The Strawberries are Here!

The very first strawberries of the season are here. Yipee!

Last year on one of my visits to JenEhr Farm to pick up theCSA the crew was planting strawberry plants. Farmer Paul happened to mention to me that they had extras and I gladly volunteered to take some off his hands for my garden, and my neighbor Ben's garden too, it turned out there were a lot of plants in the bag Paul gave me. Sadly after they gave those away to us and we had already planted them in our yards, the floods of 2008 came and washed away many of the plants at JenEhr and they lost an entire bed of strawberry plants to the rain.

So, we've been eagerly awaiting the appearance of the first berries this season. Ben's kids even had a bet as to when the first ripe berry would appear. Yesterday while I was on the porch reading the Wednesday New York Times Dining Section, along comes Ben with a grin and a handful of freshly picked strawberries from his yard. You forget how good they are, the first precious ones picked at the perfection of ripeness and sweet and juicy, and especially from your own garden. I restrained myself and saved two for Tim, which wasn't easy...if he'd been 5 minutes later coming home from work they'd have been gone :)

The plants in our yard still have all green berries on them, but they'll be here soon, so dust off your canning jars and dig out your shortcake recipes. Summer is officially here!

Mighty Morels

Oh, the mighty morel! A sight to behold amongst the forest floor. We went in search of morels yesterday, not really believing we would find any, and just after photographing an interesting bunch of mushrooms on a log, lo and behold...there it was...and there were more!

We only found them in this one spot in the woods, but we found 1/2 pound, and at today's rate of $40 per pound, that's good enough for me!

So we took them home, dusted them off and sauteed them in butter. Springtime Savory Goodness!

Ginger Miso Marinated Salmon

So I'm all about getting more Omega 3 fats in my diet, which can be challenging at times, especially since I'm not real fond of salmon, one of the foods highest in Omega 3 fats. Recently I've been trying some new recipes to see how I can incorporate salmon 1-2 times per week into my cooking repertoire. Since I'm not eating much in the way of meats, I'm always looking for other protein sources besides beans and eggs.
I also won't eat fish which is caught or raised in ways harmful to the environment or to us. So wild caught Alaskan salmon is on my list of good sources of Omega 3.
If you've read back far enough in my blog you know that I started Miso last June and it is just now 6 weeks from its 1-year maturity. I have, however been eating the Miso on a regular basis since the 3-month point, which has been great because I can truly notice the changes as the Miso matures and ferments further. Anyway...long story short...I've been making soups, marinades and vinaigrettes from the Miso for several months and tonight I made one of my best recipes yet:
Ginger Miso Marinated Salmon.
I bought 1/2 pound of beautious wild Alaskan salmon at the Seafood Center at the Willy Street Coop and took it home and marinated it for about 30 minutes in the following:
2 tbsp brown rice Miso
2 tbsp ginger
2 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon-lime juice (I squeeze my own fresh and keep it in the fridge)
2 tbsp Tamari (soy sauce)
2 tbsp Agave extract (all natural sugar substitute)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
After marinating the salmon I poured the remaining marinade into a sauce pan and reduced it down while the salmon cooked for about 5-7 minutes on the grill.
I also grilled fresh asparagus drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with lemon zest and seasoned with coarse sea salt.
I served these with a side of wild rice, a slice of lemon, and drizzled the salmon with the reduced sauce.
OK, I am now a salmon convert. This was fantastic! Maybe it was because the fish was incredibly fresh, having been flown in today, or maybe I just hit upon a new weekly dish--healthy, low calorie, high in fiber and protein and best of all YUMMY!

Asparagus Hummus

YEAH! It's asparagus season in southern Wisconsin...my absolute favorite time of year, because in addition to asparagus there are Morels too!
I missed the first two outdoor farmer's markets first because of meetings and second because of visiting our new granddaughter, Isabel Maria, who is adorable and I'll post photos soon.
Anyway, I finally made it to the Dane County Farmer's Market on Saturday morning about 7:30 am and was pleasantly surprised to find asparagus. I actually didn't expect it for a week or two...mine hasn't even poked through the soil yet, but one farmer said he brought 40 pounds and that was already gone by 7:30...I suspect perhaps Tory Miller from L'Etoile was there bright and early preparing for his day in the kitchen, and I don't blame him one bit.
Anyway I made something unusual and fun...Asparagus Hummus...and here's the recipe:
1 lb fresh steamed asparagus-al dente
1 can garbanzo beans
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp tahini
approx 3 tbsp olive oil...or enough for the consistency you like best
salt to taste
Mix everything in the food processor until smooth.
Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Serve with homemade or store bought whole wheat pita bread.
Everyone loved it, and guess what...Protein and veggies--yummy!

Check out my article in Madison Originals Magazine

Check out the article I wrote for Madison Originals Magazine about the Aldo Leopold Nature Center- pg 13 (click on the title of this post to go there)

Blueberry Cream Cheese Puff Pastry

Obviously I'm on a bit of a puff pastry kick...well, actually anything with dough is good...

So here's what I did with the other sheet of puff pastry that I had kept in the freezer after I made the lamb puff pastry. Thawed the pastry for about 35 minutes, rolled it out, cut it into three pieces and then laid it on a lined baking sheet and baked it for 20 minutes at 400°. Then, I took 8 oz of softened cream cheese, mixed it with 1/4 cup sugar and spread that on two of the sections of puff pastry and topped that with a handful of blueberries on each. I then layered the puff pastry one atop the other, finishing with the untopped section, which I basted with egg wash and then sprinkled a little sugar on top. I then baked it for an additional 20 minutes at 400°.

Yummy!

Lamb and Asparagus Puff Pastry

Last week I made a leg of lamb and wanted to do something fun with the yummy leftovers. I came up with this:

I took a sheet of puff pastry dough, rolled it out, diced about 1 cup of meat and spread that down the middle of the puff pastry, topped that with about 3/4 cup blanched asparagus, topped that with crumbled French style feta cheese from Capri Farm, drizzled that with a little extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled some Herbs de Provence on top, then folded over the pastry and the ends, placed it seam down on a greased sheet pan and slashed the top diagonally a few times. I baked it at 400° for about 40 minutes and voila...a beautiful dinner from leftovers.