My garden is in the front of my house. I have a dwarf Navel orange tree, a dwarf Meyer lemon tree, three tomato plants, three squash plants, two red bell peppers, two jalapeno, green beans and various herbs. It is rewarding to go out to my garden and pick my own produce. I feel like I’m getting paid and in a way I am, I’m not spending money to buy those items at the grocery store.

If space is an issue tuck some tomato plants in amongst your flowers. All tomatoes require is full sun. They are an easy plant to grow and the flavor of a fresh picked tomato is worth the small effort it takes to plant it.

If you have any questions about starting a small garden leave comments and I will answer them to the best of my ability.

http://www.pbs.org/pov/foodinc/

Just because I made everything from scratch doesn’t mean you have to. This could be prepared quickly with a few prepared, store bought ingredients.

Start with a prepared pound cake, a large box of instant vanilla pudding, your favorite berry jam, fresh berries and a pint of heavy whipping cream.

Whip together pint of heavy cream, 1 tablespoon powdered sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on low speed. Increase speed until soft peaks form when beaters are removed.

Prepare the pudding as directed on the box.

While the pudding is refrigerating, slice the pound cake and spread one side of each slice with favorite jam. Begin assembly by laying 3-4 slices of pound cake at the bottom of a large bowl. Next, spoon over pudding and whipped cream followed by a layer of berries. Repeat until you have completed four layers. Top with remaining whipped cream and berries. Serve.

This is the perfect dessert for warm weather because you don’t have to use the oven. It also showcases the sweet berries of Spring and Summer.

The above picture is the ham I made for Easter last year. Easter is at my sister’s house this year. We switch off every major holiday which is nice because this year I only have to worry about bringing a couple of side dishes. Instead of the usual, cleaning of the house and preparing the bulk of the holiday meal.

My responsibility this year is the scalloped potatoes and the dessert. I’ll be experimenting with a new dessert this year, a trifle. I am going to attempt the recipe in Ina Garten’s, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, the raspberry orange trifle. I’ll post pictures when I’m done.

Happy Easter.

]]> http://fromthefarm.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/easter-dinner/feed/ 0 FromTheFarm Easter Ham http://fromthefarm.wordpress.com/2010/03/29/food-and-wine-a-passion-of-portugal/ http://fromthefarm.wordpress.com/2010/03/29/food-and-wine-a-passion-of-portugal/#comments Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:11:36 +0000 fromthefarm http://fromthefarm.wordpress.com/?p=644 ]]> “I never beheld eaters and eateresses… lay about their food with greater intrepidity” this quote about the Portuguese people by a British writer, named William Beckford, encompasses how many writers describe the Portuguese people.

Other writers describe their favorite Portuguese foods and drinks not merely as “favorites” but as “obsessions”, “passions”, or even “manias”. This innate intensity of feeling is the same of every Portuguese person. A cup of coffee or a glass of wine can become that obsession. Any one of the several hundred dishes made with salt cod may well be described as a passion. And the Portuguese delight in rich sweets does indeed border on a mania.

Portugal is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. It’s bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to west and south, and by Spain to the north and east. The largest city and capital of the country is Lisbon. Some of the main industries are: textiles and clothing. The most predominant religion in Portugal is Roman Catholic. They speak Portuguese, which is derived from Latin because of Roman and Lusitania settlers.

Portuguese cuisine is known for being robust and hearty. Because it is easy to prepare and is very simple, it is often referred to as peasant food. Some of the countries most popular dishes can be created in one large pot.

Breakfast is traditionally just a bread roll and coffee, but lunch is very large. It normally lasts up to two hours, and is served between noon and two o’clock, or one and three o’clock. Dinner is served late, around eight o’clock, with three courses, often including soup. The most common soup is caldo verde, with potato, shredded cabbage and chunks of sausage.

The Portuguese were the preeminent explorers of the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. They helped map the globe and brought  rare spices home for their people to enjoy. The Portuguese were among the first to experiment with cinnamon, pepper, cloves and nutmeg, modifying their native dishes to take advantage of these new flavors. Other common herbs and spices in Portuguese cooking are: parsley, hot chili powder, chili oil, cumin, rosemary, mint, oregano, bay leaf, saffron, fennel, coriander, paprika and of course garlic. All these spices and herbs reflect Portugal’s seafaring history and close proximity to Spain.

Wheat and corn breads are popular in Portugal, and bread is served with almost every meal. It’s not unusual to see a slice of bread used as a plate, and some of the most popular soups of Portugal use bread as a major ingredient.

Rich local cheeses, typically made with goat or ewe’s milk, are frequently served as hors d’oeuvres with crusty bread and fresh fruit. Although cheese is often used as an accompaniment to a meal, it is less commonly included within a dish.

Meat, often pork, is an essential ingredient in many Portuguese recipes and is served several different ways. In the north of the country, roast-suckling pig is popular, along with pork sausages called chouriço or linguiça. Chicken is also used frequently, and to a lesser degree, beef, turkey, veal, lamb, kid and rabbit. A national dish, cozido á portuguesa is a thick stew normally made with vegetables and various kinds of meat. Even some desserts make creative use of meats as thickeners, and fish dishes are often cooked in pork lard or topped with meat.

Portugal has a long coastline and a passion for seafood that includes tuna, sardines, swordfish, cod, sea perch, shrimp, crab, clams, octopus and eel. One critical piece of fish in Portugal is bacalhau, or salted dried cod. Said to be prepared 365 different ways, one for every day of the year, bacalhau is consumed at the rate of 100 pounds per person per year. Two dishes are particularly notable. Bacalhau á Gomes de Sá, essentially a casserole of cod, potatoes and onion, is considered perhaps Portugal’s greatest bacalhau recipe. The second is bacalhau á bras, scrambled eggs with salted cod, potatoes and onion. English fishermen gathered huge catches of cod off the grand banks of Newfoundland, salting and drying the fish for preservation. With little market for the cod in Great Britain, the English tried elsewhere and so began to barter with the Portuguese -red Portuguese wine for dried salted cod. The English called the wine Red Portugal. This early trade formed the basis for strong English-Portuguese ties and is known to this day, some 500 years later, as the Port Wine trade.

From the north to the south, the country is wealthy in good wines, apart from the unique Port and Madeira, there are more than one hundred different varieties of wine, ranging from table wines to special ones, all of them reflecting the individual character of their respective soil.

•Port: Port is a sweet fortified wine from Portugal’s upper Douro Valley; shipped from Porto, brandy is added to partially fermented grape juice, stopping fermentation and producing a strong sweet wine that is then matured for years.

•Madeira: The fortified drink known as Madeira comes from the small island of the same name that lies in the Atlantic Ocean. Although the vines were introduced into this island in the 15th century, the modern Madeira people drink today was only refined to its present state in the 18th century.

Sweets are so prized that they are sometimes offered as meals in of themselves for breakfast, lunch or as an afternoon snack. Cinnamon is a favorite flavoring in Portuguese desserts, typically in rice pudding, flan and caramel custards. Egg yolks and sugar are used liberally to make these sweet indulgences. Many of the country’s outstanding pastries were created by nuns in the 18th century, which they sold as means for income. A particularly delicious pastry is pastel de nata, a small custard tart sprinkled with cinnamon.

The Portuguese attitude toward food is simple and imaginative, traditional and inventive. They are people who express love, faith and friendship through their cooking. Portions are large, and guests are always welcome at the table. Indulging is encouraged, and if there are leftovers, so much the better; there will be another dish to make tomorrow.

This essay was written by my 16-year-old daughter for a cultural foods class. She was also required to present two Portuguese recipes that she prepared herself, a savory dish and a sweet one.  Bacalhau a bras, which is an egg dish with salted cod and potatoes, was the savory dish and for the sweet, rice pudding.

Helpful hint: Add cooked greens to  scrambled eggs for a nutrient packed breakfast. Spinach can be added directly to the eggs as they are being scrambled. Since the spinach leaves are tender they don’t require as much cooking as the greens. You can also add some grated parmesan or bacon bits. This is a hearty, healthy breakfast.

Since this post is titled Beets and Greens I suppose I should share my “new” beet recipe. I thought I was so clever in coming up with this recipe but when I went to look at one of my cookbooks to get some ideas on wording, there it was, “Beets with Blue Cheese”. I have added a few changes. This recipe was adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.

Roasted Beets with Blue Cheese

3-4 Medium sized beets, greens removed(save beet greens and prepare as you would other greens)

3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2-3 Tablespoons Onion or Shallot, chopped fine

1 clove garlic minced/chopped fine or pressed through a garlic press

3 Tablespoons blue cheese crumbles

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel beets and cut into cubes the size of dice. Spread beets out evenly on a cookie sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoon olive oil. Move the oven rack to the middle of the oven. Put cookie sheet in the oven and roast until a fork inserts easily into the beets, about 20 minutes.

While beets are roasting in the oven heat additional tablespoon of olive  oil in a 8 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until golden brown. Quickly add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove from heat.

Mix together roasted beets and caramelized onions in a serving dish. Add blue cheese crumbles. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

I decided to give spinach another chance. I found that when not overcooked it is very tasty and visually pleasing. In fact, this has changed my perspective on many vegetables I have never tried to cook myself such as greens(kale, chard, mustard and collard) and beets.

Here’s some easy tips and recipes for spinach and greens.

Spinach-1 serving

1 tablespoon EVOO or an infused oil, such as garlic or herb

1 tablespoon minced onion(green onion and shallot can be used as well)

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cup raw spinach, rinse well

1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until golden brown. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic. Cook the garlic only a few seconds until it becomes fragrant. Using tongs quickly add spinach. Turn the spinach over quickly until is is slightly wilted. Work fast because it can become overcooked. Remove the skillet from the heat and move the spinach to a serving dish otherwise it will continue to cook. Salt and pepper spinach and add a squeeze of lemon.

Greens-1 serving

1 tablespoon EVOO or an infused oil, such as garlic or herb

1 tablespoon minced onion(green onion and shallot can be used as well)

15 crushed red pepper flakes or more depending on how much heat you want

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cups greens(kale, chard, beet greens, mustard) sliced into 1/2 ribbons, rinse well

Salt and pepper to taste.

Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and red pepper flakes and cook until the onion is golden brown. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic. Cook the garlic only a few seconds until it becomes fragrant. Add greens and stir fry until tender, about 4 minutes.(Takes longer than spinach.)

I’ll be sharing a beet recipe and some other ways to incorporate greens into a daily diet over the next couple of days.

A salad would seem to some to be an insignificant, boring side dish and depending on the type of lettuce and dressing used, of little nutritional value. With the addition of a few ingredients, a simple salad can be a powerhouse of health. Start with the following:

Leafy greens such as baby romaine, arugula and chard are excellent sources of magnesium, potassium and folate(vitamin B).

Red onions are full of antioxidants. According to research from by Rui Hai Liu, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of food science,Cornell University, “Onions are one of the richest sources of flavonoids in the human diet,” Liu points out. “And flavonoid consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Flavonoids are not only anti-cancer but also are known to be anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-allergenic and anti-inflammatory.” This research was published in the 2004 October issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Vinegar for weight loss? Current research suggests that vinegar may help a person lose weight. In a study conducted by Tomoo Kondo and other researchers,one group of mice was given acetic acid(vinegar) and another group was given water via a stomach tube. Analysts found that the mice that received the vinegar gained 10% less body fat than those mice that were given only water. Both were fed a high-fat diet. “Findings suggest that vinegar turns on genes that produce proteins that help the body break down fats. Such an action helps prevent fat buildup in body, and thwarts weight gain”. This study was published in the July 8, 2009 issue of Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

No longer is salad a sad excuse for a side dish but the superhero of the meal.

My husband and sixteen year old daughter are forever bickering about her food choices. As she approaches adulthood we want to make sure that she understands that what she chooses now can impact her later. If you think like my husband and I do about your children’s food choices let me offer you this bit of hope.

According to an article in the March/April 2009 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, children from the ages of twelve to eighteen benefitted from regular family meals together. “Researcher Teri L. Burgess-Champoux, PhD, RD, LD, states, “These findings suggest that having regular family meals during the transition from early to middle adolescence positively impacts the development of healthful eating behaviors for youth. Findings from the current analysis, in conjunction with similar findings from a longitudinal analysis of older adolescents transitioning to young adulthood, strongly suggest that regular family meals have long-term nutritional benefits…The importance of incorporating shared mealtime experiences on a consistent basis during this key developmental period should be emphasized to parents, health care providers, and educators.”

As parents it’s nice to know we’re doing something right.

The article is “Are Family Meal Patterns Associated with Overall Diet Quality during the Transition from Early to Middle Adolescence?” by Teri L. Burgess-Champoux, PhD, RD, LD; Nicole Larson, PhD, MPH, RD; Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RD; Peter J. Hannan, MStat; and Mary Story, PhD, RD. It appears in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Volume 41, Issue 2 (March/April 2009) published by Elsevier.

Gardening is like decorating my home. It all starts in my brain as I visualize the plan. I say to myself, “I’ll put this plant here and that flower there.” If I don’t like the layout I simply move the plants around like I would a couch or a chair. The best part is I can start my day dreaming while the weather is cold and inhospitable. In fact this is the perfect time to plan because I can start plants from seed indoors or order bare root plants on-line. When the last frost is over the plants are ready to go in the ground.