geek

Eat a peach

apples

Every few years I kick myself in the ass and do something new. The last big change for me was in 2006 when I started writing this blog…huge life improvement. This year I quit my part-time job, spent the summer freelance writing and found out that I’m not into whoring my skills for little money…big money, sure. Now I’m working a interesting full-time job. This week I started going to the gym during my lunch break and again, a huge improvement…I have sooo much more energy. I bet you’re thinking…well Vanessa if you’ve got so much energy then where the heck are the recipes, where’s the food?

Honestly I haven’t been very inspired as of late. Fresh fruit, a big salad for lunch, and a family friendly meal in the evening has been the pattern for the past few weeks. I shop the farmers’ market where I collect apples and cucumbers and tomatoes (mine didn’t do so well this year), and I look at yet another bag of green beans from our CSA and I actually give up, I can’t deal with more beans. In CSA lore this will definitely be the year of the green bean. I ate some of the pickled beans and they are perfect, crisp flavorful, and tart.

I’ve also been incredibly pissed off. Sarah Palin really pisses me off and I’m sickened by her apparent lack of intelligence and lack of relevant experience. I’m pissed off that we may get a president that is worse than Bush…and that concept blows my mind. I’m incredibly pissed off that people think she’s qualified and that she has somehow improved the lot of women as a whole…give me a fracking break$@#@#!! McCain would have chosen a chimp if he thought it would help him win the election. These are depressing times and frankly I’ve been either hunkered down with a book or mindlessly watching DVDs.

At least we still have peaches, big, ripe, juicy, organic peaches with the taste and texture of the peaches of my youth. Simple honest food for these trying, lying times. There are 44 days left until the election.

This rant brought to you by a concerned citizen for Obama.

September 20, 2008 | Filed Under Local, beef, fish, poultry, pork, bits and pieces, food, fruit and nuts | 12 Comments 

Salad days

a plate of salads

As self-appointed queen of slaw I’ll admit that I’ve been slacking off. I’ve not cooked a real meal in days and yet I don’t even care. We’re at that point in the summer that we’ve had a few perfect days, not too cool and not too hot…just right. A hike around the conservancy near my home turned up a few good flower pictures and my own flower garden is flourishing. But alas the end of perfection draws near and the full onslaught of July heat is suppose to be here today.

Despite, or maybe because of, the awesome summer weather, I’ve not had much of an appetite. I still have tons of broccoli in the fridge and I’m not yet tired of broccoli slaw so I made another batch of that (honestly I’ve made it a few times). There were some beautiful lemon cucumbers at the market so I made a cucumber salad, and I’ve been craving chickpeas and sun-dried tomatoes so I concocted a salad to suit that taste. All of these served alongside a pile of cold shrimp, well it might not be your idea of the perfect meal (Dave thought it rather odd) but for me it was perfection on a plate.

a plate of salads

The cucumber salad is a baby Wala Wala onion, sliced thin. Two lemon cucumbers, peeled, halved and somewhat seeded, and slice thin, a huge handful of mint cut in a chiffonade fashion, and a clove of fresh garlic, sliced paper thin. Add a 1/4 cup of plain yogurt, the juice of a lemon and salt and pepper. Stir it up and refrigerate it for a few hours. The flavor is delicate yet tangy and the creaminess is a nice addition to this cold salad plate.

The chickpea salad is super simple. Rehydrate 8 sun dried tomatoes and reserve the water. Pop them into the work bowl of a food processor along with 2 cloves of fresh garlic, 1/3 of an onion, 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/4 of red wine vinegar, a squirt of honey, salt and pepper. Let that rip in the food processor until its a smooth paste. I added some of the reserved tomato hydration water because it was too thick. Stop processing once it’s about the consistency of mayonnaise. Transfer it to a bowl and add two cans of drained chickpeas, stir to combine and refrigerate for a few hours. This combination is not very attractive but it is really flavorful and bright and very satisfying.

a plate of salads

I should also mention how much I love all your comments. I do! I also love it when you cook something from here, that just makes me sooo happy. As much as I love your comments and such I have to apologize for not replying to them…I actually become quite tongue-tied and and I don’t know what to say…then I don’t say anything, then I realize that I’m being silly and I should say something….I think you get the picture, I’m socially awkward and I can’t help myself. Thanks for putting up with me.

July 15, 2008 | Filed Under bits and pieces, food, low carb, low cal, recipe, soup, salad, sandwich | 9 Comments 

Get thee to the farmers’ market and a how to for pan sauce

That’s right my fellow Madisonians and Middletonians…today marks the start of the blessed farmeres’ market season. So if you’re reading this on Saturday as you drink a cup of coffee and ponder what to do with your day, get up and go…they’re selling until 1:00 so you’ve got time.

I was at the Westside Community Market this morning, at around 7:00. I forgot my camera but I can tell you what I bought:

  • Brats, breakfast sausage, pork chops, and bacon from my good friends at Jordandal Farm
  • Salsify, beets, spinach, scallions, and cippolini onions from Primrose Community Farm
  • Eggs and goat cheese from Diana at Dreamfarm
  • A 6 year aged cheddar and an Avondale Truckle from Brunkow
  • Pain au chocolat from Madison Sourdough
  • Maple popcorn and little sausages from Geoff King from Sunnyhill Acres
  • Cinnamon roll from Stella’s Bakery
  • Milk and cream from Blue Marble
  • Sourcream and strawberry yogurt from Sugar River

Next week I’ll remember my camera and I’ll have photos to share. In the meantime, I’m still working on pan sauces and to that end I roasted a chicken yesterday and served it alongside some lentils with a pan sauce…it was fabulous.

pan sauce

How to make a pan sauce

  1. Roast chicken on a bed of onion, carrot, celery, garlic, rosemary, sage, and parsley.
  2. In a small saucepan simmer the chicken neck, gizzard, wing tip, and heart in water.
  3. In a sauté pan cook shallots in butter over a low flame for 15 minutes with lid on, 15 minutes with the lid off.
  4. Soak dry porcinis in a bowl with some of the hot stock you are making with the chicken parts.
  5. Add some cognac or wine to the shallots.
  6. Add the drained porcinis to the shallots.
  7. Remove the chicken from the oven. Place the chicken on a plate. Deglaze the roasting pan with some of the stock.
  8. Strain the deglazed pan juices into the sauté pan. Stir and adjust heat to reduce.
  9. Add more stock as needed to the sauté pan. Adjust seasoning.

pan sauce

My favorite snack this week was Madison Sour Dough baquette with excellent butter and sea salt plus radishes with butter and salt….mmmm so good and perfect with a glass of vin rouge.

pan sauce

That cruet and small bottle are full of excellent olive oil and pistachio oil from Vom Fass on University (same strip-mall as Penzeys) but I’ll write more about them next week.

April 19, 2008 | Filed Under Local, Westside Community Market, Wisconsin, bits and pieces, bread, favorite products, food, humor, instruction, surveys, recipe | 5 Comments 

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