Challah Bread
Challah Bread
This is one of the first breads I learned to make when I was a kid. After the hundreds of other breads I have made, this is still a sentimental favorite. I baked the braided loaves on a baking sheet this time, but you can also bake them in 9×5 inch loaf pans.
Challah
2 c. hot water
1 T. each sugar, salt and oil
1 package active dry yeast
¼ c. warm water
About 8 cups flour
2 beaten eggs
Poppy or sesame seeds, optional
In large bowl combine hot water, salt, sugar and oil. Dissolve yeast in warm water in small bowl and add to oil/water mix. Stir in 1 cup of the flour and eggs, reserving 2 tablespoons of the eggs for later. Gradually stir in enough of the flour to make soft dough. When dough pulls away from sides of bowl remove to floured surface. Knead dough, adding flour as necessary about 8-10 minutes. Dough should be smooth and elastic. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning to grease top, cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down and divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll three of the pieces into 12- inch ropes. Place on a greased baking sheet or in a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan. Repeat with remaining dough and cover. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush loaves with reserved eggs and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds, if desired. Bake for 40-45 minutes in loaf pans, a little less time on baking sheets. When done, loaves will be nicely browned and sound hollow when tapped. Makes 2 loaves.
Farm Market
I will be at the Blue Pike Farm market today from 4-7. New this week Rose Petal Jelly. I also made some Challah bread. I will have pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, chocolate beet cake and my herb seasoning packets. There will be food for sampling. Blue Pike Farm is located at 900 E. 72 st.- 1/2 mile south of the Shoreway. Stop on by and say “Hello.”
Chicken with Weed Sauce
Chicken with Weed Sauce
I know- not the most appetizing name for a dish- but it’s true. I harvested lambsquarters and oxalis from my yard to make the sauce for my chicken. I was tempted to just call it Chicken Florentine but that is made with spinach. I used a plant that tastes just like spinach when cooked so I was tempted. The nice thing is that lambsquarters are growing all over the place in my yard. It’s too hot for spinach but lambsquarters grow all summer long, giving me a free veggie whenever I want. The oxalis adds a lovely lemony flavor to the dish. It looks like clover and has yellow flowers. Oxalis is also called Wood Sorrel.
Chicken with Weed Sauce
6 boneless chicken thighs- you could use breasts
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
cornstarch
oil
1 onion, sliced
4 T. flour
1-2 c. chicken stock
6-8 cups fresh lambsquarters, leaves and small stems
1 c. oxalis
In bowl combine egg, salt and pepper. Dip chicken pieces in egg wash and then dredge in the cornstarch. Heat oil in skillet and cook the chicken over high heat to brown. When chicken is browned place in baking dish and place in 350 degree oven to finish cooking. Remove all but a couple of tablespoons of the oil from the skillet. Cook onion until tender. Stir in flour until mixed well. Add chicken stock and lambsquarters and cook over medium heat, stirring often until lambsquarters are cooked and mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add oxalis and heat through. Place chicken in the skillet, cover, and let it cook another couple of minutes. Add salt and pepper if needed. Serve over pasta or rice. Serves 4-6.
Lambsquarters
Oxalis
Simmer together a few minutes before serving
Mango Salsa
Mango Salsa
For as much as I love mangoes I don’t cook with them that much. Usually I just eat them fresh. I had several ripe mangoes and decided I wanted to do something more with them. Since we’ve been grilling more lately I went with this mango salsa. Like any salsa you can enjoy it with chips, but I love it as a topper for grilled meats, especially poultry or pork. Really good on grilled duck breast. I have also added it to cold rice for a mango salsa rice salad.
Mango Salsa
2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 c. minced sweet onion
1/2 c, minced sweet pepper
2-3 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1 T. hot sauce, or to taste
zest and juice from 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste, don’t be afraid to give this dish a good bit of salt
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until mixed. Check seasonings. Chill for at least 30 minutes and taste again- you will likely add more seasoning. Serve over grilled meats or with chips.
Tortellini Artichoke Salad
Tortellini and Artichoke Salad
With warmer weather I wanted a dish that could be a side salad or a main dish and require little cooking. I came up with this tortellini and artichoke salad. I had some frozen cheese tortellini that only required 5 minutes of gentle simmering. I also had some garlic scapes and a large scallion I got at Blue Pike Farm the other day. Zest and juice from fresh limes added some extra zip.
Tortellini Artichoke Salad
1 lb. cheese tortellini, cooked and cooled
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. chopped garlic scapes*
1/2 c. chopped green onion
zest of 1 lime
juice of 2 limes
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
hot sauce to taste – I used about 2 teaspoons
salt and pepper to taste
Combine tortellini and artichoke hearts and set aside. Heat oil in skillet and cook scapes and green onion until crispy- about 5 minutes. Pour skillet contents into tortellini mixture, including the oil. Add remaining ingredients. Adjust seasonings,. Chill at least a couple of hours. Serves 8 as a side dish, 4 as a main dish.
*garlic scapes are the stems of garlic plants that are cut off the garlic plants to produce bigger cloves. They taste like garlic and look like curly green onions. If you don’t have garlic scapes add extra green onion and some fresh minced garlic to the dish.
Garlic scapes and a scallion
Amy’s Strawberry Chocolate Tart
Strawberry Chocolate Tart
I had an extra pie crust, some strawberries and a dinner with friends. I had said I’d bring the dessert. Since I made strawberry pie the day before for another friend I wanted to do something a little different. I decided to go with a tart. I also know the host of the dinner is mad for chocolate so I wanted to incorporate chocolate into the dessert. Here is the dessert I ended up with. It was a big hit and I plan on doing something similar with raspberries soon.
Amy’s Strawberry Chocolate Tart
1 pie crust- homemade or store bought*
1 cup chocolate chips- or 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate
2 T. butter
1 qt. fresh strawberries, washed and stem ends sliced off
Strawberry glaze:
1 c. strawberries, chopped
1/2 c. sugar, or to taste
1/4 c. water
1 T. cornstarch
Using a tart pan, roll out your crust and fit it into the pan- trim off any excess. Pre-bake your crust. To do this the prepared pie crust should be pricked all over with a fork. Cover the surface with foil and then pie weights. I use dry beans for my pie weights. Pre-heat oven to 400-degrees. Bake crust for 15-20 minutes. Check to be sure it doesn’t get too brown. Remove weights and foil and cool until ready to use. While crust is baking you can prepare the strawberry glaze. Combine 1 cup berries and sugar in small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook five minutes, mashing the berries a little. Strain out the solids and return the liquid to the pan. Combine the water with the cornstarch and add to the strawberry liquid, cooking until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat to cool. Combine chocolate and butter in microwave- safe dish and microwave on high for 45 seconds to a minute . Stir mixture until smooth- you might need to nuke it a few more seconds. Spread melted chocolate over the bottom of the tart crust. Press the berries into the chocolate- pointed side up. Once the tart is full of berries spoon some of the glaze over the berries and chill at least an hour before serving. Serve with whipped cream, if desired. Serves 6.
Half and Half Dough*
This is a great crust for liquid fillings like custard type pies and fresh fruit pies.
¼ c. butter, room temp
½ c. shortening, room temp- you can use lard instead
¼ c. sugar
½ t. salt
2½ c. pastry or all purpose flour
1/8 t. baking powder
¼ c. milk
1 t. lemon juice
Cream together the first 4 ingredients until smooth. Mix together the flour and baking powder. Set aside. Combine milk with the juice and set aside. Stir ½ c. of the flour into butter mixture. Stir until smooth. Add a little of the milk, stirring until smooth. Add remaining ingredients alternately until finished. Dough will firm up once chilled. Chill at least 4 hours before using. Makes 2 crusts.
Cover crust with melted chocolate
Arrange berries on top of chocolate
Spoon glaze over berries and chill tart before serving
Rose Petal Jelly
Rose Petal Jelly
I must admit I was really pleased at the color of the rose petal jelly. I have dark red roses and while I knew the jelly would not end up that dark I wasn’t exactly sure what color I would get. To start one of my floral jellies I always make a vinegar/petal infusion first.* I prefer a jelly that isn’t too sweet and the vinegar really helps. Here is the recipe- directions for making the rose vinegar are at the bottom of the post.
Rose Petal Jelly
3 1/2 cups rose petal vinegar**
1/2 c. lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin
5 c. sugar
Wash and prep jars and get water bath heating up. Place rose vinegar in pan and add lemon juice and pectin. Bring mixture to a rolling boil over high heat. Add sugar and return to the boil. Stir often. Once mixture gets to a full rolling boil, boil 1 minute. Remove jelly from heat and skim off any foam. Ladle hot liquid into jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims and adjust lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes for 4 oz. and 8 oz. jars. Remove jars to cooling rack and check seals once they have cooled down. Yield: about 7 half pint jars or 13-14 (4 oz.) jars.
*To make the infusion just put rose petals in a clean jar and cover with vinegar. Close up the jar and let the mixture steep for a week or longer. When you are ready to use the vinegar, strain it and then pour through a coffee filter to get it really clear. Use roses that are not sprayed with anything and vinegar that is 5% acidity. I like a cup of petals for every cup of vinegar for a nice strong flavor. I have gone with 1 cup petals and 2 cups vinegar and it was still pretty good.Because some roses are more fragrant than others results may vary.
**For 3 1/2 cups of rose petal vinegar you will need 3-4 cups of blossoms and 3 1/2 cups of vinegar.
Fresh Strawberry Pie
Fresh Strawberry Pie
When I was a kid there was a local restaurant known for its strawberry pie. It became a favorite of mine back then and strawberry pie is still a favorite. It wouldn’t be June if I didn’t make at least one. A nice benefit over most other pies is that only the crust has to be baked- that takes just a few minutes- so you also don’t need the oven on for very long and the house stays cooler. I used a homemade crust, but use store bought or whatever crust you like best.
Fresh Strawberry Pie
1 9-inch pie crust, baked and cooled -recipe follows
1 qt strawberries (1¼ lbs), hulled
1 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
¼ c. water
1 T. butter
4 oz. cream cheese
Whipped cream, optional
Select about 25-30 berries to be placed in pie crust, large side down and set aside. Puree or crush remaining berries. Place in a saucepan with the sugar and bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water and stir until smooth. Add to the strawberry mixture and cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and gets clear. Simmer about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Set aside. Place cream cheese in a small bowl and mash with about a tablespoonful of the puree. Spread on the crust and arrange the reserved berries on the crust pointy side up. Put the largest berry in the middle and arrange the rest around it decoratively. Spoon the puree over the berries and allow the pie to cool down a little before putting in the fridge. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
Note: other berries can also be used including raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, or a combination. This recipe can also be used as a filling for tarts and tartlets.
Half and Half Dough*
This is a great crust for liquid fillings like custard type pies and fresh fruit pies.
¼ c. butter, room temp
½ c. shortening, room temp- you can use lard instead
¼ c. sugar
½ t. salt
2½ c. pastry or all purpose flour
1/8 t. baking powder
¼ c. milk
1 t. lemon juice
Cream together the first 4 ingredients until smooth. Mix together the flour and baking powder. Set aside. Combine milk with the juice and set aside. Stir ½ c. of the flour into butter mixture. Stir until smooth. Add a little of the milk, stirring until smooth. Add remaining ingredients alternately until finished. Dough will firm up once chilled. Chill at least 4 hours before using. Makes 2 crusts.
* this recipe makes 2 crusts- which makes me think you should just make 2 pies. If you don’t want to do that- the other half of the dough will freeze well for a few months. Seriously though, just make 2 pies!!!
Pesto Potato Salad
Pesto Potato Salad
I never met a potato I didn’t like. This time of year it’s all about potato salads. I make them a lot and always look for new ways to change them. I love pesto sauce and the combination is quite nice.
Pesto Potato Salad
2 lbs. Boiling potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 c. basil leaves
3 T. pine nuts, walnuts or pecans
3 T. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
Cook potatoes until tender. Cool. In blender combine remaining ingredients, except 1 tablespoon of the nuts. Pour blended mixture over potatoes and sprinkle with the reserved nuts. Chill. Serves 6-8.
Farm Market Today
Violet Jelly
I will be at the Blue Pike Farm market today for the first one of the season. Looks like the rain will be gone and it will be a little cooler. I’ll have my violet jelly and lilac jelly (very limited quantities) and beet relish. I also have fresh baked zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, herb braided breads and the chocolate beet cake is back!! Also somewhat limited quantities on the beet cake. I will have my seasoning mixes, too. Hope to see you there. Blue Pike Farm is located at 900 E.72 st.- just 1/2 mile south of the Shoreway. Market hours are from 4-7.
