Kitchen Songs

This week’s artist: Marco Polio
This week’s recipe: Autumn Vegetable Mix-up
This week’s staff: Meghan and Sean

Ingredients;
Vegetables
1 tsp olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pint mushrooms, sliced
1 cup potatoes cubes
4 cups spinach or leafy greens of your choice
1 cup chopped brussel sprouts 
½ cup vegetable broth
4 tsp butter
½ cup heavy cream or almond milk
2 tbs chopped fresh sage
2 tsp nutmeg and rosemary 
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
salt and pepper to taste

Meat Balls; optional
½ lbs of beef
2 tsp rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper
¼ cups mashed butternut squash
2 cloves of minced garlic 

Preparation;
Heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onion until softened and translucent. Add mushrooms and continue cooking until mushrooms release their juices. Add potatoes, greens, brussel sprouts and broth to the pan and, without stirring, place lid over top and allow vegetables to steam for six minutes. At this point, the greens should have begun to wilt and the potatoes to soften. Toss the vegetables and continue cooking until potatoes are tender.
Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat 2tbs olive oil. Add beef, spices, and squash, together by using your hands to mix well. Shape the meat into 2 to 1 inch size balls, and add them to the heated frying pan with oil. Cook for about 6 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink, the outside of the meat ball should be lightly browned and golden.
Remove cooked veggies from pan, and transfer them into the same pan as the meat balls. Brown the veggies lightly, then turn off you heat. In your (now empty) vegetable saute pan, melt the butter and add the sage, nutmeg and rosemary cooking for a minute or two. Add the cream and cheese and stir until melted and heated through. Return meat balls and vegetables to the pan and toss to coat with the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste as needed. Garnish with a few chopped nuts like walnuts or almonds and enjoy.

This week’s artist: Summer Cult
This week’s recipe: Spinach Quiche
This week’s staff: Meghan and Matt

CRUST Ingredients;
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
2 tsp. Thyme
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 to 4 tbsp. ice water
 
Preparation; Preheat the oven to 425°.  In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and spices. Add butter into flour mixture. Combine with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Once butter is broken up into the flour mix add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time, while continuing to mixing with pastry fork until dough holds together without feeling wet or sticky. Gather dough into ball. Flatten into disc, and cover with plastic wrap. Transfer to refrigerator, and chill at least 1 hour. Roll out dough with a rolling pin to fit the size of a pie pan. When rolling out dough add flour to surface to keep dough from sticking. Work quickly as the dough will get warm, making it harder to handle. Press the dough into the pie pan. Take a fork and press down the outer edges of the pie crust (working counter clockwise)to the pie pan, at the same time press the crust down and into the walls of the pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
 
FILLING Ingredients;
1/3 cups Whole milk or cream
3 to 4 large eggs
2 to 4 cups raw spinach
1/2 cups Mozzarella
2 TB fresh rosemary
2 TB Lemon peel/zest  
2 cloves of garlic finely diced
1/4 tsp. sea sal
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. olive oil

Preparation; Sauté 2 cups of spinach in olive oil with a dash of salt until slightly wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Next remove spinach from pan, add cooked and the remaining 2 cups of raw spinach into a medium bowl. Grate mozzarella and lemon peel. Add into bowl with milk/cream, salt, and pepper. Dice up the garlic and rosemary and add to the mix. Finally add eggs and whisk all the ingredients until just mixed (the yolks and whites are well blended). Pour egg mixture into prepared crust. Bake at 400/350 degrees until filling is set, 20–25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

This week’s artist: TRAGWAG
This week’s recipe: Late Summer Salad from the North Country with creamy zesty dressing
This week’s staff: Meghan, Chelsea and Matt 

Ingredients;
-2 large handfuls of pea shoots
-2 ripe red or purple plums diced (about 1 ½ cups)
-1 large yellow or red tomato diced (about 1 cup)
-1 purple or red pepper diced (about 1 cup)
-1 cucumber sliced
-½ cup pumpkin seeds

For the salad dressing;
-½ cup plain yogurt
-½ cup olive oil
-¼ apple cider vinegar
-¼ cup tahini
-About 1/4 cup fresh herbs (I used fresh basil, sage and rosemary with some dry tarragon)
-1 clove of garlic finely chopped

Preparation; Chop, slice, and dice up your veggies, and toss them lightly together add the pumpkin seeds and toss again.  For the dressing mix all ingredients in a bowl or a glass salad dressing bottle with a sealable lid. When mixing in a bowl, whisk ingredients until creamy and smooth, with in the bottle shake well until creamy and smooth. Place on handful of the salad in a bowl and top with a drizzle of the dressing, enjoy!

This week’s artist: Sheep and other Anomalies
This week’s recipe: White Pizza
This week’s staff: Meghan, Chelsea and Matt

Ingredients;
For the dough;
-1 pack instant yeast (approx 2 tsp)
-2 tsp salt
-2 tbsp honey
-1 cup warm water
-3 cups strong white flour
-2 tbsp olive oil
-1 clove garlic chopped finely
-¼ cup fresh herbs ( I used rosemary and basil) 

Preparation; In a large bowl combine the yeast, salt, honey, warm water then mix well. Add the oil, then add 1 cup of the flour. Start kneading slowly, so everything get’s mixed. Once everything is mixed, add the garlic and fresh herbs. Then add the second cup of flour and start kneading again. Add the rest of the flour and continue mixing until you have dough that is bouncy and springy. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and let it Rest in a warm place. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let it rise for about an hour. The dough should double in size.

Finishing up the Pizza…
Ingredients;
-2 cups sliced mushrooms
-1 sliced red pepper
-1 to 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese
-¼ cup olive oil
-2 TBS chopped finely garlic

Preparation; Once you have your dough, roll it on a floured work surface .Top your pizza with the olive oil and chopped garlic, shredding in around the surface fully. Then add ½ cup of the mozzarella, and place the chopped mushrooms, red pepper, and spinach on top of the cheese. Finally, add the last ½ cup of mozzarella. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing and enjoying.

This week’s artist: Sam Egan
This week’s recipe: Sammy Two Hats and Idiot Sean’s Kahlua Surprise Banana Pancakes
This week’s staff: Sean and Matt
Makes 16 to 20 pancakes

Ingredients;
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch or two of salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons coffee liquor
drop of vanilla
2 bananas

Preparation; Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. When wet ingredients are mixed and eggs are beaten, add to the dry and mix well. Here you may need to add more flour or milk depending on the consistency, which is all up to your personal preference. Slice bananas.

Set burner to a medium heat and use a tablespoon of butter to grease the pan. Pour the mix, or use a large spoon to drop the mix into the pan. Bubbles in the center of the pancake/s should tell you when they’re ready to flip. BUT before flipping, toss the desired amount of sliced banana on the top, unfinished part of the pancake.
Flip, let fry, and enjoy.

This week’s artist: For the Kid in the Back
This week’s recipe: Ukrainian Veggie Strudel
This week’s staff: Meghan and Matt

Serves 1 or more depending on number of sandwiches made
 
Ingredients; 15 minutes to prepare and 30 to cook
Large baking pan (18”X14”)
4 tbsp. butter
2 cups onions
2 cups carrots
2 cups cabbage
1 cup mushrooms
¼ cup flour
Spices: Salt, pepper, dill, thyme, tarragon, basil
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup oats
3 eggs

Preparation; Start off by heating up and greasing your pan while you chop up all of the veggies. Next, sauté all the veggies until they are tender, and halfway through cooking add your spices. Drain the liquid from the pan and pour your vegetables into the baking pan.
Now, preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Add half of your oats and cheddar cheese to the baking pan, along with the flour, cream cheese, eggs, and half of the butter. Stir it all up and make sure it sits uniform across the pan. Next, top the pan with the rest of the oats and cheddar cheese, and slice the rest of the butter across the top of it all. Put it into the oven for about 30 minutes or until it is a golden brown. Let it all cool for about ten minutes before serving and enjoy!

This week’s artist: Alison Lutz
This week’s recipe: Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches
This week’s staff: Matt and Meghan
 
Serves 1 or more depending on number of sandwiches made
 
Ingredients; 5 minutes to prepare and 5 to cook
Eggs
Cheese
Bread
Hummus
Spinach
1 tbsp butter
Salt
Black Pepper
Paprika

Preparation; Begin by heating up a large frying pan, keeping the heat at about medium. Place ½ tablespoon of butter into the pan, and allow it to cover the entire surface of the pan. Crack an egg into the pan, and break up the yolk with a spatula if you don’t want a runny yolk surprise in the middle of your sandwich.
Let the egg cook for one to three minutes depending on the heat level. Add your salt, pepper and paprika, and then flip the egg over to cook the other side for about the same amount of time as the first side. While the egg is cooking, you can slice cheese and prepare the bread. Hummus adds a nice subtle kick to the sandwich, as well as extra protein. You can put hummus on one or both pieces of bread. By the time you’re done, the egg should be ready. Take it out of the pan and situate it onto a piece of bread.
At this point, check your pan. If all of the butter has cooked away, then add the other ½ tablespoon of butter to the pan. Put your cheese and some spinach leaves on top of the egg and then place it all back into the pan. Now, top it off with your second piece of bread and put a lid onto the pan. Allow it to “toast” for a couple of minutes, while keeping an eye on it. The goal here is to melt the cheese and crisp the bread, and not to burn the sandwich. Remove the lid, flip the sandwich over to cook the other side, and then replace the lid. After another minute or two, the sandwich will be ready for consumption. Carefully remove it from the pan and serve!

This week’s artist: Andy The Doorbum
This week’s recipe: Tempeh Reuben
This week’s staff: Meghan, Althea and Bryce

Serves 5
 
Ingredients; 20 minutes to prepare and 10 to cook
One 8oz package of Tempeh
½ cup water
½ cup apple cider vinegar
3 tsp Caraway seeds
3 tbs garlic
½ a red onion
Salt and pepper to taste
6 oz Swiss cheese, shredded or sliced
1 cup Sauerkraut (bought or homemade)
A handful of Greens, lettuce or mustard greens
1 cup homemade or bought Thousand Island dressing
10 slices of pumpernickel rye bread
½ tbs butter
 
Preparation; to prepare tempeh, slice it into strips that will be able to fit on the bread you are using.  Add water and vinegar along with the caraway seeds, salt and pepper to a medium frying pan, add tempeh and heat to a boil. You want to have the tempeh purged of its bitter flavor and you do this by boiling in until it is plump in the water and vinegar. Once the water mixture has fully evaporated add 1 tsp butter to the pan and fry the tempeh slightly, once done frying add the garlic. Remove and set aside.  Heat a skillet over medium heat. Spread butter over one side of the slices of bread. Place bread butter-side-down into skillet, top with swiss cheese, tempeh, greens, sauerkraut, and dressing. Spread butter on the remaining slice of bread, and place on top of the dressing. You can add more cheese to the opposite side if you’d like, it also makes it easier to flip the sandwich once it has melted. Cook until toasted on one side, flip, and continue cooking until cheese melts. Serve!