The sweetest of all the Roots

I am trying to practice what I preach and eat in season.  It can be a challenge sometimes.  I love salads- you know the kind- leafy greens.  I know that unless it came from a hot house it just isn't grown in Central PA in the dead of winter.  So I am trying to make nontraditional salads.  Saturday I roasted a head of cauliflower and handful or two of Brussels sprouts. With just a little olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper, it was the best cauliflower I have ever eaten.  I am not sure if the roasting brought out the sweetness in the cauliflower, but I am certain that this will be my cooking method of choice from now on.

I went to the farmers market today and purchased some vegetables that are new to me.  I bought some purple potatoes and parsnips. I can't wait to try them! 

Parsnips are cousins with carrots,sweeter in taste than carrots and have the fragrance of celery. Similar in appearance to the carrot, parsnips are white in color.  Parsnips yield a higher amount of vitamin C and vegetable protein then carrots or potatoes.  They are also rich in fiber, potassium and folic acid.

Keep the following in mind when purchasing parsnips:
1. They come in a variety of colors from pale yellow to white
2. Like carrots, they should be firm, not limp
3. They can grow up to 20 inches in length, but are at their flavor peak when picked at 8 inches or so
4. If they are too large in diameter they are over mature and will be woody in taste, so select skinnier parsnips.
5. Avoid any parsnip with moist spots.

Some important things to remember when cooking parsnips:

1. To bring out the sweetness of the parsnips garnish with cinnamon, mace, ginger or nutmeg.
2. Because of their fibrous nature, parsnips cannot be eaten raw, as carrots are. 
3. To keep them tender do not overcook. Their flavor and nutrients are their height when cooked to tender.

Ready to give them a try?  Here is recipe you can try.

Maple Glazed Parsnips

Ingredients-

2 cups of parsnips, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
1 T maple syrup
1/2 t butter, melted
2 T chopped walnuts

Directions-

1. Spray a baking dish with pan with oil.
2. Place parsnips rounds in a single layer into pan and spray lightly with oil.
3. Sprinkle with salt.
4. Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until tender
5. While the parsnips are roasting, combine the butter and syrup.
6. After you have removed the parsnips from the oven, pour butter syrup mixture over parsnips and top with chopped walnuts. Serve.

Recipe courtesy of Simply in Season

Surviving Winter

Winter has made it's presence, as I sit looking out my kitchen window.  My back yard looks like a  glazed donut, after a icy snow storm has hit central Pennsylvania. Days like today beckon me to stay indoors and cook up a big pot of soup to warm my chilly bones.

Historically soup was a meal of bread soaked in liquid, known as "sop." As it evolved it became known as liquid and a variety of ingredients, with the bread or crackers served on the side. Because soups were usually made with inexpensive, lower quality ingredients, or leftover vegetables, soups had the reputation of being a poor man's food.  Thin soups served with day old bread could feed an entire family more inexpensively than other meals. Soup has always had it's roots in the poverty of lower economical families Thus the name for "Soup Kitchen" was given to charitable organizations who feed the homeless.

Soup is also believed to have healing powers.  Chicken noodle soup, for example, is believed to have healing properties because of it's rich nutrients.

Soup has come a long way over the years and is no longer touted as a poor man's food.  Rich in variety, soup comes in a variety of forms and names. Let's look at a few-

Bisque: a rich soup with a creamy consistency.  Usually contains lobster, shrimp or crab.

Bouillabaisse: a Mediterranean fish soup/stew, made with seveal types of seafood, olive oil, water and seasonings including garlic and parsley, onions, and tomato.

 Ceviche: a Latin American pseudo soup, made from raw fish that has been marinated in lime or lemon juice with olive oil and spices.

Chowder: a hearty North American soup, usually with a seafood and milk base

Connsomme:  a clear broth of multiple layers ( one flavored broth added to another flavored broth), with a meat base, rather than a bone base broth.  It is strained several times to make it clear.

Dashi: the Japanese version of connsomme, made of seaweed and water

Gazpacho: a tomato-vegetable soup served ice cold

Minestrone: an Italian vegetable soup

Potage:a French term referring to a thick soup

Veloute: a velvty French sauce made with stock

Vichyssoise: a simple flavorful pureed potato and leek soup, thickened with heavy cream and served cold

Here is a crockpot soup you may want to try.

Crockpot Taco Soup

1 pound lean ground beef -- browned and drained
2 packages taco seasoning mix
1 16oz can tomatoes with green chilis -- undrained
1 16oz can black beans -- undrained
1 16oz can corn -- undrained
1 can black olives -- chopped or sliced
1 medium onion -- chopped
1/2 bell pepper -- chopped
4 tomatillos (optional) -- chopped

Place everything in a large crockpot, add water, if necessary, to fill. Cook on Low for 5 or more hours until flavors are blended. Top each bowl with a handful of shredded cheddar cheese. Serve with sour cream, taco chips and salsa on the side. Serves 6.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NOTES : Taco seasoning can be cut in half for those who like it less spicy.

Recipe courtesty of Cooking Cache

Foods to bring you Luck this New Year

New Year’s Day is just 2 short days away. With a new year comes the opportunity to look back on what has past, forget about the year’s disappointments and move forward with high hopes for what is to come.
For some many, what is eaten on New Year’s Day will set the year on a successful path. There are a variety of foods eaten around the world that are believed to be lucky and to improve the odds for a great year. Throughout the world the most common auspicious foods include, grapes, legumes, greens, fish, pork and cakes.

Grapes: In Spain 12 grapes are eaten, one per stroke of the clock counting down to midnight. Each grape represents a month of the year. If the fourth grape, representing April is sour, the Spaniards believe that April will be a rocky month.

Cooked Greens: cabbage, kale, collards, chard and spinach, are consumed in a many countries around the world. Greens are chosen because when folded they look like money and therefore symbolize economic fortune. The Danish eat stewed kale; the Germans sauerkraut (cabbage) and the southern section of the United States eat collard greens. It is believed that there is a direct relationship with the amount of greens you consume and your fortune for the year.

Legumes: dried beans, peas and lentils are symbolic of money. Their small seeds swell when soaked in water so they are consumed with financial reward in mind. In Italy it is customary to eat sausage and green lentils just after midnight. Combining the pork with the beans makes this dish a particularly lucky dish. Germans also partner pork and legumes, usually lentils or split pea soup with sausage. In Brazil the first meal of the year eaten includes lentil soup. The Japanese eat a dish of sweet black beans.
In the southern United States black eyed peas is the traditional dish. Some people will actually eat one pea for each day of the year, a tradition which began during the Civil War.

Pork: In Cuba, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Sweden, Italy, Germany and Austria all eat pork. It is believed that pigs are symbolic of progress since they push forward in the ground before moving.
Fish: Cod fish is eaten in some European countries from Christmas through New Year’s. Dry Cod gained its popularity in the middle ages when refrigeration was not yet invented.

Cakes: Cakes baked in a ring shape are eaten from Christmas through New Year. There is a tradition in some countries to bury a trinket or coin in the dough and the one who gets the trinket in their cake will have a good new year. In Sweden and Norway an almond is buried in rice pudding. Whoever gets the nut is guaranteed great fortune in the New Year.

What not to eat: There are a few foods which should not be eaten according to superstition. Lobster, because they move backwards should be avoided on New Year’s Day. Also, chicken should be avoided because they scratch backwards, which is believed to cause great regret or dwelling in the past. Finally there is a theory that you should not eat anything with wings because good luck could fly away.

I wish you good health and fortune this year, no matter what New Year’s dish you chose to eat.

Ginger

There are certain smells that just set you back in time or set a mood for a certain season of the year.  Ginger just says "Christmas".  I was baking some gingerbread last night and it sure helped to bring the Christmas spirit into my home.

Ginger is a wonderful spice! Not only is is tasty but it has many health benefits. Did you know that ginger-

1. is effective in alleviating gastrointestinal distress

2. has antioxidant properties

3. has anti-inflammatory properties

4. boosts the immune system

5. prevents symptoms of motion sickness

6. decrease nausea associated with pregnancy

7. protects against colorectal cancer

Ginger can be purchased in a variety of forms.  Fresh, crystallized, candied and pickled, as well as ground ginger, can be found in your local grocery stores. When possible, purchase fresh ginger, since it is not only superior in flavor, but contains higher levels of gingerol, ginger's anti-inflammatory properties. Make sure the root is firm, smooth and free of mold. Mature ginger, generally sold in America, has a tough brown skin, which needs to be peeled. Fresh ginger can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three weeks if it is left unpeeled.  Store unpeeled ginger in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Dried ginger should be stored in a tightly sealed glass container in a cool, dark and dry place. It can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to one year.

Preparing and serving Ginger

Remove skin with a paring knife or vegetable peeler. The ginger can be sliced, minced or julienned. If you enjoy a more subtle flavor of ginger, add it to your cooking process in the beginning.  For a more pungent flavor add the ginger near the end of cooking.

Quick Serving Ideas

• ginger lemonade-combine freshly grated ginger, lemon juice, sugar or honey and water
• heat up a rice dish by adding grated ginger and sesame seeds
• combine ginger, soy sauce, olive oil and garlic to make a salad dressing
• add ginger and orange juice to pureed sweet potatoes
• add grated ginger to your favorite stuffing for baked apples
• spice up a vegetable dish by adding fresh minced ginger

Try this recipe-

Pineapple Salas with Ginger Syrup

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup peeled and thinly sliced fresh ginger
1 medium pineapple cut into 1-inch chunks
4 firm bananas, sliced

Directions:

Combine water, honey and ginger in a small sauce pan over high heat. Cook for about 15 minutes, until it reduces and becomes somewhat syrupy. Strain and refrigerate. Make sure you give the syrup a chance to slightly thicken and chill before mixing it.
Cut pineapple and banana and mix together with chilled syrup.
Serves 4

Recipe courtesy of Whole Foods

Stews and Ragu

Summer has finally bid us farewell for this year. The crisp fall air is settling in and with that the desire for comfort foods has arrived. There is nothing more satisfying than a warm bowl of soup or stew when the temperatures drop.

Stews can be found on the menu of nations all across the world, yet they come with a different name. Let's take a look at these dishes and what ingredients they include.

Stew: a mixture of meats and vegetables cooked by "stewing".

Ratatouille: a Provencal vegetable stew including eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, basil and other herbs.

Goulash: a Hungarian stew including paprika, beef, pork or lamb with vegetables and spices.

Ragu: an Italian meat based sauce including tomatoes, celery, onions, carrots and ground meat. Stock and Italian herbs added for a rich flavoring.

Chili con Carne: a Spanish stew including peppers, onions, and garlic. Beef or pork, beans and cumin complete this 'stew".

Curry:a generic term to describe a South Asian form of cooking. Curry is not actually a spice but a term to mean "sauce" or "gravy". Curry dishes usually include a limitless mixture of meats and vegetable combinations.

Cassoulet: another French stew including white beans flavored with pork, goose or duck and topped with fried bread crumbs. A Cassoulet is also the name of the pot in which these dishes are cooked.

Bouillabaisse: yet another French dish combining seafood and herbs, including dried orange rind.

Tagine: a Moroccan stew including lamb or chicken and vegetables. Spices, olives, nuts and dried fruit also accompany this dish. Tagine is also the name of the pot in which this dish is cooked.

What makes stews of all varieties so satisfying is their thickness, stick-to-your-ribs quality. Here are a few tips to guarantee a delicious meal that will please your entire family.

1. Use inexpensive cuts of meat, such as chuck roast, when slow cooking. The slow stewing process turns these cuts of meat into tender and tasty morsels. Lean and expensive cuts of meat will toughen during the stewing process.

2. To avoid a watery stew, try the following cooking methods:

*Remove all excess external moisture from your meat by drying it off with a paper towel.

Now dredge your meat in flour and brown in oil as the first step in cooking your stews.
* Begin your stew with a roux. A roux is a mixture of flour and butter. In your pot, melt a few tablespoons of butter. Add a quarter of a cup of flour to the melted butter and whisk together, browning the flour just slightly. Following the next steps as listed in your recipe.
* Add potatoes, pasta or rice to your stew, as these ingredients will release starch into your stew and serve as a thickening agent.

3. To add a fifth taste sensation known as umami, add a wedge of Parmesan cheese, including the rind, into your stew. The flavor is rich and delicious.

Here is a tasty Italian Sausage and Pepper Stew you may enjoy adding to your fall menu.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 green bell peppers (about 1-1/2 pounds total), seeded and cut into strips
1/2 pound red onions, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1-1/4 pounds hot Italian sausages
1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1-1/2 cups water
1 bouquet garni, consisting of 5 sprigs each fresh basil and mint, tied with kitchen twine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. In a stove-top casserole or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the peppers, onions, and garlic until the onions are translucent and the peppers slightly limp, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn’t burn, about 5 minutes. Add the sausages, tomatoes, water, and bouquet garni and season with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to high until the mixture starts boiling, about 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the sausages are firm, stirring occasionally, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Discard the bouquet garni. Slice the sausages or leave whole and serve


Recipes from Real Stew by Clifford A. Wright through permission of Harvard Common Press, Boston, MA. Copyright 2002. All rights reserved.

Stews and Ragus

Cobblers, Crumbles, Brown Betty and more!

Nothing says Fall more than a fresh apple crisp baking in the oven! The smell of cinnamon and baked apples wafting through your house will put a smile on the face of anyone within smelling distance.

These baked wonders come in a variety of names and varieties. Cobble, Crumble, Brown Betty, Pandowdy, Buckle, Slump or Grunt, they all combine fruit and a flour topping. Here is how they differ:

Cobbler: a deep dish of fruit which is baked and has a biscuit crust which is "cobbled" together and sprinkled with sugar. Sometimes the biscuit is on top and under the fruit.

Crisp: a combination of flour, sugar and butter, is crumbled together and is sprinkled over the fruit before baking. Sometimes oats, chopped nuts or cookie crumbs are added to the topping.

Crumbles: the English name or version of a crisp, which has a shortbread-like topping of flour, sugar, oats and brown sugar.

Buckle: a combination of biscuit batter with a streusel topping. The fruit is mixed into the batter instead of laying beneath the topping. The most popular is blueberry buckle.

Brown Betty: originating in Colonial America, similar to bread pudding. It contains lots of fruit, buttered bread and cream. Most often apples are the fruit of choice. The topping is usually layered into the fruit before baking.

Slump:an old fashion New England dessert. This dessert is made on the stovetop instead of the oven. Dollops of biscuit dough cover the fruit. A skillet with a tight lid need to be used for this recipe to be a success.The dumplings set up on the top of the fruit, but do not brown using this cooking method.

Grunt: same as a slump and found in Massachuesetts. The name grunt was given to this dish as it was said that during the cooking process a grunting sound could be heard coming from the covered skillet.

Pandowdy: another deep dish fruit dessert made from sliced fruit, sugar, spices topped with a biscuit batter, which is baked in the oven. During the last few minutes of baking the crust is cut up and pressed into the fruit mixture. Apples, molasses and brown sugar are used in a classic pandowdy. The name originated probably because of it's appearance.

Why not give this recipe a try?

Apple Slump

Ingredients
• 6 cups thinly sliced apples
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions
1. Combine the apples, 1 cup sugar, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan. Cover with a tight fitting lid and heat to boiling.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together 1 1/2 cup flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in enough milk to make a soft dough.
3. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto apples. Cover pan with lid and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. DO NOT LIFT COVER UNTIL DONE! Serve with nutmeg sauce.
4. To make the nutmeg sauce: In a saucepan, mix 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon flour. Stir in 1 cup boiling water and cook, stirring constantly until sauce bubbles. Add butter and simmer gently 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg. Serve over each serving of apple slump.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 354 Total Fat: 2.2g Cholesterol: 5mg

Recipe provided by "allrecipes.com"