Even More Asparagus

You’ve already eaten a lot of asparagus, but you don’t want to stop

Since asparagus is still in season, and still super delicious you might need another idea of something else to do with it.  Why not put it on pizza?  Strangely the first place I ever had asparagus on a pizza was in Honduras.  I don’t think asparagus is grown there so I’m not sure what inspired La Albahaca (“The Basil,” my favourite pizzeria in Tegucigalpa) to put canned asparagus on a pizza but I always ordered it, both because it was tasty and I never ate asparagus there otherwise.  So now I put asparagus on my pizza whenever I have it.  It works with frozen asparagus but is best with fresh asparagus (isn’t that true of all vegetables?). 

Asparagus Pizza, with Potatoes and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

·        ½ lb (250g) mushrooms, sliced

·        1-2 tbsp. butter

·        1 tbsp. maple syrup

·        1 small potato, sliced in ¼ inch rounds

·        4-5 asparagus spears, chopped

·        ½ - ¾ cup grated mozzarella cheese

·        ½ - ¾ cup pizza sauce (we just use leftover spaghetti sauce)

·        pizza dough

Preheat the oven to 400^◦F.  Heat a pan over medium-high heat and fry the sliced mushrooms with the butter and maple syrup until they are greatly reduced in size and nicely caramelized, about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile place the potato slices on a lightly oiled baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes, then flip and roast another 10 minutes and remove.  Steam or boil the asparagus for 3-4 minutes.

Increase the oven heat to 500^◦F.  Stretch the pizza dough, top with sauce and cheese, then follow with the roasted potatoes and caramelized mushrooms, and finally the asparagus.  Bake the pizza until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling.  Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

Need another asparagus pizza idea, try this one that we made last year and also featured rhubarb!

Jon Spee is a Bailey’s member who can be a bit obsessive about local food.  To make sure he doesn’t talk about it too much he writes about it instead at The Local Kitchener.

Frozen Berry Coffee Cake

I grew up with blackberry coffee cake every Sunday morning.  I’m pretty sure the secret family recipe featured Bisquick pancake mix.  In an attempt to make the cake more local this recipe replaces all refined sugars with maple syrup and honey, and makes use of an overnight rest to soften the whole wheat flour.  If you look in your freezer and don’t have any frozen fruit then you know that this summer you need to freeze more (which is how I feel after finishing the raspberries in this cake!). 

Frozen Berry Coffee Cake

Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking’s “Blueberry Cake.”

Cake Batter:

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

(or 1 cup of hard sifted flour or light spelt flour instead of the above flours)

⅓ cup milk

¼ cup melted butter or oil

⅓ cup maple syrup

½ tsp. vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 egg

2 cups frozen berries (blueberries/serviceberries/raspberries/strawberries/blackberries…)

Streusel Topping:

⅓ cup whole wheat or hard sifted flour

2-3 tbsp. oats/barley flakes/spelt flakes

¼ cup cold butter, chopped into pieces (or use a fork to crush the butter)

¼ cup honey

2-3 tbsp. unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)

2-3 tbsp. ground walnuts or pecans (optional)

Mix together the flours, milk, butter/oil, and maple syrup, cover and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning add the salt, baking powder, and egg.  Pour/scoop the batter into a greased cake pan (or pie dish) and top with the frozen berries.  Preheat the oven to 350.

Mix together the streusel topping with a fork or pastry cutter until the butter and dry ingredients have formed together into pea-sized clumps.  Alternatively you can use a food processor to mix it all together. 

Cover the berries with the streusel and bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick or fork inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. 

Serve with some really deliciously-strong [organic fair trade] coffee….

Recipe from Jon Spee who blogs about cooking local foods and homebrewing in KW.  

Stovetop Maple Kettle Corn - & a visit to Snyder Heritage Farms

A trip out to Snyder Heritage Farms during Syrup Season

On Saturday I spoke with Kevin Snyder from Snyder Heritage Farms about getting a frozen turkey and seeing their maple syrup operation.  He invited me out that day telling me that the sap flow may to be nearing its end.

When I arrived that afternoon I had trouble locating the sugar house because I didn’t see any building that was producing tons of smoke and steam.  Eventually I spotted a tractor with a huge stainless steel tank attached to it next to a building with a chimney emitting a bit of steam, and figured that must be it.  When I got over to the building Kevin spotted me and invited me in.  I didn’t really know what to expect but was very impressed with what I saw.

The Snyder’s boiler is a beautiful piece of equipment.  About 20 feet long, with one smoke stack and two steam stacks rising to the roof I asked why so little steam and smoke were visible coming out of the chimney.  Kevin explained to me that this was due to the extremely high efficiency of the boilers design.  Although it’s burning firewood, it actually achieves complete combustion thanks to the design which allows the smoke leaving the initial fire to re-burn creating more heat.  This means that the fumes leaving the smoke stack are really just pure water and CO₂, rather than a dark sooty smoke  that might be seen leaving a less modern sugar shack.  Thanks to the high efficiency of the system the sugar house air was clean and comfortable to be in, not thick and hot.  It was clear that the energy being consumed was going straight to the sap with very little of it being wasted. 

Another level of efficiency is achieved even before the sap reaches the boiler, because first it passes through a reverse osmosis system increasing the sugar concentration of the sap from about 2% to 10%.  The sap then needs to be boiled to drive off more water and reach a concentration of close to 70% sugar, but considering that the reverse osmosis system saves energy consumption by 50% or more it’s a very important system to have.

In addition to their maple trees, all the firewood used is also grown on the Snyder’s farm, making their maple syrup a truly locally produced sweetener.  In fact the same goes for the GMO-free feed they give their turkeys—it’s all grown right on their farm.

Ideally there would be a recipe here that features turkey and maple syrup all together, but I don’t have one of those yet!  The recipe that follows is just our family’s favourite use of maple syrup!

Stovetop Maple Kettle Corn

½ cup local popcorn

2-3 tbsp. local oil

As much maple syrup and butter as you would put on your pancakes…

A dash of salt

Heat your oil over medium heat in a large pot and add the popcorn when the oil is hot, briefly stirring to distribute the kernels and oil evenly, then cover the pot.  When the popcorn is done popping turn off the heat and add the syrup and butter.  Stir until the syrup and better have disappeared, add a dash of salt, and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Enjoy!

The more syrup you add the more it will caramelize, but I find that just a little bit of syrup is how I like it best.  Maybe 2-3 tablespoons is enough for my taste.  It adds a nice maple flavour with a subtle sweetness, without creating too decadent of a snack. 

This makes a great snack in school lunches, or in the car on road trips.  On one particular trip the maple kettle corn we brought helped me make it through the night!

Oatmeal Cupcakes – For Now or Later

We just had our third baby (and third boy!) on Friday morning. We are overjoyed and happily adjusting to our newest family member.   As we try to get used to a new routine once again we’re looking for easy, healthy snack foods.  My wife found this recipe the other day and we made them and were very happy with the results.  They feature a good number of Bailey’s staples (oats, applesauce, maple syrup, oil), are easy to prepare, and good for saving in the freezer for whenever you need a little bit of breakfast.

The batter can be made the night before and allowed to soak in the fridge which will help to further soften the oats, adding to the ease of baking in time for breakfast.

Oatmeal Cupcakes – For Now or Later

Recipe adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Makes 24 cupcakes

• 5 cups oats
• 2 ½ cups applesauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 4-6 tbsp. maple syrup
• optional: ⅔ cup mini chocolate chips
• 2 ⅓ cups water
• ¼  cup plus 1 tbsp. oil
• 2 ½  tsp pure vanilla extract
• optional add-ins: chocolate chips, dried fruit, cinnamon, shredded coconut, chopped walnuts, ground flax or wheat germ, pumpkin puree with pumpkin pie spices, etc.

Preheat oven to 375 F, and grease cupcake tins.  Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix together well.  In a second bowl combine and mix together the wet ingredients.  Mix the two bowls together then spoon into the cupcake tins, filling until just full (they won’t expand like normal cupcakes).  Bake for 20 minutes and check to see that they’re beginning to turn golden on top.  If you like you may give them a quick broil for 1-2 minutes at the end to crisp up the top.  Allow to cool for a few minutes until they can be pried out of the cupcake tins.  (The cooler they are the easier they are to remove.)  

If you are going to freeze the cupcakes just freeze them in the cupcake tins before removing them and and then you can transfer them to a freezer bag.  Reheat them when you need a quick and easy breakfast (or any meal), and top them with fresh or frozen fruit (in the photo they’re topped with frozen blueberries), or maple syrup, or anything else that sounds good!

Recipe adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie, pictures from Jon Spee who blogs about localism at The Local Kitchener (although he’s taking a break to readjust to life with a new baby!).   

Maple Custard - 99% Local

I’m always on the lookout for desserts that utilize 100% local ingredients (well, if you use vanilla it’s not technically 100% local, but pretty close).  When I realized that my maple ice cream would work as a baked custard it was great because during the winter ice cream appeals slightly less than it does in the summer (but really, ice cream is always welcome…).  Anyways, this is a very simple recipe and is incredibly rich and tasty.  

When you make this custard you can make it in small ramekins or a large ovenproof bowl.  If you make it in ramekins feel free to fill them with a small amount of maple syrup, about 1 tablespoon in the bottom of each.  Then flip them out onto plates to serve as maple flan.

Baked Maple Custard

• 3-4 eggs (or 2-3 eggs and 1-2 egg yolks)
• ½ – ¾ cup maple syrup
• Dash of salt
• 2 ½ cups milk (or 2 cups milk and ½ cup cream)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract, or scraped seeds from a vanilla bean

Preheat the oven to 325 F.  Heat the milk (and cream) over medium-low heat until just steaming.  Meanwhile whisk the eggs (and yolks) with the maple syrup and salt until blended.  When the milk is hot gradually whisk it into the egg and syrup mixture.  If you want you can pour the new mixture through a mesh sieve to strain out any large egg chunks, which will make for a much smoother custard.  Pour the mixture into a large ovenproof bowl or ramekins.  

Bake the custard in a water bath for 40-60 minutes.  The time really depends on the shape and size of your bowl or ramekins.  The custard is done when the top is set and has begun to caramelize.  According to Betty Crocker, the custard is set when a “knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean.”

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.  If using ramekins the custard can be flipped out onto a small plate when served.

Guest Recipe Post by Jon Spee

The Local Kitchener

Maple-Glazed Root Vegetable Stir Fry with Fried Tofu

1-2 lbs of assorted root vegetables (Jerusalem Artichoke, carrot, golden beets, parsnips, etc.), peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces

2-3 tbs. oil

Preheat the oven to 375.  Heat oil over medium heat in an oven-proof pan until shimmering and fry the root vegetables for 8-10 minutes (if using beets it’s a good idea to cook them separate unless you want everything to turn red!).  Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 25 minutes, or until they are golden and tender (not mushy).  

1 package firm tofu (or tempeh)

2-3 tbs. oil

Remove the tofu from package and press to remove excess water.  Heat oil over medium heat until shimmering.  Chop tofu into ½-inch pieces and fry, turning every 5 minutes until golden (about 20 minutes). 

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup soy sauce

2-3 green onions (scallions), finely diced

3 tbs. sesame seeds, toasted

Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and return to the stove.  Add the tofu, maple syrup and soy sauce, and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  After 5-10 minutes the vegetables should be glazed.  Garnish with the green onions and sesame seeds and serve over rice, or other grain.  

Guest Recipe Post by Jon Spee

The Local Kitchener

(Adapted from this recipe)

Snyder Heritage Farms - Maple Syrup 2013

Last April we visited Snyder Heritage Farms to see the Sugar Shack!

You can follow Kevin on Twitter at https://twitter.com/KevinSnyder1213

Maple trees with vacuum tubes attached. No more bugs in the pails!

Lines (and sometimes children) run all through the maple grove

Sap collection tank. This is HUGE.

The vacuum pulling the sap in from the lines.

Kevin and his dad's boiler (aka wood fired high efficiency evaporator). The sap is boiled down and filtered after going through reverse osmosis to reduce the water content by about a third.

Adding wood to the super hot fire.  They use wood from their forest to cook the sap. No other fuel is used in the process. This is an efficient machine!