Warm Winter Whole Grain Salad

Winter, for me, is a season of cleansing and stark beauty.  The simplicity of the silhouettes of bare branches against a steely grey sky speaks softly to my heart, also in need of a restful moment or two.  Snow is a constant wonder to me, though not in the same way it was when I was a kid barreling down the long steep hill behind our farmhouse on a wooden sled that surely was dangerous with its rusty metal rails.  In fact, a new unblemished blanket of white has just fallen overnight and my current home’s window frames a comforting innocence, the usually busy city street out front muffled.  Soon a gaggle of neighborhood kids will be sliding down the gentle slopes of the school yard next door.   I suppose the wonderment I have for winter white is that it is a great equalizer.  An eyesore and a masterpiece look nearly the same under a mantle of snowflakes.   Neighbors who may do no more than nod hello in every other season gather together with shovels on shoulders to clear the alleyway connecting all their homes, shouting stories about their kids or the city’s sports teams over the scrape of shovels against asphalt.   For at least a few hours, everyone in the world seems a little more considerate.  A little more wholesome. 

Deconstructed Pear Salad

It’s still four full days before Thanksgiving tables will be heaped full of food, and yet my trip to the grocery store just now was harrowing.  The aisles were packed with manic masses desperately lunging for the last bag of prepared seasoned stuffing and can of pumpkin puree.  All I wanted were some bagels for breakfast.  Silly me.  While I realize the core of our nation’s traditions for this holiday aren’t likely to undergo a serious shift any time soon, I wish that more folks focused on doing just want the pilgrims did: gathering locally grown food to the table and giving thanks for the harvest rather than gorging on supermarket spoils hard-won from the sucker next to them in line. 

Farmers markets are still open this time of the year and have a cornucopia of items fit for any thankful feast.  There are potatoes, yams, pumpkins, kales, mustards, collards, lettuces, spinach, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, onions, garlic, carrots, beets, honey, local cheeses, eggs, meats, breads, nuts, pears, apples, and cranberries galore!  No need to brave the supermarket hordes. 

Today’s recipe is for a very simple to make salad that is certainly worthy of a place on your holiday table.  Elegant in its “deconstructed” nature with individual servings featuring a whole pear half in a beautiful dish,  this salad features the lovely pure flavors of local seasonal offerings. I used pears from my family’s ancient tree, honey from my own beehive, lettuce just picked from the container on my deck, and hunks of an amazing goat cheese from Shellbark Hollow Farm in Chester County, PA. 

There is an incredible (and addictive) deliciousness to be found in the contrast between the sweet honey and pear and the salty herbed pecans and cheeses.  No need to set foot inside a grocery store to make this salad (presuming you have a decent spice rack  in your kitchen already) and there are several other recipes in the blog index that do the same.  

Squash Apple Cheddar Tart
Butternut Squash and Green Bean Curry
Roasted Beets over Gingered Millet
Saffron Pan Seared Brussel Sprouts and Cauliflower
Carrot Cake
Creamy Cauliflower Garlic Soup
Cranberry Vanilla Coffee Cake with White Chocolate Ganache
Bittersweet & Nutty Greens
Mixed Fried Potatoes
Roasted Pumpkin & Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding

What locally grown ingredients will your Thanksgiving table feature this year? 

Summer Plate: Warm Beet Salad

Here is the last of the recipes for my recent late-summer  dinner plate.   Albeit, it is now officially fall.   But I’m a bit slow in posting these days, immersed is many other creative projects.  My mind’s constantly going in twenty different directions, concerned at one moment with arranging flowers for a wedding, at another moment with blending herbal teas from my garden harvests, at another with re-designing the perennial plantings in my front yard,  and at yet another with knitting up some fun and funky wrist warmers.  I’m a woman with too many hobbies, I think. 

But one creative passion is always ticking away in the back of my head.  Recipe development is an interest and skill that’s been honed over these past several years of food blogging.  I now find myself caught up in thought in the middle of my garden while harvesting, deeply considering the merits of roasting versus boiling as well as flavor pairings and contrasting textures.  I know that this entire blog is based on the inspiration of freshly harvested produce for its simple and beautiful preparations, but some days I’m still blown away by how rousingly  handsome handfuls of fresh vegetables are.   Beets are among the most precious jewels in this capacity. 

Beets, so rich in vitamins and earthy flavor, are surprisingly versatile in the kitchen.   Tuck them into a popular chocolate cake to sneak them by those that might protest the deliciousness of these roots if you will, but I love them best when they are front and center in a simple salad.    Beets are just coming back into their prime here in autumn, being sweetened by the chilly nights and approaching frost that cause the plant to put all its sugar reserves into its roots in an attempt to survive the cold months ahead.    The beets I used for this salad happen to actually be some of the last I’ve had stored all summer from my spring crop, proof that this vegetable has staying power.    Is it any wonder that I have hundreds more planted in my garden currently to put in the cellar for winter dining delights?

Warm Beet Salad with Roasted Garlic Dressing is the perfect foray into fall, taking advantage of the rich flavors and warmth of roasting that contrast so pleasingly with the cool and fresh taste of tender lettuce leaves that are also once again at their best in the cooler weather.    You’ll not miss the warm weather or tomatoes when you take a bite of this luscious autumnal recipe. 

Cucumber and Chamomile Salad

Cons
Sticky.  Hot.  Car seats that scorch the back of your legs when you get in.  Sudden storms.  Constant state of feeling wilted.  Favorite flip flops starting to break after months of constant wear.  Mosquito bites from working in the garden at dusk to avoid the blazing heat of the day.  Awkward tan lines.

Pros
Fresh peaches.  Corn on the cob.   Blissful cold showers and a box fan.  Abundance of delicate blooms in the garden.   Farmers markets bursting at the seams.  Anticipating autumn.   Messy ponytails are okay.  Cold pitchers of ice tea.  Long weekends.  Laundry on the line.  Dewy mornings.  Long twilights.  Watermelon and cantaloupe.  Cucumbers.  

Simple Supper

 

Hey, guess what?  I’m in England right now!  Yep, that’s right.  I’m traversing the pond to take a whirlwind tour of gardens of the U.K.   Among them is a personal Mecca of mine – Perch Hill Farm.  Can’t wait to get back and tell you all about it!  In the meantime, here’s a new recipe to keep you occupied. 

 

This dish is a bit more geared towards those of you that grow your own garden as the beets/greens need to be very young, so much so that I doubt anyone out there is selling them this small.   Actually, it’s a fun trick I’ve developed in my garden this year.  When the time comes to thin out any extra seedlings from the crops I direct seeded – carrots, peas (for shoots), lettuces – into my vegetable beds, I save the tender young plants I thin and eat them whole.  So, these itty bitty beets – really just long red roots with tiny greens attached – were what I culled from the rows of what are now becoming beautiful big ruby orbs, which are due shortly to make their appearance in several recipes here on SFTF. 

 

For those of you who are vegetarian out there, I used the Morning Star chicken strips and found them perfect for this recipe.  The dressing is just a basic formula you can adapt a hundred different ways; add a dash of red pepper flakes, a pinch of fresh thyme, orange muscat champagne vinegar instead of balsamic, apple juice in place of honey, walnut oil instead of olive….the adaptations and flavors are endless.  The idea behind the recipe is to keep it simple and fast so dinner is healthy and delicious without being time consuming.   And to not waste some of the most tender, albeit small, harvests from the garden. 

 

Young Beet Greens and Chicken Salad
A Straight from the Farm Original

¼ C. balsamic vinegar
¾ C. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. ground mustard
1 t. ground ginger
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. honey
salt and pepper to taste
2 C. chicken breast, cut into thin strips
2 C. fresh baby beet greens, roots and all, washed and dried

Make the dressing by whisking together the vinegar, oil, mustard, ginger, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper until well combined.  Set aside.

In a large skillet, cook the chicken over medium heat until brown and cooked through, seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper.   Add the beet greens and toss to combine with the chicken.  Drizzle with half a cup of dressing and toss again.  Cook just until greens begin to wilt.  Remove from heat and taste.  Add additional dressing and salt and pepper as desired.   Serve immediately while warm. 

(serves 2)