Thayer in the Kitchen

I'm still working on a few recipes that use ingredients that are locally produced. This recipe is for an interesting and unusual potato salad. I was able to buy the baby roasting potatoes at the winter farmers market. I had the cippolini onions left from our final CSA winter share and wanted to do something special with them. Onions keep extremely well and are the only vegetables we still have left. 3 tablespoons olive oil 5 garlic cloves, sliced into chips 1 1/2 pounds potatoes, cut into baby potato-sized wedges 1/2 pound cippolini onions, peeled and coarsely chopped or sliced 1-2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper* 1/2 teaspoon aji amarillo** 1 cup chicken broth, more if needed *** 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1/2 cup black olives, I used Kalamata because that's what I had 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced 1/2 bunch chopped fresh parsley Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and the garlic. Cook until the garlic is golden. Add the potatoes, onions and pepper. Cook unt...

For those of us who live in Wisconsin there aren't a lot of fresh locally grown vegetables available at the farmers' market in February and March. One vegetable that is available however is lovely frost sweetened spinach. So what is frost-sweetened spinach you ask? According to Bill Warner of Snug Haven Farms, "Because the winter spinach is continually freezing and thawing, the sugar content in the spinach increases and the spinach becomes incredibly sweet." This spinach is available at the Dane County winter farmers market from Snug Haven Farms as well as a few other farmers. Its great for spinach salad. This recipe has a nicely tart citrus dressing. 1 ts Finely shredded orange peel 1/4 c Orange juice 1/4 c rice vinegar 1 T. sunflower oil 1/3 c Dried cranberries 1 large Firm-ripe pear or a couple of smaller ones 1 small thinly sliced red onion 1/2 lb spinach leaves, torn in bite-sized pieces 1/4 cup toasted walnuts Salt & pepper if needed Combine orange peel, ...

I don't have any squash anymore (how sad is that!), but I wanted to post this recipe so that I can make it again next squash season. I'm sure other varieties of winter squash would also work fine. 2 acorn squash lime 2-3 tablespoons olive oil 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce & 1 teaspoon of the sauce 1/2 teaspoon sugar Salt & pepper to taste 2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut each squash in half, then scoop out the seeds. Cut each half into crescent shaped wedges about 3/4 inch thick. Halve a lime and squeeze the juice into a large bowl. Add the oil, adobo sauce, sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir well and add the squash wedges. Toss well to coat. Spray a large baking sheet with pan spray and pour the wedges and the sauce onto it. Arrange them in a single layer. Roast, turning once, until the squash is golden brown and tender when pierced with a sharp fork--about 25 minutes. Mince the chipotle. Cut the rest...