It's Hot and Humid-Must be Time For Canning!

Today it was about as hot and humid as it has been this summer and the rest of the week is supposed to be a dripping treat too.  So, that got me to thinking...it must be time to do some canning.  One rule of canning is that it must be in the 90's with humidity levels above 80% or don't bother, you won't be able to complain enough about why you have to can in the heat and humidity of the summer :)  Oh, and most important, you cannot cheat and do this in an air conditioned home--you've got to sweat it out in an 80 year old home with no air conditioning of any kind.  Thank goodness the neighbors have a pool...maybe I can jump in during processing times to cool off.

So tomorrow morning I'm off to the farmer's market to see if I can find about 30 lbs of shelled peas to blanch and freeze.  It's always nice to get the kitchen good and steamy before beginning any canning projects.  Next I'll can about 10 lbs of pickles and maybe some hot peppers if there's enough available at the market to can.

Nuts you say?  Why yes, I am!  Nuts for fresh, local and all-year-round, so this time of year I suffer a little in order to enjoy during the lean local months of winter.  And I smile every time I open the freezer or go to the pantry in February during a massive snowstorm to fetch some of the great local food I stored during the heat of summer.

Give it a try...pick your favorite thing and even if you just preserve a little for the fall or winter, see how easy it is and how proud you are to be eating local out of your own freezer or pantry.  Need tips or advice?  There's tons on the web, particularly at University Extension websites.  Or, shoot me a comment or e-mail and I'll be happy to give you pointers.

Just don't miss out on all the fun now that it's "hotter than blazes", as my parents say.

Stuffed squash blossoms

Photo by Lisa Lathrop © DoubLeL Photography

Stuffed squash blossoms…ever tried them? You’re in for a treat!

Served regularly in Europe and Mexico, squash blossoms have a flavor reminiscent to the squash itself. The most common variety for cooking are the pumpkin blossoms, although any squash blossom will do. You can use either the female or the male blossom, and you want to be sure to remove the stamen before stuffing or you’ll have a very bitter flavor to the blossom that will turn you off forever to the entire idea.

Select extremely fresh blossoms that are tight and stand tall. They don’t have a long shelf life, so plan to prepare them within a couple of hours of purchasing them at market. Take a trip or two around the market to be sure you are getting the freshest blossoms…if not, you’re sure to throw some out because they’re wilting and unusable.

Photo by Lisa Lathrop © DoubLeL Photography

To prepare the blossoms, trim the stem just at the base of the flower and remove the stamen from inside. It may be helpful to have a tweezers or needle nose plyers to remove the stamen, as some blossoms may be difficult to get into with just your fingers.

Next prepare a batter for the blossoms using the following:
1 cup flour
½ cup cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk or beer
Mix until blended smoothly and chill in refrigerator until ready to use

Stuff blossoms with soft cheese of your choice, using only ½ tsp per blossom then twisting top to seal and place on sheet pan.  Pick up one of the small batch soft artisnal cheeses at market and try that for your stuffing.

Photo by Lisa Lathrop © DoubLeL Photography

Heat ½ inch canola oil, safflower oil or sunflower oil in large sauté pan or wok until heated to 375° or just until a small piece of bread dropped in oil browns quickly.
Dip blossoms in batter and then gently place in oil, being careful to only place as many blossoms as will fit comfortably in bottom of pan at one time. Fry for approx 3 min, turning halfway through. If you have a candy/deep fry thermometer, try to adjust the heat so that the temperature stays about 375° during frying. Remove with slotted spoon and rest on paper towels to drain excess oil. Fry remaining blossoms, drain and sprinkle lightly with salt before serving.

Photo by Lisa Lathrop © DoubLeL Photography

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Beet Salad

Beets are readily available at all the markets and it's time for Beet Salad!

While dining recently at Bunky's Cafe we had a fresh beet salad that was so fantastic even my beet hating husband has turned a new leaf. It's not really that he hates beets, he just wouldn't normally choose to eat them. I, on the other hand, will eat beets in any way, shape or form I can get them.

When visiting the local markets this week, pick up some of the delicious salad greens and some fresh, local beets, cucumbers, onions and tomatoes, and if you get the chance, some great local feta to make a quick and easy summer salad for a hot day.

For quick salad preparation, steam the beets in advance until fork tender, then peel and chill in refrigerator until ready to use. Dice or slice as you like. Peel, de-seed and slice cucumber and toss lightly with salt and place in a strainer while you prepare the rest of the salad. Slice or dice the tomatoes and crumble the feta. Rinse, spin and tear the greens into bite-sized pieces, then toss with a light vinaigrette with rice wine vinegar and local sunflower oil with some fresh herbs, salt and pepper. Portion out the greens onto salad plates, then top with beets, cucumber, tomato and feta. Serve with some fresh baked bread and a little summer sangria and you've got quite a treat for brunch, lunch or dinner.

Oh, and don't throw out the beet tops...the greens work great in soups, salads, stir fry or anywhere else you normally use greens. They have that sweet, wonderful beet-like flavor and are quite a treat.

Enjoy!

Tequila Mojito

Check out my recipe for a Tequila Mojito on examiner.com

YIKES! Greens, greens, and yet more greens

I love this time of year, but some weeks it feels a little overwhelming as our Community Supported Agriculture share from JenEhr Family Farm is bursting with fresh summer goodies. Our refrigerator was packed full of veggies today before I picked up a very full cooler more. So, after working all day at Sub-Zero and then all night at Delaney's I came home and used the new electric pressure cooker--a godsend--to make up some spicy pork and greens with Cottage Bacon from Willow Creek Farm and beet greens and swiss chard. I sauteed some onions with the smoky bacon in a little canola oil, then added some white wine, Frank's hot sauce, water, salt and the greens until it filled the pressure cooker. I cooked them down on warm until they were safely below the Fill line then steamed them for 5 minutes, tasted them, added more hot sauce, stirred and steamed for 5 more minutes. Voila, fini.

Next I sliced up several huge scallions and froze them because they're coming out our ears. Over the winter I'll add them to stir fry, soups, stews etc.

Then I steamed sugar snap peas, the last asparagus of the season and the first broccoli.

I've still got a huge bunch of carrots, a gigantic napa cabbage, the first yellow beans of the season and some kohlrabi and radishes to deal with, but I think I can now fit the rest into the fridge.

Tomorrow I'll make pesto with sorrel, mizuna and basil along with about a dozen scapes still waiting to be used. I'll freeze the pesto for use on pizzas in salads or on pasta over the winter.

I wish there was a way to save all the awesome salad greens for the sparse time during January and February, but since there isn't we'll just have to eat a few more salads this week or make some wraps with shrimp, rice and chilis. Yum!

What I love best about the CSA is I never know what's coming until we get it each week and then I get to be creative about what to use now, what to save for later and how to use the things I've never seen before.

A rarity for Wisconsin, the tomatoes are starting to ripen, so we'll be having lots of tomato salads with balsamic vinegar, mozzarella and basil, or with quinoa, cucumbers, parsley, cilantro and feta, or Margherita pizzas for dinner with fresh green salad. I can't wait to make salsa. We ran out way too early last winter because of the poor year for tomatoes so this year I'll be making loads and enjoying every sweaty minute while they process knowing we'll enjoy the heat of local salsa in the cold months of winter.

Besides, when I'm done processing I can go jump in the neighbors pool to cool off :)

Fresh Peach Galette

It's time for Michigan Peaches, chin drippin' and just begging to be turned into something scrumptious.  Michigan peaches are one of the few things we eat that go beyond our 100 mile locavore diet.  I'm not sure why they grow so many there and almost none here, but I'm sure glad they're in season.  The first one I enjoyed just ripe and juicy all by itself.  I could have sat down and eaten all the rest, one right after the other, but my father always warned me about Gluttony.  So I thought about something that Tim could enjoy for breakfast and decided on a peach galette with a new "Blitz Puff Pastry" recipe I came across on a podcast on Culinary Media Network from Chef Mark Tafoya (6/25/10 podcast).  It's a super fast and easy way to make puff pastry and turned out some beautious galette in addition to some other savory treats I'll save for a later post.  The galette sounds fancy and difficult, but it's really more of a county style pastry that doesn't have to be perfect looking to be pleasing to the eye and the taste buds as well.

Blitz Puff Pastry Ingredients:

1 lb all purpose flour

or

1/2 lb pastry flour and 1/2 lb bread flour

1 lb unsalted butter

1/4 oz kosher salt or sea salt

1 cup ice water

In a mixing bowl for your electric mixer place flour and salt.  Cut butter into tablespoon sized chunks and place in bowl with flour mixture.  Place bowl and paddle in refrigerator for 15-30 minutes

Mix on low speed until butter is incorporated into flour and about the size of a walnut.

Add the icewater and mix no more than 1 minute more, just until dough comes together.

Place dough onto floured work surface and shape into a rectange.  Roll out until about the size of a 1/2 sheet pan. 

Fold into thirds like a letter (single fold).

Turn 90°

Roll out again until the size of a 1/2 sheet pan.

Make a double fold this time, folding both ends to the center and then folding together. 

Turn 90°

Roll out twice more, once in a single fold and the second time in a double fold, turning 90° between.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before use.

Can be refrigerated for 2-3 days or frozen.

When ready to use, it is best to cut into quarters and roll out 1/4 at a time, keeping the remainder refrigerated so the butter doesn't soften too much.

Roll out on a floured surface to about 1/8" thickness and cut into desired shapes to fill.

For the galette I cut them into squares, put a tablespoon or so of filling in the center, wet the edges and then folded together from the points to the center. 

Bake at 400° for 15-30 minutes, depending upon the size of the pastry and the amount of filling.

For Peach Galette Filling:

8 fresh peaches

1/2  cup sugar

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp corn starch

3 tbsp port wine (optional, but not necessary)

Place in saucepan and cook until thickened and peaches are soft and pliable.  Filling may be made ahead and stored in refrigerator until ready to use.

This recipe could be done with any fresh fruit that is in season.  In fact...I just picked some raspberries today and I'm thinking maybe some balsamic vinegar and rosemary might be a fun combination for those.

If you try either the pastry or the fruit filling, let me know how they go and how you used them.

Happy eating!

Squash Blossoms and berries, berries and cherries!

At market this week expect to find squash blossoms, more than just pretty flowers...edible and delicious too!  You'll also find the end of most of the strawberries, loads of raspberries, maybe some blueberries and the beginning of Door County Cherries. 
I became enamoured with squash blossoms a few years ago when a friend described how deliciously they are prepared in Italy and now I eagerly await squash blossom season. 


Here's a simple recipe to try:
http://www.strauscom.com/farmfresh/ffsblos.html
 
While you're at the market be sure to pick up some of the last of the main season strawberries and fresh raspberries and maybe even blueberries for a great summer crumble.  I've heard the sweet Door County Cherries will be showing up shortly as well.  The pie cherries are still a couple of weeks away.  It's supposed to be gorgeous on Saturday so get out to your favorite market and pick up some treats for the holiday weekend!
 
OOH, I almost forgot...I tried something new this year....strawberry infused vodka.  It's only been marinating for a couple of weeks, but I snuck a taste the other night and it is scrumptious....slightly sweet, definitely pink and seems like it will go well with sparkling water and lime or maybe mint when the time comes.