On newstands next week . . .

Our March issue of North Country Cooking goes to press next week.
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We'll feature a selection of Italian recipes, sources for the best cheese and beef in the Kingdom, plus the latest from Nat Tripp, Joyce Mandeville, Ruth Allard and Bill Biddle.
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Look for us at Newport Naturals, Ray’s Market, Lake Country Store, Currier’s, Busy Bee, C & C Market, Barton Village Store, Depot Street White Market, Green Mountain Books, The Freighthouse Restaurant, St. Johnsbury Bagel Depot, St. Johnsbury Co-Op, Diamond Hill Store, Hastings Store, and Galaxy Bookstore.
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To subscribe, send $18 for one year, six issues ($9 for seniors) to:
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North Country Cooking
PO Box 24
Lyndonville, VT 05851

Coming soon . . .

OUR NEXT ISSUE -- in a new, bound, magazine format -- will be out soon!

We've devoted a section to Italian food featuring recipes from television chef and author Nick Stellino and a cookbook roundup, columns from your favorite Northeast Kingdom writers, poet Gib Ruark's take on basil, and information on sources of locally produced artisan cheeses and the finest grass-fed beef.

We hope you'll enjoy our transformation, and we thank you for your patience. Look for us on the stands or in your mailbox in about ten days.

Dreaming in Italian

OUR FEBRUARY / MARCH ISSUE will signal a transition for us: we're changing our format, shaking up editorial, stretching our wings a bit.
We'll still have some of the best of local doings: we welcome Sal DeMaio to our pages as he recounts his latest cheese making efforts; Charlotte Albright weighs in on whey, too.
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Bill Biddle takes a walkabout and shares his deepest thoughts on meatloaf making. Dan Swainbank takes us to Badger Brook, and Nat Tripp leads us full circle, to the root cellar and beyond, as only he can do. Ruth Allard treats us to five-cent candy and Kreamy Ice Kream at the old general store in Lyndon Center.
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But most of us living in the North Country are products of 'elsewhere,' through heritage or geography or both, and so, with this issue, we begin a series of side trips. The first: Italy. We'll feature recipes from television chef and cookbook author Nick Stellino, poet Gibbons Ruark's take on basil and his stay in Fiesole, family memories from Gianna Fregosi, and my own longing for lemons and the Isle of Capri. February in Vermont, beautiful as it is, fairly calls out for a little fantasy, a little dreaming, a little escape.
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And so, I ask for your patience! The move to a magazine format is taking a little time, and we've got those pesky day jobs to attend. Our next issue should be out in about two weeks. Hope you'll be pleased.
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Above, Marion Brown on the Isle of Capri.

Richard's Vermont Made Game Sauce

NEW FAVORITE THING:

RICHARD'S VERMONT MADE GAME SAUCE.

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Discovered on a recent trip to White's Market right here in the bustling metropolis of Lyndonville, this lively blend of tomato, brown sugar, Worcestershire, peppers, garlic, onions and assorted spices is simply wonderful. Not one to have a lot of game meat hanging around, I've found it makes an ordinary turkey burger a genuine treat.

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Richard's Vermont Made offers a line of marinades as well as hot, barbecue and pasta sauces.

Hunt down a bottle in your local store, or contact them at their site: http://vtmaderichardsauce.com/index.htm

Baked cabbage soup

INSPIRED BY A RECIPE FOUND IN THE MAGAZINE OF La CUCINA ITALIANA: a simple and very satisfying winter soup to serve with sandwiches.

Slice 8 ounces of center-cut bacon into 1/2 inched pieces. In a Dutch oven (might I add how deeply in love I am with my Emeril Lagasse Dutch oven, which I found for a steal at T J Maxx?), saute bacon over medium heat until somewhat crisp. While bacon cooks, remove core and outer leafs from a large head of cabbage. Cut into slices about 1/2 inch thick and a few inches long. When the bacon is done, add the cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast 4 slices of hearty bread, and heat to boiling about 10 cups of good quality chicken broth. When cabbage is quite wilted and cooked down, add the chicken broth and stir well. Top the soup with the bread. Cover and bake for 40 minutes.

Remove from oven. Stir the bread into the soup to thicken it. Top with 8 ounces of cheese: shredded or sliced fontina or mozzarella would work well. Return to oven and bake until browned and bubbly. Serve immediately.

The original recipe calls for a little pancetta, and placing the bread at the bottom of the Dutch oven before adding back the remaining ingredients, and no mixing before topping with cheese. But certainly there's lots of room for variation. Next time I will try adding the cheese directly to the softened slices before returning the pot to the oven to brown.

Bison chili with quick sweet cornbread

OUR INTREPID TRAVELING GOURMET BILL BIDDLE writes for our February/March issue about using bison as one of the four meats in his 'serious' meatloaf. Insists upon it, as a matter of fact. Bison.

I confess to being new to bison, that is beyond their existence on the small and big screen. Recently, I was saddened to see one bison calf lose track of his mother and nearly drown during a river crossing and distraught to witness another dispatched rather handily by two hungry wolves on a PBS nature program. I could never man the camera for such a series -- I'd be forever shouting "look out!" or "shoo."

But I digress.

So, we were minding our own business at Price Chopper the other day, and there was a pound of ground bison. Kind of pricey. But given a refresher course about what actually goes into the stuff we take for ground beef these days (added to the meat -- ammonia-treated by-products that heretofore made their way only into dog and cat food), I am keen to select healthier alternatives.

And I'm told bison is healthier. Far less fatty. Grass fed. No hormones. Tastier and better for you all around.

Chili was on tap for the day. So I rustled up some, using that pound of bison. And I was not at all disappointed. The meat was very tasty, and there was simply no fat to be strained from it. The recipe that follows, served with a sweet and easy cornbread made with a doctored up mix, will feed four.

Season with a little salt and pepper, and, in a Dutch oven over medium heat, saute in a little olive oil until tender (or to your own taste) 1/2 chopped sweet onion, 1 chopped red pepper, and 1 chopped green pepper. When nearly tender, add 1 or 2 cloves of minced garlic.

Remove to a bowl. Add a little more olive oil to the Dutch oven, and, over medium-high heat, brown the bison. Return the sauteed vegetables. Add two cans of 'petite' diced tomatoes (those seasoned with chilis are perfect), one jar of your favorite salsa or picante sauce, 1 cup of beef broth or 1 small can of tomato sauce, if you like your chili on the 'saucy' side. Season as you like: either with a teaspoon or two of prepared chili mix, or some oregano, cumin, garlic, red pepper flakes, chili powder, salt and pepper. A shake or two of Tabasco or other chili pepper sauce works for those that like it hot.

Simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, covered. Spoon into bowls and top as desired with chopped raw onion and peppers, more salsa, sour cream, and grated cheddar cheese. Serve immediately.

For a quick cornbread treat, try this:

2 packages of "Jiffy" cornbread mix

2 beaten eggs

1/3 to 1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup milk

4 tablespoons melted butter

Mix all ingredients together until just blended. Pour into a well-buttered pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.

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Caramel Corn with Pecans

INSPIRED BY A RECIPE in this month's issue of Food and Wine Magazine: Caramel Corn with Pecans. So easy and fun. Why don't we make this more often?

In a very large bowl or roasting pan, mix together about 12 cups of air popped popcorn (1 average microwavable bag) plus 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. Set aside and make the caramel.

In a medium-sized pan over medium heat (I used a pan with a non-stick coating), bring to a boil 1 stick of butter, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1/3 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup (corn syrup will do, but Lyle's has such amazing flavor). Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until just golden brown in color. Don't let it darken too much. Carefully stir in a pinch of salt, if desired, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (caramel will foam up -- be careful).

NOW. What they don't tell you: don't pour the caramel over the popcorn all at once into a gob in the middle and expect to distribute the sweet stuff evenly. Pour slowly, stirring stir well but gently until all the popcorn is covered. You don't want to break up the corn into little pieces. I ended up pouring the popcorn out onto a long stretch of parchment paper and using my hands and the paper to facilitate this process.

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When cool enough to handle but still pliable, gather as necessary or break the caramel corn into small clusters or ping-pong ball sized balls and compact slightly. Either shape will make for a pleasing presentation.

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Many recipes call for baking in a slow oven for up to an hour, stirring occasionally, after mixing the caramel with the popcorn in order to dry and harden it. I did not find this necessary, but the step could help distribute the caramel.

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Not the wisest choice for folks with lots of dental work, perhaps, but awfully nice as a snack for Netflix night.