tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64408483859761411942024-03-13T19:49:05.168-07:00Sea SaltedKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-63060031454192006342011-05-17T15:02:00.000-07:002011-05-17T15:58:45.250-07:00Lessons in Leftovers: Turkey Rillettes<div>Possibly the biggest perk (slash trade secret) of working for a food publishing company is the take home fridge. It sits in a room behind the kitchen, and daily fills up with the remains of recipe testing. Sometimes I find dozens of deli containers of chocolate pudding, or tomato sauce, or even tater tots. Other times, I scout fruits and vegetables too bruised and battered for a photo shoot, or rare pantry items no longer useful in the kitchen. Today was a pretty good day: I brought home two leeks, a small jar of olives (only a few missing), half a block of semisweet baking chocolate, half a bag of semolina flour, and a small container of dried figs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Usually I’ll get really excited about my finds when I grab them, but when I get home and empty my grocery bag on the table, I sigh and scratch my head. </div><div><br /></div><div>Not wanting to waste a bit of my free groceries, I’ve tried to get as creative as possible using up my leftovers. Some days it is obvious, like the day I snagged a raw rabbit, already broken down into easily braised pieces. Into the Dutch oven it went with a few vegetables, wine, and stock. Served with bread, it made my dinner for at least a couple days.</div><p></p><p></p><div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HZxdmfYQN4g/TdLxCc0N-DI/AAAAAAAAAik/1eA9cxTOJP4/s400/CIMG5514.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607809510426933298" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div><div>Other days, like last week, when I brought home a few bags of whole grain flour and a generous piece (<i>cough</i> half a cake <i>cough</i>) of chocolate-almond torte, I end up stashing my loot in the freezer until some kind of inspiration/chocolate craving strikes. </div><div><br /></div><div>I’ve gathered over half a dozen flours, beans, grains, and parmesan rinds this way, slowly using it all up over months at a time, and greatly reducing the last minute trips to the grocery store. It’s awesome.</div><div><br /></div><div>But I’m not here to brag about my job or anything. I’m here to talk about potted meat.</div><div><br /></div><div>This past weekend, I attended a canning party/potluck with some good folks from <a href="http://www.food52.com/">food52</a>. I was planning on putting together a cheese and homemade crackers spread, but once I got down to the cracker-making part late last week, I realized the platter needed a little oomph. A little meat oomph, if you will.</div><div><br /></div><div>As luck would have it, that day I had snagged a generous box of braised turkey (thinking I would feed it to Matt over the weekend). Along with the (fantastic) homemade pancetta I already stashed in the fridge, I figured I could whip up some kind of quick rillettes. Rillettes are a French meat preparation (many times with pork or duck, but, use what you got!) consisting of slowly cooked (or confited) and shredded meat, smashed up with stock and fat, pressed into a small container, and covered with more fat. (This copious amount of fat helps to preserve the meat (and to keep it moist and delicious)). The rillettes are chilled at least overnight to flavor and set the spread, and then served at room temperature over bread or crackers. </div><div><br /></div><div>For my turkey version, I removed the leg and thigh meat from the bone, shredding the meat, and simmering the bones (along with a carrot and half an onion) in a pot of well-salted water for a quick broth. I diced up the pancetta and rendered the fat in a generous glug of olive oil to use instead of turkey fat (most had already been rendered and removed during the braising process). Some of the stock and fat joined the turkey meat in my standing mixer, where it all got beaten and whipped into a frenzy/spreadable paste. My mixture fit perfectly into three 1-cup ramekins, where it got coated in a sizeable layer of pancetta-olive oil fat, wrapped in plastic, and stuck in the fridge overnight.</div><div><br /></div><div>The final dish, while certainly not the product of painstaking technique, was still unctuous, gamy, and perfect for my cheese plate. Not bad for a box of leftovers.</div><div><br /></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_4PxOCUs3Vg/TdLzb5quPXI/AAAAAAAAAis/Zf3XUlOyIWs/s1600/CIMG5530.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_4PxOCUs3Vg/TdLzb5quPXI/AAAAAAAAAis/Zf3XUlOyIWs/s400/CIMG5530.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607812146691718514" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <!--EndFragment--></div><div><div><b>Leftover Turkey Rillettes</b></div><div><i>Makes about 3 cups</i></div><div><br /></div><div>1<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>bone-in braised or roasted turkey leg, skin removed*</div><div>1<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>bone-in braised or roasted turkey thigh, skin removed*</div><div>1/2<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>onion, peeled</div><div>1<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>carrot, peeled and chopped into 3-inch pieces</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Water</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Salt and pepper</div><div>1/2<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for finishing</div><div>3<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>ounces pancetta or thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Remove turkey meat from bones, and set meat aside. Place bones, onion, and carrot in large saucepan. Cover with water, and season with a generous pinch of salt. Simmer over medium-low heat until water takes on flavor of bones and vegetables, about 1 hour. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into 8-cup liquid measuring cup.</div><div>2. Meanwhile, heat pancetta and olive oil in small saucepan over medium heat until pancetta begins to sizzle. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until all of the fat has rendered out of pancetta and remaining meat is crisp. Strain through fine mesh strainer into bowl.</div><div>3. Shred turkey meat into bite size pieces, and transfer to bowl of standing mixer fit with paddle attachment. Beat turkey on medium speed until broken down. Drizzle in about 1 cup broth and 1/4 cup fat, and continue to beat until moistened. Add more broth and fat until turkey reaches a moist and spreadable consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.</div><div>4. Transfer turkey mixture into 1 cup ramekins, packing tightly to remove air bubbles. Refrigerate, uncovered, until chilled. Drizzle remaining fat over top of chilled turkey mixture so that about 1/8-inch fat covers the surface. If necessary, add extra olive oil to cover. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Serve at room temperature with crusty bread, homemade crackers, good cheese, and tart pickles.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>*You could totally substitute chicken here. 4 braised or roasted thighs should do it. (I'd shy away from chicken drumsticks, since they contain so much cartilage.)</div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-22310263341605102272010-08-09T16:40:00.000-07:002010-08-09T16:54:54.524-07:00Right now, this is my favorite<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/TGCSjNu-avI/AAAAAAAAAh0/Nw5UJEgSPtQ/s1600/CIMG5460.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/TGCSjNu-avI/AAAAAAAAAh0/Nw5UJEgSPtQ/s400/CIMG5460.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503559878326512370" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">Simple, quiet, unassuming: the first glance belies its rich, tart complexity. It is at once cold, tangy, creamy. I smear it on one half of a prune plum, layer it under <a href="http://sea-salted.blogspot.com/2010/08/pickles.html">granita</a>, serve it with bread, eat it from a spoon.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strained_yoghurt">Labneh</a></b><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strained_yoghurt"> cheese</a></b>.</p><p class="MsoNormal">So effortless, yet so decadent. I vow to always keep it around.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/TGCSztF4DCI/AAAAAAAAAh8/AWxSDmr5weo/s400/CIMG5470.JPG" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Start with whole milk Greek yogurt.* I had a large container of Fage Total in my fridge so I used that. Use as much as you’d like, but I’d recommend that you use as much as you can. This stuff; it is a drug.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Take your yogurt and place it in a cheesecloth- or unbleached paper towel-lined fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Make sure the strainer balances over the bowl. Dump your yogurt into the lined strainer, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge overnight. I think I let my sit about 12 hours and that seemed sufficient. Perhaps you can get away with less time.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Once the manna is thick, thick, thick (think barely whipped cream cheese), remove and place in a sealable container. Eat with everything possible.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">*If you can’t find or can’t afford Greek yogurt, you can certainly use knock-off strained brands, or you can start with plain yogurt (the straining step will just take longer). And remember, this is <i>cheese</i>, not diet food, so stick with the full-fat good stuff.</p> <!--EndFragment-->Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-69645256645688803302010-08-01T10:43:00.000-07:002010-08-02T19:08:44.102-07:00Pickles<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">I’ll just go ahead and state the obvious, get it out of the way, and move on. It’s been quite a hiatus over here. I didn’t know if I was going to come back here and continue writing, or move on and start anew. I wasn’t sure of this blog’s identity anymore (stories, recipes, politics, funny pictures: all or one or none of the above?), and that struggle was keeping me from doing what I set out to in the first place, namely, to write. And then I decided I wanted to keep going, to keep writing—writing at least something, but couldn’t get started.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> <p class="MsoNormal">So this blog turned one and I let it be. I moved to Boston, threw a going-away pie-party and didn’t tell you. I took a real person job (in! cookbook! publishing!) and let it slide. So I’m sitting here drinking tea in the Northeastern heat wave thinking about my kitchen and how to catch up.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">My new job has blessed me with an abundance of extra food. Some days it is leftover chili, pie, chocolate cake, and (ugh) slow-cooker meatloaf. Other days it is extra produce from a photo shoot: shitakes and basil, habanero peppers and half-cut onions. I lug what I can carry home during a 30-minute stroll to my (hot, hot) 3<sup>rd</sup> floor walk-up, and lay it all out. On Thursdays I stop by the Coolidge Corner farmers’ market and buy the rest of my week’s groceries: local squash, carrots, early heirloom tomatoes, and the last of this mixed-up season’s blueberries.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">My fridge is bursting at the seams, and spoilage is my mortal enemy.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So I’ve been spending my Saturdays getting to know my freezer and practicing the awesome art that is pickling. Using Momofuku as a guide, I’ve pickled carrots, ginger, jalapenos, asparagus, onions, radishes, and so many cucumbers. Quick vinegar carrot pickles go quickly, and sliced on the bias taste great in salads with walnuts and butter lettuce. The pickled ginger has been thrown in (another) salad with leftover work salmon, a spicy okra sauté, and straight into my mouth when I get home from work with a bellyache. My pickled asparagus is quite ugly: I made a soy sauce brine, and the thin spears shriveled up upon contact with the hot/salty/sweet liquor. But they sure taste good.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/TFW2T0yt62I/AAAAAAAAAhU/qplBXsc4NgY/s400/CIMG5431.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500502971608066914" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></p><div>My best pickles, however, are my latest cucumber pickles—the brine is an agglomeration of ideas and recipes: a mixture of white and rice vinegar, onions, garlic, peppercorns, dill, fennel, and sea salt. They’re not sweet, nor sour, just cold, crisp, and preserved. I can take my time with them, knowing that they’ll still taste good next week.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/TFW2iDXIwGI/AAAAAAAAAhc/QmIWq9N3EwM/s1600/CIMG5432.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/TFW2iDXIwGI/AAAAAAAAAhc/QmIWq9N3EwM/s400/CIMG5432.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500503216037085282" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></div><div>And then there is the granita, the icy treat that requires no ice cream maker, no dairy, and no custard. I made a great one yesterday and I think you should try your hand at it too.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/TFW2wxWxvHI/AAAAAAAAAhk/MND5PxZGThg/s1600/CIMG5455.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/TFW2wxWxvHI/AAAAAAAAAhk/MND5PxZGThg/s400/CIMG5455.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500503468901776498" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></div><div>The method is simple: stir together a sweet, flavorful puree or flavored syrup (but make sure your syrup is watery; too much sugar makes for a gloppy granita). Stick it in the freezer in a shallow pan or Tupperware container. Wait 45 minutes, and stir with a fork. Wait again, stir again. Repeat. After a couple hours, you’ll have it: Italian ice, no corn syrup needed.</div> <p class="MsoNormal">Here’s my recipe, but change it at will (a fruit puree would be a great addition; I’ve been eating my berries and stone fruit fresh, and quickly, so none of it makes it into these projects).</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/TFW2-WXO2sI/AAAAAAAAAhs/vhqXa_36Ifs/s1600/CIMG5446.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/TFW2-WXO2sI/AAAAAAAAAhs/vhqXa_36Ifs/s400/CIMG5446.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500503702174096066" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></p><div><b>Ginger-Basil Granita</b></div> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">serves 1 for a week of desserts, or 4-5 all at once</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>1/3 cup honey</p> <p class="MsoNormal">1 ½-inch knob of ginger, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch disks</p> <p class="MsoNormal">a few basil leaves</p> <p class="MsoNormal">juice from ½ lime (about 1 teaspoon)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">water</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Stir together honey with 1/3 cup water. Add ginger slices and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the ginger softens and the syrup has become spicy, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, add basil, cover, and let steep for another 10 minutes. Remove lid and let syrup cool for 10-15 minutes. Pour syrup into measuring cup and add water to measure 1½ cups. Pour into a shallow pan or Tupperware container and freeze for 30-45 minutes, or until mixture begins to freeze. Break up frozen chunks with a fork and stir. Return to freezer for another 30-45 minutes, and stir again with a fork. Repeat freezing and stirring steps until the mixture is completely frozen and flaky. If you forget to stir, don’t fret. You’ll just need to stir more aggressively once you remember. </p> <!--EndFragment--> </span></div><p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-44967872707155103912010-04-26T09:47:00.000-07:002010-04-26T10:01:13.423-07:00Spotted at Super H Mart<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br />I finally made it out to the Korean superstore a couple weeks ago, buying practical goods like somen noodles to mix with ginger scallion sauce, palm sugar, aji chiles, and Pocky<br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XGh6zw7WI/AAAAAAAAAf8/zgqx8yVmaUs/s1600/CIMG5261.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XGh6zw7WI/AAAAAAAAAf8/zgqx8yVmaUs/s400/CIMG5261.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464492008908320098" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XGh6zw7WI/AAAAAAAAAf8/zgqx8yVmaUs/s1600/CIMG5261.JPG"></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><br /></span>(apparently men only can enjoy dark chocolate).<br /><br />I showed uncharacteristic restraint when faced with less edible</span><div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XEkmgDh4I/AAAAAAAAAfE/kLNYg2cNLfs/s1600/CIMG5253.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XEkmgDh4I/AAAAAAAAAfE/kLNYg2cNLfs/s400/CIMG5253.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464489855973296002" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XEwMew5pI/AAAAAAAAAfM/NxCNABGnqBQ/s1600/CIMG5254.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XEwMew5pI/AAAAAAAAAfM/NxCNABGnqBQ/s400/CIMG5254.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464490055146989202" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XE7G7lUoI/AAAAAAAAAfU/_Sp8085NfVY/s1600/CIMG5255.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XE7G7lUoI/AAAAAAAAAfU/_Sp8085NfVY/s400/CIMG5255.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464490242635813506" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Did you know that durians are farmed close enough to Atlanta to earn the title "fresh"? Neither did I.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XFkpgPWkI/AAAAAAAAAfk/aTx70fYJG4A/s1600/CIMG5257.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XFkpgPWkI/AAAAAAAAAfk/aTx70fYJG4A/s400/CIMG5257.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464490956291004994" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The most entertaining part about shopping here, however, is the shelving arrangements. </div><div>Should we combine coconut milk with Vermont Curry? </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XFGJtvZMI/AAAAAAAAAfc/cj9z2IbouTE/s1600/CIMG5256.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XFGJtvZMI/AAAAAAAAAfc/cj9z2IbouTE/s400/CIMG5256.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464490432361620674" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Or perhaps give dinner guests a choice between canned light Progresso and the less diet-friendly canned tripe stew.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XF9kNLg7I/AAAAAAAAAfs/Zz2QtO7G81s/s1600/CIMG5260.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XF9kNLg7I/AAAAAAAAAfs/Zz2QtO7G81s/s400/CIMG5260.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464491384365614002" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The best part about Super H Mart, however, is the kimchi wall. I will be back.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XGXrIMS-I/AAAAAAAAAf0/vFzHAErjKxw/s1600/CIMG5259.JPG"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S9XGXrIMS-I/AAAAAAAAAf0/vFzHAErjKxw/s400/CIMG5259.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464491832900340706" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div></div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-30743135318015742752010-04-05T12:15:00.000-07:002010-04-05T12:43:07.101-07:00Food Carts and Recipe Duels<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S7o7yhkyqjI/AAAAAAAAAek/7cUJUGKizyk/s1600/CIMG5243.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S7o7yhkyqjI/AAAAAAAAAek/7cUJUGKizyk/s400/CIMG5243.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456739637704960562" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">Some meals are best left to restaurants. Long, multi-course affairs with wine pairings and a different amuse bouche for each diner or conceptual, intricate dinners decked out with foam and exploding truffles are beyond pleasurable, but not something most of us would want to make ourselves or even enjoy on the fly. And, much of the time, these are not the meals I crave, dream about, or plot to put together on a long Saturday.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S7o4iH8szTI/AAAAAAAAAd8/CD-2hGhF6oI/s400/CIMG5181.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456736057413127474" /><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">Usually I want simple, straightforward food that tastes great and looks like it was made by human hands.</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">I think most of you do too.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">There are several cities in our country experimenting with new ways for getting just this kind of food into our bellies cheaper, quicker, and better. Chefs are doling out meals ranging from fried-whatever-you-can-imagine and khao man gai to handmade local sausages and artisanal pizza, to hungry office workers, elitist hipsters and vacationing families. They’re brining good food to fast food wastelands and transforming parking lots into foodie meccas. Those of you in Portland, Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington DC surely have eaten lunches, dinners, and late night snacks at your roaming squadrons of food carts, not realizing how fantastic these mini-kitchens are. I know I grew complacent.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">But I now know how </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">empty </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">an empty parking lot can feel, and I now know how satisfying that 1:30 am cone of fries can be.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Atlanta, unfortunately, is home to archaic zoning ordinances that make it close to impossible to own and operate a food cart. These days there are a few cart-like vendors but, until the rules change, there is no way for carts to populate Atlanta like in other cities .</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Luckily, it looks as if things might be starting to change.</span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S7o61KSthbI/AAAAAAAAAeU/x76-bb6n4Xs/s1600/CIMG5187.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S7o5uY3sm-I/AAAAAAAAAeM/nEYibDSoDIs/s1600/CIMG5185.JPG"><br /></a></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S7o5uY3sm-I/AAAAAAAAAeM/nEYibDSoDIs/s1600/CIMG5185.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></a><a href="http://www.atlantastreetfood.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">The Atlanta Street Food Coalition</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">, mostly made up of Hayley Richardson and Christiane Lauterbach have begun mobilizing current and future food cart owners and lovers to petition the city for change (go ahead and sign the petition </span><a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/6/help-legalize-street-food-in-atlanta"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">). They organized a great event a couple weeks ago to raise awareness for the chefs already trying to bring their creations to the street.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">I hung around for a bit and tried some pretty good food, made simply and delectably.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S7o5EKACesI/AAAAAAAAAeE/_vl1cgb3KG8/s400/CIMG5182.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456736642079554242" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Good Luck Bowl: collards, black-eyed peas, cornbread waffle</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S7o5uY3sm-I/AAAAAAAAAeM/nEYibDSoDIs/s400/CIMG5185.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456737367625604066" />Coppa Pizza</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S7o61KSthbI/AAAAAAAAAeU/x76-bb6n4Xs/s400/CIMG5187.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456738583483090354" />Ginger Creme Brulee</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Speaking of good and simple food, did any of you hear that two of the best sources for creating these meals at home, </span><a href="http://www.food52.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">food52 </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">and </span><a href="http://www.cooksillustrated.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Cook’s Illustrated</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">, are having a duel? Apparently they’ve been, um, exchanging words since this fall, and they are, right as I write, culling and/or developing recipes for roast pork shoulder and sugar cookies. The recipes will be judged on </span><a href="http://www.slate.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Slate</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> and the winner will get the title of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Best Method for Creating Foolproof Recipes</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> (or something like that). Will it be the power in numbers that comes from internet-saavy homecooks or will it be the tried-and-true science behind a trained kitchen of experts?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Personally, I like both. I use cookbooks like textbooks and I love resources like Cook’s that provide a wealth of information along with their reliable recipes. I also think that online food site like food52 bring an impressive level of creativity and ingenuity that can inspire cooks of all levels to develop their own recipes and palates.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">I ran my own little test this Easter, just to verify my two-is-better-than-one thesis Granted, my test was, um, the opposite of scientific and was pieced together after the fact, but I think that the strength of both publications shone through anyway.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S7o7aaQbjcI/AAAAAAAAAec/2r1r0XDEpSM/s400/CIMG5222.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456739223423651266" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S7o7_lRecAI/AAAAAAAAAes/2Y15CVaZSsY/s400/CIMG5239.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456739862035984386" /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">In addition to Martha’s fabulous mac and cheese and an Italian Easter Bread recipe from Gourmet, I baked up a </span><a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/recipe.asp?recipeids=5974&bdc=71688"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">daffodil cake</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> from the most recent Cook’s Country and a</span><a href="http://www.food52.com/recipes/2262_smoked_ham_with_pomegranate_molasses_black_pepper_and_mustard_glaze"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> pomegranate molasses-glazed ham</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> from food52 (a winner and editor’s pick).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">The cake was seriously beautiful, and crazy-simple to make (as long as you can whip egg whites to a medium peak, you can bake this cake). The perfect complement to our strawberries and cream, its crumb was both delicate and creamy, and the hint of orange mimicked the warm sunshine in our backyard that afternoon.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S7o8UAh-L_I/AAAAAAAAAe0/Jy9J1qeP4P8/s400/CIMG5252.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456740212950314994" /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">The ham? Holy crap, it was good. The reddish glaze baked up into a complex, spicy caramel crust, and its </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">je ne sais quoi</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> permeated to the depths of the meat. I stood in the kitchen, long past full, picking at the crispy bits long after lunch ended.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S7o8php6vzI/AAAAAAAAAe8/rSvJxnOwk1k/s400/CIMG5246.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456740582619266866" /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Who needs a winner?</span></div><div><br /></div></div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-54101635027107382162010-03-25T06:43:00.000-07:002010-03-25T06:47:53.012-07:00So I started another blogMostly food-related, mostly unrelated, <a href="http://katehwilliams.tumblr.com/">modest proposals</a> is a collection of internet-y bits that I find interesting, funny, or gross (most of the time, all three).<br />Check it out.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-82280017270307018332010-03-24T10:41:00.000-07:002010-03-24T11:03:50.327-07:00All I've been eating for the past two weeks....Hello, muffin.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S6pQCwmksMI/AAAAAAAAAdk/cTGPGFSYoS0/s1600/CIMG5164.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S6pQCwmksMI/AAAAAAAAAdk/cTGPGFSYoS0/s400/CIMG5164.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452258307222057154" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S6pQQbKA1fI/AAAAAAAAAds/oyX2yWtmjjc/s1600/CIMG5173.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S6pQQbKA1fI/AAAAAAAAAds/oyX2yWtmjjc/s400/CIMG5173.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452258541983290866" border="0" /></a>It's been quite nice spending two weeks with you and all of your friends.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S6pPaSI1I6I/AAAAAAAAAdM/gTVVGldb_8Q/s1600/CIMG5114.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S6pPaSI1I6I/AAAAAAAAAdM/gTVVGldb_8Q/s400/CIMG5114.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452257611849474978" border="0" /></a>I'm glad I learned your almond butter secrets; you taste pretty good.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S6pP0-Z2TSI/AAAAAAAAAdc/ThqXn1chVGw/s1600/CIMG5155.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S6pP0-Z2TSI/AAAAAAAAAdc/ThqXn1chVGw/s400/CIMG5155.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452258070408613154" border="0" /></a>It is time, however, for you to find some new homes.<br /><br />Anyone want one?<br />Or twelve?<br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Better Than The Bakery Cranberry-Nut Muffins</span><br /><br />3½ cups <span style="font-style: italic;">unbleached</span> all-purpose flour</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">1½ teaspoons double-acting baking powder</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">¼ teaspoon baking soda</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">¾ teaspoon <span style="font-style: italic;">non-iodized</span> table salt</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">2/3 cup unsalted butter, at slightly-cooler-than room temperature</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">1½ cups granulated sugar</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">2 tablespoons creamy almond butter, at room temperature</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">2 large eggs, at room temperature</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">1¼ cup low-fat buttermilk, at room temperature</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">2½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped in half</span> (if using frozen, do not thaw)<br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.</span> Spray the top of the pan as well as the inside of the cups.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed of an electric mixer until lightened in color and well mixed, about 2 minutes. Turn off the mixer and add the almond butter. Return the mixer to medium speed and cream until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, continuing to beat at medium speed until smooth, about 45 seconds.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Gently fold in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/3 of the buttermilk, until the flour just barely disappears. Fold in another 1/3 flour and then 1/3 buttermilk, and repeat once more, again, just until you can no longer see the flour. Do not over mix. Gently fold in the cranberries and walnuts just until incorporated.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Spoon the batter into the muffin pan, filling each cup so that it mounds slightly over the top of the cup. The batter should fill 12-18 muffin cups, depending on the size of the cup.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Bake 40-45 minutes, or until the tops are mounded, smooth and deeply golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Remove pan to a cooling rack. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 15 minutes to set, and gently remove to a cooling rack for another 3-5 minutes. Eat while still warm.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S6pPpWxZ2CI/AAAAAAAAAdU/qcUcu5SnmW0/s1600/CIMG5153.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S6pPpWxZ2CI/AAAAAAAAAdU/qcUcu5SnmW0/s400/CIMG5153.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452257870791432226" border="0" /></a>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-28141512809905503862010-03-24T10:33:00.000-07:002010-03-24T10:40:54.980-07:00Happy SpringI don't know what was up with those freak snow flurries the other day, but I think it's now safe to say that spring is springing here in Atlanta.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S6pNjG5tHeI/AAAAAAAAAc8/eYiw_5IsEpI/s1600/CIMG5145.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S6pNjG5tHeI/AAAAAAAAAc8/eYiw_5IsEpI/s400/CIMG5145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452255564428811746" border="0" /></a>The major farmers markets open <a href="http://www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com/">in a couple of weeks</a>, but for now, get yourself to <a href="http://decaturfarmersmarket.com/wordpress/">Decatur</a> or <a href="http://www.morningsidemarket.com/">Morningside</a> and make a giant salad!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-52494778907261325962010-03-17T11:13:00.000-07:002010-03-17T11:20:01.820-07:00Southern MannersIn my valuable minutes between batches of granola and batches of cran-nut muffins, I’d like to talk to you about something that is growing increasingly important to me, as my time in the South grows longer like the daylight. I knew leaving Portland, aka farm-to-table Mecca, aka foodie paradise, aka blogger wonderland would necessitate a change in my eating, shopping, and even writing habits. During my time on the left coast, I assumed I could always know from which state, or even which city or town, my pear, broccoli, and mushrooms came. I assumed I could always find responsible meat, even if it cost an arm and a leg. I assumed I could always eat locally, even down to the flour in my cookies and the oats in my granola.<br /><br />Jesus I was spoiled. <br /><br />I can still find much of the same produce here in Atlanta that I bought in Portland, but 2500 miles is a long way for Oregon pears, Washington apples and California kale to travel before hitting my plate: a far cry from local; a far cry from sustainable, even if the produce is organic. Of course, Atlanta has farmers’ markets, just like Portland. But at last count, Portland has 16 operating farmers’ markets, excluding the other 23 markets in the metro area. Atlanta? It has 16. For the entire metro area.<br /><br />I don’t mean to complain, or wax poetic about a city that gets more than its fair share of fanatical press. I just mean to point out the challenges of living in a city a bit less connected to its agricultural blessings. Georgia is a largely agricultural state, and Atlanta is beginning to see much more local produce, meat, cheese, and specialty products now than just five or so years ago. The problem is, all of these great foodstuffs are isolated in specialty shops, expensive restaurants, and our, mostly small, and mostly competitive, farmers’ markets. Our grocery stores, even Whole Foods, are saturated with Mexican and Californian produce, and the names of these far-off origins are hidden or non-existent on the store shelves. Consumers on a budget or with strict shopping schedules (as much as I hate to admit it, many well-intentioned people just can’t make it to a farmers’ market on Wednesday afternoons or early enough on Saturdays to catch the good stuff) have little choice but to buy their citrus from California, even with excellent choices available from Florida, or their apples from Washington, even while Southern heirloom varieties are beginning to make a comeback.<br /><br />In the past few months, I’ve been doing my best to discover or re-discover the alternatives. Because there are sustainable eating options in Atlanta, and they don’t all break the bank. It just takes a close eye and a willingness to explore new stores.<br /><br />In the spirit of Southern hospitality, here’s a list of where I like to do my shopping:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.dekalbfarmersmarket.com/">Your DeKalb Farmer’s Market</a><br />Not a farmers’ market at all, this warehouse of a store is more of an international grocery metropolis. They don’t pay much attention to seasonality, but they do a great job of listing from where every product was sourced and stock more organics than Whole Foods. They’ve begun to carry cage-free eggs (I know, not the same as true free range, but it’s a start), organic milk from grass-fed cows, heritage pork and grass-fed beef. They also carry a huge variety of grains and flours, many from Kentucky (it’s not super local, but at least you know that it’s from the Southeast). Oh, and everything is dirt-cheap.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/poncedeleon/">Whole Foods</a><br />Okay, so I talk a lot of shit about WF, but they have been stocking more local products lately. I’ve found local Johnson Farms milk for only $5.99 a gallon (many of the smaller stores who carry their milk charge upwards of 5 bucks for just a ½ gallon), Atlanta Fresh yogurt, and local free-range eggs for decent prices. They’ve also begun to rate the animal-friendliness of their meat producers, and the meat guys are totally willing to ask any questions about the source and raising practices of all of the farmers. Bonus points? They now carry local beef, pork and cute French-style chickens. The chickens get a 2 (out of 5) on their ethics scale, and the both the beef and the pork get a 4. I’ve tried the pork, straight up and in sausage form, and it’s pretty good. They also carry a bunch of local beers, and some of the stores stock Sweetgrass Dairy cheese. Sometimes you can find local produce, but it’s still pretty Cali-saturated.<br /><a href="http://decaturfarmersmarket.com/wordpress/"><br />Decatur Farmers’ Market</a><br />I haven’t been here in a while; my nanny job keeps me busy during their Wednesday afternoon hours, but you can find some awesome greens, pickles, salsas, bread and mini-pies most weeks. It’s still pretty small, but it has grown every season, and I’m sure it will be pretty excellent once spring produce begins to come in full force. Also, I just saw that they'll be expanding to a Saturday market in addition to the Wednesday market, beginning in May (yes!!).<br /><a href="http://www.morningsidemarket.com/"><br />Morningside Farmers’ Market</a><br />You’ve got to get here early on Saturday mornings; lines begin to form way before the 8 am opening time. Prices tend to be higher here (because of the neighborhood?), but, man, I’ve bought some beautiful vegetables on my visits. A couple of the farmers sell eggs, and there’s a meat guy there most weeks (I haven’t tried these proteins, but I’m sure they’re good).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.alons.com/">Alon’s Bakery</a><br />When I get done at the Morningside market, I hop across the street to my favorite bakery since … forever. Alon’s has grown considerably since we first started buying their cookies when I was 6 (?). They make several varieties of hearth-style breads, decadent pastries (the mini-cookies, in oatmeal raisin, chocolate chunk, and double chocolate are, um, the best?), and stock a few different local cheeses amongst the European selections. They also carry Johnson Farms dairy products, Atlanta fresh, and local eggs, but these all carry a hefty price tag.<br /><a href="http://www.sawickismeatseafoodandmore.com"><br />Sawicki’s Meat, Seafood, and More</a><br />This one-woman powerhouse of a store carries local eggs and dairy, as well as local and specialty meats and seafood. You can also ask for just about anything meat-wise and she’ll order it for you.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pinestreetmarket.com/">Pine Street Market</a><br />Housemade sausages from local pork? I think yes. Plus the owners are totally cute.<br /><br /><a href="http://themercantileatl.com/">The Mercantile</a><br />It’s a bit farther from my house, and they stock a lot of the same products as Alon’s, but the cheese monger is more friendly, and super knowledgeable (and they have samples!).<br /><br />Where do you like to shop in Alanta?Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-1155551587743396642010-03-04T11:13:00.000-08:002010-04-18T09:21:34.257-07:00Yogurt Trials<span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;">Lactobacillus Acidophilus.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;"><br />Streptococcus Thermophilus.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;">Bifidobacterium.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Music to my ears.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />The key to my lactose intolerant heart.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Yogurt and I have a close relationship. In fact, if I were to calculate the cost of my yogurt consumption over the past, oh, 23 years, it would surely outnumber the money I’ve spent on any other relationship by some absurdly significant amount. I spoon it over granola and mix it into biscuits for breakfast, dollop it on soup for lunch, and dash it with cinnamon and honey for dessert. I eat it frozen, stirred, lumpy; full fat, non-fat, goat-fat. As long as it isn’t full of flavorings and or soymilk, I’m game.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;">It was only a matter of time until I tried to make it myself.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S5AHNgrbwiI/AAAAAAAAAcc/Fejv9O08OMY/s1600-h/CIMG5055.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S5AHNgrbwiI/AAAAAAAAAcc/Fejv9O08OMY/s400/CIMG5055.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444859878182732322" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I’ve read enough and heard enough (my mother has fantastic stories about her hippie days and electric-blanket culturing) about yogurt creation that it just seemed like a no-brainer. Heat milk, cool it a bit, add yogurt, and stir? Easier than high-school chemistry.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Or not.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">For my first batch, I sought out the best local milk I could easily get my hands on (Perhaps one of these days I will get my hands on some raw milk for my “pet,” but such delayed gratification is just not in the cards right now). I had been enjoying <a href="http://www.atlantafresh.com/Local_Fresh.html">Atlanta Fresh Yogurt</a>, and a little research revealed the source of their dairy: <a href="http://www.johnstonfamilyfarm.com/">Johnson Family Farm</a>, who luckily sell their milk retail just ¼ mile from my house, at <a href="http://www.sawickismeatseafoodandmore.com/2011680.html">Sawicki’s</a> in Decatur. I snagged a half-gallon of whole milk and brought it home to my lab/kitchen.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />I’ve read that larger brand yogurts make better starters than artisanal creations because they tend to contain a larger number of precious cultures, and thus yield a more consistent product. We already had some Stoneyfield Organic non-fat in the fridge, so I used it for my first batch.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;">The heating and cooling steps seemed straightforward—the first recipe I found directed the cook to heat the milk to 180-190 degrees and then cool to 115 to 120 before adding the starter (2 tablespoons per quart). I was careful to monitor the temperature during these steps, and then placed the mixture in a 1-quart mason jar wrapped in kitchen towels. I then stuck the whole thing in my oven with the oven light (but nothing else) on for four hours. After this period, the “yogurt” was pretty viscous—kind of like ooblek—but certainly not yogurt textured. However, the directions specificied “setting time” in the fridge, so I figured this would lead to the desired consistency.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Um, nope.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz1pNqk63ud7hK5JlsqEhcoe1iaZ4mlA8Ec6tNZCIGwZEWJLB60bOmK1uB4EucFfVY7sv0yPxvieV98inqnrg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />Whether it was the too high heating temperature, non-active starter, too short culture time, or just the milk, this never became yogurt. It tasted great: fatty in the way that only whole milk can be, with a distinctive tang upfront. I just couldn’t spoon it on to anything, and it dripped and oozed and slimed its way all over the counter every time I tried to eat it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">But, damn, this milk was expensive. Not to be wasted.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Hence, the ice cream maker.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S5AIWODgsdI/AAAAAAAAAck/rOQ5gBlHAHU/s1600-h/CIMG5052.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S5AIWODgsdI/AAAAAAAAAck/rOQ5gBlHAHU/s400/CIMG5052.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444861127313895890" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Another snowstorm and a freezer full of other cartons of frozen decadence notwithstanding, I was determined to create something edible and worth the effort (and hopefully yummy). But this yogurt was totally cursed.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;">Manufacturer’s directions are there for you to<span style="font-style: italic;"> read</span>, people. Ice cream paddles will not fit into the container once the mixture has started to freeze. All milk mixtures generally make ice, no matter how long and hard you churn. And these icy mixtures will freeze into a hard block when there’s not enough sugar or fat to keep it spoonable.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S5AIkVjOuDI/AAAAAAAAAcs/FCFiMnTzT_A/s1600-h/CIMG5073.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S5AIkVjOuDI/AAAAAAAAAcs/FCFiMnTzT_A/s400/CIMG5073.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444861369844152370" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I like to think of my yogurt ice block kind of like a Dairy Queen Blizzard: it won’t fall out of its container when you flip it upside down. And scraped on top of raspberry sorbet, the ice eventually melts into a creamy sauce that tastes pretty good.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />But it’s still not yogurt</span>.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />So I tried again yesterday.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;">This time, I bought less local but still grass-fed and organic milk (vat pasteurized!) from the Dekalb Farmer’s Market and chose Danon low-fat yogurt as a starter. Urged on by different directions, I lowered the initial heating temperature to 170 degrees, let it cool all the way to 108, and mixed in a full ½ cup starter. I followed the same swaddling/oven-light culturing strategy, but I left it in incubation for almost 6 hours.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />The result? See for yourself:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S5AI1bDIYnI/AAAAAAAAAc0/QiuxdHqjct0/s1600-h/CIMG5060.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S5AI1bDIYnI/AAAAAAAAAc0/QiuxdHqjct0/s400/CIMG5060.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444861663377908338" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">It’s still not perfect: I’d like it to be tangier, and I could probably push the incubation up to 7 or 8 hours for a firmer product. But this will do for today’s, tomorrow’s, and possibly the next day’s breakfasts, snacks, and desserts. And there’s no ice cream maker to clean.</span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-23567862648172956522010-03-01T11:08:00.000-08:002010-03-01T11:17:38.468-08:00The Best Kind of Saturday<span style="font-family:georgia;">As a once again very busy underemployed jack-of-all trades, I have learned to value the long Saturday afternoons I now have wide-open-free for experimenting, crafting, stirring, tasting.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;">The best of these Saturdays, shining bright after an endless week of carpooling and 30-minute meals are filled with some variation of the ultimate trifecta: pie, granola, and ice cream.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S4wRDX3JscI/AAAAAAAAAb8/DTi83qjCTT0/s1600-h/CIMG4995.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S4wRDX3JscI/AAAAAAAAAb8/DTi83qjCTT0/s400/CIMG4995.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443744799226704322" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">The<span style="font-weight: bold;"> pie</span>: a sour-cherry confection, baked for my cousin’s 21st birthday (perhaps the ultimate hang-over cure?). I started with a double crust pate brisee from <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pate-brisee-pie-dough?autonomy_kw=pate%20brisee&rsc=rf_result1">Martha</a>,* and mounded a precariously high pile of canned (uh, I know, not the best, but hey, this was the request) sour cherries mixed with a tablespoon of cornstarch, ½ cup-of sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt (next time, lemon juice!). The top crust fell apart a bit upon its careful placement, but hey, that’s what “rustic” cooking is all about.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S4wRd28H3BI/AAAAAAAAAcE/Ph1_DUMZBtI/s1600-h/CIMG5008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S4wRd28H3BI/AAAAAAAAAcE/Ph1_DUMZBtI/s400/CIMG5008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443745254245653522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">The<span style="font-weight: bold;"> granola</span>: my adaptation of <a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/2008/02/consider-it.html">Orangette’s adaptation of Nigella Lawson’s breakfast</a> blend. It’s got the usual suspects—oats, nuts, honey, cinnamon—but is laced with applesauce, unsweetened coconut, and brown rice syrup, the secret to crunchy clusters without corn syrup. The recipe is super-flexible, so, at least in my house, no two batches are quite the same. Sometimes I add molasses, sometimes I add sesame, sometimes it’s flax seeds. Each adds its own magic.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">The roasting process (especially if making a double or triple batch) can take quite a while, especially in my parents’ tinier than tiny oven, but there is seriously nothing more therapeutic than slow, routinized stirring, tossing, and tasting. And with this winter aiming to be the longest, coldest winter, um, ever, sticking by a hot stove all day is pretty freakin’ great. Once finished, this granola is worlds away from anything you can buy at the store, flavor-wise, money-wise, and health-wise. I eat it most mornings with yogurt, some kind of fruity topping, and occasionally mixed with Flax Plus.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S4wSPKZhOCI/AAAAAAAAAcU/4ONAL5F-D8U/s1600-h/CIMG5026.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S4wSPKZhOCI/AAAAAAAAAcU/4ONAL5F-D8U/s400/CIMG5026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443746101282813986" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">The <span style="font-weight: bold;">ice cream</span>: left-over from my grandmother’s 78th Sundae birthday party. The ménage a toi of chocolate, vanilla, and mint-chocolate chip is particularly good topped with coconut, chocolate sauce and a cherry.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />*Try as I might to convince myself to try a new recipe, like the supposedly foolproof <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/pie-crust-101/">Cook’s Illustrated vodka-laced pastry</a>, I just can’t break with habit. This crust may be a bit finicky during humid weather, but it is crumbly-flaky in just the way I like it, and melts on the tongue in a way M&Ms can only dream of.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Oh, and a big <span style="font-weight: bold;">Verdant Kitchen</span> P.S. I prepared a trio of dips and crackers for a CDC party last week. Check it out over on <a href="http://theverdantkitchen.wordpress.com/2010/03/01/cdc-retirement-party-dip-trio-february-26-2010/">my other webpage</a>.</span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-56598876520985305902010-02-17T11:06:00.000-08:002010-02-17T11:22:46.254-08:00Cooking for Others<span style="font-family:georgia;">I’ve been holding out on you.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S3w_bo8jUYI/AAAAAAAAAbc/YnhQJPmhduw/s1600-h/CIMG4959.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S3w_bo8jUYI/AAAAAAAAAbc/YnhQJPmhduw/s400/CIMG4959.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439292194037125506" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">It wasn’t intentional. I just didn’t want to tell you until I had survived the first event unscathed. Victorious, even.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S3w_p66z3ZI/AAAAAAAAAbk/e0G4-nSIIlc/s1600-h/CIMG4968.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S3w_p66z3ZI/AAAAAAAAAbk/e0G4-nSIIlc/s400/CIMG4968.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439292439379828114" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">A few weeks ago, I was hired to cater a dinner party for a great group of people. I dove in headfirst, scheming up a menu ready to satisfy the vegetarians, omnivores, kosher-keepers and hilal-observers who make up <a href="http://kids4peaceatlanta.org/">Kids4Peace</a>, an exchange-ish program between Muslim, Jewish and Christian children in the US and in Jerusalem. Needless to say, the stakes were high. I mean, these are pretty awesome people, and I certainly couldn’t serve them less than the best.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S3w_znLmmfI/AAAAAAAAAbs/Lx1_oAABeVk/s1600-h/CIMG4972.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S3w_znLmmfI/AAAAAAAAAbs/Lx1_oAABeVk/s400/CIMG4972.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439292605880244722" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I made a triple batch of French bread (learning important lessons about the freezer along the way), roasted free-range chickens, stuffed 10 pounds of kale into my stockpot, and pickled beautiful <a href="http://www.georgiaorganics.org/organic_directory/entry.php?id=213">Woodland Gardens</a> watermelon radishes. I baked cookie after cookie, stretched endless batches of cracker dough, assembled mushroom and rutabaga tarts, and sliced <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/02/video-how-many-orange-slices-does-it-take-to-charge-an-iphone.html">enough citrus to power an iPhone</a> (um, almost).</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S3xACGNxZ0I/AAAAAAAAAb0/2GVxd8Uysfc/s1600-h/CIMG4985.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S3xACGNxZ0I/AAAAAAAAAb0/2GVxd8Uysfc/s400/CIMG4985.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439292854729008962" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">In short, it was awesome, and I hope to do it again. And again.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Without further ado, then, I give to you my new pet project: <a href="http://theverdantkitchen.wordpress.com/">Verdant Kitchen Sustainable Catering</a>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Tell your friends.</span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-12091617338863292182010-02-11T08:21:00.000-08:002010-02-11T08:22:39.820-08:00Avoiding IngredientsDuring a job interview the other day, I was asked if there was one ingredient with which I refused to cook. This question kind of threw me for a loop, because, in the last few years, I have undertaken a mission to at least like everything. As a kid, I was pretty picky. I’d like to think that this stemmed from my myriad food allergies; my pickiness was just a method of self-protection. In reality, I was probably just being a kid.<br /><br />Since then, I’ve taught myself to eat (and enjoy) mushrooms, tomatoes, fish and browned toast (Yes, I was one of those children who would have rather eaten a cold Eggo waffle than one with just the slightest hint of browning). The only food I have yet to conquer?<br /><br />Bananas.<br /><br />The final frontier.<br /><br />Granted, bananas aren’t the most sustainable fruit to eat, especially in the winter, and the hard yellow specimens filling our supermarket bins are the culinary equivalent of Sara Lee white bread. But the sweet yellow fruits seem should seem like a small hurdle to overcome on my path to I’m-a-foodie-so-I-like-everything status.<br /><br />Not so.<br /><br />From a young age, I could pick up the taste of traces of bananas in everything from baked goods to my friends’ contaminated lunch boxes. Small taste tests turned into face twisting retches of agony, the flavors in my mouth screaming “Mushy!” “Overripe!” “Saccarine!” At some point, my abhorrence got so bad that I refused to touch any fruits near the bananas in my parents’ kitchen.<br /><br />With age, I tried to introduce the flavor slowly, stomaching plantain chips, slowly sipping strawberry-banana smoothies, and swallowing whole rum-soaked Foster slices. None of these things worked. Not even close.<br /><br />It wasn’t until the other day that I was asked to whip up some banana bread for my after-school charges that I ate a few bites of the stuff without a grimace. Perhaps it was in hopes of keeping my authority intact (How can you get a six-year-old to eat broccoli if you won’t even try your homemade banana bread?), but I actually enjoyed my banana-filled concoction. And seriously, this bread was filled with the fruit—I had to almost triple the suggested amount of banana to use up the quickly over ripening specimens on the counter, lowering the other liquid ingredients to almost negligible amounts. This was serious stuff, and I wish I had a recipe, or at least a picture to show you, but it has unfortunately escaped into the netherworld of crazed babysitter afternoons.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-33600077138701244202010-01-12T13:18:00.000-08:002010-01-12T13:49:56.713-08:00Julia knows her breadOne of my "Santa" presents this year (yes, we still do Santa in this family...) was a DVD collection of Julia Child's <a href="http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-24260-the-way-to-cook-dvd.aspx?AffiliateID=10092&gclid=CNKP7czpn58CFQ975Qod3i4FTA"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Way to Cook</span></a> series. Now, I'm not an <span style="font-style: italic;">insane</span> Julia fanatic (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Art-French-Cooking-Vol/dp/0375413405/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263332706&sr=8-2"><span style="font-style: italic;">Mastering the Art of French Cooking</span></a> was on my shelf, admittedly, gathering dust, way before <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_&_Julia"><span style="font-style: italic;">Julie & Julia</span></a>), but I do love me some knife-banging, cream-logged, <span style="font-style: italic;">ooooo</span>-filled cooking every once in awhile.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0ztF5EbQ_I/AAAAAAAAAbE/moa6lD4TNFM/s1600-h/CIMG4854.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0ztF5EbQ_I/AAAAAAAAAbE/moa6lD4TNFM/s400/CIMG4854.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425972336549118962" border="0" /></a>And there's no time like the new year for some indulgence, right?<br /><br />Hence, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Bread.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span>Yes, gut-busting, crust shattering, just-the-right-amount-of-chewy French bread—and not just any golden loaf of splendor, but <span style="font-style: italic;">Julia's</span> exhaustively detailed, hours and hours in the making bread.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0ztX5z-43I/AAAAAAAAAbM/cl2bxnVTHyA/s1600-h/CIMG4857.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0ztX5z-43I/AAAAAAAAAbM/cl2bxnVTHyA/s400/CIMG4857.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425972645986231154" border="0" /></a>Some may scoff at her detail, others may run in horror, but hear me out: the details matter, and when you follow them to a T, you wind up with impeccable stuff. Two winters ago, the Daring Bakers took on the recipe, and they've got <a href="http://breadchick.com/">great advice and photos</a> (not to mention the whole recipe, word for word, out of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-French-Cooking-Vol-Paperback/dp/0394721772/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263332856&sr=1-4"><span style="font-style: italic;">Mastering the Art... vol. 2</span></a>). I followed all of the kneading, shaping and baking directions exactly, but I added a slow first rise in the fridge overnight. This slow rise gives the flour and water more time to incorporate; ferments the dough a little bit, giving the finished product that slight tang so desired in artisan breads; and makes the whole process quite a bit more convenient.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0ztr7W0FAI/AAAAAAAAAbU/WWY-DRj7MAI/s1600-h/CIMG4866.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0ztr7W0FAI/AAAAAAAAAbU/WWY-DRj7MAI/s400/CIMG4866.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425972989998142466" border="0" /></a>Trendy or not, Julia knows her stuff—this bread is just as good (if not better) than anything I've had in restaurants here, and it is <span style="font-style: italic;">certainly</span> the best I've ever made. So please, bust your gut a little this weekend and <span style="font-style: italic;">make. this. bread.</span><br /><br />Seriously.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-28744112788947056102010-01-11T07:23:00.000-08:002010-01-11T07:55:30.679-08:00Smarty Pants<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0tHhf9ZA-I/AAAAAAAAAaE/3iIKzr7hDsc/s1600-h/CIMG4706.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0tHhf9ZA-I/AAAAAAAAAaE/3iIKzr7hDsc/s400/CIMG4706.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425508816938140642" border="0" /></a><br />My whipper-smart little sister is the science nerd of the family. My brother and I have managed to emerge from my parents' protective graces firmly entrenched on my mother's artistic side, but she's got her eyes set on pre-med and chemistry and neuroscience and all sorts of other mysterious things. She's also a cook, and for her senior (high school) project, Sally's been taking a cue from meticulous blogger extraordinaire, Carol Blymire, who has taken on some of the country's <a href="http://alineaathome.com/">most challenging cookbooks</a> (and <a href="http://imakemeatballs.blogspot.com/">meatballs</a>), by exploring the craft and science of molecular gastronomy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0tH0vUxL-I/AAAAAAAAAaM/hjbM3tVVBTA/s1600-h/CIMG4688.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0tH0vUxL-I/AAAAAAAAAaM/hjbM3tVVBTA/s400/CIMG4688.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425509147480240098" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0tItusEzfI/AAAAAAAAAak/CLVgcXw0WLk/s1600-h/CIMG4703.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0tItusEzfI/AAAAAAAAAak/CLVgcXw0WLk/s400/CIMG4703.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425510126562102770" border="0" /></a>Basically, she's playing in the kitchen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0tICd0eoZI/AAAAAAAAAaU/e9UqwPQxFGE/s1600-h/CIMG4686.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0tICd0eoZI/AAAAAAAAAaU/e9UqwPQxFGE/s400/CIMG4686.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425509383299572114" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0tI6l5oDkI/AAAAAAAAAas/GPVQMBd76BM/s1600-h/CIMG4695.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0tI6l5oDkI/AAAAAAAAAas/GPVQMBd76BM/s400/CIMG4695.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425510347541319234" border="0" /></a>I got to help out with one of her experiments over Christmas vacation—we made our version of Alinea's <span style="font-style: italic;">Pheasant, Shallot, Cider, Burning Oak Leaves</span> and served it as a haphazard amuse bouche on Christmas Day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0tJIobJrfI/AAAAAAAAAa0/RiUKxsLepno/s1600-h/CIMG4718.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0tJIobJrfI/AAAAAAAAAa0/RiUKxsLepno/s400/CIMG4718.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425510588736974322" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0tJh7AUdkI/AAAAAAAAAa8/F87dt4dpSP8/s1600-h/CIMG4724.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0tJh7AUdkI/AAAAAAAAAa8/F87dt4dpSP8/s400/CIMG4724.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425511023221438018" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0tIYB-p5QI/AAAAAAAAAac/gL6v-ezfmXw/s1600-h/CIMG4728.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/S0tIYB-p5QI/AAAAAAAAAac/gL6v-ezfmXw/s400/CIMG4728.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425509753783182594" border="0" /></a>It was a hit, even with five-year-old Robert (for him, a more apt name for the dish was <span style="font-style: italic;">Fancy Chicken Nugget on a Burning Stick</span>).Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-55331987699190391832009-12-30T11:04:00.000-08:002009-12-30T11:40:27.273-08:00Farm Fresh<span style="font-family:georgia;">I originally sat down to write this post on December 9. I typed two sentences, thought about a recipe, got up to get a cup of tea, and immediately got distracted by the gigantic epic that was to be my month of December. Whoops.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Szun_QP383I/AAAAAAAAAYw/yn_MEbPxSCM/s1600-h/CIMG4445.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Szun_QP383I/AAAAAAAAAYw/yn_MEbPxSCM/s400/CIMG4445.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421111281605669746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SzuoUe0wNmI/AAAAAAAAAY4/tjGi2D4qgEg/s1600-h/CIMG4545.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SzuoUe0wNmI/AAAAAAAAAY4/tjGi2D4qgEg/s400/CIMG4545.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421111646295701090" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Long story short, I spent this last month orchestrating the big move back to <span style="font-style: italic;">The South</span>, capital S. There was packing and selling and more packing and driving to be done—and then all of a sudden it was Christmas and I was in North Carolina with my entire extended family and tomorrow is the last day of 2009.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Szuou3NMBMI/AAAAAAAAAZA/F8dWRflz0Pk/s1600-h/CIMG4652.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Szuou3NMBMI/AAAAAAAAAZA/F8dWRflz0Pk/s400/CIMG4652.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421112099517236418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SzupAws9kPI/AAAAAAAAAZI/7IqGJiO5Bvk/s1600-h/CIMG4735.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SzupAws9kPI/AAAAAAAAAZI/7IqGJiO5Bvk/s400/CIMG4735.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421112407009104114" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SzupVA8a0YI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/VaRp9RHMixs/s1600-h/CIMG4677.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SzupVA8a0YI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/VaRp9RHMixs/s400/CIMG4677.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421112754966286722" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Excuses, excuses.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />But now I am back on the couch in my parents’ house, new dog in tow, beginning Job Search 2.0, reminiscing about this</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Szupr0npE-I/AAAAAAAAAZY/u_vKfFBVPZg/s1600-h/CIMG4418.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Szupr0npE-I/AAAAAAAAAZY/u_vKfFBVPZg/s400/CIMG4418.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421113146794906594" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Earlier this month I made a quick trip to Palmetto, GA, for an interview/work day at <a href="http://www.serenbefarms.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Serenbe</span> Farms</a>. I dug up <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">sunchokes</span> (aka Jerusalem artichokes), plucked radishes and got super muddy. It was exhilarating spending all day outside, touching and digging and sniffing out delicious food in its most primitive form.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />The farm is part of <a href="http://www.serenbe.com/">a unique little community</a> being built about an hour south of Atlanta. It’s planned and suburban, yes, but it’s also 100% focused on sustainability, organic farming and alternative ways of interacting with our environment. All of the homes are built to maximize energy retention and minimize carbon footprints. The streets curve in such a way that it takes longer to drive than to walk. The farm and the two restaurants have this amazing exchange program—the farm sells the restaurant excess produce and the restaurants give back their waste in the form of compost—it’s a complete cycle. Most of the residents participate in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">CSA</span> program, and the town farmer’s market brings organic foodies from all over each week. The farm even does educational programs with elementary schools in the area, and as far as I’m concerned, the more kids who want to dig in the dirt, the better. The residents have a bit more money than most, but I honestly think that all of this is a good thing. If all of us with the resources to contribute to improving the food system were as conscious about it as those in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Serenbe</span>, change would come much faster.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Perhaps one of the best parts of this little jaunt was the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">schwag</span> I brought home from the interview, like these little guys</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Szup_pig1nI/AAAAAAAAAZg/KG3XSFoMB0w/s1600-h/CIMG4425.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Szup_pig1nI/AAAAAAAAAZg/KG3XSFoMB0w/s400/CIMG4425.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421113487417988722" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Mix together these babies with some spinach (or more seasonal salad greens, preferably dug up from your garden), kohlrabi and a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">citrusy</span> dressing and you’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">ve</span> got a salad that’ll brighten up even the snowiest of December days (I’m talking to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMzeiMJQrvk">you</a>, <a href="http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2009/12/29/your-portland-snow-kit-for-tonight/">Portland</a>).</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SzuqXasIbqI/AAAAAAAAAZo/nW5w6h92kQE/s1600-h/CIMG4426.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SzuqXasIbqI/AAAAAAAAAZo/nW5w6h92kQE/s400/CIMG4426.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421113895748660898" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Also on my plate is that vegetable tart made with pureed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">sunchokes</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">sautéed</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Swiss</span> chard and onions, and a sprinkling of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Parmesan</span>. The onions, olive oil, flour and cheese were from the regular grocery, but almost everything else came from my cold and muddy hands.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SzuroSOtlRI/AAAAAAAAAZw/dIfPMl1LySU/s1600-h/CIMG4430.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SzuroSOtlRI/AAAAAAAAAZw/dIfPMl1LySU/s400/CIMG4430.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421115285047186706" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Talk about local.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" ><br /><br />Radish and Kohlrabi Salad with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Citrusy</span> Dressing</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />1 head kohlrabi, cut into a thin julienne using a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">mandoline</span> or very sharp knife</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">6-8 French radishes, thinly sliced into transparent rounds</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />Seasonal salad greens, enough for four people</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />¼ teaspoon each of grapefruit, lime, lemon and orange zest</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />about ¼ cup mixed citrus juice (I used lemon, lime and orange)</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />pinch of brown sugar</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />olive oil</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />sea salt</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">freshly ground black pepper</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Assemble radishes and kohlrabi on top of greens. Season with salt and pepper. Mix the zests with the juice and sugar. Slowly whisk in the oil to taste (I like about a 50-50 ratio, but most people find that a bit too acidic). Add salt and pepper. Lightly dress the salad right before serving.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" ><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Sunchoke</span> and Chard Tart</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Olive Oil Tart Crust (I used <a href="http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2009/05/easy_olive_oil_tart_crust.php"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Clotilde</span>’s</a>, from Chocolate and Zucchini, with a 50-25-25 mix of all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and cornmeal)</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:georgia;">olive oil</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">1 pound (I think … Just fill up a cookie sheet…) <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">sunchokes</span>, peeled and cut into 2-inch long chunks</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />3 cloves garlic, peeled</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />¼-½ cup stock of your choice</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />2 bunches Swiss, red, or rainbow chard, stems and leaves separated</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">2 sweet onions</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />¼ cup dry white wine</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />½ cup freshly grated <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Parmesan</span> cheese</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />kosher salt</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare the tart crust and chill in the fridge for about an hour.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Place the peeled <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">sunchokes</span> on a baking sheet with the garlic cloves. Season with salt and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil (just enough to keep them moist and to prevent sticking). Roast until fork tender (I honestly can’t remember how long I cooked them, but I think it was probably 20-30 minutes). Take out of the oven and let cool until you’re able to touch them without screaming in pain.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Meanwhile, prick the crust all over with a fork, line with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans. Cook for about 7-10 minutes, remove the foil and beans, and cook 7-10 minutes more until ever so golden brown. Let cool until you’re done with everything else.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />While the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">sunchokes</span> are cooling and the crust is baking, chop up the chard stems into 1-inch long pieces and the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Slice the onion into a thin julienne. Heat about one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">ish</span> heat in your biggest and best saucepan. Once it shimmers, add the onion and the chard stems. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Saute</span> until they soften and then add the wine. Cook until most of the wine evaporates. Season with salt, and add the chard leaves. Saute until the greens soften and then remove from the heat.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />At this point, your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">sunchokes</span> should be cool enough to handle. Place them and the garlic into the bowl of a food processor. Drizzle in a bit more olive oil and ¼ cup of stock. Puree until smooth, adding more stock and/or oil until smooth. Add about 2/3 of the cheese, pulse to combine and taste for seasoning. Add salt if necessary.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Pour the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">sunchoke</span> puree into the tart crust. Spread with a spatula so that it evenly covers the tart. Carefully spread the chard and onion mixture on top, again trying to make sure that it is even. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and bake (still at 400 degrees) for about 15 minutes or so, or until everything is hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted and browned.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;">Let cool for 10-15 minutes so that it <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">doesn</span>’t explode everywhere. Serve with the radish and kohlrabi salad to all of your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">locavorious</span> foodie friends.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Szur3KwCnpI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/Cv0bQuw0EaI/s1600-h/CIMG4432.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Szur3KwCnpI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/Cv0bQuw0EaI/s400/CIMG4432.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421115540737531538" border="0" /></a>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-49104187078996319992009-12-08T17:17:00.001-08:002009-12-08T17:24:12.899-08:00Read thisI'll be back in a day or so with some fresh-from-the-farm yumminess, but for now, I advise you to take a look at this:<br /><br />Serious Eats intern Chici Wang got a chance to listen to Frank Bruni and Jonathan Safran Foer <a href="http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2009/12/frank-bruni-and-jonathan-safran-foer.html">duke it out over meat-eating ethics</a>. She's got a nice synopsis of the event, and I'm totally jealous that she got to take Foer head on.<br /><br />I'm reading <span style="font-style: italic;">Eating Animals</span> right now and I have quite a few thoughts on it (leaning towards the Frank Bruni/Chici Wang side of the whole argument), but I definitely recommend checking it out.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-52265587903243970282009-11-28T15:21:00.000-08:002009-11-28T15:35:53.299-08:00I am still stuffed<span style="font-family:georgia;">We learned some important lessons this Thanksgiving.<br /><br />Number one: French press coffee makers do indeed whip heavy cream into glorious submission:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SxGw7SvJwzI/AAAAAAAAAYA/iHYnja7rrZo/s1600/CIMG4344.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SxGw7SvJwzI/AAAAAAAAAYA/iHYnja7rrZo/s400/CIMG4344.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409299160137057074" border="0" /></a><br />Number two: Homemade appetizers still don't get eaten unless they are a) decor for bloody marys (celery, cheese, olive, sausage, surprisingly appropriate) or b) macarons (espresso and salted caramel, explosively delicious):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SxGxxjcvFsI/AAAAAAAAAYI/Q0vZyb88Snc/s1600/CIMG4347.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SxGxxjcvFsI/AAAAAAAAAYI/Q0vZyb88Snc/s400/CIMG4347.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409300092336150210" border="0" /></a><br />Number three: Turkeys cooked in a roasting rack do sometimes look like torpedos:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SxGyOxhoy9I/AAAAAAAAAYQ/sm4DTjNWOow/s1600/CIMG4356.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SxGyOxhoy9I/AAAAAAAAAYQ/sm4DTjNWOow/s400/CIMG4356.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409300594331012050" border="0" /></a><br />Number four: Eight Thanksgiving servings are always smaller than eight regular servings. We would all have to eat like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SxGytnAncJI/AAAAAAAAAYY/EznDS8Y59a8/s1600/CIMG4368.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SxGytnAncJI/AAAAAAAAAYY/EznDS8Y59a8/s400/CIMG4368.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409301124084101266" border="0" /></a><br />(and then some) to eat all of this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SxGy8_a8d4I/AAAAAAAAAYg/Uz6Mda2vWpU/s1600/CIMG4365.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SxGy8_a8d4I/AAAAAAAAAYg/Uz6Mda2vWpU/s400/CIMG4365.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409301388335019906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SxGzG7_9B2I/AAAAAAAAAYo/Fl6Ob2AcOL4/s1600/CIMG4381.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SxGzG7_9B2I/AAAAAAAAAYo/Fl6Ob2AcOL4/s400/CIMG4381.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409301559215196002" border="0" /></a><br />(I still don't know where Ted's sausage-walnut-sage stuffing went. It was delicious, I promise).Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-75598873097306602672009-11-26T08:43:00.000-08:002009-11-26T08:51:13.273-08:00Happy Thanksgiving!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Sw6xv-fTjBI/AAAAAAAAAX4/s-WPsPa9Xzg/s1600/CIMG2877.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Sw6xv-fTjBI/AAAAAAAAAX4/s-WPsPa9Xzg/s400/CIMG2877.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408455640304815122" border="0" /></a><br />For the first time in three years, I will not be cooking a turkey or manning a kitchen on this, the best of Thursdays. Instead, I am whipping up some <a href="http://sea-salted.blogspot.com/2009/11/comfortable.html">winter squash soup</a>, cranberry sauce and a pecan pie, traveling across southeast to eat with a smaller group of friends. Relaxing and somewhat strange, I'm sure that it will still be a deliciously gluttonous evening.<br /><br />Whatever your plans today, travel safe, eat well, and laugh. A lot.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-55337723941854548232009-11-19T11:41:00.000-08:002009-11-19T11:50:54.411-08:00Comfort(able)<span style="font-family:georgia;">Late fall in Portland <span style="font-style: italic;">begs</span> for soup. It <span style="font-style: italic;">pleads</span> for steaming bowls, big spoons and a leisurely dinner spent slurping. It commands us to spend extra time and care in front of a hot stove, stirring, smelling, tasting until we achieve, night after night, the perfect blend of warmth and silky satisfaction.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">It’s the wet and the cold and the drafty windows that do it. The chill brings bone-numbing shivers, demanding that we pull out the raincoats and the rain boots and the umbrellas (for the non-natives). It makes us run inside to bars, coffee shops, movie theaters and creative combinations of the three. It causes us to complain, but it also makes us stronger.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Lest we forget, it’s the long months of rain that bring us the red and the yellow of carrots and squash and apples demanding to be transformed into comfort. It’s the long months of rain that bring us rows upon rows of hearty winter greens, the mysterious stalks of Brussels sprouts and the fractal beauty of romanesco.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">If we can brave the soaked markets and the puddle-filled parking lots, it is with pleasure that we should take a few more minutes to roast that squash, caramelize that onion and stew those greens, melding all of these wonderful autumnal flavors to create a bowl of goodness more special than even the sum of its parts.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Take first, for example, warm cabbage salad (for which I am eternally indebted to <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/tassajara-warm-red-cabbage-salad-recipe.html">Heidi Swanson</a>):</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SwWgjki62fI/AAAAAAAAAXg/enKkgXIovIs/s1600/CIMG4294.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SwWgjki62fI/AAAAAAAAAXg/enKkgXIovIs/s400/CIMG4294.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405903460694153714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;">Bitter, raw, crunchy vegetables take a warm dip in oil, vinegar, raisins and spices to emerge just ever so wilted, ever so sweetened, ever so royal.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Or next, pile warm stewed kale on top of a thick slab of <a href="http://sea-salted.blogspot.com/2009/08/busy-busy-busy.html">homemade toast</a> and drench with the runny yolk of a just-cooked over easy egg (oh, <a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/2008/10/pleasantly-sogged.html">Orangette</a>, you are so very wise):</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SwWgybeTgcI/AAAAAAAAAXo/aHGT7TJtyP0/s1600/CIMG4301.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SwWgybeTgcI/AAAAAAAAAXo/aHGT7TJtyP0/s400/CIMG4301.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405903715956916674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;">Yet my favorite this November has been the bowls upon bowls of winter squash soup. I’ve made it with whatever orb strikes my fancy–pumpkin, butternut, acorn, delicata–stewed with everything from apples to sage to shallots, sometimes with water, sometimes with chicken stock, sometimes with leftover bean cooking liquid. I’ve found that the best soups come from a roasted squash, a single fresh herb profile, a bit of apple and a splash of acidity. The flavor lingers, complex but not overwhelming, and matches perfectly with all of the above.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SwWg_hc1MHI/AAAAAAAAAXw/hHDdEgSYwRc/s1600/CIMG4298.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SwWg_hc1MHI/AAAAAAAAAXw/hHDdEgSYwRc/s400/CIMG4298.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405903940899647602" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >Roasted Winter Squash Soup</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >Very loosely adapted from <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/the-crisper-whisperer-gingered-butternut-soup-recipe.html#continued">Serious Eats</a></span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" ><br />Serves about 4, depending on sides</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">1 medium or a couple smaller winter squashes (I like the combination of acorn and delicata), cut in half with the seeds scraped out (save to roast for a snack!)</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Olive oil</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">½ sweet onion, chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">2 cloves of garlic, minced</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">about ¼ cup dry white wine</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">2 apples, on the tart side, cored and chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">about a 1-inch segment of fresh ginger, smashed with the side of a kitchen knife</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">1 clove, stuck into the segment of ginger</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">about 6 cups chicken (or veggie) stock</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">pinch red chili flakes or cayenne pepper</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">juice of half a lemon</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously salt the halves of squash, rubbing the salt into the flesh. Place on a baking sheet, cut side up, and roast for about 20-30 minutes (depending on size), until the tines of a fork can pierce the flesh easily.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Meanwhile, heat a good glug (about 1 tablespoon) of olive oil over medium heat in a good soup pot (I use my Le Cruset). Add the onion, sprinkle with salt, and sauté until softened. Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, or until you can smell it. Add the wine and let it reduce until almost evaporated.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">At this point, if the squash isn’t done, remove the pot from the heat. Once the squash is cooked, let it cool just until you can handle it without burning yourself (this has <span style="font-style: italic;">never</span> happened to me…). Gently peel the skin away from flesh, trying not to smash up the soft squash all over the counter (again, <span style="font-style: italic;">never</span> happened…). Cube the squash and add it to the soup pot along with the apples, ginger, clove and stock (I usually just add enough to cover all of the other ingredients. You can always add more back in at the end if the soup is too thick). Gently bring up to a simmer, cover, turn down the heat to low-ish and simmer until the apples are cooked all the way through.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Once everything is cooked to your liking, remove the pot from the heat and (carefully, in batches!) puree in a blender or food processor. (<span style="font-style: italic;">Make sure</span> to only fill up your blender/processor about 1/3 of the way and <span style="font-style: italic;">make sure</span> to blend slowly. You do not want a soup-covered kitchen–trust me. It helps to have another bowl or handy for your pureed soup. If you are lucky enough to have an immersion blender, <span style="font-style: italic;">use it</span>!) After pureeing the last batch, return the soup to low heat. Add chili flakes/cayenne to taste, lemon juice and extra stock if the soup is too thick. Taste for seasoning and add salt if it needs it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Serve with wilted salad, stewed greens or a grilled cheese sandwich.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Drink a hot toddy. Cuddle.</span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-23454314267251425602009-11-08T21:02:00.000-08:002009-11-11T23:17:56.760-08:00The Meat Beat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SvemGctlsfI/AAAAAAAAAXY/wkKpMOwrKMI/s1600-h/CIMG3401.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SvemGctlsfI/AAAAAAAAAXY/wkKpMOwrKMI/s400/CIMG3401.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401968907771032050" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I don’t know if you follow foodie news sources with the same obsession…<span style="font-style: italic;">er…rigor</span>… as myself, but if you do, this whole sustainable meat business probably caught your eye. It started a few weeks ago (well, it really started much longer ago, with the likes of </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/0143038583/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257743016&sr=8-1">Michael</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Defense-Food-Eaters-Manifesto/dp/0143114964/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257743016&sr=8-2">Pollan</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> et al, but, ugh, I don’t want to go there) when </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niman_Ranch">Nicolette Niman</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> (yes,</span><a style="font-family: georgia; font-style: italic;" href="http://www.nimanranch.com/index.aspx"> that</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> Niman) published an </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/opinion/31niman.html?_r=1">editorial </a><span style="font-family:georgia;">in the New York Times arguing, basically, that vegetarianism doesn’t do all that much to help with global warming. She argues that meat can be farmed and butchered sustainably, and, in these cases, the act of producing meat does not contribute much to carbon dioxide and methane emissions. Obviously, she acknowledged the harm that industrial meat farming has on the environment and health and … the list goes on; however, the gist of the article is that you can be a meat eater and a tree-hugger, too.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Not surprisingly, the editorial proffered a flurry of debate in the food press–prestigious and otherwise. Many </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://food.theatlantic.com/sustainability/a-defense-of-meat-goes-too-far.php">derided Niman’s claims</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> of meat’s inner innocence and I am sure there are many vegetarian/vegans kicking and squirming at the very thought of responsible carnivores. There is still a lively debate going on over at the </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://food.theatlantic.com/sustainability/how-good-meat-makes-a-difference.php">Atlantic’s food site</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">, and I recommend that you check it out before tossing in your two cents.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">But–what does this have to do with me?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I recently got to write up a </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://wweek.com/editorial/3552/13275/">short piece for WW</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> on a couple of up-and-coming butchers in the Portland area. Both are making their names for themselves with a badge of sustainability, and both have given me a lot of food (heh) for thought surrounding this issue.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">The younger of the two, </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://ethicalbutcher.blogspot.com/">Berlin Reed</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">, came back out to Portland at the end of the summer after spending a stint working in the Brooklyn (NY) food scene. Most recently, he held the post of butcher at </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://brooklyn.greenegrape.com/">Greene Grape Provisions</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">, a store that seems to be doing a lot right. He basically taught himself how to cut up animals, how to cure bacon (including lamb! bacon! yes!) and how to source the most ethical meat possible. Best part about Berlin, though, is that he used to be a vegan. Militantly. He was so vegan that he wouldn’t even sit next to, let alone have a legitimate conversation with, meat eaters. For him, it had always been an ethics issue. He knew about the horrors of industrial meat production and wanted nothing to do with it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Once he found good meat, though, his veganism was gonners. His first bite of flesh in 14 years was rib-eye, and he hasn’t looked back. In the last year, he has penned himself The Ethical Butcher, writing a blog, networking with farmers, making insane bacon* and being an advocate for sustainable omnivorism. But all of this is in my story. You should read it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">The part of his story that got left out of editing, and what really got me thinking, was his derision of pescatarians. I know a lot of pescatarians. In fact, most of my vegetarian friends eat fish regularly. I’ve always been a bit confused by that choice, but I never understood why I couldn’t accept it as reasonable. After Berlin and I got to talking, I remembered some images I had seen of shrimp farms in god-knows-where Asia and thought,<span style="font-style: italic;"> those look just like the shots of Tyson chicken farms that made me so ill</span>. And then Berlin brought up migration patterns and worldwide oceanic ecosystems and dwindling populations and shipping and … oh yeah, fish and other seafood are just as unsustainable as meat. There just aren’t evil corporations like Tyson for us to shake our fists at. Sure, there is sustainable seafood out there. Programs like the </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx">Monterey Bay Seafood Watch</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> do a great job listing safe products, and even give you a really easy color-coded system to check on tomorrow’s future dinner.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Yes, it’s tricky to keep up with fish sustainability. Today’s green light will be tomorrow’s red flag, but really, if you think about it, it’s not that much harder than remembering peaches are not seasonal in December or that there are no winter squash in July. Some seafood (farmed shrimp) will never be sustainable to eat, just like New Zealand kiwis will never lose their giant carbon footprint. So pay attention. If you do choose to eat only fish, do it with the same responsibility you attribute to avoiding meat. Think local. Think seasonal.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Speaking of local seasonality, let’s talk giant Oregon animals. Let’s talk grass-fed beef and heritage-breed pigs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">It turns out, there are way more Oregon ranchers raising these awesome animals than it seems when I walk into New Seasons and look for my bi-weekly meat purchase. Many of these ranchers, it turns out, don’t show up in New Seasons because it is way more lucrative to send their animals clear across the country than it is to wrangle the financial hardships of selling to small local shops. Since USDA regulations require that all meat products sold retail in the United States be slaughtered and processed in USDA-certified facilities, and since these certified slaughterhouses are gigantic and inhumane and few and far between, it is hard for local ranchers to maintain the level of sustainability required to pass muster financially and ethically in Portland’s picky foodie market.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">But there’s a loophole. If you sell a live animal to a person for personal use, you the farmer are allowed to slaughter the animal however you choose. This loophole has allowed the formation of what are called meat CSAs–consumers can contact a farmer and request a whole or half animal, which is then slaughtered and processed on site to insure humanity and sustainability. Most of the time, this huge hunk of flesh will get divided among friends and stuck in meat freezers all over town. The problem is, most people don’t know the first thing about getting involved in a CSA like this. And, most farmers don’t have the time to meet potential customers.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://ladebrouillard.com/">Camas Davis</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> is trying to fix this. Since returning from a summer spent learning the craft of pig butchery on a small family farm in France (um, <span style="font-style: italic;">so jealous</span>), she has been working to form the </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.pdxmeat.com/">Portland Meat Collective </a><span style="font-family:georgia;">(PMC). By becoming a member in the collective, you will enter into an organized and streamlined version of the meat CSA system. Camas will act as liaison between farmer and shopper, enabling many more people to be involved in the process. In addition, and this is the most awesome part, PMC members will get to take butchery classes with Portland butcher-chefs, learning the best way to break down and eat their animal. This is my idea of a Saturday afternoon.</span><br /><br />****************************************************************************************<br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">My take on all of this sustainable meat dialogue is a bit mixed. I am obviously not a vegetarian. I take great care in selecting the meat and fish I do eat, and I feel like I am very aware of the way in which my purchases affect my place in the whole global warming/good health/ethical eating system.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">However. The problem I have with the argument that, “yes, meat is okay because there is sustainable meat out there” is that, yes, there may be sustainable meat out there, but it’s not everywhere, and it’s certainly not affordable for much of the country. I can afford to buy expensive meat because I only do it so often and I am only feeding myself. I am also lucky to be surrounded by so much good meat here in Portland. </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.laurelhurstmarket.com/">Laurelhurst Market</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">. </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.tailsandtrotters.com/">Tails and Trotters</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">. The </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://eastmorelandmarket.com/">Eastmoreland Market</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">. <a href="http://www.newseasonsmarket.com/">New Seasons</a>. To consumers in, say, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidalia,_Georgia">Vidalia</a>, Georgia, this is not the case.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I think that we live in an exciting time foodwise. There are so many young people out there who are devoted to </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.slowfood.com/">Slow Food</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> and organics and locavorism that we really do have a shot at changing the food system in this country. It is starting to change, and I think the poor economy actually helps (of course it’s cheaper–and better!–to eat food grown in your own backyard), but we’re going to need more people out there growing beautiful produce and raising happy animals.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">The only way we can get better food more accessible to more people is if we have more people out there growing it. We need more farmers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">With any luck, I’ll be out there doing my part in the next couple of months. Keep your fingers crossed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">*If you have a couple extra bucks, </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theethicalbutcher/the-ethical-butchers-custom-cured-bacon-heritag">you really should contribute to Berlin’s quest</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> to get his bacon in the Portland farmer’s markets. He’s currently part of a funding program called </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.kickstarter.com/">Kickstarter</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">, which helps young and creative entrepreneurs get dollar bills for their projects. Participants get a certain amount of time to get a set amount of money in pledges. If they meet their goal in the allotted time, they get the money. If not, no dice. In Berlin’s case, if you pledge $20 or more, you’ll get a tee shirt. If you shell out the big guns ($50 or more), you can get the opportunity to design your own bacon flavor and get it named after you.</span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-10228483026479840592009-10-26T20:58:00.000-07:002009-10-26T21:14:08.612-07:00Curry Paste and Dried Fish<span style="font-family:georgia;">Andrew has an awesome Thai cookbook. He stole it from his mother’s house over summer, brought it back to Portland, and our house hasn’t been the same.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">This particular cookbook makes the Slow Food movement look like MacDonald’s. The author–David Thompson–having found himself in Thailand by accident some years ago, decided that its cuisine was … maybe the best thing ever. He did some serious reconnaissance, found a bunch of ancient recipes, and went from there. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thai-Food-David-Thompson/dp/1580084621/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256616055&sr=1-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">Thai Food</span></a> is as fat as a dictionary and contains a recipe and Julia-esque length explanations for everything from fermented fish paste to coconut ash pudding.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Andrew’s been experimenting with many of its curry recipes (and they have all been absolutely fantastic) since August, but it wasn’t until this weekend that he, Rosie and I put together a full-fledged (and painfully authentic) feast. Rather than sit here and describe each dish for you, here’s the meal in images:</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZwzYP1LEI/AAAAAAAAAV4/pR4bpNek5pc/s1600-h/CIMG4276.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZwzYP1LEI/AAAAAAAAAV4/pR4bpNek5pc/s400/CIMG4276.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397125231434607682" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">The night before, Andrew fried up a shallot relish in left-over duck fat. Seriously, this was probably one of the best things I have ever eaten. We recommend using long beans as relish-consuming vehicles:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZxffL6jnI/AAAAAAAAAWA/X_OmktR8hXE/s1600-h/CIMG4245.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZxffL6jnI/AAAAAAAAAWA/X_OmktR8hXE/s400/CIMG4245.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397125989211475570" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZxqWpRcUI/AAAAAAAAAWI/GfzeSxq-slE/s1600-h/CIMG4258.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZxqWpRcUI/AAAAAAAAAWI/GfzeSxq-slE/s400/CIMG4258.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397126175897252162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />Rosie (along with a bit of pounding help from Stephen) painstakingly shredded a green papaya for a salad–funky, fishy, and totally addictive:</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZxzScMBSI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/DNPgSoAeuQ8/s1600-h/CIMG4240.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZxzScMBSI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/DNPgSoAeuQ8/s400/CIMG4240.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397126329387451682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZx6a2vHuI/AAAAAAAAAWY/AqRBC7VPOVY/s1600-h/CIMG4238.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZx6a2vHuI/AAAAAAAAAWY/AqRBC7VPOVY/s400/CIMG4238.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397126451905371874" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I cracked open a young coconut (hopefully there will be pictures of this to come–Andrew took them and we can’t find his camera cable) and cooked it up with freshly picked wild chanterelles, chicken, game hen stock, deep fried garlic and thai basil. Not the most photogenic, but still yummy:</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZyHmuvzUI/AAAAAAAAAWg/VD9SlXOMl-Y/s1600-h/CIMG4247.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZyHmuvzUI/AAAAAAAAAWg/VD9SlXOMl-Y/s400/CIMG4247.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397126678431386946" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I also made the requisite coconut rice:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZyij0Me8I/AAAAAAAAAWo/SMj6owrUWoA/s1600-h/CIMG4256.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZyij0Me8I/AAAAAAAAAWo/SMj6owrUWoA/s400/CIMG4256.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397127141505399746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />The highlight of the meal was certainly the Andrew’s steamed fish curry. I’m not totally sure what all went into the curry paste, but it was green, lemon-limey, and super-tasty. The best part of the curry, though, was the way that the fish (we used cod because it had the green light from Monterey Bay) melted into the sauce. It wasn’t fish in curry sauce at all–it was curry-fish with an almost pudding-like consistency. So. Good:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZysF6jpwI/AAAAAAAAAWw/vUs_WzSVJ5E/s1600-h/CIMG4267.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZysF6jpwI/AAAAAAAAAWw/vUs_WzSVJ5E/s400/CIMG4267.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397127305277712130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />You’ll notice the well-constructed banana-leaf bowl in which the curry steamed:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZy2GIDX1I/AAAAAAAAAW4/MY9kAY6tFu0/s1600-h/CIMG4237.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZy2GIDX1I/AAAAAAAAAW4/MY9kAY6tFu0/s400/CIMG4237.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397127477133008722" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />This was Stephen’s major contribution to the feast. He just wanted me to tell you that.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZy-qGvQQI/AAAAAAAAAXA/GHqrmJlpwx8/s1600-h/CIMG4278.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZy-qGvQQI/AAAAAAAAAXA/GHqrmJlpwx8/s400/CIMG4278.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397127624230125826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />No feast is complete without dessert:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZzIw4ybsI/AAAAAAAAAXI/d6qDoerLs00/s1600-h/CIMG4286.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZzIw4ybsI/AAAAAAAAAXI/d6qDoerLs00/s400/CIMG4286.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397127797849353922" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Okay, <a href="http://myfoodilicious.blogspot.com/2008/05/bubur-pulut-hitam-black-glutinous-rice.html">pulut hitam</a> (black rice pudding) is not exactly Thai, but it’s one of my favorite desserts and has coconut and palm sugar in it just like everything else we ate.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZzWVrAcrI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/-1Sk8EE6fJc/s1600-h/CIMG4290.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/SuZzWVrAcrI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/-1Sk8EE6fJc/s400/CIMG4290.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397128031061963442" border="0" /></a><br />So full. So satisfied. I should eat real Thai more often.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-73375857080632938922009-10-18T17:08:00.000-07:002009-10-18T17:16:32.577-07:00Is there magic in this?<span style="font-family:georgia;">(<span style="font-style: italic;">For more background, please check out my first (!) published (!) story <a href="http://wweek.com/editorial/3549/13189/#comments_add">here</a></span>)</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />As many of you already know, I published by first real story last week, covering what is probably one of the coolest places I have found in Portland–<a href="http://saltfireandtime.com/">Salt, Fire & Time</a>. It’s a community supported kitchen, or CSK (the name is a play on the ever-popular <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Supported_Agriculture">CSA</a>s, but, besides the connection to local and sustainable farms, the connection is pretty thin). I first read about Salt, Fire & Time on <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/09/serious-green-community-supported-kitchens-csks.html">Serious Eats</a> and was instantly curious what it would be like to join in. Luckily, my editor agreed.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />I spent a day in the kitchen hanging out, cooking and shopping with owner Tressa Yellig, two other volunteers, and Yellig’s kitchen companion, a woman named <a href="http://www.yournaturalchef.com/">Abby</a> who cooks vegan/raw/gluten-free healthy stuff. It was actually totally hilarious to witness the combination of the two cusines in one kitchen–on one side of the kitchen, Tressa was cooking down 30 pounds of pork to make rillettes, and on the other side, Abby was prepping a raw kale salad. Both of them said that they really liked the balance. They’ve got all the food groups covered.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />Anyhow, because I volunteered on a Wednesday, the day before orders are distributed, most of the work involved packaging and labeling already prepared food. Even though it was a bit tedious, I got the opportunity to see a lot of different things that come out of the kitchen.</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />See and taste, that is. Tressa loves to share. It’s a good thing, too, because I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about her cooking style when I first came in. Tressa trained at the <a href="http://naturalgourmetinstitute.com/">Natural Gourmet Institute</a>, which is a super hippy-dippy, mostly vegan/macrobiotic cooking school. One of their most famous graduates is <a href="http://naturalgourmetinstitute.com/html/alumni-profiles.html">Morgan Spurlock’s wife</a> (remember <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/63283/super-size-me">Super Size Me</a>?). They teach natural food remedies, emphasizing the healing powers of things like garlic and naturally fermented beverages. Called a <a href="http://www.westonaprice.org/">traditional whole foods diet</a>, it calls for a return to “traditional” eating practices, whatever they may be. As a former biology major and someone who lives in a house full of scientists, I generally scoff at such things.</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />I scoff no more. Tressa’s food is awesome and totally not what I, or anyone, would call hippy. While volunteering that day, I tried citrus beef jerky (amazing, and I usually hate jerky), orange-clove lacto-fermented soda (alive and effervescent), coconut truffles (I crave these every day now), a couple kinds of sauerkraut, and a left-over pork and beet greens dish from a dinner party. More than sated, I remained full for the rest of the day, but it wasn’t one of those gross, stomach-achy kinds of full. It was a satisfied, energetic kind of full.</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />That’s the whole idea.</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Not only is this food sustainable on an environmental level (Tressa sources only from local and organic sources), but it is sustainable on a personal level as well. Her foods are nutrient-dense–with every preparation, Tressa works to preserve and promote as much of the good stuff in food as possible. Her food is rich and fatty, but your body consumes it slower, so you burn sugar slower and stay fuller longer (kind of like the low-glycemic index trend). She advocates frequent use of fermentations in order to balance out your body’s digestive system (scoff if you like, but those of us who are lactose intolerant and still eat yogurt have already bought into this theory). As Tressa told me, though, it’s difficult to convince most people to buy into her food until they’ve tried it. So she holds weekly dinners with famous foodies from around town in order to draw in wider customer base. I’m lucky enough to be able to attend one such dinner next week. I’m totally pumped.</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />In fact, I’m planning on spending as much time as I can at Salt, Fire & Time. Despite the fact that I am not a natural foods person or that I have no plans to begin brewing my own kombucha, I feel very much at home there. The community aspect was readily apparent to me the first moment I stepped inside. The space buzzes with energy, enthusiasm and encouragement. I felt a part of something game-changing.</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />During my interview with Tressa, she talked a lot about her problems with the restaurant business, frequently bemoaning her time spent as the “invisible back end slave” not able to have any relationship with her customers. This thought crosses my mind frequently, as friends and relatives ask me when I’m going to go cooking school on a regular basis. I too do not want to be the invisible slave. I want to be able to cook for people, but I want to see them, to know them, and to be able to give them the best of me and of my ingredients.</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Community supported kitchens seem like a great way to do just this, whatever their particular cuisine. They require strong relationships with eaters, cooks and food suppliers in a way that most restaurants just don’t. Like I said before, they bring sustainability to a whole new level.</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />As Tressa says, is there magic in this?</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />No, but there’s love, and without that, this new food revolution is going nowhere. </span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-42669118488563891322009-10-12T13:52:00.000-07:002009-10-12T14:13:30.073-07:00Last gasps of summer, first winds of fall<span style="font-family:georgia;">Today is one of those rare fall days in Portland where the sun is shining, the leaves are brown, and the nippy wind brings not rain but pleasant, subtle shivers. Wearing a jacket isn’t so bad today–it doesn’t need to be waterproof or have a hood. It’s almost real fall. But, as the weathermen keep reminding us, it will probably start raining tomorrow, so pull out your rainboots and umbrellas now.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Harrumph. I like real fall, one filled with dry piles of leaves, warm sunshine piercing through the chilly winds, and wool pea coats–a fall when you can still spend time outside without catching hypothermia or water-logging your cell phone. But there are bonuses to our never ending rain. There are coffee shops and bookstores, fireplaces and hot chocolate.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;">Oh, and a great excuse to spend all day in the kitchen. I love all of the seriously slow food that comes with the cooler weather–rich braises, roast chickens, apple pie, and, above all, soups, soups, soups. I’ve worked up a batch of chicken stock already waiting in the freezer for the first rain-soaked day. I’ve armed my pantry with dried beans and grains, and I’ve bought boat-loads of garlic. I’m totally ready.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">But first, in one last homage to the crisp salad days of summer, here is what I like to call a transition salad:</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;">Filled with the early-fall bounty of my final CSA shipment, this salad blends the best of both seasons with sweet, raw Zephyr squash and musky, rich mushrooms. I added shaved fennel for crunch and served it up with a local aged gouda, crusty bread, and thin slices of a yellow Bartlett pear. It may match the yellow leaves outside, but each crisp bite was almost enough to trick me into believing it was still September.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" ><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/StOayTOf_5I/AAAAAAAAAVY/aJmIaq2-tmQ/s1600-h/CIMG4145.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/StOayTOf_5I/AAAAAAAAAVY/aJmIaq2-tmQ/s400/CIMG4145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391823367837843346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" ><br />Transition Salad</span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" ><br />Serves one</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />5-10 Cremini mushrooms, sliced thin</span>ly <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />1 small zephyr squash (or any other fresh summery squash), sliced thinly, on a bias</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />½ bulb fennel, shaved thinly</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">1 scallion, white and light green part only, sliced thin</span>ly<br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">olive oil</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />sesame oil</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">about ½ lemon</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Combine the veggies in a serving bowl. Drizzle a small amount of both oils (you just want enough to thinly coat each component). Toss. Squeeze as much lemon juice as you need to brighten the flavor (the only way to know for sure is to taste). I used the juice of half of a not-very-juicy lemon. Toss and season with salt and pepper. Serve with your favorite cheese, bread, and a thinly sliced pear (or apple). I recommend building a bite with all of the components together. </span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440848385976141194.post-22440105614408173802009-10-08T14:10:00.000-07:002009-10-08T14:55:47.160-07:00All Work and No Play?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Ss5ZAbrpDrI/AAAAAAAAAVE/XJfxy8fp4TA/s1600-h/CIMG4107.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Ss5ZAbrpDrI/AAAAAAAAAVE/XJfxy8fp4TA/s400/CIMG4107.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390343667974737586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;">Hey guys.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />Life seems to be running on fast forward these days. What with restaurants and writing and schmoozing and new-job hunting, this blog is the last thing I think of on my long list of to-dos. I know that I’m lucky to have all of these great opportunities right now, and I am working hard to take advantage of my many activities. But I miss this blog.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I want to be able to continue to post as regularly as possible, but I don’t want to have to compromise its integrity by throwing up videos and links to other stories when I don’t have time to write them myself. So I can no longer promise regularity right now.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Ss5YyLgWPSI/AAAAAAAAAU8/ddXhgajqZLo/s1600-h/CIMG4101.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Ss5YyLgWPSI/AAAAAAAAAU8/ddXhgajqZLo/s400/CIMG4101.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390343423114231074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;">However.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I have been meeting some really really awesome people and attending some really really awesome events in the past month or so while working at the <a href="http://wweek.com/columns/coverstory#35.48">Willamette Week</a>. And, lucky for you, I don’t have the space/expertise/bargaining power/what have you to get to publish all of my experience. So here’s what I’m going to do–all these missed opportunities for the Willy Week will become stories here. I want to be able to tell the rest of Tressa Yellig’s story, I want to bitch about the food quality at the Indulge event, I want to share with you Chris Kimball’s dirty little secrets (hopefully he has some, and hopefully I’ll find out about them next week!). So I will.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Ss5Ygcu9PlI/AAAAAAAAAU0/wlDWWTDO6MQ/s1600-h/CIMG4074.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Ss5Ygcu9PlI/AAAAAAAAAU0/wlDWWTDO6MQ/s400/CIMG4074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390343118501264978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;">So stay tuned for <span style="font-style: italic;">Secrets of an Arts and Culture Intern</span> … beginning very soon.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Today, however, I want to talk about my CSA. Well, my soon-to-be-former CSA.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I was totally pumped about joining a farm share program and signed up with <a href="http://www.hoodriverorganic.com/howitworks.html">Hood River Organics </a>as soon as I moved back into my house. The first couple of weeks were pretty sweet–so much local, organic, fresh (great buzzwords, all) produce delivered once a week, straight to my front door. But I have quickly realized that this is going to be a long mushroom season and that I can only do so many things with the gigantic purple radishes that keep showing up. I like to eat a <a href="http://sea-salted.blogspot.com/2009/06/family-style.html">huge variety of foods</a>, and it simply isn’t cost effective for me, as a single buyer, to order what amounts to bulk quantities of a few types of vegetables. So I’ve cancelled my subscription and after this week, will return to New Seasons for my weekly grocery run.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">The one great thing about CSA monotony, however, was that it forced me to be more creative in the kitchen. I made mushroom tarts, kale quiches, and a totally insane beet and coconut chocolate cake. My most successful venture, which I share with you below, has been radish bread. Going through the fridge, I found six or seven baseball-sized radishes on the verge of mushy. Not wanting to waste, but oh so tired of radish salads and sandwiches, I thought that they might work as a substitute for carrot or zucchini in a quick bread. I looked up my favorite carrot cake recipe, changed it around a bit (reduced the sugar and fat, making it more bread and less cake), and threw in grated, drained radish. The consistency seemed right and the bread smelled awesome in the oven (albeit strangely like bacon-banana bread).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">The verdict–a slightly tangier version of zucchini bread–was totally delicious and surprising. (Apparently radishes turn from purple to green in the oven. Any food scientist (Sally) out there know why?) I imagine any unfortunate root vegetable hanging out in your crisper (turnips, parsnips, celery root) would work similarly. So much more exciting than salad.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Ss5W6dJO-sI/AAAAAAAAAUs/5K0hCFFF1a4/s1600-h/CIMG4113.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zo7hx5wEC4I/Ss5W6dJO-sI/AAAAAAAAAUs/5K0hCFFF1a4/s400/CIMG4113.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390341366264822466" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >Radish Bread</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">(Very loosely adapted from <a href="http://slowlikehoney.net/2008/04/22/the-tale-of-three-cakes/">Slow Like Honey</a></span>)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >The original recipe calls for cream cheese frosting, but I found that this doesn’t need it. It’s moist and sweet enough on it’s own. But should your sweet tooth call for extra decadence, mix a softened block of cream cheese with a softened stick of butter, a couple of cups of powdered sugar and some lemon juice and call it done.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">1½ cups all-purpose flour</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">½ cup whole wheat flour</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">2 teaspoons baking powder</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">2 teaspoons baking soda</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">1 teaspoon ground coriander</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">1 teaspoon ground cardamom</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">1 teaspoon ground cinnamon</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">¾ teaspoon salt</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">2-3 cups grated, salted, and drained radishes (I do this in a food processor, toss them with a generous pinch of kosher salt, and let them drain, under the weight of several bowls in a colander, for about 30 minutes)</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">½-1 cup chopped walnuts</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">½ cup unsweetened coconut</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">½ cup raisins</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">scant ¾ cup sugar</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">scant ½ cup canola oil</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">½ cup pear or applesauce</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">1 tablespoon molasses</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">4 large eggs</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a bread pan.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl, stir together the radishes, walnuts, coconut and raisins. In a third bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on medium speed of an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the pear/applesauce and molasses until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the flour mixture. Make sure to mix only until the dry ingredients are combined–don’t overwork the gluten in the flours! Fold in the radish mixture, making sure that all of the components are well distributed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 50 minutes. I put foil over the top about halfway through because the top had already reached a great color of brown. Insert a toothpick in the center to make sure it’s cooked through–you want it to come out clean, but just barely. Dry bread is no one’s friend.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Let it cool in the pan for about 5-10 minutes, and then carefully remove the cake and cool to room temperature (ha!) before eating.</span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140741118528792723noreply@blogger.com2