glacier grist
issue #30 • Thursday, June 04, 2009
FARMER’S MARKETS AROUND ALASKA!
Are you traveling around Alaska this summer? Might you be tempted to stop in another town and look for a farmers market there? If this sounds like your ideal vacation (it’s definitely high on my list!), I have great news! I’ve just launched a website for the brand-new non-profit, the ALASKA FARMERS MARKET ASSOCIATION. Every farmers market in Alaska is listed by city, along with its location, dates, and hours of operation. www.AlaskaFarmersMarkets.org
PLEASE LOOK FOR YOUR LABEL!
When you are picking up your box, please make sure that your name is on the label. If you accidentally pick up someone else’s box, it sets off a terrible chain of events. Thank you!
PLEASE RETURN YOUR BOXES!
For more recipes, check out my Alison’s Lunch blog, or the South Anchorage Farmers Market website. And check out our glacier grist recipe index!
GLACIER GRIST RECIPE INDEX [pdf file]
If you’d like to look up recipes from previous Glacier Grist newsletters, you can open this PDF file INDEX and get an updated index!
recipes
for glacier grist issue #30
green salad with hazelnuts and rosemary-balsamic vinaigrette
This recipe is based on a spinach salad recipe from rebar modern food, but I also use it with Romaine, sometimes combining it with other greens.
vinaigrette
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
½ teaspoon cracked pepper
2-4 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, picked off their stems
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1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Put all the ingredients except the oil in the jar of a blender. Whirl everything until it is completely smooth—this might take a little while because of the rosemary. Slowly pour in the oil as the motor is running to make a smooth sauce. Adjust salt and honey to taste.
salad
a big bowlful of washed, dried, and torn Romaine leaves, or a combination of Romaine and other salad greens
½ small red onion, cut in half and sliced very thinly
¼-½ cup hazelnuts
1 red pepper, sliced thinly into strips (optional)
½ cup blue cheese (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roast the hazelnuts until golden-brown and fragrant, about 15 minutes. After the nuts are toasted, you can rub off some of the loose skins in a kitchen towel if you want, but they won’t come completely clean—that’s OK. Chop the hazelnuts coarsely.
2. Put the sliced onions in a bowl and cover them with boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain them and set aside.
3. Just before serving, place the greens and onion and optional red pepper in a large salad bowl. Drizzle on some dressing to your taste and toss well.
4. Sprinkle with nuts and cheese (if using), and serve.
pasta with loads of broccoli, green olives and pine nuts
This recipe is based on one from Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen. It’s a meal on its own!
2 large onions, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil + more for the pasta
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¾ cup pitted green olives, sliced or roughly chopped
1/3 cup fresh oregano, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed in your hands
6 canned anchovies, rinsed and blotted dry on a paper towel (optional)
sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 pounds broccoli, cut into small florets, stems peeled and diced
½ pound whole wheat penne, spirals, or shells
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted in a dry skillet
hunk of Parmesan cheese for the table (optional)
1. Saute the onions in the oil in a wide skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When they are golden brown, after 20-30 minutes, add the garlic, anchovies, olives, and optional oregano, and turn the heat to low. Taste for salt and season with pepper.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt, then throw in the broccoli florets and stems and cook just until they’re tender, about 5 minutes. Scoop them out and add them to the pan with the onions along with a little of the cooking water.
3. Add the pasta to the boiling water. When it’s done, drain it into a colander, then return to the pot and toss it with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Divide among heated pasta bowls and cover with the vegetables. Sprinkle with pine nuts, and pass the cheese at the table for those who wish it.
sunchoke bisque w/ hazelnut oil
Another recipe based on one of Deborah Madison’s, this one from her beautiful book Local Flavors. You can find roasted hazelnut oil at Summit Spice & Tea at 1120 E. Huffman Road Summit Spice & Tea… or substitute a nice extra-virgin olive oil. You don’t have to peel the sunchokes—just scrub them well.
1 onion
1 large or 3 small potatoes
1 to 2 pounds sunchokes
2 celery stalks
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
sea salt or kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper
2 bay leaves
croutons (bread slices toasted in the toaster, then cubed, or use the croutons in the recipe below)
roasted hazelnut oil (or extra-virgin olive oil)
1. Wash all the vegetables, then chop them into ½-inch chunks. Don’t bother peeling the sunchokes.
2. Heat the oil in a soup pot, add the onions, potatoes, sunchokes, celery, and 1 ½ teaspoons of salt and sauté over high heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic during the last few minutes.
3. Pour in the stock and add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
4. Cool briefly, then puree until perfectly smooth. Return the soup to the stove and add stock or water to thin to the desired consistency. Taste for salt and season with pepper. Serve with a few croutons in each bowl and the oil drizzled over the top.
garlicky whole-grain croutons
5 slices hearty whole-grain bread (preferably whole-wheat sourdough)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed in a garlic press
¼ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mash the garlic with the salt in the bottom of a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the olive oil. Cut the slices of bread into ½” cubes and toss them in the garlicky oil until the oil is thoroughly absorbed and distributed. Spread the bread cubes out on a baking sheet and bake for 15-25 minutes, until the croutons are crispy and golden-brown. Cool on the baking sheet.
rhubarb cake
I combined two different recipes from the Alice Bay Cookbook to invent this cake. This one is especially easy because it uses oil, so there’s no creaming butter and sugar. Add a cup of toasted walnuts, if you like.
cake:
1 ½ cups sugar
2 ¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour milk (add 2 teaspoons lemon juice to milk or soy milk, stir, and let sit for a few minutes to curdle)
½ cup canola oil
3 cups diced rhubarb
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped (optional). Toast in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
topping:
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon, or more to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9 x 13” cake pan.
2. Mix together sugar, flour, soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
3. In a large bowl, combine egg, vanilla, milk, and oil. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix well. Add rhubarb and optional walnuts. Pour into greased pan and sprinkle the top with cinnamon-sugar mixture.
4. Bake for 40 minutes or so, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack in the pan. Cut into generous pieces and enjoy!
open-faced vegetable sandwich with pesto, roasted red peppers, and sautéed mushrooms
These are like miniature veggie pizzas without the trouble of making pizza crust. If you have homemade pesto in the freezer, use that—but if you don’t feel like making it, just use prepared pesto. You could also substitute tapenade if you don’t have pesto.
You don’t have to use the red peppers in this yummy sandwich. You could chop up steamed broccoli and put that on top of the pesto. Or chop up a pile of Romaine lettuce into shreds for the bottom layer. Whatever you have hanging around will probably work well!
sturdy whole-grain bread, sliced
basil pesto or tapenade
roasted red peppers (or other yummy vegetable, cooked as necessary)
Sautéed Mushrooms (recipe below)
freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
1. Toast slices of bread. Preheat your broiler.
2. Spread each slice with pesto or tapenade.
3. Top with roasted red peppers (or other vegetable of your choice), and then the sautéed mushrooms.
4. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and place under the broiler until the cheese bubbles. Enjoy!
sautéed mushrooms
1 pound mushrooms, cut into halves, quarters, or slices about ¼-inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil (part butter if you like)
salt & freshly-ground pepper
½ lemon
1 large garlic clove, minced
Heat the oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms all at once and move them around the pan so they all pick up a little of the oil. Keep sautéing even though the pan appears to be dry. Once the mushrooms yield their juices and the juice cooks off, they’ll begin to color nicely. When golden, season well with salt and pepper. Add a squeeze of lemon, then toss with the garlic and pile onto your sandwich.
open-faced radish sandwiches
Another sandwich… but a much easier one. Spread a slice of bread with butter. Top with slices of radishes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
For more recipes, visit http://www.AlisonsLunch.com, http://www.SouthAnchorageFarmersMarket.com
Happy cooking! --Alison
