May 2010

Can Jam: June Ingredient = Erries!

30 May 2010 by local kitchen

The June ingredient for Tigress’ Can Jam has been revealed by Joel & Dana over at Well Preserved and they picked a great one: “_erries.” As in, berries of any variety, incuding strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, gooseberries, blackberries, huckleberries and whatever berry you have in your neck of the woods, and cherries of all varieties, black ones, sweet ones, Bings & sours, and even berries that are not berries in name, like red, black or white currants. So, to offer inspiration to all […]

Categories: 100% local • Tags: canning, cooking, food, local, preserving, recipes

Memorial Day Grillfest

28 May 2010 by local kitchen

I have a fabulous braised chicken recipe to tell you about, but really? Who’s going to be braising this weekend? Memorial Day weekend is all about the grill, baby: easy-peasy, flip-flop wearing, cold beer in hand, 2-minutes-a-side-and-dinner-is-done kind of cooking. So, in honor of the holiday weekend, the 88(!) degree weather predicted on Sunday, and the annual kick-off to Summer (and all the fabulous grilling that comes with the season), I present to you Local Kitchen Grillfest 2010. A couple […]

Categories: 100% local, chicken, corn, grill, pork, potato, summer • Tags: chicken, cooking, food, local, pork, quick & easy, recipes

Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves

26 May 2010 by local kitchen

How many strawberry-rhubarb recipes does one girl need? Apparently, you can never have enough. Or that’s what it seems like lately, with strawberry rhubarb crumble, strawberry rhubarb Amaretto sauce, strawberry rhubarb caramelized onion jam and today’s contribution, a Ferberesque strawberry rhubarb preserve. Not to mention last year’s contributions of a local, made-with-honey and a reduced-sugar jam. What I should be telling you about on the rhubarb front is the Sweet Cherry Rhubarb Pastry that I made yesterday for the US […]

Categories: 100% local, berries, citrus, jams, preserving, rhubarb, spring • Tags: berries, canning, cooking, food, preserving, recipes

Chicken Braised in Tomato & Garlic

22 May 2010 by local kitchen

I tried another recipe from The Pioneer Woman and another chicken recipe at that. The first, a cajun chicken pasta, I made a lot of changes to, and frankly, wasn’t overly thrilled by my version. This one, I made only a few minor changes and… I wasn’t overly thrilled. Sigh. It seemed so promising; chicken, browned in butter & olive oil then slowly braised in my home-canned heirloom tomatoes, a nice Pinot Noir, plenty of fresh, farmer’s market garlic, and […]

Categories: 100% local, basil, chicken, garlic, main course, tomatoes, wine, beer & liquor, winter, year round • Tags: cooking, food, local, recipes

Can Jam: Strawberry Rhubarb Amaretto Sauce

20 May 2010 by local kitchen

I had all sorts of plans for this month’s Can Jam: rhubarb fig jam, a macerated, jewel-like rhubarb a la Mme. Ferber, rhubarb with local white wine, rhubarb with last summer’s frozen blackberries… the possibilities were nearly endless. And then: I got a huge assignment from a client, my computer promptly exploded and I spent most of a week either 1) on the phone with Dell, 2) at Best Buy purchasing new laptop, 3) on the phone with Best Buy/Geek […]

Categories: berries, Can Jam, canning, condiments, preserving, rhubarb, sauces, spring, wine, beer & liquor • Tags: canning, condiments, cooking, dessert, food, local, preserving, recipes, rhubarb, sauce, strawberries

Fresh Favas with Bacon & Almonds

18 May 2010 by local kitchen

Inspired by the bounty found at the Ferry Market in San Francisco, this savory bean spread with local olive oil, balsamic, almonds and lemon was a rare treat for this Northeast locavore. The raves it garnered at our Saturday night dinner party suggests that it was a treat for some San Franciscans as well. The combination of flavors (fresh green beans, smoky bacon, bitter almonds, tart & brigh lemon) and textures (crisp on the outside, creamy on the inside fried […]

Categories: 100% local, appetizer, beans, citrus, pork, spring • Tags: cooking, food, local, recipes

Bounty by the Bay

16 May 2010 by local kitchen

I’m in San Francisco this week, attending a biotechnology conference, and more importantly, visiting good friends and enjoying the wonders of the City by the Bay. It’s been a year since I’ve visited, and once again we took a trip to the Ferry Market on a cold, grey and windy San Francisco day. It’s hard to feel too down about the weather, however, when I feast my eyes on the bounty available at the market: cherries, peaches, nectarines, strawberries, raspberries, […]

Categories: 100% local, farmer's markets • Tags: cooking, food, local, recipes

Maple Walnut Scones

12 May 2010 by local kitchen

Taking a break from Laptop-Trauma Central to bring you this: another scone recipe. This is one of Tai’s favorites, sweet, but not overly so, simply flavored with maple syrup and dried New York apples, with a nice crunch and hint of bitterness from the walnuts. Perfect to warm the kitchen, and the soul, on this cold & dreary, technology-is-conspiring-to-kill-me, day. Adapted from Cranberry-Orange Scones ————————————————————– Maple Walnut Scones INGREDIENTS 1 cup (4.5 oz) whole white wheat flour (Wild Hive “all-purpose”) 1 cup (4.5 oz) whole wheat (bread) flour 1 […]

Categories: 100% local, apples, baking, breads, breakfast, fall, milk, nuts, whole wheat flour, year round • Tags: baking, bread, breakfast, cooking, food, local, recipes, whole grain breads

Pickled Chard Stems

9 May 2010 by local kitchen

Yesterday I scored a ridiculous amount of Spring bounty at the farmer’s market: asparagus and rhubarb, yes, but also ramps & fiddleheads, rainbow chard & curly kale, scallions, parsley & cilantro, two kinds of radishes (and of course the usual potatoes, onions and carrots). In addition to all that, thanks to Madura Farms’ greenhouses, I picked up the first Kirby cucumbers of the year, not to mention eggs, bread, butter, pork shoulder and sausage. Phew! I could barely stuff it all into the […]

Categories: canning, condiments, fall, kale & leafy greens, pickles, preserving, quick & easy, spring • Tags: canning, chard, condiments, cooking, food, local, pickles, preserving, quick & easy, recipes

Black Bean Vegetable Soup

6 May 2010 by local kitchen

Filling yet light, hearty yet summery, this soup is a study in contrasts. Most black bean soups make me think of winter or fall; thick, hearty soups flavored with ham hock or bacon, and blended unti they are almost a dip you can eat with tortilla chips. This black bean soup, in contrast, is light and summery, despite the fact that summer vegetables are still a couple of months away. I love meals like this: it makes me so happy […]

Categories: 100% local, beans, carrot, cilantro, corn, garlic, main course, soup, vegetarian, year round, zucchini • Tags: beans, cooking, food, local, recipes, soup, vegetarian

Quadruple C Cookies

4 May 2010 by local kitchen

Chocolate, cherries, cashews, coconut. Yum. I’ve been tweaking my chocolate chip cookie recipe for a while, trying to achieve the ultimate combination of texture (crispy outside, soft, chewy inside), sweetness (enough to satisfy the sweet craving, but not so much that you actually taste the sugar) and a good balance of flavors for all of the stuff that I can cram into a cookie. In this batch I eliminated granulated sugar altogether and repaced it with brown sugar; I also dialed back on the amount […]

Categories: baking, cherries, chocolate, dessert, quick & easy, snack, whole wheat flour, year round • Tags: baking, cherries, chocolate, cookies, cooking, dessert, food, local, recipes, whole grain

Cider-Brined Pork Chops on the Grill

2 May 2010 by local kitchen

I’m a 40 (something) year-old virgin: a brining virgin, that is. A neophyte. A gumby. A noob. Well, I was until yesterday. Yesterday, in celebration of the truly summer-like weather, I popped my brining cherry on some ridiculously thick pork chops that were destined for the grill. Despite all the hype, I’ve (obviously) never gotten on the brining bandwagon. I have always felt that if you are taking the trouble to buy the best meat you can find, heritage-breed, pastured, humanely-raised & […]

Categories: brining, fall, grill, main course, pork, summer, techniques, year round • Tags: cooking, food, local, pork, recipes