Winter Menu Week 12 Mar. 24th 2008
Winter Menu Week 12
Soup
A. Butternut squash soup spiced with allepo pepper
B. Creamy fennel and potato chowder
Baked Goodness
A. Cheddar corn muffins
B. Banana walnut bread
Pasta/Grain
A. Black rice with greens and spiced pumpkin seeds
B. Lasagna with Alleva Dairy Fresh Ricotta and winter greens
Veggie
A. Polenta triangles with root vegetable ragout
B. Spanakopita with spicy greens and feta
Meat dish
A. Shelburne Farm’s Shepherd’s Pie with caramelized onions and cheddar smash
B. Maple and black pepper chicken
Side
A. Shaved salad of red cabbage, fennel, carrot, celery root and fresh herbs
B. Roasted garlic mashed potatoes with chives
Dessert
A. Apple pie with crumble top
B. Peanut butter cookies
Cheese Please!!
Cobb Hill Farm Ascutney Mountain (raw cows’ milk)
Ascutney Mountain (incidentally a cheese and a mountain) hails from an intentional community in Vermont started by Donella H. Meadows, a Harvard PhD in biophysics. What is an intentional community, you may ask? An online encyclopedia defines it as a ‘planned residential community with a much higher degree of social interaction that other communities.’ In the case of Cobb Hill, the community is devoted to sustainable agriculture. The cheese makers, Gail Holmes and Marsha Carmicheal had never set foot in a dairy before moving to Cobb Hill, but took notes from some of the best in the biz, including Peter Dixon, of Westminster Dairy… and learned their craft with astonishing speed. Ascutney is a rich, deep yellow cheese with a pleasant, nutty and lightly sweet flavor.
Nettle Meadow Kunik (pasteurized goats’ milk with Jersey cream) Warrensburg, NY
Kunik is dreamy mold-ripened cheese made from a mix of goats’ milk and fresh Jersey cream. It ranges from earthy, grassy and slightly firm to supple and unctuous and pungent. Kunik is delightful at any state of ripeness, and deserves a much-coveted place in your belly.
Woodcock Farm Magic Mountain (raw sheeps’ milk) Weston, VT
Magic Mountain hails from Vermont and is crafted from the milk of Mark and Gari Fischer’s East Fresian sheep. It is an aged, Alpine-style sheep’s milk cheese, made in large wheels typical of the famous Alpine cheeses such as Gruyere and Beaufort. Magic Mountain is aged for over 10 months and is dense and smooth, with a subtle nutty flavor.