WHEN THE CAT'S AWAY.....

we definitely played.  My dad whisked away my eldest son for a few days, and so my husband and I have been leisurely accomplishing things we never seem to manage to with two kids around.  I harvested some nettle from the garden and made homemade pasta. Seriously good served with a filet of salmon in a balsamic mustard glaze.  I said, "Honey, you know what they say....the way to man's heart is through his stomach....".  A great way to say I love you. 

FRESH NETTLE PASTA with Fresh Tomatoes and Blue Cheese

The idea for using fresh tomatoes and blue cheese came from Hugh Fearnsley-Whittingstall's cookbook Three Good Things.  

1 1/2 cups unbleached organic white flour 

2 cups organic light spelt flour

3 organic eggs, beat lightly

1/2 tsp sea salt

6 cups fresh nettle 

Method: Wash the nettle to remove grit.  Remove leaves from woody stems and place in a pot with 1/4 cup of water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce, steaming until tender - about 4-5 mins.  Drain well and allow to cool.  Be sure to squeeze out excess moisture.  Chop finely.  

In the bowl of a stand mixer add the flour, salt, eggs and nettle.  With the paddle, stir for 1 minute on #2.  Switch to hook and mix for a couple of minutes.  Add more flour if necessary.  Then knead by hand for a couple of minutes.  Allow to rest in a covered bowl for 30 mins.  

     Use a pasta machine to make pasta.

SAUCE:  2 tubs of cherry tomatoes, quartered

1-2 cloves of garlic, sliced

sea salt and pepper

good olive oil

nice wedge of European blue cheese

Method:  Combine all ingredients and allow to macerate for at least 30 mins.  When pasta is cooked, toss with the tomatoes and then crumble on the blue cheese.  Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.  Stir lightly and serve.

SALMON with Balsamic Mustard Glaze

1 nice wild salmon fillet

4 cloves organic garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp organic white wine

1 Tbsp local honey or maple syrup

1/3 cup organic balsamic vinegar

4 tsp organic Dijon mustard

sea salt and pepper to taste

fresh organic oregano, chopped

Method: Preheat oven to 400*.  In a small saucepan combine the garlic, wine, honey, vinegar, and mustard.  Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 5 minutes or until it starts to thicken.  Allow to cool and then brush the salmon with half the glaze and sprinkle with chopped oregano.  Bake in oven for 10-15 mins.  Reglaze halfway through cooking time.

BABY LEEKS AND ASPARAGUS

It will be a couple of years before the asparagus seeds I planted result in any edible spears.  Until then I anticipate the harvest and hope that there are at least a couple of bunches of fresh asparagus left at the market by the time I get there in the morning.  Thankfully today there was, along with some lovely baby leeks.

ROASTED BABY LEEKS AND ASPARAGUS

1 bunch organic baby leeks

1 bunch organic asparagus

2 cloves organic garlic, sliced

2 sprigs of organic fresh thyme

healthy drizzle of organic e.v olive oil

conservative drizzle of organic red wine vinegar

sea salt

organic fresh ground pepper

Method:  Preheat oven to 400*.  Remove the tough ends from the asparagus and put in a large bowl.  Wash the leek and then trim both ends of the leeks and then remove one or two of the tough layers from the outsides.  Bring a small pot of salted water to boil.  When ready, remove the pot from the stove and then immerse leeks in the hot water for 3 minutes to blanch.  Remove from the water and drain very well.  Once drained, add the leek to the pot and sprinkle in the fresh thyme, garlic slices, some sea salt and pepper.  Drizzle with the oil and vinegar.  Toss gently to coat in oil.  Spread the vegetables in one layer in a pan, and pour any remaining marinade from the bowl on top.  Broil in the oven for about 10 minutes, watching carefully that the leeks don't burn.

Print Recipe Here

SPRING SALADS

Weekly trips to the Farmer's Market this time of year always include a stop at the booths laden with fresh salad greens.  Good thing many farmers around here have hoophouses or we'd be in big trouble considering all the snow and cold weather we've been having on the East Coast.  To keep things exciting on the dinner table, I try to make new salad dressings every once in a while.  This creamy, savoury Miso-Tahini Dressing is a definite keeper.

MISO-TAHINI SALAD DRESSING

1/4 cup organic tahini

1/4 cup water

3 Tbsp fresh organic lemon juice

2 Tbsp organic white miso paste

1/2 tsp organic sweet paprika

1 tsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp sea salt

Method:  Put all ingredients in a blender and mix until creamy.

The salad featured in the photos is a mesclun blend with carrot shavings, sunflower seeds, purple sauerkraut, sunflower sprouts, and feta cheese.

EARLY MORNING MUFFINS

Grains are getting a bad rap lately.  Gluten free diets are all the rage.  People are starting to eat like our paleolithic ancestors and either eliminating grains altogether, or reducing their consumption drastically.  Over here we tend to travel the middle path and practice conscious consumption of our most favorite of carbohydrates.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, this also means we tend to prepare our grains in ways that makes them healthier and easier for our bodies to digest.  One of my favorite ways to do this is with sourdough culture.  Every couple of weeks I make a batch of sourdough bread for sandwiches and toast, and I feel better knowing that I am transforming ordinary flour into a more nutritious food - lower glycemic index, less gluten, phytic acid free.  

     The amazing thing is, you can pretty much make everything with sourdough culture - pancakes, crepes, hot cross buns, pizza dough, biscuits, and today's favourite, MUFFINS!  We made a batch of these the other day with blueberries and bananas, so I figured we try it out with apples and cinnamon.  My new favourite muffin recipe.  Adapted from the Cultures for Health recipe.

SOURDOUGH APPLE AND CINNAMON MUFFINS

2 cups organic spelt flour (I used half whole grain, half light)

1/2 cup sourdough culture (can be inactive straight from the fridge)

1 cup organic whole milk, preferably unhomogenized or pasteurized

1/2 cup maple syrup or honey

3/4 tsp sea salt

2 organic eggs, beaten

1/4 cup melted organic coconut oil or butter

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder, aluminum and GMO free

1 organic apple, peeled and diced

1 1/2 tsp organic ground cinnamon

1/2 cup organic walnuts, chopped

Method: The night before you want to bake the muffins, combine the flour, starter and milk until just combined.  Cover and leave on the kitchen counter to ferment for 7-12 hours.  The next morning preheat oven to 425*.  Combine the maple syrup, salt, and eggs in a bowl.  Beat until combined.  Sprinkle cinnamon, baking soda and powder evenly over fermented dough.  Pour in the liquid mixture, apples, and oil and mix well to combine.  The dough may be a bit stretchier than you are used to.  

Once all the ingredients are mixed in well, divide into 12 muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

These muffins store really well and even taste good the next day, unlike some of the muffins I've made.  

FORAGED FEAST

     I've felt quite like a bee these days, frolicking in the fields, zig zagging my way round the farm from flower to flower.  It's summer, and the hot sunny days have been the perfect time to collect the wildflowers and herbs that grow on our land.  Once back into the house (which is a cool shady respite from the blazing sun), the herbs are then hung to dry or steeped in vodka, olive oil or apple cider vinegar for various herbal preparations.  The dehydrator has also been getting a workout drying the lovely red clover blossoms that grow in abundance this time of year.  It is such a joy to see my house transformed into an herbal production site - bunches of herbs dangling from the ceiling, sunny window sills and dark cupboards lined with jars of steeping herbs.  There is nothing more rewarding than going outside with an empty basket, and coming back with so many wild herbs.  Mother nature is so great, and provides so much.  There are so many wild plants growing here - and so many more that I can't wait to learn to identify.  

     One plant that I learned about recently is Lamb's Quarters - otherwise known as Wild Spinach.  This plant grows so abundantly in gardens, that most people recognize it as the weed they are always getting rid of.  After having our field plowed this Spring and then planted with Red Clover as a green manure, I was delighted to discover Lamb's Quarters growing, well, like weeds, all over the field.  They especially grow well in the huge pile of composted manure we have up in the corner of the field.  I have been harvesting baskets and baskets of this nutritious plant all week in an effort to stock our freezer full of it for the coming winter.  

     When my husband arrived home last night with a huge container of feta cheese which my mother bought for us, I was inspired to make a pan of Spanakopita with the wild greens.  Lamb's Quarters are a far superior green for this dish for a number of reasons: they taste better, have less water and so yield much more once steamed, and they are free.  What more can you ask for?

     A while back my mother shared her recipe for Greek Spanakotiropita which is the one I always use, only this time I substituted wild Lamb's Quarters for the chard and spinach.  Once you try homemade filo dough, you will never want to use the store bought stuff again.

30 Days of Real Meals- #6 and #7 Whoops!

Sorry about missing a day there!  It just totally skipped my mind that I wanted to post for day #6.  Some relatives were coming over to visit so I figured it was a good a time as any to whip up another batch of turkey stock with the leftover bird waiting patiently in the freezer.  I made a big pot of Turkey-Vegetable Soup and served with some nice bread, brie, smoked mackerel, and olives.  For dessert we enjoyed one of our favourites - Apple Crisp.  Great family, delicious food.

I just have to warn you, I made this without measuring anything, and I was also cooking for 9 people, so allow your intuition to guide you with this one.

TURKEY VEGETABLE SOUP

1 large organic onion, chopped

1 Tbsp organic coconut oil

4 cloves organic garlic, minced

2 organic carrots, chopped

1/4 organic butternut squash, peeled and chopped

1/2 organic rutabaga, peeled and chopped

2 organic celery, chopped

1 cup cooked organic swiss chard, chopped

2 cups chopped organic string beans

1/2 bottle organic pasta sauce

2 cups cooked organic turkey or chicken pieces

sea salt and pepper

kelp flakes

organic bay leaf

organic turkey or chicken stock

Method:  Saute the onion, carrots, celery, squash, and rutabaga in a large soup pot in the coconut oil over medium heat until soft.  Pour in enough stock to make the soup the consistency you like.  Add the rest of the ingredients and allow it to simmer for about an hour.  Serve seasoned with salt and pepper to taste.

APPLE CRANBERRY CRISP

8 organic cortland apples, peeled and sliced thinly

1/2 cup organic or wild cranberries

juice of 1/2 an organic lemon

5 tsp organic ground cinnamon, divided

2 Tbsp sprouted organic spelt flour

water or organic apple juice

2 2/3 cups organic quick rolled oats

1 cup sprouted organic spelt flour

1 tsp sea salt

1 cup organic coconut sugar

1 cup organic unsalted butter

Method:  Preheat oven to 375*.  Toss the apples and cranberries with the lemon juice, 2 tsp cinnamon, and 4 Tbsp spelt flour. Place them into a 9"X 13" baking dish, and pour in just enough apple juice or water to cover the bottom of the pan.

     Mix the oats, 1 cup flour, sea salt, sugar, and butter in the now empty bowl.  Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to combine the butter into the dry ingredients, until it forms a coarse meal. Press lightly onto the apples.  Bake for about 25 minutes or until apples are soft.    

Tonight I kept it simple by serving pasta.  One of my favorite methods for making pasta is adding whatever vegetables I have in the fridge right into the pot while the pasta is almost done cooking.  Tonight that included cauliflower, shredded carrot, and frozen green beans (remnants of our summer garden).  Add a can of wild salmon, drizzle with lots of extra virgin olive oil, salty butter, a bit of umeboshi vinegar, and lots of fresh garlic.  Oh, and of course, LOTS of grated fresh romano cheese.

30 Days of Real Meals- #5 Breakfast of Champions

We've been eating a lot more eggs since I've cut back on grains (not that you'd be able to tell that we've cut back since all my posts lately feature them!).  So, for breakfast I like to add a little flair to our plate by making crunchy salads.  I haven't gotten around to sprouting much these days, but luckily a vendor at the farmer's market sells lovely sunflower sprouts which we've really been enjoying lately.  Like this morning for instance, where I tossed them with (store bought) lacto-fermented turnips, carrot and avocado drizzled with a touch of umeboshi vinegar, flax, and olive oil.  Perfect next to a pair of our farm fresh eggs (thank goodness our young hens have begun to lay - it was hard to eat store bought eggs again).