Farmers’ Market Finds: June 30th

At the market I picked up a bag of Pea Shoots, Garlic Scapes and Bunching Onions from Solana Farm (Wonder why I keep going back to the same vendor?  I really appreciate how they take care of what they’re growing, the veggies are so clean and well packaged.).  I’ve never had Pea Shoots or Garlic Scapes before so I picked them up to give them a try.  I like having the bunching onions in the fridge to add to dinner so I got another bag of them too!

Follow along this week as I use my new finds!  If you have any tips or recipe ideas let me know.

Farmers’ Market Finds: June 23rd

At the market I picked up a bag of Baby Hakurei Turnips, Asian Mustard Greens and Bunching Onions from Solana Farm and two Baby Bok Choy from another vendor.  I’ve never had Asian Mustard Greens or Bok Choy before so I picked them up to give them a try.  I liked the turnip greens so much last week I got another bag of them too! 

Since I’ve never had Bok Choy I didn’t want to do “too much” to them so I could really taste the flavor and see if I like them.  I just cleaned them really well and grilled with with lots of olive oil, sea salt & fresh ground pepper.  They had a nice flavor, to me it tasted like a mix of cabbage, broccoli rabe, and kale.  My parents grew a different variety of bok choy that I’m excited to use in a stir-fry this weekend.

I took the Asian Mustard Greens, the Bok Choy from my parents, some bunching onions and chicken to make a simply stir fry.  I marinated the chicken in soy sauce and a little maple syrup.  I steamed the greens in my wok and then served it all over brown arborio rice that I cooked with fennel pollen.  It was a nice light dinner and very quick to make.  The Asian Mustard Greens were really fun.  They have a nice bite to them and went really well with the mild bok choy.  Tonight I’ll cook the turnips and then it’s back to the market tomorrow!

Recipe: Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Cannelloni

1 box De Cecco no-boil cannelloni*
1 jar tomato & basil pasta sauce*
1 c Asiago cheese, shredded*
1-2/3 c Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated*
2 c whole milk ricotta*
1 egg
20 oz fresh spinach; cooked, drained well & chopped
2 T butter, melted*
Sea salt & fresh ground pepper*
*Available at ATI

Butter or spray the bottom of a 9×13″ baking pan.  Preheat the oven to 375*  Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.  Stir together the ricotta, egg, and 1 cup of Parmigiano until smooth.  Fold in the spinach and melted butter.  Season with sea salt and pepper and mix until blended.  Transfer filling into a pastry bag or ziploc. 

Pipe into the cannelloni shells and layer in the bottom of the pan.  Put the rest of the tomato sauce over the shells and sprinkle on the shredded cheese and the rest of the Parmigiano.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, remove foil and cook another 5-10 minutes until golden brown.

Farmers’ Market Finds: June 16th

At the market I picked up a  small bag of Baby Hakurei Turnips from Solana Farm and a small bunch of baby scallions from another vendor.  I’ve never had turnips before so I was intrigued by the little white turnips with the greens still attached.

I asked on Twitter for some suggestions and @HutchDeLoach gave me a link to Turnip Greens Southern Style.

The recipe sounded good to me so I used what I had in the house to make it work.  I used quanciale as the pork product and a bunch of baby scallions I also picked up at the market for the onion.

The greens have a nice bite to them and the little bit of sugar sure made them yummy!

The next day I used the baby turnip bottoms to make Glazed Baby Turnips & Carrots.  They were nice and mild, a great side dish.  I used French butter and maple syrup for the glaze so they had a great flavor! 

 

 

 

Farmers’ Market Finds 2009

Since I live within walking distance of one of the local Farmers’ Markets in Bozeman I thought it would be fun to start a new tradition.  Each week I want to find something that I’ve never ate or cooked with and give it a go.  It could be a new vegetable, variety of fruit, or unique product that someone has lovingly made.

The Farmers’ Market that I will be attending is call the Bogert Farmers’ Market – http://www.bogertfarmersmarket.com.  It has been going for more than 25 years and attracts some great local farmers and growers.  I like this market, it is dear to my heart since I use to sell raspberries and veggies at it when I was little and helped a high school friend sell Flathead Cherries.  The market runs from June 2nd  until September 22nd.  I missed the first two but that is probably okay since there probably weren’t too many vegetables available at that time anyway.

Have fun reading about my adventures and if you have any recipe suggestions or tips let me know!

Recipe: Grilled Zucchini Panini

1/2 c pesto*
1/2 tsp smoked hot paprika*
Good EVOO*
Sea salt*
1 medium zucchini, cut into 4 long slices
1 ciabatta, divide into 4 and cut in half
8 slices Gruyere*
* Available at ATI

Mix smoked paprika in the pesto and set aside.  Heat panini grill.  Brush zucchini with olive oil and season with sea salt.  Grill on high heat until blackened on each side.  Cut the ciabatta in half lengthwise and then into 4 pieces.  Grill the ciabatta until crisp. 

Spread the cut side of the bread with the pesto, place one slice of cheese, 2 pieces of zucchini and other piece of cheese in a layer on ciabatta.  Put on the other piece of bread and brush both sides with olive oil.  Grill over medium heat until crisp and the cheese is melted.

Product Review: Pasta di Casa Mia Ready Meals

We just got in a new product that is great to have in the pantry!  Pasta di Casa Mia is making shelf stable pasta meals that don’t contain any preservatives and can be heated in the microwave, oven or in boiling water.

Perfect for an after school snack, quick office lunch, light dinner, side dish, or to take camping and hiking.

To begin with we are carrying 3 varieties:

• Gnocchetti in Tomato Basil Sauce
• Ricotta and Spinach stuffed Cannelloni in a White Sauce
• Ricotta and Spinach stuffed Ravioli in a Butter and Sage Sauce

After sampling the first three we were very impressed so we will be bringing in the rest of the flavors (lasagna, mushroom sauce, penne…).  Give them a try, you wont be disappointed.  Made in Italy!

Recipe: Crab Stuffed Shells w/ Peas & Leeks

2 leeks
9 T butter, unsalted*
1 c peas
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper*
8 oz lump crabmeat, make sure all the shells are gone
6 T flour
2 c milk
1 c heavy cream
1 lemon, juiced
1 lb jumbo pasta shells*
1/2 c bread crumbs*
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c fresh parsley
1 T good EVOO*
* Available at ATI

Cut the leeks long ways and remove the roots and dark green tops.  Cut into thin slices and rinse in a colander to remove any sand, drain well.  Saute the leeks in a skillet with 3 T of the butter and cook until tender.  Add the peas and cook a few more minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and season with sea salt and pepper.  Stir in crabmeat and place in the fridge.

Melt the rest of the buttr in a saucepan, add the flour and whisk until the flour smell is gone, about 1 minute.  Slowly pour in the milk and whisk to avoid clumps, cook until thick.  Remove from heat and stir in cream, lemon juice and season with sea salt and pepper.

Boil the shells in a large pot of boiling water until al dente.  Place the shells in a colander and cool with cold water.  In a bowl mix together the bread crumbs, garlic, parsley and olive oil.  Stir one cup of the white sauce into the crab mixture and another cup into the bottle of a 9×13 baking dish.

Fill the shells with the crab mixture, place in the baking dish, drizzle over the remaining white sauce and sprinkle on the remaining bread crumbs.  Bake until bubbling and golden brown, about 30 minutes in a 350* oven.

Recipe: Stuffed Peppers

6 large bell peppers
3 salt-packed anchovy filets, rinsed & chopped*
5 T good EVOO*
3 T Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated*
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
2 T tomato paste*
1/2 c cooked meat of choice, chopped
1/2 c cooked rice
1/2 c bread crumbs*
1 small onion, chopped
1 c hot water
1 egg
Sea salt & fresh ground pepper*
*Available at ATI

Mix the tomato paste into the hot water and set aside.  Wash the peppers, remove the stem and seeds.  Combine all of the ingredients but the olive oil and tomato paste.  Mix well and season with sea salt and pepper.  Divide the mixture between the peppers.

Place the stuffed peppers into a baking dish and drizzle the olive oil over them.  Bake in a 350* oven for 15 minutes.  Pour the tomato paste over the peppers and bake another 15 minutes or until the peppers are tender.

Recipe: Buckwheat Crepes

This recipe is from Martha Shulman and was published in the New York Times, it was brought to my attention by @Schedulicity on Twitter.  I’ve come across a lot of recipes I want to try from people’s Twitter posts.  Don’t forget to follow us if you are on Twitter: @ItalianCooking.

I love the buckwheat pasta in Italy used for Pizzoccheri so I wanted to give these a try.  They are great!  The flavor is nice and nutty and the perfect backdrop for so many flavor combinations.  This time I put Fra Mani Classic Italian Sausage, local chard, and a besciamella sauce in them – they made a great dinner.  I think they would be really nice with berries or jelly for a breakfast preparation.  I also want to cut them into stands and treat them like a quick pasta noddle and make a version of the classic Pizzoccheri (Fontina, potatoes, cabbage, and lots of butter).  But I’ll have to wait until next winter for that combination as it is super rich dish.

Buckwheat Crepes

1 cup milk
1/3 cup water
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
3 tablespoons canola oil [I used Grapeseed oil]

1. Place the milk, water, eggs and salt in a blender. Cover the blender, and turn on at low speed. Add the flours, then the canola oil, and increase the speed to high. Blend for one minute. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for one to two hours.

2. Place a seasoned 7- or 8-inch crêpe pan over medium heat. Brush with butter or oil, and when the pan is hot, remove from the heat and ladle in about 3 tablespoons batter. Tilt or swirl the pan to distribute the batter evenly, and return to the heat. Cook for about one minute, until you can easily loosen the edges with a spatula. Turn and cook on the other side for 30 seconds. Turn onto a plate. Continue until all of the batter is used.

Yield: About 12 8-inch crêpes

Advance preparation: These freeze well for several weeks. Stack them between pieces of wax paper or parchment, and wrap airtight before freezing. You can make and refrigerate them up to a day ahead of serving.