Sunday, October 31, 2010

Celebrate the Craft 2010

It took a two-hour nap to recover from the deliciousness that was this year's Celebrate the Craft. Congratulations to Chef Jeff Jackson and his team for a memorable Halloween edition. I was so busy eating and catching up with friends and colleagues I didn't take as many photos as I should have but here is what I caught that represents the flavors and mood of the day.


Andrew Spurgin (Waters Fine Catering) and Jeff Jackson (A.R. Valentien)

"Bacon and eggs" Brandt Beef style

Brian Sinnott (1500 Ocean)

Christian Graves (JSix)

Javier Plascencia (Romesco) and Josh Koppelman (Dining Out San Diego)

Javier Plascencia (Romesco)

Katie Grebow (Cafe Chloe)

MIHO Gastrotruck

Trey Foshee (George's at the Cove) and Jason Knibb (NineTen)

Trey's pork and kimchee

Happy Halloween!


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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Fall Fest: Cooking for One and My Mad Freezer Stash

Are you single? As in live alone, cook alone, and usually eat alone? This would be me. When coupled people talk about how they cook for one, they tend to be talking about the occasional evening when their significant other happens to be out of town or at a meeting. When I talk about cooking for one, I mean one -- day in and day out.

This is not a complaint. This is my life and I'm perfectly happy. However, cooking for one can be a challenge, starting with buying for one. So, when our Fall Fest 2010 Mad Stash theme came up this week I wasn't thinking about what fearless leader Margaret Roach intended--freezing, preserving, or drying in anticipation of getting through the dead of winter. I was thinking about what I do year round to save a little money, keep food from going bad (or eating too much of it at one sitting), or to be able to enjoy the kind of cooking typically done for a family--like making big pots of soup, or lasagna, or baking bread.

See, I live in San Diego, and while we certainly address seasonality, we have gorgeous produce year round. We don't need to "put away" for the winter. Maybe I don't have fresh local strawberries in January, but I have access to magnificent  apples, pears,  persimmons, and citrus. And, a container of smashed strawberries in the freezer left over from my summer strawberry freezer jam extravaganza (I have jars of the jam in the freezer, too). Did I buy too much Swiss chard last week? No problem. I'll just remove the ribs and put the leaves in the food processor with garlic, olive oil, honey, and parmesan cheese to make Swiss chard pesto. And put that in the freezer for later.


Now, sometimes I get carried away at the farmers market and buy too much. Or my schedule changes and I end up with several unexpected evenings out. And my poor produce languishes in the fridge. If I can catch it in time, I can create something that turns veggies just this side of spoiled into something sublime--then freeze it.

This is what happened over the summer when I had zucchini, eggplant, heirloom tomatoes, peppers, leeks, and I forget what else. I got busy that week and it sat. Then I burned my right palm pretty severely making a tomato tarte tatin. My plans for cooking up all that produce were dashed. Until I called my mom. She came over the next day and the two of us had a wonderful afternoon in my kitchen making what I'm calling my "refrigerator sauce."

There's no real recipe here. What we did--and what I often do--is prep the veggies for roasting, which brings out the sugars in each. Use a good-sized non-stick baking sheet. I don't use foil for this because I want to scrape up the juices from the tomatoes and add them to the sauce. In this case, we cut eggplant, zucchini, onions, sweet peppers, and leeks into chunks. We halved the tomatoes and tossed in whole, peeled garlic cloves. We tossed the veggies in olive oil and sprinkled them with a little salt and pepper. The pans went into a 400-degree oven and roasted for about 20 minutes. (Just check on them periodically after the first 10 minutes. Some vegetables will cook faster than others and you should remove them from the oven so the rest can continue roasting.)

Once they're finished roasting, heat up a Dutch oven or heavy pot, add some olive oil and a little fresh, minced garlic, then all those now gorgeously browned pieces of vegetables to the pot--with the juices. Unless you have a ton of tomatoes, you might want to add some canned fire-roasted crushed tomatoes. Then add fresh herbs--basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, or whatever else you have on hand--along with salt and pepper. Let the mixture simmer for awhile (20 minutes or so). At this point, you can pull out your immersion blender and pulverize the vegetables until you have the texture you want. (No immersion blender? No worries--just let the mixture cool and transfer it to a blender or food processor.) Taste and adjust your seasonings. Let it simmer on low for another half hour to thicken and let the flavors come together. Remove from the heat and let cool. Then transfer to plastic storage containers to put in the freezer. Be sure to label the sauce, including the date you made it. I keep a cordless label maker in my kitchen so I don't get lazy about it. It's so frustrating to open the freezer and try to figure out what mystery foods you have and how long they've been in suspended animation.


So, how have I used the sauce? It obviously goes great with pasta. Melissa Clark recently wrote a terrific piece in the New York Times about whole wheat pasta and I bought her favorite: a package of Bionaturae organic whole wheat spaghetti. I'm with her. It has a wonderful texture and nutty flavor that I've become somewhat addicted to. It pairs well with hearty sauces and this refrigerator sauce is truly hearty--even without meat, although you could add ground beef to make a luscious ragu.


I also used the refrigerator sauce as the base for pizza. And, where did I get the dough? Yep, out of the freezer. See I make a terrific pizza dough but it's too much for one. So I divide it into quarters, roll them into balls, secure each ball tightly in plastic wrap, and then put them into a labeled freezer bag. Over the weekend, I pulled out a ball and let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator. It was fine for me to use the following day. It shaped nicely into a six-inch personal pizza, which I topped with the sauce, slices of Field Roast vegan Mexican Chipotle sausage (leftover from another story I researched), slices of garlic, and grated/cubed Piave Vecchio, a great fall cows milk cheese from the Italian Alps that I bought from Taste's Mary Palmer.

The pizza made for a great, easy lunch. After all, it's just a matter of heating the oven to 500 degrees, shaping the dough, adding the toppings, and baking for all of 10 minutes.

A great, healthy, meal for one.


So, what does "Mad Stash" mean to my Fall Fest colleagues?

Alison at Food2: Break Out the Stash
Kirsten at Food Network: Roasting Pumpkin Seeds
Liz at Healthy Eats: Mad Squash Stash
Michelle at Cooking Channel: Save Em' While You Can
Caroline at the Wright Recipes: Brandied Apple Butter
Nicole of Pinch My Salt: Spiced Pear Butter 
Alana at Eating From the Ground Up: On the Chest Freezer
Cate of Sweet Nicks: Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette 
 Margaret at A Way to Garden: Everything Into the Pot, Freezer, Cellar
Todd and Diane: Persimmon Overload, and Persimmon Fool Pudding 


Now It's Your Turn to Join Fall Fest 2010!
This collaborative effort won't be much fun without you! The more info we all give, the more we'll all enjoy fall's harvest. Have a recipe or tip that fits any of our weekly themes? You can contribute in various ways, big or small.
  • Contribute a whole post, or a comment—whatever you wish. It’s meant to be fun, viral, fluid. No pressure, just delicious. 
  • Simply leave your tip or recipe or favorite links in the comments below a Summer Fest post on my blog any upcoming Wednesday, and then go visit my collaborators and do the same.
The cross-blog event idea works best when you leave your recipe or favorite links (whether to your own blog or someone else’s) at all the host blogs. That way, they are likely to be seen by the widest audience. Everyone benefits, and then we're all cooking with some great ideas. Or go big: Publish entire posts of your own if you wish, and grab the big Fall Fest 2010 pumpkin badge above (illustrated by Matt of Mattbites). We'll also be tweeting using #fallfood as our hashtag. Here's the schedule:
Sept. 1: Sweet and Spicy Peppers
Sept. 8: Garlic
Sept. 15: White (or colorful “white”…but not sweet) Potatoes
Sept. 22: Spinach
Sept. 29: Apples
Oct. 6: Fall Salads
Oct. 13: Pumpkin and Winter Squash
Oct. 20: Pears
Oct. 27: “Mad Stash” (as in what you’re freezing/canning/drying, etc.)
Nov. 3: Root veggies
Nov. 10: Brassicas: incl. Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Cabbage or other
Nov. 17: Sweet Potatoes
Nov. 24: Bounty to Be Grateful For

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Friday, October 22, 2010

A Stress-Free End for Chickens?

No one likes to think about these things but it's only right for those of us who are carnivores to consider how the animals we eat meet their end. Yesterday, the New York Times published a fascinating story by William Neuman on a new, more humane way to slaughter chickens. The story, New Way to Help Chickens Cross to the Other Side, describes it:

"Two premium chicken producers, Bell & Evans in Pennsylvania and Mary’s Chickens in California, are preparing to switch to a system of killing their birds that they consider more humane. The new system uses carbon dioxide gas to gently render the birds unconscious before they are hung by their feet to have their throats slit, sparing them the potential suffering associated with conventional slaughter methods." 

The technique was developed in consultation with livestock expert Dr. Temple Grandin. 


The article also points out that Nebraska company, MBA Poultry, which sells under the Smart Chicken brand, has been using gas stunning technology since 2005.

Mary's Chickens are sold at Whole Foods. I also happen to enjoy them because they are air-chilled when processed. As I wrote back in 2008, Instead of getting chicken loggy with water and paying for that water in the packaging, customers get all chicken, more flavor, and the potential for crispy skin.



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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Fall Fest: Pear, Pecan, and Parmesan Scones

Every fall, I'm so surprised that the Bosc pear tree in my community commons bears fruit. It's such a scroungy-looking creature that no one really tends to. But every fall fruit appears, usually out of my reach. This year, however, some lower branches had some very small brown pears hanging from them and on one of my morning dog walks a couple of weeks ago I stopped the girls and reached up to grab some.

 

After about a week on the counter, I tried one. And surprise, it wasn't just edible; it was deliciously sweet and juicy. Since then I've taken what I could and am so disappointed that the rest--out of my reach--will probably just age and drop. Clearly, no one else either has noticed them or wants them.

Along with these home-grown pears, I've come across some truly gorgeous varieties at the markets. Ever-popular Bartletts mixed with brilliant red Star Crimsons. Huge crisp Asian Apple pears. They all look so pretty with persimmons and pomegranates. A true fall fruit bowl!


Pears have such subtle flavors and texture that they can easily be overwhelmed by the other ingredients they're paired with. Ginger is always a good match. But so is  equally strong rosemary. It's just a matter of being judicious with the amounts. A long time ago, I came up with a dessert "spanikopita," with a poached pear, ginger, and ricotta filling rolled into phyllo triangles that were baked, then topped with honey. They were pretty good, actually, but I have to admit they were a little bland. It's something I need to revisit.

In the meantime, for this week's Fall Fest, I decided to develop a scone recipe, combining sweet and savory flavors with a little crunch. I went with just a little bit of fresh, chopped rosemary, along with grated Parmesan cheese and toasted chopped pecans. I added a little sugar to the mix, and sauteed the pears and rosemary in butter to soften the fruit and bring out the sugars.

They came out quite well. I love the poofy texture of the dough and the subtleties of the flavor combination. Next time, I might add some chile powder, too, to provide a little more ooomph. But, give these a try when you want a delicately flavored pastry to accompany a pot of tea.

Pear, Pecan, and Parmesan Scones
Makes 8 scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
1 medium pear, peeled, cored, and diced
3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping
1/2 cup toasted, roughly chopped pecans
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water for glaze

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small skillet. Add the rosemary and pear pieces. Saute until just soft, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut or rub the butter into the dry ingredients. Add the cooled pear and rosemary, 1/3 cup of the nuts, and Parmesan cheese. Stir to incorporate.

Add the sour cream and milk to the flour mixture and lightly blend just until the dough comes together.


Using floured hands, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into large log and divide into eight pieces. Pat each into a circle about 1-inch thick. Place them onto the baking sheet. Brush the scones with the egg glaze, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and the rest of the pecan pieces. Bake until lightly browned and firm to the touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Here's what my fellow Fall Fest'ers are turning out this week:

Caroline at the Wright Recipes: Three Favorite Pear Recipes
Paige at The Sister Project: A Gingery Pear Crisp
Nicole at Pinch My Salt: Sour Cream Pear Cake
Diane and Todd of White on Rice Couple: Pear Galette
The Gilded Fork: Harvest Risotto with Caramelized Pears
Margaret at Away to Garden: Of Pears and Cookbooks, A Delicious Giveaway
Food Network UK: Pear Necessities
Roberto at Food2: 5 Ways to Warm Up to Pears
Michelle at Cooking Channel: What to Pair With Pears
Kirsten at Food Network: Baking Up Pear Desserts
Liz at Healthy Eats: Vanilla Poached Pears, With Variations
Alana at Eating From the Ground Up: Musings on Pears and Cheese


Now It's Your Turn to Join Fall Fest 2010!
This collaborative effort won't be much fun without you! The more info we all give, the more we'll all enjoy fall's harvest. Have a recipe or tip that fits any of our weekly themes? You can contribute in various ways, big or small.
  • Contribute a whole post, or a comment—whatever you wish. It’s meant to be fun, viral, fluid. No pressure, just delicious. 
  • Simply leave your tip or recipe or favorite links in the comments below a Summer Fest post on my blog any upcoming Wednesday, and then go visit my collaborators and do the same.
The cross-blog event idea works best when you leave your recipe or favorite links (whether to your own blog or someone else’s) at all the host blogs. That way, they are likely to be seen by the widest audience. Everyone benefits, and then we're all cooking with some great ideas. Or go big: Publish entire posts of your own if you wish, and grab the big Fall Fest 2010 pumpkin badge above (illustrated by Matt of Mattbites). We'll also be tweeting using #fallfood as our hashtag. Here's the schedule:
Sept. 1: Sweet and Spicy Peppers
Sept. 8: Garlic
Sept. 15: White (or colorful “white”…but not sweet) Potatoes
Sept. 22: Spinach
Sept. 29: Apples
Oct. 6: Fall Salads
Oct. 13: Pumpkin and Winter Squash
Oct. 20: Pears
Oct. 27: “Mad Stash” (as in what you’re freezing/canning/drying, etc.)
Nov. 3: Root veggies
Nov. 10: Brassicas: incl. Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Cabbage or other
Nov. 17: Sweet Potatoes
Nov. 24: Bounty to Be Grateful For
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Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Fall Fest: Clay Pot Winter Squash

Winter squash are a marvelously deceptive vegetable. They look so hard and tough and impenetrable, but cook up to some of the sweetest and tenderest of edibles. I love the variety of clothing they wear--soothing cream, sexy blue, bright orange, rocking stripes, dappled sprays of color. But it's only skin deep. Peel any of these hard squash and you get a glorious orange flesh that surrounds what may be the best part of all--the seeds.

The flavors of a freshly cooked pumpkin are so beyond what you get with the canned version that it's worth the effort to peel and clean them for everything from pies and muffins to stews and soups. I love roasting pumpkin with other vegetables for a thick mellow soup. And, I enjoy chopping them up and adding the pieces to sweet and savory ingredients for a one-dish baked meal.

Sweet Dumpling and Tiger Stripe squash from Suzie's Farm
Last week I was over at Specialty Produce and came across these enormous and striking pumpkins: Blue, an Australian heirloom (which looked green to me, but whatever); Fairytale, an old variety native to France and known there as Musque de Provence; and Cinderella, a flat French heirloom. I just saw the latter in a big box at Trader Joe's in Hillcrest, by the way.

Blue pumpkin
Fairytale pumpkin
Cinderella pumpkin
I was particularly drawn to the Blue, but they all were more pumpkin than I could manage on my own. So, here and there, I've picked up a collection of small hard squashes--an acorn, a tiny butternut, a couple of cute Lil' Tigers, a Sweet Dumpling, and Tiger Stripe. I figured that together they'd make for a great stew-like dish baked in a clay pot with sausages, golden raisins, and giant Cuzco corn.


Ever since I was introduced to clay pot cooking by Paula Wolfert and her terrific book Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking, I've been collecting pots and experimenting. Winter squash is the perfect ingredient for this style of cooking. All you need is a stoneware pot. I used this gorgeous silky brown 2 1/2-quart casserole made by my favorite local potter, Roberta Klein. Don't worry about it cracking. As long as you don't preheat the oven, but instead let the pot warm with the rising temperature, it should be fine. And, of course, make sure that the glaze is lead free.


The ingredients here are basically what I happened to have in my kitchen, other than the squash. I'd bought a package of frozen giant Cuzco corn awhile back and was waiting for an opportunity to use it. Native to Peru, they're filled with protein, and have a dense chewy texture, making them perfect for stews and soups because they keep their shape. But if you can't find them, just add something else like garbanzo beans. Same with the sausage. I wanted a one-dish meal so I added a couple of lovely apricot chipotle pork sausages I bought at the UTC farmers market from Sonrise Ranch. Its juices and meat added a lot of flavor and some nice heat. But, this dish would work just as well without meat for a vegetarian meal.

Serve this with a hearty grain. I chose quinoa, but it would be great with wild rice, barley, farro, or kasha (buckwheat groats).

Clay Pot Winter Squash
Serves 6

Ingredients
2 pounds winter squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1-inch pieces (save the squash seeds)
1/2 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups giant Cuzco corn (you can find frozen in Hispanic markets)
1 cup golden raisins or other dried fruit
2 large fresh sausages, sliced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup olive oil or 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup pumpkin or butternut squash oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar, plus more to sprinkle on toward end of baking
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients except the squash seeds and extra brown sugar and mix well. Add to 2 1/2-quart or larger stoneware pot and cover. Place the pot in the middle rack of the oven. Heat oven to 375. Bake.

2. Put squash seeds in a colander and rinse, separating the seeds from one another and the squash fibers. Let dry. Then toss with olive oil and salt. Spread on a baking sheet or aluminum foil. Toast in the oven with the squash for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

3. Check the squash at about an hour and 15 minutes. If the squash isn't completely cooked through, cover and cook another 15 minutes. When it is cooked through, sprinkle the mixture with brown sugar and let cook another 15 minutes uncovered. Remove from the oven and serve, sprinkling with toasted squash seeds to garnish.

Winter squash with quinoa
Let's see what my Fall Fest colleagues are doing with winter squash:

Gilded Fork: Butternut Squash Bisque with Nutmeg Crème Fraîch
Caroline at the Wright Recipes: Roasted Pumpkin and Winter Squash with Labneh and Skhug
Alana at Eating From the Ground Up: Fall Vegetable Chicken Pot Pie
Alison at Food2: Pumpkin Donuts
Toby at Healthy Eats: Pumpkin 5 Ways (Including Seed-Studded Pumpkin Bread)
Kirsten at Food Network: Best Pumpkin Recipes
Cate at Sweetnicks: Baked Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar and Butter
Paige at the Sister Project: Pumpkin, Roasted, Stuffed and All Grown Up
Michelle at Cooking Channel: Pumpkin and Squash Recipes
Food Network UK: Praise the Gourd


Now It's Your Turn to Join Fall Fest 2010!
This collaborative effort won't be much fun without you! The more info we all give, the more we'll all enjoy fall's harvest. Have a recipe or tip that fits any of our weekly themes? You can contribute in various ways, big or small.
  • Contribute a whole post, or a comment—whatever you wish. It’s meant to be fun, viral, fluid. No pressure, just delicious. 
  • Simply leave your tip or recipe or favorite links in the comments below a Summer Fest post on my blog any upcoming Wednesday, and then go visit my collaborators and do the same.
The cross-blog event idea works best when you leave your recipe or favorite links (whether to your own blog or someone else’s) at all the host blogs. That way, they are likely to be seen by the widest audience. Everyone benefits, and then we're all cooking with some great ideas. Or go big: Publish entire posts of your own if you wish, and grab the big Fall Fest 2010 pumpkin badge above (illustrated by Matt of Mattbites). We'll also be tweeting using #fallfood as our hashtag. Here's the schedule:
Sept. 1: Sweet and Spicy Peppers
Sept. 8: Garlic
Sept. 15: White (or colorful “white”…but not sweet) Potatoes
Sept. 22: Spinach
Sept. 29: Apples
Oct. 6: Fall Salads
Oct. 13: Pumpkin and Winter Squash
Oct. 20: Pears
Oct. 27: “Mad Stash” (as in what you’re freezing/canning/drying, etc.)
Nov. 3: Root veggies
Nov. 10: Brassicas: incl. Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Cabbage or other
Nov. 17: Sweet Potatoes
Nov. 24: Bounty to Be Grateful For

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Friday, October 8, 2010

Fruit of the Soul: Food, Funk, and Fun for Four Good Causes

It's Fruit of the Soul season! I'm so excited about this annual event for several reasons. First, one of the beneficiaries is Olivewood Gardens, where I volunteer as a cooking instructor. I've talked about it endlessly but if it's new to you, this is a magical seven-acre property in National City where low-income urban kids learn to garden and cook nutritious food that comes from the garden.

 
Second, it brings together a wealth of wonderful restaurants and other food businesses that support not just Olivewood Gardens but also the Monarch School, which educates homeless and at-risk kids and helps with their basic life needs; ARTS: A Reason to Survive, which provides arts-based programs for children with life challenges (illness, abuse, addiction, and the like); and Sezio, which helps young artists and musicians find a voice and an audience. Music, art, nutrition, education--they're a winning combination for raising healthy children and sending them toward a healthy, productive adulthood.

Finally, Fruit of the Soul is simply a blast. Check out this video to see what I mean. Specialty Produce transforms its warehouse into a rockin' palace of deliciousness. There will be live music by Bushwalla, Mark Boyce of G. Love, Miss Erika Davies, The Steel Monarchs (Monarch School Steel Drum Band), Lisa Campbell, Raggle Taggle, Paul Grinvalski + Friends, and Stack-Aly (DJ). And more than 30 restaurants will be plating tempting dishes that will go oh so well with some fine beverages. Take a look at who's participating:

Alchemy
Barbarella
Cafe Chloe
Catamaran's Atoll Restaurant
Challenge Dairy & Sadie Rose
Chef Celebration
Cosmopolitan
Cowboy Star
Cupcakes Squared
Gelato Vero Caffe
Indulge Contemporary Catering
Jake's Del Mar
Jsix
Just Call us Catering
Kensington Grill
Kitchen 1540
La Valencia Hotel
Lucha Libre
Miguel's Old Town
MIHO Gastrotruck
Pacifica Del Mar
Point Loma Seafood
Searsucker
Seau's
The Oceanaire Seafood Room
The Spot
US Navy Culinarians
Stars & Stripes
The Wild Thyme Company
Tom Ham's Lighthouse
Water's Fine Catering

Beverages:
The Tractor Room
Palm Breweries
Widmer Brothers
Kona Brewing Co.
Refine Cocktails
Blind Lady Ale House
PRP Wine
Peerless Coffee & Tea

Need more? How about a silent auction filled with fantastic opportunities for fun and a gallery of art you can purchase, via art haul trucks curated by Sezio.

So, by now you're breathless wanting to know when this is all happening and how to get tickets, right?

Mark your calendar for Saturday, Oct. 16, starting at 6 p.m. at Specialty Produce (1929 Hancock St. in Middletown). Tickets range from $30 to $115 and you can buy them online at the Fruit of the Soul site.

As organizers Kelly Orange and Niamh Scott say, "Be Inspired. Give Back. And Dance It Out!"

See you there!

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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Fall Fest: Wheat Berry Salad with Apples and Pomegranates

Last week, San Diego had a record-breaking heat wave. This week it's chilly, overcast drizzly days. I wasn't convinced at all last week that I could create a fall salad for Fall Fest, but I'm certainly in the mood now.

In with my favorite honey crisp apples. In with those classically aphrodisiac pomegranates. It looks like peaches and berries are a just glance over the shoulder now.


I first discovered wheat berries -- which are the entire unprocessed wheat kernel -- about 10 or so years ago when I attended a Canadian travel conference in Pasadena. The event featured a luncheon prepared by Canadian chefs. The first course was a crunchy wheat berry salad and I was in love. Back then it wasn't easy to find wheat berries, and no one that I came across really knew how to cook them. Follow the directions on labels and you could be boiling them for hours.

Not necessary. Instead of a 3-to-1 ratio of water to grains which I've seen on package labels, I do 2-to-1 with the typical bring to a boil, cover and simmer routine. After an hour, they've got a nice bite and are ready to go.

Today, I combined the berries with apples, pomegranates, a jalapeno, and toasted walnuts. It's got a little sweetness, a little tartness, some mild heat, crunch, and a rich autumn flavor.



Wheat Berry Salad with Apples and Pomegranate Seeds
(printable recipe)
Serves 6

1 cup wheat berries
2 cups chicken stock (or water)
1/2 cup walnuts (halves or pieces)
Seeds from 1 pomegranate
1 crisp apple, skin on, chopped
3 scallions, both green and white parts, sliced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine wheat berries and chicken stock in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for an hour. After an hour most of the liquid should be absorbed and the wheat berries should have an al dente bite to them.
2. While the wheat berries are cooking, toast the walnut pieces in the oven or a toaster oven. Remove when slightly brown and let cool.
3. Remove the seeds from the pomegranate (Fill a medium-size bowl with water, break the fruit apart, and pull the seeds out, letting them drop into the water. The seeds will sink to the bottom and the rest of the fibrous material that separates the seeds will float to the top; discard the floaters, and drain the seeds into a colander to dry.)
4. Add olive oil to a saute pan, heat, then add the garlic, onion, and jalapeno. Saute for about 5 minutes until the onions just start to turn color. Add a little more oil and the balsamic vinegar. Keep over the heat briefly as you stir to mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. In a large bowl, add the cooked wheat berries, the walnuts, apples, pomegranate seeds, scallions, and cooked onions/garlic/chile. Mix well. Let sit for about an hour to let the flavors come together. Taste and adjust seasonings. You may want to add more vinegar, salt, or pepper. Then serve.

So, let's see what other salads are included in this week's Fall Fest:

Michelle at Cooking Channel: 5 Fab Fall Salads
Liz at Healthy Eats: 5 Favorite Fall Salads
Alison at Food2: Fall Salads, Deconstructed
Gilded Fork: Red & White Salad with Candied Pears, Figs & Chevre
Caroline at Caroline at the Wright Recipes: Salt-Roasted Beet and Potato Salad
Margaret at A Way to Garden: Why Beets Make the Salad
Cate at SweetNicks: Bleu Cheese and Walnut Salad with Maple Dressing
Paige at the Sister Project: Chopped Salad That's Also an Hors D'Ouevre 
Nicole at Pinch My Salt: Spinach Pomegranate Salad with Apples and Walnuts
Alana at Eating From the Ground Up: Kale Salad
Todd and Diane at White on Rice Couple: Arugula Salad with Figs and Bacon


Now It's Your Turn to Join Fall Fest 2010!
This collaborative effort won't be much fun without you! The more info we all give, the more we'll all enjoy fall's harvest. Have a recipe or tip that fits any of our weekly themes? You can contribute in various ways, big or small.
  • Contribute a whole post, or a comment—whatever you wish. It’s meant to be fun, viral, fluid. No pressure, just delicious. 
  • Simply leave your tip or recipe or favorite links in the comments below a Summer Fest post on my blog any upcoming Wednesday, and then go visit my collaborators and do the same.
The cross-blog event idea works best when you leave your recipe or favorite links (whether to your own blog or someone else’s) at all the host blogs. That way, they are likely to be seen by the widest audience. Everyone benefits, and then we're all cooking with some great ideas. Or go big: Publish entire posts of your own if you wish, and grab the big Fall Fest 2010 pumpkin badge above (illustrated by Matt of Mattbites). We'll also be tweeting using #fallfood as our hashtag. Here's the schedule:
Sept. 1: Sweet and Spicy Peppers
Sept. 8: Garlic
Sept. 15: White (or colorful “white”…but not sweet) Potatoes
Sept. 22: Spinach
Sept. 29: Apples
Oct. 6: Fall Salads
Oct. 13: Pumpkin and Winter Squash
Oct. 20: Pears
Oct. 27: “Mad Stash” (as in what you’re freezing/canning/drying, etc.)
Nov. 3: Root veggies
Nov. 10: Brassicas: incl. Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Cabbage or other
Nov. 17: Sweet Potatoes
Nov. 24: Bounty to Be Grateful For

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Friday, October 1, 2010

2010 Food 4 Kids Fundraiser: Thank You!

 
Last fall Alice Robertson and I decided to launch a fundraiser for the San Diego Food Bank's Food 4 Kids Backpack Program. In a scant three weeks, we raised just over $6,000 and about 1,100 pounds of food. The fundraiser included the participation of two restaurants, Urban Solace and Zenbu. They both picked a popular dish and donated $1 for each order made during the fundraiser.

This year, we moved the fundraiser to the summer and thought we'd expand this "Dollar-a-Dish" component to include perhaps a dozen restaurants. If we were lucky.

Well, San Diego (and beyond), you overwhelmed us with your generosity. We raised $10,205 in cash on our firstgiving.com page and through other direct contributions. And 35 restaurants (including a caterer and farmers market vendor) signed up for Dollar-a-Dish with almost 50 locations raising money during August on our behalf. In total, they raised $12,954.

I want to thank every restaurant that participated and give them three cheers for helping feed our region's chronically hungry kids. The list of restaurants and their dishes is here. Please continue to patronize these generous eateries. Every contribution they made will be a huge help, but special shout outs are due to Diane Powers and her three restaurants, Casa de Pico, Casa de Bandini, and Casa Guadalajara! Together, they raised $2,670 with their fish tacos! And to O'Brothers for raising $1,500! And to Wine Steals for raising $748! And to George's California Modern for their $719 contribution! Cowboy Star donated $664, which represented both the amount raised through their filet of beef and the restaurant owners' matching contribution. Pizza Fusion's Barry Braden also personally matched the donations to give $450! And, big thanks to Urban Solace not only for their $510 contribution but for having the Dollar-a-Dish idea in the first place back in November of last year! All of you who participated give us reason to celebrate!

Our actual fundraising total wouldn't be as high if not for the generosity of NBC San Diego. Committee member and NBC San Diego anchor Catherine Garcia asked the station if they'd cover the 7 percent cut that firstgiving.com takes from donations so all of the money raised could go to the program. They said yes and are donating close to $500.

And a huge shout out to my friend Bob Harrington at Specialty Produce. When I went in to see him for a meeting in late July and told him that I was in panic mode trying to figure out how to find and pay for a printer for our flyers and posters, he brushed it off as though it were nothing. "That's not a melodrama," he told me. "We'll take care of it." And he did. And Kelly Orange at Specialty Produce organized the whole process with their printer. What a gift! Thank you!


Speaking of flyers and posters, a huge thank you to the oh, so talented architect and designer Paul de Bartelo, whom Diane Stopford brought in to design a logo and the layout for the collaterals. We fell in love with his work. So did the San Diego Food Bank, and Paul generously donated the logo to the Food Bank. And, Paul, we so appreciate your patience through the many changes and additions we put you through!


Once again, Catt White offered us a home at the Little Italy Mercato for our backpack and food collection event. She provided us with a primo space at the corner of India and Date, a tent, and a table. We collected about $500 that day. But we also got the attention of several of her vendors and what was supposed to be a one-day opportunity blossomed. I did additional collections at the Adams Ave. and North Park farmers markets and then vendors Mark Lane of Poppa's Fish and Kosta Houdalakis of Lisko Imports decided to raise more money for us the following Saturday back in Little Italy -- and personally match what customers donated. Together they gave $400 and Catt kicked in another $200!

At our August 21st collection day, pastry chef Tina Luu of the Art Institute of San Diego showed up with some of her culinary students and about 40 filled backpacks. Throughout our fundraiser they worked hard to collect what we needed for the kids and we were stunned by their generosity!

Tina Luu and Amiko Gubbins

At our collection day, we held a drawing for prizes for our donors. Alice organized a long list of businesses and individuals who contributed gift certificates, books, and other marvelous treats. All of them are listed on Alice Q. Foodie. Thank you to each of them for making the act of giving that much more enjoyable!

This was nothing if not a community effort, as you can see. But it gets better ... Sessions Public held a tweat-up, The Red Door held a backpack event, Lotsa Pasta had a timpano night,  and Casa Artelexia had an event called La Cosa Blanca in the summer and donated half of all wine and beer sales to the fundraiser. 
 
We had tons of support from local "mommy bloggers," led by Beth Avant and Katie Dillon, including their August Twitter Power Hour that raised about $500. SDIRL (San Diego in Real Life -- run by Stacey Ross) held an event in which attendees were asked to bring filled backpacks and they donated a little money to the fundraiser, too. Romi Perri of Locurious raised money for us at their CityFest booth. And, of course, Chevy jumpstarted the whole thing last spring with a $500 donation thanks to Susan Russo.

This brings me to the committee that got all this to happen. Thank you to Alice Robertson, Amiko Gubbins, Diane Stopford, Peyton Robertson, and Susan Russo. Thank you to Catherine Garcia whom I didn't even know before this. She sent me a note on Twitter asking if she could get involved and made huge contributions both on air and off! PR wizard Peyton and Ashley Netzband, her colleague at Bay Bird Inc., blitzed San Diego media. Amiko worked her magic via Sysco and brought us over a thousand pounds of food from vendors she works with. Alice organized the drawing and managed our firstgiving.com page. Susan brought us $500 from Chevy, and helped with blogging and social media. Diane brought us Paul and his designs, and she did several early morning television appearances to promote the fundraiser. Everyone reached out to restaurants and others to get support. It was stunning and yielded unanticipated results!

 Alice Robertson, moi, Michelle Danks of the SD Food Bank, Amiko Gubbins, and Catherine Garcia

So, drumroll, please for the totals:
$23,642.70, which includes the $426 value of 1,637 pounds of food donated
53 backpacks

According to Trisha Gooch of the San Diego Food Bank, it all means our fundraiser will be helping to feed 95 children this school year. And, she tells us that as a result of the huge social media and conventional media blitz, she's received several calls from schools who want to sign up for the program. And, it turns out that our fundraiser is the fifth largest for the program, after companies like Qualcomm!

Essentially, thanks to your generosity, we quadrupled our effort this summer from last fall. Next year? We expect to enroll more restaurants in Dollar-a-Dish and engage more community members to participate. And -- very important -- we need to come up with an official name for our fundraiser. If you have some clever ideas, please leave them in the comments section.

But right now it's all about saying thank you to everyone who gave of themselves, helped spread the message via social media, and worked so hard to feed our region's hungry children. It feels good to be a part of such a caring community!

(And, if in my exhaustion I failed to thank someone, I'll be mortified and will absolutely correct that. Let me know!)

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