Slow Food Dinner Tonight at Marigold Kitchen

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

On Wednesday, September 26, 2007, Slow Food Philadelphia is sponsoring a five-course dinner at Marigold Kitchen inspired by chef Michael Solomonov’s recent trip through Turkey and Israel.

Amuse Bouche

First Course
Modern and Classic Mezze.  Eggplant salad, chopped Israeli salad with quail eggs and white anchovies, tuna carpaccio stuffed with tabouleh, and mussels cooked with spiced basmati rice.

Second Course
Braised swordfish with Shakshouka (classic tomato stew) and poached egg.

Third Course
Smoked loin of lamb with stewed prunes and flavored with Za’atar.

Dessert
Peach sorbet with peach salad, peach mousse, and peach cobbler with labneh ice cream.

$50 + tax and tip (the total price will be $65).  Reservations can be made through Open Table Philadelphia.

Slow Food USA is an educational organization dedicated to stewardship of the land and ecologically sound food production; to the revival of the kitchen and the table as centers of pleasure, culture, and community, to the invigoration and proliferation of regional, seasonal culinary traditions. The members of the Philadelphia chapter come from a wide variety of professions and backgrounds. It organizes dinners, tastings, tours, lectures, and picnics, where members gather in a convivial setting to explore the richness of our area’s culinary heritage or the food and drink of other cultures around the world.

Marigold Kitchen
501 S. 45th St.
(215) 222-3699

James and Sly Fox Beer Dinner

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

On Monday, September 17, 2007 at 6:30 p.m., Chef Jim Burke of James is teaming up with Brewmaster Brian O’Rielly of Sly Fox Brewery for James’ Inaugural Beer Dinner.  This five course dinner will be made with local/seasonal ingredients and will be paired with local beers from Sly Fox.  The menu will feature the following dishes and beer pairings:

Hors d’oeuvres
The chef’s selection of hors d’oeuvres will be paired with Sly Fox’s Saison Vos, a Belgian style ale brewed with German Pils malt, hopped with East Kent Goldings and fermented with a special proprietary yeast that gives it a dry, spicy character.

1st course
Mussels in soppressata broth with olive crostini, which will be paired with Sly Fox’s Pikeland Pils—a light-bodied, Northern German style Pilsner brewed with imported German Pils malt and hopped with German and Czech hops.

2nd course
King salmon confit with crisp apple salad and potato rosti, which will be paired with Sly Fox’s Phoenix Pale Ale, a medium bodied American Pale Ale brewed with British Pale and Crystal malts and hopped with Centennial and Cascade hops from the Pacific Northwest.

3rd course
Poularde, which was recently awarded Best Entrée by Philadelphia Magazine, served with a wild mushroom fricassee.  The Poularde will be paired with Sly Fox’s Octoberfest, a smooth, medium-bodied, malty brew made with German Vienna malts and German hops.

4th course
Pork loin with melted shallot and fennel jus, which will be served with Sly Fox’s Incubus, an Abbot Style Triple brewed with German Pils malt and invert sugar.

Dessert
Beer mousse, almond cake and brown butter pears served with Sly Fox’s Instigator, a classic, full-bodied German-style doppelbock brewed with German Munich and Roast malts and Hallertauer hops.

The price for this event is $65 per guest, tax & gratuity not included.  Seating is limited.  For reservations, call Kristina at 215-629-4980.

James
824 S. 8th Street
215-629-4980

Gleaning Day is at hand

Monday, September 10, 2007

Don’t forget about City Harvest’s Gleaning Day coming up this Saturday!  Through Philadelphia Green’s City Harvest project, home and
community gardeners can “glean” from their gardens this Fall and donate extra produce to help needy families in our region. To participate, bring your extra garden produce to one of the following locations between 10am-1pm:

• Aspen Farms, 4837 Aspen St, 19139 (West Phila., 49th & Aspen Streets, off Haverford Ave)
• Bel Arbor Community Garden, 1012 Kimball St., 19147 (South Phila., between 10th & 11th Sts. just south of Carpenter)
• Garden RUN, 242 Monastery Ave., 19128 (off Ridge Ave. in Roxborough)
• Liberty Lands Garden, 913 N 3rd St., 19123 (Northern Liberties, entrance off Bodine & American Sts.)

Those who donate produce will be entered in a raffle to win tickets to the Philadelphia Flower Show!

For more information email or call Eileen Gallagher at 215-988-8880.

Restaurant Week with sustainable choices!

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Restaurant Week begins in Philadelphia in a few short weeks.  For $30 you can get a three course meal from some of Philadelphia’s best restaurants.  I was delighted to see a few restaurants focusing on local ingredients are participating!

City Grange in the Westin Hotel, for instance.  Their Restaurant Week menu features Lancaster County chicken noodle soup, salads that include locally made cheese, Atlantic salmon, and vegetables from Jersey.  This is a perfect time to try the food at the newly opened City Grange.

FARMiCia is also participating this time around with a menu full of seasonal, local ingredients, and even Cuba Libre is getting in on the act with a salad of Jersey tomatoes.

Don’t miss out!

Cooking Straight from the Farm

If you’re a self-proclaimed localvore or just someone interested in unusual farm produce, you won’t want to miss this opportunity.  On Saturday, September 29th, Weavers Way Farm, in coordination with the Mt. Airy Learning Tree, will host a unique cooking workshop that starts with students strolling rows of heirloom tomatoes, okra, squash, pumpkins, flowers, herbs, swiss chard, beets, carrots, peppers, and more to learn about natural growing practices and local urban farming as well as how to take advantage of seasonal crops at home.  Students will talk with the farmer and volunteers to understand how much effort and passion goes into naturally grown/organic food.  Once students have gathered this farming knowledge, they will then help harvest some vegetables (and buy more to take home if they wish) to take into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, the farm’s food blog host will demonstrate how to prepare three or four quick dishes using the farm’s more unusual produce (including marjoram pictured above).  Dishes will be determined by seasonal availability, but are almost certain to include quesadillas with tomatillo sauce and squash blossoms, sorrel almond pesto, seasonally filled empanadas and other delectable and super fresh treats.  After the cooking demonstration, students are encouraged to stick around to feast on the harvest dishes and participate in a round-robin discussion on buying local resources and urban farming in Philadelphia. 

To sign up for the workshop, visit Mt. Airy Learning Tree’s site for online registration. 

Coming events!

Looking for something fun to do that involves eating local?  Look no further…

• Dance of the Ripe Tomatoes.  Friday, September 7 at 6:30pm at the White Dog Cafe (ok, behind it in a tent).  $40/person.  Annual Farm Buffet Dinner served outdoors featuring the harvest of local organic family farms which supply the Cafe and the Fair Food Farmstand, including Branch Creek Farm, Buck Run, Green Meadow, Greensgrow, Greystone, Neptune, Meadow Run, Overbrook Herb Farm & Lancaster Farm Fresh, as well as beer by local brewers Stoudt’s, Yards, Flying Fish, and Victory.  Following the dinner is dancing to live music.  Call the White Dog at 215-386-9224 for reservations.  All proceeds benefit the Philadelphia Fair Food Project.
• “Urban Farming” field day.  Saturday, September 15th from 11:00am-3:00pm. $15 for PASA members/$25 for all others (includes lunch). Greensgrow, Philadelphia’s first urban farm, invites you to learn about its unique approach to running a vibrant business on a former brownfield site.  Participants be introduced to their City Supported Agriculture model, various methods for growing above-ground, as well as learning about their distinctly urban nursery business. The day will end with a quick look at their new bio-diesel reactor and two green-roofs.  Sponsored by Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA).  Contact PASA at 814-349-9856 to register.
• Iron Hill Brewery Oktoberfest Kick-Off - Brewer’s Reserve. Saturday, September 15 from 4-10 pm.  Free admission, food/booze a la carte.  Join Tim Stumpf, head brewer, in Iron Hill’s Phoenixville location to sample a selection of handcrafted traditional German style beers.  Special guest Sly Fox, from nearby Royersford, will serve its acclaimed Pikeland Pils.

Nettlesome cheese

Monday, August 27, 2007

A few days ago I bought a small chunk of Valley Shepherd Creamery Nettlesome cheese.  It sat in my ‘fridge.  I just couldn’t work up the motivation to try it.  Stinging nettles in cheese?  It just sounded...wrong.

But Nettlesome cheese is so, so right!  This mixed milk cheese is really wonderful - it’s filled with dried nettles and has a great, grassy smell.  The taste, too, has grass undertones.  Not in an unpleasant way - in a very rich and interesting way.  Coincidentally, I had this idea last night during my tasting - it would probably make a really great grilled cheese sandwich.  It seems like it would melt really well, and the taste of the nettles would be really unique.

Interestingly, eating cheese with stinging nettles is pretty good for you.  Aside from all the benefits of dairy, nettles have long been used in herbal medicines to treat disorders of the muscles and joints, eczema, arthritis, gout, and anemia. Who knew you could eat cheese and treat arthritis all in one shot?!

Valley Shepherd Creamery is located in Long Valley, New Jersey.  And if you’re ever up that way, they do offer cheesemaking classes.  Valley Shepherd Creamery is also the location of the 2007 Artisan Cheese and Food Festival coming up on September 29.  It sounds like an amazing event for local food aficionados.  Over 25 small farms and artisan food producers throughout the Northeast region will be there with American Cheese Society award winning cheeses and specialty foods.

Edited to note:  Nettlesome cheese is available in the dairy case at the Fair Food Farmstand at Reading Terminal Market.

Third annual Eat Local Challenge for September!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Jackie and I have stepped up to the September Eat Local Challenge - will you?

More details have emerged about what committing to the challenge actually means.  The good news is that there really isn’t a concrete set of rules - you can participate in whatever way makes the most sense to you.  For the Farm to Philly challenge-within-a-challenge, though, let’s have our own set of guidelines!

1. Eat one meal per week during the month of September that is made using locally grown ingredients.  Non-local oil and spices are allowed.
2. Can, freeze, dry, or otherwise preserve two things during the month.
3. Utilize one new resource for locally grown food during September - that could be a new restaurant, farmer’s market, etc.

The Eat Local Challenge

Monday, August 20, 2007

Eating local in Philadelphia is not hard, but could you commit to doing it for every meal for thirty days?  The Locavores and Eat Local Challenge folks are sponsoring an international, month-long eat local challenge for the month of December that will specifically focus on preserving, canning, and putting food up for the Winter.  Some of us have a good start on that already!

Perhaps we should have our own little challenge within a challenge at Farm to Philly!  I do believe I’ll commit for the September Eat Local challenge - who’s with me?  I can barely wait to get started on my extra canning!

As details come in about the rules of the challenge, I’ll post them here.  If you’re interested in taking the September challenge, leave a comment for the post.  I’ll do a weekly report on everyone’s progress.

Buy Fresh Buy Local Happy Hour at James

Monday, August 06, 2007

The folks at Buy Fresh Buy Local asked Jim and Kristina Burke of James to host a happy hour to kick off the summer.  Jim and Kristina had a better idea:  “We said, why not the whole summer?” Kristina said.

And that’s what they did. 

Every Tuesday this summer, James has hosted a Buy Fresh Buy Local happy hour from 5pm to 7pm.  The specials include:

• Half off of all local draft beers, including Philly’s Sly Fox Royal Weiss and New Jersey’s Flying Fish;
• Half off of all cocktails made with fresh fruit sourced from Green Meadow Farm, including and the B&B made with Philly’s Blue Coat Gin and local blueberries and the insanely popular Strongberry Lemonade made with local strawberries and lemons; and
• Free bites made with farm fresh, local ingredients!

Last week, the free apps, which change every week, included focaccia made with sweet cherry tomatoes from Green Meadow Farm.  But one of the more impressive selections was the diverse platter of bruschetta and vegetable spoons.  The diced beets, also sourced from Green Meadow, had an intense fresh-from-the-ground earthiness.  The Country Time Farm pork pate bruschetta was smooth and satisfying.  The Vineland, New Jersey spinach topped with ricotta cheese, however, stole the show—deep, rich, meaty greens without any bitterness.

There are only a couple of these summer happy hours left at James, so make sure you stop by.  But don’t worry if you miss out; James’ commitment to fresh local ingredients lasts all year-round.  Chef Jim Burke admits it can be challenging to source locally during the winter months, but he doesn’t mind.  “It makes you more creative,” he says.

James
824 S. 8th Street
(215) 629-4980

White Dog Hosts Local Corn Dinner

Sunday, August 05, 2007

On Tuesday, August 7 at 6 pm, White Dog Café will celebrate the tastes of Summer with a Local Corn Dinner, featuring innovative dishes created with corn grown organically by Pennsylvania farmers. 

“Right now in our little corner of the world, corn is at its peak of perfection,” says White Dog founder Judy Wicks.  “With this dinner we are celebrating both the glorious bounty of the area’s fertile countryside and the hardworking farmers who cultivate it.”

To create the dinner, Executive Chef Andrew Brown sought out the region’s best organic corn, a bi-color silver and white sweet variety, indigenous to South-Eastern Pennsylvania, which he sources from Green Meadow Farms, Branch Creek Farms and Lancaster County Farm Fresh Co-Op.  For the multi-course dinner, Chef Brown will create a variety of delicious dishes that showcases the corn’s incredibly sweet natural flavor.  Some of the dishes will include:  Corn and Herb Gnocchi, with blue crab and corn broth; Corn Encrusted Fish, line caught from the Atlantic Ocean; Corn Pudding, with chocolate-hazelnut topping; and several surprise dishes.  The dinner will cost $45 per person.  Reservations are required. 

Following the dinner, guests will be joined by Deborah M. Burd, Executive Director of the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, who will discuss some of the challenges facing small, family-owned farms and explain what guests can do to help change the US Farm Bill to protect the area’s rich farming traditions.

White Dog Cafe
3420 Sansom St.
(215) 386-9224

Gleaning Day!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

City Harvest recently announced times and locations for their Fall “gleaning day”.  It’s a great way to help Philadelphia’s underserved families get good, nutritious food.  This Fall when you clean up your garden, be sure to collect your extra produce and participate!

From a Pennsylvania Horticultural Society press release:

Historically, “gleaning” is the collection of leftover produce from farm fields after mechanical harvesting for donation to emergency food cupboards. Through Philadelphia Green’s City Harvest project, home and community gardeners can “glean” from their gardens this fall and donate extra produce to help needy families in our region.

City Harvest is a partnership with the Philadelphia Prison System; communitygardeners; and SHARE (Self Help and Resource Exchange), a nonprofit network that provides nutritious food to families and individuals. Inmates of the Philadelphia Prison System start vegetable seedlings that are grown to maturity at 25 community gardens in Philadelphia, and SHARE facilitates distribution of the produce to area food cupboards.

If you would like to participate, please collect your extra garden produce and bring it to one of following locations. Any amount is welcome. Donations of fresh, ready-to-eat vegetables or fruit can be packed in boxes or bags. Produce should be cleaned of soil (a few bug holes are okay), have no major bruising, and preferably be naturally grown. SHARE will begin picking up donations at 1 pm.  Participants will be entered in a raffle to win tickets to the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Locations for August 18:
Journey Home Garden, 800 N. 8th St, 19123 (8th & Poplar)
Hansberry Garden & Nature Center, 5150 Wayne Ave. 19144 (Germantown, Wayne & Hansberry)
Southwark Community Garden, 311 Christian St, 19147 (South Phila., 3rd & Christian)
Warrington Community Garden, 4731 Warrington Ave. 19143 (47th & Warrington)

Locations for September 15
Aspen Farms, 4837 Aspen St, 19139 (West Phila., 49th & Aspen Streets, off Haverford Ave)
Bel Arbor Community Garden, 1012 Kimball St., 19147 (South Phila., between 10th & 11th Sts. just south of Carpenter) Garden RUN, 242 Monastery Ave., 19128 (off Ridge Ave. in Roxborough)
Liberty Lands Garden, 913 N 3rd St., 19123 (Northern Liberties, entrance off Bodine & American Sts.)
For more information, please email or call Eileen Gallagher at 215-988-8880.

Upcoming events!

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

It’s the last couple of days for the Buy Fresh, Buy Local Week promotion, but there are lots of events still to attend!  If you’re looking for something fun to do this weekend, consider supporting the Buy Local crowd:

• Friday, July 20th. Second Annual PA Preferred® Best Chef of Pennsylvania Competition at Reading Terminal Market. Center Court, beginning at noon and continuing until Saturday.
• Saturday, July 21st. Good Food, Good Beer, and The Rest Is History at The Shambles at Headhouse Square (2nd & Lombard). 5:30-8:30pm. 
• Saturday, July 21st. White Dog Café Urban Agriculture Tour & Lunch.  Leaves from the White Dog and visits Greensgrow Farm, Weaver’s Way Farm, and Mill Creek Farm.  Begins at 8:30am.
• Sunday, July 22nd. Headhouse Farmers’ Market Grand Opening Celebration at The Shambles at Headhouse Square.  Noon to 2pm.  You can even press the flesh with Democrat mayoral candidate Michael Nutter!
• Sunday, July 22nd.  2 Short Local Food Films at the White Dog Café.  7pm.

Visit Local Food Philly for more details on these events.