Farm Market Inspiration

I have to start by apologizing.

I'm an irresponsible blogger.  I have been completely negligent.

I have not written anything since May 4th.  I don't know where the time went.  I could reasonable justify my lack of writing on the end of the year school madness (as any Mom with school age children can testify to), or the fact that I was busy with work, or I could use the whole "my husband was in Germany for a whole month" excuse.  He actually was away for an entire month.  But, still, these are not good excuses. 

But alas, I am back.  And inspired.  And I promise not to wait so long in between posts again.  And if you are local and do not hear from me in a couple of days, come and knock on my door.

Since my last writing, the Farmer's Markets have opened in New Jersey providing unlimited amounts of inspiration, fresh produce, fresh meats, herbs, homemade pickles and and so much more depending on which markets you shop at.

If you are in New Jersey, you can go to http://www.jerseyfresh.nj.gov/ to find a farm market in your area.  This website also provides tips on choosing fresh produce, recipes, events, etc.

If you have read some of my other blog entries, you know I am a big fan of shopping with local merchants as well as local farms and businesses.  As I have said before, support your neighbors.

My favorite weekend market is the Ramsey Farmers Market held on Sundays from 9-2.  Their website is http://www.ramseyfarmersmarket.org/.  They not only have the best fresh organic and non organic produce but there are bakeries and vendors who sell olive oils and vinegars, spices, fresh flowers, pies, wine, fresh bread, pizzas, wines and even dog biscuits.  Did I mention they have wine? And you wonder why Ramsey is my favorite market? There are usually crafts for kids, live music and even chef demonstrations.  It's a great way to spend the morning/afternoon and plan your menu for the next few days or even the week.  Check out their website for more details.

Here is what I brought home one morning last month:

Isn't that a pretty picture?

Yes, this is what I do - I line up my produce for photo shoots.  This is why I haven't had time to write my blog.

Red leaf lettuce, fresh peas, broccoli, cucumbers, blueberries, strawberries, carrots, spices, blood orange balsamic vinaigrette, fresh apple cider donuts and of course, wine!  Did you seriously expect me to shop where I couldn't pick up a bottle? Then there are tomatoes, potatoes, garlic and onions.  Four staples in my kitchen.

Are you drooling yet?

Seriously, though, the farm market is so inspiring to me.  I just look at this pile of stuff and want to start slicing dicing and cooking my little heart out!  Here are a couple of dishes I made with what you see here.

A monster salad with the fresh greens, yellow and red tomatoes, baby balls of mozzarella, carrots and olives all drizzled with a bit of the blood orange balsamic vinegar.  Throw in a splash of good olive oil, salt and pepper and dinner is served.  It really is that easy!

Cavatelli and Broccoli.  Okay, for this one, I went to the freezer for the cavatelli and the pantry for the chicken stock and white wine.  The broccoli, onion, garlic and parmesan were from the market.  Basically, what you do is boil your cavatelli or whatever pasta you choose. Cook until just al dente.  In the meantime, finely chop your garlic and onion and saute in some olive oil until the onion starts to get wilted and lightly translucent.  Throw in a splash of white wine.  Cook for 1 minute.  Add approx 2 cups chicken stock and cook until the liquid starts to simmer.  Add your broccoli and cook just until your broccoli gets tender and is a vibrant green.  You don't want to overcook the broccoli or it gets bitter and wilted.  Yuck!  Add some salt and pepper to taste and about 2 Tbsp butter to add a little richness.  Toss in your cooked pasta and add some parmesan cheese and red pepper if you like a little spice.   You cannot go wrong with this dish.

Mozzarella, roasted yellow and orange pepper, basil and tomato salad.  This is a dish my husband and I live on all summer.  I roasted the peppers on the grill until the skin turned black.  Then let cool, peel, core, seed and slice the peppers.  Layer all the ingredients and top with a splash of balsamic vinegar.  You don't need to do much else - these ingredients are good enough to stand on their own.  Don't fuss with them.  And remember - make it look pretty.  We all eat with our eyes before we eat with our mouths! A loaf of crusty bread and a crisp white wine and you are in business.

I totally encourage you to get out there and give your local farmers some support.  Even if you start small and purchase a couple of tomatoes at first.  If there are ingredients you don't know about, ask the people working the stands.  The farmers grow this stuff - they know what to do with it and will surely be happy to share their ideas with you.  Or, you can always call/write/email me.  I'd be happy to share some recipes with you.

In the meantime, I promise to write more frequently - it won't be everyday.  That I can guarrantee. Maybe I'll go to Ramsey this weekend and pick the strangest or most uncommon ingredient I can find and share it with you. 

Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me to get back to the computer.  Tune in soon.  I promise not to disappoint.

Chicken Enchilada Ring

I volunteered to make something for the Teacher’s Appreciation Day luncheon at school today.  Since tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, I thought I would tie in a little Mexican theme and make a Chicken Enchilada Ring.

This is a fabulous recipe that is from The Pampered Chef but as I always do, I tweaked it a little and made it my own. This is also one of those great dishes where you can make good use of leftovers and what you have on hand.  The chicken you can make fresh or use some leftover grilled or rotisserie chicken.  You can eliminate the spicy and add some lemon zest and fresh herbs.  You can make it vegetarian and just use vegetables. You can make it with ½ chicken and ½ broccoli, spinach or a mix of vegetables.  You could also substitute the chicken for ground beef or turkey and make a taco ring. There are so many possibilities.  Just use the “basics” of 2 cups filling, ½ cup mayo and 1 cup of shredded cheese.  The combinations are endless. Use what you have on hand.  

Here is what you need:

2 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, undrained
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Southwestern Seasoning Mix
2 plum tomatoes
1 lime
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup tortilla chips
2 pkgs. (8 oz. each) crescent rolls
1 cup salsa
1 cup sour cream

Here is what you do:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Take your chopped chicken and put it in a large mixing bowl.  Easy enough right?

Wow, that picture is dark - sorry! It's just chicken though.

Take your shredded cheeses, green chilies, mayonnaise and southwest seasoning and add it to your chicken.  Mix well. 

On a side note – I like to use block cheese that I shred myself.  If you want to use the bags of preshredded cheese that you can buy in the supermarket – then go ahead.  It’s your time, money, kitchen and recipe.  Do what’s best for you.  The reason, though, that I like to shred it myself, is because the bagged cheese will usually have an anticlumping agent in it, such as flour.  The cheese will melt but it won’t have that ooey gooey melting consistency that the fresh shredded cheese will have.  Plus, I prefer not to have added ingredients in my cheese.

See how much lighter and fluffier this cheese looks?

Next, take one of your tomatoes and core, seed and chop it and add it to your chicken mixture.  I like to use plum tomatoes here because they are meatier and have less juice and seeds then say, a beefsteak tomato.  But, if all you have on hand is a vine ripened or other tomato, then that is fine as well.  Just wing it – it’s what I always do.

Chop your cilantro and throw it in the bowl along with your minced garlic.  Cut your lime in half and juice one half of the lime into the bowl.  The recipe calls for 1 tsp but again, just juice it right in.  Don’t try squeezing the lime into a measuring spoon.  It will be a big mess – I promise you! 


Next comes a fun part.  If you have children helping you cook, this would be a good step for them.  Put the tortilla chips into a Ziploc bag and scoosh out all the air.  Seal it well.  With a rolling pin, meat tenderizer, hammer, etc., crush the chips.  This makes great use of those leftover tortilla chips that are sitting at the bottom of the bag that are basically pre-crushed for you anyway.  Check your pantry closet; you probably have a bag in there.

Add ½ of the chips to the chicken mixture and stir it up.

Next comes the “ring” part.  Don’t be scared.  It’s really quite easy.

On a large round baking stone, sheet tray, whatever you are baking with, sprinkle the rest of the crushed tortilla chips.  Like so:

Open up your 2 crescent roll dough packages and separate them into triangles.  Place one in the 12 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions.  Like so:

See – that wasn’t too bad.

Next, start to fill in your open spots 4 at a time.  Here is what it looks like:

Now, this doesn’t have to be neat or look perfect at all.  It is all going to get wrapped up into a little package anyway.  It should look like a sunburst.

Once all your crescents are laid out, press or roll them down so the dough is even.  You just want to flatten it out and adhere it all together so it will hold the filling and cook evenly.  As you can see, I used my fingertips – it’s how I do things.  The less I have to wash, the better. 

We’re almost done.  Take your chicken mixture and shlop it all into the middle of the dough.  Again, it doesn’t have to look pretty; it’s all getting folded up.  If you feel you must, you can use a large scoop and make nice little neat chicken mounds in the middle.  This is what it should look like.

Start with your points and fold them up and over the chicken mix into the middle of the ring and tuck the points under.  Like this:

Again, this doesn’t have to be neat.  It looks better when some of the chicken filling is showing.  Plus, there will not be enough to fully cover it.  This also leaves you some garnishing opportunities.

Here is what it looks like all folded up and in a neatish ring.

At this point, if you want to be creative, you can shape the ring into a heart. 

This is fun for Valentines Day or just because.  I have also done this at Halloween and make the ring into a coiled snake using olives for eyes and a roasted pepper sticking out of its mouth as a tongue.  It was kind of cool, too since the tortilla chips made the snake look like he was shedding his skin.  Appeals to the morbid/semi gross part of me.  You have to have fun with your food!

If you still have some leftover tortilla chips or there is some floating around on your baking sheet, scoop it up and sprinkle it over the top.  Put it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the crescents are nicely browned.

While the chicken is in the oven, take your remaining tomato and lime half and slice them for garnish.  Like this:

When ring is done baking, garnish with the tomatoes and limes and this is what you get:

Ain’t she pretty?  Here she is all ready to serve with the sour cream and salsa in the middle.

So, next time you’re looking to “re-invent” your leftovers or make something new, give it a try.  And be sure to let me know what you did.  E-mail me with ideas, pictures, recipes; I would love to hear from you!

Oh, and since its Teacher Appreciation Week – go appreciate a teacher in some way.  I’m sure even a simple thank you note would make their day.