UnRecipe: Summer Scrounge

I had one of those moments recently where I looked in our refrigerator, pantry and even our backyard and said: That's it! No more buying anything -- we need to use what we have!! I don't even know why that statement needed to be said, as I'm the one who handles all the household upkeep and it's my own foolish overpurchasing during sales that leaves me with three pounds of bell peppers, two cases of canned tomatoes and no idea what to do next. But the biggest bounty has actually been from our own backyard, and figuring out how to use it.

You can be my huckleberry (yes, I'm gonna say that every summer) - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I found myself with several containers' worth of wild red huckleberries. Teeny-tiny red berries that grow wild in our backyard, from bushes that grow from rotted tree stumps. I know, sounds sexy, right? But they're fun berries to use -- a sharply acidic tart-flavored berry, kind of similar to cranberries but more tender and not as bitter. Lots of vitamin C, so no worries about getting scurvy if you eat them. It takes me about a week or two to gather enough to make jam. And when I say make jam, it's one small jar of the stuff. The berries cook down to nothing, but you're left with a super-concentrated paste of sour stuff that works as good as lemon juice, but with a bright red color.

Taking a cue from a previous post, where I made beet tarts, I made another batch of beet tarts, this time with the swirly Chioggia variety of beets, as we got a bunch in the CSA box and as we all know, they're not Mr. Wasabi's favorite, so it's on me to enjoy them. They're beautiful vegetables and the swirl of white and red means it stains your prep surface and hands much less. Barely at all, in comparison to the bloody murder of standard red beets. I spread the tart red huckleberry jam over the puff pastry, with cream cheese, and laid the roasted beet slices over that to finish in the oven. The sweetness of the beets were a nice companion to the sour berries, with the richness of the cream cheese and puff pastry to bring everything together. Just like buttery flaky pastry and creamy cheese to make a party, right?

Swirly-good beets for another colorful tart - Photos by  Wasabi Prime

I've been herb-harvesting in the yard as well -- before the heat totally baked our mint plant, I pulled handfuls of leaves, as well as a small bouquet's worth of lemon balm. I've done herb pestos with them in the past, but the latest thing that I can make easily and helps prune down the plants is herb-infused iced tea. I buy a supply of caffeine-free iced tea bags, usually a weak black tea blend, and steep a few bags with handfuls of cleaned mint and lemon balm. I put the whole thing in, stems, leaves and all. They just cook away with the tea bags, infusing the liquid with fresh flavor. I strain the liquid and let it chill in the refrigerator. I sometimes add sugar, but it tastes fine without it. If I have citrus, it's nice to let the rind of a lemon or orange sit in the mixture as well. It's one easy way to enjoy the garden every week, right in a glass.

Garden herbal tea - Photos by Wasabi Prime

OMG a Recipe: No Carb Left Behind

I can blame the Eat, Pray, Love hype or just admit that I love a good pizza now and then -- either way, I decided to have a whirlwind romance of my own with homemade pizza. I played around with flavors and came up with a surprisingly delicious combination that resulted in a Proscuitto, Goat Cheese and Wild Huckleberry Jam Pizza.

Affair-worthy pizza - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I've used this flatbread recipe several times before -- it's thanks to the good folks at Epicurious who published Ben Ford's recipe. It's simple and it works with home ovens, which I know can be a sticking point for getting crusts baked just-right. I tend to make a batch of the flatbreads first, baking them till lightly brown and then keeping them in an airtight container before adding toppings and then using the broiler to both roast the fresh ingredients and give the crust a nice char.

Inspired by meticulous berry-picking - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The inspirational ingredient was the jam made from the tart wild huckleberries that grow in our backyard. They're tiny little things that take several pickings to get a jar's worth of jam, but it's got a nice bite that makes me think of cranberry sauce, which would be a fine substitute if you don't have wild huckleberries handy -- I can't imagine everyone does. I didn't add much sugar, just to keep its use open for savory dishes. I thought the rich, salty flavor of prosciutto and a creamy goat cheese would round out and balance the flavor profile. The jam served as the base, then a few soft pinches of the goat cheese, and then a layering of the prosciutto. A few hefty sprinkles of black pepper gave it some bite, and under the broiler it went. The thin slices of fatty meat crisp up, the cheese gets soft and melty, and the edges of the bread develop a darker char. The resulting dish is both savory and lightly sweet, as you can't hide the fact that it's a fruit based sauce, but it lends itself as a nice balance to the heavier flavor of the pork.

Wasabi's Pizzeria - Photos by Wasabi Prime