Archive for July, 2007
Ending on a High Note
This morning I scurried over to the Farm to pick a dozen squash blossoms and a couple fennels on my way to the newly established Headhouse Farmers Market on 2nd Street, just off Philly’s colorful South Street. My mission: to bring some truly interesting items to Weavers Way Farm’s stand at the Market. After dropping off my goods with Farmer Dave at our table, I took a stroll around.
The Market was amazing, both in its diversity of produce and people and in its beautiful colors and smells. You’ll have to take my word for it since I forgot to reset my white balance on the camera, resulting in less than stellar photos. This kickoff event for the Headhouse Market was really one of the last events in the “Buy Fresh Buy Local Week”, promoted and organized by Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA). With literally dozens of invigorating events throughout the past week, it seemed only fitting to finish it all off with the best imaginable farmers market. Even Weaver’s Way Co-op Manager, Glenn Bergman, was surprised by the market’s sheer volume of local produce. He said something to the effect of “It’s just so darn European!”
Indeed, the Headhouse Market reminds me of strolling the riverbanks in Lyon, France, during the Sunday market there. I am so encouraged to see the urbanites in Philadelphia embracing this “food chain renaissance”, returning to the high quality flavors and heriloom varieties in a way that Philly’s founders (who built the Headhouse Square Shambles in which this market is housed) would have greatly appreciated.
What I appreciated seeing the most was two chefs stop by our table, choosing to take Weavers Way Farm produce for the “Chef Cook-off” event being held in conjunction with the Headhouse Market’s grand opening. While I didn’t get the opportunity to see who won, I’m sure our produce was put to good use.
So, while “Buy Fresh Buy Local Week” has indeed ended on a superb high note, don’t think this is it. “It” is just beginning. For one, Weavers Way Farm is just starting to pump out the best of its harvest for the season. No doubt the same can be said for all the other farmers at Headhouse today. If you didn’t visit today, visit next week and the week after and again and again. If you don’t live in Philly, I’m sure there’s a similarly unique farmers market near you. Join the swelling chorus of voices singing the praises of local farmers and their harvests.
Crunchy Goodness
Friday and the humidity isn’t off the gauge! Time to party! Thus it is that I plan to keep this post both sweet and short.
It’s been brought to my attention that croutons aren’t “much of an entry” (this from a man that goes pale at the mere mention of his participation in the nightly dinner preparations), but I beg to differ. While making your own croutons isn’t hard, it’s something I rarely think to do. My recipes aren’t meant to be revolutionary. Rather, they are here to prompt you to embrace the freshest, most local food you can find. Homemade croutons with fresh herb butter fit in perfectly with that scheme, don’t ya think? Well, I do.
What I like best about these croutons is that they really lend themselves to so much more than just a salad topper. For instance, in the photo above, I diced some just-off-the-vine-tomatoes, tossed them with sea salt, black pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. Then I let those sit for a bit to draw out the juices before tossing in the croutons to soak up said juices. Less than 10 minutes after I started, I had a delectable and filling little side dish.
So, make a double batch of these crunchy add-ins and see where they take you on a whim. I also have been sneaking a couple as a snack when I get home from work. They’re good any way you please, even “god, I can’t make dinner!” man admits that.
Basil-Garlic Croutons
Adapted from The Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden Cookbook
1 baguette
1 stick of softened butter
2 T. finely chopped fresh basil
1 1/4 t. finely chopped fresh oregano
1 large garlic clove, finely minced
generous pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 F. Slice baguette into 1/2 inch cubes and spread onto a baking sheet. Toast in oven until crisp but not golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place in medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a small bowl, place softened butter, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well. Allow to sit for at least an hour to let flavors marry. Do not place in refrigerator unless leaving overnight (in which case, soften again in microwave).
Combine herbed butter with croutons in bowl, tossing well. Return croutons to baking sheet and toast in 400 F oven again for 10 minutes, this time toasting until golden. Allow to cool and store in ziplock bag for up to several weeks.
Serve not only on salads, but also in soup and with seasoned fresh tomatoes.
(makes 4 cups)
Unconventional Birthday Treats
Do you like birthdays? I like birthdays. Wouldn’t you want a cake for your birthday? I would like cake for my birthday. This all seems very logical, right? Well, D’s birthday was the other day. He doesn’t like birthdays and he refused to have cake (something about watching his waistline, yada yada yada). I eventually wore him down and we went out for ice cream. For your reference, hand-dipped dulce de leche topped with soft-served vanilla that you swirl together once they get melty make an excellent combo.
But there was no cake.
Foowee.
So, instead I wished him happy birthday with colorful pesto on toast. At first thought, it seemed rather dull (colorful yes, but “dull” in the sense that cake would be so much nicer). But once I got going, the pesto was rather festive in its own right. Thanks to the chartreuse shade of the sorrel, this pesto is a brighter hue than the traditional darker basil version. The flavor is also brighter, but not too too tangy thanks to the mellowing affects of the almonds. In the end, birthday wishes were happily conveyed via pesto on toast.
As for the birthday boy, he’s in the doghouse (although I don’t think he knows that) for eating birthday cake after all…at the request of his grandmother. Sure, refuse me the indulgence of making a yummy-from-scratch-cake but let your grandmother guilt you into a stryofoam slice from the grocery store. I’m just bitter because what I really wanted was an excuse to bake. As delightful as the final pesto product was, it just wasn’t the same as cake.
Sigh…
Sorrel Almond Pesto with Tomato on Toast
Adapted from The Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden Cookbook
Pesto
1 c. loosely packed roughly chopped basil
2 c. loosely packed roughly chopped sorrel
1/3 c. slivered almonds
3/4 c. freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese
4 or 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
The Rest of It
1 or 2 fresh tomatoes, sliced
1 baguette, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds
parmesan cheese shavings
Place all pesto ingredients except the oil in a food processor or blender. Process until everything is fairly well chopped. Begin adding oil slowly while still processing. When a fairly smooth paste is formed, stop processing and taste. Add more salt or pepper as needed and process one final time. Store pesto in air tight container for up to a week.
Preheat oven to 400 F and place baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Lightly spray with cooking spray and place in oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven, let cool, and spread pesto on each slice. Top with a slice of tomato and a cheese shaving.
(makes appetizer portions for 6-8 people or enough pesto for a generous dish of pasta)
A Bowtie Affair
Every day I take my lunch break in the office gym (hold your applause), where I commence to forego eating to indulge in both an invigorating workout and, my real reason, CABLE TV.
I don’t have cable at home. I grew up without television (my parents had some notion that tv made kids fight) and somehow that upbringing engrained in me the dislike for paid (by me) programming. After all, I’m willing to lend a few moments of my laundry folding time to zippy ads about some old lady in her motorized wheelchair picking up some product or another (see, advertising dollars go to waste on me) that propels her at 60 mph down a narrow grocery store aisle.
That being said, if ever the genius execs at the cable company thought to offer an “ala carte” option that let’s a customer pay for just the channels they want, I’d sign up in a heart beat for two…Discovery and the Food Network. Now I love PBS cooking shows to death, but nothing quite compares to the high glitz ‘n glamour of the Food Network star chefs and their shows. I’m like a moth to the light. As such, my lunch hour is spent gazing from the treadmill at the overhead TV and contemplating how I’d present the dish differently and what ingredient would be a better substitute for this and that and OMG, can you get a shirt that’s any more revealing!?!?…
Suffice to say, I get a lot of ideas – and hunger pains – over my lunch hour. I watch. I think. I plan. And then I execute mutant versions of what I see. So it is that I’m not sure what show precisely inspired this dish, but I’d like to collectively thank the Food Network for another winner. Creamy with a hint of sorrel tang and the buttery texture of the zucchini, the dish works great for a family table main course or as a cold pasta salad at a picnic (I used it for both). The bowtie pasta isn’t the only kind you could use, but it does hold up nicely to the sheer bulk of the other ingredients.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m due in the gym for my next fix…
Bowtie Pasta with Sorrel, Zucchini and Chicken
Inspired after watching several Food Network shows
1 box of bowtie pasta
20 stems of sorrel, washed and cut into thin ribbons
3 T. basil leaves, finely minced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
half a red onion, thinly sliced
1 medium eight ball zucchini (or other variety), julienned
3 T. vegetable or chicken broth
2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
4 oz. softened goat cheese
4 oz. softened cream cheese
8 oz. of pre-cooked shredded chicken or mock chicken (optional)
Salt and pepper
With this recipe, it’s important to have all the ingredients ready before the pasta is finished cooking so you can immediately assemble the dish, using the heat of the pasta to bring it all together.
Wash, chop and otherwise prepare all the vegetables. If using mock chicken, brown in skillet and set aside. Heat olive oil and butter in the skillet. Add onions and garlic and turn heat to medium-low to “sweat” them, stirring occasionally until limp and slightly browned (about 10 mins). In the meantime, using the broth, steam zucchini until they are fork tender. Do NOT drain the leftover broth. Set zucchini aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a handful of salt and the bowtie pasta. Cook according to package directions. Drain pasta but reserve 1/2 c. of the pasta water.
In a large mixing bowl, place onion, garlic and chicken. Toss well. Place the goat and cream cheeses in the bowl. Add the drained pasta and then the sorrel and basil. Begin to toss all ingredients together. Add the zucchini and broth. Toss some more. Use reserved pasta water to loosen up the cheese if it doesn’t seem to have enough moisture to form a sauce.
Taste pasta and season accordingly with salt and pepper. Serve hot or cold with fresh tomato on the side.
(serves 4-5 as main dish)
40 + 25 + 4 = One Great Ride
So we did it! Over 40 cyclist went 25 miles to explore 4 urban agriculture sites within Philly’s city limits. It was a wonderfully sunny, blue sky day with a nice breeze to keep us cool. The farms we visited were all so unique in their own right and the staff gave fantastic tours. The cyclists hailed from all parts of the city as well as a couple from out of state. A great deal of idea sharing and encouragement occurred along the way, no doubt generating future initiatives, both on a personal and on a larger scale. I enjoyed meeting so many of you who read the blog. Thanks to Chris Hill for masterminding this excellent event. Word on the street (from the bike seat) is that this will become an annual event with even more farms and more riders!
Now, since a picture is worth a thousand words, I figure 51 pictures will do a heck of a better job telling you about our lovely day than I will. So, here’s the link to the Flickr set I created. If you were on the ride and care to add a comment under any of the pictures identifying yourself and sharing your thoughts on the day, I’d appreciate it.
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Here are the links to or a short description of the places we visited.
Weavers Way Farm (this blog)
Mill Creek Farm (link)
GreensGrow (link)
Spring Gardens (no link)
A mature lovingly attended community garden, Spring Gardens is full of amazing flowers, heirloom vegetables, sculpture and other art, and an amazing view of the city’s skyscrapers. Many innovative techniques are being used in this garden, which has a committed membership and real sense of community.
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And finally, but not least, here is the blog for the three ladies riding from D.C. to Montreal and back this summer to document urban agriculture projects. These incredible women really inspired me! I’ll be following their progress closely and I encourage you to do the same.
Women’s Garden Cycles Bike Tour
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One final note – Visit Mac and Cheese for Taylor’s great recount of the ride.
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