Missouri Foods or Food Products

A Sunday Spring Dinner

Posted at August 10, 2006 16:57

By Karen Mitcham-Stoeckley

MISSOURI in the springtime is one of the most beautiful places in the world. We have the spectacular display of redbud and dogwood trees along the highways and byways. Winter wheat is bright emerald green in the fields, and bright yellow daffodils nod their heads in jaunty welcome in both the country and along city streets. And we have succulent lamb from local farms as well as fresh-from-the-field asparagus. Rhubarb is in season and ready to be matched up with early strawberries in a good crumble crust pie. Fresh mint is poking its head up wherever it has taken root. Local farmer markets are opening up and offering these and other goodies, to be presented to friends and families at home.

Try the following menu for Sunday dinner, Easter, or any special occasion, and use the old-time seasonal favorites in these new ways.

Lamb Chops with Minted Chutney Asparagus Terrine New Potatoes in Butter & Parsley Warm Crusty Bread Rhubarb Crumble Galette

LAMB CHOPS WITH MINTED CHUTNEY

6 lamb chops about 1 ½-inch thick 1 tablespoon minced garlic 4 tablespoons fine olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary or ½ tablespoon dried rosemary 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme or ½ tablespoon dried thyme 1 tablespoon sea or other coarse salt Fresh ground pepper Mix all ingredients, except the lamb, in a flat glass or ceramic (non-reactive) casserole dish. Add the lamb chops and coat with the oil and herbs. Cover with plastic wrap or lid and refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours. Grill the lamb chops or place them in a preheated broiler and cook until they reach your preferred temperature. Lamb is best served medium rare. Do not cook welldone because lamb dries out quickly and loses its delicate flavor. Place on serving platter and top with the Minted Chutney. Garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serves 6.

MINTED CHUTNEY 2 cups water ½ cup apples, not peeled but chopped ½ cup each of 3 of any of the following dried fruits (total 1 ½ cup fruit):* apricots, chopped cranraisins pears, chopped cherries, raisins ¾ cup sugar ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ cup aged balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint Place all ingredients except the vinegars and mint in a heavy bottom saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Water should be absorbed and a glossy mixture obtained. Remove from the heat, and blend in both vinegars and the chopped mint. Season with a dash of salt, and chill to room temperature. Serve with the cooked lamb. Serves 6. Hint: Use apples plus three other fruits because apples hold the mint flavor best. Hint: Toss new red potatoes in sweet butter and fresh chopped parsley for a complementary side dish.

FRESH ASPARAGUS TERRINE 2 pounds fresh, pencil-thin asparagus spears 2 quarts boiling water, with 2 teaspoons salt 2 cups fresh goat cheese ½ cup grated parmesan cheese 8 ounces (1 cup) cream cheese 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped or 1 tablespoon dried thyme 2 medium shallots, peeled ½ tablespoon salt ½ tablespoon ground pepper Cut about 1 inch off the bottom of the asparagus spears. If needed, peel the stems of the spears with a vegetable peeler. If spears are as thin as a standard pencil, this need not be done, as they are tender enough. Drop spears into salted boiling water for one minute, and remove to ice cold water to halt the cooking process. Dry well on paper towels — if asparagus is not dried well, the terrine will turn to mush. Set aside.

In a food processor or big bowl, blend well all the remaining ingredients until a thick cheese paste is formed.

Line a narrow terrine or loaf pan with plastic wrap; allow the sides to hang over the pan. Spread about ¼ inch of the cheese paste on the bottom of the pan. Lay the spears side by side in one layer. Cover with another ¼ inch of the cheese paste, pushing the mixture down between the spears. Repeat this layering until all the asparagus and paste are used, ending with the cheese mixture on the top. Fold the plastic wrap over the top and refrigerate overnight or for 4 hours minimum.

Remove the terrine from the pan, leaving the wrap on the loaf. Using a very sharp knife, slice the terrine into ¾-inch slices. Place spring mix lettuce or baby spinach on individual salad plates. Drizzle greens lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle lightly with salt and balsamic vinegar. Remove the plastic wrap from the terrine, and place terrine on top of greens. Serve with crusty French or Italian bread. Serves 6 as a main entrée for a luncheon or 10 as a side salad. Hint: Freeze the terrine for about 20 minutes before slicing to make slicing easier.

RHUBARB CRUMBLE GALETTE Pie pastry for two pies; use your favorite recipe or refrigerated pastry ½ cup old-fashioned oatmeal ¼ cup brown sugar ¼ cup white flour ¼ cup white sugar 4 tablespoons cold butter, mcut into small pieces ½ teaspoon salt Prepare crust and refrigerate to chill. Mix together the remaining ingredients, cutting in the cold butter until the topping is pea-sized. Set aside.

FILLING:

10 stalks fresh rhubarb, cleaned and all tops removed 10 to 12 fresh strawberries, cut in half ½ cup confectioners sugar ½ cup white sugar, super-fine preferred Zest from one orange 4 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice Chop the rhubarb into ½-inch chunks. In a large bowl, toss with the remaining ingredients. Set aside. Roll out the pastry dough into six 9-inch circles. Place ½ to ¾ cup of fruit mixture in the center of each circle. Top with 3 tablespoons of the crumble mixture. Fold the edges of the pastry up and over the fruit about 1 ½ inches all around the tart, leaving the center open. Place on a cookie sheet. Repeat this with the remainder of the pastry circles. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes until the filling is bubbly and the galette is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool. Serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Serves 6. Rhubarb tops can be poisonous, so remove tops completely and clean stalks well.

SOURCES OF PRODUCTS

LAMB

M & K Ranch Mark & Karla Uthlaut 367 Route N Montgomery City 573-564-6117 www.booneslickharvest.com

Generation 5 Farms John & Darla Noble 12750 County Road 7160 Rolla 573-364-0132 www.gen5farm.com

Campo Lindo Farms Jay & Carol Middick 2390 SE 228th Street Lathrop 816-740-3625 CampoLindo@aol.com

Parker Farms Natural Meats Tom Parker 43602 Route F Richmond 816-470-3276 parkerfarms@peoplepc.com

Greenwood Farms, LLC 16800 State Route T Newburg 573-762-3234 Drug- and hormone-free

King Mountain Organic Ranch 1182 County Road 1590 Willow Springs 417-469-5300

Certified organic Meadow View Farm HC 73, Box 720 Drury 417-261-2642

Troque Farms 31710 E. Oakland School Road, Buckner 816-650-9307 organic, available year-round

Allen Family Farm 18239 Lawrence 1030 Pierce City 417-476-5571 drug- and hormone-free

American Pasturage, Inc. P.O. Box 190 16658 Lawrence 1232 Marionville 417-258-2394 Pasture-raised lamb available year-round

Bechard Family Farm 13700 Athens Road Conway 417-589-4152

ASPARAGUS OR RHUBARB

Renaud Vegetable Company Dave Renaud 212 N. Highway 77 Charleston 573-675-3437 drenaud@ldd.net

White Oak Berry Farm Michael Goth 2830 SW 450 Road Osceola 417-646-2244

Strawberry Lane Farm www.grm.net/~kampy/ rhubarb also available

Isbell Valley Quality Produce 1054 Route C Bonnots Mill 573-897-3353 Rhubarb also available

Missouri Highland Farm 17071 Garrett Road Jamestown 660-849-2387 www.missourihighlandfarm.com

Anderson Farms 1009 Plymouth Drive Columbia 573-445-5260

Pierpoint Farms 8810 South Route N Columbia 573-499-9851 www.pierpointfarms.com

Share-Life Farms Route 2, Box 134 Marshall 660-886-3936 or 660-886-3566

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