Local Foods Archives | Page 9 of 16

Woven Shrimp for Number 33

October 20, 2011

I turned 33 last week. And I emphasize the word week because the celebrations lasted roughly 7 days. Around here we believe that celebrating just one day simply isn’t enough.

In honor of the big day, there was one specific meal I wanted. Nothing else would do.

That meal was Woven Shrimp from Azur Restaurant and Patio in Lexington, KY.

If you find yourself in Lexington you should find yourself a seat at Azur, but don’t look for it downtown. Azur is actually located in a strip mall on the southwest side of the city. But don’t let the description of the location fool you. This modern establishment which serves lots of local products such as Kentucky beef and Kentucky seafood from our up and coming aquaculture farms, also boasts an inviting patio area.

So back to that Woven Shrimp. Actually let’s go back to the first course because those were equally exciting.

We opted for a Saturday lunch and settled in on the patio with jackets and the space heaters going (it was just too beautiful not to sit outside) and ordered a Kentucky Ale.

Next up for me, well, us, were Truffle Fries. These are one of life’s simple pleasures. No French Frie tastes the same after you’ve had one graced by the presence of truffle oil.

My husband ordered his favorite, Lobster Crepes. Crepes with a creamy lobster-based filling set on top of guava sauce and garnished with microgreens. Sweet, salty, rich – this is the crepe of all crepes.

We enjoyed our starters to their fullest extent and some a bit longer. We had to keep fries on the table and nibbled throughout our meal. You don’t just give Truffle Fries back to the waitress. You finish them even if you are full. I mean, it’s truffle oil!

Now on to the main course which for my husband was actually a starter. He was sold on the Fried Calamari which came topped with sautéed peppers, onions and Napa cabbage. This was a bowl of perfection. The calamari was light and tender. It almost melted in your mouth.

Now for this woven shrimp. To get you thinking in the right direction, consider coconut shrimp with three times the flavor and ten times the creativity.

Woven shrimp is jumbo shrimp covered with shredded filo and fried until crispy. Good, but it gets even better. It is set on top of risotto. Creamy coconut risotto with edamame and corn. Then it’s topped with a chili sauce.

It’s brilliant, classic and a bit breathtaking all at the same time. Hands down my favorite dish at a restaurant.

So remember, Azur, Lexington, Woven Shrimp.

Birthdays aren’t complete without dessert. My mom is a fabulous cake decorator and has owned a shop for years, so growing up I was never without a beautiful birthday cake. Now that I’m all grown up, I usually still get one, but it’s when we are able to get together near my birthday, not always on it.

So I usually have a substitute the day of and this year my husband went to Twisted Sifter, a nearby bakery whom I also mentioned in my post about Danville, Kentucky. On a side note, I might have mentioned rather strongly that I wanted a cake from there.

Inside this beautiful cake was the seasonal flavor, pumpkin pecan with a cream cheese filling covered in buttercream frosting. We kept saying we would freeze part of it, but then we made an excuse everyday as to why we needed another piece. Needless to say, we’ll just have to order another when we get a craving because none made it past my birthday week!

Thirty-two was a big year for me. We got a new pug, I published my first book, I ran my 2nd half marathon and we visited a few new places. All of that has me more than ready to face 33 and excited to find out what’s in store!

Kentucky Food Blogger Weekend Part Two: Incredible Food Show

October 16, 2011

As a general rule, I don’t get star-struck. Honestly the only person who might make me so excited I’d be nervous should I meet her face to face is Dolores O’Riordan of the greatest band ever, the Cranberries. Otherwise, I have favorite actors, singers and chefs, but I couldn’t care less about what they do on a day to day basis. No, I’m not a celebrity magazine readin’ kind of girl.

So when I found out that the Kentucky Food Bloggers were invited to attend the Kentucky Proud Incredible Food Show last weekend with special guests Michael and Bryan Voltaggio, I was thrilled with the offer, but not to the point where I was telling everyone I knew.

Then we got invited to a private meet & greet. Okay, the excitement grew a little. Not because I was star-struck, mind you, but that I thought it would be really great to talk with some chefs with such exciting restaurant concepts like Volt and ink.

Just to fill you in a bit on the Incredible Food Show, this is an event in Lexington, KY that has been growing in popularity by leaps and bounds. It is the place for Kentucky food producers to shine. Not to mention lots of our cookbook authors, established local chefs and those soon-to be chefs coming out of Sullivan University.

For a food blogger like myself it’s an ideal place to network and learn about more ways to promote dreams that have come to life in the form of Kentucky food products.

So this year’s show included a presentation by the Voltaggio Brothers. I headed to the arena with a few other food bloggers not quite sure what to expect. I thought a simple dish would be prepared with a few tips thrown out here and there.

Yeah, not even close.

Michael and Bryan were given a huge array of Kentucky products to work with – sorghum, soy sauce, produce. They claimed they had no real plan until they arrived at the show. What they decided on as we watched was an edible, vegetable landscape which reflected their expertise in molecular gastronomy.

I can’t keep all the great tips they had to myself, so here are a few things I learned from the show:

Roast parsnips and puree them with dates for a vegetable based spread for toast.
Use the greens of leeks by burning them. (Apparently burnt is the new caramelize.) Bake them in an oven like you would kale chips, just take them a step further to bring out more complex flavors.
Use a food vacuum sealer to tenderize raw foods. Toss thinly sliced kale with olive oil and seal. The olive oil breaks down the chemical structure of the cell resulting in a flavored vegetable that is tender, but still raw.
Soak fresh, thinly sliced jalapenos in ice water for about 2 hrs. The water will extract the heat and you can eat them like pickles.

Little by little, the vegetable landscape came together and things got crazy when it was time for the dressing. They went with a homemade ranch, but a typical dressing poured over the masterpiece just wouldn’t be good enough.

The goal was ranch snow. So out came the liquid nitrogen!

It was incorporated into the dressing and then put in the blender. Finally the ranch sprinkles finished off the dish. This picture is one of the dish via the big screen, so not super clear, but you get the idea.

The show was so much more than I was expecting. Awesome.

For the meet & greet after the show we were welcomed by the IFS staff into a room with an array of truly Kentucky foods – country ham biscuits, bourbon balls and Kentucky wines. When we finally got the chance to speak with the brothers we introduced ourselves as KY Food Bloggers and I was delighted when their face lit up a bit which showed recognition of what we do.

Funny, our first conversation went to their tattoos – Michael’s ink (his restaurant) and Bryan’s pig and rabbit which represented his son and daughter, one born in the year of the pig and the other in the year of the rabbit. After that we talked a bit about their restaurants.

Bryan shared about how Volt source’s food from several local CSAs in Maryland and often get the overflow which challenges them to use products and always be creative.

Michael told us a bit about ink.sack, the lunch extension of ink restaurant. They make everything in-house such as the corned beef tongue in their Reuben. They focus on small sandwiches so you can order two or three varieties. I have to say I was incredibly intrigued by the sandwich with curried chicken skin!

After the show I had a long time to browse vendors. My husband ran the Bourbon Chase over the weekend, a 200 mile overnight relay through bourbon country. They finish in downtown Lexington so it was a big weekend all around. I got to chat with vendors and authors while I waited to go to the finish line.

I ended the day with a few favorites so I’ll tell you about those. The first is Good Shepherd Sheep’s Milk Cheese from eastern Kentucky. Our first sheep’s milk creamery in Kentucky. I talked with them about a possible tour in the future and I’m hoping to make that happen in the spring when all the baby lambs are around! The cheese was a hard cheese with a smooth flavor. I’m due for a gourmet cheese purchase and this is on the list.

Next was Rooibee Red Tea out of Louisville. I had a nice talk with Jeff who you’ll see in the video if you check out the site. I still have quite a bit to research on Rooibos Tea and its extract, but this stuff is delicious. I tried an unsweetened version – no artificial sweeteners, certified organic. It is so nice to have bottled drink options that aren’t soda!

Finally, on my way out, I ran into Marlowe Granola. To think, I almost missed this booth! Now, I’m all for making my own granola, but when I find a product that uses the same ingredients I would, I have no problem buying it.

Marlowe Granola is also a perfect example of a great story and a dream that came to life. I talked with the owners a bit and the granola is “Mom’s recipe” that’s been made for over 30 yrs. They use local Kentucky sorghum as well. We even chatted a bit about food photography as the owner’s daughter took the photos for the site and they are gorgeous. I guess I should also mention that the product is darn tasty too! We’ve been enjoying it with milk and yogurt all week.

I can’t believe it’s been a week since our fun food blogger weekend, but now we are looking forward for all that is to come with such a great group of people who share the desire to support Kentucky foods!

Disclosure: The experiences and foods mentioned in the post were given to me free of charge. I was not required to post about them and received no compensation for doing so.

Roasted Pumpkin with Gorgonzola

October 12, 2011

If you need a new roasted pumpkin recipe, look no further! This dish combines the flavors of sweet winter squash with rich Gorgonzola cheese. It’s a recreation of a dish I enjoyed when we lived in Brazil.

About three months before we moved back to the US and ended our time living abroad in Brazil, I took a trip. My husband was headed off to Ireland on business and I just happen to find a crazy good deal on a flight to Belo Horizonte.

I’d met a couple expats there through blogs, so I hopped a plane and headed off on my own little adventure. My new friends there showed me the ins and outs of the city of Belo Horizonte as well as Ouro Preto. To this day Ouro Preto ranks as one of my favorite places visited.

At the beginning of my trip, we stopped by one of their favorite places for lunch. A per kilo buffet lunch which was the most common form of lunch I came across while living in the south and visiting the north.

The food was good and the selection was pretty typical. Fresh salads, pastas, meat and fruit. Although there was one dish that stood out and I’ve never gotten around to making it until now.

Roasted Pumpkin with Gorgonzola | Fake Food Free

It’s one of those dishes that is so simple, but it’s the simplicity that makes it so good. It’s basically roasted pumpkin topped with crumbled gorgonzola. I’ve never been exactly sure of the herbs or flavorings used in the original dish so I made up my own with a bit of rosemary and onion.

This makes such a great side dish or top it with some roasted walnuts or black beans for protein and call it a meal.

Roasted Pumpkin with Gorgonzola

Makes: 2 – 3 servings

½ small pumpkin, peeled and cut into large chunks (about 2 ½ cups)
1 sprig of rosemary
¼ medium onion, sliced
Olive oil
¼ cup crumbled Gorgonzola or Blue Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Prep

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the pumpkin in a single layer in a baking dish. De-stem the rosemary and place the leaves with the pumpkin. Add the onion. Toss to coat all ingredients with olive oil.

Bake for 10 minutes. Stir the pumpkin, and bake for 10 more minutes or until the pumpkin is tender, but not mushy. Remove from the oven, salt and pepper to taste, place the pumpkin in a serving dish and top with crumbled Gorgonzola. Serve immediately.

Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

Kentucky Food Blogger Weekend Part One: The Dinner

October 10, 2011

It all started with a bit of jealously.

I attended a couple food blogging conferences in other states and I saw networks of food bloggers that had formed in various cities. You know, groups of super cool people with a passion for food, cooking it and photographing it.

Kind of like a bunch of me sitting around a table together.

So not unlike Veruca Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory I had phrases playing in my head that sort of went like, “I want a local blogger group to hang out with NOW.”

After that it all began to snow ball and take on a life of its own. Mindy of The World in My Kitchen and I knew each other and Melissa of My McDonald Meal and I knew each other as well. All Kentucky food bloggers. Three can be classified as a group, right?

Alltech knew of my food blog and approached us about sponsoring a networking dinner. Several of the upscale restaurants in Lexington and surrounding cities feature their food products – Alltech Angus, Café Citadelle Haitian Coffee, Kentucky Ale beers, Pearse Lyons Reserve Whiskey, and Bluegrass Sundown – so they wanted to network with us and learn more about food bloggers while sharing their products. (You’ll see these pop up on the menu later.)

Once the idea of the dinner was born, Mindy started a Facebook group and fan page and recruited what is now over 60 Kentucky Food Bloggers. I started a Twitter account and continued working with contacts on the dinner. This led us to connect with the Kentucky Proud Incredible Food Show and our evening became a full-fledged weekend of food blogger happiness.

Yes, spoiled Veruca got her wish.

The past few weeks have been filled with sending invites, gathering RSVPs, contacting food companies, gathering swag and networking in the name of food bloggers in the Bluegrass state.

The weekend began with the networking dinner sponsored by Alltech. Given our diverse blogging locations, and the dinner being in Lexington, we had an intimate, but no less exciting, 14 bloggers join us.

The dinner took place at Jonathan’s at Gratz Park Inn and was prepared by Jonathan and his excellent staff. You may remember my review of his cookbook and tasty cornmeal waffles last year. Every blogger just happened to get a signed copy of his book as part of the dinner. I could sense the excitement, and rightly so. It is such a great one to have on the shelf.

True to Kentucky, the meal began with beer cheese. But not just any beer cheese. Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale Beer Cheese on Fried Cornbread to be exact.

I might add here that each course led to some great food-focused discussion in our group. For this one the topic was – what makes a good beer cheese? We discussed.

Next up was the Pearse Lyons Reserve – Molasses Marinated Alltech Angus Flank Steak with Arugula and Crispy Sweet Potatoes. Such a unique dish with the sweet molasses balancing out bitter arugula (which also happens to be one of my favorite greens). We marveled over the creativity of the sweet potatoes with this course.

Ever had a gourmet corn dog? Course three would qualify. Shrimp Corn Dogs – Kentucky Ale Beer Battered Fried Shrimp with Hot Mustard. The hot mustard was outstanding with the batter and the shrimp.

If meat can be beautiful then the award goes to the third course, Grilled Alltech Angus Ribeye with Horseradish Creamed Collard Greens. The ribeye was delicious, one of the most tender ribeye cuts I’ve had, but I will admit that this was one huge piece of meat. The greens were simply incredible and I’m not being dramatic. I could have eaten a plate of the collards with that spicy horseradish cream.

I might mention that for this course we discussed how difficult it is to photograph meat well. Oddly enough, none of my photos are post worthy, but I know there were some other good ones and I’ll direct you there once I get the link.

Dessert, oh, glorious dessert. Lately it seems my desserts have been all hearty whole grains with fruits and nuts. Which is great, but it has been a while since I’ve had a truly rich dessert.

The Bluegrass Sundown Chocolate Pot Pie with Jonathan’s Vanilla Bean Ice Cream was like an explosion of chocolate in your mouth. The Bluegrass Sundown is Alltech’s version of the Irish Coffee. When added to this dish it was everything chocolate lovers dream about. Although, the ice cream cannot go unnoticed. It was a nice balance to the richness of the dark chocolate.

Pleasantly stuffed, we exchanged greetings with Jonathan who was nice enough to come out and welcome us. Then it was time for a little swag.

I am a huge fan of promoting Kentucky producers mainly because there are so many great products that have interesting histories and heart warming stories. I decided instead of highlighting those that supported the event through swag here in the post, I’d put a list below with links in case you’d like to visit their site to find out more. We have some very gift worthy foodie items produced here. We were also very thankful for the bags Whole Foods Lexington gave us to hold the swag as well as a gorgeous gift basket to give away.

One of the things that was new to me were the Modjeskas, or Caramel Biscuits, from Bauer’s Candy. They are homemade marshmallow centers covered with a smooth, creamy caramel. Yes, this is Fake Food Free, but even I am open to an indulgence especially if it has some history attached to it.

We also had several gifts to give away as door prizes. I won fudge from the Lexington Chocolate Company. Oh, did I just say fudge? Well I meant the creamiest, richest fudge I can remember having. Really. These little tins are on the gift list.

It’s not over yet.

This fabulous dinner certainly can’t be beat, but we continued our weekend on Saturday at the Kentucky Proud Incredible Food Show, a presentation with the Michael and Bryan Voltaggio and a private meet and greet session where they shared with us a bit more about their restaurants. More to come!

A few more Kentucky products:

Americandy
Kentucky Cutting Boards
Marksbury Farm Market
Bleugrass Chevre
Elmwood Fine Tea
Herb n’ Renewal
Holly Hill Inn Restaurant
Weisenberger Mills
Howard’s Creek Authentic Beer Cheese
Bourbon Barrel Foods

Disclosure: The foods and products reviewed in this post were given to me free of charge. I was under no obligation to post about them and received no compensation for doing so.

Mini Peanut Butter Apple Pies

September 15, 2011

Since I made the Hertzoggies a little while back, I’ve had mini-pies on my mind. Maybe it’s because pies are considered the trendy dessert right now. Maybe it’s because autumn makes me hungry for pies. Or maybe it’s just because I had some pie crust dough leftover in the freezer.

Regardless, on the drive home from work tonight, I was thinking of mini-pies. I also had some apples from a local orchard in the fridge threatening to go soft on me with every passing day.

Apples with peanut butter is one of my favorite snacks. Healthy snacks, that is. Given the opportunity, I’d take caramel, but one needs a little protein from time to time so let’s go with peanut butter.

It took me a while to figure out how to incorporate that into a pie that wasn’t also made with cream cheese and whipped cream, then I thought of the crumb topping. So I replaced the butter in the topping with natural peanut butter. Cold natural peanut butter, though, already opened and from the fridge which gives it a little more solid texture than taking it straight from a newly opened jar.

You can use any pie crust that is about 9-10 inches. I had leftover pie crust from the Hertzoggies because I only made a half batch. But the crust from Spiced Whole Grain Apple Pie would work well too.

Mini Peanut Butter Apple Pies

1, 9-inch pie crust
1 large apple, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 tsp white whole wheat flour
1 tsp mascavo sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon

Topping

2 tbsp old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tbsp white whole wheat flour
3 tbsp mascavo sugar
3 tbsp natural peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a standard muffin pan. With a biscuit cutter or glass, cut the crust into individual circles about 7 cm in diameter. Place the crusts in the muffin tin.

In a small bowl, combine the apple slices, flour, sugar and cinnamon. Toss to coat. Layer the apples in each of the crusts, filling just until the top edge of the crust.

In a mini-food processor, pulse the topping ingredients until they are combined and crumbly. Evenly divide the topping over each pie and press gently into the layer of apples.

Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool in the muffin tin for 5 to 10 minutes. Use a fork to gently remove the pies. Makes 8 mini-pies.

Food and Fellow Bloggers in Danville, Kentucky!

August 27, 2011

Picturesque; a term often overused yet I can think of few that better describe Danville, KY. Streets lined with manicured hanging flower baskets and old-fashioned store fronts. This small Kentucky city is full of history while managing to also be a trendy college town.

For the five years we lived in Lexington, I had always heard about Danville. I kept meaning to visit, but never took the opportunity. Once when we moved out of the city a little over ago, I got my land, my cattle farm view and my garden, but I also got Danville. Not bad timing either, especially for a foodie.

You see, Danville went wet just a little while back. If you are unfamiliar with small-town USA this means that they now allow alcohol to be served and sold in the area.

While going wet rarely brings the threat of people falling victim to a life of gambling and working the corners as many opponents fear, what it does bring with it are restaurants. Locally owned, locally sourced, unique restaurants.

Some of us in the area have begun the process of forming the Kentucky Food Bloggers Association. Word has been getting out and the Danville Boyle Co Convention & Visitors Bureau invited us to take a a food tour of the city, our first organized event as a group.

Nine bloggers from the central Kentucky area were in attendance. Cameras and notebooks in hand we tackled Danville one bite at a time.

Our first stop was the V the Market, a quaint shop offering everything from cheeses to wines and beers. You can get the rarest of imports as well as the varieties closest to home. Our host shared her interesting stories of how she sources her products and manages to get her hands on some of the rarest offerings in the area. Things like this blue goat cheese and Life & Limb crafted beer.

She worried she was boring us with her stories, but I could have sat on that couch and listened all night. Food, especially food this outstanding, is never boring to me whether you are eating it, hearing about it or taking photos of it.

Next was Mermaid’s Bar and Bistro. This little place is the perfect balance of modern and homey which was nicely represented by martinis sitting on the glowing bar right in front of the homemade meringue pie. We were served generous portions of Mermaid Punch which was followed by Porch Punch, both of which tasted like summer in a glass.

Soon after came a beautiful sampling of food. A prosciutto wrapped prawn, a portion of locally sourced tender steak and gently seared tuna with greens wrapped in a cucumber with a wasabi sauce.

Slowly starting to get full, but still in need of food to counteract the effects of all the punch, we walked down to 303 W of Danville. Bar food lovers, this is your place! This restaurant has the atmosphere of European pub meets US tavern. We were greeted with smiling faces as we marched in armed with DSLRs. We likely looked as if we were sniffing the air knowing that food was near.

We were greeted with a table full of appetizers. Pretzel sticks with pimento cheese, veggies with beer cheese, Wild Alaskan fish fingers, tortilla crusted pizza with spinach, artichokes and chicken, and two kinds of wings. We passed, we picked, we shared, and we got a bit of history about the location.

The most interesting to me was that the wood floors had been salvaged from Hamburg. Hamburg is an area in Lexington that is now full of strip malls, but it used to be a horse farm. The floors were from horse barns and likely had a few derby winners walk across them.

Bordering on “okay, now I’m starting to get really full,” we headed to the Bluegrass Pizza and Pub. Along with V the Market, this was the only place I had been to before, a couple times actually. The place itself isn’t our cup of dining-out tea, but that doesn’t take away from the pie. The pizza here is excellent and it has a lot to do with their crust – the ideal combination of crispy and chewy with just the right thickness.

This place is packed all the time and Thursday night was no exception. We were approached by several people who wanted to know who we were and why this crazy group was photographing their table.

We dined on the Mediterranean pizza with chicken, artichoke, olives and red onions. This was paired with bread sticks and a rich tomato sauce for dipping. And you can’t forget the cheese sticks! What is it about bread, cheese and garlic that is just so good?!

Now, officially full, we headed to the Beer Engine. One thing that has surprised me about Danville is that when they went wet, they went straight for the good stuff – microbrews and some of the most sought after craft beers around. V the Market, 303 W and Bluegrass Pizza all carry these types of beers. You can stop in for a pint or fill a growler (or two) to take home.

At the Beer Engine we were greeted with the kind of place where you just wanna hang out and perhaps discuss world issues over a pint. Or just drink a pint and discuss the masterpiece you have in hand. We got a unique tasting of some amazing beers and I didn’t get the names of all of them, but Dogfish Head Festina Peche and King George’s Nut Brown were part of the tasting. We also had a delicious stout and a honey beer. There were several in the group who did not drink, so the others of us who did took one for the team and made up for them.

Dinner, drinks…what else is there? If you didn’t just yell “dessert” at your computer I’m disappointed.

Yes, dessert!

All the dessert establishments were closed at the late hour our tour finished up, but they managed to host us without actually being open.

First, cupcakes from the Twisted Sifter.

Now I’ve visited this place a time or two and they are by far the best cupcakes I’ve had in the central KY area. (Did you hear that, Food Network? I’m talkin’ Cupcake War quality!) Not only that, but you can actually afford them more often than once a month which may or may not be a good thing. Our tasting flavors were Champagne and Pumpkin Spice. Speechless.

Burke’s Bakery is a Danville institution. I’m pretty sure I’ve never met anyone from Danville who hasn’t said something about Burkes upon answering the question, “Where are you from?” Burke’s is the epitome of an old fashioned bakery making the kind of cookies you used to get in Grandma’s kitchen. They gave us a bag of goodies including these cookies and one of their donuts. Did I mention they do all kinds of baked goods?

The cookies are small. Remember the kind we used to get when portion sizes were appropriate? This also means that a dozen will set you back a whopping $2.50 so when you visit be prepared to control yourself!

Dessert three. Yes, three and I’m not complaining. We got some gorgeous gift bags from Karamel Kreations. This place has holiday gifts written all over it for me. One of those – I could never make a caramel this good – places. I know that because there is a caramel missing from this picture. I felt it my obligation as a food blogger to try it before sharing it with you. You’re welcome.

I’d like to extend a special thank you to each of the staff from the Danville Boyle Co Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Danville Boyle Co Economic Development Partnership, and all the owners of the fine establishments we visited and tasted!

Danville – go, eat, drink, enjoy!

Disclaimer: All foods featured in this post were provided free of charge. I was not required to post about any food or establishment and received no compensation for doing so.

Poblano Cilantro Salsa

August 21, 2011

I enjoy canning salsa. What I don’t enjoy is spending hours chopping veggies into tiny pieces. Yes, I love to cook and one batch of salsa like this is fun, but six or seven? No thanks.

So this presented a bit of a problem. That was, until I started making Charred Tomato and Chile Salsa from Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff which I reviewed last year.

First of all, it tastes awesome – slightly sweet, but spicy. Second, there is no chopping! Well, very minimal chopping. The blender does all the work. As a result, after cooking you end up with a thick, but somewhat smooth salsa.

I’ve been making a lot of salsa this summer so I’ve had ample opportunity to experiment with the recipe by substituting peppers or adding herbs, all while keeping the important acidity the same.

As I mentioned earlier this summer, we planted 19 varieties of pepper plants. Some were just for fun and out of curiosity. Others were to help us learn exactly what we want to grow in the future, based on what I use most in the kitchen.

Poblanos are a keeper. This is the first year we’ve grown them and I’ve learned they have the perfect spiciness and cook well whether baked, broiled or grilled. So of course they had to make it into the salsa.

One of my favorite varieties this summer has been poblano and cilantro. As for tomatoes I’ve used heirlooms and San Marzanos, even mixed them here and there and all work out well.

This is great for a big party. Just cook it up, cool and serve, or if no such occasion is coming up, can it for later use.

Poblano Cilantro Salsa

Adapted from Charred Tomato and Chile Salsa, Canning for a New Generation

What you’ll need:
5 lbs. tomatoes, cored and halved
8 oz. Poblano peppers, halved, stems and seeds removed
2 oz. garlic cloves, peeled
1 lb. 6 oz. candy onions (or any sweet variety), peeled and quartered
½ cup cider vinegar (5% acidity)
1 tablespoon canning salt
2 tablespoon sugar
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped and loosely packed

How to make it:
Place the tomatoes cut side down on a baking sheet. With the broiler on high, broil for 10 minutes until the skins begin to blacken. Meanwhile on a separate baking sheet, place the peppers cut side down and spread out the garlic and onions into a single layer.

Remove the tomatoes from the broiler and set aside until cool enough to handle. Broil the peppers, garlic and onions for 10 minutes on high.

Remove the skins from the tomatoes and place in a blender. Add the peppers, garlic and onions. Work in batches if necessary, and pulse to finely chop all the veggies, but don’t puree completely. Pour the processed veggies into a large stock pot.

Add the vinegar, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil and boil, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped cilantro. Remove from heat, cool and serve. Store in the fridge and use within 3 days.

If canning, process in pints with a ½ inch headspace in a boiling water bath covering the jars by at least one inch. Process for 40 minutes. Makes 4 pints, maybe a little to spare depending on the type of tomatoes.

If you have questions about home-based microprocessing, the best resource around is the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia. Their FAQ page will likely answer any question you come up with.

Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Lori Rice unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out. This post contains affiliate links.

Thai Basil Pesto Orzo with Local Meatballs

August 15, 2011

When it comes to food, I do a lot of impulse buying. Although it’s not really food anymore, like, say, a candy bar in the check out aisle. No, now I guess you could call it ingredient impulse buying. Now it’s more like splurging on the chocolate bar I will later use in cookies.

Sometimes, though, I resist the temptation and I wait. This most often happens with things I know will be there a month or so later, especially meat.

Take these meatballs for example. I saw them at our local meat market well over 6 months ago. I wanted to try them, but decided to wait.

Every time I went they were there and every time I saw them I thought more about what I could do with them. Pasta, sure, but did I really need to buy them instead of making my own?

Turns out the answer to that is yes.

I finally picked up a small pack of these local, pastured meatballs that include a combination of beef, lamb and pork. They are spiced perfectly – a little garlic, a little parsley and a little of what I think was fennel seed.

They definitely needed a place to shine so I decided not to cover them in sauce. Instead, I combined them with a sauce in the raw, one that was more garden-fresh.

Despite the fact that my sweet basil is about to dry up, the Thai basil has been going strong. Now, I can’t say I like Thai basil as much as sweet, but it’s a nice substitute every now and then.

I used it in my standard walnut pesto and then topped the dish with some of the gorgeous red cherry tomatoes we’ve been fortunate enough to have most of the summer. They are juicy and sweet and just pop in your mouth, they are so fresh.

Thai Basil Pesto Orzo

1 cup packed Thai basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 to 4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ lb orzo, cooked to package directions
1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
½ lb meatballs, baked (optional)

In a small food processor, combine the basil, garlic, walnuts, cheese and 1 tbsp olive oil. Pulse until everything is finely chopped. Continue to pulse and the mixture will get slightly creamy due to the walnuts.

Continue to add olive oil to reach your desired consistency, whether you like it thick or thin. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook and drain the orzo. In a large bowl, combine the pesto and the orzo. Stir until all the orzo is coated. Transfer to a serving platter. Top with meat balls, if using, and cherry tomatoes. Serves 4-6.

Roasted Corn and Pepper Wheat Berry Salad

August 8, 2011

Fresh corn is finally here and lots of it! I’ve mentioned before that I feel a bit sorry for fresh corn. It often gets a bad rap for being turned into corn syrup and invading our food supply, and it’s almost always categorized as a dreaded starchy veggie. I think all of this causes us to overlook how truly wonderful a fresh ear in the middle of summer can be.

My quest this summer has been to avoid taking any seasonal fruit or veggie for granted and corn has been no exception. I bought 2 dozen ears a couple weeks back and froze half of it. The rest was roasted and skillet-fried for salads and fresh salsas.

Growing up my mom always made fried corn. It really wasn’t fried, just cooked in a skillet with butter and green peppers. I loved corn prepared like this as much as eating a crisp, sweet ear on the cob.

Knowing how good it is from the skillet and knowing how much I like roasted vegetables, I just had to turn on the oven in the heat of summer to roast some up.

I used a mix of peppers from our garden, both hot and sweet, but any variety would work. I added onion and some herbs as well.

This was one of those eat-the-entire-bowl kind of salads. So sweet from the fresh corn and just enough savory flavor from the roasting.

I wanted to make it into more of a meal so I added some cooked wheat berries which worked out really well. I actually enjoyed the salad both warm and cold. Both versions tasted equally as good.

Roasted Corn and Pepper Wheat Berry Salad

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

What you’ll need:
Kernels from 2 ears fresh sweet corn
2 Poblano peppers, cored and chopped
2 Anaheim peppers, cored and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, cored and chopped
2 Pinata peppers, cored and chopped (these are similar to jalapenos)
2 sweet banana peppers, cored and chopped
½ medium sweet onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon each finely chopped fresh herbs – basil, thyme, rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooked wheat berries

How to make it:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place all veggies on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with the herbs and olive oil. Turn the veggies to coat them with the oil.

Roast for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Veggies should begin to brown slightly and soften.

Remove from the oven and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the wheat berries. Serve warm or cold.

Heirloom Tomatoes and Cantaloupe

July 30, 2011

After consuming unspeakable amounts of pork, chips, scones and stout in Ireland, this past week was full of cold grain salads, fruits and vegetables. I was back to my kitchen and garden, and not only was I craving some lighter foods, but what was left of the garden needed to be used up.

Things are dry and hot and we’ve lost several plants, but there are still some things hanging on. Mainly peppers and cherry tomatoes, and the other tomatoes are very slowly beginning to ripen.

Alma Paprika Peppers

The last of the Patty Pan, Merlot Peppers, Bell Peppers, Poblano Peppers and San Marzano Tomatoes

I’ve also been taking advantage of the great deals being offered by producers around here. This week I picked up white and golden peaches, an outstanding cantaloupe and lots of sweet corn.

So before I continue with more from Ireland (I still have 2 more posts) I thought some recipe posts were in order. Or at least, foods I’m making in my kitchen. I say that because this fresh salad really has no recipe.

We finally got two Mr. Stripey tomatoes from the garden this week. I’m so excited because they are by far my favorite. Since I’ve seen plenty of recipes that use watermelon with tomatoes, I thought maybe my Mr. Stripey would go well with the cantaloupe. If nothing else, I knew the color would be gorgeous.

Turns out that the flavor combination is pretty awesome as well. Just slice up an heirloom, thinly slice some super sweet cantaloupe, add a little sea salt and pepper and then top it with a little basil if desired (I used Thai basil).