ROASTED POTATO & BLUE CHEESE (OR GOAT CHEESE) SALAD

Tired of the mayonnaise based potato salads? Try this mock poutine style salad for something different!

Ingredients:

FOR THE POTATOES:

2 Tbsp oil

1 large clove garlic, crushed

1/4 tsp fresh or dried thyme

1/4 tsp paprika

freshly ground pepper and salt

2 lbs (1kg) new baby potatoes, roughly chopped

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1 Tbsp honey

1/2 tsp grainy Dijon mustard

Freshly ground pepper and salt

2 T oil

FOR SERVING:

2 green onions finely chopped or fresh chives

3 oz blue cheese or goat cheese or omit

POTATOES: Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl combine the oil, garlic, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper. Add the potatoes and toss to coat. Transfer mixture to a roasting pan and bake, turning once, for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl.

VINAIGRETTE: Add all ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well.

TO SERVE: Pour the vinaigrette over the warm potatoes. Add the green onions and toss lightly. Sprinkle your choice of cheese over the potatoes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6

A SIMPLE HOW-TO FOR ROASTING A BEACON HILL FARM CHICKEN

Beacon Hill Farm chickens are beautiful free range birds that not only taste amazing but tend to give you enough meat to feed a hungry family with lots of left-overs. Please use every part of your bird, leftovers for sandwiches, casseroles or pastas then boil the carcass for stock to make soup, rice or risotto.

This is how we prepare chickens at the farm for either roasting or the BBQ.

Firstly, don’t wash your chicken. Simply open the package and pat it dry with paper towels, inside and out. Preheat your oven or BBQ to 425. Generously rub the bird with Beacon Hill Farm Market Chicken Seasoning, this is a dry rub that requires no oil. Place bird breast side up in the roasting pan, we use a foil pan for the BBQ but a roasting pan for the oven. Put your bird in the oven or BBQ, uncovered, and roast at 425 degrees for 20 minutes then lower the heat to 400 and continue cooking until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees.

A rough guideline on cooking times:

4 lb bird = 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes

5 lb bird = 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes

6lb bird = 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes

7lb bird = 1 hour 45 to 2 hours

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BAKING A BEACON HILL FARM MARKET FROZEN PIE

1. Remove from freezer and let thaw at room temperature for 2 hours before baking

2. Place a cookie sheet on rack and preheat oven to 450 with the sheet in the oven

3. Using paper towel, blot any moisture from the top of the pie and if desired, sprinkle with sugar

4. Without removing the cookie sheet, place a sheet of parchment, a Silpat or a piece of aluminum foil on the sheet and place the pie on top

5. Turn oven down to 400 and bake for one hour

• Our frozen pies cook best from thawed as the bottom crust doesn’t get tough.

• Preheating a cookie sheet in the oven before putting in the pie provides instant, even heat to the bottom of the pie, setting the bottom crust. (Much the way we sear a steak!)

• A parchment sheet, Silpat or foil makes clean-up easy, it’s likely your pie will overflow a bit

• A hotter oven to start allows for a less drastic temperature drop when adding parchment and the pie. Once the pie is added the oven will likely have come down close to the desired 400 degrees

ENJOY!

THE BEST FARM MARKET SALAD

This has quickly become the go-to lunch or dinner at Beacon Hill Farm. It keeps wonderfully in the refrigerator and makes a large amount to feed a hungry crew!

INGREDIENTS:

3 C uncooked fusilli pasta, or any pasta shape of your choice

2 heaping cups halved cherry tomatoes

1 1/2 C cooked chickpeas, or mixed beans drained & rinsed (or substitute one can)

2 C spinach or baby kale, torn into bite-size pieces

1 C cucumber, sliced into half-moons

1 C crumbled feta

1 C basil leaves, torn

1/2 C minced parsley

1/2 C chopped mint

1/2 C toasted pine nuts or any of your favourites

DRESSING

1/2 C olive oil

3 T lemon juice

1 t Dijon mustard

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 t dried herb of your choice

1/4 t red pepper flakes

3/4 t sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare the pasta until slightly past al dente.  Combine all dressing ingredients and shake until smooth.

Drain the pasta, and let cool to room temp.  Transfer to a very large bowl with remaining ingredients and combine.  Pour dressing over to coat, season to taste and serve.

SPINACH BEACON HILL

A delicious side dish that pairs perfectly with a roasted Beacon Hill chicken.

INGREDIENTS:

2 - 8oz bags Beacon Hill Farm Market spinach

3 slices white bread, crusts removed and torn into pieces

1/4 C butter

3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp garlic powder

TOPPING:

2 slices white bread, torn into pieces

2 Tbsp melted butter

1/2 C grated parmesan

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large saucepan or dutch oven, wilt the spinach in 1/4 C water over low heat for approximately 2 minutes. Add the bread pieces (3 slices), butter, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until butter is melted and simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.

To make the topping, in a small bowl combine all the ingredients until crumbly.

Butter a small casserole dish. Fill with spinach mixture and sprinkle with topping mixture.

Bake 15 minutes until browned.

GROUND ORANGE CHICKEN

A quick and delicious ground chicken recipe that feeds a family of 4 along a side salad. For the best results use Beacon Hill Farm Market ground chicken!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb ground chicken

1 T ginger root, minced

2 t garlic, minced

2 T water

1/2 t sesame oil

4 t soy sauce

5 T sugar

5 T rice vinegar

zest of 1/2 orange

1 T water

1T cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

To make sauce combine the water, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar and orange zest.

In a separate bowl combine the water and cornstarch.

To a large frying pan add 1 T oil and the ground chicken.  Cook until a good crust forms on the chicken before breaking apart, then finish cooking by breaking it apart with a spatula and cooking for an addition 2-3 minutes.

Once the chicken is cooked, add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring for about 10 seconds until incorporated.  Add the orange sauce and bring to a boil.  Add the cornstarch and stir to combine until thickened.

Serve over rice.

PORK EGG ROLL IN A BOWL

A great recipe that uses Beacon Hill Farm Market cabbage, ground pork, garlic and green onions.

INGREDIENTS:

2 T sesame oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup onion, diced

5 green onions, sliced on a bias (white & green parts)

1 lb ground pork

1/2 t ground ginger

salt and pepper

1 T Sriracha

4 cups grated cabbage

1 cup grated carrots

3 T soy sauce

1 T rice wine vinegar

2 T toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add the garlic, onion and white portion of the green onions. Saute until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Add the ground pork, ground ginger, salt, pepper and Sriracha. Saute until the pork is cooked through. Add the cabbage and carrots, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Saute until the cabbage is tender. Top with green onions and sesame seeds before serving.

HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE

This easy mayonnaise is incredible - even better with a Beacon Hill Farm Market egg! Want to turn it into a Caesar Salad Dressing? Add a teaspoon of horseradish, a splash of Worcestershire Sauce and a clove of garlic. Easy, delicious and fantastic with a head of Beacon Hill Farm Market Romaine.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 egg

• 1 cup vegetable oil

• 1/2 lemon, squeezed

• pinch salt

Combine all ingredients in a jar and whiz with an immersion blender, beginning at the bottom and moving the blender slowly upward. Keep refrigerated.

BUTTERMILK MARINATED ROAST CHICKEN

This recipe is from Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat. It’s a fantastic way to cook a Beacon Hill Farm Market chicken!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 1/2 - 4 pound chicken

• salt

• 2 cups buttermilk

The day before you want to cook the chicken, remove the wingtips by cutting through the first wing joint with poultry shears or a sharp knife. Reserve for stock. Season the chicken generously with salt and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Stir 2 tablespoons of kosher salt or 4 teaspoons fine sea salt into the buttermilk to dissolve. Place the chicken in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag and pour in the buttermilk. If the chicken won’t fit in a gallon-size bag, double up two plastic produce bags to prevent leakage and tie the bag with a piece of twine.

Seal it, squish the buttermilk all around the chicken, place on a rimmed plate, and refrigerate. If you’re so inclined, over the next 24 hours you can turn the bag so every part of the chicken gets marinated, but that’s not essential.

Pull the chicken from the fridge an hour before you plan to cook it. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C), with a rack set in the center position.
Remove the chicken from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive. Tightly tie together the legs of the chicken with a piece of butcher’s twine. Place the chicken in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or shallow roasting pan.

Slide the pan all the way to the back of the oven on the center rack. Rotate the pan so that the legs are pointing toward the rear left corner and the breast is pointing toward the center of the oven (the back corners tend to be the hottest spots in the oven, so this orientation protects the breast from overcooking before the legs are done). Pretty soon you should hear the chicken sizzling.

After about 20 minutes, when the chicken starts to brown, reduce the heat to 400°F and continue roasting for 10 minutes and then move the pan so the legs are facing the back right corner of the oven.

Continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so, until the chicken is brown all over and the juices run clear when you insert a knife down to the bone between the leg and the thigh.
When the chicken’s done, remove it to a platter and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

YELLOW BEAN CACIO E PEPE

This is a recipe from Ricardo’s cookbook Vegetables First. It is terrific with Beacon Hill Farm Market yellow beans!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lb yellow beans, trimmed

• 3 egg yolks

• 1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese

• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

• 2 tbsp butter

• 2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley

• 1 lemon, zest finely grated

  In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the beans until they are very tender, about 10 minutes. Remove 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water. Drain the beans. On a work surface, split the beans in half lengthwise.

  In a bowl, whisk together the yolks and the cheeses. Generously season with salt and pepper. Gradually add 3/4 cup of the cooking water, whisking all the while.

  In the same pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the yolk mixture and cook, whisking constantly until the mixture begins to thicken and becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Add the parsley, lemon zest, and beans. Add more cooking water if needed to thin the sauce or to fix it if it has separated. Mix well to coat the beans in the sauce. Adjust the seasoning.

  Top with more Parmesan and season with pepper.

CLASSIC BASIL PESTO

Not only for pasta, try it with eggs, sandwiches or add a spoonful to casseroles for a little “zing”!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cloves garlic

• 4 cups fresh basil

• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (please, no green can)

• 2/3 cup pine nuts

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a food processor, finely chop the garlic. Add the basil leaves and chop until fine. Add cheese, pine nuts, salt and pepper; pulse until the consistency of a coarse paste. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube and continue mixing until the oil is completely combined with the paste. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Pesto freezes well.

GARLIC SCAPE PESTO

A versatile and delicious pesto that’s not too strong in flavour.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup garlic scapes, cut into 1″ pieces

• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

• 1/3 cup cashews or nut of your choice (pine, walnut etc)

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

• Sea salt and pepper, to taste

In a food processor, process the garlic scapes and basil for 30 seconds.  Add the nuts and process for another 30 seconds.  Slowly drizzle in the olive oil as you continue to run the food processor.  Add in the parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Mix and taste, adjusting the salt/pepper as desired.

ISRAELI SALAD

This salad is great on its own for lunch or serve with hummus and pita.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 extra large tomatoes
• 2 slicing cucumbers
• 1/2 medium red onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 purple or green bell pepper
• ½ C herbs (Italian parsley, mint or cilantro, or a mix)
• zest of one lemon
• Lemon juice (start with ½ a lemon, more to taste)
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Chop the vegetables and herbs into a very small fine dice. Place in a large bowl and toss with the lemon zest, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper.

Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

STRACCIATELLA

This simple soup makes a great warm-up snack when there is a nip in the air.  Easy to make and delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Litre chicken broth (preferably home-made from a Beacon Hill Chicken)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp bread crumbs
• pinch nutmeg, salt and pepper

In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a vigorous boil over high heat.  In a small bowl whisk the remaining ingredients and pour into the boiling broth.  Let all the bits rise to the top of the broth, 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and serve.

Serves 4

GREEK-STYLE ROULADIN

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pkg. Beacon Hill Farm Market rouladin
• 2 Tbsp chopped sun dried tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 red onion, chopped, divided
• 2 Tbsp chopped kalamata olives 
• salt & pepper
• 1 quart grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup wine

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350.  In a small bowl, combine sun dried tomatoes, feta, garlic 2 Tbsp of the red onion and the black olives.  Divide this mixture between the 4 slices rouladin, spreading evenly along the length.  Roll up and dredge in flour.  In an oven safe frying pan, heat 2 Tbsp oil.  Add the rouladin and begin to brown on all sides.  Toss in remaining red onion and all the grape tomatoes and place in oven for 20 minutes.  When finished, remove roulades to a plate to keep warm while finishing the sauce.  Set frypan on low heat and while stirring add 1/2 cup wine (white or red is fine) and 1 Tbsp butter to create a sauce.  Putting a spoonful of sauce on each plate, rest a rouladin on top and finish with the remaining sauce.

BBQ PORK CENTRE CUT RIBS

To prepare ribs:  thaw and peel membrane from bones

Rub approximately 2 Tbsp All Purpose Rub onto each rack.  In a shallow roasting pan add about 1/2 inch of water.  Add a few slices of lemon or orange to the tray.  Place the ribs, meaty side up, on the tray in a single layer.  Cover well with aluminum foil and place in oven at 325.

Cook for about 90 minutes, or until meat is easily pierced with a metal skewer.  At this stage the ribs can be cooled and refrigerated for up to three days.  

To grill, place the ribs on medium heat.  Baste with BBQ sauce.  As soon as the ribs begin to brown, turn and baste.  Continue doing this for about 20 minutes, until the ribs begin to turn a beautiful mahogany colour from a build-up of cooked sauce applied in multiple layers.  Ensure the ribs are hot all the way through.

RIB & CHICKEN BBQ SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups tomato ketchup
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar 
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup honey 
• 3 tbsp molasses 
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard 
• 1 tbsp liquid smoke 
• 1 tbsp chilli powder 
• 2 tsp ground ginger 
• 2 tsp ground black pepper 
• 2 tsp garlic salt 
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper 
• 1 tsp ground allspice 

PREPARATION:

Heat all ingredients, except ketchup, in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add ketchup, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir frequently. Allow to cool. Place in refrigerator in airtight containers.  Will keep refrigerated for at least a month.

Basic Chicken Stock

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 chicken back
• 4 cups cold water
• 1 carrot, broken in half
• 1 onion, cut in half unpeeled
• 1 leek, chopped into 2 pieces
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 bunch parsley

PREPARATION:

Combine all ingredients in a suitably sized saucepan, bring to a boil.  Skim residue off top and turn back to a simmer for 1 1/2 hours.  Let cool, strain stock and refrigerate or freeze in a suitable container. 

Cream of Turkey & Wild Rice Soup

A fantastic way to finish up your turkey and ensure a "no waste" philosophy.

INGREDIENTS: 

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 large carrots, sliced into coins
• 3 large stalks of celery, sliced
• 2 cups cubed roasted turkey (white and dark meat)
• 8 cups turkey broth (from your Beacon Hill Farm Market Turkey)
• 1 cup wild rice, or a wild rice blend
• 2/3 cup half and half cream
• 1/4 tsp each parsley, thyme, turmeric & tarragon
• Salt and pepper, to taste

PREPARATION:

1. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the carrots and celery and cook until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the turkey and turkey broth, bring to a boil.  Add the rice, bringing back to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice is soft about 30 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, stir in the half and half, seasonings, salt and pepper.

Grilled Bread & Vegetable Salad

A fantastic salad when the grill is already hot!  No need for other vegetables, this is a satisfying side.  If there are leftovers, simply toss with a fresh pasta and add a spoonful of pesto to create another meal.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 baguette or ciabatta loaf
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp finely chopped basil
• 1 tbsp finely chopped oregano
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 red onion thickly sliced
• 2 small eggplants, halved
• 2 zucchini, halved
• 1 summer squash, halved
• 1 yellow pepper, halved (doesn’t have to be yellow)
• 12 cherry tomatoes halved or quartered (or one large, cut in small chunks)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper