Living In A Local Zone

These are some of my favorite local meals and recipes.  I’ll update it every month, and I hope that it can soon grow to be a “go-to” for comfort food, special occasions, and just quick staples for when nothing else comes to mind.  Some include ideas for when local produce is brimming and we can’t figure out enough ways to use it all, and some are for those scarcer times in the winter and early spring when all those preserved fall apples are getting a bit monotonous.  Feel free to jump in with your own ideas – I’d love to hear what you come up with

1. Smiling Waffles: This was a Dark Days Challenge 2008-2009 spotlight meal (Week #5) and had me smiling with the making, eating… and even after.

1 cup flour (mix grains as you like, cornmeal also works)

1/2 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 Tbsp egg replacer

1/2 Tbsp sweetener of choice, I use local honey

1 1/4 cup water

1/4 cup plain yogurt

I combined the dry, then mixed in the wet ingredients, leaving in some lumps.  Pour into wafflemaker and finish as directed per the model instructions.  I like mine crispy!  This recipe makes about 4 or 5 waffles.  They are not really sweet by any means, just pleasantly nutty with a bit of sweetness in the background.  You could of course add mix-ins in season like berries, etc, but I use a basic batter so each waffle can be different in the batch by adding toppings.  For the challenge meal, I did cranberry preserves on the side for dipping.

2.    Basic Rotli

This is one of the staples of my cooking.  Its flatbread that is very common in the part of India where my family is from (Gujarat).  I make them with all kinds of different flours (rye, triticale, wheat, etc).  The method below works with any combo of flours.

Take 3 cups of flour (any kind/mix) and then add in enough warm water to make a smooth dough, kneading until shiny. Then make small balls (about the size of a golf-ball) out of the dough. Some additional flour is then put on a plate for dipping. At this point, pre-heat a skillet to medium heat. If you have a gas stove, turn on another burner to high (if electric, do this sooner so it has time to warm up). Then take a ball and roll it out to about salad plate size, dipping in the extra flour as needed to keep from sticking. You then put it on the skillet and cook for 1 minute or so, then flip and cook on the other side for 20 seconds or so. Using tongs, remove from the skillet and put directly on the other burner (so with gas, right on the flame). The bread will puff up like a balloon within a few seconds. Using the tongs, quickly flip for about 2 seconds on the other side. Put on a plate, then repeat with the rest of the balls of dough.
The rotli might not always puff up, but they get better with practice as they are even thickness and smoothness…. it’ll happen Even if they don’t puff, they are still fully cooked and can be eaten happily.

3.     Buttermilk/Yogurt Herbed Rolls

This is to date my fav recipe for rolls.  I posted about it in my Spotlight for the 2008-2009 Dark Days Challenge Week #10.  Soft and delicious, with a different flavor in each bite.  I used yogurt the first time I made it (with the yogurt liquid on the top) and buttermilk the second time.  If using the buttermilk, you’d just adjust the water amount.

2 1/2 cups of whole wheat bread flour (about, it’ll depend on the liquid and how much is absorbed)

1 Tbsp yeast

1 cup water

1/2 cup or so yogurt (or buttermilk)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp honey

dry basil and red pepper flakes – I didn’t measure, just shook quite a bit of each into the dough

Mix 1/2 cup of the flour, yeast, honey, water and salt.  Stir and let sit for 10 minutes.  Then mix and add the yogurt, oil, and salt.  Add in the flour 1/2  cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides.  It should be soft and sticky, but still work-able.  Add in the basil and red pepper flakes.  Knead 5 minutes, dusting hands/dough as needed with flour to make a semi-smooth dough.  Cover and let rise about 1 hour, or until doubled.  Preheat oven to 375*F.  Deflate the dough, then divide into 8-10 pieces.  Form the rolls by pulling the sides down and pinching the edge to make a smooth top surface.  Push the roll down slightly to make a flatish bottom.  Cover and let rise 25 minutes.  Then bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden on the top.  Let cool, then devour.

You can also mix in any kinds of flavorings you want: I’ve made it with dried basil and oregano, with rosemary, with garlic and onion… all really good

4.     Basic Dahl Method:

Its hard to post a “recipe” for this one, as it is more of a method that can be used with most any beans.  Whole mung beans are my personal fav, and I’ve also used split mung, yellow split pea, lentil, and red bean.
I cook the beans until really really soft, almost breaking apart soft.  A pressure cooker is great for this if you have it.  Then you add enough water to get the liquid consistency that you want – I keep mine thick, as I use it as a dip almost for rotli, but if you are drinking it more like a soup, then a medium thickness works better.  In a small skillet/saucepan, I then take about 1/4 tsp each (for about 1.5 cups cooked beans) of cumin, paprika, red pepper, and turmeric powders, and mustard, fenugreek, and cumin seeds and put them in the skillet.  I toast the seeds/spices until the aroma starts to come out, then add them to the dahl.  Then simmer it all for about 30 minutes on very low heat.  And serve!
All these instructions are approximate, since I kind of play it by feel.  The spices are per taste, so that is where a lot of the adjustment comes in, but this is a good base to start with.

5.      Cranberry Ketchup/Preserves

This recipe comes from Amy at Our Home Works – and it is AMAZING! I made it and can’t stop eating it Here is the text of her recipe.  It makes about 4 half pint jars.

Ingredients

4 cups sorted fresh or frozen cranberries (about 2 12-oz bags)

1-1/4 cups red wine vinegar

1-1/4 cups water

2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground allspice

1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

In a large non-reactive saucepan, combine cranberries, vinegar, and water.  Heat over medium heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until all cranberries are soft and have popped (about 20 minutes).  Press the mixture through a food mill or fine meshed sieve.  Discard the skins and seeds.  Return pulp to the pan.

Stir in brown sugar and spices.  Heat over medium heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until it thickens (for 20-30 minutes).  Ladle into hot, clean jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles with a plastic knife.  Wipe the jar rims with a damp paper towel or cloth.  Cover with hot lids and apply screw rings.  Process half pint jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes and pint jars for 15 minutes.

This is delicious.  The first time I made it I followed the recipe exactly.  The second time, I made a few modifications by lowering the amount of sugar (as I like my cranberries tart) and also skipped the step of milling/sieving the cranberries for a chunkier/thicker product.  Very tasty both ways.  Thanks Amy!

6.     Polenta with Winter Squash:

This was the Dark Days 2008-2009 Challenge spotlight meal for week #11.  I was struggling to get in some variety/creativity given the limited resources in the winter months, and this worked well.

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 cups pureed butternut squash (I leave the skin on) – any kind of winter squash would work I think

3 cups water

2 cups milk

1 tsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper

3/4 cup cornmeal

maple syrup for drizzling (optional)

Sautee onion until golden and soft (I don’t even need oil, the onion gives off enough liquid).  Add in pureed squash, cook about 3-5 minutes.  Meanwhile, bring the water, milk, salt, and pepper to a boil in a heavy pot, then add the cornmeal in a thin stream, stirring to prevent sticking.  Then turn down to a low simmer, cooking about 10 minutes and stir frequently.  Add in the squash mixture, and cook/stir about 30 minutes, adding liquid as needed to prevent sticking/clumping.  Remove from heat when it reaches desired thickness, and eat immediately!  I drizzled the maple syrup over part of the polenta.  It would be too sweet to eat the whole dish that way, but for a bit, it was good.

7.   Spiced Milk Pudding:

I made this for the Week #12 Spotlight meal for the 2008-2009 Dark Days Challenge, and it was just perfect for the week marking the midpoint between winter and spring.

• 6-7 cups milk (any kind, I used skim)
• about 1/3 cup honey (to start, then adjust to taste)
• Handful of dried fruit (optional)
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 Tsp nutmeg, small handful of cloves (crushed), cardamom (about 6 pods worth)

Bring milk to a boil in a large saucepan and lower to simmer until it reduces by almost half.  Add the honey, stirring to incorporate fully, and simmer until it reaches about the desired thickness.  Part way through, taste for sweetness and add more honey if needed.  Add the spices and dried fruit (if using), simmer 2-3 more minutes, then take off the heat.  It can be served hot or chilled – or even room temperature.

8.   Rhubarb-Cranberry Handpies:

This was a “make it up as you go” recipe from my first week of One Local Summer 2009.  I’m calling it a “handpie” – basically, a simple dough with “something” stuffed inside and then baked in the oven.

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• About 3/4 cup of ice water (enough to make a stiff dough)
• 1 Tbsp oil
• Rhubarb and cranberries – as much as you like for the filling (and snacking straight up!)
• Honey to taste for filling

Start the filling by combining the rhubarb and cranberries in a large pot and add water to cover.  Add in honey to taste – I like the tartness, so I went easy on the honey.  Cook down the filling until it is thick and no liquid remains, basically until the filling can pull away from the sides of the pan.  While it is cooking, combine the flour and water to form a stiff dough and chill for 15 minutes (or up to 1 hr).  Divide chilled dough into 4 parts and roll out to medium thickness.  Put the filling slightly off center, since you’ll fold over the circle in half until the bottom just extends a bit under the top.  Fold over the bottom, crimp the edges, and put into a pre-heated 400* oven for 15-20 minutes.  It works!  Plus, this can be used with any filling that is in season, veg to be the traditional “main part” of the meal, sweet fruit for dessert (or the meal!)…