Cooking Close to Home: A Year of Seasonal Recipes

by Diane Imrie, Richard Jarmusz

Overview

Cooking Close to Home: A Year of Seasonal Recipes is a collection of over 150 original recipes designed to follow the seasons. Whether you are a home gardener, a farmers' market regular, or a member of a community-supported agriculture program, this cookbook will serve as a seasonal guide to using the foods available in your region. Each recipe includes useful "Harvest Hints" that explain how to find, purchase, prepare, and preserve fresh and seasonal ingredients. Within each chapter you will find information about sustainable food, small family farms, and how to reduce your carbon footprint by buying local foods. There are also appetizing food photographs and inspiring stories of farms, orchards, and farmers' markets throughout the northeast.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781603583343
Publisher:	Rizzoli
Publication date:	02/11/2011
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Diane Imrie is a Registered Dietitian and graduate of McGill University in Montreal. She also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Vermont. Diane has been speaking nationally on the topic of sustainable food for the past several years.

Richard Jarmusz has worked as an executive chef for twenty five years and is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Richard has won awards and is sought after for cooking demonstrations and culinary consulting. Both authors have been involved in the local food system in Vermont for many years, and have implemented a local and sustainable food program that is nationally recognized. Richard is also a backyard gardener, and Diane is known for her community garden work.

Read an Excerpt

Braised Turkey Thighs with Currants

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 turkey thighs, about 1 pound each,rinsed, drained and patted dry

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil

1 cup onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh garlic, chopped

5 cups turkey or Basic Chicken Stock(see page 61 for recipe)

2 tablespoons tomato paste1 cup dried red currants

¼ cup honey

¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh sage, finely chopped

• Combine flour, salt and pepper in a bowl, and mix well.

• Place turkey thighs in a bowl and pour the flour mixture over the turkey. Toss until the turkey is well coated with flour. Reserve the remaining flour for later use in the recipe.

• Heat a skillet over medium heat, add oil and brown the turkey thighs.

• Remove the turkey and set aside. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until tender. Add the reserved flour and cook, stirring until light brown, about 2 minutes.

• In a medium bowl combine the stock and tomato paste, and mix well. Add this to the pan and stir in. Return the turkey

to the pan, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low.

Cover and simmer for 45 to 55 minutes depending on size of

the thighs. Cook until the turkey reaches 165 ºF.

• Add the currants, honey, parsley and sage, and quickly bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve turkey thighs with sauce.

Serves six

Table of Contents

1. Cooking close to home

2. Harvest beginnings

3. Seasonal soups

4. Garden greens and more salads

5. Market meats, poultry and lots of other entrées

6. Pizza and pasta

7. Farm roots

8. Sweet endings

9. Filling the pantry

Recipe

Braised Turkey Thighs with Currants
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 turkey thighs, about 1 pound each,rinsed, drained and patted dry
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, chopped
5 cups turkey or Basic Chicken Stock(see page 61 for recipe)
2 tablespoons tomato paste1 cup dried red currants
¼ cup honey
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh sage, finely chopped

• Combine flour, salt and pepper in a bowl, and mix well.
• Place turkey thighs in a bowl and pour the flour mixture over the turkey. Toss until the turkey is well coated with flour. Reserve the remaining flour for later use in the recipe.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat, add oil and brown the turkey thighs.
• Remove the turkey and set aside. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until tender. Add the reserved flour and cook, stirring until light brown, about 2 minutes.
• In a medium bowl combine the stock and tomato paste, and mix well. Add this to the pan and stir in. Return the turkey to the pan, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low.
Cover and simmer for 45 to 55 minutes depending on size of the thighs. Cook until the turkey reaches 165 ºF.
• Add the currants, honey, parsley and sage, and quickly bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve turkey thighs with sauce.

Serves six

Editorial Reviews

Booklist-

Following the course of changing seasons and using locally raised meats and produce have become touchstones for contemporary cuisine. Imrie and Jarmusz emphasize vegetarian dishes, but carnivores have little to complain about since duck, chicken, pork, beef, salmon, and trout all star in multiple places. Seeds, nuts, and cheeses enliven salads and vegetable gratins, and plenty of imaginative and colorful relishes and salsas dress up even the plainest meals. They leap the border to create a classic Quebecois meat pie, tortiere, using buffalo, venison, and beef for richer flavor than the customary all-beef version. Imrie and Jarmusz offer a few recipes for preserving the summer's bounty by pickling pepper, canning corn relish, and even bottling a maple syrup-based barbecue sauce. Full-color photographs make the recipes' results appear even more attractive. New England and Northeast libraries will find this title particularly useful.

Library Journal-

In this reprint of a 2009 self-published book, registered dietitian Imrie and professional chef Jarmusz combine their professional talents and passion for sustainability to present recipes with local ingredients for deliciously fresh meals. They advocate growing produce in backyard gardens, participating in community gardens, and purchasing from local farmers' markets or farm shares. Fresh, seasonable vegetables and fruits are key ingredients, as are whole-grain flours. The book is organized by meal course and then by season. The complete index includes meal courses and ingredients, making the recipes exceedingly accessible. Nearly every dish receives a full-page color photo, and tips include recommendations for selecting and preserving produce and meats as well as shortcuts and cooking methods. Although the authors live in the Northeast, the recipes and hints pertain to locations throughout North America. Most of the recipes are easy enough for weekday dinners yet colorful enough for company.

Verdict: Imrie and Jarmusz's beautiful, simple recipes that use local sustainable ingredients will please any cook looking for delicious guilt-free meals.

"Cooking Close to Home has earned a permanent place on my kitchen bookshelf. The recipes and photography make me hungry for the coming season making it easier to say 'goodbye until next year' to asparagus, strawberries and tomatoes. This book celebrates the true spirit of the Localvore movement with recipes that star seasonal ingredients that I can easily find at my farmers' market here in Vermont and throughout the Northeast."—Robin McDermott, Co-founder, Mad River Valley Localvores

"This is a completely lovely book. This is a cookbook for the future-in the world we're building, where local food means both security and pleasure, this will be a companion for many a pioneer!"—Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy

"This collection of over 150 original recipes is designed to take you on a culinary journey through the seasons. Each recipe includes useful 'Harvest Hints' that explain how to find, purchase, prepare, and preserve fresh and seasonal ingredients. Within each chapter, you will find information about sustainable food, small family farms, and how to reduce your carbon footprint. The attractive photos and inspiring stories of farms, orchards, and farmers' markets will have you turning to this book over and over again."—Mise en place, Culinary Institute of America

From the Publisher