Get Set...

There are two steps required to eat locally. The first is be prepared.  The second is be flexible.  You've got to be prepared, because it's just not as easy to get food.  If I'm in the middle of a recipe and I notice that it calls for tomato paste, and I don't have any tomato paste, you can't just run to your neighborhood Pick n' Save and get a container of local tomato paste.  I am very much a meal planner, especially this summer since I got my CSA.  Now it's a battle of not only knowing what I need so I have it all, but also knowing what I have and how I can use it all!  But that's a different post for a different day.

The second step is to be flexible.  Dietitians tell you to figure out what you need, make a list, and then go to the store and buy it.  That makes sense when you are trying not to over purchase food, and you know that everything you could ever want will be at your local Mega Mart.  Eating seasonally requires a little more finesse.   I generally figure out the main meals I'm going to make, and get an idea of how many vegetables and what kinds I'm going to need, and then figure out the rest when I get there.  I'd love to be able to give you a beautiful shopping list of what to by at your local farmer's market tomorrow, but I don't know what's going to be there for you to pick from.

So, here is the menu that I have planned for myself this week, based on my CSA box.  If you want to give this a shot you can feel free to follow along.  Get yourself to your local farmer's market tomorrow and get what you can get.  If you can't find something, pick up something you think would be a good substitute, leave me a message here or on Facebook, and we'll figure something out.  These are all things I can find locally produced - feel free to let me know if I can help you (especially if you're in the area.)

If you get your butt out of bed early tomorrow morning, head down to the South Shore Farmer's Market.  My dance troupe, Tamarind, will be performing at 9:00 am (cross promotion!)

If you don't get up early, or don't see this until later, the West Allis Farmer's Market opens at 1:00pm and runs until 6.  If you get this even later than that, do not be concerned!  Tuesday and Thursdays you can visit the West Allis Farmer's Market from 12:00 to 5:00, and the Westtown Farmer's Market at Ziedler Union Square (Downtown Milwaukee) on Wedensdays from 10:00am to 3:00pm.  If you end up there, make sure you find the Rhine Center Vegetable Club booth and let them know that I sent you.  I'm always looking for brownie points!

If you plan on doing any canning this weekend, I would recommend tomatoes and, if you can get your hands on them, peaches.  Most farmers have large quantities of tomato seconds (less pretty tomatoes) available at a discount price for canning.


Saturday September 1st: BBQ ribs
It's the kick off of the Eat Local Challenge, and it's also the start of Labor Day Weekend.  I'm Celebrating!  This is by far the most complicated recipe on the menu, so if it's overwhelming you, just skip ahead to Sunday!  I will serve this with some grilled potatoes, and whatever good veggies I can find at the market.

This recipe is from Epicurious.  I am drastically reducing the recipe for myself and using less than one pound of baby back ribs, because I am poor and will supplement the recipe with veggies.  You could also use spare ribs, which I am a big fan of and which cost a lot less than baby back.  I am including the recipe as originally written, which serves 8.  Notice you will want to bake these first thing in the morning, to allow them to cool to be grilled for dinner:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 pounds baby back pork ribs (8 racks) or St. Louis-style spareribs (4 racks)
• Low-salt chicken broth (optional) (or use home made chicken stock if you have it)
• 1 1/2 cups peach bbq sauce (recipe coming soon!) or your favorite bbq sauce

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Place each rack of ribs on a double layer of foil; sprinkle rub all over ribs. Wrap racks individually and divide between 2 baking sheets.

Bake ribs until very tender but not falling apart, about 2 hours for baby backs and 3 hours for spareribs. Carefully unwrap ribs; pour any juices from foil into a 4-cup heatproof measuring cup; reserve juices. Let ribs cool completely. DO AHEAD: Ribs can be baked up to 3 days ahead (the flavor will be more developed, and the cold ribs will hold together better on the grill as they heat through). Cover and chill juices. Rewrap ribs in foil and chill.

Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to high. Add broth or water to rib juices, if needed, to measure 1 1/2 cups. Whisk in barbecue sauce to blend.

Grill ribs, basting with barbecue sauce mixture and turning frequently, until lacquered and charred in places and heated through, 7-10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; cut between ribs to separate. Transfer to a platter and serve with additional barbecue sauce.

For the Peach BBQ sauce you will need:

• 4 lb peaches
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup organic canola oil (organic is especially important for canola oil. If it's not organic, it's a GMO.)
• 1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup buckwheat honey
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup whiskey (why not use some local Great Lakes Distillery whiskey.  Have you taken all the steps possible to win your free bottle?  So far you could have had up to 4 entries.  Click HERE to see what I'm talking about.)
• 1 cup worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup (you can find a lot of varieties of local ketchup at your farmer's market if you're lucky.  I always get mine from the mushroom guys.)
• 2 tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp chili power
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Blanch and peel the peaches (just like you would a tomato), then halve and pit.  Slice the peach halves.  Pour the lemon juice into a large nonreactive bowl.  Add the peaches and toss to coat with the lemon juice.  Warm the oil in a large nonreactive sauce pan over medium low heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender - about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for one minute.   Stir in the peaches, sugar, vinegar, and whiskey.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the peaches and onion are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Blend, either using an immersion blender (best choice) or working in batches in a traditional blender until smooth.  Pour back into sauce pan.  Add Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, ginger, and chili powder.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Reduce to medium low heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring often until hot, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

This recipe makes 4 pint jars, which can be processed in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.  It would also freeze well.  The BBQ sauce lasts in the fridge for up to two weeks in theory, if you don't eat it before then!

Sunday September 2nd: Mozzarella and Sage Stuffed Chicken Breasts
This recipe serves 2.  Adjust as needed.  I will serve this with whatever veggies at the market suit my fancy, and a salad with lemon tarragon dressing.  This recipe is a standby favorite of mine, and I first printed the recipe here in June of 2011.

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese
• 6 large sage leaves
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat grill to Medium-High heat.

Make sure chicken breasts are 100% thawed, or this will be harder.  Carefully, butterfly the chicken breasts: Slice chicken breasts down the length of the side of the breast, almost to the end but not all the way through, so the breast opens up like a book.  Season the chicken breast inside and out with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder.

Open up the chicken breasts so the two "insides" are showing, and what originally was the "outside" of the chicken breast is facing down.  On one half (what will become the "bottom" half) lay 4-5 sage leaves per breast, depending on the size of the chicken breast and the sage leaves.  Thinly slice the Mozzarella, and lay that on top of the sage leaves, trimming to match the bottom half of the chicken breasts.  Fold the top half over the mozzarella, and use a tooth pick to hold the breasts closed (it should now look like the original chicken breast, except with sage and mozzarella stuffed in the middle!)

Monday September 3rd: LABOR DAY!

Why not swing by the Usingers store on Old World Third and pick up some brats!  Or you could get some beef brats at the South Shore Farmer's Market from Ney's Big Sky.  The Dill Pickle Brat is my new absolute favorite.  If you're looking for a refreshing salad to bring, try a tomato, watermelon and mint salad:

Take equal parts watermelon and tomato (get a yellow tomato for some color variety) and cut into bite sized chunks.  Combine in a large bowl and sprinkle generously with feta and mint.  Season lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper, and drizzle with a champagne vinegar.  Toss gently to combine.

Tuesday September 4th: Date Night!
Labor day was exhausting, and then you had to go back to work?  No cooking tonight.  Visit one of the Milwaukee Eat Local Challenge affiliate restaurants.

Wednesday September 5th: Tacos
Tacos are a great way to use up some vegetables in the fridge.  Really, you can put anything in a tortilla and call it a taco.   I'm willing to bet that SOMEONE made some sort of pulled meat product for Labor Day.  When it's time to leave, make sure you get a to-go container to use in your tacos tonight.  Or, if that doesn't work, make yourself an extra (unstuffed) chicken breast on Sunday.  If you're feeling extra healthy, use lettuce in place of the tortillas.

Thursday September 6th: Potato and Corn Chowder
This is my vegetarian version of my Fish Chowder.  If you want, pick up some Rushing Rivers Smoked Trout from Outpost and throw it in.

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped (celery saves in the freezer well for purposes like this.  So plan ahead for the winter!)
• 1 lb potatoes, unpeeled
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2/3 cups dry white wine
• 1 tsp minced tarragon
• 1 cup corn kernels  
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

In a large frying pan over medium heat (or using the browning feature on your slow cooker if it has one), melt the butter.  Add the onion and celery and saute until softened, about 6 minutes.  Transfer the contents of pans to a slow cooker (if not already there!)

Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes and add to the slow cooker.  Season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine.  Top with stock, wine, tarragon, mushrooms and corn.  Cover and cook on the low setting for 6-8 hours.  The potatoes should be very tender.

Stir in the vinegar, taste, and adjust the seasoning.
 
Friday September 7th: Fritatta 

I am a Wisconsinite, so my Friday meal of choice should be fish fry.  But it's not.  It never has been.  It has recently become fritatta.  There are, I suspect, two reasons for this: One - I love eggs for dinner (with a big glass of red wine).  Two -  Fritattas are, like pasta, a great vessel for whatever you've got.  Have you got some leftover meat or potatoes?  Not enough to make a meal but too much to throw out?  Are there some vegetables that will not make it into next week?  Chop them all up, add some cheese and or herbs, throw them in a well buttered pan, and cover them with about 6-8 eggs beaten with about 1/4 cup of cream or milk.  Bake at 350 degrees until set in the center - about 30 minutes.

Serve with potatoes if there aren't any in the fritatta (or even if there are!  Who am I to judge?  The only thing I love more than eggs is carbs.  And pork.)


 I don't have any pictures to show you this week, because I haven't made any of these things yet, so here is a picture of a giant cantaloupe I pulled out of my garden:

Carnitas

What is there not to like about carnitas?  I love pork.  I love Mexican food.  I love tequila.  (Okay, not really directly connected to carnitas, but for some reason just sitting around drinking margaritas without Mexican food makes me feel like a lush.  Unless it's really hot out.  Strange, because I don't feel that way about wine...)

According to Wikipedia (which is back up and running, thank god!  I don't know how I survived prior to having immediate access to questionable information about things that don't really matter...), Carnitas literally means"little meats," and is pork that is braised for 8 to 10 hours at a very low heat, before being pulled apart and then roasted at high heat (375-425 degrees) for a few minutes.  I had never done this final step before, as my recipe just calls for seasoning the meat and throwing it into a crock pot, but I am nothing if not OBSESSED with following the rules of cooking... no, wait.  The opposite of that.

Anyway, the reason given for this final step was to "produce the desired alternating texture of succulent softness and caramelized crispness" which sounded delicious, so I thought I would give it a try.  I think there was a difference, and it really didn't add much cooking time, so I would continue this step.  Also, it makes a lot of sense for how I cook, which is making WAY more meat that Jeff and I can consume in one meal and then heating it up throughout the week for lunches and whatnot.  I figure you only roast up what you're going to eat that day.  If you need more, I only left the meat in for 10 minutes so it's pretty easy to just finish off more.  That makes me think that this would be a really good meal for a dinner party, because you could make all the meat the day before and then just heat it up day of.  Those Mexicans - they're so smart!

Another interesting thing that I learned from Wikipedia is that cartinas is singular, and is JUST the meat.  So, you could use carnitas in anything, and it would still be carnitas.  Which makes me feel good, because my final product is pretty gringo'd up.  Cheddar cheese because I couldn't find any I couldn't find any local chihuahua cheese (also, chihuahua cheese freaks me out - goat cheese comes from goats, where does chihuahua cheese come from?!?), I'm not sure tomatoes are appropriate, and I'm sure bruschetta topping isn't.  Corn tortillas would be the right choice, but there is a local restaurant that makes their own flour tortillas and so I went with that instead.  Sour cream?  Not in any recipe I've seen.    

 

I did use some non-local ingredients here, but they came from a local, privately owned business.  I need chips, and I need guacamole.  Some might say "need" is too strong of a word.  To them I say, "leave me alone, okay?  This is hard, geez.  Give me a break!" 


Carnitas
Modified from William Sonoma: Essentials of Slow Cooking

• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 boneless pork shoulder roast (3-4 lbs)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Mexican Lager style beer
• 1/2 habanero chili
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
• splash of orange juice
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano

Season pork generously with salt and pepper.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil.  Add the pork and brown on all sides, working in batches if necessary.  Remove the pork and set aside.

Pour off all but a thin layer of fat from the pan.  Add the onions and garlic and saute until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes.  Add the beer and deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

Transfer the pork to a slow cooker, and pour in the beer mixture.  Add chili, zest, lime juice, and orange juice, and transfer to a crock pot.  Cook for 10 hours on the low heat setting.  In the last hour, add oregano.

Once the slow cooking is over, pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Transfer the pork to a cutting board and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Coarsely cut and shred the pork using a sharp knife and a fork.  Skim as much fat as possible from the surface of the cooking liquid.  Transfer the pork to a heavy, oven proof pan and add enough liquid to cover about half way up the meat.  Keep the rest of the liquid warm, just at a simmer.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the liquid in the pan just evaporates.

Transfer the meat to a warmed platter, moisten with additional cooking liquid, and use in tacos, burritos, tamales, etc. as you see fit.

Since, of course, I made way more meat that two people could eat in one meal, I have a lovely leftover recipe.  This does use non-local kumquats, which are probably my favorite fruit ever.  Especially since they're only available in the dead of winter.  They're like little bursts of sunshine, and I wasn't going to miss out.

If you're not trying to be as local as possible, I would use some rice noodles in this recipe, but I did use my own home made spaghetti.  To which I added pork, a few more peppers, some fresh cilantro from the farmer's market, reduced braising liquid and, of course, kumquats.  I sauteed up some garlic with the peppers, then added in two cups braising liquid and simmered until reduced by half.  Then I added the pork and continued to simmer until heated through.  Cooked noodles, then kumquats.  Dish it out, and top with cilantro and more kumquats.  Everything was crazy spicy, but the kumquats are sweet and sour and overall it was pretty awesome.

I don't get people who don't like leftovers.

Kate's Famous Green Pork Chili

I have a lot of pictures of fruits and vegetables chopped, or in pots, or in jars.  I could spend the next month or so giving the recipes of everything I canned, but it doesn't seem terribly worth while.  First off, it's mostly too late for you to use any of my recipes, since it's getting to be mostly fall outside, and everything that should be picked... should have been picked already.  Second off, everything is still in jars.  I don't know how any of it tastes, and I can't even guarantee the canning recipe worked.  I'd rather not give you something I'm unsure of.  So, I will provide those recipes as I cook meals with them, through the winter.  

• Corn Salsa
• Pickled Fennel
• Whole Tomatillos 
• Apple Chutney
• Spicy Zucchini Pickles
• Pickled Watermelon Rinds
• Tomato Sauce
• Zucchini Relish
• Pickled Beets
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Bruscetta Topping
• Green tomato Relish
• Pickled Green Tomatoes
• Italian Style Pickled Green Tomatoes
• Apple Pie filling
• Rhubarb Chutney
• Yellow Tomato Chutney
• Pickled Hot Peppers
• Apple Sauce

I counted, and I have in my basement 150 cans of food exactly.  Lets say that there is an acceptable amount of fresh food available again starting in June.  June is 32 weeks out.  That leaves me with approximately 4.7 cans of food to eat per week.  Hmm... that seems unlikely.

SO, if you actually know me, and you live in the greater Milwaukee Area, and any of the above list looks exciting to you, let me know and I will certainly share.  OR, I could keep it all to myself, stock piled away in the basement, in preparation for the Zombi Apocalypse.  One or the other.  I haven't decided yet.

Whole Tomatillos.  Never bought them before.  They're sticky
once peeled.

One thing I did not actually get enough of and will NOT be sharing, Zombie Apocalypse or no, is tomatillos.  I only have one use for tomatillos.  I could, in theory, find more uses I am sure.  But the one use I have is damn important.

My famous green pork chili.

Okay, maybe it's only famous with my co-workers, but that's famous enough for me.  If I ever had the opportunity to enter a chili contest, I would enter this recipe.  It is damn tasty.  As proven by the fact that I had none to take home after work, and therefore none to take a picture of.  But trust me, it's delicious.

And spicy.  Clears out the sinuses.  It is one of my favorite things that I make, and you will see it again because I have four more pints of tomatillos sitting in my basement.

Canned Tomatillos
(found in several internet locations)

Husk and wash tomatillos.  Don't skip the washing step.  They have a slimy coating that turns foamy like soap.  Place tomatillos into a pot large enough to hold them, and just barely cover them with cold water.  Bring to a boil, and simmer until tender - about 10 minutes.  Be careful on this step.  I let mine boil too hard and they broke apart.  It doesn't matter for what I will be using them for, but if I wanted whole tomatillos I would be cranky. 

Pour tomatillos and hot water into hot, sanitized jars, and add two tablespoons jarred lemon juice into each jar.  Seal, and process in a hot water bath for 30 minutes.

My Famous Green Pork Chili

• 4 lbs boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and trimmed into 1 inch cubes(L)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder
• 1 pint canned whole tomatillos (L)
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped (L)
• 1 head garlic, broken up and minced (L)
• 2-3 hot Portuguese peppers, thinly sliced (L*), or you could use Jalapenos, Habaneros, or your pepper of choice to taste
• 2 cups chicken broth (L)
• 3/4 lb firm ripe tomatoes, finely chopped (L*)
• 1/4 cup minced fresh oregano (L*)
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• Sour cream

Place pork cubes into a large bowl and season generously with salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder.  Heat olive oil in a large pan, add pork in batches and brown.  As the pork cubes brown, remove from the pan and place into a crock pot.

Once all the pork is browned, add onions to the pan, reduce heat to medium, and cook onions until tender, about 10 minutes.  In the last 3 minutes, add the garlic.  Transfer onions and garlic to the crock pot, and add in all remaining ingredients except oregano, cumin, and sour cream.

Allow to cook on low for 8 hours.  In the last 30 minutes, stir in oregano and cumin.  Serve topped with sour cream.

DELICIOUS!!!!

Man, too much of this got eaten at work.  I'm going to need to make it again for just me soon.


***Update!****

I forgot to add that, if this is too spicy, I will add honey to mellow it out a bit!