True Wild Mushroom Ragu

Sounds better than Polyporus squamosus and Laetiporus sulphureus sauce, doesn't it?

A simple carb dinner was desired tonight, and with a couple pounds of fresh mushrooms in the fridge from yesterday's market exploits, a thick, chunky mushroom ragu of sorts was in order.  Enter, protein!  New Hampshire Mushroom Co., I love you.

"Chicken mushroom" (among other similar names, the Latin of which is Laetiporus sulphureus) is a favorite in this kitchen for its meaty, flavorful, pretty, great freezability (word of the day) properties.  They are very common, abundant in spring and fall, and have no poisonous lookalikes.  but do your research before trodding off!  

The underside of chicken mushroom is very porous: teeny-tiny microscopic pores that look sponge-like and soak up a lot of flavor, making them vegetarian dreams for hearty or otherwise inspired cooking!

This is the squamosus. That brown feathery texture you see is exactly why this mushroom has the nickname "pheasant back" (among other).

Pheasant back is a bracket fungus, and it's the removal of the stem that yielded that opening.  You're looking at two halves of one mushroom.

With deep tube-like pores, the underside of the pheasant back is extremely cool looking.  Some recipes call for scraping it off to reveal even deeper mushroom flavor; flavor, fyi, that is reminiscent of freshly cut watermelon or cucumber.  I left it on, and had no problem detecting that distinct summery, crisp watermelon aroma.

Both pheasant backs and chicken mushrooms have early tender stages and older tough stages.  The pheasant back, I was reminded, has a really tough stem, and thus the inside of the ring is tougher than the outside.  The outer 2" (+/-) of the cap is very tender and easily breaks.

None of this mattered to me for this dish.  The whole shebang went into a food processor, and then got sauteed in Coppal House farm's canola oil (cold pan, cold oil, easy heat!) with local spring leeks and shallot, some garlic, and a sprinkling of sea salt.  I was immediately reminded of linguine con le vongole!

I always think of puzzles with food shots like those above.

After cooking the mushrooms down for 7-8 minutes, I added a splash of red wine and two cans of whole plum tomatoes, and simmered the pot for 15 minutes (which is all any fresh marinara ever needs).  Before adding in fresh herbs (basil and oregano from the garden), I swirled in a decadent balsamic vinegar (read: "syrup") to lift the brightness of the sauce.  A healthy handful of freshly grated, truffled cheese from Wolf Meadow (primo sale al tartufo, a young med-soft cheese) finished the plating.  And, then we ate.  The end.

Simple, quick, easy, weeknight tasty cooking.  Yup, it's what's for dinner.  Just watch out for little beetles that suddenly appear on your cutting board!

No harm was given to this little guy.  It's thriving in a specimen jar in the fridge, complete with a piece of polyporus squamosus.  Until I know what it is and where it's normally found, that's where it shall stay.  (I'm awaiting a Bug Guide.net ID any time now...) 

Update!  My source at BugGuide.net suggests this is Oxyporus rufipennis, a "rove" beetle native to Canada.  No wonder it doesn't mind the cold.

Sunflower Sourdough with Apples and Cottage Cheese = Light, Satisfying Lunch

Sunflower sourdough topped with Brookford Farm's fromage frais (that I folded scallions into), slices from a Cider Works 'Empire' apple, and drizzled with Coppal House Farm's sunflower oil.  Little bit o' Maine sea salt (sold by Seacoast Eat Local at the markets) and freshly cracked pepper finished it off.  Chewy, crunchy, sweet, tangy and buttery.  Yup, yum.

New England Boiled Dinner is on the menu for tonight's meal, which needs a fairly early start time if dinner is wanted at a reasonable time.  While I was getting my goods together I decided I better have a little breakfast first.  That's when I discovered it was already noon.  Before I'm thought of as a lazy slug, no, I didn't just get up.  I'm still messed up with the time change. And, I'm a late eater.  Right?

I always have an assortment of breads in the freezer.  First of all, there are so many incredible bread bakers out there these days that I've become a bread hoarder.  (That's the case for dried beans, too.)  Secondly, as a believer in bread bags and the owner of multiple freezers, I might as well stock up when I come across a wowzie-doozie.

The slice above is from a loaf of sunflower sourdough baked by Canterbury Bread Shop that we pulled out for last night's dinner (huge bowls of mixed greens dressed in olive oil and lemon).   A tough crust, chewy crumb, and packed with good sour flavor, we have a tendency to lightly toast Canterbury's breads before nom-nomming.  The apple provided, naturally, a super sweet, crunchy component, and the hint of scallion and liberal sunflower oil added savory and buttery flavors.  Very satisfying.  Cut your bread on the bias and you'll get a nice big slice of "satisfying."  :)  Heck, cut two slices.

Schmierkäse on a Snow Day

Brookford Farm quark.  Made plain and flavored (herbed, etc.)

My mother, who adapted her recipe from a great aunt's, turned out a bowl of this spreadable, curdy cheese concoction years back while I was up visiting.  She lives in the mountains, I'm of German descent.  It was a match made in heaven.

Breakfast fit for a farmers' market queen

I don't know that I need to say more.  Okay, I will.  'Many Raisin' toast from Sunnyfield Ovens that we picked up yesterday at the market, slathered with Brookford Farm brie (also purchased yesterday) and my buddy Marie's homemade jellies (left: orange-mint; right: red pepper-raspberry; not shown: quince-vanilla).  All her jellies are made with her own garden's produce and herbs!

Wait till I unwrap the blue from Brookford's.

Okay, nevermind, I shouldn't make you wait.  I'm very likely going to add it to a mesclun greens & apple salad with lots of spiced nuts (buddy Marie is a keeper!)  It's so creamy, though, that I might very well have to slightly melt it over grilled beach Pea ciabatta, with crushed spiced nuts and drizzled with Victory Bees honey.  Haha, I'll try to remember pictures.

Mac and Cheese, the NH-made way

Two pots and one baking dish.  What's not to love about this recipe?

With an abundance of cheese produced in NH, it's easy to feature them exclusively in this classic, comfort-food dish.  This recipe results in a tangy cheese flavor, but have no fear, the creaminess is there.

Quesadilla time!

It doesn't take much to make two tortillas happy.  All they ask for is cheese and a hot pan.  A few refrigerator mates, however, always make for a fun party.

Okay, so does good tequila.

That was delicious.

Savory Baked Stuffed Apples

A family friend forwarded a Vegetarian Times recipe for apples stuffed with wild rice and quinoa. With three half pecks of various apples on the porch, and plenty of rice and quinoa hanging out in the pantry (blacks, reds, whites...), I figured I'd give it a run-through....

Cauliflower Gratin and Immersion Blenders

When I came across this gorgeous, milky white, organic cauli the other day, I just knew I had to turn it into something to die for.  I mean, really, how often does cauliflower take center stage?  I remembered seeing a gratin recipe in Thomas Keller's book, Bouchon, not too long ago, so cauliflower gratin ("gratin de chou-fleur!") it was!

The best part of the recipe (IMHO) is the fact that nearly every speck of the cauli is used--even those teeny, tiny crumbs left on the cutting board after a knife has been taken to it.  Another best part is that this is a super easy meal to prepare if you've got the right tools: a food processor, 1 pot, an immersion blender, and individual gratin dishes.  (For those last two, a conventional blender and one 8"  shallow casserole dish will work, too ;~)

Read on to see the recipe for this creamy, sophisticated yet simple dish.

BIG wines in Amador, CA

Twelve of us--six New Englanders and six Arizonans--spent four days visiting small, family-owned vineyards in Amador County, CA, last week. Many of the wineries employ sustainable operations, including solar power, wind power and biodynamic farming. As important, they produce fantastic wines for very reasonable prices! Lots of new, big, chewy reds and luscious whites were tried ('quaffed' is more like it), and I've listed a few below. All I can say is, LOOK FOR 'EM!

This yummy, salty and savory plate contains many goodies that I turned our friends onto while out there: fresh asparagus and fennel that I tossed in local olive oil and s&p and grilled for serving; three varieties of olives that were super buttery and perfectly brined; organic salami; various crackers and breadsticks from local CA bakers; and, last but not least, chunks of delectable, creamy and firm goat cheese called 'Roussette' made by a local cheesemaker who dined with us (along with her winemaker husband!).

Olives included Green Cerignola Olives (in front, the largest of the three shown), Nicoise Coquillos (in back, the small deep purple ones) , and to-die-for Castelvetranos--a meaty, buttery, bright green olive (nope, no food coloring - just a perfect brining solution) that is sure to convince any olive-hater otherwise! All from Italy, I must confess.

Where did I find all these ingredients while driving from San Francisco up over to our final destination in Amador County? Why, at the famed, independently-owned Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op of course! :) While perusing Google's map of the area (for determining a good route for us New Englanders), I came across their website. Talk about a perfect location off the highway--it took us all of 5 minutes out of our way, and was well worth the effort. We loaded up on the groceries for the "big feast" (14 people), which, if you recall, was detailed in my previous blog titled 'My Favorite Coffee Mug'! And guess what? The were only a couple of deviations from my original menu, one of which was the squid.  It ended up fried calamari the night before the feast. I obtained glisteningly fresh, sustainably-fished Pacific squid at the co-op, cleaned them, and lightly coated them in a mix of flour, corn meal, garlic powder, chili powder and s&p before frying in a bit of olive oil (alas, these were the available pantry items for me to choose from). We squeezed fresh lemon over them and loved every bite!

As for the wines, they were delish. Lots of Barberas and Zinfandels and Petite Syrahs well worth looking for. Here are a few names and harvests to seek out:

Steakbomb Subs, Grass-fed Style!

It may not seem it, but we're not big meat eaters in this house.  But when we go for it, we go for the best we can buy: locally raised grass-fed & finished beef. I bought two Delmonico steaks last night (aka boneless top sirloin) thinking a particular house-sitting guest was coming over, but he never made it. So, what to do with two steaks?  "What about cheese steaks?" I asked my hub. Talk about dumbing down expensive cuts! But, oh, was it so worth it!

Thing is, grass-fed beef can be awfully tough if seared in a pan the traditional way. Grass-fed meat likes 'slow an' easy' methods, so turning our steaks into thin slices that would take all of 4 or 5 minutes to cook was actually ideal. Gimme the knife!


A couple medium onions from the FM and one red bell pepper (alas, Mexican soils and water for our food once again...) made their way into my pan once the olive oil was shimmering. Turned the heat down to low, and added some love (s, p & other seasonings)...

Secret ingredient: a good splash of red wine (cab sauv) vinegar. Why? It adds huge flavor and eventually contributes to tenderizing the meat!

Fresh mushrooms for our region come up from PA, and these babies were prime for the pan--firm, white buttons all nice and sliced up...and happy to meet their destiny.



Saute the beef strips until cooked through.  (Grass-fed beef, btw, is high in omega 3's & 6's!

Now, most Philly cheesesteak/steakbomb recipes on the Net express sincere devotion to one ingredient that will never be found in my refrigerator: Cheese Whiz. Cheese Whiz?? Aaack. While I had some really nice local goat cheese in the fridge that had buttery tartness to offer, it wasn't enough. So while we were out picking up wine (I'm telling you, we are IN TRAINING for Amador...), we stopped and grabbed a somewhat-local (that is, if you live in Wisconsin) wedge of a Danish-style Fontina cheese. Fontina is a semisoft cheese with excellent meltability, and it's flavor is creamy and mild. It also shreds well. It was superb for this dish...



Note to self: 12" sub rolls are huge. Next time use smaller hoagies. Or invite friends over.