I am really excited about our new lunch menu coming up at the Apple Farm Restaurant. Under the direction of chef Steven Smeets chef de cuisine we have created some new and exciting menu additions and here is one of them

 

 Rosemary Crusted Ruby Trout 

with brown jasmine rice and 

sauteed kale with mushrooms and butter. 

The ruby trout has flesh the same color of light colored salmon but tastes just like trout. It's has a mild delicate taste that is enhanced with the rosemary crust. The Jasmine brown rice is superb in flavor and nutrition and the kale with mushrooms sauteed in butter adds a nice contrast and richness to the mild flavor of the trout.

Stay tuned for more updates and recipes.    

Hearty Beans Recipe

Winter is the perfect time for a pot of hearty beans. Any hearty bean will do. You can cook several beans together. I have made 17 bean soup this way and it's terrific. I like white beans a lot so I'll use them in this recipe. I also use a homemade chicken stock for the cooking liquid, this way I can use fresh produce in the stock. This recipe is so easy to make and hands on involvement time is around 25 min. and cooking time 3 1/2 hours.       

Ingredients

l lb dry white beans
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 smoked ham hock
1 tbsp dry oregano
5 cups chicken stock
2 cups Tuscan kale or spinach chopped 
salt and pepper to taste

Step 1. Soak the beans. Cover the dry beans with water by a few inches and soak over night. (Quick soak method): Add the beans to an 8 qt stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil then turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.

Step 2.
For both methods, drain the water. Put the beans, onions, ham hock and oregano into an 8 qt stock pot and cover with the stock. Bring to a boil, skim the scum then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Add more chicken stock if necessary. Do the 5 bean test. Taste 5 beans and if just one of them is under done keep cooking till a test of 5 beans results in all tender beans.

Step 3.
Remove the ham hock then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in soup bowels with crusty bread and butter.