Cat­e­gory: Side Dish

Plac­er­Grown ingre­di­ents used: Strawberries

Served with these Plac­er­Grown Prod­ucts: Strawberries

Ingre­di­ents:

• 2 pounds large-sized firm strawberries
• 2 table­spoons butter
• ½ cup vanilla syrup
• Soaked bam­boo skewers

Instruc­tions:
Pre­heat grill to medium heat. Make sure grate is well oiled. Thread straw­ber­ries onto skew­ers, about 4–6 berries per serv­ing. Arrange on pat­ter or bak­ing sheet. Warm but­ter and syrup together in a small skil­let placed on the edge of the grill, and stir until but­ter melts. Brush berries well with syrup mix­ture. Trans­fer kebabs to grill. Cook for 6 to 8 min­utes, turn­ing occa­sion­ally to grill on all sides until ten­der the juices are ooz­ing. If you wish, driz­zle with more syrup and serve on a bed of fresh mint.

Recipe by Courtney McDonal; Serves 6

Ingredients:
-4 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
-4 ounces salty blue cheese, such as Bleu d’Auvergne or Roquefort
-1 small red onion or torpedo onion, thinly sliced
-1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
-2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
-salt and pepper, to taste

On a large platter, lay out the tomato slices in a shingled pattern. Crumble the blue cheese evenly on top, then layer the sliced red onion on top of that. Crush the basil leaves and sprinkle over the platter to garnish. Drizzle the tomatoes with the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Cat­e­gory: Baked Goods

Plac­er­Grown ingre­di­ents used: Eggs Pump­kins Walnuts

Ingre­di­ents:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 cups fresh pump­kin puree
• 1 cup veg­etable or canola oil
• 1 1/2 tea­spoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tea­spoon each ground all­spice and ground ginger
• 1 tea­spoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tea­spoons bak­ing powder
• 1 tea­spoon bak­ing soda
• 1/2 tea­spoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped wal­nuts or pecans
• Frost­ing
• 1/2 cup butter(room temperature)
• 3 ounces cream cheese(room temperature)
• 3/4 cup pow­dered sugar
• 1 tea­spoon vanilla extract

Instruc­tions:
Pre­heat the oven to 350º (325º if using a Pyrex glass pan). Set aside a 9-by-13-inch bak­ing pan; do not grease. In the bowl of an elec­tric mixer fit­ted with the pad­dle attach­ment, beat the eggs until frothy. Add the sugar, pump­kin, oil, spice, and vanilla. Beat on low speed to com­bine, then increase to medium speed. Beat 1 minute. Addthe flour, bak­ing pow­der, bak­ing soda, and salt; beat on low speed 2 min­utes. Add the nuts and stir to com­bine. Pour into the bak­ing pan. Bake on the cen­ter rack for about 40 min­utes, until the cake is golden brown, the top springs back when lightly pressed, and a cake tester inserted into the cen­ter comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a rack at least 1 hour before frost­ing. To pre­pare the frost­ing, beat the but­ter and cream cheese with an elec­tric mixer until fluffy. Add the pow­dered sugar and vanilla and beat on low speed until fluffy. Add a bit more pow­dered sugar if nec­es­sary to make a stiffer frost­ing. This makes a tasty thin layer; you can dou­ble the frost­ing recipe and make an extra thick layer, if desired. Scrape the frost­ing into the cen­ter of the cake and, using a metal spat­ula, spread to the cor­ners in an even layer. Store in the refrig­er­a­tor and cut pieces right out of the pan. Makes 12 to 16 pieces

Cat­e­gory: Side Dish

Plac­er­Grown ingre­di­ents used: Cucum­bers and Onions

Ingre­di­ents:

• 4 lg. cucum­bers — sliced
• 2 med. onions — thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp. minced fresh dill
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp. salt

Instruc­tions:
Pro­ce­dure: In a bowl, com­bine cucum­bers, onions and dill. In a saucepan, com­bine sugar, vine­gar, water and salt; bring to a boil. Pour over cucum­ber mix­ture. Cover and chill for 3 hours or overnight. Yield: 6 Servings

Lacto-fermented vegetables are pickled in a simple brine of water, salt, and sometimes whey, plus spices as you like — no vinegar.

Recipe by Karen Killebrew, adapted from Frog Bottom Farm
(1 pint – doubles easily)

Ingredients:
as many okra (washed and stems cut off) as will fit in a pint jar
1-2 cloves garlic, smashed with the broad side of a chef’s knife and peeled
½ tablespoon sea salt or pickling salt (any salt without anti-caking agents)
2 tablespoons whey
½ cup + water
any spices or seasonings you like – we like red pepper flakes, coriander, cumin, garlic, and mustard seed

Instructions:
Wash the okra and stuff it, along with the garlic, into your pint jar. Pack it in there really tight; you don’t want any pieces to float above the brine when you add it. Make sure there’s about an inch of headroom between the top of the okra and the top of the jar.
Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over the okra. Gently turn the jar back and forth during the first day or so of fermenting, to help the salt dissolve.)
Add a bit more water if necessary to cover the okra completely; lacto-fermentation is an anaerobic process, and if any vegetables are exposed above the brine, you risk either mold or mushy vegetables.
Cover and keep at room temperature for 3-4 days, until bubbles begin to form and the okra is as sour as you like it. Taste it after 2 days; if you like how it tastes, put it in the fridge. If you want it to be more sour, give it another day or two before putting it in the fridge. Lasts several months.

Cat­e­gory: Main Dish

Plac­er­Grown ingre­di­ents used: Lamb, Meyer Lemons, Onions

Ingre­di­ents:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 1 cup veg­etable stock
• 1 lemon sliced very thin and seeded
• 1 tsp. caraway
• 2 tsp. marjoram
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 lbs. Fresh lamb — shoul­der or ribs (cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes)

Instruc­tions:
In a large skil­let saute onion in but­ter until soft over medium high heat, add stock and lemon slices, bring to a boil. Mean­while mash in a mor­tar; car­away, mar­jo­ram and gar­lic then add to skil­let along with lamb. Cover and sim­mer for 1 1/2 hours. Serve over but­tered, wide egg noo­dles, gar­nish with grated lemon rind. Serves 2 to 4.

-6 lbs. RougeVif d’etampes, Musque de Provence or other pumpkin, seeds removed and cut into wedges for roasting
-3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
-1/4 cup unsalted butter
-2 leeks, green tops removed, washed well and sliced crosswise
-1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
-2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
-3 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
-salt and pepper, to taste
-1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
-4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, for browning
-zest and juice of 1 mandarin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Arrange the pumpkin wedges on a large baking sheet and toss with 2 Tbsp of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and roast, turning once, until pumpkin is soft – about 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool slightly.  Scoop pumpkin flesh from the skin and set aside.

In a large soup pot over medium flame, heat the remaining olive oil and butter until butter is melted.  Add the leeks and garlic (if using), celery and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are soft and fragrant, about 15 minutes.  Add the cooked squash and enough chicken or vegetable stock to barely cover vegetables.  Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Cook until all vegetables are very soft, about 30 minutes.  Puree soup in a blender in batches and return to the pot.  Adjust seasoning and add cream, if using.

While soup is cooking, heat the remaining 4 oz. butter in a medium saute pan or sautior over high heat.  Allow the milk solids to begin to caramelize on the bottom of the pan.  Once the butter begins to smell “nutty,” remove from the heat and immediately add the mandarin juice and zest.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep in a warm spot until ready to use.

Heat soup back to a simmer and serve!

Makes 1 tart

Ingredients:
-2 large eggs, lightly beaten
-3/4 cup sugar
-1 Tbsp. heavy cream
-¾ cup buttermilk
-4 Tbsp. melted butter
-1 ½ Tbsp. fresh mandarin juice
-1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
-zest of 1 mandarin
-3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
-1 prebaked sweet tart crust (recipe below)
-1/4 cup sweetened whipped cream

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cream, buttermilk, and melted butter. Slowly whisk in the mandarin and lemon juice, zest and flour. Whisk until all lumps of flour have disappeared. Carefully pour buttermilk mixture into the prebaked tart shell. Place onto a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven until tart is just set (when gently tapped the center should no longer jiggle), about 35-45 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, then slice into wedges. To serve, top with whipped cream and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint, if desired. Wrap leftover tart in plastic and store in the refrigerator.

Flakey Tart Dough
Makes 2 tart crusts

Ingredients:
-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon sugar
-1 teaspoon salt
-12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
-5 tablespoons cold lard or shortening, cut into pieces
-Ice water

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and shortening, and pulse until the mixture forms little balls, and no chunks of butter or shortening remain, 5 to 10 times. Do not over process.
Transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the ice water. Repeat 3 times more. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until it just begins to come together as a dough. If necessary, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Divide the dough into 2 disks. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400.
Once dough is chilled, roll each ball out into an even circle. Carefully lay into tart pan and prick all over with a fork. Quickly chill for another minute in the freezer.
Blind bake the tart shells by cutting a piece of foil to cover and filling the tart crust with dry beans or pie weights. Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 15-20 minutes. Cool completely before adding any filling.

Serves 2 – recipe by Courtney McDonald

Ingredients:
-3/4 cup Massa Organics short grain brown rice
-2 bone-in pork loin chops (you could also use 1 small whole pork tenderloin)
-1 Tbsp. olive oil
-1/4 cup Snow’s Citrus Court Mandarin Orange Marinade and Stir-Fry Sauce
-1 Tbsp olive oil
-2 pieces bok choy, washed and thinly sliced crosswise
-1 piece green garlic, trimmed and thinly sliced
-salt or soy sauce, to taste

In a small pot with a lid, cook the brown rice according to package instructions. Once fully cooked, transfer the rice to a rimmed baking sheet and spread out to cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate to chill (you could do this a day in advance).

Preheat grill. Brush the pork chops with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and grill to desired doneness. While grilling, baste with 2 Tbsp. of the mandarin stir-fry sauce to form a glaze. Set aside to rest.
While pork chops are resting, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a wok or skillet. Add the green garlic and saute quickly over medium-high heat until fragrant – about 1 minute. Add the sliced bok choy and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add the cooled brown rice and the remaining 2 Tbsp. stir fry sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through. Taste for seasoning and add salt or soy sauce to taste, if necessary. If the pork chops have cooled off, put them back on the grill for a few seconds to reheat. Spoon the rice mixture onto 2 serving plates and top with the grilled pork chop. Serve immediately!

Healthier Variation: You can simply steam the brown rice and bok choy and omit the stir-fry technique. Squeeze a fresh orange or lemon over the rice to serve and top with the grilled pork chop.

Serves 6 – recipe by Courtney McDonald

Ingredients:
-6 mandarins, and cut crosswise into ¼ inch medallions
-4 radishes, washed and thinly sliced
-2 cups winter greens such as arugula, mizuna or spinach,
washed and torn into bite-size pieces
-2 crisp apples
-juice and zest of 2 meyer lemons
-1/4-1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
-1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
-salt and pepper, to taste

Place the mandarin slices, sliced radish and greens into a large mixing bowl. Dice the apples into large chunks and add to the bowl. While tossing gently, slowly add the meyer lemon juice and zest. Next add the olive oil and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer salad to a serving bowl, top with the chopped walnuts and serve immediately!