Eating local in January...

Living in Michigan, eating locally grown vegetables can be a challenge in winter.  Thankfully, our area has some ingenious growers and life is tasty even in the snowing months!  I've stock piled a few veggies and fruits myself (root cellar) as well as a freezer full of vegetables, jams and herbs.  I've been contemplating throwing some lettuce leaves into an old copper fish poacher on my windowsill...5 day micro greens!

It's a good thing our family loves root vegetables!  Any which way is fine with us, but roasting is the preference.

 

This is a combination of Hubbard squash, red potatoes, parsnips, carrots, turnips, onions and thyme.  All local.

ROASTED VEGETABLES

Root vegetables, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Thyme, ground coriander 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place vegetables in a shallow pan and drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  I love ground coriander and add about a teaspoon to a 9X13 size pan and stir together.  I throw in a few sprigs of thyme, but you can feel free to use rosemary or oregano.  I always add a few extra veggies so on a weekday night I can make this:

Winter Vegetable Soup

3 Tablespoons Butter
1 ½ cups thinly sliced onions
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced parsnip
1 cup diced turnips
½ cup diced celery-preferably with leaves
1 cup thinly sliced cabbage (I used brussel sprouts)
1 Tablespoon fresh, minced ginger root
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 clove minced garlic
13-14 ounce can Coconut Milk
2 cups chicken broth-more as needed
3 cups diced Butternut squash (about 2 lbs.)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Over medium heat, melt butter and add onions, carrot, parsnip, turnips and celery, stir occasionally until soft, about 8 minutes.  Stir in cabbage, ginger, thyme, garlic, salt & pepper and sauté until cabbage softens.

If you would like to garnish your soup with coconut cream, do not shake can and reserve ¼ cup when opening.  Add coconut milk, broth and squash, scraping up any brown bits.  Reduce heat to low, cover and let barely simmer for 20 minutes until squash is tender.

Puree with immersion blender or traditional blender, adding more broth until desired consistency.  For a smoother soup, pour thru mesh strainer.  Season to taste.  Garnish with reserved cream and croutons.

BLUE CHEESE CROUTONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Oil baking sheet with EVOO.  Spread about a tablespoon blue cheese of choice on a ¼ inch slice of good quality bread.  Bake 10-15 minutes or until browned on bottom and cheese is bubbly.  Let cool and cut into ½ inch pieces.

I simply replace all the root vegetables it calls for and add the cabbage!  It's an awesome soup with the coconut milk but does need a bit of bite, therefore the blue cheese croutons!   

Enjoy!

   

Farmers Market Jackpot

Today's visit to the Main Street Farmers Market in Blissfield yielded such a beautiful supper and still life I had to share it here! I like nothing better than to purchase beautiful things and if I can eat them...all the better!

John and Jamie are a bit under the weather, so some Local Chicken Noodle Soup was on the menu for tonight. Everything that went into my pot came from Lenawee County Michigan, the place we call home.

The concept that my " neighbors"
hard work, made my supper possible is always a bit awe inspiring to me.

You've already made the best chicken soup for your family, you don't need my recipe.

Feel free to send a comment if you really want the recipe!

FOOD SHOW; September 22, 2010

2nd Annual Food Show is here! September 22, 2010 6-9pm Open House style at The Boulevard Market

If you didn't make it to last year's Food Show, no worries...it's BACK! We came up with this idea last year to bring our customers and local producers together for an evening of sampling and discussing production of foods. It's designed much like the food shows we attend all over the country! I love the idea of bringing producers and buyers together to give each better understanding. Who better than to talk about passions and production, concerns and obstacles, sustainability and future, than the producer themselves?

We also open our upper floor, Inn On Evans, for the evening. Our importers fill it up with imported delicacies like cheese, olive oil, chocolate, wine and more! These folks are all experts in their own rights and know their producers and farmers too!

All this for the bargain price of $5 per person! You'll get a nifty list of all our producers and their goods that you sampled, for future reference too! Hope you can make it!

Tasting at The Boulevard Market July 24

Occasionally I get a bug to try out new recipes on my customers! I hope that they enjoy, I know I enjoy feeding them! This past Saturday was no exception. Michigan has been ridiculously hot this summer and I needed some dishes that required absolutely NO indoor cooking! Fun, local, seasonal fare that's FULL of flavor and interesting to eat. I hope you enjoy as much as I have!

WATERMELON SALAD

1 small watermelon, rind removed, seeded and sliced
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 lb. Bleu Affine cheese

3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar (I used our Boulevard Market bottled one!)
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used Mas Portell brand from Spain)
Salt and pepper

Toss to combine watermelon, onion and bleu affine cheese. In a small bowl combine vinegar and lemon juice. With a whisk, add olive oil in a thin drizzle, constantly whisking until emulsified. Salt and pepper to taste.

I laid my fruit and cheese out on a large platter and drizzled with the dressing. Magnificent!


Halloumi & Sweet Corn Salad

3 large ears of sweet corn, blanched and cut from cob
4 ounces Piqullo peppers, sliced (These are Spanish peppers that have been roasted and peeled)
1 package Halloumi cheese, approx. 8 ounces

2 Tablespoons fresh chives
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper

Grill Halloumi over high heat until browned and crispy. Combine cheese, peppers and corn.

In food processor, pulse chives and oil until pureed.

Drizzle Chive Oil over vegetables and toss to coat. Salt and pepper to taste.

I only used about 1/2 of the chive oil recipe on my dish and saved the rest to use on chicken!

Grilled Zucchini in Seasoned Butter and Fresh Chevre

2 Small Zucchini cut 1/3 inch thick on a bias

1/4 cup Four Corners Creamery Cultured Butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon fresh, minced Chives
salt & pepper to taste

6 ounces Four Corners Creamery Fresh Goat Cheese, crumbled

In a small bowl, combine herbs and butter until well mixed.

Brush zucchini with olive oil and place on grill grates over high heat. Grill about 5 minutes per side until a bit softened and lightly browned. Toss with butter and sprinkle with goat cheese. Serve warm.


Grilled Camembert with Blueberry Compote

8 Ounce Le Chatelain Camembert
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Heat grill over high heat. Brush cheese rind with olive oil. Grill cheese for 5 minutes on one side, flip and grill additional 4 minutes. Grill any longer and you run the risk of the rind splitting and cheese leaking out! (Been there, done that!)

2 cups fresh Blueberries
1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1 tablespoon corn starch

Put all ingredients in a small sauce pan and cook over medium low heat until fruit has softened and sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve hot or cold over warm Camembert or serve with hot or cold meats.

I am the first to admit I can be the queen of substitutions. You can always use what you have or like, however, because of the simplicity of these salads, exceptional ingredients are a must! I made the corn salad with fresh roasted red peppers and it was good....but the smoky, rich, piquillo peppers made it great! Enjoy!

Grange Kitchen & Bar

John and I and a couple friends had the pleasure of eating at Grange Kitchen & Bar on Friday night. Grange is owned by Chef Brandon Johns and is a restaurant specializing in local food. We are so honored they have chosen to use Four Corners Creamery for their cheeses! About 90% of their ingredients are sourced locally and it isn't unusual to see Chef Brandon at a Farmers Market picking up his orders! While eating local is a trend that has many restaurants claiming they buy local...Grange actually does it! (We love integrity!) Everything from the decor to the service to the food was fabulous! I had (pictured above) the grilled pork loin with a cauliflower pale ale cream, fried baby brussel sprouts and fried pork confit! It was amazing! You can check out details for Grange at www.Grangekitchenandbar.com. Enjoy!

Pie Social at The Market

Last night was our 1st Annual Pie Social at The Boulevard Market. We had a great time meeting new people and sampling great pies! Each attendee brought a pie and copies of their recipes to share! I will be posting some of the recipes in the future as they were all great and unique...it's nice to have something new in my repertoire of recipes! Thanks so much to all who joined us! I am always so grateful that Tecumseh is such a wonderful community to live, work (EAT) and play in!

New Potaotes

New Potatoes
Late summer is my favorite time of year for local produce and easy meals! These small yukon gold potatoes make a great side dish and are creamy and comforting! I love how they can look elegant or casual, be suited to your taste depending upon the herbs and go well with anything! You could also use red skin potatoes. I love the fact I don't have to peel potatoes and it's said to add more vitamins, which may or may not be true...I'm sticking to it! You can adjust the recipe amounts to fit your serving needs and they taste just as fabulous cool or fried the next day!

Clean potatoes and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks and boil for 12 minutes. Drain and toss with:
3 tablespoons REAL butter
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs (rosemary, summer savory, basil)

Toss, serve and Enjoy!