Oh, Those Summer Nights

It happens every year. The summer comes to an end, and I have to say goodbye to all of the wonderful foods I wait almost 9 months for. (I just ended a sentence with a preposition, and I totally don't care right now.) The colors, textures, odors, and flavors of summer make me so happy. Bright reds and yellows, vibrant purples and greens, even little white eggplants. They smell like summer. They are fresh and crunchy. Raw, steamed, grilled...let me at those summer vegetables!
Being that my parents live on the Chesapeake Bay, there are also some other treats to savor. Like those Callinectus Sapidus-the wonderful Maryland Blue Crab. They are truly the beautiful swimmers of the bay. I had the pleasure of not just one-but TWO-crabfeasts this summer. Steamed spicy hardshells, local corn and tomatoes, and good beer. I wish I could share that experience with all of you that have never had it. Maybe the next blog site will have a "scratch and sniff" setting. Look at that beautiful thing!

I also got to make softshell crabs for dinner one night. For those of you who have no idea about what I speak (there, proper sentence structure), a crab has to molt-shed his or her shell-to be able to grow. It's really cool to see happen. Go google "molting crab" to see how they do it. Anyway, when they shed the shell, they are entirely edible. As they grow the shell back, it becomes harder to eat. This is a stage called "papery". They are still alive when you get them, and unless you are buying them prepared in a market, you have to commit their little souls to heaven and kill them yourself. I have prepared so many softshell crabs in my lifetime, but I have apologized to each and every one and said a little prayer for them. When I owned a restaurant, back in the '90's, I would serve softies every weekend of the summer season, prepared differently each time. I had customers who would call and reserve them so I wouldn't run out before they got there. It was a rare treat if there were any left at the end of the weekend. If there were, I would cook them up and we (the staff) would get to enjoy them. Softies are easy to cook. I prefer them sautéed, as opposed to deep-fried, although a fried softshell po'boy is a beautiful thing. You have to be careful when you cook them, though. They are basically balls of water being held together by a tiny bit of "skin". Know what happens when water starts to boil in oil? KABOOM. It's like flying shrapnel sometimes, so be aware if you are making them at home. Unless you like scars.
Here are my  beautiful softshells:

Fresh tomato slices on the bottom, basil-shallot beurre blanc on the top. Ermigard...

I guess it's time to start thinking about cooler weather foods, although the tomatoes and basil will keep coming for a few more weeks. The weather has finally started to cool off here, so I can turn my thoughts to chili, soup, and root vegetables. The Jewish holidays are upon us, so braised brisket and chicken soup beckon. Maybe this year I won't be as sad to see summer go. As soon as the winter solstice hits, I can start counting down to my long, sunny days and warm, starlit nights.

On that note, I think it's time for me to sign off and go make one more arugula salad with local tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh mozzarella, with dressing made from herbs in the garden. Sounds like dinner to me!

Eat well, and I'll see you soon.

It Does A Body Good.

Hey. How ya doin? How's your summer? It's been awhile. I hope you've all been eating well and enjoying life. I've been busy, but that's a lousy excuse for not blogging. Let's see if I can catch up.

So, I've been promoting local purchasing and farm to table initiatives at work. We have gotten a new school account, and I managed to convince our VP of purchasing that it was possible to buy local and not have it affect our bottom line too much. The new school is right on the Hudson River, near NYC. That gives us a pretty good range to consider as regional/local. We had the opportunity to do some farm visits and learn about the small farms that are still in operation in the Hudson River Valley and out on Long Island. It was an amazing trip, and I wanted to share a little of what we got to experience with you all today.

First, there is Hudson Valley Fresh, a dairy cooperative dedicated to preserving the farming heritage of the area. They support sustainable farming, the preservation of over 5000 acres, and provide a living for a select group of small farms that meet their stringent standards. The organization was founded by Dr. Sam Simon, a retired orthopaedic surgeon who began life as a dairy farmer, and returned to his roots. Everything about HVF is top notch. They set the standards for quality and freshness. They ensure that their cows are healthy, comfortable and well fed. Their motto is: More comfort+less stress=better tasting milk.

And let me tell you, this is some good tasting milk! I am lactose intolerant, so I only tried a sip of the chocolate milk, but...OMG this stuff tastes like a milkshake made by angels! My travel companion vouched for the quality of the whole milk, and we did get to try some of the yogurt, which was also delicious. The best part of the visit, though, was having the chance to see one of the farms and meet not only the farmers and their family, but the cows. Jim and Jen, and their children, Jenna and Justin, welcomed us onto their farm and introduced us to their herd. Getting a chance to talk to people whose love for animals and the land was inspirational. I have such respect for these folks, and am honored to have had the opportunity to meet them. And the cows.

If you ever find yourself in the Mid-Hudson Valley, Long Island, New York City or select parts of Connecticut, and see Hudson Valley Fresh Milk on the grocery shelves, grab some. Especially the chocolate milk. I kid you not. It's da bomb. Visit their website: www.HudsonValleyFresh.com to learn more than you ever thought you wanted to know about dairy farming and milk.

That's all for today, kids. I'll give you the rest of the farm tour next time, when we go out to Long Island and visit some of the few remaining farms out there. Until then, be well, eat well, drink well.

Me Gusta Mucha

A few weeks ago, Lisa and I had dinner at a Taqueria in Conshohocken, PA. Well, we tried. It was so crowded, we ended up getting takeout. It was the most authentic and delicious (and affordable) Mexican food I have had in memory. Nothing bothers me more than overpriced, mediocre Mexican food. Ok, maybe overpriced, mediocre Italian food. But you get my point. There is so little authentic ethnic food of any type around, it is wonderful when you find it.

One of the dishes we got was Sopes. Sopes are little disks of joy, made from Masa (corn) flour and water. They're kind of like little, thick tortillas. You toast these little guys, then top them with all kinds of wonderful stuff. They were so good, I wanted to make them at home. Luckily, I have a market nearby that sells real Mexican items. I got the Masa, chorizo, canned tomatoes with chilies, and queso fresco.

Nicole and I decided to have a girls night, cooking together and watching a movie. She was into helping with this project. Let me tell you, this is one EASY dish to make. The recipe for the dough is on the back of the Maseca bag. Like I said, it's just flour, water and a pinch of salt. You make the dough, form balls, and pat them into disk shape. Then, they get toasted. If you have a griddle, that's really the best place, but I don't, so I use my all purpose fry pan.

Easy, no?

You just let them get a little crispy on both sides. While Nick was making the sopes, I cooked some chorizo, heated some refried black beans, and some canned tomatoes with chilies. We shredded some iceberg lettuce, crumbled the queso fresco, and brought out the sour cream ( which to Nicole and me is a food group all in itself). 

And whoot, here it is!

By the way, we watched "Pitch Perfect 2", a perfect movie for a mother-daughter night.
Next week, we're making these again, with some pulled chicken. They're also really good with no meat at all on them. We're going to make a bunch of them and keep them in the freezer for instant gratification snacks.
Go forth. Make sopes. Arriba!

Make Some Gumbo/Roux the Day

Laissez Bon Temps Roulez and all that! It's one of my favorite times of year to eat. I don't really need an excuse to make New Orleans food, but somehow, it's better at Mardi Gras time. And it's also some great Superbowl Sunday fare.

I'll be honest; the seed that grew the idea for this gumbo was finding a giant bag of frozen okra at one of my local stores last month. It used to be easy to find okra around here, but it seems like it has become a hard item to locate these days. It has migrated from the frozen vegetable case down into the frozen Hispanic items. Don't ask. I don't know.

Oh, and once upon a time, you could get gumbo file powder up these parts. File (pronounced feelay) is powdered sassafrass. It adds that certain "je ne sais pas" to gumbo.  I have a bottle hiding in the back of my spice cabinet for just these occasions. Some say it is the secret to the perfect gumbo.
I'm here to tell you the real secret to the perfect gumbo.

Ready?

It's the roux. Any self respecting cook or chef from Nawlins knows how to make a Cajun roux. The first ingredient is patience. There's no rushing the nutty smelling, tawny brown perfection that is the roux. In so many dishes, roux is used simply as a thickening agent. But Cajun roux is so much more than that. It adds flavor and color along with texture. No butter here. Oil and flour. Cook over medium heat. Stir. Stir. Stir. It gets golden, then darker, but not burnt. It starts to smell like toasted hazelnuts. Don't rush the roux.

The next "must-haves" for gumbo are onions and celery, diced small. Some recipes call for green pepper. I don't like green pepper, so I use a red pepper. You can use a mixture of peppers if you like. Stir the diced vegetables into the roux. Once they are incorporated together, add some of the file powder, some cayenne pepper, and salt.  Next, some Andouille sausage. I found some nice turkey Andouille, so I use that. Dice it up and toss it in. Chicken. I use boneless thigh meat, trimmed of fat and diced. I find that breast meat can get dry, but feel free to use it instead. Here's what it looks like at this point. (I forgot to take a picture of the roux cooking, sorry.)

See, there's the Gumbo file powder in the background. Ok, now add some chicken stock. Stir with a wooden spoon, getting all of the roux up from the bottom of the pan. Add some dried thyme and some tomato paste. Since I am a big tomato fan, I also use some diced tomatoes. Stir, let simmer for a bit, then add some of the frozen, diced okra. For those of you who don't know, okra is a vegetable. It is the seed pod of a plant which grows in the temperate climates, and is especially drought resistant, making it a staple of African food. It can be fried, pickled, sautéed, or sliced and used in gumbo. And here's the cool part of it. The inside of the pod contains a sort of "goo" that helps thicken the sauce, and the pod itself gives an nice snap if not too overcooked.

I put shrimp in my gumbo too, if I have it. And I did. So I did. But don't add the shrimp until later, or they will get dry and chewy. If you're feeling particularly regional, and can find them, you can put in crawfish tails. Not my thing. Here we are, a' simmering. Look at that golden color!

Now, the big decision. Do you put the rice IN the gumbo, or serve the gumbo on top of the rice? Is this REALLY the biggest decision you have to make today? I am completely ambivalent  on this one. Sometimes, I put it in, sometimes, if it's thick enough, I just put it over cooked rice. White rice. Brown rice. You pick. I used white rice this time.
Here's the finished product. We added some  Tabasco, because we like an extra kick. It was VERY good, if I must say so myself. I'd hold it up to a genuine New Orleans gumbo.
It's not hard. Seriously. Make some gumbo. Let the Good Times Roll.

Chef Cochon gives it the seal of approval. Enjoy your Mardi Gras. Or make it whenever you feel like it.
See you soon. I promise. No more lazy writer.