Time for another fall pick-up, and some more recipes!

You may notice that we have a lot of construction under way – the walls of the bunkhouse have almost all been removed and replaced with stud walls. We say farewell to Heidi this week – she’s been with us since the end of March! It’s amazing to think all of the things we have done since March. We wish her well in her future endeavors and give so much thanks for all her hard work.

 

Winter Warmer Soup

From The Complete Encyclopedia of Vegetables and Vegetarian Cooking, by Roz Denny and Christine Ingram

This soup is a Martha special – you might have seen it in this blog before – a great one for using up some root vegetables (especially handy for that rutabaga).

3 medium carrots, chopped

1 large onion, chopped – sub one leek, white part only, chopped

1 large potato, chopped

1 large parsnip, chopped – sub kohlrabi or celeriac! (1 cup)

1 large rutabaga, chopped – maybe not one of OUR large ones (about 2 cups)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp butter

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 1/4 cups milk

3 tbsp cream

2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

fresh lemon

 

1. Put the carrots, potato, parsnip, turnip and onion into a large saucepan with the oil and butter. Fry lightly, then cover and sweat the vegetables on a very low heat for 15 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.
2. Pour in enough water to just cover the vegetables, bring to a boil and season well. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
3. Strain the vegetables, reserving the liquid, add the ginger and puree in a food processor or blender until smooth.
4. Return the puree and half the liquid to the pan. Add the milk and stir while the soup gently reheats. Add more or all of the cooking liquid to the consistency you would like.
5. Remove from the heat, stir in the cream, dill, lemon juice and extra seasoning, if necessary. Reheat the soup, if you wish, but do not allow it to boil as you do or, or it may curdle.

 

 

Basic Chicken Stock

From Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

Since we have stewing chickens for sale Saturday, might as well post a stock recipe here too. This is a very basic recipe – usually I also add a head of garlic chopped in half, a few sprigs of thyme, and a big pinch of salt. Freeze it in yogurt containers to use in soups. Or salt to taste and drink as is.

1 whole free-range chicken or 2-3 pounds of bony chicken parts (necks, backs, breastbones, wings, or other chicken scraps

gizzards from one chicken (optional)

feet from one chicken (optional)

1 gallon cold filtered water

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 large onion, roughly chopped – sub the green tops from leeks!

2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

3 sticks of celery, roughly chopped

1 bunch parsley

If you are using the whole chicken, cut off the wings and remove the neck, fat glands and gizzards from the cavity. By all means, use the chicken feet if you can find them. They are full of gelatin. If you can find it, use a whole chicken, with the head intact. You can sometimes find these in Oriental markets, but make sure you look for farm-raised, free-range birds for the best nutrition.

Cut the chicken parts into pieces – if you’re using a whole chicken, cut off the wings and the neck and cut those down. Put the chicken and/or chicken pieces in a large stainless steel stock pot and cover with the water, vinegar and veggies (minus the parsley). Let the mixture stand for 30-60 minutes. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the top. Once you have that all skimmed, reduce the heat and cook (covered) for 6 hours to 24 hours. The longer the better – it will yield a much richer stock. About 10 minutes before the stock is done, add the parsley. The parsley is important because it adds mineral ions to the broth.

Let the broth cool slightly and then remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon or tongs. If you used a whole chicken, make sure you save the meat for casseroles or soup. The skin and small bones will be soft enough that you can feed them to your cat or dog without any harm. Strain the stock into another bowl and stick it in the fridge until the broth congeals and the fat rises to the top. Skim off the fat and reserve it for future projects.

 

Fennel, Celeriac and Parsley Salad

This is one of my favorite winter salads – I’ve made it for more than a few American Thanksgivings – when you want the salad to be bright, fresh and interesting but not take up a lot of space on a full plate. Using a mandolin to slice the celeriac, fennel, onion and cheese makes it really fast. If all you have in the fridge is shaker parmesan, and you don’t have any pumpkin seeds, it’ll still taste amazing.

1/2 bulb (8 oz) celery root (celeriac), peeled, and cut into long, thin strips (2 cups)

8 ounces fennel (outer layer and tough stems discarded), cored, then cut into long, thin strips (2 cups), fronds reserved for optional garnish

1/2 small red onion, cut into thin slices (2/3 cup)

Leaves from 1 or 2 bunches parsley, preferably flat-leaf, chopped (2 cups packed)

1/4 cup olive oil, or more to taste

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste (2 tablespoons)

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste

Freshly ground white pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted pumpkin seeds, toasted (optional)

2 oz pecorino Romano cheese, shaved into curls with a vegetable peeler

Combine the celery root, fennel, onion and parsley in a large bowl; toss to combine. Add the oil, lemon juice and salt and the white pepper to taste; toss to combine. Taste, and adjust the acidity or seasoning as needed.

Finish the salad with the toasted pumpkin seeds and cheese. Garnish with the fennel fronds, if desired, and serve.

NOTE: To toast pumpkin seeds, toss them with 1 tablespoon of canola oil and spread in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes; allow to cool completely.