Farmers market bounty

Yesterday Ian and I went to the Madison farmers market on the Capitol Square. I picked up some fennel, potatos, squash, mushrooms, dill, parsnips and kohlrabi (along with a bar of amazing vetiver-patchouli soap from LuSa and some maple candy) and decided to do a bit of cooking today.

For lunch I decided to try frying up some squash and fennel. It turned out quite well--the flavors went great together, and it tasted amazing with some regular ol' seasoned salt on it.

The squash I used was a small delicata. I used a knife to slice off all of the skin and split it down the middle. Then I scooped out the seeds and sliced it about half an inch thick. Next I took my fennel bulb and cut off the stalks (hold on to these, don't throw them out!). You can cut the bulb down the middle and kind of slice around the tough core. I cut the fennel about the same size as the squash. Then I simply fried it on my electric griddle (you could use a nonstick pan, of course) in some olive oil until it was nicely browned and tender. Garnish with one of the dill-like sprigs from the fennel if you're feeling fancy!

For dinner I used the stalks from the fennel in making a nice autumn stew full of root vegetables and mushrooms.

I'm usually lazy and just use canned vegetable stock for my soups, but we were out and nobody felt like going to the store--so, I decided to make my own. There's a lot of variations out there on veggie stock, but I say just go with your gut. Toss in whatever you like! But if you're looking for inspiration, here's the "recipe" for the version I made:

Take a large pot, fill with about a gallon of water and threw in the fennel stalks (that you may have if you also made that squash dish), a few ribs of celery, a couple carrots, a small onion, a few mushrooms, a bay leaf, and about 6 cloves of garlic. You don't have to peel or cut up any of this since it will be strained, but make sure you wash everything, and you may want to crush the garlic a bit to make sure all of its garlicky goodness comes out. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower it to a simmer, tossing in some thyme, rosemary, sage, fresh dill, and salt and pepper to taste. Add a splash of red wine vinegar* for a bit of tang. Let it simmer for about an hour and a half. Set a colandar in a large bowl and strain the stock into it. You can keep the mushy veggies for your compost if you're lucky enough to have a yard or a garden. Pour the stock back into the pot and put the pot back on the burner.

Now that you've got the stock, you can add all the fun stuff. (Oh, and turn the burner up to about medium heat now.) For my stew I added about a pound of fingerling potatos, 4 small parsnips, 3 teeny tiny kohlrabi, 4 carrots, a half pound of crimini mushrooms, and half of a large yellow onion, all very coarsely chopped. You'll probably need to add a lot more salt and a bit more of all of the spices listed above. Just keep tasting until it's right! If you decide to add more fresh dill, remember that it can get a bit spicey, so don't go too overboard (like I did). Keep the pot going at medium heat and let everything cook until it's tender.

This soup goes beautifully with some crusty bread and a rich sheep's milk cheese like Bad Axe from Hidden Springs Creamery.

So... Huzzah! A lovely, warm, nutritious, locally grown stew for these chilly new autumn days!

*Vinegar, mushrooms and dill always make a soup better in my humble (Czech) opinion.



Pie is why, part 2

The day after I made the pot pie in part 1, I decided to try my hand at apple pie. I'm almost a bit ashamed that this was my first attempt at one.

I used a really simple recipe that I tweaked a little for the filling, and the same crust recipe and method from part 1 (with an added 4 tablespoons of sugar).

I started with a 350 degree oven and 6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced fairly thinly.

I then added a 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg, 2 tablespoons of flour, and about 1 tablespoon of melted butter to the sliced apples and mixed them all up.

The apple mixture goes onto the bottom layer of pie dough, obviously, and then you can add some more little chunks of butter on top of the apples if you want (it's not really necessary). Then top the whole shebang with the other sheet of pie dough, pinch the edges together, and poke some holes in the top. You may or may not want to do an egg wash on top--you can even mix a bit of cinnamon sugar in with the egg. Place on a baking sheet to catch drips and put in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. Just watch for a golden brown top.



Ta-da!

Wisconsin gems, part 2

Another of the don't-miss Wisconsin sites is Dr. Evermor's Forevertron--an incredible sculpture made of scrap metal (apparently the largest in the world). It's located off Highway 12, just outside of Baraboo, behind Delaney's Surplus. Park in the Delaney's lot and walk through the maze of scrap, scattered wild flowers, and industrial bits and bobs to the art park. Don't forget to visit the surplus store out front. They have an incredibly odd and vast array of stuff (including cool signs from the old Badger Armory).

See more photos here!



Wisconsin gems, part 1

If you're interested in delicious treats, you must visit The Cheese Factory restaurant in Wisconsin Dells and The Norske Nook in Osseo, WI. The former is an all vegetarian joint that serves decadent desserts, and the latter is an adorable coffee shop/cafe that serves about 2 dozen amazing pies (many of them award winners!).


"Cloud Nine" from The Cheese Factory Restaurant:
Chocolate cake surrounded by white chocolate mousse, topped with white chocolate curls, on a sea of raspberry sauce



Pineapple-coconut-cream cheese pie from The Norske Nook

Pumpkin-cream cheese pie, also from the Nook

The Norske Nook also has a really fun gift shop full of Scandinavian and Irish stuff. They even sell lip balm flavored like some of their pies. I picked up the lingonberry and it's awesome.

Pie is why, part 1

I've been on a bit of a pie-baking bender. Last night I made a vegetarian faux-beef pot pie. It was a big hit, even with a British meat-eater :)

I worked without a recipe, as I am wont to do lately, but it's a simple enough dish that it's easily recreated and pretty quick to make.

Oven temp: 400 degrees

Cook time: About 35 minutes

What you'll need for the crust (I'm giving away my gran's secret recipe here, so use it wisely):

• 
  
  2 1/2 cups flour
• 
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
• 
  
  1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 
  
  1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon cold water
• 
  
  1 egg, beaten, for top crust wash

Mix all of the ingredients together until all the dry stuff is incorporated. Divide into 2 balls and roll out to pie pan-size between two sheets of wax paper. Line the pie pan with one of the sheets of dough and save the other for the top.

What you'll need for the filling:

• 1 bag of Gardein beefless tips
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 stalk celery, finely sliced
• 1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
• About 2/3 cup frozen peas
• 1 packet instant vegetarian gravy (I used Pillsbury brown gravy)

Add a bit of oil to a large-ish nonstick pan and sautee the first 5 ingredients over medium-high heat until onions begin to brown and tips are thawed. Add peas and continue to cook until everything looks done.

Make gravy to instructions on packet and pour into pan with "meat" and veg. Then pour the filling into the pie pan and top with second sheet of crust. Poke some holes in the crust with a knife or fork and brush with the egg.

I recommend putting this pie on a cookie sheet before putting it in the oven as the gravy kind of bubbles out. Bake until the crust is a lovely golden brown, let cool, and enjoy!



The return!

We're back with new adventures in travel, food and culture... it's been a long while, hasn't it?

First up, some photos from a trek Ian and I made through the UW Arboretum last weekend.

Lovely day with slightly swampy trails, lots of froggies and toads, and only a smattering of mosquitos. We recommend the Arboretum forest trails in late summer / early autumn to avoid bugs. The prairie sections are fairly bug-free all year round, but they're also rather sunbaked!

It's a bit nutty.

This stuff is bizarre... I had to buy it because the name was hilarious. It's mushy peanuts suspended in a sugary syrup. The syrup isn't too bad (kind of like a liquified Salted Nut Roll), but the mushy peanuts? Too weird. And it comes with a little built-in spoon.