Summer’s Peaches Dripping with Flavor (Try this Peach Crostini)
By Margaret Gilmour
Mix a few downpours with record heat this summer and our local produce is bursting with flavor. So much sweetness, in fact, that Lisa Kerschner of North Star Orchards in Cochranville says “eating fruit this year is definitely not something to do while driving— talk about distractions!”
Our warm, dry weather helped concentrate the flavors so instead of huge, water-filled fruits, we’re getting smaller peaches, plums, apples and pears with flavors and textures that “may just about blow people’s minds,” Lisa says. Then she adds: “I don’t think I can remember a year when the fruit has been this flavorful. I can’t imagine what that’ll mean for the Asian pears as they come in.”
Peaches, especially, are juicy and sweet, the white-fleshed variety (my favorite) now so fragrant and lush I can hardly wait to get home to eat them—many times biting while leaning over the sink so the juice can trickle from my chin to the stainless steel basin.
Usually ripe fruit only lasts a day in my house. Sometimes, though, I choose not-quite-ripe peaches and place them single-file on the counter to mature so I can savor them throughout the week (I just learned that stacking them in a bowl promotes bruising).
I may slice a peach into a cup of yogurt, or better yet, make peach crostini as a light meal or quick appetizer (see recipe, below). Eight-seven percent water, the stone fruits are a packed with vitamin C, vitamin A and iron.
Lisa sells her peaches (and famous Asian pears) each Saturday at the West Chester Growers Market and at the Phoenixville Farmers’ Market (check the North Star Orchard Web site for other market locations). Stock up now, because this winter you’ll be dreaming of the summer’s mouth-watering, fragrant peaches.
Here’s a quick and easy method for freezing whole peaches:
• use only ripe and ready fruits;
• DO NOT WASH THEM…spread the peaches out on a baking sheet and place in your freezer until they are rock-solid;
• you can use freezer bags to store them for up to six months or more, but if you’re trying to avoid plastic, the peaches will keep just as long or longer in wide-mouth jars made for freezing and canning. You can also reuse your ice cream or milk cartons, though because they are not perfetcly moisture-vapor resistant, this method works for short-term storage only (up to three months).
Check out the 2010 Chester County Buy Fresh Buy Local Food Guide to find your local orchard or farm stand by clicking here:
Peach Crostini (adapted from a NYT recipe)
(Crostini means “little toasts” in Italian)
Grill or toast several slices of ciabatta, (actually, a baguette or any favorite, fresh loaf will do), pile with ricotta, baby arugula and slices of ripe peach.
Variation: Toss peaches and arugula with a simple olive oil vinaigrette kissed with a little seasoning and topped with a pinch of sea salt. If ricotta doesn’t appeal, substitute cottage cheese (drained). Or heck, if you love cheese as much as I do, use whatever type you find in your fridge (I’ve used feta in this recipe too).
Special thanks to local writer/photographer Matt Freeman who generously shared his image of peaches. You can see more of Matt’s work at his upcoming exhibit at the Brush and Palette gallery in Kennett Square, where his giclée prints of fine-arts photo still lifes will be featured from September 3rd through the 22nd. Matt’s images of fruits and other foods are inspired by Chester County’s continuing agricultural tradition. For more info on the exhibit click here.
————
Sources: NYT, The National Center for Home Food Preservation
Sesame Noodles with Asparagus Tips
By Leslie Kedash
This is a classic “make ahead” recipe and is perfect as a side dish for taking to friend’s home for a potluck meal. It calls for asparagus, but you can use any vegetable that’s in season; snow peas, roasted peppers, grilled eggplant or carrot julienne strips.
Another great recipe from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.
The Marinade
1/4 cup sesame oil
3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
7 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons Chinese black or balsamic vinegar
3 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons chili oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
The Noodles and Asparagus
salt
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and thinly sliced on a diagonal
1 14-ounce package thin Chinese egg noodles
10 scallions, including the firm greens, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted until lightly browned
Mix the marinade ingredients together, stirring to dissolve the stgar.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the asparagus. Cook until bright green and tender but still firm, just a few minutes. Scoop the asparagus out, rinse it under cold water, and set on a towel to dry.
Pull the noodle apart with your fingers, add them to the boiling water, and give them a quick stir. Boil until tender but not overly soft, tasting them often as they cook. it should take only a few minutes. pour the noodles into a colander and immediately rinse under cold water. Shake off excess water.
Toss the noodles with all the marinade and most of the scallions, sesame seeds, and asparagus. mound them in a bowl or on a platter, then garnish with the remaining asparagus, scallions, and sesame seeds.
Garlic Scape Soup
By Leslie Kedash
Scape: a long leafless flower stalk coming directly from a root.
In this case, the root is a bulb of garlic and I do love garlic. The scapes are best consumed young while still in full curl. Removing the young scapes from the garlic bulb encourages it to continue to grow and are an added perk from the king of ingredients.
Possessing a mild “garlic taste,” this recipe is a subtle variation on the potato leek standard and a perfect choice for dinner, given the mercurial weather of late. I bought the tender scapes at the Kennett Farmers’ Market last week and, armed with spinach from our garden and the other ingredients from the pantry, whipped this up.
Another simple and satisfying recipe from Heidi Swanson, I find myself haunting her blog 101 Cookbooks for more delicious ideas.
Enjoy.
Garlic Scape Soup
Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson
2 tablespoons clarified butter or extra virgin olive oil
2 dozen garlic scapes, flower buds discarded and green shoots chopped
3 larger russet potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
5 cups vegetable stock or water
2 large handfuls of spinach leaves stemmed
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon of fine-grain sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
Chive blossom, for garnish (optional)
Heat the butter in a larger saucepan over medium heat, then add the scapes and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and stock, cover, simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and beginning to break down.
Remove from the heat, add the spinach, and puree using a hand blender. (If you must use a conventional blender, be careful; the hot liquid can burst out of the top and make a huge, potentially painful mess. try leaving the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. Cover the top with a kitchen towel and blend in batches on low speed.) Season with the lemon juice, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Whisk in the cream for a silkier texture. If the soup tastes flat, add salt a few pinches at a time until the flavors really pop. Serve garnished with the chive blossoms.
Serves 4 to 6
Note: I used extra virgin olive oil, peeled my potatoes and used water rather than vegetable stock.
Not in the mood for soup? Try this recipe.
Garlic Scape Pesto
A Mighty Appetite by Kim ODonnel
Ingredients: 1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes), top flowery part removed, cut into ¼-inch slices
1/3 cup walnuts
¾ cup olive oil
¼-1/2 cup grated parmigiano
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
Method:
Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated. With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to taste; add salt and pepper. Makes about 6 ounces of pesto. Keeps for up to one week in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
For ½ pound short pasta such as penne, add about 2 tablespoons of pesto to cooked pasta and stir until pasta is well coated.
Coconut Panna Cotta with Summer Berry Coulis
By Leslie Kedash
Panna Cotta, (Italian for “cooked cream”) originated in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy. It is a simple dish, easy to prepare and, due to the highest quality ingredients, a delicious and light dessert for Summer.
In this recipe, agar flakes (derived from red algae) are substituted for gelatin as a thickener, making the dessert truly vegetarian. Yes, you may recall agar plates from high school biology, it’s a great medium for culturing organisms as well.
Fond or not so fond memories of petrie dishes aside, this is another hit recipe from Supernatural Cooking which hits multiple marks. Simple, delicious and healthy (aside from the copious fat content, but hey, it’s dessert!).
The term Coulis derives from the Latin “colare” which means strained. It is essentially a fruit soup and the perfect complement to the milk custard. I substituted strawberries for the raspberries and blackberries and it was delicious.
Coconut Panna Cotta
with Summer Berry Coulis
Supernatural Cooking by Heidi Swanson
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup light colored natural cane sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons agar flakes or 3/4 teaspoon of agar powder
To make the Panna Cotta, lightly oil 6 ramekins and set aside. Place the coconut milk, milk, sugar, and agar flakes in a pan. Stir, then rest for 10 minutes to allow the agar to soften and start to dissolve; this is particularly important of you’re using flakes. Very slowly, bring the ingredients to a gentle simmer for a few minutes, until the agar is incorporated. If it doesn’t completely dissolve, pour the mixture through a strainer, pushing the undissolved agar through as well. Pour into the prepared ramekins and chill until set, about 1 hour.
Summer Berry Couls
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup fresh blackberries
1/4 cup natural cane sugar (less if the berries are super ripe)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
To make the coulis, combine the berries, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat. Mash the berries a bit, then chill.
Serve the panna cotta either in the ramekins or turned out carefully onto small plates; top with the berry coulis.
Quick and Delicious Szechwan Chicken
By Leslie Kedash
The days are getting longer yet I can’t figure out why I seem to have even less time than normal. Now it’s 4:30 p.m., there’s no plan for dinner, and I need one.
There’s a wayward cookbook on the kitchen table and I open it, hoping to find a miracle meal that won’t cost a lot, won’t take much to make, and will be at least as good as the local pizza take-out.
Chicken with Summer Berries? No, too soon for local berries. Steak with tarragon butter? Too heavy a meal for tonight. Szechwan Chicken over Rice? Bingo.
Eleven ingredients (I am sure you will have most of them), everyone liked it and it was made in 20 minutes. Be sure to use cocktail peanuts, the dry roasted ones just don’t cut it.
Szechwan Chicken | Beyond Parsley
Serves 4
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
2 lager chicken breasts, boned, skinned and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon dry sherry
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/4 cup of oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 scallions, sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup peanuts
Combine the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon soy sauce in bowl. Add chicken, stir to coat and set aside. Combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, sherry, sugar, and vinegar; set aside.
Heat oil in wok; add red pepper and cook until black. Add chicken and cook two minutes; remove chicken and set aside. Add scallions and ginger; stir-fry for 1 minute. Return chicken to wok and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add soy sauce mixture and stir 1 minute. Add peanuts. Serve over rice.
Flower Pot Bread
By Leslie Kedash
I have made many types of bread: french baguettes, challah, cinnamon buns, doughnuts (they were a flop) and finally bread in a bread machine, the Brandywine Book of Food has a recipe I can’t wait to try this weekend.
Bread in a flower pot, how unexpected, how portable… think tailgate.
The rain predicted for this weekend will keep me inside, the perfect time to try this out.
A sure bet for our first outdoor gathering.
Flower Pot Bread
Sweetwater Farm Bed and Breakfast, Innkeepers Farrell
and Sean Kramer
Serves 6
4 cups unbleached bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 package dry yeast
2/3 cup lukewarm milk
11/2 cups lukewarm water
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chives
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
1 egg, beaten
6 4-inch terra cotta flower pots, greased
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Sift together the flour and salt. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk. Make a well in the flour and pour in the yeast mixture. Let rest for 15 minutes. Add the water, butter, garlic, and herbs. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise 1 hour and 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
2. Punch down the dough and divide among the
6 pots. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.
3. Brush tops with egg. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Turn out on rack to cool.
To serve: Return bread to pots and serve with sweet cream butter and homemade jams.
Photography by Ella Morris
Almond Biscotti
By Leslie Kedash
Biscotti originated in ancient Rome and was used as a non-perishable foodstuff carried by the Roman Legions on their various conquering, plundering and pillaging expeditions.
Translated, biscotti means “twice-baked”, as the process of making them includes two trips through the oven. The second baking removes all of the moisture from the biscotti, giving it a long shelf-life. With the fall of the Roman Empire, biscotti hibernated until it was resurrected during the Renaissance by a baker in Tuscany who served it for dipping in sweet wines and port.
I’ve never tried them with sweet wine but I know for sure that this recipe produces a cookie which, when dipped in a cup of strong coffee, delivers a sublime gustatory experience.
Almond Biscotti
Mary Beth Clark The Best of Casual Italian Cooking Trattoria
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1 cup sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature (more…)
Pasta Piñon Verde
By Leslie Kedash
El Farol sits at the end of Canyon Road in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is that town’s oldest restaurant/bar. A small, funky but endearing combination of western and adobe, white walls, vigas and creaky wooden floors.
When out there we often make this our last stop on a night out. Local “color” is there in abundance and there are fine area musicians who play there each weekend. More than once a local has mentioned that in the late 1800s, hangings used to take place across the road where there tree still stands. Seems that folks used to gather at El Farol to drink coffee and such on those occasions.
It’s a bit more civilized today and the restaurant serves Tapas (a collection of small dishes brought out on a platter and eaten as a main course) in the evening before the entertainment begins. The menu is varied and well rendered. This recipe is from El Farol’s Cookbook: El Farol Tapas and Spanish Cuisine. Enjoy, we surely did.
Pasta Piñon Verde
Bow tie pasta with Pine Nuts, Cream, and Poblano Chiles
Makes 8 small plates of pasta as a Tapa
2 quarts of water
Pinch of salt
1 pound farfalle (bow tie) pasta
1/2 yellow onion diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1/8 cup butter
3 tablespoons white wine
1 pint heavy cream
2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, and chopped
1 handful of shelled piñons or pine nuts
1/2 cup grated manchego or Parmesan cheese
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
2 tomatoes, diced
Boil 2 quarts of water with a pinch of salt. Cook pasta for about 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. While pasta is coking, sauté onion and garlic in butter until soft, and then deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add cream, poblano chiles, and piñons to the sauté pan and bring to a boil. Cook on high heat for about 2 minutes. turn off the heat and stir in the cheese. Drain the pasta and, while it is still hot, toss with the cream sauce. Add salt and pepper and serve topped with diced fresh tomatoes.
Creamy Tomato Soup
By Leslie Kedash
Tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich is, to me at least, one of life’s great pairings. This recipe surely beats the salt-laden canned variety you’ll find in your local supermarket. And it’s quick and easy. Combine with a grilled cheese sandwich with real cheese (not cheese “food”) on French bread and a salad. Consume in front of the fire and dream of Spring.
Creamy Tomato Soup
Horn of The Moon Cookbook by Ginny Callan
2 tablespoons of butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onions (3 onions)
Two 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes (or the tomatoes you put up last fall)
Juice of one lemon
2 cups of water or stock (more…)
Créme Caramel
By Leslie Kedash
Remember Junket? Unless you are of a certain age, you may not, but it was a custard like concoction which was often fed to children when they were ill (or wanted a sweet dessert that wasn’t overly unhealthy).
Think of this dish as Junket made incredible. The texture, taste and mouth feel is just too amazing to not try it a few times.
I used to only order this dish in restaurants, figuring it would be just too tedious to make at home. Wrong.
I admit to having a bit of a cookbook addiction. I love the pictures, design and the thought of really good food
prepared at home. While work and life sometimes get in the way, nothing seems as satisfying as mastering a new recipe (sometimes it takes a few tries) and then consuming the fruits of your labor.
Recently, I was paging through a book which we use for the family’s favorite recipe for Shepherd’s Pie and I came across this little gem.
This time, the planets were aligned: the hens had done their work, I already had all the ingredients and the time to make it happen.
Turns out, the recipe is quite simple to make. The only place where you might mess up is in the beating of the eggs and sugar. Don’t overbeat or you will end up with way too much custard and its consistency will not be at all what you are looking for (dreamily smooth and rich). The rest of the prep is easy, the hardest part waiting for the custard to cool and set up before you can devour it.
Créme Caramel
Paris Bistro Cooking by Linda Dannenberg
The long slow cooking of this classic dessert produces a perfectly smooth and silky custard.
1 Quart Milk
2 Vanilla Beans, Split Lengthwise, or 3 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
(Vanilla beans are EXPENSIVE but they “make” the dish. You can buy them at Acme for seventeen bucks or at Giant for twelve, you know where we got ours)
2 Cups Sugar (divided)
3 Tablespoons Water
1 Drop Vinegar or lemon Juice
8 Large Eggs
Yolks of 4 Large Eggs
Small Pinch Salt
In a larger saucepan over low heat, scald the milk with the vanilla beans. Remove from the heat, cover, and steep for 30 minutes. Then remove the vanilla beans and discard.
Caramelize an 8-cup mold; Place 1/2 cup of the sugar, the water, and vinegar or lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until golden. Carefully pour into the mold and tilt the mold to coat the bottom with caramel. let the caramel harden.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Place the eggs, yolks, the 1 1/2 cups of sugar, and salt in a bowl; whisk together until the mixture thickens and is pale yellow. Strain the milk into the egg mixture and stir it to blend. Pour the custard mixture very carefully into the previously caramelized mold.
Place the mold in a larger pan, place the pan on the oven rack, and fill the pan with hot water to come halfway up the mold. Bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the custard is set when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool, then refrigerate. to serve, run a knife around the edge of the mold. Invert the mold onto a deep serving dish. the caramel will run out and fill the dish.
Lucid Food: Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life
By Margaret Gilmour
Be sure to go: Lucid Food Book Signing and Tasting
Terrain at Styers, Glen Mills
Saturday, January 16, 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Learn tips and techniques for making easy and affordable eco-friendly food choices while sampling a few Louisa Shafia’s selections. Free and open to the public.
Has eating fresh food become complicated?
It doesn’t need to be. As food writer and cookbook author Louisa Shafia points out in her new cookbook Lucid Food, Cooking For An Eco-Conscious Life, without too much effort we can integrate affordable, local, earth-friendly food choices into our daily lives to cook up delicious, healthy meals.
This just-published (November, 2009) cookbook is filled with mouth-watering photographs and simple, tasty meals, and features a lengthy section on eco-kitchen basics you’ll want to curl up and read.
If you’ve seen FRESH or Food, Inc. you know there are options to an industrialized food system, and you’re not eating fast food burgers anymore. And with all the books about 100-mile diets and the life of a locavore (Plenty + Animal, Vegetable Miracle + Food Rules), much of the information Louisa shares is not new. So, with an ample supply of cookbooks emphasizing seasonal menus, do we really need another?
Louisa’s Lucid Food shows us that we do.
What’ gives Lucid Food new life is Louisa’s approach to important details, like the simple reasoning behind the choices she makes, and a few eco-terms and definitions you may not have picked up yet. Thrown into each section is a little surprise, such as an introduction to an ingredient you may have passed by in the past but become inspired to try. Examples: Dungeness Crab, a sustainable seafood choice, or the many alternatives to white sugar.
Then, of course, there are the spicy flavors and multi-cultural recipes all made with ingredients you can actually find locally throughout the year.
Louisa grew up near Germantown, PA before relocating to New York City to pursue an acting career. After five years in the city and one grueling on-stage tour around the country, she switched gears, choosing to slow down and purse her other passion: cooking.
She began by cooking vegetarian meals for a summer in Maine at a yoga retreat, then completed a five-month cooking school program before interning in San Francisco. “California being the local food mecca,” she says, “exposed me to using seasonal, local ingredients I now use in all my meals.”
Back in New York City, she cooked in a variety of restaurants, including Aquavit, where she went from relaxed California-style, to a more precise method of food prep and presentation. By 2004 Louisa started her own catering company combining all the styles she experienced, but never swayed from using fresh, local ingredients.
I talked with her this week about her new book:
What is your favorite book about environmental issues or any food/industrial agriculture?
Anything by Michael Pollan.
How do you stay connected to the food issues?
I read the New York Times daily, especially the Wednesday dining section. It’s the best way for me to keep up with the world of food.
What’s the one thing you would suggest that someone do if they want to make a change and begin eating more healthy food?
I recommend investing in a high-speed blender, a food processor, or a Crockpot. Any of these 3 items will drastically reduce cooking and prep time, and vastly increase the variety of dishes that you can make. (more…)
Apple Cider Sauce
By Leslie Kedash
When I get a new cookbook, it’s hard for me to shelve it before trying a few recipes.
Usually I thumb through all the pages several times, admire the photographs and read a few of the ingredients before choosing a recipe. But since I had seen Roger Morris’ new book The Brandywine Book of Food, before it was published, and worked on the design, by the time I finally got my own copy, I knew exactly what I’d cook first.
This Apple Cider Sauce is by Chef Bryan Sikora at Talula’s Table. I chose it because it fit the season and I am always on the look out for ways to add flavor to Sunday night supper. It was delicious, and I will definitely make it again.
Apple Cider Sauce
Talula’s Table, Chef Bryan Sikora
1 tablespoon butter
1 small diced apple
1 small diced onion
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups fresh apple cider
2 cups rich chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Calvados apple brandy
1. In the bottom of a two-quart saucepan heat a little butter and sauté the apple and onion until soft. Season with salt and pepper, and add the remaining ingredients.
2. Over medium-high heat allow the liquid to simmer and reduce by a third. Let the liquid cool, and then blend in a blender or with a hand blender.
3. Strain through a fine sieve and season.
To Serve: Drizzle over roasted pork or chicken.
The Brandywine Book of Food is available at Talulah’s Table.
Brandywine Book of Food: Culinary Terroir
Once in-awhile something so delicious comes your way you just have to share it with everyone you know. That’s how we feel about the just-published cookbook featuring regional fare made by area chefs using local ingredients.
In the Brandywine Book of Food, Chester County writers Roger Morris and Cathleen Ryan, along with photographer Ella Morris, put together recipes, stories and mouth-watering images that taste so good you’ll want to devour them.
Which is exactly what we suggest you do.
Thanks to guest writer Roger Morris for sharing the back-story of Brandywine Book of Food.
By Roger Morris
About two years ago, Cathleen Ryan and I started down a path that proved to be as windy and full of surprises as a trek along the Brandywine.
Our goal was to produce a book that would reflect the culinary terroir of the Brandywine region of Chester County and neighboring Delaware – how the land, its waves of immigrants, the twists of history, social culture, and the current breed of farmers, winemakers, chefs and food artists all came together.
Last week, we reached that destination: The publication of The Brandywine Book of Food, which we believe is a pioneering work of considerable interest. Its birth statistics: 168 pages containing 75 recipes from the Brandywine’s best-known chefs, more than 180 full-color photographs, as well as the personal stories of many of these chefs, vintners and food purveyors.
There will be many book-signing events, and the books will be on sale throughout the region.
To start at the beginning: Anthony Vietri, the owner and winegrower at Va La Vineyards, told me one day about Cathleen, a pastry chef trained in France and America who was at that time just closing down Whitewing Farm B&B where she had been manager. Cathleen had been working on a regional cookbook, Tony said, but the project had fallen through. A shame, we agreed. So I called her.
We met in the main room of the deserted lodging and discussed how we would both like to do a book about food terroir in the same manner that one would write about wine terroir. Cathleen and I decided to give a go, wrote the first of many outlines, and set out to find an agent and a publisher.
We were soon joined by my wife Ella, a painter, photographer, and gallery manager, who would serve as tireless photographer and photo director for the book. I would manage the project and do the text. Cathleen would work with restaurant and manage the recipes. (more…)
Vegetable Soup’s On
By Leslie Kedash
I think soup weather is defined by rainy days and chilly evenings, and we’ve recently had our fair share of that. A good soup is one you can make on a moment’s notice, (or a few moments, anyway)…and this one is quick and tasty.
I tried this recipe this week and liked it enough to share. It contains plenty of good winter vegetables.
Two steps (two recipes combined, actually) and it’s on the table, served with salad and bread.
The recipes come from The Barefoot Contessa Family Style.
Roasted Winter Vegetables
The high temperature carmelizes the outside and leaves the inside tender and moist. This is a very flexible recipe; you can add any root vegetable you have in the house to this mélange.
1 pound carrots, peeled
1 pound parsnips, peeled
1 large sweet potato, peeled
1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled and seeded
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
Cut the carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, and butternut squash in 1 to 1 and a quarter inch cubes. They’ll shrink while baking, so don’t cut them too small.
Place all the cut vegetables in a single layer on two sheet pans. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss well. Bake for 25 to 25 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a metal spatula.
Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste, and serve hot. (or in this case, use them in the following recipe)
Roasted Vegetable Soup
This is very versatile—you can also throw in last night’s mashed potatoes and even the tossed green salad from lunch. It adds wonderful flavor and goodness. A great way to get vegetables into your kids without their knowing it.
6 to 8 cups chicken stock
1 recipe Roasted Winter Vegetables
Kosher salt and pepper
For Serving: Croutons and quality olive oil
In a large saucepan, heat 6 cups of the chicken stock. In two batches, coarsely puree the roasted vegetables and the chicken stock in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pour the soup back into the pot and season to taste. Thin with more chicken stock and reheat. The soup should be thick but not like a vegetable puree, so add more chicken stock and/or water until it is the consistencey you like.
Serve with the croutons and a drizzle of olive oil.
Taste Buds Get Ready: 1st Annual Fermentation Fest
By Margaret Gilmour
Sweet. Salty. Sour. Bitter.
Ready for some fresh, local and lively (pun-intended) fare?
Because there will be a bountiful supply available for tasting at Friday’s Fermentation Festival at the Kennett Square Farmers’ Market.
You’ll want to attend a little bit hungry and ready to quench your thirst as the featured chefs, artisans and producers all interested in quality over quantity, are preparing a delicious spread just for you. And the farmers, of course, are selling their autumn harvest.
In addition to your favorite seasonal micro-brews and crisp wines, plan on dipping in and sipping on a variety of new-to-you flavors, like some of the featured fermented veggies and non-alcoholic beverages.
Sniff. Swirl. Sip. Repeat.
Then there’s Root, a novel root-beer liqueur, which is also ready for you to sample.
Just out this summer, Root’s successful debut comes from a Philadelphia company uniting slow design and all things handmade: Art in the Mechanical Age of Reproduction. The potent spirit is 100% organic, made from an 18th-century Pennsylvania folk recipe which eventually became birch or root beer. (more…)
Fermented Fare: Deliciously Prepared For You By Science and Nature
By Margaret Gilmour
Do you like sauerkraut? Pickles? Yogurt? Micro-Brews? Wine?
With an emphasis on healthy and a dose of fresh-flavor, a connection between all of these distinctive, lively foods and drink is fermentation: an age-old, natural process that has been around for thousands of years.
Here’s proof: a seven-thousand-year-old jar containing the remains of wine was on display at the University of Pennsylvania last year. And food fermentation is an ancient tradition our ancestors practiced annually to preserve their bounty from one season to the next.
Most of us eat fermented foods every day: chocolate, cheese, bread. Still, many of us associate fermentation with beer, wine and cider—where sugar is converted into ethyl alcohol.
Who knows if way back when the health benefits of fermentation were known? It is said, though, that Julius Caesar fed pickles to his troops to help them stay strong.
Will fermented food make you strong? Maybe not, but research shows that the process helps fight infection and increase absorption of nutrients.
Scott Grzybek, CEO and Founder of ZUKAY Live Foods, a probiotic food company in Elverson, PA (a stone’s throw from Chester County), started eating fermented foods years ago simply to maintain his well-being.
“I was sick of eating processed foods,” he says. “If it didn’t make me sick that week, I knew eventually it would.”
With that thought in mind, in 2004 he and his wife decided to try living off the land and “get back to traditional ways of cooking and preserving foods.”
That’s when Grzybek discovered fermentation and began studying the science behind the process.
“I came up with the idea that we could do this with everyday foods, and at the same time get the benefits out to everyone,” Grzybek says. A little over a year ago, he did just that by starting ZUKAY Live Foods.
To celebrate fermented fare, the Kennett Square Farmers Market is partnering with Harvest Market Natural Foods to throw a Fermentation Festival on Friday, October 9th, from 2 – 6:00 p.m.
And you are invited.
Alongside the farm stands selling fresh, local harvest, there will be specialty beer (from Victory Brewing Company and Twin Lakes Brewery) and wine tastings (from Stargazers Vineyard).
(more…)
Time to Harvest Your Basil
By Margaret Gilmour
I still want to make more pesto this season, and I never tire of tomato, basil and cheese sandwiches (tossing in avocado, sprouts or cucumber when within reach).
Yet, according to my well-read, slightly tattered book, Tips for the Lazy Gardener, by Linda Tilgner, we need to harvest our sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) before evening temperatures get much below 50 degrees because the flavor of its leaves taste better if they are dried or frozen before the cool weather hits.
So this week I’ll head out just after the morning dew, the best time to harvest basil—when the essential oils are said to be at their peak. Then I’ll pluck my three healthy plants from by herb garden and give the other herbs some room to grow.
In Tilgner’s book she suggests using any basil blossoms that escaped cutting for vinegar. She writes: “In fact, herb vinegars are a convenient way to use herbs you’re too lazy to dry or freeze, and make wonderful gifts.”
Tilgner dries her basil by spreading out washed and pat-dry leaves on a screen or paper and placing in a cool, dark, room.
Then there’s Paul Feenan, a farmer from out West who shared his method on a food blog: (I like this idea because it seems quick and easy and won’t take up counter space.)
“At Barnyard Gardens we have had good luck drying our extra basil by simply putting it in a large paper shopping bag in a dry but not too hot of a spot (not too much in a bag at once). We fold the top of the bag shut, and once a day (or so) we open it up and give the bag a shake and rustle the basil about. The dried basil has an intense fresh flavor for our pasta dishes in the winter.”
Whether or not you freeze or dry basil, there’s still debate over which method retains the herb’s flavor best. I may try both.
To freeze, wash the leaves, blot them dry and set them into a freezer bag or small plastic container before committing the basil to the freezer.
Then there’s the ice-cube tray method, where the other half of my harvest will end up: In a food processor blend basil leaves with just enough olive oil so that it covers the leaves (adding more oil for thinner consistency), and place the mixture in an ice cube tray and freeze. This is a great way to prepare pesto or other pastes during the winter months.
Or, (I may even try this) apparently you can freeze a whole basil leaf in water in an ice-cube tray, then pop it out when you’re ready to use it–the water will melt and leave you with an aromatic, bright green leaf ideal for sauces (and reminiscent of summertime).
Nice. (more…)
OLS | From The Garden
By Leslie Kedash
This past weekend was unusually busy for our family and, late Sunday afternoon, I checked the vegetable garden to see what dinner options were available.
I picked a few zucchini, pinched off some basil leaves and gathered a few eggs from the hens, all just enough to make this simple pasta dish.
Perfect for a stormy summer night, this stove-top recipe is convenient to have when the power goes out…. which it did this past Sunday evening. Photo by candlelight.
OLS | Rhubarb
By Leslie Kedash
For this weekend’s OLS, we visited Highland Orchards in West Chester. In observance of our goal of food shopping without an agenda, we arrived to find it was the final weekend of “pick your own” rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum).
I first encountered rhubarb in a pie (as you might expect) on a visit to New England as a child. Since then, I had essentially ignored the crimson stalks in the supermarket. But now, here it was, the whole plant–with giant, mildly poisonous leaves and tart, tender, screaming red stalks. (more…)
12 of Our Favorite Eat In-Season Cookbooks
We love the just-opened farmers’ markets that give us local food in abundance.
So we’re celebrating the bounty with our favorite eat-local cookbooks.
Some of these books are filled with gorgeous images that’ll trigger your senses with spreads of seasonal fare you just can’t resist.
Then there are the cookbooks stuffed with great recipes and thoughts on cooking simply, but without the photoplay.
A Taste of Summer Vinaigrette
By Margaret Gilmour
With warm days ahead, simple salads that include crisp, local greens in all varieties can become a healthy, one-dish meal.
We believe that you should select your lettuce as you would design your garden bed: use interesting textures, play with combinations, but nothing you place should overwhelm the others.
Then, after focusing on the leaves, the other main ingredient becomes the dressing.
Leslie has tried many combinations, ultimately creating a dressing she loves and uses almost nightly in the summertime.
So, I thought I’d give her thoughtfully seasoned vinaigrette a try, reviewing it for you to let you know what I think. After all, my main staple is salad, so I can be, at times, a merciless critic.
Leslie presented me with a large, wide bowl tossed with Belgian endive, Bibb lettuce, arugula, and watercress, all just-kissed with her vinaigrette.
I chose a small plate for my tasting, and sat alongside a round cutting board imparting a few black olives, some crusty bread, a wedge of aged parmesan and one or two halved cherry tomatoes. A perfect complement to my salad.
My first, small morsel of greens was delicious. The splash of vinegar did not overpower any of the other ingredients, and the hint of garlic added just enough zip to the creamy combination of mustard and mayonnaise that had the leaves clinging to the mixture.
I was in heaven. I finished every bite before dragging a slice of bread across my plate.
If she ever bottles it, I’ll let you know. For now, here’s the recipe, which gets five stars and tastes like summertime.
Leslie’s Simple Summer Vinaigrette
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family
Ina suggests putting the dressing in the bottom of the bowl before adding leaves, then toss when ready. Serve in a wide bowl rather than in a deep one.
Root Cellars: Naturally Cool
By Margaret Gilmour
Ever since ancient times, root cellars have provided cultures with the means to store food throughout the seasons.
Nowadays they’re back in style, so to speak, their popularity due partly to our own desires to hold onto summer’s harvest as long as possible.
You can still locate root cellars in Chester County, many ranging in size from three to four feet square, to large domed spaces suitable for hoarding enough winter provisions for several families.
The revival of this old custom makes for healthier, more sustainable eating since the in-ground cellars make it possible to stockpile fresh foods purchased at local farms or farmers’ markets (if you aren’t growing your own).
They are also an energy-saving convenience providing easy access to our harvested ingredients–-there’s’ no need to jump in our cars and run to the food mart before preparing a meal.
In Chester County, root cellars have been around since the first settlers made this fertile region their home—that’s before William Penn established the area in 1682.
Since practical refrigerators weren’t introduced until 1915, and still not widely used for at least 15 years later in the ‘30s, root cellars were necessary household accessories until they were replace by the refrigerator. They provided natural, cold storage to successfully keep perishables intact.
The first root cellars weren’t made in basements. In fact, the earliest farmhouses had only dirt floors and no “foundation-room,” or basement, with the entire house resting directly on the ground.
But the root cellars were underground rooms, and placement varied; most were built within arm’s reach, or at least within close proximity to the house. The cellar had its own chimney that helped keep dampness out and the scent of fragrant, smoked meats and just-harvested foods in.
Cool, dry temperatures and lots of ventilation is needed to keep produce, canned food and cured meets fresh in the cellar. Some humidity, too, halts produce from drying up, and darkness keeping produce from sprouting.
There are three basic types of outdoor root cellars: Hillside, which were dug into a hillside to encourage natural drainage from the spring thaw or heavy rains, and lined with rocks and wood beams for support. Regular, well-insulated doors made for easy, walk-in access.
A hatch cellar is dug into the earth too. Most have dirt floors, a hatch door for entry, and a ladder or stairs leading the way down to the storage area.
The third type, an above ground cellar, can still be seen locally along the countryside. They look similar to spring houses, or a Hobbit house built with a frame of wood or stone, and topped with sod concealing it from above.
You can see how these underground rooms made for good hiding spaces for slaves, especially those eventually built in the basement of a home. Actually, many basement root cellars had escape routes leading through a shallow well built for this reason, and were commonly used a safe haven/stop over for slaves in Chester County’s Underground Railroad.
To build your own root cellar, this book is devoted entirely to the matter, and goes into great depth detailing the storage process, along with the best staples suited for in-ground storage.
Buy it here:
Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables
Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers’ Markets
By Margaret Gilmour
We can’t think of a better way to celebrate eating locally and the soon-to-open farmer’s markets (officially 5 weeks from today), than to review Deborah Madison’s cookbook about her journey exploring farmer’s markets across the country.
Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers’ Markets
By Deborah Madison
Some credit cookbook author Deborah Madison for adding “lacavore” to our vocabulary since she’s been writing about cooking with local flavors found in foods plucked straight from the earth for more than two decades.
She’s also supported for the Slow-Food movement for years, is on the board of the Seed Savers Exchange and The Southwest Grassfed Livestock Association, and stays involved with a school garden project near her home.
Madison’s cookbook, winner of a James Beard award, was released last May in paperback featuring melt-in-your mouth photographs of seasonal dishes, and reach-out-and-touch images of succulent produce.
It’s also filled with shots of farmer’s markets and farms you want to step into and visit for a day. Top off the visually spectacular spreads with side bar notes and stories detailing Madison’s stopovers at farmer’s markets near and far, and you won’t be able to put the book down.
But it’s also a cookbook, of course, driven by Madison’s market expeditions and seasonal ingredients.
The contents are ideally organized by season, a helpful guide for anyone inspired by cooking with what’s fresh and available each day. And it’s not entirely vegetarian, Madison also includes dishes made with organic meat.
The recipes are a creative, delicious mix of year-round temptations. Most are simple, some need close following, but all of them are worth trying at least once.
A favorite recipe: Asparagus and Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding
A favorite section: Greens Wild and Domestic
Most helpful chapter: The Foods That Keep
Buy it here: Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers’ Markets
Books that Inspire Simple Living
We’ve handpicked a few books filled with inspiring and entertaining stories, helpful resources and stunning images. Between the two of us, we either have a copy of the text on our bookshelf, or we have read it in the past.
Some of the books are mentioned in REVIEW, where we discuss good reading or products we’d recommend. So, be sure and check out the section to see if the book you’re considering is featured. It might help you decide which one’s for you. Personally, we love them all.
You can purchase any from the list at your local bookstore, or right here on our site through IndieBound, a community-oriented movement begun by the independent bookseller members of the American Booksellers Association. Click here Learn more about IndieBound.
Also check out 12 of Our Favorite Eat In-Season Cookbooks: A great cookbook should ignite conversations, as well as spark appetites. All of these compilations do both and much more.
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
Well Preserved: Recipes and Techniques for Putting Up Small Batches of Seasonal Foods
Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm
What Can I Do With My Herbs? How to Grow, Use and Enjoy These Versatile Plants
Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer
Major Pettigrew�s Last Stand
Earth in the Hot Seat:Â Bulletins from a Warming World
The Apple Trees at Omela: New and Selected Poems
Where I Live: New and Selected Poems
Shipwrecks of the Delaware Coast: Tales of Pirates, Squalls and Treasure
100 Artists of the Brandywine Valley
52 Loaves: One Man’s Relentless Pursuit of Truth, Meaning, and a Perfect Crust
Greening Your Family: A Reference Guide to Safe Food, Personal Care, and Cleaning Products
Grow Your Own Drugs: Easy Recipes for Natural Remedies and Beauty Fixes
Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things
Trattoria: The Best of Casual Italian Cooking
Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper
El Farol Tapas and Spanish Quisine
A Taste of Heaven: A Guide to Food and Drink Made by Monks and Nuns
Lucid Food: Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life
Plenty: Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet
Flowers and Herbs of Early America
Essential Eating Sprouted Baking: With Whole Grain Flours That Digest as Vegetables
GoatSong: A Seasonal Life, A Short History of Herding, and the Art of Making Cheese
