Living in the country gives us a great opportunity to witness
our foods being produced right before our eyes. There’s all kinds
of stuff growing out there in the fields and on the hills and
eventually most of it will end up being one of our choices for
dinner.
Living in the country gives us a great opportunity to witness our foods being produced right before our eyes. There’s all kinds of stuff growing out there in the fields and on the hills and eventually most of it will end up being one of our choices for dinner.
Just seeing the onions and garlics piled into those gunnie sacks lined up in rows with the sun setting behind them is a picture that reminds me of a great juicy steak with grilled onion slices and roasted garlic paste on the side. If you arrange that picture just right, you will see some beef cattle grazing on the hills in the distance oblivious to the human connection of onions, garlic and beef.
The pumpkins are getting orange in the fields, and can’t you just see pumpkin pies and baked squash … or is it the jack-o-lanterns and pumpkin seeds that may be more intriguing. In other fields around us the tomatoes, bell peppers, herbs and salad greens are calling out for tossed salad or salsa for dinner.
I especially like to see the rows of green lettuce and cabbages divided with rows of red leaf lettuce, put together like a line drawing. And if you are lucky enough to see this from the top of a hill looking down, even better. Does the farmer do that for us to enjoy as an artistic creation, or does it have something to do with better growing conditions?
I am glad that the grape vines go up and down the hills in various angles and always in such straight lines. It must be for irrigation and sun exposure, but it sure is a wonderful view for us travelers on the roads to enjoy. Thanks, wine growers, for giving us such pleasure.
The cherry trees, the walnut groves, the apricot orchards and the apple fields present even another breath-taking scene especially in the early spring when they are blossoming. But don’t close your eyes on them now, as they are still lined up in those wonderfully straight rows and some of the leaves are starting to turn color already.
Those spent orchards seem to be home to many birds, perhaps those birds are waiting for some more juicy fruit to appear.
But, of course, the sweet ripe apricots are gone for now. We have to wait a little longer for the wonderful fresh walnuts of fall. When the pumpkins are ready, maybe the walnuts will be also.
This is just some of the food stuff found in and around our county. To all of the farmers and ranchers and growers of food products I wish to say thanks for making our views so wonderful. It is a pleasure to go for a drive in this county.
Next week the San Benito CattleWomen will sponsor a Beef Cooking Contest and I invite you to stop by Dorothy McNett’s Place in Downtown Hollister to register your entry.
This is just one more way to support one of the industries in our area.
An all-time favorite recipe
1/2 cup San Benito County dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup water
4 cups bread cubes (use about 8 slices bread)
1 rib celery, chopped
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning (or other sage based mixture)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (oops, I forgot to mention all of the olive trees in our county…go take a drive to see them bearing fruit as well)
2 pounds lean ground beef, or a combination of beef, pork and turkey
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup diced onion
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large farm fresh egg
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground peppercorns
1 red ripe tomato, thinly sliced
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In batter bowl combine chopped apricots and water. Microwave on high 1 minute. Set aside to cool. In meantime in large bowl mix together the ground meat, parsley, onion, garlic, egg, salt and pepper lightly, but well mixed so that there are no meat lumps. Using a parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, pat the meat mixture into a 16 by 10 inch rectangle, leaving a few inches of border on the mat or paper. Stir the bread cubes, celery, seasonings, salt, pepper and olive oil into the apricots. Spread filling evenly over meat to within 1 inch of edges. Roll up like a jelly roll, pinching the edges together to seal. Place seam side down on a baking pan with sides. Arrange tomato slices over the top. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until nicely browned and done. Allow to stand about 10 minutes, remove from pan and slice.
STUFFED BELL PEPPERS
2 large bell peppers
1 cup cooked rice
1-2 smoked chicken apple sausages, diced and browned
1-2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup favorite salsa or marinade
grated cheese for the top
Remove stem and top part of each pepper, remove the membrane and seeds. Wash well. Place in glass or ceramic casserole, cover, and microwave on high for 3 minutes. In meantime, combine cooked rice, sausage pieces, green onions and salsa. Pile into the peppers. Place in microwave safe baking dish. Microwave on high, loosely covered with waxed paper for 6-8 minutes or until thoroughly heated and pepper shell is tender. Sprinkle with cheese and allow to stand a few minutes
STUFFED PEACHES
3 oz cream cheese or good quality Brie
3-4 tablespoons fruity chutney or salsa
2-3 fresh small to medium peaches, halved and pitted paprika
mint leaves
Soften cream cheese 30 seconds in microwave oven on half power. If using Brie, it is not necessary as it is already soft. Blend in the chutney. Fill half of the peaches halves, and place on the corresponding half to seal in the cheese mixture. Chill. Sprinkle with paprika and arrange a mint leaf on one end. Serve with roast beef or roast pork as a nice side dish.
STUFFED TOMATO SALAD
3-4 nice large red ripe tomatoes
2 ears fresh corn
2-3 green onions
2-3 tablespoons fresh chives, snipped
1 cu or so drained cooked black beans
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white peppercorns
Cut off the top third from each tomato. Scoop out seeds with a spoon. Chop up any tomato pulp, discarding as many seeds as possible. Sprinkle the tomato cavities with salt and invert onto paper towels to drain for about 15 minutes. Clean ears of corn, wrap with waxed paper. Microwave on high using 3 minutes per ear of corn as a guide. Cool slightly and slice corn from cob. Combine tomato pulp, corn kernels, green onions, chives, beans, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pile back into the tomato shells. Garnish and serve.
