Dark Days 2009-2010: Week 6 Recap - East and West

The West

Ellen at 2010 CSA Challenge did a great job using ingredients from one dish and creating another meal. Her savory squash gratin used Guryere cheese from an earlier meal of French onion soup. A rustic cabbage soup (that sounds incredible, by the way) was made ahead and came in handy for lunches and dinners during a busy week.

Almostima is rejoining us this week with a meal inspired local herbs mint and rosemary. Those smells surely would get me motivated! She created a dish featuring local lamb served alongside green beans, and even used local olive oil and lemon – I’m jealous of those ingredients. Even though the rosemary didn’t make it into the final dish, they’ll be making an appearance in a forthcoming meal.

Even though not officially a Dark Days post, superprotective factor announced the planting of her peas – and so many different kinds too. Sitting here in the east with a very cold wind blowing, the idea of things still being planted warms my heart.

Anita was off on a busy trip this week, and as she so often does, shared a local meal from her ventures. This time it was a quick pasta with broccoli and sausage, spinning off her staple pasta e fagioli and using the broccoli in place of the beans. Using resources from many local farms (including for the pasta), this meal was truly in the local spirit.

Country girl is getting ready to head out on a visit to Washington state in the coming week, but still got in a local meal featuring pork chops brined in a mix of hot water, brown sugar, salt, cider vinegar, and Dijon mustard. With some local broccoli in a “secret sauce” on the side, her meal was both local and organic.

Sara found some peace and comfort during a busy holiday week with a delicious soup that smelled so good, she dove right in even before dinner! The soup was made with Christmas lima beans as well as yellow beans, onion, garlic, delicata squash, and even bok choy. With the spices that she added, I don’t think I could resist the smells either.

The East

Cheryl, well, she is simply amazing. Despite a scary fall on ice that led to surgery (!) she still created a corn-crusted chicken dish that has been a reliable hit at her restaurant. Cooked on a skillet and finished off in the oven, the chicken was coated in cornmeal and honey mustard and came out with a crispy crust. Served along with some sweet potato mash that let the natural sweetness of the vegetable shine, Cheryl’s meal was colorful and local. The garlicky kale she mentioned as a variation side dish sounds delicious too. Hope you feel better and more mobile quickly.

Peaceful acres remembered family traditions with a special Christmas ornament symbolizing the coming of cows to the home this past year. Also traditional was the hearty breakfast the family had, including fresh scrambled eggs, sausage with sage, bacon, coffee/milk, and a special version of homemade sticky buns with no processed ingredients. A Christmas Eve dinner allowed for a peaceful Christmas Day. Featuring “Mom’s Cheesy Potatoes”, I think that the idea of a of building on traditions is a great way to make the days memorable.

JLGB picked up a local ham from the farmers’ market and combined it with acorn squash and her husband’s special herby bread. I love the idea of paprika on acorn squash, and will be sure to try that. As a appetizer, the pair enjoyed a special treat of a tomato – a taste of summer during this cold month. And how exciting for her – she tracked down a source for local flour! Now there is some local buckwheat, wheat, and spelt grain to work with, and even more possibilities for Dark Days meals.

Even though the snow kept her from going to the farmers’ market, Stacey made a Dark Days breakfast of sweet potato muffins using local sweet potatoes, milk, eggs, and honey. Served with a smoothie made with strawberries and blueberries she picked last summer, yogurt, honey, and cranberry juice, it was a great way to get in some milk for her daughter – and had the added bonus of sharing the process of making yogurt at home.

Sharing two local meals, Marissa feasted on local pinto beans found at the final PSU market for the year. She also bought tons of sweet potatoes, onions, beets, red potatoes, Brussels sprouts, garlic, apples, pears and a even an orange sqaush for pie. Lucky people who dined at her Christmas dinner! The beans were cooked with onion and garlic, and pleased vegetarians, pork-free, and red-meat free guests alike. I love her idea of setting up bowls of “tops and bottoms” for the beans and letting everyone compile their personalized dish . To top it off, Marissa also had a local snack of apple slices and rich, creamy local ricotta cheese. Paired with the apples, she noticed a tang similar to that of sour cream. Isn’t it great how local ingredients often give a unique taste to even the simplest of dishes?

Food on the fire-escape is off to Cleveland – hope you’re having fun!

Over at Late Bloomers Farm, Sophie had a meal of sauteed kale and pan-seared veal sausage. As she so aptly put it, “simple, tasty, healthy, quick, local.” Perfect for the Dark Days Challenge.

The holidays brought travelling two friends to the localkitchen as well as the chance to share an impromptu local meal in the Hudson Valley. Sharing a local sausage and pepper pizza, the group enjoyed good conversation, good food, and lots (and lots!) of holiday fun. The tree is beautiful!

Taking a “foray into fleshy foods”, NatureWriter dove into using her share of the house’s local/organic meat CSA. Experimenting with cabbage rolls, she found a method that could be used for any stuffing, making the dish simple or with more complex flavors. The meal was served with delicious side dishes (I vote for sides as the best part of a meal), including a potato-parsnip mash and some cabbage soup that was left to simmer for several hours. And… if that wasn’t enough to warm the stomach, she even made a meal of steamed purple kale and hamburgers made from left-over filling. Many meals out of one local shopping trip.

Even though its not a Dark Days meal, please go over to Colleen’s post at Penny-wise people for a recipe of “quick and easy” butter cookies. The best part – this recipe is scaled down and can give just the right taste of cookies without figuring out what to do with leftovers.

Erin shared thoughts on using lemons in her local cooking. As she noticed, lemon gives a brightness and zing to a meal that is hard to find in snowy D.C. Sadly for us in the northeast and mid-Atlantic, lemons will never be local. Yet Erin makes a great point about the local life not being one of deprivation, and recognizes the need for a little flexibility in order to make the lifestyle sustainable over the long term. Lots to think about.

With lots of reading and pasta-making to do from her holiday gifts, the Connectivore is keeping busy. She’s also planning some foraging trips for more ventures into local eating, so stay tuned.

Lots of bright and comforting green was found at Peg’s table with a cream of spinach soup that was enjoyed for Christmas lunch. Taken from her first vegetarian cookbook, the meal reminded Peg of the friends who gifted the book to her back in 2001.

From The Simple Life in France came a meal of cauliflower, duck, and a green salad during a week filled with family. Lots of flexibility was key (no food police here!), as is pointing out local food sources to guests who like to pitch in with food shopping. The local butcher has already won over hearts because of the high quality of local food and the artisanship in the preparation. Mother-in-law prepared the salad, Father-in-law found wine from a local vineyard, and the meal was ready, with the addition of warming cauliflower from an organic farm.

Margo shared a meal of soup and salad, using some left-over local turky from Thanksgiving, baked corn, and a salad using local beets and greens. And the noodle mixup – it happens to us all! No worries, okay?

Some weeks are just about family. Amber took time for a relaxing walk with her father and some winter plant identification during her time away from her home. Incredibly, she used some pine needles she found on the walk in a tea that simmered for about 30 minutes and resulted in a sweet, earthy flavor. She also shared a fruit smoothie with homemade yogurt, local apples, and local honey. Perfect for a quick drink before heading out for the trip. Her two drinks are definitely worth trying.

As for me (Mangochild), I was also travelling, visiting family for most of the past week. Like Amber and as described in The Simple Life in France, I sourced out local items when possible, but didn’t let it get in the way of enjoying the time with my family and the meals that were prepared by us all, regardless of the exact place the ingredients came from. My Dark Days spotlight meal for the week is a classically comforting one for me: roasted sweet potatoes, fresh corn muffins, and baked apples and cider drizzled with a bit of honey. I loved this on a windy, rainy, and raw winter evening.

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