Week 4
We stopped in this morning to pick up our CSA share and took advantage of a couple fresh scones: cherry almond and orange cranberry. To wash it down we tried the Yerbe Matte Peach Iced Tea – subtle peach aroma over a green tea'ish flavor. The market basket is overflowing this week with the most juicy red tomatoes!! In addition we have cabbage, red leaf lettuce, collards, kale, carrots, new potatoes, squash and cukes.
This weekend is a music festival inspired party we started at our home last year, so cooking in bulk to serve the musicians and family is in full swing today. Unfortunately the heat is going to be in triple digits so we're avoiding outdoor grilling...which made us wonder how to have that BBQ feel without making the dining experience any hotter than the temps outside!
We love pork BBQ and I have to admit my husband makes great pulled pork mainly due to the ingredients in his dry rub as well as the wood he uses when smoking the meat. As an alternative we are using one of our other favorites, Pork Barbacoa. This is a juicer and sweeter pulled pork and is easily done in your oven. Dining inside!! We like to serve it on flour tortillas topped with a bit of feta, pickled red onions and cucumbers. This also makes a fantastic topping for an entree salad at dinner! Hope you enjoy it!
Cheers,
Cheryl
Pork Barbacoa
Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder (typically called butt) (you can multiply up based on the lbs of meat)
1 12 oz. can Dr. Pepper
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 large vidalia onion sliced
3 chipoltes (canned)
4 garlic cloves smashed
1/4 c. water
Sweet Baby Rays BBQ if desired
How To:
Put sliced onions, brown sugar, Dr Pepper, garlic and water in heavy duty roasting pan, covered, and cook for 4 hours. Check for tenderness and if it is "fork" tender its done! If not, go for another hour.
Drain liquid, strain and SAVE it for the sauce!! (put in a container overnight in the fridge so you can skim off any fat that rises/solidifies on the top)
Shred meat with 2 forks when cooled enough to work with easily. Put in Ziplock bags for storage in the fridge till ready to use.
Barbacoa Enchilada Sauce
Drained cooking liquid from above pork cooking - strained (set overnight in fridge to allow grease to solidify and then remove it)
Put the liquid in a saucepan and reduce by 1/2.
THEN add:
1 cup Dr. Pepper
2-3 chipoltes (I used canned)
Bring to simmer and reduce by 1/2....if you want a thicker sauce feel free to add some Sweet Baby Rays till you get the thickness you desire.
Stoneybrook Farm - 2011
Stoneybrook Farm
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Fried Green, and not so green Tomatoes!
Market Basket items this week:
Cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, collard greens, kale, lettuce, tomatoes, new potatoes and yellow squash. In addition the blackberries coming out of the farm were amazingly plump and sweet, so picked up some along with sweet corn.
My grandparents and great grandparents were farmers and bee keepers so I brought in a blueberry picker that they used for John at Stoneybrook to try for harvesting. Sometimes the simplest tools work the best! Can't wait to see how it went when I pick up next week's goodies.
This week the tomatoes were new, still a bit firm and not fully ruby red so the best application was to turn them into Fried Green Tomatoes...even though they weren't actually green! Sometimes before the local tomatoes hit the farmstands, farmer's markets and even the supermarkets you can use the hothouse ones for frying, mainly because they are firm and not necessarily juicy enough for salads or sandwich use.
One of my favorite ingredients is House-Autry Seafood flour....it has just the right amount of seasoning with that hint of Old Bay! Here is their web address: http://www.house-autry.com/ so you can find a store near you. I try to be traditional in preparation, but this flour adds a bit of a twist. In addition I do not like to muck up the flavor and texture of the tomato with a thick coating so you will find this recipe very minimal.
Easy Fried Tomato Slices:
Ingredients:
4 to 6 green tomatoes
House-Autry Seafood Flour
bacon grease or vegetable oil/butter mix
How To:
Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 - 1/2-inch slices. Put about ¾ cup of the seafood flour on a plate then dust both sides of the tomato well. Fry in medium high grease or oil about 3 minutes or until golden. Gently turn and fry the other side.
Serve with mayo spiced with a bit of Old Bay seasoning and Tobasco on top as a great side dish to any dinner or even breakfast!
ENJOY!
Cheryl
Cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, collard greens, kale, lettuce, tomatoes, new potatoes and yellow squash. In addition the blackberries coming out of the farm were amazingly plump and sweet, so picked up some along with sweet corn.
My grandparents and great grandparents were farmers and bee keepers so I brought in a blueberry picker that they used for John at Stoneybrook to try for harvesting. Sometimes the simplest tools work the best! Can't wait to see how it went when I pick up next week's goodies.
This week the tomatoes were new, still a bit firm and not fully ruby red so the best application was to turn them into Fried Green Tomatoes...even though they weren't actually green! Sometimes before the local tomatoes hit the farmstands, farmer's markets and even the supermarkets you can use the hothouse ones for frying, mainly because they are firm and not necessarily juicy enough for salads or sandwich use.
One of my favorite ingredients is House-Autry Seafood flour....it has just the right amount of seasoning with that hint of Old Bay! Here is their web address: http://www.house-autry.com/ so you can find a store near you. I try to be traditional in preparation, but this flour adds a bit of a twist. In addition I do not like to muck up the flavor and texture of the tomato with a thick coating so you will find this recipe very minimal.
Easy Fried Tomato Slices:
Ingredients:
4 to 6 green tomatoes
House-Autry Seafood Flour
bacon grease or vegetable oil/butter mix
How To:
Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 - 1/2-inch slices. Put about ¾ cup of the seafood flour on a plate then dust both sides of the tomato well. Fry in medium high grease or oil about 3 minutes or until golden. Gently turn and fry the other side.
Serve with mayo spiced with a bit of Old Bay seasoning and Tobasco on top as a great side dish to any dinner or even breakfast!
ENJOY!
Cheryl
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Everyday Collards!
Welcome to week 2!
This weeks market basket provided us with: collards, kale, cukes, carrots and red leaf lettuce. In addition I picked up a watermelon, cantaloupe and some sweet white corn - and of course a small mixed berry pie (like I could resist that!). During the year collards are almost a staple for us - especially in the posted best mac n cheese ever from last year - what's in them - yep, collards!
My family and friends all have twists on making collards and what I've discovered is that making delicious greens is a bit like making risotto. A core group of ingredients and patience is all it takes. I'll share how we go about making them and feel free to ask questions or share your own recipes!
Collards
Ingredients:
1/4 lb bacon cut into small pieces
Olive Oil
1/8 cup Cider Vinegar
1/8 cup chicken broth
Water
White Wine or Beer (not kidding!)
1 bunch of cleaned collards (stem removed and cut into long thin strips, chiffonade style)
1 medium yellow or sweet onion chopped
Coarse Ground Pepper
Salt (do not add till all is said and done!)
How to:
Assemble all your ingredients and prep them as described above.
In a stockpot over med-high heat add a couple teaspoons olive oil and the bacon. Sweat the bacon till tender, not crispy. Add the onions, pepper and saute till tender. Add the collards and start simmering over medium heat.
Add cider vinegar and chicken stock, cover (with lid tilted to allow some steam to escape) and simmer till liquid is almost absorbed. Never let the greens get dry during the cooking process so monitor closely. Similar to Risotto you will now start adding some wine or beer then water allowing time for the liquid to be absorbed and the greens to get tender. Rule of thumb on the amount of liquid at a time - 1/8-1/4 cup. Stir often and after about 1/2 hour start testing for taste and tenderness of the greens. Once you are satisfied - if they need salt add some sparingly.
Last night we served our collards with Rosemary Cornmeal Muffins, zuchini with a mushroom/sage oil and veal medallions.
Would love to try some of your family favorites!
Enjoy,
Cheryl
This weeks market basket provided us with: collards, kale, cukes, carrots and red leaf lettuce. In addition I picked up a watermelon, cantaloupe and some sweet white corn - and of course a small mixed berry pie (like I could resist that!). During the year collards are almost a staple for us - especially in the posted best mac n cheese ever from last year - what's in them - yep, collards!
My family and friends all have twists on making collards and what I've discovered is that making delicious greens is a bit like making risotto. A core group of ingredients and patience is all it takes. I'll share how we go about making them and feel free to ask questions or share your own recipes!
Collards
Ingredients:
1/4 lb bacon cut into small pieces
Olive Oil
1/8 cup Cider Vinegar
1/8 cup chicken broth
Water
White Wine or Beer (not kidding!)
1 bunch of cleaned collards (stem removed and cut into long thin strips, chiffonade style)
1 medium yellow or sweet onion chopped
Coarse Ground Pepper
Salt (do not add till all is said and done!)
How to:
Assemble all your ingredients and prep them as described above.
In a stockpot over med-high heat add a couple teaspoons olive oil and the bacon. Sweat the bacon till tender, not crispy. Add the onions, pepper and saute till tender. Add the collards and start simmering over medium heat.
Add cider vinegar and chicken stock, cover (with lid tilted to allow some steam to escape) and simmer till liquid is almost absorbed. Never let the greens get dry during the cooking process so monitor closely. Similar to Risotto you will now start adding some wine or beer then water allowing time for the liquid to be absorbed and the greens to get tender. Rule of thumb on the amount of liquid at a time - 1/8-1/4 cup. Stir often and after about 1/2 hour start testing for taste and tenderness of the greens. Once you are satisfied - if they need salt add some sparingly.
Last night we served our collards with Rosemary Cornmeal Muffins, zuchini with a mushroom/sage oil and veal medallions.
Would love to try some of your family favorites!
Enjoy,
Cheryl
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