Savory Nettle and Feta Rugelach

I may be doing some serious rule breaking by calling these rugelach, but who ever said you've got to follow the rules, especially in the kitchen. And yes, it is that time again when I shove nettles in front of you whether you are a fan or not. Past recipes are generally for nettle lovers only, but this one transcends favor. Feta, garlic, sweet onion and sauteed nettles swaddled in butter pastry; who wouldn't fall for them? The impressive little rolls make a great addition to any springtime party or tea. Enjoy!

Savory Nettle and Feta Rugelach:

Filling:

*about 6 cups loosely packed fresh stinging nettle

*3 tablespoons high quality butter

*1 small onion, chopped

*sea salt and pepper

*1 egg

1/4 cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt

*1/4 cup (or whatever makes you happy) crumbled feta cheese

*1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced

Rinse nettles. Drain on a kitchen towel and pat dry. Working in batches, pulse nettles in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl.

Place butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until clear and aromatic. Add nettles and a splash of water. Saute for about 5 minutes until nettles are fully wilted but still bright green. Season lightly with sea salt and pepper.

Transfer to a bowl and cool completely.

Add remaining ingredients and blend thoroughly with a rubber spatula.

Pastry Dough:

*1 1/4 cup organic AP flour

*1 teaspoon sea salt

*1 stick high quality unsalted butter

*3-4 tablespoons ice water

Preheat oven to 375.

Place flour and salt in a food processor. Pulse. Add the butter and blend until it resembles a course meal. Slowly pour in the ice water with blade running until dough forms.

Turn out onto a floured work surface. Form dough into a disk and wrap in parchment. Chill for 15 minutes.

Return dough to work surface. Roll out with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thickness.

Evenly spread nettle filling over pasty. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut approximately 12 pie shaped wedges in dough.

Starting with the wide end, gently roll each wedge toward its tip. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet, allowing an inch of space between each rugelach.

In a small bowl, whisk one egg yolk with a splash of cold water. Brush egg wash over pastry dough.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Natural Wonders: Part II

In lieu of an impressive recipe or photos of bodacious plates of food, I bring you Natural Wonders Part II: The miniature egg from the hen house. If you recall the original Natural Wonders, you may begin to feel as though anything is possible. The moral of this story: little creatures are capable of extraordinary things.

Bacon Roasted Squash Seeds

Lately I've been crisping bacon on a sheet pan in the oven. It's less messy and evenly bakes each strip. Then you just pour off the fat and clean up is easy. But what happens when you accidentally leave some of the drippings on the pan? Well, the pan gets lonesome. So you do what any good hearted person would do and give it some company. I decided to revisit a Halloween favorite, and roast the seeds of a butternut (in lieu of pumpkin) while preparing it for dinner. Crunchy. Salty. Bacon-y. A great pre-supper nibble.

Roasted Squash Seeds:

*Approximately 1 teaspoon pastured bacon fat

*seeds from 1 or 2 butternut squash or pumpkins, rinsed and pulp removed.

*sprinkle of sea salt

Preheat oven to 350. Place prepared seeds on a kitchen towel and pat dry. Transfer to a baking sheet with pastured bacon fat. Mix to coat seeds. Spread seeds evenly over pan and bake on center rack of oven until golden, stirring once, about 7 minutes.

Remove seeds from pan with a large slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel. Lightly sprinkle with sea salt. Cool slightly before enjoying.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Green soup may not be everybody's idea of a good time, but this one may surprise even the most wary.

Cream of Broccoli Soup:

*2 tablespoons unsalted butter

*1 medium onion, chopped or 2 large leeks (white and light green parts only, rinsed and chopped)

*2 celery ribs, rinsed and chopped

*2-3 medium gold potatoes, peeled and chopped

*2 cloves garlic, minced

*sea salt and pepper

*2-3 large broccoli crowns, rinsed and chopped

*4 cups chicken stock

*1 cup whole milk

*1/2 cup cream

In a heavy soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion or leeks, celery, and potato. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until soft. Add garlic and broccoli. Cook for about 4 minutes before adding the chicken stock. Cover and simmer until all ingredients are very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour in milk and cream. Working in batches, puree in a food processor or blend until smooth with an immersion blender.

Return to pot and heat. Serve with a sprinkle of hard cheese.

Pastured Leg of Lamb with French Lentils

Is it just me, or is chicken getting a little boring? The only way I really like it these days is roasted whole, in a very hot oven so the skin gets crispy and locks in its relatively meager juices. To be fair, I truly enjoy pulling a whole bird from the oven and sneaking the oysters when no one is looking and I rely heavily on the bones for good stock, but most all other applications are beginning to summon yawns from this direction. Chicken is good if you like to get your protein quota but would possibly like to ignore the fact that you are eating meat. Let's be honest here- it's the blank-slate white meat, cloaking itself in whatever flavor you pair it with. Lamb on the other hand, couldn't be more opposite. It's flavor demands attention. Never would you eat a dish containing lamb and overlook it. Lamb makes its presence known, and this I like. It has a way of making an ordinary day of cooking seem exotic; its earthy aromatics transporting me to a far off place. The Mediterranean perhaps?

Lamb is special, maybe because it is not yet over played, or maybe because it is for real carnivores. What's wrong with a little exclusivity? I enjoy thinking I am not just like 90% of all other American households when dinner time rolls around.

Another plus? Lamb meat is very good for you. Other than its benefits as a protein source, pastured lamb is high in iron, omega 3 fatty acids, selenium, vitamin B12, phosphorus, and zinc, as well as a whole host of other important trace minerals.

Unhurriedly surrendering itself to fall-off-the-bone tenderness, this slow cooked leg of lamb served with french lentils was easily the highlight of my week. I must take a moment to thank the folks at East Fork Farm for yet another memorable meal. Yes, yes, it is good to be alive!

Pastured Leg of Lamb with French Lentils: (serves 4)

*1 pastured leg of lamb

*1 large onion, chopped

*2 cups french lentils (soaked in water with a splash of vinegar overnight)

*2 tablespoons butter

*2 carrots, chopped

*2 celery ribs, chopped

*2 cloves garlic, minced

*sea salt

*fresh ground black pepper

Rinse leg of lamb and place in a crock pot or cookware fitted with a lid. Cover lamb with water. Add half of the chopped onion. Season with salt and pepper. Bring liquid to a boil then reduce setting to a simmer (if slow cooking on the stovetop in alternative cookware, reduce heat to lowest setting). Slow cook all day (at least 6 hours or longer). Extinguish heat and start on the lentils.

Drain lentils from soaking liquid and rinse. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until onions are translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Skim fat from the top of the lamb cooking liquid. Ladle aproxametly 5 cups of the cooking liquid into the saucepan. Add the lentils. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Serve with lamb.

Enjoy!

Colorado: Where the Wild Things Are

Another trip to my home state provided a reminder of my love for wild game. My father and brother Ben are enthusiastic sportsmen, and take great pride in stocking the family freezer. My sister-in-law tamed our rowdy crowd with her notorious elk meatloaf served with garden carrots (she blanches and freezes them whole) tossed with pineapple (I will be copying this idea) and buttered wild rice.

Ben is still enjoying the art of jerky, (read about it here) and has sharpened his technique beyond further improvement. The goose jerky he pulled warm from the dehydrator was so tender it barely put up a fight before melting directly onto my tongue, revealing a perfect sweet and spicy marinade.

Before returning to the east coast, we were bid farewell with grilled antelope steaks. Ben noted that the sweet flavor is due to the absence of sage in the antelope diet, it's meat leavened by prairie grass only.

I was raised eating this way, and earnestly appreciate the nostalgia. Breaking bread with family is special. Breaking bread with family whom still take to the mountains to put meals on the table is even more so. I have never been so fully fed.

Gingered Creamed Carrots

Mid February. I am guessing a fair share of butternuts, acorn squash, and sweet potatoes have already graced your table. Maybe you are starting to get creative, tucking winter squash into every nook and cranny of your culinary genius; roasted, boiled, baked and souped. In all the fuss, you may have overlooked the humble carrot, holding it down like a quiet anchor in the shadows of your produce drawer. The bright sweetness of these whipped roots is a welcome retreat from the usual suspects. And, since we could all use a little extra vitamin C to get us through the final stretch of cold weather, this dish is right on time. Fresh ginger rises above butter and cream to bring all the flavors tenderly together.

Spring is just around the corner.

Gingered Creamed Carrots:

*10 organic carrots, peeled and chopped

*2 tablespoons high quality butter

*whole milk, half and half or cream for whipping (raw if possible)

*1/4 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

*sea salt

Place chopped carrots in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover carrots. Bring to a boil over high heat. Slightly reduce heat, and gently boil until carrots are tender. Strain.

Place carrots in a food processor fitted with a blade.* Add butter and blend. With blade running, slowly add cream until carrots become smooth. Add ginger and sea salt to taste.

Enjoy.