Field to Feast has recipes from all over our peerless state of Florida. This one for Minorcan Black Beans comes from “Old St. Augustine.” In 2004, Craig and Barbie Raynor took over the reins of the company of the late Jerry Millen, a botanist by trade, and named it “Taste of Old St. Augustine.” It became a division of their specialty-foods business. Said Barbie, “Our mission is to foster awareness of our great, ancient city through the creation of wonderful-tasting products.” Their datil-based products include two types of hot sauce, barbecue sauce, two marinades, a spice blend, and other seasonal products, which are made in small batches using locally raised ingredients.
Small yellow, and fiery hot datil peppers are deeply rooted in both St. Augustine culture and the culture of the local Minorcans, descendants of immigrants from the Spanish island of Minorca, who have been in St. Augustine since the 1700s. It’s believed that the peppers most likely came from the Caribbean, but they grow only in Florida today. Datils, which are in the same family as super-spicy habaneros, but with a sweeter flavor, are heavily used in Minorcan cooking.
Martha Wetteroft’s Baked Vegetable Risotto is shared with us by First Presbyterian of Punta Gorda’s A Taste of Heaven. It looks like a good dish, and the chicken stock is used in vegetable dishes.
Dakin Dairy Farms has been milking cows in Myakka City, southeast of Bradenton, since 1973. All three of their farms grow high-protein grasses for their cows, essential to their milk’s sweet, creamy flavor. They share their recipe for Baked Penne with Four Cheeses in the book titled Field to Feast.
*Because of an error on my part last week (I left out the 2-1/2 cups of flour!), we are re-running the recipe for Violet Schoening’s fresh apple cake from Northside Baptist Church. I offer my profound thankfulness to the lady who phoned to call my attention to the error. Ms. Schoening’s advice is to use a glass baking dish and says it is good even with no frosting. It can be frozen for use later.
Neoma Knox’s Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad is so tasty. Neoma was our General Manager for many years, but she has left this life behind. We loved her very much. She did leave us her spectacular broccoli and cauliflower salad recipe. We thank New Vision Community Church for sharing the recipe in their book titled, “Feeding the Flock.”
MINORCAN BLACK BEANS
Recipe from FIELD TO FEAST
1 pound dried black beans
1 ham hock
1/4 cup olive oil
3 red or green bell peppers, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, diced
1/4 pound Spanish chorizo sausage, sliced
1/4 cup sherry vinegar or red-wine
vinegar
4 bay leaves
1/2 fresh datil pepper, minced, or
1 teaspoon datil hot sauce
Coarse salt and freshly ground
black pepper, to taste
Cooked white rice, for serving
Chopped raw onion, for garnish
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Datil hot sauce, for garnish
1) Soak beans in cold water to cover overnight. In the morning, drain beans and place in a large stockpot with ham hock and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Do not add salt (yet). 2) Simmer, partially covered, over low heat for 3 to 4 hours until beans are tender, adding water as necessary to keep beans submerged. 3) Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add bell peppers, garlic, and onions and saute until softened, for 4 to 5 minutes. 4) When beans are tender, add cooked vegetables, chorizo, vinegar, bay leaves, and fresh datil or datil hot sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. 5) Simmer, covered, for 1 hour to blend flavors. Add water, if necessary, so beans do not become too thick or dry. 6) Serve beans over cooked white rice and garnish with onion, parsley, and extra datil hot sauce on the side. Six servings.
MARTHA WETTEROFT’S
BAKED VEGETABLE RISOTTO
Recipe from First Presbyterian Church of Punta Gorda, A Taste of Heaven
2 tablespoons olive oil
Chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup Arborio Rice
2 cups chicken broth (14-ounce can
plus water to make 16 ounces)
1 package frozen chopped spinach, zapped in microwave
2/3 cup shredded carrot (1 medium)
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Salt to taste and 1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
Heat oil in heavy pan. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender. Stir in rice just to coat. Add chicken broth, spinach, carrots, parsley, salt and pepper. Pour into 1-quart casserole. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover. Place in 400-degree oven and bake 25 minutes or until moisture is absorbed. Serve hot. Makes six servings.
DAKIN DAIRY FARMS
BAKED PENNE WITH FOUR CHEESES
Recipe from FIELD TO FEAST
2/3 pound penne pasta
1 cup milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Pinch grated nutmeg
1 cup freshly shredded Gruyere cheese
3/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino
Romano
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan,
divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black
pepper, divided
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1)Heat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter 9- x 13-inch baking pan; set aside. 2) In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 8 minutes, or until just al dente. Drain and return to pot. 3) While pasta is cooking, slowly heat milk and cream in a medium saucepan to just below a simmer. Do NOT boil. 4) In another saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add flour and whisk over low heat for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in hot milk mixture and continue stirring until mixture thickens and comes to a simmer. Whisk in salt, nutmeg, Gruyere, Gorgonzola, pecorino Romano, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. 5) Add cheese sauce to drained pasta, mixing thoroughly. Cover pot and let stand 3 minutes. Stir together pasta and cheese, then spread into prepared baking dish. 6) Combine into a mixture of: the remaining pepper, breadcrumbs, and remaining Parmesan; sprinkle mixture over top of pasta. Bake 7 to 10 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Serve hot.
*VIOLET SCHOENING’S
FRESH APPLE CAKE
Recipe from
Northside Baptist Church cookbook
1-1/4 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour – (missing ingredient)
1 cup pecans
3 cups raw apples
Mix in order. Pour batter into 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes. Cool, slice and serve from pan. Best if pan is glass.
Frosting:
1 stick butter, soft
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 cup dark brown sugar
Powdered sugar, as needed.
Cream butter, salt, milk and brown sugar. Stir in powdered sugar until it takes form and spread over cooled cake.
This cake may be frozen. And it is good even without the frosting.
NEOMA KNOX’S BROCCOLI AND
CAULIFLOWER SALAD,
Recipe from New Vision Community Church’s Feeding the Flock
1 bunch cauliflower
1 bunch broccoli
5 strips crisp bacon
1/2 cup medium size red onion
1/2 cup golden raisins
Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Break and cut broccoli and cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Broccoli stems may be used if peeled to soft center. (Hint: large pieces are easy to strip.) Break bacon into small pieces. Slice the onion into rings. Mix all the ingredients together.
Dressing: Combine mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar; pour over the salad and mix well. Refrigerate in air-tight container. Chill at least four hours; tip container to spread dressing evenly throughout.
