Grilled Meyer Rosemary Lemonade Recipe

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Jan 172017
 

grilled-rosemary-lemonade

‘Tis the season for carnival, and…meyer lemons, which means it’s local lemonade season! It’s mid-January, and depending on the day, the weather can sometimes be in the 70s and is ideal for lemonade drinking (although admittedly, I drink lemonade all year long).

Have you ever heard of grilled lemonade? I heard about it for the first time last month, and being the lemonade lover that I am, I just had to try it! What’s the difference between grilled and regular? It has a more caramelized, slightly smoky taste to it. If you don’t have a grill, no worries, a cast iron pan on the stove top will work just fine.

Grilled Meyer Lemonade with Rosemary Simple Syrup

whole-lemons

Track down 3-4 meyer lemons (or 5-6 regular lemons). This season, I have purchased meyer lemons from A&K Citrus at the Thursday Crescent City Farmers Market, and also from Hollygrove Farm & Market. Hollygrove was selling lemons from “backyard growers,” so they may be more difficult to track down there. A&K Citrus appears at many of the Crescent City Farmers Markets, and meyer lemons should be around for at least another couple of weeks.

Next, cut your lemons in half. Prepare your grill for use, or start heating up your cast iron pan on medium-high.

cut-lemons

Then, find a large shallow bowl or plate and evenly spread about two tablespoons of sugar across it. Place each lemon down into the sugar until it is well coated.

sugared-lemons

Check to see if your grill or cast iron pan is ready or hot enough. When ready, carefully place the sugared lemons down onto the grill or pan. Allow them to cook until they appear golden and caramelized. The lemons took about five minutes to caramelize on the cast iron pan.

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grilled-lemons

The meyer lemons have reached another kind of beautiful! Allow them to cool down until they are no longer hot to the touch, then juice them while they are still warm. The juice should equate to about one cup. Pour the lemon juice into a container, and add about four to five cups of water, depending on how tart you prefer your lemonade. Add up to 3/4 cup of the rosemary simple syrup.* Use less or add more depending upon your sugar preference.

*To make the rosemary simple syrup, bring a 3/4 cup of sugar and 3/4 cup of water with a sprig of rosemary to a boil, then turn off the heat. Allow the sugar to cool, then add it to the lemonade. Enjoy the lemonade over ice or by itself, and share some with a friend or neighbor!

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Rutabaga Fries

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Feb 112015
 

Rutabaga2

 

 

 

 

Rutabaga is far from popular these days. No one talks much about the root vegetable rutabaga. Instead, rutabaga lingers on the shelves, while eager customers quickly snatch up the trendy, more attractive kale leaves. But rutabaga deserves so much more, and not just because it’s a fun word to say.

A cross between turnips and cabbage, rutabaga is packed full of vitamins – especially in vitamin C and A. An excellent alternative to the potato, rutabagas offer fewer carbohydrates, although potatoes still contain more nutrients. If you boil both potatoes and rutabagas and combine them in a mash, you may find yourself fighting your family for seconds.

Baked Rutabaga Fries

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Ingredients:
Two large rutabagas
1 tbsp pecan oil
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp of fresh or 1/2 tbsp dried thyme and rosemary
Additional favorite spices*

 Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Wash and peel rutabagas. Slice into french fry shapes.
3. Toss rutabaga fries with enough pecan oil to coat. Add salt, herbs, and whatever else you like and mix until fries are evenly seasoned.
4. Place fries on cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil or parchment paper and cook for 20-25 minutes.
5. Use with your favorite condiment and enjoy!

Note that the fries will not turn out as crispy as potato fries do, but they are still tasty!

*Hollygrove now stocks cayenne pepper, hot lemon pepper, and jalapeno spices from Klein & Sons

White Beans and Purple Rice with Kale

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Jun 292014
 

Why NOLA Farms is presenting a series of local recipes for the Eat Local Challenge throughout the month of June

Please note that this recipe is not 100% local. The tasso has spices in it that are not local. You can choose to omit the tasso, but it really does bring a lot of flavor to the dish.

White beans with tasso and kale

Purple rice

Tasso from Cleaver and Co.

Homemade vegetable stock

White Beans and Purple Rice with Kale
4 cups fresh white beans
3 ½ cups of water or homemade vegetable stock
1 package tasso
1 ½ cup onions, diced
1 ½ cup bell pepper, diced
3-5 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup green onion, chopped
½ jalapeno, finely diced
1 bunch kale, chopped

Method:
1. First, brown the tasso with garlic and jalapeno in a non-stick pan.
2. Remove and place tasso mixture into a large dutch oven or pot. Add onions, bell peppers, and kale to a non-stick pan and sauté down until translucent.
3. Add onions, bell peppers, green onions, kale, stock, salt, and beans to pot.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover, stirring occasionally.
5. Allow the beans to cook for an hour and a half, or until the beans are creamy.
6. Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

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Honey Pecan Butter Recipe

 Eat Local Challenge, Recipes  No Responses »
Jun 112014
 

Why NOLA Farms is presenting a series of local recipes for the Eat Local Challenge throughout the month of June

Are you starting to miss peanut butter? Luckily, pecan butter is really simple to make and just as delicious. You’ll need a food processor or a blender for this recipe. One cup of shelled pecans will produce one cup of pecan butter. I recommend using at least two cups of pecans – I only made one, and of course it is not enough! The fresher the pecans, the better the pecan butter will taste.

pecanbutter3

Honey Pecan Butter

Ingredients:
2 cups pecans, shelled
1 tablespoon honey

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans out on a baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for 5 minutes or until aromatic.

2. After pecans have cooled, place in food processor or blender for 15-20 minutes. When the pecans begin to stick to the sides, start scraping the sides of the processor or blender with a spatula every couple of minutes until pecans become creamy.

3. Place pecan butter in a jar and mix in honey.

Notes: The pecans may not turn out to be as creamy as you are used to, but don’t worry – it will still taste amazing. I suggest adding a little pecan oil to make it smoother.

Eat Local Challenge Recipe: Jalapeño Rice Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

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Jun 082014
 

Meatballsedited

If you’re looking for a comfort meal centered around beef, here is just the entrée for you. This recipe incorporates vegetables, fruit, grains, dairy, and protein all into one dish. The meatballs simmer in a tomato and milk sauce for an hour; making them juicy, flavorful, and hard to resist.

Purple riceedited

Beefedited

Jalapeño Rice Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Makes 18-20 medium-sized meatballs

1 lbs. ground beef
1/3 cup uncooked rice
½ cup onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, minced
2 tablespoons green peppers, diced
4 tablespoons green onion, chopped
4 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt to taste

For the sauce, combine the tomatoes, milk, two garlic cloves, salt to taste, and the sugar into a saucepan on medium heat. Add a teaspoon of the jalapeño if desired, adjust according to your desired heat level. Allow it to cook down while preparing the meatballs, stir occasionally. Add more milk or water if it becomes too thick.

In a large bowl, add the beef, rice, green peppers, jalapeño, green onions, remaining garlic cloves, and salt to taste. Mix it all together and shape into meatballs.

Over medium heat, brown the meatballs in a large skillet. Drain the fat, then add the tomato sauce to the skillet. Cover and cook on low for 1 hour.

Notes: If you’re worried about the spice level, you can omit the jalapeño and add another vegetable if you wish. The spice level in this dish came out just right for me – it wasn’t too spicy, but I could still taste the jalapeño. If you want more veggies or herbs in your meatballs, add them in. This dish is rather forgiving, so feel free to be creative with it. The sauce cooks down quite a bit, so if you prefer more sauce I would suggest adding more tomatoes and milk.

Produce tip: If you haven’t been able to find local garlic yet, a farmer sells it at The Marketplace at Armstrong Park (901 N. Rampart St.) on Thursdays from 3-7 pm.