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| Eating through the snow |
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| Written by Carolyn Goodwin |
| Tuesday, 30 December 2008 13:54 |
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It was clear that I was going to be eating out of the freezer for a while. What I didn’t know was that I could also find food outside beneath the frosty piles of snow. As I looked at the forecast and saw a stretch of frozen days extending out into the following week, I had warm thoughts about the time spent blanching and freezing veggies this fall. My little packages of beans and broccoli would be my salvation in the storm. I also had a couple of boxes of onions, garlic and potatoes from Laughing Crow Farm chilling out in my storage room. And a few choice cuts of Lopez Island Farm’s pork and lamb were tucked away in the freezer, along with some of Uli’s sausages. I was definitely in no danger of going hungry. My first impulse as the temperature sank to new lows and the snow piled up was to make gigantic pots of soup. One of my favorite winter soups is made from sausage, kale and potatoes. A handy trick with this one is to puree some of the cooked potatoes and broth before adding the sausage and kale to help thicken the soup. That makes the addition of cream optional, although I usually throw it in anyway. Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup: Ingredients: 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 – 2 T olive oil 4 Italian sausages (I used Uli’s chicken Italian sausage) 6 - 8 medium potatoes, cubed or coined (I used fingerlings) 1 bunch Lacinato kale (aka dinosaur or black kale), torn or cut into bite-sized pieces 8 cups chicken stock or broth 1/4 cup cream (optional) Salt and pepper to taste A pinch of crushed red peppers Grated parmesan (optional) Preparation: Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and cook until the potatoes are tender. Scoop out a couple of cups of the cooked veggies and broth, and puree in a blender or food processor, then add back to the pot. In a separate pan, brown the sausage in a little bit of oil. Add a little water, cover, and finish cooking either on low heat or in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Cool and slice. Add the kale, sliced sausage, cream if using, and crushed red peppers to the broth and potatoes. Cook until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with parmesan for grating, and some good bread. Now that I had a big batch of soup to keep me going, I took another look into the freezer to see what else was hiding there. I had a lovely pork roast from Lopez Island, but the way I usually cook pork roasts demands a huge pile of fresh herbs. I looked despairingly out at my herb garden, which was now under about a foot of snow. But that snow had lumps in it. I knew exactly what was growing under each of those lumps, since I had made many dinnertime forays into the garden to harvest herbs largely by feel in the dark. So I laced up my snow boots and headed out into the garden. And the herbs were all exactly where I had left them, snuggled safely under their blanket of show. I think they actually benefited from their fluffy white blanket. The sage, rosemary and other twiggy herbs were in great shape; they weren’t even frozen solid although the temperature outside was below freezing. The soft-stemmed herbs like parsley didn’t fare as sell under the weight, but they were still green and eminently edible. I was able to easily gather enough herbs for my pork roast, which filled the house with luscious garlicky smells that made me believe that it didn’t matter how cold it got out there. This is a recipe from Gourmet Magazine. I had a small leg roast, so I didn’t cook it as long. Only a big fatty Boston butt shoulder can take this long cooking time -- don’t try this with a leaner loin roast. The leftovers make an awesome soup – sometimes I make this roast just for the Roast Pork Soup. It also makes amazing sandwiches. Six-Hour Pork Roast. Ingredients; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary 10 garlic cloves 1 tablespoon fennel seeds 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper 1 tablespoon dry white wine 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 (6-pound) boneless pork shoulder Boston roast (not tied) Special equipment: kitchen string Preparation Preheat oven to 275°F. Blend together sage, rosemary, garlic, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper in a food processor until a thick paste forms. With motor running, add wine and oil and blend until combined well. If necessary, trim fat from top of pork, to leave a 1/8-inch-thick layer of fat. Make 3 small incisions, each about 1 inch long and 1 inch deep, in each side of pork with a small sharp knife, and fill each with about 1 teaspoon herb paste. Spread remaining herb paste over pork, concentrating on boned side, and tie roast with kitchen string at 2-inch intervals. Put pork, fat side up, in a roasting pan and roast in middle of oven 6 hours. Transfer roast to cutting board and let stand 15 minutes. Discard string and cut pork roast (with an electric knife if you have one) into thick slices. I don’t think I’ll look at snowy forecasts in quite the same way again. The snow kept me home for days and days, giving me a reminder of just how rejuvenating and relaxing that can be. And it kept my precious herbs alive to flavor many more winter meals. |
