Weekly Menu and Farmers Market Finds 6/26 - 7/2/11

Our farmers market was really hoping this weekend and we are really starting to see more and more vegetables. And the strawberries, just tons and tons of strawberries! And a special hi to Jim, who stopped us at the market to say hi and let us know he reads the blog. It's so fun to meet the people who read this and see they are real live humans!

Here's what we picked up this week...

Spotlight Foamy Bells plant - I've been looking everywhere for more of these for my garden.
Eggs - We go through a lot of hard boiled ones lately
Flank Steak
Dill - to use of shrimp sandwiches for lunch
Cucumbers - This is a favorite snack right now
Strawberries - Just enough for strawberry shortcake for two
Beets
Sweet Peas

We've visited a few food related stores this week that we've been wanting to check out for awhile.

First, we went to R.J.'s Meats in Hudson, WI. This little grocery store is mainly known for it's old school meat counter and has won numerous awards at the American Cured Meat Championships. You can even bring in your fresh caught game for processing. But, we were there for the sauages. They make 32 kinds of brats, 3 kinds of poultry sausages and 5 kinds of specialty sausages. We couldn't resist getting about 6 different kinds to stock up our freezer for the upcoming holiday weekend.

And we finally stopped by the Nordic Ware Factory Store. A large kitchen ware shop with Nordic Ware goods and lots more. Of course they have lots of versions of the famous bundt pan but, I was there to pick up a donut pan. Looking forward to trying lots of different versions of baked donuts!

On to Menu Planning Monday....

Chicken Thighs with Green Garlic and Chive Pesto

Stir- Fry with Sweet Peas

Roasted Beet and Lentil Salad

Steak Fajitas

Roasted Beet Pizza or Tart

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Pasta with Peas and Bacon in Green Garlic and Chive Pesto Sauce

Yesterday, I shared a recipe for Green Garlic and Chive Pesto, now today I give you a recipe for how we used it in a pasta dish.

This was one of those dishes we made up on the fly. We knew we were going to turn the pesto in to a cream sauce but, the question then was what else to put in it. I wanted to use some of the sugar snap peas that have been so good at the farmers market lately. I thought the sweetness would be good against the zing of the pesto. We thought bacon would be the perfect addition of saltiness (ok, when don't we think bacon is the perfect addition?). Since we were eating at Corner Table it only made sense to pick up some Hickory Smoked Bacon from their deli case.

I usually use the term comfort food for fall and winter dishes but, this pasta is totally spring comfort food. We had worked all day around the house and yard plus, canned two batches of jam so, this pasta was the perfect dinner. It comes together quickly, the sauce is done in the time it takes to boil the pasta, and its got that creamy goodness that is always soothing.

Pasta with Peas and Bacon in Green Garlic and Chive Pesto Sauce
(If you can't find hickory smoked bacon feel free to use your favorite good smoked variety but, the hickory smoke really adds a slight summer bbq smell and flavor to this dish.)

4 oz pasta, we used penne
3 slices of hickory smoked bacon, roughly chopped
1 1/2 c sugar snap peas, strings removed
1 T all-purpose flour
1 c half and half
2 T green garlic and chive pesto
1 oz asiago cheese, grated
1 oz parmesan cheese, grated
fresh ground pepper
salt

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove to a paper towel, leaving about 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pan. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the peas and cook for one minute. Sprinkle the flour over the peas and stir while cooking for another minutes. Add the half and half and bring to a boil while stirring until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in the pesto, cheese and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Cook until the cheese is melted. Stir in the cooked bacon. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. Stir in drained pasta and heat until cooked through.

2 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Green Garlic and Chive Pesto

Over the last three years we have slowly been re-landscaping our yard, adding perennial gardens, raised vegetable beds and such.

This summer I redid an area that used to be my herb garden (though nothing grew well there). There were a few stray things from last year that I needed to dig up, a bunch of chives and some stray green garlic. Matt suggested it would make an interesting pesto.

I'm not a super huge fan of basil pesto but, this one is a completely different story. It's a beautiful bright green with a very zingy flavor. That zing does mellow out quite a bit when mixed with other things like cream for a pasta sauce.

Green Garlic and Chive Pesto

1/3 c chopped green garlic, I use the white and some of the lighter green parts
1/3 c chopped chives
12 raw whole almonds (I'm sure roasted would be good too but, don't use salted)
2 T grated parmesan
4 - 5 T olive oil
fresh ground pepper
kosher salt

Put the garlic, chives and almonds in a food processor of chopped and pulse a few times to chop small. Add the cheese and 4 tablespoons of the olive oil. Process until smooth. If not as smooth as you'd like add more olive oil and process again. Stir in a few grinds of fresh pepper. Taste and add salt as needed, the amount will depend on how salty your cheese is.

Makes about 1/2 cup.

Tomorrow, I'll give you the recipe for the pasta we made with this pesto. Later this week I'll be trying it on chicken.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Dill Pickle Faux- Fried Chicken

I was looking online at the menu of a new restaurant near us, Wise Acre, and noticed one of their entrées was Dill Pickled Fried Chicken. Oh, did I ever want to try that but, between vacation and Matt's business trips we haven't had a chance to go yet. What is a girl to do other than try to make her own version at home?

My idea was to use the same sort brine I would to make deli dill pickles to give the chicken the dill pickle flavor. Then instead of deep frying (something I don't really like to do at home), I'd do a faux-fry in the oven since I'd had success with it in the past. I had no idea whether Matt and I would like this or not but, we like dill pickle potato chips so, I thought why not.

Total success! The chicken had a good dill and spice flavor just like a good pickle. The crust came out brown and crispy plus, it's a little better for you without the skin or deep frying. The only thing I would do different next time is add a little dried dill to the brine to boost the dill flavor even more. Matt thought the chicken with the brine was good enough that it didn't even need the crust. He thinks we should use this brine on some boneless chicken, grill it and then serve it on a sandwich. Sounds good to me too!

Dill Pickle Faux-Fried Chicken

4 bone-in skinless chicken thighs

Dill Pickle Brine
(You could use the brine from a jar of your favorite pickles instead of making this brine if you have some on hand.)

1 c water
2 T white vinegar
2 T kosher salt
1 bunch fresh dill fronds (about 1/3 c)
1 clove garlic, chopped or crushed
1 small bay leaf, crumbled

1 t pickling spice, crushed a little
OR
1/8 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t red pepper flakes
1/8 t ground cardamom
1/8 t ground all spice
1/8 t ground cloves
1/8 t ground mustard
1/8 t ground ginger

Put the water, vinegar and salt in a bowl or baggie big enough to hold your chicken. Stir or shake until the salt is dissolved. Stir in all the remaining ingredients. Add your chicken and let brine 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Rinse and dry the chicken thighs.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Breading

6 T fine bread crumbs
2 T grated parmesan
1/4 t dried thyme
1 egg

In a shallow bowl mix the bread crumbs, parmesan and thyme together.

Put the egg in another shallow bowl and beat it.

Dip the chicken thighs into the egg and then into the breading coating all sides. Place bone-side down on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with a little cooking spray. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until done, turning the thighs over at about 30 minutes.

Makes 4 thighs

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu and Farmers Market Finds 6/20 - 6/25/11

Is everybody else having as weird a spring as we are in Minnesota?! We're all getting ready to build arks here with all the rain that's been coming down and even more in the forecast. Add the cool temperatures (other than that record breaking 103F day), and the farmers at the market are saying they are about a month behind.

Strawberries - Finally came in this week about 3 weeks late and apparently the season will be short. We picked up a bunch and I canned a couple batched of jam already yesterday and processed 16 more cups of strawberries for the freezer.

Ho Chi Minh Pepper Plant - A gift to us from the folks at Swede Lake Farm for sharing some of our peppers with them last year. This is one hot pepper!
Chicken - We are completely out of whole chickens in the freezer and by the time we got to the market last week they were sold out so, I made sure to stock up with week.
Cucumbers - I eating about 1/2 of one everyday for lunch these days.
Blackberry and Ginger Pie from Sun Street Breads - This will be dessert tonight with a little sweet chai ice cream
Sweet Peas - They'll go in pasta tonight and a stir-fry later this week but, I'm also liking a handful raw as a snack.
Spinach - For lunch most days I eat rye crisps with a little cheese and ham, thinking I'll add a few spinach leaves this week.

On to Menu Planning Monday...
Matt is traveling again this week so, it's I'm trying to cook well for one again.

Penne with Green Garlic and Chive Pesto, Sweet Peas and Corner Table's Bacon

Stir-Fry with Sweet Peas, Broccoli and Spinach

Spring Onion Tart

Green Garlic and Chive Pesto Chicken

Also, we'll be posting a recipe this week for the Dill Pickle Faux-Fried Chicken we made last week, so good!

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski