andouille, pasta, greens, white beans

 Continuing this theme with both greens and beans, I made this but scaled it down because I don't feed 20 people at a time and cheaped it down because I'm not buying special ingredients.

• 1/2# rigatoni (other ridged pasta) - cook and strain, saving 1/2 c of pasta water

Then heat a skillet and add in \

•  1 link andouille sausage, cook about 5 minutes, then add
• 1 shallot, minced
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced, and cook a couple minutes until aromatic, then add
• a bunch of chopped greens (I used some Russian kale and mizuna and whatever else is in the garden) and cook down until just wilted a few minutes, then add
• 1/2 jar of white beans, drained and rinsed, and
• salt, pepper, thyme

Put pasta back in warm skillet and heat it up, then add in the sausage greens beans mixture until warmed and mixed.  

Serve with:

• parmesan
• flat leaf parsley
• lemon juice and zest
• chives
  

 

potatoes, greens, and black beans

 Having a bag of potatoes on sale, greens growing like crazy in my garden, and several jars of black beans, it was time to make this Potato Black Bean Skillet.  Issues are that I can never get diced potatoes nice and cooked and crispy, so I may try parboiling next time.  Or canning potatoes and using those.  That would be good and make it very easy. 

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 lbs red potatoes, diced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 (6 oz) bag fresh spinach (I used mizuna)
  
• 1 (15 oz) can no-salt-added black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt (yeah, I used sour cream)
• I added some smoked paprika.  And a lot of pepper.  And some salt.  Would also be good with hot sauce
  

Preparation

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add potatoes, chili powder, garlic, onion & pepper. Cover & cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add spinach & beans. Cook 3-5 minutes or until spinach is wilted, stirring gently.

3. Remove from heat, top with yogurt & serve.

Tips

Try using sweet potatoes next time with cinnamon & brown sugar instead of red potatoes & cayenne to change up the flavor.

Midwestern mashed potato holiday casserole

 When I was a child, every year we would gather together with other midwesterners for holiday potlucks.  My favorite part was always these potatoes.  I see now why, what with all this full-fat deliciousness.  I plan to take this to Thanksgiving this week and found an old recipe card, thank goodness.  

• 10+ potatoes, mashed with milk (we used russets but I got some creamers I'll try with skins; about 4 pounds?)
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1/4 t. chives
• salt & pepper

Mix well, dot with butter, sprinkle with paprika.  Bake at 350 degrees until hot (about 45 minutes). 

elderberry juice concentrate

 It's elderberry season!  I collected a couple of tubs worth, cleaning some right away and washing others and freezing them to clean.  I was told it was easier to process the berries if they were frozen but honestly I found it more difficult to pick the stems clean.  If I can process fresh, it's easiest for me.  

As I processed them, I frozen them.  Today I took out a gallon bag and a quart bag or two.  Put into a big pot on low heat to thaw the berries; then I turned up the heat and brought it to boil, reduced heat to a simmer for at least 10 minutes.  

While this was happening, I prepared jars and lids.  

I strained the juice through a sieve and then put into jars.  I added about 1 tsp. of lemon jice to each 8 oz jar.  Then I water bathed the jars for 10 minutes.  From this batch I got two 8 oz jars and four 4 oz jars.  

I'll use this juice concentrate when I or friends are ill; I will add it to an oxymel or add 1 tsp to tea or water to drink as juice. 

elderberry liqueur

Recipe for elderberry liqueur from here. 

In a quart jar:

- 2 cups fresh cleaned elderberries (no stems, etc.)

- 3 one-inch pieces of lemon rind (no white pith)

- fill up the jar with vodka

Leave it in a dark cupboard for a few months.  Gently shake it occasionally.

When it's dark enough, strain out the berries.  

Add 1/4-1/3 cup sugar (to taste) and let it sit a few more days for sugar to fully dissolve.

*I think that I'll add honey instead of sugar, and next time I'll try it with bourbon. 

bidens alba (pilosa) tincture

 I'm about to slash a big section of yard covered in bidens alba, so I want to use some of it first so I'm making this tincture.  I read/watched a lot and this is what I'm coming up with:

- harvest bidens flowers, leaves, roots if desired.  Clean if necessary

- mash with/roll in hands (or use mortar and pestle for some muddling).  

- fill a clean jar with plant material

- fill it with alcohol of high proof; recommended 80-90% alcohol for bidens tincturing 

- let it sit in a dark place 6-8 weeks, shaking daily

- strain into amber or blue smaller bottles for storage up to several years 

 

And now I need to go find some everclear! 

Spanish needles - bidens alba

 You know those little white daisy looking flowers with the needles that stick in your socks and clothes?  They took over my front yard while I was gone, and I was yanking them out like crazy ... and then I noticed how the bees love them so I asked and learned what they are and did a little digging around and this site especially is helpful.

Here's the recipe I plan to make soon (as a friend just brought me some fish he caught) that I nabbed from the comments on that site:

Place piece of fish on foil.

Wash a big handful of fresh, washed greens and put them right on top of the fish. (don’t forget spices and butter, etc. on it all) 

Close up the foil, poke a few wee holes in the top and bake for around 15 minutes at 400 degrees (depends on thickness of fish, if frozen, etc.)

Another thing I plan to do is make a pot of cooked greens from them, perhaps with some salt pork or hamhock or something tasty.