Sycamore’s Chef Tasting

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Philadelphia and the surrounding areas are now seeing more restaurants than ever that focus on locally grown produce and meats. As someone who cares about that sort of thing, it’s a thrill to have Sycamore. around the corner from my house. The other day I received an email about their Tuesday night chef tasting, announcing there would be no set menu—Sam Jacobson, the chef, was heading into Reading Terminal Market that morning to buy up what looked good and would serve accordingly.

Well, I can never turn down a mystery dinner.

The theme ingredient (I’m giggling because I sound like the Iron Chef announcer in my head right now) was wild Maine lobster, which isn’t exactly local, but many of the ingredients in the dinner were. So what were the courses eventually served up?

• Lobster salad—persimmon, jicama, baby fennel, marinated Napa cabbage
• Tempura-fried lobster tail—crispy pork belly, kimchi aioli
• Fragrant lobster risotto—lemongrass, kaffir lime, scallions, crushed marcona almonds
• Buttered lobster with hen of the woods mushrooms—heirloom carrots, parsnips, turnip creamed potatoes, sambuca lobster sauce
• Local butternut squash crisp—cranberries, amaretto ginger crust, maple mascarpone

Yes, it was delicious. Then again, I’ve never had a bad meal at Sycamore.

Other than the butternut squash, I can hazard a guess about what else may have been local. Can you?

Coincidentally, I was thrilled to see the kimchi aioli on the menu. If you’ve been reading Farm to Philly long enough, you know I love to make kimchi. I may need to experiment with that aioli, see if I can make a passable fascimile! With cabbage and some radishes in season, now’s the time to pickle.

Sycamore
14 S. Lansdowne Ave,
Lansdowne, PA 19050

HomeBrew for the Holidays

Monday, December 19, 2011

Although I do buy a few presents, what really gives the holidays meaning for me is to take the time to make most of the presents I give. I must admit that at some point, maybe around 22 or 23, I think that a few people in my family were wondering when I was going to graduate from my little art projects I would use a gifts and make something a little more substantial. Lucky for me, and for them I suppose, this was right around the time that I learned the joys of home brewing.

I was first schooled in home brewing by a housemate who was born in Oregon, the land of craft beer and home brews. But as of late, as you can see from all of the amazing micro breweries that stock our beer distributors’ shelves, Philadelphia is giving Oregon a run for its money as the beer mecca of the US. Although my housemate never lost her Oregon pride, she was impressed by how many people home brewed in Philly. In my first year of brewing beer, after getting my glass carboy, brew pot, and bottling equipment, I was brewing about 5 gallons of beer per month. And although I had some successes, there was that one terrible batch of Chipotle Stout where I went a little too heavy of the spice and light on the body.

Today I don’t find the time to brew much beer. And I must also admit that I still haven’t mastered the skill of making my own recipes and malts (I settle for internet standard recipes and malt extract). But every year around this time, I get out the old equipment and make a few cases of beer to give out to my friends. This year it’s the Winter CinnaBock. It’s become an annual tradition just like christmas cookies were for my grandmother when I was a kid. If you’re looking into getting into beer brewing, my recommendation would be to check out Barry’s HomeBrew Store at 1447 N. American St. in Kensington. Aside from the having all of the equipment you’ll need at pretty fair prices, they also cater to different levels of skill. As I said, I’m sadly still buying the prepackaged kits with all of the malt, grain, hops and yeast you’ll need for a brew. But they also have loose raw materials which reduce the cost of brewing even more and give you an even greater feeling of DIY accomplishment.
But whatever route you choose, brewing beer is a fun step in the handmade direction. I couldn’t imagine a christmas with out it. So if you haven’t gotten around to making a wishlist, or you can squeeze a few more things on there, ask for a home brew kit. Whoever gets it for you will surely thank you later.

The Pre-Christmas Fridge and Freezer Clean: Part I

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

In case you hadn’t noticed, Christmas is only twelve days away.  This has two worrying consequences for me.  First, I’ve done exactly enough Christmas shopping to fill the “toe” of my wife’s stocking that is hanging by the chimney with care.  Second, our fridge needs to be completely disgorged if we have any hope of absorbing the leftovers that will be coming our way.  While I do love the good people of Bennett Compost, I have no wish to fill my compost bucket prematurely. 

First up were some sorry looking leeks and dinosaur (lacinato) kale from CSA.  After I sauteed the leeks in some butter, I added the kale (julienned into fine strips).  Once cooked, I mixed some cream, egg, and cheese.  I poured all of this into a homemade tart shell and baked into a surprising result. 

I say “surprising result” because I honestly had no idea how the kale would cook in a tart.  I’ve made tarts with spinach, but their tender leaves cook easily.  I suspect this recipe worked well for several reasons: one, dinosaur (lacinato) kale leaves are comparatively tender to begin with; two, I cut them into fine strips; three, I sauteed them with the leeks first.  Regardless, this dish quickly graduated from a desperate “fridge-clearer” to a first choice. 

Next up: Turkey Pot Pie. 

Where’s the Beef (and Pork and Lamb)?

Monday, December 12, 2011

I was just in a meeting today with a Chef where we were thinking about why Philly has such a lack of vegetarian restaurants. Although we couldn’t find a definitive answer, we found a common cause in our shared experience of why we stopped being vegetarian. Just like my chef friend, I had developed my ethics of not eating meat while living in other parts of the country where industrial animal farms make up most of the pastoral landscape. But after moving back to Philly, where the age old traditions of Amish land ethics mix with a healthy dose of progressive family farming, we both realized that the Pennsylvania country side offered a much better, and much tastier, alternative to swearing off meat. By being more health conscious, land conscious and more humane, Pennsylvania farmers have created a system where people can both live by their ideals and eat meat. This was just recently celebrated in the newest edition of Grid magazine, and it will be discussed this Wednesday Dec. 14th at the restaurant school in Philadelphia. It’s being hosted by Slow Food Philly and PASA as well as many other great organizations. If you are on the fence about meat consumption or want to understand how this food system works, then check out the description below.

In its final workshop of the fall 2011 season, Slow Food Philly will host a lively (and delicious) discussion about local, sustainably raised beef, pork and lamb. In partnership with the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), the workshop will take place at the Restaurant School in West Philadelphia on Wednesday, December 14th.
The panel, moderated by PASA’s Regional Director, Marilyn Anthony, will include Jessica Moore of Philly CowShare, Dean Carlson of Wyebrook Farm and Linda Geren of High View Farm. Together, they will discuss the importance of sustainable agriculture and the process of bringing their superior quality, local meat, to market.
This workshop is guaranteed to be a meat lovers treat! A variety of delicious meaty samples will be available along with a selection of wine. Tickets for this event are $20 and are sure to sell out. To purchase tickets visit the Slow Food Philly ticketing site.

Where’s The Beef (And Pork And Lamb)?
When: Wednesday, December 14, 7:00-9:00 pm
Where: The Restaurant School, 4100 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Cost: $20/person, tickets available here
www.slowfoodphilly.org

How to Use Quinces

Saturday, December 03, 2011

If you’ve eaten at Amada, Tinto, or other tapas-oriented restaurants, the odds are good that you’ve had dulce de membrillo, the quince-based paste that’s served with cheese in Spain and pretty much all over Latin America.  Sadly, it can be both hard to find in the U.S. and ridiculously overpriced when you do, which is why I’ve been making my own any time I can find quinces in the market. Fortunately for me, Beechwood Orchards consistently brings them to the local markets late in the fall, letting me indulge my love of this fruit by buying eyebrow-raising quantities at each visit. They can also be found, albeit at higher prices, in some local groceries this time of year as well.

Quinces are so naturally high in pectin that they’re a snap for even the novice preserves-maker to handle.  All you have to do is cook them until they’re soft, puree them and add an almost equal amount of sugar, and cook them down until they turn from gold to salmon pink.  The resulting mixture sets itself into a nice firm jam at this point, or you can pour it into a shallow pan and dehydrate it in a very low oven until it firms up into a nice sliceable block that keeps forever in the fridge. 

The nice thing about this recipe is that it can be scaled up or down for as many quinces as you care to buy, and just one lazy Saturday afternoon of effort will yield you enough squares of dulce de membrillo or jars of jam for all your holiday party cheese plates, with plenty of extras for seasonal hostess gifts.

Dulce de Membrillo (Quince Paste)
Makes one 1 ½ - 2 lb block, or about eight 1-cup jars of jam

10 quinces (around 5 pounds)
Approximately 4 cups granulated sugar
Half of a large vanilla bean, split
1 lemon

Wash, peel and core the quinces, chopping roughly. Remove the peel of half the lemon in long strips with a peeler, and place with the quinces and vanilla bean in a large pot, pouring over enough water to just cover the fruit. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and lower the heat to a simmer, cooking until the fruit is tender. 

Drain the quinces, removing the vanilla bean but leaving in the lemon strips.  Puree the fruit with a food processor, food mill or immersion blender until smooth. Measure the puree in a liquid measuring cup and add 1 cup sugar for every 1 ¼ cups of fruit. Transfer the mixture into a large, heavy-bottomed pan and heat on low, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the juice of the lemon.  Increase the heat just enough to barely sustain a simmer and cook until very thick and a dark pink color, stirring frequently.  If you are getting a lot of splatter, partially cover the pan but stir even more often to prevent burning.

If putting up as jam, spoon the thickened mixture into clean, sterilized jars and seal using the boiling water method.  To set as dulce de membrillo, pour the mixture into a shallow, buttered 8 x 8 pan and bake in an oven at the lowest possible setting for 1-2 hours, or as long as it takes to solidify into a firm block, flipping it over as soon as the top is set in order to dehydrate it evenly.  Covered tightly, the dulce can be kept nearly indefinitely in the refrigerator.

Red Earth Farm wrap up

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

My Red Earth Farm CSA finished up the season last week. (Yes, I thought this posted a few weeks ago and just realized it did not. Oops.)  It was my 5th year ordering vegetables with them.

I’ve done it a few different ways through the years. The first year I split a full share with a friend and bought a fruit share. At the time, Meadow Run Farm delivered with the veggies once a month. The vegetable share was great, the meat delivery was fantastic, but the fruit share was mediocre. There wasn’t enough and it came only every other week. It seemed like a lot of money for not a lot of fruit.

The second year I got a partial share and did not get a fruit share figuring I could get fruit through the buying club. Unfortunately, they stopped selling fruit through the buying club so I had to buy fruit every week at the farmer’s market. I was annoyed that I didn’t get the fruit even though I was annoyed getting the fruit the previous year. The meat buying club stopped delivery at the CSA site, which was also a downer.

The third year we got the partial share and a fruit share which was still mediocre, but better than not having a fruit share at all.

Last year I split a full share with my sister-in-law, got the fruit share, which seemed bigger, and an egg share. Without fail, I ran out of eggs before the two weeks were up and had to go out to buy eggs right before the next egg share was delivered and the eggs weren’t even as good as the eggs from Meadow Run Farm, but at least we had eggs.

This year it was another partial share, only with 3 kids I figured I’d try some of the extras like the cheese share. Rather than drive 10 minutes away to get the meat from Sweet Stem Farm (formerly Meadow Run)  I also tried the chicken share and the meat share ordered through Red earth. I decided to get double fruit and double egg shares, attempting to eliminate unnecessary grocery store trips. Bad move. The chicken share was delivered in a giant block which meant I had to partially defrost it to get it into my freezer. The meat share was canceled weeks into the season. I still have eight cartons of eggs in the fridge because somehow this is the year that no one wants to eat eggs. And the fruit? Way too many apricots and peaches. The end of the season with apples was wonderful, but my children were not fond of the two months of stone fruits. The cheese share, from Hillacres Pride, was amazing. I am all about the cheese share.

So for next year I’m sticking with Sweet Stem Farm for the meat, convenience be damned, getting a partial share of veggies, a cheese share, a single egg share, and I’m undecided about the fruit. It was a lot of apricots and a lot of peaches. But the apples and pears at the end of the season are so worth it. I will have to make a last minute decision.

Mill Creek Farm Benefit - December 3

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Head to Yard’s Brewery on December 3 for a party to benefit Mill Creek Farm, an educational urban farm focused on food justice and ecological sustainability. The fifth annual celebration marks the end of the farm’s sixth season.  The party features brewery tours, DJs, light food and desserts from local restaurants, cash-bar, raffle and a silent auction.

Get your tickets online or buy them at the door—all proceeds benefit the farm!

The Chicken Tractor

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Last month’s entry about feeding the chickens only told half the story. Although feeding them spent beer grain is a great way to supply the chickens with carbs while taking the grain out of the waste stream, chickens need a balanced diet. Store bought grain is often enriched with other nutrients needed for strong shell growth and general health. But as I said, I’m trying to reduce my cost while keeping the chickens natural and healthy. The obvious answer to this conundrum is to allow the chickens to roam free in my yard, eating bugs and weeds to get those nutrients. But this ain’t the country. It’s a small backyard in Kensington. And as anyone who has ever kept chickens knows, when unleashed in the garden, they can be one of the most destructive creatures imaginable. I learned this the hard way after I unwittingly let them roam when we first got them, and they decimated my strawberries. But the part of my yard I have fenced in near the coop has been picked down to a barren dirt lot by them. So to get them into new pastures without losing my precious berries, here’s my solution.

That there is my very own chicken tractor. When I tell people I have one, they picture this huge piece of machinery that can fit a whole flock of chickens. But when dealing in such a small space, I had to scale down. And as luck would have it in my urban environment, someone discarded a shopping cart out front of my gate the other day. That’s the joys of farming in the city. One man’s trash is another man’s farming implement. It was easy to make the tractor. I pried off the bottom rack of the shopping car and strung chicken wire around all of the sides. to close in the chicken. I then left the top part open so I can use the stacking mechanism of the cart as a little door.

When ever the lawn needs a little mowing and the chickens need to eat, I put them in through the door and then wheel them around the yard, letting them feed while not allowing them to destroy too much on one patch. And as I said, since it’s small, I can wheel it up and down the garden bed rows to eat the weeds that are sometimes hard to get to with a weed whacker. This way, my chickens can graze, my crops are safe, and I’m much more sane and well fed. Oh, how I love the symbiotic relationship of the city farm.

-Nic

The Earthship Has Landed

Thursday, November 17, 2011

October was a busy month for us at my homestead in Kensington. Aside from collecting the last harvest, putting the garden plots to bed for the winter, and taking part in this blog’s apple challenge, we also constructed what I believe to be the first Earthship structure in any major US city. If you want to learn more about Earthships, click here.

I was first inspired by Earthships after seeing it’s inventor, Michael Reynolds speak at the PA Association for Sustainable Ag.(PASA) conference three years ago. Since then I’ve been obsessed, but depressed because I thought the only way to live in one would be to move out to New Mexico. Being a Philly boy I have no plans of that. But almost a year ago, I gained a little hope. I met Rashida Ali Campbell, founder of the non-profit LoveLovingLove and Earthship Biotecture representative. Her dream was to bring the first urban Earthship to Philadelphia with the goal of using the structure as a school to teach low income residents how to build more affordable, earth friendly homes.

Although she has made great strides in the city to realize this dream, we both felt that visions come together quicker when people have something they can actually lay their eyes on. So after much discussion, and an introduction to designer and Earthship intern Eric Fulks, we began construction on a greenhouse that will provide seedlings for Emerald St. Urban Farm. As you can see from the picture, the back wall is constructed of 60 tires packed full of dirt (let me tell you, there is no better workout on earth than packing a tire full of dirt with a sledgehammer). This serves as both a secure wall and a built in heat source. The thermal mass traps heat and holds it through the cold months. 

The front wall is constructed out of 500 cut and stacked two liter bottles. The side wall is made from old discarded windows and we installed a rainwater catchment system off of the roof that fills the blue barrel seen in the bottom corner of the photo. By using thermal mass and water catchment, this greenhouse requires no utility hook ups and will hopefully run just as efficiently as a conventionally heated greehouse. All that and it only cost us about $300 to build after we diverted all of the scrap wood, windows, bottles and tires from the waste stream.

This is the beauty of Earthship. It teaches people how to make more with less, and how to use the materials around them, both trash and earth, to make more conscious, eco-friendly structures. Since the tires haven’t had a whole season’s worth of sun to charge up, the greenhouse is not operating at full efficiency. But by next fall, not only do I plan to be growing through out the winter and producing our spring seedlings, but I hope to be the one of the only, if not the only (I don’t know anyone else) person who is growing bananas in his backyard. But until then, please feel free to stop by the farm anytime to check it out.

-Nic

How To: Cleaning Black Walnuts

Monday, November 07, 2011

My wedding anniversary came to pass a few weeks ago, and my husband, as usual, gave me a gift. No, not jewelry or flowers—a box of foraged black walnuts.

True, it’s an odd gift, but certainly not one I’ll ever turn away. My husband collected the walnuts from a tree near where he works, and they’ve been resting on our back porch ever since. What have I been waiting for? Well, the outer hulls need to soften up. You’ll know it’s time get rid of the hull when you can easily dent it with your thumbnail. Any harder, and you won’t be able to cut into the hull with any degree of success.

If you’ve never attempted to de-hull black walnuts, be forewarned: it can get messy. The flesh inside the husk can permanently dye everything in its path dark brown, so pick up a pair of protective gloves—latex is good. Some people recommend gloves that are rated to withstand solvents. It’s not a terrible idea, but not entirely necessary…as long as the gloves are strong.

Okay, so you’ve got your gloves. You also need a sharp knife, a bucket of water, a trash bag, and a bunch of newspapers over which to work. Slice into the hull with your knife, but don’t press in too hard. It’s not that you’re going to damage the walnut shell—but the shell is so hard, it’ll dull your knife. Drag your blade around the hull of the walnut until you’ve got a solid slice around the equator. Another word of warning: you may see maggots (husk fly maggots, to be exact). They’re gross, but it doesn’t mean the inner nut is bad.

Twist the two hull halves apart, drop the hull in the trash, and the nut in the water. Repeat until you’re all finished up. And yes, it’s best to toss the hulls in the trash instead of adding them to your compost heap because there are compounds in black walnut hulls that are toxic to plants. Granted, if you hunt on the internet hard enough, there are ways to use the hulls—making ink, herbal hair dye, etc.

When you’ve got a bucket full of walnuts, stir the water with a stick. I don’t just mean a leisurely stir, either—agitate the crap out of the water and nuts because you’re trying to encourage the remaining bits of hull to fall off. Drain the water (remember: walnut hulls are toxic to plants, so don’t pour the water directly onto your prized peonies—it can also kill off earthworms) and fill up the bucket with clean water. You may need to repeat the process up to four times to get clean walnut shells.

At this point, spread the walnuts out in a box or on a screen and allow them to air dry for a few hours in the sun. Having an overcast day? No worries—put the walnuts on a cookie sheet and place them in an unlit gas oven for 24 to 48 hours for drying. If you don’t have a gas oven, you can try drying them in your oven after you’ve baked something: the oven needs to be at around 100 degrees.

But you’re not done yet! Gather the dried walnuts into a mesh bag and hang on your back patio or some other ventilated indoor area for a period of 4 to 6 weeks. This is technically described as the curing period. Don’t attempt to shell them until you can shake a nut and hear the meat rattle within.

So you wait it out, and your walnuts are finally ready—this is where the hard part begins. Ever tried to crack a black walnut? It’s really tough—the process and the shell. I’ve heard of people running over black walnuts with a car to help crack the shells. I personally have attempted to de-shell them by banging the crap out of a walnut shell with a hammer. Probably the easiest way to crack black walnuts, though, is with a vise: place the nut end-to-end in the vise. Place a container under the nut. Crank the vise until the nut just cracks. Some people recommend soaking the nuts in water again for an hour or two before you undertake cracking—it allegedly cuts down on the amount of flying shell debris. When you’re finished with the cracking, turn your attention to the bowl of nuts. It’s unlikely you’ll get many whole pieces of walnut freed from the shell during this process. Yes, you can use a pick to pry the meat out, but if you would rather have whole meats you’ll need some kind of cutter to remove more of the shell. I’ve read that some people use wire cutters.

Use the nuts within the next few months—there is quite a bit of oil in the nuts, so they can go bad. If you wish to store them long term, you’ll need to freeze the nutmeats.

Yeah, it’s a lot of work. Why would anyone bother? Well, a few reasons, really. First and foremost, black walnuts taste better than regular walnuts. But also, they’re really nutritious—chock full omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for our brains.

Aside from eating them out of hand, there are some really interesting things you can do with black walnuts. I love this recipe for acorn squash lasagna with black walnut cream—you can make it almost entirely out of locally grown ingredients. Other options: banana-black walnut cake with caramel frosting, black walnut ice cream, black walnut shortbread cookies, black walnut pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread, black walnut brittle, pork tenderloin with black walnut mole sauce, pickled walnuts, shiitake and black walnut tartare, and black walnut stuffing with figs and bacon.

Good Ol’ Apple Pressing

Monday, October 31, 2011

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I know I’m cutting it close to this month’s Apple Challenge, but what better day to post than on Halloween? And what better way to celebrate the fall than by a good ol’ apple pressing. This past weekend, some good friends who caretake at the historic Wyck House in Germantown invited a few friends over to press apples in the mansion’s apple press. Although this isn’t a press that dates as far back as some of the historic pieces in the mansion, it’s modeled after the traditional design used in the 1800’s and even before.

If you look at the picture, the apples are sitting in the grinder. The grinder is a cylinder with jagged edges that is attached to a crank wheel on the side. By spinning the wheel, the apples are processed through into small chunks that fall into the basket below lined with cheese cloth. Once the basket is filled, a lid is placed over the apples that fits inside the basket. The lid has a piece of metal on the top with a groove indented into it that will receive the business end of that long threaded rod coming from the top. The handle on top of the rod allows you to screw down the rod, pushing down the lid, and thus pressing the apples. The juice seeps out of the basket and the cloth, onto a tray with a hole at one end, from which that sweet nectar of the autumnal gods pours out.

The fruits of our labor were enjoyed by all as we drank the fresh cider right out of the press. It was amazing how different blends of different apples made juices with different shades, different thicknesses and different levels of sweet or tartness. This also reaffirmed my desire to buy my own press. Aside from the plenty of apples we get during the Fall in this region, I also have Italian black grapes in my yard and two plum trees across the street from my house. So I will have more than enough reasons to press. But after watching the press in action, my good friend Carl and I mused on the possibilities of building our own. I’ll keep you all up to date on our progress. As for now, I’m thankful for this great resource at the Wyck House. The caretakers also do pressing with school groups. For more info, please consult their website.

As a side note, should some of us have wanted to harden up that cider, the method is to take a small amount of sodium bicarbonate and add it to a five gallon glass carboy (available at most homebrew stores) to start the process. After three days of letting it rest, add champagne yeast and then let the fermentation process to begin. For best results, let the cider ferment for two to three months, reracking the cider into different containers two or three times through out the process.

So once again, here’s to fall and apples. Have a safe and fun halloween.

Dutch Apple Pancake

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

My children tend to suck the fun out of eating, since they summarily reject most fruits and vegetables that aren’t either plain and raw or lightly steamed. I find myself avoiding recipes because I don’t want to deal with the trauma of inflicting something as awful as an apple pie upon them. But every once in a while when the kids are out I make something just for me. This past Sunday I tried a Dutch Apple Pancake, also called a German Apple or Puffed Apple pancake.The recipe suggests Granny Smith or Braeburn apples, depending on if you like your pancakes sweet or tart. Since I’d never had one before I used a variety of different apples from my CSA to see which I preferred.

Dutch Apple Pancake
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 apples, sweet or tart, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup half and half
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Preheat an oven to 425ºF.
Melt 2 Tbs. of butter in a 10 inch ovenproof fry pan. Add the apple, cinnamon and granulated sugar and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the apple begins to soften and brown, 5 to 6 minutes. .
Whisk eggs, half and half and vanilla until blended. Sift the flour and salt into the egg mixture and whisk until just blended.

Pour the batter over the apple slices. Bake until the pancake is browned and puffed up, about 20-25 minutes. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately.

Delicata Squash and Apple Bisque

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Appropriately enough for the October apple challenge, my Thanksgiving stuffing recipe features apples, along with a lot of onions and celery, walnuts or pecans, and fresh sage and thyme.  Since it’s not quite time for stuffing yet, I turned that basic inspiration into a smooth, warming soup that also made great use out of the handful of Delicata squash that came out of my garden before all the rain softened up the rest.

There are three apple elements in this soup: a large tart apple, cider mixed into the stock, and a shot of Calvados at the end. If you can’t find Delicata squash in the markets, this soup can be made just as well with any other winter squash, although I think butternut or Kabocha would give the best results. If you prefer to leave out the alcohol, the soup can be finished with a drizzle of cider vinegar instead.

Delicata Squash and Apple Bisque
Serves 6-8

4 small Delicata squash, cut in half and seeded
3 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large or 2 small Honeycrisp, Fuji, or other tart-crisp apple, peeled and diced
2 sprigs fresh sage, leaves julienned
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped off the stems
3 cups vegetable stock
1 ½ cups apple cider
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Calvados, applejack, or brandy

Preheat oven to 400 F. Rub the cut surfaces of the squash with 2 tablespoons of the oil and set rind-up on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Roast squash until tender all the way through and yielding to the point of a sharp knife.  Once cooked, scrape the flesh out of the squash and discard the rinds.

Heat the butter and remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat until the butter has melted. Saute the onion until wilted, then add the celery and apple and continue cooking until soft. 

Add the stock, cider, herbs and roasted squash to the pot.  Salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil.  Cover the pot, lower the heat and simmer 20 minutes, until the squash has completely broken down into the soup.

Using an immersion blender or food processor, puree the soup until smooth.  Stir in the Calvados or brandy, taste, and add more salt and pepper as necessary.

Romanesco and Cauliflower Manicotti

Saturday, October 22, 2011

A few weeks ago, as Tom Culton explained to me why his romanesco were so small (he had cut them prematurely so they didn’t have a chance to rot from all of the rain), I had a small, inward panic.  His romanesco, beautiful fractal patterns in lime green, are among my favorite arrivals for the fall.  Thankfully, Tom’s later crop have returned to their normal, bountiful size.  I am always looking for new ways to cook it, and this manicotti recipe is among my favorites.  It almost seems a shame to cook romanesco down to an unrecognizable mash, but I think the manicotti easily compensate in taste.

This is, undeniably, a main dish that just happens to be vegetarian.  It’s substantial and rich enough to satisfy people who have difficulty imagining a meal without meat.  I’ve made some revisions to Jamie Oliver’s original.  First, I make my own tomato sauce.  Second, I supplanted store-bought cannelloni tubes with buckwheat manicotti (crepes).  Third, I substituted anchovy paste for actual anchovies.  I do love anchovies, and I am one to purchase them salted and then fillet them myself when needed. But in this instance, because it should dissolve consistently in the cooked vegetables, I opt for the paste, saving the fillets instead for a my homemade version of Otto’s “Romana” pizza.  Fourth, instead of creme fraiche, I use goat yogurt from Patches of Stair Dairy.

Making your own tomato sauce and crepes, in addition to being in accord with the credo of this blog, guarantees a freshness and quality you will find difficult to equal in store-bought ingredients.  Further, the recipes included here for both the tomato sauce and the crepes make more than this recipe calls for.  Therefore, in making these manicotti, you are making key ingredients of two other meals.  For example, I used the other half of the tomato sauce for a pasta dinner and the crepes for breakfast. Additionally, by using manicotti, I’ve eliminated the need to fill cannelloni with a pastry bag.

Like many of Oliver’s dishes this represents a nice twist on something classic (in this case, anchovies and broccoli).  My favorite aspect of this dish, though, is the quick “white-sauce” of goat yogurt and Parmesan thinned with some water.  You can easily find other uses for that alone.

One last thing: thanks to my awesome neighbors for first serving me this.

Cauliflower and Broccoli Manicotti

1 lb. broccoli, washed and chopped
1 lb. romanesco cauliflower, washed and chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small bunch basil leaves, picked and washed
1 small bunch thyme, washed and leaves stripped and chopped
1 oz. anchovy paste
2 small dried chilies (or to taste)
2 cups goat yogurt
8 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, sliced
2 cups tomato sauce (see below)
1 dozen (approximately) buckwheat manicotti (see below)
salt and pepper
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it as you would for pasta, and drop in the broccoli and cauliflower.  Blanch for 5 minutes and then strain, reserving the cooking water. 

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide, shallow saucepan (make sure the pan is wide enough to hold all of the cauliflower and broccoli) over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook for approximately 1 minute.  Add the thyme, anchovies, and chilies.  Stir together and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the cooked broccoli and cauliflower, stirring everything together.  Add ½ cup of the reserved cooking water, turn the heat to medium-low, partially cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft enough to mash.  (If the mixture is too wet, allow it to cook longer uncovered.  If the mixture is too dry, stir in more of the cooking water, one tablespoon at a time.)  Remove from the heat and mash the vegetables with a spoon.  Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, mix the goat yogurt and 4 oz. of the Parmesan to form the quick “white sauce.”  Thin with a little water if necessary.

Assemble the manicotti.  Spread the tomato sauce on the bottom of a large casserole dish or lasagna pan.  Lay one of the manicotti on a plate.  Spoon a strip of the mixture in the center, being careful not to overstuff them.  Roll up on side and then other; one side should overlap the other.  Arrange the manicotti in the pan, seam-side down, packing them tightly together but keeping them in single layer.  Spread the basil leaves over the manicotti, and then cover with the white sauce.  Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over the top and then cover with the mozzarella.  Season the top with black pepper and a drizzle (or two) of olive oil.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden and the whole thing is bubbling. 

Serve with some simply dressed greens. 

The Woodlands Community Apiary

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

This spring I re-newed my love for the Woodlands—not just because I became a member of the Woodlands Community Garden, but also because of the new apiary that is housed there, the Woodlands Community Apiary. I know I’m oversimplifying this theory, but it’s been documented that eating locally produced honey can help stave of seasonal allergies… so by participating in Daniel Duffy’s project, via a Kickstarter campaign, I’m not only helping out the youth benefiting from working on the project, and the honey bees who get protected by the hives, but I personally would get some medicinal benefits of the honey produced a mere 200ft away from my community garden.

Honey from the same place that I grow my veggies.

How cool is that?

Earlier this spring I took a picture of the hives:

and the accompanying sign:

I will admit that during the course of the summer I would go over and peek at the hives… and maybe say a little friendly hello to the honey bees. Yes, I talked to the bees. So, you can imagine just how excited I was when I finally got the email saying my honey share was ready for pickup!

I feel like this honey is too precious to eat and so I’m saving it for very special treats. Right now all I’m doing is taking the lid off and dipping a finger in to enjoy it a few drops at a time. So, what should I use the honey for?

You can read more about the apiary on their Kickstarter page and see a videos about the project there as well as here. You can read more about the Woodlands at Hidden City Philadelphia.