Thayer in the Kitchen

This might be surprising considering how unlovely our weather in Madison, WI has been this weekend. It turns out though with a great speaker on gardens you can feel like you're out there doing garden activities. This actually for me as the best kind of gardening. I just like the stuff you get from your garden not doing the work. OK, to explain this event--Saturday, April 24, the Madison Herb Society and Olbrich Gardens cosponsored Jim Long, Herb Companion writer, lecturer, and nationally renown herbalist to come to Madison to present a slide show/demonstration entitled "Eat Your Landscape." This is a link to Jim's website: http://www.longcreekherbs.com/ and also his blog: http://jimlongsgarden.blogspot.com/ . Preceding the talk was an herbal potluck brunch for MHS members. And preceding this on Friday night, the MHS board members gathered at the president's home for a pizza party with Jim. The president made all the pizza crusts and supplied all the toppings. We...

This is my favorite recipe for roast potatoes. Butter Mountain Potatoes has the best potatoes in the Madison area! They sell their potatoes at the Dane County Farmers Market. They have a booth at the indoor farmers market in the senior center all winter long as well as at the outdoor market on the square. They have a wonderful variety of potatoes, probably 8-10 at any one time. Besides the great variety, John and his brother and son are extremely knowledgeable. Just tell them what potato dish you're planning to make and they'll tell you what kind of potatoes you need. Now that you have some great potatoes or even if yours are just some ordinary grocery-store potatoes, this recipe will make all of them taste super. I frequently double this recipe, especially if I'm preparing the dish for more than just Arthur and myself. 1/8 cup olive oil (2 tablespoons) 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed 1/2 teaspoon...

I bought some mustard greens and some other greens which are similar to bok choy according to the farmer at the market. They were so fresh and tasty--I could have eaten all myself! They really cook down, so don't be put off with the original quantity of raw greens. 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbsp olive oil 1/2-1 pound mustard greens or other greens, washed and torn into large pieces 2 to 3 Tbsp chicken broth or vegetable broth 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil In a large sauté pan, sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat until the onions begin to brown and caramelize, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute more, until fragrant. Add the mustard greens and broth and cook until the mustard greens are just barely wilted. Toss with sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper. Adapted from Simply Recipes, a food blog

This is a very flexible as well as quick recipe. Amounts aren't very important. Other ingredients can be added if you wish. I have frozen homemade pesto that I made with my basil last summer and wanted to use. I brought the spinach at the first farmers' market of the season and decided to add to the recipe. The original one didn't call for it. 1 1/2 packages of 1# rolls of polenta, cut in 1/4 inch slices Bottled pasta sauce, I used Muir Glen Italian Herb Pasta Sauce (24 oz.) 1/4 cup pesto 2-3 cups shredded or torn raw spinach (optional) 1/4 cup pine nuts 1-2 cup shredded mozzarella or other milk melty cheese Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9 inch square pan with non-stick spray. Arrange a single layer of polenta in the bottom of the pan. Spread a thin layer of pesto over the polenta slices. Top with shredded raw spinach if using. Then spoon half the sauce over the spinach. Next top with another layer of polenta and sauce. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Turn on the ...

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...