Cookin' in the 'Cuse

Recess

Lest you think I've fallen off the face of the earth, let me assure that all has been well, just busy.  This Christmas has had me writing and preaching every few days--often every day--leaving me little more energy to blog.  But the New Year is approaching and I'm ready to resume my regular blogging rhythm.  So thanks for hanging me with through my little recess.

Speaking of Recess...you may have also noticed that the upstart cafe and skateboard shop with the obsessively and delicously fresh roasted coffee beans over near Westcott Street has been closed.  Word is, their recess is almost over too.  Adam Williams, a former staffer at the Syracuse Real Food Co-op, has purchased Recess from Sean Chilson and plans to re-open next week--around Thursday.  Adam is no slouch in the food knowledge department so we can expect that Recess should thrive under his leadership. 

Merry Christmas!!!

May Light, Peace and Joy illumine your life and your loved ones this Christmas.

The Cutest Little Riblets Ever

This just goes to prove that impulse shopping is not a bad thing when you are talking to a farmer.  These little lamb riblets were not on my list a few weeks back when I stopped by Wendy Gornick's stand at the CNY Regional Market but they were too cute for me to pass up.  But after being inspired to purchase them I couldn't figure out what to do with them.

Well, about ten days ago, when we were having one of those blustery, cold winter days that seem to be rare this season, I decided that braising was the way to go.  So I cooked these melt-in-your mouth succulent riblets using a traditional braising method--except that I pulled out the duck bacon for a little something different.  Because of their size the riblets only took a couple of hours to cook versus the four you would need for lamb shanks.  The only problem with this recipe is that I didn't have enough riblets--next time, I'm planning ahead and will pick up two pounds as a minimum.

Braised Lamb Riblets with Duck Bacon

• 3/4 lb lamb riblets
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 strips duck bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 3/4 cup diced onions
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup red zinfindel wine
• 1 cup diced tomatoes in their own juice
• 1 cup chicken stock
• hot water

Season the lamb riblets with salt and pepper and lightly coat with flour.  Heat olive oil in a stock pot or large saucepan over medium heat.   Add riblets and cook until browned  on all sides.  Remove from  pot and set aside.  Add duck bacon to the pot and cook until browned--this bacon will not crisp up so watch carefully--about five minutes.  Add diced carrots, onions, and minced garlic to the pot and cook until vegetables are softened, stirring from time to time. 

Return riblets back into the pot and add wine, simmer for a few minutes until wine is reduced by a third.  Add chicken stock, tomatoes and enough hot water to barely cover the ribs.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for two hours or until the riblets are tender and falling off the bone.  Add more salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over rice, polenta, or fettucine pasta.

If it looks like a duck and it...oh wait!

Yesterday's mystery item yielded some great guesses--many of which were partly correct.  But I have to give it to Jill for suggesting a cat-shaped fruit roll up!  It took me a minute but after staring for awhile, the cat image jumped right out.

However, those of you who guessed bacon were very close.  This is what duck bacon looks like after it has been sizzling for five minutes.  Now, y'all know how much I love bacon so I couldn't resist picking up this D'artagnan Duck Bacon from the Co-op.  I'd actually forgetten it was in the freezer until the other day.  So with about a pound of lamb riblets (more on those tomorrow) to cook up I knew it was time to bring it out.

The key things to know about duck bacon are these:

• It has much less fat than pork bacon
• It cooks up in about five minutes when prepared on top of the stove
• It shrinks up to about half its original size after cooking
• Even though it looks like a fruit roll up when it is cooked--it is as tender as can be and it tastes awesome!

This bacon is not salty but you won't get that crisped edge of bacon fat that you can get with pork bacon.  As you would expect, it tastes delightfully like duck.  I could see eating this with poached eggs and toast but yesterday I used the rendered fat to saute my carrots and onions for the lamb riblets and then diced up the bacon to flavor the pot.  Duck bacon will probably work in any dish that calls for bacon but I don't think I'd recommend them for cookies.  Stick to pork bacon for that.  D'artagnan also makes duck proscuitto--you just know I've got to get my  hands on some!

It isn't what you probably think it is

Any guesses???

Arbiters of Taste and the Syracuse Food Scene

I've been sitting on this post for days but decided that it might be a conversation worth having.  A few days ago J, a reader of this blog, brought a restaurant review to my attention that appeared in the Syracuse Post-Standard.  It was a pretty unfavorable review of China Road restaurant in Mattydale written by Yolanda Wright.  J and I were both taken aback by the review since we and so many others think China Road is the best Chinese restaurant in the area.  Indeed, it is basically the only one I'll eat at.  But the review raised a number of delicate questions that I think are important to consider if we hope to raise the profile of the Syracuse food scene and support independent, innovative restaurants.

• As I understand it, the food writing standard is to publish a review after several--usually three--visits to a restaurant.  Is it fair to base a review on a single visit (which is, I believe, the Post-Standard custom--due partially to budgetary constraints)?  Would it not be more appropriate to call a single visit write-up something other than a review?

• When searching for the China Road review online, I noticed that the previous week Yolanda Wright had reviewed the Olive Garden.  They were given a glowing review.  But I have two questions:  should chain restaurants be reviewed the same way that independent restaurants are, if at all?  And, if a standardized restaurant like the Olive Garden gets rave reviews while China Road and Circa (remember that $10 hamburger article?) get less than favorable reviews, how will we ever get folks to venture out past the ordinary family dining establishments that they can experience in Any City, USA? 

I raise these questions not to disparage Yolanda Wright--I'm sure that we simply have different tastes in food and she certainly has given good reviews to local restaurants.  However, our culinary scene will never get the attention and patronage it deserves without the support of the local media outlets.  I wonder if China Road had an off night.  Perhaps a second visit would have helped to round out or balance her experience.  The Good Life Central New York magazine (published by the Post-Standard) seems to do a good job at highlighting area chefs but it can't do it on its own.  We have some of the best farms, some wonderfully creative chefs, and some of the best wine being made anywhere right here in Central New York.  What we also need are reviews and articles that tell the world what we know. 

And understand, I'm not advocating only writing about high-end dining establishments.  We have some phenomenal "cheap eats" like the salads at Syra-Juice, the the Thai food at Erawan, and the falafel at Munjeds.  It's not about fancy and expensive, its about taste.  With Central New York appearing in Gourmet and Wine Spectator magazines I think we really need to decide how we want to tell our story right here at home.

Food on Film

We are headed into the busy season around here and like many of you, I'm trying not to get that running around like a crazy person glaze over my eyes.  So I was delighted to find myself in front of a big screen last night to just sit and be entertained--and educated. 

One of the short films I watched was a really short animated pic called the True Cost of Food.  If you want to get across the importance of eating locally and understanding the hidden but very real costs of industrialized food production while laughing--this is the film for you.  It's just 15 minutes long and an even shorter version (7 minutes) can be downloaded if you have a slower connection.  Check out both versions here and click on "See the Movie".

Speaking of industrialized food production--have you seen Fast Food Nation yet?  I hope to check it out on Friday.