Kitchen Garden Journal

I love tacos. There's nothing quite like that combination of fresh corn tortillas, crispy, fatty meat, pickled vegetables and cilantro. Before tomatoes are in season I like to make this spring version of pico de gallo using baby root vegetables, spring garlic or scapes, green onions and the first of the homegrown cilantro. 

I served this at my Wednesday lunch this week along with my goat meat tacos made with an amazing piece of goat shoulder from Wild Mountain Farm at our Tuesday Springfield market. FYI, I made the goat meat according to this method for making carnitas. I also made some cilantro cream to drizzle on top, which was truly a revelation. I took cilantro, garlic scapes and the juice of a lime and whizzed it with the stick blender with a pint of sour cream. It's like Mexican tzatziki.

Caroline just picked me up a new bag of pickling lime from the Greenfield Farmers Coop so I can make another fresh batch of masa for tortillas with the corn from last year. I'm so excited.

1 bunch baby carrots

1 bunch radishes or Japanese turnips

1/2 bunch spring garlic or a handful of scapes

1 bunch scallions or spring onions

fresh or frozen chili peppers to taste (I used 3 Thai chilies from the big bag in my freezer) 

1/2 bunch cilantro

juice of 1 lime

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp vinegar

1 Tbsp sugar

Dice the vegetables and herbs into small cubes. Add, salt, lime juice, vinegar, sugar and stir. Good the next day, too.

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• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. cooking oil
• 2 lbs. lean lamb shoulder (cut in 2-3 inch pieces, dusted with flour)
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken broth
• salt and pepper, to taste
• bouquet garni (2 sprigs thyme, 3 sprigs parsley, and 1 bay leaf—tied together)
• 8 small new potatoes, peeled
• 8 baby carrots, peeled
• 8 small turnips, peeled and halved
• 8 cipollini onions (peeled) and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups frozen peas

Preheat the oven to 350F. Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the lamb. Sprinkle with the sugar on both sides and let brown for 2 minutes longer (that will give a nice caramelized touch). Transfer the lamb to a large oven-proof casserole dish. Reduce the heat to low and add the chopped onion and garlic and cook gently for about 8 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook until lightly colored (stir constantly). Add the wine and tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly). Add the chicken broth and stir in the tomato purée. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then pour over the meat in the casserole. Add the bouquet garni.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the all the vegetables except the peas. Cover and return to oven and bake for 30 minutes. Add the peas and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Discard the bouquet garni and serve straight from the casserole with a loaf of crusty French bread.

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There are infinite variations to this dish. Below are the basic principles; feel free to interpret the recipe as you like. Greens provide an earthy pungency that counteracts the sweetness of other southern dishes. Serve alongside southern barbeque or fried chicken, with roasted sweet potatoes or sweet potato pie for dessert.

• 1 bunch Turnip Greens (about 2 lbs)
• 1 Turnip
• 6 slices bacon (or equivalent salt pork, ham hock, or smoked turkey wings)
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic (optional)
• Salt & Pepper

Wash the greens thoroughly in cold water. Remove any tough stems and roughly chop the leaves. Peel and slice the turnip into bite-sized pieces. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add greens and cook about 15 minutes, then drain and discard cooking water. (Turnip greens can be quite pungent, some say bitter. Boiling removes the unpleasant flavor.) In a large skillet, fry the bacon until crisp and set aside. Add the onion (and garlic) and saute in remaining bacon grease until soft. Crumble the bacon and return to the pan along with the sliced turnip and the boiled greens. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup water or stock and cook 30 minutes over low heat. Serves 4 greens lovers.

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This is a rich winter dish of fairly elaborate preparation. Start cooking it a day ahead for a special occasion, or just because you love to spend hours in the kitchen creating rich food.

• For the boiled chicken:
• 1 chicken, 2-4 lbs.
• 1 leek or onion
• A few carrots
• 2 stalks celery or some celeriac

Put the chicken in a large pot with the vegetables and cold water to cover. Slowly bring to a boil and simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours, until the leg easily pulls out of the socket. Remove chicken and cool. Strain the broth, discarding solids, and refrigerate overnight. (The next day, skim the fat (or schmaltz) from the top of the broth, and save it.) When chicken is cool, remove the meat from the bones and separate it into chunks. Discard the skin.

• For the white sauce:
• 2 cups reserved chicken broth
• 2 cups milk
• 5 Tbsp flour
• 5 Tbsp butter, oil, or congealed chicken fat from the broth
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

Combine the milk and broth in a saucepan and heat to near the boiling point. Add fat and flour to a separate heavy-bottomed saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook the mixture gently for 2-3 minutes without browning, stirring with a wire whisk. Add the liquid in a steady stream while mixing vigorously with the whisk to eliminate lumps and ensure a smooth sauce. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat. It should have a velvety texture and coat the back of a spoon.

• For the vegetables:
• 2 lbs assorted root vegetables, cut into large chunks
• (Potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, turnips, parsnips, celeriac, etc.)
• 1 cup frozen green peas

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add vegetable chunks and boil for 5 minutes, or until "al dente." Drain and reserve. (The peas don't need to be boiled.)

• For the pastry crust:
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Combine flour and salt in the Cuisinart bowl fitted with a blade. Pulse to combine and start adding cubes of butter, pulsing, until the lumps are pea-sized. Mix cream and yolk together and pour the mixture into the bowl while processing, just until the dough starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a piece of saran wrap and form into a disc. Chill for an hour before rolling.

To assemble:

Combine chicken and vegetables in a 9X16" baking pan. Pour in the white sauce and stir to distribute. Roll out pastry to the shape of the pan and drape over top. Trim the edges and use the trimmings to make decorative flourishes on top. Cut a series of vent holes in the dough. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and flaky.

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• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 onion or leek, chopped fine
• 1 turnip, 1/4 inch dice
• 3 carrots, 1/4 inch dice
• 3 beets, 1/4 inch dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 3 potatoes, peeled, 1/4 inch dice
• 1/2 cabbage, 1/2 inch chunks 
• 1 bay leaf
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup canned tomato, or diced plum tomatoes
• 6 Tbsp wine vinegar, or to taste
• 2 Tbsp dill, chopped 
• sour cream 

In a large soup pot saute onion or leek, turnips, carrots and beets in butter and oil until onion is translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add broth, potatoes, cabbage, bay leaf, tomato, and salt & pepper. Simmer 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar and taste for salt. Refrigerate overnight if serving cold. Add dill and sour cream to the bowl when serving.

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