What the heck do I do with....Morels??

I was lucky enough to come across some wild morels a few weeks ago, purely by chance. My parents live in a townhouse development and my kids like to play on a small patch of land across from their townhouse; it's part landscaped and part developed into garages.....the middle of the space is sparsely covered with trees and shrubs and other natural vegetation. The perimeter is landscaped with daffodils, tulips and azaleas. The spot is raised upon a stone wall.
I was jumping up on the wall to play w.my kids when my eye spotted the first morel, simply sticking up out of the mulch, away from any plants, right on the edge of the stone wall and the landscaped area.
I sucked my breath in with shock and shrieked That's a morel!!!!!! My son spied it at the same time and shouted Woah, what's that?!?! So, I picked it, freaked out and did a little dance!!!
I found a couple more not too far from that first one.
We searched around the area and ended up finding a bunch more. Most were found in the daffodil plants, sticking up straight like statues.
I was beside myself. We ended up finding in between 0.25 and 0.5 lbs....not bad for a random chance.
Here's the lot of them:
I prepared them simply, by sauteing them with shallots, garlic, parsley and thyme, then finishing the dish with a squeeze of lemon juice. I served them over micro greens.
Prior to cooking the morels, I split them in half and soaked them in salted water.
The dish was delicious. The morels were meaty and delicate at the same time; they paired great with the shallots and thyme.
I went back to look for more morels but I was unsuccessful at finding any more. I'm hoping next season that I'll find more :)

What the heck do I do with....Grass Fed Beef?

Grass fed? Grain fed? What's the difference and who cares? Well, there is a difference, and I care....
I am done with factory farmed meats and though I don't actually eat meat all that often....when I do, I know where it comes from and what it's fed.
So, what's the deal?
Well, talking in terms of the cow, the grain fed cow might start off eating grass, but is then confined to a cage in order to fatten up eating feeds and grains and getting treated with hormones and antibiotics. The grass fed cow eats grass, is not caged up and is never treated with hormones or antibiotics.
The grass fed cow is leaner and meaner, lower in calories and saturated fats and typically is rich with Omega fatty acids. The leaner cow will have less marbling; marbling refers to the fat that is found within the meat, like tiny white veins, branching out and about. For this reason, grass fed cows may need extra care when cooking as they tend to cook quicker and/or dry out. Grass fed beef is also a rich source of Vitamins E and A, high in antioxidants and can have up to 7x the amount of Beta-Carotene.

I am a proud member of the Turkey Farm's Meat CSA....The Turkey Farm is Stillman's Farm and is located in Hardwick, Ma. Their meats are exceptional. Each month I get 10lbs of a mix of chicken, lamb, pork and beef....you never know what you're going to find in your bag.....Some of the cows that they breed are referred to as the "Belty", a breed of cow that is lean and high in Omega fatty acids. I recently pan seared a sirloin steak....it was delicious...tender and tasty, not dry at all...I simply seasoned it with sea salt and ground pepper, and seared it in a hot grill pan over high heat. It was about 3/4 inch thick and I seared it off for about 4-5 minutes on each side.
After cooking, I let it sit for 10 minutes to rest on the board, off the heat.

I deglazed the pan w.a bit of broth, just to get some of the brown bits off the bottom of the pan...here, I drizzled it over the steak....
I'll continue to only eat meat occasionally, and making sure that I know where it comes from before I do eat it. It's worth it to me.
Enjoy!

Guest blog for Katsiroubas Bros

I am honored to have guest blogged for Katsiroubas Bros! Here is a link to the post: Tuscan Kale

And here's the blog (for good measure)...

This past week was cold and bitter, and so I was pleased to be guest blogging for the new blog of Katsiroubas Bros....what was I going to highlight???? Tuscan Kale, one of my most favorite greens, using it in a Greens and Beans Soup.
Kale is a nutritional powerhouse boasting the following nutritional prowess:
-it's low in calories (1.5 cups of cooked kale has only 55 calories)
-it's a great source of fiber and protein
-it's a rich source of phytochemicals which have anti-cancer and anti-oxidant properties
-it's a potent source of Vitamins A and B, and one of the highest vegetable sources of Vitamin K (good for strengthening bones)
-it's packed with minerals
Tuscan Kale has a long, dark green leaf with a tough stem. It's best to remove the leaf from the stem before using.....

The soup was a hearty soup which used well, the Tuscan kale, as well as dried white beans, onions, garlic, leeks, carrots, celery, potatoes and was flavored with veggie stock, cloves, bay, whole peppercorns, parsley and lemon.....
I started with dried white beans or cannellini beans, which I soaked overnight in cool water. Cannellini beans are a great bean to use in soups or stews because they hold their shape well and are pretty mild in flavor. At the same time though, they have a nice creamy texture when cooked through. Nutritionally, the cannellini holds it own with a whopping 25 grams fiber and 24 grams protein in 100g dried beans!
After the overnight soak, I drained the beans and prepped my aromatics and kale....I sauteed the aromatics in olive oil until softened, seasoning with sea salt and pepper.
I added in the beans, the veggie stock and some flavor: cloves, peppercorns and bay.
Once the beans had softened up, after about 20 minutes, I added in the potato and kale as well as a generous pinch of sea salt and let the soup finish cooking. It took another 20 minutes to cook.
To finish the flavor profile, I added the zest and juice of a lemon and chopped parsley; the lemon heightened the flavor and made it shine.
The result was a luscious soup with an amazing velvety texture from the potatoes, a hearty bite from the cannellinis, a nutritional punch from the Tuscan kale and a complex flavor from the cloves and the lemon.

Greens and Beans Soup
Ingredients
2 cups dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight, then drained and rinsed
2 carrots, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 onion, diced
1 leek, sliced and washed well
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups stock of choice, I used a rich vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
3 cloves
5 peppercorns, whole
1 potato, yukon golds work well, peeled and cubed to similar size as beans
2 heads Tuscan kale, stems removed, leaves cut or torn into pieces
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 cup parsley leaves, chopped

Technique
1. Soak dried beans overnight in cool water (cover by an inch or so), then drain and rinse.
2. Saute onion, leek, garlic, carrots and celery in fat of choice over medium high heat, seasoning with salt and pepper.
3. Add in beans, veggie stock, cloves, peppercorns and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer until beans start to soften up. At this point, season generously with salt of choice (I used Celtic sea salt).
4. Add in potatoes and kale and bring to the boil again, reducing heat and simmering until the beans are done cooking and potatoes are cooked through.
NOTE: Add more stock or water if it appears that the soup is cooking down too far before beans have completed cooking through.
5. When soup is done cooking, add in lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley; taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

It was fun to guest blog and I am thankful for all the beautiful produce and ingredients that Katsiroubas Bros donated to me to make this delicious soup.

What the heck do I do with....Mushrooms???

Mushrooms are an under appreciated entity.....they are not a plant, but rather a fungus; they form spores and don't create chlorophyll. In reality, they are nutritional powerhouses. Mushrooms are packed with selenium; selenium has been known to help lower the risk of prostate cancer. Mushrooms are also packed with B vitamins, potassium, are low in calories and high in fiber.
So, what do you do with mushrooms?
Well, they can be eaten in the raw state on salads, but that's pretty boring. They can be sauteed with garlic and thyme and made into a hearty topping for crusty bread. They can be sauteed with garlic and onion and then stewed with tomatoes to make a hearty sauce. They can be used to make an earthy, meaty broth as I did.

I used both fresh and dehydrated mushrooms to make a full bodied, heady broth that I then used to make an Asian inspired mushroom soup. I used dried shiitake mushrooms which I found in an Asian market not far from where I live.
The dried mushrooms give the broth a richness that fresh mushrooms just can't. This is due to the fact that the flavor gets so concentrated when they dry out and all the flavor comes out into the broth as it cooks. I also had a few dried oyster mushrooms kicking around, so I added those as well. Check out these shiitakes:
Other ingredients for the mushroom broth included leeks, onion, carrot, thyme and white button mushrooms. Did you know that the white button mushroom has been found to have the highest antioxidant levels, up to 5x more than other mushrooms??
To make the broth, add all of the ingredients with some water into a pot and bring to the boil; reduce and let simmer for 45-60 minutes.
When the broth is done, you'll have a beautiful brown broth with a delicious, earthy flavor. You can use it in soups, stews, to cook grains even to make risotto...
After my broth was done, I then used it to make a mushroom soup; it was Asian inspired with Nama Shoyu, a fermented soy sauce, which is lower in sodium than it's counterpart, tamari. I also added in some garlic and chile pepper...I would have used ginger and cilantro to finish it off, but I was out...none the less, it was delicious..
I used a variety of fresh, wild mushrooms: chantarelles, yellow foots, oysters, shiitakes and creminis along with carrot, celery, garlic, serrano chile, spinach and kale.
I sauteed the aromatics in coconut oil until tender.
I added in the broth and brought it up to the boil, then let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
I then added the mushrooms, Nama Shoyu and greens, brought it up to the boil, and let it simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
At this time, a handful of chopped cilantro would be nice, a squeeze of lime juice or even a splash of sesame oil would also work. I enjoyed the flavor of the mushroom broth too much and wanted to keep sesame out of it this time :) It was delicious, perfect for the cooler weather, real meaty and hearty tasting, without making you feel like you've eaten something not good for you.
So don't be afraid to try out some mushrooms the next time you go to the market :)
Enjoy, Sharon

Thyme To Cook Wins (Prof division) of 1st Annual JP Mac-Off

Yup, it's true...I won a Mac-n-Cheese contest! I happened to get an email regarding a Mac-n-Cheese contest that was going to be held in Jamaica Plain (JP), the city where I used to live. It is a suburb of Boston and it has a real sense of community. I immediately wanted to enter, not even because I thought I had a winner Mac-n-Cheese, rather, just to support the community.

The contest was set up by a local chef, Keesha O'Galdez, otherwise known as the Gourmet Diva; the proceeds of the event were going to benefit the JP Small Business division of the JP Neighborhood Development Corp, an organization responsible for getting many of the businesses up and running in the JP area.

My first thought was to enter my standard mac-n-cheese, which is made from a basic cheddar cheese sauce with the addition of ham and peas....but then my mind wandered to a sandwich I once demo'd at Sur La Table, shortly after I started Thyme To Cook. It was a Mexican sandwich which I found in a cookbook by Rick Bayless called Chorizo and Frijoles Negros Tortas. The sandwich was a mixture of chorizo, a spicy sausage, and mashed, sauteed black beans with a chunk of queso fresco (fresh cheese) and avocado, on a crusty baguette. The flavors of this sandwich were off the hook, really. I thought about the flavors and realized that they would probably go great mixed with a nice Monterey Jack cheese sauce. And viola, my Sultry Chorizo and Frijoles Negros with Queso Fresco and "Tortas" Crust Mac-n-Cheese was born.

I did a test run where I invited a bunch of people over to taste test it about a month before the Mac-off. I'm glad I did because I made 2 major improvements to the recipe. First off, I learned I had to make it more cheesy; it just wasn't gooey enough. Second, I was apprehensive about being too aggressive with salt because the queso fresco is a pretty salty cheese, and I learned that I needed to add a bit more salt; the first time around it was a bit flat.....other improvements I made were to add poblano peppers to the chorizo and black bean saute as well as a squeeze of lime juice to brighten the overall flavor.

Here it is all coming together....My list of things to do.....
First off, I sauteed the chorizo, some garlic, and poblano peppers....I added in powdered New Mexico chiles as well as smoked paprika...


Now, unlike the sandwich, where you mash the black beans and saute them, I left them whole and just mixed them with the sauteed chorizo and poblanos.

I made my bechamel sauce....

and added in cheddar as well as Monterey Jack cheeses...

I made the crusty topping out of a day old baguette, olive oil and queso fresco cheese, then assembled it all together.
Just prior to baking....
and after, with my cilantro/scallion garnish...

At the contest...
I was surprisingly nervous as I approached the church where the contest was being held. I don't know why I was nervous, I guess it was my competitive edge coming out. There was 1 other professional chef present, a few kids for the kids division and the rest were in the amateur division for a total of 16 entrants.

When the event started, there were not alot of people there, but slowly but surely, the place filled up and there were over 200 people who attended. Judges were given samples of the mac-n-cheese in small cups to try. Since I was #15, I was 1 away from the end. I was worried that the mac-n-cheese was going to dry out, since it was on sterno for 2 hours, but it didn't even come close to drying out. I was also worried that I was going to run out of mac-n-cheese before the judges got to taste it, since I was 2nd to last; I was starting to run low. I didn't want to pull any samples for fear that they would be cold and dried out. Thankfully, I had enough and served the judges nice hot and gooey, yummy, mac-n-cheese. The judges got to declare the winners in each category and there was also a People's Choice overall award. In the end, I beat out the other professional chef to take 1st place in the professional division, and I took 2nd overall for people's choice.

Overall it was a great experience. Not sure if I'll go back for the 2nd annual Mac-off next year...but we'll see.... :)

Here is my recipe...it's a bit involved, but totally worth it:

Sultry Chorizo and Frijoles Negros with Queso Fresco and Tortas Crust
Ingredients
Chorizo Black Bean Mixture
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
8 oz chorizo, diced
1 poblano pepper, chopped
6 garlic cloves, sliced
2 TBS fat of your choice for sauteing
2 tsp New Mexico chile powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
Juice of 1 lime
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
S+P to taste

Bechamel/Cheese Sauce
5 cups 1% Milk
5 TBS butter (or Vegan "butter" such as Earth Balance)
5 TBS flour
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
Nutmeg, S+P to taste

"Tortas" Crust
1 day old Baguette, chopped into small dice
1/2 cup Queso Fresco, crumbled, divided
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
S+P to taste

For Assembly
1 Pound cooked pasta, shape of your choice, al dente

Technique
1. Make your Chorizo/Black Bean filling by sauteing the poblano and garlic over medium heat until softened, in the fat of your choice. To that add your chile powder and smoked paprika, stirring for a minute until fragrant.
2. Add in the chorizo and increase the heat to medium-high. Saute until crispy, then add cilantro and lime juice, tasting for S+P.
3. Remove from heat and mix in the black beans. Re-season as necessary.

4. Make your bechamel by melting butter, adding flour and "cooking off" for a minute, then adding warm milk and whisking constantly. Bring to a boil and let boil for a minute.
5. Remove from heat and add nutmeg, S+P.
6. Stir in your cheeses and re-season as necessary.

7. Make your "tortas" crust by adding baguette and 1/4 cup queso fresco to food processor fitted w"S" blade and process into crumbs. Drizzle in the olive oil and then process once more until the oil has been incorporated. Season w.S+P. Reserve the remaining 1/4 cup queso fresco to put over the top of the mac-n-cheese prior to baking in the oven.

8. Assemble the mac-n-cheese by mixing the al dente pasta with the chorizo/black bean filling and the cheese sauce until well incorporated. Pour into a 9x13 pan (sprayed w.non-stick cooking spray). Top with the "tortas" crust and then the remaining 1/4 cup queso fresco.

9. Cover w.tin foil that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15-20 more minutes until bubbly and golden brown.

That's it. Enjoy! Feel free to email me w.questions or comments.
Sharon
sharon@thyme-to-cook.com

What the heck do I do with....Bison?

Bison, the other red meat.....but seriously....have you tried it? It is a great lean, red meat that is grass fed, low in calories, fat and cholesterol, and high in iron and Vit B-12: 100 grams of cooked bison has 7 g fat (2 g saturated), 143 cal, 55 mg cholesterol, 3.4 mcg iron and 2.9 mcg Vit B-12....and a whopping 20g protein!!! It's a good choice for people on special diets.
I have one client who I cook for that follows the UltraSimple diet by Dr Mark Hyman. Bison is recommended as a lean meat and so I used it to make a Bison Chili. This client in question has allergies to onions and so I needed to eliminate that from my chili. Instead, I used garlic as an aromatic. This client is not allergic to tomatoes, but does not care for them. Instead, I used tomatillos.
Basically, I minced a bunch of garlic cloves and chopped a couple carrots, browned them up and added in the ground bison to brown. For spices, I added in ground New Mexico chile powder, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cayenne.

After the bison browned up, I added the tomatillos, some black beans, lentils and a bit of veggie stock.

I let the mix simmer for about 20-30 minutes and it was done. To finish it off, I added a bunch of chopped cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Real tasty, very hearty. The tomatillos and lime juice added a tang that went well with the bison, beans and lentils.
Enjoy!

What the heck do I do with....Dried Fruit?

I'm always on the fence about dried fruit. Do I like it? Don't I like it? Is it yummy? Is it bad for you? I say it's ok, everything in moderation (well most things). Just make sure the dried fruit you are getting is not processed with Sulfur; sulfur dioxide is used to preserve the color and flavor of the fruit, and has been shown to induce asthma in those individuals sensitive to it. Dried fruits are packed with fiber and vitamins and minerals but are also high in sugar, so enjoy in moderation.

I made this delicious snack cake after going apple picking. We have an abundance of apples and I'm slowly going through them. I found this recipe in Living Without Magazine, a magazine dedicated to gluten free recipes as well as recipes surrounding other allergies. But don't stop reading, because you can make the recipe with standard flour (whole wheat in a particular would go nicely).

The recipe uses both fresh fruit (it actually calls for pears but I used an apple and a pear), dried fruits (I used cranberries, apricots, Hunza raisins and 1 date, because I had one laying around), chopped almonds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. To sweeten the bar the recipe calls for maple syrup and date sugar. I used Grade B maple syrup and coconut sugar, not date sugar. Coconut sugar is a low glycemic sugar (lower than cane sugar or honey) and can be used 1 for 1 as a substitute for white sugar. It's a great alternative since it has many vitamins and minerals in it, and it is a sustainable product. The recipe also calls for either quinoa flakes or oats. I love quinoa, in any form, but I used raw oat flakes, simple because I had them.

Overall, the bar is nutritionally dense, and delicious.

Let's talk Flour blends for those who need gluten free options: I tend to lean toward this blend of flour that has the following flours or startchs in it: teff, millet, brown rice, tapioca and potato....it is a high protein, high fiber blend with a nice flavor. I found this blend in Living Without magazine. Here is the recipe: 1 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup millet flour, 1/2 cup teff flour, 2/3 cup tapioca starch and 1/2 cup potato starch. Just mix together well. Most of these flours can be found at Whole Foods or other health food stores or on line as a last resort.

Here is the recipe for the bar, w/pics:

Recipe from Living Without magazine

Ingredients:

¾ cup gluten-free All-Purpose Flour Blend
1 cup toasted quinoa flakes or gluten-free oats
¼ cup date sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup maple syrup or agave syrup
¼ cup oil of choice
1 egg or flax gel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pears, peeled and coarsely grated
½ cup chopped dates, dried apricots or dried cranberries
¼ cup chopped almonds, lightly toasted, optional
¼ cup hulled pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
2-3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Technique:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

2. Mix together flour blend, toasted quinoa flakes or oats, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon.

3. Stir in maple syrup, oil, egg and vanilla. Add pears, dates, almonds and pumpkin seeds. Stir well to combine.

4. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle sesame seeds over mixture.

5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until done. Cool. Cut into 12 bars. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!