Perfect Fall Dinner

Tonight Anne and I wanted a light dinner with vegetables and thought of making tomato soup and sauteed brussels sprouts.  This dinner was super easy and full of wonderful flavor that I couldn't wait to share it with you.  We were halfway through dinner and I realized I hadn't taken any pictures, so unfortunately I only have one of the brussels sprouts!

The tomato soup recipe comes from one of our favorite food blogs, Orangette.  The cilantro is a fresh, subtle flavor that comes through in just the right amount making this soup one that I am sure you will make many times.  I made up the brussels sprouts dish on the spot and will definitely make it again soon. I think it would also be great with toasted walnuts!

Tomato Soup with Red Onion and Cilantro Stems

4 servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup cilantro stems, cut into 1/2 inch lengths
1/2 of a jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
Sour cream, for serving

Warm the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the salt, pepper, cilantro stems, and jalapeno, and stir well.  Strain the tomatoes, and add the juice to the saucepan.  Then seed the tomatoes, chop them coarsely, and add them to the pan.  Add 2 cups of water, and stir to combine.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add the lime juice, then taste and adjust seasoning if needed.  Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream.

(We did not add the sour cream and I think it was great without it, but add if you want!)

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon


2 servings

About 10-15 brussels sprouts thinly sliced or shaved
3 slices bacon

Cook the bacon in a pan and remove and tear into small pieces.  If you like cooking things in bacon fat like I do, then add the brussels sprouts into the same pan you cooked the bacon in, and sautee for about 15 minutes (otherwise sautee them in olive oil).  Keeping a lid on for most of this time will help to steam the sprouts.  Add in bacon pieces at the very end and remove from heat.  Add salt as needed and serve with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Garlic + Pork Fat

We lucked out with a good stretch of dry weather and Terry took advantage of it and tilled the areas in the garden where garlic is going this year.  Garlic is planted pointy side up with the top 2 inches under the surface of the soil.  The rows are hilled and covered with leaves for weed control and to insulate the garlic over the winter.  Terry and Anne planted 400 cloves of our seed garlic that we grew this year and we hope for another successful crop that we will harvest in the fall.  

This fall, the Petronis and Rieses bought a whole pig from Sand Farm to split.  We love the product and it is fun to get different cuts of meat that we may not normally eat.  I asked for some fat from the pig so that I could render it to use for cooking and I got an 18 pound bag of it.  I had assisted in rendering fat when I worked on a farm in Italy and I have read a lot about it, but today was the first time I attempted it on my own.  The advantage to rendering your own fat is that there are no preservatives in it and using it in cooking adds another layer of delicious flavor.  It will keep almost indefinitely if stored properly in the fridge and I support using as many parts of the pig as possible.  

The process is simple: heat the fat over low heat with a little water and cook until the solids separate and sink to the bottom, filter through a cheese cloth and pour into jars and let cool.  I should say right now that I ended up burning all 18 lbs of my fat.  I got up bright and early and started a fire and cut up the fat into chunks and let it cook.  Unfortunately I should have taken it off of the fire right about here: 

However, I thought the larger pieces would break down more but instead the fat got way too hot and burned before I even knew what was going on. It smelled pretty bad and none of it was salvageable.  Next time, I am going to grind the fat first, which I have read leads to a smoother rendering process.  I will try again soon...live and learn!

This past Thursday we went to a harvest dinner for all of the market vendors.  It was great to see everyone there, eat fabulous food, and talk about the upcoming year.  I think everyone is excited for next season and we all have plenty of ideas as to how to improve our practices.  

Fall Maintenance

I was lucky enough to grow up with a wood stove in our house and the smell of the smoke and the sight of it coming out of the chimney will forever be a comfort to me.  Cozying up by the fire is one of the best ways to spend a winter evening and for that we need wood . . . lots and lots of it.  We now use a wood splitter to ease the task of chopping all that wood and it's an ongoing project to make sure we have enough.  We will need even more this year because we are planning on sugaring in the spring which uses an incredible amount of firewood to keep that constant hot fire burning.

Remember that compost I was telling you about? Here is Terry in action adding a layer of leaves to the pile.

We were able to harvest the last bit of the kale and then pulled it out of the ground. The stems will be composted of course.

Can't get enough of the beautiful fall colors...

Empanadas

Empanadas can make a great dinner or a snack and Anne and I made two different kinds and served them with a cabbage slaw on the side.  We made two different fillings: cauliflower, butternut squash, and pea as well as a roasted sweet potato, corn, and chorizo.  Though it is not traditional, we used a pie crust recipe for the dough because it is flaky and delicious.  There are many options for fillings-we came up with these based on what was leftover in our fridge.  Any kind of ground meat or vegetable would be delicious, it's really up to you on what you'd like in your empanada!

Crust (8-10 small empanadas)

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup shortening

1/3 cup cold unsalted butter

5-7 tbsp cold water

Mix dry ingredients together and then cut in butter and shortening into flour mixture until pieces are sizes of small peas.  Add water 1 tbsp at a time and mix until all the flour is incorporated.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Now is a great time to make your filling! You will probably need about 2-3 cups of filling for this amount of dough depending on how big you make them.  It is important that the dough stays cold, so work quickly! Divide dough into 8-10 pieces and roll out into small circles, about 1/8" thick.  Put about 2 tbsp of filling in each circle.  Dampen the outer edge of dough with water and then fold dough over filling to create a half circle.  Press edges down with the tines of a fork to seal.  Place on baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes on 350 or until golden brown.  

It's All About The Compost

It was a small showing of vendors and customers on Saturday and we didn't have a whole lot to bring but we were happy to see familiar faces for the final market.  We'd like to thank Cheryl, the market manager, for all of her hard work this season and we look forward to another season with her in 2012!

Back at Endeavor Farm we are taking advantage of all of the falling leaves to add to our compost piles and help tuck in the beds before winter.  The leaves act as an insulator and also add organic matter to the soil. Below is the rhubarb just about all covered up.

Terry has been doing some research about compost because we would like to introduce more organic matter into our soil.  Buying manure would be ideal but as it gets costly, we'd like to do as much as we can with what we've got.  We have 2 piles going right now and it's important to cover them so they don't get too saturated.  Turning it regularly with a pitchfork will encourage breakdown of the matter which includes all of our kitchen scraps and leaves.

  

Anne made the last 10 flower arrangements of the season on Friday night and the flowers were one of the most lucrative products that we had this year.  We will grow different varieties next year based on what we felt was most successful as cut flowers.  Terry cut them all down and the flowers that Anne did not use will be great for our compost piles.

We are enjoying all of the fall colors and loving the changing of the leaves. The vines are beautiful on the chimney at Bev + Terry's. 

On Saturday it was too nice of a day to pass up going apple picking one last time. While Terry held down the fort at the market, Anne and I went out to Eddy's Fruit Farm to get some apples for storage so we can have them as long as possible in the winter.  

Happy Fall!

Last Market

This Saturday, October 22, 2011 will be Endeavor Farm's last market of the year and we will have:

-Kale

-Carrots

-Cilantro

-Flowers

-Beets

-Garlic

This Saturday also marks the end of the Geauga Fresh Farmers Market. We would love to see as many people as possible out at the market to support all of the farmers who have worked so hard through this especially tough growing season. Stock up on squashes, cabbages, onions, and garlic as they keep for weeks if stored in a cool environment! Thank you again for supporting us this season!

Market (No More)

Sadly our season at the market has likely come to an end. We will not be there this weekend and while we  may be there another week in October, I think that our garden has given us everything its got this year. Thank you very much for coming this year and supporting us and reading the blog. I will continue the blog through the winter though and keep you updated on our plans for next year and what we're eating and soon enough I will be posting about all our little seedlings that will mature in our basement in the spring!