Farmer's Market Sweet Peppers and Pasta

In mid August, I was lucky enough to demonstrate at the Dedham Square Farmers Market under the Community tent.

I brought enough clay to demonstrate a cup, a bowl, a plate, a vase....

It was fun to interact with visitors and "talk shop".  Those who enjoy local food embrace the food and pottery connection.

While speaking to one of the nice folk who stopped to watch and chat under my tent, we decided this collection called for a blue glaze. With the changing season upon us, this dark rich blue won out.

I demonstrated tumblers, but ended up adding handles later in the process at home.

big bowl and little bowl

Food and Pottery Connection:
"There is a shift from tomatoes and peppers to kale and spinach.  The natural transition from summer to fall is marked by the produce we eat and the flavors we crave..." as well as the colors and shapes we choose to serve this new food in.

Food: 
Fettuccine with sweet peppers and pine nuts
 - 4-6 servings

 

Fresh fettuccine pasta (like Contadina)
1/3 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
3-4 sweet bell peppers, cored, seeded and julienned
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
Salt and Pepper

In a large, heavy skillet heat the olive oil. Add garlic and bell peppers, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring continuously. Add pine nuts and cook approximately 4 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Gradually stir in basil. Add olives. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook pasta according to package directions - this will take 2-3 minutes at boil. Drain and mix with sauce.


Pottery: Serve in Big blue bowl (see above) and rest spoon here:

the center spiral acts as a drain

Many of these pieces will soon be for sale at the Dedham Square Artist's Guild in Dedham.

Wild Blueberries

Close to one half million pounds of Wild Blueberries are harvested every year in Maine from late July until the end of August. They are different from traditional blueberries as they are smaller and less sweet, richer in color and juicier.

Food and Pottery Connection:

Food: 

Maine Blueberry Muffins - 12

Junior League of Portland, Maine Cookbook

1/2 cup plus 2T butter

1 3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/4 cup plus 1T milk

3/4 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 425. grease muffin tins.

2. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, milk and vanilla. Add flour and baking powder. 

3. Fold in Blueberries.

4. Bake 23-25 minutes

Pottery: 

Square Plate 

with slip-trailing and stamping

(...perfect size for 4 or 5 muffins...)

This plate (and a few other pieces of art from the Dedham Guild) will be for sale at the Dedham Farmer's Market tomorrow on the green from 12-6

Potato Potato

Powisset Farm grows many varieties of potatoes that end up in my kitchen after a farm distribution. Some are pictured below:

 My favorite variety of potato is All Blue.  

The reason is their vibrant color!

The Food and Pottery Connection:

Food:  All Blue Roasted Potatoes

All Blue Potatoes -

 scrubbed free of dirt and cut into like size pieces

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Roast potatoes in a 425 oven for 35 minutes.

Pottery: Serving Bowl 

in a color equally as beautiful with hints of orange to play up the All Blue potatoes.

Lisa WB Walker Wheel-thrown Bowl

Stawberry Season

My CSA is open for the season and the strawberries are abundant! 

strawberries picked fresh from the field.

 The Food and Pottery Connection:

FOOD:

Strawberry Shortcake 

(a Walker family favorite)

Biscuits - I usually pick up a batch at Roche Bros in Westwood

strawberries - hand picked, washed (see below**), hulled and sliced

sugar - sprinkle over cut strawberries and toss

whipped cream - Cabot's

strawberry jam - I love Fisher Brook Farm Strawberry Jam!

Slice biscuit and toast. Spread one half biscuit with jam. Add strawberries, whipped cream next... top with or without second biscuit half. yum.

AND POTTERY:

A Berry Bowl** for washing your strawberries

wheel thrown berry bowl with drain dish

21 days til Valentine's Day

Luxurious Hot Chocolate 

- recipe makes enough for 4 servings

Pour 2 1/2 cups milk into a saucepan followed by 3 1/2 oz dark chocolate. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate has melted. Bring mixture to a boil, then whisk in 2-3 Tablespoons heavy cream until frothy. Test for sweetness, add sugar to taste.

Pour into handmade mugs, like the one pictured here... and enjoy.

This recipe will give you and your sweetheart 2 cups each :)

More Valentine's Day gifts ideas are featured on my website.

BLUE in NYC

By BLUE, I mean Blue Man Group, Blue skys, Blue colors, but not a feeling of being blue by any means... They were some of the many sights and sounds from my recent trip to New York City.  My recipe posting today is inspired by the fantastic Italian food of New York City.

Pizza Margherita - serves 1
Recipe adapted from Mario Batali recipe

pizza dough
1/4 cup red sauce
2 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced into 4 equal pieces
2 leaves fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place a clean pizza stone in oven to preheat.

Dust a clean work surface lightly with flour. With your fingers and palms, flatten dough into a 10-inch oval about 1/4-inch thick. Spread 1/4 cup of the red sauce evenly on entire surface of dough, leaving 1/4-inch of dough to form edge of pizza. Take one piece of mozzarella, slice into 4 uniform slices and put on top of sauce. Rip 2 leaves of basil into smaller pieces and sprinkle on top of mozzarella. Slide pizza directly onto pizza stone and bake 15 to 18 minutes, until edge of pizza is golden brown and cheese is bubbling. 

creating serving dishes for summer time parties with friends and family...


 

Pancakes Anytime

This is the best pancake recipe I've come across. I think the key ingredient might be the melted butter.

Serve these anytime of the day or night. Slice in fresh fruit or sprinkle in chocolate chips while cooking. Serve hot with butter and REAL maple syrup. Any leftover batter can be stored in the fridge for later.

Pancakes - serves 10-12 6"ers
Dawg Chow Cookbook

2 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
3 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
3 tsp melted butter

1. Mix eggs and milk together. Combine sugar, flour, salt and baking powder. Add wet to dry ingredients with a whisk.
2. Add melted butter to batter and stir.
3. Pour batter on preheated, coated skillet in 1/4 cup measurements. Flip when bubbling.

Cup for Juice...

Enjoy the last of seasonal blueberries..

It must be the end of summer when all the local blueberries are gone. Here's a recipe to savor the last of a favorite summer fruit. It freezes well too.

Blueberry Pound Cake
Cooking Light Cookbook 2000

2 cups sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
8 oz lemon yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Beat together sugar, butter and cream cheese. Add eggs. Add vanilla.
3. Combine 2 Tbls flour with blueberries.
4. Combine remaining dry ingredients. Add alternately with lemon yogurt to sugar mix. Fold in blueberries.
5. Pour batter into a 10" tube pan coated with cooking spray. Tap on table to rid air bubbles before putting in the oven to bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
6. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool 15 more minutes on rack.
7. If you like things really sweet, you can drizzle a mixture of 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar and 4 tsp lemon juice over the warm cake before serving.

Blue of Blueberries Bowls...