the Friday Feeding; VOL. 25

Is it spring yet?!  At the Canterbury Country Store it is! We are thinking it, believing it and keeping a spring in our step!  The generator worked yesterday so no more melted freezer casualties for us and the second part for the power-outage-fried oven came in Wednesday night; testing is happening as you read this so we think pizza night is on for tonight!  See the end of this post.

If any of you are still out of power from yesterdays storm come on down use our internet and let us warm you up.

Spring proper started with Easter preparations here and we hope you had a good one at your place.  Dave and I enjoyed a day off to just sit, drink coffee and philosophize, putz in our studios and have a great meal.  Our thin-sliced herbed scalloped potatoes with Jasper Hill cheese from here, pastry wrapped asparagus, with yogurt marinated lamb chops (see recipe below) and little mint jelly topped our day.  We finally watched the movie The Taste of Things that many of you had recommended.  LOVED IT. If you love cooking and haven’t seen it we recommend it.

Let’s talk yogurt

By now we’ve all heard how yogurt is good for us.  If you were a granola free-spirit adult in the 1970s you knew it was health food and making yogurt was probably your regular kitchen experiment [look in the junk stores for all those yogurt makers]. In recent times lanky Jamie Lee told us it was and if you are still older you’ll remember the yodeling swirling-skirt-clad maiden telling us so.  

But why is it? 

The strains of good bacteria in yogurt populate your gut to regulate the over-growth of yeast and ward off viruses both of which can lead to inflammation and infection. In addition, that same bacteria proliferating there continues to help with digestion allowing your body to receive the nutrients from your food more efficiently.  Those pro-biotic bacteria also help to regulate the production of all the neurotransmitters like serotonin that helps us sleep and stay happy, plus it is loaded with calcium and vitamin B12 and any minerals associated with the land that the cows were eating from. Woosh.

Of course yogurt is only as good as the milk it started with or whatever else has been added to it and, even more importantly, is the culture of good bacteria it contains.  Not all yogurt has the same strains.  Most popular store bought brands—even some organic ones—are highly sugared and also are “stabilized” with gums or gelatin whereas farmstead yogurts are…just yogurt. 

But not all farmstead yogurt is even the same.  It depends of which breed of cow they get the milk from—some milk is more creamy, other more acidic—and what the cows eat lend taste to the final yogurt—grassy flavors, gamey flavors, woody flavors.  But, beyond that it’s the slurried culture that each farmer has developed to multiply that bacteria in the slightly tepid milk, rendering each yogurt it’s own unique flavor–some more tangy, some more sweet–each nuanced with the terroir of that place here on earth, here in New Hampshire. It’s magic.

And it’s incredible food.

We have Matty Hutchins yogurt now in the store and we are happy that we can get it.  There is a state wide shortage of farmstead milk products right now.  Matty’s cows are Jersey cows and these are this authors favorite milk cows.  Lots of cream and a sweet grassy flavor, we think that this, plus Matty’s developed culture, makes this a to-die-for yogurt. Less tangy, more smooth, slightly sweet, gentle on the stomach and very creamy.

We also have some of her cheeses made from her yogurt.  We are sampling all this on Saturday so stop by for a try!

How to use yogurt:

STYLE A; the glob.  Glob a spoon-full on top of a pancake or hot oatmeal or vegetable fritters or a baked potato. Think: a superb, less-caloric sour cream replacement.

STYLE B; the pour.  Thin some yogurt with splash of vinegar and some olive oil, mix in herbs of choice and it becomes a pourable salad dressing.  Thin some yogurt smoothie-style by whirling it in a blender with ice and/or fruit juice and possibly some veggies/fruit and pour it down your gullet :). 

STYLE C; the scoop. Use yogurt as a measured replacement for buttermilk or sour cream in ANY baked recipe. The culture works the same to interact with the pH of baking soda so your recipe gets some lift and the fat tenderizes your baked goods. Sue that works with us at the store tells me she uses it in some her yeasted rolls. I use it in “Buttermilk” pancakes. Also, measure out yogurt as an oil replacement as many Mediterranean cultures do.

Our gardens will be waking up soon or maybe you have over-wintered some plants in your home.  Try these recipes using them or simply grab a bunch at the big box grocery store.

Yogurt Marinated Lamb Chops

Stir together:

• 1/2 cup unflavored whole milk yogurt
• 1T good olive oil
• 1 plump clove fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
• 2 tsp minced fresh mint of any kind
• !/4 tsp kosher satlt
• a few grinds of fresh pepper (Or check out our new all-in-one S&P grinder with 4 types of pepper corns and pink Himalayan salt crystals)

Spread this mixture on both sides of 4 lamb chops. Cover and refrigerate. Let marinate for 2-6 hours. The lactic acid in the yogurt tenderizes the meat and the culture helps neutralize the gaminess that lamb often can acquire.

These can be fried or grilled. When ready to cook, gently scrape most of the marinate off but leave some in place to make a charred caramelized coating. If frying, no additional oil is needed in the pan.

Herbed Yogurt Salad Dressing

This is best if you can blend it in a bullet style blender to really emulsify the herbs. If not simply briskly whisk together:

• 1 cup unflavored whole milk yogurt
• 2T apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1T minced herbs of choice. I like spring chives or lemony sorrel or both.

CLICK HERE to see our weekly menu for sandwich specials and takeout meals including gluten-free!

Friday night pizza, April 5 . Order ahead 12” organic sour dough pizzas to take out or sit down and eat here.  $15.95. Call ahead to order and choose a pick-up time slot. 603-783-9933 

Choose:

1. Pepperoni on red sauce.
2. Vegetable choice of mushrooms, green peppers, onions and pepperoncini on red sauce
3. Fig with gorgonzola and a honey drizzle over olive oil (no garlic)
4. Cheese only on red sauce always by request
5. SPECIAL: Margherita; basil, cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese.

Have a great week!

Jane and Dave