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By Emily, February 21, 2010 2:16 pm

Two weeks ago, I made meatloaf and Brian and I spent pretty much all week eating it (it didn’t occur to me until we’d finished it that I could’ve frozen some).  Last week we were on vacation and so I didn’t cook.  I felt like I hadn’t been in the kitchen in forever.  And I missed it.

I made up for my absence last night with a surprisingly delicious casserole I adapted from a recipe for Polenta and Onion Casserole with Fennel Seed and Soy Mozzarella that was in The Complete Vegan Cookbook: Over 200 Tantalizing Recipes, Plus Plenty of Kitchen Wisdom for Beginners and Experienced Cooks by Susann Geiskopf-Hadler and Mindy Toomay.

Things you should know before making this recipe:

1) It’s from a vegan cookbook, but my adaptation is not vegan.  Simple solution: substitute soy mozzarella for the regular mozzarella cheese (that’s what the original recipe called for, but I had the cheese already and I can’t bring myself to eat soy cheese yet).

2) Making this dish requires 2 burners and the oven.  But it’s worth it.  So worth it.

3) As incredibly delicious as this dish is, it’s not the prettiest thing ever once you serve it.  I served it with a spoon and ate it out of a bowl–it’s pretty much mush.  But the flavor is amazing and comforting.

Tomato, Onion and Polenta Casserole
Adapted from The Complete Vegan Cookbook

2 teaspoons fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
Olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 red onions, chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt
28 oz can whole tomatoes (do not drain!)
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
black pepper
1 and 1/2 cups uncooked polenta (coarse ground cornmeal)
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese, or more to taste

1. Use a spice grinder to combine the fennel seed and chili flakes.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the fennel seed and chili flake mixture and minced garlic to the oil and stir to combine for about a minute.
3. Add the onions and salt to the skillet.  Cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft.
4. Add the capers and the tomatoes with their juice to the skillet.  After the mixture reaches a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up large pieces of tomato.
5. While that cooks, preheat the oven to 375º.  Grease a 3 quart casserole dish with olive oil.
6. In a saucepan, combine 4 cups of water, garlic powder and a sprinkle of black pepper.  Bring to a boil.
7. Reduce the temperature to medium and add the polenta in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly.  Continue to whisk until the polenta is thick (normal polenta consistency, this takes a few minutes).  Whisk in 1/2 cup of cold water and return the polenta to bubbling.
8. Stir in a 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese to the polenta.  Next, pour the polenta into the greased casserole dish.  Distribute the polenta evenly in the dish.  Pour the onion and tomato mixture on top and cover with the remaining mozzarella.
9. Bake for 20 minutes and cool before serving.

On a unrelated note for my local readers, I just found about about this cool event happening in Williamstown and North Adams, Massachusetts next month.  The Farm Film Feast is March 10-14 and will feature showings and discussion on “a dozen documentary films about our food: Who produces it, how it reaches us, and how it affects our health, our environment, and our local and global communities.”  I’m not sure which events we’ll be attending (March still seems so far away!) but I’m really excited about it.

Enjoy what remains of the weekend!

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By Emily, February 9, 2010 8:19 pm

Last night Brian and I headed to a local “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” event.  I was really glad we checked it out and it got some good press in the local paper too.  The event ran from 5-7 pm and we got there a bit after 5.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that tons of other people were there too!  Sometimes it seems like the people I talk to aren’t aware of the issues surrounding food production, but it was clear last night that there’s plenty of interest in local farming around here.

There were a good number of tables which represented many CSAs and farms.  And there were lots of food samples.  Brian and I made slowly made the rounds (they really need a bigger venue next time!), picking up business cards and seeing what different farms have to offer. 

Its really cool to talk to different farmers and hear about what they’re doing.  Plus it reminded me about the approach of summer-I can’t wait to have easy access to local, fresh food again.  And I’m definitely checking out some of these farms.  Yay for knowing where your food comes from!  It’ll be fun (for me, at least, I’m not so sure about Brian) to comparison shop the farms and really get to “know our farmer”.

Want to find a Farmer’s Market near you?  Check out this Farmers Market Search site from the USDA or PickYourOwn.org

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By Emily, October 18, 2009 4:23 pm

Autumn is absolutely, hands down, my favorite season of the year.  I love the weather, the leaves changing colors, the start of school (really, I do), apples, pumpkins, cider, Thanksgiving…

My in-laws came up to visit yesterday and Brian and I decided we should check out The Apple Barn and Country Bakeshop in Bennington, Vermont.  It’d been greatly praised by friends of ours and seemed like a perfect outing for the first sunny day in a long time.

The Apple Barn was everything I’d hoped for (and a serious danger to my wallet):

The store was bigger than I’d expected and featured all the fall/Vermont/farm products I could dream of: several varieties of apples, maple syrup, jarred preserves, cider, fresh baked breads and donuts, plus a coffee shop.  Heavenly.  I ran into a friend of mine while I was there.  ”This place gives me heart palpations,” she told me.  Completely understandable.  I love places like this: local, fresh, delicious.

With full knowledge that we’ll probably head back to the Apple Barn before the season is over, Brian and I purchased the following:

Yes, those are apple cider donuts…there used to be six of them…but that’s not important now.  And yes, I have plans for all of those apples.  Did I mention we really like apples?  But I was most excited about the little box:

Single serving “tea” bags of mulling spices for cider.  Hot cider is amazing and I’m so excited that I can add spice to individual cups instead of making a whole gallon’s worth.

Clearly, if you find yourself in the Bennington region in the near future, you need to visit The Apple Barn.  If you’re as passionate about fall and fall foods as I am, you won’t be disappointed.

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By Emily, September 8, 2009 5:48 pm

On Saturday, Brian and I headed just west of downtown Bennington to attend the 14th Annual Southern Vermont Garlic and Herb Festival.  Dorky as it may sound, I’d been looking forward to it for months.  We had a great time and I definitely learned a lot of things I didn’t know before spending the day sampling delicious Vermont treats (garlic, maple syrup, salsas, dips, breads, sandwiches…it was pretty amazing).

1.  The Garlic Festival is really popular

We drove to Vermont on the morning of the first day of the festival and it was pretty crowded.  Of course, the fact that the majority of the vendors were distributing free samples didn’t help cut down on the crowds.  According to the event’s website, over 6000 people attending the 2008 festival.  That’s a lot of people for a two day event.

2. There are many different kinds of garlic

I know I’m not the only person who didn’t already know this because I was eavesdropping on other people, but it never occured to me before that there are all different types of garlic.  It seems odd to me that supermarkets only seem to carry one kind (and sometimes elephant garlic) if all these local farms are growing so many varieties.

3.  Garlic makes a great decoration

Brian and I opted not to purchase any garlic artwork to decorate our apartment, though I’m sure it would’ve smelled nice.  I just wanted you to be aware that the option is out there.

4.  There exists such a thing as maple liqueur

Along with several Vermont beer and wine vendors,  Sapling Maple Liqueur had a booth with samples available.  We couldn’t think of when another opportunity might arise to sample maple liqueur, so we got some.  Pretty, isn’t it?  Pretty strong is more like it.  We had couple sips and then used the rest to top some vanilla ice cream (though they did have garlic ice cream too!)

5.  There exists such a thing as garlic fudge

I expected that the Garlic Festival would have some bizarre garlic flavored foods and this is definitely my top pick.  Of course, I had to try it.  The sample was pretty microscopic, but it tasted fine to me.  I suppose it helps that cherry can be a pretty strong flavor.

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By Emily, July 9, 2009 11:57 am

I may have just decided where all my money is going to go.

I also just had an amazing whole wheat bagel with delicious sundried tomato cream cheese.

If my Man notices in a few weeks that we’re out of money, brewhaha, in downtown North Adams, may be to blame.  It’s adorable.  It’s delicious.  And they have vegetarian/vegan offerings!  They offer loose, organic teas!   Not to mention coffee and baked goods.

If you’re in the area and looking for breakfast or lunch, I highly recommend it.

Finally leaving the house today was so worth it.