Soup of the Week: Cannellini Tomato (0.55/pp serves 10)

Don't let this soup fool you into thinking it isn't filling. Slightly thick and the simple flavors really satisfy. Again, this recipe shows off the fantastic local produce, that we all took the time to preserve.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and some crusty bread.

16 oz of dried cannellini beans, soak over night and drained
1 qt turkey stock (preferably your own made from Sweetgrass backs)
2 c water
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed (Russia Corners or The Farm)
1 sprig of rosemary
1 qt whole heirloom tomatoes
s/p


Place the beans in a large stock pot with stock, water, garlic and rosemary. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour, or until beans are tender. Remove rosemary sprig.

Add in heirloom tomatoes. Stir to combine. Using a immersion blender, puree until smooth. (or use a blender and do in batches). Season with salt and pepper to taste, heat through.

Soup of the week: Greek Lentil (Faki Soupa) $0.85/pp serves 10

This soup is a great example of why it is important to use good, locally grown produce! With very little for ingredients you must depend on the flavor that only local quality can provide. As with every recipe that has history, there many ways that each family would make this soup. Some use carrots instead of celery, some don't add tomato at all. This my favorite version, traditionaly it calls for red wine vinegar, but I like what the balsamic brings to the table. I serve some hot sauce, crumbled feta and of course Psomi Bread, a dense crusty Greek bread.

1 16 oz pkg of lentils
8 oz of  crushed tomato (use some of those great heirlooms you canned)
1/2 c  extra virgin olive oil
2 onions (I used The Farm B/B red) diced
2 The Farm B/B celery stalks, finely diced (or use 2 carrots)
2 garlic cloves, minced (Russia Corners or The Farm)
10 c cold water
s/p
1/4 balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar or even just red wine)

Rinse and pick over the lentils, set aside.

In a large stock pot heat enough oil to cover the bottom of pan. Saute onion, celery and garlic until soft, about 5-7 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes and remaining oil. Stir to combine. Add the lentils and water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, covered. Simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Stirring often and adding water if needed.

When the lentils are cooked through, stir in vinegar. Adjust seasoning and serve hot.

Crazy Cummin Cheese Crackers

I call them crazy, because when I used a pizza cutter to cut  the dough, I couldn't keep a good straight line! So crazy it is! I really enjoy the cumin cheese from Dutch Girl. I make a black bean/raisin bread that I make grilled cheese. It is delish! These crackers go great with the Chick pea and potato soup. Or just as a snack!

1/2 c Whole wheat flour
1/2 c unbleached AP flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
4 Tbsp Kriemhild Butter, cold and cut into cubes
1/4 lb Dutch Girl Cumin cheese, grated
4-6 tbsp cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place flours, salt, pepper and grated cheese into a food processor. Add in butter, and pulse 7-8 times. With processor running, add in water a tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms a ball.

Roll dough out between to sheets of parchment paper, about 1/8" thick. Once the dough is rolled out, remove top sheet of parchment and slide the dough sheet onto a large baking sheet pan. Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, cut into desired sizes (avoid very small ones, so they don't burn).

Prick holes, using a fork, all across the the dough.

Sprinkle with kosher salt or sea salt.

Bake for 20-ish minutes (rotate tray half way through baking time). Or until lightly golden and slightly crisp.

Allow to cool on sheet for 1-2 minutes. Then remove crackers to a cooling rack. (they will crisp more as they cool.) Break along cut lines. Store in a air tight container.

Soup of the Week: Chick pea and Potato ($1.60/pp 8-10 servings)

The addition of the HN4Y lemon/garlic hummus, is key to this soup! Take in account the time for preparing the dried chick peas. Or like me, every week I cook up a batch of dried beans, the kind changes all the time, but I have them on hand. (will last about 5 days in the refrigerator, or you can freeze them for up to 3 months). Dried beans are better, then canned ones. They are more cost effect, you control the amount of salt, none of that slimmy - whatever- that stuff is and they stand up better to reheat, less likely to get mushy.

4 c cooked chick peas
1 onion, diced (choose your favorite, from Old Path or The Farm)
4 c The Farm B/B german potatoes, cut into 1" cubes (I leave the peel on)
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground corriander
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or none)
1 8 oz container of HN4Y Lemon garlic hummus, room temperature
3 tbsp olive oil
4 c chicken stock
8 c water

In a large stock pot heat oil over medium heat. Add in onion and saute for about 7 minutes. Stir in chick peas. Sprinkle turmeric, salt, cumin, corriander and cayenne stir to coat peas and onion. Let cook for 1-2 minutes. Add in potatoes, stock and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Let cook for 1-1 1/2 hours or until potatoes are just fork tender. Thin the hummus with about 1/4 c of water. Slow drizzle and stir into soup. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes, don't let it boil.

Serve with cumin cheese crackers.

Winter Squash Buns

Admittedly, I do have a sweet tooth, so I am always revamping so many of my recipes that I have had for years. This one, even to my surprise I must admit, turned out exceptional. The use of the maple syrup in place of reg.white sugar, actually lends a tenderness to the dough. I know many stay away from sugar, but when I want something sweet, it will be something that satisfies me. Sweets, like this or any other, should be savored, be a treat not a meal. When my days get crazy, I take the time, to treat myself. Maybe a cup of tea and one roll, I make myself really linger, slowly chew and taste all the flavors. Better then any power nap! Can use pumpkin, acorn, butternut or even a  Hubbard as I did!

2 1/4 tsp yeast (1 packet)
1/2 c milk
1/2 c Mill Hollow Maple syrup, grade B
1 Egg (JFF, The Farm, Sweetgrass, Mountain View or Wintergrass) room temperature & lightly beaten
1 c of squash puree, room temperature
1 tbs Kriemhild butter, melted
4-5 c  unbleached white whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cardamom

FILLING:
8 oz Kriemhild butter, softened
2/3 c raw sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves

MAKE THE DOUGH:

Heat milk and syrup to about 110 degrees F. Pour into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over and stir to dissolve. Let stand for about 5 minutes.

Whisk together the cinnamon, ginger and cardamom into 1 c of flour.

Add in puree, egg, and butter. Blend together well. Add in spiced flour and 1 c flour. Knead with machine for about 5-7 adding in flour until the dough clings to hook and the side of bowl is fairly clean.

Turn dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a towel. Set in a warm place for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. (I put mine on top of my refrigerator or in the oven with the light on). While dough is rising make filling.

FILLING:

In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, raw sugar, brown sugar and spices until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Line a 17x13" baking sheet. Set aside

When the dough has rested, roll out on a lightly floured work surface to approximately 12"x16". (the 12" edge facing you)  Using an off-set spatula spread the filling to within 1" of the edge of dough. Tightly roll up dough. (squeezing together occasionally), tuck in ends. (Mine ended up rolling out to 15", so I trimmed of 1/2" from each end to make it 14").Using a serrated knife cut into 1" sections. Place on prepared sheet, cover with a towel. Let rest for about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake rolls for 25-30 minutes. Remove from sheet pan to a cooling rack. Let cool for 10 minutes, then drizzle with your favorite glaze. (mine was just powdered sugar and milk). Enjoy!!

Rendering Lard and Tallow

I have been rendering lard and tallow for a bit now. For me, both are worth the effort and time. Neither one is particularly difficult to do, but they do require time. (and time is based on the amount you are rendering).

I use my Lard for pie crust, biscuits, popovers, home fries and such things. I have had many tell me that they use their lard for deep frying as well, yup you guessed it, I will be trying that too.
The Tallow I use for deep frying, so far. I will be trying my hand at Mincemeat pie this year, and I am not talking about the stuff from the store. I have done research on the old fashion traditional way of making it. The steps for rendering for lard and tallow are the same for the most part.

I will start will lard: Thaw the lard overnight in your refrigerator. It should still slightly frozen. Using a very sharp knife, cut into about 1" cubes (or the best you can) the smaller the faster it will render.

Place in a large stock pot. For every pound of fat, add 1/8 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Take the time to stir often so that the lard doesn't burn on the bottom of pan.

As the lard cooks down, the liquid will become a light golden color. You can use a slotted spoon to remove the pieces of crisp lard. Drain on a paper towel, and enjoy your cracklings. I use mine to make dog treats. I guesstimated that for each pound of lard, I yield about 1 pint rendered fat. Strain the liquid through a cheesecloth lined sieve, into jars. You will see that the lard turns to a white color as it cools. It will also remain soft (softer the tallow), so you have no worries about what type of jar you store the lard in. Store in refrigerator, for indefinitely.

Now the tallow, I leave the suet frozen, but place on the counter, oh about an hour before I will start to chop it. If you have a meat grinder, you could easily use that to grind into small pieces. My tallow I do in a turkey deep fryer, there is scent of suet that is not pleasant for me. Chop as you did the lard, add in the water and simmer away. Now I do not want to scare you away from rendering suet.(oh I think I scared Shulamis...my bad) Some people, say they don't notice the scent, some do. You don't need a turkey deep fryer, you can render suet down in a slow cooker, or stove top and even in the oven. The process is the same for each, time changes for each. If you choose the oven option, the best temp is 325 degrees F. The suet will not run the risk of burning like lard, it is much more forgiving there.

The liquid will also become golden in color. When the pieces have given all the can, strain through a cheesecloth lined sieve, into a heat-proof bowl. The tallow becomes harder as it cools, so I find it easier to cool in a large bowl, then cut into chunks and store in a bag.

Occasionally tallow may need to "cleaned" after it has hardened. Fortunately (or unfortunately) mine did not need it. (of course I would liked to have shown a picture of what it would like) Once the tallow has cooled, I refrigerate it over night. The next day, you will invert the bowl over (I do this over a large cutting board) and there may be some water and sediment. The tallow will eventually slide out, and then you can, using a sharp knife, scrap off any sediment.

It will split very easily into pieces, using a sharp pointed knife to cut. Store in bags in refrigerator or freeze. When you deep fry, it will smell like a lovely beef roast cooking in your house. After each use, strain through a cheese cloth, to remove impurities, tallow can last a lifetime. (repeat the last step of rendering).

Lard and Tallow have beaten up pretty badly for many many years now. And this, after research, is very disturbing to me. Would you be surprised to learn that most of the "bad" info around these fats, were never based on studies, and if a study was done it did not give all the information accurately or  the study wasn't done properly. Both fats are extremely stable, 400 degree smoke point, tallow if properly cleaned after each use, never goes rancid. Lard will not go rancid if properly stored. So not really a money maker there, which may explain why veg oil companies campaigned to give it a bad name. Food for thought...

Now if the use of animal fat has decreased on average 40% over the last 80 years, and if they, as it has been stated, were a major contributor to CHD (coronary heart disease), why have CHD increased in deaths, by 40-60%? Pre 1920 CHD was so rare that when the electrocardiograph was invented, they literally had to look high and low for people to use this machine on, which detects blockage in the heart. Yes CHD was a rarity, until over processed foods, margarine, veg. oils were introduced.

One study that had subjects go on a low fat, low cholesteral diet and quite smoking and the other half did not, actually showed that the cholesteral levels were only marginally effected. But the group that was on the "good"diet actually had a increased death rate of other conditions (stroke and cancer). One study also showed that the over health of the "high" fat diet was far better then the "low" fat diet. Prehaps due to good qualities of animal fat?? Common sense tells me yes. Can it be bad if you over indulge? Yes but so can spinach...too many greens can raise you potassium level. So I say this everything can be good and everything can be bad, but common sense tells me I benefit from natural vs chemical.

Animal fat (saturated fat) is important and helps carry vitamins A, D, E and K through the system. It also converts carotene to Vitamin A and aids in mineral absorption. Animal fat also contains CLA (conjugated Linoleric Acid) which has been proven effective in fighting all three stages of cancer(initiation, promotion and metasis). Most anti-cancer agents only block one. It is important for skeletal growth, animal fat helps incorporate calcium into bones properly. As it also helps the body retain Omega 3, it is vital to the immune system. This is why it is worth it to me to render both suet and leaf lard.

The first time I used tallow to make chips, I was amazed by how little fat was left behind on the paper towel. When I used other oil, there would be lots left behind, and I noticed that things like doughnuts became soggy. It was a pleasure when I used the tallow and they did not!

I do hope if you render either lard or tallow, you drop a comment and let me know what you think :)

Leek Soup ($2.53/pp serving 10-12)

This is a version of a Scottish leek soup. Traditionally it is called Cock-a-Leekie soup. And as with many nationalities, there are a few different ways it is done. My friend tells me true tradition would have used the "cock" or as we know it rooster, in place of the chicken. Some add barley or rice. The shank (they used a beef shin) is also optional and some add all the chopped chicken or just a little back in. Every week in this weather, I make a large pot of some type of soup, soup is very cost effective, a great way to use leftovers and to have meal ready at anytime.

1 Sweetgrass stewing hen
1 Sunnybrook beef soup bone (you could use any shank you prefer)
1 lg Old Path yellow onion, diced
6 c The Farm B/B leeks, separated in 4 c and 2 c
2 oz Scottish whiskey
1 c prunes
1/2 lb  Bacon (Wintergrass or Sweetgrass), chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp dried thyme or tarragon
2 1/2 qt of water
s/p

In a large stock pot, saute up the chopped bacon over medium heat. When the bacon is crispy, remove with a slotted spoon to a platter; set aside. Saute 4 c leeks and onion for about7 minutes or until soft. 
Add in herbs, whiskey, brown sugar, bacon, shank, stew hen and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, covered.

Skim off any scum that may rise to the surface and allow the soup to simmer for about 2 hours.

Remove shank and hen. Allow to cool enough to handle. Remove shank meat from bone and finely chop meat, return to pot. Remove skin from hen, and finely chop the meat, return to pot. Quarter the prunes, stir into pot. Finely chop remaining leeks and add to stock, season with s/p. (if you are adding rice or barley, do so now) Let soup simmer another 20 minutes (rice or barley will cook in this time).

Serve with crusty bread.