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.

Rhubarb Currant Chutney

Mmmmmmm..... The original recipe for this recipe is way too sweet for my taste, but very correctly paired with pork tenderloin, so I served this to guests with Lopez pork chops and a side of butter braised broccoli.


Adapted from Bon Appetit and brought to my attention by my friend Stacey Slate

1/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2 cinnamon sticks (each about 2 1/2 inches long)
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces fresh rhubarb
1/2 cup dried currants

Directions:
Bring first 6 ingredients to boil in heavy medium saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add rhubarb and currants; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently until rhubarb is has tender and then has fallen apart, 5-10 minutes. Season chutney with salt. (Chutney can be made 3 days ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before using.)

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Beginning to fall apart, but not there yet, and definitely still needing to thicken.

Love your Farmers Market!

Today was the Saturday Farmers Market. The local farmers, including our Synergy crew, were out in full force, selling their produce and interacting with the community.

For those of you who love the San Juan Island market, consider showing your support by voting here to name our market the best in the country. And be sure to stop by next Saturday! We love to see your faces and hear about how you use local food products.

Japanese Cabbage Pancakes (Okonomiyaki) with Sweet & Tangy Sauce

This recipe is something from way back in March, when we were using up the last of the winter cabbages, and digging up the last of the leeks. No more leeks now until around September, but cabbage is just starting to come on, and we have tons of peas and garlic scapes. One of the exciting things about cooking on a farm is working with seasonal ingredients, so here's a favorite cabbage recipe, adapted for two different times of the year.

Pancake recipe adapted from 101 Cookbooks
Makes 3 pancakes

pancakes:
1/2 cup white rice flour
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
oil to fry

veggies late winter/early spring:
1.5 cups cabbage, shredded
1 cup leeks, halved and diced
1/4 cup carrots, grated

veggies early summer:
2 cups cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup snow peas, cut into horizontal strips
1/4 cup garlic scapes, minced
1/4 cup carrots, grated

sauce:
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup Ketchup
2 tbsp Soy sauce
1/4 cup Brown sugar
1 tbsp Mustard powder
Pepper to taste

To make the sauce, combine worchestershire sauce, ketchup, and soy sauce in a small saucepan until simmering. Add brown sugar and mustard powder and stir until dissolved. Cook for 5-10 minutes until reduced by 1/3 or until you get the yummy thick consistency of teriyaki or barbeque sauce. Resist the urge to take a spoonful and let your sauce cool while you start your pancakes.

Finely shred cabbage. If using carrots, peel, then grate on a large-size cheese grater. If using leeks, cut green tops and bottom roots of leeks and cut remaining white section down the center. Wash well to get rid of any grit that might be stuck way down in there. Slice the washed leeks into half-moons. If using scapes and peas, dice both into slices 1/4'' wide. Mix cabbage, carrots and other vegetables together in a bowl.

Add rice flour, salt and pepper and mix well. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and water together. Pour the egg over the veggies and stir well to coat. The mixture will not seem batter like -- it will be more like veggies coated in flour. This is okay.

Heat 1-2 tbsp of oil in a small pan over medium-high heat. When hot, scoop 1/3 of the mixture into the center of the pan. Use your spoon or fork to flatten out batter. It's best if the batter reaches all the way to the sides of the pan, this helps the pancake keep its shape as it's cooking. Fry for 2-3 minutes on one side; turn over by placing a large plate on top of the pan and flipping over. Return the pancake to the pan, other side up and fry another 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and serve piping hot, drizzled with sauce.

Garlic scapes and snow peas substitute for leeks in the summer version of this crispy cabbage pancake

Using rice flour instead of wheat flour makes for a crispier, lighter pancake and a gluten-free dinner option

Broccoli Buttermilk Soup

Broccoli is precious this season on San Juan. Across the island, the story seems to be the same: broccoli just isn't doing too well this summer; perhaps the plants didn't like those few blazing days in mid-May, but somehow yields aren't up to their usual levels.

So if you're lucky enough to get your hands on some delicious broccoli this season, you may just want to savor the flavor with a light steam or a quick saute in olive oil. But if you find yourself with some extra on your hands, this soup is a great way to celebrate.

1 lb broccoli, cut into 2'' pieces
3/4 lb potatoes, cut into 1'' cubes
1 medium sized onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Synergy chicken stock
1.5 tbsp butter
2 cups water
2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp salt (depending on the saltiness of your stock)

optional: 1 tsp tarragon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Heat butter on medium-high in a 3-quart (medium sized) pot. When hot, add onions and garlic and saute until onions are translucent and your kitchen smells divine, about 5 minutes. Add in broccoli and potatoes and saute in the pot for another 3 minutes. Add in chicken stock and water; they should just about cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until your vegetables are tender.

Turn off your burner and remove the pot from the heat. Uncover your pot and let the vegetables 10 minutes. In a blender, process the soup in three batches to your desired consistency, pouring each batch into a new pot as it's finished. We generally like to leave some small bits and chunks to make the soup a little heartier.

Put your new pot back on the burner and heat on low. Add in your nutmeg or tarragon if desired. Pour in buttermilk slowly, stirring well. Bring soup just to a simmer, then turn off and serve.

Synergy Fresh Mayo

Looks just like the store-bought stuff, but tastes so much better!

1 Synergy Farm egg
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 cup olive oil (be sure it's the good-tasting stuff)

Combine the first four ingredients in a blender, or if you prefer manpower, whisk well by hand.

When well-combined, with the blender still running, begin to slowly drizzle in the oil. As the oil is added, and the mixture emulsifies, the consistency will begin to change to what you know as mayo!

Cover and refrigerate for up to one week.

Synergy's Rhode Island Reds are fed a protein-rich diet and spend a lot of their time foraging for grubs outside in the pasture.

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.

Cream and Parmesan Broccoli

Creamy, but hard to photograph, broccoli with parmesan and nutmeg.

Adapted from Gourmet.com

1 lb broccoli
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Coarsely chop broccoli florets and stem pieces. If stem is thicker, peel then chop. Cook broccoli in boiling salted water until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cold water to stop cooking.

Simmer cream, garlic, nutmeg, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper in a medium saucepan, uncovered, until thickened and reduced to about 1/2 cup.

Add broccoli and simmer, mashing with a potato masher, until coarsely mashed and heated through, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in parmesan and lemon juice. Grate more nutmeg on top for a garnish when serving.

Odessa Beets

Odessa Beets. I was unable to find information on the origin of this recipe's name, but I do love the name very much.

adapted from The Moosewood Cookbook

1/2 lb beets (weighed with leaves removed)
2 tbs lemon juice
9 prunes
2 medium cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap all the beets up in a big sheet of foil and bake until tender, about 45 minutes.

While the beets are roasting, chop and toast the walnuts, mince the garlic, and very thinly slice the pitted prunes.

When the beet are done, let cool a bit and trim the ends. Then under running cold water, rub off the skins. Coarsely grate the beets into a medium mixing bowl.

Add all other ingredients into the bowl with the beets, mix to combine, and chill until serving time.


Serving suggestions:

• Sprinkled with blue cheese.
• In a sandwich with roast beef and mustard on rye.

Mise en place of julienned prunes, minced garlic, toasted chopped walnuts, lemon juice, and grated beets.

Share your own recipes

Coddled Eggs and Something Green

Chard and Kale and Coddled Eggs make a generous lunch for one.

1/2 lb of leaf greens (chard, kale, spinach, etc.) cut into ribbons
2 eggs
1/2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a saute pan. When hot, add the greens and stir to coat and season with salt and pepper. Let cook until just beginning to wilt, stirring occasionally. At this point, crack two eggs on the top of the layer of greens and cover with a large lid. Turn the heat to low and let the greens continue to cook and the eggs steam, or coddle, about three to four minutes till the whites are firm. Slide out of the pan onto a plate, give the eggs a shake of pepper and salt and dig in!

One bunch of rainbow chard cut into ribbons.

Crack a couple eggs on top of just beginning to wilt chard.

Cover and walk away for a few minutes.

Ta-Da! The chard is cooked, the egg whites are firm, and inside the yolks are still gooey.

Variations:
This also works with broccoli cut into bite size pieces. I used about 1/3 pound of broccoli, and a tbsp of butter instead of olive oil, though I had to toss in about a quarter of a cup of water into the pan in order to steam the broccoli before it started to brown too much.

Broccoli and Coddled Eggs.

Crushed New Potatoes

Crushing the boiled new potatoes.

Based on a recipe from Gramercy Tavern Chef Michael Anthony

2 lb. new potatoes, washed
1/2 cup shallots, minced
Lemon juice of one large lemon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Fleur de sel to taste, be generous
Pepper to taste, be generous

Directions:
In a large pot, cook potatoes with skins on in heavily salted boiling water until tender, approximately 15-18 minutes. While still warm, using a fork, gently smash potatoes, maintaining a fairly chunky consistency. Careful while crushing the potatoes that they don't pop out from under your fork and slide across the counter. Slice larger potatoes in half before crushing and hold them in place with one hand while crushing with the other. Fold in minced shallots, lemon juice, olive oil, fleur de sel, and pepper.

Variations:
Serve warm or cold.
Add fresh parsley or dill as a garnish.
Top it with slices of hard-boiled egg.

A sign of new potatoes underground.

Harvesting new potatoes.