Carrot Parsnip Fritters and Outsmarting the Chipmunks

So sorry that I’ve been absent for awhile. The weather has been absolutely beautiful these past weeks and I’ve spent every waking moment outside….getting the veggie garden prepped, pulling up a weed here and there, edging and mulching, and just walking around, breathing in Lily of the Valley, Lilac and Viburnum.

I’ve done some major garden renovations this spring. I finally have some raised beds, and one of them has become my strawberry bed. The chipmunk population around here will be in for a surprise. I’m sure they’ve had their beady little eyes on the flowering strawberry plants, just waiting for the first red, ripe and juicy organic strawberry…. sorry critters.

As you can see this is chipmunk proof!  I’m very excited, I think I have them beat!  There is nothing like growing your own strawberries, picking and popping them straight into your mouth….just like the chipmunks!

Now if I could do the same for my blueberry bushes.

On to the recipe….

Fritters. Yes, so simple and easy, I wonder why I don’t make them more often. They can be a side dish, a part of a salad, breakfast or even dinner.

Fritters:

6 medium carrots 

3 medium size parsnips

1 clove garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

3 eggs, beaten

3 TBL flour

1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper

olive oli for sautéing

Peel and grate the carrots and parsnips. You could do this in a food processor, but it’s so easy to do by hand. You won’t have to clean all that equipment. And it’s good for the biceps.

Add the shallot, garlic, flour, eggs, salt and pepper.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add a scoop of the carrot parsnip mixture and flatten.

Cook a few minutes over medium heat, turn and continue to cook until golden brown. Remove to a warm place, like your oven.

Serve with applesauce, or mix plain yogurt or sour cream with a little cumin, paprika or za’atar. Try adding some chopped parsley or cilantro, sprinkle with sesame seeds….

One More Winter Meal

 As much as I love cold weather comfort foods, the season for hearty stews and soups is coming to an end. Rhubarb appearing in my dreams, cravings for all things green, edible or not, have started.

We had a few of what I consider warm days….40 degrees and no wind chill and those were enough for me to want to pack up my casseroles, open all the windows and start digging for dirt. 

Then today, a reminder that spring is still not as close as I thought. More comfort food for a little while longer I guess.

Here then is one more hearty meal to make it through until spring really does arrive.

Pot roast is one of my staples in the arctic months, and so easy to make. Just spend a little time browning the meat and cutting onions and the oven does the rest. If you make enough you can have leftovers and hot pot roast and gravy sandwiches for a few days as well. I suggest making this a day ahead, it’s so much more flavorful after a day or two.

Braised Pot Roast with Carrots and Parsnips

Beef chuck roast, about 3 to 4 lbs

fat for browning, 2 or 3 TBL

good salt and pepper

1 bay leaf

thyme or oregano (a few sprigs) or dried (1 TBL)

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, cut into large chunks

2 parsnips, cut into large chunks

1 clove garlic, smashed

2 cups red wine

2 to 3 cups beef or vegetable stock

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Season the roast well with salt and pepper. In a large casserole or Dutch oven, heat fat (bacon fat, lard, olive oil) until very hot and brown the roast well on all sides. Remove to a plate.

Add the chopped onion, garlic, carrots, parsnips and bay leaf to the fat remaining (add more if you need to) and sauté about 5 minutes until vegetables are well coated and softened.

Add wine and bring everything to a boil, stirring up all the bits on the bottom. 

Return the roast to the pot, add the broth and herbs. Make sure the liquid comes halfway up the roast, add water or more stock if needed. When simmering again, cover and bake about 2 hours, until meat is very tender.

To make gravy, remove the meat, all but 1 of the carrots, parsnips and bay leaf. Keep warm.

Carefully puree the liquid in a blender, a few cups at a time. Please be careful, hot liquids in blenders can become dangerous if filled too high. Blending the liquid with some vegetables will thicken the sauce without having to add any of the usual thickeners like flour or arrowroot. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Return the meat, vegetables and sauce to the pot and keep warm until it’s time to eat.

You can cut the roast into large chunks or shred with 2 forks. Serve with mashed or boiled potatoes and pour sauce over all. 

 I like to serve this with applesauce, which if you don’t have can be made while the roast is cooking.

Happy Spring!

illustration by me

Nutty and Raw: Asparagus and Carrot Salad

It’s asparagus season, finally, and I’ve been going out to the garden every day to see if the little green tips are poking up through the dirt. I put our asparagus patch in about 12 years ago and it’s going great guns now. I can pick almost every day. Asparagus grows 7 inches a day if the weather is really warm, so fast they say you can watch it growing. That means I have to come up with different ways of eating it besides the usual plunged into boiling salted water method.

So I roast it, make soup, saute it with other veggies, put it in quiche and give it away. One of my favorite ways to eat it is raw, made into a salad and dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. This is so delicious and easy you have to try it if you haven’t already.

Just take a vegetable peeler, and holding it down on the counter, slice long strips of the stalk. It takes a little bit of time to do this, but all good things take time (another one of those sayings).

I wanted to balance the somewhat nutty taste of the asparagus, so I added some carrot shavings to this, gives it a little bit of sweetness.

Then all you need is olive oil, lemon, Parmesan cheese and a few pine nuts. I always like to see what I can come up with to sprinkle on top of dishes, it gives it that little oomph, you know? My thyme is right outside the kitchen door so I picked a few leaves and then sprinkled on a bit of orange zest, yum. So good.

Instead of carrots, you could try zucchini, add some parsley and chives for an all green dish. But really try asparagus raw sometime, I think you’ll like it.

The Ingredients:

about 1/2 lb asparagus, 5 or 6 stalks

2 large carrots

4 TBL olive oil

2 TBL lemon juice

handful of pine nuts, toasted if you feel like it, if you don’t that’s ok

Parmesan shavings, as little or as much as you want. Pecorino Romano is also good

a few thyme leaves – they’re tiny but strong enough for this

a sprinkling of orange zest (organic preferably)

good amount of sea salt, a flaky one is best (like Maldon)

pepper

The Making:

Shave large pieces of the asparagus, then the carrots, and put in a shallow bowl. Use the tips of the asparagus too. No need to mix the oil and lemon, just pour it right on the vegetables. Toss, add salt and pepper, toss again. Taste and adjust the seasonings. You may have to add a bit more salt, asparagus loves salt. Then add the Parmesan, shaved, and top with the pine nuts, flecks of thyme and orange zest.

Asparagus is a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals. High in chlorophyll, it’s a good blood builder.

Carrots are one of the healthiest foods we can eat. Loaded with Vit A and beta carotene, carrots are a cancer fighting food.

illustration by me