Eat Local Later
I may not have much in common with Tony Soprano, but when he confesses to Dr. Melfi that he admires the Gary Cooper type. I nod. I may not exercise my anger quite in the same way as T, but I long to be a bit less temperamental. To help, my wife reminds me to look at the Big Picture. So, if a driver going North on Narragansett is going less than 20 mph as I work my way into the city, I should look at the Big Picture. I'll get to my destination, say Khan BBQ, soon enough. As I remarked the other day in my Foodways talk, the locavore needs to look at the Big Picture too. You cannot just focus on what's for dinner this week. You have to think about what will be for dinner in the weeks when there are no farmer's markets, no CSA deliveries.
My family is in luck because our CSA provider, Farmer Vicki of Genesis Growers looks at the Big Picture too. The boxes she provides each week often contains more than can be expected to be finished that week. Farmer Vicki expects you to set aside when times are flush for times that are lean. This week, for instance, the box came with about 30 stalks of asparagus.
The easiest way to preserve vegetables for future use is to freeze them. The process of freezing them is hardly complex. Blanch, which means boil and then shock in cold water, for up to three minutes, essentially until the color of the veg intensifies. Let the vegetables cool as much as possible before bagging--if you put hot stuff in your freezer, it will raise the temperature in your freezer. Put in plastic bags. Try to squeeze as much air out of the bags as possible.
Frozen vegetables can be used in nearly all preparations, except for some salads. A few minutes in the microwave, a dab of butter, and you have a side dish. We have had success freezing most everything but tomatoes (although some say you can), and I would not try cucumbers, zucchini, eggplants, radishes or other watery veg. I would say avoid freezing vegetables that are actually fruits, but bell peppers freeze nicely if cut into strips (use for pasta). Still, some vegetables freeze especially well, and nicely enough, the vegetables that need to be eaten the soonest after harvest are also the ones that freeze the best. In other words, not only can you freeze these, you should freeze these (if you cannot eat them soon). These for freezing include peas, corn and asparagus.
I'm of the mind for freezing because my hard workin' wife froze some asparagus yesterday. Yes, dear reader, she does the work, I do the blog. You can read about what we have put away here. I'll update as we set aside more.
Friday, June 20, 2008
The Raw Asparagus Food Movement Continues
I asked you the other day to join the raw asparagus movement. You may want to try the recipe I used last night.
A few stalks of purple asparagus, cut on a bias, thin
A few radishes, sliced likewise
A glop of fresh ricotta
1 TSP extra virgin olive oil (or so)
Salt and pepper to taste
Mush together
Serve on buttered bread
Note: scallions, green garlic or some herbs would be nice additions but I served this for me and my younger daughter who abhors "green things" in her food.
A few stalks of purple asparagus, cut on a bias, thin
A few radishes, sliced likewise
A glop of fresh ricotta
1 TSP extra virgin olive oil (or so)
Salt and pepper to taste
Mush together
Serve on buttered bread
Note: scallions, green garlic or some herbs would be nice additions but I served this for me and my younger daughter who abhors "green things" in her food.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
What's Local - Fox & Obel
Wanna see Chicago foodies go after each other. Get them talking about Chicago BBQ. About as bad can be a discussion on Chicago pizza, especially if you salt your match with people who grew up in other cities (cough-new york-cough). Unite them, ask them about the state of Chicago deli's. Manny's may be listed in the Encyclopedia Britannica as Institution, Kaufman's in Skokie may offer more than decent take-out and Max & Benny's thrives in Northbrook, but the foodies or the media elite so to speak (e.g., about anyone talking food on the Milt Rosenberg show) will lament the lack of deli's around here. What they really need to be lamenting is the lack of a grand gourmet store.
Fox & Obel jumped into the fray several years ago, with press releases a-blazin' and heavy inlay of capital on packaging, but never quite fulfilled its destiny. Now on its, and don't quote me on this, third ownership team, the store does a few things well. It can bake bread. It has, I believe, by far the best baguette in town. It has a great tasting wall of olive oil. Does it have local?
I cannot resist popping into F&O if I am in the neighborhood. Inspector Local found Michigan asparagus the other day, priced at $3.49/lb, about what Whole Foods has charged and not that different in price from what I saw yesterday for Mexican asparagus at Caputo's. That was it. Any place with aspirations of gourmet grandeur should know that greatness begins with ingredients and great ingredients begins with local. Put another way, if Cassie at her tiny Green Grocer can do it, why cannot they.
F&O was not totally lacking in local. They have a good selection of dairy, including cream from Farmer's All Natural Creamery. They were offering samples of Wisconsin's Pleasant Ridge Reserve the other day. Still, their cheese department pales when compared to Pastoral or Marian Street Cheese.
A couple of other observations. I like that they carry some cuts of Tallgrass beef besides steaks; the 21 day dry aged, prime beef looks worth their exorbitant prices. When the store opened, they made New York worthy displays of whole fish and seafood, but lately it's been a pathetic display of fillets. Likewise, the cured meats and sausages section has deteriorated. F&O introduced us to La Quercia hams from Iowa, yet they no longer carry them. I like their whitefish salad, but its price is such that I (almost always) resist. I greatly admire, but fully resist the various sides of smoked salmon, hand sliced to order. Perhaps all this looking but not buying has made Fox & Obel what it is today.
Fox & Obel Food
401 E. Illinois Street
Chicago, IL 60611
312.410.7301
Fox & Obel jumped into the fray several years ago, with press releases a-blazin' and heavy inlay of capital on packaging, but never quite fulfilled its destiny. Now on its, and don't quote me on this, third ownership team, the store does a few things well. It can bake bread. It has, I believe, by far the best baguette in town. It has a great tasting wall of olive oil. Does it have local?
I cannot resist popping into F&O if I am in the neighborhood. Inspector Local found Michigan asparagus the other day, priced at $3.49/lb, about what Whole Foods has charged and not that different in price from what I saw yesterday for Mexican asparagus at Caputo's. That was it. Any place with aspirations of gourmet grandeur should know that greatness begins with ingredients and great ingredients begins with local. Put another way, if Cassie at her tiny Green Grocer can do it, why cannot they.
F&O was not totally lacking in local. They have a good selection of dairy, including cream from Farmer's All Natural Creamery. They were offering samples of Wisconsin's Pleasant Ridge Reserve the other day. Still, their cheese department pales when compared to Pastoral or Marian Street Cheese.
A couple of other observations. I like that they carry some cuts of Tallgrass beef besides steaks; the 21 day dry aged, prime beef looks worth their exorbitant prices. When the store opened, they made New York worthy displays of whole fish and seafood, but lately it's been a pathetic display of fillets. Likewise, the cured meats and sausages section has deteriorated. F&O introduced us to La Quercia hams from Iowa, yet they no longer carry them. I like their whitefish salad, but its price is such that I (almost always) resist. I greatly admire, but fully resist the various sides of smoked salmon, hand sliced to order. Perhaps all this looking but not buying has made Fox & Obel what it is today.
Fox & Obel Food
401 E. Illinois Street
Chicago, IL 60611
312.410.7301
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
What's Local, Whole Foods
Credit Due Department
I still struggle to find much local at the Whole Foods I most frequent, River Forest, Illinois. On the other hand, I have heard that the Whole Foods at Cicero and Peterson in Chicago carries more local. This, though, appears to be a Whole Foods with local on the mind.
I still struggle to find much local at the Whole Foods I most frequent, River Forest, Illinois. On the other hand, I have heard that the Whole Foods at Cicero and Peterson in Chicago carries more local. This, though, appears to be a Whole Foods with local on the mind.
Evanston's Ridgeville Farmer's Market
Save This Market!
All markets should have a blog this nice. The Ridgeville Farmer's Market in Evanston sez:
What's the word for me? Addict, junkie, deranged, enraptured, hobbyist, dilettante, ardourist, advocate, compulsive, zealot; In a ten day span I've been to eight farmer's markets. I like farmer's markets. Yet, I find them imperfect vehicles to support the locavore. Leaving aside the issue of selection, my biggest concern is the hours of the markets. Are markets really there when you need them? A lot of suburban markets are during the week but in the morning. On the other hand, many more markets are during the weekend, but this is the time when people tend to go out to eat. The Chicago area needs farmer's markets at various times.
The Ridgeville market is one, mid-week with late hours. I would love a market like this closer to me. Yet, my contention that markets like this are needed seems not to be holding. MHays on LTHForum.com wrote nicely about the market last year. She took pictures to back her up. She comes back this year to report her good works have not been well received. The market is down to four vendors. Another LTH poster noted the market was a bit sad. The area PTO is trying to revive interest. We need markets like this.
I'll try to visit soon. In the meantime, give this market a whorl.
All markets should have a blog this nice. The Ridgeville Farmer's Market in Evanston sez:
In creating a mid-week market, the Ridgeville Farmers’ Market hopes to make an environmentally sustainable lifestyle and connection to organic and locally-produced foods a realizable possibility for the community in south Evanston – as well as for Chicagoans from all over the city. Ridgeville Park is within walking distance from the South Blvd. stop on the Purple Line CTA, as well as the Main St. Metra station. The Recyclery of Evanston will be at the market on the last Wednesday of each month, offering free tune-ups and minor adjustments to those who travel via bicycle.
What's the word for me? Addict, junkie, deranged, enraptured, hobbyist, dilettante, ardourist, advocate, compulsive, zealot; In a ten day span I've been to eight farmer's markets. I like farmer's markets. Yet, I find them imperfect vehicles to support the locavore. Leaving aside the issue of selection, my biggest concern is the hours of the markets. Are markets really there when you need them? A lot of suburban markets are during the week but in the morning. On the other hand, many more markets are during the weekend, but this is the time when people tend to go out to eat. The Chicago area needs farmer's markets at various times.
The Ridgeville market is one, mid-week with late hours. I would love a market like this closer to me. Yet, my contention that markets like this are needed seems not to be holding. MHays on LTHForum.com wrote nicely about the market last year. She took pictures to back her up. She comes back this year to report her good works have not been well received. The market is down to four vendors. Another LTH poster noted the market was a bit sad. The area PTO is trying to revive interest. We need markets like this.
I'll try to visit soon. In the meantime, give this market a whorl.
The Raw Asparagus Food Movement
Eat Seasonal Food
I confess that there are years where I have tired of asparagus. The mantra of the seasonal eater is to gorge for the time being then forgetaboutit. This year it seems that we have not so much gorged on asparagus as maintained a steady path. A reason for this, I know, is that the cool and the rains of this year's spring delayed the crop. Last year, we were getting Genesis Growers Illinois asparagus by late April, so you could see how I could tire of it by June. This year, asparagus did not really get flowing until Mid-May. Another reason for my lack of asparagus ennui is that we have added a new preparation to our repertoire.
Or shall I say, lack of preparation to our repertoire. Asparagus supports a lot of cooking methods. It is equally good roasted, grilled, steamed, boiled or sauteed. None of these methods are especially difficult. Yet, how often are we avoiding these for the easiest method of all. No method. Raw. I think a lot of chefs, especially, looked at the deep purple asparagus found in the farmer's markets--Michigan farmers Stovers and Klug both carry--and said how can we maintain that. It's pretty hard to keep the purple once it's cooked, so the chefs did not cook. No one gagged. If you are afraid raw asparagus will be too tough or stringy, do not worry. When you get asparagus at the local markets the asparagus is not the least bit stringy, only the ends are too tough.
A mandoline or great knife skills can achieve thin slices that really accentuate the contrast between deep purple exterior and bright green interior. It's like a 60's black light poster. Still, if you cut them chunkier you will not lose any taste. Leave them whole and they make nice vehicles for dips. Sliced, use any available dressing, although I would advise you dress on the light side. This is not your wedge of iceberg.
Asparagus will not be around too much longer. Gorge now while you can.
I confess that there are years where I have tired of asparagus. The mantra of the seasonal eater is to gorge for the time being then forgetaboutit. This year it seems that we have not so much gorged on asparagus as maintained a steady path. A reason for this, I know, is that the cool and the rains of this year's spring delayed the crop. Last year, we were getting Genesis Growers Illinois asparagus by late April, so you could see how I could tire of it by June. This year, asparagus did not really get flowing until Mid-May. Another reason for my lack of asparagus ennui is that we have added a new preparation to our repertoire.
Or shall I say, lack of preparation to our repertoire. Asparagus supports a lot of cooking methods. It is equally good roasted, grilled, steamed, boiled or sauteed. None of these methods are especially difficult. Yet, how often are we avoiding these for the easiest method of all. No method. Raw. I think a lot of chefs, especially, looked at the deep purple asparagus found in the farmer's markets--Michigan farmers Stovers and Klug both carry--and said how can we maintain that. It's pretty hard to keep the purple once it's cooked, so the chefs did not cook. No one gagged. If you are afraid raw asparagus will be too tough or stringy, do not worry. When you get asparagus at the local markets the asparagus is not the least bit stringy, only the ends are too tough.
A mandoline or great knife skills can achieve thin slices that really accentuate the contrast between deep purple exterior and bright green interior. It's like a 60's black light poster. Still, if you cut them chunkier you will not lose any taste. Leave them whole and they make nice vehicles for dips. Sliced, use any available dressing, although I would advise you dress on the light side. This is not your wedge of iceberg.
Asparagus will not be around too much longer. Gorge now while you can.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
What's In Season Now - June
(Update below)
We are more than half-way through the month, and I am just getting around to posting my guide to what's in season. (Last month's guide here.) You may think I am lazy. You may think I promise more than I produce, but there is a good, decent reason for waiting this long. The market, the what's in season, starts to change big time around now. In other words, up until a week or so ago, the market looked mostly like May and even a bit like April. About now, mid-June, is when new crops start rolling. To a large extent, mid to late June is our season of "Spring" crops around here. The locavore should be able to find the following:
Last Leggers
Those harvesting asparagus from Illinois and points south like my friend Farmer Vicki of Genesis Growers are mostly out of the crop, but those from further north, like the Michigan farmers, still have plenty. Expect to see asparagus in the markets through the month. The hearty, cool weather greens such as kale and spinach are likewise still around. Radishes don't thrive once we reach our summer heat, so get them now too. Rhubarb grows early and then lasts for a while. Buyers tend to gravitate to it when there is not much else around, but it will be around still.
First Arrivers
Strawberries have been in our markets for a few weeks now, expect a few weeks more. Like asparagus, the Michigan crops will last a bit longer. Cherries should show up before the end of the month and probably raspberries. Last week was the week that peas in their forms showed up, shelling peas, sugar snaps and snow peas. If you want your pea in leaf form, some farmers are selling the pea tendrils.
Farm Fresh
These are the types of crops you will see most of the season at various stands. Farmers started planting these crops as the weather warmed, and they harvest them as they bloom: broccoli, cauliflower, beets, arugula, fennel, swiss chard, lettuces (until it gets really hot), kohlrabi, carrots; zucchini and cucumbers (soon).
Alliums
Most of the onions are still young as in spring onions or scallions, but I expect fuller summer onions to be around soon. Garlic is maturing a bit, the green garlic stalks you may see have a more bulb to them, and you will now see the sprouting scapes in the market.
Mushrooms
Organic cultivator of mushrooms, River Valley of Wisconsin, shows up in tons of markets around Chicago. They will always have portabellas, baby bellas or crimini's, and white button mushrooms and most likely oyster and shitakes. They've had fresh porcini's. I've been told that they are local, but someone else was told they are not.
Asian
If you go to farmer's markets in Wisconsin and Minnesota, you will find many stands fun by Hmong farmers. They bring a variety of Asian vegetables to their markets. In the Chicago area, Nichol's Farm, Genesis Growers and Green Acres Farm grow some Asian vegetables. Green Acres Farm at Green City Market and Evanston will surely have the most, so if interested check their stand. Otherwise, you might be able to find some bok choy, baby or mature; tat soi, mizuna or napa cabbage at a market near you.
Italian
What Green Acres is to Asian, Kinnikinnick Farm is to Italian veg. At their stand at Green City and Evanston, expect to find Italian cooking greens that you will not see elsewhere. Nichol's grows rapini.
Herbs and Hot Peppers
Mint, cilantro, rosemary, basil, chives; these are the mostly likely herbs this time of year, but I've found lovage, oregano, cayenne peppers, lavender, sage and savory at various markets.
Old Stuff
Nichol's Farm is still selling last year's potatoes and they are still plenty good. There may be apples around, but I have not seen them. Ellis Farms, at their stand at the Hyde Park Farmer's Market (Thursdays) had shelled black walnuts (!).
A report on early July arrivers here.
We are more than half-way through the month, and I am just getting around to posting my guide to what's in season. (Last month's guide here.) You may think I am lazy. You may think I promise more than I produce, but there is a good, decent reason for waiting this long. The market, the what's in season, starts to change big time around now. In other words, up until a week or so ago, the market looked mostly like May and even a bit like April. About now, mid-June, is when new crops start rolling. To a large extent, mid to late June is our season of "Spring" crops around here. The locavore should be able to find the following:
Last Leggers
Those harvesting asparagus from Illinois and points south like my friend Farmer Vicki of Genesis Growers are mostly out of the crop, but those from further north, like the Michigan farmers, still have plenty. Expect to see asparagus in the markets through the month. The hearty, cool weather greens such as kale and spinach are likewise still around. Radishes don't thrive once we reach our summer heat, so get them now too. Rhubarb grows early and then lasts for a while. Buyers tend to gravitate to it when there is not much else around, but it will be around still.
First Arrivers
Strawberries have been in our markets for a few weeks now, expect a few weeks more. Like asparagus, the Michigan crops will last a bit longer. Cherries should show up before the end of the month and probably raspberries. Last week was the week that peas in their forms showed up, shelling peas, sugar snaps and snow peas. If you want your pea in leaf form, some farmers are selling the pea tendrils.
Farm Fresh
These are the types of crops you will see most of the season at various stands. Farmers started planting these crops as the weather warmed, and they harvest them as they bloom: broccoli, cauliflower, beets, arugula, fennel, swiss chard, lettuces (until it gets really hot), kohlrabi, carrots; zucchini and cucumbers (soon).
Alliums
Most of the onions are still young as in spring onions or scallions, but I expect fuller summer onions to be around soon. Garlic is maturing a bit, the green garlic stalks you may see have a more bulb to them, and you will now see the sprouting scapes in the market.
Mushrooms
Organic cultivator of mushrooms, River Valley of Wisconsin, shows up in tons of markets around Chicago. They will always have portabellas, baby bellas or crimini's, and white button mushrooms and most likely oyster and shitakes. They've had fresh porcini's. I've been told that they are local, but someone else was told they are not.
Asian
If you go to farmer's markets in Wisconsin and Minnesota, you will find many stands fun by Hmong farmers. They bring a variety of Asian vegetables to their markets. In the Chicago area, Nichol's Farm, Genesis Growers and Green Acres Farm grow some Asian vegetables. Green Acres Farm at Green City Market and Evanston will surely have the most, so if interested check their stand. Otherwise, you might be able to find some bok choy, baby or mature; tat soi, mizuna or napa cabbage at a market near you.
Italian
What Green Acres is to Asian, Kinnikinnick Farm is to Italian veg. At their stand at Green City and Evanston, expect to find Italian cooking greens that you will not see elsewhere. Nichol's grows rapini.
Herbs and Hot Peppers
Mint, cilantro, rosemary, basil, chives; these are the mostly likely herbs this time of year, but I've found lovage, oregano, cayenne peppers, lavender, sage and savory at various markets.
Old Stuff
Nichol's Farm is still selling last year's potatoes and they are still plenty good. There may be apples around, but I have not seen them. Ellis Farms, at their stand at the Hyde Park Farmer's Market (Thursdays) had shelled black walnuts (!).
A report on early July arrivers here.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Mado
Eat Local Out
On Saturday, the Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance was generous enough to let me lecture on eating local. During the question period, someone asked about eating local out. First, I realized I had glossed over the part in my speech where I said I limit my eating local to eating in, that I still enjoy the wealth of interesting restaurants around Chicago (see this meal for example). Then, when talking about local restaurants serving local, I went on for a bit about Lula's Cafe, in Logan Square, where I had had sous vide rhubarb the week before. My wife, in the front row, was mouthing to me, Vie, Vie. She's was making little victory signs with her fingers if I could not read her lips. She was afraid that if Paul Virant hears the speech when it's podcast by WBEZ (I'll post the details when I know), he'd be offended (or at least disappointed) that I did not mention his place. To my wife's relief, I spent a minute or so kvelling about Vie. I never did mention Rob and Allison Levitt of Mado. My bad. Any discussion of eating local out must include them and their restaurant Mado. I bet within a few months, any discussion of eating local out will begin with them.
Diligent readers of this blog will know that I've entertained the idea of opening a restaurant. If I did, it would not be quite like Mado--I'd like a more classic decor: tile floor, wood booths than Mado's spare style, and our cuisine would be a bit more Midwestern, haute farm, than Mado's Mediterranean focus, but in spirit, we'd be Mado. I SO admire what they are doing and how they are doing it. Buying local. Changing the menu frequently to reflect the buys, the seasons, the offerings; using the whole beast, butchering their own animals, making use of each part. On one visit I had lamb belly. Every have lamb belly? Try Mado.
It's already cliche to begin a Mado review by telling the audience they will not eat the same food as the reviewer. That's not really true. I've been to Mado twice, and both times had the bruschetta con pulpo, braised octopus, seasoned with a bit of red chile, on toast. Mike Sula at the Reader found the dish "off-key", but I've enjoyed it each time. Rob must do a lot of slamming of his octo, because it's never been the least bit tough. My second try with this dish received a bit less chile, a slight shame, as this item can support a fair amount of spice-heat. I would order it again, and I bet you can too. Likewise, you will probably find some type of headcheese, translated to the Italian testa, to assuage the squeamish, on the day's menu. In fact, Rob told me that Crain's Chicago Business is doing an article on him and Paul Virant and headcheese. Sic! And, and in fact, in a few week's Rob's gonna make headcheese (or something) from the head of the hog we've purchased from the Wettstein's. Get the headcheese. Mado's methods limit the jelly aspect of the dish. Instead you get nicely seasoned, meat made into neat shapes, square once, ribbons another.
Another thing you might have heard about Mado is that it's maybe a bit on the pricey; not so much pricey but small portions for the money. I disagree with that too. I think their prices/portions are eminently fair, and I've walked away twice finding my bill much less than I believe it should have been. Mado prices their chaucuterie at $4 each or 4 for $15. I've tried several items in this category. The slabs are big enough to fully enjoy, and rich enough you don't want more. A half order of pasta, I've tried a ramp stuffed ravioli, is worth adding $8 to the bill. Dinners come with a side, but are already portioned with sides. I will confess that my very, very favorite thing I have eaten at Mado were the two sides that came with our fish last Saturday: thinly sliced raw Michigan asparagus, lightly dressed, and English peas, with a dab of butter [or what I thought was butter, see comments below]. I have never left Mado hungry, nor feeling gypped in any way.
I do have my quibbles. We can all quibble, no? In between my first and second visits to Mado, I ran into Rob at Red Hen Bakery. My wife was aghast that practically the first thing out of my mouth to Rob after "hi" was, "funny seeing you in Red Hen as you need to serve some bread." He does. Mado's food is spare and intense. He does not need bread so much to mop up sauces as to give a bit of palate relief. This was especially true for the rabbit pate we had the other night. My next quibble would be that Rob has a heavy hand with salt. I can understand why he uses it. It's the same issue as the bread. The richness is such that salt cuts. Still, sometimes, I would like just a wee bit less. It's a fine line, and maybe I'd rather him be at edge and fall over than undersalt this kinda food. Finally, I would say, richness aside, a sauce, a bit of sauce would not be the worst thing. For instance, on Saturday, we had pike, cooked just fine, perfect; moist, crisp skin. Yet, pike is a very mild fish. It begged for a beurre blanc (although my wife sez, "I disagree totally"). Likewise, on my first visit, I had the lamb belly as noted above. It was very much in the same vein as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's lamb breast St. Ménéhould, long cooked, then breaded and fried. Only Hugh gilds the lily with a tarter sauce. Rob leaves the breaded lamb meat on its own. I liked Rob's spicing and he fried it well, but I would have liked the sauce.
So, Mado and She's Cooking will not be the same restaurant, but good natured rivals. Until my place opens, I'll be eating a lot at Mado. I will certainly mentioned them more, next talk I give.
On Saturday, the Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance was generous enough to let me lecture on eating local. During the question period, someone asked about eating local out. First, I realized I had glossed over the part in my speech where I said I limit my eating local to eating in, that I still enjoy the wealth of interesting restaurants around Chicago (see this meal for example). Then, when talking about local restaurants serving local, I went on for a bit about Lula's Cafe, in Logan Square, where I had had sous vide rhubarb the week before. My wife, in the front row, was mouthing to me, Vie, Vie. She's was making little victory signs with her fingers if I could not read her lips. She was afraid that if Paul Virant hears the speech when it's podcast by WBEZ (I'll post the details when I know), he'd be offended (or at least disappointed) that I did not mention his place. To my wife's relief, I spent a minute or so kvelling about Vie. I never did mention Rob and Allison Levitt of Mado. My bad. Any discussion of eating local out must include them and their restaurant Mado. I bet within a few months, any discussion of eating local out will begin with them.
Diligent readers of this blog will know that I've entertained the idea of opening a restaurant. If I did, it would not be quite like Mado--I'd like a more classic decor: tile floor, wood booths than Mado's spare style, and our cuisine would be a bit more Midwestern, haute farm, than Mado's Mediterranean focus, but in spirit, we'd be Mado. I SO admire what they are doing and how they are doing it. Buying local. Changing the menu frequently to reflect the buys, the seasons, the offerings; using the whole beast, butchering their own animals, making use of each part. On one visit I had lamb belly. Every have lamb belly? Try Mado.
It's already cliche to begin a Mado review by telling the audience they will not eat the same food as the reviewer. That's not really true. I've been to Mado twice, and both times had the bruschetta con pulpo, braised octopus, seasoned with a bit of red chile, on toast. Mike Sula at the Reader found the dish "off-key", but I've enjoyed it each time. Rob must do a lot of slamming of his octo, because it's never been the least bit tough. My second try with this dish received a bit less chile, a slight shame, as this item can support a fair amount of spice-heat. I would order it again, and I bet you can too. Likewise, you will probably find some type of headcheese, translated to the Italian testa, to assuage the squeamish, on the day's menu. In fact, Rob told me that Crain's Chicago Business is doing an article on him and Paul Virant and headcheese. Sic! And, and in fact, in a few week's Rob's gonna make headcheese (or something) from the head of the hog we've purchased from the Wettstein's. Get the headcheese. Mado's methods limit the jelly aspect of the dish. Instead you get nicely seasoned, meat made into neat shapes, square once, ribbons another.
Another thing you might have heard about Mado is that it's maybe a bit on the pricey; not so much pricey but small portions for the money. I disagree with that too. I think their prices/portions are eminently fair, and I've walked away twice finding my bill much less than I believe it should have been. Mado prices their chaucuterie at $4 each or 4 for $15. I've tried several items in this category. The slabs are big enough to fully enjoy, and rich enough you don't want more. A half order of pasta, I've tried a ramp stuffed ravioli, is worth adding $8 to the bill. Dinners come with a side, but are already portioned with sides. I will confess that my very, very favorite thing I have eaten at Mado were the two sides that came with our fish last Saturday: thinly sliced raw Michigan asparagus, lightly dressed, and English peas, with a dab of butter [or what I thought was butter, see comments below]. I have never left Mado hungry, nor feeling gypped in any way.
I do have my quibbles. We can all quibble, no? In between my first and second visits to Mado, I ran into Rob at Red Hen Bakery. My wife was aghast that practically the first thing out of my mouth to Rob after "hi" was, "funny seeing you in Red Hen as you need to serve some bread." He does. Mado's food is spare and intense. He does not need bread so much to mop up sauces as to give a bit of palate relief. This was especially true for the rabbit pate we had the other night. My next quibble would be that Rob has a heavy hand with salt. I can understand why he uses it. It's the same issue as the bread. The richness is such that salt cuts. Still, sometimes, I would like just a wee bit less. It's a fine line, and maybe I'd rather him be at edge and fall over than undersalt this kinda food. Finally, I would say, richness aside, a sauce, a bit of sauce would not be the worst thing. For instance, on Saturday, we had pike, cooked just fine, perfect; moist, crisp skin. Yet, pike is a very mild fish. It begged for a beurre blanc (although my wife sez, "I disagree totally"). Likewise, on my first visit, I had the lamb belly as noted above. It was very much in the same vein as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's lamb breast St. Ménéhould, long cooked, then breaded and fried. Only Hugh gilds the lily with a tarter sauce. Rob leaves the breaded lamb meat on its own. I liked Rob's spicing and he fried it well, but I would have liked the sauce.
So, Mado and She's Cooking will not be the same restaurant, but good natured rivals. Until my place opens, I'll be eating a lot at Mado. I will certainly mentioned them more, next talk I give.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Asparagus, Sauce Mimosa
Eat Seasonal Food
The other day, I mentioned that I am an invariant collector of free publications. I am also a collector of herbs. A hobby that costs me a bit more, but not too much more. It's also a hobby that drives me a bit batty. Tomorrow night we have to have beans with dinner because savory is the bean herb. We have savory. We have lovage. Not borage. Lovage's primary claim to fame is it's membership in the 'age family of herbs. Who uses lovage? It looks like a disproportionate stalk of parsley and tastes, as adequately described somewhere on the web, as a cross between celery and anise. You don't miss lovage. In other words, when my wife said to me today, "I used lovage in the asparagus, sauce mimosa." I said, "I know."
Sauce Mimosa
2 hard boiled eggs (we like ours just barely set, about 8 minutes)
Juice of 1 lemon or key lime
1 TBSP Sherry Vinegar
Olive oil
Minced herbs, lovage if you got it
Separate the white from the yolk with the egg. Mince both. Mush the egg yolk in a small bowl with the lemon juice and sherry vinegar, drizzle in some oil to make a thick sauce. Add the chopped egg whites and minced herbs to the bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon over cooked asparagus.
The other day, I mentioned that I am an invariant collector of free publications. I am also a collector of herbs. A hobby that costs me a bit more, but not too much more. It's also a hobby that drives me a bit batty. Tomorrow night we have to have beans with dinner because savory is the bean herb. We have savory. We have lovage. Not borage. Lovage's primary claim to fame is it's membership in the 'age family of herbs. Who uses lovage? It looks like a disproportionate stalk of parsley and tastes, as adequately described somewhere on the web, as a cross between celery and anise. You don't miss lovage. In other words, when my wife said to me today, "I used lovage in the asparagus, sauce mimosa." I said, "I know."
Sauce Mimosa
2 hard boiled eggs (we like ours just barely set, about 8 minutes)Juice of 1 lemon or key lime
1 TBSP Sherry Vinegar
Olive oil
Minced herbs, lovage if you got it
Separate the white from the yolk with the egg. Mince both. Mush the egg yolk in a small bowl with the lemon juice and sherry vinegar, drizzle in some oil to make a thick sauce. Add the chopped egg whites and minced herbs to the bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon over cooked asparagus.
Soon to be Less Obscure Farmer's Markets of Illinois
Maywood
Today's CTrib, at least my edition, features a nice big picture of my friend Robin "Winter" selling at the inaugural Maywood farmer's market last week. As the accompanying article notes, the market is helping fill the void in fresh produce in Maywood. Robin told me that she was successful in her first market foray, selling cheese, fish, and produce collected by the Illinois based Midwest Organic Food Coop. "They were there to buy", she said.
I had planned on visiting Maywood, but other committments kept me. I am anxious to visit their next market a week from Saturday. The farmtastic Maywood market runs on the first and third Saturdays through October at St. Eulalia Church 1851 S. 9th Avenue, Maywood.
Today's CTrib, at least my edition, features a nice big picture of my friend Robin "Winter" selling at the inaugural Maywood farmer's market last week. As the accompanying article notes, the market is helping fill the void in fresh produce in Maywood. Robin told me that she was successful in her first market foray, selling cheese, fish, and produce collected by the Illinois based Midwest Organic Food Coop. "They were there to buy", she said.
I had planned on visiting Maywood, but other committments kept me. I am anxious to visit their next market a week from Saturday. The farmtastic Maywood market runs on the first and third Saturdays through October at St. Eulalia Church 1851 S. 9th Avenue, Maywood.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Eat Local Meat
Cutting Instructions for 1/2 Hog
As I have mentioned before, the easiest and best way to ensure the eating of local meat is to purchase it in bulk, as whole, half or quarter animals. This web site can locate you farmers in Illinois for your whole hog, etc. You can find other sites on the Internet for sides of meat from Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. Although we have plenty of beef and lamb from our previous forays, we (mostly I) decided to supplement, nay add, with a 1/2 hog from Dennis and Emily Wettstein's organic farm.
A processed cow produces nothing if not a lot of hamburger, and when every last steak, roast, soup bone and bit of offal from our cow is eaten, we will still, have, I believe, hamburger. (Next cow we get, my wife insists we ask for stew meat too.) The lady at Eureka Locker, who is processing our pork, told me that pork is not so wasteful. There is trim, but it has to be used in a tidy way. At least she wanted it tidy. None of this, make a bit of brats, a bit of fresh sausage and the rest as ground pork. Trim needed to be proportioned evenly. Here's how we portioned our trim and divvied up the rest of the 1/2 hog, which is coming in at around 150 lbs:
As I have mentioned before, the easiest and best way to ensure the eating of local meat is to purchase it in bulk, as whole, half or quarter animals. This web site can locate you farmers in Illinois for your whole hog, etc. You can find other sites on the Internet for sides of meat from Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. Although we have plenty of beef and lamb from our previous forays, we (mostly I) decided to supplement, nay add, with a 1/2 hog from Dennis and Emily Wettstein's organic farm.
A processed cow produces nothing if not a lot of hamburger, and when every last steak, roast, soup bone and bit of offal from our cow is eaten, we will still, have, I believe, hamburger. (Next cow we get, my wife insists we ask for stew meat too.) The lady at Eureka Locker, who is processing our pork, told me that pork is not so wasteful. There is trim, but it has to be used in a tidy way. At least she wanted it tidy. None of this, make a bit of brats, a bit of fresh sausage and the rest as ground pork. Trim needed to be proportioned evenly. Here's how we portioned our trim and divvied up the rest of the 1/2 hog, which is coming in at around 150 lbs:
- Leg - boned, cured and smoked; after the smoking, they will cut two center ham steaks, leaving us two whole ham roasts. I plan on slicing at least one, maybe both of the ham roasts as lunch meats and re-packaging them in smaller baggies. Organic cure.
- Hocks (2) - cured and smoked (organic)
- Shoulder - One larger cut, 8-10 lb for a BBQ pulled pork; the rest of the shoulder cut into 5ish lb roasts
- Belly - 1/2 cured and smoked (organic), 1/2 left fresh, packaged in one pound cuts
- Spareribs - 3 or so lbs worth
- Loin - One larger roast and the rest cut into chops 1.5 inches thick. I had wanted to get the chops cut in range of thicknesses, some thinner. The locker woman originally said she could do that, but as we talked it seemed easier to go with one size fits all. Because I asked for bone-in chops and roast, there is no baby back ribs
- Offal - The nature of small America lockers does not allow for too much nose-to-tail eating. I am not quite sure all the reasons. We get the heart, liver and kidneys, that's it. See below for a bit of head talk. I wanted the feet for braises and the tail to use for beans or greens. Neither was available to us and forget about home made blood sausage or kishkes.
- Fat - We have to render the lard ourselves, but we get all the fat, including the kidney fat for leaf lard. It will be cut in 1 lb chunks and packaged in five pound bags.
- Trim - Italian sausage, bratwurst and packaged ground pork, which my wife did not so much approve she wanted more plain and less seasoned.
No one with a copy of a Fergus Henderson book could want a hog without its head, no? His latest tome, Beyond Nose to Tail Eating, has a stunningly, grossly attractive picture of a braised pig's head. Could I duplicate that? More likely, I am working on a trade with Rob at Mado. Anyways, I mentioned to Emily Wettstein the other day that I wanted the head. The head from a local hog can be had if requested. I requested. She forgot to mention that to the locker. Still, before I could get the least bit distressed, they realized their mistake and realized they were processing another hog next week. I could have that head. I asked the locker if they would split the head for me. They said no. If I wanted a hog head, I was getting a hog head. Smarty.
We pick up our 1/2 hog on July 5, 2008 at the Oak Park Farmer's Market. You know I'll have more to say. This year the Wettstein's will be at the market every week. If you cannot get the whole hog, you can buy your own parts, no head, each Saturday as well as organically raised lamb, chicken, beef and eggs.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Obscure Farmer's Markets of Illinois - An Ongoing Vital Information Feature
Hillside, LaGrange Park
I am an invariant picker-upper of free magazines, handouts, fliers, guides, directories, community newspapers and the what-not, as long as its (mostly) (almost always) free. My wife is forever now a believer in this practice after I grabbed a Jewish community paper once in LA and found an ad:
Vital Information is here to report back this was not one of our area's better markets. There was one vendor. I actually know this operation, or I have seen it before at other desperate-ish suburban farmer's markets. I'm have not performed a very detailed background investigation, but there is some type enterprise that purports to sell produce from "Southern Illinois". I can recognize them by their signs. They have a range of produce that is not fully seasonal to our area, the stand in Hillside had both tomatoes and jalepenos today amongst other fruits and veg. The quality is such that it has the look of an actual, non-industrial outfit, but not the look of a farmer with a passion like Farmer Vicki of Genesis Growers. If this was not enough to scare me away, the prices were pretty high too. Want more, after all of that, they did not have strawberries either. The only selling point of this market, really, was the chance to buy food outdoors. To be nice, I did buy, a box of sugar snaps and a box of grape tomatoes, together for $5. I will not go back, but if you do want to see for yourself, the web info is here.
My wife and I were market un-sated, let alone bereft of strawberries. I grabbed the Blackberry and whipped to my handy-dandy every day a market guide. I had thought there was a market in LaGrange Park or LaGrange not too far from where we stood, and the Agrihappenings page confirmed--anyone know the qualitative difference between LaGrange and LaGrange Park? I expected a bigger market. LaGrange is an upscale, older community, kinda like Oak Park with a bit less enthusiasm for Obama. I expected a Nichol's. I did not expect a Skibbes. Or just a Skibbes. Still, if it was gonna be one farmer manning one stand, I'm glad it's Mr. Skibbe, one of my go-to guys at the Oak Park Farmer's Market. Truth be told, it was one woman manning one stand for Mr. Skibbe, but she had all of Mr. Skibbe's produce: several types of lettuces, green onions, rhubarb, asparagus and gosh darn yes, strawberries. (For the sake of completeness I will also note that they had clearly marked Kentucky tomatoes.) We purchased two quarts of strawberries.
If I was in need of Michigan fruit, as I happened to be today, and I was in LaGrange Park, as I happened to be today, I would stop by this market--location and other info here. Otherwise, there's a reason these places remain obscure.
I am an invariant picker-upper of free magazines, handouts, fliers, guides, directories, community newspapers and the what-not, as long as its (mostly) (almost always) free. My wife is forever now a believer in this practice after I grabbed a Jewish community paper once in LA and found an ad:
"To our Jewish Friends, Get 50% off admission to Universal Studios"Or something like that. This free thing saved us nearly 100 bucks on a family outing. Some kinda local news thing introduced us to Danny's neck bones in Melrose Park and Danny's got us to Abruzzo's, and now we eat at Abruzzo's about once a week, and now my wife is picking stuff up too. The stuff she found yesterday, I cannot even remember what type of organ it was, some West Suburban version of Grit, had an ad for the Hillside Farmer's Market. And since our best attempts on Saturday and Sunday did not yield any strawberries, we decided to make the short trek from Oak Park to Hillside for the market.
Vital Information is here to report back this was not one of our area's better markets. There was one vendor. I actually know this operation, or I have seen it before at other desperate-ish suburban farmer's markets. I'm have not performed a very detailed background investigation, but there is some type enterprise that purports to sell produce from "Southern Illinois". I can recognize them by their signs. They have a range of produce that is not fully seasonal to our area, the stand in Hillside had both tomatoes and jalepenos today amongst other fruits and veg. The quality is such that it has the look of an actual, non-industrial outfit, but not the look of a farmer with a passion like Farmer Vicki of Genesis Growers. If this was not enough to scare me away, the prices were pretty high too. Want more, after all of that, they did not have strawberries either. The only selling point of this market, really, was the chance to buy food outdoors. To be nice, I did buy, a box of sugar snaps and a box of grape tomatoes, together for $5. I will not go back, but if you do want to see for yourself, the web info is here.
My wife and I were market un-sated, let alone bereft of strawberries. I grabbed the Blackberry and whipped to my handy-dandy every day a market guide. I had thought there was a market in LaGrange Park or LaGrange not too far from where we stood, and the Agrihappenings page confirmed--anyone know the qualitative difference between LaGrange and LaGrange Park? I expected a bigger market. LaGrange is an upscale, older community, kinda like Oak Park with a bit less enthusiasm for Obama. I expected a Nichol's. I did not expect a Skibbes. Or just a Skibbes. Still, if it was gonna be one farmer manning one stand, I'm glad it's Mr. Skibbe, one of my go-to guys at the Oak Park Farmer's Market. Truth be told, it was one woman manning one stand for Mr. Skibbe, but she had all of Mr. Skibbe's produce: several types of lettuces, green onions, rhubarb, asparagus and gosh darn yes, strawberries. (For the sake of completeness I will also note that they had clearly marked Kentucky tomatoes.) We purchased two quarts of strawberries.
If I was in need of Michigan fruit, as I happened to be today, and I was in LaGrange Park, as I happened to be today, I would stop by this market--location and other info here. Otherwise, there's a reason these places remain obscure.
Monday, June 09, 2008
How to Keep Your Food For the Week
So, You Wanna Eat Local
So, you wanna eat local. Most likely, your food came over the weekend when most farmer's markets operate, CSA boxes show up and Pollanesque Peapoders like Irv and Shelly's Fresh Picks make their deliveries. For most budding locavores, this will be your only shot at locally grown food for the week. Make it last. Last year, my friend Farmer Vicki of Genesis Grower's let me re-publish her insight into storing fresh vegetables. It's been my most popular post. I've expanded that post for this year--note, this post deals with storing the fruits and vegetables of the general farmer's market season; I will cover winter storage in another post later on this year.
First Things First
So, you wanna eat local. Most likely, your food came over the weekend when most farmer's markets operate, CSA boxes show up and Pollanesque Peapoders like Irv and Shelly's Fresh Picks make their deliveries. For most budding locavores, this will be your only shot at locally grown food for the week. Make it last. Last year, my friend Farmer Vicki of Genesis Grower's let me re-publish her insight into storing fresh vegetables. It's been my most popular post. I've expanded that post for this year--note, this post deals with storing the fruits and vegetables of the general farmer's market season; I will cover winter storage in another post later on this year.
First Things First
The goal is to make your store of food last until at least your next food arrives, to ensure that you have local food to eat all week. To do this, you need a food plan, an eating plan. It's not so much as laying out your menus for the week, but taking heed of which of your foods you need to eat first. Eat first the foods that will not last. Put better, eat the foods that need to be eaten first. These are foods that lose quality soon after harvest, and the quicker you can get them from ground to table, the happier you palate will be.
- Asparagus
- Corn
- Peas in all forms, but especially shelling or English peas
- Fava or broad beans
- Strawberries
- True "new potatoes", recognized by their peeling skins
Second
Will you eat all your food this week? For one thing, let's hope your local-ism extends beyond the farm fresh season; for another thing, many CSA boxes are meant to give more produce than you can eat during the week, with the idea that you will store. I'm not gonna make a treatise now on food preservation. In the short term, remember that freezing is generally easy. Fruits can be frozen with no processing; vegetables need a short blanch before freezing. Also, coincidentally or not, the foods that need to be eaten then fastest are also the foods that freeze the best.
The Burden of Local
Get it and forget it is not the mantra of the localvore. Stuff must be done to a lot of local food after its purchase to ensure its vigor for the week. DO remove all leafy tops from root vegetables: carrots, radishes, turnips, beets, kohlrabi; DO NOT wash other fruits and vegetables if possible. Dirtier food will generally stay better. If you cannot produce your meals Rachael Ray style, you will at least be rewarded with better tasting food.
In or Out
Most but not all of your local food will go in your fridge. Do not refrigerator the following foods
- Keeper onions a/k/a dry onions - Before storage, make sure that the onions are dry. Often in CSA boxes, the onions get wet inter-mingling with the other produce. If I find damp onions, I keep them on some old newspaper for a bit. Store these in as a cool and dry a spot as you can.
- All potatoes except true new potatoes - Like onions, make sure the potatoes are dry before storage. Potatoes stay best in the dark as well as the cool.
- Peaches and their variants such as nectarines*
- Plums*
- Apricots*
- Winter squash
- Tomatoes !!
Berries including strawberries and cherries stay best in the refrigerator but taste best if served at room temperature.
Do refrigerate the following foods:
- Spring onions, scallions, knob onions and the like
- Sweet onions/summer onions - These are onions characterized by a flimsy and moist skin; these types of onions are often also sold with their stems attached.
- New potatoes
- Green garlic and other fresh garlics
Battle Your Fridge
Cold storage makes it possible for your food to last all week. Cold storage can also ruin your supply of local food. Here's a couple of tips to best use your fridge.
- Bag your food - Little local food comes pre-bagged, and the smart market shopper refuses any bags from their vendors. Still, just because you got the food that way, does not mean you have to keep it that way. If you can put the food in your refrigerator's designated vegetable bins, it will generally be safe. For foods not in the bins, in my experience, the harshness of the refrigerator can be mitigated by keeping your food in bags or containers. For many items like root vegetables, the bags can be sealed to provide a bit of necessary moisture.
- Hydrate your food - Space permitting, some foods benefit from being kept in water (standing in water, not submerged). These include asparagus, watercress and all herbs.
- Know your cold zones. In most refrigerators, the top shelf will be the coldest, and the coldest part of the top shelf will be the back corner. Only put foods up there that can withstand the chill, maybe even some frost.
Eat Well, Eat Local
My parting thought is that regardless of how well you tend for you food, the great thing about local food is that it will last much longer than conventional food. My family's experience is that produce will stay viable and taste great for much longer than predicted in your typical cook book or produce guide. This is obviously, because food is arriving at the Bungalow so much sooner than it would arrive at most people's houses.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Psst, Wanna Buy a Fresh Porcini
Saturday!
The word on the street is that fresh porcini's will be at the Lincoln Park Farmer's Market located at Lincoln Park High School, Armitage and Orchard (7 AM to 2 PM). My peeps tell me that there might also be some at Oak Park (Pilgrim Church located on Lake between Scolville and Elmwood, 7 AM until 1 PM). The sources say that porcini will NOT be at Green City. Good luck mushroom shopping this Saturday.
All information confidential and subject to change. Caveat emptor.
The word on the street is that fresh porcini's will be at the Lincoln Park Farmer's Market located at Lincoln Park High School, Armitage and Orchard (7 AM to 2 PM). My peeps tell me that there might also be some at Oak Park (Pilgrim Church located on Lake between Scolville and Elmwood, 7 AM until 1 PM). The sources say that porcini will NOT be at Green City. Good luck mushroom shopping this Saturday.
All information confidential and subject to change. Caveat emptor.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Every Day a Market
Happenings in Ag
By this weekend, a good amount of farmer's markets are going. Several media organizations have put out lists of farmer's markets. The best one remains the Illinois Department of Agriculture's calender of "Agrihappenings." It includes markets in Chicago, the suburbs and downstate. Moreover, it includes, markets run by a variety of groups. You get what for a lack of better word I'd call real farmer's markets as well as French Markets and their ilk. There are the markets run by the city as well as markets run on their own, such as the Logan Square Farmer's Market. You might be surprised how many markets operate each day around the state. This calender will help you find out.
And if you want to call out your favorite market, want to taut an unsung market, or otherwise let the world know about a market other than Chicago's Green City, drop me an e-mail (address to the right) or leave a comment.
By this weekend, a good amount of farmer's markets are going. Several media organizations have put out lists of farmer's markets. The best one remains the Illinois Department of Agriculture's calender of "Agrihappenings." It includes markets in Chicago, the suburbs and downstate. Moreover, it includes, markets run by a variety of groups. You get what for a lack of better word I'd call real farmer's markets as well as French Markets and their ilk. There are the markets run by the city as well as markets run on their own, such as the Logan Square Farmer's Market. You might be surprised how many markets operate each day around the state. This calender will help you find out.
And if you want to call out your favorite market, want to taut an unsung market, or otherwise let the world know about a market other than Chicago's Green City, drop me an e-mail (address to the right) or leave a comment.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Eat Frozen Meat
Rick Bayless Sez So
I think this is gonna be the week of blessings and curses on the blog. Which is it, then when it comes to local meat? Except for some Amish raised chickens I can find here and there, my family and I are pretty much restricted to getting our meats frozen to stay committed to local meats. A...a curse angle, at least, as I have said many a-time, is the hassle of frozen meat. It puts a bit of a damper on spur of the moment meals, and means we plan our Friday night dinners by mid-week. Are for losing quality, I've not found it, and now Mike Sula has got Rick Bayless to weigh in:
I think this is gonna be the week of blessings and curses on the blog. Which is it, then when it comes to local meat? Except for some Amish raised chickens I can find here and there, my family and I are pretty much restricted to getting our meats frozen to stay committed to local meats. A...a curse angle, at least, as I have said many a-time, is the hassle of frozen meat. It puts a bit of a damper on spur of the moment meals, and means we plan our Friday night dinners by mid-week. Are for losing quality, I've not found it, and now Mike Sula has got Rick Bayless to weigh in:
"I think the freezer is a really good tool," he says. "We went through this period back in the seventies, eighties, when people would say if you had anything frozen in your place, you were an awful restaurant. And if you're talking about frozen prepared foods, or choosing frozen ingredients when you could get the best stuff fresh, then, yeah, that is awful. But we have huge freezers. . . .If you know how to use a freezer and you understand that you can only freeze certain things, and you know how to defrost slowly at the right temperature, you can serve great local food all year-round."
They Send Out E-mails
Sustainable Table E-mail 6/4/08
New York City, May 30, 2008—Sustainable Table, the creator of the animated short film series, The Meatrix, is going on the road again, headed to this year’s Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. Founder/Director, Diane Hatz, and Moopheus, the larger than life, trench-coat-clad cow and superhero star of The Meatrix, will bring festival goers an urgent message—“Eat locally grown, sustainably raised foods to help save the environment.” 2008 is emerging as the year of ethical eating. Local food is becoming an important part of the consumer food market as consumers want to know more about their food -- where it was grown, what ingredients it contains, how it was packaged, and the footprint its production left on the earth.See here for more about Sustainable Table.
By purchasing sustainable, local foods in-season, you eliminate the environmental damage caused by shipping foods thousands of miles, your food dollar goes directly to the farmer, and your family will be able to enjoy the health benefits of eating fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables. Buying seasonal produce also provides an exciting opportunity to try new foods and to experiment with seasonal recipes. And it simply tastes better!” said Diane Hatz, Founder/Director of Sustainable Table.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
What's Local at Cassie's Green Grocer
Locavoreitis
Just the other day I was telling you how good it was to be a locavore. A bag of fresh porcini mushrooms, lettuce that tasted like something, damnit red strawberries. What I did not mention is that locavorism is a curse too. I have a disease and I have it bad.
See when I walk into Cassie's Green Grocer and find something new, in this case, lamb's quarters; well, I barely pause to look at the price. They'd be in my bag if I was smart enough to bring some of our bags in from the car, but since my wife and I left them all in to go shopping, we just wrapped our arms around the greens to take them out (along with our arugula, cilantro, Trader's Creamery ice cream, baby turnips, peanut butter and Bennison's bread).
Lamb's quarters also go by wild spinach, which rather means it is a weed on farms around here that cooks and tastes a bit like spinach. It's thicker than spinach, with that same velvety quality as nettles that somewhat negates its use raw. They don't need a long cook though. Through the food chain of local, Robin, who I introduced to Cassie, who introduced Cassie to Floyd of the Midwest Organic Farmer's Cooperative, who hooked Cassie up with lamb's quarters from Ackerman Farm of Chenoa, Illinois; who sold them back to me because I have a house full of kale and beet greens and radish tops and 3 forms of lettuce and spinach too I believe, but I must, I absolutely must have some lamb's quarters. I am diseased.
Just the other day I was telling you how good it was to be a locavore. A bag of fresh porcini mushrooms, lettuce that tasted like something, damnit red strawberries. What I did not mention is that locavorism is a curse too. I have a disease and I have it bad.
See when I walk into Cassie's Green Grocer and find something new, in this case, lamb's quarters; well, I barely pause to look at the price. They'd be in my bag if I was smart enough to bring some of our bags in from the car, but since my wife and I left them all in to go shopping, we just wrapped our arms around the greens to take them out (along with our arugula, cilantro, Trader's Creamery ice cream, baby turnips, peanut butter and Bennison's bread).
Lamb's quarters also go by wild spinach, which rather means it is a weed on farms around here that cooks and tastes a bit like spinach. It's thicker than spinach, with that same velvety quality as nettles that somewhat negates its use raw. They don't need a long cook though. Through the food chain of local, Robin, who I introduced to Cassie, who introduced Cassie to Floyd of the Midwest Organic Farmer's Cooperative, who hooked Cassie up with lamb's quarters from Ackerman Farm of Chenoa, Illinois; who sold them back to me because I have a house full of kale and beet greens and radish tops and 3 forms of lettuce and spinach too I believe, but I must, I absolutely must have some lamb's quarters. I am diseased.
Eat Local Cheese
The Cheeses of Wisconsin: A Culinary Travel Guide by Jeanette Hurt
The Chicago Tribune's food blog, the Stew, points me to what will soon be a key part of the VI library.
The Chicago Tribune's food blog, the Stew, points me to what will soon be a key part of the VI library.
How to Eat a Strawberry
Oh, there are ways to eat a strawberry. Array bowls of sour cream and brown sugar, dip. Splattered with fresh made whipped cream. With a tiny drop of the most expensive balsamic vinegar you can afford. These are ways to eat a strawberry. They are not, however, what is vital. Let me tell you.
Foremost, use a local strawberry. Yes! Yes, these harbingers have arrived in our Chicago area markets. There is no comparison to what you can find at an area farmer's market to Well-Pic/Driscoll stuff found at the supermarkets. For a bit of background on this, read Russ Parson's How to Pick a Peach. Supermarket strawberries are bred for a few reasons, mostly shipability and extended growing seasons. Local strawberries just are. They are here when they grow, picked when they are ripe, bleed red like they are supposed to, and taste, yes, taste, like you remember. Vital rule number one: eat a local strawberry.
Now, to fully enhance your local strawberry, pay attention to this rule. Ditch the fridge. Vital rule number two: don't eat a cold strawberry. If your strawberry can never hit the fridge, you are in the best shape. If you have to hold your strawberries for a day or so, refrigerate them, but take them out well, well before you plan to eat them. Think of them like you might think of cheese. When the strawberries come to room temperature, like cheese, you start picking up flavors, nuance, that is deadened with cold. Perhaps, a Driscoll strawberry would have some taste if served at room temperature.
Nah.
Foremost, use a local strawberry. Yes! Yes, these harbingers have arrived in our Chicago area markets. There is no comparison to what you can find at an area farmer's market to Well-Pic/Driscoll stuff found at the supermarkets. For a bit of background on this, read Russ Parson's How to Pick a Peach. Supermarket strawberries are bred for a few reasons, mostly shipability and extended growing seasons. Local strawberries just are. They are here when they grow, picked when they are ripe, bleed red like they are supposed to, and taste, yes, taste, like you remember. Vital rule number one: eat a local strawberry.
Now, to fully enhance your local strawberry, pay attention to this rule. Ditch the fridge. Vital rule number two: don't eat a cold strawberry. If your strawberry can never hit the fridge, you are in the best shape. If you have to hold your strawberries for a day or so, refrigerate them, but take them out well, well before you plan to eat them. Think of them like you might think of cheese. When the strawberries come to room temperature, like cheese, you start picking up flavors, nuance, that is deadened with cold. Perhaps, a Driscoll strawberry would have some taste if served at room temperature.
Nah.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
