March 12, 2010 by Debra.

With sugaring season upon us, it seems the perfect time to get out the cast iron skillet and fry up some flapjacks. Serve them up with some sauteed apples, warm maple syrup and a side of smoky bacon as a way of celebrating!

Maple Griddle Cakes

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 eggs

1½ cups milk (plus ½ cup to thin batter)

2 tablespoons butter, melted (optional)

Butter or cooking oil for frying

1. Mix the dry ingredients together.

2. In separate bowl, beat the eggs into 1½ cups of milk, then stir in melted butter (if using). Gently stir this mixture into dry ingredients, mixing only enough to moisten flour; batter will be lumpy. Add more milk to thin batter, if desired.

3. Heat skillet or griddle over medium-low heat; skillet is ready when a few drops of water skids across surface before evaporating. Add a little butter; when butter foam subsides, ladle batter onto the skillet.

4. Flip pancake when bubbles appear in center of pancakes and bottoms are browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Cook until second side is browned, a few more minutes. Adjust heat as necessary to keep pancakes from burning.

5. Serve immediately or hold on an ovenproof plate in a 200°F oven for up to 15 minutes. Serve with warm maple syrup. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Notes:

- Buttermilk or yogurt may be substituted for the milk. If using either, reduce the baking powder to 1-1/2 teaspoons, and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.

- Do not add too much butter or oil to skillet, just enough to film the bottom.

- Batter can be prepared the night before and may be preferable, especially if using whole grain flours.

- Adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.

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January 12, 2010 by Lenore.

This Cheese Chick enjoyed quite a few excesses this holiday season — there were pies to bake and eat, cookies to bake, decorate and eat, all those pounds of local ham leftovers to finish, to name just a few.  It seems fitting that we welcome the New Year with something simple:  Yogurt Pie.  I’m talking about the Yogurt Pie of Mollie Katzen’s Moosewood Cookbook fame.  It’s a gloriously simple recipe which develops into a sinfully rich dessert, reminiscent of cheesecake but not quite as frightening to your heart and thighs.  If you own one of the original editions of Moosewood Cookbook, you will find that this recipe was then called “Yogurt-Cream Cheese Pie.”  I have a revised edition, copyright 1992, for which this recipe is now named “Yogurt Pie.”  The original pie version needed a large amount of cream cheese to keep the pie thick and together.  Katzen now uses yogurt cheese in place of the cream cheese, which lightens things up considerably!

Yogurt cheese might be the easiest cheese to make, which makes it a great first cheese for anyone to try.  You may use grocery store yogurt or homemade yogurt (we will blog about how to do this later on) — I have used both.  When I first made this back in the early ’90s, my favorite brand for yogurt cheese was Dannon’s nonfat plain yogurt.  Stonyfield Farm made a good pie as well, though the results were slightly more tangy and less sweet than a pie made with Dannon.  The texture with Dannon was a bit silkier as well, which is always pleasing on your tongue.

The pie I made recently used Brookford Farm’s lowfat yogurt, which is now available in both quart and gallon sizes.  It’s been quite a while since I made yogurt cheese and I’ve never made it with Brookford’s yogurt, so there was some experimentation going on.  Surprisingly, I ended up using almost the entire gallon of yogurt instead of the 2 1/2 quarts nonfat yogurt the recipe calls for. I’m here to share some tips as the result of these experiments which should make your own yogurt cheese experience as positive as possible.

How to make Yogurt Cheese for Yogurt Pie (or any other recipe you can dream up!):

1. Choose your brand of yogurt, or make your own.  You will need a minimum of 2 1/2 quarts of whatever yogurt you choose.

2. Next, get yourself some cheesecloth.  The size of your colander will determine how long to cut your cloth, if at all.  Katzen calls for 16″ of cheesecloth for a 12″ colander.  I’ll clarify that you will need enough to line your colander using 6 layers of cloth.  Using less will make you lose too much yogurt through uncovered seams, instead of just liquid.  Using more will allow you to have enough to fold over on top of the yogurt once it’s in your colander, and then a little more to tie it off.

3. Next, find a place to put your cheesecloth-lined colander.  This is where the liquid will drain out, so you can use your sink, or put it in a large bowl on your counter if you need to use your sink while your yogurt drains.  Personally, I am a big fan of using the bathtub for hanging and draining cheese, so don’t be afraid to use yours!

4. Place your yogurt on the cheesecloth then fold it over the top and tie the cloth.  You can use the corners of the cheesecloth and tie them together, or you can twist the cheesecloth around and secure it with a clothespin or baggie tie.  Whatever you do, you’ll need to make sure that the yogurt is securely encased within the cheesecloth, with no gaping seams for the yogurt to leach out from.

5. Next, choose an item that will act as a weight to be placed on top of the yogurt, allowing its weight to press liquid out of the yogurt.  You can throw beans into a Ziplock bag, use frozen vegetables, or do what I do: put enough water in a Tupperware container roughly the size of your colander and seal it.  I think it allows the cheese to drain more evenly.  Whatever method you use, you’re looking for a 3 or 4 pound weight.

6. Let the yogurt drain for roughly 6-8 hours.  The brand of yogurt you use, and its fat content will determine the exact amount of time.  With Brookford’s yogurt, I drained it overnight since I was short on time, which was roughly 10 hours.  The end result looked good, but the texture was a little too dry, so next time I will back off to 8 hours and see what I get.  This extra time is also what probably led me to have to use more yogurt than was called for, though I believe that 3 quarts is still closer to the amount I would use for Brookford’s yogurt.

7. Don’t be afraid to check on the status of your yogurt cheese during the process.  Open up your tie and poke a finger in to see just how thick it’s getting.  The more liquid that drains out, the thicker (and drier) your pie will be.  The goal is to achieve a perfect balance of thickness while still maintaining a creamy, moist texture.  You can stop the process whenever you feel your yogurt cheese is “done.”  Ultimately, you should end up with about 5 cups of thick and creamy yogurt cheese!

The rest of Katzen’s ”Yogurt Pie” recipe goes like this:

Ingredients

• One 9-inch, baked and cooled, graham cracker crust
• 5 cups of yogurt cheese (this is approximate)
• 5 Tablespoons of sugar (or more, to taste)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Katzen includes optional toppings like fresh berries (something juicy, like raspberries, on this pie are my favorite!), her Berry Pudding, and Berry Sauce.

Place the yogurt cheese in a medium-sized bowl with the sugar and vanilla, and beat lightly with a whisk until completely blended.

Spoon mixture into the prepared crust. Katzen offers the option of using any leftover crust mixture to sprinkle on top of the yogurt if you have made your own graham-cracker crust.  Cover lightly and chill.  Serve plain or with a topping.  

Enjoy — and if this was your first attempt at making any type of cheese, I hope you are hooked!

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December 21, 2009 by Debra.

Playing with the idea of surf and turf, the saline ocean brightness of seafood combines well with the earthy sweetness of root vegetables. Here’s another way to enjoy the sparkling fresh cod that has been available at the Winter Farmers’ Market — it’s local, it’s seasonal, and it’s begging to be put together for dinner.

Roast Cod with Potatoes

- 1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

- 6 to 8 potatoes, peeled, sliced in half and cut into 1/4 inch half-moons

- A couple of tablespoons cooking oil, fat or butter

- 1 pound cod fillet (or other local white fish, such as haddock or monkfish), rubbed lightly with cooking oil

1. Heat oil with garlic in a large skillet until garlic is softened and starting to brown. Remove garlic, and save for making garlic mayonnaise. Alternatively, spread it on a piece of crusty bread and eat while making rest of dinner. Add potatoes to pan, tossing occasionally, and cook until browned around the edges. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Transfer potatoes to an oiled or buttered baking dish. Lay cod fillet on top of bed of potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. If desired, dress with chopped tomatoes, a coating of pesto, or a sprinkling of breadcrumbs.

3. Roast in a 400°F oven until fish is done, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cooking time will depend on thickness of fish. Serving suggestions include a salad, some sauteed winter greens, and a garlicky mayonnaise made with some whole grain mustard mixed in.

Serves 2 generously.

Stripped-down version: For a one-pan meal, cook the potatoes in an ovenproof skillet. Leave cooked potatoes in skillet, lay fish directly on top, and place skillet in oven to finish cooking.

Low-fat version: May boil or steam potatoes instead.

Dress-up options: Toss cooked potatoes with chopped herbs, such as parsley or green onions, before adding fish. For the fish, I usually make a topping of diced tomatoes mixed with chopped garlic and basil. For this winter version, I used some roasted cherry tomatoes that I’d preserved in olive oil.

Dinner rerun: Leftovers were cooked up as a fish hash —  pan-fry everything together, crack a couple of eggs on top, cover skillet and cook until eggs are done to your liking. Other ideas for leftovers: use as the base for a chowder, or add to a jar of canned tomatoes for a fish stew.

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December 18, 2009 by Debra.

The vegetables to be found at the Winter Farmers’ Markets encompass a range of flavors appealingly different than those of summer. Many of these vegetables really come into their own once the weather turns, becoming sweeter and more complex with colder temperatures. Roasting them is a simple way to take advantage of these characteristics and explore the incredible variety available this season.

Roasted Root Vegetables

- 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch round slices

- 1 small celery root (also known as celeriac), peeled, quartered, and cut into ½-inch slices

- 4 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into ½-inch round slices

- Cooking oil

- Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven at 400°F.

2. Toss cut vegetables, using hands, with enough cooking oil to thoroughly coat vegetables lightly.

3. Spread out on a low-sided baking sheet or pan. Pan should be large enough to hold the vegetables in a single layer.

4. Roast about 20 minutes, stirring or turning pieces 2 or 3 times to cook evenly. Vegetables should be tender and browned when done.

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes 4 servings.

Variations: This recipe offers an introduction to the basics of roasting vegetables. You may vary the combination of root vegetables, including rutabagas, turnips, kohlrabi, or potatoes. To prepare, cut the vegetables into roughly the same size and shape to ensure even cooking. Vegetables may also be tossed with fresh or dried herbs before roasting.

Improvisation: My last batch was made up of 4 different varieties of potatoes (Desiree, Nicola, Carola, and fingerlings) cut into large chunks, a couple of onions peeled and quartered, and some pork sausages (casing lightly pricked) tossed in with oil, rosemary and thyme. Cook at a slightly higher temperature of 425°F and for a longer time of 30 to 40 minutes, or until done, for an easy one pan meal.

Notes: Roasting vegetables isn’t limited to root vegetables, most any vegetable may be prepared this way. “The Art of Simple Food” by Alice Waters, from which this recipe is adapted, offers many tips on roasting vegetables in general.  ”The Roasted Vegetable” by Andrea Chesman contains a useful roasting chart, giving times and temperatures for specific vegetables.

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December 13, 2009 by Debra.

Several people have asked me about preparing bok choy, one of the many seasonal greens to be found at the Winter Farmers’ Market. Braised with local cod also purchased at the market, this dish is a welcome break from heavy Holiday fare. The amount of liquid added will determine how soupy the final dish is — I like just enough to create a pool of broth around the greens and serving of fish.

Braised Cod with Bok Choy 

1 onion, chopped coarsely

1 clove garlic, minced or thinly sliced

1 to 2 tablespoons cooking oil or butter

2 large, or 4 to 6 small heads bok choy

1/2 to 1 cup white wine, stock or water

1 lb. cod fillet (or other white-fleshed fish, such as haddock), with a light coating of cooking oil

1. Prepare bok choy: cut across widthwise at 1 to 2 inch intervals. Discard root end and rinse to clean, leaving damp.

2. In saute pan, cook onion with oil or butter over medium heat until translucent. Stir in garlic, continuing to cook briefly.

3. Add bok choy and wilt slightly. Add enough liquid (white wine, stock or water) to cover bottom of pan, about 1/2 to 1 cup. Bring to simmer.

4. Place cod fillet on top of bok choy, season with salt and pepper. Cover pan and gently simmer until done, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. The bok choy will be tender but with a little tooth left in the stalk pieces. Adjust seasonings.

May be served on its own, over crusty bread toasted and rubbed with garlic, or with celeriac and potatoes coarsely mashed together. If you’re feeling fancy, garnish with minced parsley or cilantro, or chopped scallions, and finish with a drizzle of chili oil. Makes 2 servings.

Notes: Other greens may be used in place of the bok choy, including mustard greens, chard, kale, Napa or Savoy cabbage. Sliced mushrooms and/or chopped scallions also work well with this dish, sauteed along with the onion.

Variation: Native shrimp is back in season! Substitute 1/2 to 1 pound peeled native shrimp in place of the cod. After bringing the bok choy mixture to a simmer, stir in shrimp. Continue to simmer without covering pan, occasionally stirring until shrimp is just cooked. Serve with a fragrant rice such as basmati or jasmine, simply steamed. The pale pink of the shrimp against the color of the bok choy is especially appealing when it’s seasonally bleak outside.

Leftovers: Combine any remaining fish and bok choy with celeriac-potato mash, and fry up to make fish hash. Serve with a poached or fried egg on top. We’ve yet to have leftovers when shrimp is in the house.

Posted in Market Notes, author: Debra, recipes | Print | 3 Comments »

August 27, 2009 by Debra.

It wasn’t what I was expecting. To celebrate this year’s International Kitchen Garden Day, we toured several neighborhood vegetable gardens, all within easy biking range. With the tour ending at our garden, it seemed an apt occasion to bake a chocolate and zucchini cake. I’d assumed it wouldn’t be so very different than making zucchini bread. Well, yes and no. When it came time to mix the chocolate in with the zucchini, I hesitated. It felt startlingly counterintuitive, not to mention how it looked. However, there were enough online testimonials for me to persevere, and the results made me glad that I did. The cake was tender, moist, and rich but still light in texture, with the zucchini somehow adding an element to each one of those components.

Many thanks to all who generously shared their gardens as well as knowledge. It may be that our guests were simply hungry after bike-touring all afternoon but, judging by the cake’s disappearance, I think I could have sneaked in another zucchini.

 Chocolate & Zucchini Cake

- 2  cups  (240 grams) all-purpose flour [may substitute 1/2 cup (60 grams) whole wheat flour]

- 1/2 cup (40 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 cup (1 4-ounce stick or 110 grams) butter, softened

- 1 cup (160 grams) light brown sugar

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso granules (optional)

- 3 eggs, at room temperature

- 2 cups zucchini, trimmed, unpeeled and grated (about 280 grams, two medium)

- 1 cup (170 grams) chocolate chips

Topping :

- 1/4 cup (40 grams) light brown sugar

- 1/2 cup (70 grams) hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 360°F. Grease a 10-inch (3 quart or liter) springform cake pan, and flour it or sprinkle with cocoa powder (this helps the cake unmold easily, especially if you’re not using a non-stick pan).

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3. In a food processor, combine the sugar and butter, and mix until fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract and coffee powder, then the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition.

4. Spoon in the flour mixture, reserving the last half-cup of it. Mix thoroughly, the batter will be thick.

5. Add the grated zucchini and the chocolate chips to the reserved flour mixture, and toss to coat. Fold in the batter, and blend thoroughly. Pour into the prepared cake pan, and smooth out the surface with a spatula until level.

6. In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients, and sprinkle all over the batter. Lightly press nuts into batter for better adhesion when unmolding. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Turn out on a rack to cool for half an hour, then unmold.

Serves 12 generously. Adapted from Chocolate & Zucchini.

Notes: There are many differing recipes for chocolate and zucchini cake. I chose this one for it’s simple proportion of eggs and butter. I used espresso powder for the coffee granules but the coffee doesn’t seem necessary if using good quality chocolate. When baking, particularly cakes, I often substitute one of the eggs with a duck egg from Yellow House Farm. The extra fat and protein the duck egg provides added richness and loft. The butter, eggs, zucchini and home-made vanilla extract were all locally-sourced. I hope that someday we will have a local source for hazelnuts, one of the few nuts that may be grown successfully here in New England.

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July 29, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

While Granite Staters are celebrating NH Eat Local Month, Mainers have a Best Maine Meal Recipe Contest!:

Maine Fare and MaineToday.com are challenging all Maine food lovers to eat local. We’re also asking you to share your recipes featuring Maine grown, raised and produced products in the Best Maine Meal Recipe Contest.

We want recipes featuring Maine fruits and vegetables, poultry and seafood, pork and beef, dairy products, eggs, honey, condiments and more. Two lucky winners will receive tickets to the Maine Fare food festival in September, an overnight stay in Camden and the chance to cook with local pros Sam Hayward at Fore Street and Jeff Landry at Farmer’s Table. Two second place winners will receive a pair of Marketplace tickets.

All you need to do is post your recipe on their website by August 21st to enter. (And actually, it only says Maine food lovers, doesn’t really say anything about residency requirements!)

I was able to attend the Maine Fare its inaugural year two years ago, and it was an incredible opportunity to see a healthy and robust local food system in action. I’m sure it has only grown from there!

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July 12, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

I am going to be counting rows of corn (when it arrives with our late summer) after reading the Fun Facts section of the corn info sheet - apparently it always has an even number of rows!

In addition to fun facts, each sheet has tips for storage, cooking, and preserving the vegetables, along with a couple recipes and nutrition information. From the New Hampshire Farm to School Program. 

(.pdfs)

Corn

Cherry Tomatoes

Summer Squash

Cucumbers

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June 24, 2009 by Debra.

Not having grown up in New England, many locally-grown foods were unfamiliar to me when I moved here. Rhubarb seemed very exotic, with its fleshy crimson and acid-green stalks, and hint of danger contained within its toxic parasol-like leaves. Commonly known as “pie plant,” I began by dutifully making strawberry-rhubarb pies. Since then, I’ve come to appreciate rhubarb’s ability to stand on its own, as featured in a rustic galette made with a cornmeal crust. This season I look forward to trying rhubarb as a juice, pickled, and in a savory dish combining it with lentils.

Its appearance at the farmers’ markets also marks the beginning of the preserving season. Frozen or as preserves, the tart nature of rhubarb brings a welcome brightness to winter desserts. In its frozen form, rhubarb can be used in many recipes or left to process into preserves at a later date. Rhubarb preserves make for a quick dessert spooned over ice cream, fresh ricotta or yogurt, or swirled with a dollop of creme fraiche and served as a topping for buttermilk biscuits or pound cake.

Frozen Rhubarb: wash, wipe dry, trim ends, cut into ½ to 1-inch pieces, freeze on trays, pack into containers and store in freezer.

Rhubarb Preserves:

1. Wash and trim off both ends of each stalk. Cut into ½ to 1-inch pieces, depending on size of stalk).

2. Add ½ cup sugar to each quart of sliced fruit. Let stand for several hours to draw out the juice.

3. Begin heating the water in canner. Prepare jars and lids.

4. Boil the rhubarb with their juices for 1 minute.

5. Pack into clean hot jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Cover with hot juice, leaving ½-inch headspace.

6. Process pints and quarts for 10 minutes in boiling water bath canner.

Notes: A quart of trimmed rhubarb is a little over a pound. 1½ quarts of rhubarb makes 2 pints of preserves. I let the preserves settle for at least several weeks before using. Recipe adapted from “The Busy Person’s Guide to Preserving Food”.

Posted in Market Notes, author: Debra, putting food by, recipes | Print | 1 Comment »

March 29, 2009 by Audrey.

As the sap is literally running like a stream out of our over 100 year old Sugar Maple tree, damaged from the ice storm this past winter, my family and I headed up to SugarMomma’s for some good old fashioned maple syrup products.  We tried popcorn, ice cream, cotton candy, maple covered nuts, and yes they even served a pancake breakfast… delicious!   The actually Sugar Momma was feeding the fire for the making of the syrup and telling wonderful stories to whoever walked into the sugar shack.  Did you know that Maple Syrup contains vitamins, folic acid and enough calcium to match a cup of milk, unlike it’s copy cat of corn syrup, syrup?

Last night I tried a new recipe with our  maple syrup and I highly recommend it.

Maple Parsnip Soup

3 Tbsp of Butter

1 lb of parsnips chopped

2 medium onions chopped

2 cloves of garlic minced

6 cups of chicken or veggie broth

1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

1/2 cup of evaporated milk

1/3 cup of maple syrup

2 tbsp of Dijon mustard

Salt to taste

3/4 cup toasted pine nuts or nut of your choice

Melt butter in heavy bottomed pan.  Add parsnips, onions, and garlic until onions are translucent.  Add stock and nutmeg, simmer until parsnips are soft, about 40 minutes.  Add the evaporated milk, and remove from heat.  Pour into a blender and puree until velvety smooth.  Stir in maple syrup, mustard and a little salt.  Serve with 3/4 cup toasted pine nuts or other nuts.

Serve with homemade baked bread.   ENJOY!

from Simply  in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert

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