Who is YOUR farmer?

This year we decided to come back to the farm! We enrolled in a local CSA and purchased a spring share, a full summer share, a fall share and an organic/pasture-fed chicken share. (For those unaware - CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture). Our farm is JenEhr and I cant rave enough about the first four weeks of crops!

The first night home, with our first chickens, I made an herb roasted chicken, some sauteed japanese hakurei turnips with leeks and green garlic, a spring mix salad with the sweetest (yes sweet) radishes and a strawberry-rhubarb pie.

Jeremiah's first comment was - "Mom, that chicken tastes strange". It wasnt a bad comment, not at all. He loved it. He thought I had used something different on it. We spent some time explaining to him WHY the chicken tasted different and basically, that's what a chicken is SUPPOSED to taste like!

I had been thinking this week how its been very different for my children than it was for me. I didnt grow up on a farm, like my own mother, but we were never farm from the earth. Gardening in the back yard was not enough for her. No, we had to have at least a 1/2 acre somewhere - to mini-farm. So summers were spent going to the garden, weeding, watering, planting, hoeing, harvesting. It didnt stop there. I think I learned how to can tomatoes before I learned how to ride a bike!!

And speaking of chickens - every summer she got a dozen or so chickens from a local farm as well. I remember on several occasions, going the farm, seeing them butchered, taking them home and preparing them to be frozen so we could have them throughout the winter. Huge metal washtubs in the front yard. One with hot boiling water to loosen the feathers and the other with cooler water so they wouldnt "cook". Plucking the feathers, then cleaning out the insides. Right in the heart of the city of Madison.

Mom always went to the farm and got her eggs, until I was at least a few years into college or even married, if I remember correctly (somewhere in the 80s). The eggs werent "certified organic" or "pasture-raised"; the chickens werent labeled "free-range"; neither were the vegetables from our own garden. They were just the products of our (mostly my mother's) labors. But really, it was a microcosm of the CSA.

So I am not far from the traditions of my family.

I can tell you with all honesty, I will never be a farmer. I like growing herbs (in pots, on my porch) and planting flowers (in pots, on my porch). I dont even mind going to the pick-your-own farms and picking strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, tomatillas, zucchini, squash. However, I do so appreciate those local small farms that have a passion for producing GOOD food. So much so, that I feel I must support their efforts. So far in just a few weeks, I have several batches of spinach blanched and frozen, I have made a stash of strawberry rhubard sauce; I am now completely converted from using V8 juice for my homemade stew to the wonderful tomatoe puree that was made by my farm;  and finally we enjoy discovering new foods that have quickly become favorites.

I am thankful for JenEhr - my farm.

PS  - This week I will post my recipes for the strawberry rhubarb sauce and the japanese turnip sautee!

Jenni's Chicken Tikka Masala

I recently discovered this absolutely yummy dish. I know, I am a little behind the entire world when it comes to Indian Food, okay? I was afraid. Of what, I have no idea, but oh my my. So in my, I have to figure out how to make this dish" mood, I discovered its not all that Indian, but a britishized (is that a word) version of Chicken Masala. Leave it to the brits and their desire for gravies and an imaginative Indian chef's desire to please the customer (or so the story goes).

So, I probably read about 100 versions of Chicken Tikka Masala that there are and as always, I snarfed ideas from about 10 of them and came up with this. It was well-received by family and friends, and myself for that matter. My husband, being a gravy lover, wanted his gravy a little thicker, but that’s one of those things you can just adjust yourself.

Here it is. Enjoy. Let me know if you made any adjustments and how it worked!
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Marinade:

1 cup fresh yogurt (I use organic Greek Yogurt)
I cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
2 T ginger paste
2 T garlic paste
4 T (+/-) garam masala
2 dry red chillies chopped (more or less, depending on your heat preference)
3 T lime juice
6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in 1/2

Mix chicken into the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to put together: Grill the chicken thighs until almost done. Leave slightly pink in center. Remove to plate.

"Gravy"

1 T butter (Ghee or clarified butter)
1 med onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
4 red chillies - finely chopped (more or less, depending on your heat preference)
2 t ground cumin
2 t paprika
2 T garam masala
2 T brown sugar
(handful cilantro - chopped)
I large can petite diced tomatoes
1 med can crushed tomatoes
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat wok and melt butter. Add onions. Cook until soft. Add garlic and chillies. Cook until soft. (about 1-2 minutes). Add cumin, paprika, garam masala, brown sugar. This will make a paste-like mixture. Add diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes. Stir well. Cook until mixture cooks down and is thick. (About 5-10 minutes). While cooking, chop chicken into nice bite-sized pieces. Add to tomato mixture. Cook an additional 5-10 minutes. Add cream. Cook until warmed thoroughly and reduced. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over basmati rice and Naan. For basmati rice, use a ratio of 1-1/2 c water to 1 cup of rice. Allow the rice to soak in the water for about 10 minutes prior to cooking. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Printable Version

Pastry-topped Turkey Casserole

I know - TWO recipes in one day!   I just had to post this, mainly cause my girls are always looking for recipes and secondary because it is SUCH a good recipe and turned out SOOOOO good!  I have to confess that it is a Jenni creation.  I was searching for leftover turkey recipes and just couldnt find something that made me really want to eat turkey again.  I saw a turkey pot-pie recipe that had a top crust and all of a sudden, the ideas came.  We tried it out and my husband was in heaven.   So here it is.  You can play with it too, if you like.  Tell me your variations.   By the way, the picture is NOT a picture of this exact recipe.  I snarfed it from somewhere else.  However, it does show the type of pan and how the pastry can be put on top, with the steam vents cut in!  ENJOY

PASTRY TOPPED TURKEY CASSEROLE - Serves: 6

2 cups chopped cooked turkey/chicken is also good - you can use the roasted chicken from the supermarket too, in a crunch.
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion - diced
2 cloves of garlic - peeled and crushed
1 can diced water chestnuts (drained)
1 pint fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 can chopped green chilies
2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 t coriander
1 t celery seed
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/2 c sour cream
1 can cream of celery soup.
hot sauce to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 (8 oz.) can crescent dinner rolls
1 egg, slightly beaten, with 1 T of water added
2 tsp sesame seeds

In a hot pan, saute chopped red pepper, garlic and onion in 1 T of olive oil, just until soft. Remove and set aside. Saute mushrooms in same pan, adding a little bit more of olive oil. Set aside with pepper, garlic and onion.

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine chicken, sauted vegetables, water chestnuts (drained), chilies. Mix. Add to the chicken mixture, the mayo, sour cream, soup. Mix thoroughly. Add coriander, celery seed, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Mix thoroughly. Spoon mix into a baking dish (shallow is better). Roll out crescent rolls, pressing perforations to seal. Place dough mix on top of casserole dish and press to sides. Make a few hash marks in the dough, to allow for steam to escape while baking. You can also use the dough to make strips and make a beautiful lattice work on top, if you like.

Using the egg/water mix, brush the tops of the dough lightly. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with a crispy romaine lettuce salad!

Printable Version

Orange Cream Fruit Salad

Last night we made a turkey dinner for the sole purpose of indulging eldest child in her need to have her mother's stuffing (since she was unable to make it home from the western regions for thanksgiving).  I didnt do a full-on thanksgiving dinner, just turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, gravy and what I think is the best fruit salad on the face of the earth.  So here it is...again, its not all that "healthy".  The fruit is deceiving!

ORANGE CREAM FRUIT SALAD

1 (20 ounces) can pineapple chinks, drained

1 c seedless grapes, halved

1 pear, cored and chopped

10-12 fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced

1 (11 ounces) can mandarin orange sections, drained

2 medium bananas, sliced

2 medium grapples, cored and chopped

1 (3-1/2 or 3-3/4 ounces) pkg instant vanilla pudding mix

1-1/2 c whole milk

1/2 of 6 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate

3/4 c dairy sour cream

In a large bowl, combine pineapple chunks, grapes, pears, strawberries, orange sections, bananas, and apples. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine dry pudding mix, milk and orange juice concentrate. Beat with rotary beater 1-2 2 minutes or until well blended. Beat in sour cream. Fold into the fruit mix. Cover and refrigerate several hours.