Here’s how I did it:

Molasses Pumpkin Pie

I used a whisk to combine three quarters of a cup of granulated sugar, one tablespoon of flour, one teaspoon of ground ginger, one teaspoon of cinnamon, half a teaspoon of ground allspice before I added a quarter of a cup of molasses, two cups of mashed, cooked pumpkin, three large eggs and one cup of light cream. I poured the pumpkin mixture into a nine–inch pie pan lined with an unbaked pie crust. I baked the pie in a preheated 400º oven for forty minutes until a knife inserted into the center of the pie came out clean.

I made the ginger whipped cream while the pie cooled. Here’s how:

Ginger Whipped Cream

I beat one cup of heavy cream until it formed stiff peaks and then folded in two tablespoons of minced, crystallized ginger. That’s it! The ginger flavor is stronger after the cream has been chilled in the fridge for an hour or two.

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I don’t mean the kind that involves a cream pie in the face, champagne sprayed around the table or peas slingshot across the room. I mean friendly, family disagreements about the best cranberry sauce. Should dessert be apple or pumpkin pie? Are creamed onions or a green bean casserole mandatory? Will there be chestnuts in the stuffing? Most picture perfect holiday meals exist only in magazines and movies, with a group of strangers presented as family, dressed by stylists, sitting at a perfectly decorated holiday table. Real holiday meals are an opportunity to share a favorite recipe and no one will complain that the second version of cranberry sauce has spoiled the symmetry of the table.

My favorite cranberry relish was inspired by a recipe from my friend Lynda. I added a chili pepper when I made it last year. Here’s how I did it:

Roasted Cranberry Relish

I sorted, washed and drained one bag of fresh cranberries and then combined the berries with the zest of one lemon, one cup of sugar, two tablespoons of olive oil, one teaspoon of kosher salt, one seeded and diced jalapeno pepper and the crushed seeds from four cardamom pods.

I transferred the mixture to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. After baking for ten minutes in a 450-degree oven, the cranberries released their juice and were ready to be transferred to a bowl. To finish the sauce I stirred in the juice of half an orange and two tablespoons of Marsala wine. I let this sauce sit for an hour before serving so that the flavors could meld.Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

The crimson red of pomegranate seeds adds color, flavor and loads of health benefits to a cucumber salad. Here’s how I made it:

Cucumber and Pomegranate Salad

I combined half a cup of finely sliced scallions, two tablespoons of chopped flat leaf parsley, one cucumber, peeled and cut in half inch dice, the seeds from one small pomegranate, about half a cup, two teaspoons of fresh lime juice, one tablespoon of grape seed oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

The dressing is a lovely shade of green and is made with local, organic buttermilk, sunflower oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, spinach, garlic, parsley, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

Full disclosure – I added chive blossoms are from my garden for a little hit of color in the photo.

The good – my bag had a cheddar cheese, fiddlehead quiche along with a lovely nosegay of fresh herbs, spicy greens, eggs and lemon balm.

Carol Stedman’s quiche are delicious and she was willing to share her recipe.  Here it is:

Carol Stedman’s Cheddar Fiddlehead Quiche

Saute one onion along with one and a half teaspoons of thyme in one tablespoons of olive oil until translucent. Pre-cook  one cup of fiddleheads.  Here is the link to that post.

Put cooled sauteed onions and cooled pre-cook fiddleheads into an unbaked pie crust. Grate two and a half ounces of cheddar cheese. Reserve a tablespoon of grated cheese and sprinkle the rest on top of the fiddleheads and onions.

Use a whisk to combine one egg with one tablespoon of Dijon mustard, half a teaspoon of salt, and  half a teaspoon of black pepper. When the mustard is completely incorporated beat in two more eggs, one third of a cup of cream and two thirds of a cup of whole milk. Pour the egg mixture into the pie shell and top it with the remaining grated cheese.

It will take between an hour and an hour and a quarter in a 350 degree oven for the custard to set and the crust to brown.

Your choice of pre-cooked vegetables can replace fiddleheads.

Cheddar Fiddlehead Quiche List

• Onion
• Thyme
• Olive oil
• Fiddleheads
• Unbaked pie crust
• Cheddar cheese
• Eggs
• Dijon mustard
• salt
• black pepper
• cream
• whole milk

This photo shows some of the spicy greens, spinach, scallions, herbs, honey, and fiddleheads that were in the bag.  It doesn’t show the  eggs.  I look forward to cooking the fiddleheads and will post about the results.

I called Carol Stedman, a friend and the administrator of my CSA. She explained that fiddleheads are a bitter herb and that it was important to completely removed the brown husk and then they would be delicious and safe. I followed her directions and trimmed the dry stem end and soaked the fiddleheads in a bowl of cold water for five minutes. Then, I swished them in the water and used a sieve with large holes to drain them. I repeated this twice, until the water was clear. I discarded the few fiddleheads that had any brown husk attached.

I boiled the pristine, husk and toxin free fiddleheads in a saucepan for five minutes, poured out the water, rinsed them in cold water and then boiled them in fresh water for two minutes. I cooled the now tender green spirals in cold water and drained them.

The pre-cooked fiddleheads were ready to meet Italy, at least a flavor of Italy. I sauteed them in olive oil and garlic. Here’s how I did it:

Fiddleheads in Garlic

I heated a tablespoon of olive oil and one clove of minced garlic in a small cast iron skillet over low heat for three minutes. I added half of the dry, boiled fiddleheads, a pinch of sea salt and a grind of pepper, and cooked them for two more minutes. I served this (very) local side dish as part of a local dinner of grilled chicken and a jar of last fall’s applesauce from my pantry.

The daffodils are blooming, the weeping willows are full of tender, yellow green leaves, the grass is green and the weeds are taking over. Each spring I think about all the vegetables I might grow. By the middle of June I wonder what I was thinking.  Of course I will plant carrots and perhaps potatoes.

The parsley and rhubarb have reappeared in my garden but the undeniable truth is FARMERS DO IT BETTER. They work harder, they weed every day, not just when they feel like meditating, they work hard.

This spring I have joined the Clay Hill Collective CSA in Harland, Vermont.  The Clay Hill Collective is a collective of six growers and producers of quality food less than four miles from my kitchen.  In early spring, I’ve been told that I can expect lettuce, spicy greens, spinach, kale, herbs and lots more. I will be doing a CSA post each week to share what came in my bag and a recipe or two of what I made.

Eating Local is possible without having a green thumb.  I hope you will be inspired to find and support a farmer or group of farmers who live near you. Food is tastier to me when I know who grew it.

Contact me if you live nearby and would like to be a part of the Clay Hill CSA. If you are part of a CSA, a veg box scheme, or a farmers’ market regular, I’d love to hear what’s in your bag and what you are making with it.

My CSA starts on Sunday!

Limoncello

I put the zest of eight lemons into a fifth of cheap  100 proof vodka. Her recipe specified ‘cheap’ vodka because it would have no flavor. I used a micro plane to grate the lemon zest and poured two tablespoon of the vodka down the drain so that there would be space for the zest in the bottle. The zest and vodka need to wait in the dark for at least two weeks before the mixture is strained and sweetened. I’ll post the second part of her  recipe when I have returned from Sicily where I will have done some Limoncello tasting.

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