December 6, 2010 by Debra.

Here’s another recipe for all of those beet enthusiasts over at our Facebook page. With only 4 to 5 ingredients, this one for Beet and Tahini Dip lets the flavor as well as color of the beets shine. It’s adapted from the cookbook “Eating Local” by Janet Fletcher and, served with pita chips or nutty homemade wheat crackers, adds a colorful note to a holiday gathering. The lemon juice helps to balance the flavor of the tahini; I’d like to try substituting local cider vinegar the next time I make this.

Beet and Tahini Dip

1 pound red beets (about 3 medium)

1 clove garlic, sliced

¼ cup tahini, stirred well to blend

3 – 4 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste (optional)

Salt, to taste

- Preheat oven to 400°F. Wash beets, place in baking dish, and add water to depth of ¼ inch. Cover tightly and bake until knife pierces them easily, 45 to 60 minutes. After beets are cool, peel and cut into quarters.

- Put beets and garlic in food processor, and puree until smooth. Transfer to bowl and stir in tahini. Add lemon juice gradually, to taste. Season with salt to taste.

- Dip will keep, refrigerated, up to one week.

Tips for roasting beets >

And for you beet fans who are also Totally Local Latke obsessed — all the necessary ingredients can now be locally sourced at our Winter Farmers’ Markets — here’s Cumin-Scented Beet Latkes and Beet and Carrot Latkes as well.

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December 3, 2010 by Debra.

Many recipes for beets start out by roasting them, a simple technique that enhances their sweet earthiness. Some instruct to roast the beets wrapped in foil, but I find this makes it difficult to check on them during cooking. Instead, I roast them in a glass baking dish — the glass allows me to monitor their progress, while the lid makes it easy to check for doneness. I often roast more than I need in order to have them on hand for other meals, giving me the option of adding diced beets to a salad or slicing them to serve on their own. Once cooked, they may be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to a week.

Basic steps for roasting beets:

Wash beets, scrubbing off dirt. Leave the roots and whatever cut stems there are still attached; this helps prevent them from bleeding too much during roasting.

 

Place them in baking dish. Rub with a little cooking oil. If you like, sprinkle with some dried herbs. Add a splash of water to the baking dish, especially if using winter beets; this helps replace some of the moisture lost in storage. Cover dish with a lid or foil.

 

Roast in a preheated oven set between 375° to 400°F. Beets are done when easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 45 to 60 minutes, depending on size of beets.

 

Peel after cooling. To cool, leave dish covered. The skins should slip off easily, along with the stems and root end. Ready to eat as is or dressed up!

Roast beets can be enjoyed enhanced with only a sprinkling of sea salt. They also have a special affinity for certain flavors and ingredients. They’re often paired with goat cheese, but  combine well with other strong-flavored cheeses such as roquefort and gorgonzola, cheddar, parmesan, and ricotta salata. Dressings made from sour cream, creme fraiche, or yogurt are more dairy options. Other classic pairings that accent the flavor of beets include combinations using shallots, red onions or chives; walnuts or hazelnuts; oranges and lemons; tarragon, dill, or mint; mustard and flavored vinegars.

Featured Vegetable at the Winter Farmers’ Market — Beets are the featured vegetable for the Seacoast Eat Local Winter Farmers’ Market  in Exeter this Saturday, December 4. We’ll have more delicious beet recipes available — make sure to check at the information and vendors’ booths!

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November 22, 2010 by Debra.

This is for the customer at last week-end’s Seacoast Eat Local Winter Farmers’ Market, who was surprised to learn that turnips can be eaten raw — a bonus recipe for our featured winter vegetable of the week.

Root vegetable slaws or salads add a welcome change in texture to the winter table. They require a minimum of preparation — grate then dress — and can be made ahead of time. Turnips are part of the mustard family, making this a fitting pairing with the mustard vinaigrette. This basic recipe can also be made with other root vegetables that can be eaten raw, such as rutabaga, beets and kohlrabi. And, if you happen to have it, the apple adds a nice counterpoint of autumnal sweetness.

Grated Turnip and Carrot Slaw with Mustard Vinaigrette

¾ pound turnips

¾ pound carrots

1 apple (optional)

For mustard vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons cider, sherry or red wine vinegar, or lemon juice

2 shallots, finely diced

1 garlic clove, finely minced

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream (optional)

⅓ cup olive oil or other vegetable oil

3 tablespoons capers, rinsed

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 tablespoons chopped scallions or chives

- Peel turnips, carrots and apple, and coarsely grate or cut into julienne strips, about 4 cups packed. Optional: sprinkle with salt and let sit for 30 minutes. Squeeze moisture out.

- Combine vinegar, shallots, garlic and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Let stand 15 minutes, then vigorously whisk in mustard, creme fraiche, and oil until thick and smooth. Stir in herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste.

- Toss turnip mixture with enough mustard vinaigrette to moisten.

- Marinate, refrigerated, for 1 hour before serving.

Notes: Recipe adapted from “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” by Deborah Madison. I used Gilfeather turnips, but any other of the wide variety of turnips available at the market can be used. With thicker skins, winter varieties of turnips usually need to be peeled. Salad or spring turnips have thinner skins, and can be used as is. If you find raw vegetables difficult to digest, they can be briefly blanched and shocked before dressing. For more recipes for raw winter vegetable salads >

Next up for December: beets, and kale. We plan to continue featuring a different winter vegetable at each SEL Winter Farmers’ Market — be on the look-out for our recipe cards!

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November 18, 2010 by Debra.

Turnips show up regularly in CSA shares but are too often relegated to the back of the fridge where they remain until they’re far past using. We took it upon ourselves to embrace the turnip and tested a variety of ways to prepare them. I’ve come to appreciate their sweet, peppery nature and how, in combination with other root vegetables or starches, can lighten a dish.

In this recipe for Yellow Eye Beans with Turnips, the turnips complement and enhance the characteristic resemblance of Yellow Eye beans to potatoes, the flavor of each playing off the other. Winter turnips are at their peak now, making it a great time to get better acquainted with them!

Yellow Eye Beans with Turnips

2 cups diced bacon (nitrate-free) [5 to 6 slices thick bacon]

1 – 2 jalapeno peppers, fine dice

2 teaspoons chopped garlic [2 cloves]

2 cups diced onions [2 medium-sized onions]

1 pound Yellow Eye beans, soak overnight and drain

2 bay leaves

2 quarts chicken stock

2 sprigs thyme

2 pounds turnips, ½” dice

Salt and pepper

- Render the bacon in a heavy bottomed pot.

- Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno, and sauté until the onion is transparent.

- Put the chicken stock, beans, bay leaves, and thyme into the pot and bring to a slow simmer.

- Cook the beans, uncovered or with lid ajar, until cooked half-way (45 – 60 minutes, depending on age of beans). Stir in the turnip. Add more water Ii necessary; beans should be barely covered.

- Continue simmering until the beans are tender (another 30 – 45 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.

— Adapted from Chef Peter Davis, Henrietta’s Table

Notes: Soaking beans overnight allows them to cook more evenly, but even soaking them the morning of the day you’re planning on cooking them helps. The original recipe calls for 1 gallon of chicken stock, resulting in a soupier dish — I cut the amount of stock to 2 quarts, and added water to cover as necessary during cooking; this allowed me to control the amount of resulting pot liquor. This dish can be finished with chopped parsley and, if you’re feeling festive, fried sage leaves makes for a beautiful seasonal garnish. This recipe makes a large quantity and is easily halved for smaller families.

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Come visit us at the Seacoast Eat Local Winter Farmers’ Market this Saturday, November 20, at the Wentworth Greenhouses in Rollinsford, where we will have free copies of this recipe plus another for “Turnips in Mustard Sauce” at the Seacoast Eat Local information table. Embrace the turnip, and learn the versatile potential of this week’s featured winter vegetable!

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November 18, 2010 by Debra.

In memory, Thanksgiving dinners with my family would not be complete without the cranberry sauce that came in a can. My mother would open both ends of the can, push the contents out, and it would dramatically slide onto the plate already molded. I’m still nostalgic for those thickly sliced disks with the faint ridges from the can still visible on the sides, however, imagine my delight when I discovered cranberries did not have to come from a can and could be used in more ways than just sauce.

I look forward to when cranberries come back in season if only to make Cranberry Nut Bread. It’s perfect to have on hand for the holidays — it makes a festive teacake for an afternoon snack or to start off breakfast when the house is full of guests. And I make sure to buy enough cranberries to freeze so that I can continue to make this quick bread all winter.

Cranberry Nut Bread

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 oz.) cold butter, plus some for greasing the pan

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup orange juice (about 3 oranges)

1 tablespoon minced or grated orange zest

1 large egg

1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen), washed, dried, and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch bread pan.

- Stir together the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients, until there are no pieces bigger than a small pea.

- Beat together the orange juice, zest, and egg. Pour into the dry ingredients, mixing just enough to moisten; do not beat, and do not mix until the batter is smooth.

- Fold the cranberries and the nuts, then pour and spoon the batter into the loaf pan. Bake about an hour, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into its center comes out clean.

- Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

Notes: Adapted from “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman. For some mysterious reason, this recipe did not make it into the second edition and is the only reason why I still keep both copies. I usually substitute whole wheat or white whole wheat in place of half of the white flour, and I toast the nuts lightly before adding to the batter. I’ve used pre-made orange juice when that’s all I had but, using fresh oranges and their zest makes all the difference. The oranges may not be local but I consider them a winter-time treat.

________________

Seacoast Eat Local will be selling cranberries at the Winter Farmers’ Market on Saturday at the Wentworth Greenhouses. These fresh cranberries are from Sugar Hill Farm in Maine. We sell products from northern New England not otherwise available at the farmers’ market to help support the organization of the market. We anticipate having cranberries for sale again at our Holiday Winter Farmers’ Market on December 18 — another chance to stock up and help support the markets!

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September 22, 2010 by Debra.

When in comes to soups, I like them thick and chunky, and rustic — the kind you almost need a fork to eat with. This simple chowder, a deconstructed version of the New England classic, fits all three criteria but is also elegant enough to serve to guests. Like most simple dishes, the success of this one begins with using fresh, local ingredients from both sea and earth, with the flavors deepening and becoming concentrated through oven-roasting.

Oven-Roasted Fish Chowder

1/4 pound salt pork or bacon, cut in 1/4-inch dice

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 celery ribs, thinly sliced (mince leaves for garnish)

1 1/2  pounds all-purpose potatoes, peeled, and thinly sliced (4 cups)

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried

1 large bay leaf

3 cups fish or chicken stock, or bottled clam juice

3 cups whole milk or half-and-half

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 pounds haddock or other lean white fish, in large serving pieces

2 tablespoons butter (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Cook salt pork in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp and fat is rendered, about 10 minutes. Remove salt pork bits and set aside.

3. Add onion and celery to pan drippings and cook until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.

4. Layer potatoes over onion mixture, sprinkle with thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Add bay leaf, and pour in stock, milk, and wine. Cover Dutch oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until potatoes are nearly tender.

5. Arrange fish over the potatoes, gently pushing them down into the cooking liquid. Top the fish with bits of butter (optional) and finish baking, uncovered, until fish is just cooked and potatoes are tender, 10 to 20 minutes.

6. Remove bay leaf and adjust seasonings. Use large spoon to transfer the fish, vegetables and broth to shallow soup bowls, try to keep fish in large pieces. Garnish with reserved salt pork bits and minced celery leaves. Serve with crusty bread.

Serves 6.

— Adapted from “The New England Cookbook” by Brooke Dojny

Notes: This recipe is easily halved for 1 pound of fish (in photo above). Except for a few of the seasonings, most of the ingredients are available from local sources. Since locally grown celery can be more difficult to find, I keep a patch of cutting celery in the herb garden.

Seacoast Eat Local will be at the Fishtival this Saturday, September 25, at Prescott Park in Portsmouth. Come visit us — we will have this as well as other recipes, plus a handout on where to find local seafood!

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September 19, 2010 by Debra.

If you’re like me, the shorter days and cooler nights of September bring with them the overwhelming urge to store away food for the winter. Fortunately, the organization CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture), based in Western Massachusetts, has just added a new feature to their website on storing winter crops at home.

Store Local has tips on storing potatoes, winter squash, sweet potatoes, garlic, and root vegetables such as carrots, beets, and celeriac. They include a link for those storing in apartments or with limited space, and also a list of food preservation resources.

Certain varieties and, in general, in an unwashed condition are better for long-term storage. Remember, if you’re unsure if the vegetable is suitable for winter storage, ask your farmer.

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August 17, 2010 by Debra.

It’s mid-August and, though the days are getting shorter, they’re no less busy with preserving and canning moving into full swing. After last year’s scarcity of tomatoes, we are taking full advantage of their abundant availability to restock our pantry. Once the jars have been set aside to cool, we like to end the day with something simple for supper — pasta with a pesto made from an extra pint of cherry tomatoes, blended in with some fragrant garden basil and a handful of toasted almonds. This pesto may be frozen for later use but enjoy it now for the bright, clean flavor of summer tomatoes at their ripest.

Fresh Tomato Pesto

3/4 to 1 pound (about 2 1/2 cups) cherry or other ripe tomatoes

12 large basil leaves

1 large garlic clove, crushed and peeled

1/3 cup whole almonds, lightly toasted

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1/2 extra virgin cup olive oil

1 pound spaghetti

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1. Rinse cherry tomatoes and pat dry. Rinse basil leaves and pat dry.

2. Using a blender or food processor, add tomatoes, basil, garlic clove, almonds, chili flakes and salt. Blend for a minute or more, until finely pureed. Scrape down bowl and blend again if any large bits remain.

3. With machine running, pour in olive oil in a steady stream, emulsifying puree into a thick pesto. Taste and adjust seasonings. If using within a couple of hours, leave pesto at room temperature. Otherwise, pesto can be refrigerated 2 to 3 days; let it return to room temperature before cooking the pasta.

4. Place pesto in serving bowl. Cook pasta in salted, boiling water until al dente or just done. Drain pasta and add to serving bowl containing pesto. Toss quickly to coat pasta with tomato pesto. Add grated parmesan and toss again. Serve immediately while still warm.

Notes: Adapted from ”Lidia’s Italy” by Lidia Bastianich. This dish originates from Southwest Sicily, where it is known as Pesto Trapanese. For those interested in further exploring other pestos collected from Southern Italy, see the “Mini-Cookbook of Pesto Recipes“.

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July 19, 2010 by Debra.

It’s easy to overlook summer squash and zucchini — they’re abundant, inexpensive, and easy to find this time of the year. They become more special, however, if you only eat them when fresh and in season, and I look forward to their arrival in both our garden and the summer farmers’ markets. We’ve already had them grilled with a minty charmoula sauce, stuffed with savory lamb, and shredded into a duck egg frittata with lots of dill. With the temperatures climbing and the first of our own zephyrs freshly picked, this simple to assemble salad shows off their nutty crunchiness, is easy on the cook, and keeps the heat out of the kitchen. It’s easy to adapt the recipe to what you have on hand or find at that day’s farmers’ market.

Summer Squash & Tomato Salad

6 small summer squash or zucchini, thinly sliced

2 large or 4 small tomatoes, coarsely chopped or cut into wedges

1 shallot or green onion, thinly sliced

red wine vinegar

olive or other salad oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

fresh herbs (basil, mint, summer savory, dill, and/or chives), chopped or shredded

1. Combine sliced summer squash with diced tomatoes. Season with red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Tomatoes will release their juices to form part of the dressing.

2. Salad may be served immediately or chilled for several hours. Toss with chopped or shredded herbs right before serving. Serves 4 as side dish.

Serves 4 as side dish. Paired with some simply prepared local whitefish, a squeeze of lemon, and a green salad alongside, made for a light mid-summer supper.

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July 7, 2010 by Debra.

The full array of summer’s bounty — corn, tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers, eggplant, potatoes and beans, to name just a few — is now arriving at Seacoast farmers’ markets. Rachel Forrest, the food editor and columnist for Seacoast Media Group, recently toured the Portsmouth Farmers’ Market with some local chefs as they planned their weekly Market Menu around what they found there:

A few Saturdays ago I went to the Portsmouth farmers market as I usually do, but this time I decided to tag along with the chefs and owner of Pesce Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar — Chefs James Walter and Gillian Roun with owner Cliffe Arrand.

Of course many of our local chefs come to the market to buy fresh produce and meat (not chicken or raw milk because the city bans it. Harrumph), and many of our local chefs use those fresh ingredients in their dishes during the weekend and often throughout the week. At Pesce, each Monday they have a Roman Market Meal where every dish — including an antipasti and insalata bar and a choice of one of three pastas — uses what they found on Saturday.

In general, you can predict what you’ll find at the market based on what is coming up out of the ground. Strawberries were still there and tomatoes from greenhouses are coming in as well. “But first,” says Cliffe, “We have coffee.”

Peas are in.

“Hopefully we’ll do things we didn’t do last week,” say James. “We’ll walk around and get everything then write a list of what we have, have some lunch and write a menu.”

Each week the Market Menu offers an array of dishes to start and guests can choose from the antipasti and insalata bar, going up as many times as they like, followed by a choice of one of three pasta dishes. This week, they pick up 2½ pounds of peas and spy the fava beans over at Touching Earth Farm, knowing that they’ll still be there when they’re done. Not many people know what to do with a fava bean but on Monday, they’ll wind up in a pasta dish, tossed with corkscrewed strozzapretti pasta with some of the four pounds of arugula they pick up, pureed into a tangy pesto with garlic scapes. Sauteed beet greens are tossed in as well.

The trio also tries to buy from as many farmers and suppliers as possible. “The market meal is about supporting local farms and getting the town behind it and not really about the money part of it,” says Cliffe. They get squash from Wake Robin Farm, which becomes a mix of roasted summer squash and zucchini tossed with fresh market dill. Duck eggs from Yellow House farm go into another pasta dish, Spaghetti Carbonara made with bacon from New Roots Farm and their acorn fed pigs, those peas from Meadows Mirth Farm and just a touch of cream and black pepper.

To find out what else was on the deliciously inspiring menu, the full article is available online >

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