Chef/Owner Steve Johnson has always been passionate about sourcing local ingredients, and I often run into him at the Monday farmer's market across the street from his restaurant. I intuited that his menu used sage, so when I went there for dinner last week, I brought a gallon ziploc bag of leaves. Thankfully, he uses them in his chicken marinade and could handily use a gallon a week.
Roast Chicken with Chanterelles, Corn and Green Beans
I returned this week with another gallon bag of leaves to discover they are featured on the halibut as well. Last Saturday night, he sold 35 portions… a huge number for the 180 covers for the night.
Sautéed halibut with apple, butternut squash, smoked bacon, sage and cider butter sauce
In a nutshell, it was a great summer! My garden yielded more produce than I could have imagined. I had enough to share with friends and neighbors, and plenty for my own meals.
This was the first full season with my new garden… it was in the middle of last summer that I dug up all the crappy Cambridge “soil” (bricks, glass, trash with a sprinkling of dirt) and replaced it, 2 feet deep, with high quality compost. The new garden also gave me twice as much growing room as before.
I’ve resigned myself that the sage will be as much as an ornamental plant as it will be for cooking. I started the summer with 5 plants which quickly took over. I moved one to the front yard and dug up a second entirely, dried the leaves and burned it throughout the house to scare away any evil demons. Even with 3 plants (top picture), they look as lush as when the sage sagas began (bottom).
The aphids had a great time chowing on the brassicas – the kohlrabi, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Despite regular spraying (with organic pesticide, of course), I still lost a few plants. Speaking of cauliflower, I only got one head from the three plants. I enjoyed watching the flower grow out of the bouquet of leaves. But in the end, it was bitter and the yield didn’t justify the space.
The kohlrabi on the other hand, did quite well. Roasted with olive oil and garlic, it was the dark horse of the summer vegetables.
I grew three varieties of tomatoes – 1 heirloom and 2 hybrids. The heirloom, on September 22nd looks as if it might give off one ripe fruit before the first frost. The hybrids on the other hand generated a few dozen. I forced myself to space the tomato plants with at least 2 feet between them – It took great self control to not crowd as many plant into the garden as possible, but in the end I was rewarded. The plants grew much larger with more fruit than in past years.
The eggplant rewarded me by giving me lots of fruit. In past years, I’ve tried growing eggplant and have been lucky to get one spiny fruit. The zucchini on the other hand did not give me a single vegetable, though I did get lots of blossoms. The raspberry bush burst red twice – once in early June and a second time in late August.
In past years, I grew cucumbers mainly for my friend Anna who likes them so much. This year, I discovered the joys of pickling so I had very little in the raw form to share. The few that were spared the salty brine were snacks. I was surprised at how sweet they were!
The celery grew slowly throughout the summer. As needed, I would trim off a stalk to add to a recipe. I’m hoping that by mid-October I will have a celery root to harvest.
It first occurred to me to make fresh ricotta when I was approached to teach a class at Williams-Sonoma. I was going to demonstrate how to make fresh mozzarella (which I learned at Restaurant Nora ). To give the class a theme, we decided on “Homemade Cheeses.” I had never made ricotta before, but I was a quick learner.
Since then, I’ve revised my theme to “The Ultimate Homemade Lasagne.” With the exception of the parmesan, I can make everything from scratch: pasta, Bolognese, ricotta and mozzarella. I can even use the tomatoes and basil from my garden! It’s truly rewarding to do it! The satisfaction of making a meal entirely from scratch, but also how deliciously amazing lasagna can be… the ultimate homemade is really a different beast.
Ricotta is the simplest recipe of the whole process. And it doesn’t require any special ingredients: just milk, cream, salt and lemon.
Combine ½ gallon of whole milk with 1 pint of cream and 1 tablespoon of salt in a large pot, stainless steel pot. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat.
While the milk is heating, squeeze enough lemon juice to yield ½ cup. Line a colander with cheese cloth or coffee filters.
When milk starts to simmer, stir in lemon juice. Stir just enough to combine. The more you stir, the smaller the curds (which is a bad thing). Let sit for 20 minutes to let the curds separate from the whey. They whey will be a translucent, white liquid.
Scoop out the curds into the colander and let drain for about 1 hour, or until the curds are dry. Keeps for about three days. Yield: 3 cups.
Serving suggestions:
Mix with basil and serve with crackers as an hors d’œuvres
Use as a filling for raviolis or cannelloni’s
Use as a filling for cannolis
Make a sweet ricotta tart
CROSTATA di RICOTTA
Crust 1 cup sifted all purpose flour, plus extra for “dusting” 6 tbs. butter, room temp 2 egg yolks 4 tbs. sugar 4 tsp. Marsala 1/2 tsp. freshly grated lemon peel 1/4 tsp. salt
Ricotta filling
2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese 1/4 cup sugar 1 1/2 tsp. flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. freshly grated orange peel 2 egg yolks 3 tbs. raisins, rinsed and drained 2 tbs. slivered, blanched almonds or pine nuts
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Make the crust: In a large mixing bowl make a well in the flour. Drop in the butter, egg yolks, sugar, Marsala, lemon peel and salt. Mix the ingredients together, but don't overwork the dough. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is about 1” around wider than the pan, and about 1/8" thick.
4. Lightly butter the sides and bottom of a 9 1/2" false bottom pan. Carefully, press the pastry into the bottom of the pan and around the sides. Be careful not to stretch it. Trim excess.
5. Combine cheese with sugar, flour, salt, vanilla, grated orange peel and egg yolks; beat until they are thoroughly mixed. Stir in the raisins. Spoon the filling into the pastry shell and smooth with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the top with slivered almonds or pine nuts. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 1/2 hour, or until the crust is golden and the filling firm. Remove from oven and let the pie cool before serving. Garnish with fresh strawberries, if you like.
In the final hours of summer sun, I harvested 3 Italian eggplants, 2 Japanese eggplant, a large fistful of chilies (of unknown variety – my neighbor Craig gave me this plant), 8 cucumbers and 3 tomatoes. I picked a gallon of basil leaves to freeze. The celery and Brussels sprouts continue quietly growing – they will be the showcase of the autumn harvest.
Please welcome Chef Paul as he shares with us his recipe:
Ingredients:
1 small chicken (I like small chickens, around 3 pounds, what used to be called “fryers”, rather than “broilers” which weigh in at 4 to 5 pounds because when frying chicken the challenge is to cooking the pieces through before over- browning the batter.
1 cup of cultured buttermilk
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground, toasted cumin
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
a few drops of Tabasco
Flour (preferably non-bleached white) (finely ground corn flour can be mixed in, or even substituted entirely)
Oil for frying
Cut the chicken up into 10 pieces as follows: Remove the backbone and use it, with the heart and gizzard to make stock. Fry up the liver and eat it, well salted and smushed on crackers for a snack. Cut the wings off, cut the legs off, split the legs into thighs and drumsticks and then split the breasts in half. The breast splitting is optional, but remember that smaller pieces fry better and everyone wants a breast, so we now have 4 instead of 2. Remove the skin from all but the wings.
Combine the buttermilk, salt, pepper, cumin, leaves of thyme stripped of the sprigs and Tabasco. Add the chicken, mixing well, and refrigerate for several hours, up to 24.
Drain the chicken, retaining the marinade. Put some flour in a bowl, put the reserved marinade in a bowl next to it. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, shake off the excess, dunk into the buttermilk, then back into the flour and arrange them on a sheet pan with enough room to keep them from touching. Put them in the refrigerator for 15 minutes (this allows the flour to absorb all the liquid making a batter.)
Heat ½ inch of oil in a heavy skillet to 350 to 375 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, or are too lazy to use one like me, the oil is at the right temperature when a few drops of water flicked into the oil sizzles (hot enough) but doesn’t explode (too hot). Lay the chicken pieces into the pan without crowding, let them set for a minute then move them around a bit by sliding a metal spatula under beach to make sure it is not sticking.
Now, the hard part is keeping the temperature right. The cold chicken will reduce the temperature of the oil, so you might want to raise the flame when you first put the pieces in, but beware of leaving it too high. In other words, you must watch and adjust accordingly, to keep things sizzling, but not burning, turning the pieces when they need to but not too often so the batter has time to set.
When done remove the pieces onto something absorbent. (“When done”? How do I know when, you ask? And I answer, as all chefs do: “well… you just know”)
For the second round of Popeye’s-Wine tasting, we brought in the competition – Coast Soul Café Fried Chicken. The wine selections were better, and Popeye’s still is the best fried chicken. More details here. Chef Paul departed that evening with some fighting words, “I can make better fried Chicken than Popeyes!”
Now this was no longer about the wine pairing… it was about the Chicken. I have no doubt in the world that Paul is a talented chef… if you’ve had his Shrimp Shrimp Cha Cha Cha (or mac and cheese, or chicken wings) you’d know. But compete with Popeyes??? His response: “I sez BRING IT ON!!!!!”
Last Saturday we gathered at my house for a Popeye’s Smackdown! Coast Soul Café had already rendered itself unworthy, so we did not bring that into the mix. In one corner we had Paul’s iron-skillet, buttermilk battered fried chicken. In the other: Popeye’s mild.
The Popeye’s Meal Pack came with biscuits and sides. I snuck a biscuit before the guests arrived – salty, greasy, tasty! But then Cynthia arrived with a homemade verison inspired by Martha Stewart's recipe. She brushed the tops with butter and sea salt. There’s just no comparison – the real thing wins every time. And Cynthia’s biscuits were light and melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
For the main meal, we had homemade coleslaw from Dina. I had sampled the Popeyes', and it was just too sweet and a little soggy. While I don’t like to waste food, I couldn’t justify eating it. Of course, Dina’s coleslaw was far superior with crisp cabbage, carrots and onions and a zingy mayonnaise dressing. I made salad with the garden tomatoes and cucumbers, and roasted beets.
But let’s talk about the chicken! As if looking at the two chickens wasn’t enough to differentiate, the taste difference was clear! As we tore into Paul’s chickens… juicy and seasoned to the bone, we knew we were eating real chicken. Popeye’s just tasted salty, with no chicken flavor. To Popeye’s credit, though, the crust was crunchy and tasty – a result of deep-fat frying and god knows what artificial chemical or process.
As I was cleaning up the next day, still thinking about chicken, I reached in the fridge for a snack. All that was left was the Popeyes. I guess everyone that night recognized a winner and ate every last morsel of the real thing!
Stay tuned…. coming next: Paul's Winning Recipe
Thanks so much to Paul for inspiring such a fun evening – and bringing the winning chicken. And a special thanks to Dina for the coleslaw and the caramel ice cream. And to Cynthia for the biscuits and apple crisp. And Dina and David for taking the pictures.
As I was driving to the locavore banquet, thinking of course that I should be biking or taking the “T”, I considered what it meant to reduce my carbon foot-print. Obviously, it means driving less and eating more local foods. But in the scope of making conscious food choices, it also means eating less processed foods, meat and dairy products. Reducing my carbon foot-print directly correlates to reducing my waistline: driving less + biking more, eating less meat + eating more grains and vegetables, growing foods in my garden (and the inherent work-out) + buying less from the market.
When arrived at the Arlington Unitarian church, the site for this and literally 125 years of community banquets, I immediately forgot about my carbon footprint and instead thought of how to help Team Cambridge present their dishes most beautifully. Team Cambridge had prepared the dishes on Saturday and then transported them to the banquet on Sunday. The Locavore Banquet – part competition, part community dinner – was designed as a throwback to the New England Bean Supper and a model for a future of living responsibly in an ever-shrinking world. The event highlighted locally-sourced food as the three teams used sustainably grown ingredients to make a meal. Teams from Arlington, Cambridge, and Medford competed in the “Energy Smackdown” by preparing dishes that balance taste, presentation, and low carbon footprint. The dishes were judged by local food writers for taste and presentation. The organizers used a fancy algorithm to calculate carbon-footprints.
I was the culinary coach for the Cambridge Team (think: Bob from The Biggest Loser). My goal was to help the team create a cohesive menu utilizing the bounty of New England Produce. It’s really not that hard this time of year: every day of the week there’s a farmers market within a 5 radius of my house. King Arthur Flour and Cabot Creamery are the next state over in Vermont. Austin Bros. Family Farm raises cows, chickens and pigs – providing ample supply of the meats, bacon and eggs. If you can forgo chocolate (and I know that’s a BIG “if”), you can create a bountiful meal with less than 100 food miles.
Our dinner for 20 people generated only 6 pounds of carbon emissions. By comparison, the typical Thanksgiving dinner generates 44 pounds! (Based on data from www.dailymail.co.uk). The big carbon culprits are beef, fish and dairy products. According to the judging cards, chicken’s foodprint is almost half of fish. Other data suggests that fish and chicken are equal.
Chart comes from http://fivepercent.us
Team Cambridge did not win first prize, but of the 21 dishes, the acorn squash soup won 2nd place! The best part is that the soup is served in the squash, so there are no dishes to wash after serving. The “bowl” is compostable. Recipe coming next week…
Other highlights were the poached pear and falafel with beet raita:
I did not taste the other winning dishes: a raspberry sorbet with chocolate and a green salad with walnuts and cranberries. Standouts to me (aside from Team Cambridge’s dishes) were the stuffed pepper with ground beef and rice, green beans with onions and bacon, and a frittata with potatoes and four cheeses.
I came home from school on Monday evening absolutely starving… and knowing that I had already devoured the chicken ragu with chick pea pasta, I scrounged around the fridge for something to eat. In the crisper drawer I discovered Tuscan kale, corn and pork sausage: I had gone to the market on Saturday knowing I wanted to make something for Presto Pasta Nights, but not really sure what, so I bought the makings for several different dishes.
Not wanting to waste food, I made two different pasta dishes that I can now eat throughout the week. Supplementing with tomatoes and basil from the garden, I made:
Pasta with Tomatoes, Corn and Basil tossed with Fresh Mozzarella
Pasta with Wilted Kale, Tomatoes, Spicy Sausage and White Beans
The only addition to the recipes other than the ingredients listed were a little garlic, shallots, salt and pepper.
I’m not sure I fully understand, but I always love a party! Psychgrad over at Equal Opportunity Kitchen is hosting “Presto Pasta Night.” Presto Pasta Nights is a blog that features all forms of the beloved noodle – fresh, dried, wheat, rice, if it’s a pasta…. Ruth writes about it. And every week there’s a round-up of what other people are making. It’s a great inspiration if you’re looking for new recipes for pasta.
Sage continues to proliferate in my garden. I have so much that I’m on the verge of knocking on restaurant kitchen doors to see if I can sell them some. I donated one gallon of leaves to the Locavore Banquet (that’s part of the Energy Smackdown) and still the plants look as lush as ever. I could make a pasta with fried sage and parmesan, but that just doesn’t seem festive enough for a party… especially since I’ve seen the way Psychgrad throws a party. Instead, I opt for Chicken Ragu with Chick-Pea Papardelle. The chicken is seasoned with sage, tomatoes and cinnamon. The pasta dough is made with a blend of all-purpose flour and chickpea flour.
Chicken Ragu with Chick-Pea Papardelle
¼ cup olive oil ¾ cup diced onion ¾ cup diced celery ¼ pound bacon, diced ¼ cup flour 1 tsp. salt ½ tsp. black pepper 4 – 5 chicken thighs 1 cup dry white wine 2 cup chicken stock 1 cup water 2 tomatoes, diced 1 tbs. fresh sage, chopped ½ tsp. cinnamon ¼ pound grated Pecorino romano or parmigiano reggiano. 1 tbs. fresh chopped parsley
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, dust with flour.
2. Heat a large skillet, add oil, and then the vegetable. Cook for a few minutes, or until soft. Add the bacon and continue cooking until bacon renders its fat.
3. Remove the vegetable, and set aside. Turn the heat to high and add the chicken. Brown on both sides.
4. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Add the vegetables back to the pan, along with the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the Pecorino and parsley. Cook covered for about 20 minutes, or until the meat is tender.
5. Shred the meat and continue cooking, uncovered until the sauce is reduced and thick
6. Serve with Pasta. Sprinkle cheese and parsley on top.
Chick Pea Pasta Dough 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus ¼ cup for dusting ½ cup chick pea flour 2 -3 large eggs as needed 1 tbs. olive oil 1 tsp. salt
1. Sift flours onto a clean counter. Make a well in the flour, and add the eggs, olive oil and the salt.
2. Beat the eggs with a fork, gradually bringing in the flour from the sides of the well, until the paste has thickened enough so the liquid will not run onto the counter. Switch from a fork to a pastry cutter. Bring all the flour into the already wet part and cut through the dough several times until it is evenly moistened. Start kneading with your hands until the dough forms a ball and looks homogenized, about 8 minutes.
3. If the dough becomes stiff, and refuses to bend, rub in a little of the remaining egg. If the dough becomes too moist, add a bit of the flour. Work the dough by machine: 4. Divide the dough into 3 balls, and let rest under a damp towel for 20 minutes. (This is a good time to make the rest of the recipe). Start working the dough through the pasta machine starting with the widest setting. After running it through the machine, fold it into thirds, and run it through again. When the dough is smooth, run the dough through the machine through successively smaller settings. The dough will stretch out, and be rolled very thin.
5. When you have achieved thin sheets, you can let the dough rest for a few minutes before filling or cutting.
6. Cook in a pot of salted, boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and toss with sauce.
Energy Smackdown is a reality show type program in the Boston area. The yearlong challenge pits the communities of Medford, Arlington and Cambridge against each other to see who can reduce their carbon foot-print the most.
The locavore banquet is this month’s challenge. Each team creates a four course meal for 20 people and is judged according to carbon emissions, taste and presentation. I’m the “culinary coach” of the Cambridge team. Together, we came up with a middle-eastern menu. Ninety percent of the ingredients are grown or raised locally. Many came from my garden.
Acorn Squash Soup with Crispy Sage Tomato – Cucumber Salad with Dill and Lemon Homemade Falafel with Beet Raita and Pita Chips Baba Ganoush with Roasted Eggplant and Scallions Poached Pears with Meringue and Mint
My neighbor Rosie often comes over to pick raspberries. The other day she commented that coming into my garden is like going to the grocery store. My goal has always been to grow enough food for my home and my neighbors’. I can’t tell you the joy I felt that a five-year old could appreciate the abundance of my garden, and that I had enough to contribute to the locavore banquet.
