18 June 2017

After a hot and busy week in Chicago for NeoCon, it was nice to get home. My return flight was six hours late due to severe weather, so I didn't get home until around midnight on Wednesday. I hit the ground running for client meetings on Thursday, followed by a long Council meeting that evening. Needless to say, I was happy to slow down and relax a bit over the weekend. Unfortunately, I have a touch of the annual NeoCon crud, but I managed to get some rest and even cook tonight's Sunday Supper.

I could barely breathe on Saturday morning, but I dragged myself out of bed to go to the Canton Farmers Market. It was packed, and as usual, there were some great vendors with lots of produce, breads and other foods and handcrafted edibles. I left the market with a great haul, including rosemary garlic bread, onion blossoms, onions from Whim-Wham Art Farm; Hard Neck garlic from Rustic Roots; elm ear mushrooms from Loud Mouth Farm; smoked porcini mushroom bacon salt from the Bear Hive; Georgia peaches from Pearson Farm; and beautiful local beef and pork from Hillside Farm in Ellijay. After an early lunch at R&M Hoagie Shop, I came back and crashed for most of the afternoon.

With a good night's sleep and a couple of cups of coffee, I was determined not to let my farmers market bounty go to waste. The kitchen was filled with a garlic aroma from the hard neck garlic, so I knew I had to use it in a dish. Plus, the garlic, along with the Whim-Wham onions, are in the allium family and are natural antibiotics, so they found their way into a simple arrabbiata sauce for an "angry spaghetti" entree. I packed the sauce full of garlic and even added some of the onion blossoms, my new favorite ingredient. For the salad course, I picked the last of our arugula from the raised beds at One Britt along with some beet greens, and I tossed them with some thinly sliced fennel bulb, olive oil and lemon juice. I chopped more of the garlic and added to some butter to transform the Whim-Wham bread into garlic toast. It may not cure my sinus infection, but at least I won't have to worry about vampires tonight! For dessert, I used the peaches to make an easy peach crumble and, of course, topped it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I love making peach cobbler this time of year, but the crumble was a lot easier and healthier, and it tastes delicious.

So, with a full belly and grateful heart, I will turn in early tonight in preparation for another busy week. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy week ahead.


The Menu:

- Angry Spaghetti – Pasta with Arrabbiata Sauce

- Arugula and Beet Green Salad with Olive Oil and Lemon

- Rustic Rosemary Garlic Bread

- Georgia Peach Crumble


The Recipe – Georgia Peach Crumble

Ingredients:

Topping:

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
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Filling:

• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 pounds ripe, but firm, peaches cut into 1/2-inch slices

Directions:

Topping:

1. Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the middle.

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1. Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Blend the butter pieces into the dry ingredients until large clumps form and completely incorporated. Crumble the clumps into small pieces, then refrigerate the crumble while you make the filling.

Filling:

1. Place the brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl, and whisk to combine. Add the peach slices, stirring until evenly coated.

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1. Transfer the mixture to a medium baking dish, and arrange it in an even layer. Sprinkle the reserved crumble mixture evenly over the peaches.

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1. Bake until the topping is brown and crisp, about 20 - 25 minutes. Place the dish on a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.