Tonight was left over night, so I don't have much to say about that. Monday night we had a beautiful pork roast from Dalew Farms, which Keith encrusted in rosemary from our backyard, and intended to BBQ, until the propane ran out and I didn't answer his phone call to pick up more, because I forgot to turn the ringer back on my cell phone after our CBC interview. Oops! He roasted it in the oven instead and it still turned out succulent. We also had boiled potatoes (have to admit I'm starting to get sick of eating those), a delicious salad made of veggies from our CSA bin, the backyard and a local farmer (buttercrunch lettuce, freshly shelled peas, sunflower sprouts, carrots, green onions) with Thornloe feta and the last of my blueberry basil vinaigrette mixed in, and sauteed zucchini on the side. My Aunt and Cousin were here visiting, so we explained the project and they had so many questions to ask. I think they were genuinely impressed...especially since she isn't a veggie eater at all!! Another very successful dinner.
My recipe calls for Miracle Whip, white vinegar, and sugar....one no-no, one Ok, and one so-so on our eating list. I switched to mayonnaise a few years ago and have even been making my own from scratch this summer, and I think it's a good replacement. It isn't the same flavour, but I'm still ok with it. Vinegar, well there is no way around that...that still comes from the grocery store and if we ever intend to put anything up for the winter, vinegar has to be included. Sugar however, is in a grey area. We haven't out-lawed it, although many Locavores do. We decided to not be as hard core as that, so we've been using it in sparingly when there is no alternative. I've used it a couple times, but honey and maple syrup usually do the trick. In this case, I'm thinking honey should work. So, tomorrow night we are going to give it a try with our dinner.
Here is the proposed recipe. An adaptation from my Mother In Law's recipe:
- 1 bunch of broccoli cut in to spears
- 1/2 pound of bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup of homemade mayo (see below)
- 1/4 cup honey (or to taste)
- 1 tbsp vinegar
Mix last three ingredients to make dressing. Add to first 4 and toss to coat.
As for the mayo, I tried it earlier this summer using Dalew's eggs and a nice cold-pressed canola oil I bought at ELS. Unfortunately, the oil was of such high quality that it over whelmed the mayo and just tasted thick and oily. It was gross! I was so sad to have wasted the oil (and the money). I tried it again recently with grocery store "product of Canada" canola oil and it turned out so much nicer. My recipe calls for lemon juice but I'm going to give it a try with vinegar tomorrow.
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp prepared mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp of lemon juice
- 1 cup neutral oil like canola or sunflower
Combine the first 3 ingredients in a food processor for 30 seconds. Add the vinegar and process for 30 seconds more. Add the lemon juice and process for 30 seconds more. With motor running, slowly spoon 1/2 tsp of the oil and process for 30 seconds. Repeat. The mixture should be emulsified. A spoonful at a time, slowly add about half of the remaining oil and process for for another 30 seconds. Drizzle in the remaining oil until the mayo becomes this and creamy. Refrigerate covered up to 4 days.
This recipe works really well with some basil blended in to it....makes the best BLT's!! (Another meal we'll be eating this week.)
I hope my conversion to almost completely local ingredients works. I'll keep you posted!!
Shannon A.
No comments:
Post a Comment