The First Strawberries

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

One of our first goals for our community garden plot was a nice plush patch of strawberries, something we could return to every few days for a brimming handful or two.  Four seasons in, and we’ve finally done it.  The strawberries have filled in nicely, despite the “I’m just rotating the soil” massacre of 2010.  There is just enough room for some perennial herbs (chives and garlic chives) and some bush beans.  A scan of the flowers and reddening fruit, and I’m guessing it will be a very good year.

Technically, these aren’t our first strawberries of the season; we ate that meager handful, just washed and sliced, over the weekend.  But, this was our first real bounty, and I wanted to acknowledge that somehow.  Moreover, my parents were coming to dinner, and strawberries are my mother’s favorite.  Now, I am not very creative when it comes to desserts, but I thought that I could manage something special just this once.

The spelt flour biscuits are vegan, following Erin Mckenna’s instructions.  They were topped with some maple sugar for some sweetness.  (I tossed the strawberries with the maple sugar as well.)  More unusual, and a first for me, I infused the whipped cream with lavendar.  Hours before whipping, I brought the cream to a simmer with two teaspoons of dried lavender flours before allowing it to cool again.  Adding it to the whipped cream kept the lavender flavor and floral perfume rather subtle, exactly as it should be.

Asparagus Carbonara

Saturday, May 12, 2012

In case you missed it, the farmer’s markets have returned and brought asparagus with them.  I think my problem with asparagus is a common one: it is such a relief from winter and early spring that I overindulge while relying on the same recipes.  This year, like every other year, I am determined to try something new.  This year, unlike last year, I have already succeeded.  It may only be one new recipe (so far), but that’s one more than last year.

The idea came after watching No Reservations.  Anthony Bourdain was in one of those “authentic” trattorias in Rome that no foreign tourist can ever seem to find on their own.  The carbonara was served with zucchini flowers, tossed with pasta at the last minute so that the flowers barely wilted.  Reasoning that if the flower works well so would the fruit, I diced one small zucchini and added it with the onion.  The results were encouraging enough to try other vegetables - like asparagus. 

Simply poach the asparagus in salted water for four minutes, slice into small rounds (leaving the tips whole), and add to the saute of of onions and pancetta (or bacon) prior to adding the egg, cheese, and pasta. 

When Life Hands You Yogurt: Uses #4-6

Well, I did it.  Two people, five pounds of yogurt, and not a single tablespoon wasted.  Granted, I did cheat a bit: I liked the yogurt flatbreads and baked eggs with arugula so much that I decided to have it again.  However, I did find two other uses for the yogurt.  One, it makes an excellent substitute for mayonnaise in potato and tuna salads (as pictured here).  Two, in a pasta full of greens, herbs, and lemon.  Had there been been yogurt left, this would have been next.

Sicilian Style Pizza

Philly is known for soft pretzels, Peanut Chews, and TastyKakes, but there’s also some decent pizza in the area. I used to love hitting Lorenzo’s on South Street after a show. All the really good pizza I’ve had in town has been of the thin crust variety, but my heart really belongs to sicilian style pizza with a thick crust. Not deep dish—that’s something different—but great, thick, yeasty crust. That kind of pizza is few and far between in Philadelphia, but you can make your own . . . almost entirely from locally grown ingredients.

My favorite crust recipe comes from Serious Eats. They have absolutely perfected a simple sicilian style crust. The secret is kind of weird but perfect for Philly area localvores—potatoes. We’ve always got lots of options for buying potatoes, it seems!

1 medium russet potato, about 7 ounces
15 ounces (3 cups) all-purpose flour
1/2 ounce (about 2 teaspoons) kosher salt
1/4 ounce (about 1 1/2 teaspoons) rapid-rise yeast
1/2 ounce (about 3 teaspoons) sugar
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/3 cup warm water

Boil the potato until tender, then put it through a ricer; let cool. Combine remaining ingredients in a mixer with a paddle attachment; blend until the dough comes together, and then add the riced potato. Mix on medium-high speed for about six minutes.

Spread a thin layer of olive oil over a rectangular baking sheet (I use a typical cookie sheet). Dump the dough onto the oiled sheet. The original recipe calls for you to allow the dough to spread by itself over a period of two hours. I’m a little on the anxiety-ridden side, so I like to press the dough into the pan with my hands and then let it rise for a few hours.

From there you can use local tomato sauce or pesto as well as local cheese for toppings (Cherry Grove Farm does a decent locally made mozzarella, or you could go with some of the great locally made cheddar or goat cheese). And, of course, there are all sorts of locally grown vegetables in season right now: spring garlic, sorrel, asparagus, mustard greens, spinach, and herbs.

How do you finish the pizza after it’s topped? Bake at 500 degrees for thirteen or fourteen minutes. It should be noted that this dough would also make amazing breadsticks. Depending on how long you let it rise, my dough has turned out anywhere from an inch to two inches thick.

Dessert, with a Side of Drinks

Thursday, April 26, 2012

While I am not a fan of normal cheesecake, I’ve always loved the Italian variety made with milky ricotta instead of cream cheese.  This ricotta cheesecake gets an extra splash from the addition of rhubarb, which starts to pop up right about now. I actually used rhubarb from last year’s crop this time, since I like to freeze bags of it for off-season use, but you should be able to find this year’s rhubarb in your local market soon if it isn’t there already.

As a bonus, the poaching liquid for the rhubarb can, after the fruit is added to the cake, be simmered until reduced by about half, leaving you with a beautifully pink, slightly tart syrup, which can be added to iced tea, lemonade, or fizzy water, or used as the basis for a fancy springtime cocktail.

Rhubarb Ricotta Cheesecake (with a rhubarb syrup bonus)
(Adapted from Nick Malgieri, How to Bake)
Serves 8-12

For pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
12 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cut in ½ inch cubes
3 large eggs

For rhubarb layer:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups water
Half a vanilla bean, split
1 ½ lbs rhubarb, leaves trimmed away and sliced into 1-inch pieces

For cheesecake layer:
1 15-ounce container whole milk ricotta cheese
⅓ cup granulated sugar
Zest of one lemon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a food processor and pulse briefly to mix.  Add the butter and pulse again until powdery, then add eggs and pulse until the dough begins to come together.  Pat into rectangular block, wrap tightly in plastic or in a quart-sized zip-top bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Meanwhile, bring the sugar, vanilla and water for the rhubarb to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add the rhubarb and immediately turn off the heat.  Let the rhubarb cool to room temperature and drain well, setting it aside while rolling out the dough and preparing the ricotta filling.  Return the poaching syrup to the pan and simmer briskly until reduced by half, decant into a glass jar, and refrigerate for use in drinks later.

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line a quarter sheet pan or 9-inch tart pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to overhang the sides all around.

Slice off one third of the pastry for the top lattice, and roll out the remaining two-thirds on a floured sheet of parchment paper into a rectangular piece large enough to overhang the edges of the pan by about an inch and a half.  Tuck the pastry into the prepared pan.  Roll out the remaining third of dough into a rectangle just larger than the pan, and use a pastry or pizza roller to slice into strips one inch wide.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the ricotta on the lowest speed just until smooth.  Scrape down the bowl and add the sugar, mixing again on low for 30 seconds, then repeat with lemon zest and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down between additions and mixing only until each egg is incorporated.

Lay the poached rhubarb in an even layer on the bottom of the pastry-lined pan.  Pour the ricotta filling gently over, spreading it all the way out to the edges.  Lay the strips of pastry lightly over the top of the filling, fold the overhanging edges of the pastry over to seal in the ends of the strips, and crimp all around.

Bake 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling has set.  Cool to room temperature on a wire rack before using the parchment to lift the cheesecake out of the pan, and slice into 8-12 squares.  If not serving within a few hours of baking, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Spring Sesame Collard Greens

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Last October, one of my housemates came home with a few little collard seedlings and I planted them in our backyard. They kept on growing all winter, and for the last month or so I’ve been harvesting the still-tender leaves for raw collard green salads. This past weekend was the last hurrah though, since the plants started flowering and my farmer friends at Mill Creek Farm encouraged me to harvest what was left and then take them out. Fine with me, since I can certainly use that space for my other plants!

I was surprised by how delicious this simple dish turned out.

Ingredients:
1 bunch collard leaves
2 T vegetable broth or water
3-4 T sesame seeds (toasted, optional)
1 T sesame oil
spices to taste (I used McCormick Far East Sesame Ginger Blend, a mix of garlic, sesame, ginger and red pepper, orange peel, coconut, onion, and soy sauce)

Heat the broth in a wide skillet and lightly saute the greens until bright and slightly wilted. Remove from heat and toss with sesame seeds, sesame oil, and seasoning. That’s all!

Asparagus Season Underway!

Friday, April 20, 2012

One of the most thrilling parts of spring for me is the abundance of fresh asparagus. My husband and I tried to plant asparagus in our home garden a few years ago without much luck, so I get inordinately excited when the farmer’s markets start getting big piles of it. Fair Food Farmstand is getting their first asparagus of the season (from NJ Sheppard Farms and Fifer Farms). Speaking of Fifer, Fifer Orchards is celebrating the early asparagus harvest this year with their Asparagus Peak Party tomorrow from 10am to 4pm.

One of the local restaurants near the orchard will be featuring a few ways to cook up asparagus, including beer battered asparagus and shaved asparagus salad.

Now, true: fresh spring asparagus doesn’t exactly need much in the way of cooking. Even raw, it’s delicious. Still, when there’s so much good asparagus going around it almost seems criminal not to experiment. Some ideas:

• asparagus vichyssoise
• asparagus lemon gelato
• mascarpone, ham, and asparagus tart
• asparagus with lavender, pine nuts, and bocconcini
• asparagus cake with parsley cream

However you enjoy asparagus, don’t miss out while it’s in season!

Grid Alive This Thursday

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

As this blog shows again and again, there is a great story being told about local food in Philadelphia. And what makes this story so compelling, and the movement it is creating so strong, is that the people who are telling this story are the same people who toil away in the kitchens and gardens of this city. I always explain to people that I couldn’t see the value in my writing if I couldn’t put my words into action, and I couldn’t see the larger picture of my labor without the outlet to reflect on this action. In addition to this blog that allows my voice to get out there with many more great writers and doers, I am also extremely grateful for Grid Magazine.

Grid Magazine is not only keeping the idea of print magazines alive, but it’s also telling many of those great stories from this movement. To get more of these stories out there, Alex Mulcahy, publisher of Grid, and I are now bringing these stories to the stage. The show is called Grid Alive, and as I explained at our first show, the concept is somewhere between the Johnny Carson Show and an NPR interview show. By bringing the people featured in Grid to the stage, we try to dig a little deeper not only into their projects, but who they are as people, all the while trying to have a lot of fun and a few laughs while we’re doing it.

Our next show is tomorrow night and the theme will be Chickens and Bees. And we won’t just be talking about it. We’ll actually have chickens on stage, plus an observation hive. The show will be held at Trinity Memorial Church on 22nd and Spruce. Doors are at 7 and the show starts at 8. Tickets are 5 bucks, but there will be beer, bees and chickens. Who can beat that. For more info, visit www.gridphilly.com. See you there. 

When Life Hands You Yogurt: Use #3

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

I’ve written about Jamie Oliver’s brilliant use of yogurt as a substitution for bechamel before.  That time, I was heeding his recipe, using it in manicotti.  This time, I used it as a layer in a mushroom lasagna. 

When Life Hands You Yogurt - Lots and Lots of Yogurt

Saturday, April 14, 2012

As I’ve said before, Winter Harvest is a wonderful program.  Every month, I am astounded by the variety and availability of fresh produce, meat, poultry, and prepared foods – all of them locally grown or made. 

Nonetheless, I am prone to error when ordering for the month.  For example, several years ago, I ordered 22 half-gallons of milk rather than 2.  The good people of Farm to City caught that mistake.  This time, however, I had to live it: last week, I brought home a five-pound container of Pequea Valley plain yogurt. 

For some of you, perhaps, this is not much of a purchase.  For a household of two, I can assure you that it is.  However, with flexibility that CSAs require, in which you cook with what’s available, we decided to use up all five pounds of yogurt in as many different ways as we could. 

Uses 1-2: Yogurt Flatbread and Baked Eggs with Arugulga and Yogurt

Eager to use our newest cookbook, Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty, we first opened the container for breakfast last weekend.  The flatbreads called for greek yogurt, a much thicker consistency than the five pounds in front of me. Following Mark Bittman’s advice, I strained two cups of yogurt through a flour sack dishcloth and a mesh strainer.  Within a few hours, I had the requisite ¾ cup of greek yogurt.

The yogurt and whole-wheat flatbreads were cooked on a griddle.  Meanwhile, we baked Rineer Farm eggs and Silver Mine Farm Sylvetta Arugula, and topped them with yogurt spiced with paprika (see here). 

We made substantial progress with these, and the yogurt did not feel repetitious coming, as it did, in two very different forms.  However, there was plenty more yogurt to go. 

A week of fun at Norris Square

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

When the Norris Square Neighborhood Project (NSNP) first started converting a stretch of vacant lots on Palethorp St. into community gardens, the neighborhood was a war zone. A ruthless drug trade and city neglect made for conditions that confined neighbors to their homes almost like prisoners. But as it happens so often in this city, communities can only be kept down for so long before they start doing something about it. By creating a network of gardens on Palethorp St., all with their own themes of different reflections of Puerto Rican culture, NSNP established a safe and sacred space for residents to take back their community. And from May 12th through May 18th, NSNP is going to be opening up their gardens and neighborhood centers to the public during De la Siembra a la Cosecha (From Seed to Harvest) Festivale to invite everyone from Philadelphia to celebrate the impact of their gardens.

Through out the festival NSNP will offer opportunities to get your hands dirty through volunteer work, family time during the youth talent show and movie night, and ways for the adults to kick back with a “Schmooze and Booze” happy hour held in the garden. They will also hold a Garden Resource Fair on May 18th to close out the festival by passing on the resources that allowed them to succeed in this amazing neighborhood transformation. Workshops include healthy cooking by Farm to Families, legal issues for working on vacant land from Amy Laura Cahn, and technical gardening skills. For information on the Garden Resource Fair please visit http://gardenresourcefair.eventbrite.com/. For all other information on schedules and how to register for events, please visit the festival site for more details.

So if you’re looking to start your own project, or if you just want to enjoy a mojito in a garden that takes you from North Philadelphia right to the Puerto Rican countryside, this is an event worth checking out. If nothing else, you’ll feel the power of community and you’ll see how a group of neighbors can make a huge impact on their block just by planting a few seeds in the ground. Because that’s what it’s all about. You plant the seed and you work towards the harvest. Because even though it sometimes may not seem like it in these neighborhoods in Philly, the harvest will come. And the best way to celebrate it is to sit back and enjoy it.

Dinner Pilfered From Friends

Monday, April 09, 2012

Recently, my wife was explaining to a friend how she had learned to replant Jerusalem artichokes to propagate more.  Our friend warned us to be sure we planted them in a pot, as they tend to spread quickly and become very difficult to extirpate.  “In fact,” she continued, “I’ve probably still got some in my (community garden) plot right now.  You’re welcome to dig them out for yourself.”  And so we did.

This soup was pilfered from her plot and combined with some chicken stock of ours.  We’ve had some excellent creamed Jerusalem artichoke soup – most memorably at the Farm and Fisherman. But here I wasn’t looking to create anything complicated; instead, I wanted to have an effortless soup that also focused on the taste of the artichokes.  There are innumerable ways to elaborate on this, so think of it only as a starting point.

Something New for Dining Out Locally

Sunday, April 08, 2012

At first, using local ingredients meant a deliberate choice of restaurant and (often, limited) menu.  Now the variety of food available year-round has expanded menu possibilities and expanded the practice beyond typical “farm-to-table” options.  It’s a true measure of how far tthis has come that even restaurants not commonly associated with it incorporate local food into their menus.  Case in point: Triumph Brewing Company.

Triumph now features its Home Grown Menu, a frequently changing menu of locally sourced dishes.  These include Flaim Farms from Vineland, Doe Run Farm in Coatesville, Solebury Orchards in New Hope, and Blooming Glen from Perkasie. 

Couple that with beer brewed on site, and you couldn’t do much better for reducing your food miles. 

Here’s the current menu.

Philly Farm & Food Fest

Sunday, April 01, 2012

We just returned from the Fair Food and PASA sponsored 2012 Philly Farm & Food Fest.  There were plenty of vendors, growers, bakers, and everything else. The list is far too exhaustive to replicate here, so I’ll just mention my personal favorites.

Tom Culton wins the award for most original, and appealing display (in addition to delicious raw peanuts).  Chef-owners Andrew and Kristin Wood of Russett were handing out some delicious stuffed mushroom creation.  Not that I hadn’t planned on going there (and soon), but I’ve now upped their place in the queue.  During a presentation on heirloom grains (more on that below), Metropolitan Bakery provided delicious samples of spelt and amaranth breads.  Paul Lawler of Fair Food Philly (more on this below, too) provided an incredible array of local cheeses. 

In addition to stuffing our faces, we also attended some great presentations. Greenmarket, Grow PYC/PASA, and the Regional Grains Project spoke of the proliferation of grains like amaranth and spelt.  Most relevant to home baking was an off-hand comment from a farmer that conventional kneading (either by machine or by hand) seem to work less well than carefully folding the dough.  Having had success with no-knead bread, which requires folding rather than kneading, I’m wondering if I could use the same method for spelt flour.  Alexis Siemons (of teaspoons & petals) gave us some great ideas for fruit, honey, and herb infused teas.  Finally, and most generously, Paul Lawler took us on a “vertical tasting” (first, milk; next, yogurt; finally, cheese) of cow and goat milk products.  I was, however, extremely jealous of the two girls sitting in front of us who broke out their Metropolitan Bakery baguette and Urban Apiaries honey to enhance the tasting.  Next year, I’ll at least bring a flask of red wine. 

All in all, it was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  Look out for this event next year if you didn’t make it today. 

Springtime Greens

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Fritters made from spinach or chard were one of my favorite comfort foods as a kid, and are still one of my favorite ways of using greens as an adult.  It’s also a great recipe to keep in mind now that we’re on the cusp of every-kind-of-greens season.  Any kind of relatively mild and tender green works, including beet greens and arugula in addition to the spinach or chard my mom generally used.  You could also use a heartier leafy vegetable, like kale or Asian greens, but they’ll take a bit longer to cook.

Like any fried foods, these fritters are best when served immediately, but I confess to also liking the leftovers almost as much cold as a midnight snack.

Beet Green or Spinach Fritters
Serves 4 as a side dish

2 large bunches beet greens, spinach, chard, arugula or other leafy greens of choice (or one bag frozen spinach)
1 large egg
¾ cup milk
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
⅓ cup grated Parmiggiano Reggiano
Salt, pepper and nutmeg
Oil for frying

Roughly chop the greens and either steam them or cook them in a covered dish in the microwave until limp but still bright green.  Squeeze them until absolutely dry in a clean kitchen towel or piece of cheesecloth, then further chop them until quite fine.  (You don’t want long stringy bits that will be hard to scoop out of the batter later.)

Whisk together the egg, milk, flour and baking powder.  Season with salt, pepper and several grinds of fresh nutmeg.  Stir in the cheese and the cooked greens.

Heat several tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick frying pan.  Drop large spoonfuls of the batter into the oil, flattening them slightly to an even thickness .  Fry the fritters until nicely browned on one side, then flip and cook the other side to the same degree of doneness. 

Drain the fritters on a rack over a baking sheet lined with paper towels or brown paper bags, and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Serve immediately.