Bisquick Spinach Bread - With A Few Changes

We all had a hankering for a nice bread recipe.  Cooler temperatures yesterday, and the stores bringing out their fall merchandise must have set us in a warm, fuzzy mood.  The kitchen is usually scented with baking vegetable, fruit and bread machine bread beginning in mid August, when the apples begin to ripen.  Some of my favorites include zucchini bread, cottage cheese dill bread, apple bread, and tomato-basil bread. 

Since it is still considered mid-summer despite the temperatures barely making 75 yesterday, I didn't want to worry too much about lots of work.  I looked through my bread books, went online, and couldn't find anything that seemed to be relatively quick.  Then I remembered a small pamplet style cookbook put out by Bisquick many years ago.  I went rifling through all my cookbooks and on the third look I finally found it. 

As I scanned the pages, it dropped open to a page with a recipe called Spinach-Cheese Bread.  I have made this many times before, and always thought it a bit salty, but my family always loved this bread.  So I knew the one thing I would be changing right off is instead of spinach I would be using swiss chard.  The chard has slowed down a lot in its growth compared to a few weeks ago, but there was definitely enough to get the amount I needed for the recipe. 

Some of the equipment I would recommend to make it easier to make the bread is a food processor.  It isn't necessary because the chard can be first cut into ribbons, then hand chopped, but the food processor does make the task a bit quicker. 

This particular bread is a wonderful summer bread if you follow the directions as Bisquick wrote them.  The bread doesn't take much to make and it doesn't keep the kitchen super hot for long periods of time.  First I will provide the Bisquick recipe for the cowards out there (only kidding.)  No processor required, and because you are playing with frozen vegetables, it is great to work with on a hot summer day. 

My one problem with the Bisquick recipe is that it does seem too salty.  I am salt sensitive and find the use of processed or canned products make the flavor too drying for my tastes.  However, when I bake this for the men in my life and the children, they all think it is awesome, and it gets eaten quite quickly, so it definitely will be a winner with any family. 

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Spinach-Cheese Bread by Bisquick

3 cups Bisquick baking mix
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon caraway seed
3 eggs
1 can (11 ounces) condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease loaf pan, 9 x 5 x 3 inches

Mix all ingredients except spinach until well blended.  Beat 1 minute; stir in spinach until well blended.  Pour into pan.

Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes.  Cool 20 minutes; remove from pan.

High altitude directions (3500 to 6500 feet)  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Stir 1/4 cup all purpose flour into baking mix.  Increase eggs to 4.  Decrease oil to 2 tblsp.  Bake 50 to 55 minutes.

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That is the quick and easy way to make this bread.  Since I had a problem with the flavor of the bread using the cheddar soup, I had to think of a way to get the soup without using the soup.  I decided on a nice cheddar white sauce mixed in instead of the soup.  Here is my more labor intensive bread, using fresh swiss chard instead of frozen spinach.  The time involved in making it my way is about 3 1/2 hours, which may be a bit much for one loaf of bread, but as I make it more often I will get quicker at it.  Of course, I also missed my original intention of finding a quick recipe that didn't take too much work.  But the work was well worth the result.

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Savory Swiss Chard-Cheese Bread

Ingredients:
3 cups Heart Smart Bisquick baking mix
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon dill seed
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 cup cheddar white sauce (recipe below)
10 ounces fresh chopped swiss chard, stems removed (about 2 cups)
1/4 to 1/3 cup feta cheese (your preference.  I did not measure, I just grabbed three handfuls and mixed in)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 5 x 3 inch bread pan. 

Swiss chard prep:  Cut away stems from chard.  I ususally cut about 1/2 inch above where stem attaches to leaf.  Stems can be kept for other recipes if you wish.  After removing leaf, using a scale measure about 10 ozs.    Once measured

wash leaves in a bowl of water.  Continue dumping and filling bowl with fresh water until you no longer see any grit in water.  Squeeze leaves to remove all excess water, then place in small batches in food processor and chop the leaves.  If you don't have a processor, then cut leaves into ribbons, then chop them.  This is probably the most lengthy part of the whole recipe.                                                                   

Once again measure the chopped leaves on a scale to get about 10 ozs.  Set aside. 

To make the cheese white sauce, grate 1 cup of cheddar cheese.  Set aside. 

Scald one cup of milk (heat just to before boil.  I use a microwave, and heat about 2 minutes.)  Set aside.

Place two tablespoons butter or margerine in stainless saucepan and melt on medium low.  Add two tablespoons unbleached flour, stirring to blend.  Always use a wooden spoon when making white sauce.  Do not cook too long or flour will burn.  The milk and flour will create a paste.  Slowly add scalded milk, stirring constantly.  Add some salt and pepper..

Continue stirring on medium low for about 10 or 15 minutes as sauce begins to thicken. You will feel the milk mixture get thicker as you stir. Once mixture is thickened to about the consistancy of a medium gravy, remove from heat. Stir in cheese. Continue stirring until smooth. If you have to place back on burner to melt, make sure burner is off. Set aside off of stove to cool.

As your cheese sauce cools, mix all other ingredients except the chard.  Beat for about a minute.  Add cheese sauce when it is just lukewarm.  Mix.  Add chard.  This is where your preference comes in.  When I measured the 10 ozs, as I was putting it into the bread mix, it seemed to be too much so I did not use all the chard.  I also did not measure how much I used, so I would say anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 cups. 

Place bread dough into bread pan, level it, and then bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, until long toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

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The bread was incredibly well textured, though it did come out a little high.  Perhaps reducing the eggs to 2 might decrease the height of the bread, but I did not mind that it was so high.  The first taste of this bread, and I knew I had finally done something right.  It is delicious, and the time spent making it just disappears as you take a second piece and then a third.  Love this bread.  It is definitely a keeper.

Leftover Steak - What can be done?

It was a busy day today.  The weeds have reached over the vegetables in some parts of the gardens, so they had to be tamed down.  We have gotten some showers in the past few days, which put everything into overdrive for growth.  Despite the drizzle today, I still had to go out to see what I could do for my poor veggies.  The weeding took perhaps 2 hours, and now the gardens actually look like a garden, rather than a scruffy patch of tall grass in the middle of the yard. 

Once the weeds were gone, I realized I had a huge area in my spring garden with absolutely nothing growing in it.  The peas are gone, the cauliflower is gone, much of the dill is gone, and my lettuce and french greens are gone.  I hate seeing garden space not being used, so after turning up the dirt and dressing it with Moo Doo, which is a composted manure for organic gardening,  I took a huge chance by planting Danvers Half Long Carrot seed and spinach seed.  Tomorrow I will take another chance and plant beets.  I am taking a chance because it is already July 24,  and it is a little late to try planting anything from seed in an area of Connecticut that has similar conditions as southern Maine.  Though we supposedly fall into zone 6 for hardiness, everything I plant is hardy to zone 5. 

It is cold around the marsh in the winter.  We have a constant breeze all summer long, and the winds in the winter howl like a train.  We do see temperatures at times to as low as  22 below zero.  So we may very well see a good frost in mid September, though carrots and beets should be able to weather at least a minor freeze.

So what does this all have to do with leftover steak?  In all honesty, the work today used every ounce of energy I had.  I did not think I could even cook, let alone be creative.  However, a hungry family must be fed no matter how one feels.  I wanted something easy, quick, and still with a little creative flow. 

Last night we had a marvelous dinner of N.Y strip steaks, and we had barbequed them over charcoal, brushing them with bourbon barbecue sauce (less the bourbon.)  We ended up with 4 strip steaks leftover.  I wondered what I could do with them.

After perusing my pantry, I spotted a box way in the back that may have been there for awhile, but I took it out anyway.  It was a box of Near East vermicelli with roasted garlic, parmesan, and olive oil.  It sounded like it might work with the steak.  We also had fresh yellow squash from the garden.  So I had the beginnings of a dish.  Putting it together was relatively easy, since I wasn't overly worried about herbs and spices for this night.

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Leftover Grilled Strip Steak with Vermicelli

Ingredients:
4 leftover grilled strip steaks, cut into bite size pieces
1 box Near East Vermicelli with roasted garlic and olive oil
red wine vinegar
chopped jalapeno pepper
yellow summer squash
butter or margerine
olive oil
chives
salt and pepper

Cook vermicelli according to directions.  (I am currently looking to create my own recipe for this vermicelli) 

Cut yellow squash into 1/4 inch circles.  Place in medium saucepan and cover with water, then cook on medium heat until tender.  Drain and add butter, salt and pepper.

Take your cut up steak, place on microwave safe dish, and shake on about a tablespoon of red wine vinegar.  Cook in microwave on power level 7 or 8 (roast) for about 4 minutes or until hot. 

I did not do it this time, but if I make this again I will be sure to keep some of the bourbon barbeque sauce to be used as a glaze on the plate before creating the finished dish.  Place vermicelli on dish, mix in cut steak, top with yellow squash, place about 1/2 tsp of chopped jalapeno pepper on squash, and garnish with a couple of pieces of thin chives. 

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The various flavors do not overwhelm each other.  I was a bit concerned since yellow squash tends to be very lightly flavored, but even with the jalapeno pepper, the delicate flavor of the squash is still detectable.  This dish will work as well without the pepper, but I always like a little spice with everything I eat, so chile peppers and their many varieties become my spice in most cases. 

The Pasta Wins Today - Quick and tasty penne pasta for a summer night

Well, it was a refreshing day today on the marsh.  While many in the state were experiencing oppressive air, we had a delightful breeze all day.  The day began with a watering of my summer garden.  I know the heat is moving in, and wanted to give the tomatoes and squash a little relief.  Fun, fun, fun as I played with the sprinkle system for about 1/2 hour to figure  out which direction it wanted to go in.

Next I decided it was time to pull up all my pea plants.  There have been fewer and fewer peas, and they were looking a bit yellow, so I thought it was time.  Of course, I scrutinized every plant before tossing it in the compost, and got quite a full basket of pea pods.  That left me with a decision of what to make for supper.  Most of the pods have gotten too starchy, and very chewy, but there were fully formed peas inside, so I split the pods and kept the peas.  That was my first ingredient for my decision on supper.

My cauliflower is now forming large heads, and one was totally ready to pick.  I could not come to a conclusion as to what I could do for a dish using cauliflower and peas, so I wrapped the cauliflower up after picking and decided it could wait for another day.

The basil has recuperated from its clipping last week.  The two jars of pesto from that trim are now gone, between my sisters family and me.  The pesto is on tap to be made tomorrow, but I haven't used the herb much in dishes yet, so I wondered how basil would taste with peas.  My mind started calculating ingredients once again.

My sister dropped a bunch of pickling cucumbers off from her garden, and mine are still very behind in growth, so they had to be done up in something today as well.  My day was filling up with tasks, but being a workaholic, I thrilled at the prospect. 

When things begin to pile up, you just have to get them done one thing at a time.  First order of business was the cucumbers.  My family are real dill pickle lovers, so we never can have enough to eat.  There is a recipe that all of us have been using for 25 years.  These pickles are the best tasting I have ever had.  Even people who hate dill pickles like this recipe.  It is easy, quick, and the flavor is amazing.  The only drawback is that the pickles lack that crispness that is enjoyed when biting into a brined and crocked pickle.  However, the ease of it makes up for that one shortcoming.

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Never Fail Dill Pickles

Ingredients:
20 pickling cucumbers ( I have discovered that cucumbers vary so much in size
                                       that sometimes you only need 4 or 5)
2 dill heads ( or a tblsp of dill seed)
2 medium cloves garlic (this is preference.  We love garlic so I use
                                        4 cloves of garlic)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar (the best is Heinz in glass bottles.  Plastic bottles
                                                  tend to have lots of floaters in the vinegar)
1 tblsp pickling or kosher salt (kosher salt is saltier tasting.  I get my pickling
                                                  salt at Agway)

Thoroughly scrub the cucumbers.  Even if it seems that a light brown spot may be just part of the color of the cucumber skin, I get rid of it.  I use a scrub brush and my fingernail to get rid of any brown discoloration.  Very important, because bacteria houses in dirt and crevices. 

Slice the unpeeled cucumbers lengthwise into halves.  Occasionally if the cucumber is really large, you might have to slice the halves into quarters. 

Fill 2 clean, dry, hot pint canning jars with cucumbers.  I don't use pints, I use wide mouth quart canning jars.  Tuck dill heads and a clove of garlic, split in half, into each jar.

Mix the water, vinegar, and salt and bring to a rapid boil.  Pour into jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the rims.  Seal with canning lids.  For pints, process in boiling hot water bath for 5 minutes.  For quarts process for 15 minutes. 

 A word about hot water boiling bath.  Start timing after the water is back to boiling after putting jars in.  If you are using a glass or ceramic top stove, make sure your canner is flat bottomed.  I use a large stock pot, not a canner, and my rack is actually a circular metal  cooling cake rack.

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The cucumbers are now done, and I decide the day is too beautiful to be stuck inside an air conditioned kitchen, so I take a walk.  My eyes always scan the roadsides for berries, but today there are none to be found.  The seckle pear tree along my route is producing a lot of pears, but today is not the day to pick them.  I walk the trail to the marsh, walk around it, then head back home. 

 Refreshed, I am ready to set my sites on supper.  I have one very small zucchini squash that is beginning to turn yellow on the blossom end, so I pick it.  It is barely the size of a pickling cucumber but if I don't pick it the entire squash will turn yellow.  So what can I do with peas, a small zucchini squash and basil?  Well, there is always pasta.  So after scanning to see what kind I had, I settled on a box of penne pasta.  Here is the recipe I came up with for a side dish for supper.

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Waste Not Want Not Penne Pasta
Serves 3

Ingredients:
1/2 Box of penne pasta
1/3 cup fresh peas
1 mini zucchini squash
1/2 medium onion
your favorite ready made alfredo sauce (I used Classico Four cheese)
several basil leaves
Smart Balance original spread
garlic
Fresh parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
chopped pimento











Slice zucchini into circles, then cut circles into quarters.  Chop onion, but not too small.  Place peas, zuccini, and onion in microwave safe dish and add just enough water to fill bottom of dish.  Cook on high for about 6 minutes.  Set aside. 

Cook pasta accoring to directions.  Drain.  Toss garlic butter into pasta.  Heat up the alfredo sauce.  Want to make your own?  Make this simple 5 minute microwave alfredo sauce.

You know that vegetable dish you microwaved?  Well, add about 2 tblsp Smart Balance, and reheat in microwave for about a minute, just until butter is melted.

Chop basil leaves into small pieces, and chop pimento.  Keep an unchopped basil sprig for each dish.  To serve your pasta, first layer pasta in dish.  Top with 1/3 of the vegetables.  Spoon alfredo sauce on top of pasta/vegetables.  Grate parmesan cheese on top of sauce, then sprinkle some of the chopped basil on the sauce.  Take pimento and add on top of everything.  Place a sprig of basil off to side.  You have a tasty and beautiful pasta dish.

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Our meat choice was boneless, skinless chicken tenders.  Now we have a very simple way to cook the chicken.  You need Kraft grated parmesan cheese, olive oil, and minced garlic.  Place oil in frypan, add garlic, start to heat to release garlic smell, then add tenders.  Shake on cheese, and cook at medium heat.  Keep turning over chicken and shake more cheese on when you turn.  When chicken is nicely browned, it is ready to eat.  Just make sure there is no pink in chicken, but it is usually not a problem when cooking tenders. 

Well that is it for now.  Have a great day.

Summer Canning - July 18, 2011

What is happening on the "farm" this week?  The harvest is ready to start canning.  Growing up in a farming family, canning was as much a part of our year as going back to school in September.  My father used to can pickles and tomatoes.  My grandfather lived with my uncle, and they used to go head to head to see who could get the best garden, and they both canned not only pickles, but beans, relishes, corn, just about anything they could grow. 

Every one of my relatives canned every year.  It is totally natural that I would follow along with the tradition.  The moment I moved into my house in Tolland, I thought about gardens and canning.  No more apartment living, and I took full advantage of that fact.   So every year I have canned something, and I have shared that love with many of my friends and acquaintances.  It  is great fun to be hanging over a hot stove cooking apple butter when you have somebody to do it with.   I choose that example because apple butter has to be one of the hottest dishes to can.  We would take turns stirring the butter over the heat, because when you make any kind of butter the cooking can go on for an hour or two, but it is worth every minute once you taste the apple butter, and have it on toast on a cold morning in January. 

So what am I canning this week?   We have cucumbers, dill, basil, and blueberries.  So that means it is time to can dill pickles, make a batch of pesto, and make spiced blueberry jam.  My dad remembers fondly the spiced blueberry jam he would get from my aunt in Cushman, MA.  Growing up on our hill in Ellington, CT., we had numerous wild blueberries, but never enough to make jam.  What do you expect.  We were kids that were sent out to pick the blueberries.  By the time we were done, many would fall out of carelessly held coffee cans.  If they did not fall out, they ended up in our bellies.  Three hours later we would come home with just enough blueberries to make one batch of blueberry muffins. 

We have remedied the problem of  blueberries by planting several high bush variety.  Admittedly, nothing is as tasty as wild blueberries, but the cultivated bushes do bring enough blueberries for several pies to freeze, lots of jam, plenty of breads and muffins, and some years even enough to make blueberry wine. 

Cucumbers and dill are never a problem.  Every year it seems we have too many of both.  I usually plant just the pickling cucumbers, because they are versatile and can be used in salads like the long cucumbers you buy in the store, with a crispness and small seeds.  I always start my pickle season with dill pickles.  I make bread and butter pickles later on.  There is something about homemade dill pickles that can't be beat.  I don't do brine pickles.  I do refrigerator pickles or canning by the jar. 

Of course, basil is an herb that produces a great deal of leaf throughout the season.  I am making pesto for now, but I am exploring other uses of basil in fruit dishes and things like that.  Pesto is a spread that I made for the first time last year.  I am sold on the stuff, and love every teaspoon that gets spread on crackers, toast, pasta, and meats such as chicken.  Here are the recipes I used this week.

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Spiced Blueberry Jam
Ingredients:
3 cups blueberries
1 tsp lemon juice
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 pouch liquid pectin


Remove stems from blueberries.  Crush them,
one layer at at ime.  Measure 2 1/4 cups, packed solidly.  Add water to make up amount.  Pour into saucepan.  Add lemon juice, sugar and spices; mix well.  Bring to a full rolling boil (a boil that can't be stirred down) and boil, stirring, for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and immediately stir in pectin.  Ladle into hot jelly jars.  Cover with lids, then process in boiling hot water bath for 5 minutes.  Makes about 4 8oz. jars  of jam. 

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Dill Pickles By The Quart

Ingredients:

1 quart (1 1/2 pounds) pickling cucumbers

1 clove of garlic, split in half

1 red hot pepper, dried (I used cayenne)

2 tblsps white vinegar

1 tblsp pickling salt

2 (or more) fresh dill heads

boiling water

Wash the cucumbers.  Slice a small piece from each end of the cucumber.  Prick two or three times in different places with the tines of a fork.  Pack cucumbers in a 1 quart canning jar (I always use wide mouth for dill pickles.)  Add the garlic, pepper, vinegar, salt and dill.  Cover with boiling water, seal with canning lid.  Store in the refrigerator.  Should be ready to eat in 2 or 3 weeks.  The longer you let the cucumbers pickle in the refrigerator, the stronger the flavor will be. 

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Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.
Yield: Makes 1 cup.

This recipe was provided by Simply Recipes

I have had advice from a top notch Italian cook who says that you can use about half the olive oil that most recipes call for.  Instead of using 1/2 cup, use about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of olive oil.  I also use fresh parmigian cheese.  If you would like to try a less expensive "nut" I have used roasted, unsalted soy nuts in my pesto.  It still tastes very good. 

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Recipe From Kalyn's Kitchem - Baked Swiss Chard Stems

I am still collecting an abundunce of swiss chard.  Today I will be freeaing the swiss chard, but the stems do not freeze well so I wanted to find a recipe using the stems. In my search, I stumbled upon another blogger, Kalyn's Kitchen. So here is a recipe using stems

Baked Swiss Chard Stems Recipe with Olive Oil and Parmesan

Last week I posted a great recipe for Swiss Chard and Mushroom Squares, and told everyone not to throw away their chard stems, since I'd spotted this recipe on Up a Creek without a PatL. Pat also introduced me to the book the recipe came from, Vegetables Every Day, without a doubt one of the best cookbooks I've ever owned. (Thanks again, Pat!) The cookbook version of Swiss Chard Stems with Butter and Parmesan was no doubt delicious, but I decided to substitute the butter for a slight misting of olive oil, and it still tasted wonderful. I think it would take as many as three bunches of chard to come up with the pound of chard stems the original recipe calls for, but I used the stems from one bunch of chard which made about two servings (or in my case, a whole dinner because I ate the entire thing at one sitting.) If you like chard but haven't stumbled on a good way to cook the stems, this is simple and delicious, and I love the idea that you're making a side dish out of something that might get thrown away.

I did share a lot of good information about swiss chard in the post last week, but in case you missed how nutritious chard is, it's something you should be eating every week. Plus, if you're a vegetable gardener, here's an expert's take on why you should be growing swiss chard. Swiss chard is also one of the most versatile ingredients you could ever ask for. I've noticed over the last few weeks that a lot of food bloggers are falling in love with swiss chard, so I thought I'd join the trend and use the same ingredient two weeks in a row for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Erin of The Skinny Gourmet. (She's currently living in Ghana which makes me so jealous I can hardly stand it.) Now here's how I made this fabulous side dish from chard stems, plus lots of other chard ideas from other bloggers.

Just a reminder of how to cut the chard leaves away from the stems. I think leaving a bit of leaf on the stem is fine; I actually liked the way it added some color to the stems.

I cut the stems on the diagonal, cutting each chard stem into 3 or 4 pieces, with each piece about three inches long.

Stems are parboiled in salted water, then misted with olive oil and sprinkled with coarsely grated parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes. Yum!

Baked Swiss Chard Stems with Olive Oil and Parmesan
(Makes 2 side dish servings, can be doubled. Recipe slightly adapted from Vegetables Every Day by Jack Bishop.)

1 bunch chard stems
1/4 tsp. salt
olive oil for spraying pan and chard
1/4 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese (I used Grana Padano from Costco, but any type of hard aged cheese would be good here.)
coarse ground black pepper to taste

Trim any discolored ends from chard stems, then cut stems on an angle into pieces about 3 inches long. If some stems are very thick, you may wish to cut them lengthwise so all pieces are approximately the same thickness.

Preheat oven to 400 F (or 375 F with convection.) Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt and chard stems and boil about 6 minutes. Let chard drain well.

Spray a non-stick baking dish with olive oil. Place chard in the pan and mist lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle with cheese. (If doubling the recipe, make two layers, misting each layer with oil and sprinkling with cheese.) Bake about 20 minutes, or until chard is softened and cheese is slightly browned on the edges. Season with fresh ground black pepper if desired and serve hot.

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Here is the link to the page with this recipe, as well as a  number of other recipes using swiss chard. 
http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2008/02/baked-swiss-chard-stems-recipe-with.html
  

Early Summer Harvest Party - Family Style

It was a gathering of family last night as we joined forces to have an early harvest party.  My brother and sister did the cooking, creating some recipes on their feet.  The fare included broccoli, green beans, yellow squash, zucchini squash and tomatoes.

According to my sister, her and my brother spent a good two hours getting the garden weeded and cleaned up, while I worked the day doing an inventory.  What fun I was missing.  Well, sometimes you just have to give over to others, and just enjoy the spoils without the work.  I must admit I was feeling left out as I thought of them weeding and laughing and having a good time.  Then they began the cooking, for a 6 p.m. harvest dinner. 

The table included my sisters family of 6, my brother, my dad, and my family of three plus one.  It was a wonderful respite from the toils of retail.  Up at 5 a.m. every morning, and not rolling home until after 2 p.m.  So goes retail. 

So what did my sister and brother come up with?  Well, first my brother created a wonderful bread from pizza crust and broccoli.  My sister created a terrific squash casserole, and once again my brother
did another casserole using green beans.  In addition we had barbecued bratwurst, hotdogs and hamburgers.  My brother-in-law decided he would grill some salmon steak, so we were all happy with the fare.  Here are the recipe's as best as I can discern, since we all cook pretty much with what we have on hand, and sometimes we use a recipe book and sometimes we don't.  All the dishes served were amazing.   Bon Appetit!
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Broccoli Pizza Bread

Ingredients:

Fresh broccoli heads
Premade Pizza dough
Mozzarella Cheese
Salt and Pepper

Bring dough to room temperature.  Begin to stretch it out, then place on floured wooden board and continue to stretch into a 12 x18 rectangle.
Cut broccoli into florets, with about 1 1/2 inches of stem left on each floret.  Brush on oil onto dough, then place broccoli through the center, leaving at least 2 inches on each side of the dough.  Layer in one layer only. 
Grate mozzarella cheese and sprinkle on broccoli, then add salt and pepper.  Begin rolling the pizza dough on the 18 inch side.  Pinch dough on edges and place on cookie sheet, seam side down.   Put crosswise slashes across top of roll and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until browned. 

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Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

Zucchini Squash
Yellow Squash
Onions
Sun dried tomatoes
butter or margarine
salt and pepper

Slice squashes and onion into 1/4 inch rounds.  Place in casserole dish.  Add in about 1/2 cup of sliced sun dried tomato.  Dot with about 1/4 cup of butter.  Add salt and pepper.  Bake in 400 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes.

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Green Bean Casserole, Swiss Way
(Recipe provided by Mrs. Joseph Place, Master Washington Grange No. 878
  Millbrook, N.Y.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb fresh green beans
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp grated onion
1 cup sour cream
Topping

Cook whole string beans just until tender, perhaps 8 minutes.  Melt butter; stir in flour, salt, pepper, sugar and onion.  Add sour cream gradually, stirring constantly.  Cook until thickened.  Fold in green bean.  Pour into 1 1/2 quart casserole.

Topping:

1/2 lb swiss cheese, grated
2 c. corn flakes, crushed
2 tbsp. melted butter.

Sprinkle cheese over bean mixture; do not stir.  Mix corn flake crumbs with butter; sprinkle over top.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
6 servings. 

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Well that is it for today's farm notes.  Have a great day, and happy experimenting.

Basil - As Crazy As The Chard

Well, I must admit that this wet weather has just caused the leafy crops to go crazy.  Once again, it rained today and the chard tripled in size from yesterday.   The basil plants are getting heavy with leaves, as well.  I keep pinching the flowers off the basil, and it just keeps getting bushier.  So what does one do with too much basil, and too much chard?  Well, one simple way to use basil is to make PESTO!   It is definitely pesto making time.  I can't believe it is only early July and I am already making pesto.  I have a long season ahead of me.  One combination that actually makes a decent pesto is combining basil with swiss chard.  Be a little adventurous and try this different sort of pesto.

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Chard Pesto Sauce

3 Cups                       Torn chard leaves
1/2 cup                       coarsely chopped fresh basil
2                                 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp                         extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup                       pine nuts
1/3 cup                       freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Try feta cheese too, for a different taste)

1.)  Process chard, basil and garlic in a food processor with on/off motion until finely chopped. 
      Slowly add oil and pine nuts, process until blended.  Stir in cheese.

2.)  Transfer to 3 small containers, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze
       for longer storage.  One container will serve 2 or 3 people as a pasta sauce.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups concentrated pesto.

Here is some variations on the recipe.  I combined some sesame oil in with the olive oil, and used feta cheese rather than parmesan cheese.  I also added an extra clove of garlic and added some sesame seeds after I blended the pesto.  Next time I make this pesto, I am going to try it with pistachio nuts instead of pine nuts, to see if it will add just a little sweetness to the chard, which can be bitter.  Happy experimenting.  Send me your creations to my e-mail and I will add them. 
ladymonarda@yahoo.com.

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Chard pesto is great, and works well on hot pasta, or spread on pizza crust for a quick appetizer.  Also try tucking a little of the pesto under the skin of chicken before it is grilled.   There is a really nice appetizer made from the chard pesto which is very tasty, but also high in calories.  Well, just spend a few hours in your backyard playing badminton and it will burn up all those extra calories. 

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Pesto Torta Appetizer

Blend 1 8 oz package softened cream cheese with 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine.  Line a small bowl with plastic wrap.  Layer one third cheese mixture, 1/4 cup Chard Pesto Sauce, one-third cheese, 1/4 cup pesto and one-third cheese.  Cover and chill until firm.  Unmold and serve at room temperature with crackers or thinly sliced baguette.  Makes 1 1/2 cups.  The torta can also be frozen.

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My stomach is growling as I think of this tasty appetizer and the last time I made it.  It is really good.  It would also work very well on small pieces of pumpernickel bread.  I have one more simple recipe to make with this chard pesto.  The kids especially like this one because of its extreme resemblance to pizza. 

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Pesto Pita Pizzas

Cut 2 whole wheat pitas in half.  Split each half and spread with 1 tsp Chard Pesto Sauce.  Sprinkle each with some chopped sweet red pepper and shredded mozzarella cheese.  Bake in 400 F (200 C) oven for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.  Cut each pita quarter in half for appetizer or leave uncut for lunch.  Makes 16 appetizers or 2-4 lunch servings.

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That's it for today.  The weekend is finally here, and there are still lots of parties going on to extend the 4th of July celebration, so try a few of these appetizers for one of those parties.  They don't heat up the kitchen too much and use two abundantly available items at many local farmers markets as well as at roadside stands and the grocery store.  Happy appetizer making.  Hope to hear some comments as you try some of the recipes.

Swiss Chard - The Other "Spinach"

,We had wonderfully refreshing thunderstorms last night.  The rain pounded loudly, and one crack of thunder was so close it shook the house.  The results of that thunderstorm was the amount of growth in my garden.  It sounds weird, but it looks to me as if my swiss chard doubled in size.  I weeded it a few days ago, and I wasn't compelled to pick any.  However, this morning, I had to.  The chard was very tall.  Of course, it doesn't look like I weeded either. 

Swiss chard is a nice green that tastes a little like beet greens, a little like spinach.  I have planted spinach in the past and never got a lot of growth on it, and it always seems to succumb to leaf miner damage.  Not so with chard.  The stuff is easy to grow, tastes good, and is quite versatile.  Any recipe that you find that asks for spinach or beet greens can have chard as a substitute.  The benefit to chard is that once you cut the stems for harvest, they grow back.  Chard will grow all summer and can be used instead of lettuce in salads. 

Bright Lights Swiss Chard from Coventry Regional Farmers Market last year.

Though the bright lights chard is very pretty, I have gone back to planting the old fashioned variety with plain white stems.  That variety produces a lot more chard, though the flavor is not all that different. 

As a child growing up in Ellington, CT, my dad was the gardener. We had a garden way back on our 4 acres, beyond the chicken coops and the horse paddock. It was basically a cleared area in the middle of the woods. He was the one that introduced me to swiss chard. We always had deer problems in our garden, but the chard was rarely touched by them. Needless to say, we always had plenty of swiss chard for the summer.

I have two 6 foot rows of chard growing, and from today's harvest I have enough to make several chard dishes.   I am a recipe collector, and as creative as I can be in the kitchen, I often like to start with a real recipe from a website or cookbook, then I will make my own variations after cooking it according to the original directions.  One very simple recipe I got from Epicurious. 

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Sauteed Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
• 2 large bunches Swiss chard, stems trimmed, leaves cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips

Preparation:

Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chard; stir to coat. Cover; cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Transfer to bowl and serve.

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The reviews on this recipe are glowing.  Many who tried the recipe said they aren't big fans of swiss chard, but this recipe was really good and they would make it again.  As I read the ingredients, I believe this one will freeze well. 

When swiss chard leaves get very large, you can stuff them just like cabbage.  I have created stuffed chard in the past, but I can't for the life of me remember what I did.  Do you think I wrote down what I did?  Of course not.  I know I used zucchini squash, mushrooms, feta cheese, pine nuts, onions and garlic.  It must have been an experiment since zucchini squash comes in abundance, and I also make many different things with pine nuts and feta cheeses.  I most likely had them all on hand and just combined them.  However, in my search for recipes, I did find one for stuffed chard.  It is on EatingWell, and it sounds quite good. 

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                 Stuffed Chard With Marinara

            Ingredients:
• 1 pound 90%-lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 2 medium shallots, minced, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 8 large Swiss chard leaves, stems removed (see Tip)
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese (optional

 Preparation:

1. Gently mix beef, breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon shallot, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until just combined. Divide the mixture into 8 oblong 3-inch portions.
2. Overlap the two sides of a chard leaf where the stem was removed and place a portion of beef there. Tightly roll the chard around the beef. Place each roll, seam-side down, in a large nonstick skillet. Pour in broth, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a roll reads 165°F, 8 to 10 minutes. Discard any remaining broth.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining shallot, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the shallot is soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced and thickened, about 8 minutes. Serve the chard rolls topped with sauce and Parmesan cheese, if desired.
4. Tip: Remove chard stems, including the widest section of the rib at the base of the leaf, by making narrow triangular cuts.

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If you just want to cook chard as a side dish, the simplest way is to place the leaves, cut into strips, in a microwave safe dish.  Add about a 1/2 inch of water, and cook on high for about 4 minutes.  Drain, then add butter and salt and pepper.  That is how my husband likes it.  However, I am different.  For some reason, when I was growing up, we always spread on mayonnaise, not butter.  So of course, when I eat chard or spinach or beet greens, I never use butter on mine, I always use mayonnaise.  Sometimes I will get adventurous and add italian dressing instead.  I believe that the reason why we always used mayonnaise is because we couldn't always afford butter.  Much of my childhood now makes sense since I too have to economize and make do. 

My chard series begins here.  I will be using a lot of chard in recipes until I start getting in squashes and beans.  So goes the gardening.  To make the best of what you have, use what is growing, and create many different dishes with it.  Okay, you want more.  Here is one more recipe that I plan on trying with chard. 

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Chard Wrapped Chicken

       

ingredients

• Roasted Carrots and Onions (see recipe below)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill, oregano, or sage
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 6 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 6 Swiss chard leaves, stems trimmed

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Prepare Roasted Carrots and Onions and place in oven. Meanwhile in a small bowl combine olive oil, 1 tablespoon of the snipped herbs, the garlic, and pepper. In another small bowl combine feta cheese and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil mixture. Mash mixture together with the back of a spoon to form a paste.
2. Top each chicken breast with some of the feta mixture, pressing firmly. Wrap center portion of each chicken breast with a Swiss chard leaf, leaving ends exposed. Place wrapped chicken breasts in a 3-quart rectangular baking dish.
3. After carrots have been in the oven for 10 minutes, add chicken to oven. Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven 25 to 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degree F). If desired, sprinkle chicken with remaining 1 tablespoon snipped fresh herb. Makes 6 servings.
4. Roasted Carrots and Onions: In a 2-quart rectangular baking dish combine one 1-pound package peeled fresh baby carrots; 1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges; 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or salt, and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper. Toss to coat. Bake as directed above.

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Put Some By For Later

As the pea harvest reaches its peak, it is time to set my sights on ways to preserve some of those peas.  I have never been one for blanching, cooling and freezing.  When you blanch, you basically put about a pound of produce in a mesh strainer, and cook in boiling water for about 2 to 3 minutes, then you plunge the stuff into a huge sink of ice water to quick cool.  Well, this requires a lot of ice.  Ice costs money, unless you are smart and make a lot of ice in advance and stick it in bags in your freezer.

Of course, if you have enough bags of ice in your freezer, there isn't much room to actually put frozen items in it.  Now, I do have an ice maker, but that takes a few hours to fill, and in all honesty it just becomes a lot of work.  So I decided a long time ago that I will freeze what I can without blanching, or freeze premade dishes. 

Peas are one of those vegetables that don't freeze well unless you blanch them first, unless you can come up with a decent recipe that you can make, then freeze.  So I set to work trying to find some kind of tasty dish that I could make up with the pea pods.  What I had on hand was garlic, butter, water, onions, dried cayenne peppers, flour, lots of herbs, and things like canned tomatoes and beans.  So as I perused my pantry, my mind began making calculations, and I started imagining what different combinations might taste like and if they would work with peas.  Finally, I had my ingredients and my method, and it was just a matter of combining everything.  Here is what I came up with.

Spicy Garlic Pea Pods

Ingredients:

two pounds sugar snap peas with pods
4 cloves of garlic
two dried cayenne peppers
two tblsp Smart Balance Original Spread
Salt and pepper to taste (I always use sea salt)
water

Remove the stems from the pea pods.  Place the peas in a corningware casserole dish.  Peel garlic and chop into large pieces, enough to let their flavor out but not too small to see so you can remove later.  Take the cayenne peppers, cut off stems, cut in half, and place garlic and peppers in with the peas.  Stir a little to mix flavors.  Add salt and pepper, then put Smart Balance on top of the vegetables.  Put just enough water in the dish to fill bottom.  This will create something like steam as the peas cook.

Do not cover.  Cook in a microwave oven for about 5 minutes on 3/4 power.  Check with fork to see if peas are crisp tender, but not soft.  You may find your microwave oven only needs to cook for 4 minutes.  Or you may have to cook another 1 or 2 minutes.  Remove from microwave.

Let the dish of peas sit to cool for maybe 10 minutes.  Stir occasionally to really get the flavors to combine.  Remove peppers and garlic, and drain.  Let peas cool enough to place into freezer bags and then freeze flat until they are totally frozen.   



I can't say how this will be in a few months.  It is a new recipe, and it may not work, but I have a feeling this will definitely be a keeper in my growing family recipe file.

What can you do with these peas?  Well, I can tell you what I did with some of them before freezing.  Here is the recipe I came up with for our 4th of July  picnic on Sunday.

Cheese Tortellini Salad With Spicy Garlic Pea Pods

Ingredients:

two 12 oz  bags Big Y Cheese Tortellini
3 oz jar pimento - perhaps 1/2 to 3/4 of  the jar. 
2.25 oz can sliced black pearl olives
1 lb spicy pea pods, fresh or frozen
Big Y Robust Italian dressing

Cook tortellini according to package.  Drain and cool with cold water.  If using fresh spicy pea pods, rinse them after cooling on counter to cool completely.  If using frozen, you might want to rinse some of the butter off of the peas before putting in salad. 

Dice the pimento, then place tortellini in bowl, and add pimento, black olives, and pea pods.  Pour Italian dressing on salad.  I used about 4 tblsp.  Mix and chill until ready to serve.

Now if you have any doubts about this salad, it was a real hit.  It was even enjoyed by the graduating seniors that were at the party, and the kids even took a second helping, so it really is mighty good.  The pea pods have just enough spice to make them pleasant, without overwhelming sensitive palates.  Try this recipe yourself, even if you don't like spicy.