Foraging for Nettles

Posted on May 6, 2013 by amyp

Stinging Nettles (aka Nettles) are hot hot hot these days. Everyone wants to get their hands on some.Known for their superfood properties (nettles are rich in vitamins A, C, and D and loaded with calcium and even protein), raw nettles will sting you if they come in contact with your skin. The leaves and stem have tiny plant hairs that penetrate your skin and result in welts that sting and burn slightly and are sometimes itchy. Luckily, the welts don’t last for long on most people.

Nettles grow along roadsides and pathways, mostly in woods, so keep your eyes open when you’re on any urban nature walks. They come up first thing at the end of winter and are best harvested around March when they are still young, one to two feet high, but I just harvested some new growth at low elevations (like, Seattle!) last week and they were just fine.

The leaves are deeply serrated and end with a pointed tip. They grow in tiers like a Christmas tree—big leaves at the bottom of the plant and smaller leaves toward the tip. Nettles tend to grow in clusters. If you’re not sure you’ve found nettles, a light brush up against a leaf will quickly confirm any suspicions. Nettles are mildly flavored and can be used as a hearty green, a filling for pastas or roulades, or a quick pesto-like pasta sauce. Nutrient-dense nettle leaves may also be used in the garden as an all-purpose fertilizer for your plants—they are thought to pass their beneficial qualities on to other plants.

To harvest, wear gloves and trim only the top 6″ – 12″ of the stem and leaves. Clip with scissors and place in a large paper bag. When home, set a large pot over high heat and just cover the bottom with water, about 1″ deep. When the water is boiling, toss in the nettles and steam for 10 to 12 minutes. This will remove the sting and leave them ready for eating. I will also often fill a pot with water and blanch nettles for 3 to 4 minutes, reserving the blanching water as nettle tea for drinking.

Nettles can be used as you would spinach or sauteed greens in recipes. You can also leave the nettles on their stalks and lay them out on drying racks or hang them upside down to dry. These dried leaves can be steeped as tea, which is thought to be rich in minerals and vitamins.

To make nettle tea for your garden, fill a large jar or jug densely with nettle leaves and cover in water. Let sit out, covered, for a little over a week. During this time, the leaves will start to ferment. The mixture will smell a bit boozy and yeasty. Spray on plants or add a cupful to each container once a week.

Rhubarb Recipes! New eBook Release for Fresh Pantry; Rhubarb

Posted on April 22, 2013 by amyp

My new eBook Fresh Pantry; Rhubarb is out!

Spring is finally and slowly ‘springing’ in Seattle, though it’s been a bit warmer for weeks. In early February, I had a small nub of rhubarb crown poking out of the soil in one of my gardens – always a great indicator that spring is in swing. Right about now, rhubarb is ready to harvest from some fields. Many commercial growers use hothouses or forcing sheds, so you can find thick stalks easily in your local grocery now. The bonus of this sort of growing (versus field Rhubarb) is the tender and bright red stalks. (There is more on the how and why of rhubarb color in the book, btw.)

My Fresh Pantry Series is a monthly eBook installment highlighting ONE single seasonal ingredient. The goal in releasing books this way is to offer an affordable ($2.99) and creative seasonal guide for home cooks. Each book is full of original and well-rounded recipes to fill your table and whet your whistle. I steer clear of traditional recipes (no Rhubarb-Strawberry pie here!) & offer something fresh & fabulous.

Fresh Pantry: Rhubarb is the fourth (!) volume in the 12-month series and features:

14 creative yet easy recipes spanning every meal of the day, including Coriander Ribs with Rhubarb BBQ Sauce, Rhubarb & Celery Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts & Rhubarb-Banana Sherbet
Lush, full-color photographs
Tips and techniques for growing & storing
The fourth of 12 monthly installments: Look for my other e-books on winter squash, onions, carrots, and more to come!

Fresh Pantry eBook Series launches today!

Posted on January 16, 2013 by amyp

Hello Food Lovers!

I’m so excited about my new ebook series!! Through 2013 – one a month! – I will write and release a seasonal cookbook online that promises to highlight a bounty of vegetables and fruits. It’s called Fresh Pantry. Check it out here.

My first book, Urban Pantry: Tips & Recipes for a Thrifty, Sustainable & Seasonal Kitchen, introduced you to clever cooking concepts and ingredients, provided experienced cooks with organizational inspiration, and helped cooks of all skill levels create sustainable and thrifty kitchens. But its approach and ingredients reflect shelf-stable, dried, or preserved goods. For anyone trying to eat a seasonal diet, fresh vegetables and fruits are pantry musts as well, albeit ones that rotate constantly over the year and have more limited shelf lives. The Fresh Pantry series picks up where Urban Pantry leaves off—by continuing the conversation about sustainable foods and how eating locally and seasonally is a healthy act that everyone can get behind. It is a tool for anyone committed to eating locally (!) and helps combat seasonal doldrums. You can do a LOT with a winter squash!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for checking it out ~ ox amyp

DIY Gift Giving – Urban Farm Handbook Challenge

Posted on December 8, 2012 by amyp

Skipstone Books published my first book, Urban Pantry, and continues to put out awesome books that support and encourage a self-sustaining lifestyle. Last fall, they published The Urban Farm Handbook to be used as “City-Slicker Resources for Growing, Raising, Sourcing, Trading, and Preparing What You Eat.” Annette Cottrell and Joshua McNichols penned the book and recently asked me to join their Urban Farm Handbook Challenge.

With that, here is a great recipe for getting farm-y in the city. It’s an awesome and easy way to stock your pantry and a super easy and affordable option for Christmas gift giving – Preserved Lemons.

What’s even more fantastic is Meyer Lemons are just coming into season. They are thin-skinned lemons that cure in the salt quickly, so you can still start this project this week and pass them on for holiday gift giving. I was at the grocery yesterday and found gorgeous Meyer Lemons, 2 for $1. HALF of one lemon fits perfectly in a small 1/4 pint jar. That means for $1 + cost of a jar, you can make FOUR gifts that people will love. Not to mention, you’ll be turning them on to a new ingredient that may just inspire them to get creative in the kitchen. Do it! (ALSO – if you dig those adorable & perfectly-fitting canning labels, check out my store. I designed these! I love them, and so will you. Finally a canning labels that worksAND looks amazing on the jar.)

PRESERVED LEMONS

To make preserved lemons yourself, you can use regular lemons or Meyer lemons when they are in season (in winter). Cut off the blossom end of the lemon. Slice the lemons in quarters, leaving the end intact so they are split open into fours, but still “whole” lemons. Rub each lemon in salt (about 1 tablespoon per lemon), making sure to press salt into the flesh and cover the rinds. Place the lemons in a clean glass jar, and press down to expel some juices. Cover and store on the counter to monitor progress for three days. Over the next several days, the jar should fill, covering the lemons in their own juice. If after three days the lemons are not submerged in their juices, add some fresh squeezed lemon juice to cover fully. Store in a cool, dark cupboard for three to four weeks before using. After the lemons are completely soft and preserved, store them in the fridge and use within six months.

Rinse preserved lemons thoroughly in cold water before using. You must rinse off the salt, leaving behind only the sweet skin. You can scrape out the pulp and pith and finely chop or thinly slice the skins. It is also safe to use the entire lemon, but that is best used in stews or roasts. Be sure to adjust the salt in your recipe accordingly, as the preserved fruits will give off some salt.

A NOTE ABOUT PRESERVED LEMONS:

To make, lemons are sliced and rubbed with coarse salt, the juice and salt acting as the preservative. Over a few weeks the lemon rinds, pulp, and pith become soft and velvety and can be chopped and sliced for salads, relishes, stews, and more. They are delicious.

Salt has long been a means of food preservation. When this concept is applied to simple lemons, the outcome is an intensely flavored pantry ingredient that is simple to make and stores well. Preserved lemons are a staple of Moroccan cuisine but can be used in most savory dishes calling for lemon. Tasting of muted lemon, with none of the sour tang, they add a subtle undertone to dishes. Replace the fresh zest in Gremolata with preserved lemon, and you’ll instantly change the dish. Preserved lemons have a flavor unto themselves, at once clean yet rich. They can be added to a compound butter or used in long braises. They also add a nice flavor note to room-temperature salads, like Apricot– Chickpea Salad and can be used as a quick garnish to simply steamed vegetables.

Onion Thyme Tart

Posted on October 10, 2012 by amyp

Fall is HERE, and I have the wool sweaters to prove it. Makes me crave fall-food – anything cozy and warm, like this quick and simple Onion Thyme Tart from Urban Pantry as published in Leite’s Culinaria.

Puff pastry is a delicate, flaky pastry made by folding layers of butter between layers of dough. Puff is an excellent staple to keep in your frozen pantry, as it can be used for both sweet and savory dishes. I made it once (a very laborious process!), then decided that I’d rather save time and buy it from the freezer section of my local grocer. I consider it my lazy food: it’s quick-baking, takes little effort to embellish, and is a great shortcut for serving a crowd. I serve this Onion Thyme Tart recipe as a complement to soup or salad or for an easy pre-dinner nibble.–Amy Pennington

from Leite’s Culinaria Pretty as a Picture: We have a thing for simplicity. At least when it takes the shape of this stunning, conversation-stopping tart strewn with sweetly burnished onions and traces of fresh thyme. That’s not to say you can’t embellish this five-ingredient phenomenon from Amy Pennington, whether with a crumbling of feta or goat or blue cheese, a splash of balsamic, maybe even…well, we’ll let you fill in the blank. Although speaking of perfection, why is it that the photos we snap of our dinner or other random moments of the day never turn out as lovely as the one above, taken by the talented Della Chen?

Hands-on time: 20 minutes | Total time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Onion Thyme Tart Recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 whopping big yellow onions, cut into thin half moons
1 teaspoon salt
5 to 7 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and chopped
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted but kept cool (Editor’s Note: Splurge on the all-butter puff pastry from Dufour. Pepperidge Farm has too many ingredients–none of them butter–for us to feel good about.)

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and stir continuously until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle in the salt and continue stirring until the onions release their moisture and the pan becomes more and more dry. When this happens, add half of the thyme and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and golden, 30 to 40 minutes or so. (If the onions start to brown, reduce the heat as low as your stove goes.) Remove from the heat and set aside
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176° C). Adjust the oven rack to the center position.
3. Unfold the sheet of defrosted puff pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You may wish to run a rolling pin over it a couple times just to even the dough. Scatter the top evenly with the onions.
4. Bake the tart for 25 to 35 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and flaky. Remove it from the oven, sprinkle the remaining thyme over the top, and let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing into small squares for serving. (Any leftover tart can be kept at room temperature, lightly covered with parchment. Best to crisp it in an oven or toaster oven prior to nibbling.)

Honeydew Cucumber Soup

Posted on September 6, 2012 by amyp

My friend Debbie just emailed me asking for an easy summer soup and this one came to mind. It’s a great time of year to make the most of summer fruits – they won’t be around much longer.

This process is a bit tedious, as you need to hang the fruit pulp to drain, but it’s worth it! Satisfying and refreshing, this soup is a total winner for an easy summer meal. Jalapeno adds a little heat and the cilantro helps to cool your palate. This makes a huge batch – enough for a family dinner with leftovers, but works well if you prefer to half it.

1 ripe Honeydew Melon, peeled & seeded

3 to 4 cucumbers, peeled & seeded

½ cup plain yogurt (either whole or non-fat)

½ jalapeno, seeded and minced

Handful of cilantro leaves (more or less, as you please)

¼ cup fresh lime juice

Salt to taste

Puree honeydew flesh in food processor until smooth. Line a large, deep bowl with cheesecloth, and pour in the puree. Gather up the ends and suspend the puree over the bowl, tying around a wooden spoon, so that juices can collect in the bowl below. Yield 4 cups of liquid (and compost leftover pulp). Set aside. Add cucumbers to food processor and puree until smooth. Add yogurt, jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice and honey dew juice and puree until combined. Chill and serve.

Charred Broccoli Rabe & Herbed Quinoa

Posted on September 4, 2012 by amyp

A super healthy recipe of mine was featured on PureWOW today, and I’m stoked to share it with you! This is a weekday go to for me, as it is easy to make, uber tasty and really good for you. Quinoa is a complex carb that takes the body some time to break down which means you’re fuller longer. Veeeeery important on those long, hectic days. Try it and let me know what you think!

Charred Broccoli Rabe & Herbed Quinoa

Serves 4

1 cup quinoa, washed
2 cups water
1 bunch broccoli rabe
10 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
5 tablespoons olive oil
½ carrot, sliced thinly and cut into matchsticks
¼ cup almonds, toasted & chopped
Handful of dried currants or raisins
½ cup fresh tender herbs, chopped – any combination of mint, parsley, cilantro, dill
¼ teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon honey
1 lime, juice reserved
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. While oven is heating, bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once boiling, add a generous pinch of salt and quinoa to the water. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and let steam for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and set aside, leaving the cover in place to continue cooking the quinoa.

On large baking sheet, place broccoli rabe and smashed garlic. Cover with olive oil, turning with your hands to coat thoroughly and evenly. Season liberally with salt and pepper and spread into a single layer on the baking sheet. Place in preheated oven. Cook broccoli rabe until charred and tender, about 20 to 25 minutes, turning once. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Place cooked quinoa in a medium glass bowl and add carrots, almonds, currants, herbs, cumin, honey, lime juice and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Stir to combine. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust seasonings to your liking. Serve at room temp, with a pile of the roasted broccoli rabe.

Drying petals

Posted on July 26, 2012 by amyp

Mid-summer is a beautiful time of year in the garden – most plants are producing flowers and fruit adding to the visual texture of a working productive garden.

Harvesting and drying flower heads (or herbs) is a satisfying project
and the perfect way to extend your harvest. Plus, taking flower heads from plants will prevent prolific re-seeding, which is often the goal. If you’ve ever let your bronze fennel go to seed before removing the yellow fennel blossoms, you know what I’m talking about. (Note to self: dig out bronze fennel this summer.)

In all of my gardens, I plant flowers in order to attract pollinators and add to the list of plants. Many of these blossoms may be harvested and stored for winter indulgence. Lavender, chamomile, thyme flowers, chives and more may all be harvested and dried for future use. To dry out flower heads, choose a warm, dry place. Molds, bacteria, and yeast all thrive in moisture and can ruin herb-saving projects, so keep drying herbs free from excess moisture. Run you hand along the length of the plants stem, and pop off the flower head, leaving the stem behind. To dry, I lay my flower heads out on a fine mesh drying rack that my friend Patric made for me. You can also lay them out on a clean sheet pan, just make sure to turn them often, so air circulates around the buds and they dry completely.

Use dried chamomile in granola, dessert crisps & even cocktails. All recipes are linked here!

Using Pea Vines – Maximizing Your Harvest

Posted on July 21, 2012 by amyp

Spring peas are on their way out (though now is a great time to sow a second crop of peas for fall harvest) and it’s time to pull the plants out of the garden make way for another crop rotation of summer lettuce, or a row or two of bok choy. Before tossing pea plants into your compost or yard waste bin (or feeding them to your chickens), consider using the last few inches of pea vine in your kitchen. Harvest by cutting the last 6-12″ of vine from the plant. If tender enough, these pea vines may be harvested and sautéed or tossed in to salads, but this late in the season the odds are greater that you’ll be harvesting woody, tough stems from the plants. It takes little effort to coax them into something delicious, however, and using every bit from the plant is economical for both your time and your budget. I have a great recipe for Pea Vine Dumplings in Apartment Gardening – try it! It’s a great recipe to double up, as well – just freeze extra dumplings and use them for another meal or as a quick appetizer the next time you need to whip something up in a hurry.

Pea Vine Dumplings

Posted on July 20, 2012 by amyp

Excerpted from Apartment Gardening

Many cultures include savory cakes and dumplings in their cuisine. My family in Croatia eats burek—a strudel-like dough filled with a savory filling like meat and onion, or something sweet like apples. When I was little, my Aunt Janet used to fry us up some frites filled with ham and mozzarella, just as she learned from her Italian mother-in-law. Really, any dough stuffed with something and fried is guaranteed to be the bomb. Pea plants are easy to grow in containers, and while you grow them for the peas, you can also clip tender vines from the plant to sauté. This recipe takes that one step further and makes use of older pea vines that are strong and slightly woody. Normally we would never eat them, but broken down and cooked in this recipe, they shine. These fried dumplings are a great way to use the entire plant. You can use other hardy greens for this recipe—wild dandelion greens would work. (If they are very bitter, temper their bite with a sweet vinegar like sherry or some honey before adding to the dumplings.) This is a dumpling dough, not a yeasted dough, so it will not be soft and flaky. Be sure to let the dough rest for at least an hour before shaping and frying. If you don’t want to be stuck waiting while the dough rests, make it the night before, cover it with plastic wrap, and leave it on the counter overnight.

Makes 12 dumplings

Dough
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
Pinch salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup warm water

Filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 pound pea vines, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
Scant 1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

Mix the flours and salt in large bowl or pulse in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the water in increments and work by hand until the dough comes together or, with the mixer running, add a little bit of water at a time until the dough comes together in one ball. Once you have a ball of dough, knead on a floured work surface until the dough is elastic and smooth, about 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let sit on the counter for at least an hour, up to overnight.

To make the filling, cover the bottom of a large saute pan with the olive oil and set over medium-high heat. Add half of the onions and all of the pea vines and cook, stirring often, so the pea vines and onions do not stick. Once the pea vines are fairly broken down and the onions are beginning to soften, add the water and turn the heat up to high. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pan. (Because the pea vines are thick and woody, you are cooking them down to soften them.) Cook covered, until the pea vines are soft and the water is nearly evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the lid and turn up the heat to dry out the greens and onions and steam off any extra water. Stir often. When the pan is dry and the greens are beginning to stick, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the remaining onions, cumin, coriander, and paprika. Season to taste with salt and pepper and let cool.

To make the dumplings, cut the dough into twelve small pieces and roll into balls between your palms. Lightly flour your hands if the dough sticks. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out balls of dough into small rounds 4 or 5 inches in diameter. Working with one round at a time, place a spoonful of pea vine filling in the center. Fold the dough in half. Working from the middle out, press the sides together to create a seal. (By doing this, you are pushing out any air to prevent the dumplings from breaking open while they’re frying.) You can pinch the edges with your fingers or use the back of a fork to press a design in the dough and make sure the seal holds.

Over medium-high heat, heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a deep-sided saute pan. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, slip in about four dumplings—as many as will fit without overcrowding—and fry until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip over with a slotted spoon and fry the other side until golden brown, about another 5 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper bag. Fry the remaining dumplings and serve hot or at room temperature. The dumplings can be made several hours ahead and fried when ready, or frozen, wrapped tightly in a plastic bag, to fry at a later date.

More Garden Recipes: Older pea vines can also be cooked as above and used as a side dish. Omit spices and instead add a handful of toasted pine nuts and a squeeze of lemon.