Some Complaining & A Recipe

Since we didn’t receive the snow last Saturday the powers that be decided to give us more than called for this past Wednesday.  Up here on the ridge we received somewhere between 16 and 18 inches.  Hard to come up with an exact figure due to all the drifting.  However, it was more than enough for all concerned.  The ducks decided that they would go out in it and promptly fell through.  They’d beat their wings, climb out of the hole they were in, and sink again.  Pretty amusing to watch.  Eventually they cleared an area big enough to run around in and alternated between that and hiding under the coop.  Even the pigs seemed to enjoy it as they were running through the woods chasing each other and letting the snow fly.  They didn’t have a 1000 feet of driveway to plow.  Three times.  Okay.  I’m done complaining.  On a positive note it appears that the deer have decided to come back to our area.  We haven’t seen any since late summer around here and the other day we got up to see all sorts of tracks around the oak out front.  What does all this have to do with Herbs and Spices?  Nothing.

We don’t have anything new for you this week.  Been a bit busy with the SNOW and filling orders but next week we will have Hawaij for you.  I’ll tell you about it then.  In the meantime I have an excellent recipe for you that we adapted from Raghavan Iyer.

Fish in Yogurt Sauce

1/2 Tsp. Turmeric

1 lb. Skinless Fish Fillets (Cod, Haddock, Halibut, Tilapia if you have to)

1 Cup Plain Yogurt

1 Tsp. Sugar

1 Tsp. Sea Salt

2 Tbsp. Peanut or Mustard Oil

1 Tbsp. Panch Phoron

2 Dried Chiles

1 Cup Finely Chopped Red Onion

1 1/2 Tsp. Minced Ginger

2 Tbsp. Minced Fresh Cilantro

Sprinkle the Turmeric over both sides of the fish fillets and rub it in to the flesh.  Cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and as long as overnight.  Blend the sugar and salt with the yogurt in a bowl and set aside.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the Panch Phoron and chiles and cook until the chiles blacken and the spices are aromatic.  Immediately add the fish fillets and sear them on both sides on the bed of roasted spices, about 30 seconds per side.  Transfer the fish to a plate.  Add the onion and ginger to the skillet and stir-fry until the onion is lightly browned.  Add the yogurt mixture and stir to incorporate the onion and spices.  Bring the sauce to a boil and add the fish fillets.  Spoon the sauce over the fillets and poach them uncovered until the fish just begins to flake, about 3-5 minutes.  Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with either Jasmine or Basmati rice and some soft breads.

We will again have duck and chicken eggs available tomorrow.  On a future note, two of our pigs will be going to the butcher at the end of the month and we be offering Forest Raised All Natural Pork coming up in mid Feb. Other than that take care and we’ll see you at the market.