Friday June 18, 2010

Carole’s Concoctions:
Strawberry Ice Cream

Ahhhhh...it's friday and thoughts of the weekend are beginning to seep into my psyche. Will there be enough hours to finally weed and plant my vegetable garden, get in some much needed exercise and plan a father's day celebration for Jim with his three kids. My Dad, however, will get all my love and well wishes delivered to him through the airwaves and, of course, the phone!! His gift from me was the trip to Shelburne Farms, VT for the cheesemaking extravaganza we attended last weekend.

So what will I be concocting? Well, it's garlic scape and strawberry season so it would be fitting have both items on the menu. As for the main course, I am thinking barbecue ribs....I'll be attempting something out of Jason Day and Aaron Chronister's book, BBQ Makes Everything Taste Better .

Here's a great recipe that I tore out of the New York Times a couple of years ago for
White Bean and Garlic Scape Dip:

3-4 garlic scapes (but I use twice as many!!)

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup olive oil

ground pepper to taste

I like adding a few drops of tabasco!!

Add sliced scapes, salt, pepper and lemon juice in a food processor and process until finely chopped, then add cannelini beans and process to a rough puree. With motor running drizzle in the olive oil. (The recipe calls for some water but I leave it out. It suggests 2-3 Tbsp to make the mixture the consistency of a dip. I like more of a spread!)

And, for the strawberries - how about some ice cream. You'll need and ice cream maker. (I have a cuisinart and don't forget to put the ice cream bowl in the freezer for 12 hours or so.)

Strawberry Ice Cream:

1-2 pints of strawberries, stemmed and sliced

3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 cup sugar - I use organic

1 cup whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine strawberries, 1/3 cup sugar and lemon juice and let "macerate" for 2 hours. Mix milk and 2/3 cup sugar with a hand blender until dissolved and add with the vanilla and heavy cream and liquid from macerated strawberries into the ice cream freezer bowl and turn on ice cream maker and churn for 25 minutes. Then add strawberries for 5 more minutes, place in freezer-safe container and let set up in freezer for an hour or so or eat immediately for a soft-serve consistency.

Thursday June 17, 2010

Heirloom Breeds & Seeds:
Farmer Val Thursday

So the day length is staggering as we approach the solstice. I sleep before the light leaves the sky and awaken to a foggy brightness every morning at five. The exhaustion from constant work erodes my free time into reading, eating, talking, and sleeping. I can't muster the energy to get on the lovely icelandics in the pasture down below, to hike the trails so close, or to bike along the scenic roads.
This same fatigue applies to writing. I know you want a report on how much reemay we pulled out of the fields today (four rolls, in fact, because of the warm weather and diminished threat of flea beetles) and that we have some lovely kohlrabi and radishes and baby turnips nearly ready to be eaten. But I can't provide all of that right now. You will have to wait until my daily stamina increases next week.

--
thou mayest...timshel

Wednesday June 16, 2010

Heirloom Meals Radio:
Jason Day

How does Boston, beards and beer = BBQ man date? Just listen to the story of Heirloom Meals' radio guest, Jason Day, the co-author of BBQ Makes Everything Better. Born and raised in Kansas City, Jason learned from a young age that the best way to occupy, enjoy and eat with family (a large, Irish Catholic one at that!) was to have a BBQ. The slow, thought-out, smoke-filled kind of BBQ that offers more than just dogs and burgs. Just in time for Father's Day weekend, Jason's insights into everything from meat cuts to seasonings to BBQ strategies, provide some great tips for people looking to take grilling to the next level for dad's special day. Listen in and enjoy Jason's humorous anecdotes about the flavorful BBQ culture of Kansas City and his unique experiences and successes as a champion BBQ-er.