Printer friendly version | help

Weekly Market Notes Library

< January 24-2013 | Notes Library | February 7-2013 >

Weekly Market Notes for January 31, 2013

Hello Market Friends:

This is the quietest time of year on most of our market farms, but in last week's cold snap, while Ted was catching up on watching movies, Laura and Matthew Sabourin of Feast of Fields were right out there, harvesting their ice wine crop! Laura wrote, "–13 to –14.5 and windy, yup those grapes were frozen. Now Matthew and Taylor are in the barn (unheated) pressing it into juice." [When do we get to try it? That's what I want to know. Maybe we'll need to get a special kind of market permit...]

For all happy cooks: Best Baa has fantastic ricotta (in 400 g bags) these days, and it will be on special this week! This has inspired me to try making a variety of dishes, both savoury and sweet. One need look no further than our 'hood for good recipes. This week's are adaptations of Paola Giavedoni and Carolyn Passarelli's from the Dewson Dishes cookbook. (Copies of this tasty collection are still available at the school.)

Paola's Cannelloni

("Don't skimp by using store bought cannelloni shells!!!")

Crepes:

• 5 eggs
• 5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 glass of milk
• 1 glass of water

Using an electric mixer to blend, add as much water as needed to achieve a consistency denser than milk. Use a crepe pan if you have one, or your best frying pan (about 8" across). Oil the pan for the first one. Flip as soon as the crepe looks a bit dry on top; you're not trying to brown them. Stack and reserve.

Filling:

• 1 package of Best Baa ricotta
• if desired, one bunch spinach, blanched, liquid squeezed out, then chopped
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmeggiano Reggiano cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• if desired, you can also add an egg and a pinch of fresh-grated nutmeg or a little chopped parsley
• more grated cheese to taste

Put a scoop of the cheese mixture in the centre of each crepe and roll into a tube about an inch thick. Coat the bottom of a 9 x 12 pan with good tomato sauce and a sprinkling of cheese. Line up the cannelloni over the sauce, close to each other. Pour more sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Paola says you could drizzle a little sage butter over the crepes instead of the tomato sauce if you want. Mmm.

Carolyn's Ricotta Pancakes

• 1 cup ricotta
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk, buttermilk or thin yogurt
• 1 T honey
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt

Combine wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls, then mix until just combined and let sit for 5 minutes. Pour 1/4 cup batter into pan, cook over medium heat until bubbles appear, flip and cook until golden. Serve with maple syrup, jam and/or yogurt. Kids will love you.

Sosnickis' contribution: “Well, no Kale for this week as it's too muddy to harvest! It's still out there, so when we get another freeze we'll be out getting some more! Very glad we put in this late fall cropping of a great green for winter! Lots of Cabbages, Fingerlings, found some Red Potatoes in storage we'll bring and our foods including Perogies, Vegan Cabbage Rolls, Raw Sauerkraut and frozen Green Beans!” Jessie & Ben

Beretta will have a naturally raised, heat and serve, ready to go ham called Jambon Royale on special for $5.85/lb for a limited time. If there are particular items you would like that don't always make it to market, keep in mind that Nick brings an order sheet along so you can have your items delivered to market the following Thursday.

Blythe (Growing Spaces) will be away this week, returning next, when Colette (Urban Harvest) is also expected to rejoin us for garden-dreaming season!

See you at the market!

Anne Freeman

hosted by parkcommons.ca | powered by pmwiki-2.2.83. Content last modified on January 30, 2013, at 11:08 PM EST