Thayer in the Kitchen

In my previous post I mentioned the cookbook, Fresh Food Nation.   This is a another recipe that I tried and liked.  It called for preserved lemons which I just happened to have in my refrigerator.  I think you could substitute a little grated lemon peel.  6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 8 oz. mild fresh chilies, such as Anaheim, banana or Poblano peppers, cored, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise. You could also add jalapeno for a bit more heat or just use sweet peppers if you prefer.  1-2" piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 6 cloves of garlic, chopped 1/4 cup olive oil 2 teaspoons turmeric 1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron (not essential) Kosher salt to taste 1 medium chopped 1 bay leaf 2 tablespoons preserved lemon, chopped 1/2 cup stuffed green olives 1 1/2-2# potatoes cut into chunks, only peel if necessary.  You can use less potatoes if you prefer. In a large deep skillet, lightly brown the chicken in the olive oil...

This is a recipe that I adapted from the cookbook, Fresh Food Nation: Simple, Seasonal Recipes from America's Farmers , by Martha Holmberg in 2013.  " Fresh Food Nation is at the intersection of a big need and a big trend. The need is for recipes, techniques, and inspiration for fresh produce, especially vegetables. The trend is the growing desire to eat local and connect with the source of our food--not just because locally grown food is fresher and tastier, but because it offers emotional, environmental, and food safety benefits. CSAs (community-supported agriculture organizations)are the latest wave in the rising tide of eating local."  I borrowed the book from our public library because I'm always on the lookout for good recipes to use the vegetables from our CSA share.  I've liked most of the recipes that I've tried.  I particularly liked this recipe because it combines a couple of my favorites: cornbread and pecans.  Plus it was a good way to use s...

This is a recipe for some wonderful cornmeal pancakes that I saw made on a Cook's Country TV show.  I love cornmeal in anything but they commented that some people don't like it because of the grittiness.  Arthur has some of those feelings, but he loved these pancakes.  I also wanted to post the recipe because usually after the season is over the recipes are no longer available.  I know because I've tried saving them before without success. Ingredients 1 3/4 cups buttermilk 1 1/4 cups cornmeal 2 tablespoons butter 3/4 cups flour 2 tablespoons sugar 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs   Directions 1. Whisk together 1 1/4 cups buttermilk and cornmeal. Stir in butter and microwave for 90 seconds stirring once during the cooking.  Stir, cover and let sit for 5 minutes. 2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Beat eggs and remain...

This is the first of a couple of sweet potato recipes that I want to post.  We've been getting some great sweet potatoes in our winter CSA share.  This recipe is from our CSA website (Driftless Organics) and is excellent because it makes a great complete meal with some good cornbread. 2 Tbsp. oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 jalapeno pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 red pepper, chopped (can be frozen) 1 green pepper, chopped (can be frozen) 1 tsp. each cumin & coriander seed 1 tsp. chili powder 1 tsp. chipotle powder (optional, but good) ¼ tsp. each mace and cinnamon 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed 1 can (15 oz.) black beans with liquid 1 can (15 oz.) red, kidney, or pinto beans 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced or crushed tomatoes with liquid OR 2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes 1 cup water, tomato juice, or chicken broth Sour cream and cilantro for garnish In soup pot, heat oil and add onions. Sauté until golden; add ja...

This is a copycat recipe for the soup served at Olive Garden where it is described as a soup of spicy sausage, fresh kale and russet potatoes in a creamy broth.  I made a few adaptations to the many recipes that I found online.  It is a delicious soup which could probably be made a bit more healthy but that's up to you if you decide to try it. Ingredients 1# bulk Italian sausage 2 slices bacon 1 cup yellow onions, diced 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 (32 oz.) container chicken broth (4 cups) 4 cups potatoes (no need to peel) cut into large cubes 4 cups chopped kale 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 1/2 cup heavy cream (or substitute 1/2 and 1/2--it just won't be quite as rich) Garnish: shredded Parmesan cheese Directions Roughly chop the kale.  First remove the stems which are very tough and don't get tender.  I know because I tried cooking kale one time without doing this.  I have not repeated that exp...

We got one of these lovely red squashes in one of our CSA boxes from Driftless Organics.  They grow lots of great squash which I'm very pleased about since winter squash is one of my favorite vegetables.  There are a lot of varieties and the red kuri is one of the prettiest and very tasty as well.  I found this recipe for a Thai Green Curry and decided it was a worthy use of my squash.  If you go to the original website you can see pictures of the curry.  http://carpeseason.com/thai-green-curry-with-red-kuri-squash/   I'm not sure mine was quite as pretty but I think it tasted just as good.  I'm sure you could substitute other varieties of winter squash such as butternut with good results. Ingredients 1 tbsp. olive oil 1/2-3/4 cup of sliced onions, red or yellow 1 Anaheim pepper, cut into thin slices (flash-frozen bell peppers would also work well) 5-6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2-in. piece of fresh ginger, peeled and g...