Green With Envy

Other than those that are green, the array of the colorful produce available for my gastronomic enjoyment is surely gaining an inferiority complex.   It seems every time I reach for my apron, I am getting ready to prepare something green!

Before I move on to the rest of the colors that the summer has to offer, I wanted to share with you the recipes that have gotten all the other vegetables so riled up.  

I have a very small garden outside my kitchen door where each year I grow tomatoes, various herbs, mint and basil.  My basil plants are so full and bushy that I took the opportunity to make pesto.  In my opinion, there is nothing more tasty,  versatile and screams summer like bright green basil pesto.   Toss with pasta or drizzle over slices of toasted baguette to nibble on while you enjoy a refreshing glass of wine on a warm summer evening.  

Basil Pesto

Ingredients:

• 4 cups basil leaves/washed
• 1/2 cup pine nuts/toasted
• 1/2 cup parmesan/grated
• 2 garlic cloves/minced
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil

Directions:

• Puree all ingredients in a food processor, add more olive oil as needed to reach desired consistency.
  
• Serve immediately or freeze for later use.

Peas...every kids nemesis come dinner time.  Unless of course they've had them fresh out of the garden. Fresh from the garden and prepared properly these emerald gems are hard for anyone to refuse.  Thankfully Chef Dale Hawkins reminded me of my love for fresh peas when he sent me a bag full of them on a recent CSA delivery.  After I spent a bit of time coaxing all of them from their delightful pods, I enjoyed them in Chef Hawkins recipe for Fresh Pea Salad.

Fresh Pea Salad

Ingredients Mint Dressing:

• 1 cup fresh mint leaves
• 2 cup dried dates, pitted
• 1/2 small serrano chile, stem removed
• juice and zest of one lemon

Directions Mint Dressing:

• Puree mint, dates, chilies, and lemon jusice and zest in a food processor or blender.  You can thin this out to desired consistency by adding water a little at a time.  

Ingredients Salad:

• 1 1/2 cup fresh peas
• 1 small head romaine or mixed lettuces cut into shreds
• 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
• fine grain sea salt

Directions Salad:

• Cook peas in salted boiling water for approximately 20 seconds, the key is to not overcook them.  Immediately after cooking, submerge them in an ice bath.  When ready to serve, toss the peas, lettuce and pumpkin seeds together with 1/2 of the mint dressing and salt to taste.
  

Anyone who grows mint in their garden is undoubtedly left scratching their head each summer wondering what they are going to make with the abundance of mint that has threatened to take over their garden.  Wonder no more!  Try this refreshing mint tea recipe I recently found in Gourmet magazine.  It's a little work, but well worth it!

Mint Tea

Ingredients:

2 quarts of water

10 mint sprigs, leaves pulled off and cleaned

1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

Bring water, mind, and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.  Cool completely, about 1 hour.  Strain through a sieve into a large pitcher, pressing on and then discarding mint.

~~Joy Bell

National Gingersnap Day

Today is National Gingersnap Day and the perfect opportunity to share with you one of the best gingersnap recipes I've ever come across.  I fell in love with this recipe while visiting a bed and breakfast in Asheville, North Carolina with my husband.  They were set out for guests in the afternoon and when I bit into one, I was immediately reminded of my grandmother and her daily afternoon ritual.  Each afternoon around 1 p.m. she would make a cup of hot tea and enjoy it quietly with a few gingersnaps. I’d watch her dip them into her tea and then let them melt in her mouth. Following in her footsteps, that is precisely how I now enjoy my gingersnaps (or my tea- depending on how you look at it). The gingersnap recipe at the Red Rocker Inn brought me such wonderful memories that I couldn't leave without it so I asked the owner if she would share it with me. She was kind enough to say yes!  I've made them several times and enjoy them especially during the holidays but regardless of when I've made them, I have never been disappointed! These are fantastic gingersnaps and when you eat them it's possible you just might feel like you had an English grandmother too!---Joy Bell

Red Rocker Inn Gingersnaps

Ingredients:

 12 tablespoons margarine
 2 cups sugar
 2 eggs
 ½ cup molasses
 3 ¾ cup flour
 2 teaspoons baking soda
 2 teaspoons cinnamon
 2 teaspoons cloves
 2 teaspoons ginger

Directions:

 Cream margarine and sugar together
 Beat in eggs
 Add molasses and sifted dry ingredients
 Mix well
 Roll into 1” balls dip in granulated sugar
 Place on greased cookie pan and bake in a 325 degree oven for 10-12 minutes

Note: Since this recipe is from a bed and breakfast, it makes 85 cookies! Often times I’ll cut it in half, unless of course I’m making it for large groups.

~~Joy Bell

Firefighter's Breakfast Feeds 1200

On the second Sunday of each month Kingwood's Volunteer Fire Department serves buckwheat cakes (and don't call them pancakes!), scrambled eggs, biscuits, gravy, sausage and bacon to folks who travel from near to far to enjoy the all-you-can-eat feast. Each month 1200 people on average come to the Community Center to enjoy the good food. Can't wait until the annual Buckwheat Festival to get your buckwheat cake fix? Then mosey on over to Kingwood on the second Sunday of each month--you'll want to make it an annual outing!

Personally, I like having firemen serve me breakfast, but if you want try your hand at the cakes that put Kingwood on the map, then enjoy this delicious recipe! -- Nikki Bowman

Recipe for Preston County Raised Buckwheat Cakes

(Recipe makes 8-12 cakes)

In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cake household yeast (or 1 cake Fleishman's Yeast or 1 envelope dry yeast) and 1 teaspoon salt into one quart lukewarm water.

Let stand a few minutes and then add 3 cups, or enough buckwheat flour to make a stiff batter. Cover and let stand overnight (or at least 4 or 5 hours).

When ready to bake the cakes, dissolve 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 2 teaspoons sugar in 1 cup hot water. Stir into batter, then add about 1 cup or enough warm water to make a thin batter. Bake on a hot griddle.

Save at least 1 cup of the batter for the next baking. (It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week) To renew, add 1 pint lukewarm water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and enough buckwheat flour to make a stiff batter. Cover and let stand overnight (or at least 4 - 5 hours)

Chef Heath Finnell's Ribeye Perfection

While interviewing Chef Heath Finnell of Cafe' Bacchus in Morgantown for a story in the summer issue of WV Living Magazine, I asked him where he liked to eat when he wasn't turning out fantastic dishes for his patrons.  Expecting him to want someone else to do the cooking for once, his answer surprised me,  "I love to hang out in the backyard and grill," says Heath.   

With summer just around the corner (and fathers day too) I asked Heath if he would share some of his grilling techniques with the readers of WV Living and I'm so glad he said yes, I think you will be too.  

~~Joy Bell

Eating Seasonally (and Locally)

Over the last few weeks Chef Dale Hawkins has trained me in a manner similar to that of Pavlov and his dogs. The UPS truck arrives in front of my house weekly and its driver ascends the stairs to my front porch. The folks at Fish Hawk Acres in Rock Cave, W.Va have been able to pack a cardboard box full of such delightful produce that I’ve come to salivate, figuratively, when the brown uniformed deliveryman rings my doorbell. Inside the cardboard box culinary treats, carefully selected for my enjoyment, wait to be turned into fresh and original dishes. My produce drawer is stuffed with sweet young carrots in shades of cream, orange and red, tender lettuces, baby spinach, delectable pea shoots, and French breakfast radishes, even shitake mushrooms grown in French Creek, W.Va., all transcend my meals to a whole new level of tastiness. With Chef Hawkin's recipes included in the box, I've created dishes such as Spinach and Shitake Salad with Citrus Dressing, Fresh Carrot, Feta, and Black Olive Salad, Asparagus Frittata, and even an Orange-Basil Mojito!  

In addition to the locally grown produce, I’ve come to look forward to the locally made products that are included, almost weekly, in my CSA box. Recently I have received Granola made with organic cranberries and West Virginia honey from The Crazy Baker located in Renick, W.Va. which I enjoyed for breakfast.

Pecan Pie Jelly by “The Stewed Tomato” that I used to top off a dish of vanilla ice cream, and West Virginia Maple Syrup processed and bottled for your enjoyment by Richter’s Maple House in Pickens, W.Va. that we used on the French Toast and Berries recipe found in the upcoming summer issue of WV Living Magazine.

I still have several weeks left of my Spring CSA and have already signed up for the early summer share. I’m discovering some

wonderful local food products and learning to eat seasonally. Fish Hawk Acres CSA has turned into one of my favorite adventures!

Myla Bowman's Perfect Pie Crust

In less than 2 weeks the summer issue of WV Living goes to print and in it, we will be bringing you pages of recipe ideas for your summer berries. When editor Nikki Bowman assigned the berry article to me she said, “You have to include my mother-in-law’s piecrust recipe, it’s the best I’ve ever tasted!” And that got me thinking. Piecrust, in my opinion is an art. It’s not simply the recipe that is key to a flaky, melt in your mouth pastry, but the technique.  

A flaky piecrust is a lost art that I’ve never been able to master. “Do you think your mother in law would allow me to video her technique so we could share it with the readers of WV Living?” I asked. And the rest, as they say, is history!

In this video, Myla Bowman shares with the readers of WV Living her tried and true techniques for the perfect piecrust. I think you’ll also enjoy the stories she weaves into the lesson. Myla is like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter day (with homemade marshmallows)!

After you’ve watched the video, you'll see the secret ingredient to Myla’s perfect piecrust is really no secret at all, but instead a light hand mixed with a dash of patience.

Myla Bowman's Perfect Pie Crust from Joy Bell on Vimeo.

Happy Mothers Day

Cantankerous is the adjective that best describes my general disposition for each and every one of my teenage years. Today, many years removed from those rebellious, self-involved, eye rolling, foot stomping, door slamming days, I feel humbled by the woman that I call “mom.” And although she has given her love freely, and without judgment for my entire life, it is my teenage years for which I owe her my biggest debt of gratitude.  Thanks mom! 

She was here in West Virginia last week to visit my family, and me. Knowing that we wouldn’t be together for Mothers Day, I decided to do something special for her while she was here. We went on a road trip to Grafton, home of the first Mother’s Day celebration.

Grafton is situated on the banks of the Tygart River and is a 30-minute drive from Morgantown. If you’ve never been, you should go check it out. It is a great day trip destination.

Besides visiting The International Mothers Day Shrine, we were able to check out the visually stunning B&O Railroad’s train station, and on our way back to Morgantown we stopped at Tygart Lake State Park to do some exploring.   But no self respecting day trip would be complete without food! 

Around lunchtime, and before we headed to the state park, we asked one of the local residents his favorite place to eat. “Well if you ladies are hungry,” he said, “you ought to head over to The Stagecoach on Route 50, that’s one place I’ve never left hungry!” We were hungry (we’re always hungry) so to The Stagecoach it was, and I’m here

 to tell you, this gentleman was not exaggerating. We were served so

 much food; we needed a doggy bag for our doggy bags.  

Spending much of her youth in Mobile, Alabama I’ve never known my mother to turn away from the words “cornbread” or “grits” on any “specials” board.  While at The Stagecoach, my mother was able to experience yet another West Virginia tradition.  Seeing pinto beans and cornbread listed as the daily special, that is of course what she ordered.  Never having had the “quintessential West Virginia cuisine” myself, I was curious what she would have to say. Her reaction came as no surprise; she really enjoyed it, especially the cornbread which she said was the “most plump and moist she has ever had.”

If you’re ever looking for an interesting way to spend the day with your mom, head out to Grafton, the drive is beautiful, and there are some interesting things to see and do.

The International Mothers Day Shrine

Tygart River Dam

B&O Train Station, Grafton

If nothing else, you’ll be in excellent company for you’ll be with the truest friend your heart has ever known.

Tomorrow for Mother's Day my husband, and children are taking me on a Sunday drive to Fayetteville (no doubt getting a head start on the alms for their impending teenage years) where we'll surely find a great place to grab a bite to eat.  Leave us a comment and let us know what great food adventure you had for Mother's Day.