I'm not really a holiday person (with the exception of Halloween...), but I do have favorite recipes I've created that are inspired by specific occasions. This one is super easy but looks fancy, and has been a crowd pleaser in our home for years. Plus it uses homegrown ingredients! This dessert is inspired by the raspberries I harvested from the garden and stored in my freezer (y0u can use strawberries too).
I'm sharing my Raspberry Chocolate Boxes—just in time for Valentines Day! These are just like those little raspberry cream chocolates found in the heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, except the inside is CAKE made with homegrown raspberries and homemade applesauce. RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE BOXES Ingredients 2 cups fresh raspberries, washed (can use frozen but thawed) 1/4 cup water 1/3 cup butter (dairy or plant-based), softened 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 cup milk (dairy or plant-based) 1.25 cups flour, sifted 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt For the Chocolate 6 tbsp butter (dairy or plant-based) 3 cups bittersweet chocolate chips Fresh raspberries to garnish, optional DIRECTIONS Heat oven to 350F. Make a purée by combining raspberries and 1/4 cup water in a blender. Blend until smooth. Beat sugar and butter on high for 2 minutes in a stand mixer. Add applesauce, vanilla and milk. Mix on low for 30 seconds. In a separate bowl, blend flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well and then add to the wet ingredients in the stand mixer. Blend until just combined. Next add purée and stir but do not over-mix. Pour into a greased cake pan (I use an 8x8” square). Bake for 24-28 minutes or until done. Allow to cool completely. Turn cake out onto parchment paper. Slice the cake into 1x1”squares. In a double boiler or microwave safe bowl, melt 6 tablespoons butter and chocolate chips. Carefully dip cake squares into chocolate to coat. Set on parchment paper and repeat until all cake is dipped. Top each square with a fresh raspberry if desired. Place in the refrigerator and allow to chill to harden chocolate. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Sometimes you just need a good chili oil, am I right? This oil is extremely full flavored. It's not just olive oil mixed with a little kick. This is an all out flavor fest with ginger, shallot, garlic, cinnamon, pepper, anise, chilis (of course), and more. I use it for drizzling over tofu or stir fry dishes, for adding a burst of flavor to the top of whipped ricotta cheese dip, or for just plain dipping with good crusty bread. It's SO good. Ingredients for the chili base
3 oz. crushed red pepper/chili flakes 10-12 whole dried chilis, stems removed (thai, birdseye, etc.) 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoons white pepper, ground 5 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons smoked paprika, ground (for color) Ingredients for the oil infusion 20 oz. olive oil (I used extra virgin) 4" knob of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into 1" chunks 20 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled, whole 5 shallots, peeled and sliced in half 10 star anise, rinsed with water 5 cinnamon sticks, rinsed with water Directions Mix all of the ingredients for the chili base in a large heat-safe bowl or container. Set aside. Next, we'll start the oil infusion. Pour the 20 ounces of olive oil in a large saucepot over medium high heat. Allow to heat until it reaches roughly 225 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don't have a thermometer, allow to heat for about five to ten minutes. Drop a small scrap of shallot into the oil. If it simmers with small bubbles, it's ready. If it deep fries with large bubbles and seems intense, turn down the heat. Make sure to remove your tester shallot slice. Once the oil is hot, add the sliced ginger. Allow to fry for only 15 seconds. Remove the ginger with a strainer and set aside. It should not be blackened, just slightly browned. It's important to not burn the ingredients that are infusing the oil. Next add the garlic. Fry for 20 seconds. Remove and set aside. Next add the shallot. Allow to cook for 30 seconds. Remove and set aside. The star anise should have been rinsed under water to keep from scorching during cooking, as should have the cinnamon sticks. Add the moistened star anise to the oil. Allow to cook for 2.5 minutes. Remove the anise and set aside. Lastly add the cinnamon sticks. Allow to cook for 90 seconds. Remove the cinnamon and set aside. Turn off the heat and allow the infused oil to cool slightly. The solids from infusing the oil (the ginger, garlic, shallot, etc.) may be discarded or composted. After allowing the infused oil to cool for about 5 minutes, pour a small amount from the sauce pot into the heat safe container holding the chili base. We want the oil to heat the chili base gradually--not all at once or we risk cooking the ingredients! I usually start by pouring in about a 1/2 cup. Over the next few minutes, slowly add the infused oil about 1/2 to one cup at a time until all of the infused oil resides in the heat safe container. The chili oil is now prepared! Allow to fully cool before handling, eating, or storing in air tight containers. Infused oil can be stored in the refrigerator to prolong shelf life. I personally keep mine on the counter as we go through it quickly! Just remember chilled oil can solidify so be sure to set out to warm up for a while before use. If fire cider was a soup. This is the wicked spicy version of Italian penicillin soup (aka pastina) I make when feeling sick. I take the age old pastina soup remedy up several notches by adding extra garlic, fresh ginger, hot chilis, lemon juice, and black pepper. Plus I add reishi mushroom powder to offer the body extra support (it’s an adaptogen). When I get a bowl of this into my system 2-3x a day when sick, nasty bugs head for the hills fast.
Unlike traditional pastina where a portion of the soup is blended and then returned to the stockpot as a thickener, there's no blending here. When I'm not feeling 100%, I want a quick one-pot meal with as little prep as possible. Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium white onion, chopped 1 heaping tablespoon garlic, minced crushed red pepper to taste (I use about two teaspoons) 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced 2 large carrots, washed and sliced or diced 4 cups vegetable broth 3 cups water 1/3 cup pastina or orzo salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon dried oregano or parsley 1 teaspoon reishi mushroom powder juice of 1 lemon Directions Add olive oil to a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and soften, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and ginger, and stir. Allow to cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add the sliced carrots and cook one minute more. Pour in the vegetable stock and water. Bring to a boil. Once the water begins to boil, stir in the orzo or pastina and add the salt, pepper, and parsley or oregano. Stir. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the reishi mushroom powder along with the lemon juice. Serve warm. Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container and reheated as individual servings. Here's why I've included what I've added to the classic Italian penicillin recipe:
Permaculture Tip: I use homegrown ingredients for this soup and make my own vegetable stock. Crops that are deemed too small or imperfect are great for drying or freezing, and then using in soups and homemade broths later on, all winter long. And, yes, I even grow my own ginger. Homegrown ginger does well in a sunny windowsill for those of us in cold climates. *Panossian, Alexander and Wikman, George (2010) Effects of Adaptogens on the Central Nervous System and the Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Their Stress—Protective Activity. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 3(1): 188–224. Honey sweetened/candied oranges are a healthier holiday sweet! I have such a sweet tooth and it’s so hard to not indulge in EVERY cookie I meet this time of year. So to keep in consistency with my passion for seasonal eating, I started making these honey orange slices. Someday, I’ll be making these from 100% homegrown citrus! For now I mix homegrown and store bought fruit with honey from my own hives. You can also dip these in dark chocolate for an added festive touch!
Ingredients 12oz raw honey 12oz water 4 navel or Cara cara oranges, sliced Optional melted dark chocolate Directions Combine honey and water for a 1:1 syrup in a sauce pot. Bring to a boil and whisk to dissolve honey. Add orange slices and reduce to a simmer. Simmer, without stirring, for 45 minutes. Using tongs, place slices on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Make sure they are not overlapping or touching. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours to set. Then either eat as is or dip in melted chocolate!
Beans are a low acid food. Therefore, they require pressure canning and not water bath canning. Low acid foods like beans must be heated to an extremely high temperature that is not possible to reach in a water bath method. This high temperature is what makes the beans shelf stable.
Homegrown (or store bought) black beans are easy to make, and very high in nutrients. For reference I can 32 pint jars from 5 pounds of dry black beans.
Directions Soak black beans in a large pot or bowl of water so that they are submerged by at least 1 inch. Soak for 12 to 24 hours before you intend to can. I use the cold pack method, which means after the beans have finished soaking, I drain them, rinse them and then spoon them directly into clean and sterilized mason jars. I leave 1/2 inch headspace and then pour non-chlorinated water over the beans so that they are submerged within the mason jars. Leave 1/4 inch head space. Carefully wipe clean the rims of the jars and add a new lid and affix with a ring. Screw to finger tight. I do not add salt to the beans. Load the pressure canner with the jarred beans according to your pressure canner guidelines. In addition to the water at the bottom of the pressure canner pot, I add 1 tablespoon of distilled white vinegar to keep the outsides of the jars from calcifying. Close the pressure canner, turn on the burner, and bring to a boil so that the pressure begins to rise. Close the steam valve according to your pressure canner guidelines and process the jars at 10 pounds of pressure for 75 minutes. After 75 minutes turn off the burner. Once the steam is no longer rising from the steam valve remove the 10 pounds of pressure setting to allow steam valve to fully open and for remaining steam to fully escape. Once there is no more steam escaping from the fully opened steam valve, remove the lid while standing back and using oven mits. Caution—steam is extremely hot. Allow jars to cool within the pot. Carefully remove the jars once cooled, one at a time, and place on top of a dish towel on the counter. Check that all of the lids are properly sealed by placing one finger in the center of the lid of each jar and then pressing down. If it fluctuates, then the jar was not properly sealed and can be re-processed. If the jar lid does not fluctuate, a proper seal has been made, and they may be stored out of sunlight, in a dark and cool location, such as a pantry or a cupboard. It’s citrus season! I started a new batch of homemade limoncello! Have you ever tried it or made your own? It’s so easy and ions better than store bought.
Limoncello is a sweet and tart liquor sipped after a meal in Italian culture. Because it contains so much lemon oil from the rinds, it truly does help with digestion. Careful… it’s easy to over-sip. 😉 The yellow color of the liquor comes from the lemons, but you could also use orange peel for a Halloween-themed drink! Recipe below: Limoncello Recipe 1 bottle 190 Proof Grain Alcohol (I use Everclear but vodka works too) 10 meyer lemons, organic 2 cups water 2 cups sugar or more to taste Directions Wash the lemons. Carefully peel the skin from each lemon using a vegetable peeler or pairing knife. Try to get only the yellow skin; the white pith adds a more bitter flavor. Place the skins in a large glass bottle. Pour grain alcohol over the top and close the jar. Allow to infuse for two weeks, undisturbed, out of direct sunlight. After two weeks, strain the alcohol into a new container and discard the rinds. They’ll be crispy! Prepare a simple syrup in a large sauce pot over medium heat by combining equal parts water and sugar. Whisk and allow the sugar to dissolve. Turn off the heat. Add the lemon liquor to the sauce pot and whisk to combine well. Taste the limoncello. If more sweetness is needed, mix a second batch of sugar syrup in a second sauce pot. Slowly add to the limoncello (1/2 cup at a time so as not to over sweeten). Once the limoncello is fully cooled, pour into glass bottles using a funnel. Screw the lid on the jars and store in the refrigerator for up to one month or the freezer for one year. To drink, simply pour liquor in a shot glass and sip after a meal. |
Angela is the farmer and content creator behind Axe & Root Homestead® LLC. This historic six-acre permaculture farm is home to two Clydesdale horses, ten honeybee hives, five sheep, two guardian dogs, barn cats and a flock of 40 geese and ducks. The farm produces maple syrup, fruit from a small orchard and loads of garden produce for consumption, preservation and donation to the local food pantry.
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