Cookin' in the 'Cuse

Feasting with Eyes and Heart

Me on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem

One of the hardest things about being home from Jerusalem (aside from the jet lag) is the visual depravation.  There is something about Middle Eastern and Mediterranean culture that understands the seductive nature of food.  As we traveled around Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the bazaars of the Old City, I couldn't help but notice the small markets tucked into every nook and cranny or the fruit and vegetable sellers plying their wares outside the city walls.  In East Jerusalem hot bagels could be purchased along with the daily paper from news stands dotting crowded corners.

Each of these was a visual feast.  As I took my fill of religious sites and holy places I also took my fill of the beauty that is Israeli and Arab food.  I'm not even speaking of the wonderful cafes everywhere or the incredible gelato to be had on Ben Yehuda street in West Jerusalem.  I'm talking about barrels of olives, bags of spices and teas, freshly roasted and still warm nuts, dried fruits, and pastries--oh the pastries--rugelah, eclairs, baklava.  More than just a show, these stalls and markets are how people do their weekly and daily food shopping. It is actually the kind of shopping that I tend to do here--visiting a variety of markets to stock my larder, the difference is, in Jerusalem, this is how everyone shops.

Ah well, a visit to Samir's will have to hold me over until our own farmers' markets open again and place the bounty of our region back in full view.  (click on photo to enlarge.)

    

    

    

Thanksgiving Plans--What's on YOUR menu?

 
Yes, it's that time of the year--isn't it great?  If you're reading this blog today or tomorrow--congratulations for being organized enough to spend a few minutes on the interwebs.

Here's what we're doing for Thanksgiving.  I'm calling it the "100 Mile, Eat What You Have, Bring it Forward Thanksgiving".  So this means that most of the ingredients--save for spices, oils, chocolate,some cheeses and a few other things, have been sourced within our region.  The "Eat What You Have" bit is about cooking out of the larder and root cellar.  So all those root vegetables that we've collected from our CSA share or our garden are driving the menu.  There are lots of dishes we could have but this year, we're cooking what we already have.  So the trip to the store this holiday has meant picking up just a few things to round out the meal--extra butter, cream, Challah, and the like.  We're saving lots of money. 

Lastly, the Bring it Forward part is something I learned about this monrning from culinary expert (and Parmigianno Reggiano maven) Nancy Radke.  Each year when Nancy makes her gravy, she freezes some and incorporates it into the gravy for the current feast.  This means that all the love, all the revelry, all the memories from Thanksgiving or Christmas past is brought forward to the table as another holiday is celebrated.  Don't you love that?  I'm totally doing that year.  It's a great reminder of the gratitude, remembrances, and loved ones who have graced our lives in years past. 

If you get a moment, drop a comment and share what will be on your table and perhaps, what you are especially thankful for.

Tomorrow I'll be giving deep thanks for my family, dearest friends, and the making of a home in Syracuse.  Here's what will be on our table:

• Parmesan-Roasted Butternut Squash (squash from Sundance Farm)
• Maple-glazed carrots (carrots from Common Thread Community Farm)
• Yukon Gold mashed potatoes (from Stones Throw Farm)
• Sausage Pecan Stuffing (sausage from Gianelli's)
• Roast Turkey with Rich Gravy (Plainville Turkey, and yes, we'll do it wrapped in foil, roasted at high heat--the best and easiet way I've found)
• Buttermilk Biscuits
• Molten Chocolate Cakes
• 2006 Treleaven Dry Riesling
• Corey Creek Vineyards Raspberry dessert wine

2007 Thanksgiving Menu

Today has been a great day.  Thanks to a warm spell early in the day I finally got all of my garlic planted.  I've started my compost pile and am once again feeling optimistic about another year in the garden.  Of course, it is always easy to feel good and optimistic at this time of the year--I'm not on my knees weeding. 

Today has also been a great day because it is the day before Thanksgiving.  As is the custom in my family, ever since I can remember, the night before Thanksgiving is all about stock.  By the morning every corner of the house will be permeated with the aroma of golden chicken and turkey stocks all in preparation for tomorrow's feast.

Originally, we were going to have an intimate Thanksgiving with just the two of us--hence the lack of turkey on this year's menu.  But at the last minute we invited some members of our church youth group so dinner for six it is.  Here's what we're having:

• Cashews with Crispy Sage and Garlic
• Vermont Chicken Pie
• Mashed Butternut Squash
• Mashed Potatoes
• Green beans with shallots and walnuts
• Cornbread stuffing (dressing) with sausage and apples
• Maple Gravy
• Sweet Potato Pie (given as a gift)
• Pumpkin Pie

I might also make some other kind of bread if the mood strikes.  In the spirit of the 100-mile Thanksgiving nearly all of the ingredients (stewing hens, flour, cornmeal, butter, cream, bacon, green beans, shallots, garlic, apples, sausage, maple syrup, potatoes, pumpkins, and squash) are local or regional products. 

What's on YOUR menu?

On this date in 2005 I was salivating over that year's Thanksgiving Menu .  You can see last year's menu by clicking here.

Thanksgiving 2006--The Menu

The shopping is nearly done, the menu is set and the cooking will soon begin--Thanksgiving is ON!

After a pretty tough week at work I've been really craving this holiday.  Nothing relaxes me like hours of cooking and I am so ready.  After last year's incredible cooking marathon, this year seems pretty scaled back, but that's allright.  What's on YOUR menu?

With Cocktails:  Dried figs topped with Lively Run Chevre and maple-glazed nuts
Roast Turkey with Maple Gravy
Collard Cobbler with Cornmeal Biscuits
Mashed Potatoes with Crispy Shallots
Maple Glazed Carrots (guess there's a maple theme, huh?)
Chocolate Cake
2003 Downing Family Vineyards Fly by Night Zinfandel (Oakville, Napa Valley) with dinner
2003 Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc with dinner
2003 Hermann J. Wiemer Ice Wine with dessert

As for the 100 mile Thanksgiving Challenge--the turkey is from Cobblestone Valley Farm, the maple syrup is from the North Country of New York, the collards will be picked right out of my garden, the cornmeal and flour is locally milled from Champlain Valley, and all carrots, onions, potatoes, and  shallots are either from Green Rabbit Farm or Early Morning Farm.  The wine, not so local, but it must be drunk. 

Have a fantastic and delicious Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving Make it Local

With Thanksgiving just ten days away I'm well into planning the menu.  There are some dishes which just have to be served because they have become part of the tradition of it all:  home baked breads, whipped butternut squash, dressing and, of course, a turkey.  Each year I take a different riff on these essentials--sometimes the turkey is maple glazed, other years it is done up with Chinese Five-Spice and currant glaze, then there's that fabulous version with the apple cider gravy-- but the table is never complete without them.  Extras like gourgeres, sweet potatoes, and pie are really like icing on the cake.

This year, I'm going to try a local riff.  There's a movement afoot called the 100-mile Thanksgiving and the challenge is to eat as much as your Thanksgiving meal as you'd like from ingredients procured from within 100 miles of your house.  How can I resist--especially knowing how relatively easy it can be in our area.

I've already ordered a local turkey from the Syracuse Real Food Co-op (they still have Cobblestone Valley [Preble] turkeys available, plus some wonderful birds from a farm in Vermont) and finding local squash, onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, greens, flour, butter, cheeses, wines, and other meats is a cinch--check out the Local Food Source list to the left or check one of the local farmers' markets or the CNY Regional Market.

Like other Eat Local Challenges, I will be making some exceptions.   I've recently discovered a recipe for dressing (stuffing) that includes some gorgonzola dolce--there's no way I'm not making it.  But my aim is to find local sources for the rest of the ingredients.  In addition, I've got a cellar full of Long Island and California wines and I'm sure a bottle or two will complement the Finger Lakes Rieslings we'll be pouring.

This should be a cool experiement.  The other part of the challenge will be to see how many of the foods I traditionally prepare can be found locally--if my husband wants a taste of home (Bahamas) we'll be making more exceptions but all these exceptions will be made consciously.  And conscious eating is always a good thing.

One more thing:  there's that nagging issue of cost.  We have made some decisions about our food choices that I realize we are privileged to make.  We are paying more for our turkey (it is the single most expensive food item we purchase all year) but most of our vegetables are coming either from our garden, bulk purchases from local farmers, and the rest is a matter of diligent sale watching at the Co-op and Wegmans.  It all balances out in the end and the results of the meal because of the quality of the ingredients cannot be compared.

For inspiration, information and to sign up to participate in the 100-mile Thanksgiving, click here.