05 May 25, 2014 - Farmers Market Finds - Roasted Nectar-Aprium ice cream, Beet Greens with Guanciale, Smashed Beets with Lemony Yogurt Vinaigrette, Crushed Fava with Pt. Reyes Mozz,and Roasted Padrons

Memorial Day weekend with A&B visiting from SaMo. Spent Sunday morning picking up great deals at the Farmer's Market with the intention of making salads and flatbreads. However, our lunch at Belcampo turned into dinner and we came home for a couple of vegetable dishes and homemade ice cream.  We roasted the beets, and the stone fruits, figured may as well keep putting stuff in the oven since it was already on (the padrons, and even fava skins, which were not as good as B wanted). 

05 May 25, 2014 - Farmers Market Finds - Roasted Nectar-Aprium ice cream, Beet Greens with Guanciale, Smashed Beets with Lemony Yogurt Vinaigrette, Crushed Fava with Pt. Reyes Mozz, and Roasted Padrons

BEET GREENS WITH GUANCIALE

INGREDIENTS
2-3 small bunches beets, greens removed, cleaned chopped
1/2 small sweet onion, sliced
hunk of guanciale (probably 1/2 lb, ours was $9)
pickled beets for garnish

METHOD

Slice the guanciale, place in pan and cover with water. Cook on med/hi until water is pretty low. With wooden spoon, scrape off the brown bits on the bottom (it will be sticky and will need work). Make sure the scraped up bits are evenly distributed, flip any meat that looks like one side is browning. Continue allowing to cook at med/hi until you hear more simmer. Stir semi-frequently to make sure there is nothing sticking to the bottom, flip meat to keep it even. At this point the oil should be forming fine simmer bubbles, reduce heat to med or med/low. Allow to simmer, flipping when necessary until meat is evenly crusted.  Pour 2 T oil (try to pour only oil and not the bits of browned meat.

*What we did do: use 2 separate, fatty pieces, to cook half a small sweet onion, sliced, and then the greens. Greens were removed to wait for the guanciale to finish.  
* What I would do next time: render the fat first (as above), then use the rendered fat to cook the oil and greens

Pickled beets: slice 2 small chioggia beets. In jar, add about 1/3 warm water, 1 tsp sugar, 1.5 tsp salt, swirl to dissolve.  Add a few peppercorns, a bay leaf, and a couple allspice berries. Add 2- 3 T champagne vinegar, swil, and add beets- let sit for no less than 45 min.

After greens are cooked, toss with crispy cooked guanciale and the remaining rendered grease, top with pickled beets, serve.


Other ideas:
* use only half of what we did make for dinner. Use the rest the following morning with eggs for breakfast.
* reserve half the meat/grease for use another time- it has a lot of flavor and is quite salty 
* add a bit of crushed red pepper for spice.

CRUSHED BEETS WITH LEMONY VINAIGRETTE
* Based on Bon Appetite June 2014 recipe (see below)

INGREDIENTS
- 2-3 bunches small beets
- 2 T oil/fat (we used rendered guanciale grease)
- chopped basil
- lemon zest  (half lemon)
- juice from lemon 
- 1/2 yogurt

METHOD
Roast beets for 45 min in 400 degree oven, covered tightly in foil. Cool, uncovered and peel. Smash beets on a cutting board, add to pan with grease and cook until browned-- need at least med/hi to get temp right.
Mix lemon, zest, yogurt, basil, a bit of oil, and s&P. Combine all and serve.

* I would want to try with more herbs, including parsley and the mint
* the recipe calls for making a lemon vinaigrette and then serving topped with yogurt, I'd like to try it that way
* would like to try with labneh or even burrata, or ricotta
* this might be great served on toasts

CRUSHED FAVA WITH POINT REYES FARMSTEAD MOZZARELLA 
- About a pound of Favas, taken out of the pod, not fully shelled
- 1 mozz ball
- about 1/4 cup shaved parm (grana padano)
- EVOO, S&P
- bread/toast (used the dried crusts from bread used for the bread soup)

Add favas, shells on, to salted boiling water for 2-3 min *I'd stay closer to 2 min next time. Remove favas from boiling water, allow to cool a bit, then shell.  Mash with potato masher or use immersion blender.  Add the parm and EVOO, S&P to taste.

ROASTED PADRON PEPPERS
1 basket padrons (Tomatero Farms)
EVOO, S&P

Toss the peppers in oil and S&P, put in 400 degree oven for 15 min- that's it!

ROASTED APRIUM AND NECTARINE ICE CREAM
* Based on a favorite at Sweet Rose Creamery at the Brentwood Country Mart
* The Farmer's Market had $0.50/lb fruits- apriums and nectarines- many quite soft

INGREDIENTS
- about a pound of the stone fruits
- 3/4 cup liquid (we used 1/2 c 2% milk + 1/4 c cream)
- 1/2 cup sugar (baker's)
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 T amaretto

METHOD
- roast pitted fruits, skin down, at 400 for an hour
* I think we could have done this for 35 min... the juice burned and we got more black bits that we needed
- add to blender/f-processor with liquid
- in gelato machine...

INSPIRATION RECIPES BELOW

http://www.thekitchn.com/roasted-apricot-ice-cream-with-59463

Roasted Apricot Ice Cream with Almond Praline Ripple

Roasted Apricot Ice Cream with Almond Praline Ripple

Almond Praline Ripple

1/2 Cup Almonds
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup Water
1 Teaspoon Corn Syrup
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Roasted Apricot Ice Cream

1 lb Apricots
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3/4 Cup Coconut Milk
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon Amaretto

First, you'll want to make the almond praline ripple. Start by combining the sugar, water, and salt into a small saucepan and placing it on the stove over medium heat. Cook the mixture for about 10 - 12 minutes, until it caramelizes and turns a deep amber color. Quickly stir in the almonds to coat, and pour everything out onto a Silpat. Let it cool completely before breaking it into pieces and processing into a smooth paste. Drizzle in the oil, and it should become the consistency of somewhat runny peanut butter. Cover and let rest in the fridge while you make the ice cream.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a sheet pan.

Wash and thoroughly dry your apricots before slicing them in half and removing the pits. Place the halves with the cut sides up on your prepared pan, and drizzle them all with the oil. Roast them for about 20 minutes, until the are so tender that they can scarcely hold themselves together anymore.

Let the apricots cool a bit before scooping them all into your food processor and pureeing them. Once smooth, add in the coconut milk, sugar, vanilla, and amaretto, processing to combine. Chill the mixture thoroughly in your fridge before freezing it in your ice cream maker as per the manufacturer's directions.

After freezing in the machine, pour the ice cream out into a plastic tub and drizzle the almond praline paste on top. Use a spatula to marble it in, cover, and quickly move it into your freezer so that it can solidify.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/crushed-beets-with-lemon-vinaigrette

Save to My ReciCrushed Beets with Lemon Vinaigrette

This two-part cooking technique adds layers of texture—a creamy inside and a crisp outside.

PUBLISHED: JUNE 2014 SERVINGS: 4 ACTIVE: 30 MINUTES TOTAL: 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds mixed small or medium beets (such as Chioggia, red, and/or golden), scrubbed
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup (lightly packed) fresh mint leaves, plus more
• 2 tablespoons torn fresh dill, plus more
• ½ cup labneh (Lebanese strained yogurt) or plain Greek yogurt
• Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Calories (kcal) 300 Fat (g) 22 Saturated Fat (g) 3.5 Cholesterol (mg) 5 Carbohydrates (g) 24 Dietary Fiber (g) 7 Total Sugars (g) 13 Protein (g) 5 Sodium (mg) 310

PREPARATION

View Step-by-Step Directions

• Preheat oven to 400°. Divide beets between 2 large sheets of foil. Drizzle beets on each sheet with ½ Tbsp. oil; season with kosher salt and pepper and wrap up foil around beets. Roast on a rimmed baking sheet until tender, 40–50 minutes. Let cool slightly, then, using a paper towel, rub skins from beets (they should slip off easily). Crush beets with the bottom of a small bowl (it’s alright if they fall apart).
• Meanwhile, whisk lemon zest, lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp. oil in a large bowl; set vinaigrette aside.
• Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beets, season with kosher salt and pepper, and cook until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to bowl with vinaigrette, add ¼ cup mint and 2 Tbsp. dill, and toss to coat.
• Serve beets and dollops of labneh drizzled with more oil, topped with more herbs, and seasoned with pepper and sea salt.

KEYWORDS

Beet Recipes, Fast Easy Fresh, labneh recipes, Lemon Recipes, Mint Recipes, Quick Recipes, Side, Sides, Spring Food, Summer Food,Vegetarian Recipes, Yogurt Recipes

RECIPE BY Alison Roman
PHOTOGRAPH BY Christina Holmes