Category: Featured Recipe

Peach Dutch Baby Pancake

August 7, 2019
by Gary Huber

Peach Dutch Baby Pancake

A Dutch (or Deutsch as it was originally called by the Germans) baby pancake is not really a pancake in the sense that we Americans think of them – no pesky flipping and having it splatter or break. They're a puffy, oven baked, thin cake that's cooked in either a cast iron skillet (traditional and highly recommended) or a 9" x 13" casserole dish. This makes an amazing brunch, afternoon snack, or even dessert since it's slightly sweet. 

Want to switch it up even more? Once it's cooked, toss on a handful of fresh blueberries before serving!

Ingredients available at IFC:
Eggs,
Whole milk or heavy cream,
All-Purpose flour,
Butter,
Peaches,
Blueberries, Maple syrup or honey for serving
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Ingredients
  

  • 3 large or extra large eggs or 2 jumbo
  • 1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream
  • 3 TB butter
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Honey maple syrup, blueberries, powdered sugar, or whipped cream for serving

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add the butter to the cast iron skillet or casserole dish and place in the oven for a few minutes to melt the butter – careful not to let it brown.
  • While the oven is preheating, in a large bowl, blend the eggs, milk (or cream), and vanilla together. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir to blend. Swirl the melted butter around the pan to coat all sides, and pour the excess into the pancake mixture.
  • Thinly slice the peaches. Give the batter a final stir and pour into your buttered pan. Arrange peach slices on top.
  • Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, and then lower heat to 325 for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the pancake is completely cooked and golden brown on the edges.

Notes

Slice and serve immediately with additional butter, honey, maple syrup, powdered sugar, or whipped cream. You can also add fresh blueberries for extra burst of summer flavors.

30 Minute Meatloaf Muffins

July 25, 2019
by Gary Huber

30 Minute Meatloaf Muffins

Packable, portable meatloaf, and did we mention quick + easy? Because sometimes you really want meatloaf on a weeknight, but you don’t have time for the traditional loaf to bake for over an hour. Grab ground beef, bell pepper, onions, fresh herbs, eggs, and Dijon mustard for this local foods based recipe.
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Ingredients
  

  • Meatloaf:
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper optional
  • 2/3 cup plain breadcrumbs – can use either panko or regular depending on your preference
  • 7 TB ketchup
  • 1 dash hot sauce
  • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 7 TB finely chopped fresh parsley or 2 TB + 1 tsp dried parsley flakes
  • 2 large eggs lightly beaten
  • 3/4 tsp fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • Glaze:
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 1 TB light brown sugar packed
  • 1 TB Dijon mustard

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9 compartments of a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cut parchment paper or aluminum foil into 2″ wide strips and place one strip into each of the 9 muffin cups.
  • In a large bowl, combine the meatloaf ingredients, being careful not to over mix.
  • Divide the meatloaf mixture into 9 equal portions – I find a 1/3 cup ice cream scoop comes in very hand for this. Place the portions into the prepared muffin pan, leaving each one domed on top.
  • In a small bowl, mix the glaze ingredients, and brush over the meatloaf muffins.
  • Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before using the strips to lift out of the pan.

Notes

If you have leftovers, you put them on a parchment lined pan and freeze (as shown in the photo above) – freezing them separated will prevent them from being stuck together and the glaze won’t stick to the container. Once completely frozen, you can either transfer to a freezer bag, rigid container, or vacuum seal them. If vacuum sealed, they’ll keep for about 9 months. If stored in a regular freezer bag or rigid container, they’ll keep for about 3 months.
These also pack well for lunches!

Sriracha-Honey-Lime Chicken

July 11, 2019
by Gary Huber

Sriracha-Honey-Lime Chicken

This chicken will have you firing up your grill in no time. The honey gets wonderfully caramelized into crunchy bits and the heat from the sriracha provides a perfect balance of savory to the sweet.
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Ingredients
  

  • 3 TB soy sauce use tamarind for gluten-free
  • 6 TB honey
  • 1 TB olive oil try the roasted garlic for extra flavor or, you can turn up the heat with Prairie Fire from Pickle Creek Herbs
  • 3 TB fresh lime juice
  • 1 tsp lime zest
  • 4 cloves garlic peeled
  • 1 1/2 ” square piece of fresh ginger or 1 TB of grated ginger from a jar
  • 1 1/2 TB sriracha sauce
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 TB fresh chopped cilantro or 2 tsp dried
  • 2 1/2 lbs of chicken boneless or cut up pieces
  • Additional chopped cilantro & lime wedges for serving optional

Instructions
 

  • Place everything except the chicken in the blender and blend until smooth. Reserve 1/2 cup of marinade for basting during cooking. Pierce each piece of chicken several times. If using boneless chicken, cut into 1 1/2″ pieces.
  • Place chicken pieces in a resealable plastic bag and pour in the sauce. Turn the sealed bag a few times to coat each piece of meat. Marinate for 1 to 2 hours, turning the bag a few times to redistribute the sauce.
  • Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. If you’re using boneless pieces, thread onto skewers. Oil the grill grates, and grill until chicken is cooked through. If you’re using whole pieces of chicken, you may need to lower the heat to prevent the outside from over caramelizing before the meat is completely cooked. Use the reserved marinade to baste the meat during the cooking process.

Notes

Serve on a platter garnished with chopped cilantro & additional lime wedges.

Marinated Steak

June 27, 2019
by Gary Huber

Marinated Steak

This quick and easy marinade delivers a great flavor in little time. It’s perfect for anything from a NY strip to a flank steak to a skirt steak and everything in between. So, fire up your grill, grab your favorite steak, and let’s get to it.
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Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce I like to use low sodium tamari
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 TB red wine vinegar
  • 1 TB minced ginger
  • 1/2 tsp red chili pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 to 2 lbs of steak NY Strip, flank, skirt, ribeye, T-bone, or sirloin

Instructions
 

  • Combine the olive oil, soy sauce, honey, garlic, red wine vinegar, ginger, red chili pepper flakes, and black pepper in a small bowl.
  • If you’re using a skirt steak, slice it into 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick pieces against the grain. (Since flank steaks are more lean, those need to be sliced against the grain after cooking and resting.) Place the beef in a resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over it. Turn to coat and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
  • Heat your grill to high heat, drain the marinade from the meat, and oil your grill grates. Grill the steak to desired doneness. Remove from heat and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before cutting.

Notes

Ingredients available at the Iowa Food Cooperative:
Olive oil, Honey, NY Strip, Flank Steak, Skirt Steak, Ribeye, Sirloin, T-bone

Spicy Chorizo Spaghetti

June 13, 2019
by Gary Huber

Spicy Chorizo Spaghetti

Who doesn’t love spaghetti night and a quick, easy – under 30 minutes – dinner? Spice up your next one with chorizo, fresh tomatoes, and basil.
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 clove of garlic finely minced
  • 1/2 oz. fresh basil
  • 8 oz. grape cherry, or baby Roma tomatoes, halved
  • 1 lb. chorizo
  • 8 – 12 oz. spaghetti depending on how much pasta you like
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. While the pasta is boiling, roughly chop the basil, including the stems, keeping leaves and stems separate.
  • In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook the chorizo, garlic, and basil stems, breaking the chorizo up, until the meat is cooked through. This will take 5 or 6 minutes.
  • Measure out about 3/4 cup of water from the pasta to be used later, then drain the pasta and set aside.
  • Add the tomato halves to the chorizo mixture and cook until slightly softened – about 2 or 3 minutes. Add the drained spaghetti to the pan and few large splashes of the pasta water to loosen things up. Stir to combine and add additional pasta water if needed.
  • Remove the pan from heat, add in the chopped basil and Parmesan, stirring to combine. Allow to sit until the cheese has melted.

Notes

Serve with buttered, crusty bread and a salad for a complete, easy dinner. Leftovers make for a wonderful lunch.

Grilled Pizza

May 30, 2019
by Gary Huber

Grilled Pizza

Just because the temperature is rising doesn’t mean you have to forgo homemade pizza for carryout or delivery – let’s put that grill to work and make some awesome pizzas without heating the house. Have a few friends over, and make a creative (and delicious) night of it – you’ll be amazed at the possibilities you can come up with.
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Ingredients
  

  • Pizza crust dough
  • Pizza sauce
  • Flavored olive oil
  • Fresh greens such as spinach arugula, or spring mix
  • Veggies such asparagus mushrooms,squash, or tomatoes
  • Fresh basil
  • Precooked meats such as proscuitto pepperoni, bacon, sausage, ground beef, or chicken – anything you want!
  • Semolina flour or corn meal
  • AP flour
  • Grated or shredded cheese such as Parmesan Reggiano or melting Italian cheese – for something different give the Italian seasoned Gouda from Frisian Farms a try!
  • Suggested special equipment:
  • Pizza stone
  • Pizza peel

Instructions
 

  • Place pizza stone on the grill (gas or charcoal) and allow to preheat to the hottest setting possible, for at least 30 minutes, keeping the lid closed. Preheating the stone gives the crust that nice crunch on the outside, just like from your favorite pizzeria.
  • On a lightly flour dusted surface, roll out pizza crust for a thin crust pizza – I typically get 3 crusts about 12″ in diameter from one prepared pizza crust.
  • Sprinkle a pizza peel or large, unrimmed sheet pan with semolina flour or corn meal. Give it a little shake to make sure the crust can slide. If it doesn’t, gently lift it up and add more semolina or corn meal to the problem areas. This guarantees your crust will slide off the transport device and onto the pizza stone.
  • Thinly spread the crust with pizza sauce, olive oil, or your other favorite sauce. Top with your favorite toppings (pictured is one vegetarian pie with olive oil, shaved asparagus, oyster mushrooms, and grated Reggiano cheese; and a meat pie with prosciutto, tomato sauce, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella, then topped with handfuls of arugula after cooking). When grilling pizza, less is more on the toppings – if you overload the toppings, the bottom will burn before the toppings cook.
  • Transfer your pizza, to the pizza stone, close the lid, and allow to cook until the dough is cooked through and the cheese is melted – with a 600 degree grill, this typically takes about 6 or 7 minutes. Check on the pizza at about the 5 minute mark.
  • Remove from the grill, allow to cool for a couple of minutes, and enjoy!

Notes

Once you start grilling pizza at home, your possibilities of flavor options are virtually endless – the sky is the limit, so let your imagination run wild. You can even make dessert pizzas, breakfast pizzas, BBQ pizza is a great way to use up leftover pulled pork or chicken – nearly anything.

Antipasto Burgers

May 16, 2019
by Gary Huber

Antipasto Burgers

Sometimes you really just want a basic burger, other times you want to kick burger night into overdrive. This is one of those nights.
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Ingredients
  

Burgers:

  • Ground beef
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • Garlic powder
  • Cheese
  • Burger buns
  • 2 slices Genoa salami per burger
  • Roasted red pepper
  • Salad greens
  • Queen size green olives 1 or 2 per burger

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, mix aioli ingredients and set aside.
  • On a preheated grill, grill burgers to desired doneness.
  • When burgers are cooked, add cheese to each and allow to just begin to melt. Remove from heat.
  • Spread aioli on top half of bun, place 2 slices of Genoa on the bottom bun, top it’s roasted red pepper, burger, and salad greens. Top with top half of bun, and garnish with skewered olives.

Notes

A crisp salad with your favorite Italian dressing is a wonderful accompaniment to these burgers.

Chicken Milanese Salad

May 2, 2019
by Gary Huber

Chicken Milanese Salad

This is one of those quick and easy dinners that everyone loves to have on hand for a busy day, or anytime you want something on the lighter side, but still quite satisfying. With spring picking up pace, and summer activities right around the corner, why not treat yourself to an easy, but still relatively healthy dinner or lunch?
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Ingredients
  

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken or capon breasts
  • 2 TB Ghee
  • 2 TB Olive Oil Pickle Creek Herbs Basil & Roma tomatoes infused or Oregano & Garlic add a little something extra
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
  • Salad greens such as arugula spinach, or leaf lettuce mix
  • 1 lemon
  • Salt & pepper
  • Shaved Parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Whisk the eggs and milk together in a flat, shallow bowl. Place the flour in a second shallow bowl, and the bread crumbs in a third.
  • Slice each poultry breast in half horizontally. If necessary, pound to between 1/4″ and 1/2″ thick. Season each piece with salt & pepper.
  • Dredge each breast first in the four, coating each side. Next, dip it in the egg mixture, then dredge it with bread crumbs. Each piece should be relatively heavy on the breading.
  • In a large skillet, heat 1 TB of ghee & 1 TB of olive oil over medium-low heat. When the pan is hot enough to sizzle when you drop a sprinkle of flour in the oil, fry the first two pieces of meat until golden brown – about 3 minutes per side. Add the remaining ghee & olive oil and repeat with the remaining meat.
  • Divide the salad greens between plates. Top with the fried chicken breast. Squeeze lemon juice over each plate, and top with shaved cheese.

Quick Marinated Steak

April 18, 2019
by Gary Huber

Quick Marinated Steak

This is one of those back-pocket recipes that you pull out when you want something great, without a lot of dishes or fanfare – it’s a good, standby recipe for busy weeknights, Saturday afternoons, or really anytime you want an easy meal that tastes great. You can turn this into an entree with a side vegetables, or over pasta or salad greens; it’s also just as easily turned into sliced steak sandwiches – your possibilities are virtually endless!
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 – 2 lbs of steak such as skirt flank, NY strip, or top sirloin
  • 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger or 1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp rice wine vinegar

Instructions
 

  • Combine olive oil, soy sauce, ginger, garlic powder, black pepper, and rice wine vinegar in a small bowl.
  • Place steak in a ziplock bag, pour the marinade over it. Massage the marinade into the steak for about 5 minutes and then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
  • Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, or a grill to medium-high. Remove the steak from the marinade and sear for 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, or until desired doneness.
  • Remove from heat and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. If using a larger cut to divide, slice across the grain to serve.

Notes

Pictured is a skirt steak served the with sides of vegetables for dinner one night, and a couple of days later I used the leftovers over salad greens for an entree salad.

Spinach & Bacon Dinner Salad

April 4, 2019
by Gary Huber

Spinach & Bacon Dinner Salad

This dinner salad is perfect for a night when you want something a bit lighter, are pressed for time or simply want to enjoy the simple beauty of local ingredients from our producers.
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Ingredients
  

  • 4 slices of bacon cut into 1/2″ pieces
  • 2 1/2 TB apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 TB honey
  • 1 tsp honey mustard or 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Pinch of your favorite spice blend – I highly recommend the Penzey’s Mural of Flavor or BRAISED Chaga-Thyme Superfood Seasoning
  • About 6 cups fresh spinach
  • 5 oz. sliced mushrooms – button baby bella, shiitake, or a blend
  • 2 hard or soft boiled eggs peeled and halved
  • Shaved Parmesan-Reggiano optional

Instructions
 

  • In a medium-size nonstick skillet, fry the bacon pieces until crispy. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, pepper, and spice blend. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference. Add the spinach and sliced mushrooms; gently toss to coat.
  • Divide the salad between two bowls, sprinkle in the bacon, and garnish with the eggs and Parmesan, if using.

Notes

Serve salads warm.