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

The HAND made connection

Over the weekend I decided to make homemade pizzas.  It was a first time adventure for our whole family.  Making the pizza dough was so much like working with clay, I must admit I was having a hard time sharing.  I found a great recipe in a new cookbook I bought recently called Cooking for Teens.  

Here's the recipe for pizza dough (found on page 92)

kneading dough

Sprinkle 1x1/4oz package dry yeast over

1 3/4 cup warm water. 

Set aside for 10 Minutes.

Combine 6 cups white bread flour,

1 tsp salt,

1 tsp sugar,

2 Tbs Olive Oil then add water/yeast.

Knead 10 minutes on a floured surface. 

Oil bowl, place dough in, cover, rest 30 minutes til doubled.

Divide into 4 balls. Cover and rest 1 hour.

wedging clay

Such Similarities!

When the dough had risen, we each made our own pizzas and shared with each other.  Our favorite was the Margharita.   

Here is the recipe for Margharita Pizza:

Preheat oven to 425. 

Roll out ball of dough to 10 inches.

Place on greased cookie sheet. 

Spread with pizza sauce. 

Top with slices of mozzarella cheese and torn fresh basil leaves. 

Bake in oven 12-20 minutes. 

Sprinkle with extra torn basil leaves before serving.

The Food and Pottery Connection:

Food: Making Pizza!

Pottery: Play with Clay!

The Hand Made Connection!

Try your HAND in clay at one of my workshops this week:

Create a Clay Bunny/Animal on Wednesday and Carve a Clay Tile on Saturday.  Signs up are still ongoing so Sign Up! Come Play with Clay with me in Dedham this week!

Photos for this blog were found using search on google images.

Transition

The transition from summer to fall always seems difficult.  Less light, less sleep, less time, but I love seasonal change.  The air is crisper and the colors are darker.  Food choices become denser and warmer and I start to think about apples, pumpkins and soup.

Some of my favorites are still being harvested, but carrots are thicker, greens are darker and thoughts of tomatoes and mozzarella turn to roasted spaghetti sauce.

With a busy tempo to the day, I find myself making pasta-based recipes that are easy to assemble and reheat nicely depending on when family members arrive home.

Here's what's for dinner at my house tonight: 
 

Pasta with Roasted Tomato Sauce and Chicken - serves 3 or 4


Fresh Pasta - cooked and drained
Roasted Tomato Sauce* - 2-3 cups
Chicken - cut into bite sized pieces and pan fried in olive oil and a sprinkle of salt

Combine and serve with your favorite cheese.

*Roasted Tomato Sauce - Roast onions or leeks, garlic, tomatoes mixed with olive oil and kosher salt in a 425 oven for 30-45 minutes.  Cool. Blend. Add thyme or oregano or basil, whatever your favorite is.  Freeze in 2 cup portions.


Creating, creating, creating....

Nancy Blokland Pottery

Nancy Blokland lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada where she makes handmade pottery and tends her organic garden.

Leaves, foliage and flowers from Nancy's own garden become a physical part of her pottery.  She grows food for her family and friends to sell alongside her pottery at the local Farmer's Market. That's a clear food and pottery connection.

"The love of making functional pottery for others to use at their tables, kitchens, dining rooms is still something I consider an honor. My work is part of many meals, and I hope celebrations!"  
 

"When I started out in pottery, I wanted to make onion soup bowls. I seem to remember that was something very trendy at that moment in time. I have made a lot of pottery since then, but still no set of onion soup bowls."

Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs

This recipe is from Nancy's mom. It's a family favorite for birthdays and a great winter comfort meal.  Enjoy! 

1. Brown 2 lbs. spare ribs in a deep frying pan. 

2. Mix together ¼ tsp. ginger, ¼ cup sugar, ½ tsp. dry mustard, ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp pepper, 2 tbsp. flour, 2 tbsp. soy sauce, 3 tsp. vinegar, 1 cup water. 

3. Add one medium onion, chopped fine to sweet and sour mix.

4. Pour mix over spare ribs, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for about one hour. We often double the sauce. 

Here's a great piece of functional pottery for serving up spare ribs!

"Just as drinking out of a handmade mug is special, so is picking my organic peas and raspberries and eating them while we stand in the garden and watch the bees, caterpillars and butterflies." says Nancy.

For more information about Nancy, follow her blog and her facebook page.  Her etsy shop is where you can purchase her pottery. 

Good Night Irene

CSA in Dover, MA

Distribution was canceled for today at Powisset due to the recent "tropical storm" Irene.  Downed tree limbs and wiring issues have caused electricity to be cut off from the barn.  The Powisset farm crew is such a hard working group; I send them good wishes as they work through these issues.  

Plans for a family weekend went to the wayside with the approaching storm and I was looking for a recipe that might give us some good leftovers if we lost power. Which we did...

peppers from the farm

Eggplant Lasagna - serves 4-6

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

"stuffing"
3 lbs eggplant, sliced 1/3" thick
1 lb instant lasagna noodles
8 oz mozzarella (8 oz)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
6 basil leaves, torn

"sauce" 
2 1/2 cups milk
3 garlic cloves
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cream


1. Roast eggplant in a 425 oven 15-20 per side.  Make sure to use olive oil on each side and a sprinkle of kosher salt.
2. Slowly heat milk and garlic to a boil on the stove top. Set aside covered for 15 minutes. 
3. On the stove top, melt butter, stir in flour, pour in garlic milk - combine all with a whisk and simmer 20 minutes until thickened.
4. Lightly butter a 8x10 baking dish. Spread 1/2 cup sauce on bottom. Add a layer of pasta and cover with 1/3 cup sauce. Lay down 1/3 of eggplant, 1/3 of mozzarella, 2 T Parm and 1/3 of basil. Repeat twice. Top with final layer of pasta and cover with remaining sauce and Parm. Cover with foil. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes.  Remove cover and bake 10-15 more minutes. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

cucumbers from the farm

The weather change and the upcoming start of the school year has got me thinking about fall and a collection to go along with it... blues, browns, greens, whites

beans from the farm

 

New Day Pottery

Having just returned from a wonderful trip to North Carolina, I thought it might be appropriate to feature a potter from North Carolina who has a food and pottery connection. Meet North Carolina potter, Judy Abdelaziz.  She lives and works in Charlotte. Judy makes decorative and functional pottery and sells as "New Day Pottery".

When I asked Judy about her food and pottery relationship, she said she "enjoys entertaining and finds herself making items that are mostly for serving." 

She sent me a delicious recipe (her husband's favorite!) perfect for the season which she recommends serving in any one of her beautiful bowls!

Waldorf Salad
4 medium apples
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup whipping cream
ground nutmeg

Core and dice apples. In a bowl sprinkle apples with 1 tbsp lemon juice. Add celery, raisins and pecans. Add mayo, sugar and 1/2 tsp lemon juice. Fold in whip cream. Cover and chill.  Sprinkle with nutmeg.

"A new item that she is excited about this year is the deviled egg tray. She serves deviled eggs a lot when she has Bunko or Spades at her house. Her family really likes them." Could she share that recipe and send a photo of that serving dish too?!!!

Judy's work is very colorful! Her pieces are fired in a mid range electric kiln to make them oven, microwave and food safe.

This year, she is President and the website administrator for the Carolina Claymatters Guild, as well as belonging to Mints Hill Arts and the Southern Arts Society. Find out more about New Day Pottery on Judy's blog, her facebook page and her etsy shop

The Mug

One could make a case for "The Mug" as one of the most important elements in the pottery and food relationship. Most of us start our day with coffee or tea in our favorite mug.  The Mug functions as a drinking vessel and a conduit to nourish our body and soul.

In anticipation of farm stand sales this summer, I threw a variety of mugs.  A successful glaze kiln yielded the fine assortment pictured above. In order to understand my mugs better, I filled each with water.  Why?  I wanted to see exactly how much liquid each would hold.  As a functional piece of pottery, food and beverage usage needs to be considered. Here's what I found:

18 ounces

16 ounces

14 ounces

12 ounces

What's local and good to eat while you are sipping your morning java?  This is a favorite when Blueberries are in season...


Blueberry Pound Cake 
Cooking Light 1998

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light butter
1/2 (8-ounce) package 1/3 less-fat cream cheese -- softened
3 large eggs
1 large egg white
3 cups all-purpose flour -- divided
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8-ounce) carton lemon low-fat yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cooking spray
1/2 cup powdered sugar 4 teaspoons lemon juice                                                                                                     
1. Preheat oven to 350.


2. Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg white, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 2 tablespoons flour and blueberries in a small bowl, and toss well. Combine remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in blueberry mixture and vanilla; pour cake batter into a 10-inch tube pan coated with cooking spray. 


3. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. 


4. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl; drizzle over warm cake. Cut with a serrated knife.

I'm selling these beautiful mugs at the Powessit Farm Stand today, August 2nd from 1:30-6:30.

It's the things we surround ourselves with.

As I was stirring up some ingredients for my favorite swiss chard pie, I began to think about the pieces of pottery I use everyday.  


Sometimes they are mine and sometimes they are others.

This spoonrest was made by me.  I love it and use it everyday.  The best thing about it is that each night after I finish cooking dinner, I throw it in the dishwasher...Love that!

Then there is my butter dish made by my friend Sue Brum that my kids gave me for Christmas.  The colors clearly go well in my kitchen. 

Here is my salt cellar that my daughter made on the wheel.  It is filled with Kosher salt.  I use it all the time. 

My windowsill: more pottery handmade by my daughter.

The pie is ready to go in the oven. 
Here's the recipe:


Swiss Chard Pie - serves 4

A recipe from the Boston Globe

1 frozen 9" pie shell
1 bunch swiss chard, leaves and stems separated
3 strips bacon, chopped
1 T veg oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garic, finely chopped
4 eggs
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 c Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pie crust, covered with tinfoil, 25 minutes at 375. Cool.
2. Chop swiss chard coarsley and add to skillet. Cook over med heat until wilted. Increase heat to high and cook until excess liquid evaporates. Remove from pan.
3. Add bacon to skillet and cook 5 minutes. Add to swiss chard. Wipe pan.
4. Add oil to skillet, add onion, garlic, and finely chopped swiss chard stems. Cover and cook on low for 8 minutes. Stir in swiss chard leaves and bacon. Transfer to pie shell. Set shell on cookie sheet.
5. Combine eggs, nutmeg, cheese, salt and pepper. Pour over veg. Use a spoon to press pie so that it is evenly dispersed in the shell.
6. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until center is set.



Now it's time for a cup of tea in my favorite mug made by my friend Lizanne Donegan.  It's the things that we surround ourselves with that make our relationship between food and pottery all that more clear.

All the pottery featured in my blog today was created at Potters Place in Walpole, MA.

Blue Sky Pottery

Deb Babcock is the artist behind the clay creations of Blue Sky Pottery. She is also a Colorado Master Gardner.  The work I am most drawn to is her "aspen/birch forest" functional pottery. It is a beautiful collaboration between Deb's interests: the natural world and clay.

Deb is a studio potter who works in porcelain and stoneware creating one of a kind, functional pottery including whimsical teapots and tea cups, bowls, casseroles, plates, tumblers, platters, vases and tiles. She has studied under many renowned potters that have helped her with her own pottery voice. 

What about her connection between food and pottery?  

Deb says," Frankly, I'm not an avid cook and prefer pretty simple meals. I like to garden and am especially happy when I can pick lettuce, pea pods and the like out of my garden during the summer and fall and use them for dinners." 

For dessert, here is 
her favorite brownie recipe that she bakes up in her Pie Pan

1 c butter3.5 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 T cocoa
1.5 c flour (plus 2T if you live high altitude)
1/2 t baking powder
4 eggs
1 t salt
2 c sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 c chocolate chips
1.5 c dried cherries

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Melt butter with unsweetened chocolate and set aside to cool. 
3.Sift cocoa, flour baking powder and salt in medium bowl. 
4.Beat eggs until creamy in large bowl, gradually adding in the sugar. 
5.Add vanilla to the cooled chocolate and stir into the egg mix. Stir in the dry ingredients.
6.Then add the cherries and stir until combined. 
7.Pour into a buttered baking pan (I use my pie pan, but any 9 x 13 pan or similar will work) Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and bake 30 - 35 minutes until the center no longer jiggles.

"These brownies are rich and delicious with the added surprise of dried cherries. Coming from Michigan where cherries are found in abundance, I order 10 pound boxes of them a couple times a year to be sent to Colorado and use them in salads, trail mix for our hikes, and in brownies."

All of Deb's glazes are food safe. They can withstand use in the microwave, oven and dishwasher, unless specified otherwise. However, as with any handmade pottery, it will retain its fresh, good looks longer with limited microwave use and hand washing. 

Deb's etsy shop is the best place to see her work unless of coarse you live in Steamboat, Colorado where you can visit her studio/gallery.  She is a founding member of the Steamboat Clay Artisans, a member of the etsymudteam, and accessible through facebook.

Fourth of July

What American doesn't love a patriotic fourth of July gathering with fireworks, good food, family and close friends?  I know I do. Our party will have hot dogs and hamburgers, chips and pickles. I'm going to make a bowl of potato salad.

perfect bowl for potato salad

Potato Salad - serves 8

Heart of the Home by Susan Branch

2 lbs red bliss potatoes, scrubbed and halved

1/2 lb bacon, chopped

1/2 cup shallots, finely chopped

1//4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup parsley, finely chopped

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

salt and pepper

1. Boil potatoes until tender, drain, cut into bite size pieces. 
2. Fry bacon. set aside. Drain all but 3 T of bacon fat from the pan. Add shallots and saute until soft. Combine shallots and cooked bacon and pour over hot potatoes.

3. Add remaining ingredients. Stir well.  Serve at room temperature.

With the bounty of local farm fresh strawberries, I'm making strawberry shortcake this weekend too. 

a bowl for cake; a bowl for berries

Strawberry Shortcakes for 8

Martha Stewart Food Magazine

cakes~

2 1/2 cups flour

1 stick butter (cold)

1/3 cup plus 1 T sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 425. In a food processor, combine flour, butter, 1/3 cup sugar and baking powder; process until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add milk until moistened. 

2. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and gently pat into a 4x8 inch rectangle. 

3. Dust a large knife with flour; cut dough into eight squares. Transfer to a baking sheet; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake 25-30 minutes; cool on baking sheet. Serve with berries and whipped cream.

sweetened strawberries~

Hull and quarter 6 cups fresh strawberries.  Toss with 1/4 cup sugar. Let stand about 20 minutes before serving.

bowls for ice cream with strawberries

If there are left over strawberries, serve over a scoop of vanilla ice cream the next day, or perhaps spooned over some warm pancakes or waffles in the morning....

Vase for flowers

Whether for yourself or your host, there is no better table topper than a handmade vase filled with flowers from the garden. Enjoy your celebration!


red and blue criss cross glazing for functional ware...

What will you bring to your 4th of July events in a handmade piece of pottery?