[This post is sponsored by the University of Minnesota Press]
The Perfect Gift for Mother’s Day: Beth Dooley’s Minnesota’s Bounty: The Farmer’s Market Cookbook
Minnesota’s Bounty is a user’s guide to shopping and cooking from your local farmers market, and it applies a practical, easy approach to creating a truly seasonal kitchen. Seasoned cook and food writer Beth Dooley has suggestions and recipes that inspire simple, modern, and healthy meals following an ingredients-first philosophy, helping readers to be more confident and spontaneous both at the market and in the kitchen. Below are just a few of the delicious recipes you will find in Minnesota’s Bounty. A great gift for home cooks and farmers market lovers!
“Beth Dooley has written much more than a cookbook. This valuable resource and guide to Minnesota’s farmers markets is sure to inspire and nourish you with connection to your food, your farmers, and Minnesota’s rich sustainable-agriculture tradition.” —Terry Walters, author of Clean Food
Fresh Asparagus Soup
Serves 4 to 6
Perfect for Mother’s Day brunch or a spring lunch, this vibrant green soup is delicious hot or cold.
The soup is a creamy purée enriched with potato and just a touch of cream.
1 tablespoon butter
3 shallots, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces, tips reserved
1 small baking potato, peeled and diced
4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
Melt the butter in a deep saucepan, and sauté the shallots until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add the asparagus stalks, potato, stock, and enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the asparagus and potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
While the asparagus and potatoes are cooking, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and blanch the asparagus tips until they are bright green and tender-crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold running water, and set aside.
Purée the soup with an immersion blender or in small batches in a blender until smooth, then transfer it to a large bowl. Pour the soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot. Warm the soup, stir in the cream, and season with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve the soup garnished with the asparagus tips.
Grilled Pork Chops with Basil and Plums
Serves 4
Sweet plums caramelized quickly on the grill are a perfect complement to pork.
4 bone-in pork loin chops
Olive oil or sunflower oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 plums, quartered and pitted
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped basil
Bring the chops to room temperature. Brush the chops with oil, and season them with salt and pepper.
In a bowl, toss together the plums, maple syrup, and 2 teaspoons of oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for medium-high heat. Place the chops on the grill rack over the hottest part of the fire, and sear both sides until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Move the chops to a cooler part of the grill, and cook until the pork is firm, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer should show 140 degrees. Place the plums on the grill and sear
until golden, about 20 to 30 seconds per side. Transfer the chops and the plums to a platter, and drizzle them with a little vinegar. Garnish with the basil.
Breakfast Blueberry Cobbler
Serves 4 to 6
This dish is perfect for a lazy Sunday at the lake when everyone sleeps in and gets up starved (and is far easier than pancakes to whip up). Cobblers are named for the cobbled look created as the batter rises up to become a golden, buttery crust.
3 cups blueberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss the blueberries with the sugar and set them aside. In a large bowl, stir together the flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, and milk. Stir in the melted butter. Spread the blueberries in an ungreased 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan. Spoon the batter over the blueberries. Bake until the dough rises and is golden, 45 to 55 minutes. Serve warm.
Get all of Beth’s scrumptious recipes plus great tips for shopping your local farmers market in time for Mother’s Day! Minnesota’s Bounty is available at better bookstores or to order click here.