Pork Roll Salad

Fruit of the Fungi mushroom powder adds such a great depth of flavor to this dish! Although I used my frozen onions and peppers, this will be fantastic when these are fresh, in fact I would use cipollini caramelized and cooled to mix in with the pork! You could easily serve this on fresh young spinach, or your favorite mixed green salad.

1 lb Wintegrass ground pork
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
4 tbsp Fruit of the Fungi mushroom powder
4 oz Jones Family Farm Cream Cheese, room temperature
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c chopped peppers
12 sheets of Phyllo dough
3 tbsp melted Kriemhild Butter
poppy seeds -optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper;set aside.

In a large skillet add 2 tbsp olive oil over med heat. Add in onion/peppers. Saute for 7-8 minutes or until lightly golden. Allow to cool.

In a large bowl mix together the ground pork, cinnamon, cumin, salt, pepper, mushroom powder, cream cheese and onion/pepper mix. Combine well and set aside.

On a counter top place one sheet of phyllo (make sure to keep remaining sheets covered). Brush with melted butter. Place another phyllo on top and brush with butter, repeat until you have 4 sheets stack, but do not butter the top sheet.

Divide the meat mixture into 3rds. Evenly place one 3rd over the phyllo sheet and form a log , running even with the long side. Leave a 1" border. Fold the long 1" border over meat roll, then fold in both ends and roll to close. Place on the prepared baking sheet, brush with butter and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Repeat this process to form 2 more rolls.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until the phyllo is golden and flaky. Allow to cool slightly, then cut each log into 6 sections.

Toss salad greens of choice with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and s/p to taste. Place 3 cut pork pieces on top of each plated salad.

Orange Yogurt Cookie

A great use of the flavorful Maple Hill Creamery Orange yogurt! Using the 60% cocoa chips really plays well with the orange.

1/2 c raw sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c Kriemhild butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c Maple Hill Creamery Orange Yogurt
1 c Whole Wheat Pastry flour
3/4 c AP unbleached flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 c rolled oats
3/4 c dark chocolate chips (at least 60% cocoa)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt and oats

In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla. Add in yogurt, then add in dry ingredients. Scrap bowl well to incorporate dry with wet. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by teaspoon onto prepared baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. Cool for 1 minute on baking sheets, then remove to a cooling rack. (makes about 4 dz)

Lamb Kabob Salad

This may seem like it just has to much flavor going, but trust me each ingredient has a important role that it plays. They combine well together as well as sing out on their own! The Maple Hill Creamery orange yogurt adds such a wonderfully touch of orange and of course it is a great marinade!

KABOBS:

1 lb package of Sweetgrass Lamb Kabobs
1/2 c Maple Hill Creamery Orange yogurt
2 tbsp dried mint
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/8-1/4 cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cardamom seed (or 1/4 ground cardamom)
1 tbsp olive oil

DRESSING:

4 dried Turkish Figs
1/2 c Maple Hill Creamery Orange yogurt
1/2 c Sweetgrass Bacon ends, diced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp finely chopped fresh Rosemary
s/p

Sour dough bread (about 1/2 of a small loaf)
1 bag Gaia's Breath Spring Mesclin Mix

In a large bowl whisk together the yogurt, mint, cumin, cayenne, coriander, cardamom and oil. Stir in lamb cubes to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hrs but over night is even better.

Bring the lamb to room temperature for at least 1 hour before grilling.

Cut stem off of figs, and place in a bowl, then cover with boiling water. Let stand for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve the soaking liquid.

Meanwhile, in large skillet render the bacon ends until crisp. Cut bread into about 1" cubes. When bacon is done, remove with a slotted spoon to paper towel to drain. Add the garlic slice to the fat and carefully fry until golden 1-3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon to paper towel to drain.

Carefully add the bread cubes into the garlic infused bacon fat. Over medium/high heat fry until golden turning to crisp all sides. Place cubes in a bowl and sprinkle with a liberal amount of fresh ground black pepper, toss to coat well.

Finely chop the figs and place in a small bowl. Add in the yogurt and rosemary. Finely chop the toasted garlic and add to the yogurt/fig dressing. Season with salt, lightly. Let stand while lamb cooks.

Heat grill to high heat. Skewer the lamb evenly over for skewers. Place on grill, should be a nice sizzle sound. Lower heat to med. Cook for about 4 minutes per side, or until charred nicely golden brown.  (Don;t move them too soon, or they will stick to the grill.)

Meanwhile, place the mesclin mix in a large bowl, pour dressing over and toss to coat well. Spread out onto a large platter (or divide among 4 plates). Sprinkle with bacon pieces and toasted bread cubes. Place lamb kabob on top.

Asparagus Frittata

This is another great brunch addition or as a dinner during a busy week. When I serve this in a brunch I leave right in the cast iron pan, just slice and let the company help themselves. I like mine more at a room temperature served with a salad that has been simply dressed with lemon and olive oil.

1 lb of asparagus (fresh will be nice soon!!, but I used the last of my frozen from Russia Corners last yr)
1 c chopped pepper (Old Path from last year)
1 c cubed red potatoes (I preserved from The Farm B/B last year)
1 1/2 c Mountain View Dairy Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 c Sweetgrass Bacon ends, diced
8 eggs (The Farm, JFF, Wintergrass,Sweetgrass)
s/p

Over medium heat in a 10" cast iron pan, render the bacon ends until crispy. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon to paper towels; set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Add in potato cubes in to bacon fat, fry over medium heat until crispy and just tender when pierced with a knife. Add in the pepper and asparagus, toss and heat until just heated through, about 5-7 minutes. Spread evenly across pan.

Meanwhile, beat eggs in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese over asparagus/potato mix, then pour beaten eggs over. Gently stir to combine and get the egg to the bottom. Let cook for 5 minutes.

Carefully place in oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the egg is puffy and golden.

Veal Tenderlion with Wild Rice

These steaks from Gaia's Breath would be the perfect choice to serve someone who has never had veal before! Tender, succulent and flavorful beyond anything you can imagine.

1 pkg Gaia's Breath Veal Tenderloin steaks
s/p

Wild Rice:
1 c chopped onion, (I had a pkg of mixed onion that I put together last summer from The Farm, Old Path)
2 tbsp Kriemhild Butter
2 c stock (I used a veggie stock)
1 tsp rubbed sage
1 tsp dried thyme
1 pkg Fruit of the Fungi Shiitake
1 c boiling water
1 pkg Winter Sun Edamame

Preheat oven to350 degrees F.

Soak mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain, then slice mushrooms. Blanch edamame for 2 minutes in simmering water, remove to a ice water bath to stop the cooking. Remove the peas and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat saute onions in butter, until soft and lightly colored. Add in rice, sage and thyme, stirring to coat rice and let cook for 10 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning.

Lightly butter a 1 1/2 qt casserole dish. Pour rice mixture into casserole dish then add in stock. Cover with lid or foil. Bake for 1 hr. Remove dish from oven and stir in mushrooms and edamame. Return dish to oven uncovered and continue to cook for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes.

After adding the mushroom/peas to rice preheat grill on high heat. Season each steak well with salt and pepper. Grill over med heat 5-6 minutes per side for med/rare (longer if you want done more).
Remove to a platter and let rest for about 10 minutes.