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Easy (and Delicious) Blueberry Crumble
This week we had quite a treat in our co-op basket, blueberries! Native only to North America, blueberries are considered a “super food.” With high levels of manganese, dietary fiber and vitamins C, B6 and K, this fruit makes a wonderful addition to any healthy diet.
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
Crumble:
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
Dash of salt
Place berries in buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle ¼ cup of sugar over berries. To make crumble mix sugar, butter, flour and salt in a bowl with a fork until well mixed. Crumble dough over blueberries. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 – 35 minutes, or until topping is golden brown. My favorite way to serve this scrumptious delight is warm with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
Blueberry Tip:
To freeze fresh blueberries:
Place berries on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer until berries are frozen. Transfer berries to freezer containers. Rinse berries before use. Do not rinse berries before freezing.
Easy Forelle Tart – Sweet Juicy Little Pears
Another little gem we received from the co-op were Forelle pears. These little treasures are perfect treats as a snack or in lunches, edible centerpieces or dessert recipes.
The Forelle adapts well to most pear recipes, the sweet, smooth textured fruit is as beautiful as it is delicious. Another heirloom fruit from the 1600’s it made it’s way from Germany to the United States in the 1800s through German immigrants.
Give this little treat a try; you’ll be glad you did!
Easy Forelle Tart
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, defrosted according to package directions
4-6 Forelle pears, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons orange juice (fresh works great, about ½ an orange worth)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the sheet of puff pastry on the prepared baking sheet. Arrange the pear slices on the puff pastry. Leave approximately 1/4-inch uncovered around the edges to create a border (this is optional, it depends on how you plan to serve it).
Combine melted butter, orange juice and brown sugar. Evenly drizzle the sugar mixture over the top of the pears. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pears are golden brown. Allow to cool before cutting. A pizza cutter works great for slicing into bite size pieces.
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Romanesco – A Fractal Food
One of the great things about belonging to a food co-op is the wide variety of fruits and vegetables we get to try.
With the latest offering through www.bountifulbaskets.org we had the opportunity to try a few new items, one was an heirloom vegetable from the 16thcentury called Romanesco, sometimes referred to as Romanesco Broccoli or Romanesco Cauliflower.
This member of the cauliflower family is commonly served in Italy and has a very mild cauliflower taste with a hint of broccoli.
Romanesco lends itself well to broccoli and cauliflower recipes and is very easy to prep for cooking because of the broccoli like stems on the florets. Romanesco is high in vitamin C, fiber and carotenoids. Served raw this vegetable makes a healthy and delicious finger food (as well as a great conversation piece).
My family and I added it to our dinner vegetable tray with the usual dips. It was a big hit with the entire group, everyone raved about the mild flavor and interesting shape.
The shape is very unique, several people at the co-op pick-up site commented on how it looked like something from the old TV show Star Trek. Each piece is a duplicate of the whole, repeating the pattern several times. This creates a fractal pattern making it somewhat of an anomaly and popular among the math minded.
I would love to see any Romanesco recipes you may have.
Thanks for sharing and I wish you adventurous and happy eating!
Kathy
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Frosted Cauliflower
I get compliments on this dish every time I serve it. It’s easy, delicious and a little different.
Yields: 5 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower (about 1.5 pounds)
½ cup of mayonnaise
1 ½ teaspoons prepared mustard
1 cup shredded cheddar or jack/Colby cheese
Directions:
- Remove leaves and woody stem from cauliflower and wash thoroughly, leave whole. Cook covered in a small amount of boiling salted water till tender, approximately 20 minutes. Drain well.
- Place cauliflower in 8x8x2 inch baking pan. Stir together mayonnaise and mustard. Spread over cauliflower. Top with shredded cheese.
- Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
Susan’s Chile Verde
This is a great staple around our house. If you like your chile spicey add your favorite hot peppers.
1 ½ lbs boneless pork cubed
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped roasted green chiles
1 lb tomatillo, husks removed and chopped
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 medium onion, diced
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Brown pork in a small amount of oil over high heat. Add chiles and tomatillos, cover and simmer over low heat for 2 hours. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for an additional 2 hours. Check every 30 minutes and add water as necessary. Serve hot with warm tortillas or over rice, refried beans make a nice side dish.
Apple-Curry Sauce
This is one of my favorite curry sauces, it’s easy and you can serve it over rice just like it is, or add chicken or pork for a terrific meat dish.
2 teaspoons of your favorite curry powder
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (approximately 2 cups)
½ cup finely chopped onions
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons of sugar (optional – if you like a sweeter curry add the sugar)
2 ½ cups whole milk or light cream
Sauté curry powder in butter for 1 minute. Stir in apples and onion. Cook covered till apples and onion are tender. Stir in flour. Add milk mixture all at once. Add sugar. Stir and cook over medium heat till thickened and bubbling. Continue stirring and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.
Kathy’s Favorite Banana Bread/Muffins
This bread smells great and is a yummy treat! It’s the best Banana Bread recipe I’ve come across. It also makes good use of our regular supply of delicious bananas through the Co-op.
Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup vegetable oil ½ teaspoon salt
3 mashed ripe bananas ½ cup chopped pecans (more if desired)
1 ½ cups white sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray one 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with
non-stick spray coating or prepare muffin pans using foil baking
cups (foil cups work best).
2. Blend together the eggs, buttermilk, oil and bananas.
3. Sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to banana
mixture and stir in pecans. Mix well.
4. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or
until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Muffins will
take considerably less time, approximately 20 – 30 minutes.
Brisket with Mushroom Gravy
This is a great beef recipe to serve over rice or noodles. The meat is so tender it practically melts in your mouth. Served with a little horseradish it also makes great shredded beef sandwiches.
1 (3 ½ – 4 lb.) brisket
2 cans cream mushroom soup
1 large onion chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons beef bullion
Salt and pepper to taste
Wash and dry brisket. Rub with salt and pepper. Place brisket (fat side up) on heavy-duty foil, enough to wrap sufficiently. Mix soup, onion, garlic and beef bullion in small bowl. Pour mixture over brisket. Seal foil securely, place in baking pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 3 hours. Remove meat and slice, return to gravy. Serves 6 to 9 people.
Our Favorite Pancakes
1 egg
1 ¼ cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted shortening
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Blend egg, milk and oil. Blend dry ingredients together. Add to liquids. Mix until flour is moistened; do not over mix. Set aside while you heat griddle or frying pan, lightly oil if necessary. Ladle batter onto hot surface. Turn pancakes as soon as they are puffed and full of bubbles, before bubbles break. Brown on other side. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.