Flavors of the Valley Recipes - Vital Communities

Here are some delicious and fun Flavors of the Valley recipes from 2017!

Curried Carrot Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds carrots, chopped
2 onions, peeled and chopped
6 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons grated ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 cup coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion until tender and translucent. Stir in the curry powder. Add the chopped carrots, and stir until the carrots are coated. Add ginger. Pour in the vegetable broth, and simmer until the carrots are soft, about 20 minutes.

Transfer the carrots and broth to a blender, and puree until smooth (be careful blending hot liquids!). Pour back into the pot, add coconut milk, and season to taste. Thin with water to your preferred consistency.

Jam Squares

Thanks to Emily Malnati at Edgewater for making these sweet treats for Flavors of the Valley

Inspired by the original recipe by Gretchen Taylor in the Plainfield cookbook. Revised by The Things We Cook. Reworked by Kathleen Maslan from Edgewater Farm.

1. Preheat oven to 350’F.
2. Mix together:

4.5 c. flour
1.75 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla
2-1/2 c. butter, chunked

3. Press 4 cups in the bottom of a half-sheet pan.
4. Bake 8 minutes at 350’F.
5. Let cool a bit, spread 3 c. fruit (preferably berry filling!) over the bottom
6. Mix together topping:

2c. flour
2c. oats
1.5 c. brown sugar
1 c. butter, cubed, cold

7. Sprinkle on topping. The perfect stage to freeze at. Otherwise…
8. Bake at 350’ F for about 45 minutes, or until the top is golden with filling bubbling on the side.

Piecemeal Pies Chocolate Beet Brownies

Thanks to Justin Barrett for creating this recipe just for Vital Communities.

3 medium red beets

18 tablespoons butter

9 oz dark chocolate, preferably 70%

1 1/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

3 tablespoon strong coffee

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

Grease a 9″x13″ pan and dust with cocoa powder.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Boil beets in unsalted water until tender.
Peel the cooked beets by rubbing off their skins. Place in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add the chocolate, coffee, and salt. Stir to melt.
Stir in 1 cup of the beet puree.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until thick and pale. When the whisk is lifted, the mixture should slowly fall in thick ribbons.
With a spatula, gently fold the chocolate mixture into the eggs, followed by the flour. Do not over-mix.
Pour batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 35-45 minutes, just until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool completely before cutting.