Hillsdale Farmers’ Market Feed Me Fresh FREE Cooking Classes

Posted on May 13, 2012 by

For the past 2 years, I have been teaching cooking basics in a little booth at the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market.  Once a month the first year, then twice a month the second.  This year, Hillsdale Farmers’ Market will host free weekly culinary classes, thanks to a very forward-thinking market manager & community-minded market board, enthusiastic class participants (several showed up throughout the season for every class last year!), encouraging Farmer & artisan vendor support through conversation, produce, & products, and a generous donation from SweetWares.  I’m simply thrilled.

The mission of The Farmer’s Feast is to cultivate domestic culinary arts.  I believe that one of the best ways to do this is to offer instruction and classes free of charge to anyone who wishes to participate.  The best venue is the Farmers’ Market, where the food is freshest & most nutrient-dense, raised passionately & sustainably, and with few, if any, chemicals.  The Farmers’ Market is also a place where you can develop a relationship with the person who grows your food, which is extremely important, given the mystery that shrouds our industrial food supply (i.e. GMOs, pink slime, arsenic-fed chickens, etc.).

The primary focus of these classes is cooking basics, in order to develop a skill set that can be applied to all of the local bounty.  Because the audience ranges from beginner cooks to those who are more advanced, we use the basics as a springboard, expanding the lesson and branching out to encompass more professional techniques, and old-world from-scratch processes.

To teach these classes, I draw on my formal training, 24 years of professional culinary experience in fine dining & catering, my experience as a mother of a young child, 20+ years of preserving foods at home, and the wonderful relationship that I have with local Farmers, Fishermen, Cheesemakers, & Food Artisans.  At heart, I am a frugal cook, trained by very successful restauranteurs that it is disrespectful to the people who raise your food & to the food itself to be wasteful…plus every penny counts (one of these days, I’ll tell a tale of staff meals of offal & fish heads).  All of these aspects work their way into the classes.

The season kick-off coincided with Hillsdale Farmers’ Market’s Opening Day last Sunday.  It was a bustling market, brimming with energy & enthusiasm, and there was a good turnout for the first class.  Knife skills basics was an apropos warm-up class, and this week, I’m ready to take on Scary Foods.  Below is a season schedule.  Find a topic that interests you and stop by for  a bit, or pull up a chair and stay for the entire process.  Or “enroll” for the season and take advantage of free education.

I do hope to see you at the market!

Hillsdale Farmers’ Market
Feed Me Fresh Cooking Series
Class Schedule

Sundays 11 am – 1 pm

May 6
Knife Skills & Mise en Place
Two essential keys in making everyday cooking more manageable – sharp knives & having “everything in its place”.  For the season kick-off, we’ll start at the beginning, with some kitchen basic how-tos.  How to hold, hone, & wield a knife, plus various vegetable cuts (dice, baton, julienne, chiffonade).

Herb talk – gardening is underway and herb starts are available from several market vendors; there are serious payback benefits to getting some herbs in the ground.  Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions & provide planting tips.

May 13
Scary Foods – Part 1
We’ll explore the culinary possibilities of intriguing market finds.  Be prepared to try things that can sting, poison, and cause general nervousness when one is contemplating their culinary uses.

May 20
Cooking for the Week
The weather is warming and we want more time outside!  Cook once and eat through the week by making meals that evolve, becoming much more than “leftovers”.  Plus ease the pressure of busy weeknight suppers with meals that freeze.

May 27
Whole Fish – How to Filet It, Store It, Cook It, Cure It
Fileting a fish is a skill that can be very beneficial to your food budget.  Take advantage of the price of whole fish & process it yourself.  Throw nothing away – frugality with fishes will lead to tasty dishes!  Recipes for bellies, bones, scraps, & fish heads provided.

June 3
Getting off the Bottle – Salad Dressing From Scratch
From basic vinaigrettes, to green goddess, to creamy blue cheese & ranch, salad dressings are a cinch to whip up in a snap.  Forget the fillers, preservatives, and additives – do it yourself simply & naturally, and do justice to your Farmers’ Market veggies!

June 10
Cheese-Making
Ricotta, Mascarpone, Mozzarella, Paneer, Farmer’s Cheese
Watch milk transform right before your eyes as I demonstrate basic cheese-making techniques.

June 17
Meat Curing
Bacon, Ham, Guanciale, and Lardo are simple and safe to cure at home.  This demo will guide the audience through the process of salting, brining, and curing.

June 24
Sausage-Making
Seasoned ground meat.  Sounds easy, no?  Basic sausage really is that easy, as long as you follow a few guidelines.
The second half of the demo will focus on stuffing sausage meat into casings, cooking, and storing.  Plus recipes for using fresh sausage.

July 1
Kid Snacks (good for “kids at heart”, too!)
Fruit Leather, Toaster Pastries, Homemade Gelatin Dessert, Hummus, Nut Butter, Pudding
Cook healthy snacks for & with your little ones – Parents are encouraged to bring along the kids.  There will be snacks, and coloring sheets to work on while we entertain the parents!

July 8
Quick Pickles
Refrigerator pickles and processed pickles that come together quickly are the focus of this demo.  Make quick pickles and enjoy them right away.

July 15
summer break – no class

July 22
Salsas & Condiments
Simple accompaniments to compliment your meal.  Add spice, zing, & flavor to grilled or roasted meats & vegetables.  Top soups, stews, or bruschetta with a spoonful of intense flavor.  Throw together a stellar cheese plate for your dinner guests.  Or whip up spectacular sandwiches.  It’s easy once you have a stash of condiments in your fridge or on your pantry shelf!

July 29
Raw Foods Primer
It’s a hot food trend…and speaking of hot, it’s too hot to cook in the kitchen!  Not to mention all the health benefits of a raw-foods diet.  We’ll make some fun, fresh, tasty treats using glorious market produce.  No stove required.

August 5
Pantry Stocking
We all seem to be doing more for ourselves these days – why not update your pantry with market-fresh staples?  Invest a little time, and in return, save money by making your own fancy pantry items.  Flavored vinegar, salt, & sugar.  Dried mushrooms.  Vanilla extract.  Mustard.  Mayonnaise.  Crackers.  Hot sauce.  Chile flakes.  Dried herbs.  Spiced nuts.  Pancake, biscuit, cornbread, & cake mixes.
We’ll squeeze in as many recipes as will fit in the day’s pantry!

August 12
Preserving the Harvest
Learn the basics of home canning.  We’ll make jam from start to finish using fresh Farmers’ Market fruit and the waterbath canning method.  Tips, techniques, and terminology.  A great tutorial for anyone who wants to start canning.
The second half of the class will focus on ways to use your preserves.  Don’t worry – if you’re not a jam-on-toast connoisseur, we’ll explore different avenues for all those jars of sweet fruit in your pantry.

August 19
“Opposite Day”
Fun recipes that use sweet foods in savory ways (melon pasta sauce), and savory foods in sweet ways (Moroccan sweet tomatoes).  Sound weird?  Maybe, but so is the thought of carrot cake…and that’s delicious!

April 26
Tomato Festival
Today, we collaborate with Hillsdale Farmers’ Market’s Annual Tomato Festival, presenting a multitude of tomato recipes & uses.  Tomatoes are one of the most versatile foods.  They can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, beverages, even dessert!

September 2
The Gluten-Free Guest
We all know someone who is not eating gluten – either as a long-term dietary commitment, or perhaps to give the body a respite from gluten for a time.  In this class, we’ll explore ways to adjust recipes that traditionally call for gluten, and discover dishes from cuisines that are naturally gluten-free.

September 9
Bento Box Lunch
Back to school means homework for parents – making school lunches that are both healthy and appreciated by kids (so they will actually eat it!).
The bento box is a great way to include a variety of foods, and what could be more fun than a treasure-box lunch with different compartments to discover?!

September 16
Fermenting Foods
The air is cooling, the cabbages are beginning to appear at the market, and winter is long and dark.  Squirrel away a taste of fleeting summer by fermenting some of the harvest.  Fermented foods are splendid for the digestion, and taste delicious.  We’ll make sauerkraut & apple-scrap vinegar, and talk about fermenting basics.  Help with the demo and take home a quart of kraut-starter to ferment at home!

September 23
Three Thrifty Meals
Frugality in the kitchen does not equal meager or humdrum.  Market-fresh dinners that satisfy the palate, nutritional needs, & the budget.

October 7
Odd Cuts
Just because it’s not a loin or a chop is no reason to turn your nose up on those odd cuts!  Harder working muscle can be some of the tastiest…once seasoned & tenderized through slow-cooking.  And even the oddest offal can be delightful with proper cooking techniques.  Join us at this demo as we make friends with odds & ends!

October 14
Meat Braising Primer
Learn the basics of a moist, flavorful braise.  Slow-cooking is key.  As is using the right cut.  We’ll simmer a basic stew, and prepare a larger cut to cook whole.

October 21
Mexican Mole
Toasting, grinding, soaking, frying.  Ingredients, technique, patience.  Observe the process of making mole, a beautiful ritual for festive occasions.

October 28
Scary Foods 2
A fall follow-up to our May Scary Foods demo.  We’ll demystify mysterious market finds…by cooking and eating them!  Bring your adventurous spirit.  And remember…it wasn’t long ago that tomatoes were considered a scary food!

November 4
Party Appetizers
Hors d’oeuvres, canapés, dips.  Easy entertaining ideas for the holidays ahead.

November 11
No-Bake Desserts
There’s a giant turkey in the oven and you need a dessert – what to do?!  No-bake desserts; a non-traditional, but fun alternative that will delight your guests.

November 18
Holiday Side Dishes
We’ll shop the market and whip up unique side dishes for your feast.  Easy enough for every-day, yet festively flavored.  Sides worthy of gracing your holiday table.

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Portland Monthly Magazine – Best Of The City!

Posted on May 8, 2012 by

Featured in the May 2012 issue of Portland Monthly Magazine is a recipe by Chef Kathryn of The Farmer’s Feast.  Seasonal ingredient #4 – pea shoots, with spring salmon, lemon cream, & fresh fettuccine.

Pick it up at the newsstand, or read the article online here.

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Salted Citrus

Posted on April 19, 2012 by

Lemon tree very pretty
and the lemon flower is sweet
but the fruit of the poor lemon
is impossible to eat….

Someone should have given Peter, Paul, & Mary a box of salt!

Gus Eberhardt is a Family Farmer with an eccentric flair.
(that description basically sums up my favorite kind of farmer!)

I can’t help but ponder, “Gus, you live in Oregon…your farm is named “Raynblest”…do you really feel it’s prudent to grow cactus paddles, lemongrass, tropical fruits, and citrus?!”

Apparently so.  For what started as a hobby has grown (literally) into a branch of his business.  While honey, prunes, eggs, and bee-products remain the mainstay of the farmstand’s wares, the tropical offerings are rapidly gaining popularity.

As the citrus season wanes, vernal vegetables spring forth.  The segue of seasons offers opportune pairings.  Lemony hollandaise with asparagus, for example.  Citrus flavors compliment & heighten the minerally-tasting grassy greens (spinach, dandelion, nettles), offer a refreshing contrast to rich proteins (like lamb & salmon), and cut through sweet desserts to heighten fruit flavors (lemon curd or cake with fresh strawberries). They are light and bright, like spring itself – even the colors reflect the Easter palate, mimicking bright yellow, green, and orange-colored holiday eggs & daffodils.

One of my favorite things to do with lemons, and now rangpur limes (thanks, Gus, for introducing me to this intriguing fruit), is to preserve them through salting.

Salting citrus, a technique that both changes the characteristics of the fruit, and extends their season, is one of the easiest preservation methods.  No sterilizing, no waterbath or pressure canning, no cooking – and just 2 ingredients; salt & citrus.

And how does one use their salted citrus?  Traditionally, preserved lemons are added to Moroccan tagines, as in this recipe for Spicy Potato Tagine with Preserved Lemon & Olives from Paula Wolfert.  Beyond tagines, they are quite versatile.  Use preserved lemons & salted limes in dishes where you want a unique citrus flavor, and a salt-seasoning (the saltiness should come through in a dish as it does when you use capers or olives – complimenting with salty bites, but not overwhelming the other ingredients).  I finely chop the salted citrus and add it to salads, like the one with goat feta and crisp crackers I’ve given the recipe for below, or the one on this blog post, with fennel & apple.  You can also add a bit to crab salad or tuna salad, or to salsa verde to top fish or chicken.  Paired with tarragon, it’s lovely with chicken – paired with mint & oregano, it brightens and enhances the flavors of roast lamb or grilled chops.  Adding a bit to a fish en papillote (parchment-wrapped fish) scents & seasons the protein, as well as whatever vegetables you’ve nestled in there.

Here are several more ideas:

  • I love a bit of preserved lemon or lime thrown into spinach or greens that I’m sautéing.
  • One could easily tuck a few slices under the skin of a chicken before roasting, or add slices to a braise or fricassee.
  • Steam broccoli or roast cauliflower, then toss the cooked vegetables into a bowl with a bit of chopped preserved citrus, olives, capers, fresh herbs (lots of parsley), and even hard-cooked egg for added interest to routine veggies.
  • salmon or tuna tartare,
  • quick tomato sauce,
  • olive relish,
  • deviled eggs,
  • rice pilaf

…I could go on and on spouting ideas.  These lemons are inspiring!

Gus’ story & farming practices are interesting, so I’ll follow-up this post with an interview with the Farmer, and more about his citrus that he brings to market.

Raynblest Farm will have citrus for the next month, as the harvest wanes.  Extend the season easily with this recipe:

Salted Citrus

I used Raynblest Farm’s Meyer Lemons to make a jar of sprightly scented preserved lemons, and Rangpur Limes (a naturally occurring hybrid between a lemon & a mandarin orange) for a unique alternative to the typical preserved lemons.

Start by giving the citrus a good scrub.  I use a soft vegetable brush and warm water.  The scent that rises up as you scrub is soothing – a perk of the process!

Trim both ends, the stem end & the nub.

Stand the fruit on its end and slice down, not quite all the way, so that it is still attached at the bottom.  Do this again, making a perpendicular slice, so that you have cut and X and the fruit is now divided into 4 sections, but still intact at the base.  The fruit at this point is reminiscent, to me, of one of those paper fortune-telling games from grade school.

Choose a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid (make sure the jar is clean – sterilizing is unnecessary – but you can if you want to).  Add a layer of salt (about a tablespoon or two).  Use Kosher salt.  Sea salt is said to work as well, but I’ve heard people comment that the end result can be a little slimy when sea salt is used.

Open each lemon or lime over a bowl and pour about a tablespoon of salt into the cuts (a little more with a larger lemon, perhaps a little less with a smaller lime).  Pack the fruit into the jar as you go, fitting them tightly together.  Between each layer of citrus, sprinkle a layer of salt (about a tablespoon or so – use the salt that spills into the bowl).  Fill the jar, forcing them in if necessary.  Top off the jar with another tablespoon of salt.  Close the lid.

On the subject of lids – I prefer a plastic or glass lid to the metal screw bands, which will rust and weep when it reacts to the salt.  Plastic lids (be sure to choose BPA-free) are perfect for re-sealing high-acid preserves like salted citrus, as well as opened jars of pickles, relish, & vinegar.

Place the jar on the counter and let it sit for 3 days, turning the jar and giving it a good shake at least twice a day to distribute the salt and encourage the juices to seep out of the fruit (I place my jar in a convenient location and give it a turn whenever I walk by, maybe a half-dozen times a day.  I enjoy it – I get to appreciate the progress firsthand without a lot of effort.).  If the citrus is not giving off a lot of juice, open the lid and give the fruit a press to help things along.

On the fourth day, the juice should be over the fruit.  If not, top off the jar with fresh juice (bottled juice will affect the flavor & make the preserves cloudy).  Place the jar in the refrigerator & wait.  One month.

While you are waiting, the lemons will transform, absorbing the salt and softening.  Their rinds and pith will lose most of their bitterness, and the flavor will become more complex.  You can try them earlier in the process, but they will be sharper, more bitter, than if you wait.

You can then use the salty preserve as-is.  Just remove a lemon or lime, or a section, from the jar (with a utensil, to keep from introducing bacteria from hands), and chop.  Or if they are too salty for your liking, give them a rinse or a little soak in cold water.

Preserved citrus will keep, refrigerated, for, well, a long time.  I’ve had my first batch for a year, and they are better than 6 months ago.  Officially, I’d say 6 months to a year, to be safe, but as long as they are fresh-smelling and not slimy or moldy, they are good to go.
(Note -  You want to be sure that the liquid level is high enough to cover the citrus in the jar.)

Three Quick Preserved Citrus Recipes

Gathered Greens with Preserved Lemon, Goat Feta, & Lavash Crackers

serves 4

4 oz. tender salad greens (soft spring wild greens work especially well – try a mix of miner’s lettuce, amaranth, purslane, watercress, & chickweed)
1 1/2 tsp. fruity vinegar, such as raspberry or Blossom Vinegars loganberry vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
several grindings of black pepper
1 tsp. chopped preserved lemon
2 oz. goat feta (Alsea Acres goat feta is my favorite local feta), or substitute sheep’s milk feta
lavash crackers – recipe found here

Place the greens in a bowl.  Sprinkle in the vinegar and drizzle in the olive oil.  Toss to coat the greens with the dressing.  Add the black pepper & preserved lemon and toss gently.  Divide the salad amongst 4 chilled plates.  Crumble the feta over the salad.  Stick the crackers into the salad and serve immediately.  With a crisp chenin blanc, if desired.

Salad of Dungeness Crab
 with Preserved Meyer Lemon, Salted Rangpur Lime,
 Samphire, & Soft Herbs

serves 4

8 oz. Dungeness crab meat
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
2 tsp. champagne vinegar, or a fruity vinegar such as raspberry
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh soft herbs, such as tarragon, fennel fronds, parsley, dill, chervil, plus more whole leaves for garnish
2 tsp. chopped fresh chives, plus chives cut in 1 inch lengths for garnish
1 tsp. finely sliced preserved Meyer lemon
1 tsp. finely sliced salted rangpur lime
2 oz. fresh marsh samphire (aka salicornia or sea beans), broken into bite-size pieces
tender salad greens
roasted golden beets with citrus marinade – recipe found here

Pick over the crab meat to ensure there are no shells.

Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, and olive oil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, keeping in mind that salty ingredients will be added to the salad.  Add the crab meat to the bowl, along with the chopped herbs, chives, chopped lemon, chopped lime, & half of the samphire.  Toss gently to combine.  Taste the crab salad and adjust seasonings.

Toss the tender salad greens with a spoonful of the citrus marinade from the beets, and divide amongst four plates.  Sprinkle the beets over the salad.  Top the greens with the crab salad.  Garnish with the remaining samphire, several chive sticks, and fresh herb leaves.

Crisp Beet Salad with Preserved Lemons

serves 4

I wrote this recipe for a packet of recipe note cards produced by the Portland Farmers’ Market.  The recipe on the card has 2 raw vegetable salads (one is a shredded carrot salad with za’atar & yogurt dressing, the other grated raw beets & preserved lemon) that are served atop a bed of greens.  This is the beet salad included in the recipe card.

2 cups peeled & shredded (or grated) fresh raw beets
2 tsp. finely chopped preserved lemon
2 tsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 tsp. white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
a small handful of watercress per person
freshly ground black pepper

Combine the beets, preserved lemon, orange juice, vinegar, and olive oil, and toss to combine.  Taste and add salt, if needed, and a grinding of pepper.  Plate the beet salad atop the greens.  Serve immediately.

And what to listen to when you’re shaking your lemons?

Why Lemon Tree Song, of course!

…or perhaps The Lemon Song…if you really need to get the juices flowing!

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Congratulations to the Springwater Farm 3rd Annual Truffle Haiku Contest Winner!

Posted on February 24, 2012 by

Drum roll, please…

and the winner is…

Truffles are like men -
covered in dirt and smelly,
but in a good way.

Congratulations, Christie!

Your haiku made us laugh – and though we are sentimental souls, tending toward the poems embedded with romantic gestures, sometimes a playful jest gets our goose…and you get the golden prize!

Tell her what she’s won….

(Resonating announcer voice) -  For delighting us with your haiku, you’ve just won a Farmer’s Market Lunch courtesy of Springwater Farm.  Dine on farm-fresh fare in the ambiance of an open-air market, surrounded by happy market-goers.  Springwater Farm’s Chef Kathryn has prepared a 3-course lunch (or breakfast) for you with your choice of soup, entrée, & dessert, served with a bottomless cup of Red Reishi Tea of Immortality – you’ll want to live forever if every meal could be like this!

or

An assortment of Wild & Cultivated mushrooms & a package of Oregon Truffle Salt!

We REALLY enjoyed all the entries this year – so much talent!  Thank you everyone who submitted a haiku.  Honestly, it was a tough decision – we had several favorites.  I’m already looking forward to next year’s contest!

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The Secret is OUT!

Posted on February 20, 2012 by

Thank you, once again, to A Fork in the Road & blogger Lorraine for the words of deliciousness about their Springwater Farm lunch at Hillsdale Farmers’ Market.  Here’s the post:

Best kept secret – lunch at the farmers’ market

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Enter the 3rd Annual Springwater Farm Truffle Haiku Contest!

Posted on February 14, 2012 by

The rules are simple. 
Write a poem. 
The theme is truffles (the mushroom kind, not the chocolate kind). 
Make it a haiku (3 lines: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables). 

 

Enter your poem in the comments of this post (or drop it off at the Springwater Farmstand @ the Portland Farmers’ Market on February 18th or Hillsdale Farmers’ Market on February 19th – look for the pink, red, & white polka-dot box sitting on the table).  Also look for truffles - they will be on the table as well!

The contest ends February 21st & the only other stipulation is that prizes must be obtained at the Springwater Farm booth at one of the Farmers’ Markets where they vend.  Check The Farmers’ Feast February 23rd for the winning haiku!

Last year’s winner:

It was our first time
You and I unearthed much more
Now we search as one

To see more entries of contests past, look here.

The following is a post I wrote a while back for the Good Stuff NW blog.  It’s been a busy month with new winter Farmers’ Markets, and the Springwater Farm ready-to-eat venture at Portland Farmers’ Market & Hillsdale Farmers’ Market, so while I’d rather write some new material on the subject of truffles, for now, I’ll just re-hash what I’ve got (mmm…truffle & potato hash….).

Eat Something Sexy
a bit about truffles & a shopping/eating primer

It’s customary to give your love a box of chocolate truffles to express your feelings, but if you really want to woo her, offer a heart-shaped box of fungus instead.  I’m referring, of course, to that elusive and most coveted of mushrooms, the truffle.
A most enigmatic foodstuff, truffles are a source of mystery and lore.  They boldly give forth a scent that has lured both man and pig for centuries—a unique, ethereal odor of deep woods and musk that, to some, is overly pungent, or even repulsive.  But there is no denying our fascination with them.
Until quite recently, it was impossible to cultivate truffles with much success.  Despite recent revelations in the inoculation process (filbert trees can be inoculated with truffle spores that may then produce truffle “crops”), most truffles in Oregon are still hunted by skilled foragers who search them out, with or without the aid of dogs, in forests & orchards throughout the damp winter.  Their prize for hours spent digging in the dirt is the crown jewel of the mushroom world.

Working with Springwater Farm at several Farmers’ Markets, I’ve come to recognize two distinct sets of shoppers—those in the know about truffles and those that are curious but have no idea what to do with these peculiar savory-scented black and white orbs.  So I offer you a very basic truffle primer:

First: yes, truffles are a luxury, but a more affordable one.  Don’t be put off entirely by their price tag. They are lightweight, and each is powerfully perfumed.  A little goes a long way.

Look for truffles that are dry and have a pleasing scent.  A wet truffle is a sign that it is about to go to the dark side, with a very unpleasant, fetid odor soon to follow.

Truffles do grow underground, so a little earth can be expected.  Just shy away from specimens that are caked with dirt – you don’t want to pay a premium for soil.

Protect your investment.  Use truffles when they are at their peak.  Don’t wait.  Remember that dark side I mentioned?  Well, they tend to head fast into it once they’ve ripened.  If you aren’t ready to use them when they are ready to be used, just chop them up and add them to an amount of softened butter and season with salt.  You can then put the truffle butter in the freezer where it will keep for several months.

OK, you’ve found your source, they are ripe and ready, now what the heck do you do with these things?  Essentially, they are a finishing ingredient.  Shave them over a mushroom risotto or add a lump of truffle butter to good quality fettuccine, then shave a little truffle over the top.  Stir chopped truffle into scrambled eggs.  Truffles marry well with root vegetables, too.  Toss grated or very thin slices of truffle with hot cooked potato and butter or olive oil (or roasted roots such as rutabaga or parsnips), or stir chopped truffle into a cream of sunchoke or celery root soup.
Truffled popcorn is pretty decadent—toss hot popped corn with truffle butter and truffle salt (the salt is made by Norma Cravens when truffles are in season and is available at Springwater Farm).  I’ve included a couple of my favorite simple truffle recipes below.

Keep in mind that the most common faux pas with these earthy gems is to overheat them. Truffles, though pungent, are delicate beings. Their scent is accentuated by gentle warming, but is quickly destroyed by intense heat.

Truffled Shirred Egg with Soft Herbs

A shirred egg is a gently baked egg.  Truffles and soft herbs make this ordinary egg extraordinary.  Serve with a slice of good quality rustic country bread, such as ciabatta.

butter or truffle butter to coat the baking dish

1 egg

truffle salt or kosher salt

truffle (black or white)

a few soft herbs (small leaves of parsley, chervil, tarragon, and small sticks of chive)

Pre-heat oven to 350°.

Coat a very small baking dish with butter (the dish should just accommodate the cracked egg).  Crack the egg into the dish and season with truffle salt.  Place the dish in the oven and bake until the egg is just set (check after 5 minutes, keeping in mind that the egg will take a bit of time to begin cooking, but will then move along quite quickly).

Shave a generous amount of truffle over the egg, decorate with herbs and sprinkle with truffle salt.

Truffle Bruschetta   Adapted from Lidia Bastianich

2 thick slices rustic bread (such as ciabatta)

a black or white truffle

1/2 of an anchovy fillet (optional)

enough butter to blend into the truffle (about 2 Tbsp.), room temperature

truffle salt or kosher salt

Pre-heat the oven to 350°.

Lay the bread slices flat on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for about 4 minutes or so, turn the slices over and toast on the other side for about 4 minutes until they are light gold. Cool on a wire rack.

Brush the truffle clean with a kitchen towel or vegetable brush.  With a sharp vegetable peeler, a mandoline or a truffle slicer, shave off about a dozen slices of truffles onto a sheet of waxed or parchment paper.  Finely chop or grate the rest of the truffle (the fine holes of a box grater work well).  Put the butter and anchovy in a mini-food processor and pulse until smooth.  Fold in the grated truffle and season with truffle salt.

Spread the butter onto the toasted bread.  Garnish with the truffle slices and serve immediately.

Find more truffle recipes here.

I hope these recipe ideas prove inspirational – I look forward to your haiku!

And, just for fun, one more time…in haiku form:

The rules are simple –
write a poem, a haiku.
The theme is truffles.

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The Farmer’s Feast Follow-Up: Go Red Event

Posted on February 13, 2012 by

Ladies in red loving the salads, perky-cute reporters in slinky cocktail dresses, healthy tips & happy shoppers – a successful event!

And of course, I couldn’t have done it without the Farmers & local producers -
THANK YOU:

Ayers Creek - chicories
Springwater Farm - wild salad greens: miner’s lettuce & chickweed
Greenville Farms - bull’s blood beets
Gathering Together Farm - more beets
Osmogaia – cavalo nero kale
Raynblest Farm - meyer lemons
Old World Apples - apples
Blossom Vinegars - loganberry, apple-habanero, & blueberry-basil vinegars
Fraga Farm Goat Cheese - fromage blanc
Portland Creamery - goat fromage blanc

Click here for the chicory salad recipe 

For the beet salad recipe, click here.

To see a video clip from the “healthy eating” t.v. spot, visit The Farmer’s Feast on Facebook.

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