Recipes

A COLLECTION OF RECIPES BY CHALLENGERS

BREAKFAST

Dutch Baby Pancakes or Puffy Pancakes
-an old favorite that can be completely local!

2 Tbsp. butter (Winder Dairy or homemade)
2 lg. eggs (Clifford farms or other local supplier)
½ cup flour (Gilt Edge Farm)
¼ tsp. salt (Real Salt)
Fruit and/or honey

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Melt margarine in pie plate (9 x 1 1/4") in oven and brush margarine on side of pie plate.
Beat eggs slightly in medium bowl with wire whisk or hand beater. Beat in remaining ingredients except fruit and honey until just mixed (do not overbeat). Pour into pie plate.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until puffy and deep golden brown. Serve immediately sprinkled with fruit and/or drizzled with honey. (When we have local vinegar we mix it with the honey and make a drizzle that is really tasty!)

from Betty Crocker’s New Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook
courtesy of Andrea and Mike

Vegetable Quiche
1 recipe Butter Flaky Pie Crust (found under Desserts)
1 cup shredded cheese
1 - 1 1/4 cup vegetables shredded or chopped
1 tbsp. flour
4 slightly beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half, light cream, or milk (reduce amount slightly if using milk)
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Prepare Pie Crust at least 4 hours ahead of time.
Line the finished pie crust with a double thickness of foil and bake for 8 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 4 minutes or until pastry is set and dry.
Remove from oven and reduce heat to 325 degrees.

Toss together cheeses, vegetables, and flour. Sprinkle mixture over the bottom of the pastry shell.

In a medium mixing bowl stir together eggs, milk, and salt. Pour this mixture over vegetables.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. If necessary, cover edge of crust with foil to prevent overbrowning.

Makes 6 servings.

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.
Courtesy of Tara


SIDE DISHES

Rosemary Potatoes

Clarified Butter
Salt
Fresh rosemary chopped
Potatoes chunked

This is a loose recipe. Basically take butter and lightly sautee a tablespoon of fresh rosemary in a frying pan. Add about 4 potatoes and stir fry until tender. Salt to taste and serve.

courtesy of Andrea and Mike

Raita and Tsatsiki

1 large or two small cucumbers
1 tbsp salt or to taste
2 cups yogurt
4- 6 garlic cloves

1. Grate or chop cucumber into small pieces, sprinkle it with salt and put in a colander and leave in the sink or over a bowl to drain excess water for about an hour.
2. Mix cucumber with yogurt, crushed or finely chopped garlic, and other ingredients and feel free to add other herbs like dill, oregano, or thyme.
3. Taste and feel free to add more salt because much of it will have dripped away earlier.
4. Refrigerate until it is time to serve.

courtesy of Andrea and Mike


Bruschetta with Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Basil

Makes 15-20

3 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
½ large onion, cut into ¼ inch diece
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¼ dice
1 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded
Salt
¼ butter, plus more for brushing
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 baguette (we used our homemade bread—only cheat here is non-local yeast)
2-3 garlic cloves, for rubbing

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, cucumber, and basil; season lightly with salt. Add melted butter and vinegar, and toss well to combine. Let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour but no longer than 3 hours.

Heat broiler or grill pan. Cut bread diagonally into ½ inch thick slices. Brush both sides of each slice lightly with melted butter; grill or broil on both sides until toasted.

Rub hot bread lightly with garlic cloves on one side only. Sprinkle with salt, and top with tomato mixture. Let stand a few minutes to allow juices to soak into bread before serving.

Adapted from marthastewart.com
Courtesy of Tara


Scalloped Eggplant

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into ½” cubes
5 slices bread, cut in 1” cubes
¾ cup cheddar cheese, grated
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
Salt, to taste
2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 cup milk

Place cubed eggplant in water and boil for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Grease 1 ½ quart casserole dish with butter. Alternate layers of bread cubes, eggplant, grated cheese, and onion. Salt each layer. The last layer should be bread cubes.
Drizzle melted butter over the top layer.
Beat eggs lightly, combine them with milk and pour this mixture over the casserole.
Sprinkle a little more cheese on top.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour until moderately browned.

Adapted from southernfood.about.com
Courtesy of Tara

SOUPS and STEWS

Vegetable Corn Stock

Makes 2 quarts
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes

6 ears of corn, shaved and cut in half
1 onion, cut in wedges
1 carrot, chopped
4 sprigs parsley
2 sprigs thyme
Salt

Place ears of corn (shaved) and all other vegetables in large pot; add 10 cups water, parsley, and thyme. Salt to taste, or add salt when using in a recipe at a later date.

Simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes; strain liquid, discard solids. Use immediately or freeze in airtight containers up to 3 months. Use to make soups, sauces, and risottos.

Adapted from marthastewart.com
courtesy of Tara


Mexican Corn Soup

Corn Stock
Onions, peppers, tomatoes, corn (dried, frozen, canned or fresh)
Cilantro
Salt
1 cup milk
1 tbsp. flour

Place all vegetables and corn stock into large pot. Bring to a boil. Then, reduce to a simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Combine milk and flour in a jar, cap it, and shake until mixed together. Add milk and flour combination to simmering soup. Stir until bubbly and thick. Then stir another minute.

Serve warm and top with cheese.

courtesy of Tara


Creamy Corn Soup

Serves 8
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

16 ears yellow corn
4 tbsps. Butter (cut into small pieces)
1 tbsp. coarse salt

Slice kernels off of corn (to yield about 10 cups). In two batches, puree kernels and accumulated juices with a total of 2 cups water until chunky.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook pureed corn, butter, 4 cups water, and salt until butter is melted and soup is heated through, 5 minutes.

Serve hot, garnished with toasted tortilla wedges and salsa. Or let cool and freeze for up to six months.

Adapted from marthastewart.com
Courtesy of Tara


Zucchini Puree with Oregano Cream

2 tbsp. butter
1 onion, finely chopped
6 zucchini, thinly sliced
Salt
4 cups soup stock (vegetable, chicken, or corn stock)
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh oregano
For the Oregano Cream
½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh oregano
Salt

In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the butter. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until well softened, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and salt to taste. Continue to sauté until the onion and zucchini are well browned, 5-7 minutes longer.

Add the stock and oregano and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat.

Meanwhile, make the oregano cream. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream/yogurt, oregano, and salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches until smooth and return the soup to the pan. Return the soup to medium heat and reheat gently.

Serve immediately garnished with oregano cream.

Adapted from Williams & Sonoma: Soups
Courtesy of Tara

MAIN DISHES

Beef Wraps

1 pound beef cut into strips and fried in a pan with a little butter (very little)
1- 2 cloves chopped garlic
1 teaspoon hot fresh chili pepper (if desired) and salted to taste.
2 chopped tomatoes
1 bunch chopped cilantro (I can never get mine to last through summer, but there are many farmers at the markets that can!)
2- 3 tablespoons yogurt
4-6 homemade tortillas (see recipe in BREADS) warmed for a moment in a pan for easier wrapping.

Assemble ingredients into tortilla to your taste and eat! Sometimes we even add a bit of stir fried cabbage to the mix.

courtesy of Andrea and Mike


Zucchini and Egg Fritters

Makes: apprx. 12
Cooking Time: 8-10 minutes per batch

1 clove garlic
1 tsp. salt
4-6 spring onions
1 cup zucchini pulp
5 eggs
3/4 cups flour
1/2-1 cup finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Crush the garlic in a bowl with the salt. Mix in the spring onions. Add the mashed zucchini and the eggs. Beat well with a beater, then thoroughly mix in the flour. Add parsley and mint.

Spoon the mixture into a pan of hot butter and fry until the fritters are golden brown on both sides. Repeat this procedure until all the mixture is used.

Recipe (slightly altered) from The Lebanese Cookbook by Dawn, Elaine & Selwa Anthony.
courtesy of Tara


Eggplant Lasagna

1 eggplant (cut into small dice, salted, and drained if necessary)
1 small summer squash, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
6 large tomatoes, diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
3-6 tbsp. butter
Salt
2-3 sprigs rosemary, leaves minced
1 lb lasagna sheets
11 oz goat cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
3-4 sprigs fresh parsley, leaves minced

Coat large skillet with 3 tbsp. butter. Put eggplant, bell pepper, squash, and onion in skillet. Season with salt. Sprinkle rosemary over mixture. Stir occasionally and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes.

At the same time put tomatoes and garlic into a medium-sized sauce pan, salt, and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes and stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta sheets a few at a time in salted boiling water until al dente, 30 seconds-3 minutes, depending on the freshness of the pasta. Using a skimmer, transfer them to a colander. Run cold water over them to stop the cooking, drain well, and lay them out on damp kitchen towels until ready to use.

In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, ricotta, cream, and parsley. Add salt to taste and stir until somewhat smooth.

Grease (using butter) a 10"x12" baking dish. Place a layer of pasta sheets in the baking dish. Reserve 1/2 cup of the tomato mixture. Using a slotted spoon to lift out tomatoes without the juice, layer a third of the remaining tomato mixture and a third of the eggplant mixture over the pasta in the dish. Add another layer of pasta and dot with all of the goat cheese mixtures. Top with half of the remaining tomato and eggplant mixtures. Add another layer of pasta and another layer of tomato and eggplant mixtures. Top with a final layer of pasta and the reserved tomato mixture. Sprinkle with a little ricotta cheese. Bake the lasagna until bubbling hot and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Let rest 3-5 minutes to firm the lasagna before serving.

*The leftover juice from the tomato mixture can be used as a base for soup or as a marinade in your next local meal!

Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma Pasta
courtesy of Tara



SNACKS

110 Mile Wheat Thin Crackers

1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter
2/3 cup milk
salt for the tops (optional)

-Preheat oven to 325
-In large bowl combine flours and salt
-Cut butter into the flour mixture until it resembles course meal.
-Seperately combine milk and honey.
-Slowly blend in milk and honey using only enough liquid to form a dough mixture that will hold together in a cohesive ball.
-Divide dough into two equal parts for rolling.
-Roll out on a floured surface or pastry cloth, until dough is 1/16- 1/8 inch thick.
-If desired sprinkle with salt and gently roll into dough.
-With sharp knife cut crackers into 2" x 2" squares.
-Transfer onto ungreased baking sheet.
-Prick each cracker 2-3 times.
-Bake 20- 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

courtesy of Mike and Andrea

DESSERTS

Butter Flaky Pie Crust
This crust is also great for quiche!

1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
½ cup butter, chilled and diced
¼ cup ice water

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours to overnight.

Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

Note this recipe makes only enough for the bottom of a pie. Double it if you plan on making a top crust as well.

From allrecipes.com
Courtesy of Tara

Pastry Cookies
Make a batch of Butter Flaky Pie Crust (see above)
Cut the dough in half, and roll one half out.
Spread butter over the dough.
Add cookie fillings--these could be honey, thinly sliced fruit, or something else.
Starting at one end, tightly roll the dough so that you end up with a long, thin roll.
Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1/4" slices.
Lay the pinwheels (slices) on a cookie sheet and bake in a 400 degree oven until they start to turn golden.
Repeat for the other half of the dough.

Courtesy of Tara


BEVERAGES



Local Sangria

1 (750ml) Bottle Lily White Wine from Castle Creek
1 (750ml) Bottle Cowboy Red Wine from Castle Creek
750ml Fresh apple juice
2-3 Fresh sliced peaches
1 cup Blackberries or raspberries
Any other fresh fruit you have on hand

Mix all ingredients and chill until you can't wait any longer

You can also use the Castle Creek Chenin Blanc for a sweeter version or to make up for sour applejuice. The Spanish Valley Riesling would well too.

courtesy of Andrea and Mike


Tea
Almost any herb from your garden or dried fruit can be turned into tea.
Stuff a tea ball with dried herbs or fruit and steep in boiling water for a couple of minutes.
Add local milk and honey for a little more body.

BREADS

Homemade Tortillas
–great for veggie wraps and breakfast burritos!

1 cup water
2 3/4 cup flour
extra flour for rolling

Measurements are approximate

Mix the water and flour to make a "regular" dough ball (i.e. one that isn't sticky but there isn't excess flour either).

Tear off a smaller dough ball that is ~2in. in diameter.

Flour your work surface and roll out the dough to be a 9" circle.

Cook the tortilla on a skillet over medium heat. (I like to cook one while rolling out the next.)

Flip the tortilla after a minute or so. There should be bumps/bubbles forming and the flour should just start browning.

BE CAREFUL not to overcook your tortillas or you will end up with tostadas that crack rather than roll.

The above amounts will give you 8 burrito size (9") tortillas.

courtesy of Laura


Biscuits

1 1/2 cup flour
4 Tsp. butter melted
1 egg
1 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup yogurt
1 tsp salt
1 Tsp honey

Mix all ingredients together and bake on a greased or parchment-papered cookie sheet at 350 degrees until golden brown.

HOW-TO

Clarify Butter
Heat butter in a sauce pot to a boil. Cool and skim all the solids from the top. Use liquid for cooking and baking.

Make Your Own Local Cheese with Your Own Local Rennet

A rennet substitute can be made by boiling stinging nettle then using the extracted juice in place of rennet (Haven't tried it yet). This can be used for a variety of cheeses but probably not the hard types like Parmesan or even cheddar.

For soft cheeses such as mozzarella we can just use vinegar or some other form of acid. I tried this by adding two capfuls of white vinegar to approx. one cup of milk and heating gently. Then I strained the resulting curds and was amazed to find cheese. The whole experiment took two minutes.

courtesy of Mike and Andrea

Make “Pseudo” Cheese

1 gallon milk
few tbs (cider) vinigar
salt to taste

Mix ingredients.
Heat slowly, stirring the bottom of the pan.
When it gets up to 150-170 deg, the mixture should separate.
Let sit off the heat 10 min.
Strain through cheesecloth. The longer it sits the drier it will be.

It will be bland. I've tried mixing with jalapeños peppers or onions and garlic to add some flavor. Pretty good on an omelet.

Makes about 3 cups "cheese".

courtesy of Judd

Harvest Yeast from the Air
Start with a clean large glass mixing bowl (do not use plastic or metal). As an extra precaution, scald the bowl by pouring boiling water into it and let it stand for a few minutes, then pour the water out.

In your squeaky clean bowl mix together:
2 cups of water
2 cups of flour (preferably unbleached)
Cover with a clean cloth (I use a flour-sack type dish towel).

After one or two days the mixture will start to bubble and have a clean sour odor of alcohol. If at any time during the culture period the mixture develops a foul odor or grows moldy, throw it out and start over. On the third or fourth day, take out 1 cup and throw it away, or make a dough to test, if the dough rises in a couple of hours, it’s ready. Replace what you have dumped/used with 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water. The mixture should be the consistency of thick pancake batter so sometimes you will need to add more flour than water.

The general formula to substitute your starter for commercial yeast in traditional recipes is to use one cup starter for one package of Active Dry Yeast and reduce the amounts of flour and liquid each by about one cup.

In recipes the term "freshened starter" means that one day ahead of time you take one cup of your stored starter, add an amount of warm water and an equal (or slightly greater) amount of flour to what is called for as "fresh starter") in the recipe. Allow it to sit, lightly covered, over night at room temperature. The next day, return a cup of the freshened starter to storage and proceed with the recipe. Note: If the recipe you are using calls for a liquid other than water or a flour other than white (i.e. milk or wheat flour); then only use the amount of starter called for in the recipe and feed your stored starter separately with water and white flour to maintain the integrity of your stored starter.

Once you have an active cup of starter you can build it up by waiting 24 hours and then adding 1 cup each of water and flour (or slightly more flour to maintain consistency). Keep your starter lightly covered in a crock or heavy glass container. I suggest that until you are sure that you have a healthy, active batch that you keep it at room temperature.

Healthy starter can live in the refrigerator for two or even up to three weeks without attention. If you have not used and replenished your batch within that time, stir it well (it is normal for liquid to form on the top) - throw away a cup and "feed" by adding 1 cup each of flour and water and let it stand on the counter at room temperature until it becomes bubbly again – then stir and return to your refrigerator. Note: Stored starter becomes thinner due to lack of feeding so often you will need to add more flour to maintain a healthy consistency. A general rule is to store 2 cups more than you will need to use at any one time.

If you only use your starter occasionally you may want to store it as dried flakes.

To Dry
Spread freshened starter paper thin on a plastic sheet until it has dried. Then break into small flakes and your starter will store indefinitely.

I haven't tried it yet and I got the info off this website http://woodlandstar.net/WSblog/?p=30

courtesy of Madelyn