According to Wikipedia, among the natural predators of this humble clam are the dungeness and red rock crabs...which in turn would suggest that I could harvest manila clams in the same areas where people drop crab pots for these crabs. Mmmm, what a tasty thought.
In this recipe, the Chinese rice wine and dry sherry are a substitution for a dry white wine. Up to a half cup of white wine is typically used to steam most clams. Also, shallots can replace the green onions. Against a strong flavor like garlic, I can't taste the thyme in the broth.
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs fresh manila clams, scrubbed clean
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 c Shaoxing rice cooking wine
1/8 c dry sherry
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 green onions, white part only, chopped
pinch of dried thyme
Directions
1. In a skillet (with a lid), melt butter over medium heat and add the cloves and onions. Saute until fragrant, about a minute.
2. Add clams and pour alcohol on top. Cover and let cook until the clams open, 5-8 minutes.
3. Scoop the cooked clams into a bowl and pour the broth over them. Serve hot.
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
I can't say that zucchini is one of my favored vegetables, but it certainly tastes a whole lot better when it gets deep fried or baked up into a dessert bread.
Ingredients
1 1/2 c raw zucchini, grated
1 c all purpose flour
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c organic granulated sugar
1/2 c light brown sugar
1/2 c Ghirardelli sweet ground chocolate and cocoa
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. Prepare a loaf pan by buttering it all, especially the corners and ridges, if using a Silpat loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together dry and wet ingredients.
3. Fill loaf pan with batter and bake for an hour, or use the toothpick method at 50 minutes to check if it is done.
Turkey Pot Pie (without potatoes)
This came out tasting pretty good, considering I didn't have any potatoes on hand. I should probably take a photo of the remaining pie before it gets eaten. I didn't use an egg wash on this because frankly, egg washes are a waste of an egg and I don't like my breads to look dark and shiny when they come out of the oven. This batch made two 16 oz pot pies, at least that's what my guess is. I was able to use one pie crust recipe to cover two 5" round cake tins.
Ingredients
2 c cooked turkey meat, cubed
6 oz half-and-half cream (can also substitute milk)
2 organic carrots, diced
2 organic celery ribs, diced
1/2 c frozen organic peas
1/2 c frozen organic corn kernels
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp each: dried thyme, dried parsley, garlic powder, salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 savory pie crust for a 10" pie (see recipe)
Directions
1. In a small bowl combine salt, freshly ground black pepper, and dried herbs.
2. In a medium pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add carrots and celery. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the carrots can be easily pierced with a fork. Add spices and stir to combine. Add milk and flour. Stir while cooking until the flour has mixed in with the milk and vegetables. Remove from heat. Add peas and corn kernels. Mix to distribute ingredients evenly.
3. Cut the dough in half and roll out each half until it is at least five inches across, or just slightly larger than the diameter of your baking tin or ramekin. It's okay if there is excess dough hanging off the rim.
4. Divide the pot pie filling evenly between the two tins (or ramekins). Place the rolled out pie dough on top of the pie tin and use the tines of a fork to make crimping marks on the edge. Use a sharp knife to poke a few slits in the top to let the steam escape.
5. For easier handling, place both tins onto a baking sheet to put in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes, or until the top crust is lightly browned.
Ingredients
2 c cooked turkey meat, cubed
6 oz half-and-half cream (can also substitute milk)
2 organic carrots, diced
2 organic celery ribs, diced
1/2 c frozen organic peas
1/2 c frozen organic corn kernels
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp each: dried thyme, dried parsley, garlic powder, salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 savory pie crust for a 10" pie (see recipe)
Directions
1. In a small bowl combine salt, freshly ground black pepper, and dried herbs.
2. In a medium pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add carrots and celery. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the carrots can be easily pierced with a fork. Add spices and stir to combine. Add milk and flour. Stir while cooking until the flour has mixed in with the milk and vegetables. Remove from heat. Add peas and corn kernels. Mix to distribute ingredients evenly.
3. Cut the dough in half and roll out each half until it is at least five inches across, or just slightly larger than the diameter of your baking tin or ramekin. It's okay if there is excess dough hanging off the rim.
4. Divide the pot pie filling evenly between the two tins (or ramekins). Place the rolled out pie dough on top of the pie tin and use the tines of a fork to make crimping marks on the edge. Use a sharp knife to poke a few slits in the top to let the steam escape.
5. For easier handling, place both tins onto a baking sheet to put in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes, or until the top crust is lightly browned.
Roasted Pork Sirloin Roast
Seems odd to use "roast" twice in a post title. Anyhow, that's exactly what it is. The cut of meat is called a "pork sirloin roast" and I am roasting it in the oven. I am using winesap apples since they are slightly sweet and somewhat tart, an overall good baking apple, I'm told. I hope I remember all the spices I put in. Hmm, let's see...
Ingredients
One sirloin pork roast (this one was 1.4 pounds)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp each: garlic powder, dried thyme, dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried marjoram (optional)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
kosher salt, to taste
2 tart organic apples, cored and sliced
3 organic carrots, sliced into 1" pieces
Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine salt and spices.
2. Core and quarter the apples. Chop the carrots into 1" pieces.
3. In a dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and brown the sides of the pork roast. Remove roast from pot and set aside.
4. Place the apples and carrots on the bottom of the pot. Then rest the roast on top of the apples and vegetables. Gently cover all sides of the roast with the spice mixture.
5. Cover dutch oven pot and bake for an hour. Internal meat temperature should be 145 degrees F. Remove from oven and let the meat rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
Serve with apple butter or apple sauce.
Ingredients
One sirloin pork roast (this one was 1.4 pounds)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp each: garlic powder, dried thyme, dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried marjoram (optional)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
kosher salt, to taste
2 tart organic apples, cored and sliced
3 organic carrots, sliced into 1" pieces
Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine salt and spices.
2. Core and quarter the apples. Chop the carrots into 1" pieces.
3. In a dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and brown the sides of the pork roast. Remove roast from pot and set aside.
4. Place the apples and carrots on the bottom of the pot. Then rest the roast on top of the apples and vegetables. Gently cover all sides of the roast with the spice mixture.
5. Cover dutch oven pot and bake for an hour. Internal meat temperature should be 145 degrees F. Remove from oven and let the meat rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
Serve with apple butter or apple sauce.
Chestnut Soup
It is good to end a rainy day with a hot bowl of homemade soup. This one turned out really tasty and I only added one leftover to it, baked Japanese sweet potatoes. Tree-grown chestnuts are hard to come by, mostly because the last three seasons haven't been good growing conditions for local chestnut growers. This years' chestnuts from the farmers market were really small. In previous years I'd gotten my chestnuts, fresh and dried, from the Allen Creek Chestnut Farm in Ridgefield, WA.
Steaming chestnuts rather than roasting allowed me to peel the chestnuts easier with less waste. For this soup, half were roasted and the other half were halved then steamed.
Ingredients
2 c. roasted or steamed chestnuts, coarsely chopped
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 carrot, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1/2 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 1/2 Japanese sweet potatoes, cooked and coarsely chopped
1 tbsp dry sherry
1/2 tsp dried marjoram (optional)
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
1. In a 3-qt pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. Cook vegetables for 25 minutes, or until the onions start to caramelize.
2. Add peeled chestnuts, salt, freshly ground black pepper, marjoram and water. Bring to a boil, then let simmer over low-medium heat for 45 minutes. Mid-way through cooking, add the Japanese sweet potatoes, if using. In the last five minutes of cooking, add the sherry.
3. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to puree the soup.
4. Serve while hot. Can garnish with fresh cream.
Steaming chestnuts rather than roasting allowed me to peel the chestnuts easier with less waste. For this soup, half were roasted and the other half were halved then steamed.
Ingredients
2 c. roasted or steamed chestnuts, coarsely chopped
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 carrot, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1/2 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 1/2 Japanese sweet potatoes, cooked and coarsely chopped
1 tbsp dry sherry
1/2 tsp dried marjoram (optional)
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
1. In a 3-qt pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. Cook vegetables for 25 minutes, or until the onions start to caramelize.
2. Add peeled chestnuts, salt, freshly ground black pepper, marjoram and water. Bring to a boil, then let simmer over low-medium heat for 45 minutes. Mid-way through cooking, add the Japanese sweet potatoes, if using. In the last five minutes of cooking, add the sherry.
3. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to puree the soup.
4. Serve while hot. Can garnish with fresh cream.
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