Yola's Lamb and Zucchini Koftas (Meatballs) with Za'atar Yogurt Sauce

It's been a while since I've shared any new lamb recipes. A couple of weeks ago, our friends Yola and George visited and she shared one of her favorite lamb recipes with us. Yola is of Turkish descent and she is an amazing cook. It’s simple and quick to make. During zucchini season, it is so great to have another recipe to help whittle down the pile of overly abundant squash from the garden. During the winter, you can omit the zucchini. This makes a quick dinner and leftover koftas are a great snack or quick lunch. Perfect for a summer picnic too as they are delicious hot or cold. 

If you haven't ever tried the Middle Eastern spice blend Za'atar, I encourage you to look for it. (I bought this one on Amazon but it is frequently available at better grocery stores.) It's delicious - especially sprinkled on some flat bread and broiled or added to yogurt like in this recipe. 

For the Koftas

1 lb. ground lamb

1 medium zucchini (1/2 lb or less)

5 scallions

1 egg

2 Tablespoons chopped mint

2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 Tablespoons chopped parsley

2 garlic cloves crushed in a garlic press

1 Tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

dash cayenne

oil for frying

 

For the Yogurt Sauce

1 1/2 cups yogurt

    (or 1 cup yogurt and 1/2 cup sour cream which will yield a creamier sauce) 

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 small garlic clove crushed in garlic press

1 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon za’atar (cumin is a decent substitute if za’atar is not in your spice cabinet)

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

1. Mix all the ingredients for the yogurt sauce in a small bowl so that the spices have time to meld. Chill. 

2. Grate the zucchini on a box grater or in a food processor. Chop the scallions into thin slices. 

3. Mix all the Kofta ingredients (except the oil) in a bowl with your hands so that all the herbs etc. are mixed through. 

4. Form 20 or so meatballs with your hands. 

4. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Working in batches, place the meatballs in the pan, flattening them to be about 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Don’t crowd the pan. Fry for about 4 minutes per side. Move to a plate and cover with foil while the second batch cooks. 

Alternately, bake at 400 degrees on a greased sheet pan for about 15 minutes. 

 

Koftas can be made ahead of time, covered and re-heated. 

Serve with yogurt sauce and flatbread.

I Love Soup - French Onion Soup Recipe

In the colder months, I could live on soup. I've got a bunch of favorites I turn to over and over again. Lamb and Lentil Soup, Potato Leek and Scotch Broth are two that are favorites here at our farm. When I can score some farm raised beef bones from fellow farmers, I make beef stock. Last week, our neighbor Debbie was cleaning out her freezer and she passed some on to me. It didn't take me long to decide what I was going to make. 

This recipe came from Lisa White who is married to Tom White, a local potter. We went to a fantastic Pottery Open House a few years back and Lisa served the soup to guests. It was so delicious I couldn't stop thinking about it. I finally got up the nerve to ask for the recipe and today I'd like to share it with you. To make it easier to eat, I cut the toasted bread up into small pieces and then cover with cheese. The pieces are then floated on top of the soup. By all means, do it the traditional way if you prefer. Gruyere cheese is traditionally used but I use Swiss because it is easier for me to find at our grocery store. I have also used chicken stock instead of beef stock and it is delicious although not as traditional. 

The Potter's Wife's French Onion Soup

1/2 cup butter

4 large onions

2 garlic cloves - chopped

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons thyme

salt + pepper

1 cup red wine

3 heaping Tablespoons flour

2 quarts homemade beef broth - HOT

several slices good quality country style bread

several slices swiss cheese

Slice the onions into pieces approximately 1/4" thick. (I use my Cuisinart.) Carmelize onions in butter with garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper for 30 minutes. Add flour and brown. Add wine, stir with a whisk and cook until wine is evaporated. Add heated beef stock. Simmer for 15 minutes. 

While the soup is simmering, toast the bread. Butter the toast. Cut the bread into approximately 1" squares and place on a cookie sheet. Arrange them closely together. Place the swiss cheese on top of the toast. Broil until bubbling. 

Fill the bowls with the soup. Float the cheese covered bread on top of the soup. Enjoy!

Fruit Crisp Recipe

It is "crisp season" here in western Massachusetts. Crisp as in the coming weather and the fall of the deciduous trees' leaves and crisp as in fruit crisp - that typically American dessert of fall and winter. 

For years, I searched for the perfect fruit crisp recipe. Every time I made one, it wasn't quite to my liking. One evening we were invited to our friends Peggy and Clara's house and they served the absolutely most perfect apple crisp. Clara passed along her recipe and each fall I make it. It is perfect for after dinner or breakfast the next few days. I've made it with apples and peaches, and plums, and frequently throw in odds and ends of frozen raspberries, blueberries, even grapes. Here's Clara's recipe and following are two picks of mine for most favorite local fruit orchards here in the Pioneer Valley in western Massachusetts.

Clara's Fruit Crisp

For the crisp topping:

1 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup flour

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons melted butter

1/2 cup walnuts or more

For the fruit:

6-8 cups of peeled fruit

juice of a half a lemon (2-3 Tablespoons)

1/4 cup white sugar

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

pinch of salt

1. Mix the topping ingredients together. 

2. Peel and slice the fruit and place in a buttered deep pie plate or casserole dish. I use a deep pottery dish that is 10" wide. Add the remaining ingredients and still to get the cornstarch to smooth out. Sometimes the dish is really full of fruit and sometimes not. Scatter the topping over the fruit and tamp down slightly. Using a knife, put a few airholes in the topping.

3. Bake at 375 for about 45-60 minutes. Fruit should be cooked through and bubbling up on the sides. Let cool slightly. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream or just plain. Very nice for breakfast too. 

And now for a couple recommendations.....

The apples are beginning to ripen here in western Mass and luckily for the fruit growing orchards, folks can socially distance and pick apples safely. There are many orchards to choose from. Here are two of my faves:

Apex Orchards in Shelburne where the view is unreal. They have recently built a new farmstore and if you don't want to pick, there are plenty of varieties of already picked fruit.

Clarkdale Fruit Farm in Deerfield is a fourth generation fruit farm that has over 100 varieties of apples, peaches and more growing on their hillsides. In the fall, they offer mixed bags of all kinds of fruit perfect for pies. Clarkdale was the orchard that my mother-in-law Betty always bought her fruit from and Julia and I have continued that tradition visiting their stand each year before Thanksgiving. 

Mahboubeh, Persian Tulips, and Lamb and Rhubarb Stew

I am re-posting this story here today. It was originally published on May 14, 2011. It is rhubarb season here at the farm and at this time of year, I try to make this recipe for Persian Lamb and Rhubarb Stew. The recipe comes with a pre-amble which it seems I used to have more time to do. 

The rhubarb in my garden is at its peak right now and I am going to make this for dinner this weekend. 

Originally published May 14, 2011

When I was in high school, my family hosted an exchange student for a year from Iran named Mahboubeh M-M. It was 1976 when Iran still was ruled by The Shah and before the Iranian Revolution and Hostage Crisis and the start of ABC's Nightline. It was one of those life-changing experiences for both Mahboubeh and my entire family. She couldn't speak a word of English, was a practicing Muslim, and she had never looked a man in the eyes. I can only imagine how scary it was for her to arrive in the U.S. We shared a room where she immediately figured out which wall was the East side of the room. She put on her hijab, lay down on her prayer mat and prayed what my 17 year old brain thought was all day long. The year with Mahboubeh was an awakening for me. Although I can easily admit that I wasn't always happy with my "new sister" reigning in on my senior year in high school, I now look back on it as to the year my life began to grow past my small town upbringing. The world is a large place full of different religions, morals, foods, and cultures and although we don't always get along with everyone, it is vital to remember that people all over the world are basically the same. They love their families and friends, are proud and fierce over the safety, health and love of their children, and have hometown pride.

The year with Mahboubeh awakened my family to Persian food. I grew up eating pretty bland typical 1970's fare. Food was always important to us even if it wasn't "gourmet." One of us was always baking some kind of sweet thing. German food was about as exotic as we got due to my German Grandmother Frieda's influence. Food was the way Mahboubeh was able to bond with us and become part of the family. She had never cooked before but had obviously watched her mom. She missed the spices and meals she had always eaten and my mom gave her the opportunity to learn to cook and share her country's food with our family. In town there was a Doctor Minoui who was Iranian. His wife took Mahboubeh under her wing, sharing Persian recipes. Soon Mahboubeh was cooking stews, sweets and our very favorite Persian dish - a potato-crusted rice called Tadik. Mom began buying saffron and the exotic spices wafted through our house every weekend. Mahboubeh's cooking adventures were the secret to her learning English and becoming part of our family. By Christmas, she could speak English quite well and we all settled into a typical family routine. Dad was in love with her cooking but I don't think she was ever brave enough to look him in the eye.

Mahboubeh returned to Iran after her year in Dover but not for long. She returned to the States, went to university in Houston, married a fellow Iranian, and had three children. She is a pharmacist and still comes to visit us for family rites of passage. Her daughter Shandiz has come to New England for extended vacations and is great friends with my older nieces and nephews. 

1976, The Year of the Mahboubeh, had an everlasting effect on all of us. It was the year I became more aware of foreign lands, foods and exotic motifs and textiles. My mom has passed on many of the gifts Mahboubeh's family sent to us including woolen shawls and metal serving trays. I treasure all of them and frequently use them as props in my photos.  

As I travel through my life, I frequently think back on that important year when my life opened up to all things Persian. In my gardening life, I discovered a love of tulips only to later find out that they grow as wildflowers in Iran. Although I can't grow them here at the farm like Jane can (the deer and sheep think they are lollipops), I do have a few little bulbs that somehow persevere every year despite complete neglect. They are called Flaming Parrot Tulips and this year I beat the critters, plucked them from the garden and have been enjoying them in a vase all week long. My kind of show - frilly, colorful, and over the top!

And now onto the recipe of the week. Always looking for interesting ways to cook lamb, I stumbled upon an odd recipe in a small paperback book called Persian Lamb and Rhubarb Stew. This week with the arrival of the yearly rhubarb harvest, I decided to give it a go. I ended up changing it up completely. With the help of my friend Kay, I turned it into the recipe below. Although it seems a mighty odd combination, upon googling "lamb rhubarb" you will find that it is a classic combination. 

My advice is to let the stew sit for a couple of days because it sure does improve with age. And make sure you use golden raisins - otherwise the stew will look like there are lamb pellets in it! (Most likely only a sheep farmer would think of this!) Enjoy!

Persian Lamb and Rhubarb Stew

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 to 2 pounds lamb shoulder – bone-in
    (lamb stew meat can be used although the bones will add more flavor)
1 Tbsp tomato paste or a small can (14 oz.) Italian tomatoes
1 pound rhubarb – cut into 1 inch pieces with stringy bits removed if the skins are very thick
1/2 cup raisins (preferably golden)
2 Tbsp sugar
¼ cup minced mint or parsley or a mix of the two – whatever is easier – for garnish

In a dutch oven, brown the onion and garlic until onions are translucent in 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add the coriander, cumin, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and cook until spices begin to smell lovely. If it begins to stick, add a little bit of water to create a bit of a sauce. Set aside onion mixture.

Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to pan. Brown the lamb on all sides. Remove lamb from pan. Clean excess fat out of pan. Return the onions, spice mixture and lamb to the dutch oven. Add the tomato paste (or tomatoes), salt and pepper and add water (or lamb stock) to the pot so that it is half the way up the lamb shoulder.

Bring to a boil on top of stove. Cover with a tight fitting lid and place in a 250 degree oven and cook for 3 hours, turning the shoulder roast half way through. Alternately, cook in a slow cooker for 5 hours on low.

At the end of the three hours, remove the meat from the pot and pull the bones out of it. If the meat is not falling off the bones, return to the oven for another hour. (Save the bones for lamb stock. Store them in the freezer if you don’t have time to make the stock just yet.) With your hands, shred the meat which should be falling apart into chunks. Add the sliced rhubarb, the chunks of cooked meat, the golden raisins and the sugar back to the pot. Bring to a boil on the top of the stove and immediately return to the oven and cook another hour.

Remove from oven and taste for spices. Add more if you want a more intense flavor. If the flavor is too sour, add a touch more sugar. If the stew is too saucy, simmer with the lid off to reduce the stock. 

This stew really does improve if it sits in the fridge for a couple of days. Serve over basmati rice, couscous, or rice pilaf garnished with the parsley and mint. A green salad would be nice with it.

 

Cider Days in Franklin County and The Apple Lady's Apple Cake from France

Every first weekend in November, Cider Days happens in our Franklin County. This is the 25th! Cider Days and it happens this Saturday and Sunday November 2-3 with an opening event Friday evening. Hard cider fanatics fly in from all over the world to celebrate apples, hard cider and farming. It is a great chance to explore the orchards and learn more about apples, fruit and cider. And taste the many different varieties of apples that are grown in our area. Most of the events are sold out very far in advance but you can see the many free events on their site here. This is a volunteer run operation and it amazes me what they can put together. If you only have time to visit one farm, I highly recommend Clarkdale Fruit Farm where they feature a large table of so many varieties of apple slices for tasting. Pick up some apple or pear cider or a bag of apples. 

(BTW - it is also the annual Fiber Festival of New England at the Big E in Springfield.)

Many years ago, The Farmer and I took a vacation in France. On the recommendation of my boss Pat, I took along Patricia Wells' Food Lovers Guide To France. Using Patricia's guide, we explored so many different back roads of France discovering cheese makers, bakers, specialty shops, Calvados, Cognac and Armagnac makers and more. We had the good fortune to be in the Pyrenees this actual day many years ago. We sat at the bar in a small little bistro and a man who could tell we were foreign said to us when we were seated "Appy Al-o-win". At first we didn't know what he was saying - because both The Farmer and I only had high school French but then we figured it out and had a rudimentary conversation with the sweet guy. I will never forget that day. 

The next day, we watched as this little town in the Pyrenees (perhaps Ainhoa, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port or Espelette) celebrated Toussaint (All Saints Day). There was a parade through the town and all the families went to the cemetery to visit their relatives - bringing bouquets of flowers. We spent some time wandering through the cemetery which I have vivid memories of still. You can see some photos here. This was so many years ago before blogs and cellphones so it is tough to remember it all. 

I have many of Patricia Wells' cookbooks. My favorites are Bistro Cooking and Trattoria. If you ever get a chance to go to France, I highly recommend her Food Guides. What I love so much about Patricia's cookbooks are the headnotes that she includes before each recipe. There is always a story about where the recipe came from, a meal eaten or just a bit of advice. 

Here is a fantastic apple cake recipe for this time of year. I have made it several times over the years. It sounds odd but it is so delicious. I think I will make it again this weekend. I will post a photo of it on Instagram and add it here later. 

The Apple Lady's Apple Cake
    from Patricia Wells' The Paris Cookbook 

Cake:
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs (beaten)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup whole milk
4 baking apples - peeled (2 pounds)*

Topping: 
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg - beaten
3 Tablespoons butter - melted

*Patricia recommends acidic cooking apples such as Cox's Orange Pippin, Cortland, Gala or Gravenstein. If you prefer sweet apples, she recommends Golden Delicous or Jonagold. 

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Butter a 9" springform pan.
• Core the peeled apples. Cut into thin wedges. 
• In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir to blend. Add vanilla, eggs, oil, and milk and stir until well blended. 
• Add the apples to the batter and stir completely to cover the apples with the batter. 
• Plop the battered apples into the springform pan. I love this part because it looks like a complete mess. Just wait though!
• Place the pan into the middle of the preheated oven. Bake for 25 minutes - until fairly firm and golden. 
• While the cake is baking, make the topping. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir and set aside.
• Remove cake from oven and pour topping over it. Return the cake to the oven and bake until the top is deep golden brown and cake feels firm when pressed - about 10 minutes. 
• Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the pan and remove springform leaving the cake on the base. Serve at room temperature cut into thin slices.  

Sorry there is no photo with this post - the photo editor is not working on my blog at this time. 

Judith Jones - An Icon

Yesterday I heard the sad news that Judith Jones has passed away at the age of 93 at her home in northern Vermont. My heart sank with sadness but also soared with admiration. What a rich and interesting life Judith lived and how incredible it must have been to introduce so many wonderful books and authors to the world. 

I met Judith a few times over the years when she traveled to our area for book signings and talks. The most memorable time I wrote about here back in 2012 when I met Judith at our neighbor David's home with her sweet dog Mabon. That day will always be one of my fondest memories of a woman who worked passionately and was still learning about new things like blogging way into her 80's. She was an icon and so deserving of that status. 

Judith Jones, Mabon, and me

You can listen to a couple interviews with Judith on the Burnt Toast podcast here and here. I must dig out my copy of The Tenth Muse, Judith's autobiography, and re-read it again. You can read the blog she wrote for a short period of time here. 

RIP Judith and thank you for all you did for the world. 

This Week + Comfort Food -- Jacques Pepin's Cream of Tomato Soup

It has been a busy emotional exhausting week here at the farm and all over the USA and I might say the world. Amongst all the melee, Rikki Snyder and I spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday taking photos of projects and rooms for my upcoming book on pattern (2018 release). It was exhausting and the house is in a shambles. You can't imagine the behind the scenes. To set up a shot, we have to move all the furniture around, clear all signs of life, set up the props and projects, stand on ladders, try to find the perfect piece of fabric I have somewhere for a backdrop, and more. 

Rikki and I have worked together for 5 years now and we have developed a rhythm to our days as we work through shot lists, ticking off each photo. It is nice to feel so comfortable around a photographer, to understand how they work and to have confidence in the images they are taking of my work. Rikki and I seem to have very similar visions as to set ups, styling and more. As I am designing and working on a project, I am thinking all the time about where it will be photographed and how it will look on the pages of the book. 

My friend Gail Callahan (aka The Kangaroo Dyer) offered to help out on Tuesday. On Wednesday, my lit agent's intern Taylor helped out (and learned a lot). Thank you Gail and Taylor! We finished up in the dark on Thursday taking photos with very long exposures. Seriously, it was dark out and we were trying to take photos of the bedroom walls. We finally had to give up and call it a day. We have one more shoot in December and then I have lots of re-writing, editing, illustrating, etc. 

If you can believe it, I still have garden tomatoes ripening. For the first time in four years, I had a bumper crop. I've been making an easy recipe from Jacques Pepin for a Creamless Cream of Tomato Soup. I've been freezing it too as it makes great pasta sauce. The Cream of Tomato Soup Recipe is below.   

Jacques Pepin's Creamless Cream of Tomato Soup

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion - 1 cup coarsely chopped
2 large garlic cloves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 pounds tomatoes - cut into 2 inch pieces
2 1/2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/4 cups water
2 Tablespoons butter

Heat olive oil in soup pot. Add onion garlic, thyme, and oregano and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt, pepper and water. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce the heat to low and boil gently for 15 minutes. 

Using an immersion blender, process the soup until creamy. 

Serve the soup with toasted croutons and a dab of basil pesto. It also makes a nice sauce for pasta if you cut down the water a bit. 

The recipe is from Jacques Pepin's Essential Pepin. I love this book. It has over 700 recipes - many of which I have made. Nothing is too complicated and it all is delicious. It also features many illustrations by Jacques which I think is such a nice touch. Did you know he is quite the painter? 

Julia voted in her very first election. She was beyond excited and has been talking about it for over a year. I am not the most politically minded person but I was glad to support her interest in the democratic process. Although the election did not turn out the way Julia wanted it - the whole thing was a good experience for her and me as I watched her grow as a person and a citizen. Here she is at our little Town Hall putting her ballot in the box that rings when it is cranked through the slot. Voter turnout was very high - of 572 registered voters, 502 showed up not counting absentee votes. 

I hope you all have a nice weekend and can find time to cook or bake or knit or sew or make. 

How I Make Basil Pesto + The Sheep on The Hill

This morning on the radio, they mentioned a slight chance of frost and I went into a panic - a basil panic. Whenever there is a chance of frost, I harvest my basil. It is so tender, it seems to turn brown and mushy before a real killing frost like the other plants I grow. 

This afternoon Julia and I made a several batches of basil pesto. It is annual rite of fall here at the farm. I grow a long row of basil and each fall, just before frost, go into mass production. I put it in small deli containers and freeze it to use through the winter. I grow the traditional Genovese basil with the large leaf. I have tried the mini leaf basil but it is too tedious for me to pick all the little leaves off the stems. 

Leyden Glen Farm Basil Pesto Recipe

1/4 cup walnuts
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups basil
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese - grated

I wouldn't make pesto without a food processor. It would take too long and I don't have the patience to grind things with a mortar and pestle. 

In your food processor, place walnuts, garlic, and salt and process until finely chopped. Add the basil leaves to the bowl and process for a few seconds. Slowly pour in the olive oil and wait until the leaves are all chopped. You can tell this is done because the basil becomes a mass of whirring slurry. Add the parmesan and process just for a second. 

Using a rubber spatula, scoop the pesto into small plastic deli containers. For each batch, I usually split it in half and make 2 containers from a batch. Write "Pesto - 2015" on top of each container. Freeze immediately.

Use it on sandwiches and pizza. Add it to soups and pasta all winter long.  

Earlier in the day, I helped Mark round up the sheep into the large sheep handling unit. Kate and Ness helped mostly. Kate is beginning to really work the sheep - perfect timing as Nessie has really slowed down. Kate has a long way to go but at least we are seeing progress. Best thing is she is always super excited to jump in the truck with Mark and go off to do some kind of farm chore. She is so excited that she actually trembles with excitement. 

Here are some photos of the sheep. The sheep are moving to other pastures as where they are now is pretty much out of feed. The leaves are beginning to turn and it is going to be a splendid week here for color and nice autumn weather. 

How I Make Lacto-Fermented Pickles - An Easy and Very Tasty Recipe

Last summer, I experimented with making lacto-fermented pickles. These are the type of kosher dill pickles that you often find in New York delis. It reminded me of a giant science experiment with the result being a huge jar of incredibly delicious Garlic Dill Pickles. My family loved them so much that they didn't last long. This summer I have been making them again so I thought I would share how I do it. 

This is a great recipe to do with kids because it is super easy, there is no stove or heating needed, and watching the pickles ferment in a glass jar is a whole bunch of fun. As they ferment, the color of the water changes, bubbles come and go, the dill and mustard seeds float around. By the end of the fermentation, you won't believe how delicious they are. 

Finding the large jars is the hardest part. I'm always on the lookout at yard sales. These are nice and available from Crate and Barrel. The lids can be taken off while the pickles are fermenting and then used to close them in the fridge. (They are also good for making sauerkraut. You can also find very large Ball jars at many stores at this time of year. 

Lacto-Fermented Garlic Dill Pickles

You will need a half gallon jar. For each jar, you will also need a smaller jar with a lid that will be filled with water. The small jar needs to fit inside the larger jar. You will also need a towel to cover up the jar while it is fermenting. 

Enough pickling cucumbers to fill the jar - about 3 to 4 pounds
2 quarts of water
6 Tablespoons of kosher salt
10 cloves of peeled garlic
2 Tablespoons dill seed
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard seed
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 oak leaf or grape leaf (optional - I never use them)

Wash your jar so it is nice and clean. Wash your cucumbers so they are free of any dirt. 

Cut off the blossom end of each cucumber. You can tell the blossom end because it is usually rounder than the stem end. 

Place your spices in the jar. 

Add the garlic cloves and the optional leaf. 

Fill your jar with the cucumbers. This is the fun part - seeing how many you can squeeze into the jar. Optimally, you will want the cukes to be about an inch below the rim of the jar. 

Add the salt to the water and stir until it dissolves. Place your jar where you will be letting it ferment. Pour the salty water over the cucumbers until they are submerged. 

Fill the small jar with water and close it with a lid. Place the jar on top of the cucumbers so they will be submerged. The filled jar keeps the cukes from floating. 

I had extra cukes so I made some more in some smaller jars. Here they are set up to ferment. This is taken about 12 hours after they began fermenting. 

Cover your filled jar with a tea towel and wait. Here are my pickles under their shrouds. 

The next day, your cucumbers will begin looking different. You will see bubbles rising to the top of the jar. Here is a close-up of my pickles after about 12 hours. You can see the bubbles and the seeds rising.

Depending on the temperature of your home, the pickles will be done in from 5 days to 2 weeks. Scum may develop on the top of the jar and you can skim it off. In the heat of the summer, the pickles ferment much quicker. 

I usually begin tasting them on the 5th day. I slice off a small piece of the top cuke and see if it is done. If it is tasting good, I slice the pickle in half to make sure it is totally fermented. If you think they need more flavor, let them keep fermenting. If a scum forms around the fermenting cuke, just wash it off. It isn't harmful. The liquid will be cloudy - don't be grossed out by it. It is full of good stuff for you like probiotics and other good cultures. 

When mine are done, I move them to the refrigerator where they crisp up. They keep for up to 6 months or longer but honestly, they never last that long here at our farm!  You can distribute them amongst smaller jars - just pack the brine and the spices in with the pickles. Do not hot pack them though. No need to - they will keep and if you did, it will ruin them. 

Feel free to change up the spices and play with the recipe. Don't like garlic? Leave it out. Like things spicy? Add a hot pepper. Fermenting is a lot of fun to experiment with. 

Give it a go this weekend and let me know what you think! 

Some Recipes for Easter and Passover

Saturday was the last day of the Amherst Winter Farmers Market. I was happy to provide many of my loyal customers with lamb for their holiday meals in the coming week. 

It was also the last chance to purchase the local veggies and apples. Although I am pretty tired of all the storage crops we have been eating this winter, it is still a few weeks from fresh asparagus. This winter I have cooked a lot of turnips. I am pretty much over them but I think I will bring them for Easter dinner at my sisters. I discovered this really great "Turnip Risotto" recipe in an old Mario Batali cookbook. It is a bit of work - lots of fine chopping the results are spectacular. I will include it at the bottom of this post in case you want to give it a try. 

Here is the link to our Leyden Glen Lamb Recipe blog where I give you several ways to prepare a leg of lamb. (I'm sending you to the blogger site for recipes as there seems to be something funky going on with my uploading of type on our regular website.) New to the site are:
French Style Roasted Leg of Lamb
Anchovy, Garlic, Rosemary Roasted Leg of Lamb

The NY Times Wednesday Food Section featured a full page front cover article on leg of lamb for Easter with a recipe similar to my Anchovy based leg recipe. (FYI - this is a classic long-time method of cooking lamb and it is very delicious). See the interesting article here. Hope it helps our domestic sheep industry as American lamb was touted as far superior to imported lamb. 

I know most of you don't live close enough to purchase a leg from our farm. Maybe you can find a local sheep farm to source your leg. I know your local sheep farmers will appreciate it! 

Turnip “Risotto”

from Mario Batali’s Simple Italian Food

There is no risotto in this recipe. The small pieces of turnip substitute for the traditional arborio rice. In the headnotes of the recipe, Mario says he discovered potato "risotto" at Jeremiah Towers' Stars restaurant in the late 80's. I think you could substitute potatoes or butternut squash for the turnips if you aren't a fan. 

The hardest part about this recipe is the chopping. Mario suggests 1/8” dice but I’m not that skilled, nor do I have the patience.  A 1/4” dice works just as well although you may need a little longer to cook the turnip. Don't let the turnip turn to mush. 

Serves 8 as a side dish

6 Tablespoons olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped into 1/4” dice

1 1/2 pounds turnip, chopped into 1/4” dice

2 cups hot chicken stock - preferably homemade

salt and pepper

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onionand cook until softened and light brown - about 10 minutes. Add the turnips and cook 4 minutes, stirring, until opaque. Add 1 ladle of chicken stock and stir until the stock is absorbed. Continue addint stock a ladle at a time until the turnips are tender -- about 15 minutes. (This is the part that will vary depending on how small you chop your turnips.) Taste the neeps for doneness.

Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the butter and grated cheese. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. 

Even turnip haters won’t know what they are eating - it will be that good!