Jerusalem Artichokes & Roasted Garlic Soup

A fellow urban farmer kindly shares the bounty of his garden from time to time.  He is a big fan of Vicki's Veggies Farm's heirloom tomatoes and plants plenty of these Prince Edward County seedlings each June.  But before he became 'Leamington North', his garden plot had been home to Jerusalem Artichokes, also known as sunchokes.

Well, the thing is, or so he tells me, once you plant Jerusalem Artichokes, you have them for life.  It is the garden gift that keeps on giving.  Each Fall he digs in to see what volume awaits him. Even when he thinks he has them all extracted, they inevitably return again next year.

Jerusalem Artichokes have an earthy flavour and I sometimes substitute them for a potato mash on the plate.  They also go well partnered with potatoes in a mash.

My urban farmer friend spoke well of this particular soup recipe from Vicki's Veggies Farm - Sunchoke & Roasted Garlic Soup.  With a fresh batch of chicken stock coming off the stove, the mister dug into our three pound gift and put together a soul-warming creation.

We didn't have the full complement of potatoes in the pantry so the scales tipped a bit more towards the Jerusalem Artichokes.

The soup really develops its depth if it has had a day or two to chill.  It reheats well and may require a final skim before serving.

The end result is really is a plain look when nestled into our white bowls.  So beige. To bring more colour to the palate and to bring on more flavour, I garnished the soup with small garlic croutons, ristede løg (roasted onions, crumbled) and chives. Vicki suggested small diced sunchokes and bacon!

With any luck, I'll be making this again next year.


JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES AND ROASTED GARLIC SOUP
inspired by Vicki Emlaw of Vicki's Veggies Farm in Prince Edward County
Serves 6 to 8.

1 1/2 pounds of Jerusalem Artichokes (sunchokes), cleaned, rough spots peeled, then roughly chopped
3/4 pound of red potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
2 heads of garlic, roasted
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups cooking onions, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
2 stems of thyme
6 cups chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Optional garnishes:
garlic croutons
roasted onion crumble
chives
bacon
small diced cooked Jerusalem Artichokes

Heat oven to 300ºF. Cut the root end off each garlic. Place in a tin foil pouch. Dribble with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Close the pouch, leaving open space around the garlic.  Roast for an hour until soft and golden.  Squeeze the cloves out of their skins and set aside.

In a dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat.  Sauté the onions until the soften and begin to brown.  Stir them frequently.  Add the Jerusalem Artichokes and continue to sauté over medium high heat until the Jerusalem Artichokes and onions have caramelized.  As you stir frequently, give the bottom of the pan a good scrape to avoid over-browning of the fond.

Add the bay leaves, thyme, stock and potatoes. Bring the soup to a boil and skim off any foam that may be forming.  Lower the heat and simmer until the Jerusalem Artichokes and potatoes are soft. Continue to skim any foam as it settles to the top.

Add the roasted garlic cloves and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves. Purée the soup and return to the pot.  If it is too thin, continue to simmer to reduce.  Season the soup with salt, pepper and red wine vinegar.

Roasted Carrot and Tomato Soup

Our 5 burner stove has been going full tilt the past few days as we dedicated kitchen time to preparing hearty cold weather dishes in bulk. Working at break neck speed, the possibility for an 'oops' was high.

In my haste, I accidentally opened a jar of my home-canned tomato juice instead of sauce.  At first I felt frustration, knowing it now needed to be refrigerated and used within days.  But as we say often around here, sometimes a problem is really disguised as an opportunity.  

The corner of the counter was loaded with well-ripened tomatoes from the garden - Yellow Perfection and San Marzano (seedling plants came from Vicki's Veggies in PEC).  Reviewing the remainder of our Roots and Shoots Farm's CSA food baskets, I found month-old colourful carrots needing a purpose. Thankfully, still in great shape.  

The flavour combination of carrots and tomatoes is undisputed. At least in this house. As I added up all my 'problems', the opportunity presented itself as roasted carrot and tomato soup.

I have written out the recipe as it was executed today. But you should not feel bridled to the ingredient list or the method.  It is not meant to be prescriptive but more of a suggestion of what works well together and how you could go about it.

If you can't find time to roast the vegetables, don't.  If you have more tomatoes than carrots, go for it.  If you want to throw in some basil, do.  If you have vegetable stock instead, it may actually taste better than chicken.  No coloured carrots, stick to orange. No kale chips in sight, skip it. Dying to toss in a sprinkle of Parmesan, I say "why not". You get the idea.  That's the nice thing about soup.  It's not souffle.

Roasted Carrot and Tomato Soup

Yields: 6 one-cup servings

 ROASTED VEGETABLES:

6 small purple carrots

2 small yellow carrots

3 small orange carrots

2 cloves garlic

6 yellow perfection tomatoes

5 San Marzano tomatoes

1 onion

extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons butter

1 onion, diced

2 small stalks celery, chopped, with leaves if healthy

handful of kale chips

2 cups tomato juice

2 cups chicken stock, use vegetable stock as an alternate

GARNISH:

pea shoots or chives 

dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt, optional

Preheat oven to 425ºF.  Cut carrots and tomatoes lengthwise and lay out on a baking sheet.  Cut one onion into 6 wedges.  Place onion wedges and unpeeled garlic cloves onto the baking sheet.  Drizzle vegetables with olive oil. Then season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast the vegetables for 30 - to 40 minutes until they start to caramelize.  Do not over roast.

Melt butter into a saucepan.  Sauté the diced onion and chopped celery until translucent. Season with salt.

Add roasted vegetables to the saucepan.  Add the tomato juice and stock.  Add the kale chips if you are using them.

Simmer for 10 minutes to combine the flavours.

Blend in a VitaMix or a blender until very smooth.  Thin with more stock if necessary to get the preferred consistency. (I do not like my soup to be super thick.)  Heat the soup through again. Taste and season.

[Colour carrots from Roots and Shoots Farm]

[Garlic from Roots and Shoots Farm]

[Vegetables will be roasted at 425ºF for 30 minutes.]

[Delicious with a rustic bread]

Reminiscing The Great Canadian Cheese Festival Year One

The hardest part about planning a trip to Prince Edward County for a weekend is figuring out what to do. And not because choices are limited, but because there are too many. As the Great Canadian Cheese Festival approaches its second year, memories of our 2011 visit are stirring.

We chose to stay at the Hayes Inn, a short drive from Picton's downtown, in the hamlet of Waupoos. The idyllic country setting was a quiet getaway from the busy crowds of a very successful event. We enjoyed more than ample breakfasts and restful sleeps in a well appointed suite.





There were a number of festival events throughout the weekend, we participated in the cheese tour and the gala.

The Cheese Tour was held from 10 am to 4:00 pm on the Friday. The two well-known cheese dairies included on the tour were:

The Black River Cheese Company, who also celebrated their 110th anniversary that weekend.



Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co. The LEED certified factory had just been open for a little more than 3 years at that time.



In fact, the two cheese companies shared a joint venture. Cheddar cheese made at Black River with goat cheese supplied from Fifth Town.



[Although Fifth Town has currently halted production and is undergoing financial restructuring, they will still remain on this year's tour as long as their retail store remains open.]

We enjoyed our mid-tour box lunch on the grounds at Vicki's Veggies. Vicki Emlaw is well known for her heirloom tomato seedlings and also her bountiful produce sold to local chefs and into the markets in Toronto. Our box lunch was provided by East and Main Bistro in Wellington. I did manage a sit-in visit at the bistro a few months later.



A cheese tour isn't complete without a look at where it all starts. Maypul Layn Farms, owned by Martin and Angela Miller, provides their milk to Black River Cheese Company from their 60+ milking cows. Imagine my delight to find out their hired hand is the son of a friend from my high school days!





Also on the tour was the County Cider Company. Besides sampling their award-winning products, their property affords you a breathtaking view of Lake Ontario from their hilltop setting.





The Saturday evening was the 'main event'. The Cooks & Curds Cheese Gala showcased the talents of 8 of the country's top chefs, well known in their regions. Each of the dishes featured a Canadian Cheese Grand Prix Winner. We were feeling the hometown pride when Chef Michael Blackie of Ottawa's National Art Centre took home the People's Choice Award. Read more about our wine-matched moveable feast.



Here is a peek at the chef line-up for this year's gala.

Despite the many food attractions at the festival itself, we still took in a few of the local eateries.

Blumen Garden Bistro on the edge of town, Picton.


Pulled braised rabbit over house-made gnocchi with leeks, mushrooms, lardons and Parmesan cheese

Angeline's in Bloomfield.




John's Rabbit with Roasted Loin and Rack, Sage Flower Spaetzle and Mustard Sauce

Buddha Dog in Picton.





We even found room for a lick of ice cream at Slickers in Bloomfield.



It is hard to visit the County without visiting a winery or two. We made our way to three but touring the wineries could easily be a whole separate trip.



Before we left town, we headed back to see Vicki Emlaw to pick up a few young tomato plants. Although her May long weekend seedling sale wiped out the best selection, I was still happy with my choices, as the summer's harvest revealed month's later. [I just want to give a shout out to Yellow Perfection.]





Are you contemplating the 2nd annual Great Canadian Cheese Festival? If the first annual is any indication, you are bound to have a fabulous time. It was extremely well organized and had a strong contingent of dedicated volunteers. A hat tip to Georgs Kolesnikovs and his team.

The Great Canadian Cheese Festival is taking place June 1 - 3 at the Crystal Place in Picton, Ontario, Prince Edward County. Check out their website for program details and to purchase your tickets. In addition to the Cheese Tour and the Gala, they also have a Cooking Class, Tutored Tastings and an Artisan Cheese and Fine Food Fair. Some events are already sold out. As well, don't be shy to explore the County beyond Picton. Being a wee island, everything is within easy driving distance.

LCBO Food & Drink Magazine - Early Summer Issue 2012

The Early Summer issue of the LCBO Food & Drink magazine was released today and I don't feel 'ready'. I am still waiting to get all rhubarb-y with the last issue but have yet to source a local harvest. Is anybody else feeling behind with their Food & Drink reading? Thankfully today's glossy complements well with the still ever so active Spring mag.

Maybe what had me the most fired up in this issue was seeing Vicki Emlaw of Vicki's Veggies featured in Cynthia David's Spotlight segment called The Accidental Gardener. Vicki's Veggies is located outside of Milford in Prince Edward County. Not only is she well-known in the County, her produce is used by many chefs cherishing 'local' goodness and she is active at two markets in Toronto on Saturdays. Last year, I FINALLY picked up some of her famous heirloom tomato plants, as well as a flat of young basil seedlings. My favourite plant was the Yellow Perfection.



It's featured here in this showy heirloom tomato salad.



Watch for her seedling sale in May. It's a great excuse to visit the County. Congratulations Vicki!

Recipes dog-eared in this issue:

• bang bang chicken noodle salad (From Coriander in the kitchen by Marilyn Bentz-Crowley)
• Roasted Black Cod with Spicy Paella (From Flower Power by Sarah Goddard and Lucy Waverman)
• Baked Scallops with Herbed Crumbs (From Matching Up by James Chatto and Lucy Waverman)
• White gazpacho with green grape granita (From ice & easy by Christopher St. Onge)
  
• Shaved Asparagus Mimosa Salad (From What's Fresh for dinner by Lucy Waverman)
  
• Canadian Cheddar, Bacon and Tomato Stratas (From A Layered Approach by Monda Rosenberg)
• Coffee Molasses Barbecue Sauce (From Coffee Breaks by Heather Trim)
  

Rick Shurman and Earl Torno are setting you up for Olympic Party hosting success with their British Invasion playlist. So clever. When Canada is walking all over our competition, dare you crank Another One Bites The Dust by Queen? (I for one will be fixated on our rowing crew come late July.) Check it out on iTunes.

Brenda Morrison draws your attention to Belvoir fruit farms' traditional English fruit drinks in Inspired Ideas. They make cordials, pressés and fruit crushes. I have seen their product in shops (Jacobson's on Beechwood in Ottawa to name one) and think they are a nice treat item for your bar when entertaining those choosing not to imbibe. They are imported from the UK though. Anybody have a lead on a similar Canadian product?

Are you still feeling rhubarb-y too? Then you may want to work the the Spring and Early Summer issues in tandem over the next month.

Plan ahead: The Summer issue hits the stores 8 weeks from today on Wednesday, June 27th.

It's Hard to Eat Out With This Kind of Eating In

Lunch today was yet another version of our favourite warm summer pasta dish.

Our wonderful produce from Roots and Shoots Farm makes it easy to pull it all together. This time, we used the following items from our last CSA food basket - garlic, red scallions and red Russian kale.

As well, our Yellow Perfection tomato plant from Vicki's Veggies Farm near Picton is full of bounty and added bursts of bright, sweet, sunny tomato flavour.

It's hard to eat out with this kind of eating in.



Heirloom Tomatoes, Red Russian Kale, Scallion, Garlic, Pesto Penne Pasta
Serves 3

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 red scallions, diced (include healthy parts of the greens)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili flakes
2 red heirloom tomatoes
5 yellow heirloom tomatoes
10 leaves of red Russian kale
salt to season
150 grams penne pasta (my favourite dry pasta brand is Barilla)
1/4 cup pesto
3/4 cup of parmigiano-reggiano, grated
shavings of parmigiano-reggiano
toasted pine nuts

Prepare the ingredients. Dice the scallions. Mince the garlic. I used my preserve from the fridge that is sitting in olive oil. Chop the tomatoes. Remove the stems from the kale. Rough chop the kale leaves. Grate and shave the cheese.

Prepare the penne pasta until el dante. When it is drained, return to the pot and keep the lid on to keep it warm until the sauce is done.

Heat oil in a fry pan. Sauté the scallions until soft. Add the minced garlic and chili flakes. Continue to sauté for another 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes. When the tomatoes have warmed, add the chopped kale. Sprinkle with salt. Add a bit of water to the pan to help steam the kale if there does not appear to be much liquid from the tomatoes.

When the kale has just wilted and cooked, remove the pan from the heat. Make sure you do not over cook the kale. The kale should be limp but still be a bright green.

Put the pesto on the pasta and stir to cover. Add the vegetable sauce to the pasta and stir. Add 1/2 cup or more of the parmigiano-reggiano to the pot and stir.

Serve in warmed pasta bowls. Sprinkle with parmigiano-reggiano and toasted pine nuts.



Roots and Shoots Farm
1004 Manotick Station Road
Manotick, Ontario
robin@rootsandshootsfarm.com
Website: www.rootsandshootsfarm.com
Facebook: Roots and Shoots Farm
Twitter: RootsShootsFarm

Vicki's Veggies
81 Morrison Pt Rd
Milford, Ontario
613-476-7241
Website: www.VickisVeggies.com
Facebook: Vicki's Veggies Farm
Twitter: VickisVeggies

Heirloom Tomato Napoleon with Parmesan Crisps & Herb Salad

A fresh heirloom tomato salad is a rainbow of flavours bursting with sweetness and complicating the gastronomic senses.

The cascade of colours in our salad was a combination of fruit from local growers we hold in high regard:

• Roots and Shoots Farm (our latest CSA basket)
• Bryson Farms (sourced at The Piggy Market in Westboro)
• Vicki's Veggies (we planted one of her Yellow Perfection seedlings in June)
• Fran, a garden enthusiast and friend from Manotick (our Sweet 100 seedling was gifted to us at Easter and lovingly christened Heinz)

I first made Fine Cooking's Heirloom Tomato Napoleon with Parmesan Crisps & Herb Salad in September 2008 when I read about it in their July 2008 issue.


[The 4 tomatoes on the left are from Bryson Farms. The 10 wee red marbles are my Sweet 100's. The 3 yellow tomatoes in the middle are Vicki's Veggies' Yellow Perfection also grown in our garden. The remaining 7 tomatoes on the right are from Roots and Shoots Farm.]



Heirloom Tomato Napoleon with Parmesan Crisps & Herb Salad
Serves 4

For the Parmesan crisps:
2-1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

For the vinaigrette:
1 small shallot, minced (about 1-1/2 tablespoons)
4 teaspoons Champagne vinegar
1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or canola oil

For the salad:
1 cup baby arugula leaves
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into bite-size pieces if large
1/2 cup fresh tarragon leaves
1/2 cup 1-inch-long fresh chive pieces
20 small nasturtium leaves (optional)
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sixteen 1/3-inch-thick heirloom tomato slices, preferably of different colors, sizes, and shapes (2 to 3 lb.)
About 20 various heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered



The above is Fine Cooking's ingredient list. I made a few changes to the recipe:

• Because I used a grater to prepare my cheese, I only baked the Parmigiano-Reggiano for 8 minutes on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• I used only arugula for the greens and only enough to set a base on the plate.
• I used chives as a garnish - both as 1-inch straws but also finely chopped.
• I chose a different plating for the ingredients instead of the Napoleon formation. (see picture)
• Of their oil suggestions, I used olive oil and grapeseed oil in the dressing.
  

Roots and Shoots Farm
1004 Manotick Station Road
Manotick, Ontario
robin@rootsandshootsfarm.com
Website: www.rootsandshootsfarm.com
Facebook: Roots and Shoots Farm
Twitter: RootsShootsFarm

Bryson Farms
R.R.1, 25 Stewart Road
Shawville, Quebec
819-647-3456
Website: www.brysonfarms.com

The Piggy Market
400 Winston Avenue (in Westboro)
Ottawa, Ontario
613-371-6124
Website: www.ThePiggyMarket.com
Twitter: ThePiggyMarket

Vicki's Veggies
81 Morrison Pt Rd
Milford, Ontario
613-476-7241
Website: www.VickisVeggies.com
Facebook: Vicki's Veggies Farm
Twitter: VickisVeggies

LUNCH: Art-is-in Bread, Clarmell Chèvre Cheese, Quebec Tomato, and Homemade Pesto

Today's lunch drew on local and market ingredients.

Art-is-in Boulangerie's Dynamite Potato, Caramelized Onion & Fresh Dill Bread

• The Dynamite Potato, Caramelized Onion and Fresh Dill bread was bought fresh today at Art-is-in Boulangerie. I cut the 2 foot loaf into eight 3" wedges, ready to be put in the freezer. (When I use a wedge, I thaw it, cut it in half, and usually toast it.) Today's sandwich bread was toasted first.
  

Clarmell On The Rideau - Chèvre Goat Cheese

• Bought from The Piggy Market in Westboro, Clarmell Farm's chèvre goes for $29/kg. It may seem dear but the taste is pure gold. The cheese is produced at the Glengarry Fine Cheese Factory in Lancaster, Ontario using a 100% goats milk from the Mussell family's farm. Many think this is the finest chèvre for miles around, including Savvy Company! I can easily agree. I have also seen Clarmell cheese down in the Byward Market at the stall for Bekings Poultry Farm. It is also available at the Ottawa Farmers' Market at Lansdowne.
  

Farm grown tomatoes from Quebec

• We were at the Jean-Talon Market in Montreal on Sunday. It is said that it is frequented more by the residence of Montreal than tourists, so prices are reasonable. There were many stalls of beautiful fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. We picked up some tomatoes grown in Quebec. They have been so enjoyable as they are ripe and full-flavoured. The 4 good-sized tomatoes were $2.

Homemade Pesto

• I picked up a large bunch (weighed 12.5 ounces!) of fresh basil while at the Jean-Talon Market. It only cost $3. The bunch yielded close to 4 packed cups of basil leaves. From this I made pesto using also 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, 3/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, 6 large garlic cloves (toasted and minced), few drops of lemon juice, 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Garnish of Basil Leaves

• My basil leaves are from one of my basil plants from Vicki's Veggies near Picton.

The mister had the same sandwich for lunch. He used the word 'awesome'. I think my friend Marcus of Danish Open-Faced Sandwiches may say they are unconventional as far as open-faced sandwiches go, but would be pleased with the layers of texture, taste, and colour.

Vicki's Veggies Fresh Spinach - One Fine Salad Green

One of our many treats on our recent vacation in Prince Edward County came from the well known Vicki's Veggies Farm. Vicki Emlaw's heirloom tomatoes seedlings are sought after and people flock to The County in the latter part of May to pick out their garden starters.



In addition to a few tomato and basil seedlings we also picked up a 1/2 pound bag of fresh spinach for $5.00. Coming off a 10-day food bender across Ontario, we are becoming very fresh fruits and veggies focused this week.





Although we pulled into the city late, we rummaged our fridge and pantry for the ingredients to our favourite spinach dish. We often have cooked bacon on hand for just an occasion. A just ripe avocado was popped into the fridge just before we left town. The result was a dreamy creamy pulp. There are always apples in the fruit crisper.

As we go through fine-food detox, it feels good knowing that this fresh spinach came from a farm that cares about our health and the health of our food. The mister's verdict on the spinach was that it had more flavour. Go Vicki!




SPINACH SALAD WITH APPLES, AVOCADO, AND BACON
Adapted from a recipe by Jeff Edmunds, Yankton, SD published in Bon Appétit, December 2000

Dressing:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoons icing sugar
1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Salad:
4 ounces baby spinach leaves, cleaned, rinsed and dried
1 medium-size Gala apple, chopped with skin on
1/8 cup very thinly sliced red onion
1/2 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, cubed
1 piece of cooked bacon, crumbled

Dressing: In a small jar, combine the oil, icing sugar, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, dry mustard, paprika and ground ginger. Shake well to emulsify. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Salad: Place baby spinach leaves, chopped apple, red onion slivers, avocado cubes and bacon crumble in your salad bowl. Toss salad with just enough dressing to coat. It does not take much to give it that light glisten. Divide salad among 2 plates and serve.



A few outtakes from our visit to Vicki's pastoral setting: