Gnocchi with Blue Cheese and Pear Sauce

Gnocchi! I am sure you have seen this one before on my blog, but I repeat only to remind you what a wonderful, entirely local dish this is! When we bought Snowy Mountain Creamery's Delano Peak cheese the idea of a cheese sauce popped into our heads. What better way to use this cheese then to make a delicious pasta dish. The entire idea came when we were participating in the Eat Local Challenge. We were tasked with making a entirely local dish and this was  created. Everything in this recipe can be bought or made locally. All you have to do is sit down and make it. I know I loved this recipe and the pears we got in our CSA, that we added in at a whim, made it even more delicious. I could eat these every week and never get tired of them, so of course I think you should try them.  Enjoy what is left of this season and don't forget to start preparing for the winter!

Ingredients:

Homemade gnocchi (see previous post)
2 tbls. butter (Winder Farms)
2 tbls. flour (we use freshly ground wheat)
1 cup 2% milk ( Winder Farms)
1/2 cup homemade vegetable broth
1/3 pound Delano Peak cheese (Snowy Mountain Creamery)
1 pear, diced
grated parmesan cheese

1) See previous post on the making of homemade gnocchi. Remember to use fresh russet potatoes since these work the best for gnocchi. Don't work the dough too much or the gnocchi will be heavy instead of light and fluffy.  Cook as directed in previous post.
2) Melt butter in the saucepan and then add flour to create a roux, about 3-4 minutes, . Stir continuously so as not to burn the flour. Meanwhile, heat the milk and broth to warm in the microwave.
3) Slowly add the liquid to the roux while continually stirring with a whisk. Continue to cook over low heat until the sauce thickens. Add the Delano Peak cheese and continue to cook until most of the cheese has melted. Add the diced pears.
4)  Toss gnocchi with the sauce and sprinkle with the grated parmesan cheese. Serve warm

Pappardelle with Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tbl. honey
1 & 1/2 tbl. olive oil
1 tsp. Redmond Sea Salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
8 shallots, peeled and halved
1 tbl. chopped fresh sage
4 ounces uncooked pappardelle pasta (Nu-Nooz)
1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese (Gold Creek Farms)

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
2. Combine squash, honey 2 & teaspoons oil, salt, pepper and shallots in a shallow pan. Toss well. Bake at 475 degrees for 20 minutes or until tender. Stir occasionally during roasting. Add sage and toss well.
3. Cook pasta according to instructions. Drain and place pasta in a bowl. Add 2 teaspoonfuls oil, roasted squash and shallots and cheese; toss well.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Spaghetti Squash with Feta, Zucchini, Tomato, Garlic and Basil

We are members of the Bell Organic CSA as we have stated before. This week, we got spaghetti squash, tomatoes, and some sweet red peppers. They gave us a recipe for this dish but, of course, we adjusted it a bit for what we had on hand and what we thought we would like. At the Downtown Farmers Market last week, we bought the Feta Cheese from Gold Creek Farms so we already had this on hand along with some their great parmesan cheese. There are so many local cheese purveyors that I will update my blog to include as many as I can this week. I thought this was an incredibly delicious recipe and it had multiple different flavors that complimented each other. Not only did it taste delicious, it looked delicious. And every ingredient was local except for the olive oil! How is that for being LocaliciousUtah!

Ingredients:

1 medium sized spaghetti squash
2 tbl. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 gloves garlic, mashed and minced
1 cup sliced zucchini
1/2 sweet red pepper, chopped
2 cups chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
shredded parmesan cheese
Torn basil leaves to taste, or about 2 tbls. of chopped basil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds (my Mom uses an ice cream scoop to remove the seeds). Place squash cut sides down on a baking dish or baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until soft. Saute onion and garlic until tender, add zucchini and red pepper and sauté until tender. Add tomato and cook for additional 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, use the tines of a fork to gently pull strands of squash away from the peel. Add the strands of squash to the sautéed vegetables and heat. Add the cheeses and serve.

Mustard Green and Sweet Onion Frittata

We seem to make the same mistake all the time. We get low on eggs, go out and buy some and then receive another dozen in our CSA so then, well, too many eggs and we need to make a frittata. Not too much of a mistake since we love frittatas and you can make them with just about anything including vegetables, cheeses and meats (bacon is my favorite). So, since we had mustard greens from our CSA, why not a mustard green frittata. Frittatas are simple and delicious and if you want a quick meal make one of these. Pair it with some good bread and it will be one of the best meals you have had in a while. So don't remember about your eggs and just buy too many, because frittatas are a delicious way to make that mistake over and over. 

Ingredients:

1 large sweet onion, diced
2 tbls. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, mashed and minced
1-2 pounds mustard greens, washed and chopped (chop the stems finely)
1 dozen eggs, beaten
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to broil. First wash the greens. I find the best way is to soak them in a large pot or bowl of water and then swish them around. Remove and drain in a colander. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until tender, over moderate heat. Add the mustard greens and cook until wilted. Add the cheese to the beaten eggs and season with salt and pepper. Add the eggs to the pan and gently rotate the pan until the eggs are evenly spread over the greens.  Gently lift the sides of the frittata to let any uncooked egg seep underneath as the frittata begins to set. Continue to do this all around the edges of the pan until most of the egg is set. Set the frittata under the broiler for just a 1-2 minutes to cook the top of the frittata. Remove and serve with a nice slice of crusty bread.

Traveling Foodie

First of all, I apologize for not posting for the summer but I have been really busy. I spent the first three weeks of summer in California, working at my Aunt's FANTASTIC Coffee shop that she has owned for 7 years and is still going strong. She roasts her own coffee beans and sells retail under the name Wild Chicken Coffee. I don't drink coffee but my Mom says it is really good stuff.

Then, back to Salt Lake City for about two weeks and off to Colorado for a soccer tournament. We didn't make it to the finals but we were pretty happy with how we did.

Then, off to counselor-in-training Girl Scout Camp for three camps which was awesome. I just loved everything about it, especially working with the younger girls.

Then, my Mom, cousin and I were off to Europe for two weeks. I promised myself that I would take pictures and comment about all the great food that we ate but we kept on eating it before we could remember to take any pictures! We managed to take some pictures, mostly of the most delicious gnocchi that I have ever had.

We also laugh because when we were eating at my cousin Giacomo's house in Italy, he said how he likes to eat "slow food" so we of course thought he knew about the Slow Food movement. But no, he just meant that he likes to eat his food in a slow and relaxed way! That must be what the global Slow Food movement is all about. In Italy, we saw fresh produce everywhere. It looked like every square inch of ground was productive, even in the cities.

In Slovenia, there was a large garden plot at the railway station that an old woman was harvesting. Everywhere we have been, it seems as if the Italians and Slovenians are all growing their own food, even if it is just in their backyard or at a community plot.

So, here are some of the pictures of the great food we have eaten.

 Gnocchi in Slovenia

Eggplant in Italy

Falafel in Rue de Rosiers in Paris

 Crepe in Colmar, France

Grilled Meat in Slovenia

Roast Chicken Salad

Recently, my Mom's friends have been having a monthly cookbook dinner, were the host chooses the cookbook and then each person, or family, chooses a recipe to bring. Two months ago, my Mom's friends Sue and John hosted the party. Since Sue had just returned from Great Britain in December, she choose  Jamie Oliver's, Jamie's Great Britain. Of course, every time we get the cookbook, we try to pick a recipe where we can use a majority of local ingredients. Through Utah Farms CSA, we had received some greens from Julie Clifford and had some bacon from her farm that we bought last summer and froze, we substituted frozen corn from last summer for the green beans, used fresh local bread from Harmon's that uses local wheat, chicken from the McDowell's, mint and parsley we grow ourselves and garlic from Utah Farms CSA so that the only thing not local was the mustard! 

Everyone enjoyed it and I am sure we will be making it again.

Ingredients:

4 lb. free range chicken (McDowell Family Farm)
olive oil or butter
Redmond Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper
few sprigs of thyme (from our garden)
1 lemon
2 cups cherry tomatoes (Utah Farms CSA)
1 bulb garlic
1 country loaf of bread, torn into one inch cubes (we love Harmans)
6 pieces of country bacon (Clifford Family Farm)
2 cups corn kernels (from the summer), thawed
1 tablespoonful whole grain mustard
2 tablespoonfuls honey vinegar (Slide Ridge Honey Vinegar)
a bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
a bunch of fresh mint, chopped
some chives

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place chicken on medium to large roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil all over the chicken, or if using butter, place pats of butter under the skin of the chicken and the rub a little on the outside of the skin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Take thyme leaves and rub all over the skin of the chicken. Cut the lemon in half and place it, along with the thyme sprigs, into the chicken cavity. Place in the oven and set the timer for one hour. Meanwhile, half the cherry tomatoes and then smash the garlic bulb, discarding the skins. After about 30 minutes, put the tomatoes and garlic into the bottom of the roasting pan and stir to make sure the tomatoes are coated with the juices. Cook for additional 30 minutes or until done.
2. Transfer the roasted chicken to a plate and cover with foil. Let cool.
3. Toss the bread cubes into the roasting pan and toss them until they are coated with the juices. Spread the cubes of bread out in the tray and place the strips of bacon on top. Put the pan back into the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the bread and bacon are crispy and golden.
4. Once the chicken has cooled, remove all the chicken skin and set aside. Strip all the meat off of the bone (don't forget to save the carcass and skin to make some chicken broth).  Add the thawed corn, about 5-6 tbls. of extra-virgin olive oil, the wholegrain mustard and the vinegar. Add the parsley, mint and chives and stir well.
5. Add the croutons to the chicken mixture and toss well right before serving.

Vegetable Barley Soup

I believe there is a soup season, a time when the weather is just right for a bowl of nice warm soup. Over this winter I know my mom and I have been having a lot soup.  I like soup a lot, especially after a soccer practice that ended up being in the snow.  So, when we got barley in our winter CSA, we were excited to make this delicious barley soup. Barley has a ton of fiber, as you might have guessed, which is great for your body. This soup is flavored with garam masala, which is a blend of ground spices common in North India and other South Asian cuisines.  This mixture of spices adds just the right amount of flavor and kick to the barley. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did and are getting ready for the farmers market!

Ingredients:

1 tbl. olive oil
2-3 onions, chopped
3 big carrots, peeled and chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, split, germ removed and chopped
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3/4 tsp. garam masala or curry powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric
6 cups homemade chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup pearl barley

1.  Heat the oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven.  Add the next 5 ingredients and stir them in the pot until they glisten with oil. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Stir in the spices,  then cover and cook additional 15 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft but not browned.
2. Add the broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the barley. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the barley is tender and puffed, about 20-40 minutes so you need to check it often. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Recipe for homemade garam masala:

4 tbls. coriander seeds
1 tbl. cumin seeds
1 tbl. black peppercorns
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 & 1/2 tsp ground ginger
3-4 pods cardamon
3/4 tsp. whole cloves
2- 1" pieces of cinnamon
3/4 tsp. crushed bay leaves

1. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and gently roast all ingredients, except for the ground ginger, until they turn a few shades darker. Stir occasionally and be patient. Do not turn heat to high or you can easily burn the spices and ruin the overall taste.
2. Once roasted, turn off the heat and allow to cool.
3. Once cool, remove the cardammon seeds from their pods and mix them back in with the other spices. Add the ground ginger and nutmeg.
4. Grind them all together either in a mortar and pestle or clean, dry coffee grinder to a fine powder.
5. Store in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place.