Friday October 08, 2010

Carole’s Concoctions:
Gordon Hyatt’s Pumpkin Soup

This is the simplest and most delicious soup. Thank you Gordon!!
Jim said he loved the flavors. And pumpkin is really healthy!!

One sugar pumpkin, cut in half, seeded
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 apples, peeled and chopped
1 potato. peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
4 cups Chicken broth
Cumin, to taste

In a 400 degree oven, roast pumpkin by placing flesh-down with about 1" water and cover with tin foil for about 30 minutes.

1. Saute onion and butter in a soup pot

2. Add potatoes, apples, garlic and saute
3. Add 4 cups chicken broth
4. Add cooked pumpkin
5. Puree in a cuisinart or blender

6. Add cumin to taste

Enjoy!!

Thursday October 07, 2010

Heirloom Breeds & Seeds:
Celebrating more RAIN and some recipes!!

You gotta love Elizabeth Keen and how she runs Indian Line Farm - check out the list of produce for this week's pick up. THANK YOU is all I can say!!

And, that carrot soup (she suggests) is on my menu today - a rainy, damp and cool day here in the Berkshires.

News from Indian Line Farm
After recording 7" of rain Friday afternoon I began to think of the Old Testament. This summer has been filled with drought, extreme heat, small insects in mammoth quantities, a strange fungus which killed our last cucumber planting and now... flooding.    We are lucky here in that our land does not actually flood but it sure is saturated with water. We were overjoyed at the rain and had quite a time on Thursday and Friday during harvest. We were all so happy to be wet and warm that the pelting rain rarely bothered us. We will now be rolling up our irrigation equipment for another year and hoping for a bit more rain in 2011.

For the farm crew,

Elizabeth
Vegetables for the week of October 4th
        Carrots
       Potatoes, from Thompson Finch Farm--Ancram, NY
       Green Tomatoes
       Red Meat Radishes
       Hakurei White Sweet Turnips
       Onions
       Scarlet Turnips
       Cabbage--limited quantity
       Bok Choy
       Daikon Radish
        Kohlrabi
      Broccoli Raab--limited quantity
     Celeriac
      Purple Top Turnips

Mix and Match Greens
          Chard, Kale, Arugula, Mustard Greens and Spinach

Delicata Winter Squash

Tomatoes--up to at least 2 lbs.
Rainbow Salad Mix--possibly none
Garlic
UPick
Cherry Tomatoes
Flowers
Herbs
Tomatillos
Fruit Share
1/2 gallon apple cider from Windy Hill Farm for folks on Tuesday. Friday folks got cider on Friday October 1st.
Macoun Apples from Maynard Farms, Ulster Park, NY
Recipes

Heavenly Carrot Soup  (Gardeners’ Community Cookbook by Victoria Wise)
Serves 3 to 4

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 ½ tsp. ground coriander
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 lb. carrots, scraped and finely chopped
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
½ cup white wine
Sprigs of cilantro, for garnish (optional)

1. Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Stir in the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, until slightly wilted. Add the carrots, wine, and coriander. Cover the pot and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are mashably soft. Remove from the heat and cool enough to handle.
2. Puree the carrot mixture, along with 1 cup of the broth, in a food processor or through a food mill. Return the puree to the pot and stir in the salt, pepper, and remaining 3 cups of broth. Reheat and serve right away if serving warm, or cool, and chill if serving cold. Garnish with the cilantro, if using, just before serving.
Alice’s Moroccan Carrots  (Gardeners’ Community Cookbook by Victoria Wise)
Serves 6
18-24 baby carrots with ¼ in. stem attached, scrubbed, and halved lengthwise
¼ tsp. paprika, hot or mild
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 clove garlic, crushed
Pinch of salt
¼ cup olive oil
¼ tsp. ground cumin
Pinch of cayenne
2 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 T. chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Combine the carrots, garlic, and pinch of salt in a large sauté pan. Add water to cover, bring to a boil, and simmer briskly over medium heat until tender, 3-4 minutes. Drain and cool to room temperature.
2. Transfer the carrots to a nonreactive dish large enough to hold them without overlapping too much. Toss with the cumin, paprika, cinnamon, and cayenne. Add the lemon juice, oil, and parsley, toss again, and set aside to marinate for at least 1 hour. May be refrigerated for up to 3 days, holding out the parsley until just before serving.

Wednesday October 06, 2010

Heirloom Meals Radio:
Becky Sue Epstein

While Becky Sue Epstein's culinary heritage is quite interesting, it's her handy reference, "Substituting Ingredients" that is a MUST for all cooks - aspiring or seasoned!! Host, Carole Murko, navigates the listener through Becky Sue's upbringing - she had a catering grandmother, lived overseas in Switzerland where kids brought bread and chocolate for lunch, and ended up as a restaurant reviewer for the LA Times before becoming a wine connoisseur, food writer and consultant. Substituting Ingredients is truly a great tool for the home cook - it will solve any missing ingredient disaster and provides some very sage advice and tips. Thank you Becky Sue - this one's on my Christmas list for all my friends!!

Tuesday October 05, 2010

Tabletop Tuesdays:
Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding Centerpieces

Sometimes it's not just one tabletop that needs decorating...but 30!! Shakespeare & Co. is having its annual gala and my friend Lisa Newmann offered to co-chair the decorating committee with me. To Lisa's credit she queried a few creative people and came up with the idea of decorating styrofoam rounds with some white spackle and lots of trinkets and in one afternoon of good cheer and laughter, 5 of us created some awesome cakes.
In this case we are hoping people will have our cakes but NOT eat them too!! At the end of the gala each centerpiece will be for sale.

Check them out:

Monday October 04, 2010

Ms Murky Mondays:
Moroccan Brisket Recipe

Kudos to Whippoorwill Farm in Lakeville, CT for raising, then selling the most beautiful and delicious cut of brisket from their herd and for sharing "Laura's Moroccan Beef Brisket" recipe. Thank you Laura, whoever you are!!

Here's the recipe with my comments, of course:
This should be made a day ahead for maximum flavor.
1 whole beef brisket, about 5 lbs
2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2-3 large onions (I sliced them)
2 cloves of garlic (I used 4 and minced them)
1 can tomato paste
1 cup beef broth (I used more like 2)
1-1/2 cups red wine (I used 2 1/2 -3)
1 cup dried apricots (I used organic, unsulfured and left them whole)
1 cup of green olives, halved
1 cups prunes, slices
Pepper and salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I used 1 tsp)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat a large dutch oven on high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the olive oil, then add the beef. Sear the beef for about 5 minutes on both sides until browned. Remove and season with salt and pepper. Add sliced onions and saute over medium heat for 10 minutes until golden. Add salt, pepper, garlic and tomato paste. Put meat back in, add cinnamon and then wine and broth to cover the meat. Add apricots, olives and prunes. Cover and place in oven. Turn the brisket once or twice while it's cooking for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Cool in refrigerator overnight. While the recipe says to defat the gravy, the brisket was so lean there was no fat and the gravy was a perfect consistency and did not need cornstarch to thicken. Slice the brisket while its cold, put back in gravy and reheat in a 350 degree oven.

I served it with roasted potatoes, broccoli and green salad; and with polenta and sliced tomatoes the next day for dinner. YUMMY. It was sweet and savory with a nice robust flavor and very tender. It's a keeper for sure!!

Sunday October 03, 2010

Life at Boulderwood:
A Late Arrival

Could it be? A baby chick is hatched in autumn? Indeed it is. And Mommy bird is doing a great job. Birth is a miracle and hard-wired genetics are fascinating. I tried to put some water and food nearby and Mommy bird bit me. And to that I say, "why mess with nature?" She knows what's she's doing. Who needs humans anyway. Lesson learned!!
Because I couldn't get close - this photo isn't a good one - but "Harvest Moon" is alive and peepin'!!