Recipes and Food

For the Dried Paprika and Cayennes

So I'm sure a lot of you have been hesitant to take as many peppers as the farmers are trying to get you to take home. Here's some dried cayennes and paprika peppers. Beth and I have been taking all the left over peppers we've been growing, taking out the seeds, dehydrating them and then grinding them up and putting them into spice jars. I love the paprika. Its flavor is incomparable to the paprika in stores. I feel like I use a little bit almost every day. If you do not have a dehydrator, you can dry the peppers in the oven on the lowest setting (100 degrees or the warmer). A lot of peppers goes a little way so get as many as you can while they're around.

Sunchokes

Also known as Jerusalem Artichokes even though they are not from Jerusalem and not at all like artichokes. They are natvive to the U.S. and have somewhat of a nutty earthy flavor. I love them. Here is a yummy recipe that comes out of the Farmer John Cookbook. If you do not have this book I highly recommend it.

Garlicky Sunchoke Salad

• – 2½ cups thinly sliced sunchokes
• – 1/2 cup chopped onion
• – 2 cloves of minced garlic
• – 1/4 cup olive oil
• – 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• – 3 tbs. chopped fresh dill or 1½ tbs. dried
• – 1½ tsp. chopped fresh tarragon or 1 tsp. dried
• – Splash of sea salt, fresh ground pepper, crumbled feta cheese

Pumpkin Soup

• – Around 4 to 5 lbs. of pumpkin
• – 8 red peppers
• – 1 onion, minced
• – 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• – 1/2 stick of butter and a little olive oil
• – Salt and pepper
• – Dry cumin and a pinch of cinnamon
• – Stock of your liking or water (I like adding some fresh hot peppers)
• – Preheat the oven to 375°, cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and place the cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes or until done. When done, scoop out of skin.
• – Meanwhile, heat the pot over medium heat and add the butter and olive oil. Throw in the onions and peppers and cook till soft. Add the garlic and stir for another couple minutes. Now you can add the rest of the ingredients. Add just enough stock or water to come to the top of the pumpkin. bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for a good 30 minutes. I like adding a little milk or cream at the end. I like the consistency and flavor it brings to the soup.
• – You can either puree the soup or serve it chunky. I like playing around with the spices and seeing what tastes the best. Pumpkin roasted on its own has so much flavor. Anything you add is just a bonus.

Our Honey

When we came to the island there was a lovely box of bees waiting for us. And inside their home was a lot of delicious honey. Last year we harvested a couple gallons of honey from the busy bees. We now have two hives, one of which Kelsey caught a swarm from high up in a privet tree. This year we got about a gallon of honey and are still enjoying every drop. I try to have a spoonful of honey every day. There are so many healing properties in honey and it takes so much work for the bees to produce the sweet nectar. It's a gift being able to enjoy local honey and support your local beekeepers.

Williams Island Leg of Lamb

Well recently, I have been deemed the cook Monday through Thursday on the island. The boys love it and I am having lots of fun creating yummy treats in the kitchen. The other day we were lucky enough to have the packaging on one of the legs of lamb for sale tear. Normally we don't get to eat cuts like this because we need to sell them but this time we had a treat. This leg fed us for the whole week. Incredible. So this is what I came up with.

Springtime Leg of Lamb

• – One Williams Island Farm leg of lamb
• – Lemon Herb Spread:
  • · 1/4 cup minced garlic
  • · 1/4 cup lemon zest
  • · 1/4 chopped fresh parsley
  • · a couple tbs. of chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • · 2 tbs. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
  • · 2 tbs. fresh oregano leaves
  • · some sea salt at your discretion
  • · 1/2 cup olive oil
• – If there are more herbs growing in your garden use what you think would combine well with all these great flavors.
• – Well, you combine all the delicious herbs, lemon, olive... and such and rub all over the leg. I let mine sit overnight covered with foil.
• – The next morning turn your oven on to 450°. Once preheated, add the leg of lamb, uncovered. Immediately turn the oven temperature to 325°. The Joy of Cooking says if you want it medium rare, then the temp. should be 140° and medium will be 160°. The whole process will take 1¼ hours - 1¾ hours. Remove from the oven and cover loosely with foil for 15 minutes.
• – I served garlic mashed potatoes and a spring mix salad with the lamb. We also drank a little red wine. There was no room for dessert tonight.
• – One of the greatest things about this cut of meat is the variety of dishes you can create. The first day, we sliced the meat off the bone and enjoyed every bite. The second day, I made Lamb sandwiches.
  
  • · Niedlov's bread
  • · Nathan's cheese
  • · My homemade mustard
  • · Homemade mayo
  • · And of course, lamb
  • · I put the sandwiches together and grilled them in a cast iron skillet on the stove with a little olive oil. They were so delicious.
• – After this, I took the bone and made a big pot of stock. I let this cook on low heat for most of the day. When it was done I strained the broth and added onions, garlic, potatoes, and greens. Oh and carrots we over-wintered.