Category Archives: non-local luxuries

Maple-Glazed Brussels Sprout Salad

9 May 2012 by local kitchen

I hate Brussels sprouts. But as I say that, I realize: I’m not sure I’ve ever actually eaten Brussels sprouts before today. You see, most people generally boil them (why, oh why?) and is there anything more unappetizing than the smell of boiled cabbage? Are we living in Willy Wonka’s England? Am I Mrs. Bucket, trying to feed Charlie and Grandpa Joe and all of the other Buckets on single-leaf cabbage soup? No. No, I’m not. So why did I buy Brussels sprouts, […]

Categories: cabbage, cranberries, fall, nuts, salad, side dish, vegetarian, winter • Tags: cooking, fall, food, local, recipes, salad, vegetarian, winter

Blackberry Citrus Cake

15 April 2012 by local kitchen

Wow, did I put up a lot of blackberries last summer. I blame the gorgeous rolling hills at Greig Farm, and the excellent company, for picking, well, a whole lot of berries. Buckets and buckets. For which, now, I’m profoundly grateful: after berry-braised beef, and a blackberry-smothered birthday cake (with blackberry jam + cream cheese frosting!) for a certain newly-minted 8 year-old, not to mention jam and syrup and boozy berries galore, I’ve still got a couple of pounds in the […]

Categories: berries, breakfast, citrus, dessert, summer, whole wheat flour, year round • Tags: berries, cake, cooking, food, local, quick & easy, recipes, whole grain

Blood Orange Curd + Bars

9 March 2012 by local kitchen

You thought citrus was done, didn’t you? You thought maybe, just maybe, I was going to get back to, I don’t know, eating locally? Oh, granted, I snuck some peel into this dinner, and added the last wrinkly kumquats to these roasted veg, but for the most part, it’s been All Quiet On The Citrus Front ’round these parts, for a few days at least. But the Ides of March are just around the corner (What?? Wasn’t it just Christmas?) and, what with […]

Categories: baking, citrus, dessert, whole wheat flour, winter • Tags: baking, bar, blood orange, citrus, cooking, dessert, food, recipes, winter

Use It or Lose It! Salsa-Braised Turkey Breast with Chile & Citrus Peel

4 March 2012 by local kitchen

Take half a turkey breast: brown the outside. Add it to a pot with liquid and vegetables. Simmer. Rest meat, reduce sauce, serve. Such a simple procedure and one I’ve done many times, often, like now, when I have things that need clearing out of the fridge and freezer: an open pint of salsa; a gallon Ziploc full of fat, frozen jalapeños; another jammed with citrus peels. It’s generally tasty, sometimes ugly, but almost always satisfying in the filling-up and using-up categories. Occasionally, […]

Categories: braising, citrus, hot chile peppers, main course, turkey, Use it or Lose it!, winter • Tags: cooking, food, local, main course, quick & easy, recipes, turkey

Blood Orange Black Bean Blini

28 February 2012 by local kitchen

Have you ever made blini? I must admit, other than knowing that they were vaguely pancake-like, mostly Russian, and usually served with caviar, I didn’t know much about them until yesterday. They are essentially a pancake, but one that relies on yeast for leavening, rather than baking powder or soda. Traditionally made with buckwheat flour, I nevertheless found a few recipes online for a cornmeal version which appealed (especially since I did not have any buckwheat flour in the house). And why, you ask […]

Categories: appetizer, beans, breakfast, cilantro, citrus, main course, vegetarian, whole wheat flour, winter • Tags: beans, cooking, food, local, recipes, vegetarian

Spicy Candied Kumquats

22 February 2012 by local kitchen

A simple little preserve, for that last pound or so of organic California kumquats: candied kumquats with a pequin chile kick! I had big plans for my little kumquats: some of them went into Tigress’ pickle-tastic salt and pepper ‘quats, some others became Cakewalk’s wonderful habañero marmalade, a handful here & there were eaten fresh, and a handful more remain for recipe inspiration (I’ve been finding all sorts of great kumquat ideas on Ye Olde Interwebs; if I have time […]

Categories: citrus, hot chile peppers, preserves • Tags: canning, citrus, cooking, food, preserving, recipes

Bubbly Meyer Marmalade

19 February 2012 by local kitchen

Tonight is the last episode of Season 2 of Downton Abbey. I know: I’m sad too. It went by so fast! Alas, the war, and the season, is over my friends, and we have nothing to do but contemplate the long, dreary, Downton-less months until Season 3 (with Shirley MacLaine! Shirley and Maggie, throwing down 1920’s style. I can hardly wait.) So what do I, a lowly food blogger with neither manor house, liveried servants, nor fabulous peacock-feathered hats, have to offer you as […]

Categories: canning, citrus, preserves, preserving, wine, beer & liquor, winter • Tags: canning, champagne, citrus, cooking, food, Meyer lemon, preserving, recipes

Meyeritas

15 February 2012 by local kitchen

I took my last two precious Meyer lemons from the Lemon Ladies and bestowed upon them the Highest Honor known to Fruitdom: tequila. Tai is sick and has a horrible, wracking cough that shakes his frame approximately every 42 seconds. I am drowning in data, reprioritizing deadlines, booking travel, cancelling on friends, ignoring the phone, and lamenting the grim, cold, grey skies. Clearly there is only one thing to do: Meyer lemon margaritas. Because it’s been that kind of week. And […]

Categories: citrus, wine, beer & liquor, winter • Tags: booze, cocktails, Meyer lemon, quick & easy, recipes, tequila

Mandarin Orange Risotto

9 February 2012 by local kitchen

On the off chance that you’re tired of marmalade recipes (Never fear marm-fans: there are more recipes coming down the Pike!), a fresh twist (Ha! Twist! Do you see what I did there?) on citrus: Mandarin orange-infused risotto. Oranges can be tough to cook with: they are sweet and delicious, but without the assertive tang of a lemon, the flavor can be easily lost, especially in savory cooking. However, that should not preclude us from trying: the flavor of oranges, especially […]

Categories: appetizer, cheese, citrus, main course, rice, side dish, thyme, winter • Tags: citrus, cooking, food, local, recipes, vegetarian, winter

Meyer Mandarin Marmalade

6 February 2012 by local kitchen

Ah, New England: I’m so sorry. That one was a heartbreaker. In those last, crucial seconds, being one of those who remember it well, I kept saying, “Flutie did it!,” while Tai looked on pityingly, saying, “game over.” Ah, well. Until next year. New York: congratulations. It was a brilliant win. Time to do what you do best: celebrate! Whether you are mourning or celebrating today, or just trying to get on with your Monday after last night’s commercial viewing, it’s […]

Categories: canning, citrus, preserves, preserving, winter • Tags: canning, citrus, cooking, food, local, preserving, recipes, winter

Cranberry Meyer Lemon Chutney

1 February 2012 by local kitchen

As promised, more citrus action: a take on my favorite cranberry chutney, this time with Meyer lemons. This recipe started out as a Meyer lemon marmalade; hence the marmalade-esque process of slicing, measuring, adding water, and simmering of the lemons. The next day I decided that I wanted to try a chutney instead, so I drained the lemons and adapted a cranberry chutney recipe. There may be no need for preparing the citrus pectin as described below, but I do […]

Categories: canning, chutneys, citrus, cranberries, hot chile peppers, preserving, winter • Tags: canning, chutney, citrus, cooking, food, local, Meyer lemon, preserving, recipes

Honeyed Grapefruit Jamalade

30 January 2012 by local kitchen

Jamalade, you say? Yes. Jamalade. Not quite a jam: toothsome slivers of citrus zest and a touch of pithy bitterness from the addition of citrus pectin make this flavorful preserve reminiscent of marmalade. Yet not quite a marmalade either: the majority of the white pith is left out of this recipe, and the fruit is strained from the syrup and added only at the end of the cooking process, yielding visible chunks of ruby red grapefruit in the final product, […]

Categories: canning, citrus, jams, preserves, preserving, winter • Tags: canning, citrus, cooking, food, local, preserving, recipes

What To Do With Citrus Peel

23 January 2012 by local kitchen

As I mentioned last week, I’ve been building up quite a supply of grapefruit peels of late. Though I will buy lemons and limes throughout the year, for use in jams & preserves, savory dishes and cocktails, I wait for citrus season to roll around each winter to buy citrus for eating and preserving: grapefruits, oranges, exotic varieties. Typically, if I am using a lemon or a lime in a recipe, I’ll use both the zest and flesh or juice; […]

Categories: canning, citrus, drying, freezing, preserving, winter • Tags: canning, citrus, cooking, food, preserving, recipes, winter

Vin de Pamplemousse

20 January 2012 by local kitchen

Pamplemousse: on my list of the top 10 best words in any language (along with codswallop, yoboseyo and schnell!). Pamplemousse is “grapefruit” in French; sounds so much more exotic doesn’t it? (And incidentally, how did we ever end up with “grapefruit” in English? I mean, it is pomelo in Spanish, pompelmo in Italian, citrus paradisi in Latin. It doesn’t look or taste anything like a grape. But I guess it is better than “shattuck.”) But, enough etymology for today: let’s […]

Categories: citrus, wine, beer & liquor, winter • Tags: citrus, cooking, food, preserving, recipes, wine

Grapefruit Guajillo Marmalade

17 January 2012 by local kitchen

Once again, citrus season is upon us, and once again, I ordered a box of delicious Rio Red grapefruit from G & S Groves in McAllen, Texas. While I’ve been happily munching through some of my 12 pounds of pink-yellow-and-red glory, I had to save some for a batch (or two) of marmalade, lest my marm-lovin’ hubs revolt. Although the flavor of last year’s vanilla bean version was lovely, the set left much to be desired, and this year, I just […]

Categories: canning, citrus, hot chile peppers, preserving, winter • Tags: canning, cooking, food, grapefruit, local, marmalade, preserving, recipes