The Potlicker

Spicy and Sweet Early Garden Salad

May 25, 2012 by thePotlicker

Ta-Dah! Baby arugula, breakfast radishes, chives, and violets. This is my very first garden salad of the year. And FINALLY! I might add. I am so tired of frozen vegies.

Yes, I could go purchase all the fresh veg I want (and I do) but it just doesn’t taste the same as my own hard work. I only do the easiest kind of hard work. I rarely sprout more than a few things indoors because our little schoolhouse just does not have the space. Even if they do sprout, there is no guarantee that I will not kill them before they have chance to take root in the earth.

I direct sow most everything. It is sow much easier. Poke the seed in the ground, add water, and ta-dah! Teensy little edibles. Harvesting and eating the first of any crop always makes me smile, therefore the food just taste better because I am smiling.

The ingredients of the salad listed below are the first in the ground for the year and are some of the easiest garden crops to grow.

Spicy & Sweet Early Garden Salad

Arugula: Or mustard/spicy lettuce blend. Sow seeds early and often.
Chives: A perennial that you plant once and it will just keep giving.
Radishes: Easy to grow. Sow seeds early and often. Expect sprouts in a few days.
Violets: Another giver. Plant this beauty once and eat the sweet leaves and flowers for years.
Strawberries: A perennial fruit that should be thinned every year and re-planted every 5-10 years. My berries have not yet ripened but are baby green. The berries pictured did not come out of my garden.

I tossed all of these together and topped with a simple and stunning oil and vinegar dressing that I shook up in a mason jar. Since this years chive blossoms are coming in, last years pink chive vinegar has to get used up! That was my inspiration for the salad dressing.
Dressing ingredients: chive blossom vinegar, hazelnut oil, olive oil, ground flax seed, honey, crushed garlic, thyme, salt/pepper.

I combined a little bit of everything and shook until the dressing became foamy. The result is a delicately pink and slightly sweet dressing that will not overwhelm the fresh flavor of the spicy greens.

Lucky for us healthy, tasty food is so close now! We are busy, busy making jelly. Potlicker jelly and jams are selling as fast as I can make them. We had a 12 case week! That’s a lot of jelly for one girl to make!

Want your own jar of jam? I will be at the Mt. Tom farmers market in Woodstock, VT, Saturdays from 9:30a-12:30. Other markets will be added over the next few weeks.

Look for me under this sign!

Posted in recipes, musings, salads, veggies, from the land | Tagged arugula, chive, chive blossoms, dinner, easy, food, fresh, garden, ground flax seed, hazelnut oil, oil and vinegar dressing, radish, raw, salad, summer, vegetarian, vinegar, violets | 1 Comment »

Thai Coconut Soup

May 23, 2012 by thePotlicker

This is my favorite volunteer day soup.

Since last fall, I spend a couple of hours every Wednesday morning hanging out at the South Royalton Market. Actually it qualifies as volunteering but really it is a great opportunity to ‘get off the farm’ and socialize.

The South Royalton Market is a full-service grocery store offering the most comprehensive selection for 10 miles. Without this gem in the town crown, residents would have to drive more than 20 minutes to find groceries. It is a social hub as well. Many locals stop in knowing that they will get a chance to catch up on the town news.

My task while there is to make the daily soups that will feed the locals and students from the Vermont Law School. I am allowed to browse the aisles of the market and select any ingredient my heart desires to make practically any soup I want. Oh the choices! I once made a rich artichoke and brie soup and occasionally I prepare sausage and lentil soup (a TDH favorite), but lately my favorite soup to make is Thai Coconut Soup. With all the choices out there and I keep coming back to this one! I wonder if they are tired of it yet??

I like to think that it appeals to different audiences when I add different things. Tom Kha Gai! With Chicken! Vegan! Mixed Seafood!

It is entirely possible I make this soup just for the Wood ear mushrooms that are conveniently stocked at the SoRo Market. Every time I soak these shrooms, I am thrilled to see how big they get! Someone more clever than I has harvested what amounts to fungus leather from a tree and sells this to people like me. Truthfully, I have only admired this mushroom and not foraged it. It does not cross my path regularly enough to pick it yet. Soon young padwan…

Instead I purchase my dried wood ear mushrooms (among others) from the SoRo Market.

dried and re-hydrated wood ear mushrooms

To prepare this for a vegan crowd, omit the meaty things like chicken, shrimp, chicken stock and fish sauce. These can be substituted with tofu, veggie stock and black vinegar. I have listed a few ingredients that might be harder to find but I have also listed the closest substitution.

Thai Coconut Soup

Serves 4 for dinner 6-8 for a starter

1 turkey thigh/chicken breast
1 dozen raw shrimp, peeled
1sm onion, ½” dice
1lrg carrot ¼” slices
1sm green pepper, ½” dice
6 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1” piece galangal root* or ginger root peeled and diced
.10lb dried wood-ear mushrooms reconstituted in approx. 1.5c boiling water (approx. 2c rehydrated mushrooms and broth) substitute any dried mushroom for plenty of fresh sliced mushrooms.
½ can baby corn, coarsely chopped
1 can coconut milk
3c chicken/veg broth
1/4c Soy
2t Fish sauce or 1t black vinegar
2T Lime juice
2T Palm sugar or brown sugar
1/2c Cilantro, chopped
Green onion to garnish

*Galangal root is like ginger except it is more floral

**Other great additions to this soup are celery, red peppers, hot chilies, fresh mushrooms, bamboo shoots, snow peas, tofu, mussels, fish, parsley, thai basil, kaffir limes/leaves, sesame oil.

If using raw meat, begin by dicing and browning the meat in a large pot over med-high heat. Remove from the pot and set aside. Add the onion and carrot to the meat drippings. Cook 2 minutes. Add the green pepper and cook 3-5 minutes more until tender.

If you are in a time crunch, then try using pre-cooked chicken. Simply cook the veggies in oil and move forward from there. Add the cooked chicken to the soup with the raw shrimp.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and ginger. Cook 3 minutes or until fragrant. Next add the chicken broth. Chop the mushrooms and add them to the pot with the soaking liquid, coconut milk, soy, fish sauce, lime juice, baby corn, and sugar. Bring to a boil.

Lastly add, the raw peeled shrimp and cooked chicken to the pot and allow the soup to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning of the soup. Adding more soy, lime and fish sauce as needed.

Ladle the soup into hot bowls and garnish with chopped green onion.

Serve hot.

Posted in main, recipes, starter, vegan adaptable | Tagged broth, chicken broth, cilantro, coconut milk, coconut soup, dinner, food, ginger, gluten-free, mushrooms, shrimp, soup, thai, thai coconut, thai coconut soup, tom kha gai, turkey, vegan, vegetarian, vermont law school | Leave a Comment »

May photos, Congratulations TDH

May 21, 2012 by thePotlicker

Just another pretty spot in Vermont

jams and jellies at the market

Roasted turkey with black beans and a trio of mango bbq sauces

The first chive blossoms of the year. Time for a fresh batch of chive vinegar.

The strawberries are coming in!

Congratulations Tall Dark & Handsome! Vermont Law c/o 2012 JD, MELP

The past couple of weeks have flown by! Before I completely jump back into reality, I would like to share just a few photos with you and take a minute to congratulate the love of my life on a spectacular achievement.

This silly little side trip to law school brought us to Vermont. In the course of three short (long!) years, we bought our first home, added a puppy to the family, and started a small business.

Finding a new job and losing custody of TDH to law school meant that I had plenty of time to spare. Besides running, I also spent my time cooking. Cooking to share, cooking to create, and cooking like my life depended on it. What to do with a cooking hobby that becomes a way of life? Blog about it. This brings us to thePotlicker and the many food things that I have created.

So at the end of it all, as much as I hated sharing him with law school, The experience has brought us many wonderful things.

As we settle back into life, I look forward to experiencing more food with you and expanding Potlicker jellies into a full time business.

Congratulations Tall Dark & Handsome! You give me motivation and inspiration every single day.

Posted in musings, photos, recipes | Tagged chive blossom, cooking, food, jams and jellies, law school, photography, photos, phtots, pictures, potlicker, potlicker jelly, strawberries, thepotlicker, vermont, vermont law | Leave a Comment »

Dear Blog

May 15, 2012 by thePotlicker

Dear Blog,

I have not forgotten you. I have simply been focused elsewhere. The jelly business is booming, the garden is growing, and TDH is graduating from law school this week. I am sorry they are stealing time away from you. It hurts, I know…….I miss you too.

Take heart. I will not be gone long….. maybe tomorrow.

Here is a picture that made me think of you.

See you soon

thePotlicker

Posted in recipes | Leave a Comment »

Garlic and Honey

May 10, 2012 by thePotlicker

My house must stink. I know I stink. There has been a lot of garlic through here lately. I’ve been creating garlic balsamic jellies and pickling sweet garlic (I will be taking both items to the farmers markets!).

I have also been eating lots of raw garlic. I thought that I could use a little pick me up. Eating garlic has long been considered a great remedy for many conditions including parasites, respiratory problems, poor digestion, and low energy.

It only made sense as I was processing oodles of garlic anyway, that I should stock up on a jar of an easy to make home remedy. Garlic steeped in honey.

Garlic is shown to be a natural anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, even anti-microbial! Relatively high in Vitamin C and anti-oxidants, garlic is a great remedy for colds.

Add a little honey to your garlic (local honey is shown to help reduce allergies) and you have a natural cold and cough remedy.

To use this pungent remedy; Eat one to two cloves of garlic 2-3 times a day when you begin to feel under the weather or just to boost your immune system.

This mix is best if made a month in advance. It will help to mellow the sharp flavor of the garlic.

How to make a jar of honey garlic for yourself:

Fill a jar half full with honey. Plunge garlic cloves into the honey until there is no room for more. Stir garlic once a day for a week as the garlic will float slightly until fully saturated.

I also add a slice of lemon peel and a few thin slices of ginger into the honey/garlic mix.

Store the jar in a cool place for at least one month before using. Continue to feed garlic cloves into the jar as needed.

For a real kick (and other health benefits) add some cayenne pepper.

Posted in kitchen tips | Tagged cough remedy, food, garlic, garlic cloves, home remedy, honey, honey garlic, vegetarian | Leave a Comment »

Oxtail Stew, Cheering Up A Dreary Day

May 8, 2012 by thePotlicker

Today is a dreary New England day. I thought that I could transform it from dreary into cozy with a bowl of oxtails and a loaf of bread. Truthfully, I haven’t seen much oxtail up here, so when I saw it at the market, I jumped on it. Is it just that I haven’t noticed it?

One might assume oxtail would be found in any market. When you appraise the cultures that eat oxtail, you cross every corner of the world from Asia & Eastern Europe to the myriad islands of the Caribbean. Not surprisingly the preparation method in each area is very similar and it is typically served in soup or stew form. Large pieces of oxtail cut from the top of the tail are marbled meat steaks with a round tail bone through the center. Smaller pieces have more bone than meat but add rich flavor to a broth.

I think the first time I really appreciated oxtail was in college. A friend in the dorm had just discovered a place serving Jamaican style comfort food and he was eager to share. I was hungry to try everything. We feasted on take-out of rich greasy beef in a thick stew flavored heavily with allspice. I nibbled on large pieces trying coerce the succulent meat that tried in vain to cling to the bone. The sauce dripped down my chin and my hands were a mess.

I was in love!

Oxtail can be very tough, but low and slow with get you there every time. Look for high quality oxtails from your butcher. If possible, select pieces of similar size so that they cook more evenly.

Oxtail Soup serves 4

2-3lb Oxtail, trimmed of excess fat
Scant 1/4c Flour (more flour = thicker sauce)
Salt/pepper
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1Tb paprika
1t oregano
1t thyme
1T tomato paste
1/2c red wine
2c broth
Dried mushrooms +1/2 soaking liquid*
3 carrots, 1” dice
1-2 bay leaves
14/c fresh parsley, chopped. For garnish.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

*dried mushrooms: I happen to have a couple lovely jars of dried mushrooms hanging out in my pantry and I just grab a handful here and there. I used one handful of mixed dried mushrooms and covered them with 1/2c boiling water. You could also use hot broth. If you are purchasing dried mushrooms, look for dried porcini or shitake.

Begin by patting the meat dry and then season the oxtail with salt & pepper. Dust lightly with flour. Using your beloved dutch oven, and working in batches, brown the oxtails on all sides and remove to a plate.

Drain any excess fat, leaving 2T in the pan. Add the thinly sliced onions to the pan and allow to cook down until translucent and soft. Add the sliced garlic and cook 3-5 more minutes. Next add the spices and tomato paste. When the mixture begins to stick, de-glaze the pan with red wine. Stir scraping up any brown bits of flavor. Next add the broth, mushrooms, carrots and bay. Add the oxtail back to the pan and bring the stew to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Allow the stew to bake in the over (or stew on the stove) for 2-4 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone tender.

Serve with buttered noodles and large pieces of hearty bread.

This meal will warm your soul.

Posted in main, recipes | Tagged beef, caribbean, dinner, dreary, dutch oven, eastern european, food, hearty, new england, new england day, oxtail, oxtail soup, red wine, soul food, soup | Leave a Comment »

Sweet Potato Pancakes

May 4, 2012 by thePotlicker

I love sweet potatoes! But really, who doesn’t??

As with any food, I think whether someone loves or hates a food often depends on how it is prepared. For example, people who hate cauliflower will never be converted with a plate of steamed florets. However, if you smother it with cheese and put it next to something they love, like pasta, you will have more success overcoming their aversion.

Tall Dark and Handsome avoids sweet potatoes on principle. He visibly cringes when I serve them. I see this face often because I try to eat sweet potatoes often.

I made these pancakes for myself one day and he declined breakfast. His loss. A few days later while searching the fridge for instant food I suggested that he have sweet potato pancakes for breakfast. Hungry and cranky I pulled the previously cooked pancakes out of the freezer and tossed them in the toaster oven.

After he covered the pancakes in syrup and butter, he took a couple of bites and looked up at me. I said, “Well??” He grudgingly replied “It tastes like pumpkin pie.” That’s a win for the sweet potatoes.

The pancakes are tender, moist, and taste like sweet potato. They require few tools to prepare and they freeze well. Sweet potato pancakes are low in added sugar and adaptable to all sorts of substitutions. Use winter squashes if that is what is abundant and substitute oil for melted butter if desired.

I have tried variations like corn or rye flour instead of whole wheat, and used rosemary or mustard seed instead of cinnamon. Amazing dinner pancakes!

While no syrup is needed to make the cakes sweet, they are decadent if topped with maple & pecan syrup.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

1 Lrg cooked sweet potato or 1 1/2c mashed
2 eggs
¼c melted butter
1 1/2c milk
1t vanilla (optional)
1-2T brown sugar or other sweetener
1c flour
1/2c whole wheat flour (or additional white flour)
3 1/2t baking powder
1t salt
1t cinnamon

Preheat a griddle, pan, or flat top on medium heat.

Use a blender to puree the cooked sweet potato. Add to the potato, the eggs, milk, and butter. Pulse until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and again, pulse until combined.

Slowly pour your batter onto a heated griddle. Grill cakes for 3-4 min per side. The center of these pancakes is a little richer than the average cake so allow these babies to cook a little longer for a well done pancake.

Yield: 2-3 dozen

To store: Freeze the prepared pancake batter in a zipper bag. Thaw over-night in the fridge and simply cut a corner off the bag to pipe batter onto the griddle. Optionally, cook the pancakes and freeze individually on cookie sheets. Transfer frozen pancakes to a bag and store in the freezer. Reheat in the microwave, oven, or toaster.

Enjoy!