La Lama Mountain Ovens
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The best of the recipes, techniques, and methods practiced by our large extended Italian-American family - with emphasis on the legacy handed down to us by the original immigrants.

This is a cookbook-in-process project. If you try any of these recipes please let us know how they turn out, whether or not you had any difficulties, and any clarifying improvements you might recommend to make them foolproof. We will of course acknowledge genuine "test-kitchen" assistance.

Family Secrets #15

Farmhouse Dinner

By Ray Zara, La Lama Mountain Ovens

The following dinner menu can be done entirely from your garden or farmer’s market, and your freezer, assuming you made your own sausage (see Secret #14). If you didn’t, just buy some good quality sausage. Uncle Joe was the sausage maker in our family, and this meal would have topped off his autumn sausage ritual perfectly.

The menu is grilled sausage links, roasted baby red and yellow beets served on a bed of sautéed beet greens, battered zucchini flowers, and homemade bread. Add a tossed green salad from your garden and you have a meal that will entice even the most jaded summer appetite.

If you are working from your garden, start early in the morning to harvest the squash flowers and beets.

For the squash blossoms you can use zucchini, pumpkin, or any summer squash blossom. The best blossoms are the females, which grow directly from the plant stem (not on the end of the fruit). By picking these you will forgo yet another fruit. As you pick each one, reach inside and pluck out and discard the pistola. . Allow two blossoms per person. Rinse the blossoms in cold water, shaking off the excess, and lay on paper towels. Refrigerate covered with plastic wrap until ready to cook.

Harvest your beets, allowing three per person. Wash well, using a brush to dislodge any dirt from the ends. Cut off the green tops about one inch above the beet. If the greens are large, tear out the tough center rib. Wash the beet greens in several changes of cold water and place in a colander to drain. Make one or two foil packets, separating the yellow and red beets if you are using both. Place the beets with any clinging water into the packets and seal. Place in 375 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. Big, older beets will take up to an hour and 15 minutes, while small young ones will cook in 35 to 45 minutes. Test with a sharp paring knife. It should pierce the beet easily. When done, open foil and allow to cool until you can handle them. At this point the skin will slip off easily. After skinning, trim off the ends, slice about 1/4 inch thick and drizzle with a good vinaigrette. Set aside, covered, at room temperature until dinner.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Drop in the cleaned beet greens, return to the boil and cook three minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Squeeze the greens by handfuls, getting out as much moisture as you can. Coarsely chop, cover and refrigerate until ready for the next phase of cooking.

Finishing off dinner is now a matter of 15 or 20 minutes. The batter for the flowers can be put together in five minutes, and while the sausage is grilling you can sauté the flowers and the beet greens.

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Batter for Squash Flowers

Total Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup half and half cream
• 2 large eggs, well beaten
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Step One: Prepare the batter

Combine all ingredients in a bowl large enough to accommodate the ingredients plus 5 or 6 squash flowers. Whisk until smooth and creamy with no lumps.

Step Two: Sauté the flowers

Place a large, heavy bottomed sauté pan over medium heat. Add olive oil until 1/2" deep. When oil is hot enough to crackle a drop of water it is ready for the flowers. Place 5 or 6 flowers in the batter mixture, make sure the batter covers all area of the flower. Lift the flowers by the stem end and drain excess batter. Place each flower in the hot oil. Arrange in the pan so they do not touch each other. Do not overcrowd. Sauté on one side for 3 to 4 minutes, lift with a pair of tongs, when the bottom is golden brown turn the flowers and repeat the sauté process. When finished, remove from the skillet and drain on a brown paper bag to remove excess oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and serve.

Sautéed Beet Greens

Total Ingredients:

• 2 cups coarsely chopped blanched beet greens
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced fine
• Salt to taste

This is a single step procedure. Place sauté pan over medium heat with olive oil in pan, add minced garlic and immediately add chopped beet greens. Shake pan vigorously, constantly move greens in pan until hot throughout. Salt to taste.

   
   
You are now ready to assemble your farmhouse dinner. Place a serving of the sautéed beet greens on the plate and place on top a serving of the marinated roasted yellow and red beets. Add 2 of the squash flowers and finish with 2 grilled sausage links. Serve with a basket of sliced homemade bread and a tossed mixed garden salad, and pour a glass of dry red wine. It just doesn’t get much better than this. Enjoy.

Altitude Adjustment: None necessary