Lemon Romano Vinaigrette

In the summer, the girl and I love a simple grilled chicken salad for dinner. Our go-to dressing is usually a basic balsamic and olive oil drizzle. We were flipping through a recent Everyday Food magazine and came across a section full of simple salad dressings. Wanting something different, we decided to try out a lemon Parmesan recipe. We tweaked it slightly (more lemon, Pecorino Romano instead of Parmesan) and lightly dressed our salad with it.

Lemon Pecorino Vinaigrette
Adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of sugar
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano

Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup lemon juice, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and a pinch of sugar.

Slowly add 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, whisking until emulsified. Or shake the ingredients in a jar, or whirl them in a blender. (We put all ingredients in a small jar and shook...worked like a charm!)

*Another easy salad idea that goes well with this dressing: Thinly slice a large fennel bulb (I had one from my CSA) and half a Granny Smith apple. Toss together with lemon dressing (as much as you'd like, but I'd recommend a small amount so as not to over power the fennel and apple flavors). This is a great hot weather side dish. Crisp, bright, and delicious!

Rhubarb Cranberry Conserve

Growing up, I was mystified by the plant in my Mom's garden with bright red stalks and big green leaves. I soon found out that it was called rhubarb. Each year, my mom would harvest stalks off the plant, chop them up, and cook them for hours on the stove with oranges, raisins, and sugar. Eventually, it became something she called "Rhubarb Conserve". I didn't eat a lot of it back then, but as I've gotten older I've learned to love it. Every time she makes a batch, I try to snag a few jars for myself. They get eaten pretty quickly once opened!

My mom was gracious enough to pass on a copy of her old recipe card (originally printed with a typewriter!) to the girl and myself so we could make some ourselves. The girl had the idea to use cranberries instead of raisins, kumquats instead of oranges, and a lot less sugar. The result was amazing, both in color and flavor. We gave some to my parents after it was done, and luckily my Mom gave her seal of approval.

It's great on toast or an English muffin, or stirred into yogurt, frozen yogurt, or ice cream. You could also top a plain angel food, bundt, or pound cake with it for a simple dessert.

Rhubarb Cranberry Conserve

1 qt. sliced rhubarb
12 oz. kumquats, seeds removed and sliced into half-moons
3 1/8 c. sugar (probably could make this just 3 c. even, depending on how sour your rhubarb is)
20 oz. crushed pineapple, or 20 oz. pineapple rings chopped in a food processor

Mix everything together and let stand for 2 hours. Boil for 15 mins, stirring often so it doesn't burn.

Add:

1/2 c. dried sweetened cranberries
1/2 c. fresh cranberries (you could use all dried or all fresh)
1/2 c. walnuts, broken into small pieces

Cook until thick, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. (The mixture will thicken even more once it's cooled.)

Let cool and then store in the fridge.

Beer of the Week: Goose Island Sofie

Goose Island Sofie
Beer of the Week 2/12/11 to 2/18/11

One of my favorite craft breweries is Goose Island from Chicago. They have a wide variety of beers ranging from standard offerings of IPA and wheat ales to the extreme such as Bourbon County Stout (one of the girl and my favorites). The girl and I have decided that we want to try all of their less standard beers. We decided to pick up a bottle of Sofie. It is listed as a Belgian Style Ale. Neither of us would list Belgian style beers amongst our favorites but we thought we would give it a shot.

The beer pours a very nice champagne/golden color. It held a nice frothy head for a bit and the carbonation was a bit higher than normal as Goose Island describes it as a "sparkling ale." There are some definite citrus and pepper notes in the taste and smell. Overall we really enjoyed this beer. I have to admit that as it started to warm up, the flavor started to change (started reminding us of warm Sam Adams Summer Ale..) but I would definitely get it again.

Candied Orange Peels

These candied orange peels are an easy-to-make treat for any occasion, adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. I picked up a bag of organic oranges for this, as I wanted to avoid using peels that may have wax or chemicals on them.

Martha says to take off all of the white pith of the orange rind before blanching and boiling in the sugar syrup. While it's a good idea to get as much of it off as you can, it's fine if some of it is left on. The slight bitterness of the bit of pith actually pairs very nicely with the sweetness of the sugar.

If you really want to go all out, you can dip the candied peels in melted dark chocolate (to create "orangettes") instead of rolling them in sugar.

Candied Orange Peels

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

4 oranges (organic are best)
4 cups sugar plus extra for rolling

4 cups water

Directions

1) Using a paring knife, make 6 slits along curve from top to bottom of each orange, cutting through peel but not into fruit. Using your fingers, gently remove peel. Reserve fruit for another use. Slice each piece of peel lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Again using a paring knife, remove excess pith from each strip and discard.

2) Place the strips in a large saucepan, and cover them with cold water. Bring them to a boil, then drain. Repeat this twice.

3) Bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring the mixture occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Then stop stirring and wash the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Add the strips to the boiling syrup, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until the strips are translucent (about 1 hour). Remove the pan from the heat, and let the strips cool in the syrup. (The strips in syrup will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 weeks.)

4) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the strips to a wire rack placed on a rimmed baking sheet. Wipe off any excess syrup with paper towels and then roll the strips in sugar. Arrange them in a single layer on a wire rack, and let them dry for at least 30 minutes. The sugared peels will keep, covered at room temperature, for up to 2 weeks.

Garden Update - Catching Up

So it's been a couple of busy weeks. The weather has been beautiful in the city and with that comes a lot of outdoors activities! We have been preparing the soil in our vegetable garden and have put in some fingerling potatoes. I'll be sowing some peas and lettuce in the coming days. I've also started some Roma tomatoes from seed indoors as well as tomatillos. They've both been recently transplanted into larger pots as they've been growing pretty well. I'll be starting some eggplant from seed soon with hopes of a late season crop.

On another gardening note, we have just recently gotten a plot in the Fenway Victory Gardens! We are very excited about this plot. It is going to be a flower garden. All different sizes, and some for cutting as well. We've already put in some work (had to take out some leftover shrubs and daylilies...boy did we have daylilies) but will be getting some topsoil in a couple weeks and then will start the landscaping and planting.

I will be posting some photos in the coming days of some things we've done recently in the area as well as some more citrus photos that the girl took.

Meyer Lemon & Vanilla Bean Marmalade

The Meyer lemon has gained a strong following in the culinary world in the past few years, showing up on restaurant menus and in cookbooks everywhere. Why is it so popular? Mainly because of its flavor, a sweeter and less acidic version of a regular lemon's. (The Meyer lemon is actually a cross between a lemon and mandarin orange.)

Meyer Lemon at The Orangerie at Tower Hill Botanic Garden

I found some Meyer lemons in the Whole Foods Market near my house, and decided to make a Meyer lemon and vanilla bean marmalade. I tweaked an Epicurious recipe, decreasing the sugar. I also saved the seeds and put them in a cheesecloth pouch, then boiled them with the lemon/water/sugar mixture to add natural pectin to help it set.

I would definitely make this again, although I'd add some regular lemon juice to give it a bit more tartness. Unfortunately, it's the end of Meyer lemon season, so it looks like I'll have to wait until next year to try this again!

Meyer Lemon & Vanilla Bean Marmalade

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds Meyer lemons
• 5 cups water
• 4 cups of sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• Cheesecloth
  

Preparation:

Working on large plate to catch juice, cut lemons in half lengthwise, then very thinly crosswise. Save seeds to be boiled with lemons later. Pack enough lemons and any juice to measure 2 1/2 cups. Transfer to large nonreactive pot. Add 5 cups water; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand uncovered overnight.

Measure lemon mixture (there should be about 5 1/2 cups). Return to same pot. Add about 4 cups of sugar. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Add seeds to a piece of cheesecloth and add to the pot. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Attach clip-on candy thermometer. Maintaining active boil and adjusting heat to prevent boiling over, cook until temperature reaches 230°F, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer to hot jars. Process jars in a water bath for 12-15 minutes. If you are not going to process in water bath, cool the mixture to room temperature and put in jars then refrigerate.

(All photos were taken by the girl, she's too good to me!)

Fruit Find: Ugli Fruit

I'm always on the lookout at the grocery store for new and/or interesting fruits and vegetables. Well, I found a great one recently! It's called Ugli fruit (or Uniq fruit), and is a tangelo from Jamaica. It's a combination of a grapefruit, an orange, and a tangerine. As you can see, it certainly lives up to its name.

While it isn't the best-looking fruit I've ever seen, the flavor is absolutely amazing. It's sweet and sour at the same time, and not bitter at all - think sweet lemon. They are really juicy, and the juice actually tastes sweeter than the flesh.

If you see these at your local grocery store or specialty food store, I suggest you try one - don't let the look of it scare you!

(You can also purchase online at Melissa's Produce)

Cara Cara Orange Marmalade

I was at the grocery store a couple weeks ago, and noticed a kind of orange that I had never seen before called the Cara Cara. I found out that it's a type of navel orange that's a cross between an orange and a grapefruit. This gives the flesh a similar color to a pink grapefruit, but gives the skin the look of a normal navel orange.



I decided that the color of the flesh paired with the color of the skin would make a really nice-looking marmalade! Because Cara Caras are sweeter than normal oranges and have lower acidity, I added a couple of lemons to brighten it up a bit and add a tangy flavor.



After cooking down the Cara Caras and lemons and adding sugar (though the oranges are sweet, it IS marmalade after all!), the mixture was ready for canning. Luckily, there was some marmalade leftover so I could taste it right away! I thought it turned out great. You can really taste the flavor of the Cara Caras but the lemons add a nice zing of tartness.

Cara Cara Orange Marmalade
(adapted from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:
*6 Cara Cara oranges: 4 oranges peeled, peels cut into 1/3-inch pieces, flesh seeded and coarsely chopped; 2 oranges quartered, thinly sliced, and seeded
*2 lemons: quartered, thinly sliced, and seeded
*1 1/2 quarts cold water
*Sugar

Directions:
1) Bring fruit, peels, and water to a boil in a large saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, cover, and let cool. Refrigerate for 8 hours (or up to 1 day).

2) Freeze a plate. Uncover citrus mixture, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until thickest peel is tender, about 20 minutes. Measure mixture, and return to pan. For each cup of mixture, add 3/4 cup sugar.

3)Bring mixture to a boil, stirring often. Cook until mixture registers 220 degrees to 222 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 20 minutes. To test for doneness of marmalade: Drop a spoonful on frozen plate. If marmalade has a slight film when pushed with a finger, it's done. If it spreads out and thins immediately, continue cooking, and test again after a few minutes. Transfer marmalade to airtight containers, cover, and let cool at room temperature. Refrigerate overnight before serving. (Marmalade will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 month.)

Citrus - in New England!

That’s a photo of a Florida Orange growing in Central Massachusetts in December. Citrus fresh from the tree in New England in December? "Not possible!" you would be inclined to say.

(Okay, so it is being grown indoors, and you can’t pick it, but it is still an orange tree bearing fruit in a New England winter!)

This photo was taken at the Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, which has an 18th century style orangery. We made a recent trip out to see the Orangerie there (and the rest of the Tower Hill land), and it was an absolute treat.

If you are unfamiliar with an orangery, it is similar to a greenhouse but is used mainly for growing citrus. Early orangeries were a symbol of prestige and wealth. More information about them can be found here.

The Tower Hill structure is home to many types of citrus (as well as other plants/flowers). The trees at Tower Hill include Florida Oranges, Calamondin Oranges, Meyer Lemons, Dancy Tangerines, Persian Limes, and Ponderosa Lemons. Only the kumquat and grapefruit trees were not currently bearing fruit.

The smell in the greenhouse was spectacular. You could smell the orange blossoms the second you stepped into the room! I strongly suggest everyone take a trip to Boylston (only about 45 minutes from Boston) to see the Orangerie. The girl and I will be going back throughout the next year to see the rest of the Tower Hill grounds as different things come into bloom (they have 100+ apple varieties!!).

You can visit the Tower Hill Botanic Garden website here. Also, feel free to take a look at the photos the girl took at the Orangerie here.

Inspired by all the fresh winter citrus at Tower Hill, I bought kumquats just after Christmas. The girl and I decided to candy them, modifying the recipe below by adding whole green cardamom (her current favorite spice).

Cardamom-Infused Candied Kumquats (adapted from Ruth Reichl’s recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook)

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
⅛ tsp. salt
4-6 slightly crushed green cardamom pods
2 cups halved kumquats (leaves and seeds discarded)

1. Bring the water, sugar, and salt to a boil in a saucepan; stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.

2. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Add halved kumquats and green cardamom and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender.

3. With a slotted spoon, transfer kumquats to a heatproof bowl.

4. Boil syrup for 3 to 7 minutes, until reduced to about ¾ cup. Pour syrup over kumquats and cool before serving