Lara Ferroni » Side

Kiwi Rhubarb Jelly

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:03:12 +0000

I get weekly produce delivery from Full Circle Farm here in Seattle. Each week, I get a box full of mostly local produce. This time of year, the mostly local is not necessarily all that local, which isn’t surprising since that would mean pretty much surviving on miner’s lettuce and sorrel. Neither of which I need coming in my weekly produce box, because I have plenty of that in my garden already.

Mostly, at this time of year, the box includes some sort of salad greens and braising greens. Local apples that tend to store well. Onions are always a big part of the box. And then, there are the California fruits: oranges, a mango and kiwi. The oranges are always nice to have; the mango, just one, is perfect for a smoothie each week; and then there are the kiwis. Each week, 4 kiwis. This has been going on now for quite some time, and I’m telling you, I’m getting a bit behind on my kiwi usage. I do like kiwi fruit, but seriously, other than the occasional juicing or chopping for a salad, what are you supposed to do with them?*

Enter kiwi jelly. I’m not saying this is going to be the new lime curd. When you cook a kiwi, the bright green fades to a more olive tone; the delicate berry flavor gets a little crushed. But kiwi jelly is still a nice way to go if the kiwi fruit has started to take over your kitchen. Toss in some chopped rhubarb from the garden (especially if you have the kind that stubbornly comes up green even though it is supposed to be the bright red kind!) for some tang and to help thicken the jelly. Some juice from a lemon and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to brighten the flavor. A pinch of salt and a few cardamom pods add just a little something special. And, suddenly you have a lovely little jelly that goes terrifically with hard cheeses, nuts and crackers. It is reminiscent of pepper jelly, without the heat.

Kiwi Rhubarb Jelly
Makes a little more than a pint

5 or 6 kiwi fruit, peeled and chopped
2 stalks of rhubarb (green variety for color), chopped
Juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
a pinch of salt
1/3 cup sugar
3 cardamom pods (optional)

Add the kiwi fruit, rhubarb, lemon juice, vinegar and salt to a heavy bottomed pot. Stir in about 1/2 of the sugar, and begin to simmer over medium-low heat. Add the remaining sugar to taste, along with the cardamom pods (if using). Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture reduces some and thickens. Place in a jar and chill before using.

*One of the best things about Full Circle’s weekly delivery is that they have a delivery exceptions list, so you can take off foods you don’t want to get. Since I like kiwi fruit, I haven’t bothered to add them to the list. Another benefit of Full Circle is that you can add additional things to your order… high quality grocery items like milk and yogurt from local farms, additional produce, nice olive oil and even some locally grown meats and fish.

Super Natural Every Day Pita Chips

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:49:49 +0000

It’s a good day when a package shows up in your mail delivery from Heidi Swanson. Particularly when it is a copy of her new book, Super Natural Every Day. This is really a book that needs little introduction, nor for that matter is Heidi. Her beautiful work and recipes have been gracing the web for longer than anyone even knew what a food blog was, and she continues to be a huge inspiration, to me as well as the rest of the food blogging (and eating) world. I don’t know if I would be doing what I do today had it not been for Heidi. It was her photos that made me really see the visual beauty in food. But even more so than that, Heidi is one of the most lovely people that I know. With her quiet and unassuming manner, you simply cannot help but love her.

The same goes for her new book. Between the pages of relaxed and comforting light filled photos, are recipes that call softly to you. Even before I got the book, I was dreaming of the biscuits with their thousands of flakey layers. I can’t wait to make the soba, the oat cakes, the granola, the not so potato salad. Not to mention the book contains one of the best head notes for a recipe that I’ve ever read… the turnip chips that Heidi admits are “the least perfect chips you’ll ever make.” (but, of course, they are well worth it anyway).

So enthused am I by this book, that I didn’t want to take the time to go to the store to make something from it. Nor did I need to. I had a bag of pita bread left over from a party that sorely needed to be used, and what do you know, the recipe right next to the turnip chips was a recipe for pita chips. As someone who is really not allowed to sit within 2 feet of an open bag of pita chips (or else there will no longer be a bag of pita chips), this recipe is a blessing and a curse. For now, I’m sticking with blessing. At least until I’ve gorged myself on them. This recipe is definitely going to be dangerous.

Heidi’s recipe calls for garlic, olive oil, butter and sea salt, but that’s really just to get you started with creating your own flavors. Like most of the book, the recipes are there as a framework and inspiration for you to make to suit your own tastes (like I think all good cookbooks should). Having been completely garliced out a week ago after making a very potent chimichurri sauce, I skipped the garlic and made one batch with freshly chopped cilantro and salt, and another with sumac and chile powder. I used store bought pita (the thicker, fluffier kind rather than the almost all pocket kind) for my chips, but I think next time I’ll make the pita from scratch again.

Baked up in a 350F oven 10 to 15 minutes until crisp, they are fantastic with hummus or other dip of your choice, or for that matter just on their own. Do watch carefully on the baking… there is a very fine line between crisp and a brick. I preferred the chips that were just a bit golden around the edges rather than dark throughout. Three full sized pitas make enough for 4 as a snack, unless, of course, I am in the house.

By the way, Heidi will be in Seattle at the end of April for a book signing at my studio! I hope you’ll be able to join us to celebrate this gorgeous book.

Pickled Red Onions

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 23:27:21 +0000

We had some amazing pickled red onions at The Swinery’s guest chef night at FareStart a few weeks ago. I’ve been craving them since, so I’m making some using a variation of this recipe.

But, while slicing the onion, I couldn’t stop myself from grabbing my camera to take a quick shot. And then, another.

Beauty is where you find it.

Storage Apples

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 21:20:28 +0000

Visit any Seattle farmer’s market this time of year and you’ll see apples by the crateful. I mean huge crateful. Anything that comes in that big of a crate tends to make me skeptical, particularly given when the harvest season ended months ago. The fact is, storage apples are not the apples of my dreams. These are the apples that you bite into and think maybe I don’t really like apples after all. Their skins are a little bit thicker. Their consistency a little bit grainier. Their juices a little less vibrant. But, they sure are plentiful this time of year, when frankly, there aren’t a lot of local fruit choices up in Seattle. Particularly, if somehow you have already gone through all the fruit you put away in your freezer last summer.

The good news is that while these apples may not be the best to eat straight from the bowl, they do have their uses. One of those big bins of apples at the university market is full of apples marked “cider apples.” One of these days, I would love to get a real cider press… but in the meantime, my juicer does a fine job. Hot or cold, add in a bit of cinnamon and lemon juice (just a tiny bit), and it’s like you are drinking pie.

Or, for just about any apple this time of year (ideally one that was locally grown and stored), roasting is a great solution. Just cut a few in half, dot on some butter, sugar, a sprinkle of sea salt and a bit of your favorite spice. Maybe a squeeze of lemon juice. Then, roast at 350. Maybe, if you are inclined, drizzle on some warmed maple syrup or a dollop of whipped cream to finish.

The flesh softens and the juices caramelize, and suddenly, those storage apples seem like a pretty good idea.

What do you do with your storage apples?

Huckleberry Calamondin Marmalade

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 19:54:04 +0000

I am not a stalker, I am not a stalker, I am not a stalker. Ok. Let’s be real here. I am a cookbook stalker, and my stalkee is the collection of cookbooks with Sara Remington’s photos. It started innocently enough with a book here, and a book there. Now, I know better, and I can pretty much count on, before even checking the credit page, that the cookbook that I just picked up and coveted was shot by Sara. So when Sara herself told me that The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook was one of her favorites to shoot, it was only moments before my One-Click finger got busy.

And then, of all things, at the Tom Douglas Cookbook Social last week, who was at the next table? Rachel Saunders, Ms Blue Chair Fruit Company herself, the author of this gorgeous tome of jams, and she was just even lovelier than Sara’s adorable photos made her out to be. (speaking of adorable, check out the photo on page 167… love!). And, she even bought copy of Doughnuts from me.

Making jams is one of those things that makes you feel like a kid playing scientist and I was one of those kids who played mad scientist a lot. I was always out collecting herbs or flowers and making my own “perfumes” (which was weird because I never was interested in wearing perfume). What I love about the Blue Chair Jam Cookbook (beyond the photos of course) is that it brings that same sense of wonder to each mixture… and encourages you to get the basic techniques of jamming, jellying and marmalading (is that really a word?) down so you can then make your own concoctions. That is just my style.

Particularly on days when I have a very large mishmash of left over fruits. This particular week, I had about 30 pounds of varying citrus fruits on hand. Mandarins, meyer lemons, Thai limes, yuzu lemons, pomelos, grapefruits, oro blanco, valencia oranges and quite a big bag of calamondin. Calamondin, if you haven’t seen them before look like the manadarin version of a kumquat. They are so adorable, they fool you into thinking you want to just pop them into your mouth… but unless you are a big fan of tart, I wouldn’t recommend it. Calamondin have the flavor of a lime, very very tart, with just a hint of sweetness. They make a fantastic mixer for tangy cocktails like mojitos or maragritas (or sans alcohol, make a very fine calamondin-ade). They also happen to be a fine choice for marmalade. The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook (henceforth known as BCJC) doesn’t actually have a recipe for calamondin, but there are a considerable number of kumquat marmalades, so I started there. I was particularly struck by the recipe for a quick strawberry-kumquat marmalade (page 134) that cooks up in an afternoon (rather than the 3 day method that many of the other marmalades require). I thought I happened to have some strawberries in the freezer, but as it turns out, all I had were huckleberries and blueberries, which I decided would make a fine variation. And it was in fact, very fine indeed.

Huckleberry Calamondin Marmalade

This is a very simple marmalade that is sweet and tart, rather than the bitter you might normally associate with marmalade… a good thing if I want folks in my house to eat it.

2 1/2 pounds huckleberries or blueberries (or a combination)
1 1/2 pounds calamondin, sliced into thin rounds and seeds discarded
2 pounds cane sugar
5 1/2 ounces lemon juice

Place a couple of spoons in the freezer to use to test the marmalades doneness.

Add all the ingredients to a large non-reactive pot, and stir over medium low heat until well mixed and it starts to get a bit juicy. Gradually raise the heat to high, and continue to stir as the mixture comes to a rapid boil. If the mixture starts to stick to the bottom of the pot, turn down the heat a little, but keep it at a good boil.

Cook the mixture for about 15 minutes. The mixture will foam, and then start to darken. Start to test the mixture for doneness at this point, but taking a small spoonful with the frozen spoons. Return the full spoon to the freezer, and let it sit for a few minutes. Tilt the chilled mixture to see how it runs. If it runs quickly, then continue to cook the marmalade. If it runs slowly, your marmalade is ready. Test every 5 minutes until it is done. Give the mixture a gentle stir to distribute the fruit evenly, and then place in sterile jamming jars and process as directed by the manufacturer (I just store mine in the fridge).

This recipe makes 7 to 8, 8-ounce jars and can easily be halved (as I did).

Green Tomato Chutney

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:13:35 +0000

I am not, as a rule, a fan of green tomatoes. The first one I ever tried was at a well known New York deli. It was pickled. Or rather, half-sour pickled. And it was one of the worst things I’ve ever tasted. Maybe if it had been more sour, it would have tickled my fancy. But as it was, I’ve gone pretty far out of my way to avoid tomatoes that aren’t actually ripe.

That is, until this year, and the little summer that couldn’t. I sadly pulled up my remaining tomato plants after the rains weren’t stopping, and picked the remaining green fruits. It was around this same time, I got a little treat in the mail… “Gifts Cooks Love: Recipes for Giving” (Sur La Table, Diane Morgan) from the publisher. Call it kismet, but there I was with a bucket full of green tomatoes and a beautiful book with a recipe to use them.

Before jumping to the recipe, I want to tell you a bit about Gifts Cooks Love. This is a beautiful book. And why wouldn’t it be? It’s packed with Sara Remington’s stunning photography, and charming styling by Kim Kissling, Tina Stamos, Kerrie Sherrel Walsh and Lori Engels. There are jars and ribbons, boxes and bags, and most of all beautiful, giftable food. There are recipes for candies, crackers, preserves, sauces, liqueurs and even cured meats. But most of all, I find the book inspiring to take dishes I already love and make them into something special to give, even if you aren’t all that crafty.

Now back to the green tomatoes and the chutney. Once you get through all the chopping, the chutney is easy to make. The ingredients stew for about 1 hour until the flavors meld. The flavors get even deeper and richer after storing for a week or so (I stored mine in the fridge rather than truly canning it). The chutney is sweet and savory, with a nice little kick from the jalapenos. Serve it up with some crackers or flat bread, and you have a fantastic appetizer.

Green Tomato Chutney
adapted from Gifts Cooks Love

To enhance the color, instead of using yellow onion and apples, as the recipes recommends, I used red onions and quince, which turns rosy after stewing. The color still wasn’t quite as bright as I was hoping, but the flavors make up for it.

2 pounds unripe tomatoes, any variety, coarsely chopped
1 red onion, coarsely chopped
1 quince, cored and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 jalapenos, sliced into rings
1/2 cup dried currants

In a large heavy bottom pot, combine the tomatoes, red onion, quince, garlic, vinegar, brown sugar, honey, mustard seeds, salt and allspice, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring on occasion to prevent browning on the bottom of the pan. Add the jalapeno and currants, and stew for another 30 minutes. Taste for salt and sweetness and adjust if needed before canning.

Scallion Salsa Verde

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:55:58 +0000

I was recently at a potluck and learned an important lesson about myself. I shouldn’t be allowed to stand next to the salsa verde. At least, not if anyone else wants to have any. Not only did I eat more than my fair share on whatever bread was around, I also had a bit more on the sausage, the veggies or anything else I could get my hands on. I might have picked up the dish and licked it clean. Except that I’m pretty sure that would have been a serious party foul.

The good news is that my garden is full of good stuff for salsa verde right now. I have a mini forest of scallions and herbs, so I was quick to make the Bobby Flay scallion vinaigrette recipe in the August Food & Wine. Green onions, cilantro and jalepeño with a healthy splash of sherry vinegar and dribble of honey. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it? It is. Hot, sour, salty, sweet. It’s great on fresh veggies, baguette, grilled chicken, my fingers.

It’s also easily adaptable. Yesterday, I made a variation with the addition of fresh shiso, padrons and agave instead of the honey. Yum.

Scallion Salsa Verde
adapted from Bobby Flay’s Scallion Vinaigrette in Food & Wine August 2010

6 scallions, pale and dark green parts only, coarsely chopped
1 or 2 peppers
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon agave nectar
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 or 3 shiso leaves, chopped
3 tablespoon olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients except the oil in a blender, and pulse until well blended but a little chunky. Stream in the oil while blending, and season to taste.

Makes about 1 cup

Spring on a Plate

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 22:06:25 +0000

Swirl ribbons of fresh, fat spears of asparagus, an unusually colored carrot and lightly pickled rhubarb together with a touch of minced shallot, a pinch of thyme leaves, a sprinkle of sea salt and a splash of fruity olive oil and sherry vinegar. Add a bit of fresh from the farmers’ market soft chevre, if you like. And there you have it. Spring on a plate. Nothing else really needs to be said, does it?

Raclette Mac & Cheese

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:43:57 +0000

Raclette is the perfect melting cheese. Traditionally, it is heated in big rounds by the fire and then scraped off in little avalanches onto your plate. Modern raclette is usually served, like fondue, with some sort of portal stove or grill to keep the raclette softened. Unlike some cheeses that break when heated yielding a greasy mess, raclette just gets more and more velvety. So velvety, you just want to take a fingerful and lick it off (but don’t! Hot!). Instead, do as they do in Savoy, and dip in boiled fingerlings followed by a bright, sour cornichon. Or you can get a little crazy and dip in some sausage or thinly sliced serrano ham. A little cheese, a little wine, a little charcuterie and potatoes makes for a stellar evening. And tighter fitting ski pants.

I haven’t had raclette since that trip, which was almost 7 years ago now, mostly for a silly reason. It never occurred to me how easy it would be to find raclette closer to home. Not until I got mail one day from the Wisconsin Cheese Board asking if I’d be interested in creating a mac & cheese recipe for an upcoming blogging event that they are having. I usually ignore PR requests like this, but hey, who can say no to mac & cheese*? The only requirement for the recipe is that it feature a cheese that is made in Wisconsin… ie, pretty much any cheese. There were over 30 cheeses to choose from, but it was the raclette that caught my eye.

Just think about this for a moment: al dente pasta in a creamy bechamel sauce, topped with paper thin slices of potato and plenty of silky and slightly caramelized raclette and a little gherkin relish sprinkled on for good measure. I promise you, it’s worth loosening your belt for.

For other Mac & Cheese recipes, checkout the 30 ways in 30 days site.

*For this recipe, I am receiving a small stipend, just like I do when I write for magazines. On this blog, I don’t do pay-for-post advertising.

Raclette Mac & Cheese

Makes 4 servings (300 calories per serving)

This recipe may sound a little fancy, but it’s actually quite easy to prepare and most of it can be done in advance, so it makes for a great addition to a dinner party. I cooked mine as individual servings in these Staub mini cocottes, but 1 cup ramekins work fine too, or you can make it in a single larger casserole dish. The mini’s give you more caramelization on the edges.

As an optional variation, try sticking a paper thin slice of Serrano ham under the potatoes. Yum.

3 new potatoes, sliced 1/8″ thick
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
A pinch of nutmeg
6 ounces uncooked penne (or pasta of your choice), cooked al dente
4 slices Wisconsin Raclette Cheese, cut to 2″x2″x1/4″
1/2 cup cornichon, coarsely chopped

Directions:
Soak the sliced potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Drain the potato slices and plunge them into the boiling water for about 1 minute. Rinse the slices in cold water and lightly dry. Place the potato slices in a bowl and lightly coat with the olive oil. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. To make the béchamel, warm the milk and cream over low heat in a small pan. In another pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the flour and stir until smooth and thick, just until it starts to take on a little color. Add the milk & cream gradually, about 1/4 at a time, stirring between each addition until smooth. The mixture should be velvety and slightly thick. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Place the cooked penne pasta in a mixing bowl and add 3/4 of the béchamel sauce; stir to coat.

Fill each cocotte or ramekin with 3/4 cup of the béchamel coated pasta, and press down with the back of the spoon. Top with a heaping spoonful of the remaining béchamel. Arrange the potato slices on the top of each cocotte, overlapping each slightly.

Bake for 10 minutes or until the potatoes lightly brown on the edges. Place a slice of Raclette on the top of each cocotte and return to the oven for another 10 minutes or until the Raclette is melty and lightly browned. Serve each cocotte, hot, with the cornichon relish on the side.

*300 calories per serving

Harvest Muffins

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:00:20 +0000

No, our tradition has to do with skiing. (Almost) Every year for the past 12 years, we’ve headed up to Whistler, BC for the week and enjoyed a couple of days on early snow followed by apres nachos and beers. Dinner on Thanksgiving day will most likely be sushi.

The fact is, I’m so far removed from thinking about food and Thanksgiving, that this post was going to be about a couple of cookbooks that I’ve been enjoying and this amazing breakfast pizza that I’m in love with. But then, it dawned on me that maybe I should step back for a moment, and do something a bit more fitting for the season. Because, in reality, I really like all the foods that we celebrate at this time of year and I also think it’s a great idea to take the time to recognize those things that I am thankful for. So, this morning, I switched gears and made these harvest muffins which reminded me of a couple of things that I am particularly thankful for.

First, is my work. Every shoot I’m on, I find myself thinking how lucky I am to have the privilege of doing something that I love to pay the bills. It let’s me do things like edit and shoot the updated version of the The Best Places Northwest Cookbook where I found this terrific little muffin recipe that is packed with cranberries, raisins, oats and carrot and sweetened with a hint of molasses. The perfect thing for the 5 hour drive, or to munch on the way to the lifts. (The peanut butter pie recipe has also come in handy on more than one occasion).

And that carrot? It was plucked from my garden just moments before being grated and swirled into the batter. I’m so grateful to have a place to grow things and the amazing help of Amy to help keep it all growing. Maybe one day my thumbs will turn green and I’ll be able to keep it growing myself (I think they just might with all the kale that is out there now), but in the meantime, Amy & I have a blast playing with new things to grow and seeing what happens.

Mostly though, I’m incredibly thankful for the people in my life… of course, my family and friends, but also all of you readers! This blog would be a pretty boring little place without you, and I still get a happy little thrill whenever I get a new comment… even after 4 years! Thank you so much for your thoughts, encouragement and kindness.

I hope you all have a lovely week, wherever you are and however you choose to spend it. Now, the snow is calling me!

Harvest Muffins

This recipe comes from the Best Places Northwest Cookbook, but originated at The White Swan Guest House in Mount Vernon, Washington. I love the combination of the cranberries and molasses which are add nice sweet-tartness, especially when served with fresh, cultured butter or a smear of maple-sweetened cream cheese. The gingerbread crepe recipe on the next page of the book, is a real winner too!

2 cups flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup vegetable or nut oil
1 egg
2 tablespoons molasses

Preheat the oven to 400F. Lightly grease a muffin tin, or fill with papers or parchment (like this).

Combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ginger and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring gently until the batter is still lumpy but basically wet throughout. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Makes 12 to 15 muffins.