Wednesday February 24, 2010
Spend an hour listening to chef Jeremy Stanton share how his early memories and access to farm-fresh ingredients began his love affair with food and sustainable agriculture. And how each of his experiences has lead to his next venture, a local butcher shop called The Meat Market - opening in Great Barrington, MA this summer. For more information on Jeremy and The Meat Market go to www.themeatmarketgb.com.
We'll await a recipe or two from Jeremy to share!!
Sunday February 21, 2010
This is one of the dishes my Mom spoke about on Heirloom Meals Radio. Made with the simplest ingredients, this dish provides an ample dose of comfort and is filling enough for dinner with a big green salad.
This is not a recipe - it falls into my category of “concoction guidelines.” This dish works because all different shaped macaroni is used which allows the egg mixture to easily ooze into the crevices. And we recommend that you use those opened semi-full boxes of pasta that are sitting in your pantry. If you don’t then you’ll have to open a few and make this dish more than once!!
5-6 eggs
Grated Pecorino Romano
Mozzarella
Salt
Pepper
Cubed dry sausage (optional)
Milk (if necessary)
1-1.5 lbs of remnant macaroni - must be a mix of several shapes such as ziti, rotini, spaghetti, lasagna, elbow, shells etc.
Beat the eggs and mix with 1/4 - 1/2 cup of Pecorino Romano and fresh pepper. Set aside. Boil water and throw in about a pound - pound and a half of mixed pasta shapes. When al dente, drain water and return pasta to pot. Add the egg mixture and mozzarella. If it seems too stiff, add a little milk to loosen (this is really a “feel” call - it should seem more liquidy than stiff.) You may also decide you want to add more Pecorino Romano too! Add the dry sausage and pour into a lasagna pan.
Refrigerate over night so flavors meld.
Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees.
If the pan cannot go from fridge to oven, bring to room temp before putting in oven.
Generously sprinkle Pecorino Romano, salt and pepper on top before you place it in oven. Bake covered for about 45 minutes, then remove foil and allow top to become browned and crispy.
Let set, cut into squares and enjoy!!
My favorite are the crispy top and bottom - YUM!! I eat it piping hot, cold and reheated in the microwave.
Sunday February 14, 2010
Time Thief - Part II
I’ll admit it, in a pinch I make caramel apples with Kraft caramel candy!! But, I am somewhat of a purist and food snob and I take pride in using real ingredients and making things from scratch. So here is a winner that is so simple that uses 3 real ingredients.
The only caveat is you need a candy thermometer but it’s worth having in your cooking gear arsenal!!
6 - 8 small apples, unwaxed, cold and craft sticks
Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
Push the stick deep into each apple at the stem area.
Fill a large bowl 1/2 full with ice water and set aside.
In a medium, saucepan heat the cream and salt until tiny bubbles start forming where the cream touches the pan. Stir in the honey. Bring the mixture to a boil. Now reduce the heat to an active simmer and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 15-20 minutes minutes or until the mixture reaches about 255-260 degrees on your candy thermometer.
To stop the caramel from cooking, set the bottom of the saucepan in the bowl of cold water. Stir until caramel begins to thicken up. Here is where there is a little bit of “art” - the caramel has to me thin enough to coat the apples but thick enough to stick. If the caramel thickens too much simply put the pot back over the burner for 10 seconds or so to heat it up a bit.
Tilt the sauce pan so all the caramel forms a pool on one side, then dunk and twirl each apple until it is thoroughly coated with caramel. Place each apple on the baking sheets and allow the caramel to cool and set. Enjoy!!
Sunday February 14, 2010
Today is Valentine's Day and I am one that loves homemade gifts from the heart. My sweetheart, Jim, has Celiacs Disease, which is an autoimmune disease triggered by eating wheat or foods with gluten. So in keeping with all the buzz about the aphrodisiac effect of chocolate, I decided a flourless (hence, no gluten) chocolate cake would be my gift.
This Recipe is from my amazing friend, Deb Mackey's family archives with her note as follows:
"Here’s an absolutely FAB recipe for a flourless chocolate cake that is to die for, and can be très elegante, depending on how you gussy it up. I frequently plate it on a swirl of raspberry coulee for especially discerning friends.
Every one I’ve ever made it for has raved, and it became the birthday cake of choice for every man in my life. And for some of their subsequent wives’ too, I might add.
I know Jim will enjoy it."
Jackie Burnham’s Flourless Chocolate Cake
350 oven
10” springform pan, greased (or wax/parchment paper will do)
1 12 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ c. unsalted butter
6 eggs – separated, room temperature
1 c. sugar
½ c chopped pecans
1 Tbs. Bailey’s Irish Cream
½ tsp. vanilla
1 pinch cream of tartar
Topping
2 c. whipping cream
¼ c. powdered sugar
2 Tbls. Bailey’s Irish Cream
2 oz. chocolate curls
1. Melt chips, with butter, over hot water
2. Beat yolks in large bowl ( 5 mins., or until thick)
3. Beat in ½ c. sugar, 1 Tbls. at a time
4. Stir in chocolate, pecans, vanilla and Bailey’s
5. Beat whites with cream of tartar to soft peak
6. Gradually add remaining ½.c. remaining sugar. Beat stiff, not dry
7. Fold ¼ of whites into the chocolate cake mix
8. Fold the mix into the remaining whites
9. Pour into pan and bake 30 minutes @ 350 d.
10. Reduce oven to 275. Continue to bake 30 minutes
11. Turn off oven. Let cake stand in oven with door slightly ajar. About 30 minutes
12. Remove from oven. Dampen towel and place on top of cake for 5 minutes. Remove
13. Top of cake will crack and fall. Cool cake in pan
14. Remove springform when cool. Transfer cake to platter
15. Beat cream to soft peak
16. Beat in powdered sugar and remaining Bailey’s. Spoon over top of cake and smooth
17. Sprinkle with chocolate curls
19. Refrigerate 6 hours. Let stand at room temp for 30 minutes before serving
I hope he does enjoy it!!
Monday February 08, 2010
Last summer I decided it was time to really know the farmer. And that farmer was me. (On a very small scale of course.) I wanted to raise our own meat chickens for a variety of reason. I wanted to be in control of everything they ate - all organic feed, fresh spring water, grass, worms and bugs!! I wanted them to be truly pasture-raised. And I wanted to see if I could eat those adorable day-old chicks once they were ready to be harvested. Well the answer to that question is a resounding YES. Those birds were bred to grow. We jokingly called them the oven-stuffer-roasters. They were eating machines and preferred to eat, then sit.
Once they were fully-grown we brought the birds to real farmer friends, Sean Stanton and his brother Jeremy to be "harvested." Our birds weighed about 7-8 pounds and can feed a family of six, no problem!!
I just roasted one of the chickens for dinner on Saturday.
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
3-4 sprigs of rosemary, minced
1-2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Mix together to form a paste and infuse under the skin. Rub any leftover on the skin of the chicken. Cut up an onion and lemon and place in cavity. Bake in oven at 375 for an hour or so - I use an instant read thermometer to be certain it is done. I roasted sweet and russett potatoes and onions along side the chicken and served some steamed broccoli as well. A yummy and delightful meal.
What's best, however, is that I have gotten more than one meal out of the big bird! For lunch the next day, I chopped up the white meat and mixed it with some chopped shallots and a dab of mayo and served it on a baguette with a spinach salad.
And today, the soup was on!! I put the carcass in a large stock pot with 8-10 organic carrots, chopped, 2-3 onions, chopped, celeriac, peeled and chopped, 2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste and a can of diced Muir Glen tomatoes.
I added some cooked rice and it was the perfect hearty soup for a cold winter weeknight meal. And best of all - there's plenty for lunch tomorrow.
Thank you BIG BIRD!!
