Green Tomato Pizza

Posted on November 11, 2017 by myediblebackyard

Fall was unusually warm this year, and we were getting ripe, red tomatoes from the CSA well into October. But it looks like tomato season is finally over – the weather has turned frosty and last week’s CSA basket included what appear to be the last of the tomatoes – green ones. So I decided to try making a green tomato pizza. The recipe below includes pizza dough made in a bread machine, because that’s how I make it. But you can, of course, use your own favorite pizza dough recipe or buy ready-made pizza dough at the grocery store.

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Dough

  • ¾ cup water
  • 1 tblsp. oil
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup bread flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp. yeast

Place the ingredients in the bread machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Set the machine to the dough cycle.

When the dough is close to ready, preheat the oven to 425° and grease a cookie sheet. Then prepare the ingredients for the topping.

Topping

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 medium green tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp. each dried oregano and basil
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1 green or red pepper, chopped
  • 6 oz. cheese, grated (I use cheddar, but you could also try mozzarella or feta, or any other cheese you have on hand.)

When the dough cycle has finished, remove the dough from the machine and roll it out on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle the garlic over the surface of the dough. Cover the dough with rows of sliced green tomatoes and sprinkle them with the herbs. Then scatter the onions and peppers and cheese over the tomatoes. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden. Cut into squares and serve while still hot.

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Tomatillos

Posted on October 20, 2017 by myediblebackyard

A friend generously shared some of her surplus crop of tomatillos with us this fall — very generously — and we now have loads in the freezer.

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Tomatillos are easy to freeze. You just remove the husk, then wipe or wash off the sticky coating underneath. You can leave smaller tomatillos whole and cut larger ones into halves or quarters. Then pack in containers and freeze. No blanching is required.

I like to make a simple condiment by sautéing minced garlic and onion with some chopped tomatillos, then pureeing it in the food processor. If you add cilantro and chile peppers, you will have something approaching a traditional salsa verde. I prefer it without those additions, however. The result is a simple, fruity sauce, which we usually eat with black beans and rice. It would probably taste good as an accompaniment to chicken too, and lots of other things, as well.

Here is another favorite tomatillo dish:

Chickpea and Tomatillo Stew

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 cups chopped tomatillos
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 cups cooked chickpeas
  • salt to taste

Sauté the garlic, onions, and green pepper until the onions are translucent. Add the spices and the tomatillos and sauté a few minutes more. Add the water (preferably the cooking water from the chickpeas), and simmer until the tomatillos are soft, about 15 minutes. Add the chickpeas and let simmer another 10 minutes or so until the chickpeas are warm and the flavors have blended. Add salt to taste.

Local analysis of last night’s stew:

Local – tomatillos (from friend’s garden), garlic, onions, green pepper (from CSA), water

Non local – chickpeas, spices, salt

 

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Spaghetti Squash

Posted on September 24, 2017 by myediblebackyard

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There were two spaghetti squashes in this week’s CSA basket, so we’ve been eating a lot of it these past few days. To prepare dishes with spaghetti squash, start by baking it in the oven. Cut the squash in quarters and scoop out the seeds. Put the squash pieces face down on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 until soft, about one hour. Let cool, then scoop out the pulp, which will come out in spaghetti-like strands. Depending on the size of the squash you start with, you should end up with about 2-4 cups of pulp.

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What you do next is limited only by your imagination. People often take the vegetable’s name literally and serve it with spaghetti sauce. That’s a fine dish, but why stop there? Here are some other ways to enjoy this versatile vegetable.

  • To make a tasty side dish, reheat the pulp with a little butter and salt and pepper to taste. That’s it! Or, you could add a little more. Last night, I topped the squash with chopped cherry tomatoes. Check your fridge for other possibilities.
  • For a heartier dish, try this: Sauté a couple of cloves of garlic and a medium onion, minced. Add 2-3 chopped tomatoes and some herbs, fresh if you have them. I like oregano and basil. When the tomatoes are cooked, stir in the spaghetti squash and continue cooking until the squash is warm. Sprinkle grated cheese on top and serve. Add a side salad and you have enough for a complete meal.
  • Spaghetti squash pancakes are delish. I use this recipe, though I use 2 cups of squash instead of the one the recipe calls for. I serve these the same way I serve other kinds of vegetable pancakes, with applesauce and garlic sausages.
  • If you like zucchini bread, you might like spaghetti squash bread too. Just substitute spaghetti squash for the zucchini in your favorite zucchini bread recipe. I use this recipe, and spice the bread with 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg.

What are some of your favorite ways to cook with spaghetti squash? Let us know in the comments.

 

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Crabapple and Wild Grape Jam

Posted on September 3, 2017 by myediblebackyard

There are a lot of crabapple trees in my neighborhood. Even though they were planted for ornamental purposes, that doesn’t mean you can’t eat the fruit! The tree behind our house produces apples the size of cherries, and I’ve found some trees on a nearby street that have fruit the size of small plums. There are also loads of wild grapes growing around the edge of the nearby woods. Both this year and last we’ve made a delicious jam by combining these two fruits.

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To make jam, I cook and puree each type of fruit separately before combining them. Crabapples are really easy to deal with. Rinse them, then dump them in a pot, and cover them about halfway up with water. Bring to a boil, then let simmer until the fruit is soft, about 20-30 minutes. Put the fruit through a food mill to remove the seeds and peels, then measure the puree.

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Processing wild grapes is a bit more tedious, but worth the effort, especially if it’s something you only do once a year. You have to pick over the bunches to separate the ripe grapes from the green ones and the hard, dried up ones. Put the ripe grapes in a pot, crush with a potato masher and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, put through a food mill, and measure the puree.

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If you start with about 2/3 of a colander full of each kind of fruit, you should end up with about 5 cups of puree, total. Combine the puree of both fruits in a pot. To 5 cups of puree, add 3 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon and cloves. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly until done. After about 5 minutes check for doneness (put a saucer in the freezer before you start cooking; to test the jam, put spoonful of jam on the saucer, return to the freezer for 1 more minute, then check. If it’s ready, it should hold its shape in a spoon.) The crabapples are so full of pectin that this jam cooks quickly; 5 – 10 minutes should be plenty of time. Ladle the hot jam into clean, hot canning jars and process in a boiling water bath or put in the freezer when cool. Makes 6 half-pints. Really tasty on toast or as a condiment for meat.

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If you don’t have access to wild grapes or if you just don’t feel like dealing with them, 100% crabapple jam is also delicious.

 

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Celebrate Zucchini

Posted on July 27, 2017 by myediblebackyard

Sneak Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day is a little over a week away. You could “celebrate” by “sharing” the bounties of your harvest with your neighbors when they’re not looking. Or you could enjoy all that zucchini yourself. Here are some ways to do it:

  • Make zucchini bread
  • Make zucchini sausage soup
  • Make zucchini pancakes – grate 2 medium zucchini (2 cups grated), mix with 2 beaten eggs and 1/2 cup flour, salt and pepper to taste. Fry on a pancake griddle.
  • Add grated zucchini to an omelet
  • Add grated zucchini to a green salad
  • Saute sliced zucchini with garlic, onions, and chopped tomatoes. Add mushrooms if you have them. Serve over spaghetti with grated cheese.
  • Make ratatouille – you will also need eggplant and green peppers for this
  • Add to a stir fry
  • Use sliced zucchini as a pizza topping
  • Make a zucchini quiche
  • Add diced zucchini to a summer vegetable soup
  • Roast in the oven with onions, garlic, and any other vegetables you have on hand, such as potatoes, green beans, or carrots. Twenty to thirty minutes in a 375 degree oven should be about right.

OK, those are some ideas to get you started. They should work with all kinds of summer squash, not just zucchini. So, leave your porch unlocked on August 8, invite that zucchini in, and get cooking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Zucchini Soup

Posted on July 16, 2017 by myediblebackyard

Here’s a tasty way to enjoy the zucchini from your garden.

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Zucchini Sausage Soup

  • 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
  • 1 large onion, chopped.
  • 1  28 oz. can diced tomatoes (or equivalent amount of fresh tomatoes)
  • 4 cups broth (I use homemade vegetable broth, but you can use whatever you have on hand)
  • 5 cups diced zucchini (about 2 medium-large)
  • 1 T chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp. dried)
  • 1 tsp. fennel seed
  • Water
  • Salt

In a large pot, brown the sausage in a little bit of oil. Add the onion and continue cooking until translucent. Add the tomatoes, broth, zucchini, basil, and fennel seed. If you happen to have a fennel bulb on hand, you can chop that up and add it, too. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and let simmer until the zucchini is cooked, adding water as necessary. Add salt to taste.

 

 

 

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My Herb Garden

Posted on June 10, 2017 by myediblebackyard

I don’t have a lot of space for gardening where I live now. In fact, pretty much the only place I can plant things is around the sides of the house, and much of that area is shady. (There is also the deck, where I am currently experimenting with container gardening, but that’s a subject for a future post.)  Fortunately herbs are easy to grow in the space I have available.

Some herbs, such as peppermint, lemon balm, and bee balm, (all members of the mint family), can take some shade. I have lemon balm and peppermint growing around a lilac bush, where they seem to be quite happy.

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Both plants make delicious teas and have other culinary uses  as well. I have enjoyed peppermint in minty pasta, added chopped peppermint to a chocolate chip cookie recipe, and my next experiment will be a layer cake flavored with chopped mint. And I have lots more ideas to explore.

On the sunny side of the house, I planted oregano, which I mostly use fresh in salads and to flavor tomato sauce, and I dry some for winter use as well.

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I also have a patch of chives there, delicious in salads, biscuits, and many other dishes, and some bee balm, which makes a fragrant tea.

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This is lovage, which has been described as having a taste similar to celery. It sort of does. The leaves and stems can be used in place of celery in soups and stews, and I also like it in salads. Next to it, I planted a couple of salad burnet plants. Pretty much the only use I know for that is as its name implies – a salad herb. It has a flavor reminiscent of cucumber. I also have some basil growing in pots by the front door. And that’s my herb garden.

Herbs are easy to grow. Even if the only space you have is a flower pot in a sunny window, you have the opportunity to enjoy a bit of fresh, local food, the fruits of your own labor!

 

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Minty Pasta

Posted on May 29, 2017 by myediblebackyard

Last summer, some peppermint  I had planted in front of the house was looking somewhat distressed , so I moved it to the back of the house and gave it a place by the lilac bush. Its new home seems to suit it so well that in less than a year it has spread out quite a bit and doesn’t seem ready to stop spreading any time soon. Which is why I went searching online for new culinary uses for peppermint. In my search I came across several recipes for peppermint pasta — a far cry from the peppermint teas and peppermint sweets you might expect to find. I had to try it. I’m glad I did. Here’s my version:

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Minty Pasta

1/2 pound any kind of pasta

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup white wine

2 cups peppermint leaves

3 oz. grated cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta following package directions. Saute  the garlic and onion in a little bit of olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add the wine and cook another minute or two. Add the peppermint leaves and cook, stirring, just until wilted, one or two minutes more. Toss together with the cheese and pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Some people complain about peppermint in their gardens because of its tendency to take over. But I say give it its own corner of the garden and let it fly. Then you’ll have plenty available for experimenting with new ideas like minty pasta.

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Chive Biscuits

Posted on May 26, 2017 by myediblebackyard

We got a large handful of chives in the CSA basket this week. Plus they are growing abundantly in our garden.

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Looks like it’s time to bake chive biscuits. It’s easy. Just add 1/2 cup of chopped chives to any biscuit recipe. Or, use the recipe below. You can chop the chives with a cutting board and knife, but I find it easiest to hold the bunch in my hand and snip with scissors. Don’t forget to include the buds and flowers, but chop them fine as their taste can be quite strong.

Chive Biscuits

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

4 T butter

1/2 cup chopped chives

2/3 cup milk

Combine the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter. Stir in the chives. Add the milk and stir briefly until the dough comes together. Knead lightly. Roll out and cut with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a drinking glass dipped in flour. Baked on a greased cookie sheet at 400 for 12-15 minutes. Makes approximately 10 biscuits.

 

 

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Spruce Tip Poundcake

Posted on May 18, 2017 by myediblebackyard

Spruce tips are tasty and apparently loaded with vitamin C, and since they are abundant where I live, I am always looking for ways to cook with them. Spruce tips are the new growth that emerges at the end of the branches in the spring. They are light green and tender. Later in the season, as they darken, they lose their tenderness and are not so pleasant to eat.

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I’ve had fun with spruce tip syrup and spruce tip shortbread. This year I decided to try making a spruce tip poundcake.  It came out pretty good, with a delicate spruce flavor. Here’s the recipe.

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

3/4 cup sugar

5 T butter

1/2 t vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt

3/4 cup spruce tips, chopped

Combine the flour, baking soda and powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together and beat well. Add the eggs one at time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with the yogurt. Fold in the spruce tips. Bake in a greased loaf pan at 350 for about 50 minutes, until golden brown.

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I used a food processor to chop the spruce tips. You could do it with scissors or a knife instead, but I think that would be quite tedious. Next time I might try adding a full cup of spruce tips for a slightly stronger flavor. But I don’t want to overdo it. Too strong a spruce flavor would not be good, I think.

Here’s the local analysis:

Local – spruce tips (harvested in my neighborhood), eggs and butter (from local producers, bought at the co-op), yogurt (homemade from local milk)

Non-local – flour, baking soda and powder, salt, sugar, vanilla

 

 

 

 

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