Step one – make some brownies!   Here’s a nice recipe from Mindo Chocolate.  No time for scratch?  Use a mix…Jiffy, made in Chelsea after all.  No time for mixes?  OK, buy some brownies on your way home.

Step two – vanilla raspberry sauce.

2 cups frozen raspberries (10 oz), 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Yep, that’s all you need, plus 10 minutes more.

Set aside a handful of raspberries for garnish.  Bring the water and sugar to a boil over medium heat in a heavy sauce pot.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the spoon leaves an obvious trail – it will close quickly.  Add the majority of the raspberries and cook and stir another 5 minutes. You’ll still have a trail, but it will close even faster.  Pour the mixture into a fine sieve over a large bowl, and press until only the seeds are left; discard the seeds.  (Or skip this step, and enjoy the seeds.)  Stir the vanilla into the sauce.  Let cool until you’re ready.

Step three – assembly.

Cut the number of brownies you need to accommodate the number of valentines waiting hungrily for dessert.  Place each brownie in a small bowl.  Top each brownie with vanilla or chocolate ice cream, or whipped cream, or frozen yogurt.  Spoon that lovely vanilla raspberry sauce over each brownie and its topping, and top that with a whole thawed raspberry or two.  Looking like you planned a fancy Valentine ’s Day dessert now!

What, who ate the frozen raspberries?  Don’t panic, this works equally well with frozen strawberries and cherries too!

Yes, frozen whole tomatoes!  Frozen whole tomatoes are real “cooks’ helpers” for those hearty, cold-weather recipes that call for 1or 2 fresh chopped tomatoes.   You can also use them anytime a recipe calls for canned tomatoes.  These whole Romas and San Marzanos, sauce-type tomatoes favored by chefs, will provide great local flavor in the middle of winter.  Our tomatoes come from several small organic farms – Green Things, Living Stones, Tantre, Zilke, Dragonwood, and Capella, as well as some from larger family farms – the Goetz’s and the Ruhlig’s. 

Frozen whole tomatoes are quite versatile – you can use them directly from the freezer, or partially thaw for easy chopping, or thaw completely and drain.  They are easy to peel:  run them under hot water, or defrost them slightly in the microwave (e.g. 2-3 mins), or leave them to thaw for ~ 1 hour at room temperature, and the skins will peel right off.   Short on time for the soup?  Forget thawing and peeling, just toss them frozen & whole into the pot.  For baked dishes or a fresh salsa, squeeze partially thawed tomatoes a bit.  Yes, a new recommendation from the Locavorious test kitchen; you can thaw, peel, squeeze, and make local fresh salsa in the winter!  You won’t find flavor like these tomatoes have in a grocery store this time of the year.

Ann Arbor Farmers Market members can get their share on Saturday, February 11, 8 am – 1:30 pm. 

February’s share of locally grown frozen food will keep hearts healthy and happy:  more blueberries, peaches, and sweet corn, plus cauliflower, green beans, raspberries, and whole tomatoes. 

Yes, frozen whole tomatoes!  Frozen whole tomatoes are real “cooks’ helpers” for those hearty, cold-weather recipes that call for 1or 2 fresh chopped tomatoes.   You can also use them anytime a recipe calls for canned tomatoes.  These whole Romas and San Marzanos, sauce-type tomatoes favored by chefs, will provide great local flavor in the middle of winter.  Our tomatoes come from several small organic farms – Green Things, Living Stones, Tantre, Zilke, Dragonwood, and Capella, as well as some from larger family farms – the Goetz’s and the Ruhlig’s. 

Frozen whole tomatoes are quite versatile – you can use them directly from the freezer, or partially thaw for easy chopping, or thaw completely and drain.  They are easy to peel:  run them under hot water, or defrost them slightly in the microwave (e.g. 2-3 mins), or leave them to thaw for ~ 1 hour at room temperature, and the skins will peel right off.   Short on time for the soup?  Forget thawing and peeling, just toss them frozen & whole into the pot.  For baked dishes or a fresh salsa, squeeze partially thawed tomatoes a bit.  Yes, a new recommendation from the Locavorious test kitchen; you can thaw, peel, squeeze, and make local fresh salsa in the winter!  You won’t find flavor like these tomatoes have in a grocery store this time of the year.

I clipped this recipe from a newspaper, (remember those paper things we used to get everyday?) and have saved it for years.  It is attributed to Bon Appetit magazine, January 2006.  The herbed quinoa was even a hit with the kids.  If you’re not into quinoa, rice or couscous can sub right in.  You can make the stew a day in advance, and then just re-heat when the quinoa or grain is ready.   Alternatively, sous chef everything in advance, and then cook the stew and quinoa simultaneously.

Mix together this blend of dried spices:

2 t sweet paprika

1 t salt

½ t ground black pepper

½ t ground coriander

½ t ground cumin

½ t turmeric

½ t ground ginger

½ t cayenne pepper

pinch of saffron

Other stew ingredients:

2 T olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves

1 cup water

16 oz frozen whole tomatoes, thawed and peeled if desired, or just leave them frozen & toss them in

2 T fresh lemon juice

3 cups peeled butternut squash cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cups ¾-inch cubes carrots

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion; sauté until soft, stirring often, about 5 min.  Add garlic; stir 1 minute.  Add the spice blend.  Add 1 cup of water, the tomatoes, and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil.  Add squash and carrots.  Cover and simmer over medium low heat until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Herbed Quinoa:

1 cup quinoa

1 T butter

1 T olive oil

½ cup finely chopped onion

¼ cup finely chopped carrot

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ t salt

½ t turmeric

2 cups water

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 t chopped fresh mint

Melt butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and carrot.  Cover; cook until vegetables begin to brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes.  Add garlic, salt, and turmeric; sauté 1 min.  Add quinoa; stir 1 min.  Add 2 cups water.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat to med-low.  Cover; simmer until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.

Rewarm stew.  Stir in half of cilantro and half of mint. 

Spoon quinoa onto platter, forming a well in center.  Spoon stew into well.  Sprinkle remaining herbs over.

First update – add kale!  Second update – instead of frozen stewed tomatoes, use the frozen whole tomatoes that will be in the February share.   Third update – Chef Jeff has been experimenting with accelerated defrosting and with extra draining to much success!  I was skeptical, thinking that getting rid of juice is getting rid of flavor, but no, I stand corrected.  The dish benefits from a drier roasting of the vegetables.  Increasing the amount of cheese a bit helps too.  Yum. 

Locavores – this is a great recipe for winter!  At last Saturday’s market, one could get onions, garlic, potatoes and kale from several organic local farms, like Tantre, Carpenters, Schwartz and Hand Sown Farm, among others, and Locavorious has frozen summer squash medley as well as whole frozen tomatoes. 

Ingredients:

Good olive oil

2 large yellow onions, cut in half and sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ bunch of curly kale, washed and chopped into bit size pieces

1 pound medium round potatoes, scrubbed but unpeeled

One bag frozen summer squash medley, defrosted and squeezed

16 oz frozen whole tomatoes defrosted, drained, peeled, squeezed and sliced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs

4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

 Method:

Preheat the oven to 375 F. 

Defrost the whole frozen tomatoes by microwaving them for ~ 3 minutes; you can do this in the package.  Drain off the water.  Peel the tomatoes.  Give them a good squeeze to wring out some juice.  Slice them and set them aside.  Defrost the frozen squash by microwaving for ~ 3 minutes.  Drain off the excess water.  Give the squash a slight squeeze to drive off a little more water.    

 Brush a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking dish with olive oil.

In a medium pan, heat 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 8 – 10 minutes, or longer, until translucent and starting to caramelize. Add the garlic and cook for another couple minute.   Add the kale and cook until the kale starts to soften.  Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish. 

Slice the potatoes in 1/4-inch thick slices.  Layer potatoes, then zucchini and tomatoes over the onions, covering them.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme leaves, and thyme sprigs and drizzle with more olive oil. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Uncover the dish, remove the thyme sprigs, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 30 minutes until browned.  Serve hot.

These humble ingredients really roast into a lovely winter “tian”!

Soup’s on!  How about some soup made with that uncommonly sweet Michigan sweet corn?   The Locavorious frozen sweet corn all comes from Brookside Farm in Superior Township; the farm is less than 10 miles from town.  During the summer, we finish prepping and freezing the corn a few hours after it was picked.   This sweet corn is perfect for chowder or soup, like the Spicy Mexican Squash Soup recipe contributed by Locavorious member Jen Fike and included in the recipe handout.  Posted here:  RecipeHandoutJanuary2012Share 

The market is likely to be much quieter this month, but we still won’t know until the last minute which market spot we’ll be assigned.  Look for us with the big blue Coleman coolers and a banner with our sunshine logo.  If you can’t find us please either call my cell phone (734) 276-5945 or check with the market manager.   Early birds – please note, the market starts an hour later in the winter time.  Locavorious loves to reduce, re-use & recycle, so please consider bringing a bag or returning one of our brown paper shopping bags to refill.  

See you Saturday!