However, part of the appeal of the restorative powers of a spring tonic is symbolic. Consuming freshly harvested ingredients for the first time each spring is invigorating. Even the act of watching them grow is. And while we don’t rely as heavily on the larder as our ancestors once did, the symbolic consumption of a spring tonic is still an essential rite of spring observed by many. For me, there is no plant that embodies this spirit more than the dandelion, which despite its inherent beauty and millennia-long importance, is still one of the most highly contended plants today. 

RELATED: Meet the Bartender-Botanist Showcasing Forgotten Ingredients

The dandelion genus, Taraxacum, is composed of roughly 60 species that can be found growing in nearly every corner of the globe. Its name comes from the jagged young leaves that look like lion’s teeth (dent de lion in French). Dandelion roots, flowers and leaves have been used both culinarily and medicinally for hundreds of years, if not longer. Recent scientific studies have corroborated their therapeutic potential by showing that, in addition to high levels of vitamins and minerals, they possess diuretic properties that aid in liver and kidney function, as well aa bitter compounds that assist with digestion and appetite stimulation. 

European cultures have a longstanding tradition of making alcoholic beverages with dandelions. Prior to the widespread availability of hops, dandelion was a common bittering agent used to flavor herbal beers known as gruit, and dandelion wine was so common, it was referred to as the poor man’s wine because anyone and everyone could—and did—make it. When European colonists came to America in the mid-1600s, they brought the seeds of common dandelion T. officinale with them as a taste of home in the New World. Of course, this would have unforeseen consequences.

Dandelions are aggressively invasive and have since spread across the entirety of this continent and others, rightfully earning their reputation as one of the most prolific weeds in the world. Part of their success is due to their puffball heads, known in botanical lingo as a pappus, which contain seeds that can be carried by the wind as far as five miles from their origin. Another contributing factor is their deep taproot, which, despite the best efforts of gardeners, will sprout new growth if even a small piece is left behind. 

While its tenacity is what villainizes the plant for some people, I view the dandelion as a welcome part of my backyard lawnscape, as it’s one of my favorite ingredients of the year. I use the dandelion’s young greens raw in salads and, as they get older and more bitter, they are great cooked in soups and braises. The roots make a great addition to my homemade spring amaro and can be roasted and ground to use as a decaffeinated coffee substitute, like its close botanical relative, the chicories. My favorite part of the dandelion, however, is the flower heads, which are full of wild yeast that make them perfect for fermenting into wild sodas, beer or wine.

RELATED: A Forager’s Guide to Sweet, Wild Finds

In doing our research on the subject over the years, my wife Katie and I have learned that there was a history of making dandelion wine in both of our families until just a few generations ago. A video recently circulated in my family of a distant aunt talking about how her mother (my great-great-great grandmother) who immigrated from Lithuania used to make dandelion wine each spring and how the whole family (including the kids) would drink it. On Katie’s side, her great-grandfather, who lived in Hanover, Pennsylvania and was brought up in the traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch, learned of the practice of making dandelion wine from his German immigrant ancestors and continued to make it well into his old age. 

The recipe below is adapted from Katie’s great-grandfather’s original recipe, but I’ve taken the creative liberty of substituting honey for sugar since the floral notes of honey pair perfectly with dandelion flowers (although this technically makes it dandelion mead, which just doesn’t have the same ring to it). Once complete, I use this dandelion wine to add florality and sweetness to a cocktail I’ve befittingly named the Spring Tonic along with roasted dandelion root- and flower-infused gin, yellow Chartreuse, lemon and a good tonic water, such as Fever Tree’s Premium Indian Tonic. This cocktail is best enjoyed on a blanket in the grass on a warm spring day, preferably nestled among dandelion blooms.

Spring Tonic

The good thing about foraging for dandelions is that you don’t have to travel far to find them, as they are likely growing on your lawn or not far from it. However, if foraging dandelions or fermenting your own dandelion wine seems daunting to you, fret not. You can purchase dandelion root tea from popular tea brands such as Traditional Medicinals and Yogi, and dandelion wine is part of a growing trend of alt-wines being produced by small purveyors across the country, including Brooklyn’s Enlightenment Wines Memento Mori, which ships nationwide. 

Makes 1 cocktail

Ingredients:

1 ½ ounces roasted dandelion root- and flower-infused gin (see below)
1 ounce dandelion wine (see below)
½ ounce yellow Chartreuse
½ ounce lemon
Fever Tree Premium Indian Tonic, to top
Dandelion green (or flowers) for garnish

Directions:

Add all ingredients to an ice-filled Collins glass and top with tonic. Garnish with a dandelion green or flower. 

Dandelion Root- and Flower-Infused Gin

Makes approximately 1 liter

Ingredients:

1-liter bottle of London Dry Gin (preferably Tanqueray)
1 teaspoon roasted, ground dandelion root (see below)
20 grams dandelion flowers

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a two-quart jar and allow to infuse for two hours (or longer for stronger taste).

Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids. Will keep indefinitely.

Roasted, Ground Dandelion Root

To prepare dandelion roots, unearth the taproot from the ground and clean them so that there is no dirt remaining. Coarsely chop the roots and spread on a baking sheet. Put in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit and roast until dark brown and giving off a smell that is similar to coffee and chocolate (roughly 30 minutes). Once cooled, grind in a coffee or spice grinder. Will keep indefinitely, but will begin to lose potency after six months.

Dandelion Wine

Makes approximately 1 gallon

Ingredients:

2 quarts dandelion flowers
3 cups of honey
1 gallon water
Juice of 2 lemons

Directions:

Pick the dandelion flowers from the plant, making sure to get the yellowest, healthiest-looking flowers. Remove as much as possible of the calyx (green part) from under the flower head if you want to reduce bitterness. Personally, I don’t mind a bit of a bitter brew.

Bring the water to a boil and pour over the dandelion and honey, stirring well to loosen the honey and incorporate all of the flowers. Allow to sit at room temperature until cold. 

Once cooled, add the lemon juice and pour all ingredients into a large food-safe container and loosely cover with a cloth or loose-fitting lid that will allow air to escape but prevent bugs from entering. 

Once fermentation is active (about a week), strain out flowers and transfer liquid to a fermentation vessel with an airlock or another food-safe container covered with a cloth or loose-fitting lid. Allow to ferment for an additional 4-6 weeks, until signs of fermentation begin to slow, indicating that most of the sugar has been converted to alcohol. 

Rack out the dandelion wine, being careful not to disturb the yeast lees that have settled to the bottom and decat into swing-cap bottles. Allow it to sit in a cool, dark place for two weeks. It’s possible that carbonation will occur during this time, so check the bottles every so often to make sure they don’t over-carbonate. 

Store in the refrigerator. It will keep for a year or more.

Danny Childs is the mixologist behind the @slowdrinks account on Instagram and the bar manager at The Farm and Fisherman Tavern in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Danny’s beverages embody the flavors of the mid-Atlantic by using ingredients foraged from the wild and picked from his cocktail garden. His work has led to a role on the Slow Food USA Ark of Taste committee, a 2019 IACP-nominated cocktail column, and in 2021 he was the recipient of the Philly Mag “Best of Philly” award in the cocktail category. His book, Slow Drinks, will be released with Hardie Grant in 2023.

The post A Botanist-Bartender’s Ode to the Dandelion appeared first on Modern Farmer.

Education

For seaweeds to regrow, they not only need to be harvested by leaving some of the seaweed attached to the rock, but they also need to be cut in the right place. The best place to cut the seaweed will depend on the species. Most seaweeds will not regenerate if their stipe (stem‑like structure) is cut. In many seaweeds, the new growth happens in the part of the blade (leaf‑like structure) closest to the stipe. Leaving this part intact and leaving several inches (or more for large kelp) of the blade is important for the seaweed to be able to regenerate. Furthermore, many seaweeds have separate reproductive structures that need to be left intact to ensure they can reproduce. Still other seaweeds are long‑lived perennials and require extra consideration. It is also important to know the ecological role of seaweeds in areas where you are planning to harvest. Take a class and learn about the specific seaweeds you want to wild harvest.

[RELATED: 8 Sea Vegetables You Can Cook With]

In addition, depending on where you are harvesting, a license may be required.

Abundance

Only harvest a particular kind of seaweed if there is an abundance of it growing in the area you are planning to harvest from.

Only Take What You Need and Can Process

Seaweed takes an enormous amount of space to dry. Ensure that you only harvest what you need and what you will be able to dry or process in your space.

Harvesting by Salvaging

Harvesting by salvaging is a great way to be sustainable. Where I live, we routinely get big winds and ocean swell, which rips up healthy seaweeds and deposits them on the beach like treasures for me to find. To determine if the seaweed is still fresh and of adequate quality to be consumed or used in the bath, use your senses. It should smell briny and fresh, it should not be slimy to the touch but should feel lubricated and gelatinous, and the color should look uniform and vivid. For elusive species, or those found only in deep water, salvaging is often the only way to harvest them.

Reciprocity

Practicing reciprocity is essential to sustainability. In healthy ecosystems, there is a balance of give and take among all of the living organisms. When you harvest seaweeds, you become a member of their ecosystem. The organisms that make up an ecosystem function together as a whole, and thus it is essential to listen to the ecosystem and be sensitive to its needs. What can you give back to an ecosystem after taking something, in order to restore balance? Giving back is personal and can be done in many ways. Taking action on local threats to the ecosystem where I harvest and global threats to the larger ocean ecosystem are ways in which I choose to give back. Sharing the love and wonder you have for an ecosystem with your community is a great way to engage people and grow support to protect the health and integrity of local ecosystems.

Photo by Chris Adair.

Commercial Harvest

In the province of British Columbia where I work and live, a commercial seaweed harvester is legally obligated to harvest by pruning and is only allowed to harvest by hand, cutting the seaweed a minimum distance from the holdfast or stipe, which varies depending on the species. As a commercial harvester, I feel very fortunate that our local regulations help to ensure that harvesting is done sustainably.

Where to Harvest

Seaweeds that are being harvested for food should come from clean water. Urban centers and areas near sewage outfalls are not safe places to harvest. Since seaweeds are masters at concentrating the minerals in the water in which they grow, they should be harvested far away from industrial areas such as pulp and paper mills, mines, shipyards and other industrial sites that discharge chemicals or heavy metals into the ocean or upland waterways. Areas with strong tidal currents are better than areas with more stagnant water, as the currents regularly bring water in from the open ocean and flush the old water out.

[RELATED: The Future of Ocean Farming]

Listening to the Ecosystem

As I was preparing to harvest bull kelp one day, many years ago, I had a very strong sense that it was not an appropriate day to be “taking.” I second‑guessed myself and headed out to harvest anyway. As I was walking out of the ocean with a heavy bag full of bull kelp, a wave picked me up and smashed my masked face into the sand. I picked myself up slowly, feeling shocked and disoriented, and began looking around for my bag of bull kelp. Although I searched the area for some time, I never found it. Since then, I take a moment before harvesting to listen to the ecosystem. I ask permission. When I am finished harvesting, I look out at the kelp forest or the intertidal seaweed garden and I say, “Thank you.”

Wild Watercress, Kelp and Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Fermented Jerusalem Artichokes

Photo by Laura Jany.

“This is a beautiful, vibrant green spring soup that comes together quickly and is simple to prepare. Wild watercress has a refreshing, clean and peppery flavor that is balanced out by the deeply savory umami taste of kelp, while cauliflower lends its silky texture to this mineral‑rich spring‑ time soup. Prepare the fermented Jerusalem artichokes at least three days in advance.”—Laura Jany, wild food forager, Kelowna, BC

INGREDIENTS

Crispy Fermented Jerusalem Artichokes
3–4 Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes)
2 Tbsp (30 mL) pickling spice
6 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp (15 mL) Himalayan sea salt Garlic salt to taste
Olive oil

Wild Watercress, Kelp and Cauliflower Soup
1 medium onion
2 medium carrots, peeled
2 stalks celery1 leek
3 Tbsp (45 mL) unsalted butter
1 cup (250 mL) cauliflower florets
3–5 strips dried bull kelp
3 bunches fresh wild watercress, roughly chopped
Sour cream or coconut milk (optional)
Salt (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

PREPARE FERMENTED JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES
Note: It isn’t necessary to ferment the Jerusalem artichokes prior to roasting. It does, however, add a tangy flavor and supports ease of digestion. If you prefer to skip the fermentation process, simply wash the Jerusalem artichokes, then proceed to the roasting steps.

To ferment: Gather enough Jerusalem artichokes to fill a small jar. Wash the tubers but do not peel. Add 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of pickling spice and 6 garlic cloves to a medium jar. Add tubers, leaving an inch (2.5 cm) of space at the top.

Dissolve Himalayan sea salt in 4 cups (1 L) of filtered water, then pour into the jar, ensuring the tubers are covered. Close jar and leave at room temperature until fermentation begins, about 3 to 4 days. When the contents are actively bubbling, store the jar in the fridge until ready to use. (The fermented Jerusalem artichokes will keep for up to 1 month.)

PREPARE WATERCRESS, KELP AND CAULIFLOWER SOUP

Preheat oven to 425F (220C) and line a baking sheet with parchment.

Peel and roughly chop onion, carrots, celery and leek. In a large saucepan, melt butter and add onion, carrots, celery, leek, cauliflower and kelp strips. Stir and cook until onion is translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Add enough water to cover vegetables and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer until vegetables have softened, about 15 to 20 minutes.

ROAST CRISPY FERMENTED JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES

While the soup cooks, slice raw or fermented Jerusalem artichokes thinly with a mandoline. Use a paper towel to pat the slices dry. Toss slices with garlic salt and a drizzle of olive oil until coated. Roast on the prepared baking sheet until the edges are starting to brown and chips are crispy, about 20 minutes, tossing occasionally to ensure even roasting.

FINISH SOUP AND SERVE

Remove soup from heat, add watercress and cover. Allow the greens to gently wilt, about 2 to 3 minutes. Use an immersion blender to purée soup to a smooth consistency.

Ladle puréed soup into bowls. Stir in a spoonful of sour cream or coco‑ nut milk, if using. Add salt to taste if needed (bull kelp often provides enough salt and additional salt may not be necessary). Garnish with Crispy Fermented Jerusalem Artichokes.

Excerpted with permission from The Science and Spirit of Seaweed: Discovering Food, Medicine and Purpose in the Kelp Forests of the Pacific Northwest by Amanda Swinimer (Harbour Publishing, April 26).

The post How to Harvest Seaweed Sustainably appeared first on Modern Farmer.

With his new cookbook, The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora, Chef Alan Bergo explores not just the variety of plants that surrounds him near his Minnesota home, but the full scope and every part of those plants. Similar to the “nose-to-tail” ethos of cooking meat, Bergo embraces a “whole plant” philosophy when he cooks and forages for ingredients. And it all started with a squash growing in a friend’s garden. 

“I looked at the shoots and I was like, ‘this looks so delicious. I have no idea what this plant is, but I want to eat it,” he says. After discovering that the shoots were early squash vines, Bergo started researching and finding recipes that revolved around all parts of the plant. A girlfriend’s stepfather shared a Nepalese curry recipe that called for squash vines. He tinkered with a soup from Oaxaca with squash shoots and masa dumplings. The squash is the finished product many of us are used to, but Bergo says that’s a relatively new and privileged way of thinking. “If you are operating in a subsistence way, where you need food, are you going to wait until that squash is completely ripe? Or are you maybe going to thin some of the vines… and harvest food from that plant through the entire growing season?” Now, Bergo says that foraging taught him about vegetables, as he sees them through their whole growing season.

Bergo now forages and creates recipes full-time on his website, embracing the seasonality of the ingredients, he says this way of looking at food and plants took some time to fully develop. He describes it as an instinct, one that can be cultivated with time and practice. He jokes that his book is less a prescriptive, precise collection of recipes and more of a “teach a man to fish situation.” Besides, Bergo says, the very act of foraging is an adventure, a way to channel your inner Indiana Jones. “It’s a total rush. I feel like every day I’m out there just hunting treasure.” 

Bergo’s love of the treasure hunt began when he was working in restaurants around the Midwest. He used to negotiate with the owners, begging for one day a week to go out into the wilderness and bring back his catch to put on the menu. “I felt kind of like I was playing hooky a little bit,” he says. “I was going outside and playing all day and digging in dirt and really feeling the ingredients more than when I was specifically cooking with them.” Those adventures pushed him to take chances with his menu. It’s something he encourages other chefs to do, though he admits it’s easy to get used to having reliable growers delivering produce right to your door.

Alan Bergo’s new cookbook comes out June 24. Photo by Adrian Danciu

“When you’re a chef, it’s almost like you’re lord of your own little kingdom. And that is a very comfortable place to be,” Bergo says. “I can put an order in and have anything delivered to me at a time of my choosing, the place of my choosing. I have everything at my fingertips.” 

Bergo wants to inspire people to step outside of their kitchen comfort zones, even for a few steps. He organized his book not by season, but by the function and taste of the plant. That way, many items in recipes are interchangeable. Can’t find nettles? That’s ok! If you have lambsquarters, or amaranths or even kale from the grocery store, you can make it work. The book aims to teach you how the flavors of the plants work together. 

That’s not the only thing that sets his cookbook apart from others. Like many tomes about foraging, this one also comes with a warning. Bergo says inexperienced foragers should ideally learn from a more seasoned instructor or use his book in conjunction with a field guide. Among all the edible plants waiting to be plucked, there are some that are poisonous or dangerous. (Bergo recalls getting a rash on his face after an unfortunate incident involving the sap from wild cow parsnip.)

Even with the potential dangers, Bergo says the world of wild food is absolutely worth the effort. Most people can get started with minimal tools. Bergo himself just uses a sturdy basket with a lid and a good pair of scissors. For those interested in starting to forage, Bergo suggests checking out social media pages for local foraging groups. There are often pages of tips on where to find the best trails, as well as lots of advice for the novice forager. And once you’ve found your bounty, The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora can help you prepare it in a totally new way. 

So next time you take a walk along a trail, keep an eye on your surroundings. You might just spot your dinner. 

The following recip is excerpted from Alan Bergo’s new book The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora: Recipes and Techniques for Edible Plants from Garden, Field, and Forest (Chelsea Green Publishing, June 2021) and is reprinted with permission from the publisher.

Wild Green Cakes

Makes roughly 10 cakes

There’s a reason this is the first recipe in this book. It’s a hybrid of a recipe by French Chef Jacques Chibois and one outlined by Sam Thayer in his third book, Incredible Wild Edibles, and it’s a statement on the culinary dichotomy of these two chefs, since wild plants are high-quality ingredients sought after by chefs, but also available to anyone who takes the time to get outside and learn about them. Many different species of plants can be used, and no two batches I’ve ever made have been exactly the same. My favorite part of this recipe is how the greens continue cooking on the inside of the cake, almost as if they’re cooked under pressure, retaining a bright green color, with a tender bite that eats almost like meat. The cakes are meant to be a mild side dish—a different way to get your greens. If you want to jazz them up, consider serving them with a yogurt-, tomato-, or mayonnaise-based sauce. Sometimes I add cooked onions, seeds, or other alliums and herbs if I have them, so think of this recipe as a blank slate you can make your own. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or as an appetizer: I’d struggle to think of a meal that wouldn’t welcome a few green cakes.

2 packed cups (455 g) blanched and shocked wild greens, or a mix of spinach, parsley, and kale
2 large eggs
1/4 cup (30 g) flour or flour equivalent
Kosher salt, to taste
Fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
Fresh-grated nutmeg or your favorite spice mix (such as Dried Ramp Leaf Rub, page 168), to taste (optional)
Cooking oil, such as lard or grapeseed oil, as needed for cooking the cakes
Fresh lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

Squeeze the greens dry very well. Chop the greens fine and mix with the eggs and flour. Season the mixture with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste; it should be well seasoned. Ideally, you’ll now let the batter rest for 30 minutes or so before cooking, but it can be cooked straightaway if needed. Cook a small piece of the mixture to test the seasoning and adjust to your taste. Shape 1/4 cup (2 ounces / 55 g) into cakes with your hands, then fry on medium-high until browned on both sides. If your cakes seem loose or wet, mix another spoonful of flour into the batter. The cakes are sturdy and reheat well, so I usually make them in large batches. Serve with lemon wedges.

Variations
Using different grain flours and seasonings can give you different themes. For example, Latin American–flavored cakes made from quickweed and fine cornmeal, scented
with cumin, are great used to scoop up
guacamole—a bit like fried plantains. By the same token, chard or wild beet green cakes bound with buckwheat or millet flour would be at home with Eastern European flavors such as sauerkraut and pork sausage. Middle Eastern–inspired cakes could be made with malva or violet leaves, seasoned with baharat spice mix, bound with ground wheat flour, and served with tahini sauce.

• Nutmeg is traditional here, but other spices, especially seeds from the carrot family, are really good in nutmeg’s place.
• Play around with combinations of bitter and “sweet” greens. Horseradish greens can be unpalatable for some people, but mixed with other greens (1 part to 3 parts) they can add a nice depth.
• Use the cakes as vehicles for dips, sauces, and salsas.
• After the cakes are cooked, they’re great in a lot of places you’d use a meat patty or ground meat.
  

The post Cooking the Whole Plant: From Root to Petal appeared first on Modern Farmer.

But if you’re increasingly worried about the carbon footprint of buying a real tree, there are ways you can recycle it once the holidays have passed. It can be used for mulch or even turned into something edible. 

In October, UK-based artisan baker and cook Julia Georgallis published a compilation of more than 30 recipes in a new cookbook, “How to eat your Christmas tree,” to show readers how to give their tree new life after Dec. 25. 

Georgallis sat down with Modern Farmer to talk about why she decided to create dozens of Christmas tree recipes and how a certain type of evergreen makes for an ideal ice cream flavor. 

The following interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

Modern Farmer:  What’s the story behind this book? 

Julia Georgallis:  I started this project with a good friend of mine in 2015 who does a lot of work around sustainability. She asked me to collaborate with her on a project using that theme with food and we decided to collaborate on something Christmassy because we were in the lead up to Christmas. We initially wondered what we would do and initially weren’t even sure if you could eat your Christmas tree, but it turns out you can. 

We started a supper club to cook up the recipes with Christmas trees. But a year later my friend was very pregnant and decided she didn’t want to be in the kitchen anymore.  I ran the project on my own with the annual supper club for the rest of the years until 2019. Each year the recipes changed and I wanted to collate them. I enjoyed cooking them and I thought it would be better to share them outside my kitchen and spread the word a bit beyond the 25 people I host. 

MF:  You said leading up to this project that you initially weren’t sure if people could eat their Christmas trees. Why do you think this is something that’s not well known? 

JG:  I’ve been thinking about this quite a lot and I don’t know why it’s so weird because we eat and we forage so many different plants. Christmas is a lovely time of year, but I think that everything, including the tree, is now viewed as a commodity. With the Christmas tree, we’re essentially putting houseplants in our house. But we don’t think of them as houseplants anymore.  We had rituals based in nature and now we’re just very monetized.

MF: In this book, you talk about how you want it to open up a broader conversation around sustainability. How did you try to do that? 

JG: Eating Christmas trees isn’t going to save the planet, but this book draws on the idea that you just need to start thinking about how you might want to reuse, recycle and re-appropriate everything and that includes your Christmas tree. It’s also about making sustainable changes.

I mention in the book that you can use a houseplant rather than a Christmas tree. I’ve used bamboo in some of the recipes because it’s kind of like the Chinese, Korean [or] Japanese equivalent of the Western Christmas tree.  There are also sections on how to make Christmas a little bit more sustainable. I tell you where you can get a Christmas tree from a sustainable source. I also offer plant-based alternatives to my meat recipes and encourage readers to purchase meat that’s been sustainably farmed if they so choose to eat meat. 

MF: When you were doing your research for the book, what stuck out to you when it came to the environmental footprint of Christmas trees? 

JG: The environmental footprint is quite large. If we let 40 million trees grow each year instead of cutting them down at Christmas and sticking them in our living rooms, they could absorb 880 million tonnes of carbon, which is the equivalent to global air traffic in one year or the impact of taking all cars in the UK off the road for the next five years. I know that there are other things that contribute more to our emissions, but these things are up there and I think it’s quite a big deal.  

MF: In the book you use recipes that involve pine, fir and spruce trees, as you explain that other types such as cedar and cypress are poisonous to eat. What are the flavor profiles of those three trees and how did you choose trees for certain recipes? 

JG : Fir is really zesty and really grassy. I’ve used it in things like pickles, and things that need a sharper taste. Spruce is really surprising. It’s not as grassy, it’s more “orangey.” The spruce in the ice cream I make actually gives it a vanilla taste. The blue spruce ice cream I make is actually my favorite recipe. And doing my research, what I ended up finding out is some of the earlier vanilla extracts, like artificial flavorings, had notes of spruce in them. Then pine doesn’t taste like it smells. It’s very delicate and almost floral. In some of the recipes if I give the option of all three, I say if you’re using pine, you need to use a lot more of it. 

The following recipes are from How to eat your Christmas tree (Hardie Grant, Oct. 2020), a new cookbook by Julia Georgallis and is reprinted with permission of the publisher.

Christmas-Cured Fish 

Cured fish is wonderful for starters (appetizers), breakfast, or in a very decadent sandwich. Trout is a great option for curing or use other sustainable fish, such as monkfish, halibut, or something recommended by your local fishmonger. Use the freshest fish you can find, making sure it hasn’t been frozen before buying. 

Makes: 2 kg (4 lb 8 oz) of fish 

Preparation time: 30 minutes + minimum 24 hours, maximum 36 hours for curing time 

Ingredients :
-2 kg (4 lb 8 oz) filleted fish of your choice
-350 g (12 oz) fir or spruce needles or 700 g (1 lb 9 oz) pine needles (or a combination)
-770 g (1 lb 11 oz/ 31⁄3 cups) demerara sugar
-500 g (1 lb 2 oz/ 11⁄2 cups) table salt
-2 small beetroots (beets), grated
-grated zest of 3 lemons 

Method:
Before you cure, it is good practice to freeze the fish as this kills any bacteria that might be present. You can ‘flash freeze’ for 24 hours, but I like to freeze the fish for about a week. Defrost it in the refrigerator a few hours before you start curing. 

Prepare the needles: Spruce, fir and pine needles can be very sharp, so care must be taken not to hurt your fingers while preparing them for cooking. You will need a pair of large, sharp scissors and a big bowl. Snip some larger branches from your tree. Wash the branches under cold, running water, making sure that you get rid of all possible bits of mud and dirt. You may notice that there are balls of sap, but this is safe to eat, as are the dried buds, which might be at the end of some of the branches. Turn the branch upside down over a bowl so that the needles make a chevron shape. Using scissors, cut upwards so that the needles fall directly into the bowl. I usually then wash the snipped needles once more before using them. 

To make the cure, mix the sugar, salt, grated beetroot, lemon zest and needles together. 

Lay out some cling film (plastic wrap) on a flat surface and sprinkle a generous layer of the curing mixture over it, making sure it is roughly the length and width of the fillet. 

You might need an extra pair of hands for this next step: lay the fish over the first layer of cure, then pack the top and sides of the fillet with the rest of the cure and wrap tightly in cling film, making sure it is totally covered in the cure mixture. 

Place the fish on a baking tray (sheet pan) underneath something heavy, and refrigerate between 24 and 36 hours. Halfway through the curing process, turn the fish over, remembering to place it under something heavy again. 

When it is ready to eat, wash off the cure and make sure there are no needles left on the fish. Slice thinly. 

This keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Christmas Tree Pickles 

I love a good pickle. Either use infused Christmas Tree Vinegar or apple cider vinegar to make these or use fresh needles and leave to pickle for a couple of extra weeks. Use whichever vegetable you like and is in season. Carrots and cucumbers work well and add beetroot (beets) for some extra colour. 

Makes: Enough to fill a 2-litre (70-fl oz/8-cup) jar


Preparation time: 3 days + 1 month (minimum 5 days) pickling time 

Equipment: a 2-litre (70-fl oz/8-cups) glass jar with a lid, a Kilner or Mason jar is ideal 

Ingredients :
-A handful of spruce, pine or fir needles
-2 litres (70 fl oz/8 cups) either Christmas Tree Vinegar (page 44) or apple cider vinegar
-50 g (2 oz/1⁄2 cup) salt flakes
-900 g (2 lb/4 cups) demerara sugar
-700 g (1 lb 9 oz) ribbons of beetroot (beets), carrots, cucumber (preferably a mix of all three)
-a handful of juniper berries 

Method:
Sterilize the jar and prepare the needles (see cured fish recipe for the instructions on this). 

In a saucepan, heat up the vinegar, salt and sugar until just boiling. 

Arrange the beetroot, carrots, cucumber, needles and juniper berries at the bottom of the jar and pour in the pickling liquid. 

Tightly seal the jar. Turn it upside down once, quickly, to get rid of any extra air. Once cooled, either leave in a cool, dark place or in the refrigerator. Leave for a minimum of 5 days before opening. Keep for 2 weeks once opened.

Christmas Tree
 & Ginger Ice Cream 

This is hands down my favorite recipe from the supper club, and I have shared it generously over the years with anyone who will listen. I like to use blue spruce, as I think it is the champion of conifers (it tastes a little like vanilla), but, as with all these recipes, you can interchange the type of Christmas tree you use depending on what you have access to. 

Makes: 950 g (2 lb 2 oz) of ice cream 

Preparation Time:  2 hours with an ice-cream maker, 4 hours without one 

Ingredients:
-300 g (101⁄2 oz) blue spruce needles
 or 400 g (14 oz)
any other type of Christmas tree needles
-510 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) double (heavy) cream
-170 ml (6 fl oz/3/4 cup) whole (full-fat) milk (ideally Jersey milk)
-170 g (6 oz/3/4 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
-8 egg yolks
-5 pieces stem ginger, chopped 

Method: 

Prepare the needles (see first cured fish recipe for this info).

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan whisk the cream, milk, sugar and egg yolks until well combined. 

Add the needles to the cream mixture and heat gently, stirring continuously so that the mixture doesn’t catch on the bottom or sides of the pan. 

After 15 minutes, turn the heat up to medium. When bubbles begin to appear around the edge of the pan, the custard is ready and can be removed from the heat. 

Sieve the mixture two or three times through a fine sieve (fine mesh strainer) so that none of the needles end up in the final ice cream mixture. 

If using an ice-cream maker, add the sieved mixture to the churning pot and begin the churning process. Before it freezes, add the chopped stem ginger and continue churning until it is frozen. Transfer the frozen ice cream to the freezer. 

If you don’t own an ice-cream maker, transfer the mixture to a tub or dish and leave to cool completely. Once cooled, transfer to the
freezer. Stir the mixture every hour and when it is beginning to freeze (about 2 hours) but not completely solid, add the chopped stem ginger and mix well. Continue stirring each hour until the ice cream is completely frozen. This will take about 4 hours. 

Once it is frozen, keep it in the freezer until ready to serve. 

The post How To Eat Your Christmas Tree appeared first on Modern Farmer.

This year, owner Sybille van Kempen is showcasing some of those ingredients and the family farmers who produce them in a series of 12 seasonal cookbooks. Each book focuses on a different local farmer and includes recipes for that time of year. 

Van Kempen teamed up with chef Licia Kassim Householder to write the series, which launched with three summer books. The three books for fall months were released in September and the next batch will come out in early December. 

The following recipes are from the book for November, Loaves & Fishes Farm Series Cookbook: Mecox Bay Dairy, which focuses on farmer Art Ludlow, and his farm, Mecox Bay Dairy.  

Photo by Conor Harrigan.

Country Sausage Gravy

Serves 4-6

• 1 pound breakfast sausage
• 1 large shallot, minced
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• Pinch of ground sage or poultry seasoning
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a medium skillet over high heat, brown sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage onto a plate and set aside. Lower heat to medium, add in shallot, and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Return sausage to the pan and add the flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir flour and sausage and cook for 2 minutes. Pour milk into the pan, and continuously whisk until mixture has thickened. Add nutmeg, poultry seasoning, and salt and pepper. Serve warm with Farmhouse Cheddar Chive Biscuits.

Photo by Conor Harrigan.

Brined Roast Turkey Parts

Serves 8-10 

BASIC BRINE

• 1 gallon water
• 1 cup kosher salt
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 6 branches fresh thyme
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 10-15-pound whole turkey, broken down into parts
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Two days before Thanksgiving, bring all brine ingredients together in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil and immediately take off the heat. Toss in 8 cups of ice to cool. Once cool, place turkey into a large container or turkey bag and pour brine over. Refrigerate for 10 hours or overnight. The next day, remove turkey pieces from brine and place onto a sheet tray. Allow to air dry, uncovered, for 24 hours int he refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

The morning of Thanksgiving, remove turkey from refrigerator and rub entirely with softened butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 45-60 minutes, until a thermometer reads 160 degrees F internally. Cover with foil and let rest for 20 minutes until ready to serve.

Photo by Conor Harrigan.

Pumpkin Pie with Brown Sugar Meringue

Makes one 9-inch pie

PÀTE BRISÉE

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 ounces (10 tablespoons) cold salted butter, cubed
• 3-4 tablespoons ice water

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the flour and salt until combined. Add in cold butter and paddle until a pebbly mixture forms. Add in enough water to bring the dough together (this will change from day to day depending on the weather). Knead the dough by hand until smooth on a lightly floured surface; roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thickness to fit a 9-inch pie pan. Gently lower into dish, tuck the sides under, and crimp the edges with your fingers. Place into the freezer for 30 minutes while filling is prepared.

PUMPKIN PIE FILLING

• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 375 F degrees.

Whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. pour filling into prepared pie shell and bake for 1 hour, until set. Cool to room temperature and top with meringue.

BROWN SUGAR MERINGUE

• 3 large egg whites
• Pinch kosher salt
• Pinch cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon light brown sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add salt and cream of tartar. Slowly beat in sugar until all is absorbed, then crank speed to highest setting. Whip until meringue is glossy and firm. Place into a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe meringue onto the top of the pie, or dollop with a spoon. Torch the meringue peaks with a blowtorch, or place under the broiler for 3-4 minutes.

The post From Summer Harvest to Autumn Bounty appeared first on Modern Farmer.

When the food writer was growing up in India, he received a chemistry lab kit from his parents for Christmas one year. It included an experiment that mixed together baking soda and citric acid to observe the resulting chemical reaction. It fascinated him. 

“This was something that was already in my parents’ kitchen, and then to see it behave so magically—and it’s not magic. It’s science—just change in front of you visually was mind blowing as a kid,” he says. 

In his new cookbook, The Flavor Equation, Sharma showcases the science of flavor through more than 100 recipes, complete with diagrams and the striking photography he is known for. Drawing from his experience as a molecular biologist, Sharma dissects what influences our perception of flavor. Aroma and taste are part of the equation, says Sharma, but emotions, sight, sound and mouthfeel also play a vital role. 

The new book is a follow up to his 2018 tome, Season: Bold Flavors, Beautiful Food, and drills down into the different aspects of taste, including bitterness, brightness, saltiness and fieriness. His first cookbook told a personal story about his life as a gay immigrant and the cultures that shaped his cooking. With his new book, Sharma says he wants to show the logic and science involved in what he does in the kitchen. His recipes are inventive, but still approachable so that home cooks won’t get bogged down in the science. 

Sharma first came to the United States to study molecular genetics at the University of Cincinnati. He then worked at a pharmaceutical research company until he quit (to his parents’ chagrin) to pursue a career in cooking, food writing and photography. He started working as a pastry cook and launched his popular blog, A Brown Table, before eventually becoming a food columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle. While his career path veered in a different direction away from research, he still applied science to his new work. 

Sharma believes that having a better understanding of science can make us better cooks—not just because of the chemical reactions involved, but also because the processes of cooking are similar to those of science. In a similar way that a scientist experiments, a cook tests different combinations, adding varying amounts of different ingredients. 

“It’s the same process of trying something, seeing if it works, and if it doesn’t work out, you try to figure it out through different iterations and experimentation,” he says. “But a lot of what’s happening on the stove or in the oven, or when you’re chopping something, at those different points involve different chemical and physical reactions. I think highlighting those things makes you a wiser cook.”

One of the things that drew Sharma to biology was seeing different ingredients change color.  He loved watching turmeric turn red when mixed with soap and change back to yellow with the addition of an acid like vinegar. So next time you’re caramelizing onions or activating yeast to bake bread, Sharma suggests stopping for a moment to think about and appreciate the incredible things that are happening in your frying pan. 

“It boggles my mind every time how marvelous the whole thing is,” he says. 

The following recipe is reprinted from The Flavor Equation by Nik Sharma with permission by Chronicle Books, 2020.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER IN TURMERIC KEFIR

This recipe takes advantage of kefir (buttermilk can be substituted) for its bright acidity. I prefer to use a bottle of freshly opened kefir or buttermilk here, because as these liquids age, the lactic acid increases, which not only leaves a strong tart taste but also causes the milk proteins to curdle quickly on heating. If you have leftover kefir, use it to make the Blueberry + Omani Lime Ice Cream.

The Flavor Approach

+ Using the acidity of fermented dairy such as kefir and the Maillard reaction creates a bittersweet taste and new aroma molecules in vegetables.

+ Chickpea flour, which contains starch, acts as a thickener for the base of the sauce.

+ The sound of the seeds sizzling is a good indicator of how hot your oil is; if the oil is hot enough, they will sizzle immediately and brown quickly.

SERVES 4

• 2 lb [910 g] cauliflower, broken into bite-size florets
• 1 tsp garam masala, homemade (recipe follows) or store-bought
• Fine sea salt
• 4 Tbsp [60 ml] grapeseed or other neutral oil
• 5¼ oz [150 g] minced red onion
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp red chilli powder (optional)
• ¼ cup [30 g] chickpea flour
• 2 cups [480 ml] fresh kefir or buttermilk
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp black or brown mustard seeds
• 1 tsp red chilli flakes
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 400°F [204°C].

Place the cauliflower in a roasting pan or baking dish. Sprinkle with the garam masala, season with salt, and toss to coat. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp of the oil and toss to coat evenly. Roast the cauliflower for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and slightly charred. Stir the florets halfway through roasting.

While the cauliflower is roasting, place a deep, medium saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp of the oil to the pan. Add the onions and sauté until they just start to turn translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the turmeric and chilli powder and cook for 30 sec­onds. Lower the heat to low and add the chickpea flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and fold in the kefir, stirring constantly. Watch the liquid carefully as it cooks until it thickens slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold the roasted cauliflower into the liquid and remove from the heat. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Heat a small, dry saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the remain­ing 2 Tbsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin and black mustard seeds and cook until they start to pop and the cumin starts to brown, 30 to 45 seconds. Remove from the heat and add the chilli flakes, swirling the oil in the pan until the oil turns red. Quickly pour the hot oil with the seeds over the cauliflower in the saucepan. Garnish with the chopped cilantro and serve warm with rice or parathas. 

MY GARAM MASALA

This is my regular garam masala; note the absence of a few aromatic spices such as fennel and a smaller amount of green cardamom in this version.

MAKES ABOUT ¼ CUP [25 G]

• 2 Tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 Tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 Tbsp black peppercorns
• 2 dried bay leaves
• One 2 in [5 cm] cinnamon stick
• 12 whole cloves
• 1 whole black cardamom pod
• 3 or 4 green cardamom pods
• 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Heat a small, dry stainless-steel or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low and add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, black pep­percorns, bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, green and black cardamom pods, and star anise. Toast gently by rotating the pan to circulate the spices until the spices become fragrant, 30 to 45 seconds. Be careful not to burn them; if they do burn, discard them and start fresh. 

Transfer the toasted spices to a small plate and let cool completely. Transfer the cooled spices to a mortar or spice grinder. Add the nutmeg and grind to a fine powder. Store the spice mix in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months. 

The post Nik Sharma Blends Science and Food in ‘The Flavor Equation’ appeared first on Modern Farmer.

Hawthorn berries can be enjoyed raw, but their flavor improves when cooked. They can be candied, made into fruit leather, or even a savory ketchup-style sauce. Their high pectin content makes them a great candidate for jams and jellies.

If you have some hawthorn trees growing nearby, try making a small batch of hawthorn jelly. It’s a low-cost and tasty way to preserve the season while adding some variety to your range of jams.

Hawthorn jelly recipe

Makes two half-pint jars

You’ll need:

• 2 pounds ripe hawthorn berries
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced

1. Pick roughly 2 pounds of ripe hawthorn berries, enough to fill a two-quart container. Watch out for the thorns on the young branches.
2. Remove the stems. Wash and drain the berries.
3. In a large saucepan, cover the haws with 4 cups of water. Simmer over medium heat for 40 minutes, using a potato masher to break up the fruit.
4. Strain through a jelly bag, if you want a clear jelly, or the smallest holes of a food mill. Discard the leftover seeds and pulp. This should produce roughly 2 cups of juice.
5. Add the hawthorn juice, white sugar, and lemon juice to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 10 minutes, until it sets.
6. Pour the jelly into clean, hot jars, seal the lids, and let cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator for up to one month. For longer storage, the jars can be processed in a water bath for 10 minutes, following typical canning methods for jellies.

The post Food for Free: How to Make Hawthorn Jelly appeared first on Modern Farmer.

The chef’s latest cookbook, Home Style Cookery, comes out this week and contains 12 chapters, packed full of hearty recipes. It’s a recipe encyclopedia, and kind of like a Joy of Cooking for Matheson’s fans. 

For Matheson, the book is purely about getting people excited about cooking. He describes it as a “choose your own adventure” cookbook that gives the reader a variety of techniques they can follow and build upon. Matheson hopes home cooks will bake the breads in the book’s first chapter, and then use them for a sandwich from the seventh chapter, or turn a vegetable dish in the third chapter into a soup from the sixth chapter. 

“I’m just trying to give you some fundamental ideas, techniques, and then whichever way you can take them, you can ride,” he says. “I think there are enough recipes in this book that people will be able to paint their own picture, make their own meals, get excited about cooking and keep learning.”

The book covers everything from how to make basic stocks and sauces to more complicated dishes like lobster thermidor. It has a whole chapter on sandwiches. And like Matheson, the book’s food doesn’t take itself too seriously. (One highlight is a smoked top sirloin sandwich with Cheez Whiz.) 

Matheson wrote the book around a year ago, but it is conveniently coming out during a surge in home cooking, and at a time when people are thinking more about where their food comes from. 

Despite the pandemic, Matheson has forged onwards with a number of different projects, including the new book, and a second season of his YouTube show, Just a Dash, which starts in October. The show, which he produced independently after parting ways with Vice, attracted an average of a million viewers per episode in its first season. He also recently launched a local barbecue takeout joint called Matty Matheson’s Meat & Three, and is working to open two new restaurants in Toronto. 

He started his own vegetable garden—Blue Goose Farm—this spring on his property in Fort Erie, Ontario, with the help of former Toronto chef Keenan McVey. They’ve grown a vast assortment of vegetables on a 3,500-square-foot plot, which goes to three restaurants in Toronto, as well as Matheson’s own kitchen. He says a certain percentage of the farm’s produce also goes to community fridges in Toronto. 

Matty Matheson tends to his garden. Photo by Eric Davis

Growing vegetables has been a rewarding experience for Matheson. He says he felt it was his duty to grow vegetables on his land, which he bought a couple years ago when he moved back to Fort Erie from Toronto. “I never thought growing vegetables would make me feel the way I feel,” Matheson says. “It’s like anything. You’ll never understand what it’s like to have a child until you have a child. You’ll never know what it’s like to have a garden that produces vegetables until you have it.” 

Matheson’s 2018 bestselling cookbook, Matty Matheson: A Cookbook, told personal stories through food. Matheson admits that he only had himself in mind when he wrote the first book, but he says this new book is for anybody. The secret ingredient in Home Style Cookery, he says, is the person cooking, and their own food preferences, as that’s what will determine their food journey. Matheson just wants to be their guide. 

The post Choose Your Own Adventure with Matty Matheson’s New Cookbook appeared first on Modern Farmer.

To provide you with some kitchen inspiration, Modern Farmer is asking top chefs what they’ve been cooking while staying isolated. This week we heard from chef Lidia Bastianich, who shared a recipe for her Express Tiramisu. The critically acclaimed chef, restaurateur and cookbook author has been whipping this sweet dish up in quarantine in just 10 minutes. 

Chef Lidia Bastianich. Photo by Jen May.

Tiramisu is a common dessert on the menus of Italian restaurants and in Italian homes. The traditional tiramisu uses ladyfingers and espresso, although I have served other favorite flavors as well such as limoncello tiramisu and berry tiramisu. Now that I am home, I often try and come up with some quick versions of favorite Italian recipes. During these times, we all need a little, quick sweet every once in a while. This 10- minute tiramisu is one of those. The ladyfingers have been replaced by Italian wafers, and the creamy layer is simply made of mascarpone, powdered sugar, and heavy cream.

Express Tiramisu

SERVES 6 

Ingredients:
1 pound mascarpone
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup strong espresso, cold
Approximately 10 Italian coffee wafer cookies, split in half
6 ounces dark chocolate bar (for shaving on top) 

Directions:
In a medium size bowl, mix and whip the mascarpone with the sugar, then add the espresso and mix well. Whip the heavy cream with 2 teaspoons of sugar and fold in the coffee mascarpone cream. 

In six individual cups, distribute evenly the pieces of Italian wafer at the base. Add one layer of the mascarpone mixture, layer with more of the wafers. Finish with more mascarpone and top with grated dark chocolate and any left-over wafers. 

The post Quarantine Recipes: Lidia Bastianich’s 10-Minute Tiramisu appeared first on Modern Farmer.

Marcus Samuelsson. Photo by Angela Bankhead

This doro wat dish brings great comfort to me during quarantine. This specific recipe is a tribute to my Ethiopian heritage consisting of Ayib homemade curd cheese and doro wat. The doro wat is a stewed chicken that’s flavored with ginger and berbere. Berbere is my go-to spice blend that includes coriander, cardamom and chiles.

When my wife, Maya, and I make this after a long day, it’ll cheer us up instantly. It can easily be transformed into a kid-friendly recipe if you use half of the amount of spices. When I do this, my son, Zion, really enjoys eating it as well. The tender meat and pasta combine perfectly with the cheese and the cucumbers add a refreshing element that help round out the meal. 

Doro Wat Pasta

Serves 6-8

 Ingredients:

For the doro wat: 
5 pounds chicken leg quarters, skin removed, about 4
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large red onions, peeled and quartered
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
8 cloves garlic
2 1/2 tablespoons Berbere seasoning
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
8 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek

For the squash:
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 For the ayib (homemade fresh cheese):
2 quarts buttermilk
4 kale leaves, stems removed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt

For the salted cucumbers: 
1 Persian cucumber, cut into ¼ inch pieces
½ tsp salt

For the assembly:
1 pound rigatoni, cooked to al dente
Ayib, to serve
2 tbsp salted cucumbers
1 plum tomato, quartered
Freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish
Crispy fried onions, for garnish (optional)

 Instructions:

Make the Doro Wat:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and set aside at room temperature.

Place the onion, ginger and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the consistency is a chunky puree.

Place the butter and fenugreek in a large, 8-to-10-quart Dutch oven and set over medium high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the onion mixture and stir to combine. Decrease the heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is melted and caramelized, about 45 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350º F.

Add the berbere and stir for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and stir to combine and bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Place the chicken in the pot and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Cover and place in the oven for about an hour, and braise until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Make the ayib:
Line a colander or a fine mesh sieve with a layer of cheesecloth. Set aside.

Heat oven to 350°. Wash the kale and pat it dry. Tear the kale in half, place it on a sheet pan and bake for 25 minutes until dry. Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes until its safe to the touch. Crumble the kale with your hands until it resembles a powder.

Pour the buttermilk into a small saucepan over medium-low heat and bring to a slight simmer (at 200F° to 205°F) for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Pour into the colander with a mesh sieve and strain overnight through cheesecloth. Add in olive oil and powdered kale. Stir to combine.

Make the squash:
Place the squash, oil, salt and pepper into a large mixing bowl and toss to coat well. Transfer the squash to a baking sheet, spread it into a single layer and roast it in the oven next to the chicken for the last 30 to 35 minutes. Toss occasionally and cook until squash is tender.

Make the salted cucumbers:
In a medium bowl, add a ½ cup of water and a 1/2 tsp salt. Let sit for 20 min, then drain water out.

To serve:
Place the cooked pasta into a large serving bowl. Add the sauce from the chicken and the squash and toss to combine. Place the chicken on top, dot with the ayib and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan, tomatoes, salted cucumbers and crispy fried onions if desired.

The post Quarantine Recipes: Marcus Samuelsson appeared first on Modern Farmer.