Corn Salad with Mustard Dressing
Corn Salad with Mustard Dressing
I had some beautiful local sweet corn and wanted to make a salad with it. It was a really hot day and the thought of a salad was very appealing. I started by just boiling the corn and cutting it off the cob once cooled down. It would be great using roasted corn, too. I had some sweet orange peppers so I added them to the corn for color and crunch. The dressing was really simple, a mix of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lots of whole grain mustard, a little sugar, a little mayo, hot sauce and salt. I knew I should have written it down, but here is the recipe as close as I can remember to the amounts.
Corn Salad With Mustard Dressing
8 ears of corn, cooked, cooled and cut off the cob
1 cup chopped sweet pepper
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. whole grain mustard- probably more- I used 2 big spoonfuls
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. mayo
1/4 c. sugar
healthy dash of hot sauce
healthy dash of salt
Combine corn and peppers in a bowl. In a container with a tight fitting lid combine remaining ingredients and shake well to combine. Adjust seasonings and pour over the corn mixture. Stir well, cover and chill a couple of hours before serving. Serves 8.
Note: I would have also added some sweet onion, but I knew one of the dinner guests doesn’t like onions much. I think they would be a nice addition to this salad.
Salsa Verde?
Salsa Verde?
I got the most beautiful purple tomatillos from Carl at Blue Pike Farm. I made salsa with them. It was wonderful. Because of the color of the tomatillos it was also the most beautiful sort of plum color. The problem is – what do I call it? I always just say salsa verde when referring to a salsa made from tomatillos because it’s green. This isn’t green. I couldn’t really call it red salsa- that would imply tomatoes. Besides, it isn’t red. So I gave up with a new name and decided to just post the recipe.
Purple Tomatillos
Salsa Verde?
1 red onion, diced
3 T. olive oil
2 c. chopped tomatilloes
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves minced garlic
juice of 2 limes
salt and pepper to taste
dash of hot sauce
In skillet cook onion in oil until tender. Add tomatillos, pepper and garlic and cook until veggies are tender, about 15 minutes. Add juice and seasonings. Chill and serve. Makes 2 cups.
Blackberry Jelly at the Market
Blackberries!!
I will have fresh made blackberry jelly for sale at The Blue Pike Farm tomorrow. Supply is limited. I was able to get some really outstanding berries and just had to make jelly. I will also have my other jellies and pickles and relishes. There will be baked treats including chocolate beet cake. Carl will have Silver Queen corn, too. I love Silver Queen. An older variety and a true classic. Hope you can come by and say hello.
Blue Pike farm is located at 900 E. 72 Street- just 1/2 mile South of the Shoreway. Market hours are Thursday from 4-7 pm.
Beautiful Blackberries
Blackberries!!
I was lucky to get almost 4 pounds of blackberries today. Now I have to decide what to do with them. Baking? Jam? Sorbet? What would you do with them?
Here are some things I have done with blackberries before.
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.
Blackberry Scones
2 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
¾ t. salt
6 T. chilled butter
2 c. blackberries -do not defrost if using frozen
1 t. orange zest
2 large eggs
1/3 c. heavy cream or half and half
Mix dry ingredients together in bowl and cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Toss in berries and zest. Beat together eggs and cream and stir into flour mixture. Mix very gently to avoid bruising berries. Use 1/2 cup ice cream scoop to scoop batter onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle with a little extra sugar, if you like. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 22-24 minutes. Makes 10-12.
Blackberry Cinnamon Muffins
1 c. milk
1 egg
¼ c. oil
2 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1T. Baking powder
¾ t. salt
½ t. cinnamon
1 c. blackberries, I used fresh but frozen would work, too.
Topping:
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
4 T. butter, melted
Beat together milk, egg and oil. Combine dry ingredients and add to milk mixture, stirring to just moisten flour. Fold in blackberries. Fill 12 paper lined muffin cups to 3/4 full. Bake in preheated 400-degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place melted butter in another bowl. When muffins are removed from the oven carefully dip the top of a muffin in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar. If muffins are too hot to hold wait a few minutes before dipping. Repeat with remaining muffins. Serve warm. Makes 12.
Cheesy Onion Garlic Bread
Cheesy Onion Garlic Bread
We were having steaks on the grill and wanted some sort of a bread dish. I love garlic bread and make it a lot but decided to go all out and make this version instead. A mixture of garlic and onions are cooked in butter and then spread over the bread slices. That would be plenty for most garlic bread- but I took it up a notch with a cheesy/ mayo mix on top. Baked for just a few minutes- these were really a hit. They can also be served as an appetizer.
Cheesy Onion Garlic Bread
1 French baguette, cut into 3/4 inch diagonal slices
1 large minced onion
8 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup butter
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
Preheat the broiler. Slice the French baguettes diagonally into 3/4 inch slices.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Combine the onions and garlic in the skillet. Cook and stir until tender. Set aside to cool. In a mixing bowl, combine the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and mayonnaise. On a cookie sheet, arrange the French bread slices in a single layer. Spread the onion and garlic mixture on the bread slices. Spread the cheese and mayonnaise mixture over the onion and garlic mixture on the bread slices. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or broil about 5 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. Serve immediately.
Plum Glazed Wings
Plum Glazed Wings
I love when local fruit is in season. I found myself with lovely red plums and I decided to use some of them to make a sauce for chicken wings. I started by peeling the plums. You could leave the skins on, if you like, but I prefer them off. I put the plums in boiling water for a minute and then in cold water. The skins came right off. I removed the pits and pureed the plums- I ended up with a cup of fresh plum puree. From there it was a matter of creating the sauce. I minced an onion and cooked it in a little bacon fat- you could use butter or oil. I added a couple of cloves of minced garlic once the onions were tender. After that I added the plum puree, 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, a couple of tablespoons of honey, a tablespoon of hot sauce and salt. I let it cook for about 10 minutes to thicken and gave it a taste. It was pretty good, but needed something more. I added some fresh grated ginger and let it cook a few more minutes. It was wonderful. I decided to smooth the sauce out in the blender but it would be fine to leave it be.
To cook the wings I just pan fried them. I cooked them in a skillet, covered for about 20 minutes, turning a couple of times. I poured the sauce over them and turned the heat down to medium. I let them cook, covered, another 10 or 15 minutes. Once I was sure the wings were cooked through I uncovered them and let the sauce cook down and thicken a little. It created a nice glaze on the wings. Easy and very tasty. I ended up pureeing more plums and tossed them in the freezer so I can make this sauce again when the weather is chilly and no fresh plums are around.
Blueberry Ice Cream
Blueberry Ice Cream
I planted some blueberry bushes last year. I won’t claim to have a bumper crop- but I’ve gotten enough to have a handful for breakfast a few times. The local birds have enjoyed them, too. With a warm day ahead I decided to make some blueberry ice cream. Whipped up a batch this morning. Super creamy and good. Note: If you are lactose intolerant you can use almond, rice or coconut milk in this recipe. Also feel free to add flavorings. I added some vanilla extract to mine. While it is easier to make with an ice cream maker- you don’t have to have one for this recipe. Enjoy!!
Blueberry Ice Cream
3 c. blueberries
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 c. half and half
Combine berries with sugar and water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Puree mixture and stir in lemon juice. Refrigerate until completely cool. Stir in the whipping cream and half and half and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Makes 6 cups.
Note: If you don’t have an ice cream maker, freeze in shallow trays and thaw a little before whipping with a hand mixer. Better if you re-freeze and whip again later.
Relish and Pickle Making
Vidalia Onion Relish
We had a great time making onion relish in class the other night and tasting several different pickles. This was the last of my canning series at Wildwood. We covered how to make sweet pickles, dill pickles and crock pickles. For the hands-on part of the program we made a batch of the Vidalia Onion Relish from So Easy To Preserve. We sampled some with bread and cheese. Here are a couple of pictures from the class – the recipe follows.
Filling the jars
In the canner
Vidalia Onion Relish
6 qts. ground Vidalia sweet onions (14 to 16 med. onions)
½ c. canning salt
1 qt. cider vinegar
1 t. turmeric
1 t. pickling spice
1 t. pimento, chopped
4 ½ c. sugar
Grind enough Vidalia onions to yield 1 1/2 gallons. Add 1/2 c. salt and let stand thirty minutes. Squeeze juice from onion salt mixture and discard juice. Wash canning jars. To onions, add vinegar, sugar, spices, and pimento. Bring to boil and cook for thirty minutes, stirring often. Pack both onions and cooking liquid to cover in hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Yield: About 8 pints.
Source: So Easy To Preserve
Note: I always make this relish in half pint jars and process for 10 minutes. I will get about 16 jars that way.
Sweet Potato Salad
Sweet Potato Salad
Since the Labor Day weekend is almost here I thought I would post one of my favorite salad recipes. The sweet potato salad is always a hit. It goes so well with grilled foods, too. I always make a double batch – it goes fast. The tricky part is not to overcook the sweet potatoes. They cook fast. Keep an eye on them and get the potatoes into cold water to stop the cooking once they are tender.
Sweet Potato Salad
3 large sweet potatoes
2 c. corn kernels, fresh off the cob preferred but frozen is O.K.
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 sweet onion, diced
1 c. sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
2-3 T. fresh parsley
1/3 c. oil
1 t. Dijon mustard
3 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
½ c. cashews
In medium saucepan boil or steam potatoes until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and place in a large bowl of ice water. Add corn to saucepan and cook until just tender about 2-3 minutes. Drain corn and add to ice water with the potatoes. Once the vegetables have cooled down drain them and peel and cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Place potatoes and corn in a mixing bowl with remaining vegetables. Combine remaining ingredients, except cashews, in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well before pouring over the sweet potato mixture. Toss to blend and chill until ready to serve. Add cashews just before serving. Serves 6.
Food Fight
Enchiladas- one of the winning recipes
As part of a team building exercise I was asked to organize a cooking competition for a group of nurses from Fairview Hospital. We ended up doing an Iron Chef inspired event. Three teams in a very small kitchen all preparing dishes that had to include fresh sweet corn. They blew me away with their dishes. Beautiful quality and flavor. Congrats to all.
Here are some additional pictures from our day.
Prepping hard
The judges
The winning team
