Cookin' in the 'Cuse

Syracuse's Gift to NYC

I'm still in awe at discovering this nugget of history:  the great Union Square Greenmarket in NYC is indebted to Syracuse.  It's true.  I read it in The New York Times.  No, really, it is true.  Actually I read it first it David Kamp's Book, The United States of Arugula:

Recognizing the error of their ways in the seventies, Syracuse's civic leaders took the radical step in 1972 of closing off a city block to traffic once a week to make way for a European-style-open-air market in which farmers could sell their wares directly to consumers...This was the scenario that motivated [Barry] Benepe, who was so inspired by Hess' report, he says, that "We originally modeled Greenmarket on Syracuse."

John Hess, then food writer at The New York Times, wrote his piece in October of 1973:

Food lovers should raise a fork today in salute to the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce.  Last spring, it got the city to turn a street over to farmers every Tuesday and presto! the village fair was resurrected.

Fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs and flowers, cheeses and home baked goods and handcrafts drew even suburbanites from their dreary shopping centers.

That Syracuse was the inspiration for what has to be one of the most successful regional farmers' markets in the country just awes me.  And, to be honest, it frustrates me.  I watched Union Square evolve from drug den to foodie heaven and now I wonder why our own market hasn't inspired the same downtown renaissance. 

I'm also frustrated because some of the farmers that make the Union Square market so great are from Central New York but don't come to our market--it isn't as worth it I suppose.  And I also know that what helped get Union Square going was a young Danny Meyer who began shopping there for the ingredients that turned into amazing meals at his Union Square Cafe.  His staff still shops there.  I'd love to poll our local Armory Square restaurants to see if any regularly source ingredients from our Regional Market on Tuesdays or Saturdays. 

I'm glad for New York City--I shop the Union Square Greenmarket every chance I can.  But I wonder when Syracuse will stop being known for its exports and get folks looking at our city once again for the dynamic things that are here. 

I mentioned in my reply to a comment on the Market Saturation post that I'd open up one of the businesses I listed if I had an investor.  I was only half kidding.  The potential here is unreal.

The Cooperative Difference

Talk about homegrown and too cute! This video, recently produced by folks at the Syracuse Real Food Co-op explains what makes co-ops different from "just a natural food store". What makes it cute is that it features some of the youngest members of the store--as well as some of the farmers, pigs, and chickens who supply the Co-op. Great job Stacy, Marty and all involved! Full disclosure: I serve on the board of the Syracuse Real Food Co-op.

Market Saturation

I was fascinated by two news stories that came out this week related to natural groceery stores.  The first was the announcement that Whole Foods is buying its smaller competitor Wild Oats.  (reg.req. Member ID:  Cookin; Password:  intheCuse)  This is not the first instance of Whole Foods gobbling up other stores, can we say Bread and Circus?  But as Whole Foods continues to expand and wrestles with slowed (stock) market expectations, this expansion seems like their most logical course. 

When I lived in Morristown, NJ I remember being thrilled when a Wild Oats store opened in Madison--the next town over.  But the store didn't work for me.  Things were constantly being rearranged and items were hard to find in stock on a regular basis.  So I took to driving thirty minutes in a different direction to shop at Whole Foods in Montclair or Millburn.  It really was worth the drive because Whole Foods was offering not just a better shopping experience but consistent stock.  The same is true for my experience of the Wild Oats in Berkeley--I'd practically drive right by it to get to Whole Foods (well, I really passed it to get to the Berkeley Bowl where I did most of our shopping that filled out our CSA and farmers' market purchases). 

Well it will be interesting to see what impact this has on the natural foods grocery business.  Whole Foods will need to answer the question of whether bigger really is better.  With this buyout, Whole Foods will increase to just over 300 stores nationally.

Speaking of Berkeley...I was interested to hear of the flack a group of folks are getting in their efforts to start a food co-op there.  Again, I was always fascinated by the fact that despite all of the progressive food politics to be found there, Berkeley had no food co-op.  The last one had closed shop decades before I lived there in the mid 1990s and early 2000s.   So a number of former Brooklynites who used to belong to the 12,000 member strong Park Slope Food Co-op want to set up a similiar shop to make good, sustainable food accessible and affordable to everyone. 

But naysayers argue that the market is saturated and cite the existence of Whole Foods, Wild Oats, the Berkeley Bowl, Monterey Market, three Farmers' Markets, Berkeley Natural Grocery and several Andronicos (an upscale supermarket) in addition to Safeways and a nearby Trader Joe's as a sign that there isn't any more room.  But The Cooperative Grcoery, aka The CoG, with several hundred members on board already wants to be an alternative. 

I was able to visit the Park Slope Food Co-op a few months ago with a friend who is a member (the only way you can get in the store is to be a member or be accompanied by one) and I was astounded at how low many of the prices were.  Every member of the Park Slope Co-op must work a shift so their set up is very different from our own Syracuse Real Food Co-op and, indeed, most other co-ops nationally.   But like other co-ops, The CoG isn't interested in being just a grocery store--they're interested in being a community.  And that, as members of co-ops know, is a big difference.

While presenting a lower priced alternative to healthy food is always a good thing, many say that the money to start a new store would be better put to use to fund the People's Grocery in West Oakland--a neighborhood where groceries can be purchased in liquor stores and fresh produce is hard to find.  It will be interesting to see if The CoG's efforts come together or not.  I've always suspected that there was a reason there were no food co-ops in Berkeley but couldn't figure out what it was.

As I've said before, when we moved from Berkeley/Oakland to Syracuse our food bill grew greatly.  Though we could never own a house in the Bay Area (not without a miracle donation of some kind, anyway) we could certainly afford to eat very well.  So if The CoG is going to work they may want to push the community over affordability angle.

Meanwhile...back here in Syracuse, we have wholly different market issues.  I realize we are a much smaller city/metropolitan area/region than Berkeley but c'mon, I can't be the only person who wants the following:

• A larger Syracuse Real Food Co-op
• a Finger Lakes Wine Tasting Room in Armory Square
• an artisanal bakery/cafe near the Syracuse University campus
• a gourmet cheese shop featuring local and regional cheeses as well as imports
• an organic farmers' market in the Westcott neighborhood

Now, what will it take to make it happen? 

Biding My Time

I feel as if I'm biding my time--doing a lot of waiting.  Productive waiting, but waiting nonetheless.

I'm waiting for the snow to melt--these were taking a few days ago:

Dorset Harvest Farm under the snow.

Our front porch.  Those naked branches aren't a bush--they  belong to a tree.

These are some of the seeds I'm waiting  to sow next month (not the pumpkin!) in order to get my garden going.

This is my foot-- I'm waiting to heal--a fracture in my fith metatarsal.  Yeah, I'm on crutches.
After years of mountain biking, hiking, cycling through Italy and the rest, I get my first bone break by tripping off the stairs in the house--ugh!!

This is the juicy, gossipy, fascinating read I'm indulging in during breaks from the work my secretary brought home to me.

Taking it Easy

You should see the snow now.  I don't think we got as much as expected but it is still impressive.  I was planning on taking lots more photos but had an accident that has me laid up on the couch.  I wish I could say I hurt myself doing something daring like another Jennifer I know.  But no, this was just walking down the stairs in the house.  I tripped over the divider that is supposed to keep our dog off the stairs so he doesn't get hurt again.  Anyway, I'm hobbling around and should be much better tomorrow.  But for now I'm taking it easy.

All this means that I didn't cook or bake or anything  yesterday--thank God for leftovers!  But for tonight, I want to make something quick and delicious that won't have me on my feet for long.  So I think this recipe for balsamic soy-glazed chicken wings that I found in December's Gourmet magazine will be on the menu tonight.  A nice green salad and a glass of wine will round it out. 

These wings are made on a foundation that is simple and easily transferable to other sauces--like buffalo sauce.  This recipe makes wings that are about as sweet, tangy, and sticky as they look and no joke--I only needed to deal with them for about 15 minutes total.  And clean-up was a breeze.  Go ahead, take it easy on yourself.

Balsamic Soy-Glazed Chicken Wings (adapted from Gourmet Magazine Dec 2006)

• 4 lbs chicken wings (cut off the tips and cut the halve the wings at the joint--or have the butcher do it)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar (I used a black currant infused one that worked well)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Place oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and line 2 large shallow baking pans (jelly roll pans work well), about 17 x 11 inches, with foil.  Put pans in oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Pat wings dry, then toss with oil, salt and pepper and divide between preheated pans.  Make sure wings are spread in one layer and roast, without turning, until golden and tender, about 35 minutes.

While wings are roasting simmer vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar in a 1 - to 1 1/2 quart sauce heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally until reduced to about 1/3 cup--about 12 to 14 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted.

Remove roasted wings from oven and let stand in pans 1 minute--this will make it easier to remove the wings from the foil--then transfer with tongs to a large, clean bowl.

Pour balsamic mixture over wings and toss to coat well.  Let stand five minutes then toss again.

Valentines Day Snow Watch I

Just a bit of snow piled up to the front door.

At 7:30 am the snow was only about 1 1/2 miniature Dachshunds high.

That's our Dorset Harvest Farm--covered under a few feet of snow.  Makes me wonder about how the area wineries are doing.  Did they lay down vines this year?  Will we have ice wine?

Thank God for snow blowers!  It keeps us from having that Donner Party level of snowbound desperation. 

Here's hoping you're safe, warm, and dry on this wintery day!

Let it snow, pass the cauliflower

Last week I was away in Connecticut and came home to some three feet of snow.  Between now and tomorrow night we are expecting another three feet.  Not that I'm complaining, mind you.  Folks north of here (Oswego, etc.) already have some seven feet of snow on the ground are in a state of emergency. 

After being away and then working four 12 hour days--straight--I'm going to be relaxing home watching the snow fall.  I'll catch up on work reading and letter writing--maybe even blogging!  Perhaps I'll even get to cook.  I've got some leftover cauliflower and almonds and am in the mind of making more of this fantastic dish that I prepared for my students on Sunday night.

This is a dish for those of us who think they don't like cauliflower--who think it has no flavor.  Well  this gratin, kicked up with a little Spanish paprika and a slightly sweet and nutty Manchego almond sauce will change the hearts of any naysayers.   On a cold, windy, and snowy day, this is just the vegetarian-comfort food ticket.  Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Cauliflower Gratin with Manchego and Almond Sauce (Food and Wine, Feb 2005)

    * 3/4 cup half-and-half
    * 1/2 cup whole roasted almonds with skin, plus 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped almonds(3 ounces)
    * 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
    * 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    * 1 cup whole milk
    * 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely shredded Manchego or other mildly nutty semi-aged sheep's
        or cow's-milk cheese (3 1/2 ounces), such as Gouda
    * Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
    * Salt and freshly ground pepper
    * One 2-pound head of cauliflower, cut into 1 1/2-inch florets
    * 1 medium onion, finely chopped
    * 1/4 teaspoon Pimentón de la Vera (smoked Spanish paprika)

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a small saucepan, heat the half-and-half until steaming, then transfer it to a food processor or blender. Add the 1/2 cup of whole almonds and process until finely ground. Let stand for 10 minutes. Strain the half-and-half through a fine sieve set over a bowl, pressing on the almonds to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the ground almonds.

In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the flour and whisk over moderately high heat for 1 minute. Add the milk and the half-and-half and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add 3/4 cup of the Manchego and whisk until melted. Whisk in the nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Keep warm while completing the next steps.

In a large skillet, bring 1/2 inch of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower, cover and cook over high heat until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain the cauliflower in a colander. Wipe out the skillet.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower and cook, stirring until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Transfer the cauliflower to a 7-by-10-inch glass or ceramic baking dish and spread the Manchego sauce on top.

Sprinkle the gratin with the remaining cheese, the 2 tablespoons of chopped almonds and the paprika and bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, or until bubbling and browned on top. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

This dish can be prepared ahead by assembling and keeping refrigerated overnight. Bring it to room temperature before baking.

Let the NYC food bloggers have at it--we're kickin' it old school style in the 'Cuse

Le'ts face it, I'm way behind on giving out the link love to the other food and sustainability bloggers right here in Syracuse.  What finally got me going, though, was the article in today's NY Times Style section on NYC food bloggers.  First it was the headline that got me:

Sharp Bites--  The new breed of restaurant bloggers:  gossipy and competitive, leaving no tidbit undetected or menu change unrevealed

New breed of restaurant bloggers???  Okay, I started this blog 21 months ago before the full food blogging explosion (I was probably at the beginning of that wave, not among the first, but not Janey come lately either) but it is a testament to how fast things move in the web world that we can even be speaking of more than one wave. 

Apparently, like many other things in my hometown of NYC, one can hardly just blog about food anymore.  It is more like extreme food blogging.  I mean, anyone who would go to a restaurant 10 consecutive nights to write a review is doing something very different than I am--I don't care if it was Morimoto.  But restauranteurs are playing along because they recognize the power of food blogs to convey information (read:  provide free marketing) about their businesses. 

Of course, this doesn't characterize all NYC food bloggers--the folks I met last summer for the NYC food blogger gathering in Manhattan are pretty much old wave like me.  Even Adam Roberts, aka the Amateur Gourmet who is profiled in today's piece doesn't really fit into the super competitive mode of the new wave.  I'm not sure how long the link will be up but you can check out the article here.  (if you need to register:  login name:  Cookin; password:  inthecuse

I have to say, this article made me appreciate our little blogging world of Syracuse even more.  Some folks down south might say that once again we're behind--I prefer to think of it as "kickin' it old school style for the sake of our fair city".  That means that in general local food bloggers are still mixing restaurant reviews, recipes, and other food news and not posting about new stove installations and what chefs are fighting in the kitchen.  Oh sure, like our cousins in "the City" we too are looking for "the next, the newest, the best" when it comes to food but obsessing over every menu change is not our style.

Like the food scene here in Central New York, the food blogging community is slowly growing.  In case you don't already have these folks bookmarked--here are some blogs to add to your regular reading.   

T's Tips and Travels--this is Theresa Bizzell's blog that focuses on food, health, and anything else Theresa finds interesting--and that's alot.  You may know Theresa from Seeds of Life where she conducts  wonderful cooking classes and workshops--I can't wait for the day when I'll finally be able to take one.

Syracuse Scholar writes BlogSyracuse which is a great mix of politics, local events, and food reviews.  Take her taste test write up of Hofmanns versus Heid's of Liverpool--she battled the wiener wars for you so you don't have to.  I particularly love how she inserts a drawing of herself into photos of actual events she's attended--plus she isn't shy about critiquing this city we're all trying to love. 

The duo over at Salt City Views are far more adventurous than I am and they don't shy away from telling you where not to eat.  Check out there list for short and to the point posts about good and not so good eats around town.  Peanut Butter and chocolate covered potato chips anyone?  Don't smirk, they say they're good.

Groovy Green is not a food blog, per se, but they do a great job of tracking food and sustainability issues.  It is a group blog that is based Ithaca but includes writers like our own Stephen Balogh of Baloghblog.

And finally, because it is so hard to keep up with all the news, check out The Ethicurean--these folks are like the AP wire for food and sustainability articles--if is breaking news, they'll probably bring it to you first.  They aren't local but they are definitely on my "must read" list.