A Week of Planting

Everything but the beans are in the ground – it’s a good feeling!  Aside from the basils of the previous post, here is what we have:

Amish Paste Tomato

Started from seeds from Seed Savers Exchange

First listed in the 1987 SSE Yearbook by Thane Earl of Whitewater, Wisconsin. Commercialized by Tom Hauch of Heirloom Seeds, who acquired it from the Amish near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Bright red 8-12 ounce fruits vary in shape from oxheart to rounded plum. Delicious flesh is juicy and meaty, excellent for sauce or fresh eating. One of Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste varieties. Indeterminate, 85 days from transplant.

Brandywine Tomato

Started from seeds from Seed Savers Exchange

The original Brandywine introduced by Johnson and Stokes in 1889 from seeds they received from a customer in Ohio. Named after Brandywine Creek in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Large vines produce deep red 8-12 ounce fruits. Excellent flavor. Very productive. Indeterminate, 80 days from transplant.

Cherry Roma Tomato

Started from seeds from Seed Savers Exchange

Introduced to SSE by Meilie Moy-Hodnett of Maryland in 1999. Incredibly heavy set of 1″ long plum-shaped fruits. Addictive sweet-spicy flavor, great fresh or dried. Fruits hold well for extended periods. Indeterminate, 75-80 days from transplant.

Ornamental Corn

Started from seeds from Earl May

(101 days) Hybrid variety of Indian corn with various tones of blue, red, yellow, and white. Ears average 7 to 10 inches in length with 50-70% purple husks.

We planted this for decorations for our wedding this November.  We have our fingers crossed because we have never grown corn before and it would be nice to not have to buy ornamental corn this fall.

Seeds!

I picked up some seeds at Open Harvest:

Genovese Basil

(Ocimum basilicum) The classic large-leaved Italian sweet basil prized for its spicy flavor and wonderful aroma. Fragrant plants grow 18-24″. This is the variety of choice for pesto. Annual.

Thai Basil

(Ocimum basilicum) Spicy anise-clove scent and flavor. Most commonly used in Thai or Vietnamese cooking. Attractive plants are 12-18″ tall with medium green leaves and purple stems and blossoms. Good for container gardening. Annual.

Looking forward to planting season…

McClelland’s Single Malt Islay Scotch

This is a decent Islay single malt scotch that clocks in at just under $30 for a 750ml bottle. McClelland’s doesn’t say how long it’s aged but my guess is 3 years. Worth buying and you’ll find bourbon and Irish whiskey aficionados will leave it alone for you to enjoy.

McClelland’s also offers Highland, Lowland, Speyside, and Speyside 12 y/o.  I have yet to try these but soon will…

Deep Dish Pizza

OK, here is the recipe I’m using tonight for a 17″ pie:

Crust

2 1/2 C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (I like King Arthur and Wheat Montana)
1 C Whole Wheat Flour (Also KA or WM)
1/2 C Corn Meal
2 tsp Salt
1/4 – 1/2 tsp Dry Yeast
2 C Water

Mix the dry ingredients, add the water, mix well, knead, place in an olive oil coated bowl, and cover. Do this at least 1 day in advance. I don’t bother to punch down the dough.

Sauce

1 – 28oz can of Crushed Tomatoes
5-7 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
1/2 T Dry Oregano
1/2 T Dry Basil
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Fennel Seed, crushed
Dash of Red Pepper Flakes

Mix it all up and let it steep in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Filling

1 Yellow Onion
1 Green Bell Pepper
1/2 T Olive Oil

Saute until soft and onions are translucent. Drain on a paper towel covered plate until ready to use.

1 lb shredded cheese

I’m using Kraft 5 cheese Italian blend but have used mozzarella, Monterrey jack, muenster, and provolone in various combinations or alone with great results. I prefer block cheese shredded by hand but pre-shredded is fine – avoid fine or fancy shredded cheese if possible because it is too dry.

I use a Lodge 17″ cast iron pan to bake the pizza. Preheat the oven to 400F, but leave the pan out (it’s fine if the pan is warm but should not be hot). When oven is up to temperature, pour 2-3 T olive oil in the pan and spread it around, spread the dough in the pan – go 2 inches up the side of the pan, pour in all but 1/4 C of the cheese and spread it evenly. Do the same with all of the onions and peppers and then with the sauce. Bake pie for 40-50 minutes, watching the crust carefully after 40. When the pie appears to be about done, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the pie and bake until cheese melts.

Remove the pizza and let stand for 5-10 minutes, cut and serve.

Enjoy!

Trying This Week: Scallop Gumbo

This looks pretty easy and tasty.  I may try it with a whitefish like pollock to cut the cost.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/dining/031mrex.html

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup flour

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic

Salt and black pepper

2 to 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock, or water

2 cups chopped tomatoes with their juice (canned are fine)

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried

2 bay leaves

Cayenne to taste

1 pound scallops

Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish.

1. Put oil and butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. When butter is melted, add flour and cook, stirring almost constantly, until roux darkens and becomes fragrant, about 15 to 20 minutes; as it cooks, adjust heat as necessary to keep mixture from burning. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic and raise heat to medium. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables have softened, about 10 more minutes.

2. Stir in the stock, tomatoes, thyme, oregano, bay leaves and cayenne. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat so soup bubbles steadily. Cook for about 20 minutes or until flavors meld. Add scallops and cook until they are no longer translucent, about 2 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve, garnished with parsley.

Potato Salad with Yogurt & Curry…

…and cilantro, red bell pepper, green onion, ground coriander, garlic, Sriracha sauce, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.  I thought about tossing in some fresh Thai basil but thought this was flavorful enough.  Maybe next time.  Anyhow, I threw this together for J&A’s midsummer night’s hot dog cookout tonight.

I dunno, maybe 7-9 poatotes, 1/2 bunch of green onions chopped, 1/2 red bell pepper diced, about 1 cup plain yogurt, 1 tsp Sriracha sauce, 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped, salt, pepper, curry powder, garlic, and ground coriander to taste.  I know, vague, but sometimes you just gotta take some chances…

Roses…

The old lady from whom we purchased our house had planted, here and there, several different roses but this one has to be the weirdest.  I think it looks like a deranged peppermint and Anna thinks it looks like a white rose in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I’ll snap some pictures of the others later.  Based on this, they should be interesting.

Herb & cheese pizza…

Just made my regular crust, schmeared on some crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Piled on some basil, oregano, and flat leaf parsley from Brent’s garden, and cheese.  Baked at 500 degrees F.

The garden is growing!

After some false starts from the tomatoes, all the vegetables are growing well.  One of the Romas and a couple of the peppers even have blooms!  The hops are growing enough to train onto the lines I ran for them last weekend and one is now taller than me.

Erin has been busy planting flowers everywhere: petunias, lavender, hostas, salvia, lilies, phlox, coneflower, and more.

While we’re waiting for our own garden to produce, friend Brent brought us some of the bounty of his own: lettuce, spinach, endive, lemon balm, Greek oregano, and thyme.

Here’s to home gardens and hopefully yours is growing well, also!

Manhattans for dessert…

Want to dress up your bourbon a little bit?  This is the ticket!

2 parts bourbon
1 part sweet vermouth
At least 1 maraschino cherry
1 tsp maraschino cherry juice
3-5 ice cubes

These are perfect after dinner…