New Cookbook Focuses On Embracing Local Farms

Minnesota native Beth Dooley recently launched a new cookbook called, “The Perennial Kitchen: Simple Recipes for a Healthy Future.” We talk with her about her push to embrace local farms. Plus, we get a taste of some of her new recipes that highlight nuts, fruits and vegetables.

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Recipe: Hazelnut Parmesan Crisps

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These crisp and toothy crackers use hazelnut flour made from nuts that have been toasted and pressed into oil by the American Hazelnut Company in Gays Mills, Wisconsin. These are laced with Parmesan cheese and chocked with herbs and are gluten-free.

Ingredients

1 c. hazelnut flour

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

2 egg whites

2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

Generous pinch of coach salt

Generous pinch red pepper flakes

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 275ºF. Lightly grease a baking sheet or cover with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together to form a stiff dough. Turn the dough out onto the prepared baking sheet; it will be very crumbly. Using your hands, gather the dough into a disk, then work the dough into a thin rectangle. Cover the dough with a second sheet of parchment; use a rolling pin (or bottle) to roll and work the dough out into a rectangle that nearly covers the baking sheet.

Using a pizza cutter, bench scraper, or sharp knife, cut the doughinto 3-to 4-inch rectangles. Bake until the crackers are crispand the cheese is melted and has started to darken, about 25 to30 minutes. Remove from the oven. Allow the crackers to cool fora few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to awire rack to cool completely. Store them in an airtight containerfor up to one week.

Using a pizza cutter, bench scraper, or sharp knife, cut the dough into 3-to 4-inch rectangles. Bake until the crackers are crisp and the cheese is melted and has started to darken, about 25 to30 minutes. Remove from the oven. Allow the crackers to cool fora few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store them in an airtight container for up to one week
Recipe: Polenta With Fried Eggs

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Golden polenta makes a wonderful breakfast drizzled with maple syrup and melted butter. Top it with a fried egg, and the yolk becomes a velvety sauce for a dinner-worthy meal. Use coarsely ground cornmeal or try hominy grits that, like hominy, have been nixtamalized. Slightly moister than cornmeal, hominy grits have a nuanced, tangy flavor. Please avoid instant polenta or the precooked packaged polenta; it just doesn’t taste as good.//Polenta doesn’t require much skill, just a lot of patience. If you prepare it for dinner, you’ll have the makings of a luscious breakfast the next day.

Ingredients

4 c. water

1 c. polenta

Generous pinch of salt

2 tsp. of butter

4 large eggs

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Fresh thyme leaves for garnish

Instructions

To make the polenta, bring the water to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan. Slowly whisk in the polenta and salt, reduce the heat, and cook at a simmer, uncovered, stirring the polenta about every 10 minutes until it’s thick and no longer tastes raw, about 45 minutes. Remove from the heat. Scoop the polenta onto individual plates.To fry the eggs, set a medium skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Break the eggs and slip into the pan. Reduce the heat to low and cook slowly until the white is set and the yolks begin to thicken but do not become hard. Using a spatula, gently lift the eggs onto the polenta and season to taste with salt and pepper;garnish with fresh thyme. Serve right away!

*This will yield 4 cups of cooked polenta. Store extra in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze. To reheat, turn into a pot and set over low heat. Add a little water or milk to loosen the consistency, and stir to warm through. You may use a mix of fine and coarse ground polenta fora variety of textures.*