Cottage Pie aka Shepard's Pie Without Lamb

Adapted from Kevin Dundon's Roasted Garlic Cottage Pie

Yes, it's July.  But, the temps have been dropping into the 60's at night here in the northeast USA.  And, every primary ingredient--save for celery, which may or may not be classified as primary--needed for this dish is locally abundant.  So I ask you, why not make a "winter" dish in summer?

Greens, Greens, Greens!

Roasted baby red potatoes, red and golden beets, and chunks of poached Tamworth chicken made this plate of greens a substantial meal.  A little leftover apple gremolata and crumbles of Sandwich Creamery's 'caerphilly' cheese topped it off.  Beach Pea Bakery baguette slices on the side, crostini style.

Greens, greens, greens.  Man, am I suddenly wanting for a growing rack.

Our mission at the farmers' market yesterday was to find as many greens as we could.  We did.  And then some.  Different kinds of spinach; mizuna; kale; sweet Asian mixed greens, spicy Asian mixed greens; tatsoi; arugula; microgreens; baby bibb and green leaf lettuces; Swiss chard...phew, we got it all.  And, one large kohlrabi to top it off. (Peel it, then slice or shave the flesh into ribbons for your salad...or do like we did and eat planks straight off the knife.  Or not.)

Cherished farms this week: Coppal House Farm; Herb Farmacy; Heron Pond Farm; Hollister Family Farm; and, Riverside Farm

Herb Farmacy's pouches of micro greens may look slight and small, but let me tell you, they are packed tight and full of fresh, deep flavor.  I love these tiny little shoots for their crunch and flavor, but also for the way a handful stays put in a sandwich.  No leaves slipping out the sides with this stuff.  See one of my favorite sandwiches here.

Included in Herb Farmacy's micro green mix this week: kale, broccoli, kohlrabi, arugula, a little mizuna, and cabbage.  Mizuna is milder version of arugula.  It has a very light herbaceous, peppery flavor.  As a whole, this mix had a succulent butteriness that makes you realize how deprived you've been since last summer. Get some soon.

As for tatsoi, my idea of salad has been changed forever.  We were eating fingerful after fingerful of this stuff.  Sooo good.

The same can be said for the spinach we picked up from Hollister Family Farm.  My exact words, er, sounds, upon my first bite:  "Mmmmpf!"

 You're crazy if you don't seek some of this stuff out.  In the words of Michael Pollan: "Eat food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants."

I'm not quite keen about the 2nd part, but I'll accept it.

Grilled Grass-fed Bone-in Rib Eye, Roasted Fingerlings with Garlic, Greens with Roasted Golden Beets and Fromage Frais

The "before's"...

Riverside Farm's 'Golden Beets' ... Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with sea salt & cracked pepper, wrap in foil and bake for an hour at 400...

Heron Pond Farm fingerlings and Maine Herb Farm garlic ... Cast iron is my choice: dress in olive oil, s&p and fresh berbs and roast right alongside the beets (these were hefty fingerlings; smaller ones would need 35-40 min)

New Roots Farm's grass-fed bone-in rib eyes ... while the beets and potatoes are roasting, rub these with oil and sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper and set aside to warm to room temp before grilling for ~7 or 8 minutes each side (these were thick cut steaks) for medium rare.  Be sure to let them rest to reabsorb their juices.

A glimpse of the very last bag of greens from Heron Pond on Saturday.  I'm already in withdrawal....

The "after's"...

Pan seared sea scallops with wilted spinach over russet-celeriac mash

1 lb fresh sea scallops----NH-caught are available right now
generous heap of freshly chopped parsley and cilantro
evoo
salt, pepper
lemon zest, if you're so inclined

coat and marinate scallops in herbs, oil and seasoning for an hour, maybe two, whatever works.  Twenty minutes can cut it if you're really desperate.

check those tendons for sand/grit!  Nothing worse than crunching down on crud while eating a delectable meal.

when you cook 'em, be sure to use a hot pan (a non-stick one is absolutely fine for creating a nice sear, just be sure to apply the "flip once" rule).  and don't overcook these babies.  even the largest of these bivalves only need 3 or 4 minutes.  mine, tonight, took all of 2 or 3.  tops.

I served ours over a mash of Riverside's russets and Brookford's celeriac.  Threw the two roots, peeled and largely chunked, together into a pot of salted water, cooked until tender, and mashed with a "knob" of butter and a healthy splash of cram.  Wait, not cram, cream.

Meadow's Mirth spinach was tossed on top of the scallops just before killing the heat.  Hardly even wilted.  This spinach does not want to be cooked.  Way better raw.  Like, w-a-y better.

Simple...simple...simple.  No other way.

Catch up....

I can't believe it's been 2-1/2 months since posting.  I'm going to cut right past all the reasons why and talk about the egg salad sandwich I picked up at the farmers' market today, among other goodies.

Fiddleheads!

We love fiddleheads. Crunchy, earthy, buttery...a cross between asparagus and artichoke in flavor, they are perfect for jazzing up an easy weeknight meal. Add further decadence by sauteeing them in browned butter and ribbons of prosciutto!

Earth Day Local Food Celebration...Grecian Style!



Parsley, thyme sprigs, peppercorn, bay leaf, a few cloves and a garlic clove or two nicely round out almost any stock. This lamb stock became the base for one of the bechamel sauces (I made 3 versions of moussaka for this occasion, detailed a little more in a caption below).

Homemade French Fries

I was convinced to give a new method of making homemade fries a chance, and I have to say, what a breeze!  Easy peasy!

Home-cured Corned Beef - Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Click on the picture for better resolution.  Irish soda bread from Me & Ollies is delicious: lots of savory, sweet and salty flavors, especially of caraway, raisin and baking soda.  Curing method adapted from America's test Kitchen cooks.

Grassfed flat-cut brisket cured for 6 days in the fridge.  First, poked a couple dozen skewer holes in each side.  Next, rubbed in kosher salt, cracked black pepper, paprika, pinches of allspice and thyme, and crushed bay.  Weighted it down and turned it over every day.  Thoroughly rinsed before cooking.

Braised in water with fresh bay leaves, mustard seed and peppercorn for ~3-1/2 hours.  Added carrots, whole baby potatoes, parsnips, cubed turnip and red cabbage--all from local farmers!--during the last 45 minutes (cabbage added during last 15 minutes).

Was super fork tender, moist and meaty, with hints of the bay and mustard poking through.  Not too salty--just succulent the way corned beef should be!  Yum!

Did you know?  Corned beef got its name from the Old English who used the term 'corn' when they referred to large, coarse grains.  The large granular salts used for curing meat thus resulted in "corned beef."

Organic, heritage breed pork tenderloin

"What's a heritage breed?" asked the woman in line at New Roots Farm's table at a recent farmers' market.

"It's a breed that's much closer to its wild cousin...it's not one of those pigs you see in cartoons all the time, the ones raised on industrial farms," said the farmer.

That farmer would be Jeff Cantara.  He and his wife Renée (and their son, 2-year old Caleb) grow organic produce, and raise livestock in just about the best form of husbandry possible: rotational grazing.  Check out their website here.

New Roots Farm heritage breed, maple glazed pork tenderloin over Riverside Farm Keuka Gold mashed potatoes, topped with a maple and whole grain mustard sauce and sauteed Hackleboro apples.  Spinach from Heron Pond farm.

The following recipe was used for a 1-1/2lb loin:

Sunday Dinner: grassfed pot roast!



Pot roast is not a dish you start cooking at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.  Allow yourself up to 4 hours for prepping and roasting time when scheming dinnertime!  Pictured here accompanying our succulent roast are Meadow's Mirth's deliciously sweet carrots, and Heron Pond Farm's red-skin potatoes and parsnips.



When it comes to everyday cooking, I often find myself torn between ‘the way my mother did it’ and ‘the way [xyz chef] does it’.  What’s the happy medium?  The way I do it!  It is perfectly reasonable and acceptable to take inspiration from both sources, or from numerous sources, to make a dish your own—that’s what cooking is all about (well, that, and “passion and sharp knives!” ;~)

I used a 3lb beef shoulder roast for this recipe (once cooked, enough for 4 people and a little leftover lunch), obtained from our freezer where we have many other cuts from a side of beef we purchased from a relative who raises only two cows a year here in NH.  Shoulder roasts are one of the best cuts for pot roasting, that is, braising in a dutch oven.  A top blade (aka ‘shoulder’) roast comes from above the shoulder blade; it is part of the ‘chuck’ which is the first 5 ribs in the forequarter.  It needs to be tied to fit in the pan, but that’s not a big deal (truth be told, any roast should be tied to maintain an even shape for cooking).
 
Seven blade roasts are another excellent option for braising, but they can be difficult to find.  This cut is also found in the shoulder blade area.  Lastly, a chuck-eye round is superb for pot roasting.  Chuck-eye roasts are basically rib-eye roasts, in that the cut is found in the center of those first 5 ribs.  Each of the cuts mentioned has very good meaty flavor, a fair amount of fat, and results in being a luxurious pot roast.

Recipe for the roast I made follows...

Fall Bounty in NH - Major Score At The Farmers' Market!

CELERY, grown by Abram Pearson from Nippo Brook Farm in Barrington, NH, was available at today's winter farmers' market in Rollinsford (be sure to look for it at the Dec. 18 market!).  It is delicious, robust, incredibly fragrant and intense on the palate...I cannot wait to brew up batches of chicken and vegetable stocks with this stuff.  Yes, we've had lovage, and maybe even smallage (all three are in the same family), but neither of those are great for eating.  I am so super-duper excited about this celery!!

Nippo Brook Farm pascal celery: these babies' petioles (stalks) are 2' long!  Each bunch weighs more than 2-1/2 lbs! (2lbs 10oz to be exact!).  Gorgeous, just gorgeous!  :~) 

Reds, Purples and Browns, Oh My!

 First comes red...

Grassfed T-Bones from Twister-Allie Farm in Sanbornton, NH, accompanied by Wilderotter Vineyard's 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Then comes purple...

Peruvian potatoes and shallots from Heron Pond Farm in South Hampton, NH, flavored with sage and thyme from my garden, tossed in extra virgin olive oil and roasted at 375 for ~35-40 minutes 

Then comes a luscious morel cream sauce...(click 'Read More')

Masala with Chickpeas and Potatoes

This tikka masala was served over long grain brown rice.  While masalas have their fair share of ingredients, they're really easy to make and super flavorful alternatives to, say, pasta and tomato sauce.  Certainly a whole lot healthier for you!

Ingredients:

Tbsp veg oil
1 sm onion, finely diced
1/2 (or more) fresh red chili, seeded, minced
clove of garlic, minced
knob of ginger, minced
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground fenugreek
1/2 tsp fround coriander
1 tsp curry powder or garam masala powder
1 sm bay leaf
pinch salt, pepper
pinch sugar (brown sugar works well here)
2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped (plus more for garnishing)
2-3 tbsp tomato paste, whisked into 1/2 cup water
1/2c heavy cream
3 or 4 tbsp plain yogurt
squeeze of lemon

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
4 or 5 fingerling potatoes, sliced into nickels
anything else that you feel like using up (like shrimp, in my case!)

Saute onion in veg oil over med heat until softened.  Add the chili, garlic and ginger, and cook until aromas are wafting out of the pan.  Dump in the 5 spices and the bay leaf, stir until onion is evenly coated.  Cook for another 3-4 minutes over med-low heat (caremlized onion in a dish like this is always a good thing...).

Blend in the tomato water (puree, basically) and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes. Blend in the cream and simmer for another couple of minutes.  Add the 2 tbsp chopped cilantro, s & p to taste, checking at the same time for level of chili heat.  Use sugar as necessary for counterbalancing that heat.

Add potatoes and chickpeas and simmer for ~10-15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.  If you've simmered too high, or just simply want more sauce, go ahead and add water as necessary.  It won't bother your outcome at all.

Remove the bay leaf and swirl in the yogurt, a tablespoon at a time, checking for flavor balance.  Might want to add a bit of that lemon juice here.  Serve over rice, and garnish with remaining cilantro.  I served ours with pan-grilled Naan bread dripping with melted butter!  YUM.