heat to high. I cooked it until it reduced by half and had about a cup and a half of sauce. It was still a little thinner than I wanted so I combined 1 tablespoon of flour with about 1/4 cup of cold water in a small jar. I shook it until it was smooth and poured it into the pan. I let it simmer for a couple of minutes to thicken and cook the flour. I adjusted the seasoning and returned the oxtails to the pot, turning them to coat in the tomato “gravy” in the pan. Served the oxtails with the corn, carrots and potatoes. So good.
Peanut Soup
Peanut Soup
I got a request from a friend for this recipe. I emailed it to her last night but thought I’d share it with you, too. It’s a simple soup with a creamy texture and just a hint of heat. You could make it spicier, of course. If your only experience with eating peanut butter is on a sandwich or in cookies you might be surprised at just how good this soup tastes. I have made it with almond butter, but still prefer it made with peanut butter. This is a vegetarian recipe, but you could use chicken stock, if you like.
Peanut Soup
2 c. chopped onions
1 T. oil
cayenne pepper to taste
1 t. grated fresh ginger
1 c. chopped carrots
1 c. chopped sweet potatoes
1 c. chopped white potatoes
5 c. vegetable stock or water
1 c. tomato sauce
1 c. smooth peanut butter
1 T. sugar, optional
1 c. chopped green onions
Sauté onions in oil until tender. Add seasonings and carrots and sauté 3 minutes more. Add potatoes and stock and simmer until vegetables are tender. Puree soup in blender in batches until smooth. Return to pot and add tomato sauce and peanut butter. Add sugar if soup is not sweet enough. Warm gently and serve with green onions on top. Serves 6-8.
Cake and the Farm Market
Chocolate Beet Cake
I will be at the Blue Pike Farm Market today and I will have Chocolate Beet Cake for sale and for tasting. I will also have more baked goods, the last of the blackberry jelly and other jarred treats and herb mixes. Hope to see you there. The farm is located at 900 E. 72 Street, just 1/2 mile south of the Shoreway. Hours are from 4-7 pm. Hope to see you there.
Zucchini Bread
Zucchini Bread
This time of year I get a lot of questions about overgrown zucchini. People seem to think there is nothing you can do with them. That’s not true. Oh you may want to give up the idea of thin slices of squash lightly sauteed in oil, but don’t toss them. Even older squash can be eaten in all sorts of ways. You can determine if the skin is too tough to eat by trying to pierce it with a fingernail. If you can easily poke the skin- it is tender enough to eat. If it isn’t, just peel before using. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and look at the seed cavity. If the middle looks spongy, hollow or if the seeds are developing scoop out the middle and discard. The remaining zucchini can be cubed or sliced and added to stews, soups, stir fries and all sorts of dishes. One of my favorite things to make with the bigger zucchini is zucchini bread. I shred up a whole zucchini and portion it out in amounts I will need for my bread. I freeze what I won’t be using that day. It is really nice in the dead of winter to be able to make zucchini bread. Here is the recipe I use. It is a favorite and makes 2 loaves, which is a bonus.
Zucchini Bread
3 c. flour
3 eggs
2 c. sugar, I use less
2 c. shredded zucchini
1 c. oil
1 c. chopped nuts or raisins, optional
½ c. sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 t. each vanilla, cinnamon, salt and baking soda
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 2 (9×5 inch) loaf pans. Set aside. Place flour in large bowl. Beat eggs and add with remaining ingredients to flour, mixing well and scraping bowl. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 1 hour , or until browned and toothpick in center emerges clean. Cool in pans on wire rack. Freezes well. Makes 2 .
Baked Eggplant
Baked Eggplant
I got the most beautiful eggplant at Blue Pike Farm the other day. I decided to just make some baked breaded eggplant slices. They are easy to make and taste great. Eggplant is notorious for soaking up oil when cooking. By baking, rather than frying, you can keep them from getting oily but still be crunchy. I peeled my eggplant, but you can leave the skins on, if you prefer. The recipe is pretty simple. I sliced the peeled eggplant about 1-inch thick and salted them lightly. I let them sit for a bout 30 minutes and then drained them, rinsed them off and patted them dry. I made an egg wash with eggs, a little water, salt, pepper, paprika, dried basil and dried oregano. I dipped the slices in the egg wash and then in bread crumbs. After breading the slices I placed them on a baking sheet and drizzled them with oil. I baked them in a 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, turning once or until tender. To serve them I had some fresh tomato sauce and some Parmesan cheese. So yummy.
Green Tomato Pickles
Green Tomato Pickles
I had a request for this recipe from my niece, Sarah. I make these every year with end of the season green tomatoes. She loves them as do I. It’s a great way to get more out of your garden. I also love to make them with green cherry tomatoes, so cute. You can cut up bigger tomatoes or keep small and medium ones whole. You can also make a spicy version by adding 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes to each jar.
Green Tomato Dill Pickles – Kosher Style
Green tomatoes
6 ribs celery, cut in 2-inch pieces
6 Sweet green peppers
6 cloves Garlic
2 quarts water
1 quart vinegar- 5% acidity- you can use white or cider vinegar
1 cup canning or pickling salt
Dill, optional
Use small firm green tomatoes. Pack into hot, clean canning jars. Add to each quart jar a bud of garlic, 1 piece of celery, and 1 green pepper cut into fourths. Make a brine of the water, vinegar, and the salt. Boil with the dill for 5 minutes. Pour the hot brine over the pickles to within 1/2 inch of the top of the jar. Put on cap, screw band firmly tight. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. These pickles will be ready for use in 4- 6 weeks. Yield: About 6 quarts. Source: NCHFP
