So what's in the box?
Posole Corn, Polenta Corn, Cabbage, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, basil, Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkins, green beans, red onion, pomegranates, dried tomatoes and this week's special gifts: eggs, pumpkin butter, tomato sauce, bbq sauce and pear butter or conserve.
Please see the previous blog for using Posole Corn.
Using Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin Crepes
3 T. Pumpkin Butter
2 C. Bisquick
2 C. Milk
2 Eggs
Stir it up. I use a 1/2 Cup measuring cup. Heat a crepe/saute pan with no stick spray, or wipe oil across the pan. Scoop 1/2 cup batter into pan and with your other hand swirl the pan. (if you like nuts, sprinkle a few on now). When the edges begin to curl, use a spatula and flip the crepe. Slather with butter, roll and put on a plate in a 200 degree oven. Repeat until you’re out of crepes.
Pumpkin Whip Cream to go on your crepes:
1 C. Whip Cream whir for a minute in your food processor.
2 T. Sugar
2 T. Pumpkin Butter
Add and give it one more quick pulse.
Top Crepes with a dollop of pumpkin butter and a dollop of whip cream.
Curry Pumpkin Chicken
8 thighs of chicken
1 jar pumpkin Butter
2-4 t. Curry Powder
1 tomato peeled and chopped
Saute chicken until lightly brown, about 5 minutes per side. Put in a 9x13 glass pan, or if you saute pan is oven proof, just drain the fat. Whir the tomato, pumpkin butter and curry powder in your food processor and top the chicken and bake 30 minutes. Serve with yogurt and peas.
Pumpkin Chili
2 c. peeled and chopped tomatoes
1 can of red kidney beans or your own cooked beans
1 jar of pumpkin butter
1 chopped onion
1 chopped bell pepper
1 c. of cooked barley, or bulgar
1 chopped chili
1 T. chili powder
1 garlic minced
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. of salt
Drain and rinse the beans. Put all ingredients in a large pan. Simmer for 35 minutes.
Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread
1 ½ cups water, warm (110F), divided
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
½ cup milk, warm (110F)
¾ cup pumpkin butter
1 tbsp salt
1 ½ cups rolled oats
1 tbsp butter, melted
5-6 cups flour
In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the water, 1 tbsp active dry yeast and 1 tsp sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy. Add remaining water, milk, pumpkin puree, salt, oats and 2 cups of flour. Mix thoroughly, then add thre remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and begins to feel slightly firm but spongy to the touch. This can be done in an electric mixer with the dough hook attachment.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, before placing it in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with plastic wrap, to rise until doubled, 1 1/2 hours.
Turn risen dough gently out onto a floured surface. Divide dough in two and gently shape into two round or slightly oblong loaves. Place on an oatmeal dusted baking sheet and, covered with a clean towel, let rise for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F.
Slash the top and sides of the loaves and bake for 35-40 minutes at 375, until loaves are browned and sound hollow when tapped. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Another Pumpkin Soup
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 minced garlic
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 jar pumpkin butter
3 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
1 cups of milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add spices and stir for a minute more.
2 Add pumpkin and 5 cups of chicken broth; blend well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
3 Transfer soup, in batches, to a blender or food processor. Cover tightly and blend until smooth. Return soup to saucepan.
4 With the soup on low heat, add brown sugar and mix. Slowly add milk while stirring to incorporate. Add cream. Adjust seasonings to taste. If a little too spicy, add more cream to cool it down.
Pumpkin Pie using pumpkin butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 jar pumpkin butter
• 12 oz can of evaporated milk
• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
Mix together and pour into pie shell. Bake in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
PIE PUMPKIN
Winter Luxury Pie pumpkin should be baked whole, pierced for a few tiny vent holes, stem trimmed, at 350*F until it "slumps" and softens after an hour or so. Take a large spoon and simply scoop the pumpkin out like ice cream. The flesh peels away from the desiccated rind without a shudder and leaves it flat. Puree the flesh in a blender. A 5-pound pumpkin yields approximately 2 1/2 pounds or 4 cups of pulp, enough for two pies.
Filling:
4 eggs, 4 cups cooked pumpkin puree 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 cup white sugar, Goodly dash of vanilla, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 cups heavy cream, 1/4 cup dark rum or bourbon, to taste Two nine-inch unbaked pie shells.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the pumpkin, the sugars and the vanilla, and mix well. Add the spices and the salt, and blend. Add the cream and the rum or bourbon, and blend well. Pour into the two unbaked pie shells.
Bake for about one hour or until a silver knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve, cold or at room temperature, with sweetened whipped cream.
Polenta Corn & Grits
What's the difference between Polenta and Grits? Well Polenta is grits with an attitude and a glass of wine.
Polenta
4 1/2 cups water
1 cup coarse stone-ground white cornmeal
2 T. Butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Bring water to a simmer in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan. Add cornmeal in a slow stream, whisking until incorporated. Simmer, stirring occasionally with a long-handled whisk or wooden spoon, until liquid is absorbed and polenta is thick and soft, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter, cream, cheese, salt, and pepper.
Top with sauteed mushrooms, or any sauce that you would serve on top of pasta or rice. Polenta can be poured into a butter mold and refrigerated. To use slice and heat and top with sauce. It makes a great side dish.
Grits
Can be made the same way, use cheddar cheese and serve it for breakfast with maple syrup.
What else can I use polenta corn for? Any recipe that requires the corn to be boiled or mixed with boiling water. We've had tamale pie and johnny cake's this week. What if I want to make cornbread? Heat the liquid and pour the cornmeal into it, stir and let sit awhile and proceed with your recipe.
Dried Beans
Must be soaked overnight before cooking. Use 3 times as much water as beans, put them in a bowl and cover with cold water. In the morning, rinse them, cover with water again and bring to a boil. Never add seasonings until after the beans are cooked. Reduce heat and simmer until done, about an hour and 20 minutes. In the last 20 minutes add all of your spices, salt, tomatoes, etc.
Never cook beans in a crock pot unless you've brought them to a boil for at least 10 minutes. Without this step, the toxin in beans (especially kidney beans) can make you ill, go ahead and google
Phytohaemagglutnin.
What are we doing?
On the farm, as you can see the Italian Polenta Corn is still on the stalk and we'll finally pick it this Friday. That means we'll start the spring season with it and the beautiful Southern Gourdseed corn that makes terrific cornbread. As I hand grind all of this corn, it takes me a while to get through it all. Neither of these corns are dry enough to grind yet.
This week, we started planting onions, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage for next season. Next well plant leeks, carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips, and some other interesting roots.
So you all come back now. Sign up with Mike and we'll see you next year. Have a great winter. I'm going to wash the windows and banish cobwebs. (Well, right after Halloween!) Thanks for being with us.
Peppers sweet & hot, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Naked Seed Pumpkins #7, Little Greenseed pumpkins #8, herbs-oregano-thyme-parsley-sage-bay, dried beans, fennel, polenta corn and the end of the seasons special gifts: dried tomatoes, fruit or vege snacks, pear, port, thyme conserve & red salsa & green salsa or pickles.
