the Friday Feeding; VOL. 87

Summer is in full swing with ‘celebrations galore around the store’. Canterbury stocked up on our salads for the 4th and the fireworks celebration outside our door the next day proves that everyone really likes our ice cream! Read on for a great salad recipe YOU can make at home… but you can still finish with some ice cream. It is summer after all, as if we need any excuse.

Yes this is new, Canterbury Plantation plants will now always be available at the store changing with the seasons. More selection everyday it seems. Aren’t we lucky.

Mirepoix?

Those of you who cook recognize this term, a beautiful French word (meer-PWAH) that describes a mixture of chopped vegetables that are slowly cooked in a fat—olive oil, butter, bacon grease etc—then cooked until the natural sugars and savory essences have weeped out and melded to produce a slurry of concentrated flavor to add to any dish.

It’s a classic cooking technique for a reason.  

Adding layers of this deepened flavor to your dish takes it from flat, watery simplicity to a richer more tasty place with Mirepoix’s counter-notes of aromatic sweetness.  It’s that hidden something that makes your tongue question what your mouth is eating and want to eat more.

I am unabashedly writing now about one the mixes that we make for you to take home and use.  We call it a “hearty” mix because it already contains a dried version of mirepoix plus nutritional yeast to create super-savory meals fast and easy.  A blend of grains and legumes, this mix can make salads, stews and soups.

Following is a recipe for a hearty salad that is extremely delicious made from this mix.  And if you want to make your own mirepoix for other dishes, read after that for a how-to lesson.

Bacon Walnut grain salad

Cook 1/2 cup of the Heart Stew package mix according to the instructions and chill.  When chilled, prepare the rest of the salad.

Fry and set aside:

• 4-6 slices of bacon.  Crumble or slice.

To echo the mirepoix in the mix, chop into 1/2” chunks:

• red onion to make 1/4 cup
• peeled carrot or red sweet pepper to make 1/2 cup
• celery to make 4 cups

Toss into the chilled cooked mix:

• the bacon
• the chopped vegetables above
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 2T dry white wine.  My favorite summer time wine right now is Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier. We carry it.
• 2T olive oil

Can’t tell you how good this is…drooling right now.

Making mirepoix

Dice up the following into 1/4” pieces…

• onion to equal 2 cups
• peeled carrots to equal 1 cup
• celery to equal 1 cup

Heat a pan on medium heat.  Add:

• 2T unsalted butter. The Italians make this too but substitute olive oil for the butter.  This is what I did.

When butter is melted and sizzling or olive oil is shimmering, add the vegetables and cook for 1 minute stirring.  

Reduce heat to low.

Sprinkle with:

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Stirring frequently, cook on low for 20 to 30 minutes until veggies are soft and onion is translucent.

Use immediately or freeze in an ice cube tray for later use. Each ice cube yields 2T.

Please stop by the store on Saturday between 12-2. We are having a massive celebration of food and the arts.

• Come have Heidi Pauer type-write you an intuitive poem by donation. Those donations will go to the Friendly Kitchen in Concord.
• For every dollar you donate to Heidi, the store will match to donate to the Loudon Food Pantry.
• Our artists will be here for you to meet and greet and find out more about their work that is hanging in our latest art show in the Feed Loft.
• We will be sampling loads of food that we make and sell to give you some ideas for your pantry. And we will be sampling some wonderful beverages too!

We hope you have a great week-end and that we are a part of it,

Jane and Dave