Sugarbush Hill: Vegetable

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

12/07/2015

On the 3rd day of Christmas cookies my true love gave to me... a little whoopie. tee hee hee. I just couldn't resist. My husband's ill humor is beginning to rub off on me. These cookies are delicous and are a fun spin on the traditional carrot cake. Not technically a holiday cookie, but filled cookies are so rich and decadent, I think they fit right into my holiday cookie list. Here's a tip and a good idea for your culinary Christmas list, Silpat mats. They. Are. Awesome. Using Silpat mats on top of your baking sheet makes for super easy clean up. I use them all of the time for cookies, cheese curls and more. If you don't have Silpat mats, you should definitely invest in these works of wonder. They are a little pricey, but well worth the cost. They are the Spanx of the culinary world. You can find them here. Enjoy making a little whoopie in your kitchen tonight!

Love,

Mollys

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup coarsely grated carrots (2 medium)

1/2 cup raisins (2 1/2 ounces)

8 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup honey

Directions

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
Beat together butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in carrots and raisins at low speed, then add flour mixture and beat until just combined.
Chill dough in freezer for 15 minutes.
Drop 1 tablespoon batter per cookie 2 inches apart on Silpat mats and bake on baking sheets (or on parchment lined baking sheets, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are lightly browned and springy to the touch, 12 to 16 minutes total. Cool cookies on sheets on racks 1 minute, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.
While cookies are baking, blend cream cheese and honey in a food processor until smooth.
Sandwich flat sides of cookies together with a generous dollop of cream cheese filling in between.

Tip: If you don't have Silpat mats, parchment paper will work just fine.

Easy

Broiled Wild Sockeye Salmon with Tarragon Tomato Cream Sauce

7/01/2013

Lately, Isabella and I have been working on new recipes to incoporate fish into our weekly meals. Not everyone in our family likes fish so we tend to lean toward dishes with mild flavored seafare. We found this recipe and used tarragon instead of dill and it was a hit. We served it with a basic mixed green salad lightly dressed with a basic vinagrette. You may choose not to do the salad, but the addition of acid from the vinagrette really pairs well against the creaminess of the sauce and the richness of the salmon. Best of all, it literally took us 30 minutes from start to finish!

Broiled Salmon with Tarragon Tomato Cream Sauce -adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

1 pkg. frozen lima beans
1 pkg. frozen peas
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
4 6-ounce center-cut salmon fillets
1 medium shallot, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

Directions

Preheat the broiler. Combine the lima beans and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer, then cover and cook until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Add the peas, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cover and cook until the peas and beans are tender, about 5 more minutes. Drain and return to the pan. Add 1 tablespoon butter and the parsley; stir to coat.
Meanwhile, put the salmon skin-side down on a baking sheet lined with foil; season lightly with salt and pepper. Broil until browned on top, 6 to 8 minutes.
While the salmon is broiling heat the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in another saucepan over medium heat; add the shallot and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and boil until reduced by half, about 2 more minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the heavy cream and 3/4 cup water and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes; stir in the herbs. Drizzle sauce over the salmon and serve with the bean mixture. Serves 4.

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Italian

YOU SAY TOMAYTO, I SAY TOMAHTO

4/07/2010

Tomatoes, a plant which is a fruit, technically it’s a berry, springs from a wild vine-like plant which originally grew all over the high Andes region of Peru and Bolivia, along with the potato. Grown wild, plucked and eaten on the spot by the locals but not cultivated, the tiny fruit was highly perishable and its growing season short. The date of its entry and the way in which it was introduced into Europe is just as questionable as the potato. It was first brought north to what is now Mexico where the fruit was named "xitomatl." The Aztecs and other speakers of Nahuatl, native peoples of Central America and Mexico cultivated the tomato.

Carried to Europe by the Spanish, the tomato first seen and noted by an Italian herbalist in the 1540’s, was small, pear-shaped and yellow in color. I would think it may have been a smaller version of the heirloom yellow pear version available today. The Italian word "pomo d’oro" or golden apple then makes sense. Pier Andrea Mattioli an herbalist in 1544 described it as both toxic and aphrodisiac. Almost two centuries later, a Dutch herbalist asserted that the tomato’s seeds “caused faintness and a sort of apoplexy.” This may be due to the fact that the tomato is part of the deady nightshade family.

The Italians were the first Europeans to make the fruit their own, breeding and cultivating it. By the 17^th Century the red variety of tomato had become preeminent throughout Europe, but only as a decorative vine. This fruit had been cultivated in southern Mexico, changing it considerably from the small yellow fruit to a smaller version of our current tomato. The results, of course, are well known. A tradition less than 400 years old, Italian cuisine without the tomato is unthinkable. For this country whose cuisine is now unimaginable without them, tomatoes didn’t become truly popular until they began appearing as preserves, being processed and canned in glass in the late 1800’s.

From Caprese Salad, to Creamy Tomato Bisque, tomatoes are the feature veg. in many dishes. Below is my personal basic tomato sauce. I use it for lasagan, various pastas and an accompanyment to Italian meatball sandwiches. Best of all, it is super simple.

Basic Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

1 Large can of whole Roma tomatoes

3 Whole peeled garlic cloves

3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher salt

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

5 fresh basil leaves chiffonade*

Instructions

Empty the can of tomatoes into a bowl and crush them by hand. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a sauce pan. Once the oil will sizzle when sprinkled with water add the whole garlic cloves until they begin to brown slightly. Stir in the crushed tomatoes to the pan of oil and garlic. Bring to bubbling, cover pan and lower heat to medium low. Allow mixture to simmer for 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender or countertop blender puree mixture until smooth. Take particular caution when blending hot liquids. Add pureed sauce back to pan and season with kosher salt, red pepper flakes, and basil chiffonade. Heat on low for 10 minutes. Serve over pasta, over toast topped with a fried egg (Eggs in Purgatory), or add meatballs and serve on an Italian loaf. Serves 6.

*To chiffonade basil, overlap leaves in a stack, roll in a cigar-like tube and slice thinly across the roll.

Irish

Idaho Potatoes? Think again

3/30/2010

"Let the sky rain potatoes. Let it thunder to the tune of Greensleeves.”
--SHAKESPEARE, MERRY WIVES OF WINSOR

We take many of our staple foods for granted, rarely giving a second thought to their origin and history. But where do they actually come from? The humble potato for example, is native to South America, where the Andean Indians have bred it for some 5000 years. Primitive varieties have been a staple crop in this area from at least AD 200. Prior to the Spanish conquest,the potato was confined to the high Andes from Colombia to North Argentina and Chile. Exactly when and how it was introduced into Europe is open to debate, although it is speculated that it first arrived in Spain from Colombia or Peru circa 1565 and later in England near the end of the 16th century.

If any foodstuff is associated with Ireland more than stout, it is the potato. The first potatoes are believed to have shown up in the late 1500's. Since this time, the potato has completely altered the eating habits of the Irish. The potato's importance as a diet staple of some Europeans is shown by the Irish potato famine of 1844 and 1845. In spite of this great devastation, potatoes have remained a favorite Irish food, and they still are. Today, potatoes grow widely Northern or Eastern European nations, due to their ability to thrive in cold, damp climates and are featured in many of the traditional dishes of these regions. They are also found commonly used in the cuisines of Africa and India.

At the grocery there are a plethora of different types of potatoes. Groceries commonly stock Russet, Yukon Gold and Red skinned, but one can also find Peruvian blue, fingerling, and baby types. They differ slightly in taste and texture but each are generally interchangeable in recipes. Here is a simple and rustic, yet tasty recipe that I have made for years.

Irish Potato Soup

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes
2 medium onions
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups milk
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped
1 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Peel and dice the potatoes and chop the onions. In a medium stock pot melt the butter over med heat and add potatoes and onions. Sprinkle the vegetables with sea salt and pepper, cover the pot and sweat the onions and potatoes until soft, making sure not to brown them. Add the milk and chicken stock, and bring to a simmer. Cover and allow soup to simmer on low heat for 10 min. Adjust the seasoning to taste, and serve topped with fresh parsley. Serves 6

Note: If a creamy consistency is desired, blend soup with an immersion blender, or use a counter top blender (Warning! Do not completely cover the top of your blender or your soup will explode! This can burn you and make your kitchen a complete mess.)

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

Broiled Wild Sockeye Salmon with Tarragon Tomato Cream Sauce

Living A "Glass Half Full" Life

Meatless Monday Part Deux

Meatless Monday Part 1

Dinner in Less than 30 Minutes

Vegetables Spring Forth

How's Your Juggling?

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Happy Christmas!

Lighten Up!

YOU SAY TOMAYTO, I SAY TOMAHTO

Idaho Potatoes? Think again

MOLLY BURTON

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