Sunchoke Winter Stew

Sunchokes + Deborah Madison + Burnt Swamp Farm = Pure, unadulterated stew heaven!

Madison's recipe is entirely vegetarian.  I modified her recipe by adding hot Italian ground pork, parsnips, celeriac instead of celery stalks, and more sunchoke than she called for.  I also used basil pesto instead of her quasi-gremolata as a topping.  Killer good.  We're happy.  And stuffed. 

Garnish with just about anything that moves you.  My parsley is completely dead from the lack of snow cover, so I used basil pesto that I made last summer and keep in the freezer.  If you've got parsley, mince up a handful with more fresh garlic into a nice paste.  Or use chopped scallions.  Or even garnish with quark or sour cream....  And, be sure to serve with hearty bread.  Sunnyfield Bakery's walnut and date bread was killer with this stew.

Burnt Swamp Farm's Hot Italian ground pork (perfect heat) met Brookford Farm's sunchokes, leeks, parsnips and celeriac, Heron Pond Farm's small bliss potatoes, carrots and onions, and Meadow's Mirth garlic.  All was simmered with homemade stock (which in and of itself was an ultralicious blend of Brookford's delicata squash seeds and roasted Twister Allie ribeye bones that simmered for an hour together), red wine, tomato paste, thyme, bay and nutmeg.  A healthy dollop of homemade basil pesto topped off our bowls.  YUM!  Silky, luxurious, homey, rich, sweet (from the parsnips and tomato paste) and spicey (pork) with a bit of tang (chokes and celeriac) and a touch of buttery pesto ...all good.  Promise. 

The BEST soup for a cold!

It seems lots of people have come down with a head cold this past week!  Thanks to those of you who helped spread it our way.  Being the good person that I am, I'll give you my antidote: a light and refreshing, yet dark and rich, chicken tortilla soup.  An elixir, if you will.  With a bit of chili for aiding the nasal passages, lime for counteracting congestion, and some chard for its superb phytonutrient, anti-inflammatory and antioxident properties, this tortilla soup definitely has what any doctor could order.  Store bought stock?  Blech!  It just isn't the same.  Make your own stock -- it's easy to do, much healthier for you, way tastier, and it can be done in an hour, tops!

Tips and hints are in green.

STOCK:

• 1 whole chicken, ~3-4lbs, rinsed
• flavors: 1 med. onion, handful of leek greens, 2-3 carrots, 2 celery stalks...all coarsely chopped
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
• tbsp coriander seeds
• tbsp cumin seeds
• tsp peppercorns
• sprigs of parsley, thyme...

Fresh black trumpet mushrooms - the season is now!

From the chanterelle family, black trumpets result in the silkiest texture when cooked.  Wash the stems under a stream of running water, then saute in a bit of olive oil over medium-high heat.  A hint of salt is nice, followed by a splash of a good, deep red wine such as a zinfandel.  Finish with a pat of butter stirred in off the heat.

A trip north this past weekend resulted in a great visit to the Tamworth farmers' market, and an awesome score of freshly foraged wild mushrooms, deep green bunches of celery, and succulent red bell peppers as big as Italian eggplants -- perfect timing for turning a recent purchase of New Roots Farm grass-fed ground beef and Barker's Farm heirloom potatoes into a luscious, comforting Sunday night dinner!  Tonight's dish: Pan seared grass-fed beef burgers with a luscious black trumpet mushroom-zinfandel sauce, garnished with Sun Gold cherry tomatoes and accompanied by buttermilk mashed potatoes with leeks, red bell pepper, celery leaf and aged sheep's milk cheese.  Phew, I'm out of breath.