Cannelloni on the Farm

So, I wanted to do something with the unripened sheep cheese I had made. It was a lot like Ricotta so I decided to make Cannelloni. I have never made cannelloni before so I looked up recipes on the internet and realized that you can basically stuff the noodles with whatever you want. So I made up my own recipe. Now, if you know me, you know that is one big leap of faith. I am a religious recipe follower. I might adjust a recipe but I always use one. I don't know, I felt brave last night...

I used one entire batch of soft, unripened sheep cheese (made from 1 litre of milk) that I had just finished making yesterday. It was probably about 2 - 2.5 cups worth. I added to that some fresh chopped up nettle. I didn't measure, I just threw in what looked like a good amount - probably around 1 cup. Then I added about a cup of Parmesan cheese - fresh grated, fresh basil from the garden - about 3/4 of a cup, 3 cloves of garlic, minced and 1.5 lbs of organic ground beef, fried up with oregano, green onions and celery. I mixed it all up into this delicious, creamy mixture and stuffed the cannelloni shells. At first I gingerly used a spoon to try to fill them but quickly abandonned that as it was getting late and we were hungry. Rhiannon and I used our hands. It was mucky but a whole lot faster. We arranged them in a glass baking pan and poured a jar of canned tomaotes over top. Topped that with more fresh basil and another cup of parmesan cheese and baked for 45 minutes. And it was sooooooo good!

Although I insisted to Rhiannon that I did, in fact, NOT use sheep cheese - it was ricotta, I told her.... And she gobbled down more than her fair share. Right now I am smugly enjoying this fact. I don't know when I will tell her it was my sheep cheese.... maybe the next time she makes disparaging comments? Or maybe in a year or two...? or maybe never. Funny, she had no problem with the nettles...

Pictures? Sorry, no. It was almost 8pm when we started making them and after 9 when we got to eat them. We were way to hungry, and our hands way too messy to take any pictures. I could show you pictures of the dirty glass pan, though...It was really, good, though! Unripened sheep cheese and nettle cannelloni. You should try it!

Spring Soup

Spring soup is a favourite around here. Every year it is a bit different, depending on what is growing. I pull some frozen chicken stock out of the freezer the night before. Then mid morning, I put on 1/2 a cup of red lentils and 1/2 a cup of pot barley on to cook for an hour or so. If I'm not in the mood for these, then I might throw in some left over rice or skip this part for a lighter soup. Then, in my medium sized sauce pan, I melt a tablespoon of butter and whisk into it a tablespoon of flour. You can add more butter and more flour for a thicker soup. I don't like them that thick so I just use a bit. I add the thawed stock (if I don't have stock, I just use water) and add the cooked barley and lentils. Then I go outside and pick every edible green thing - except mint. So it has dandelion greens, pig weed, lamb's quarters, garlic tops, leek tops, green onions, green onion flowers (delicious!), oregano, lovage, stinging nettle and the secret ingredient which makes any spring soup delicious: rhubarb. Yes, rhubarb. Usually 3 stalks in my medium saucepan - its the main ingredient. I just chop it up into 1/2 inch pieces with scissors. You have got to try it! Now, I usually would have chard and spinach to add to this mix but mine is not up yet this year so I have made do with lots of dandelion greens and lambs quarter. I made this for supper last night along with baking soda biscuits with cheese and dill and pumpkin scones for dessert with apple butter and some elderberry saft for refreshment. Ahhh, spring!

Happiness 7

Happiness is making Borscht with my own beets who (why, yes, I used 'who'... beets are people, too!) have been waiting patiently in the bottom of my fridge for this very day. And of course, I used my very own chicken, too. The last of those noisy roosters from my laying chicks. This was a 2.8 lb Ameracauna rooster.


See? There he is!


I can't tell you how good this Borscht is. All others pale in comparison! Dean, who eschews borscht loves this borscht. You have just got to try the recipe. Its not that hard. You can do it!




Inspired by Angry Chicken I made these. Indeed! Why leave home? (gotta put a dent in my 25 lbs of coconut somehow!) These were awesome. So good!

Yup! happy, happy, happy!

Happiness 3

This is related to the first post. This makes me happy. This is pasta sauce made from my canned "Dr. Wyche's Yellow Tomatoes". I sure loved my yellow and orange tomatoes last summer! And they have looked so beautiful canned - bottles of yellow, orange and red tomatoes on my shelf. And then of course, is the joy of eating them in this simple and delicious pasta sauce!

Chili Today Hot Tamale

Such a dumb saying, eh? And when Dean uttered it over dinner last night, it had to be the 1000th time I had heard it. I remember hearing it as a kid. I think it is from some movie like "Trouble right in in River City". But anyways, my chili is a real favourite around here (except with my nephew Caleb who told me it wasn't even food!). It is based on a WW recipe but I have adjusted it so much I can consider it my own now.

Andrea's Chili
2 cups of dried beans. I use 1 cup of black beans and 1 cup of fava beans because those are mine and Rhiannon's favourites. Soak the beans overnight. Rinse and simmer in a large pot for 4 - 6 hours or until they are soft before you start cooking the chili.
Now, start cooking the chili:
1 onion - cut up in medium pieces.
3 cloves of garlic
1 package of Yves Veggie Ground Round. The original recipe called for lean ground turkey. I have never made it with that. You could use real meat but I actually prefer the veggie ground round in this recipe.
Fry up the onion and garlic in a little olive oil in the pot you are going to make the chili in. I make it in my largest pot (which is not super large - just an ordinary big pot). Add the veggie ground round when the onions start to be translucent. It only takes a couple of minutes to fry up veggie ground round. Season it with basil and oregano, chilli powder and cumin. I don't measure. I dump them in.
Once the veggie ground round is seasoned and mixed well with the onion mixture, add all other ingredients, including the beans you have simmered. Make sure to drain the beans first.
2 quart jars of diced canned tomatoes. I don't add any salt to my tomatoes when I can them so I always have to add some salt when I am cooking something like this.
1 cup of sliced celery
2 cups of summer squash peeled and cubed.
2 cups of winter squash peeled and cubed.
1 large green pepper if I have more peppers available, I might add another one. If they are small I would use 2 or 3.
2 - 4 cups of broth I use my own chicken broth but you can use veggie broth (if you wanted to keep it vegetarian) or even just water. Add enough so that the chili is not too thick. It will thicken more as you cook it so you might need to add a bit more. I have never added more than 4 cups total.
Season to taste with more basil, oregano, chili powder and cumin. I use a lot. I never use those piddly little herb bags when I buy my chili powder in bulk, I use the biggest bag they have and I keep it in my second largest spice container which fits more than 4 cups.
The chili is cooked when the squash is cooked.

In Clarke fashion eat the chili over a torn up bun with cheese. I usually eat it on its own but I sometimes make my french bread to go a long with it.

White Spelt Bread

So white spelt bread that looks as good as white wheat bread? How about it? I think it does and there is not a drop of wheat in this recipe and it was easy to make. It rose really quickly. It looks good and most importantly, it tastes good!








Recipe:
8 cups of white spelt flour
3 T sugar

2 T quick rising yeast
1 T salt
2 T oil
2 1/2 cups of very warm water

Directions:
- measure 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt and yeast into bowl
- add very warm water and oil
- mix with beaters until smooth
- add rest of flour one cup at a time
- turn onto counter and knead until dough is smooth (it will be tackier than regular bread).
- place in greased bowl
- grease dough and place in warm spot to rise
- when double in size, shape into loaves and leave to rise again
- when fully risen (about 1.5 inches above loaf pan) bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes
- turn out of pans immediately after removing from oven.

Going Crackers

Inspired by two close friends who are just learning how to go without wheat, I decided to make my own crackers sans wheat. I looked up recipes on the internet and started experimenting. The first one I tried was this one: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1216/is_n5_v185/ai_9051614 A Sunset recipe. I used 1 1/2 cups of whole grain spelt flour and 1/2 cup of hemp hearts for the flour and oat bran. They were indeed paper thin. The kids liked them a lot. Kind of more like a chip than a cracker as they are quite fragile.

The second one I tried was this one: http://www.recipetips.com/recipe-cards/t--1973/homemade-crackers.asp This recipe was really fun to adjust and experiment with. I liked it because you just make one pan full at a time. You roll the dough right out on the pan. You can experiment with seasonings and then change it for the next batch. Our family's current favourites are this: flour mixture 1/2 cup whole grain spelt, 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup hemp hearts with seasoning mixture of simply 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. Their very favourite was: flour mixture 1/2 cup whole grain spelt, 1/2 cup cornmeal and 1/2 cup hemp hearts with seasonings 1 teaspoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of cumin and 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder.... And my ideas are still rocking! I mean I could use basil and oregano... or there is my dried taragon.... curry.... I made this container full between all my taste testers... And then I made my famous artichoke dip and we dug in!

And why such gourmet snacking, you ask? Well that leads me to my picture of the day.... Not taken by me but by Rhiannon. Happy birthday, babe!

A Mountain of Fruit

Well, I don't know if anyone is reading my blog... (did you know that I LOVE comments?) In case you can't tell, I have been listening to a lot of CBC radio. I have been doing that while working in my kitchen. Working in the kitchen can be a rather meditative, thoughtful thing to do for me (if I do it at all). While doing those things that don't use up so much of my brain, I like to listen to thought provoking things like books on tape or CBC radio. And there has been a lot to do in the kitchen lately. Still trying to find things to do with zucchini. And starting to do things with apples. And finishing things with plums... I think I am going to learn how to make jelly. The boxes of empty jars in my food storage room are getting empty and the shelves are getting more and more full of beautifully coloured salsas and jams and tomatoes and peaches.

Here is my latest favourite zucchini recipe from Simply Recipes. It was a huge hit with everyone... except Rhiannon. I didn't peel or seed the tomatoes and I used organic chicken stock. I also didn't add the tobasco sauce. And I would concur with the comments (although I don't know Wolfgang Puck) that it is the best vegetable soup I have ever had!

Vegetable Soup with Sweet Basil Recipe

This recipe comes from Wolfgang Puck's mother. It's the best vegetable soup I've ever had.

Preparation time: 1 hour

2 small leeks, white part only
1 large potato, peeled
1 small onion
2 stalks celery
1 medium zucchini
12 green beans
2 medium carrots, peeled
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons water
2 quarts chicken stock (or 2 qts water, 4 bouillion cubes, a pinch of thyme, and 1/2 bay leaf OR you can use vegetable broth for a vegetarian option)
4 to 6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded
4 medium garlic cloves
30 fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
Salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
A few drops of Tabasco sauce

Cut the leeks, potato, onion, celery, zucchini, green beans, and carrots into 1/4 inch diced cubes.

In a 6-quart stockpot, combine 3 tablespoons of the olive oil with the water. Add the vegetables and sauté over medium-low heat until all the water evaporates. Do not brown the vegetables.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cook at a gentle boil for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, put the tomatoes, basil, garlic, and remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Pulse until pureed.

Stir the puree into the cooked soup. Do not let the soup return to a boil. Season, to taste, with salt, pepper, and a few dashes of Tabasco. Serve the soup hot or cold from a tureen or in individual bowls.

Serves 6.

Note from Wolfgang Puck: His mother only uses water, because her vegetables are peak-of-the-season, just-picked, and therefore full of flavor, but you can use stock if you like. Pistou, the puree of tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil in this recipe, is a traditional French condiment that adds a burst of flavor just before serving.