Learning to Love Rapini

According to the Third Edition of The New Food Lovers Companion rapini, also commonly referred to as broccoli rabe, is "not particularly popular in America where, more often than not it's used for animal fodder". Well, let me try to change all that. I love rapini. And I'm hoping that after you've tried it that you will too.

Rapini is a slightly bitter green that can be sauteed, steamed, braised, and used in soups, stews, and pasta dishes. It's related to the turnip and cabbage family and can be found in the spring and fall in most farmers markets.

My guess is that most folks don't like rapini because they don't get it when it's very fresh. If the rapini is left to sit too long after harvest or is harvested long after the yellow flowers fully bloom and the flower stems get rather big, it does become tough and very bitter. But if you can get your hands on some young and freshly harvested rapini at a market this weekend, you're in for a treat. Cut into wide ribbons and simply sauteed in a bit of olive oil and minced garlic, it's a beautiful bed for fish and chicken. Add some drained and rinsed garbanzo beans to the pan and you have a great side dish. A pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes to add a little heat to the greens is always a nice finishing touch.

When rapini is ready to harvest in our garden, as it is right now, my first dish on the supper menu is always the Italian classic: rapini with sausage and orecchiette(that cute tiny disk shaped pasta). If you have never tried this, you're in for a treat. The sweet sausage, flavorful rapini, and the pasta combine for what can only be described as a trio of perfection. I got my sweet Italian sausage for this dish from Phelps Family Farm at the Traders' Point Farmers Market. It was the best--just the right amount of spice and so lean that I don't even think I got a teaspoon of grease in that pan when I fried it up. The sausage's sweetness complemented the rapini perfectly. We'll be having this dish again at our house soon! Try it...I think you'll like it. You'll find the recipe in the Spring Recipes section.

Photos: Rapini ready to harvest in the Dirtpatch gardens
           Rapini, sausage, and orecchiette.

My Summer STAYcation

This year, many of us are opting not to travel very far from home during the summer months and the media has already given this new trend a name: staycation.

If you, like me, plan on staying close to home this summer, why not venture out and enjoy all that the Indiana local food scene has to offer? You could:

visit your local farmers' market where many of them feature concerts, children's activities, and cooking demos, 

take a  tour of a producer's farm or facility,

attend a local food festival,

admire the beautiful homemade preserved foods at your local county fair,

pack a picnic lunch of fresh fruit, bread, local wines, and Indiana cheeses and head for a state park, or

treat yourself to a great meal at one of the many Indiana restaurants and cafes where the chefs feature the freshest local, in-season items.

Looks like Summer 2008 is going to be a great time for GOING LOCAL in Indiana. When fall finally comes around, we may all discover that Dorothy was right--there really is no place like home.

Photo: Blue sky over Dirtpatch

Another Asparagus Recipe

Last week my two friends, Liz Geeslin and Laura Cotton whipped up an appetizer that I just had to share with everyone.

As Personal Chefs, both Liz and Laura create and prepare delicious meals for their clients, and this seasonal dish, made with asparagus from Liz's vegetable garden and herbs from Laura's patio herb garden is a reflection of their healthy cooking philosophy. It's light, refreshing, and super easy to make.

You'll find their recipe in the Spring Recipes section of this site. 

Photo: Asparagus in the garden at Dirtpatch

Victoria's Onions

Two weeks ago I bought green onions at the farmers market. I don't know why but buying green onions in the spring always makes me happy. Maybe it's because they turn up their little white bulbs and bright green stems in what appears to be a smile. Maybe it's because when I cut them they fill my kitchen with their fresh grassy scent. Maybe it's those funny little roots that look like whiskers... I don't know why...green onions just make me happy.

So when my former business associate, Raymond Logan recently asked me if he could paint something for me on his wonderful "painting a day" site, I asked him to paint green onions. At first I was surprised at his offer. While I'd worked with Raymond for nearly ten years I never knew his artistic talent existed beyond his graphic design abilities and according to him, that was intentional. Not wanting me to think he wasn't serious about his "real" business, he never spoke about the talent that he had for painting. After I left the consulting world last year, we remained friends but it was only recently that he decided to share his personal art with me. And, because the painting of these onions, which Raymond named "Victoria's Onions" is so beautiful, I now want to share it with you.

Painting: Victoria's Onions

Making Jam with Local Honey

If you like making jams and jellies but wondered if you could make them with local honey instead of all that refined sugar, the answer is YES.

Pomona's Universal Pectin allows you to do this by using a unique pectin extracted from citrus peel. Its jelling power is activated by calcium, not sugar content. I discovered this pectin a few years ago and have had great success with it.

The pectin comes with detailed instructions for its use and recipes for both cooked and no-cook jams and cooked jellies including one for Apple Cider Jelly that simply uses boiled down cider and apple cider. The results are delicious. Can you imagine how good a peach and honey jam or blackberrry and honey jelly would be?

With fruit season just starting to come around (Our strawberries are blossoming beautifully and I'm hoping for a great harvest this year.), this is a good product to have on hand for those upcoming jam sessions.

Country Mouse City Mouse Pairs Family Recipes with Local Ingredients

When I visit farmers markets, I always enjoy seeing the friendly and familiar faces of the folks I've come to know but it's also fun to meet newcomers to the local food scene. So, this past Friday when I saw the Country Mouse City Mouse display at the Traders Point Farmers' Market , I wandered over to see what was new.

For the first few minutes I barely spoke to the charming and friendly woman working the booth--not because I had nothing to say but because I was stuffing my mouth with samples of her fabulous dips, sauces, salsas, spreads, and chutneys.

After I swallowed the last bite (I would have eaten more, but a curious crowd was forming behind me and I thought I should step aside to allow them to try this luscious line-up of goodies.), I spontaneously exclaimed, "You are a goddess."  I meant every word. The products were fresh, flavorful, and chock full of local ingredients. One bite made me want another one...and another...and another... I couldn't pick a favorite. I loved them all. Words like sensational or incredible can't begin to describe how great they tasted.

What a find! The Wild Mushroom Pate and Trilby cheese spread will transform a crudite, cracker, miniature phyllo cup, or baguette slice into a thing of beauty, the chow chows will turn up the flavor volume on sandwiches, scrambled eggs, cream cheese, or frankly anything else you can think of, the Jezebel and Rhubarb Ginger Chutney are recommended for ham, grilled chicken, and pork (although I think the rhubarb sauce has potential as an ice cream topping for those of us who like a little fire and ice) and the Romesco sauce is just perfect for dunking pita, bagel, or tortilla chips, poured over a sliced pork tenderloin, or as a dipping sauce for grilled shrimp. The culinary possibilities are endless. Once you taste them, your imagination runs wild! 

Although they often talked about starting a specialty food business, Erin Jones-Edds and her sister Katy Jones decided that this year the "timing was right" to turn their culinary creations, which always won high praise from friends and family members, into a commercial venture. The turning point was when Erin lost her full-time job. She recently told me, "I was always working so hard for someone else. When I lost my job, I knew that now was the time to see if Katy and I could make this work."

With their treasured family recipes and many years of food industry experience between them, the women sought out local Indiana food producers for the finest ingredients, found a commercial kitchen, and took the plunge. If that isn't enough to keep them busy, Erin is also doing some "carry out" party catering while Katy also works for Farm Fresh Delivery.

Right now their products are sold at the Traders Point Farmers Market, the Broad Ripple Farmers Market and the Indianapolis City Market. Check their site often because the products will change to reflect what's fresh, local, and in-season. Now, that's GOING LOCAL!


Photo: Trilby Cheese Spread: So good you won't want to share it with anyone!  

Free Local Food

Last harvest season, Kathy Stamper watched as some of her beautiful produce withered on the vines. She and her husband simply could not pick all the vegetables that they'd raised on their farm, Stamper Farms & Gardens, in Danville, Indiana. Her husband suggested that in 2008 she hire someone to help her pick the produce and get it to market. But Kathy got creative and came up with a better idea--what if she could offer people an opportunity to help with the harvest in return for some of the food they picked? Over the winter she thought more about the concept and came up with a plan that she is launching this summer.

Kathy is now looking for volunteers to help her harvest many of her crops including green beans, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, summer squash, sweet corn, broccoli, kale, and maybe strawberries. Half of the harvest will go to the farm, 1/4 to the volunteer, and 1/4 to local food pantries chosen by the volunteer. She is asking for a 2-4 hour commitment once every few weeks per volunteer with harvest days scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Kathy is enthusiastic about her plan and curious to see how it will all work out for everyone. She has several people already lined up but can still use more.

Interested? Send Kathy an email (kstamp@iquest.net ), tell her what days and hours you can work. She'll contact you with the details. I think it sounds like a great idea. 

Fresh Mozzarella & Mushrooms

From the first time I saw this dish last year on the cover of Issue 34 of Donna Hay Magazine, I've wanted to make it. The problem was that when the magazine came out, Traders Point Creamery had stopped making their fresh mozzarella for the year. Apparently the demand for the cheese declines quickly after the end of tomato season in Indiana and, according to the folks at the Creamery, the reduced non-seasonal market for the cheese simply doesn't merit further production.

For year round fresh mozzarella fans like me, that decision is understandable (no business owner wants to make a perishable product that can't be moved in a timely manner) but disappointing. If I could get that cheese year round,I'd use it on pizzas, lasagnas, paninis, serve it over a weetabix biscuit drizzled with local honey for breakfast, and a whole host of other things. 

Last week, I discovered that the mozzarella production had begun again at the Creamery. I could hardly wait to get home and make the recipe.The original one calls for cremini and portobello mushrooms, but Homestead Growers didn't have either of those at the market that day so I chose their beautiful shiitakes instead.

It was worth the wait. Cool creamy cheese, grilled crusty bread, sauteed mushrooms...all drizzled with warm oregano scented olive oil and just a hint of lemon...SIGH...! Served with a lemon and olive oil dressed salad, it's a delicious lunch. Cut into smaller portions, it becomes an appetizer or impressive first course.

Needless to say, I would love for the Creamery to offer this cheese year round just so I can make this dish on a frequent basis. So, I'm looking for recipes that will encourage others to think outside the "tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and mozzarella box". Maybe if enough of us start using it year round, there'll be a 4-season demand for the cheese and the Creamery will increase its availability. If you have a recipe that uses fresh mozzarella in a creative, easy to prepare, healthy dish, send it to me (in the body of an email--no attachments please) and I'll share some of them on this site.

You'll find the recipe for the Fresh Mozzarella and Mushroom Toasts in the Spring Recipes Section of this site. I just had it for lunch.OMG.Crazy good!

Some Like 'em Hot!

Radishes are now making their debut in many of our farmers markets and gardens. Cute as they are (all tiny and roly poly), they have never been a favorite of mine until I discovered that you could cook them up in some butter and olive oil, toss on s&p, garnish it all with a bit of finely chopped dill, and eat them warm. It's a fun-to-make springtime side dish that surprises most people.

The recipe is in the Spring Recipes section on this site.

Weekend Dinner: Shrimp and Asparagus Stir Fry

In what appears to be my never ending quest to fill this site with asparagus recipes, I offer this delectable dish just in time for the weekend. It's another quick and easy one. Once you assemble the ingredients it'll take you less than 15 minutes to make.

The sauce is flavorful and fragrant but light enough that the asparagus and shrimp are not overwhelmed by it. You could skip the shrimp entirely and serve the asparagus with the sauce as a great side dish. And, you could substitute cooked quinoa, kamut, or another grain for the rice. However you decide to make it--it's a winner. Check out the Spring Recipes Section for the 5-step recipe.