June 4, 2012
Breakfast:
Nil. I want to either make or buy some local bread soon so I can try out some ginger pear butter from White Wood Farms that we got at Hollygrove Market last week.
Lunch:
Roasted veggie sandwich with "cowboy caviar" from Liberty's Kitchen, which employs local youth and teaches them food service and culinary skills. I scheduled a lunch meeting with a friend/colleague and picked the restaurant before I signed up for the challenge. I'm pretty sure the meal wasn't 100% local, but it supports a good cause!
Dinner:
Darnit! I forgot to take photos again today. I gave Jason instructions to roast local potatoes, zucchinis, and a Creole tomato (tossed with olive oil, local salt, and rosemary from outside our house) while I was at a meeting. When I came home, we ate that with leftover white beans and rice and smothered okra from the last two days.
I commended Jason for cooking today, to which he replied with a snort, "Yeah, if by cooking you mean throw something in the oven," or something of that nature. =)
Non-local Foods for the Week: Fruit Punch Crystal Light
Off the Wagon Meals Remaining: 0
--
I'm going to have to be in the red for "Off the Wagon" meals this week since tomorrow I'm driving up to visit some folks in Hattiesburg, MS for work and the hosts will likely prepare lunch for us. In an attempt to stick to the challenge, I'll carryover the balance into next week!
Showing posts with label hollygrove market and farm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hollygrove market and farm. Show all posts
Monday, June 4, 2012
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Pickled Radishes
Adapted from Hollygrove Market and Farm, serves 4
Date made: 4/20/2011
Date made: 4/20/2011
1/4 c white wine vinegar
1/4 c water
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 bunch radishes, quartered*
Bring all ingredients except radishes to a boil. Pour over radishes. Allow to sit till room temperature.
Refrigerate for up to a week.
Pretty simple! I forgot the bay leaf in HMF recipe, but it still turned out okay. Reminded me of the ban chan served in Korean cuisine.
Buttered Beans and Potatoes
Adapted from Hollygrove Market and Farm, serves 4
Date made: 4/19/2011
Date made: 4/19/2011
3-4 red skinned potatoes, diced*
1 lb fresh fava beans, shelled*
1/4 c butter
1 c vegetable stock
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Bring diced potatoes to a boil. Cook until fork-tender.
In a small saucepan melt butter. Add fresh beans/peas and cook for 5 mins.
Add chicke stock, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring beans to a simmer.
Cook till beans/peas are done 10-15 minutes. Add potatoes.
Another vegetable I've never heard of! (Fava beans) I definitely would cut back on the butter next time -- a 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) is plenty!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Brown Butter Pasta with Tatsoi
Adapted from Appetite for China, serves 4
Date made: 2/8/2011
1 box wheat penne
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 bunches of tatsoi, stems removed*
1/4 c parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbsp dried sage
salt and pepper to taste
Cook pasta al dente in salted water with a tablespoon of olive oil.
When pasta is almost done, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Swirl it in the pan as it foams. When it begins to brown, add pasta and coat well with the butter. Salt and pepper to taste.
Add tatsoi and sage and cook until slightly wilted, about 3 minutes. Add parmesan cheese, mix well, and serve.
"What the hell is _______?" I find myself saying that to myself every now and then when I go to Hollygrove, and last week I filled in the blank with tatsoi. Some Asian green or something or other, but it's pretty tasty.
Also, I found my first produce bug ever in the tatsoi leaves. Another cooking adage I've learned to heed: always wash your produce before using. I became a little squeamish, but I was reminded of Kristin Kimball's The Dirty Life and the little anecdotes about eating produce with the dirt still clinging to the skin, unwashed, but fresh from the earth from which it matured. Often we are so disconnected from our food and where it comes from, we don't realize that it is processed and handled to the point that it no longer is the food that was harvested from the ground. This probably sounds tree-huggerish, but I began to see the bug as a reminder of that connection to the land that nurtured this food that came to my kitchen. So I simply rinsed the little guy off of the tatsoi leaf, inspected and washed the other leaves, and went along my merry way. I'm still alive and didn't come down with any GI issues, so no harm, no foul.
Date made: 2/8/2011
1 box wheat penne
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 bunches of tatsoi, stems removed*
1/4 c parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbsp dried sage
salt and pepper to taste
Cook pasta al dente in salted water with a tablespoon of olive oil.
When pasta is almost done, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Swirl it in the pan as it foams. When it begins to brown, add pasta and coat well with the butter. Salt and pepper to taste.
Add tatsoi and sage and cook until slightly wilted, about 3 minutes. Add parmesan cheese, mix well, and serve.
"What the hell is _______?" I find myself saying that to myself every now and then when I go to Hollygrove, and last week I filled in the blank with tatsoi. Some Asian green or something or other, but it's pretty tasty.
Also, I found my first produce bug ever in the tatsoi leaves. Another cooking adage I've learned to heed: always wash your produce before using. I became a little squeamish, but I was reminded of Kristin Kimball's The Dirty Life and the little anecdotes about eating produce with the dirt still clinging to the skin, unwashed, but fresh from the earth from which it matured. Often we are so disconnected from our food and where it comes from, we don't realize that it is processed and handled to the point that it no longer is the food that was harvested from the ground. This probably sounds tree-huggerish, but I began to see the bug as a reminder of that connection to the land that nurtured this food that came to my kitchen. So I simply rinsed the little guy off of the tatsoi leaf, inspected and washed the other leaves, and went along my merry way. I'm still alive and didn't come down with any GI issues, so no harm, no foul.
Radish (and Turnip) Saute
Adapted from Hollygrove Market, serves 4
Date made: 2/9/2011
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 bunch of radishes, quartered and greens washed*
1 large turnip, chopped*
1-2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil is skillet over medium heat. Add radishes and turnips and cook, stirring constantly, until tender, but still crisp. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
Place greens in a skillet with wash water still clinging to the leaves.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it starts to wilt.
Turn off heat and add vinegar and radishes and turnips to skillet.
Stir well until combined and season with salt and pepper.
I'm starting to learn how to apply that adage of "use what's in your cupboard/fridge/freezer". Since we didn't have any lemon juice from the original recipe, I substituted it with white wine vinegar. And I got four huge turnips in my box last week, two of which were used in the mustard greens recipe, and the remaining have been sitting in my fridge, anticipating the day I'd find a culinary reason to take them out.
Date made: 2/9/2011
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 bunch of radishes, quartered and greens washed*
1 large turnip, chopped*
1-2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil is skillet over medium heat. Add radishes and turnips and cook, stirring constantly, until tender, but still crisp. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
Place greens in a skillet with wash water still clinging to the leaves.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it starts to wilt.
Turn off heat and add vinegar and radishes and turnips to skillet.
Stir well until combined and season with salt and pepper.
I'm starting to learn how to apply that adage of "use what's in your cupboard/fridge/freezer". Since we didn't have any lemon juice from the original recipe, I substituted it with white wine vinegar. And I got four huge turnips in my box last week, two of which were used in the mustard greens recipe, and the remaining have been sitting in my fridge, anticipating the day I'd find a culinary reason to take them out.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Mustard Mustard Greens
Adapted from Hollygrove Market, serves 2 (main course) or 4 (side dish)
Date made: 2/6/2011
1 bunch mustard greens, washed, destemmed, and torn into large pieces*
1 pint small shiitake mushrooms*
2 large turnips, sliced*
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp honey dijon mustard
1 Tbsp sugar
salt, pepper, and Tony Cacherie's to taste
water
Cajun brown rice*
Saute turnips on medium heat in a couple tablespoons of olive oil until they start to become translucent.
Add mushrooms and continue cooking until mushrooms are tender.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, saute garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil in a pot. Add greens and enough water to cover the bottom of the pot, 3-4 tablespoons.
Add a tablespoon of sugar and season with salt and pepper. Add Tony Cacherie's, if desired.
Cook until wilted. Remove greens and squeeze as much liquid as possible into the pot. Reduce liquid by half and add butter and mustard.
Add greens, mushrooms, and turnips to pot and mix well.
Serve over a bed of Cajun brown rice. Can also be served as a side dish alone with some sort of protein.
Trying to cook mustard greens has been the bane of my existence. For some reason, they'd always turn out bitter to the point of being inedible. I guess I should have done some reading first: apparently, wilted greens = bitter greens.
http://www.naturalchoice.net/articles/cookinggr.htm.
From Mimi's cooking lesson on collards and okra, I always add a little bit of sugar to my greens, and I'd like to think that it cuts the bitterness as well. I cooked these greens that day after I got them, and by following the source recipe and tweaking it a little, the greens turned out pretty well, the only bitterness coming from the dijon mustard. Although I chose the honey dijon because it was the first mustard I found in the fridge, I kind of like the slight sweetness it brings to the dish.
Date made: 2/6/2011
1 bunch mustard greens, washed, destemmed, and torn into large pieces*
1 pint small shiitake mushrooms*
2 large turnips, sliced*
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp honey dijon mustard
1 Tbsp sugar
salt, pepper, and Tony Cacherie's to taste
water
Cajun brown rice*
Saute turnips on medium heat in a couple tablespoons of olive oil until they start to become translucent.
Add mushrooms and continue cooking until mushrooms are tender.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, saute garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil in a pot. Add greens and enough water to cover the bottom of the pot, 3-4 tablespoons.
Add a tablespoon of sugar and season with salt and pepper. Add Tony Cacherie's, if desired.
Cook until wilted. Remove greens and squeeze as much liquid as possible into the pot. Reduce liquid by half and add butter and mustard.
Add greens, mushrooms, and turnips to pot and mix well.
Serve over a bed of Cajun brown rice. Can also be served as a side dish alone with some sort of protein.
Trying to cook mustard greens has been the bane of my existence. For some reason, they'd always turn out bitter to the point of being inedible. I guess I should have done some reading first: apparently, wilted greens = bitter greens.
http://www.naturalchoice.net/articles/cookinggr.htm.
From Mimi's cooking lesson on collards and okra, I always add a little bit of sugar to my greens, and I'd like to think that it cuts the bitterness as well. I cooked these greens that day after I got them, and by following the source recipe and tweaking it a little, the greens turned out pretty well, the only bitterness coming from the dijon mustard. Although I chose the honey dijon because it was the first mustard I found in the fridge, I kind of like the slight sweetness it brings to the dish.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Gołąbki
Adapted from my mommy's recipe, Gather and another food blogger, 6-8 servings
Date made: 1/19/2011
1 large head of cabbage*
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 c cooked Cajun brown rice*
2 eggs
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 10 oz cans condensed tomato soup
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
3 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 ribs of celery, peeled and finely chopped
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
thyme, salt, pepper, parsley to taste, other seasonings can be used as desired.
Core cabbage and place in boiling water. Peel the leaves as they get soft and remove from the pot and set aside.
Saute onion in oil or butter until translucent. Mix half of the onion with ground beef, pork, one egg, one cup of rice, and two garlic cloves. Add about 1-2 tsp each of the seasonings.
Mix other half of onion with bell pepper, celery, carrot, the remaining rice, garlic, and one egg. Again, add about 1-2 tsp each of the seasonings.
Take a cabbage leaf and cut off the thick stem. Place a spoonful of filling in the middle of a leaf, fold the left and right sides over, and starting at the end closest to you, roll the cabbage up (see referenced recipes for photos).
Repeat until you have used all the mixture up.
Mix together two cans of tomato soup and tomato sauce. Add 3 bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste.
Place cabbage rolls seam side down into crockpot and pour tomato soup/sauce mixture over the rolls. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Jason and I had made a Russian version (Голубцы - golubtsy) of this dish a while ago, but it it was my first time making this Polish version that my family has been eating at reunions, parties, etc. for years. My friends have been doing a "family dinner night" where every other Wednesday evening someone hosts the group for dinner. The veggie version was for the vegetarian in our group. Since I had gotten a huge head of cabbage from Hollygrove Market and Farm the week prior, I figured I'd try my hand at this and also make cabbage noodles. All-in-all it turned out okay -- it was pretty underseasoned, but that was my fault since I'm pretty timid when it comes to seasoning my food.
Date made: 1/19/2011
1 large head of cabbage*
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 c cooked Cajun brown rice*
2 eggs
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 10 oz cans condensed tomato soup
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
3 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 ribs of celery, peeled and finely chopped
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
thyme, salt, pepper, parsley to taste, other seasonings can be used as desired.
Core cabbage and place in boiling water. Peel the leaves as they get soft and remove from the pot and set aside.
Saute onion in oil or butter until translucent. Mix half of the onion with ground beef, pork, one egg, one cup of rice, and two garlic cloves. Add about 1-2 tsp each of the seasonings.
Mix other half of onion with bell pepper, celery, carrot, the remaining rice, garlic, and one egg. Again, add about 1-2 tsp each of the seasonings.
Take a cabbage leaf and cut off the thick stem. Place a spoonful of filling in the middle of a leaf, fold the left and right sides over, and starting at the end closest to you, roll the cabbage up (see referenced recipes for photos).
Repeat until you have used all the mixture up.
Mix together two cans of tomato soup and tomato sauce. Add 3 bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste.
Place cabbage rolls seam side down into crockpot and pour tomato soup/sauce mixture over the rolls. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Chicken and Bok Choy Stir Fry
Adapted from Real Simple, serves 2-4
Date made: 1/12/2011
1 c uncooked, Cajun brown rice*
1 T olive oil
1 lb chicken, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 head bok choy, greens and stalks separated*
1 green onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c soy sauce, approximate
3-4 T sesame sauce, approximate
1/4 t ground ginger
salt and pepper, to taste
Cook Cajun brown rice -- I have a rice cooker, which is almost as valuable as my Crock Pot, so I can't really help you with times for normal cooking.
Heat olive oil in large skillet (if you don't have a wok) on medium heat. Brown chicken, tossing occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add scallions and saute for about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and continue to saute until fragrant.
Add soy sauce, sesame sauce, and bok choy stalks and spices. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low.
Allow bok choy to simmer for 2-3 minutes, add the greens, and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
Add chicken and allow it to heat through. Serve on a bed of rice.
I had a very vague idea of what to do with the bok choy. Only a day after I bought it at Hollygrove Market and Farm, it started to wilt because it was so big it didn't fit into my crisper, so I had to figure out what to do with it... fast. Over the past couple years, I've been bad at wasting my Hollygrove produce due to improper storage, and part of my New Year's resolution is to reduce the amount of spoiled produce that comes from my fridge.
I had had a lot of veggie-only dishes the few days prior (the veggie soup, rice bake, collards...), so I was really craving some protein. I knew I wanted to make a stir fry out of the bok choy, but wasn't really sure how to incorporate the chicken. If I had done it over again, I would have marinated the chicken for a few hours in a soy sauce/sesame sauce mixture since the flavor didn't get absorbed very well.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Collard Greens and Turnips
From Mimi (aka Jenny Flowers), serves 4-6
Date made: 1/6/2011
Bunch of collard greens, chopped roughly*
3 medium turnips, sliced*
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
Tony Cacheries, salt, and pepper to taste
water
Saute onion until tender in pot on medium heat. Add greens and a little bit of water (1/2 c or so) to keep the greens from sticking to the pot. Add Tony's and salt to taste. Cover pot and allow greens to boil down, about 10 minutes. Add turnips and more Tony's, salt, and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to simmer and allow greens to cook down to desired texture.
My friend's 97 year-old grandmother showed me how to make collards a year or so ago when I was trying to figure out what to do with my Hollygrove produce. This is one of the few dishes that I cook according to feel, it's so easy (I generally need recipes). I don't like my collards cooked down as much as they are at restaurants, so this only took me a half hour to 45 minutes including prep.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
New Year's Resolution
I'm horrible at setting and keeping New Year's resolutions - especially ones that involve watching my spending. However, I have made a major decision to quit my job as an engineer for Shell and commit to a year of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA for HandsOn New Orleans. So with that comes certain sacrifices which might improve my chances for success in 2011.
While I was home for Christmas a few weeks ago, I stopped by the Ten Thousand Villages store on Main St. in Ann Arbor and found this wonderful little cookbook, "Simply in Season", and... voila! My New Year's resolution was born. I'm going to commit at least half of my grocery expenses to "local" food for the whole year. Local meaning Gulf Coast (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, maybe Texas...) -- basically anything that comes from the geographic sources of the produce sold at Hollygrove Market and Farm.
Since my income will be about one-sixth of what it is today, my ability to afford to eating out 3-4 times a week will be severely limited. I figured that since I want to go to grad school to study agricultural economics and food security, I ought to start with my own (soon to be almost-diminished) purchasing power and buy mostly food that is in season and local.
So this blog will mainly consist of recipes sprinkled with my own reflections throughout the year and a glimpse now and then into my reading list. Local foods used in each recipe will be listed with an asterisk.
Happy New Year and Happy Eating!
Happy New Year and Happy Eating!
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