Farro Risotto with Spring Vegetables

THE BOUNTY OF SPRING
Spring marks the beginning of an exciting change in our seasonal food scene; a transition from the rich, warm flavors of winter to the light, delicate notes of spring.   It happens quietly. Spinach and arugula greens sprout.  Onions bloom.  Carrots, beets, parsnips and radishes wait to be pulled. Asparagus reaches for the sun and fennel bulbs grow. It is spring. A whole new cast of characters are on the food scene and the starring role belongs to spring vegetables!

 

Farro Risotto with Spring VegetablesRecipe by Chef Stacy Maple

Yield 4-6 servings

Chef Stacy demonstrating how to make
Farro-Risotto recipe at
Farmer D Organics in Decatur, GA

Ingredients:

½ Cup Farro
2 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ cup Shallot, diced small
2 oz Dry Sherry or Dry White Wine
2 Cup Chicken or Vegetable Stock
1 cup Carrots, peeled and diced medium
1 Cup Parsnip, peeled and diced medium
1 Cup Peas
1 Cup Asparagus Tips
1 tsp Salt
¼ tsp White Pepper, ground
2 TB Butter, optional
2 TB Heavy Cream, optional
2 TB Parmesan Cheese, grated, optional

 

 

Directions:

Step 1   Boil Farro in salted water until almost al dente. This will take a variable amount of time, approximately 10 minutes

Step 2   Sauté Shallots in Oil until translucent. Add Drained Farro and cook for 2 minutes.  Add Wine and cook until evaporated.

Making Farro-Risotto with the "RoboStir"

Step 3   Add ½ cup Stock or just enough to cover Farro, simmer to almost dry while stirring.

Step 4   Once Farro has absorbed almost all the liquid and the pan is almost dry, add additional 1/2 Cup of Stock or just enough to cover Farro. Continue simmering while stirring.

Step 5   Once Farro has absorbed almost all the liquid again, add the Carrots and Parsnips and additional ½ cup of Stock. Continue simmering while stirring.

Step 6   Once Farro has absorbed the liquid, add Asparagus and Peas along with remaining Stock.  Continue simmering while stirring until pan is almost dry and vegetables and Farro are barely al dente.

Step 7   Add Salt and Pepper. Remove from heat and stir in Butter and Cream

Step 8   Finish with Cheese, adjust seasoning and serve immediately.

MARINATED LENTIL SALAD WITH TOMATO & FETA

 

Lentils:  Fill up…not out! 

Don’t let their size fool you. Lentils may be the littlest of legumes, but nutritionally they are giants and a great source of cholesterol lowering fiber.  In addition, their fiber helps stabilize blood sugar and lower risk for some cancers. But it doesn’t end here.  Lentils also provide high amounts of seven important minerals, our B-vitamins and protein, all without virtually any fat! With only 230 calories per cup of cooked lentils, this little nutritional giant will fill you up…not out!

Marinated Lentil Salad with Tomato & Feta

Recipe by Chef Stacy Maple

Yields 4-6 people

Ingredients:

2 Cups Green Lentils
2 Garlic Cloves, peeled
1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Zest Whole Lemon
1/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar (preferably, White Balsamic)
2 Cups Baby Spinach Leaves, thinly sliced
2 Cups Grape or Cherry Tomatoes, halved
¼ Cup Kalamata Olives, chopped
1/3 Cup Feta, crumbled
Fresh Cracked Pepper
Sea Salt
Capers, to garnish

Directions:

Step 1 

Place the lentils and garlic in a medium sized saucepan and add enough cold water to cover the lentils by 2 inches of water.  Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer and continue
cooking for 20 minutes or until lentils are just tender.

Step 2 

In mixing bowl, whisk together oil, zest and vinegar.

Step 3 

When lentils are finished cooking, drain well and discard garlic cloves.  Add well drained lentils to the bowl of vinaigrette and toss together to coat.  Cover and put in refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.

Step 4 

Once lentils are chilled, add spinach, tomatoes, olives and feta and toss together.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with capers. Serve Immediately.  

Herb Rosted Spring Chicken

Spring Chicken                                                                                                                                                                     

Until I paid a visit to Blackberry Farm in Tennessee, I thought a Spring Chicken was just a fanciful thing or a way to romanticize about a chicken that was on the small side.  I soon realized that different varieties of chickens mature at different ages.  Spring Chickens are small, juicy, mildly flavored birds that are perfect for roasting.  In high heat, roasting crisps the bird’s skin and helps preserve their juices.  These little chickens would be wasted in a stew and no fun to fry.  The bird’s flesh is tender and seems to absorb the perfume of herbs well, making them the perfect choice for this herbaceous dish.  Serve Herb Roasted Spring Chicken with traditional spring sides like smashed new potatoes and steamed peas for a lovely meal that is tough to beat this season.

 

Herb Roasted Spring Chicken Recipe

serves 4

30 minutes Prep Tim, Marinate Overnight                                                                                                      30 minutes Cooking Time

Chef’s Notes:  Spring Chickens are sometimes called Poussin ( poo-san).  Poussin is the butcher’s term for a young chicken.  Either birds, Spring Chickens or Poussins are suitable for this dish.  

Ingredients

2 Spring Chickens or Poussins, each about 1 pound

2 TB Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped

1 TB Fresh Rosemary, chopped

1 TB Fresh Tarragon, chopped

1 TB Fresh Thyme, chopped

1 TB Fresh Chives, chopped

2 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 TB Kosher Salt

 

Directions:

1 The day before serving, rinse chickens and pat dry.  In a small bowl, whisk together Parsley, Rosemary, Tarragon, Thyme, Chives, Black Pepper and Oil.  Place each chicken in a quart size resalable plastic bag and pour half of oil mixture into each bag.  Seal the bag tightly and rub the outside of the bags to work the herb mixture into the chickens, covering them entirely.  Refrigerate overnight to allow the herb flavor to penetrate the chickens.

2 The following day, preheat oven to 425 degrees

3 Remove the chickens from the bags and place them on a rack in a roasting pan and allow chickens to come to room temperature.  Roast the chickens for 30 minutes and juices run clear when the bird is poked in the thickest part of the thigh or an instant-read thermometer reaches 165 degrees when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh meat.  Remove from oven and let rest on counter for 10 minutes.

4 To serve, using a very sharp knife, split the birds in half, lengthwise, using the breast bone as a guide.  Cut out back bone and discard it.  Place half of bird on each plate and serve immediately.

 

Fruit & Nut Quinoa Granola

Quinoa: What's All the Fuss About?

America’s fascination with Quinoa (keen-wah) may be new, but this grain has ancient roots that date back more than 3000 years.  With all nine essential amino acids, this little seed is a complete protein and the only one known that comes from a plant. As humans we need protein to build and maintain our muscle mass.  We can’t live without it. If you follow a plant-based diet, Quinoa will be your new best friend. It’s cholesterol-free, gluten-free and protein packed.  Most often used in savory dishes, Quinoa is a blank canvas for the flavors that surround it.  It can be a great replacement for many grains and seeds in your favorite recipes.  Get creative with quinoa and try it in something sweet! Fruit & Nut Quinoa Granola is jam packed with nutrients, textures and flavors.  This granola recipe is so delicious, you’ll forget it’s healthy!    

 

Fruit & Nut Quinoa Granola Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Cup Cooked Quinoa

2 Cups Oats

3 TB Ground Cinnamon, divided

1/4 Cup Almonds, chopped

1/4 Cup Dried Currants

1/4 Cup  Golden Raisins

1/4 Cup Cranberries

1/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds

1/4 Cup Pumpkin Seeds

1/2 cup Agave or Honey

Organic Cooking Spray                                                                                                                                                           

Directions:                                                                                                                                                                                    

Step 1

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Step 2

Rinse Quinoa in fine sieve or in colander lined with coffee filter.  In sauce pan, bring 2/3 cup of water and 1/3 cup of uncooked quinoa to a boil.  Reduce heat to lowest setting and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed into the quinoa.  Fluff with fork before using. 

Step 3

Line sheet pan with parchment paper or use a non-stick cooking mat. In a bowl, toss together Quinoa, oats and 2 TB of Cinnamon. Pour on to lined sheet pan. Spray liberally with cooking oil, drizzle with Agave, sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and bake in oven for 10 minutes.  Take out and turn granola with spatula.  Repeat process of turning with spatula, spraying with Oil, sprinkling with Cinnamon and drizzling with Agave every 10 minutes for a total cooking time of 30 minutes using all remaining Cinnamon and Agave. 

Step 4

Remove from oven.  Add Nuts, dried Fruit and Seeds. Return to oven for 5 minutes.  Remove and let cool.  Once it is completely cooled, store it in air tight container.  Keep in refrigerator to extend shelf life.

Cozy Split Pea Soup

 

Another winter storm advisory chases me back to the safety of my warm home, much like the ground hog who  peers outside his hole only to retreat further inside his cozy den, waiting for spring.  A trip to the fresh market on these snow covered roads won't happen today and Mother Hubbard's cupboard is bare.  Thankfully, a few staple ingredients are all that is needed to make this hardy pot of soup.   The epitome of comfort food, warm, soothing and pleasing to the soul, Cozy Split Pea Soup is guaranteed to thaw your winter freeze... whether there is snow outside or not!

 

Prep Time 10 minutes/Cooking Time 55 minutes
Immersion Blender, recommended

Ingredients

2 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 ½ C Onion, small diced
1 TB Garlic, minced
2 C Dried Split Peas, Green or Yellow
1 Bay Leaf
½ tsp Dried Marjoram
2 TB Salt
Black Pepper, Fresh ground
2 QT Vegetable Stock, Low Sodium

Directions

1.  In colander, rinse peas and pick out any small stones or debris.

2.  In a large soup pot, heat the Oil.  Add onion and cook over medium high heat until onion begins to soften, stirring frequently.   Add Garlic, Split Peas, Bay Leaf, Marjoram, Salt and a few generous grinds of Black Pepper.   Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently as mixture starts to caramelize. Careful not to burn peas.  

3.  Add stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes or until peas are soft and tender. Stirring occasionally.

5.  Remove from heat.  Pluck out the Bay Leaf.  Using an immersion blender, puree soup until desired consistency is reached.  (A traditional blender or food processor can be used, letting the soup cool to room temperature before blending it.  Blending hot liquids in a traditional blender can be dangerous.) Soup can be thinned down with additional stock or water, if required.  Adjust seasoning to suit your tastes. 

6.  Ladle soup into bowls.  Serve as is or top with freshly chopped chives or scallions, a dollop of Greek yogurt, crumbled bacon or a sprinkle of smoked salt and cracked black pepper. 

 

 

 

Butter Pecan Bites

Pecans: A Holiday Tradition

Though we may not pronounce it the same, Pecans are a universal part of our holiday traditions.  From dessert pies, pralines and ice creams to savory sides and entrees, pecans are our go-to nut of the season. 



Georgia Pecan Growers, like Ellis Bros. Pecans in south Georgia,
account for more than a third of the US pecan production.
Ellis Bros. Pecans farms more than 2000 acres of
pecans, figs,persimmons and cotton.
 

Long before the arrival of the first European settlers, pecans have played an important role in our American culture and diet. Today, Georgia is the nation’s leading supplier of pecans, accounting for about a third of the US pecan production.  An average pecan harvest in Georgia is about 88 million pounds – enough to make 176 million pecan pies.

November 1st marked the beginning of the 2013 pecan harvest in Georgia, just in time for the holidays.  Why not make these Butter Pecan Bites a part of your tradition this year!



 

Butter Pecan Bites

Yields 3 dozen small cookie bites

20 minute Prep/10 minute Baking/10 minute Cooling

 

Ingredients:

1 cup Salted Butter

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

2 cup All-Purpose Flour

1 cup Pecans, chopped

Whole Pecans, garnish

 

 

  Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• In standing mixer on medium speed, cream together Butter, Brown Sugar and vanilla.  
• Reduce mixer speed to low.  Gradually add in flour until fully incorporated. 
• Turn off mixer.  Fold in Pecans until mixed evenly.Roll dough into 1” balls.  In ungreased mini muffin pan, place a dough ball into each muffin form. Place a whole Pecan on top of each dough ball and press pecan into the dough until slightly flattened.  Repeat process until pan is full.
• Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are golden.
• Remove pan from oven and let cookies cool before attempting to remove them.  Once cooled, gently loosen edges of cookies with butter knife and carefully lift cookies out of the muffin forms.





 

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Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake

By Chef Stacy Maple

Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake

This Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake is the perfect dessert to celebrate the fall.  The recipe calls for 3 pounds of fresh apples that will hold their shape when they are cooked.   This begs the question: Which apple is right for the recipe?  The following guide examines 20 of the most common apples and the best way to enjoy them this season.

Picking the Right Apple for Your Recipe

With more than 7,000 varieties of apples grown today it is often a challenge to pick the right apple variety for your recipe.  The following is a guide to 20 of the most common apples found at local markets and the best way to enjoy them.

 

20 Common Apples and their Best Uses

When it comes to apples for snacking the choice is subjective. You like what you like.  But when it comes to cooking apples it is important to be more objective.  Taking into consideration the apple’s flavor, texture and they way it will react to heat will help you pick the right apple for your recipe.  For example, my Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake needs an apple that can hold its shape when baked and remains flavorful (see below).

 

Apples Best Enjoyed Raw: 

Cortland, Fuji, Gala, Red Delicious

Because these apples lose their flavor when cooked or their texture becomes undesirable, these apples are best enjoyed in their raw state as a snack or in a salad.

 

Apples that Hold Their Shape:   

Brae burn, Cameo, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jazz, Jonagold, Pink Lady, Rome

These apples soften when cooked but retain their shape and are great choices for pies, cobblers and tarts, as well as, braised dishes, stuffings and baked apples.

 

Apples that Breakdown Easily: 

Empire, Jonathan, Lady Apple, Lodi, McIntosh, Pomme Grise, and Sunrise

These apples breakdown easily when cooked, making them good choices for apple sauces and pureed soups.   Try adding a few of these soft apples to apples that hold their shape when cooked to add body to pies, tarts and turnovers.

 

 

Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake

 

Ingredients:

For the Apples

3# Apples that Hold Their Shape, cut into 1/4 " wedges

3 TB Fresh Juice

6 TB Unsalted Butter, cut in pieces

 

For the Topping

Unsalted Butter, softened

1 C Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

 

For the Cake

1 1/2 C All Purpose Flour

1 1/2 tsp Nutmeg, ground

1/2 tsp Salt

9 TB Unsalted Butter, softened and cut in  pieces

1 1/4 C Sugar, granulated

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 TB Orange Zest

2 Eggs

3 Egg Yolks

3/4 C Whole Milk

 

Directions:

Prepare the Apples

In a large bowl, toss apple wedges in lemon juice.

In heavy duty skillet, cook butter over medium until brown in color and has nutty fragrance, about 4 minutes.  Be careful not to burn. Remove from heat. Immediately add apples (without lemon juice) and sprinkle in salt.  Gently toss apples in brown butter.  Pour apples on sheet pan in a single layer to cool and set aside.

 Prepare the Topping

Butter a 10 inch spring form cake pan and line with parchment paper.  Butter the parchment paper.

In a medium sauce pan, add sugar, cinnamon, and water.  Place over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves.  Once sugar dissolves, stop stirring and continue cooking for 3 minutes and is a dark amber color. Immediately pour the caramel in the cake pan swirling to evenly coat the bottom.  Let cool.

 

Once cool, artfully arrange the buttered apple slices in the caramel in a tightly packed circular pattern.  Set aside.

 Prepare the Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position rack in the lower third of the oven.

In medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together butter and ¼ cup of sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute.  Scrape bowl.

Add remaining sugar, orange zest and vanilla.  Beat until well combined and pale in color, about 4 minutes.  Scrape bowl. 

With mixer on low speed, gradually add the eggs and yolks and beat on medium speed until well incorporated.

With the mixer on low speed, gradually add remaining ingredients by alternating the dry ingredients and milk.  Scrape the bowl as necessary and continue to combine until well incorporated.

Using rubber spatula, gently spread batter evenly over apples.  Lightly tap pan down on counter once or twice to settle batter

Bake 40-45 minutes until cake springs back when gently pressed and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Transfer cake to cooling rack and run a sharp knife around edge of pan to release.  Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes. Release spring form.

Invert the cake onto a cake plate and slowly remove the pan and parchment.  If any apples have shifted, reposition them.  Let the cake cool for at least 1 hour before serving. 

Serves 8-10