Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Buckwheat Flour

Last month when I picked up all the great local flour from Four Star Farms, Elizabeth L'Etoile of Four Star mentioned that buckwheat flour was great for banana bread and added a nice earthy flavor. Using their recipe for Banana Bread with barley flour, I substituted buckwheat flour for the barley and made the addition of 1/4 cup of chocolate chips.
The recipe made 1 full sized loaf and 1 mini loaf (pictured above). This was a really hearty banana bread which balanced well with the addition of the small amount of chocolate chips and I loved the flavor. From now on, If I have buckwheat flour on hand that is how I will be making my banana bread!

Do you use any 'alternative' grains and flours for common recipes??

Papperdelle with Spicy Beef Sausage and Cannellini Beans

Anyone who enjoys or follows the restaurant scene here in Boston is familiar with Barbara Lynch and her roster of great dining and drinking establishments. In November 2009 Lynch published her highly anticipated first cookbook Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition. Last summer Gail and I were given a signed copy of Stir by Barbara Lynch Gruppo because Gail pointed out a discrepancy in the ingredients we were told were in a dish versus what was actually in the dish. Gail did not complain, she contacted Barbara Lynch Gruppo knowing they would take this type of discrepancy seriously, and they thanked her with a signed copy of the great cookbook!

Since then I have wanted to cook something (or nearly everything) from this cookbook. Sunday I wanted to make the Rigatoni with Spicy Sausage and Cannellini Beans for dinner but some adjustments had to be made in consideration of smaller portions and slightly different ingredients.  Using the recipe as a guide and following the cooking instructions we ended up with a hearty pasta dish with a deliciously spicy beef ragu that was just what we wanted after a long chilly Sunday running errands:

Perfect on a cold night.

Truffle Papperdelle with Spicy Beef Sausage and Cannellini Beans
Recipe inspired by Barbara Lynch's Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
3/4 lb - 1 lb beef sausage, casings removed
1 cup red wine
2.5 lbs tomatoes, cored and chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
kosher salt
ground black pepper
12 oz Truffle Papperdelle (my new favorite pasta courtesy of Valicenti Organico)
1 19 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
2  tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add Garlic and cook approximately 2 minutes. Add the onion and sausage  and cook, breaking up the sausage until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, increase heat to high, and cook until wine is reduced by half, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and crushed red pepper flakes. Season with salt and black pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce has thickened, about 25 minutes.
While the sauce is thickening bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add Pasta and cook to al dente and drain. Add the drained pasta to the pan with sauce and stir until mixed. Add cannellini beans, cheese, basil, and butter and stir. Cook until the beans are heated 3-5 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasoning based on preference (mostly add more red pepper flakes if you want).

The original recipe called for 1 lb of spicy italian sausage, but we had 3/4 lb of beef sausage on hand so that is what we used. It also calls for canned or boxed crushed tomato, but we had fresh tomatoes from The Herb Lyceum so I used those. We were lacking fresh basil so I used 1.5 basil cubes from our freezer.  Also, the recipe called for 1 lb of pasta, and it was not papperdelle, but in Stir Lynch points out that the recipe as she wrote it calls for pantry staples (pasta, canned beans, canned or box tomato) making it an easy midweek meal! After cooking this I can see dozens of ways to alter the ingredients to incorporate a variety of different ingredients and vegetables.

Pompeii & Food

Last weekend Gail and I visited the wonderful Museum of Science here in Boston to see their beehive, an exhibit on what people eat (more on that later) and an exhibit showcasing objects and artifacts from the ruins of Pompeii. Among the dozens of objects, trinkets, toys, and casts there was an astonishing amount of food related items.

Portable and stationary ovens, an ancient barbecue, cooking pots and pans, wine and water jugs, a replica of a produce scale, a cast of a pig, cooking tools, and carbonized food were among the countless items we saw that provided a glimpse into the daily eating habits of Pompeii's residents. I managed to snap a few pics on my phone and wanted to share some. You can read the placards in a few otherwise I've added my own comments in the captions!

Replica of a produce scale. The 2 metal plates are original.
Found at a farm on the outskirts of Pompeii

Millstone made from lava rock

Ancient fava beans! Behind the beans
is carbonized fish paste (blech!)  

For their deliciousness figs (fresh or dried)
are a valued foodstuff in my belly!

This bronze skillet is awesome. I want one. It is perfect
for single portions & the shallow rim is designed for the
food to slide of easily.

The exhibit was really interesting and aside from the food parts provided an excellent glimpse into the life of Pompeii's residents, from the upper crust to prisoner's and slaves. The traveling exhibition leaves Boston in February 2012. If it makes a stop near you it is certainly worth checking out.

Brigadeiros/Chocolate Truffles/Amazeballs!!

A few weeks ago, during a lull at work I was scrolling through twitter on my phone when I saw a tweet from the America's Test Kitchen Feed about how easy it is to make the Brazilian chocolate truffles known as brigadeiros. They looked so rich and decadent I knew I had try it out to see just how easy it was.
There was discrepancy between the step-by-step instructions and the recipe page as to how much butter to use. The step-by-step instructions called for 3 tablespoons of butter and the recipe page called for 2 tablespoons. Not much of a difference, but given America's Test Kitchen's methods of rigorous testing of recipes in pursuit of ones that work well and are easily reproduce at home that has made them a standard and go to source for recipes, techniques, reviews of equipment and all around kitchen knowledge I decided to reach out to them to correct the recipe!
I sent an email last weekend and got a response Monday morning from Christine, an associate editor of social media with America's Test Kitchen thanking me for my sharp eye, confirming that 2 tablespoons was the correct amount and letting me know that both the instructions and recipe linked above have been updated to reflect the accurate recipe, which is posted below in case you are too lazy to click a link:

Brigadeiros (Brazilian Chocolate Truffles aka Amazeballs!!)  via America's Test Kitchen
makes 30 (though I ended up making 40 so it really depends on size)
If the candies stick to hands while rolling, spray them lightly with cooking spray. The thickened chocolate mixture can be chilled up to 24 hours. The finished candies can be stored in the refrigerator up to 3 days.


1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 tablespoons butter (might be 3 tablespoons, but I used 2)
sprinkles, powdered sugar, crushed nuts, etc for coating
1) Combine sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder, and butter in medium sauce pot over medium-low heat.
2) Cool. stirring frequently, until mixture is very thick and rubber spatula holds its line across bottom of pan, about 25 minutes. Pour into a greased 8"x8" baking dish and refrigerate until cooled, at least 30 minutes.
3) Working with approximately 1 tablespoon pieces at a time, roll into 1-inch balls. Place toppings in bowls and roll chocolate in coatings until covered.

Really, that is it! This was as easy as described above. Rolling and coating the balls is a bit messy but this was not a complicated process. My mix cooked a little faster then 25 minutes, closer to 15 but they came out great and this was pretty idiot proof, just keep stirring!!

An easy recipe like this that can be made a day in advance, would be a fun activity with kids, and is easy to customize with the variety of coatings you can use! These will definitely be a go to when we need an easy 'special treat' for something!

Goat cheese stuffed chicken breast with couscous & braised kale

Most of the time dinner at home doesn't need to be overly difficult to taste good and satisfy, especially when you have been working all day and the last thing you want to do is spend an ungodly amount of time in the kitchen when all you want is something warm, that tastes good, and isn't terrible for you.
This is what drives a lot of my cooking day in and day out. I want my food to taste good without being too terrible for me.
Gail has slowly been incorporating a little bit of meat into her diet here and there. This usually happens in one of a few ways: We are out to dinner and I am enjoying a particularly tasty bit of meat and I offer her some to try, I have brought home some sort of salami or other meat preserve that I offer up, or I cook something in the hopes that she will eat more then 3 bites (which means she might actually like it)

Earlier this week we enjoyed a simple and satisfying dinner of breaded chicken breasted stuffed with goat cheese, garlic couscous, and braised kale. Not everything was local, but I was able to include the chicken breast from John Crow Farm & the russian red kale from Heron Pond Farm.
The best part is that the chicken breast can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator until it is time to throw into the oven. Once the chicken is in the oven (35 minutes cooking you can relax for a few minutes, and then start on the braised kale (20 minutes) & couscous (10 minutes).

Braised Kale
2 lbs kale
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup chicken stock
Wash, trim and chop kale. In a medium pot heat oil and lightly saute the garlic. Add kale and chicken stock. Cook covered for 12 minutes.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Breaded Chicken Breasts
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and ground black pepper
cheese filling (I used 4 oz herbed goat cheese from Westfield Farm)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 slices of bread (to make bread crumbs, or you can use store bought)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
For the breadcrumbs: Preheat oven to 300 F. Place half the bread in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Repeat with remaining bread. Toss the bread crumbs with oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring a few times, until the crumbs are golden brown and dry, 22-25 minutes. Transfer to a small dish and let cool completely.
For the chicken: Butterfly each chicken breast by slicing it lengthwise almost in half (start with the thin side) and then open to create a single cutlet. Place each cutlet between sheets of plastic wrap and pound until cutlets are 1/4-in thick. Place cheese filling in the center of each breast. Roll tightly over the filling and ensure the cheese is completely enclosed and forms a cylinder. Press the seam to seal. Repeat for each breast. Refrigerate the chicken, seam side down and uncovered for 1 hour to allow the edges to seal further.
Combine the flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a shallow dish and whisk the eggs and Dijon together in a second shallow dish. Take 1 chicken breast at a time, dredge in the flour, then coat with the egg mixture,, and finally roll in bread crumbs.
At this point the chicken can be stored for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 F and place the chicken in an oven safe dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes & serve.

I prepped the chicken breasts early in the morning and left them in the fridge all day.  Everything else was prepared while the chicken was in the oven. No fuss & the leftovers were a great lunch!

Master Pork Belly Recipe

crispy skinned pork belly out

of the oven

The weekend before thanksgiving Gail and I had some friends over for dinner. Wanting to cook something I had never tried before I offered to make pork belly to pair with Gail's butternut squash risotto and Brussels sprouts and bacon. The two pieces you see on the left was my first attempt at working with pork belly. The entire process was incredibly simple and the result was a crispy skinned, moist pork belly that is easily manipulated and can fit as the meat component for an endless array of dishes.

pork belly seasoned before resting 

overnight.

The recipe is David Chang's momofuku master pork belly & pork shoulder recipe, which ran in Lucky Peach Issue #1(available at McSweeney's). The best part of this recipe, which Chang points out in Lucky Peach is that it can very easily be scaled up or down depending on how much pork belly (or shoulder) you are working with.
For this attempt I was working with two pieces of Austin Brothers Valley Farm pork belly that totalled 2.5 lbs. (I got the pork belly at the Somerville Winter Farmer's Market). The dish takes a good deal of time, due to overnight seasoning and a 90-150 minute cooking time, however most of it is not hands on. This was a good project to start early on Saturday afternoon to serve for dinner on Sunday evening. The 2.5 lbs I made was obviously way too much for a simple dinner of 4 people (including 1 vegetarian), but the leftovers have gone in a variety of other dishes and will be enjoyed well into next week!

pork belly resting in the fridge with
wine, cider, & beers.

Momofuku Master Pork Belly (with slight alteration noted below)
This recipe can be scaled up and down to make as much as you like.
pork belly*
1 tbsp + 1 tsp salt per pound of pork
1 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar per pound of pork
black pepper
*recipe calls for the pork belly to be skinless. I enjoy crispy pork belly skin and decided to leave it on.
Season the pork belly with the salt and sugar. Hit it with a couple turns freshly ground black pepper. Let it sit overnight, covered, in the fridge.
Throw the seasoned belly in a roasting pan. Blast it in a 450 F degree oven for 30 minutes. Scale the heat back to 275 F and let it ride out for another hour or two, until its tender but not mushy.
Let the belly cool to room temperature. Wrap it up tight in plastic and put it in the fridge until it's thoroughly chilled through- a few hours at least, and up to a couple days. At that point, slice it into nice, thick slabs, then either brown it in oil or warm it through with a little stock or water in a covered pan. Deploy as needed.

chilled and sliced thick
before final heating,

Because I had never worked with pork belly I wanted to ensure that it was cooked thoroughly so I used a meat thermometer to verify the belly was between 150 F - 160 F. 
When I got the belly's at the farmers market they were frozen. 
Timing & Alterations
After running errands and returning home I seasoned them as directed above and let them thaw a little before letting them rest in the refrigerator from 6 pm Saturday evening until 9:15 am Sunday morning. 
I put the pork belly's in the 450 F oven at 9:26 am. After the initial half hour, I gave the belly's a very thin maple glaze as I knew the flavor would pair well with Gail's risotto, and returned them to the oven at the reduced temperature. I removed the smaller of the two at 10:24 am, and the larger at 10:28 am. It took the belly's about about 50 minutes to cool to room temperature. They were wrapped in plastic and placed in the refrigerator at 11:16 am (at this point I cut off a small bit of charred crispy skin with some meat clinging to it and was really delighted with the taste!! I mean REALLY delighted. The slight hint of maple, balanced with the salt and a touch of black pepper had me breathing deeply with porkgasmic delight!). 
I pulled the belly out of the oven and sliced it for dinner around 6:00 pm.
I browned the pieces in a cast iron skillet with a mixture of belly drippings, a drop of leftover maple syrup, and a pinch of dried sage.
The final product were slightly gristly, maple-kissed, melt in your mouth good slices of pork belly that paired perfectly with Gail's risotto, but would easily be welcome in 1001 other dishes.

final product

The unaltered Master Pork Belly recipe as noted above is one that I am adding to my cooking arsenal with full confidence that I will turn to it time and time again for a number of dishes.

If you have never worked with pork belly, or need a great simple master recipe to use as a building block for more complicated dishes, this is the recipe you want to bookmark. 

Garlic Rosemary Focaccia

Squares of rosemary infused heaven!

If it isn't already apparent, I really love bread. The impetus to hone my baking skills sprang from a desire to teach myself to make delicious bread, everything would be a bonus! Last year I had some great success with the very easy Blitz-Bread/No-Fuss Focaccia recipe. A very simple, beginners recipe to make a fluffy seasoned bread that somewhat resembled focaccia. With some recent baking success to encourage me I decided it was time to tackle the real thing. Using our often drooled over and much loved Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe cookbook I set out to make my own pan of the amazing, flavorful and pillowy bread that I love so much from the countless sandwich's I've devoured at Chang's Flour Bakery. My first attempt was not the delicious golden brown perfectly seasoned squares of fluffy goodness you see above, no the first result was a bit more... well done. The initial attempt at making the bread ended with my having over-baked the bread due to the oven running hotter then I anticipated. 

Don't you just want to reach into the screen and eat some?

Despite the first attempt yielding a big square of overcooked, slightly darkened bread  that wasn't exactly soft, Gail and I managed to devour the focaccia cracker in a few short days. The recipe had all the potential in the world, I just had to try again, and keep the fickle oven in the front of my mind. 

My second attempt yielded a perfect pan of fluffy, garlic infused rosemary focaccia that would be awesome for soaking up an infused oil, great for sandwiches  and the potential base for a really fantastic pizza dough! I followed the recipe in the book as directed with only two minor adjustments: mincing two garlic cloves to sprinkle on top of the bread and sticking to the lower end of the cooking time to ensure that the bread was not overdone. Gail and I agreed the second attempt was a rousing success, and this is definitely the focaccia recipe I will be using from here on in, if I have the 3.5 - 5 hours required to produce such a delightful outcome. 

So far I've really enjoyed this cookbook! Gail has had great success with the homemade oreo's, and I loved the rosemary shortbread. I'm looking forward to exploring more of the recipes within, until I feel confident enough in my baking skills to tackle Flour's legendary sticky buns!

(submitted to Yeastspotting, which will be hosted next week by Hefe und mehr)

Rosemary Shortbread

Last year I wrote about picking up Joanne Chang's Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe. Gail has successfully mastered the Oreo's from the book, and we've tried a few others. I found myself at home and in between two kitchen tasks so I whipped up a batch of this wonderful Rosemary Shortbread. They are buttery and have a perfect crumb. The recipe was easy enough without a stand mixer (though the recipe calls for one) and I will certainly be making these again soon! Great with a cup of coffee or tea!

rosemary shortbread, dried rosemary sprigs & fresh cranberries

Rosemary Shortbread from Flour by Joanne Change
makes 12 to 15 cookies
1 cup (2 sticks/228 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
1 1/2 cups (210g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (65g) cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder


Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attached (or a handheld mixer or a wooden spoon), cream the butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes, or until light and pale. (This step will take 3 to 4 minutes if using a handheld mixer and about 5 minutes if using a spoon.) Add the sugar and beat on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer a few times and use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle to release any clinging butter or sugar. On low speed, add the egg yolk and rosemary and beat for about 1 minute, or until thoroughly combined.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder. On low speed, slowly  add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture and then mix just until the flour mixture is totally incorporated and the dough is evenly mixed. stop the mixer several times to scrape the bowl and the paddle to free ant trapped flour mixture.
Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, and wrap the dough in the plastic wrap, pressing down to form a disk about 8 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. refrigerate the dough about 20 minutes, or until it is firm enough to roll out.
Position rack in the center of oven, and heat to 325 degrees.
On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 12 by 10 inches and 1/4 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 12 to 15 uniform pieces-rectangles, triangles, or cookie-cutter shapes-and arrange them on a baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. (At this point, the cookies can be tightly wrapped and frozen for up to 2 weeks. Bake as directed directly from the freezer. you may need to add a few minutes to the baking time.)
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are medium golden brown all the way through. Let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Though the recipe leans towards a stand mixer I did the whole thing by hand with no issues. I used the lid of a ball 1/2 pint canning jar as the cookie cutter and got great looking circles. Really easy recipe, one that I would make ahead of time for the holidays when people might unexpectedly stop by you can throw them right in the oven!

Brussels sprouts

Brussels sprouts & bacon w/ squash ravioli

I 'm not gonna lie. I don't like Brussels sprouts. I should because they would do really well in the south eastern New England climate and growing them would be pretty easy, but I've never liked them. Enter the magic ingredient: BACON! In an effort to enjoy Brussels sprouts more I've gone for a simple recipe that calls for garlic, salt, pepper, evoo, and bacon (or pancetta). Very little effort was involved in these easy side and I found that I really enjoyed the mix of flavors. The Vermont Smoke and Cure unsmoked bacon was a perfect edition to the Brussels Sprouts and I will definitely make this recipe again as I try and eat more Brussels sprouts! This is the perfect recipe to ease me into it!








Roasted Brussels sprouts with Garlic and Bacon (or pancetta)
serves 3 well or 4 as a small side
1 lbs Brussels Sprouts trimmed and cut in half
2 oz bacon (or pancetta) minced
1 garlic clove minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
water
Preheat oven to 450 F. Toss all ingredients together except water in a baking pan. Spread mixture out in one layer in baking pan. Roasting stirring once or twice for 22-25 minutes until edges are brown and sprouts are as tender as you like. Stir in a little water, less then 1/4 cup, stir and pour contents into a bowl, mix well & serve

Quick Bite Done Right!

I was tasked with cooking dinner for myself on Tuesday night. I am fortunate enough to work from home twice a week which affords me the opportunity to tidy up, do laundry, and work on cooking projects.  After a busy day of work and laundry, I found myself standing in the kitchen alone, waiting on another kitchen project without a strong desire to cook anything to complicated.
With a quick bite in  mind I whipped up some mini-sandwiches & kale chips for a fast and relatively easy dinner on the go.

quick bites done right.

The mini-sandwiches are made with leftover feather bread, Smith's Farmstead garlic gouda, turkey kielbasa from Bob's, wax peppers from the garden which I had frozen in strips, and homemade horseradish mayo, with the leftover horseradish mayo topping the kale chips.

Not too shabby for a hastily thrown together dinner for 1!

Hearty Beef Stew

diced leftover brisket ready for the crockpot

With so much leftover brisket and carrots from Saturday's great taste of fall dinner I had to find a way to use some of the leftover brisket because there is no way I could eat so many leftovers, no matter how hard I tried!!
I went for the obvious and easy choice: Beef Stew!
On Tuesday afternoon while working form home I fired up the crock pot and made a pot of hearty beef stew.

nice and hearty

 No recipe needed here.Very simple stew: leftover brisket diced, leftover roasted carrots, diced potatoes, onion, garlic, beef stock, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, & a dash of black pepper.  I saved most of the jus/gravy from the briskets and used some as the base of my beef stock. After 5-6 hours in the crock pot  the final product was perfect on a chilly fall night.  The original brisket, and resulting beef stew was good enough that even Gail, a  longtime vegetarian helped herself to a small portion!

the beef stew goes great with a heel of bread 

Over the course of the week Gail and I both slowly progressed to feeling fairly shitty. A nice hot bowl of stew really hit the spot. The remaining couple of portions have found their way into the freezer for enjoyment later in the winter.

Celebrating Fall...with Dinner.

I love fall. It is my favorite season. Having lived my entire life in New England or central New York state I am mesmerized each and ever year when the trees slowly transform from fields of green to rich pools of reds, yellows, oranges, and browns, while temperatures slowly drop and the air develops a crisp cool bite.
This year is a different story though, it's really come upon me unexpectedly. For me it's been a combination of the weather playing tricks on us and an extremely busy September & October. I managed to carve out enough time to harvest the last of it all and began putting things to bed for the winter. Some leaves and straw here, a nice weeding and digging there.
With garden work winding down and temperatures I turn from growing and eating fresh to savoring the abundance of the fall harvest and enjoying our supply of preserved goods that help us eat real local foods throughout the winter.
This past weekend Gail and I had some friends of ours for a fall (and slightly Jewish) inspired dinner that featured a combination of ingredients harvested from the garden, the Brookline Farmers Market, our stock of frozen and canned goods, and even a little bit from the grocery store (ha!).
It was a wonderful catching up with friends we hadn't seen, and enjoying a delicious meal full of fall flavors.
Fred & Gail's Fall Celebration Dinner:
Snack Plate

• crackers & herb garlic capri from Westfield Farm.
• carrots from the garden, fall cucumbers and radish from farms at the brookline farmers market.
• plain hummus from Samira's Homemade of belmont, ma 
• green bean & zucchini relish, our first taste of the batch we made back in august.
• fresh baked rosemary & sage bread with rosemary & sage from the garden.

Dinner

• Stillman's Farm butternut squash puree 
• Kimball Farm roasted carrots with thyme and garlic
• noodle kugel (super market)
• brisket Au jus and fresh made horseradish. The two (yes there were 2) briskets I made were from River Rock Farm purveyors of fine farm raised natural beef, and home to my absolute favorite burger patties. The fresh horseradish sauce came from the roots I harvested on Friday as part of Monday's final harvest (click the link for a good picture of a big part of the horseradish harvest).

Dessert 

• Shelburne Honey Co honey and Kimball Farm apple cake
• Boston Common  pumpkin spice coffee 

Quite an ambitions meal for a kitchen barely able to fit 2 of us and all our kitchen clutter. I found myself up early for a Saturday morning baking bread and cake in what would prove to be a full day of oven use. The final product was well worth it. Here is a look at the snack plate & main event, followed by recipe info and a few more pics.

No Brisket recipe. I am keeping it a secret because it was passed down to me by Gail's 90-year old grandmother who makes the most incredible brisket I have ever had the pleasure to eat. If I were on death row her brisket would be my final meal. A secret like that is worth keeping.

hummus, cukes/radish/carrot, bread, green bean & zucchini relish, herb garlic goat cheese

kugel, carrots, butternut squash puree, brisket with jus & fresh made horseradish

Recipe Info

Snack Plate

     Green Bean & Zucchini Relish canned in August. Our first taste! It had a really nice subtle flavor. I loved it! (click link for recipe)

     Rosemary & Sage Bread

This bread doesn't require a lot of effort, but it takes some time so save it for the weekend.
3 cups flour

1 packet (1/4 oz) or equivalent instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

at least 1 tbsp rosemary

at least 1 tbsp sage

olive oil for brushing

Combine flour, yeast, salt and chopped herbs in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir until blended; dough will be a little sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest For 4 hours at warm room temperature (I had it on the counter near the oven which was warming up)

Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; folding it over onto itself twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 more minutes.

While resting, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a heavy covered pot ( a 3 1/2 or 4 qt le cruset dutch oven is perfect for this) in oven as it heats.
When the dough is read, carefully remove the hot pot from the oven, drop the dough in, and shake a few times to allow the dough to settle.

Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake an additional 25or 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Brush with olive oil and a gentle sprinkle of salt. 

Let Cool.
Here's a look at the bread fresh out of the oven, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with a pinch of salt:

Dinner

     Butternut Squash Puree follow the link for the recipe I used. I made this ahead and let it sit in the ceramic casserole dish it was served in. I added a spoonful of maple syrup while it rested, and then set it in the oven while the brisket finished off for about 30 minutes until it was warm.
     Roasted Carrots with Thyme & Garlic from Gourmet Today edited by Ruth Reichl

     Noodle Kugel from the Kosher Gourmet Cookbook

     Horseradish made with roots harvested less then 24 hours earlier from my garden. Standard recipe of grated  horseradish root and a bit of vinegar. I will be posting more about horseradish later.
      Brisket made with care following Charlotte Michaelson Frank's original recipe, which was really great for my first attempt and something I'm really excited to perfect in the future.
Below is a photo of the butternut squash puree & the smaller brisket:

Dessert

   Apple & Honey Cake from Fresh Flavors From Israel
   for a 10 in/26 cm spring-form pan
For the topping:
2 tablespoons oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tart baking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4 in slices.
Cake:
3 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup warm apple juice (I used warm cider)
2 1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
Preparation:
1) Preheat oven to 350 F
2) Prepare the topping:  cover the bottom and walls of the pan with oil. Sprinkle on a uniform coating of the brown sugar. Arrange apples in one dense layer at the bottom of the spring-form pan.
3) Prepare the cake: beat the eggs with the brown sugar for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add oil and honey and beat until smooth. Add the warm apple juice (cider) and mix well.
4) In a separate bowl whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon , and cloves. Add to the eggs and honey batter and mix until just combined. Once mixed pour batter over pan.
5) Bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick comes out dry with a few crumbs sticking. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Invert the pan over a large flat serving plate, release the spring and gently lift off the ring. Serve at room temperature.

This time when I made the cake I remembered to adjust the time and temperature for a thicker cake, after I tried this recipe last fall and produced a cake with a very gooey center. This time it was baked to perfection, if anything it was a tad dry. Regardless of that, it certainly looked great:

It was an abundance of delicious food that highlighted many fall flavors. All of us ended the evening with full stomachs and big smiles!

What are you cooking that highlights the flavors and feel of fall??

Dark Days Update #9: Carrot Mash & Homemade Tater Tots

Note from Fred: This Dark Days update has been written by my girlfriend Gail. Without her support and encouragement I would never have started gardening or expanding my cooking skills. Gail does a lot of the cooking for us, usually more then I do, so I thought it would be nice if she did a write up for this meal as she did all of the work.
Our most recent Dark Days Challenge meal was wonderful. The carrot mash recipe comes from a local friend, while the tater tots are a result of our cooking adventures this summer and came from our freezer.

Carrot Mash
This delicious dish was previously titled Carrot Pudding, but I've changed the title after altering the dish (making a few errors) and it still came out delicious! After my modifications/mistakes I know this recipe is foolproof!
2lbs of carrots
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 cups of milk
2 eggs
vanilla, to taste
cinnamon, to taste
-Preheat oven to 350F
-Peel & slice carrots
-Boil until tender (about 40 minutes)
-Transfer carrots to a food processor. Add butter and sugar. Process until smooth.
-Add rest of the ingredients. Pulse until combined.
-Put in a greased casserole dish and bake at 350F for 90 minutes.

Homemade Tater Tots
via Pennies on a Platter
While the outcome is delicious, this is a very labor intensive recipe
8 russet potatoes
1/4 cup milk
1 cup flour
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups crushed potato chips
-Preheat oven to 400F
-Boil potatoes in a large pot until barely fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
-Gradually add the milk and mash the potatoes until mashed, but still lumpy. You may not need to use all of the milk. It is important to keep the potatoes lumpy but a little dry so it isn't to messy to roll them into balls.
-Separate eggs, flour, and potato chips into 3 bowls and set aside.
-Form the potato mixture into 1-inch balls and place on wax or parchment paper. Roll each ball first into the bowl of flour, then the eggs, finishing with the chips.
-Once coated, form the balls into tots formation and place onto a baking sheet.
-Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.

I will save you the details showing the exact mileage all of our products are from our apartment, but everything except the sugar, vanilla and cinnamon is between 12 and 152 miles from us! Here are the local ingredients in the Carrot Mash & Tater Tots:
Carrots (Red Fire Farm), Potatoes (Allandale), Butter (Katie's Homemade), Flour (King Arthur Flour), Milk (Organic Cow), Eggs (Baffoni's Poultry Farm), & Potato Chips (Cape Cod Potato Chips)

Brownies

This weekend, my baking adventures came out of a need to thank a co-worker for going above and beyond, as well as a desire for something sweet and decadent, so I set out to make brownies. I used the recipe for from Joanne Chang's Flour cookbook.

I was incredibly pleased with the results. The brownies were incredibly fudgie and delicious:

My co-worker thought she was getting a single brownie as a thank you, but I gave her most of the batch, reserving a few choice morsels for Gail and I.

We'll have limited access to our kitchen for the next 3 weeks due to some minor renovations so cooking, baking, and preparing meals for the Dark Days Challenge will be fairly limited and relatively simple.

Dark Days Update #3: Oven Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables & Buttermilk Rolls

Sunday night I was tasked with cooking me and Gail's most recent meal for the Dark Days Challenge. Though a meal of buttermilk rolls, oven roasted chicken and root vegetables seems pretty straightforward it was challenging because until Sunday night I had NEVER roasted a whole chicken, or even attempted it. Another interesting aspect of this meal is that, as previously mentioned Gail is vegetarian. A while back she mentioned to me she would be willing to try chicken again if I was willing to cook it. With this in mind the pressure was really on to find an appropriate dish that would appeal to both of us, without being overpowering to her chickenless existence. I decided if Gail were going to try chicken again it would have to be good, but it would also have to be relatively simple so I choose a classic dish: Roasted whole chicken with root vegetables. Traditional, simple, and delicious (I hoped).
Below is a photo of the results, which I am extremely pleased with as well as the recipes used:

First off, is the rolls which were very easy to make and extremely good. This recipe is taken straight from Susy over at Chiot's Run. I urge everyone to head over there and check out the recipe as well as the great modifications and suggestions contained within. I've reproduced the recipe strictly for the basic rolls without any adjustment.

Basic Roll Dough

from Chiot's Run

makes approximately 2 dozen rolls

1 cup milk or buttermilk
1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 beaten eggs

4 1/4 - 4 3/4 cups of flour

1 packet of yeast

--In a large bowl, mix 2 cups of flour and yeast. In a medium saucepan, heat buttermilk, sugar, butter and salt just till butter starts to melt (120-130 degrees F). Add milk mixture to dry mixture along with eggs. Mix until flour is incorporated, then beat on high speed for 3 minutes.

--Mix in as much remaining flour as possible, but you want the dough to be fairly soft. Knead for 4-5 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball and place in oiled bowl. Let rise in warm place till double, about 1 hour.

--Turn dough out onto counter and divide into the size of dough balls needed for whatever final bread you're making. Shape dough into desired rolls and place on baking sheets or pans. Cover and let rise in warm place till nearly double in size, about 45 minutes to one hour.

--Bake in 375F(pre-heated)oven until golden on top, will be about 12-15 minutes for rolls.
My notes: I mixed the whole thing by hand, so a mixer is not required. I ended up using 4 1/4 cups flour, at which point I felt the dough was sufficiently soft.

Oven Roasted Whole Chicken with Root Vegetables

For the Root Vegetables:

Wash, clean, and peel (if neccessary) your choice of root vegetables and set aside. I used:

2 handfuls of fingerling potatoes

1 large bunch of carrots

2 parsnips

1 yellow onion

1 turnip

2 cloves of garlic squashed and minced

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

large pinch kosher salt.

olive oil

--Quarter and chop all the vegetables and place them in a bowl along with 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil. Mix everything thoroughly until all the vegetables are coated in oil. Add herbs and mix well.

--Set aside until Chicken is ready for the oven.

For the Chicken:

1 3-5 lb Chicken

lemon or apple for the cavity

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon sage

5-6 cloves of garlic squashed and minced

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

pinch kosher salt

1/8 of cup olive oil

--Bring chicken to room temperature. I purchased a frozen chicken on Saturday morning that weighed just under 4 lbs. I let it sit in the refrigerator until Sunday afternoon and pulled it out about 2 1/2 hours before I cooked it.

-- heat the oven to 425 F

--Pat chicken dry with paper towel

--Season the cavity with salt, black pepper, some of the rosemary, and 4 cloves of the squashed garlic. Add 1/2 a lemon or apple to the cavity. (optional: Add small head of garlic to rest in the cavity with the lemon or apple)

--Gently pinch the skin back on either side of the breast, rub the herb and garlic mixture just under the skin, without removing it.

--Rub 1/8 of a cup of oil around outside of the bird. Rub any remaining herb mixture on the outside of the bird.

Place the root vegetables into a roasting pan, with the chicken in the center

--Roast at 425F for 25 minutes.

--After 25 minutes turn down oven to 375F and roast for an additional 60 minutes or until internal temperature at the thigh reads 165F.

--Remove chicken from the roasting pan and rest 15 to 20 minutes. At this point check if the vegetables are done. If not give them a few more minutes.

--Carve chicken. Enjoy!

What was really nice about this meal as a whole was that as the chicken was finishing up I could use the oven space to make the rolls so everything was warm and fresh from the oven when we sat down to eat!

I was very pleased with my first experience roasting a whole chicken. The bird, from Stillman's at The Turkey Farm was moist and flavorful. The simple mixture of herbs and garlic carried well between the chicken and vegetables. Everything was cooked to perfection. I can't wait to do this again.

Gail did not eat a lot of the chicken, as I expected. She had a few small pieces, which she said tasted good, but 'different'. She wouldn't rush out to have it again, but if I made more at some point she would try a little more.

The promise of chicken soup to come from the leftovers is a big draw for her!

Local ingredients in the Rolls: Buttermilk (Garelick Farms), Butter (Kate's Homemade), Eggs (Baffoni's Poultry Farm), Flour (King Arthur Flour)

Local ingredients in the Chicken with Root Vegetables:

Chicken, Potato, Carrot, Parsnips (Stillman's Farm) Apple, Garlic, Yellow Onion (Allandale Farm) Turnip (Schartner Farms), Rosemary and Sage (My Garden)

I would also be remiss if I did not point out all the MassGrown cider I've been enjoying. I get a gallon each week from City Feed & Supply, which is also where I find Baffoni's Eggs and random other goodies!

Dark Days Update #2: Potato/Leek Soup & Savory Muffins!

This Dark Days Challenge update is courtesy of our freezer! I made and froze the soup back in late October While the savory muffins were baked and frozen in mid-November. I left both soup and muffins to thaw as I headed off to work. By the time I came home the 2 portions of soup were ready to cook. I added just a little water and let them warm up. For the muffins I lightly toasted them for 10 minutes after they had thawed. Simple, Easy, and Delicious!

Below the picture you will find recipes for both the Potato & Leek Soup and the Cheddar & Leek Muffins.

Potato & Leek Soup (with Stillman's Sausage, Local Cheddar, and Sage from the garden)

Makes 6 servings

1 lb of leeks, cleaned and darker parts removed. Between 4 - 6 leeks

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Heavy Pinch of kosher salt

1-1.5 lbs potatoes, diced small (peeling them is up to you).

3-4 cloves of garlic, diced.

1 quart vegetable broth

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon pepper (black or white is a matter of preference)
1 tablespoon chives/rosemary/sage depending on preference
--Chop the leeks into small pieces.

--In a 6-quart pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and salt and let simmer for 5 minutes.
--Lower the heat to medium-low and cook until the leeks are soft and tender, 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
--Add the potatoes, minced garlic and broth, raise the head to medium-high and bring to a boil. Once boiling reducing the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until the potatoes are nice and soft 40-45 minutes.--Turn off the heat and puree with immersion blender or food processor until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream, buttermilk and pepper until well blended. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Sprinkle with herbs and serve.

As Gail is a vegetarian she enjoyed hers as listed above. I broiled and sliced a Stillman's Farm sweet Italian pork sausage into my portion. Once the soup was spooned into bowls I topped it with a few slices of cheddar cheese, sage from our garden, and an additional sprinkling of pepper.

Local ingredients in the Potato & Leek Soup: Leeks (my garden & Stillman's Farm), Potatoes & Garlic (Atlas Farm), Heavy Cream & Buttermilk (Garelick Farms), Herbs (my garden), Optional: Sweet Italian Sausage (Stillman's Farm), Cheddar (Grafton Village Cheese)

Cheddar and Leek Muffins(recipe from the kitchn)

Makes 12 muffins

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup corn flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
7 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/4 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only, divided
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

--Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin with baking papers or 5-inch squares of parchment.

--Sift all the dry ingredients together into a large mixing bowl.

--In a small bowl, beat the eggs, buttermilk, 5 tablespoons of the melted butter, and honey.

--Make a well in the dry ingredients and incorporate the wet ingredients. Stir until smooth. Stir in the cheese and 1 cup leeks.

--Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups, filling each about three quarters full.

--Top each muffin with a few of the remaining leek rings and a spoonful of the remaining melted butter.

--Bake 20-25 minutes, or until tops just begin to brown.

Local ingredients in the Cheddar and Leek Muffins: All-Purpose Flour (King Arthur Flour), Eggs (Stillman's Farm), Buttermilk (Garelick Farms), Butter & Cheddar (Cabot Cheese), Honey (Keown Orchards), and Leeks (my Garden & Stillman's Farm)

This weekend we were able to eat locally with the help of:

Stillman's Farm, Atlas Farm, Keown Orchards, King Arthur Flour, Garelick Farms, Cabot Cheese, Grafton Village Cheese, and My Garden.

Dark Days Update #1: The Dark Days of Hanukkah

As I've already mentioned the start of the Dark Days Challenge coincided with the first night of Hanukkah. So this first update shares some of the local and festive Hanukkah eating we've been enjoying. Below you will find recipes for traditional latkes as well as butternut squash latkes, wine and maple glazed parsnips & carrots, apple butter, challah, green beans with roasted squash seeds, and finally sufganiyot (jelly donuts!).

(Potato Latkes with Apple Butter & Red Wine and Maple Glazed Carrots & Parsnips)

Potato Latkes (via Martha Stewart)
serves 4 to 6
4 large potatoes, peeled

1 small onion, finely grated

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup Beer

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon coarse salt

Ground Black Pepper

Vegetable Oil, for frying

--Shred potatoes into large bowl of ice water.
--With a slotted spoon transfer shredded potatoes to a second bowl, lined with a kitchen tile and squeeze the moisture out of the potatoes. Leave the original bowl of ice water for 10 minutes allowing the starch to settle on the bottom.
--Pour the water out of the bowl leaving the settled starch. Transfer the shredded potatoes to the bowl with the remaining starch.
--Add the onion to the bowl. Stir in the eggs, beer, flour, salt and pepper.
--In a heavy nonstick skillet heat 1/4-inch of oil. Transfer approximately a 1/2 cup of the mixture per pancake into the skillet. Cook the mixture in batches frying both sides 4 to 6 minutes or until golden brown.
--Transfer the finished latkes to a paper towel lined plate or baking sheet and allow the latkes to drain of excess oil.
--Serve with your choice of toppings. The traditional toppings are sour cream or applesauce.
We topped them with a thin layer of Gail's delicious homemade Apple butter. The original recipe also suggests warming the oven to 200 F and placing finished latkes on a cookie sheet into the oven to keep them warm as you make more.
Rather then go out and find a local beer I used a beer we had on hand. A delicious Fat Tire from the good folks at New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins, CO.

Apple Butter

makes 3-4 medium jars

2lbs apples, coarsely chopped

1 1/4 cups of water

Juice from 1 orange

Pinch of ground allspice

Pinch of ground cinnamon

3 1/2 cups granulated sugar

--Put apples and water in heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer the apples for about 10 minutes, until soft.

--Sieve the fruit in batches and collect the juice and puree in a clean bowl. Put this mixture back into the pan and add the orange juice, spices, and sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring until the sugar has all dissolved.

--Bring the mixture back up to a boil and simmer gently for about 2 hours, or longer if needed until the mixture has sufficiently thickened, stirring occasionally to prevent mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The butter is ready when it is thick enough to rest on the back of a spoon without running off.

--Ladle into warm sterilized mason jars leaving about 1/4 inch headspace. Process in a boiling water bath for 5-10 minutes. Allow processed jars to cool down. Check that jars have sealed. IF they have store them in a cupboard for up to 6 months, if not store in refrigerator.

--Refrigerate after opening.

Red Wine and Maple Glazed Carrots & Parsnips

(adapted from Ruth Reichl's Gourmet Today)

serves 6

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 lb carrots cut diagonally into 3-inch pieces

1 lb parsnips cut diagonally into 3-inch pieces

1 cup dry red wine

1/3 cup maple syrup

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped dill

--Heat butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides

--Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened about 4 minutes

--Add chili powder, salt, and pepper and cook about 1 minute

--Add carrots, wine, and maple syrup, bring to a simmer.

--Add parsnips and bring to a simmer.

--Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until carrots & parsnips are tender, about 20 minutes.

--Add vinegar and boil, uncovered, until liquid has reduced down to a glaze, 3 to 5 minutes.

--Remove from heat and stir in dill

Local ingredients in the Latkes with Apple Butter & Glazed Carrots and Parsnips:

Latkes: Potatoes (Stillmans Farm), Onions (Allandale Farm), Flour (King Arthur Flour), Eggs (Baffoni's Poultry Farm)

Apple Butter: Apples (Kimball Farm)

Glazed Carrots & Parsnips: Carrots & Parsnips (Stillmans Farm), Shallots (Allandale Farm)

Next up is a delicious loaf of Challah I enjoyed with Gail's family. Her sister raises chickens in the backyard of their suburban home. The eggs in this delicious braided loaf were laid within 50 feet of the table where the bread was enjoyed.

(Challah & Red Wine)

Challah

(thanks to Jane Murphy)

makes 2 loaves

one packet active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoons salt
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs + 1 egg for glaze
6 cups all-purpose flour
--Dissolve the yeast in the water for about 5 minutes. Stir in salt, honey, oil and eggs. Gradually add the flour until incorporated. Kneed about 8 minutes on a floured surface until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover until double in size, about an hour.
--Divide into six equal sections, roll into ropes, and braid two challahs. Cover each with a towel and let rise about another 1/2 hour. Brush well with beaten egg.
--Bake at 400 for about 40 minutes, rotating once in the oven for even browning. Challah is done when the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
Enjoy!

Local ingredients in the Challah: Eggs (Backyard Chickens) Possibly the Honey & Flour came from local sources but I can't guarantee it.

(Butternut Squash Latkes with Cheddar & Green Beans with toasted Squash Seeds)

Butternut Squash Latkes

3 cups Grated Butternut Squash, See Instructions Below

½ cups Grated Onion, Yellow Or Sweet

2 whole Eggs

3 Tablespoons Flour, All Purpose Or Whole Wheat

¾ teaspoons Salt

¼ teaspoons Rubbed Sage Or Poultry Seasoning

½ Tablespoons Olive Oil

--Cut squash in half and de-seed like a pumpkin. With a vegetable peeler, peel the squash. You can also reverse these steps but I find it easier to peel once halved. Grate squash either using a grater with large holes. Put in a medium bowl. Grate onion and add to the bowl; try not to include lots of liquid. Add in the eggs, flour, salt, and sage and stir.

--Put olive oil in a heavy skillet or griddle on high. Heat for 30 seconds. Place a heaping tablespoonful of mixture in the pan and spread it into a 2-3 inch diameter circle about 1/2 inch thick. Cook for 1 minute, until it starts to brown, and then flip. These guys cook fast so keep a close eye on them!

--Top with applesauce, sour cream, cheddar or whatever you prefer.

Green Beans with Roasted Squash Seeds

1 pound slender green beans, trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 cup squash or pumpkin seeds

Coarse kosher salt

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 large garlic clove, minced

--Cook green beans in large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender and still bright green, about 5 minutes. Drain beans and cool in colander. Cut beans into 1-inch pieces.

--Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add Squash/Pumpkin seeds. Toss until starting to pop and brown, about 8 minutes; sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Transfer to plate.

--Let stand at room temperature

--Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add rosemary and garlic; stir 15 seconds. Add beans and squash seeds. Toss until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper.

Local ingredients in the Butternut Squash Latkes & Green beans with Squash Seeds

Latkes: Butternut Squash & Onion (Stillman's Farm), Eggs (Jane Murphy's Backyard Chickens), Flour (King Arthur Flour), Cheddar (Grafton Village Cheese)

Green Beans: Green Beans (Kimball Farm & My Garden), Squash Seeds (Stillman's Farm), Rosemary (my windowsill), Garlic (Allandale Farm).

(Sufganiyot)

Hanukkah Sufganiyot (Jelly Donut)

from Martha Stewart

makes 20 donuts

2 tablespoons active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (100 degrees to 110 degrees)

1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar, plus more for rolling

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 teaspoons salt

3 cups vegetable oil, plus more for bowl

1 cup your choice of jam

--In a small bowl, combine yeast, warm water, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes.

--Place flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center; add eggs, yeast mixture, 1/4 cup sugar, butter, nutmeg, and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir until a sticky dough forms. On a well-floured work surface, knead until dough is smooth, soft, and bounces back when poked with a finger, about 8 minutes (add more flour if necessary). Place in an oiled bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

--On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch-round cutter or drinking glass, cut 20 rounds. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise 15 minutes

--In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat oil until a deep-frying thermometer registers 370 degrees. Using a slotted spoon, carefully slip 4 rounds into oil. Fry until golden, about 40 seconds. Turn doughnuts over; fry until golden on other side, another 40 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Roll in sugar while warm. Fry all dough, and roll in sugar.

--Fill a pastry bag fitted with a #4 tip with jam. Using a wooden skewer or toothpick, make a hole in the side of each doughnut. Fit the pastry tip into a hole, pipe about 2 teaspoons jam into doughnut. Repeat with remaining doughnuts.

Local ingredients in the Sufganiyot: Flour (King Arthur Flour), Eggs (Baffoni's Poultry Farm), Butter (Cabot Creamery), Jam ( homemade Strawberry & Tripleberry Jam from our pantry)

I'll be enjoying leftover latkes & green beans for lunch during the upcoming few days as well. In the first week of the Dark Days Challenge I was able to eat locally thanks to:

Stillmans Farm,

Allandale Farm, Kimball Farm, King Arthur Flour, Grafton Village Cheese, Cabot Creamery, Baffoni's Poultry Farm, Jane Murphy's Backyard Chickens, My Garden, and the rosemary plant living on my windowsill.