Melissa Pasanen - The Little Local Vermont Cookbook: Recipes for Classic Dishes

LITTLE LOCAL

COOKBOOK

Recipes for Classic Dishes

MELISSA PASANEN

In honor of Enid Wonnacott, a champion
of Vermont farmers, who drew community
together around good food

Here in Vermont, we like to say, you can eat the landscape.

Bite into a fresh green hillside covered with springs first fiddleheads or aromatic wild ramps. Chomp into a golden summer field of corn or nibble through rows of jewel-bright strawberries. Crunch into a tart apple as if youre savoring the crisp skyline, blazing with fall foliage. Swallow the sweet puffs of maple steam that rise from sugarhouses tucked into snowy winter woods.

As you drive through the landscape of Vermont, on winding country roads between covered bridges and red barns, you will never be too far from a delicious destination. The Green Mountain State has long been a leader in the locavore movement, and we value the many ways our food, drink, and agricultural traditions contribute to our vibrant communities.

Even thoughor, perhaps, becauseVermont is so small, we are a feisty and independent lot who prefer to carve our own path in everything from politics to food. Nature is always close by, and we treasure it. Vermonters tend to count farmers among their friends. We know where our food comes from.

We have more cheesemakers, craft brewers, and farmers markets per capita than any other state, and we are the nations leading producer of maple syrup. Visitors to Vermont can follow not only well-traveled hiking and snow-sport trails, but also a cheese trail, a maple trail, and a brewery trail, among others.

In this little book, we celebrate not only the ingredients and recipes produced by the natural and cultural landscape of Vermont, but also the people and traditions that have shaped our menu.

Makes 12 muffins

Hearty and wholesome, with warm, spicy notes, these muffins smell like fall in Vermont. They are the perfect fuel for a hike up Camels Hump to enjoy spectacular views of a landscape shimmering with red, orange and gold foliage. Mashed winter squash or sweet potato can substitute beautifully for pumpkin.

1 cups white whole wheat or all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

teaspoon ground cinnamon

teaspoon ground ginger

teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

cup canola oil

cup maple syrup, preferably dark

cup light brown sugar

cup plain or vanilla yogurt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup mashed pumpkin

cup finely chopped crystallized ginger, optional

Heat the oven to 400F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or generously grease muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and then whisk in the oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Add the pumpkin and whisk until well until blended.

Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir with a spoon just until well combined. Stir in the crystallized ginger, if using, and evenly scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Reduce the heat to 375F and bake until the muffins are golden and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside on a cooling rack at least 10 minutes before eating.

Note: Maple syrup grading used to vary across North America, but the grades are now standardized. Golden is the lightest and most delicate in taste; its used for pouring over everything from pancakes to ice cream. Amber, with its deeper flavor and color, is good for both drizzling and cooking. Dark, the most robust, is preferred for baking by many Vermont cooks.

Makes about 8 cups

Hippies and back-to-the-landers flocked to Vermont during the 1960s and 70s, and they had a major impact on the states culture, including, perhaps, our fondness for granola. I like mine chunky, so I use local honey along with maple syrup, and I let it cool completely on the baking sheet. Dont skip the salt unless your health prohibits itit balances the sweetness.

cup olive or canola oil

cup dark maple syrup

cup honey

teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt

3 cups rolled oats

3 cups raw nuts or seeds, such as almonds, cashews, pecans, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds

2 cups dried fruit, such as sweetened, tart cherries; cranberries; golden raisins; or snipped dried apricots

Heat the oven to 325F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet or shallow roasting pan with a nonstick baking liner or parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, maple syrup, honey, and salt.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats and nuts. Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture and toss with a rubber spatula until everything is evenly coated. Spread the granola mixture evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake for 15 minutes and then stir. Return to the oven and bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Set aside on a cooling rack (do not touch until it is completely cool). Break the granola into desired-size clumps and mix in the dried fruit. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 12 servings

Berries are one of many delicious reasons that visitors flock to Vermont, from the first sun-kissed strawberries of June all the way through blueberry and raspberry season and then finishing up with the wild blackberries of late summer and early fall. Should you find yourself with a hungry houseful, whip up this quick overnight French toast. It works equally well with fresh or frozen berries, takes about 15 minutes to pull together, and is ready to pop in the oven in the morning. The crunchy topping gilds the lily.