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Gettin’ My Fermentin’ On

By on December 14, 2012 in Food, Recipes

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Scott and I waffled for a bit, but ended up going for it – we signed up for the winter share from Roxbury Farm.

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We picked up our first of three deliveries last week. Here’s Scott doing his best impression of Grumpy Cat with the haul. We got sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, carrots, cabbage, what I think is a truly gigantic beet, onions, and butternut squashes.

salt oops

We’re still a little backlogged with cabbage from earlier deliveries of our share, and when life hands you cabbage.. you make sauerkraut. I’ve never done this before, and if you have, you might notice something wrong in this photo. I use iodized salt. Word around the internet is that iodized salt can inhibit the fermentation process. Oops? It also apparently has a stronger taste than non-iodized salt, which some people don’t like. Oh well. Next time I’ll use some of the canning salt I have from y’know, canning. That’s meant for this process. Derp.

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Anyway, I don’t have a formal kraut crock yet, so I used a large souffle type bowl thing. I used 1/2 a green cabbage, 2/3 of a small purple cabbage, and a few grated carrots. All you need to do is sprinkle some salt as you pack in the chopped and grated veggies. Seriously. That’s it.

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Once it’s packed in tight, put a plate over the top and weigh it down. I used a mason jar full of water. Every time I walk past it I press down on the mason jar to help draw the water out of the cabbage. After 24 hours, the water should pour over the plate as you push it down. If it doesn’t, add more slightly salted water.

Check out the tips on Wild Fermentation for more information on how to make some badass, super good for you fermented foods.

I started it on Sunday and checked it on Wednsday, and it’s definitely getting krauty. It’s a little too salty (perhaps from using iodized salt, or perhaps from simply using too much) but googling around the internets has led me to believe I can simply drain off some of the brine and replace with water. Stay tuned next week for part II of fermentation fun.

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The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2012

By on December 12, 2012 in Food, Recipes

I participated in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap this year. It’s been really awesome getting delicious cookies in the mail and helping to raise money for a good cause. OXO matched our donations dollar for dollar up to $100,000.00 for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. In exchange for our donation and participation, OXO sent us a cute spatula!

I didn’t have any trouble picking out a recipe. Go big or go home, right? I made the New York Times chocolate chip cookie recipe. Click the link to see the full recipe.

The not-so-secret ingredient in the cookies is good quality chocolate. I picked up some Valhrona Madagascar bittersweet feves from Adventures in Food Trading. They are complex and slightly fruity and really make the cookies sing.

The cookie recipe is pretty standard, except instead of using all purpose flour, it calls for a combination of bread and cake flour.

And after the dough is made, you cover it in plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for at least 24 hours. I left it in even longer than that, up to 4-5 days. Frankly, I think it gets better over time, especially if you use a good quality chocolate. The qualities of the chocolate seep into the dough and make for a very complex cookie flavor.

They bake up beautifully. Slightly golden brown and the size of your palm.

Thanks again to the organizers of the cookie swap for putting together a fun event, and to OXO for their generous donation. Can’t wait for next year!

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Stuffed Chicken with Mushroom Gravy

By on November 12, 2012 in Food, Recipes

We’re right in the depths of fall, and fall calls for warm, one pot meals. Put the salads away, folks.

You don’t win friends with salad, after all. But you might win some friends with this dish. And you can make it in under an hour, making it a great weekday meal.

Assemble your ingredients. I used Applegate ham and Grafton Lakes 1 year cheddar, but you could use any salty meat and sharp cheese that you like. I also used some basil we had hoarded from over the summer, but you could use pretty much anything you wanted. Be creative.

You want to use about 4 cups of mushrooms. I used portobello, white button and shiitake, because I like chewy mushrooms. Instead of butter, you could use coconut oil or even olive oil, but butter is the best. Especially pastured butter.

If you noticed the booze in the back and are curious about the drink I made, wait until Wednesday. All will be revealed. For now, dust off something warm and strong from your liquor cabinet (or the top of your fridge, or the back of your cabinet) and sip while you prepare your meal.

Here’s the setup. Butterfly the chicken breasts lengthwise, leaving them attached on a long end. Pound them out to 1/4″ thickness. Put in two slices of meat, some cheese, and your herbs. Roll them up and tie with kitchen twine, or poke a lot of toothpicks through the open side. If your rolled chicken looks like a hot mess, don’t worry about it. Just do the best you can. It will be surprisingly forgiving.

Preheat your oven to 450*. Heat up an oven safe pan over medium heat and toss in about a tablespoon of your fat of choice. Brown the chicken on all sides (about 1.30 per side).

In the meantime, mess around with your dog by placing an ice cube on her butt. When the chicken is browned on all sides, put it in the oven. You want to cook the chicken rolls until they’re 165* when stuck with a thermometer. This took me about 15 minutes, because I didn’t go crazy with the browning. Take them out of the pan and set them aside to rest while you prepare the gravy.

The next step involves committing a crime against Julia Child. She really hates it when you crowd mushrooms, because they won’t brown properly. Mushrooms have a pretty high water content and will release some liquid, thus preventing a proper browning. If you want, you can drain the liquid from your pan and brown your mushrooms in turn, giving them room to breathe.

Or, you could do what I did, which was to leave all the juices and cheese that oozed out of the chicken, and dump the mushrooms in. Add an extra tablespoon of butter. For your health. Cook the mushrooms until they’re brown. Add a splash of red wine to taste (about 1/4 cup, on average), season to taste – I added salt, pepper, and fresh thyme – reduce the heat, and let simmer for 10 minutes until it thickens. If you like it really goopy, add some corn starch.

Put some mushroom sauce on your plate, and slice the chicken all fancy. Not bad, huh? Don’t forget to remove the twine and take out the toothpicks. And make another drink before you sit down to dinner. Enjoy.

 

 

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