Rosy Rhubarb Syrup

Posted on May 20, 2012 by

Last weekend, we returned home for a brief Mother’s Day visit and I snuck out Sunday morning to stroll through the St. Paul Farmers Market.  My heart felt elated as it was reunited with one of its favorite places.  I strolled amongst the packed stalls filled with spring asparagus, rhubarb, and plants.

Unfortunately, the farmers market isn’t open yet in Fargo and our first CSA box won’t arrive until June.  This weekend, I was surprised to find myself on a wild goose chase to find the ubiquitous rhubarb.

Such is life in Fargo.

And oddly enough, it’s actually begun to feel more like home.  I’m reminded I’m not in the Twin Cities when I can’t find the ingredients I used to easily find.  Many stores are not open on Sunday.  Cooking projects can require more forethought and I never thought I’d be so overjoyed to find rhubarb in the spring.

For the past two years, I’ve made a cheery dandelion cordial and wondered if I could make a similar cordial with rhubarb.  One that would be ready, faster, since my dandelion cordial has to age for about six weeks.  There are many similar recipes for rhubarb cordials and rhubarb syrups online and I was most inspired by this simple version of rhubarb syrup from the blog Closet Cooking.

I had no lemons on hand so I used limes, and added pinches of ground ginger and cinnamon.  Fresh ginger would have been lovely.  The finished syrup is tart and delicious.  I added some brandy to my syrup, hoping it would increase its shelf life.  Equally delicious was the rhubarb that was cooked and strained.  I’ve enjoyed eating it by the spoonful and have daydreamed may other possibilities, such as an ice cream topping, accompaniment for cheese and crackers, or addition to a baking project.

The syrup could be also be drizzled over ice cream or incorporated into any number of beverages such as lemonade, Italian sodas, tonic or seltzer water, or cocktails.

If you want to make more or less syrup, play with the ratio of ingredients.  You will need a lot of rhubarb to make a large amount of syrup, especially if you’d like it thick and reduced.  Mine was a little thinner.

Ingredients
Fresh rhubarb, about three cups, chopped
Enough water to barely cover
Up to 2/3 cup sugar (or less)
Zest and juice of two small limes
Ground or fresh ginger, to taste
Cinnamon, to taste
Option: Vodka or brandy to preserve

Simmer the rhubarb with enough water to just cover, sugar, lime zest and juice, and spices.

When the rhubarb becomes mushy, strain into a bowl and press the liquid from the cooked rhubarb.

Pour the liquid back into the pot and reduce to your desired thickness, tasting for sweetness, acidity, and spicing.  Strain once more.

I added a couple good glugs of 80 proof brandy to my syrup to extend its shelf life, and stored in the refrigerator in a sterilized jar.

Posted in Cooking | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Strawberry Rhubarb No-Bake Cheesecake (and how to kick off summer)

Posted on May 9, 2012 by


If you’ve been out to the farmers’ markets in the last few weeks, you’ve likely spotted the first rhubarb of the season. Long green and pink stems begging to be made into the Upper Midwest’s famous cobblers, crunches and pies.

I’m certain Minnesota’s long-standing history with rhubarb is related to the seasons. After a long winter, it is one of the first fresh plants to shoot out of the ground. We spot it and shout a collective “YES! We survived and Spring. Is. Here!” Grab some rhubarb and start thinking about flip-flops and sunglasses. After gray days and cold dark nights, it’s the perfect reminder of summertime. A brilliant combination of sweet, pink fruit and crisp, green vegetable.


Or maybe it’s not the seasons at all. Maybe it’s that we almost always make rhubarb into dessert and really. C’mon. How the heck does anyone resist dessert?

Bottom line: There’s no better way to declare: “Hey Minnesota! I’m SO ready for summer!!” than rhubarb. Find some this week and celebrate the great things ahead.

Strawberry Rhubarb No-Bake Cheesecake
Adapted from my mother-in-law’s recipe!

Ingredients
For the topping:
2 cups rhubarb, chopped in ½” pieces
2 cups frozen strawberries, thawed with juices reserved
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water
1 Tablespoon of flour (optional)

For the crust:
1 package of honey graham crackers
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ cup sugar

For the filling:
2, 8 ounce packaged of cream cheese
1 can (15 oz) sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup lemon juice

1. Place rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Rhubarb and strawberries will break apart and form a sauce. I like my sauce thinner, but if you desire a thicker sauce, use a whisk to gradually blend in 1 tablespoon of flour. When sauce is thick, remove from heat and allow to cool.

2. While the topping is cooking, prepare the crust: Place graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 3-4 times or until crackers resemble coarse sand. Add melted butter and sugar and pulse 3-4 more times to evenly distribute.   Pour into a lightly greased 9 X 13” baking dish and firmly press with palm of hand to form an even layer.

3. Make the cheesecake filling: Whip cream cheese with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice while continuing to beat.  Beat on medium-high until filling is smooth and no chunks remain. Pour over crust.

4.Refrigerate crust and filling for 30-45 minutes before pouring cooled strawberry-rhubarb topping over. Cover and refrigerate 3-4 hours more to allow cheesecake to fully set.

Posted in Cooking | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Everything But The Kitchen Sink Cheese-Stuffed Millet Patties

Posted on May 1, 2012 by

Everyone seems to be feasting on ramps and I’m jealous.

I’ve been enviously reading about Twin Cities foodies and their first, spring farmers market adventures.  As far as I can tell, Fargo’s markets don’t open until June and July.  We’re only a few hours away, but far enough to push our growing season back.  I was taught where to wildcraft and forage for certain plants in the Twin Cities but am still acclimating to our new home state and terrain.

This week, I created a gluten-free recipe into which anything and everything can be incorporated.  At a 20food gathering this winter, I tried a dish Amy Sippl made from millet.  Ever since, I’ve experimented with millet in my own kitchen.  You can find Amy’s post about cooking with millet in Simple Good & Tasty.

Millet is underrated.  It’s nutty, fluffy, delicious, and a refreshing change from rice or quinoa.

Inspired by the croquettes from the Cafe Brenda Cookbook and concept of molten cheese-stuffed arancini, I created a hybrid made from millet.  This recipe is also a convenient opportunity to use leftover produce from your fridge and food from your cupboard.  I created my recipe as I cooked and foraged in my own kitchen (not quite as fun as foraging for ramps but still an adventure).

One can never taste too many times while cooking.  Tasting during the cooking process is essential and makes cooking without recipes less daunting.  My measurements are not exact because I did not follow a recipe, but rest assured that your own version will be delicious as long as you taste while you cook.  Use whatever herbs, vegetables, nuts, dried fruits are available in your home.  The possibilities are endless and I can only imagine how delicious ramps or freshly foraged spring mushrooms would taste in this recipe.  Serve with your favorite tomato sauce.

Stuffed Millet Patties

Ingredients
1 Cup of Millet, rinsed
1 Tablespoon of olive oil or butter
2.5 cups of water

1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup of cabbage, finely chopped
1 carrot, cut into a small dice
1 Portobello mushroom, finely chopped (or another variety)
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup of walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup of green olives, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
1 large handfuls of raisins (or other dried fruit like craisins or currents)
Miso paste
1 egg, beaten

Soy sauce
Mirin
Worcestershire Sauce
Grated Parmesan cheese, a handful
Zest of one lemon
Mozzarella cheese, cubed

Directions 
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a sauce pan, saute the millet with a little oil or butter until it smells toasty.  Add 2.5 cups of water to the millet and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cover, simmering for about 1/2 hour or until the millet is cooked and water is absorbed.  Fluff with a fork and allow to cool.  I spread the millet in a pan for faster cooling.

In a little oil or butter (or both), saute the onion, carrot, cabbage, and mushrooms until tender, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Add the chopped nuts, olives, dried fruit and stir.  Incorporate several dollops of miso paste and stir.  Grate in a clove or two of garlic, stir, and remove from heat.  Allow to cool slightly in the pan, or pour over the millet.

Season the mixture with dashes of soy sauce, a little Worcestershire sauce, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and mirin or honey.  I always add a natural sweet element to savory dishes to create a round flavor.

Mix enough beaten egg into the millet so that the mixture holds together without being too moist.

Shape the millet mixture into patties, stuffing each with one cube of mozzarella.  Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Bake until golden brown and crispy on the outside, about 30 minutes.

Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
Olive oil and/or butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
Mushrooms, finely chopped
Optional: 1 Thai chili or chili flakes
Garlic, minced or slivered
1 24 oz. can of tomatoes (I used whole and crushed by hand)
Sugar, a couple pinches or a small amount of a different sweetener such as honey
Red wine
Basil

Directions
Over medium-high heat, saute the onion, carrot, and mushrooms until tender, seasoning with salt and pepper.  Add the chili and garlic and stir until fragrant.

Stir in the tomatoes and a good splash of red wine.  Add a little sugar to balance out the acidity in addition to basil and any other herbs.  Taste for seasoning and simmer until the flavors mellow and meld.  Add a drizzle of olive oil or dab of butter for some richness.

Posted in Growing | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The Spring Stir-Fry

Posted on April 25, 2012 by

As the flavors of spring begin to arrive, I am always on the lookout for the special seasonal foods that are only available for a few weeks of the year. I was excited to discover that Mississippi Market is working with Wisconsin farmers to offer green garlic and ramps. Green garlic offers a mild garlic flavor; ramps taste similar to a green onion or mild leek. Both are delicious and offer us our first tastes local food this year.

Image

Living in a city with a lot of great Asian cuisine has inspired me to try cooking delicious ethnic foods like spring rolls, stir-frys, sautés, and salads. Stir–frying is a fantastic way to incorporate a host of seasonal flavors into your diet. Unfortunately, improper stir-frying can lead to an unappetizing mix of mushy vegetables and undercooked ones. While this isn’t necessarily a failure, I knew there had to be a better way to control the heat and enjoy some perfectly cooked vegetables.

I have owned Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” for a couple years now, but never read up on his advice for stir-frying in the past. A quick read through and a couple attempts later, I already feel like a Lodge cast-iron faux-wok master. With the fresh taste of ramps, green garlic, mushrooms it will be hard to go wrong with a stir-fry. Baby spring carrots, snap peas, fresh spinach, and asparagus are just around the corner ready to bring more excitement to your palate. St Paul will hold its first regular farmer’s market next Saturday. Be sure to arrive early and you might be able to get your hands on some of that prized first taste of the growing season. You know I will be there!

Mark Bittman’s advice for stir-frying is simple. Parboil crunchy vegetables, use cast-iron, preheat to high-heat, slice thinly, and don’t over stir. Fresh, crisp produce and flavorful liquids help a stir-fry move into the realm of greatness.

Image

Stir-Fried Spring Vegetables

2 tablespoons neautral oil
1 tablespoon minced green garlic
1 tablespoon peeled and minced ginger
½ cup or 1 bunch minced ramps
2 small carrots or parsnips, cut into small pieces
1 stalk celery
½ pound trimmed snap peas or asparagus (parboiled if thick)
½ pound of mushrooms sliced or stem removed (Crimini, Shitake, or wild harvested)
¼ cup of stock, water, or rice wine, or a little more
2 cups fresh spinach (optional)
2 tablespoons tamari (soy sauce)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Before you cook anything, prepare rice or noodles to serve with the stir-fry,  Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat for 4 minutes.

Add the neutral oil and almost immediately, the garlic, ginger, and ramps. Cook, stirring, for 15 seconds. Add carrots, peas, asparagus, mushrooms, celery, and stock. Raise heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables reach desired texture, about 6-8 minutes. To encourage browning and caramelizing of sugars do not stir too often. If the pan becomes almost dry, add additional stock or cooking liquid to prevent sticking and burning. As soon as vegetables have reached the desired texture, turf off heat. Add sesame oil and tamari.  Stir and serve immediately over rice or noodles.

Image

P.S. This week I found 11 morel mushrooms and foraged successfully for ramps. If you have time get outside and hunt, now is the time to go!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Gardening Matters Community Garden Spring Resource Fair

Posted on March 26, 2012 by

There’s one TREMENDOUSLY EXCITING event  this weekend that all 20Food readers should mark on their calendars. Gardening Matters is holding their 8th annual Community Garden Resource Fair on Saturday March 31 from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm at the Neighborhood House in St. Paul. The resource fair is the best way for Twin Cities’ gardeners to catch up on the latest skills and trends, meet experts and advocates in the urban farming field, and connect with other gardeners.

Some 20Food friends and I will be there on Saturday to share in the fun and learning.  Karen Washington will be giving the keynote titled “Nourishing Neighborhoods, Connecting Communities” about her work with the New York City Community Garden Coalition. Next up is a panel discussion of community gardening in the Twin Cities, followed by an Aztec dance, lunch from El Burrito Mercado and an afternoon of workshops.  I have no idea how to choose from the kick-butt topics like  ”Food + Justice = Democracy”, “Beyond Canning: Freezing, Dehydrating, Fermenting and Root Cellaring,” and “Composting: Creating Black Gold.” Anyone have a good way to be in 2 (or 12!) places at once?

If you still need convincing why the spring resource fair is a must-see next weekend, it’s definitely worth stopping in for the 40+ exhibitor tables from metro gardening organizations. There’s no better place to get your plant questions answered or get some advice on how to leap into gardening this year. Whether it’s your first or your fifty-first growing season, there’s something new and interesting to be found.

A $5-10 donation is requested at the door to cover expenses. Registration details can be found here. The resource fair is presented by BCBS of MN and sponsored by Mississippi Market Co-op, the City of Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support, and more than 10 grassroots community partners. Together they’re demonstrating a long-term commitment to healthy local food in the Twin Cities area. For questions or more information, email info@gardeningmatters.org or call 612-821-2358

Posted in Growing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

A Minimalist Tries To Plant Things & Joins Her First CSA

Posted on March 12, 2012 by

During the past two weeks, I really dove head-first into tackling my fear of gardening.

Earlier, I wrote about my fear of gardening in more detail than anyone needed to know.  The psychoanalyst inside of me postulates this phobia is rooted in a few elements: An irrational fear of earthworms, a high mortality rate of office plants, and my dislike of gardening chores as a child.

My phobia has transformed into a curiosity about and admiration for the process of growing one’s own food and herbs for culinary and medicinal purposes.  Learning how to garden was no longer an option.  I just had to learn how to grow things.

At a local gardening store, I purchased basic supplies such as small pots to start seeds, trays, and organic seed starter soil.  You can use almost any container to start seeds, including empty plastic containers and egg cartons, but all of ours were storing food (make sure the containers have holes to drain excess water).  I learned that seed starting soil is sterile and loosely packed to provide the most nurturing environment for seeds.  Like many others, my budget does not support an expensive growing light or automatic misting system, so I unloaded my supplies in my kitchen and hoped for the best.

The peat pots are fairly inexpensive and are can be placed directly into potting soil when they are ready to transplant.  The larger black containers were complimentary, since they were previously used by the garden center.

I tried to sufficiently dampen and drain my soil, and plant my seeds according to the directions on their packages.  As a perfectionist, I found it necessary to remind myself to just chillax.  Gardening will turn from a phobia to fun if I proceed with the attitude that it involves as much improvisation as cooking and that it’s OK if I don’t get it right on my first try.

I may have started this batch of seeds too early, my yarrow seeds are not planted exactly an eighth of an inch deep, and God only knows if the soil in each pot is correctly damp, but three days later, I noticed to a few, tiny, green sprouts.

Now, it’s a week later and some of the tiny sprouts continue to grow.

Soon, it will be time to figure out what the heck transplanting them onto my apartment balcony will involve.

And In Other Exciting News. . .
I finally joined a CSA, for the first time.

The idea of financially committing to five months of produce made me hesitant, but I joined Bluebird Gardens CSA before I could over-analyze for another 26 years.

Photo used with permission by Bluebird Gardens

Fargo-Moorhead foodies raved about a handful of CSA’s which offered shares for a similar price.  I chose Bluebird Gardens for a few reasons.  First, the farm is conveniently located in Fergus Falls, an hour from Fargo, on the way to and from the Twin Cities.  Second, they invite members to stop by and pick certain produce at any time.  And third, they offer harvest events.  As an owner of a half-share, I can attend five harvest events of my choice, included in the price.  This summer, I shall embark on learning the art of canning.  Thoughts of homemade sauerkraut and kimchi are already dancing in my head.

Though supportive, overall, my significant other looked at a photo of a small share and felt a little concerned it may not be worth $20 a week.  Come what may, $20 per week seems reasonable for local, organic produce.  I’m actually looking forward to being forced to cook vegetables I might not usually buy, in quantities I wouldn’t buy them in.  And with my new job, I anticipate weekends when I’ll be thrilled with a ready-packed box of produce.

Happy spring.

Posted in Growing | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Growing Spaces – Season Two

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

Last year when I posted my final garden plans on 20Food, I wish someone would’ve smacked me with the “Get a grip!!!” stick. A double community garden plot and nearly 40 different varieties of veggies was a huge undertaking for our second growing season. Not everything went according to that plan, and I learned three big garden lessons in 2011:

#1: Less is more.  I was so determined to grow 200+ pounds of produce last year and was convinced the more plants I had the better. In the end, there was so much to take care of that I think everything did a little bit worse as we struggled to keep up.

#2: If you grow it, you’d better be prepared to eat it.  Last year so much of the garden was ready at one time that we couldn’t come close to eating it all. When you plant 10 feet of lettuce on a Saturday afternoon, you have to be prepared that some Saturday afternoon down the road, all 10 feet of lettuce will be ready to eat at the same time. More than likely it will be ready at the same time as the swiss chard and broccoli and all the other goodies you’d like to eat too. I hated wasting perfectly good food, but was so tired of the same veggies in meal after meal.

#3: The closer you grow it to the kitchen, the more likely you are to use it. I’m still not entirely sure why I planted all of my fresh herbs in the community garden 4 blocks away and planted cantaloupes and tomatoes on the patio. Whenever I wanted fresh basil, I had to walk all the way down to the garden, pick a few sprigs and then walk all the way home. Doesn’t sound like a huge deal, but for those of you who know my ambition level—let’s be honest—it didn’t happen. Once again, had someone whacked me with the reality stick last season I think this lesson could’ve been easily avoided.  Melons belong in the garden and basil belongs near the kitchen window.  End of story.

So with these lessons in mind, it’s on to 2012 garden planning. We have big vacation plans before July 1, so for a few weeks our gardens will be under someone else’s care. Knowing how much trouble I had keeping up last year, I pared things down to be more manageable for our garden-sitters and for when we return. It’s also my hope that fewer plants will be given better care and in the end the garden will be more successful. Less is more.

I’ve also sketched out a rough calendar to try my hand at successive planting. Having read about how it can extend the growing season and prevent excessive waste, I’m pretty excited to give it a try. My hope is to trim that 10 foot row of lettuce down into smaller 2-3 foot rows of different greens planted every few weeks. Less is more.

And to prove I learned from the third lesson, I’m also revamping what goes where in the garden. The patio will be full of kitchen herbs and fresh greens and I’m kicking the melons to the curb and down the street to the community garden. By re-aligning what I use the most with the space that’s closest to where I cook, I think we’ll do a better job of eating what we grow. Here’s this year’s sketches:


Now it’s on to starting seeds!

What are your plans for growing spaces in 2012?

Posted in Growing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments