Grow. Cook. Eat. – Page 2 – Julia Shanks Recovering Chef and Urban Gardener

October 7, 2011

Wild Flavors: A Book and a Fundraiser

All the vendors at Biba (the restaurant I worked at in the mid 1990’s) had nicknames. Among others, there were Eva the lamb-lady and Eva the herb-lady… on a regular basis they’d pop out of the back elevator with bags of herbs or a baby lamb dangling over a shoulder.

I don’t know what happened to the lamb lady, but I started seeing Eva Sommaripa’s name at Whole Foods. Her business had grown and expanded to include selling to such large retail stores. I was thrilled for her.

Around the same time, I met Didi Emmons. She was the chef at the Delux Café, a funky little bar in the South End. She built a name for herself with bold flavors and straightforward food, first in this tiny kitchen and then through her first cookbook, Vegetarian Planet. She would test recipes for her cookbook in the basement kitchen of the café, using them as specials. It was in her café that I had my first chance “guest-cheffing." And together we taught cooking classes for Share Our Strength.

How fun for me, now, to see Didi and Eva paired up to write a cookbook about Wild Flavors and fresh herbs. Their book comes out this week and I can’t wait to see it.

Wild Flavors follows a year at Eva’s Garden through the seasons, showcasing Emmons’ creative talents, using absolutely fresh herbs and wild edibles. The author profiles 46 plants, with growing instruction, as well as details on preparation, storage, preservation and health benefits. The book offers readers an inside look at the exchanges between chefs and farmers.

Long-gone are the days of Didi and I teaching low-income families about cooking, nutrition and food budgeting, but Didi still works with a social mission in mind. She’s been the chef at the Haley House for the last 5 years.

Infused with the rich diversity of the area, Haley House Bakery Café does more than fill the neighborhood with the aroma of healthy, delicious food. It breathes life into Dudley Square by providing a place where all are truly welcome. The Bakery is also a workplace for men and women that face significant barriers to employment. Visitors can feel good about eating flavorful locally sourced food while supporting their community and enjoying the work of local artists.

A model of social enterprise, Haley House Bakery Café promotes the physical, economic and social well-being of the community. Our programs provide on-the-job training for those seeking to become financially independent and introduce young people to the power of cooking from scratch and making other healthy life-style decisions.

On October 16th, You can buy the book, support the Haley House and sample some of the amazing recipes in Wild Flavors!

WILD FLAVORS:
A Fundraiser for Haley House Bakery Café, celebrating the Publication of Founding Chef Didi Emmons’ New Cookbook

Guest chefs include Robert Mancuso (The Country Club, Chestnut Hill), Asia Mei (Sam's at Louis), Patrick Connelly (formerly of Bobo, NYC) and Doug Rodrigues (Clio).

October 16th, 3-6pm at Haley House Bakery Café, 12 Dade Street, Roxbury, MA/617 445 0900

Tickets are for purchase ($100) here.

September 28, 2011

QuickBooks Best Practices for Restaurants and Farms

Anyone who works in the food industry knows the expression: "Garbage in, garbage out." For those that are unfamiliar, it means: The quality of your end product will only be as the ingredients you put in… if you use mediocre tomatoes then your tomato sauce will be mediocre. If you use high quality feed, you will raise high-quality tasting animals. The same is true with QuickBooks. If you don't enter in quality data in QuickBooks, you won't be able to extract useful information.

QuickBooks is the industry-standard software for small businesses such as farms, restaurants and markets. Many people use it as an electronic checkbook, which is too bad. QuickBooks can be powerful business tool that gives you the information you need to make important decisions. For example:

If you have multiple revenue streams (such as a café and catering; or a farmers' market and CSA delivery) you can evaluate which is most profitable. And knowing that information can tell you where to focus your marketing dollars.
If you know which months your business lulls and peaks, you can plan your cash flow for your slow periods.

QuickBooks can give you this information and more.

Here are 7 quick tips to make the most out of your QuickBooks:

1. Separate your revenue into major categories.

For a restaurant, this may mean: food, beverage, beer, wine, alcohol and catering.
For a farm, this may mean Farm Stand, farmers' markets, CSA and wholesale.

2. Similarly, separate your cost of goods sold into the same categories as your revenues.

3. If you have other expenses that are directly related to one revenue stream, separate those.

For example, if you hire labor to work at the farmers' market, create a separate expense account for that labor category.
If you have regular clients, use classes so that you can track revenue and expenses by client.

4. If you receive bills from your vendors, use the "Enter Bills" function and then the "Pay Bills" Function.

5. If customers do not pay when they receive your goods and services, create invoices for them, and then "receive payment."

6. If you have regular payments, such as for a bank loan or rent, "memorize" the transaction so that QuickBooks automatically enters it.

For more personalized assistance, please email for an initial consultation.

September 23, 2011

Free Samples (Recipe: Sweet Potato Burgers)

Last weekend, I was in DC for a book-signing with my dear friend, and co-author, Brett. When I do these types of events, I find the easiest way to lure people to my table – to talk with them about farmers’ markets (or promote the cookbook), is to offer a free sample. And since I had the opportunity to get produce from Brett's farm, it only seemed logical to use what he had.

But the options from the farm were limited. Even’ Star is still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. They've long since left the newsfeed, but that doesn’t mean that the tomatoes suddenly began producing again, or the melons became sweet again.

So we were limited to sweet potatoes, red peppers and eggplants. The weather is quickly turning to autumn, and even though there are still remnants of summer at many of the farmers’ markets, we decided to stick with a more fall-like recipe: sweet potato burgers.

If you’re a die-hard carnivore like me, it’s hard to get excited about veggie burgers. And to be honest, it’s not something i would make if left to my own devices. But these straightforward burgers are satisfying and delicious. The sweet potatoes have enough starch in them to maintain their shape. With the addition of black beans, they have plenty of protein. And fresh herbs brighten up the flavors.

We served these with our homemade ketchup and sour cream mixed with wild mushrooms.

Vegetarian Sweet Potato Burgers

From The Farmer’s Kitchen: The Ultimate Guide to Enjoying your CSA & Farmers’ Market Foods

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
½ cup minced onions
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 cups cooked black beans, slightly mashed
¼ cup fresh oregano and/or basil
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
2 cups cooked sweet potatoes, mashed (preferably a mix of different varieties)
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: sour cream, cilantro and/or cheese.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Sauté the onions and garlic until just cooked. Immediately remove from heat.
Add the beans and oregano to the onions and garlic.
Sprinkle cayenne and salt on top of the mashed sweet potatoes. This helps to better disperse the seasoning.
Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Once chilled, form patties approximately 1 ½-inch thick and 4-inches in diameter.
Heat a large skillet over high heat, add remaining oil. Fry patties until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Flip gently, as these burgers don’t hold together as well as meat patties do.
Serve with sour cream mixed with fresh cilantro, or any condiment that you would normally serve with a beef burger. Best to serve with toasted crusty bread such as baguette or Kaiser roll.

September 21, 2011

Growing Carrots

After two attempts at growing carrots, I wish I had more concrete advice to share with you. Though, I’m nowhere near expert in theories on carrots, I do have more of a clue.

-    I had thought carrots would expose a ½ inch when they are ready, poking through the soil the way beets and radishes do. They never did. Perhaps it was the variety I was growing? Perhaps they didn’t get big enough?
-    Carrots prefer loose, sandy soil so they can grow deep and straight.
-    I did not do a great job of thinning the seeds, but over-crowding the plants did not seem to hinder their growth either. I noticed when I harvested all the carrots this afternoon that the spacing of the plants did not correlate with the size of the carrot.
-    I planted the carrots in a plot that has less sun then the rest of the garden. The kale does excellent in that location. And the carrots did better in that spot than where I had planted them last year near the tomatoes.
-    No matter the size of the carrots, the skin is still bitter to my taste, and I prefer them peeled. A sharp peeler is critical, especially with baby carrots.

Even if I didn’t get enough for an appreciable harvest, my $2 investment in seeds was not wasted. I did get enough for a small side dish of carrots roasted with butter and garlic.

Baby Carrots Roasted with Garlic and Butter
Baby carrots, peeled
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste

1.    In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium flame.
2.    Add the garlic. When the garlic becomes aromatic and lightly brown, add the carrots.
3.    Season with salt, pepper and toss the carrots to coat. Add about ½ cup of water and cover.
4.    Let the carrots steam for about 10 minutes, or until tender.

September 19, 2011

The Bright Spot (Recipe: Creamed Mushrooms)

Without question, Hurricane Irene wrecked havoc all along the East Coast. People died, farms flooded and roads washed away. And with Tropical Storm Lee having come up on her heels, the land is slow to recover.

At Even’ Star Farm, the effects are not overtly obvious. Sure, as you drive down Far Cry Road, you see a few remnants of fallen trees. But the green houses are in-tact and the barn is still standing.

The real impact is evidenced in the fields. While still alive, the tomato plants have stopped producing. The fruit is cracked and ugly. The only summer crops still producing are the eggplants, peppers and sweet potatoes. And it will be many weeks before the fall crops reach peak production.

The bright spot can be found in the woods… behind the north fields. Under the damp brush of fallen trees and decomposing leaves are the mushrooms. Pounds and pounds of glorious mushrooms… Honey Cap, Shiitake, Black Trumpets, Golden Chanterelles and the beloved Porcinis.

After the daily chores are done, with a few more hours of daylight, Brett and I venture into the woods. Despite the attack of mosquitoes (I will spare the photos of my red-pocked arms), Brett is buoyed by the expanse of mushrooms.

Porcinis…

Honey Mushrooms…

Chanterelles…

The mushrooms are inspected on site. If they are not suitable for consumption, either bug infested, slightly rotten or of a bitter variety, Brett perches them on a log so they can continue to spread their spores and propagate the woods with more fungi. Even the non-edible varities, he treats in this manner to keep the ecosystem in balance.

When we returned to the house, Brett said to me, “You must be really dedicated to your blog to stop and take photos when the mosquitoes are chowing on you.” Indeed. And this is not nearly as bad as the time we were mushrooming and I walked through a tick nest. When I took off my shoes, I found THOUSANDS of ticks covering my feet. I can assure you, I will never hear me quibble at the price of wild mushrooms. And you shouldn’t either.

Creamed Mushrooms
1 tbs. butter
1 1/2 lb. wild mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 tbs. sliced garlic
1 cup cream
1 tsp. whole grain mustard
1/2 bunch thyme
2 tbs. cognac
Salt pepper and lemon juice to taste

Heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat and add butter. Sauté mushroom, garlic and shallots. Add cognac, and reduce before adding the cream and 2 tsp. chopped thyme. Reduce by half. Stir in mustard. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

September 16, 2011

Other People’s Food (Recipe: Arepas with Salsa

As any home cook knows, it’s easy to get into a rut. Even though as a professional chef, my larder of recipes is expansive, I still fall into the same trap. As does my farmer-friend Brett, who also worked as a chef for 15 years before becoming a farmer. So when I visit him on the farm, he always prefers that I cook. And I love cooking on the farm because even the same ingredients behave so differently. The eggs have more texture and cook more slowly, the tomatoes are sweeter, and the beef has more flavor.

His most oft-requested dish is my arepas, a Latin American corn-cake. Usually, the cakes are made from ground corn-meal (masarepa) mixed with water and salt, and formed into patties. The patties are grilled and topped with salsa and cheese.

I learned how to make these in the more traditional recipe of cooking the dried hominy corn and then grinding it. The paste that emerges from the grinder is quite dry, so I mix it with fresh corn, cheese and butter. This gives the dough more sweetness and creaminess.

Arepas

1 – 1 lb. bag hominy
4 ears corn
1 tbs. chopped garlic
4 scallions, chopped
2 tbs. chopped cilantro *or more
1 – 2 cups grated jack cheese
3 tbs. butter
salt and pepper
plain oil
salsa

1. Cook hominy according to package directions.

2. Heat a large skillet. Melt butter. Add the corn, then the garlic. Cook over medium heat until the corn begins to roast and brown.

3. Drain hominy. Grind with a medium hole. Grind corn and garlic mixture as well.

4. Mix in by hand the jack cheese, scallion and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Form patties with dough. Pan fry in plain oil until crispy on both sides.

Tomato-Pepper Salsa

3 tomatoes, finely diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
1 tsp. chili paste (or more to taste)
½ lime, juiced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tbs. chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Mix Salsa Ingredients together.

September 15, 2011

Preserving Summer – Basil, Kale and Chilies

Every year, I grow far more produce than I can actually consume on my own . I can’t help myself, though… Even the seemingly small number of basil plants (only 4) generates far more fragrant leaves than I could eat, even if I were to eat pesto at every meal during the summer. And those kales seeds are so tiny that 4 short rows of plants barely feels like anything until I start cutting 2 gallons of leaves a week.

So I’ve developed all sorts of strategies for preservation.

The past few years, I’ve tried several strategies for freezing basil, both of which I like.

I puree the basil with a little olive oil and then spoon it into ice cube trays. Once the basil is frozen, I transfer it to a Ziploc bag for more compact storage.
I put the dry basil leaves in a Ziploc bag. They get dry and brittle, and crumble.

I intentionally opted against pesto because I don’t want to commit to the flavor profile. And truthfully, I just don’t eat that much pesto.

With the kale, when I harvest more than I can eat in a single meal, I sauté the rest with garlic and freeze it. By now, I’ve got a half dozen quart bags stacked in the freezer.

For the jalapenos, I cut them into rings, simmer them in oil and then freeze them in ice cube trays. When the pepper cubes are frozen, I transfer them to a ziploc bag.

This year, I’m trying something semi-new…. Making a few pounds of herb butter. I’ve made the herb butter before, but never in bulk. I like this idea because I can also incorporate the tarragon and scallions.

Yes, I know, it’s committing to a flavor profile. But this is a profile I really like. And I can still freeze some herbs plain.

What are your strategies for perserving the summer harvest?

Herb Butter
¼ cup fresh tarragon
¼ cup fresh chives or scallions
¼ cup fresh parsley (or 1 tsp. dried)
¼ cup fresh basil (or 1 tsp. dried)
2 tsp. fennel seeds
1 pound butter
salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop herbs and fennel seeds. Mix with butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Roll into logs and wrap in parchment paper. Freeze.

September 6, 2011

Red Salad

A vibrant salad – both in color and taste. And straightforward – in preparation and flavors. This salad pairs especially well with ribs or other rich, grilled meats.

4 beets
4 tomatoes
1 – 2 balls of fresh mozzarella
½ cup fresh basil leaves
2 – 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 – 4 tablespoons EVOO + extra for cooking the beets
Salt and pepper to taste.

1.    Scrub the beets well. Toss with a little olive oil, wrap in foil and roast in a 400F oven for 20 – 30 minutes, or until beets are tender when piereced with a paring knife. Let beets cool
2.    Cut the tomatoes into chunks. Cut mozzarella into chunks.
3.    When beets are cool enough to handle, peel and then cut into chunks.
4.    Toss the beets, tomatoes, basil, olive oil and vinegar together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
5.    Add the mozzarella – either just before serving to maintain its snow white color, or mixed in to let the beets dye it pink.

September 3, 2011

Embryonic Carrots

This is my second attempt at growing carrots. Not quite big enough to constitute "baby". But just enough to give a little crunch to my chicken salad.

And yes, that is a soy sauce dish.

September 2, 2011

Cross Promotion

Last month, I guest-cheffed at EVOO Restaurant in Cambridge to promote my new cookbook. From a simple financial perspective, this may have seemed foolish. EVOO didn't pay me, and though I earned royalties from that evening's book sales, it amounted to about $3/hour.EVOO had to hire extra staff for the evening, and they probably ran a higher than normal food cost, too.

But we both benefitted from the special evening:

All my clients and friends learned about EVOO, with my endorsement of their quality.
Of the 130 covers of the evening, at least 40% came were first-time diners, coming in explicitly for the guest-chef appearance. These guests had a chance to sample EVOO's fine service and cuisine, and are more likely to become repeat customers in the future.
Likewise, EVOO's entire client base (both from the mailing list and from dining in the restaurant) learned about my new cookbook.
And the customers who came into EVOO unaware of the special event were able to sample dishes from the cookbook.
Finally, we had an opportunity to send a press release, and the event was mentioned in both the Boston Globe and Stuff Magazine. This exposure benefitted both of us in building awareness of our respective brands.

Building partnerships with similar, but non-competing businesses can be a great way to promote your business to an expanded client-base. Viewed as a marketing effort instead of a revenue stream, these promotions make business and financial sense.

Here are some examples:

Farmers

Not all farmers can grow the diversity of crops for their region. Partner with a farmer to sell their complimentary products at your farm-stand and vice versa. Be sure that your customers know you support each other.

Cafes/Restaurants

Hang artwork of local artists on your wall. This can be an economical way to decorate your space while creating new opportunities to promote your restaurant. Additionally, opening parties that showcase the artist's work will bring in new customers.
Host special events with local organizations. This could be a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Clubs, or a book-signing for an author. Darryl's Corner Bar + Kitchen closes the regular dining room every Monday for these types of events.

Food Producers

Showcase the source of your ingredients on the label. If, for example, you make your famous Bolognese sauce with meat from Pete and Jen's Backyard Birds, mark that on your label. Pete and Jen may consider giving you a discount for the promotion. And if not, they may be willing to promote your product on their website.

Cross-promotion can be a low-cost, win-win marketing tool. For assistance in creating these promotions, call or email.