Each month, the state’s agriculture department highlights a commodity and provides a recipe using that product. We take it a step further.

The beet is July’s star, and KRCC’s Aaron Retka spoke with Ryan Morris at Country Roots Farm in Pueblo. He also went to the “kitchen of last resort,” also known as the KRCC Test Kitchen, where the station’s own beet aficionado Jennifer Newman cooked up a sweet treat.

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Click below for the beet halva recipe heard in today’s Mise en Place, and for a spring beet salad recipe from the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

Beet Halva
Recipe supplied by KRCC’s Jennifer Newman

2 cups Shredded Beets
4 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Sugar
pinch of cardamom
tbsp. ghee
chopped salted nuts of your choosing

In a large pot, combine milk and beets and bring to a boil. Simmer until the milk evaporates and the mixture is mostly beets with little liquid. Stir frequently. Stir in sugar and cardamom and keep stirring until the mixture sticks to a wooden spoon. Add the ghee, stir once and take off heat. Serve warm and top with nuts and ice cream.

Note: *this is a very rich dessert, so a serving size is 1/4 cup at most!

Recipe from the Colorado Department of Agriculture:

Spring Beet Salad
Chef Jason K. Morse, C.E.C., Valley Country Club, Aurora, Colo.
ACF Colorado Chefs Association President

Serves 4

2 ea. Beets, blanched and sliced
1 package Baby Spinach
2 ea. Shallots, peeled
1 pint Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
1 cup Pecans or Walnuts
1 cup Feta Cheese
1/2 cup Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing

Boil beats in water and apple juice (covered) until fork tender. Remove from heat, chill, peel and slice. Slice shallots and sauté with tomatoes until tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Arrange spinach in bowl, top with sautéed shallots and tomatoes then with beets, nuts and cheese. Add dressing to taste.

For Dressing:
1 ea. Small Onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 fl. oz. Olive Oil
Sea Salt to taste
Black Ground Pepper to taste
1 14 oz. can Diced Tomato
1 tsp. Tarragon, dried
1 Egg Yolk
1/4 cup Champagne Vinegar
1 1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 1/4 cup Canola Oil

Heat a large sauté pan and add .5 fl. oz. of oil. Add the onions and sauté until golden then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook the mixture then chill. Pour the chilled mixture into a food processer then add tarragon, egg yolk, champagne vinegar and salt. Mix in the food processer until fully combined. Slowly add the oil and mix until fully emulsified. Adjust seasoning and refrigerate.

Colorado Springs resident Jim Robinson spent a long time in Texas…and in today’s “Citizen Report,” Robinson shares this story about a true mother-son bonding experience, and the ones that got away.

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(The “Citizen Report” is a collaboration between the Colorado Springs Gazette and KRCC. More information is available at the YourHub link at ColoradoSprings.com.)

Even veteran lawmakers say Congress is moving extremely fast this year. Bills and votes keep coming, and in the first six months, Colorado’s freshmen legislators are working hard to just keep up. Reporter Sara Sciammacco has this report card for KRCC.

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A new racino is coming to Raton, and Wednesday New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson joined state and local officials in breaking ground for the combination horse track and casino. KRCC’s Andrea Chalfin spoke with Trinidad Chronicle-News reporter Marty Mayfield about the industry in Raton, and the groundbreaking ceremony. (Photos courtesy Marty Mayfield.)

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Here’s the full conversation (20 minutes):

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Resident Diane Hartshorne directs the Evergreen Cemetery Benevolent Society, and in today’s “Citizen Report,” Hartshorne explains how she’s breathed new life into old history.

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(The “Citizen Report” is a collaboration between the Colorado Springs Gazette and KRCC. More information is available at the YourHub link at ColoradoSprings.com.)

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[[Show as slideshow]]
Boulder is gearing up to be this year’s host for a national celebration of African music. Zimfest is perhaps the largest annual gathering in North America of students, teachers, performers and fans of Zimbabwean music. KRCC’s Shelley Schlender has this profile of the husband and wife team whose love for the music has led them to teach it, perform it, and lead this year’s Zimfest.

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Additional Resources:

This year’s Zimfest.
Kutandara, Zimbabwean Music Center
Zimfest

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Solar panels are expensive and increasingly in demand, and many communities are learning of their solar array’s value the hard way. In one Colorado town, thousands of dollars in panels recently disappeared from the roof of the Carbondale community rec center. KDNK’s Conrad Wilson reports for Rocky Mountain Community Radio on this new type of crime.

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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is a 787 billion dollar stimulus bill that combines tax credits with new federal spending. KRCC’s Andrea Chalfin recently sat down with Colorado College economics professor Dan Johnson to try and lend perspective to the bill and the status of the recovery effort. Their conversation begins with the two of them talking about the timetable for financial disbursement, which will take place over the course of several years.

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Here’s their full conversation, which took place at the end of May (41 minutes):

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Additional Resources:

Colorado’s Headquarters for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Recovery.gov: the website from the federal government

Today we hear from Blake Williams about his struggle to fit in. It’s a struggle that led him to step up when others like him were threatened.

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(The “Citizen Report” is a collaboration between the Colorado Springs Gazette and KRCC. More information is available at the YourHub link at ColoradoSprings.com.)

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Dams along waterways in Colorado alter the eco-systems and migratory patters of many native, and now endangered fish. But as KDNK’s Conrad Wilson explains for Rocky Mountain Community Radio, because of a robust snow pack this winter, the Bureau of Reclamation sent more water out of their reservoirs down stream in an effort to help fix the very problems the barriers create.

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A new report released yesterday outlines how Colorado is spending money from the federal stimulus package. The state is expected to receive 7 billion dollars over the next three years and several projects are already underway. Bente Birkeland has more from Denver.

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Colorado Springs native Barbara Samuel O’Neal is an award-winning author, dipping her ink into the world of women’s fiction and romance. Recently she discovered the world of Joan Didion, and was surprised to find out that the two have more in common than just their profession.

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(The “Citizen Report” is a collaboration between the Colorado Springs Gazette and KRCC. More information is available at the YourHub link at ColoradoSprings.com.)

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Each month, the state’s agriculture department highlights a commodity and provides a recipe using that product. We take it a step further.

This month we pay homage to the cherry. KRCC’s Aaron Retka spoke with cherry farmer Glenn Austin of Austin Farms in Paonia, and visited Hopscotch Bakery in Pueblo, and has this month’s Mise en Place.

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Click below for a cherry tart recipe from Hopscotch Bakery in Pueblo, and a cherry maple muffin recipe from the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Hopscotch Bakery is a business partner of KRCC.

Mary’s Rustic Cherry Tarts
Mary Oreskovich, Hopscotch Bakery, Pueblo, CO

Yield: 6-8 tarts

Pastry Dough, rolled into 1/8″ thick rounds, 4″ in diameter
1 lb. assorted cherries (Rainier, Queen Anne, Bing), pitted
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
Pinch of Kosher salt
Pinch of ground cinnamon
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Zest and juice of one lemon

Egg Wash:
1 yolk plus 1 tbsp. water

Optional: Frangipane

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a mixing bowl combine cherries, flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, extracts, lemon zest and juice. Macerate for at least 10 minutes.
Spread a tiny bit of Frangipane in the center of each pastry round if desired.
Mound fruit mixture in the center of each pastry, leaving at least a 1/2″ border.
Roll up border of pastry onto fruit, without completely covering it.
Complete each tart, then brush edges with egg wash and dust with sugar.
Place in the oven and bake until fruit is bubbly and tarts are golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.

Recipe from the Colorado Department of Agriculture:

Colorado Cherry Maple Muffins
Chef Jason K. Morse, C.E.C., Valley Country Club, Aurora, Colo.
ACF Colorado Chefs Association President

2 1/2 cups Fresh Cherries, pitted and sliced
1 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1 3/4 cups Dark Brown Sugar, packed
1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Almonds, toasted and chopped
1 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 tsp. Maple Extract
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 Egg
1 1/4 cup Sour Cream
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Paste or Extract

Preheat oven to 375°F.

With a fork or pastry cutter, work some of the flour (1 cup all purpose and 1 cup whole wheat), brown sugar and butter in a large bowl until crumbled or mealy. Stir in the toasted almonds then divide the mixture in half. Use the first half as a streusel topping for the muffins.

Into the remaining half of the crumb mixture stir in the baking soda, spice, maple extract and salt until well mixed. Add the egg, sour cream and vanilla and mix until fully combined and smooth. Add the remaining 1/4 cup whole wheat flour and stir until just combined then gently fold in the cherries.

Place into muffin tins lined with paper. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the tops of the muffins.

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Should the muffins start to darken too fast, cover with foil to avoid burning. Cool in pan for 5 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

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Resident Torie Giffin is the mother of three. She says she never dreamed she’d be a stay-at-home mom, until she had the chance. But in this week’s “Citizen Report,” she says there’s one part of being a stay-at-home mom she never expected.

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(The “Citizen Report” is a collaboration between the Colorado Springs Gazette and KRCC. More information is available at the YourHub link at ColoradoSprings.com.)

Tuesday was a good day for Colorado veterans. Fifteen vets graduated from the country’s first ever green jobs training program, and Governor Bill Ritter signed legislation allowing veterans to get in state college tuition. Bente Birkeland has more from Denver.

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A packed room of Colorado Springs business and community leaders listened yesterday as Mayor Lionel Rivera delivered his State of the City address at the Antler’s Hilton. The Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce organizes the event annually. It’s designed to provide an update on the City’s progress and challenges. KRCC’s Kristin Lynch reports.

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Police recovered solar panels stolen from the Carbondale Rec Center. The panels, worth 30,000 dollars, were found Monday in the back of a truck outside an apartment complex in Aspen. From Rocky Mountain Community Radio member station KDNK, Conrad Wilson reports.

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Thirty solar panels were stolen off the roof of the Carbondale Rec Center over the Memorial Day Weekend–one of the two “greenest” buildings in the state. City officials estimate the panels are worth $30,000 dollars. From Rocky Mountain Community Radio member station KDNK in Carbondale, Conrad Wilson reports.

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The Colorado Veterans Alliance recently disbanded after founder Rick Duncan was exposed as fabricating his identity as veteran. Resident Joe Barrera was a member of the Colorado Veterans Alliance, and offers his thoughts on the discovery of the imposter.

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(The “Citizen Report” is a collaboration between the Colorado Springs Gazette and KRCC. More information is available at the YourHub link at ColoradoSprings.com.)

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Listen to Vice President Biden’s full commencement speech (27 minutes):

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