Catfish & Waffles

Tomatillos

‘Tis the season of the tomatillo. And so, what to do with these tasty and nutritious fruits when they land at our CSAs and farmers markets?

Last Thursday we posted our recipe for Tomatillo Soup. Over the weekend, we made Tomatillo Salsa, a recipe we got from Dorris and Jilly Cook, with terrific results. (The only deviation, using a habanero pepper rather than a jalapeño, because, hey, it’s what we had on hand.)

Here are two more recipes we’re going to try soon from some of our favorite local blogs.

• Tomatillo Chowder from Straight from the Farm
• White Bean and Tomatillo Chicken Chili from Henry Got Crops

What are your favorite tomatillo recipes?

Two tomatillos from the CSA, and one habanero from the front yard.

Tomatillos taste to me like a cross between tomatoes and corn. In other words, they taste like late summer.

Don’t despair if they show up in your CSA haul, or turn your back on them in your local food co-op or supermarket. They are quite versatile as well as tasty.

Here’s what we did with them this evening.

Spicy Tomatillo Soup (until we come up with a better name)

What you’re gonna need

• 4 medium tomatillos
• 8 medium tomatoes, chopped or crushed. (A large can will also do)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic (but don’t be afraid to use more if you like)
• 2/3 cup cilantro
• 2 tbs lime juice
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 habanero, chopped
• 3 ears corn, quartered
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tsp ground cumin

What you’re gonna do

• Remove husks on tomatillos, then roast ‘em in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
• Place roasted tomatillos, cilantro, one clove of the garlic, lime juice into the food processor. Mix until blended. Hold onto this for later.
• In a large pot, sauté onion, garlic, habanero, until soft.
• Add corn, tomatoes, cumin, stock. Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat and mix in 3 tbs of the tomatillo mixture.
• Serve garnished with avocado slices and a generous dollop of the tomatillo mixture.

Tomatillo Soup

Canned Tomatoes

We are entering the height of tomato season. If you love tomatoes, these days you are probably eating them in sandwiches, salads, soups, or perhaps just with a pinch of salt or a drizzle of olive oil. And if you have a membership in a CSA or food co-op, or frequent farmers markets, you are enjoying an increasing variety of heirloom and antique varieties. All those different flavors, all those different colors and shapes!

But what do you do when tomato season is over? Anyone who truly appreciates a good tomato won’t go near those flavorless abominations you find in the supermarket. The answer is you find a way to preserve them.

You can freeze them with fairly good results. You can dry them, which will transform them into something quite good, but also quite different in flavor and texture. Or you can can them. Call me a traditionalist, but in my book nothing beats canning tomatoes as the preferred method of preservation.

Canned tomatoes are ready to use. They look beautiful on the shelf of your pantry. (Especially if you put different varieties in the same jar. ) And as soon as you pry off the lid you return to the aromas of summer.

This is not going to turn into Tomato Canning 101. There are folks out there who have been doing this a lot longer than we have, so let me point you to some excellent resources.

A great basic primer for food preservation, including canning tomatoes, is Preserving Summer’s Bounty.

I also recommend taking a class. If you are a beginner, you will acquire basic techniques and build confidence. Even if you’ve been canning for a while, you will always learn something new and useful. And you’ll get to hang out with other cool people with similar interests.

Last week we attended a great class conducted by “Doris”  from Doris and Jilly Cook, and if you are in the Philadelphia area, we highly recommend it.  The class was friendly, thorough and fun. She provides all the necessary background, answers your questions, let’s you get down and dirty in the kitchen, and sends you on your way with a jar of the finished product.

Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich

Bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches are like gazpacho and Caprese salads — they’re all about the tomato. If the tomato you are using is sub par, it just isn’t worth it.

Therefore, if you are a fan of the BLT, your window of opportunity has opened, and like other seasonally specific food, you need to get ‘em while the getting is good.

The fellows in the photo above are our first BLTs of the year. They are also a near perfect amalgam of local food. The bread was homemade. So was the mayonnaise, made with eggs laid less than two days before at Pennypack Farm. The pasture raised bacon was from Meadow Run Farm in Lancaster County, the lettuce from Paradise Organics, also in Lancaster County, and the tomatoes, which were gorgeous, were from New Jersey.

Raspberry Jam

Part of our consolation in coming off the mountain, especially into 90 degree plus weather, was looking forward to raspberry picking in the park near our home. Last year’s yield was incredible in both quality and quantity, far better than what we were finding in the stores.

This year’s offering, however, was much poorer. Probably the lack of rain and the intense heat played the biggest role. But that’s part of the territory when you buy into the philosophy of eating local. Every season and every year has its own character, its own goods and bads.

So when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When it gives you fewer good raspberries, make less jam.

Donna After the Blueberries

It all began this morning when the old tom turkey who’s been visiting us all week landed at the end of the meadow in front of our cabin and I got ambitious and decided to take his picture. I was too late or too obvious to accomplish that task, but on the way back, I found a cluster of blueberry bushes I’d overlooked all week. Snapped a few pictures, snagged a few berries to bring back to Donna.

I should have known this would set in motion a project. Herself was off the porch first with a glass, then with a bowl, harvesting every ripe berry she could find. What to do with her magnificent stash? It turns out the answer was to drive down the mountain to a local general store and purchase canning jars and pectin.

This is our last night at the cabin after probably the best vacation of our lives together. Hard to leave. But here’s the consolation: in December or January, when the snow is piling up and we are hunkered down in Philly, we can open up a jar and be back on the mountain.

Canned blueberries; Preserved memories.

Our yogurt with strawberry jam, and yes, walnuts.

I love yogurt. I eat it almost every day.  About a year ago Dan decided it would be a good idea to start making our own.  He ordered a Yogotherm.

It’s basically  a large  thermos designed to turn milk into yogurt. (And other things, kefir, various cheeses.) You heat the milk to 185 degrees and then cool it back down to 110 degrees. Then into the Yogotherm  with a yogurt culture.  Eight to ten hours later you have yogurt.

I love the fact that I can use milk from a local dairy that does not have any antibiotics or growth hormones in it.  There are no added sugars  or sweeteners, no unpronounceable preservatives, colorings, etc. Other than milk and culture, the only things added are added  by my choice.

Don’t have a yogotherm or yogurt culture? Don’t despair.  Any thermos will do and you can use 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite store bought yogurt per half gallon of milk (I would try for an organic, plain yogurt) and you will have the same results. I have done this and it does work beautifully.  You can continue to do this from your yogurt but know that eventually you will have to have new culture.

Dan is not as particular about his yogurt as I am.  I like to strain it so that  it becomes really thick, more like a dessert.  He is just as happy eating it right out of the container. When you strain it, you end up with about a quart of whey and this just wonderful stuff.  I use it for making oatmeal, sauces and bread. It adds a nice tangy flavor and is full of protein.

This week I am eating our yogurt with some of the strawberries that I picked from Willow Creek Orchards. Also, with the jam I made from the strawberries.

This is my favorite time of year for food.  I picked raspberries at Pennypack on Friday and found local blueberries in the supermarket.  They have all found a home in the yogurt and every day at 3:00 you can know that I am fixing my afternoon snack of homemade yogurt and the jewels of summer, berries.

Sauteed Dandelion Greens with Wanuts

Saw these beauties at the Weavers Way Co-op and I couldn’t resist. Brought ‘em home, trimmed the stems, gave ‘em a good washing (always wash your greens well),  and then into a hot skillet sizzling with olive oil and butter. I always crowd the skillet when it comes to greens. They’re going to reduce a lot in volume.

After a few minutes, I added a generous handful of walnuts. I knew it was done when the greens where good and soft, but not mushy. You know, taste as you go along.

Man oh man! The walnuts contributed a crunchiness and a sweetness in contrast to the pleasant bitterness of the greens. And this stuff is good for you, too.

Same old moral — eating healthy and cooking with local ingredients isn’t hard. A few simple basics are better than a lot of recipes. On the other hand, this isn’t the only way to prepare dandelion greens. But then, you know how to use Google.