It was a busy week for your storekeepers. You’ve been hungry; we’ve been cooking and cooking, blasting pizzas at Farmers Market and believe it or not, we had deadline to finish ordering for Christmas! Still a man down, Dave and Jane are moving pretty fast these days. If you or anyone you know has any free time during the week and wants to learn about food, read more at the end of this post about working with us here.
Heat plus sweet equals flavor and that stands for Bar-B-Que!
Summer proper arrives next week so cooking outside becomes a main-stay for lots of us. In the same way I wrote last week about heat and oil releasing flavor, grilling food helps deepen its flavor, bringing out its natural sugar content to caramelize & smoke. [Even meat has natural sugars]. Flavor then dances on all parts of your tongue because the char process opens up the sweet, adds the bitter and intensifies the savory umami.
But its fun and tasty to further enhance the flavors by adding in other components to complicate that process into a burnt-over-the-edge, messy bliss. This is where Bar-B-Que sauce comes in.
But there are all sorts of other things besides sauce that one can use. Case in point: our new pepper jam. We stocked this last week to act as an intermediary while local homestead producers are not making pepper jelly. But is more than that because it is the whole pepper. Lightly sweet jammy heat, it is great with cheese but look at these other two ways to use it with fire.
Grilled pork chops.
This is easy. Salt and pepper your chops then smear with Divina Peruvian Pepper Jam. Grill as you normally would.
Roasted veggies.
Preheat your oven to 375’ with your roasting pan inside. Putting your vegetables into a hot pan helps then stay crisp during the roasting process.
Meanwhile, pull apart 1 head of cauliflower in 1 1/2” florets and place in a bowl.
Slice carrots in 1/4” pieces to equal 2 cups; add to bowl.
Whisk together in a small cup or bowl…
2T Divina Pervivan Pepper Jam
2T olive oil
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Pour the mixture over the veggies and toss until they are well coated.
Dump into your hot roasting pan and roast for around 30 minutes, tossing once until they are soft, starting to brown and the jam has begun to get sticky & brown.
These are great served warm as a side dish straight from the oven or chilled over greens as a salad.
Click here to read our plan-ahead Specials Menu for next week.
In addition to Farmers Market, we are still doing Friday Night Pizza Live. Friday night pizza, June 14 . 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:
SPECIAL: Triple pepper; Italian long peppers, yellow bell peppers and pepperoncini with balsamic drizzle.
Pepperoni on red sauce.
Vegetable choice of mushrooms, green peppers, onions and pepperoncini on red sauce
Fig with gorgonzola and a honey drizzle over olive oil (no garlic)
Cheese only on red sauce always by request
TOMORROW SATURDAY the 15th its strawberry rhubarb pie day!
Calling all artists: our current art show on the store is ending soon and we need your work for the next show on Flags. Click here for an entry form.
Do you like food; reading about it, learning about it, cooking and baking? If so we would like you to consider working with us here at the store.
When we first opened our doors we believed our job behind the counter was simply a clerk. We still do clerking but more and more we are becoming a food destination, selling what we are making and also chatting with customers about how to make things at home. We are amping up our food training for all of us here and are hoping for one more staff member to join us.
Click here for more information or stop in the store to ask. Thank you!
The slam of the screen door, the crunch of the ice scooped for endless iced coffees and the hum of insects at the front porch. It sounds like summer already.
There were a lot of firsts at the store this week…
Brian’s 21st birthday! We were his first stop for the adult stuff. Happy B Day!A new twist of root beer!A special Belgian style beerFarmers Market!Pizza lovers……Dave and Emily hard at work.
Tasty new treats to beckon summer…no dyes, no corn syrup, no junk. Just good taste.
These taste like what we make at homeGluten-free for those s’moresA nice combo of fruit and veg
The place to be…
Multi-generations.And the elderly.We love you back.
And the place to eat…
Click here for our new plan-ahead menu with next week’s food specials.
Click here to see our seasonal menu for daily prepared foods and bakery items.
This week-end…
Friday June 7. Sour dough Pizza special. Triple pepper pizza. Italian long peppers, orange bell peppers and pepperoncini with mozzarella cheese and a balsamic vinegar drizzle. $15.95 Call ahead to order for pick-up.
Wednesday June 12. Quinoa & fresh veg Salad with creamy olive oil dressing, topped with a crispy baked cheese & smoky candied pumpkin seed crumble. Serve warm or cold. Serves 2-4. $16.50. Out by 4:00.
Wednesday June 12. Farmers Market made-on-the-spot pizza to-go and freshly squeezed lemonade.
Thursday June 13. Chicken Parmesan. Tender oven-baked chicken breast in our own sour dough breading infused with parmesan cheese. Served over artisan pasta topped with house-made fresh herb marinara. $16.50. Out by 4:00
Cooking 101
Funny how interest runs in cycles. There were several inquiries this week about how to glaze food; Lois’s chicken, Fred’s carrots and others. The process was the same given to each person; just the ingredients varied. Here are the steps.
Step one:
In a skillet or pan, cook the food slightly on medium heat in a little oil or butter. In the case of chicken (or any meat), brown both sides; in the case of any vegetable, simply warm it up. SCIENCE TIP: heat and oil helps to release the flavor of food. Think of oil like a solvent that leaches those internal taste molecules from the food into your pan and heat allows the food to open up.
Step two:
Remove your food from the pan. Hopefully there will be a little bit of brown bits. Turn up the heat to medium/high and add a generous amount of liquid (flavor of your choice); this will lift any browned bits and all those flavor molecules. Simmer away, stirring a bit, until this is reduced by about half – then add a scoop flavor to your sauce – Tarragon Mustard for Lois’s chicken, Orange Marmalade for Fred’s carrots.
Step three:
Reduce the heat to low simmer and add the food back into the pan. Simmer until food is cooked and the saucy ingredients are reduced to a glazey, syrupy ooze turning the food in it to glaze it while it finishes cooking through. If the food is cooked but your pan sauce is too liquid, simply remove the food again and boil your liquid until it becomes syrup. Add food back into it to coat it. SCIENCE TIP: sugars (natural or otherwise) help to thicken sauces when heated.
Both of these glazing flavors are available at the store.
It’s been a walk down Memory Lane here at the store this week. Remembering our fallen soldiers with Memorial Day at our door step, digging into the history of this store and even turning out favorite warm-weather foods from our shared past, made just for you.
It’s good.
Chris in his celebratory colors…..with shoes to match. Awesome details not lost on us.Memorial Day pesentation on the green.Festive cheese cakeWarm weather blackbean wrapwhite chocolate celebration barsSesame rice noodle salad with Harry’s asparagus.Pulled pork with rhubarb bar-b-que sauce over cheddar polenta.
As the warm weather hits we are back outside the store finishing some of little details that we ran out of time for when we screamed full-speed into our opening last fall. There has been a little bit of bandaids and duck tape holding things together behind the scenes. One project we accomplished just in time for Memorial Day was to finally freshen the paint on the front door and reinstall that wonderful old screen door that was put on this place many storekeepers ago.
The door itself was pretty scraped up and upon further sanding, it revealed the layers of color history, applied by the succession of storekeepers, each to his own taste and the style of the times. We decided to keep the window mullions as-is to showcase this color history.
We had a helper. Birds “chirped” in tooSommers blue. Painting by Jayne HastingPeterson red storeCorriveau green
The reinstalled screen door was not touched at all leaving its color history entirely in place. It’s not terribly functional against flying pests but has just the right slam to take our hearing memories back to bare foot childhood summers and ice cream at the store. If not this store, then the collective country stores we did visit or read about and longed for.
It’s another good thing.
See more photos on the history of this store in our exhibit that is currently hanging in the Feed Loft through June 30, 2024.
Farmer’s Market preparedness.
We tested the tent. Check. We tested the pizza oven. Check. But this week we tested our freshly squeezed lemonade. How puckery should it be? How sweet? Consider ice melting in the cup… We worked it out and it got a thumbs up even though Ruth was hesitant at first! Farmer’s Market opens next Wednesday June 5, and for each Wednesday into fall 4:00 – 6:30pm.
Ruth, Mary and PaulDave…
Wanna cook?
This time of year we are all getting very busy in our gardens and, if we are honest, something has to go to be able to fit everything into one day. For me it’s usually my housecleaning to go and while I always cook, it gets more a little more simple.
My go-to easy meal this time of year is what I call a Salad Collage. A salad can be cold or warm, lettuce or not, but the idea is collection of vegetables, left over cooked or fresh, assembled on a plate and crumbled with a protein. Dress it with what ever you have around including as simple as a fresh squeezed citrus and some olive oil. And by using up your left over bits and pieces of cooked food, your “salad” takes on some additional layers of flavor. Just like a long cooked soup, this style of salad is very satisfying.
For this blog post I challenged myself to go to my bare refrigerator (because we eat a lot of store food where I cook) and see what I could come up with for you. In the spirit of quick and easy, here you go…
What I had to work with…
Fresh greens
Not so fresh, 2 spears of asparagus
1/2 carrot…still crunchy
1 slice of left over pizza
the last bits of crunchy Fava Bean snacks [available at the store]
I layered up the veggies, cubed the pizza (like croutons) and scattered the favas on top. In keeping with the tomato in the pizza, I made a dressing of equal parts ketchup and olive oil. Man was this good!!
Happy eating and have a good week,
Jane and Dave
Friday night pizza, May 31 . 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:
Pepperoni on red sauce.
Vegetable choice of mushrooms, green peppers, onions and pepperoncini on red sauce
Fig with gorgonzola and a honey drizzle over olive oil (no garlic)
Cheese only on red sauce always by request
Call in to see what Dave is doing as a special this week!
See our menu for what types of food we are preparing this season by clicking here...
It feels like summer doesn’t it? The heat wave we are having plus the bunting on the gazebo and on our store…red, white and blue. The grammar school will be in the gazebo today Friday doing a Memorial Day presentation and on Monday our annual tribute to those who have served also in the gazebo. And in the store, raspberry red, white chocolate and blueberry blue baked treats to celebrate.
What’s new? The Ice Man Cometh and our ice machine is running! Iced beverages at the counter and bagged ice. Harry’s asparagus is still coming so grab it while the season is here….so yummy. Turning Mill Farms is in the process of transitioning from the green houses to the field so we are momentarily out of Andy’s lettuce but it will be back soon. Soon greens from Sanborn Meadow will be here too! We love the warm weather! Especially because we are air-conditioned at the store…come on in to cool down.
Casey installed the ice machineNew plantings outsideHarry bringing asparagusDave chatting with HarryYour storekeepers at the talk on the history of the Canterbury Country StoreCider braised veggie goodnessThe full coolerThe view from the parking out back. See the gazebo all decked out?Enilladas verde
Announcing! We will be at the Farmer’s Market all summer; Wednesdays from 4-6:30pm starting June 5! Dave will be making his pizzas on the spot made to order and we will also be offering lemonade from freshly juiced lemons.
Testing at home….…1000 degree oven!Ta da…Julie’s gift.Livations while testing. Got to!Some of the testers…Mary Ellen, Beth and Kevin
Asparagus two ways.
Dave’s Fav; lightly steamed, chilled with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and rice vinegar with a bit of flaky salt [we have it at the store] and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Chilled asparagus soup.
Capturing the green of the season, make this soup and slurp it up like no body’s business. I crave this greeness and feel so energized after eating it.
Throw the following into a pot, bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium and cool for just 4 minutes.
1 bunch of Harry’s asparagus, snapped into pieces; around 1lb. No need to trim; the hardened ends will cook down.
1/4 cup snipped chives
4 cups vegetable broth OR 4 cups water with 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
When 4 minutes is up, transfer all to blender and pureé until smooth. Alternatively (and really more effective) use an emersion blender in the pot to pureé everything. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill. When chilled add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in a bowl dressed with a dollop of Huckins Farm yogurt.
Please click here to see our new seasonal menu. This is what you can count on but please also check Facebook for our daily offerings.
Friday night pizza, May 24 . 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:
Pepperoni on red sauce.
Vegetable choice of mushrooms, green peppers, onions and pepperoncini on red sauce
Fig with gorgonzola and a honey drizzle over olive oil (no garlic)
Cheese only on red sauce always by request
Call in to see what Dave is doing as a special this week!
Yes, good weather and good times are a comin’. The tell tale signs? Ray is wearing shorts when he comes in for his morning coffee, Alex is no longer wearing a cap and our ice machine is arriving next week! It’s been a long time coming; after many fruitless “conversations” with ice vendors we decided to make our own, the self-reliant way. Bagged ice and fresh ice for cold drinks at the counter…soon. Thank you for your patience.
What’s new
First lettuce of the season grown in the Shaker Village greenhousesHarry’s asparagus is here!
Match making; pairing flavors
I have heard from a few of you that you find it a stretch to use herbs and seasonings outside of a recipe because you don’t know what goes with what. Understandable. There are a few givens in combining flavors because, for example, if you want something to taste Italian you would use herbs that grow there. Native American? What grew wild before we imported plants from around the world. Asian? Spices!…..and so on.
But beyond that maybe we just want to make food that tastes good instead of trying to have it be something else recognizable. Our own creation, taste memories of comforting good times, home, hearth, love.
Years ago I thought about this in some depth, and how taste is much the same as music as is the same as smell (and even of color). When a perfumer blends a fragrance they pay careful attention to using top, middle and low “notes” so as to give a balanced full scent. Music is written to incorporate the full scale of high, middle and low notes too and so a chef does the same. Nothing is as grating as repetitive single note music or as single essential oils worn can be cloying or, as you may have experienced, flat tasting food with only one flavor.
Nature has it right; try eating any crunchy, leafy green alone and will notice that it has sharp, bright top note flavors, deeper bitter flavors with middle notes of sweetness. Once again as in life, if we follow nature it is best.
You might find this chart I made years ago interesting to get you thinking about this concept. As an exercise, try tasting some herbs and spices at home to see where they are on the scale then mix a few together to see what you get. It’s fun! Trust yourself because there is no right or wrong just what tastes good to YOU.
New Art Show!
We hope you did not miss the talk at Town Hall last night, presented by Elkins Public Library and given by local historian Mark Stevens. The topic? The history of stores here in Canterbury Center! There were a LOT of tall tales!
In conjunction with that talk, we have just mounted our newest art show in The Community Art Gallery in The Feed Loft on that same topic. Our walls are lined with some of Mark’s historic photos of our town then new art work by our own Canterbury artists is hanging along side them. There are a few old store relics too! This is a really interesting show; who knew that we once were that?! We hope you’ll stop in to see it. Here through June 30.
Lauren ProspereJayne HastingsMary Kerwin
Friday night pizza, May 17 . 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:
Pepperoni on red sauce.
Vegetable choice of mushrooms, green peppers, onions and pepperoncini on red sauce
Fig with gorgonzola and a honey drizzle over olive oil (no garlic)
Cheese only on red sauce always by request
Call in to see what Dave is doing as a special this week!
The rain and moistness around town has done wonders for our spring gardens; and wonders for your appetites! The store kept selling out of prepared foods and baked goods all week, something we are pleased about. We are hoping this means that we have hit your flavor-spot and are making the right stuff! Stay tuned for a new permanent menu…
Spring does bring about that certain Joie de vivre though, doesn’t it? We all seem to have a bounce in our steps knowing that we are in for a long stretch of greenery and warmth to buoy our spirits. The store’s organic kitchen gardens are looking good. The perennial herbs are leafing out, the annual herbs are in and the rhubarb is full! It’s going to be an all rhubarb bakery case this Saturday so come and get your first taste of the season! Strawberry rhubarb bars, rhubarb muffins, rhubarb spoon cake…
Our “Scare Krone” who lived outside last winter…we were a little busy last fall so missed our clean up.Original rhubarb plant from Water Goodwin’s gardenLeaf mulch…bean oblisk ready.Chives…they line our pathsBasil for our breakfast salad mixSage for yum fall flavors
What’s new at the store…
New hand painted cards from Aunt JerryNew painted Lupines from Jayne HastingA new batch of hand painted laser-cut earrings from Heidi PauerA new CCS MIX! One of your favorite muffins…Another new CCS MIX: Blue Blueberry pancake mix with organic blueberry powder for true-blue pancakes!Lori’s beautiful flowers for Mothers Day
Brunch; neither here nor there but an excuse for everything all at once!
Continuing our theme for this month, here is another great brunchy recipe for you to try out on Sunday either for yourself or someone whose mothering your are honoring. Click here for the other recipe from last week…
Easy Chocolate Berry Galette
The french countrymen nailed the way to make an easy “pie”; a crust rolled or pressed out any ‘ol way, filled with good stuff and folded back over itself. Baked at a high temperature it yields a nice flaky crust and tender insides in no time at all. It is lower in sugar than most pie so is more of a side dish rather than a desert but serve this version in wedges with sweetened whipped cream for a decadent brunch dish.
Preheat oven to 425′.
Roll out or press out one chilled single pie crust onto a piece of parchment in a circle or as close to one as you can. Actually any shape will work…flouring as need be to prevent sticking. Transfer the sheet to a baking sheet.
Working swiftly while the dough is still cold, dump on to the center of it the following ingredients, then fold up the edges over most of the filling leaving the center open.
2 cups mixed frozen berries
1/4 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1T turbinado raw sugar scattered over the filling
Top the galette with 1 T more raw sugar to add crunch to the finished “pie”.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until browned and fruit is juicy. Let cool completely before slicing.
Its Friday night pizza again…all the regulars and call in to see if Dave has something special up his sleeve!
Friday night pizza, May 10 . 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:
Pepperoni on red sauce.
Vegetable choice of mushrooms, green peppers, onions and pepperoncini on red sauce
Fig with gorgonzola and a honey drizzle over olive oil (no garlic)
The starts and stops of Spring around here only make the sunshine more delicious. Like a long simmering sauce that the taste becomes more concentrated in, the anticipation of it is heightened. We are relishing this slow build up as a new season of flavors emerge from our kitchens and new products hit our shelves.
What’s new at the store.
New mustard from France……great flavors for cooking & eating……and great prices!New fresh salads.FINALLY, new local honey!New fresh take-out meals.New leaves on the trees outside!New events around town galore!New bakery flavors.New Sappy Ewe sheep and cows milk cheese with ash rind.New Invierno winter-aged sheep and cow cheese.New views out our back door,New all natural bug repellant and bite salve – it WORKS!New gift baskets for Mother’s Day.New gardening gift “buckets” for Mother’s Day.
What do I feel like cooking?
I bet you have asked yourself that from time to time. What was jumping out at you in your pantry, maybe what looked good at the fish market or what salivating cravings you had. To be honest, this is the way I ALWAYS love to cook..one little taste inspiration unleashes a river-flow of ideas that get flushed out on the stove top in the moment. It’s creativity at its best.
As we move into “sprummer”–that late spring almost summer time–my kitchen gardens are sprouting tender flavor buds, farmer’s first crops are appearing and my mind goes wild with ideas. To this end, Dave and I both are trying something new with our menu. Rather than publishing our meals the week before as we have done all winter, we are committing to keeping certain stand-by favorites in the freezer… then let the in-the-moment inspiration hit to cook something special for you mid-week.
Think about it. When the strawberries are at peak perfection, when we just harvested asparagus that day, when the sorrel is the perfect size for tender salad or if we happen upon some completely fresh fish….nothing could taste better.
As these meals land in the refrigerator, we plan to post them to our Facebook page but if you don’t subscribe to Facebook you could call in. We are figuring this out as we go so please give us your thoughts and feedback.
Brunch!
Like “sprummer”, brunch is that wonderful in-between meal that breaks all the rules and lets you serve up anything and indulge in everything. It’s no wonder why it has become traditional fare around holidays like Mother’s Day where we want to splurge and pamper those individuals that mother.
Here is the first of a few recipes this month that you could make for the mothers in your life. Whether one mothers humans or animals, or relishes the garden as a Mother Nature, we should celebrate everyone.
Savory bread pudding
This is great made ahead to rewarm in the oven at 325 for 15 minutes.
In my opinion, a great bread pudding is one that is moist and spoonable. Using left over stale bread is perfect but, if you do, soak it first in warm to hydrate it then ring it out. Cut moist bread into 1/2″ chunks to equal 5 cups. Scatter into a 2 QT baking dish that has been generously buttered.
Scatter 1/2 cup grated cheese (any kind) over the bread.
Optional; scatter 1/2 cup cooked ground breakfast sausage (Perhaps Robie Farms Crankin’ Sausage) over the bread also.
Whisk together in a medium sized bowl:
4 large eggs
1T sugar
1/2 tsp granulated garlic (try our Backyard Garlic grinder – local dehydrated garlic that tastes fresh!)
1/2 tsp table salt
2 T snipped chives
3 cups whole milk
Pour this mixture over the bread/cheese. Turn on oven to 350′ to preheat while mixture soaks into the bread at room temperature.
When ready to bake, place baking dish inside of a larger pan and pour boiling water into this outer pan (NOT on the bread pudding mixture). Place in oven and bake for 1 1/4 hours or until puffed and firm in the center. Serve at warm or at room temperature. “Kick it up notch” by serving it with a sour cream topping laced with bourbon! 1 cup to 1T.
Do you like recipes? Search our website for any subject or ingredient by typing in your request at the bottom of our home page in the SEARCH THIS SITE box.
Friday night pizza, May 3 . 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:
Pepperoni on red sauce.
Vegetable choice of mushrooms, green peppers, onions and pepperoncini on red sauce
Fig with gorgonzola and a honey drizzle over olive oil (no garlic)
Cheese only on red sauce always by request
SPECIAL: Robie Farms Italian sausage and roasted red peppers on red sauce.
Spring is really here and you all felt it this last week-end! The store was hopping with meeting and greeting and eating…so fun for us to see people gather here. Just like we envisioned.
John and Joanna enjoyed breakfastJohn coined the phrase “the Canterbury Country Store platter” – shared egg wrap, scone and muffin on a pizza tray.Lily and Lukas ate the sameLily and Lukas proudly completed one of Ted’s puzzles.Completed puzzleWarmer weather is here; Asian rice noodle saladBarley salad warm or coldLori Rollason’s beautiful hand crafted tulip vase.Classic enchiladas
We love local.
We also love real. As people who love to cook, we like ingredients that work the way they are supposed to. Meat that actually browns and does not turn to watery mush under heat, pasta that holds together and gives a good chewy mouth-feel when cooked and cheese that has flavor to give finished dishes that tang or nuttiness rather than just melted ooze.
In addition to local, you may notice we carry a fair amount of items from the mediterranean region of this planet. It’s not that we are trying to be Boushy; these items are selected because they are authentic, they perform well and they are moderately priced for what they are. Our climate here in the Northeast doesn’t support the growing of olives, for example. And while we want to eat Macrobiotically [eat food that is in season for where you live] we also don’t want to get vitamin C deprived scurvy like our predecessors did. Because, I am pretty sure, that we all don’t want to boil and drink pine needles for prevention as the natives did. For all of our collective interest in doing things off our land and preserving its bounty, we are all still a bit modern. Right?
About Olive Oil
There are many oils that are good for us like Greg and Amber’s SunFox Farm sunflower seed oil that we carry. But olive oil has it’s own unique quality of flavor and heritage uses. The old world Italians gave/still give a tablespoonful each morning to their children for a grassy-green slurp of micro-nutrients. And when added to our cooking we are enhancing its nutrition while adding some complexity of flavor.
But not all olive oil is the same for several reasons.
The flavor profile is vastly different between varieties of olives further enhanced by the regions of the world they are grown in; some are more grassy/herby, some more fruity, some more peppery. Most of us have not experienced true naturally flavorful olive oil that adds tasty depth to our dishes without the need for the fake flavored oils that abound.
By now we have probably all heard that many of the larger well-know names in olive oil are not actually 100% olive oil but are cut with cheaper oils. Some of you have told me that you avoid olive oil “from Italy” because you heard this. Yes there is some truth and read this book if you are curious. But more than this mystery of I can’t-read-it-on-the-label, is how olive oil is produced; and that you CAN read on the label.
In order to preserve the flavor and the nutrients that olive oil is prized for, it must be cold pressed. This means to simply squish the olives until the oil runs out. Most mass produced oil is “mechanically” extracted with aggressive machinery that heats the oil in turn promoting rancidity & frying the vitamins out of it and/or using chemical solvents–like propylene glycol–that adds toxins to the oil and renders any nutrition useless. You are left with… grease.
Good oil olive is rich in monounsaturated oleic acid. This fatty acid has been shown to lower bad cholesterol, raise good cholesterol and reduce the risks of heart disease and strokes. Olive oil also contains polyphenols which help break down and fight the excess of free-radical activity in our cells which then help reduce disease-causing inflammation in our bodies. And good olive contains a host of vitamins and minerals to boast our daily health just like our Italian grandmothers knew.
We have chosen 3 olive oils to sell here at the store, chosen for their different flavors and of course they are all cold pressed. This week-end we are offering samples by dipping them with our newest cracker, an Italian Taralli (like a crackerized tortellini); the combination is totally yum. Stop on by…
Tastes like peppery lettuceTastes like fresh picked vegetables
If you would like to try cooking with olive oil here are a few suggestions.
Grilled Romaine Salad
We love romaine lettuce for it’s crunchy bite. You may have had it grilled in your favorite restaurant but try it at home as a luscious vehicle for a favorite health-giving oil.
Slice one head of romaine lettuce lengthwise. Remove the outer leaves to put aside for another salad leaving just the heart of paler, more tender leaves. (You could also just purchase Heart of Romaine lettuce). Rinse and pat dry, then refrigerate again over- turned to drain on paper towels keeping there until very cold.
Meanwhile, chop very finely and combine:
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
2T sea salt cured Wild Mountain Capers ( we got ‘em), rinsed
When lettuce is cold, heat a large skillet (or better yet a grill pan if you have one) on medium/high heat. Brush the cut side of the lettuce with some Merula olive oil. Place the two lettuce halves face down into the hot pan and keep in place until they blacken slightly, just a minute or so. Remove to a serving plate grilled side up, scatter both halves with the tomato/caper mix and drizzle with more Merula oil. The capers are salty and the oil is peppery so you shouldn’t need any further seasoning. Crunchy, tangy and sweet, these are SO good.
Herby Cheddar Muffins with olive oil
Mix the following ingredients together in a large bowl:
1 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all purpose flour; gluten free mixes work well too
1T sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1T dried Italian herb mix, rubbed in your hand first to release the flavors
In a separate bowl whisk together:
1 large egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup Les Moulins Mahjoub organic olive oil
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just moistened. Do not over mix. Fill the finished mixture into 12 standard sized muffin tins. Bake 425º for 15 to 18 minutes until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean and the tops are nicely browned. Serve as a side to meal or use to make sandwiches with. Savory herby/grassy/veggie flavor with the creamy tang of a good cheddar. YUM. Check out our selection of really good cheddar.
Its Friday night pizza again…
Friday night pizza, April 12 . Order ahead 12” 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:
Pepperoni on red sauce.
Vegetable choice of mushrooms, green peppers, onions and pepperoncini on red sauce
SPECIAL: Canadian bacon and pineapple.
Fig with gorgonzola and a honey drizzle over olive oil (no garlic)
Cheese only on red sauce always by request
CLICK HERE to read about next weeks pizza and menu including gluten-free options.
Behind the counter
Just like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain, we have a lot of tricks behind our sales counter to help your experience at the store be excellent. Things you can ask for…
Microwave a meal for you we have one under the counter! Anything you see in the freezer or refrigerator we can micro-wave for you to eat here on-the-spot.
Salt, pepper, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup. Its out but we have lots to pop into your bag as you go out the door.
Bakery boxes we can box up any baked good in multiples up to a dozen.
Samples; is there something on our shelves you would like to try a sample of? We a box of rotating items that we can sample most anything for you.
Gift wrapping; simple, bags, boxes and bows to dress up any gift you put together.
Also behind the counter, lots of good shoulders for leaning on and ears wide open for “hearing” you and what you really want. Just ask us.
We are happy you read this and happy to know you! Have a great week,
Are we half there or half here? The store was host to a lot of eclipse traffic this week from all parts–including Canterbury, Connecticut!–while we stayed here. Our parking lot and the town green watched as we all experienced the magical change in the sky imagining what must be happening “up there”. As Emily (who works here) said, “This is sooooo cool”!
And it was.
Emily, Post Mistress Chris and Dave
Coolness lit upon us this week as more product lines came in and Jane is finding her creative groove in the kitchen bringing out household favorite meals adjusted to take-out.
Honestly, sometimes it is very hard to write these posts because there is so much to spotlight. We are continually amazed and excited about all that our region has to offer in grocery food choices.
For example, Loon Chocolate out of Manchester, NH, is new to us this week. They know their stuff. Instead of adhering to the *cheating principles allowed to call chocolate “Chocolate”, they actually make chocolate. Stone ground from cocoa beans in small batches and blended with organic sugar, this chocolate is like none other. The chocolate reflects the nuanced flavors from the region of the world it was grown, just like wine grapes or coffee beans.
We are sampling all Loon products this week-end so come on in and take a bite. *The food industry only requires that a product contain 10% cocoa beans to be called chocolate. Loon Chocolate is nearly 100% cocoa.
Yes, our store sells groceries–we are after all a grocery store– but because everyone here loves to cook, our shelves are more like a painters palette with ingredients to paint flavors with. Some of that takes the form of our take-out food but most of it hits your kitchen to make your own incredible meals.
Sue Williams that works with us here came up with a great recipe. She was drooling as she spoke of it…and it’s easy.
Smear one jar of the Blake Hills Maple Onion jam over both sides of 6 large boneless chicken thighs. Bake at 350′ for 25-30 minutes. You are left with a savory-sweet au jus to spoon over the thighs and any rice or pasta that you serve with it. Gotta try this one!
Another “color” from our palette is the Loon Cocoa Nibs we now carry. Have you heard of nibs? They are shelled roasted cocoa beans, not sweetened, but left in their crunchy pre-ground form perfect for blending into smoothies or tossed over yogurt as an anti-oxidant flavor boost. They are good for you! I have used them for years in my baking as a replacement for chocolate chips; in cookies, scattered over a pavlova or in a brownie. You can read more about the health benefits of chocolate in a recent post we did by clicking here.
Here is another thought; use them in granola! They give great flavor but without the sugar.
“Mounds” Cocoa Coconut Granola
Mix together in a large roasting pan by massaging it all together with your hands:
one 18oz tub of old fashioned oats
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil; melted
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup cocoa nibs
7oz (by weight) flaked coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
Bake at 350′ for 30 minutes stirring/flipping every 10 minutes. Let cool in pan BUT stir as it cools so it won’t clump.
CLICK HERE to see our week-end special menu and next weeks pizza and takeout meals including gluten-free!
Friday night pizza, April 12 . 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:
Pepperoni on red sauce.
Vegetable choice of mushrooms, green peppers, onions and pepperoncini on red sauce
Fig with gorgonzola and a honey drizzle over olive oil (no garlic)
Cheese only on red sauce always by request
SPECIAL: Pesto with choice of salami or mushrooms.
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.
Biscuits and gravy takeout mealCheddar biscuit toppingThomas; The next generation eating baked goods from the storeLuna; enjoying a Hot Cross Bun.Enchillada Verde takeout mealOur next door neighbors waiting out the rain. OMG…they were so cute!GF turkey meat balls takeout.Needs no words. MMMMMRussian Easter breadFinally, a bulletin board outside for all of your business cards and yard sales etc.
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:
Pepperoni on red sauce.
Vegetable choice of mushrooms, green peppers, onions and pepperoncini on red sauce
Fig with gorgonzola and a honey drizzle over olive oil (no garlic)
Cheese only on red sauce always by request
SPECIAL: Margherita; basil, cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese.
Canterbury Country Store 