Category: Recipes

Holdeman ABF Capon Chicken Recipe

November 19, 2012

I have had some requests asking how to fix capon. In an effort to give people ideas we decided to start sending out a email with some recipes. Here is one we really like with a whole bird or one of the whole breasts or split breasts.

Use one of your choice of whole capon, bone in capon breast or capon split breast with a weight of 3 to 6 lbs.

Place thawed capon in large baking dish.

In a medium size mixing bowl combine until smooth: 1 can cream of chicken, 1 cup water, and 1 teaspoon chicken Bouillon and pour over capon.

Sprinkle capon generously with salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, and poultry seasoning Slice 1 medium onion and arrange around capon. Cover and bake at 250 degrees for 3 to 4 hours, until capon is tender and falling off of bone.

Remove the bones. We like to make gravy by thickening the broth.

-Courtesy of Matt Holdeman

“Bonne Femme” Cooking with IFC ingredients

November 15, 2012

by Gary Huber

Lately I have been enjoying recipes from the Bonne Femme Cookbook, recently released by the former Des Moines Register dining critic Wini Moranville. “Bonne Femme” cooking refers to everyday cooking that the average French “housewife” would prepare using fresh, locally available ingredients. I have found the recipes to be a great opportunity to use some of my finds from the Iowa Food Coop.

For example, “Melty Goat Cheese Salad with Honey and Pine Nuts” (p. 38) provided the perfect stage to feature Reichert’s Dairy Air’s Robiola di mia Nonna goat cheese. This is a simple tossing of greens (I used a mix of Berry Patch lettuce and spinach with green leaf lettuce from Krieger Greenhouse) with a light vinaigrette, topped with toasted pine nuts. But what makes this salad special is melting “soft-ripened goat cheese” on toasty baguette slices, then drizzling with honey, and serving the crispy melty toasts on the bed of greens. Now, whether Lois Reichert would call her Robiola a “soft-ripened cheese” is not certain to me—but it is perfect for this application. I used Novae Vitae’s Pure Honey to finish the toasty morsels. Though it is virtuous to serve them with a fresh green salad, it occurs to me that the toasts alone would be a lovely appetizer or a great accompaniment to any other kind of salad or light supper.

To make the toasts, slice a baguette into half inch slices and toast on both sides, either in a toaster or oven. Brush one side of toasts with olive oil, top with 1/8^th inch thick slices of Robiola di mia Nonna, and place under oven broiler for 3 minutes or until melty but not scorched. Cool slightly and drizzle with a little honey; serve on a bed of greens, or however you want to eat them.

The Bonne Femme Cookbook: Simple, Splendid Food that French Women Cook Every Day, by Wini Moranville, is available online or at local bookstores. You can connect with the author on Facebook at Chez Bonne Femme.

Review by Rita Pray, 11/10/12

Schwartz Family Chicken Brine

November 15, 2012

by Gary Huber

Recipe from Sarah Schwartz of Valley View Poultry, as given to Pete Woltz. Pete and Cindy say this brine really does make the most flavorful, moist, and delicious chicken.

1 c brown sugar

scant 1/2 c salt

1 T. liquid smoke

1 gallon water

Combine b.sugar and salt. Make the first part of the water hot (helps to dissolve sugar and salt) add remaining water and liquid smoke. Stir. Place frozen chicken in bowl and soak at room temp for 24-48 hrs. Unthawed chicken should soak for 24 hrs. Cook chicken however you usually cook it. Whole chicken can be used as well as parts of chicken.

Chèvre and Pumpkin Lasagna

November 9, 2012

by Gary Huber

Courtesy of Lisa Bean, who brought this dish to our annual meeting on 11/3/12.

Chevre and Pumpkin Lasagna

Adapted from Andrew Schloss, Art of the Slow Cooker

3 T olive oil

3 large onions halved and sliced thin

4 cloves of garlic minced

1 ½ t kosher salt

¾ t ground pepper

1 t dried sage

1 t dried thyme

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 T flour

1 ½ c vegetable broth

2 T balsamic vinegar

¼ c chopped parsley

1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz)

2 large eggs

¼ c seasoned bread crumbs

1/3 chopped pine nuts

¾ c grated Parmesan cheese

12 cooked lasagna noodles

8 oz fresh chevre broken into small pieces

Heat 2 T oil in skillet add onions and cook until lightly browned (10 min). Add 3/4ths of garlic, 1 t salt, ½ t pepper, sage, thyme, red pepper and flour, stir until onions well coated – (one Minute) add vegetable broth slowly and stir until slightly thickend – add vinegar and half the parsley set aside.

Mix, pumpkin, eggs, bread crumbs, pine nuts , remaining parsley and garlic, 1/2 t of salt and one ¼ t of pepper in a separate bowl.

Coat lasagna pan with olive oil. Spoon ¼ of onions on bottom , top with three lasagna noodles, then 1/3 of pumpkin, one third of the chevre , one third of remaining onions, repeat twice – last layer should be noodles. Cover and bake for one hour at 350 – for last 10 or 15 minutes uncover and top with remaining parmesan cheese.

Not your mama’s liver….

September 8, 2011

by Gary Huber

I love liver and onions, unfortunately, my husband does not. I don’t make this dish very often, but do try to order it whenever it appears on a menu.

Until the other night. It was my weekend to celebrate 47 years on earth and I decided I was going to have one of my favorite dishes. This dish turned out so good my husband even asked if we could have it again sometime.

The liver was purchased from Ebersole Cattle Company, they have some of the best beef I’ve ever tasted. Plus Shanen is just a cool lady, she’s petite, like me!

If you have shied away from liver because of a bad experience, do give this a try. It was tender and sweet, and the leftovers were pretty darn good the next day!

To prepare the liver, I rinsed it very well, trimmed any tough pieces(saved them for the dog), sliced it thin then soaked for bit in milk. I let the liver soak while I prepared the onions and the rice.

1 lb beef liver
2 Vidalia onions, or cippolini or any sweet yellow onion
2 tsp sugar
milk
salt (I used Sylvia’s Soulful Seasoning)
pepper
1/2 c flour
butter
lard or cooking oil
1/3 c water

Rinse, trim and slice the liver, soak in milk while you prepare the onions.

Slice the onions in half, then into very thin slices. Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a pan and add onions. When onions are limp, sprinkle with sugar and cook until they caramelize.

Drain liver well, salt and pepper, then toss liberally with flour until each piece is coated. Remove onions when caramelized, and in same pan, melt a few more tablespoons of butter and a tablespoon or two of lard, or use cooking oil over med heat. When oil butter mixture is hot, add liver, cook until browned on one side then turn, only turn once. Return onions to pan with liver, when liver is just cooked, add water and let cook and bubble until a gravy forms.

Serve over steamed rice.

Not your mama’s liver….

Recipe Type: Main

Author: Merry Aman

If you have shied away from liver because of a bad experience, do give this a try. It was tender and sweet, and the leftovers were pretty darn good the next day! To prepare the liver, I rinsed it very well, trimmed any tough pieces(saved them for the dog), sliced it thin then soaked for bit in milk. I let the liver soak while I prepared the onions and the rice.

Ingredients

1 lb beef liver
2 Vidalia onions, or cippolini or any sweet yellow onion
2 tsp sugar
milk
salt (I used Sylvia’s Soulful Seasoning)
pepper
1/2 c flour
butter
lard or cooking oil
1/3 c water

Instructions

Rinse, trim and slice the liver, soak in milk while you prepare the onions.
Slice the onions in half, then into very thin slices. Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a pan and add onions. When onions are limp, sprinkle with sugar and cook until they caramelize.
Drain liver well, salt and pepper, then toss liberally with flour until each piece is coated. Remove onions when caramelized, and in same pan, melt a few more tablespoons of butter and a tablespoon or two of lard, or use cooking oil over med heat. When oil butter mixture is hot, add liver, cook until browned on one side then turn, only turn once. Return onions to pan with liver, when liver is just cooked, add water and let cook and bubble until a gravy forms.
Serve over steamed rice.

Dill Dressing

September 1, 2011

by Gary Huber

Dill Dressing

Recipe Type: Condiment

Author: Sheree Clark

Serves: 1 cup

Yield: one cup Equipment: Blender

Ingredients

1 cup cashews, soaked rinsed and drained
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dried mustard
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Place all ingredients except dill in high-speed blender. Blend until smooth. Pulse in dill until combined.

Notes

Who moved my cheese?

January 24, 2011

by Gary Huber

Last fall, I signed up for a cheese class at Prairieland Herbs with my friend Amy. I was a little apprehensive, wasn’t making cheese hard? I mean, all that measuring and temperatures and rennet? Wasn’t rennet hard to get and didn’t rennet fail sometimes and then bye bye milk?

Weeeelll, this cheese class cleared up all those myths and more!

Miss Effie (aka Cathy Lafrenz) is a great teacher, no pressure, and lots of fun. Plus she knits, bakes, quilts, and spins and basically if its DIY, she’s all over it!

I used Picket Fence whole milk (3%) in class and made a luscious ball of cheese. I used 1% this time, and made a nice lowfat ball of cheese. So use the milk your diet will allow.

(You will want to use an instant read thermometer, trust me)

Beginning to curdle.

Heat one gallon of milk to 55 degrees, add 1 1/2 tsp citric acid crystals dissolved in 1/2 cup non-chlorinated water.
It will begin to curdle.

Adding rennet.

Heat it a bit more, to 90 degrees, then add 1/4 tsp liquid rennet (a coagulating agent, from animal or vegetable source), mixed with 1/4 c cool non-chlorinated water, and continue to cook to 100-105 degrees, it will curdle even more, and begin to separate, that watery liquid is the whey. Be sure to check the temp of the whey too, not just the curds.

When it reaches 100-105 degrees, turn off the heat and wait until it begins to solidify and pull away from the sides, about 5-15 minutes, or more, your experience may vary dependent on the milk and the rennet and any other unseen things that are out to get you that day.
When the whey is clear (if the whey is still milky, keep waiting until it clears) the curds will be shiny, thick, clumpy clods, then pour your curds gently into a colander and drain. You may choose to save the whey to use in baked goods, soups, it does still contain many nutrients.

Draining curds. Drain your cheese well, gently pressing out all the whey, heating and squeezing.

Place the curds into a microwaveable bowl and heat it in the microwave for 1 minute on high, take it out and squeeze out more whey and stretch it. Use a wooden spoon as its hot, or use your hands if you like pain. Heat it again for 35 seconds on high, and repeat the squeezing and stretching. Do that one more time. Now is the time to add some sea salt if you choose, just sprinkle on and knead it in.

Fini!!

As you stretch and knead, begin to smooth it into a ball, if it breaks instead of stretching, reheat for 35 seconds again.
When it looks smooth and shiny and feels like a solid ball of cheese, its done!

I highly encourage you to take a class, I’m not sure I would have been successful the first time on my own if I hadn’t taken a class. But if you don’t have access to a teacher or a class, then just go for it. Use whole milk for your first time, but don’t use ULTRA pasteurized, I’m told it won’t work. Whole milk will give you a lovely product, exactly what you want the first time out.

Homemade Mozzarella

Recipe Type: Cheese

Author: Merry Amann

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Ingredients

1/4 tsp liquid rennet
3/4 cup cool, chlorine-free water (most bottled waters are chlorine-free)
1 gallon milk (2%, 1%, or skim)
1 1/2 tsp citric acid
Salt, optional

Instructions

Heat one gallon of milk to 55 degrees, add 1 1/2 tsp citric acid crystals dissolved in 1/2 cup non-chlorinated water. It will begin to curdle.
Heat it a bit more, to 90 degrees, then add 1/4 tsp liquid rennet (a coagulating agent, from animal or vegetable source), mixed with 1/4 c cool non-chlorinated water, and continue to cook to 100-105 degrees, it will curdle even more, and begin to separate, that watery liquid is the whey. Be sure to check the temp of the whey too, not just the curds.
When it reaches 100-105 degrees, turn off the heat and wait until it begins to solidify and pull away from the sides, about 5-15 minutes, or more, your experience may vary dependent on the milk and the rennet.
When the whey is clear (if the whey is still milky, keep waiting until it clears) the curds will be shiny, thick, clumpy clods, then pour your curds gently into a colander and drain.
Place the curds into a microwaveable bowl and heat it in the microwave for 1 minute on high, take it out and squeeze out more whey and stretch it. Use a wooden spoon as its hot.
Heat it again for 35 seconds on high, and repeat the squeezing and stretching. Do that one more time.
Now is the time to add some sea salt if you choose, just sprinkle on and knead it in.
As you stretch and knead, begin to smooth it into a ball, if it breaks insteads of stretching, reheat for 35 seconds again. When it looks smooth and shiny and feels like a solid ball of cheese, its done!

How to roast your brand new Heritage Turkey!

November 16, 2010

by Gary Huber

Many of you have ordered your Thanksgiving turkey, perhaps this is the first time you will roast a heritage turkey. Here are a few tips and more than one opinion on the best way to prepare your bird. I’ve included the links.

A tip from Local Harvest.org

http://www.localharvest.org/features/cooking-turkeys.jsp

Remember having to cover the breast with foil to keep it from drying out while the rest of the bird cooks — not with a heritage turkey. Their smaller breasts create a better balance between the dark meat and white meat, which means roasting a bird to perfection is much easier since white meat cooks quicker than the dark meat. If the breast is covered during roasting, it should be done with oiled parchment paper — not foil — which is then removed 30 minutes before the turkey is finished roasting.

Heritage turkeys are also much more lean and smaller than sedentary commercial birds. This means that fast cooking at high temperatures is a better method than slow roasting — another big plus since you won’t have to set your alarm to get the bird in the oven to be done in time for an early dinner. Heritage turkeys should be cooked at 425-450 degrees F until the internal temperature reaches 140-150 degrees F. Butter or oil can be added under the breast skin to add flavor and moisture during roasting.

Heritage Turkey recipe from Localharvest.org

Tips from Saveur Magazine http://www.saveur.com/article/Techniques/Heritage-Turkey-Tips

What exactly is a heritage turkey? According to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, it’s a naturally mating bird with a slow growth rate that spends most of its long life outdoors. (By contrast, industrially raised turkeys live in cages, are bred to grow quickly, and can reproduce only through artificial insemination.) In terms of flavor, a heritage bird is worlds away from the dry, tasteless turkeys most of us have grown up eating on Thanksgiving.

Unlike other turkeys, heritage birds live long enough to develop a layer of fat beneath the skin, which imparts a rich flavor to the meat. Mary Pitman, of Pitman Farms, says that they also “have larger thighs and legs because they still run and fly”; that produces especially dark, juicy meat from those parts. There’s no better time to switch to these sustainably raised animals; as farmer Frank Reese, a tireless advocate for heritage turkeys, says, “The best way to save these historic breeds is to eat them.” We couldn’t agree more. Below are tips and sources.

Skip the brine. Mary Pitman points out that the “real, authentic taste of a turkey” comes through when the turkey hasn’t been brined.

Wrap it up. Heritage breed birds, unlike industrially raised turkeys, have breast meat proportionate to the rest of their bodies. Although that’s good news for authenticity and flavor, the more modest-size breasts can dry out quickly; to offset that effect, barding (wrapping the bird with bacon or pancetta), topping the breast or the whole turkey with oil-rubbed paper or cheesecloth, or rubbing butter under the skin will help keep the meat moist.

Experiment with different preparations. Roasting may be the traditional cooking method, but heritage turkeys, owing to their robust flavor, cook well when braised in turkey or chicken stock, white wine, or even beer. They’re also delicious when fried in peanut oil.

Shorten the cooking time. Because heritage turkeys are almost always smaller than industrially raised birds, they require less time in the oven. When a thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 165 degrees, remove the bird.

Cook carefully. SAVEUR kitchen director Hunter Lewis recommends crisping the bird at 500 degrees for 20 minutes, then roasting at 325 degrees. As white meat and dark meat cook at different rates, some people cook the breast and legs separately.

Consider game recipes. Before deciding how to prepare your heritage bird, check out recipes for such game birds as guinea hen and pheasant, which, like heritage turkeys, are naturally lean and pair well with earthy flavors like herbs and bacon.

Another recipe for your cooking your heritage bird from Local Sustainability

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Rinse your 10-15 lb turkey well with cold running water, both inside and out. Pat dry inside and out. Rub the inside of the turkey with mixture of 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp of fresh ground pepper. Use skewers to pin the neck skin to the underside of the bird and fold the wings behind the back, and then tie drumsticks together to reduce cavity space.

Rub the entire turkey with butter. Sprinkle approx. 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper on the outside of the turkey. Place turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan. Add 1-1/2 cups water to the bottom of the pan. Place open in oven for 30 min. Remove from oven, baste exterior with natural juices and melted butter from the pan. Cover tightly, return to oven. Continue to bake for 15-20 min per pound.

Add 1 medium diced onion to cavity. At this time you can add a small amount of herbs to the cavity. Rosemary, or sage impart a nice flavor. Return to oven in tightly sealed roasting pan. Bake according to time/weight ratio noted above.

To check doneness, the drumsticks will feel tender when pressed, and juices from the turkey will run clear. If using a meat thermometer, insert it into the inner thigh area, near the breast, but not touching the bone. It should reach 180 degrees.

30 mins before turkey is near completed baking time, remove cover, baste with the juice and butter mixture from the pan. Return to oven in open roasting pan to brown lightly.

Lastly, if none of those trip your trigger, here are a few more links with tips for cooking your turkey: More Heritage Turkey Tips

I hope this helps and I sincerely wish each of you a happy, healthy and food stuffed Thanksgiving!

Happy Eating and Leftovers!

Merry

Easy as Pie…Pumpkin Pie!

October 4, 2010

by Gary Huber

I think I have finally found the perfect fresh pumpkin pie recipe. This might even pass the husband test. This was this best pumpkin pie I ever made, and it might even be the best I ever tasted!

My issue with fresh pumpkin pies has been that they taste blah. Not pumpkiny, but watery, pulpy, just not good at all. So I researched a few recipes and hit upon one that seemed good. This recipe also gave me tips on how to make the filling smooth etc., and a secret ingredient, molasses. Wouldn’t you know I didn’t have molasses? Well they don’t call me the queen of punt for nothing! I used dark karo syrup and brown sugar and it worked. Next time I will use molasses, in fact, next time I will try the recipe exactly as written. Sure, right, but there’s a first time for everything!

I am going to give you the recipe as I made it, also the original before I changed it. Make them both, you decide.

Be aware that sometimes your pumpkin may just not be a tasty pumpkin. I try to use sugar pie pumpkins. I try to choose ones that are small but heavy for their size.

Homemade Fresh Pumpkin Pie as I made it

Single, unbaked crust
2 large eggs
1/2 c fat free evaporated milk
1 1/2 c pumpkin puree (instructions below)
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp dark Karo syrup
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I use Penzey’s)
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat eggs until frothy, add milk. Whisk in pumpkin, sugar, syrup, butter, salt and spices. Whisk until well blended.
Pour filling into crust, bake until center is firm, 45-50 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie – original recipe

Unbaked single crust
2 large eggs
3/4 c milk
1 1/4 c pumpkin puree
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 c sugar
1 tbsp dark molasses
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
Pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350.
Heat milk in saucepan over medium heat until just starts to bubble around edges. Remove from heat.
Beat eggs until frothy, add milk stirring constantly. Stir in pumpkin, sugar, butter, molasses, salt and spices. Whisk until well blended.
Pour into prepared our crust, bake until center is firm 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

How to make pumpkin puree

Split pie pumpkin in half cross wise, remove seeds and fibers.
Place cut side down on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 325 until tender, about 1 hour.
Scrape pulp away from skin, discard skin.
Place pulp in blender or food processer, process in batches until smooth.
Push puree through a course sieve. Puree can be stored in freezer for up to 6 months.

My way of doing things

Cut pumpkin, remove stem. Place cut side down on greased baking sheet, seeds pulp and all.
Bake at 350 until tender, scrape away seeds and fibers, discard. Then scrape pumpkin pulp into bowl, discard shell. Blend until smooth with stick blender.

Crockpot Apple Butter, otherwise known as Canning While You Sleep

September 20, 2010

by Gary Huber

Last cycle, I purchased some of Homestead’s red processing apples to make my yearly crockpot apple butter, and of course, I was very pleased with the results!

Making apple butter in your crock pot is easy, and nearly fool proof. Its basically cooking down the apples with the sweetener of your choice and spices, until much of the water has been cooked out, then putting them in jars and either keeping refrigerated, or water bath processing to keep in the pantry. The only thing to keep watch is to not let it burn, and to make sure you cook in long enough.

10lbs of small apples, peeled, cored and sliced
(this amount of the small red processing apples filled my 6 qt crock pot nicely) Dont forget! You can compost the peels and trimmings, I just wouldn’t compost the seeds!

3 cups of dark brown sugar, packed (or light brown sugar, or white sugar, and more or less according to your preference

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp cinnamon (more or less, to your taste)

1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice

Place all in crockpot, mix gently. I usually mix the sugar and spices then mix it in the apples, a little less messy that way.

Cook on high, stir at least once every hour, to keep it from burning. When its time for bed, and its still cooking, turn it to low, prop the lid open a little bit to keep it from getting too hot and burning, by now it should be bubbly and hot.

When the apples are soft and cooked down, take a potato masher and mash them up to the consistency of your choice. Take a taste, does it need sweetener? A little more spice? Is it still a bit watery? Add sugar, spices or let it cook until it is right for you. Most of the water is cooked out when you place a spoonful on a plate and no or very little watery ring forms around the outside of your little scoop of apple butter. At this point, I use my stick blender and work it until the apple butter is very smooth. If you like yours a little chunky or with more texture, then just mash a bit or leave it alone.

When its perfect (and only you will know when!), turn it back to high until the apple butter is bubbling, fill clean hot canning jars to 1/4 inch of the top , Clean rims, seal with new lids and clean rings and water process them for 10 minutes. If you would rather not go to the trouble of water processing, then just put into clean hot jars. Clean rims and seal with new lids and clean rings, allow to cool, then keep in the refrigerator. Jars that are not water processed must be refrigerated. For how-to’s on water processing and jelly/jams, try here: http://www.pickyourown.org/jam.htm

I used the tall 12oz canning jars and got 6 – 12oz and 2 – 8 oz jars altogether.

I like to add a spoonful of my applebutter to BBQ sauce, it deepens the flavor, it also works well in my sloppy joe sauce! But mostly, I will give these jars away as gifts along with a loaf of my homemade bread.

Happy Canning!