Kalo Mina! (Happy New Month!) This is the first day of November, and we will celebrating Thanksgiving in the U.S. It’s a special time to be with family, and be blessed for all the loving relationships we have been given. Take the time to gather around the table, and enjoy friends and family. We have a very traditional menu on this day but these additional recipes can be added to your side dishes, dessert table or saved for a Leftover Turkey Soup. If you would like more recipes or you are setting your first table, take a look at our Thanksgiving Favorites!
As you may know, I’m building and creating a culinary program called the Kitchen Gardens in Carlsbad. I’m also running a Barnraiser Campaign ongoing for the next couple of weeks. We are literally teaching with the bare essentials, until we reach our goal for our fundraiser. An example of one need was during the last class we had, our portable burners were not working. We had to use other means to complete our sauce for the dish, which meant using multiple small heat sources to cook with. Not so bad… only problem is we don’t have 4 hours, we cook and serve within a 2 hour event. So, we breathe and slowly make it happen. To complete our project and improve the culinary area, we can use your support! Please donate, even 5 -10 dollars because every dollar helps to reach our goal.
Here are many of the items we need: several appliances such as an oven, microwaves, mixers, food processors, coffee-maker, utensils, pots and pans; 2-3 sets, several sets glasses, platters, plates…
I produced this video to show you how much fun we have at our location in The Flower Fields and on the farm. Our classes are slowly becoming sold out, and we thank you for your support, so we can continue teaching the culinary arts, gardening and handmade crafts.
Happen to be in the area and want a culinary luncheon event please join us by signing up at Eventbrite on my blog! The calendar of classes is a click away on my side column.
I recently had served these pickled spiced apples during my Fall culinary event this month and they were a hit. I served them in small individual canning jars on the table, where guests could help themselves. I had been to a dinner in the fields where the caterer had pickled beets for us to try. Loved this idea. I understand you can pickle just about any fruit, so as I was searching various recipes, I came across the food blog, Constantly Cooking and this pickled apple recipe popped up. Never having spiced pickled apples I wanted a reliable source and blogger Paula Roy‘s recipe was perfect. For the recipe visit her blog.
I have a few pickled recipes on my blog you may want to try.
Many times I come across a small booklet found in a used bookstore where I find these lost recipes. It saddens me to believe this method of preserving has vanished from our society. We have refrigeration and freezers in today’s kitchens which make it easier for preserving our garden crops. But, as a food enthusiast, I love to challenge myself on new methods of cooking.
On Tuesday, we had our kickoff event at the Kitchen Gardens with the media and food professionals. We set up the area with tents and tables for our guests. We offered a walking tour, demos from our artisans, and a Fall Apple Menu.
Our facility was outdoors among beautiful gardens and shaded trees. Hats off to our volunteers as they worked in 90 degree weather. This was so unusual weather for the North County area. But they came through for us.
During the event we had local artisans showcasing their talent, which was quite fun for our guests. And a big thank you to our sponsors that came out and supported our efforts in getting the word out.
We had several main sponsors display their local products along with one artisan and one floral designer who joined us as well.
JR Designs produced a live floral centerpiece using Fall flowers and foliage from our local floral producer Melano and Company.
He offered tips and suggestions on creating his stunning tablescape. JR’s creations takes us by surprise each and every time!
Debra from Art with Debra had a creative spin on our Fall theme, by providing art instruction on painting on beach rocks! What fun our guests had.
Robert Schueller from Melissa’s Produce kindly arrived with an array of fresh Fall vegetables and gifts for our guests to enjoy and had on display during our cooking demo. Shopping bags were provided to carry off all those goodies. They also provided all the vegetables for our dishes. A big thank you to Melissa’s from the chefs and our team.
Our guests were also treated to freshly -squeezed apple juice, with the help of our sponsor Novis Vita Juicer. It worked beautifully and with ease, as it kept our guests hydrated throughout the day.
Temecula Olive Oil, a local olive oil farm here in San Diego, offered their local olive oils and vinegars for our tasting bar. They were enjoyed by our guests, and we were delighted to serve our dishes with their products. It made them even more tasty!
Chef Debbie used the Breville Skillet to complete her dish, and it provided us with this versatile cooking appliance to work with in our kitchen.
We had Katie from Barnraiser give a short talk introducing the Barnraiser concept of crowdfunding. Take a look on their website to see what you might be interested in creating or funding.
If you are interested in donating to our Barnraiser campaign , we could use your support!
We thank all of our sponsors, in creating this successful kickoff for our classes and crowd-funding campaign.
In the late summer as my apples come in, and I need to find new ways to use up my harvest. I do pass them out to friends and family, but some years my crop is very large. This is when I decide to make apple butter. My kids love this recipe. For many years, my next door neighbor, Connie would send over a few bottles for us to enjoy and we cherished every spoonful. One day she invited me over to watch her make her family recipe. Since then, we would make it our Fall trip up to Julian to buy freshly picked Jonathon apples. These apples are red with a very tart taste, which is needed for this recipe. After many years of doing this drive, I decided after three kids and a dog, I would buy and plant two of my own apple trees.
They bare enough apples for several pies, breads, and apple butter, which makes my family very happy. It’s amazing the look on my children’s faces to this day when I tell them I have apple butter for them. It’s all worth the time, work and patience it takes to make this butter, our family favorite!
The original recipe calls for Jonathon apples, which we had to drive up to Julian to find. Most markets or farmer’s markets now carry them. I used my “Anna” apples here, which are a tart apple.
Cook until thick, this will take some time, depending how many apples you used.
Pass through a food mill or fine sieve and measure before adding spices. After adding the spices cook down until thick.
Perfect and ready to can. prepare all your bottles and lids and sterilize in a hot water bath.
Strain and let cool on a clean towel.
Fill jars and place in a water bath. I use a large pot and place towels in between so the bottles do not touch. If you have a bottle rack this is not necessary.
For more information on canning, go to the Ball canning site for instructions and canning materials and a How-To guide.
This Fall apple bread has been in our family for quite some time. After finding this misplaced recipe the other day, I decided it’s time to make it again. I had the apples from my Anna apple trees. The only change I made was not to peel the apples, but to chop them in large chunks. This recipe was so moist and full of apple flavor everyone loved it! I just need to make sure not to lose this handwritten recipe again.
This recipe is so special to me because it is hand-written by my mother-in-law, Helen. She loved coffee cakes and sweets. She always wanted to have something on hand to serve up in the morning to a local passer-bye. You see, she lived on a busy corner where the town would drive by daily on their way to work. And she would get neighbors and friends dropping by all the time. She once told me she had a regular visitor who came and stayed for quite some time, and neighbors thought she was seeing him – if you know what I mean. He was there for a bite of whatever she had baked that day. Well, everyone just loved her cooking, and she was more than happy to share her pastries and desserts.
I planted several apple trees in my yard, and I especially like the “Anna” tree. It gives me a large crop twice a year. Working with apples gives me such pleasure because it reminds me of the many trips I have taken with friends and family to the Julian Apple Farms. Besides, what is Fall without apples and cinnamon.
This is my tree the “Anna” apple.
I decided not to peel my apples since all the nutrients are in the peel. Plus, I like things chunky, so I chopped the apples in 1/2 inch chunks.
Mise en Place (everything in it’s place and ready) is vital here since the recipe goes quickly and the topping must be ready as you complete the bread.
If I’m going to go to the trouble of bringing out the mixer, I like to double the recipe and freeze one for later. This is always my think ahead way of doing things in the kitchen.
Here, the topping is sprinkled on immediately to get it in the pre-heated oven right away.
Let cool on a wired rack for 15-20 minutes before serving. Freeze the extra one – if you double the recipe.
I have been hearing about The Vegetable Butcher, for quite some time now. Her name was echoing through the food community, and I as I traveled to various conferences I was hoping to catch up with her at one point. When I attended the Housewares Show in Chicago, we ventured out to Chicago’s Eataly possibly taking the chance of running into her. But, we were told she was at the New York location and had opened a new restaurant.
It was just perfect timing when Melissa’s Produce invited me to attend a book signing and luncheon on behalf of Cara, introducing her new cookbook. I finally caught up with her, and it was worth the wait. Her knowledge in culinary and the handling of vegetables in the kitchen happened to be exactly what I was looking for. I chose the Corn Chowder recipe to feature today, because of the new cooking technique I learned when I read her cookbook. It surprised me the amount of flavor was gained from using the corn cobs in the soup stock. And the entire dish with the toppings was superb. This is a keeper in my recipe box. So, I do hope you take an afternoon off and make this incredible corn chowder for your family.
Enjoying a moment with Cara at Melissa’s.
Her cookbook, The Vegetable Butcher is worth buying not only for it’s unique layout design, but it’s collection of cutting techniques, recipes and culinary skills for anyone who enjoys cooking at home.
My favorites from the Cookbook.
Heirloom Tomato Panzanella
Turkish Potato Salad
Creamy Corn Chowder
Parsnip- Ginger Cake
Melissa’s luncheon included several recipes from Cara’s cookbook, and it was all so healthy and delicious!
Cara discussed the importance of owning a good knife, and handling vegetables with proper techniques for safety, as well as keeping food waste in mind.
This is one book for your bookshelf. It's a lovely photographed technique based book , for everyone. This recipe is clean and fresh with a crunchy topping you should not leave out.
Course
Soup
Cuisine
Vegetables
Servings4-6
AuthorCara Mangini, The Vegetable Butcher
Ingredients
Kernels shaved from 6 large ears of cornreserve the cobs
1bay leaf
6whole black peppercorns
2tablespoonsolive oil
2tablespoonsunsalted butter
1medium yellow onioncut into 1/4 -inch dice
1garlic clove
11/2teaspoonsfine sea saltplus extra as needed
2pinchesof cayenne pepperplus extra as needed
1tablespoonfreshly squeezed lemon juice or lime juice
1/4cupchopped cilantro
1/4-1/3cupfreshly crumbled feta or goat cheesefor serving
1/4teaspoonfreshly ground white or black pepper
1/4cupspiced and sweet pepitasfor serving
Your best extra virgin olive oilfor finishing
Lemon or lime wedgesfor serving
Instructions
Fill a large pot with 1 gallon of water. Add the shaved corn cobs, bay leaf, and peppercorns, bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down and simmer, partially covered, for at least 25 minutes and up to 60 minutes to impart as much corn flavor into the stock as possible.
Remove the cobs, bay leaf and peppercorns. Keep the stock on low.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat, until the butter melts.
Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften and becomes translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, corn kernels, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the cayenne.
Turn up the heat to medium high and cook for 5 minutes.
Add 4 cups of corn stock to, cover the pot, and bring to a simmer.
Adjust the heat to medium-low and uncover pot slightly.
Simmer until the corn and onions have softened, about 20 minutes.
Stir in remaining tablespoon of butter. Once it has melted, take the pot off the heat.
Use an immersion blender or blender to puree the soup until it is smooth. (this will yield a blended soup, with some texture; to get it silky smooth, puree it in batches in a high speed blender).
Return the soup to medium heat and add up to 1 more cup of the stock if needed to thin the soup to your desired consistency.
Add the lemon juice and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, or to taste.
Ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish each with cilantro, feta, freshly ground pepper and the pepitas, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Serve with lemon or lime wedges alongside.
Alternatively, let the soup cool, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Add more stock if needed to thin the soup;garnish and serve cold.
Step by Step for the Chowder
Cut off kernels on towel.
Add cobs to water.
Stock is ready.
Add to corn mixture.
Here is the recipe for the pepitas, and I suggest you do not skip these – they add so much to the soup.
Top these pepitas for your corn chowder recipe above, and get that special crunch!
Course
Soup
Cuisine
American
Keyword
chowder, corn, pepitas
AuthorCara Mangini
Ingredients
1 teaspoonextra virgin olive oil
1teaspoonsugar
1/8 teaspooncayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoonsground cumin
1/8teaspoonsalt
1/4cupraw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Instructions
Combine the oil, sugar, cayenne, cumin and salt in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until the sugar melts about 2 minutes.
Add the pepitas and cook, stirring constantly, until they are coated and begin to brown, 2-3 minutes.
Remove the seeds to a plate and allow the seeds to cool completely.
They will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
These pepitas are from Melissa’s produce and can be found online or at your supermarket.
These have incredible flavor, they burn quickly so watch carefully.
The pepitas come from Melissa’s produce and can be found here online or in your local supermarket.
Soup’s On!
This post was from an even I attended at Melissa’s Produce. The vegetables were sponsored by Melissa’s.
All the rage nowadays is pickled everything! In your sandwiches, burgers, on salads, and on the cheese trays. I love pickled green beans for the same exact reason. It brings a totally new flavor to anything to make. Pick any seasoning you wish, exchanging the spices or the vinegar. These are so many various vinegars to choose from and one company I like to use is Sonoma Vinegar, or head to your local Olive Oil store for a complete selection. I used Bragg Live Foods apple cider vinegar, because I wanted a more earthy fruity taste for the fall. And if you desire a delicious fruit treat, try my pickled peaches on my blog.
Just cut off stems and string (optional) and boil just until soft. Remove and drain, add to sterilized jars.
In the meantime, gather your ingredients place in a non-reactive pan and bring to a boil. It’s just that easy!
I used apple cider vinegar in my recipe. Make sure to pack them snug, not above the 1/4 inch rim. I wanted to show you the ingredients in this picture, otherwise tuck them in neatly.
Are you an avocado fan! Check out this new guacamole recipe I created using fresh seasonal corn. In our area avocados are readily available, so here in San Diego you can find them year-around. This recipe for calls for the addition of fresh corn to your Guacamole. We top our breakfast eggs with slices of avocado, stuff our tacos, and make guacamole weekly! I grew up on my uncle Mike’s avocado farm, and as kids we would play hide – and seek in the orchard, along with the rats and snakes. We played for hours but also ate lots and lots of avocados. As I visit my Leucadia farmer’s market weekly, I’m always on the hunt for seasonal produce for my recipes. Corn is in season, so why not add it to your avocado-guacamole. Melissa’s produce provided me with fresh avocados and all the fixins.
This is a great way to keep your guacamole fresh.
Use fresh avocados that are fully ripened.
Fresh corn can be easily stripped by using a sharp knife.
Cilantro the key to the best guacamole. If you’re not a fan, you can use parsley.
I like to mix up my presentation with a little healthy and a little naughty.
These are the organic chips I serve with all my dips. They can be found online at Cadia.
Hello from California Greek Girl. I’m the owner of Ethos Culinary located in the beautiful city of Carlsbad. Join me as we explore California’s bounty of foods, farmlands, and culinary experts. I’m looking forward to bringing you Greek, Mediterranean and Plant-Forward Cuisines. OPA!
Hello from California Greek Girl. I’m the owner of Ethos Culinary located in the beautiful city of Carlsbad. Join me as we explore California’s bounty of foods, farmlands, and culinary experts. I’m looking forward to bringing you Greek, Mediterranean and Plant-Forward Cuisines. OPA!
