Cookin' in the 'Cuse

In My Tribe

Photo credit:  Gordon M. Grant for The New York Times

The way I talk, most of the time folks think of me as an African American woman from either the San Francisco Bay Area or New York City.  There is some truth in those things but the real deal is that I'm an African American/Shinnecock woman from New York City--Brooklyn and Staten Island specifically.

My paternal grandfather, Harry Baskerville, Sr., grew up on the Shinnecock Reservation on the eastern end of Long Island and tried to infuse as much Shinnecock culture into my brother and me as he could.  Fishing trips and excursions out to the reservation for the Labor Day Weekend Pow Wow were a big deal and they are some of my most cherished memories. 

So to open up today's New York Times dining section to find Shinnecocks profiled above the fold for their oyster farming made me beam with pride.  I don't know anyone profiled in the story but am glad to see that they are able to find markets for what has been a real traditional industry for our tribe.  My grandfather died ten years ago but just as I give my maternal grandfather credit for my love of cooking, I suppose I owe more than I know to "Pop" who instilled in me an appreciation and passion for the care of the land and sea.

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As much as I've moved around, Staten Island remains the place I've lived longer than anywhere else.  I was born there too, though its struggle to embrace racial pluralism has made me prone to hide that fact.  Coincidentally, Staten Island is also known for its oyster farming--it was THE industry for the Island as far back as the 18th century.  But it's the pizza that has been getting press lately. 

Today's "$25 and Under" review is a kind of "local boys make good (pizza)" story about Salvatore Basile and Francis Garcia and their hot spot, Artichoke Basille's Pizza and Brewery.  I've always believed Staten Island to have some of the best pizza in NYC (my cred and fairly refined pizza palate come by way Brooklyn pizzas where I spent the first ten years of my life).  I'm glad the rest of the City is finally catching on. 

To this day, whenever I go home to visit my mother, I pick up a slice at a pizzeria and restaurant called Basile's on Forest Avenue--I'd love to know if there is a connection between the two places.  The world being the way it is--you know, two degrees of separation small--the chances are pretty good.

Making it up on the fly

This is my new favorite sandwich and I just made it up.  It isn't about eating local--it's about getting down with the leftovers (though this was so tasty I'd buy the ingredients just to make leftovers). I like to think of it as my Grand Tour sandwich--it's a bit French, a bit Spanish, and to stretch the metaphor a bit--we'll pull in Germany because it's made on Heidelberg Baking Company bread (which is run sold at the Regional Market by a guy named Pierre--natch!)

This isn't a complicated sandwich:

• leg of duck confit (D'artagnan) shredded
• Manchego sheepsmilk cheese
• a smear of Russian dressing (I used Annie's)
• Heidelberg Baking Company sunflower raisin bread

Add some Marcona almonds on the side and a glass of Pinot Grigio and you have out of control yummyness!

I'm off tomorrow on a wine tasting excursion around Seneca and Keuka lakes--I'll have lots to report soon.  I hope you have a fun and delicious Memorial Day!

Archive Alert:  On this date in 2005 i was reaping my first harvest.

Can it be? This blog is Three?!?

It is quite stunning to me that this blog has reached it's third birthday.  I never thought it would last this long.  As I think about what it means to begin a fourth year of Cookin' in the 'Cuse I'm gratefully aware of how much the Syracuse-area organic and sustainable food scene has grown since I began.

There are more food blogs, more farms, more CSAs, more great places to eat, more folks growing their own food, and more reasons to be excited about what the future holds for eating well in Central New York than ever.  Isn't it a great time to be here?

I'm also aware that it takes a community to make the incredible changes and developments we've witnessed in our local food scene.  I'm indebted to all of you--farmers, producers, restauranteurs, foodies, co-op folks, gardeners, and environmentalists for doing what you do and for giving me a reason to write.

Here's to another year of good eating and Cookin' in the Cuse!

Speaking of plans...(not about food)

Yesterday my secretary asked me a short but complicated question.  She asked "how I do it".  Meaning--how do I juggle all of the things I juggle which is mainly whatever challenges my own life seems to present and then the challenges presented to me by the lives of all the people in my care as priest and pastor.  It took me a while to answer and I don't really have a satisfactory answer except to say, "I do what I have to do", "I do what I know to do".

The more I thought of what a typical day or two looks like the more crazy my life seems.  On Tuesday night I was partying it up at the launch party for Edible Finger Lakes (more on that soon) and dreaming up a Memorial Day wine excursion to Seneca and Keuka lakes.  I woke up on Wednesday to attend my 5:50 am spin class while still hyped up on Renee Suzette's amazing truffles.  I went home, showered, had breakfast, met with a friend, went to the office, and then went to the hospital to bless and give communion to a parishioner who recently had both legs amputated and may not live more than a few days.  And then I went to lunch with a couple of colleagues and got a pedicure and manicure before heading back to work--then home again, finally at 9:00 pm.  In a few hours I leave for my 20th college reunion at Smith College.  Those are the drastically edited highlights--is it any wonder that I can find delight in a simply rolled truffle, a perfect cup of coffee or baby leeks tossed in a honey truffle mustard vinaigrette?  Does it seem absurd to be enjoying chocolate truffles and pedicures while people are sick and dying?  In some ways, yes.  But we all do what we can, don't we, while trying to enjoy the goodness that always seems to accompany difficulty.

In my email in box this morning was this quote from E.B. White.  I don't know how any of us who loves life with  all of its challenges and deliciousness "does it" but this quote makes a lot of sense to me. 

E. B. White                                 

If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.

               

Source: Notes and Comment, the New Yorker

The Best Laid Plans

These were the plans I drew up six months ago for Dorset Harvest Farm this season:

But after spending Sunday afternoon building raised beds that were 4'x8' instead of 3'x3' I'm having to rethink things a bit.  So while I contemplate my the planting layout, the garlic continues to grow rapidly, a few tomato plants are hardening off, and I've got some compost/soil mix on order for delivery.  To see what the garden has looked like in years past, check the photo albums on the right.  Here's what I've got to work with this year:

We're growing less this year because we'll be doing a CSA share and shopping the market too.  We'll see how much restraint I can practice when it comes to planting tomatoes!

What I'm Loving...

From left to right.  Click on any photo to enlarge.
Row 1
Sticky bun from Artisan Cafe in Trumansburg.  With a light and airy pastry, these buns are sticky but not cloying.  I went for a bite and ended up eating the whole thing.

Wake Robin Farm Milk.  My milk of choice--creamy, rich, and delicious.  Available on Saturdays at the CNY Regional Market.  Thanks Meg!

Upstate Harvest Granola.  This is a breakfast granola, a snacking granola, an anytime granola.  Just sweet enough--with flax seeds it's healthy too.  A little bit of sea salt balances it out just right.  Available at Nelson Farms and area food co-ops.

Row 2
Evans Farmhouse Creamery Butter.  This is my "gold standard" of butter--it even ranked among the best in the world in a recent issue of Saveur magazine.  Get it at the Syracuse Real Food Co-op.

Smoked trout salad from Fins and Tails Gourmet Seafood shop on Pasta's Stretch Bread.  This is lunch made easy because the good folks at Fins and Tails have already done the work.  Also spotted at Fins and Tails--duck eggs!

Ramps.  I got these from the Finger Lakes Family Farms booth at the CNY Regional Market.  These will be turned into Deb Whiting's Ramp Pesto recipe featured in the Spring issue of Edible Finger Lakes.

Row 3
Hazelnut currant cream scones.  There isn't a scone recipe I won't try.  This is from a package of Bob's Red Mill hazelnut meal.  Sure there's cream but no eggs or butter resulting in a tender, not too sweet, nutty scone.

Golden Pheasant Wine from Pheasant Ridge Vineyards.  This wine is uber local to the Syracuse area from grapes grown in Jamesville.  This wine is a supple mix of grapes, apples and honey--it is yummy.

Stumptown Roasters Coffee.  This is the Nicaragua Los Delirios blend roasted on May 5.  How good is this coffee?  Stumptown is to the Pacific Northwest what Gimme! is to our area--careful, fanatic, serious coffee people.  I carried this bag back from the Ninth Street Espresso stand at Chelsea Market in Manhattan.  By the time my flight touched down back in Syracuse the entire plane was salivating for coffee.

Row 4
Early rhubarb from Blackbrook Farm in Seneca Falls.  These are from Kendra and Paul who are known for their amazing greens--including those spicy wasabi greens.  You can buy their seedlings at the Syracuse Real Food Co-op--watch for the sale on May 24--but this rhubarb is going into an apple pie.

Teriyaki Pork Spareribs from Oink and Gobble Farm.  I've been eating spareribs nearly every week since I've found these at the Finger Lakes Family Farm stand at the Regional Market.  These are marinated in some of that Soy Vey Teriyaki sauces and broiled on a rack in the oven at 350 degrees until tender.  A glass of Billsboro Riesling to wash it down makes me a happy camper.

Sunlight, Chase and my tripod.  I just love this shot because it represents play time for me.  A little time learning how to manipulate light and shutter speeds, a tripod to keep the camera steady--and my buddy Chase who is happy to follow the sunlight all around the house.

Archive Alert:  On this date in 2007 I exposed my fridge for all the world to see.

Syracuse is Sparky Town

The magical thing about a flame is that when you light another match or candle to share the fire, it doesn't diminish the original light.  All that is diminished is the darkness.  And so it is at the corner of Catherine Street and Burnet Avenue since Sparky Town opened a few months ago. 

Sparky Town has quickly become the "funky place to meet and eat" that owner and chef Linda "Sparky" Mortimer has envisioned for her restaurant and cafe.  Every time I've stopped in, whether it was for lunch, a cup of coffee, or dessert to go, I've run into friends and colleagues.  Sparky Town isn't just a neighborhood cafe for Hawley Green but it feels like the neighborhood place for everyone regardless of where they live.

That must have a lot to do with Sparky herself.  She has a way of making you feel as if you're a dear friend being welcomed home even if it's your first time through the door.  In between taking orders, cooking and tending to the business of running a restaurant Sparky manages to stop at each table to check in on folks and to get to know her guests.  You can probably chalk that up to her naturally outgoing personality, but Sparky's experience catering and teaching cooking classes at Williams Sonoma might also explain how she can turn out great food while making you feel as if dining there is the most exciting thing that could be happening to you.