Wednesday, February 1, 2017

GF Hushpuppies!



Gluten-Free Hushpuppies
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

         1 Cup Fine Cornmeal (GOYA)
         ½ Cup Better Batter Gluten-free Flour
         1 Large Egg
         1½ to 2 cups Redbarn Real Buttermilk
         1 tsp. Baking Soda
         ½ tsp. Kosher or Sea Salt
         1 TB. Sugar
         1 Cup Minced Roasted Vegetables, (I used both sweet and hot peppers)
          
        2 cups Peanut oil for frying

Instructions
        
        Toss flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking soda and minced veggies together in a bowl.

         Add egg and 1 cup buttermilk to the dry ingredients.

            Stir well. Add more liquid as necessary to create a slightly thick batter.

        Heat oil over medium heat to approximately 350 degrees (about medium high).

        Test the batch. Drop one rounded teaspoonful into oil.

Fry until golden brown.  Remove, drain on paper towels, taste.

Adjust for salt. They should be fluffy and cooked through. 

         Serve with mayonnaise and Sriracha, or Thousand Island dressing.

                  

Monday, October 24, 2016

Honey-roasted Pears

Honey-roasted Pears with Boucher Blue Cheese
Back in the day, my parents would pop the kids into their avocado-green wood paneled station wagon and drive to visit my Mom’s sister Martha’s place on Hardscrabble Hill Road in Milton.

Her husband, Ted could make pancakes in the shape of rocking horses, and showed us how to “slop” the pigs.

They had a structure full of baled hay just up the hill to the left, a sweet pony that could be ridden without saddle or bridle, and a mental German Shepherd that would run full bore around the perimeter of the house. No grass grew in the path that he created. 

This was where I first saw a Bartlett tree in fruit.

It was old and very large (or maybe I was just very small).

I remember eating fresh pears as being a big juicy mess, but I don’t recall any ways to cook with them.

Fresh Pears 
In any event, I now have my own fruit trees!

This recipe for roasted pear goes well with a few wedges of strong and salty blue cheese or extra-aged cheddar.  Try them hot with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Honey-roasted Pears with Blue Cheese
 Honey-Roasted Pears

Serves 4-6

4-6 Fresh Pears, halved and cored
1 ½ TB Butter (I used our farm’s Redbarn Butter)
¼ Cup of Honey (Caledonia Spirits recommended)

Preheat oven to 300f.

Place pears in a pan, cut side up.

Drizzle with slightly warmed butter and honey.

Roast 15-20 minutes, until pears soften.

Serve with the pan sauce







Monday, September 19, 2016

Gluten-free Pork and Beef Pelmini dumplings

Boucher Farm Beef and Pork Dumplings

Confession: homemade gluten-free pasta keeps me from feeling totally dumpling deprived.

In contrast to the GF bread recipes I’ve tried - which, I firmly believe were created from sadness, disappointment, and angel tears - because that’s what I taste when I eat a sandwich.

Let me introduce you to pelmini, the Russian version of tortellini.

The filling is basic and meaty, made more interesting by including wild mushrooms.

I tested the dough recipe three ways: one batch made using two cups of buckwheat flour, another with millet, and the commercial blend with no additional flours. 

Pure GF Pillsbury won for being easiest to roll out.

I preferred the flavor of the millet dumplings, though they required a more gentle hand.  The buckwheat dumplings were a bit too tough at the given proportions.

Additional Notes:

All bummers can be mended with egg wash and a scrap of dough over the tear; and the binders are necessary in case the dumpling blows up during cooking – the filling will remain inside, instead of spilling out into the broth.

If you don’t walk the woods to forage, try seeking out Cranberry Bob Lesnikowski’s booth at the Burlington Farmer’s Market. * 

* Summer Market runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays from Mother’s Day to Halloween in City Hall Park and on St. Paul Street, which is closed to vehicles while in use.  Cranberry Bob is next to the “Hamburger Guy”, Tyler Webb.  Follow your nose! His booth makes me hungry!

Dumplings in Broth
Gluten-free Pelmini (Russian-style tortellini)
Adapted from Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook (Hank Shaw)
Makes 25-50, depending on size


Dumpling Filling

1 Cup Sautéed Mushrooms (I used Hen of The Woods)
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 lb. Ground Pork
1 Cup Grated Onion
2 Eggs
¼ Cup Minced Garlic
2 tsp. Kosher or Sea Salt
1 TB Black Flake Pepper
1 tsp. Xanthan Gum or ¼ Cup Bread Crumbs*

Mix until cohesive. Cook a sample and adjust seasoning.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Boucher Farm Pork and Beef Pelmini Dumpling Progress

MAKE IT EASY: If you can tolerate gluten, use wonton wrappers instead of making fresh pasta dough.

GF Pelmini made with Boucher Farm Meat

Gluten-free Pasta Dough 

2 Cups Pillsbury Gluten-free Flour, plus additional for rolling out.
2 Cups Millet Flour
2 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 Cup Buttermilk
5 Eggs
1 Egg Yolk (reserve the white for sealing dumplings)

Mix dry ingredients together. Create a well in the center and add wet ingredients. Mix with a fork, drawing in flour from the sides until dough forms.

Knead a few times until smooth.  You may have to add more buttermilk or flour.

Wrap in plastic and leave on the counter for 40 minutes, then refrigerate for an hour.  Well-chilled dough is easier to roll out.


Dumpling Directions

Divide dough into 8 pieces.  Work with one piece at a time and keep the remainder covered.

Flour surface and roll out dough to the thickness of corrugated cardboard, dusting with flour as necessary to prevent sticking.

Cut circles 3-inches in diameter. *

Place 1-2 tsp. of filling in the center.

Paint edges with egg white, and form a half moon by folding the dough over. (Triangle shape if using wonton wrappers).

Paint one edge of the dumpling with whites and draw both points toward the center of the opposite side (see photo).

Pinch ends together and set on a lightly floured sheet pan.

Continue with remaining dough.

These may be covered and refrigerated for several hours, or frozen on the pan and transferred to a plastic bag for storage.

*Dough scraps do not re-roll well. Cut into ribbons for raggedy pasta.
 
Raggedy GF Pasta
Tip: excess filling can be made into meatballs.


Cooking Instructions

Gently simmer enough water or stock to cover, add the number of dumplings desired (frozen is okay). This is a slow method because tender gluten-free handmade pasta tends to break at high boil.

When they float, let them cook for two minutes more, turning if necessary. The dough color lightens when done.

Remove to a serving dish and keep warm.

Drizzle with a reduction of the cooking stock and/or melted butter.