Synergy Chicken Stock, nonchalantly

Concentrated chicken stock. Simmered once more after pouring through a sieve. I save the beautiful fat on top.

one chicken carcass (or two if you have a big enough pot and have been saving them in your freezer)

This is more of a testimony than a recipe, on purpose.

There are endless ways to make stock. Some include onions, celery, herbs. Others instruct you to skim constantly. A recipe might tell you to simmer for no less than three hours, others say to simmer twice. I find that making chicken stock is a forgiving task. Sometimes I skim every fifteen minutes. Other times, I have forgotten to skim until the very end. It is something I put on the stove and walk away from. While it simmers, I putter around elsewhere, carefree.

Most of the time with chickens as flavorful as Synergy's I don't add anything to the pot besides the carcass, water to cover by a couple inches, and some shakes of salt and pepper. If I have half an onion or some "seconds" carrots, I'll throw those in. But I never add herbs or garlic or celery, since I don't know what I'll use the stock for ultimately and maybe I won't want those flavors.

High heat is initially necessary to bring your big pot of water and carcass to a boil, but then turn it down and find a gently simmering heat. Leave it uncovered, and skim occasionally. If the water level gets low, add some water, but try and avoid that problem by finding the gentle simmer point. Then three hours later or so, pour the stock through a large sieve and discard the solids. Chill stock, uncovered, until cool, then cover. Refrigerate or freeze. Discard the solidified fat before using stock, or better yet, save it for some future use.

To save space in your freezer, concentrate your stock by simmering it down after pouring it through a sieve.

Bran Carrot Squash Muffins

If you find yourself with lots of carrots or lots of extra zucchini, you can change the recipe to accommodate. If you happen to get an extra juicy carrot or zucchini, try to remove some of the liquid by squeezing a cup at a time in a paper towel. You can grate the veggies by hand, but if you have a food processor, by all means, save yourself some time and use it!

A few times when I've made this recipe, the muffins came out a little too sweet for my taste, likely because the carrots I used were super-sweet already. Consider crunching on a bite of your carrots before shredding, and cutting the sugar by up to half.

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 cup wheat bran
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg (optional)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup organic canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups grated raw carrot
1 cup grated raw zucchini or other summer squash.
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Grease your muffin tin really really well and consider using muffin liners to make things easier on yourself -- this is important. The bran and all the carrots make these muffins fall apart more easily, so you'll need to take care or your muffins will stick and your tops will fall off. This is okay in a Seinfeld episode, but less cool in real life. If you're filling the muffin pan to the top because you want big crispy muffin tops, also make sure that you grease the top of the pan and not just the inside of the cups or it will stick.

Mix dry ingredients: flour, bran, salt, bkg pwdr, bkg soda, nutmeg, cinnamon. In separate bowl, mix eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar.

Add carrot & squash into wet stuff and mix to coat, then gently fold in dry ingredients 1/4 at a time until just combined.

Add raisins and walnuts, stir gently, then fill greased muffin cups 3/4 to all-the-way full. Cook 20-25 minutes at 400

A yummy breakfast treat -- goes great with a steaming cup of coffee

Chinese Cabbage and Parsley Salad with Mustard Aioli

This simple, fresh-tasting salad is a great accompaniment to a summer picnic. Peppery, sweet Chinese cabbage works very well, but a more traditional variety can also be substituted.

Adapted from the New York Times

1/2 lb Chinese cabbage, shredded
1 cup trimmed, peeled, finely shredded carrot
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tsp sesame oil (optional)

Remove cabbage leaves one-by-one and wash carefully. Cut leaves in half, lengthwise, then stack leaves and slice horizontally with your knife, as thinly as possible. Use the entire leaf, including the sweet, juicy white stems. This should produce 3-4 cups of cabbage

Put cabbage in a large bowl, add carrot and parsley and toss. Add 1/4 cup of mustard aioli (or less or more, to your liking) and optional sesame oil and mix well to coat.

Mustard Aioli

1 egg
3 Dijon-style mustard
2 tsp ground ginger
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil

In a blender, mix egg, mustard, ginger, shallots and vinegar. When blended well, keep blender on low, open the lid carefully and gradually add oil. Use the remaining aoili as a substitute for mayonnaise, or in Patatas Bravas.

Ginger Braised Pork with Chinese Cabbage

This recipe was inspired by the gorgeous Chinese cabbage I picked up from Joel and Margaret of Thousand Flower Farm last Saturday at the Farmers' Market. Joel wasn't sure how versatile this veggie could be, so I promised to make something and come back with a report on the results.


This gorgeous, slightly peppery, big-leafed cabbage is often used in soups and added to light broths in Chinese cooking, but it is also wonderful in stir fries, braised, like in this recipe, and chopped up raw for salad. The dark green leaves are soft and have a slight horseradish flavor, while the white stems are crunchy, tender, and super-sweet.

This recipe originally called for bacon, and that's how I made it the first time around, but all the tasters agreed that the marinated pork was more flavorful, had better texture, and was probably a little healthier to boot. You could also use thinly-sliced pork loin for an even lighter version of the dish.

Adapted from The Bacon Cookbook by James Villas

1 pound pork butt partially frozen and sliced as thinly as possible
1 tbsp fresh ginger
1 lb Thousand Flower Farm Chinese cabbage leaves
4 medium sized carrots, peeled
1 1/2 cups chicken broth and 1 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp white pepper

Marinade:
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

Marinate your sliced pork for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight in the refrigerator. The longer you marinate, the more tender and flavorful the dish will be.

Separate and wash your cabbage leaves. If you have an extra large cabbage (like Joel and Margaret's!) use the larger leaves on the outside. Chop large leaves in half horizontally to fit the pot you'll be using, separating the dark green tops from the white bottoms.

Chop your carrots into 2'' portions, then slice the 2'' portions thinly.

To make sure your layers end up even, divide the cabbage leaves and carrot strips into 4 parts and divide the pork, bacon, and chopped ginger into 3 parts. Try to use the white stems on the lower levels, rather than in the top layers as they will cook better closer to the source of heat and to the liquid. Arrange cabbage leaves and carrots on the bottom of a large (3 qt) pot; cover with a portion of the meats and chopped ginger. Continue layering. On the last layer, put the carrot strips under the cabbage instead of on top; and if possible, save the prettiest, biggest leaves for the top -- this just makes for a prettier presentation.

Add your chicken broth and soy sauce, bring to a low boil, reduce the heat to medium so that the chicken broth is only simmering. Cover the pot and cook until the top layer of cabbage is cooked, about 30 minutes.

At this point, remove the pan from heat and carefully lift the mass from the pot using two spatulas (you may want to employ some help, though it is possible with just one person!), leaving the juices behind. Return the pot with juice to low heat. Add the cornstarch mixture and pepper and stir gently for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Pour the sauce over the mound of cabbage. Cut the layers into slices (like lasagna) and serve with generous amounts of sauce over hot jasmine rice.

Separating the ingredients into portions helps to make sure the layers are even

Layering in the pot -- notice the top half of the cabbage leaf fills the entire pot!

Braised cabbage, ready for eating!

Creamy Potato Cheese Soup

The soup is in tupperware and a mason jar because it freezes well and is now portioned out in the freezer. The color is pale, the texture ultra smooth and creamy, and the taste comforting.

The cream part of the equation comes from whole milk, cheddar cheese, and cream cheese.

I used the VERY last of 2008's yukon gold potatoes in the batch of soup I just made. August to June, amazing.

Adapted from New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant

4 tbsps butter
2 cups onion
2 garlic cloves
4 oz carrots
1 lb potatoes
3 cups water or chicken stock
1 tsp dill
4 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large soup pot, saute the onions and garlic in the butter until the onions are translucent. Add the potatoes and carrots and saute for 5-10 minutes longer. Add the stock of water and dill and simmer until all the vegetables are tender.
Puree the vegetables and their liquid with the cream cheese and milk in a blender until very smooth. Return the soup to the pot, stir in the cheddar cheese, season with salt and pepper, and reheat gently.
Garnish with fresh dill and/or chopped parsley.

Thai-Style Lettuce Wraps

1 red pepper, diced finely
1 1/2 cups Napoli carrots, diced into 1/4'' cubes
6-8 brown crimini mushrooms, diced into 1/4'' cubes
1 cup Synergy snow peas, cut horizontally into 1/4'' strips
3 garlic scapes diced into circles 1/4'' thick
1 small Stuttgarter onion minced
1 large shallot minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 lb Island Grown ground pork, optional

2 tbsp oil for frying
2 tbsp fish sauce*
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or mint or basil

2 lettuce heads (preferably a butter lettuce variety or trouthead for perfect lettuce-wrapping cups)

*you can find fish sauce at Market Place or Kings Market, or at the Gourmet's Galley store at 21 Spring Street in downtown Friday Harbor.

Directions:
Heat 2 tbsp oil on high heat in your pan or wok. Add in shallot and onion and fry for 10 seconds until fragrant, then add in garlic and fry another 20 seconds. Add ground pork, breaking it up with your spatula or wooden spoon. Fry for 2 minutes, or until browning, but not yet cooked.

Add in carrots and snow peas and scapes and fry another 2 minutes, stirring well. Add in mushrooms and bell pepper and fry another 2 minutes. The meat should be cooked, and everything should be well mixed.

Add in sauce and chilis, if using. Stir well to coat all ingredients. Add in chopped herbs (cilantro, mint or basil) and stir until wilted.

Serve at room temperature with washed lettuce leaves.

Ingredients all prepped to add to the pan

Stirring the meat into the sauteeing onions and shallots makes for a fragrant, well-flavored dish

Late June Russian Borscht

Everything in the borscht takes on the deep fuchsia of the beets.

This soup can amazingly use mostly farm ingredients when made at the right time of year! Cabbage, carrots, beets, and new potatoes are easy to come by late June. We used some frozen tomatoes from last year's crop, and if you stocked up and stored your onions carefully, you might just have one still lying around come June. (That might also be the case for potatoes if you stored them carefully, rather than using the more tender and precious new potatoes.)

This year's farmer's market offerings on June 20th included carrots and beets.

adapted from The Moosewood Cookbook

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced potato
1 cup thinly sliced beets
4 cups chicken stock or water
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 scant teaspoon caraway seeds
1 1/2 tsp salt (or more, to taste)
1 medium sized carrot, sliced
3 to 4 cups shredded cabbage
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Bill's honey
1 cup crushed tomatoes
fresh dill and sour cream for garnish

Directions:
Place potatoes, beets, and stock in a medium-sized pot. Cover and cook over medium heat till tender (20 to 30 minutes).

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot or dutch oven. Add onion, caraway seeds, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent (8 to 10 minutes).

Add carrots, cabbage, and 2 cups of the cooking liquid from the potatoes and beets. Cover and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender (another 8 to 10 minutes).

Add remaining ingredients, including all the potato and beet liquid, cover, and simmer for at least 15 minutes. Taste to correct seasonings, and serve hot, topped with sour cream and a pinch of fresh dill.

Peeling the beets.

Sliced beets and potatoes are cooked till tender in chicken stock.

The carrots, cabbage and onions are combined with 2 cups of liquid from the beets and potatoes.

Bowls of soup garnished with sour cream and dill and served with slices of Cafe Demeter walnut bread.

Candied Carrot Curls

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Carrot Curls.

2 medium or equivalent in small carrots, peeled
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Directions:
Peel layers from carrot lengthwise on one side with peeler so that you get long, continuous, even strips. If carrots are medium sized and longer, expect about 15 strips, if smaller, less wide and narrow, expect more.

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add carrot strips and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a bowl (saving syrup for potential, yet to be determined future use!) Let stand 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 225°F with rack in middle.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, then arrange candied carrot slices flat in 1 layer on sheet. Bake until dry but still flexible, about 20-30 minutes. (Leave oven on.) Working quickly so that they do not dry out, wind carrot strips, 1 at a time, around end of handle of a wooden spoon in a loose spiral, then slip off each curl and return, seam sides down, to lined baking sheet.

Return curls to oven to dry until crisp, 10-15 minutes more. Cool completely on baking sheet.

Carrot curls can be made 5 days ahead and cooled completely, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Recrisp in a 250°F oven 10 minutes.

Carrot strips in the sugar syrup.

Candied carrot strips after being wrapped around the end of a wooden spoon.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Adorned carrot cupcakes. See the recipe for the carrot curls here.

Carrot Cupcakes

Recipe adapted from Gourmet.com

2 cups grated carrots
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup sunflower oil (or vegetable or canola)
3 large Synergy eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack positioned in the middle and line a muffin tin with cupcake papers.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl.
Whisk together oil, eggs, brown sugar, grated carrots, and vanilla in a large bowl, then stir in flour mixture until just combined.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling them a 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the top, and bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted into center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on rack, about 1 hour more before frosting.

Frost with cream cheese frosting (recipe below) and decorate with a candied carrot curl.

Filled cupcake tin.

These golden cakes pass the toothpick test.

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz cream cheese
2 oz unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:
Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before beginning.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter till creamy. Add powdered sugar and lemon juice and beat till completely combined, smooth and fluffier.

Frost completely cooled cupcakes with room temperature frosting.

Frosting tips:

• Work with room temperature, easy to spread frosting and cupcakes, NEVER warm cupcakes since the warmth will cause the frosting to melt.
• Use a knife without a serrated edge so that when you spread the frosting, it is smooth.
• Dollop on more frosting than you think you will need into the center of the cupcake and then begin spreading frosting out to the edges in small circular motions.

Frosted cupcakes.

Cumin Roasted Potatoes, Carrots, Onions

2 1/2 - 3 lbs total of carrots, potatoes, onions
4 cloves garlic
2 tsps salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp cumin

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Thoroughly scrub the potatoes and carrots, but leave the skin on. Slice the potatoes, carrots, and onions into bite-sized chunks and combine in a large bowl with the peeled and crushed garlic cloves. Add the salt, pepper, cumin seeds, and olive oil and toss the coat. Spread in a flat layer in a large baking dish and place in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, using a spatula at 25 minutes to flip the roasting vegetables. Depending on how thickly your sliced your vegetables and thinly they are spread out on the pan, they might cook faster or slower, so begin checking for desired browning, caramelization, and crispiness at 35 minutes. It could take as long as an hour.

All the ingredients tossed in a large bowl.

Lentil Beet Salad

Adapted from: Emily's Purloined Beet and Lentil Salad

3 cups green lentils, picked over and rinsed
5 cups chicken stock (best from Synergy chickens!)

6 medium beets, washed thoroughly, but not peeled!
8 Napoli carrots, chopped into 1/2'' cubes
1 medium onion, julienned
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp cumin
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
20 basil leaves, torn

For mustard vinaigrette:
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
8 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbsp reserved roasting juice
salt and pepper to taste

Wash lentils well in cold water, removing stones and skins and discarding. Bring stock to a boil -- don't add salt of your lentils can become tough. Add in your lentils, boil for 2-3 minutes and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for approximately 45 minutes -- be sure to check after 30 minutes since you don't want these to become overdone and mushy!

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place beets (sans greens, with skins), carrots, onion slices, and garlic into a baking dish. Top with olive oil, cumin, and salt and pepper and mix well to coat. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake for about an hour without uncovering.

To make the mustard vinaigrette, put ingredients together in a jar and shake until emulsified, or whisk in a bowl.

Remove from oven and let cool. Pour off juice, reserving at least 3 tbsp of the bright red roasting juice. Peel and chop beets into 1/2'' cubes. Mix beets, carrots, lentils and onions together, then add vinaigrette, to taste.

Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve at room temperature, or chill and serve cold for a refreshing side dish.

Basil starts keeping warm in the Synergy flathouse

Newly harvested Napoli carrots at the washing station