蘑菇视频

Aug 23, 2017 By Joe Carei for The 4 min read

One of my favorite places to do a cooking demonstration is at the Lafayette Community Garden behind Lafayette School in Uniontown. To become one with the elements, cooking and explaining how to use the harvest that grew within yards of your demonstration is great.

This year, I was eager to use two great additions to the garden. As I pre-surveyed the garden to create my menu, I found leeks and lavender in among the plethora of herbs. Leeks are one of my favorite culinary tools. And lavender, although I have not used it in a long time, gives food a kind of 鈥渏e ne sais quoi.鈥� It is subtle, but fragrant undertones add another dimension to certain culinary creations.

Most of the time, leeks are hard to find in the local supermarkets, but they are easy to grow and a hardy plant for your garden. Famous for their role in quiches and, of course, in potato soup, they can be used in any recipes that call for onion. They are very much like onions, but are a little milder and get a little nutty with some caramelization.

Lavender is a good pick for your garden. It can be planted in poor soil and tolerates periods of drought. Although hardy, it does prefer to be planted in a raised garden. For a bonus, it does repel deer if you are having a problem with that. And with lavender in your garden, you may see more butterflies and birds.

Lavender adds flavor and color to your recipes. Experiment a little as you use it. Some people feel too much makes it taste too perfumey. It is flowery with subtle hints of mint and rosemary. But it balances out citrus and dairy desserts very well. You can also use the young flowers, which have a citrus essence to them.

Another hardy herb found in the garden was mint, and it included my favorite mint: chocolate. Chocolate mint has a peppermint flavor, but not overpowering. It is great to add to breads, desserts, meats and meatballs. Keep in mind, when having mint in your garden, it tends to proliferate quickly.

The Lafayette Garden was created by the Uniontown Area School District to create an outdoor Environmental Learning Center. It has partnered with St. Peter蘑菇视频 Lutheran Church and its outreach to care for the garden. If you wish to use the herbs and vegetables available in the garden, just visit the garden and harvest what you need. Please harvest with care. If you wish to help with the upkeep of the garden, call St. Peters Lutheran Church at 724-439-4730.

Orange-lavender bread

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

陆 teaspoon salt

1 egg beaten

1 cup milk

录 cup melted butter or vegetable oil

Zest from 1 large orange

录 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lavender plus 2 teaspoons dry lavender

Mix wet ingredients. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Fold dry into wet ingredients until mixed. Put in loaf pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean.

Chocolate Mint bread pudding

10 tablespoons butter

1陆 cup heavy cream/cream or milk

1 cup chocolate chips

录 cup sugar

录 cup chopped fresh chocolate mint

5 eggs, slightly beaten

4 cups day old bread cut into cubes.

In a sauce pan, heat butter, cream, chocolate, sugar, vanilla and mint. Pull from heat. Whisk in egg quickly or temper eggs. Fold in bread. Let sit about an hour.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes in buttered ramekins or casserole dish.

Mint meatballs

1 pound ground beef

陆 cup bread crumbs

录 cup finely chopped mint

2 medium eggs

1 clove garlic, minced

陆 cup diced onion

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Mix all ingredients, do not overmix. Form into balls. Makes about 12 2-oz meatballs. Pan fry with a little oil until done or bake in preheated 350-degree oven for around 35 minutes. Serve with tzatziki sauce.

Zucchini Pasta

1 pound zucchini

陆 pound garden tomatoes diced

1 leek

3 cloves garlic

录 cup chopped basil

录 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

录 cup parmesan (optional)

Cut zucchini in strips like spaghetti using knife or mandolin. You can also use a zucchini spiraler. Thoroughly clean leeks and cut down into rings. Heat up oil; sweat garlic and leeks. Add tomatoes and zucchini. Saute for two minutes and add basil, salt and pepper. Toss in parmesan cheese. Serve.