23

Mar. ’24

Spring Vegetables

Today is the third day of spring, although we’re having a late winter storm in New England and the ground is covered with a layer of snow. We are located in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6A and usually don’t plant our vegetable gardens or annuals until Memorial Day weekend to insure they survive. (The USDA Plant Hardiness map is based on 30-year averages of the lowest annual winter temperatures at specific locations.) But now (well, when the snow melts) is the time to start thinking about adding nutrition to the soil in your raised garden beds. The easiest way to do this is to add a few inches of composted manure or rich topsoil to the garden beds and rake it in. Once your soil is ready, you can begin planting vegetables that relish cool weather like arugula, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, and peas. These vegetables can be sowed directly into the soil and should be watered daily until they sprout.  If you don’t water them daily, they can dry out and shrivel up. Once they have grown their secondary leaves, you can add organic fertilizer to the garden. If you add this too soon, it can burn those new, delicate leaves. Vegetables like tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, green beans, and beets can be started indoors or you can purchase starter plants from your local nursery. These vegetables can be transferred to the garden when all danger of frost has passed.  

The Food Pantry in the town where I live has a community garden that grows fresh produce for our shoppers. Occasionally some of the shoppers ask me how to prepare a certain vegetable or what dish they can make with the vegetables.

One of my favorite recipes for early spring vegetables is Pasta Primavera (“primavera” means spring in Italian). This may sound like an Italian dish, but it was actually created by New York restauranteur Sirio Maccioni’s restaurant Le Cirque. It was made famous in an article written for the New York Times by Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey in 1977 which included a recipe for the dish.

I like to use a variety of tender spring vegetables with lots of different colors: peas, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, red and yellow bell peppers, zucchini and scallions. And although you could add them to your choice of pasta and dress with olive oil, I like a light cream sauce that clings to the pasta.

Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

16 oz penne pasta (or shape of your choice)

Instructions:

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 oz asparagus, cut into I ½ inch pieces

1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

2 cups small broccoli florets

1 small zucchini, sliced

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 scallions, sliced at a diagonal

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 cup frozen peas

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons lemon juice 

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped fresh basil

Crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions:

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt and pasta to boiling water. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain well, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Pour the pasta back into the pot and cover to keep warm.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the asparagus, peppers, zucchini and broccoli. Sprinkle vegetables with garlic salt and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cherry tomatoes and scallions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender, but still crisp. Transfer the vegetables to a large plate or bowl.
  3. Make the cream sauce. Place the skillet back on the stove. Melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the heavy cream and ½ cup of Parmesan. Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Cook until smooth. Add reserved pasta water If needed to thin the sauce.
  4. Pour the lemon cream sauce over the pasta. Add sauteed vegetables and peas and gently stir until well combined. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. 
  5. To serve, garnish with chopped basil, extra Parmesan cheese, and crushed red pepper flakes. Serve warm.
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14

Feb. ’24

Wild Rice Salad

Ingredients:

1 c. wild rice

3 c. water

¼ c. sliced almonds

½ c. dried cranberries

½ c. shelled edamame

½ c. diced red bell peppers

¼ c. scallions, sliced

3 T. white balsamic vinegar

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil

2 T. honey

Directions:

In a sauce pan over medium heat, bring water to boil. Add the rice, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Gently simmer for 45 minutes, until the rice is tender and the water absorbed.  Let the rice sit, covered, for five minutes.  Transfer to a serving bowl and stir in the almonds, cranberries, edamame, red bell peppers and scallions. Add olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey and stir to coat rice mixture.  Serve at room temperature.  Serves 6.

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14

Feb. ’24

Have a Rice Day

There are over 40,000 varieties of rice cultivated throughout the world, most of which are eaten by humans. Over half the earth’s population relies completely on rice as its staple food with China, India, and Indonesia being the largest consumers.

Ancient rice cultivation is documented in many cultures. Asian rice (Oryza sativa) was domesticated in China some 13,500 to 8,200 years ago and African rice (Oryza glaberrima) was domesticated in Africa some 3,000 years ago.

Today more than 90 percent of the world’s rice is grown in Asia, principally in China, India, Indonesia,  Indonesia and  Bangladesh, with smaller amounts grown in Japan, Pakistan, , and various Southeast Asian nations. Rice is also cultivated in parts of Europe, in North and South America, and in Australia.

It is boiled, ground into flour, made into breakfast cereals, snack cakes, noodles, and used for alcoholic beverages like Japanese sake.

Varieties

Varieties differ greatly in grain length, color, thickness, stickiness, aroma, growing method, and other characteristics. There are six varieties of rice that are consumed most in the United States. Let’s talk about them:

Brown Rice – Rice that is hulled or processed to remove only the husks, called brown rice, contains a small amount of protein and fats, and is a source of thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, iron, and calcium.

Jasmine Rice – White rice is rice that has been “polished” to remove the bran and germ after the seed is hulled. Thai Jasmine rice is a long-grain white rice with a flowery aroma and soft texture.

Basmati Rice – South Asian basmati rice (primarily from India) is a long-grain white rice with a nutty flavor. Basmati contains all eight essential amino acids and folic acid. It is very low in sodium and cholesterol-free besides having a low glycemic index, meaning that energy is released at a slow, steady rate.

Arborio Rice – Arborio rice is a short to medium-grain white rice used for Italian risotto. It undergoes less milling than ordinary white rice and therefore has a higher starch content which makes it chewier. Arborio rice, unlike other types of rice, should not be rinsed before cooking.

Short-grain white rice – This rice is stickier, and is used for sweet dishes, like Thai Mango Sticky Rice, and for Japanese sushi as it keeps its shape when cooked. After cooking, sushi vinegar (sushizu) is added to this short-grain rice to season it when it is used for sushi.

Wild Rice – There are four species of wild rice (Oryza Zizania) which grow in shallow freshwater marshes and along shores and streams in North America.

There are also purple, black, and red variants of rice, which can be eaten whole grain or milled.

Although rice is a good source of protein and a staple food in many parts of the world, it is not a complete protein as it does not contain all of the essential amino acids for good health. When white rice makes up a major portion of the diet, there is a risk of beriberi, a disease resulting from a deficiency of thiamine and minerals. Rice contains no gluten, however, and can be eaten by those with celiac disease.

Cultivation

Rice is derived from an annual grass which grows to about 4 feet in height with hollow stems and long, flat leaves. The flower cluster or panicle is made up of a spikelet with flowers that produce the fruit, or grain. It is primarily grown on submerged land in the coastal plains, tidal deltas, and river basins of tropical, semitropical, and temperate regions. The seeds are sown in prepared beds, and when the seedlings are 25 to 50 days old, they are transplanted to a field, or paddy, that has been enclosed by levees and submerged under 2 to 4 inches of water, remaining submerged during the growing season. In hilly areas rice farms are commonly terraced to keep the paddies flooded at various elevations.

Successful rice production depends on adequate irrigation, including construction of dams and waterwheels, and on the quality of the soil. Long periods of sunshine are essential. Fields must be drained and dried before harvesting.

Harvesting

Dry rice grain is milled to remove the outer layers. Machines such as combine harvesters are used in commercial operations. The grain is ready to harvest when the moisture content is below 25 percent. Harvesting involves reaping, stacking the cut stalks, threshing to separate the grain, and cleaning by winnowing (air is blown through to remove the chaff) or screening. The rice grain is dried as soon as possible to bring the moisture content down to a level that is safe from mold. Smaller producers rely on drying in the heat of the sun, with the grain spread out on mats or on pavement. When we lived in the Philippines, we would pass rice drying on tarps spread out on the side of the road.

A substantial amount of the rice produced in developing nations is lost after harvest through factors such as poor transport and storage. Rice yields can be reduced by pests including insects, rodents, and birds, as well as by weeds, and by diseases. 

The by-products of milling rice, including bran and rice polish (finely powdered bran and starch resulting from polishing), are sometimes used as livestock feed. Oil is processed from the bran for both food and industrial uses. Broken rice is used in brewing, distilling, and in the manufacture of starch and rice flour. Hulls are used for fuel, packing material, industrial grinding, and fertilizer manufacture, The straw is used for feed, livestock bedding, roof thatching, mats, garments, packing material, and broom straw.

Basic Rice Cooking Method

No matter how you’ll be cooking your rice, always rinse it first. Doing so removes excess starch   which can result in gummy rice if it is not rinsed off.  The best way to do this is to place the rice in a mesh strainer and agitate it with your hands while running cool water over the grains.  When the water runs clear, you’re done rinsing!

This is the classic way to cook rice on the stove.

  1. Use the right ratio of water. Add 2 parts water and 1 part rice to a large pot.
  2. Bring the water to a boil. Once it’s boiling, add a big pinch of salt.
  3. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and maintain a gentle simmer.
  4. Cook without peeking or stirring. Cook until the water is absorbed, about 18 minutes, or for about 40-45 minutes for brown rice. Try not to peek until the end of the cooking time so the steam doesn’t escape. Whatever you do, don’t mix the rice while it’s cooking — this will lead to gummy rice.
  5. Let the rice rest covered. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit, covered, for 10 minutes. During this time, the rice will steam for extra fluffy results.

Or you can use a rice cooker, with equal parts water to rice. Just follow the instructions with the rice cooker.

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16

Dec. ’23

African Turkey Peanut Stew

This spicy stew can be made without meat as well. Use vegetable stock instead of the turkey stock.

Ingredients

6 scallions, thinly sliced

1 medium green bell pepper, diced

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 quarts turkey stock

2 cups cubed, peeled sweet potato

1 cup creamy peanut butter

One 6-ounce can tomato paste

3 cups shredded cooked turkey, chicken or pork

One 15 ounce can diced tomatoes

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (leaves and stems)

1 cup chopped lightly salted peanuts

4 scallions, thinly sliced

Optional: 1 cup chopped kale or spinach

Directions

In a Dutch oven or stock pot, cook green onions and sweet pepper in butter and hot oil for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, red pepper, salt and black pepper. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add stock and sweet potato. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

In a medium bowl, whisk peanut butter and tomato paste until smooth. Gradually add one cup of the hot turkey stock from the Dutch oven and continue to whisk until well-blended.

Add turkey, peanut butter mixture, and tomatoes to Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro. Top with green onion slices and peanuts.

Serves 4-6.

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13

Dec. ’23

Travel: Rwanda, Africa

Recently, I returned from a trip to Africa with my daughter, Gretchen, and my granddaughter, Avery, 12.  Gretchen had founded the nonprofit Global Grassroots in 2004 to help women in developing countries start their own social entrepreneurships in their communities.  She was first inspired to work with marginalized women as a young girl when we lived in the Philippines.

After 20 years of working with women in Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya, Gretchen was getting ready for a final celebration of Global Grassroots’ accomplishments and would be turning over the organization to African women to run.  They would continue Global Grassroots’ legacy and would emerge with a new name – Umurage Growth.  (Umurage means “legacy” in Kinyarwandan).

Our trip was also an opportunity for Avery to learn about her mom’s work and gain an understanding of the poverty and challenges faced in a developing world.

They were traveling from Seattle, and I was traveling from Boston.  We met in Amsterdam for breakfast (there is one café at the airport that makes the most delicious salmon toast) and boarded our flight to Kigali.  Upon arrival, we spent the first night at Hotel des Mille Collines (hotel of a thousand hills) which was the real hotel featured in the movie “Hotel Rwanda.”  Being able to relax around the pool helped us adjust to the time change and catch up on our sleep. 

That afternoon, our driver picked us up and we drove 3 hours west of Kigali to Volcanoes National Park in the Virunga Mountains. There are five dormant volcanoes in the park.  Rwanda is very lush and green with mountains and valleys dotted with metal roofed stucco or mud brick buildings.  The hillsides are terraced with hand-plowed gardens growing bananas, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, onions, pineapples, mangoes, casava, plantains, and papayas. The villages with markets were buzzing with people and activity.  Los of people walking or biking along the side of the road, many carrying jerrycans of water, huge bags of potatoes, animal feed, charcoal or giant bunches of bananas on their heads.

We stayed a Tiloreza Ecolodge that night in a family cottage surrounded by sumptuous flower gardens. The next morning, I went gorilla trekking. You have to be 15 years or older to go, and since Avery was just turning 12, she and her mom went instead to see the golden monkeys and to the Diane Fosey Center to learn about her research with primates.

The gorilla trek started with a walk through farm fields of rough furrows of mostly potatoes and chrysanthemums that are grown for making pyrethrum, which is a natural insecticide (permethrin is the chemical equivalent with dangerous side effects). I was part of a group of 8 people led by a park ranger and accompanied by porters and trackers. Our guide taught us about harvesting potatoes, manufacturing pyrethrum and making charcoal from eucalyptus trees.

Once we finished walking along the borders of the farm fields, we crossed a rugged stile into the jungle and started a steep uphill climb. The trackers directed the guide to the group of gorillas to which we’d been assigned for the day, while using a machete to cut a path through the jungle. The porters carried our backpacks and water and helped us get through the ankle-deep mud hat sucked at our feet. Altogether, we hiked 4.3 miles uphill and spent 3 hours in the jungle, of which one hour was spent with the gorillas.  We saw about 20 different gorillas including two huge silverbacks.  The guide and trackers used “gorilla speak” noises to let the gorillas know that we were there and not to bother us.  They also explained what to do if a gorilla approached out of curiosity or made a noise which warned it was upset – we were to kneel and stare at the ground! It was truly an amazing experience to be 4-10 feet from such majestic creatures.

That afternoon we returned to Kigali and the next day we visited a Women’s Center in a Kigali neighborhood, had an African cooking class and visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial. At the Women’s Center, women are taught literacy classes as well as how to sew or work in a hair salon.          We were taken on a tour of the center and then through the neighborhood.  We got to watch a woman in a hair salon do long braided hair extensions on one client.  She paused just long enough to braid a strip of my granddaughter Avery’s hair too. We were also shown a section where streets had been closed to traffic to allow children to safely play or restaurant diners to enjoy their meals.

Our cooking instructor purchased vegetables for the class – tiny green eggplants, celery shoots, green bell peppers, the ripest tomatoes, dodo (amaranth leaves – like spinach), tiny carrots, red onions, cassava, sweet potatoes and plantains.  Then we went to a “kitchen” in a courtyard that had a long worktable and 6 charcoal burners.  We did a lot of prep work and then combined different ingredients to produce 6 dishes plus rice.

 I liked the dodo with onions, bell peppers, tomatoes and crushed peanuts over rice the best.  My granddaughter liked the diced cabbage with tomatoes, onions and bell peppers.

In the afternoon we visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial which, like the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, is an excellent historical presentation, but is also extremely disturbing and intense. You leave with sadness in your heart and even greater respect and compassion for the Rwandan people.

The following morning was an emotional day for me when we visited water projects funded by Global Grassroots in villages on the outskirts of Kigali. Our driver took us on deeply rutted and heavily pockmarked red dirt roads where we were able to view the new water tanks that had been installed.  We walked down to the bottom of a steep hill to the slow-moving creek where the community used to collect water for their jerrycans one small scoop at a time. Did you know that a jerrycan weighs 48 pounds when full of water? And we see graceful African women balancing them on their heads as they walk uphill! The woman who oversees the water project reached out to Global Grassroots when she realized that clean water would address a lot of health issues in their community.  When Covid hit, the community started making soap for sanitation.  And this same woman and her husband adopted a boy who was left at the town meeting site by his family who had “rejected” him because he did not talk. She is truly an angel. You should have seen the little boy’s face when one of the women in our group gave him a matchbox car!

After lunch we went to a second water project in another village and then to a school where we were enthusiastically welcomed by the children who performed a traditional dance program for us.  We had brought lots of gifts for the children including soccer balls.  I think I spent the entire day on the verge of tears – it was so moving!

Our visit to Kigali would not have been complete without a visit to the expansive local market where everything from hardware and clothing to produce and meat is sold.  We were focusing primarily on woven goods and the beautiful bright patterned fabrics from which the women made long skirts, colorful bags and aprons.  We also went to a craft market where we saw carved wooden bowls, beaded jewelry, stoneware and jewelry made from recycled brass and steel padlocks.

The next day we left our hotel early and drove 3 hours east to Akageera National Park for a safari.  Along the way we saw rice paddies, tilapia fish farms where rabbits in hutches were kept.  Their droppings fell through the bottom of the hutches to feed the fish!  Also, there were men who walked around with long poles with trailing cloths attached to them.  Our driver explained that they were keeping the birds away from the rice & we realized they were human scarecrows!  People along the shoulder of the road walked or rode bicycles carrying heavy loads – firewood, huge cloth bags of charcoal, potatoes, onions, giant stalks of freshly-cut bananas, or several jerrycans of water.

When we reached the park, we registered, paid our fees and were introduced to the man who would be our guide the next day.  He gave us a briefing on what to expect from the safari and said we were to meet him at the Visitor’s Center at 6:30AM.  We would be driving through the savannah for 5-6 hours.  The park had lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, crocodiles, zebra, water buffalo. wildebeests, impala and more!  As we climbed back into our vehicle and drove towards the Lodge, three graceful giraffes suddenly crossed the road in front of us and Avery was so excited!!

The Lodge was gorgeous – lots of stone and graceful architecture.  In order to accommodate a lot of guests at the same time, the room rate included a buffet breakfast. Our server told us they could pack us a lunch to take with us on the safari the next morning too. (There had been one spot on the map of the park our guide had shown us that was marked as a “picnic spot.”  At the time I was wondering – a picnic spot for whom?  Us or the lion?)

We slept well and awoke to a spectacular sunrise.  After breakfast we loaded into our vehicle (much like an oversized Landrover Defender with a roof that telescopes upward to leave an open-air gap for viewing animals), picked up our guide and headed out. We saw everything except lions and leopards.  One of the other groups staying at the lodge had seen a lion, but the leopards are nocturnal and were not out and about. We did see lots of elephants and learned that the African elephant (as opposed to the Asian elephant) has ears shaped like the continent of Africa, 40,000 muscles in his trunk and lives to be 120 years old!

It was a great trip. 

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24

Mar. ’22

Travel: The New Hampshire Mushroom Company

It is the beginning of spring and an appropriate time to venture out into the world again.  Mask mandates have been lifted in New Hampshire and just across the Piscataqua River in Kittery Point, Maine where we live. This afternoon we traveled west of the Seacoast to Tamworth, NH and the New Hampshire Mushroom Company.  Housed in a large warehouse-type building on the outskirts of town, the company cultivates specialty mushrooms that they sell fresh at the local farmer’s market or at their facility as well as to local produce suppliers. Here is a list of what was available:

Blue Oysters- Mild in flavor with a subtle nuttiness.  Great in lighter dishes, cream sauces, creamy soups, and omelets or quiche.

Black Pearl – A meaty bold oyster.  Strong flavor that holds up to braising.  Great with stir fried, paired with chicken, over pasta, in quiche.

King Oyster – Meaty umami flabor, robust texture similar to a button mushroom but with more flavor.  Great as a main protein.  Can be sautéed, grilled, pickled, smoked. 

Phoenix Oyster

Phoenix & Snow Oysters – Great in lighter dishes.  Over pasta, with fish, in creamy soups, or with eggs.

Lion’s Mane – Mild flavor.  Great with marinara sauce.  Can be used as a seafood replacement in mock crab cakes and mock seared scallops.

Elms – Strong mushroom flavor.  Pairs well with heavy meats and game.  Delicious in a stroganoff, a bourguignon, or on a steak or burger.

Chestnuts _ Strong nutty flavor.  Great for stir fries, roasted with chicken, in gravies, or stuffings.

Shitakes – Strong meaty flavor.  Traditionally used in Asian dishes.  Great on pizza, in stir fries, or in risotto.

We had arrived on a Sunday afternoon to take a mushroom cooking class. There were approximately a dozen people present along with Eric  Milligan, the owner of the company, Alec Malenfant, the General Manager, and Kristen, a young woman on their staff. Eric had founded the NH Mushroom Company in 2013 without any prior knowledge or experience. Now his scientific knowledge of mushrooms is extensive and his creative uses for mushrooms in cooking were impressive. The cooking class was even more enjoyable due to his enthusiasm and sense of humor!

He explained how the textures and flavors of various mushrooms differed.  Although they are composed mostly of water, mushrooms contain 11 essential amino acids and are good sources of protein, comparable to legumes,  However, heat must be applied to break them down.

Eric started by preparing a vegetable dip for us using dried Black Trumpet mushrooms.  They were dried, so he rehydrated the mushrooms and used the water, which he called the “tea,” to thin a container of hummus.  Then he sautéed the chopped mushrooms in White Truffle Oil and added it to the hummus. (Eric said the Fiore brand White Truffle Oil was also fantastic on Brussels sprouts, eggs or pasta.)  The dip was delicious with carrots, celery and cucumber slices as well as spread on thin slices of a baguette. Eric said the sautéed Black Trumpet mushrooms are also good added to white sauce and risotto too.

Mushrooms can be used in desserts too. Eric uses mushrooms to make a “cheesecake” with a Pecan Sandie crumb crust. The filling is two parts cream cheese, one part sour cream with a squeeze of lemon, and Candy Cap mushrooms (which taste like maple syrup) are sautéed with Black Trumpet mushrooms and blended with blueberries to make a fruit compote that is served with the cheesecake.

Next Eric introduced us to dry sautéing King Oyster mushrooms.  He had cut them in chunks which resembled scallops and had scored them on one side.  They browned nicely in olive oil on his gas griddle and looked just like scallops! Using the same King Oyster mushrooms, he grated them with a box grater, sautéed them on the griddle and then added barbeque sauce to create mock pulled pork.  When thinly sliced and added to stock, the King Oyster mushrooms also become Vegan “noodles.”

King Mushrooms as scallops, barbequed pork and hummus dip made with Black Trumpets.

The Blue Oyster mushrooms were next – torn vertically or shredded, they could also simulate pulled pork which were served in butter lettuce wraps.  If you like your pulled pork sandwiches served with coleslaw, he suggested adding a dollop of mayonnaise and some Shitake mushroom power to prepared coleslaw or pickled Chestnut mushrooms as an accompaniment.

The Lion’s Mane mushrooms were perhaps the most interesting.  They looked like giant cauliflowers and could be shredded to resemble crab meat and be used to make crab cakes. Eric roasted them on the grill until they turned a slightly bluish color and then he transferred them to the griddle.  He said never to marinate mushrooms as they get mushy, but adding liquid to them while they grilled was okay.  He made a teriyaki pineapple juice mixture which he drizzled over the Lion’s Mane mushrooms while he continued to brown them on all six sides until they looked like giant fried chicken breasts!  They even tasted like chicken!

Lion’s Mane mushrooms

Lions Mane mushrooms can be sliced and sautéed with apple slices and Candy Cap Mushrooms to make a fruit dessert served with ice cream, custard or whipped cream.

Browning Lion’s Mane mushrooms on the griddle

All the participants in the class received a recipe packet that contained instructions on making Mushroom Jerky, Mushroom Duxelles, Kimshi, Foragers Popovers, and Mushroom and Olive Puttanesca served over pasta. I’m anxious to try them all!

Mushrooms are so versatile I read a recent article about one species of mushrooms that can survive on plastic and may be a solution for reducing landfill waste or helping to clean up our oceans.

I’m looking forward to the next class they offer – Top Ten WIld Edible Mushrooms.

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21

Mar. ’22

Sour Cream Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crumb Crust

1 ½ c. graham cracker crumbs (about 15 squares)

½ c. sugar

 ½ t. cinnamon

¼ c. melted butter

Cheesecake Filling

2 eggs

½ c. sugar

2 t. vanilla

1 ½ c. sour cream

2-8 oz. pkgs. Cream cheese, cut into pieces

2 T. melted butter

1 qt. fresh strawberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400o. Generously grease a 9 ½ inch deep dish pie plate with shortening.  You can buy graham cracker crumbs already prepared, or break 3-4  whole graham cracker squares and put in blender. Blend on high to turn into crumbs.  Dump them into bowl and repeat with remaining graham crackers. Add sugar, cinnamon and melted butter to the graham cracker crumbs in bowl and mix with fork until well moistened.  Using the back of a spoon, press crust into pie plate.  Bake at 400 degrees for 6 minutes. While crust is baking, wash out blender to remove any remaining crumbs and combine eggs, sugar, vanilla and sour cream in blender and mix until smooth.  With blender running, & add cream cheese one piece at a time until blended. (I just remove the handle and drop the cream cheese in the hole) Add melted butter and blend until incorporated.  Pour into prepared crust.  Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes. It will still jiggle in the center and will firm as it cools. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.  Garnish with halved fresh strawberries that have been tossed with a little sugar.

NOTE: To make this recipe vegan, use Cheerios for the crust (4 c. Cheerios will give you 1 ½ c. crumbs), double the amount of cinnamon and vegan butter for the crust.  For the filling, use Tofutti sour cream and cream cheese and vegan butter.  Instead of 2 eggs, put 4 Tablespoons of arrowroot in a cup and add 4 Tablespoons of cold water, stirring to dissolve. Add to filling mixture. (When baking a cake, you can use applesauce or smashed bananas to substitute for eggs, but these will not work in custard.)

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20

Mar. ’22

White Bean, Spinach and Pasta Soup with Meatballs

Ingredients

2 c. diced celery

1 c. diced onions

1 c. diced carrots

¼ c. olive oil

1 c. chopped spinach

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 quarts chicken stock

3 cans cannellini beans

2 c. Orzo pasta

1 T. oregano

1 T. thyme

1 lb. ground beef

1 egg

2 c. grated parmesan cheese

1 T. Italian seasoning

1 T. olive oil

Directions:

In a large stockpot, sauté celery, onions and carrots in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add spinach and garlic and stir until spinach is wilted. Add chicken stock, beans, pasta, oregano and thyme.  Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to simmer and prepare the meatballs.

Mix ground beef, egg, parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning in a bowl.  Shape into bite-sized (one inch diameter) meatballs. Brown meatballs in 1 T. olive oil in a skillet and transfer to stockpot.  Serves 6.

Note:  To make this recipe vegetarian, use vegetable stock, frozen vegetarian meatballs, thawed and cut in half, and to make it gluten free, use GF orzo or rice.

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20

Mar. ’22

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 – 15 ounce cans fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

1 – 15 ounce can black beans, undrained

2 – 15 ounce cans kidney beans, undrained

1 – 15 ounce can white northern or cannellini beans, undrained

2 cups vegetable stock

Garnishes: sour cream or grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, carrot, celery and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and oregano. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 1 minute.

Add the diced tomatoes and their juices, the beans and their juices, vegetable stock and bay leaf. Stir to combine and let the mixture come to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally and reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, for 30 minutes.

Add salt to taste. Serves 6.

Note: You can use an envelope of McCormick chili seasoning instead of chili powder, cumin, paprika and oregano

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20

Mar. ’22

Travel: Ashland, Oregon

The town of Ashland is located in Southern Oregon about 16 miles north of the California border. In the early 1820’s early Hudson Bay Company’s hunters and trappers passed through the area via the Sisikyou trail. When gold was discovered in a tributary of one of the local creeks in the 1850’s, a town was established and rapidly expanded. Schools, churches and businesses were established, including a large employer, Ashland Woolen Mills, which produced clothing and blankets from local wool. In 1871, the Post Office dropped “Mills” from Ashland’s name and in 1872 Reverend J. H. Skidmore opened a college, Ashland Academy, a predecessor of Southern Oregon University. In the 1880’s San Francisco, California and Portland, Oregon were joined by rail through Ashland.

Today Ashland is ranked in the top 10 of “The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America,” and is a cultural hot spot, with award-winning galleries, theaters and restaurants.  Ashland hosts the world-famous Shakespeare Festival, the Oregon Chocolate Festival and is located in the Rogue Valley wine region. Surrounded by the Siskiyou and Cascade, it is a prime area for hiking and outdoor activities.

My husband and I spent two weeks in Ashland in early March, but we were not there for the amenities the charming town had to offer.  We were there to cater meals for a Leadership Academy hosted by Conscious Social Change (www.conscioussocialchange.com ). Eighteen University of Virginia students had arrived to learn how inner work, mindfulness, and personal transformation could drive social innovation, systemic change and make them better leaders in the future. The retreat was held at the Buckhorn Springs Resort, a rustic lodge and collection of cabins which had once been a mineral springs healing destination for native tribes including the Rogue, Klamath, Shasta and Takilma tribes, and then for white settlers beginning in the 1890’s. The students would be housed in the historically-restored cabins, surrounded by beautiful scenery, fresh air and the babbling sound of Emigrant Creek.  

Buckhorn Springs Lodge
The Meeting Room and one of the Cabins

Although I had hosted large dinner parties in the past, I don’t think I realized what I was getting into. I must admit I have greater respect for food service workers and caterers in particular now! I never could have handled this assignment without the support and energetic assistance of my husband, Craig.  We were responsible for providing three meals a day to ravenous university students.  Conscious Social Change wanted the menu to be vegetarian, and the meals had to meet the dietary needs of one person who was gluten-free, two vegans, and one person with a severe nut allergy! It was quite a challenge, but also immensely satisfying to meet the goals and receive so many compliments for the food we prepared. One student commented: “Thank you for making the best vegetarian food, it made me think twice about eating meat!”

So, how did we do it?  We decided to set up a buffet breakfast that consisted of hard-boiled eggs, assorted yogurts (including soy yogurt), granola (no nuts), assorted packages of instant oatmeal, regular and gluten free bread and bagels, vegan butter, regular butter, vegan cream cheese and regular cream cheese, peanut butter and jelly, bananas, oranges, coffee, tea (regular and herbal) with milk, soy milk, half and half, soy creamer, and oat creamer.

Much as I would have liked to prepare a daily quiche or gourmet muffins, this met everyone’s needs and left us free to begin prep for the rest of the day’s food. These were hungry college students! jjWe loved working in the commercial kitchen and wanted to offer hearty homemade soups for lunch each day accompanied by bread, rolls or a sandwich of some sort. Soups were Broccoli and Cheese, Vegetarian Chili, Tomato Basil Bisque, Red Potato, Leek and Corn Chowder, White Bean, Spinach and Orzo Soup with Vegetarian Meatballs, and a rich, creamy Curried Pumpkin. One girl told us she didn’t eat pumpkin, but she tried it and even came back for seconds!  I think the garlic bread, grilled cheese sandwiches and the vegetarian wraps were all big hits.

Commercial Kitchen

Our evening meals consisted of Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna with a Tossed Salad and Vegan Cheesecake for dessert, Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos with Corn on the Cob and Chocolate No Bake Cookies for dessert, Mushroom Bourguignon over noodles (or gluten-free penne) with a tossed salad and Apple Cranberry Crisp for dessert, Asian Stir Fry with Broccoli, Bell Peppers, Snow Peas, Mushrooms, and Water Chestnuts over Jasmine Rice with Banana Egg Rolls for dessert, Ratatouille over Brown Rice with a tossed salad and Peach Crisp for dessert, Beyond Beef Cheeseburgers with Sweet Potato Fries and the Chocolate No Bake Cookies for dessert, and we ended with a Make Your Own Pizza night with assorted ice cream and sorbets for dessert. Bless my husband for slicing more than 20 pounds of mushrooms that week and washing mountains of dirty dishes because the commercial dishwasher was not working.

We loved interacting with the students and it was a great experience!

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