Local v Comfort

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Join the debate on Local v Comfort. I enjoyed this article from the NY Times entitled “When Local Sourcing Means Aisle 12.” It has comments and thoughts from chefs across the country about their favorite comfort foods, and how that generally equates to processed, packaged foods. It is a wry look at how these chefs espouse local, seasonal, farm to table, etc, yet their fallbacks tend to have an extended shelf life and impossible-to-pronounce ingredients.

Some examples include American cheese slices, Fritos and Saltines. Land O’Lakes American cheese Kraft singles, really, Wylie Dufresne? Guess nobody’s perfect, huh?

[I stand corrected by none other than Jeff Gordinier, the author of the article. Thanks, Jeff]

Michael Chiarello says that he loves Skippy peanut butter and cannot stand organic peanut butter. That actually surprised me. I love pure peanut butter, made only with peanuts and salt. Actually don’t care if it’s organic or not, just don’t want the hydrogenated oils in Skippy and other live-forever peanut butters.

It also pokes fun at some restaurants’ attempts to make homemade versions of “classic” processed foods, like ketchup. Seriously, why mess with perfection when you have Heinz? Even I’m not in favor of that. I’ve had “homemade” ketchup before in a restaurant and it is usually a disaster. Not worth anyone’s effort to prepare, and certainly not appreciated on this end.

Inspiration from India by way of Texas and NJ

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Tonight’s dinner was inspired by a generous gift from a colleague of my husband’s. Mangoes. A delicacy in India, grown in Texas, purchased in New Jersey and kindly shared with us in New York. Super fresh and ripe, succulent and juicy, but not local. Uh-oh.

I wanted to use the mangoes in a recipe and landed on a trusted favorite. Grilled swordfish and Mango Relish. The mango relish is a simple recipe from Mark Bittman (one of my Food Idols – see post from 6/27/12). The swordfish can be subsisted with other fish steaks, or grilled chicken.Here’s the recipe for the mango relish/salsa.Mango Relish 
– 1 ripe mango cubed into 1/2″ cubes
– 1/4 cup chopped red onion
– juice from 1 lime
– 1 dried hot pepper or Cheyenne pepper powder
– 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
– kosher salt
– ground black pepper

For the swordfish:
-2 swordfish steaks or fillets, 6-8 ounces each
– 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions for the Mango Relish: mix all relish ingredients together in a non-reactive bowl, careful not to mush mango too much. Relish should be chunky. Can be prepared in advance and chilled.

For swordfish: Heat grill or grill pan. Rub olive oil on swordfish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill on hot grill about 3 min on each side. Serve with relish on the side and slice of lime. Can use grill pan on stove top instead of grill.

Happy 4th of July!

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We celebrated the 4th with a great meal from the grill and classic rock tunes on the radio.

The meal was kicked off with cocktails and a much beloved grilled barbecue shrimp recipe.We have made this recipe many times (and have tried many other recipes for grilled shrimp) and I think it’s the best. Right amount of savory and spices, and easy to boot. It’s originally from Emeril and here is the link:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/spicy-barbecued-shrimp-skewers-recipe/index.html

The shrimp and the our entrees were expertly grilled by hubs on our classic Weber charcoal grill. Perhaps hubs will guest blog one day on his grilling philosophy.

For entrees, we had burgers. Sirloin for the carnivore and portobello mushroom for me. Local, mixed greens from our friend Steve’s farm on the side. There might have been some ice cream for dessert, too.

On the Edge of your Seat: Veggie Rice Salad

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I know you’ve all been on the edge of your seats WAITING to hear what I did with the rest of Saturday’s bounty. Here it is again:

I’ve already spilled the beans on the beets (that recipe could not wait), so let’s go through the rest of the veggies.
2 Birds with 1 Stone
I felt like a healthy grain-based salad that would mix some of the crunchy veggies and herbs, but would also take a minimal amount of cooking (again, recall beets recipe). I decided to riff on a recipe from last month’s Bon Appetit that I had previously experimented with. The recipe is very flexible – add/subtract veggies based on what you have at home. I’ve included it below with some of my modifications in italics and also simplified the prep.

Summer Veggie Rice Salad

  • 1 small shallot, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups cooked basmati rice, cooled – I used Brown Basmati rice
  • 2 cups bite-size pieces assorted vegetables (such as radishes, tomatoes, peas, summer squash) or carrot ribbons- I used kohlrabi, peas, scallions, carrots and basil
  • 3/4 cup torn mixed leafy greens, sprouts, and herbs – I used arugula and mixed greens
  • 1/3 cup chopped red, yellow, or white onion or scallions
  • 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (optional)

Preparation

  1. Mix first 4 ingredients in a bowl combined; season with salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in oil and use whisk to mix dressing.
  2. Place remaining ingredients in a large bowl; drizzle with 3 Tbsp. dressing and toss to coat. Pass remaining dressing alongside for drizzling over.
I modified the recipe based on what we picked up from the farm and also a desire to make it more nutritious. I used brown rice in place of white, and heavied up on the veggies, herbs and greens. This was a big hit and enjoyed by all family members and guests (even hubs). This is a great dish for a picnic, or to prepare in advance. We had this for lunch on Sunday.
Back to the List
Ok, so we already covered off on the beets, kohlrabi, sugar snap peas, scallions and greens. That leaves the broccoli, haricot verts and mixed greens. I decided on simple preparation for all 3 as I wanted to showcase the veggies themselves (and I, too, was losing steam).
  • Broccoli: Simple Asian-style dish. Steamed, then sauteed it with garlic and a dried, hot chili pepper, finishing it off with a dash of sesame oil.
  • Haricot verts: Sauteed garlic, then quickly stir-fried beans, keeping them green and crisp. Accompaniment for Saturday night dinner. Loved by all
  • Mixed greens: Used as a simple side salad with mustard vinaigrette for several meals
Oh, and the sunflowers went on the dining table.

Why Beets are Great to Eat OUTSIDE the home…but Never Taste Quite as Good

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Seriously, could one vegetable be more challenging to prepare than beets? Have you ever made beets at home? If so, you’ll know how easily they stain and how long they can take to cook. I wish I had taken a picture of my beet-juice splattered self from yesterday to share.

At any rate, if you do make the effort, you will be handsomely rewarded with jewel-colored, scrumptiously-sweet, vitamin-rich treats for your table. They even contain folate, which is super hard to find in other foods, and very, very good for you.  I prepared they beets from yesterday’s CSA pick up with mint after eating them at City Bakery near Union Square. I found an easy recipe for this tasty dish, and again, the toughest part is simply cooking the beets. I was quite unpopular when I turned on the oven for 1 hour 15 min on a 90 degree day. Whoops. And beets usually don’t taste good in salad bars and restaurants because they are from a can. Or overcooked.

The beets were ruby red and absolutely delicious, even prettier than the picture above from Epicurious. The mint complemented the beets both visually and on the palate. My guests  Josh Robertson and Milly Robertson loved them, but hubs still stayed far away. He was scarred as a child from eating canned beets. Friends don’t let friends…

Oh, and I steamed the beet tops separately. This was a first for me. They turned out great. I topped them with a little olive oil and salt, and they tasted similar to collard greens – the kind of thing that makes you feel healthy just because you’re eating them.

My friend Steve at Berkshire Bounty Farm even eats beets raw, but I haven’t been brave enough to try that yet. Maybe next week…

Last Day of June for CSA Pick-up

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A veritable bounty of veggies picked up at Wolfe Spring Farm today. Also had the pleasure of showing our good friend Milly Robertson and her delightful boys around. We checked in on the piggies, chicks, chickens, 2 week old kid goats, and doggies.

I spent the last 3 hours chopping, sauteeing, roasting and prepping it all. Hubs nearly killed me when I turned on the oven since it’s a toasty 90 degree day.Will post later on what I prepared from the bounty below.

Do you…Pin? on Pinterest?

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Just for fun, I started using Pinterest this week. A friend suggested it as a nice add-on to this blog. And, you have to request to join and receive an invite. Clever marketing ploy, I say, but they let me in the club.

I’m still not 100% sure how it works. Perhaps best described as an interactive cork board? In its simplest use, I found a lot of pretty pictures to get lost in. So I “pinned” a bunch of images I liked, and added some of my own. I created a few Boards, as they call it.
Let me know what you think…

Food Idols

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I will have lots more to say on this topic, but I will start by writing a brief post on one of my favorite food personalities – Mark Bittman. He is awesome. He is entertaining, down to earth, and trying to save the planet in his own way. From a tactical perspective, his cookbooks are purpose-built and highly functional.

Few to no foodie glam shots, but easy to follow and accurate recipes of food you want to prepare with ingredients that are accessible. What more could you want? If anyone has been in my kitchen, s/he will know that his “How to Cook Everything” is my Bible. It is dog-eared, spine-ripped and food splattered. It is the updated “Joy of Cooking” that you will actually use. If you like to cook, or want to start cooking, buy this book NOW.

Bittman is a NY Times columnist and wrote an interesting food diary/travelogue on his recent cross country trip in today’s edition. Check it out if you have a moment.

I like this man so much that I almost joined a running club because I heard he was a member. It entailed meeting at 5 AM on weekday mornings. Like I said, I thought about it.

En Papillote: Startlingly Simple, yet Sounds Super Fancy

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It’s ridiculous, I know, that any time a dish has a French name, one assumes it is complicated, contains a heavy sauce and takes ages to prepare. Well, have you ever tried preparing fish en papillote? Or,  al cartoccio? Or in parchment paper, to use layperson’s terms? It is super simple, and I’d also add forgiving.  The most challenging thing might be to remember to purchase a roll of parchment paper suitable for cooking, because you probably don’t have it in your pantry. Oh, and did I mention this is a very light and healthy method, too?

Here’s a basic recipe for cooking en papillote (note I will try to use the French as much as possible):
  • Rip off a square of parchment paper (15X15 for instance)
  • Place 1 fillet of fish (that’s a fresh fillet of fish of your choice, not a Filet o’Fish) on the parchment. Try thin white fish, like sole or snapper, or denser fish, like salmon or halibut
  • Chop up some veggies that you have in the fridge. Julienne carrots, chop up asparagus, small florets of broccoli, etc, and place a handful on top veggies on top of fish fillet
  • Season with salt and pepper, and any other dried or fresh herbs to your liking.
  • Squeeze some lemon juice or lime juice (some sort of acid) and a drizzle of olive oil
  • Pull one side of the parchment paper to the other side and begin folding, eventually tucking the corner under the packet. Repeat for as many people you are serving
  • Bake in 400 degree oven for 15-25 min depending on thickness of fish
The great thing is that this is a FORGIVING method. Even if the fish is cooked a minute or two too long, it will still taste delicious. It will never get dried out because of the steam formed within the sealed packet. The downside of this method is that you can’t check for doneness. You must trust the recipe you’re following.
Apropos, this is what I’m making tonight – a great recipe from Real Simple.  Steamed salmon with asparagus and scallions. The juice from the lemon makes everything taste fresh and citrusy – yum. I skipped the potatoes (which you prepare separately), and added some cauliflower to the fish packets.  Hubs even approves of this dish, but he hasn’t had it with cauliflower before. Stay tuned…