Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 2

We had a lot of fun last week with our Cultural Heritage tailgate, exploring our personal histories through food, and we wanted to keep that energy going this week by taking a look at the produce available at our local farmers market and co-op, cooking with the freshest local ingredients available. Hence this week's theme: Farm-to-Tailgate.

As anyone will tell you, it really does make a difference when you are using ingredients straight from your local farm, talking to the people who grew and harvested them. You can taste the earth, the water, and above all, the care and expertise that goes into producing these fine ingredients. We hope you enjoy as much as we did!

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"FARM TO TAILGATE"
Locally-Sourced Game Day Food

Originally, I had planned to make Duck Meatballs, but when I saw Wild Boar available, I knew that I had to make a switch. (That's the great thing about a tailgate like this--plenty of opportunity to get inspired by all the fresh ingredients.) They say meats always pair well with the food the animal naturally eats. This being West Virginia, I had to take advantage of our outstanding local apples.

Although it's not common in this region, I decided to dress these meatballs with a southern White Barbecue Sauce.

- Kap

WILD BOAR MEATBALLS
with Tangy White BBQ Sauce

• 1 lb. Wild Boar, ground
• 1 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1 clove Garlic, grated
• 2 Shallots or 1 small Onion
• 1 tsp. Ginger, grated
• 1/2 Apple, peeled and finely chopped (I used a Rambo apple from Lee Farms)
• 1 TBSP Marsala Wine
• 4 Slices of Bacon or Pancetta
• 1/2 tsp. coarse Sea Salt
• 1/2 tsp. White Pepper
• 2 sprigs fresh Thyme (leaves only)
• 2 sprigs fresh Rosemary, chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh Parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flake
• 3 TBSP fresh Bread Crumbs (I used Rosemary bread)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 TBSP Parmesan Cheese, grated
• 2 TBSP organic Milk
• Oil, for frying
• White BBQ Sauce (recipe below)

Sauté garlic, onion, ginger, apple, pinch of salt, and wine in olive oil until caramelized and all liquid is evaporated. Chill overnight.

Combine boar and bacon and the rest of the ingredients (except bread crumbs, cheese, egg, and milk).

Combine milk, egg, Parmesan, and bread crumbs. Combine with pork mix and other chilled ingredients and grind using a food processor. Chill for at least an hour.

Form balls from the mixture.

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet until hot but not smoking. Brown meatballs in batches, turning to get each side. (The meatballs should cook through in about 8 min.)


White Barbecue Sauce

• 2 cloves Garlic, grated
• 4 tsp. Dijon Mustard
• 4 tsp. local Honey
• 2 c. Mayonnaise
• A healthy dash of Sriracha
• 1/2 c. Cider Vinegar
• 1 TBSP Black Pepper
• 1 tsp. Salt
• Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
• A small dollop of Prepared Horseradish (opt.)
• Water, if needed to thin

Combine ingredients well until smooth. You can serve this cold or heat it up. (I prefer it heated with the meatballs and brushed on them before serving.)

One of my favorite dishes as a child was stuffed peppers, but I had to make these tailgate-y. My idea was to make these peppers lean towards jalapeno-poppers, only incorporating my favorite Italian flavors.  I ended up using hot peppers, not bell peppers, and while they had a GREAT flavor, it was still really spicy for Kap and I.  Make sure you have enough milk on hand to douse any fires in your mouth! 

- Mina

SUPER-HOT EXTRA-LARGE PEPPER POPPERS
with Tangy Homemade Tomato Sauce

• 8-10 Hot Peppers, cored and de-seeded, with the skins removed as much as possible
• 1 c. Arborio Rice, cooked
• 1 lb. Spicy Italian Sausage, loose and cooked
• 3 c. plus 2 TBSP Breadcrumbs (we made our own with rosemary bread, toasted and ground in the food processor)
• 3 TBSP Tomato Sauce
• 1/4 lb. Pepper Jack Cheese Curds, crumbled
• 2 Eggs
• 3/4 c. Olive Oil, for frying

Combine rice, sausage, 2 TBSP breadcrumbs, and tomato sauce in a large bowl.  Stuff some cheese curds down in the bottom of each pepper.  Fill the rest of the peppers with the rice and sausage mixture.  Top with a piece of cheese curd. 

Combine eggs, and the rest of the breadcrumbs.  Use toothpicks to hold stuffed peppers together, and dredge them in breadcrumbs and egg mixture until well-coated. It won't be perfect, but there will be a bit of breadcrumbs on each pepper.  

Fry in olive oil for around three minutes per side, until the breadcrumbs and peppers are browned.  Remove toothpicks, and serve with tomato sauce. 


Homemade Tomato Sauce

• 1 Small Onion, sliced roughly
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 3 TBSP Olive Oil
• 4 Sprigs fresh Oregano, chopped
• 5 leaves Basil, chopped
• 1 sprig Rosemary, chopped
• 24 oz. Crushed Roma Tomatoes
• 5 TBSP Tomato Puree

Carmelize onions and garlic in olive oil until they are soft.  Add herbs, and cook for two minutes.  Add tomatoes and tomato puree. Turn heat to low, and cook for two hours or more. 

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These are simple but elegant. With seasonal potatoes, high-quality Parmesan, and some Rosemary I grew myself, you don't need many other ingredients. This recipe is hard to measure out because it really depends on how many stacks you make. Mostly, everything is to taste.

- Kap

ROSEMARY POTATO STACKERS

I saw on Pinterest that people were making potato-chip substitutes using zucchini and wanted to try it myself. These are a one-time shot--they don't get any crisper once you store them, so eat them all while they are hot. The flavor options are really a variation on a theme with as many possibilities as you can imagine.

- Kap

ZUCCHINI CHIPS FOUR WAYS

• 1 lb. Potatoes (Yukon gold, red, whichever variety you prefer), sliced very thin
• 3 TBSP Olive Oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Rosemary, chopped
• Parmesan
• Thyme Sprigs
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook garlic and oil in a pan without browning to create a flavored oil. Brush muffin tins with garlic oil. Put a slice of potato down in the tin. Brush with oil, sprinkle with rosemary and Parmesan. Add another potato slice and repeat the process eight times to create one stack. Season with salt and pepper and top with a thyme sprig.

Make as many stacks as you want.

Bake for 50 min. until crispy.

Remove thyme sprigs and enjoy.

• 3-4 Medium Zucchinis, sliced very thin
  
• 1 TBSP Olive Oil

Toppings:

• Salt and Pepper: Sea salt and black pepper to taste before baking.

• Salt and Vinegar: Soak zucchini in white vinegar for 1 hour and salt to taste before baking.

• Curry: Top with curry powder before baking.
  

• Garlic-Parmesan: Top with garlic salt and grated Parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. 

Toss Zucchini in olive oil and top with desired spices.

Arrange zucchini slices in a single layer. Bake for 90 min. until crispy.

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Back in Boston, I was part of a Communities Supporting Agriculture (CSA) consortium.  My roommate and I got fresh fruit and veggies every week, all summer long, and in to the fall, and there was definitely a learning curve, to figure out how to eat all of these goodies. One thing that my roommate taught me to love, was a baked apple.  All of the ingredients for this recipe are simple, and usually locally-grown, but you can tailor this recipe to your own taste preferences. Each time I eat a baked apple, I have such happy memories of being in Boston for my Master's Degree, so enjoy! 

- Mina

BAKED APPLE BONANZA

• Assorted Medium-Sized Baking Apples (We used Rambo Apples, this week) 
• 1/4 c. Butter
• 1/4 c. Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/8 c. Walnuts
• 1/8 tsp. fresh ground Ginger
• 2 TBSP Honey
• 1 Scoop Ice Cream (optional) 

Core apples with a knife, leaving 1/4 inch of a core at the bottom of each apple. 

Mix ground ginger and honey together in a bowl. Combine butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in separate bowl. 

Stuff butter mixture inside each apple to the top. Brush honey and ginger sauce on each apple, and sprinkle walnuts on top.  

Bake in microwave on high for three to five minutes. Let apple sit for 3 minutes to cool before serving. Serve with ice cream, if desired. 

Won't be playing tonight due to injury.

Looks better in Midnight Green, don't you think?

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Since the beginning of the summer, I've been to the Iron Horse Tavern several times, and my favorite drink of theirs this season has definitely been their Saison-Shandy: a beer and lemonade drink that's magically balanced and refreshing.  So this week, I thought about making our own version with a locally-brewed beer. It was just as refreshing as the Iron Horse version! Kap and I usually don't like "hoppy" beers like IPAs all that much, but the citrus-y aftertaste of the IPA complemented the lemonade perfectly. 

- Mina

LAST OF THE SUMMER SHANDY

• 1 c. Beer (I used Greenbrier Valley Brewing's Wild and Wonderful Series #1: Session IPA)
• 1 c. Lemonade
• 1 slice Lemon

Combine beer and lemonade in pint glass. Top with lemon slice and serve. 

The last time I was in Pittsburgh, I dined at the excellent Six Penn Kitchen and had a memorable Sage Gimlet there. I've always wanted to recreate that cocktail using my own homegrown herbs and a nutty twist.

- Kap

HERB GIMLET

• 1/2 Lime
• 2/3 oz. Herb Simple Syrup (recipe below)
• 1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
• 2 oz. Gin (I used Hendrick's Gin for its light cucumber flavor)
• 1-2 dashes Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters
• Lemon Twist, for garnish
• Mint Leaf, for garnish

Carefully muddle the lime half in the bottom of a snifter glass. In a separate shaker with ice combine syrup, gin, and lime juice. Shake vigorously. 

Pour mixture over the muddled lime. Float bitters on top. Garnish with lemon twist and mint leaf.


Herb Simple Syrup

• 1 c. Water
  
• 1 c. Sugar
  
• 3 sprigs Basil
  
• 3 sprigs Rosemary
  
• 3 sprigs Thyme
  
• 3 sprigs Tarragon
  
• 3 sprigs Mint
  
• 1 Lemon Peel
  
• 2 drops Rose Water
  

Combine all ingredients in a pan on the stove and heat to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Disregard herb leaves and lemon peel. Strain through a cheese cloth. Let cool.

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PREDICTION

Win vs. Cowboys!

The Eagles let me down last week with their stagnant first-half performance. Eventually, they mounted a comeback in the second half, which fell just short after a missed field goal. After showing how potent they can be, they won't come out flat again two weeks in a row, especially not against their arch-rival, Dallas. I think the Cowboys are an okay team, but I don't see them being as strong as in past seasons. I also don't expect Demarco Murray to be held to only 9 yards this week versus his old team. The Eagles will come out on top and notch their first win of the 2015 season.


Kap's Season Record: 0-1

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Tune in next week for Glamgating!

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All recipes listed above come from our own imaginations unless otherwise indicated. If you try one of these recipes in your own kitchen, leave a comment below and tell us how it goes. And, of course, share your modifications, enhancements, improvements, etc.