cheese Archives - Fresh From Oregon

Washington Asparagus Fresh at your local Market Now!

May 22, 2019 · by Carrie Trax ·

Fresh picked Washington Asparagus is popping up out of the ground and into your local stores. Here in the Pacific Northwest now is the peak of the season for fresh Washington Asparagus. The excellent growing climate and rich soil makes Washington State the largest grower of asparagus in the United States. If you are driving through eastern Washington you will see workers cutting asparagus by hand daily.

Here are a few storage tips once you bring home your fresh asparagus. They are very thirsty and like wet feet. Store stalks upright in a bowl or tall jar with an inch of water and place in refrigerator. If you do not have room just wrap the cut ends in a moist paper towel, cover with plastic and refrigerate.

Here are some Facts about Washington Asparagus:

Washington State is the largest grower of asparagus in the United States.
The largest domestic producers are currently Washington, Michigan, and California, in that order.
There are about 80 Washington asparagus farmers within a 100-mile radius of Washington’s Tri-Cities.
Washington asparagus is produced on roughly 5,000 acres spanning the Columbia Basin, the Yakima Valley and the Walla Walla area.
Asparagus takes approximately two years from planting to harvestable maturity.
Asparagus can grow as much as 10 inches in one day in peak season.
Asparagus plants are very long-lived, and can last up to 25 years. Asparagus plants have been known to live for 100 years.

Asparagus Bundles
1 bunch Washington Asparagus (about 12-16 oz) ends trimmed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
pepper
2 sheets frozen puff pastry thawed
8 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
12 slices ham, sliced thin
1 egg beaten

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to a large rectangle about double the original size. Square off edges and cut into 6 squares. (I use a pizza cutter to do this)

Toss asparagus in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

To make the bundles, place slice of ham on top of the square. Follow with 3-4 stalks of asparagus (depending on size) and 1-2 TBSP of the Swiss cheese.

Lift two opposite corners of the puff pastry squares and wrap them around the asparagus and press to seal. Brush puff pastry with egg wash. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper if desired.

Bake until puff pastry is golden and puffed, about 12-15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Fresh Kale Pesto

February 22, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

This week Fresh From Oregon… Kale! Kale comes in many varieties and the best one to make this pesto is the green curly-leaved kale. It only takes a few minutes to blanch the kale and create this creamy pesto to toss with pasta, brush on some toasted french bread or use as a great condiment for seafood and chicken.

Fresh Kale Pesto
1 big bunch of kale, rinsed, ribs removed and torn into small pieces
3/4 cup olive oil, less 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons Spice Traders Mercantile Meyer lemon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh
2 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shaved
Salt and pepper to taste

Blanch the kale in boiling salted water for about 3 minutes and chill down in a cold water bath, drain and squeeze excess water. Place into small work bowl of food processor or Ninja food processor bowl and pulse to start breaking up the kale, add rough chopped garlic, process, add pine nuts, pulse several times. Slowly add the olive oil, Myers lemon olive oil and lemon juice, process until everything is broken down. It will never be real smooth. Finally add the cheese and pulse a few times. Season with salt and pepper. If serving with pasta grate a little extra cheese over and add extra virgin olive oil to the hot pasta, toss with pesto, serve with additional grated cheese. To store, place in a glass jar or container and add about 1 tablespoon olive oil on top to keep pesto fresh. The olive oil will create a small seal to keep pesto from getting dry.

Recipe adapted from ~ Food 52

Bring in the New Year with Homemade Pierogies

December 29, 2012 · by Carrie Trax ·

Homemade Yam & Cranberry Pierogies

Homemade Potato & Cheese Pierogies

In my family we celebrate the New Year with pork & sauerkraut with potato cheese pierogies. I have been told this is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania tradition where I am from. My dad’s side of the family is also from Poland and I believe this love for the pierogies is deep in my roots. When my grandmother and her sister were young they worked part time making hand made pierogies. When my husband and I moved to Oregon 7 years ago we had to explain each year to our friends these traditions and that there is nothing better than homemade pierogie. The filling I make each year and my family’s favorite is potato, cheese and onion. This year I wanted to add a new filling to my recipe box and start my new west coast tradition so I made a yam and dried cranberry filling and sauteed them in butter with hazelnuts.

Enjoy the the following recipes and make a new tradition for your family.

Potato & Cheese Pierogies

Potato & Cheese filling:
(This is enough filling for two dough recipes)
2 ½ pounds potatoes, peeled
1 Tablespoon salt
1 stick (½ cup) butter
½ cup chopped onion
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Put the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water and add the 1 tablespoon salt. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are soft, or about 10 to 15 minutes after they start to boil. When the potatoes are done place in a bowl and mash with a potato masher, set aside. Melt the butter with the onions in a frying pan over medium heat until soft (or longer, depending on your preference). Add the cooked onions, cheese, salt and pepper to the potatoes and mix until combined. Let cool. I like to make my filling the day before I plan on making the pierogies.

Yam & Cranberry filling:
1 1/2 pounds yam (2 large), peeled
1 Teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons dried cranberries, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

Put the yams in a pot and cover with cold water and add the 1 teaspoon salt. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the yams are soft, or about 10 to 15 minutes after they start to boil. When the yams are done place in a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Add the butter, cranberries and brown sugar and mix until combined. I also like to make this the night before.

For the dough:
(Make the night before)
3 cups Bob’s Red Mill white flour
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature, or olive oil
¾ cup lukewarm water, more if needed
1 teaspoon salt

Combine the flour, egg, butter, ¾ cup water and the salt, preferably in a bowl, although you can also do it the old-fashioned way, which is right on a clean kitchen counter. Mix the dough until it comes together in a rough ball. Knead the dough on a flat, lightly floured surface for approximately 5 minutes or until it forms a smooth ball. Add water as needed if the dough seems chalky or hard, and add flour until the dough no longer sticks to the counter.

Let the dough rest for at least a half-hour if you plan to cook the pierogies immediately, but, if possible, cover and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight to give the gluten in the dough more time to smooth out. Bring to room temperature before you get ready to roll it out.

Divide the dough into two pieces, roll out one piece about ¼-inch thick (or thicker, if desired) and cut into circles, about 3 inches in diameter. Repeat with the remaining piece of dough. You will have dough left over from both times you rolled out, just combine and knead together. Set aside to let rest for 5 minutes, then roll out and cut into circles of dough.

Fill each circle with a heaping tablespoon of potato/cheese or yam/cranberry filling (you can use a mini ice cream scooper for this), fold the dough over the filling and seal by pinching the edges well. It is important to pinch and seal the outer edge so the filling does not come out when you boil them.

Step 1: Fold over and pinch in the middle.

Step 2: Work down both sides of the dough pinching shut as you go.

Step 3: Check to make sure you can not see any filling.

Step 4: Place on lightly floured baking sheet until ready to boil.

Cook the pierogies in a large pot of rapidly boiling water for about 5 minutes, they will also float to the top. Do not overcrowd them in the pot, I cook about 8 at a time. Place cooked pierogies on a wire rack to dry which you have placed over a baking sheet to catch any excess water.

For pan-frying the potato & cheese pierogies add some sliced onion and butter to a frying pan and cook the onions about 2-3 minutes. When the onions start to brown add in the pierogies and brown on both sides this takes about 30 seconds on each side. For the yam & cranberry pierogies melt about 4 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan, add pierogies brown on each side, about 30 seconds per side. Sprinkle in about 1 tablespoon of finely chopped hazelnut and cook another 30 seconds. To freeze extra pierogies place in a container in layers with plastic wrap between layers and top with a piece of plastic wrap.

Each dough batch makes 24 pierogies. Potato filling makes 48 pierogie.
Yam filling makes 24 pierogies.

Lasagna Florentine

April 30, 2010 · by Carrie Trax ·

Fresh greens are bountiful at the farmers markets and my favorite is baby spinach this time of the year. This is a great dish to add other fresh vegetables when they come into season like some sauteed zucchini and grated fresh carrots. Let your imagination and the farmers market decide what goes into your lasagna when you make it. This is a recipe that can change throughout the year depending on the fresh harvest. I also used fresh mushrooms in this recipe. This is also great to freeze and have for a quick dinner later.

1 (28 oz) can Italian whole tomatoes or 2 pound fresh ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, cooked
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp basil, dried
2 tsp. tarragon, dried
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
1 1/2 cup V-8 Juice
6 tbsp. butter
2 cups Cheddar cheese
4 cups Mozzarella cheese
8 oz Parmesan cheese, coarse grated
16 oz cottage cheese
2 eggs
12 oz fresh spinach, cooked
12 wide lasagna noodles, cooked

You need to prepare the sauce first, add tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, basil, tarragon, red pepper flakes, garlic, salt, pepper and V-8 juice in large pot and cook for 20 minutes. Add butter and cook an additional 5 minutes and take off the heat. In medium bowl combine the cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese and cooked spinach.

Now it is time to assemble in a sprayed 13×9 pan put a 1/4 of the tomato sauce across the bottom and lay 4 noodles over lapping slightly. Spoon on a 1/4 of the tomato sauce, 1/3 cheddar and mozzarella cheese, 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture. Lay 4 lasagna noodle down, 1/4 sauce, 1/3 cheddar and mozzarella cheese, remaining cottage cheese mixture. Lay down the remaining lasagna noodle, sauce, cheddar and mozzarella cheese.

Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour. Cool for 20 minutes before cutting. I like cheese so once I cut the lasagna in squares I place a piece of mozzarella cheese over it and melt in microwave for 30 seconds. You could also add some mozzarella cheese on top the last 5 minutes of baking.

My First Blog “Homemade Pierogies”

March 8, 2010 · by Carrie Trax ·

I have been thinking for days what my first blog should be and then it came to me. My grandmother and sister came over from Poland as young girls and their first job was making homemade pierogies. With the Easter holiday upon us I thought I would share our family recipe. These are perfect to make ahead of time and then freeze them. You can then take them out anytime and you have a perfect side dish or meal.

For the Potato & Cheese filling:
2 ½ pounds baking potatoes, peeled
3 cups cold water
Salt
1 stick (½ cup) butter
½ cup chopped onion
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Cheddar Cheese
Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

For the dough:
3 cups flour
1 large egg
2 tbsp butter, at room temperature
¾ cup lukewarm water, more if needed
1tsp salt

Prepare the potato and cheese filling;
Put the potatoes in a pot with the cold water and 1 tbsp salt. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are soft, for about 10 to 15 minutes after they start to boil.
When the potatoes are nearly done, melt the butter in a saucepan and saute the onion over medium heat until soft (or longer, depending on your preference). Drain the potatoes and mash them. Add the cooked onion. Add the cheese, salt to taste and the pepper. Continue to mash until blended. Let cool.

Prepare the dough;
Combine the flour, egg, butter, ¾ cup water and the salt, preferable in a bowl, although you also can do it the old-fashioned way, which is right on a clean kitchen counter. Knead the dough on a flat, lightly floured surface for approximately 5 to 10 minutes, until it forms a smooth ball. Add water as needed if the dough seems chalky or hard, and add flour until the dough no longer sticks to the counter.
Let the dough rest for at least a half-hour if you plan to cook the pierogies immediately, but, if possible, cover and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight to give the gluten in the dough more time to smooth out.

Divide the dough. Roll out one piece about ¼-inch thick (or thicker, if desired) and cut into circles, about 2 inches in diameter for small pierogies, 3 ½ inches for large. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Fill each circle with a heaping tbsp of potato filling (you can use a mini ice cream scooper for this), fold the dough over the filling and seal by pinching the edges well. Lay on floured surface and continue to make remaining pieroges. Cook the pierogies in a large amount of rapidly boiling water for about 5 minutes. Do not overcrowd them in the pot I cook about 12 at a time in a large pot. Place on wire rack so all sides dry you can then put in freezer container or cook some up!
Makes 36 to 40 pierogies.

For pan-frying, add some butter and sliced onions in a frying pan. Once then are just about brown add the pierogies and fry to a golden brown.

Washington Asparagus Fresh at your local Market Now!

Fresh Kale Pesto

Bring in the New Year with Homemade Pierogies

Lasagna Florentine

My First Blog “Homemade Pierogies”

Experience fresh food from Oregon!

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