Continue reading »]]> If you have never had garlic scapes you are in for a treat. Garlic scapes are the unopened flower from the top of a garlic plant. They are green and tend to curl up. Garlic growers like to remove them from the plants so they can grow larger bulbs. Only hardneck varieties of garlic grow these scapes. Once the scapes are removed they can be used in the kitchen. They are a gourmet treat. The season is very short for them, so get them while you can. The best place to get them is at your local farmer’s market. If you are lucky you might find them at a specialty grocery store.

The best way I think to use them is to simply roast them in the oven. I set my oven to 400 degrees. I then cut the scapes into 2-3 pieces. I cut off any tips that I consider to be too thin. They will just burn before the rest of the scape is done. I use the tips in other dishes just like one would use chopped garlic. I like to arrange my scapes on a sheet pan lined with a Slipat. I then drizzle some olive oil over the scapes, before adding some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Then I slide them in the oven and roast them until they are tender and just starting to caramelize.

The texture is somewhere between roasted asparagus and roasted green beans. The best part is that they naturally have a roasted garlic flavor without having to chop up any garlic. If you can find them, snatch them up and give this method a try. They are avaialble in the Midwest in mid to late June.

Continue reading »]]> Garlic is one of the cooks greatest tools. It can bring life to any dish it comes in contact with. But how does one pick out a good head of garlic? I am here to provide you with some tips that will make your garlic purchases better.

First off, repeat after me. I will not buy pre-peeled garlic. I will only buy garlic by the head with the exception of garlic powder, which is good for some recipes. The pre-peeled stuff will not have anywhere near the flavor of the fresh stuff. When buying garlic at the store, look for garlic that is firm, with no signs of black powder (aka mold). It should never be in the refrigerated section as garlic should never be refrigerated unless it’s leftover individual cloves that no longer have their paper on them. When I buy garlic at the store I try to use it up as quickly as I can, because if the garlic begins to sprout inside, the flavor will be bitter. I have no idea when store bought garlic was picked. Also stores typically sell it in big piles, so it’s possible to end up with a head that was on the bottom for a while.

When shopping for garlic it seems you have two choices: regular garlic and elephant garlic. When I am here to tell you that elephant garlic may look like large garlic, but actually it’s not garlic in all. In fact, I think it’s for people who don’t like garlic. Elephant garlic is very mild and lacks the punch of true garlic. You still may see different colored garlic amongst the regular garlic. Most of the time it’s just plain white with no additional coloring but you may see from time to time garlic that has purple stripes in it. According to Alton Brown, from an episode of Good Eats entitled “In the Bulb of the Night”, the garlic with purple stripes is most likely grown in Mexico and it has more mild flavor than the all white American garlic.

Now if you are shopping for garlic at a farmer’s market and I suggest you do, you will discover that there are hundreds of varieties of garlic with names like Spanish Roja and Chesnok Red. You will never see those names at your local grocery store. By shopping at a farmer’s market and learning about the various varieties, you can find the garlic that best suits your needs. Some garlics are better for roasting than others. Some are better in sauces. Each variety has different characteristics, just like with apples. It’s unfortunately that the supermarkets of American deny their customers these options. I am fortunate that I can buy garlic straight from the growers at my local farmer’s market. These farmers are very informed about garlic and can really help you find what you need. If you are in the Ann Arbor, Michigan area look for the table of Diana and Dick Dyer at the markets in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti on weekdays.

Another great way to get your garlic is to shop for it in your own background. Check out my post on growing garlic and learn how you can have the satisfaction in growing it yourself.

Continue reading »]]> This past Wednesday, I met a friendly woman from the Crazy Horse Garlic Farm in Holland, Ohio at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market. She was selling spring garlic for $3 a bunch. Spring garlic is garlic that was started in the fall, and has now sprouted in the spring. It is pulled before it has time to form any bulbs. It is considered a culinary treat as it’s season is short lived.

Crazy Horse Garlic is a family owned farm, located to the west of Toledo, OH. They grow their garlic organically and tend to it by hand. They grow 10 different varieties of garlic, with names such as Spanish Roja and Cuban Purple. People don’t realize that there are different types of garlic, because you pretty much find the same thing in supermarket after supermarket.

For more information about them visit their website: http://crazyhorsegarlicfarm.com/

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This past Wednesday was another beautiful day at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market. It seems there were more vendors this time than last time I was here on a Wednesday, 2 weeks ago. At the market you could find arugula, asparagus, and lettuce a plenty. Now is the season for these crops, so get out there and get them while you can. Also I talked to a vendor that was selling grow your own mushroom kits . If your big into mushrooms and would love the savings of growing them yourself you should check out this booth at the next market. She has different varieties that grow in different conditions.

Onto what I purchased this week:
From Frog Holler
2 2-packs of Amish Paste Heirloom Tomato plants
1 pack of Leeks

I used up all my indoor growing space on Sungold tomatoes, so I was looking for some tomatoes that I will use just for making sauce, the Amish Paste seem like a good choice.

From Kapnick Orchards
1 pint of apple cider

They have so many great apple products, but their cider is my favorite. My wife loves their fritters!

From Crazy Horse Garlic Farm
1 bunch of spring garlic

This is the first time I have seen this vendor. They are out of Holland, Ohio and are experts on growing garlic. Today they were selling spring garlic. These are garlic plants that were planted in the fall and came to life in the spring. They haven’t formed bulbs yet, but they can still be enjoyed at this stage. You can even use the leaves. They take on a slight sweet flavor when cooked.

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Thought it was time to add another electric skillet recipe to the site. This one is for one flavored by the power of garlic. This basic recipe is for two, but you can easily double or triple it for whatever you need.

Ingredients
1 large or 2 medium sized boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 stick butter
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
freshly ground black pepper
kosher salt
dried oregano

Start by melting some butter in your electric skillet set to the lowest setting. Add in the oil, this increases the smoke point of the butter. Take your chicken and cut it into bite size pieces. This will allow the chicken to cook faster as well as increase the surface to mass ratio, which means more chicken is browned and browning equals flavor. Add salt and black pepper to your chicken pieces to taste.

When the chicken is ready, add your chicken and garlic and increase your skillet to 300 degrees or medium high. Turn your chicken often to preventing sticking and to cook evenly. It should take about 10-15 minutes. If you are wondering if you are done, simply take out a piece, cut it in half. Any juices should be clear and there should be no sign of pink. Before you pull your chicken add some dried oregano to give it a flavor boast and serve!

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Looking to save money on your grocery bill? Buy whole chickens. They can be had for much cheaper a pound than any chicken that has been sliced up for your convience. I like to roast the entire chicken, eat it that night, and save the leftovers to use in other dishes the next day or two. I buy what is called a fryer chicken, which is a young chicken (between 7-13 weeks old) that weight about 1 1/2 to 4 pounds. Before you roast your chicken, you should add some additional flavor. I do this with ”a paste”. For the paste you will need:

4-5 gloves of garlic
The herbs of your choosing (rosemary, basil, tarragon, thyme are all good choices)
Olive oil or canola oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Take your garlic and just give it a good smashing, no need to cut it into small pieces. Throw the garlic into a bowl, along with your herbs, a heavy pinch of kosher salt, several grinds of freshly ground black pepper, and a couple tablespoons of oil. Mix well to combine (if you are doing a larger chicken, you might want to make your paste in a food processor). You don’t need to perfectly measure everything here.

The first thing you need to do with the chicken itself is to remove anything in the cavity, giblets, heart, and neck. Once that is done, take your chicken and pull back the skin (do not remove it) in any places you can get it to go (you can use a knife to help you). Then rub your paste in between the meat and skin. Do this in as many spots as possible. Make more paste if you need to. Remember to wash your hands immediately after touching the raw chicken. Do not touch anything else before you wash your hands. Cross contamination is a major concern with chicken.

Set your oven to 350 degrees. Once your chicken is prepared set it in a roasting pan and insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken, being careful not to hit any bone, and roast until the thermometer says 165 degrees and the juices run clear. There is a fine line between perfectly done chicken and dried out chicken. But if you under cook it that’s bad news too. So it may take some practice, but I always recommend that if you don’t feel comfortable pulling the chicken yet, then wait a little bit longer.

If you plan on eating the skin of the chicken, I would recommend starting the chicken at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes, then reduce it to 350 until the chicken has reached it’s final temperature. You may also wish to flavor the skin, by sprinkling kosher salt, black pepper, and maybe some paprika on the outside before cooking.

Now it’s time to slice up the bird and enjoy! I recommend eating first the parts of the chicken that was closet to the areas in which you inserted your paste. If you have any leftovers and are planning to use them in other ways, it’s better to use the chicken that didn’t get as much seasoning the first time around.

Now speaking of other recipes for leftover chicken, here are a couple I did the last time I roasted a chicken:
Chicken Faijtas (in an electric skillet)
One-Serving Chicken Noodle Soup

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Last fall, I planted some garlic (read my post on that), hoping that come spring time I would be seeing some action in the pot. Sure enough by mid March I am seeing my first sprouts. I live in the southern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan, which is considered growing zone 5. So now if all goes well, my sprouts will continue to grow until they turn brown sometime in the summer, signaling that they are ready to harvest. This is my 3rd attempt at growing garlic but the first time I planted the bulbs in the fall, so hopefully I will have a much better result this year.

I can only speak of my zone, but typically early spring is when garlic begins to sprout, unless you live in a warmer climate.

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Now that it is January, it’s time to start thinking about seeds. Yes I live in a northern state where snow is currently on the ground. But now is the time to do your research so that when it’s time to plant your vegetables you are all ready to do so.

When it comes to buying vegetable seeds, Burpee is my favorite company. They have a wide selection and there seed packs give you all the information you need. I received an e-mail from them last week advertising their new varieties they have for 2010. In this post I am going to mention some that sound interesting.

Bush Bean Beananza

These french green beans are suppose to be twice as prolific as most other green beans. They are also slender and stringless.

Pea RSVPea

These peas were made in mind of those that live in cooler climates of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. They purpose about 7-8 peas per pod.

Tomato Orange Wellington

These tomatoes can weight up to 12 oz. They are orange in color and have a nearly seedless flesh.

Tomato Cherries Jubilee

In one season this plants can produce hundreds of small sweet cherry tomatoes.

Tomato Big Pink

Looks like Burpee has a tomato in every color this year. This pink tomato is said to be ideal for sandwiches, burgers, and salads.

Garlic Silver Rose

This garlic is said to be a fast grower with a mild flavor. If handed properly, it can be braided, and keep for 6 months!

Soybean Be Sweet 292

The claim on this one is that it is one of the highest yielding edible soybeans for home gardens. Each pod contains 2-3 beans.

Carrot Super Root

If your looking for larger carrots, this one can grow to 8 inches. It’s a good choice for those that want to make some carrot juice.

Cauliflower Colored Mix

For all the cauliflower fans, this is a mix of seeds that will give white, purple, green, and yellow colored cauliflower. These will look beautiful on in your bowl.

Potato Rose Finn Apple

This is a fingerling potato with a yellow flesh and rose color skin. At first glance I thought these were sweet potatoes.

Potato Russian Banana

I picked up an organic version of these potatoes at a grocery store recently and they had a great buttery taste to them. There are a fingerling variety.

Zucchini Green Tiger

These zucchini look really nice with striples, that remind me of a watermelon. They also are said to be the best tasting.

Continue reading »]]> The most tender part of the pig – the pork tenderloin. It is a versatile piece of pork than you can grill or roast with a wide varieties of flavors. The flavor we are focusing on today is teriyaki – a salty and sweet combination featuring brown sugar and soy sauce. Pork tenderloin is great for marinating as it’s low fat content can lead to drying out if you overcook it. Using a marinade is one way to introduce flavor and keep your pork moist and tender.

Ingredients

1 whole pork tenderloin

4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil

2 teaspoons light brown sugar

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients into a large zip top plastic bag. Then place the tenderloin inside. Seal the bag, making sure the marinade is completely covering the meat. Place inside a container large enough to fit that bag (just in case the bag decides to leak) and place in the fridge for about 4-6 hours. Don’t go beyond 8 hours or you might end up with salty pork.

Set your oven to 425 degrees. Take the pork out of the fridge and discard the marinade. Pat the pork dry. Place it on a pan lined with parchment paper or in a roasting pan. Place a probe thermometer on an angle in the center of the tenderloin and cook until the temperature reaches 160 degrees. You can use an instant read and check the temperature if you don’t have a probe variety. If you have neither type it should take around 25-35 minutes to cook, but going by temperature is best. Slice and serve!

Continue reading »]]> It’s easy to see from my blog that I am a huge Alton Brown fan. So as a huge Alton Brown fan, I cook a lot of his recipes. I decided today to list some of my favorite recipes that I have tried with great success. Clicking on the title of the recipe will take you to the Food Network page containing that recipe.

1. Chicken Kiev

Here is a chicken dish you can use to really impress your dinner guests. The tarragon infused butter is what really makes this chicken. This recipe isn’t as easy as some of the others, but once you get the hang of it, it’s not bad to prepare. I always cook mine in an electric skillet.

2. Slow Cooker Pepper Pork Chops

This recipe showed me how well pepper and pork go together. This is from an episode on peppercorns and this recipe really shows off their power and place as the main spice to a dish. The pork comes out so tender you don’t need a knife. This is because you cook it for a while in a slow cooker. I love cooking some fried apples as a side dish with this one.

3. Chocolate Pudding

This is Alton Brown’s verison of an instant pudding. You start with a powdered mix that you make yourself. All then you need to add is your dairy and a little vanilla extract (I use peppermint extract once, delicious!). Be warned this is a very rich pudding, so a little goes a long way.

4. Oven Roasted Broccoli

This is a unique take on broccoli. Oven roasted with panko bread crumbs and garlic give the broccoli a new flavor. I prepared this for someone who normally doesn’t like broccoli and even she went back for seconds! It’s full of vitamins as you are not boiling them all out.

5. Soft Pretzels

This is might be the recipe I use the most (in fact as I write this my dough is rising). Never waste your money on mall pretzels or frozen ones again. Once you get the hang of the recipe they are easy to make. I bake mine on a sheet pan lined with a slipat. The only thing I do differently than Alton is use bread flour because I buy it in big 25 pound bags from Sam’s Club.