Cookin' in the 'Cuse

Day Long Ribs That Let You Keep Your Weekend

If you are in the Syracuse area this weekend then you'll know two things to be true:
1.  There are too many fun things going on this weekend.
2.  You have to eat.

To wit:  there's the downtown Arts and Crafs Fair, the new Northeast Jazz and Wine Festival, the Ecofest, the Oswego Harborfest... plus there are chores to do, errands to run, the regular weekend gamut.

With the bounty of produce available, this is also prime time for cooking up delicious food at home.  But who wants to be a slave to the stove on a weekend like this?  Not I.  So here's my game plan:

• Go for a long run--first thing--before the heat and humidity get too high
• Start dinner*
• Check out the markets--CNY Regional Market to stock up on basics and the Greener Bean market in Skaneateles--Home Harvest Organics will have fava beans!  Make a long-overdue visit to the Borodino Schoohouse
• Take care of regular Saturday errands and chores
• Bake and freeze zucchini bread (this will take care of the squash taking over the fridge)
• Check out the events downtown before they wrap up
• Throw together a salad and grill some veggies to go with dinner
• Eat, lick my fingers, collapse, finish reading Three Cups of Tea and off to bed

Okay, its ambitious.  But I guarantee at least four of the items will be checked off by day's end and what will make it possible is dinner.

I am absolutely loving this recipe for sticky balsamic spareribs published in Gourmet magazine last month (and for the record, I do read and cook from other magazines--it's just that Gourmet has been on fire as of late.)  Check out the play by play after the jump.

The Joys and Pleasures of Being Home

There are so many reasons to rejoice in being back home.  Family and the creature comforts that make a house a home are at the top, of course, but I'd also list the following:

• Snacking on still sweet sugar snap peas
• Tomato plants that are two weeks further along--and the first bite of a ripened Sun gold--just this morning
• connecting with my farmer friends while picking up our weekly share
• dreaming about, cooking, and eating all the lovely veggies that came in this week--and not yet being too tired of zucchini
• my evening cup of tea with a bite of my all-time favorite biscotti from Rock Hill Bakery

And this recipe that I'm loving so much it has me eating Swiss chard for dessert.  Seriously.  To make the version pictured above, leave out the stems and simply spoon the chard over thick slices of stretch bread and garnish with a pinch more of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a slight squeeze of lemon. 

Wilted Swiss Chard with Garlic, Lemon, and Parmesan (Adapted from Gourmet magazine, July 2009)
Serves 6 as a side dish
Active time 25 min.  Start to finish 25 min

4 large garlic cloves
3 lb Swiss chard (about 3 bunches)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6 flat anchovy fillets
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup grated parmesan
accompaniment:  grated parmesan; lemon wedges

• thinly slice garlic lengthwise.
• cut Swiss chard leaves from stems and center ribs, then cut leaves and stems into 2-inch pieces, reserving separately.
• heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then saute garlic until golden, about 45 seconds.  Transfer garlic with a slotted spoon to a plate.
• add anchovies to oil in a skillet (it will splatter) and cook, stirring constantly, until anchovies break down, about 30 seconds.  Add chard stems and cook, stirring frequently, until stems begin to soften, 4-6 minutes.
• add chard leaves by handfuls, turning with tongs and covering pot briefly until greens are wilted before adding more, and cook until leaves and stems are tender, 5-8 minutes.
• stir garlic into chard along with lemon juice, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
  

What's Cookin'?

A friend just Facebooked me and asked, "What's cookin' Rev.?  Good question!

Actually, the question should be, "what's baking?" because that's what I've been doing lots of lately--well, except for that fried chicken dipped in home-made garlic breadcrumbs and four cheese mac and cheese from the other night.  Other than that, I've been all about the baking.  I was inspired by the February issue of Gourmet magazine which had the nerve to suggest that rolls might be a good, heart-warming choice for sharing the Valentines Day love.  Here's what I've been up to:

These buttermilk fantails are among our new favorites for catching up on carbs.

These parmesan pull-aparts were gone in 60 seconds--delicious!

These pecan-millet muffins from the Cheese Board Collective cookbook and a cup of coffee make for a comforting start to a snowy day.

What are YOU baking up these days?

Recovered from Thanksgiving yet?

Great, then you're ready for an Eat Local Potluck!  This one is hosted by Jamie and Maggie at their Wyllie Fox Farm in Cato.  Maggie and Jamie have a lovely farmhouse and these gatherings are always great for reconnecting with farmers, eaters, bakers, and others who love to champion the delicious, local foods of Central New York.  Here are details:

Date:  Saturday, the 6th of December
Time:  6:00 pm
What:  Bring a dish made with local ingredients or a locally-sourced beverage to pass
Where:  Wyllie Fox Farm.  Click here for address and directions

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

We're getting there...

Okay, we still need the counter tops and the pantry shelves go in tomorrow but the fridge is plugged in and water would actually come out of the faucet if the sink were installed.  Thanks everyone for all of the tips and suggestions.  As it turns out, if we should hit the lottery (well, if we first play then hit the lottery) we will be able to get that beautiful Professional Series Thermador I dream about and put it in where the current stove is by simply (and rather easily) removing one of the cupboard units on either side of the stove--phew! 

Consumed...

That's really the best word for it.  With the exception of work, tons of non-blog related writing assignments, all of my time has been consumed--gratefully, mind you--with the details of this kitchen.  The cabinets finally arrived today and the appliances arrive tomorrow.  The shelving gets installed in the pantry (through the door on the right) any day now.  I'm supposed to be packing up our current kitchen or anything, anything else we hope to move.  Tomorrow, I promise myself.  I'll get to it tomorrow.  In the meantime, all I can dream of is a fresh start in a new cooking/eating/living space. 

All that aside, I know there are lots of details we have yet to think of in planning this kitchen.  Besides, we are on a tight budget and there's lots that we couldn't afford to do.  But I'll ask anyway... if you were doing your kitchen from scratch--what would be essential?  What would be a nice but affordable luxury?  If you could do it over again, what would you do?

Thank you sun--now bring on the tomatoes!

Have you noticed?  We've finally had more than 2 consecutive days without rain.  On the one hand, all the rain has been great--I've only had to water the garden about four times all summer.  But all that rain has my tomatoes big, beautiful, and green.  They're supposed to be red or orange or yellow by now.  It's gotten so bad that I've actually had a nightmare involving someone kidnapping my hard, green tomatoes and taking them off to some sunnier state.  Luckily, it was just a nightmare and the sun has returned.

Until my own tomatoes ripen I'm relying on area organic farmers to supply me with small numbers of greenhouse tomatoes, Early Girls, and juicy Orange Blossoms.  If it were not for them I'd be bereft of one of summer's most simple and delectable pleasures--the BLT!  Thanks friends!

Dame Mas Por Favor!*

*Give me more please!

Early last month, local food advocate, gardener, and radio personality Michael Warren Thomas of Rochester's Savor Life, took me on a tour of Ra-cha-cha.  The focus was on food and gardens as I interviewed  him and several others for the latest issue of Edible Finger Lakes (start looking for copies of the summer issue this weekend!)  Michael knows EVERYONE there is to know in the Rochester food scene and one of the delights of the day was lunch at a small Dominican restaurant (El Latino at 366 Thurston Road) in his neighborhood.

I'd been dreaming of the flavorful pork with crispy crackling skin and peas and rice ever since.  Recently, while going through my stack of magazines to pull recipes for my files I came across Gourmet Magazine's version of Pernil Al Horno--Garlic Roasted Pork Shoulder.  Though their recipe had Puerto Rican roots I figured that any attempt to get close to what I remembered from the Dominican restaurant would be good enough.

And was it ever!  I don't even have a photo of the completed pork dish because as soon it had finished resting my husband and I began tearing into it--the camera never had a chance.  This is succulent pork that is shredded with a fork from the shoulder bone.  The marinade of garlic, oregano, lemon, vinegar, salt and pepper is given time to deeply penetrate all the meat making for a savory, not-too-garlicky, roast infused with the flavors of the Caribbean.  And this isn't the time to be afraid of skin and fat either.  The skin crisps up providing a nice crunchy contrast to the dripping bits of fat that lie beneath the skin.  You can also get some crunch from the bottom of the roast where an intensely flavorful crust forms during the cooking--you've got to taste it to believe how incredible it is.

At the end of a very long day, with the meat already prepared, I whipped up some "Just get down to business" peas and rice.  This is a great dish for a crowd--just bring a fork and come hungry.

Note:  We special ordered our pork roast from Sweet Grass Farm--this cut is difficult to find at the supermarket.  Also, it may seem like insanity to have the oven on in these hot summer days--but once you stick the roast in, you can do other things (I went to the gym and worked in the garden) during the long cooking period.

Pernil Al Horno (Garlic-Roasted Pork Shoulder) from Gourmet Magazine
Click here for recipe and photo of finished roast.

"Just Get Down to Business" Peas and Rice
(so named because there was no time to make them the old fashioned way--I had to get dinner on the table--I posted an alternate recipe back in February)

1 15.5 ounce can of pigeon peas
1 cup cooked rice (you can prepare rice on stove or in rice cooker while you make the peas)
1/2 onion, finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 moderately hot chili (such as a small Anaheim pepper)
4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely diced (available in Spanish food section of the market)
1 tablespoon olive oil

If rice isn't already prepared, begin cooking on stove or in rice cooker.  Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over moderate heat.  Add onions and both peppers and cook until beginning to soften--about five minutes.  When onions begin to turn translucent add chipotle peppers in a bit of the adobo sauce, saute for 2 minutes more.  Add pigeon peas with liquid from can into the pot and simmer over moderate heat until liquid is reduced by half.  When rice is ready, add to pot with peas and stir, cooking until liquid has been absorbed--about 2 minutes more.  Remove from heat and serve with Garlic-Roasted Pork Shoulder.  Feel free to use more chipotle peppers if you like your peas and rice really hot and spicy.

Eat Local Potluck--Sunday, July 20th

I promise, I promise I'll get to the post on my NYC cheese hunt but the garden has been calling and it won't wait.

Yesterday I pulled out some 30 beautiful bulbs of hard neck garlic and set them out to cure for a couple of weeks.  I trained up my tomatoes--snacking on the first round of ripe Sungolds as I worked.  I love how they are the first to come in and the last to go out.  And I've been eating a mix of mesclun, French breakfast radishes, and wasabi greens with nearly every meal. 

To add a little variety and creativity to this week's meals I'm going to get myself to this month's Eat Local Potluck.  This time around we'll gather on Sunday, the 20th at Wake Robin Farm at 7:00 pm.  These meals are always a feast of the best our area has to offer--even in December.  So just imagine what will be on the table this month.  Plus, the opportunity to gather at the farm that produces some of the best yogurt, milk, and now, cheese in our area is an added bonus.  Just bring a dish to share prepared with locally grown ingredients.  For location and directions please drop me a line  (click on the email link above right).