Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Fall Fest 2010: Revised Medieval Apple Tart

If you're a person of a certain age who loves to cook, one of your favorite cookbooks is probably The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. I lived on Manhattan's Upper West Side in the early 80s when the tiny shop on Columbus and 73rd was at its zenith. At summer concerts in Central Park, you knew who the cool food people were if they had the Pate Maison or the Mediterranean Chicken Salad with a baguette in their little picnic encampment.

Both The Silver Palate Cookbook and The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook were proud possessions of mine when I returned home to L.A. I can't tell you how many times I've made Chicken Marbella. It's truly a classic. But, at one of the first dinner parties my roommate and I held, I made the Medieval Apple Tart from the former book. And then cursed out the authors. Much as I love these books, it was clear that the recipes hadn't been tested or that their idea of an ingredient list was to have up to four times the amount of ingredients you needed for a recipe -- at least this recipe. One pound of melted butter? I only used slightly over one stick and I was generous. Six apples? How about three, with some leftovers. And on and on...


But, I loved the concept for this phyllo-based tart and since this is apple week for Fall Fest, all these years later I decided to make the tart but to finally take the time to figure out the right amount of ingredients -- and add some that would change it up a little after 30 years. So, along with the apples, I've added dried Bing cherries from Trader Joe's. Instead of just using white sugar, I went half and half with brown sugar. And to the sugar mixture I added what has become my (now not so) secret ingredient for apple pies Chef Bernard's Spice "Baker's Delight" fennel pollen.

This is definitely one of those ingredients you should have in your pantry because you don't need much at any one time and it really elevates otherwise ordinary flavors. Chef Bernard Guillas of The Marine Room launched his line of fennel pollen several years ago. The Baker's Delight includes fennel pollen, dried ground orange peel, lemon grass powder, cayenne pepper, sour plum powder, tar anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, vanilla powder, ground clove, and coriander. Talk about depth of flavor...

So, here's what you need to know to make this tart if you already have the book. The original recipe called for a pound of melted butter. One pound! Man, did it aggravate me to have a large saucepan still filled with melted butter at the end. What a waste. Sorry, but this time I started with one stick and needed just under half a stick more by the time I finished putting the tart together. Forget one cup of sugar; I ending up using half of it, even with a generous hand. I sliced up five apples (the original calls for six) and still had half left over. I added some extra phyllo leaves to build up the crust. And though I tried as hard as I could to create the perfect round pie it still came out oval. Deal with it. I did.


Medieval Apple Tart
Adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook
Serves six to eight

14 phyllo leaves, fresh or thoroughly defrosted
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon Chef Bernard's Spice "Baker's Delight" fennel pollen
Calvados (or Grand Marnier)
3 large tart apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup dried Bing cherries

1. Unwrap the phyllo leaves and cover with a damp towel. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix together the sugars and fennel pollen.
2. Using a pastry brush, lightly butter a large baking sheet. Lay a phyllo leaf on the pan (remember to keep the rest of the leaves covered with the damp towel while you're working). Brush the leaf with some melted butter, then sprinkle it with a tablespoon of the sugar mixture and a teaspoon of the Calvados. Repeat, using 6 more phyllo leaves.
3. Arrange the apples and dried cherries in the center of the top sheet of phyllo in a circular mound about 6 inches in diameter. Brush with butter and sprinkle with the sugar mixture and some Calvados.


4. Stack 7 more leaves of the phyllo on top of the apples, repeating the buttering and sprinkling of sugar and Calvados. The top (14th) sheet of phyllo should only be buttered.
5. Trim the corners of the phyllo to get a round shape (or, like me, an oval shape). Then turn up the edges all around and pinch lightly to seal. Perfection isn't an issue here; this is meant to look rustic.


6. Set the tart in the middle rack of the oven and bake 30 to 40 minutes until golden. Check at about 20 minutes to see if it's getting too brown too quickly, in which case, cover it loosely with foil so the apples and cherries can cook.
7. Remove from the oven and serve. Or let cool and reheat gently before serving.


Now, for another version of apple pie, take a look at this terrific video on Food 52 of Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs making a Brown Butter and Cheddar Apple Pie with the fabulous Dorie Greenspan.

And, let's see what my Fall Fest friends are up to this week:

Todd and Diane at White on Rice Couple: Apple picking, and Broiled Leeks with Apple Vinaigrette
Alana at Eating from the Ground Up: Apple pie and its place in her family religion
Marilyn at Simmer Till Done: Louisa May Alcott's Apple Slump
Alison at Food2: 22 Awesome Ways to Use Your Apples
Michelle at Cooking Channel: Apple Dessert Recipes
Dana at Healthy Eats: 31 Days of Apple Recipes
Liz at Food Network: Pick the Perfect Apple
Caroline at The Wright Recipes: Apple Stack Cake and Dark Caramel Apples
Food Network UK: Five English apples you should know and love
Gilded Fork: Apples—Sweet Seduction
Paige at The Sister Project: Third-Prize Apple Pie
Nicole at Pinch My Salt: Favorite Apple Recipes
Margaret at Away to Garden: Apple Season: A Windfall of Recipes from my Friends


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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Saturday, September 25, 2010

Volunteer Day at New Roots Community Farm

Two years ago I researched a piece on the new City Heights farmers market for Edible San Diego. Among the people I spoke with was Ellee Igoe, then head of food security and community health at the International Rescue Committee, San Diego, one of the organizations that launched it, and she was talking intensely about starting up a community garden.

"We want to help get people to return to farming with 80, 600-square-foot plots as well as three larger spots for people interested in moving into farm incubator projects to produce more for market," she said. "And with a micro-enterprise project, maybe get into leasing land. I’d love to see a partnership between farmers at the market and community members interested in getting into farming but who don’t have land. We have an aging farming population. We need to move people into farming or we won’t have a local food movement. We're in the last phases of permitting with the city. It's taken two years to access the site because there's no policy on neighborhood gardens. We did an open house last April on the site to see if the community was interested. Over 100 people signed up. There's been a waiting list for plots since 2007. Already we've started trainings with different ethnic groups including Cambodian and Somali/Bantu."

Last year, the New Roots Community Farm--an oddly-shaped two-acre plot just off 54th St. in City Heights--finally opened. And, those 80 plots are being farmed. In fact, this farm was one of the stops Michelle Obama made earlier in the year and the welcome signs are still there.

 
I visited today as part of National Volunteer Day. Slow Food Urban San Diego organized a group of volunteers that showed up at 9 a.m. to work until 2 p.m., planting trees and seeds, helping maintain the compost heap, constructing a children's garden, and making planting mix. They would work alongside the neighborhood farmers who were there weeding, planting, and watering their 20-by-30- or 15-by-15-foot plots.


The 30 or so volunteers got a briefing by the organizers before being taken on a tour of the farm by a man named Bilali. A passionate man from Somalia, he talked at length about how important it became for new immigrants who were experiencing a hard time finding work, a hard time learning English, and just a difficult time in a new country to have good, nutritious food that they had grown. Instead of sitting around an apartment stressed over their circumstances, they could at least be outdoors, growing their own food to stay healthy. In fact, Bilali explained that this acreage was called a farm, not garden. "If you produce food, it's a farm," he said emphatically.

 Bilali
 
All around us were plots growing onions, chard, tomatoes, corn, cacti, okra, squash, and a whole variety of herbs I couldn't identify. There are plots farmed by Somalis Bantus, by Guatemalans, by Vietnamese. I wandered around the farm and met a woman named Hawa Mjiji from Somalia. She was busy planting beans and spinach, alongside her okra and corn.


Up and down paths I saw little plots, identified only by small, hand-painted signs, usually with a number and a name.


While Mjiji was busy with her planting, the volunteers were making inroads in their projects. One was to dig holes and plant two mandarin orange trees and one kumquat.


Others were working on the large compost bin, learning about the importance of keeping the piles hot so the contents would decompose but not so hot that they'd, well, catch on fire. Most of the workers were breaking down old corn stalks and were impressed by a local gentleman who was making quick work of them with a machete.



Ultimately, the organizers at IRC are trying to move the concept toward farming as a small business, helping the farmers learn how to do small-scale farm production with sales to restaurants and at farmers markets. They're working with Tierra Miguel in Fallbrook to use three acres there to jumpstart that effort. Already though, Sea Rocket Bistro and The Linkery are buying what produce is available. And, today, the organizers put together CSA bags of produce that they sold to the volunteers for $10 apiece.


The farmers also put their produce to use with the sale today of homemade sambusas and spring rolls to the volunteers. I loved this woman and her sweet toddler--and it turned out she made the pea-filled sambusas.



 The spring rolls were filled with noodles and greens.


While certainly the main point of the farm is to help members of the City Heights community learn farming skills and provide food for their families, it's had another impact on the community. These groups are all side-by-side on small plots working the land. They don't speak the same language but it turns out that food is bringing them together. What is traditionally grown and eaten in Central America is also part of the Southeast Asian diet or African dishes. Not unsurprisingly, food has become their connection and has become a starting point for the members of many cultures to learn about one another and improve their community.

Now, if you'd like to help make these community gardens easier to start, there is an online petition circulating via the Master Gardeners of San Diego, directed to Mayor Sanders and the San Diego City Council. Simply go to the Make San Diego Community Garden Friendly site and add your name, as I did. It really shouldn't be so difficult and expensive to launch a garden and the organizers are advocating that the process be streamlined and made affordable.

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Fall Fest -- Finally -- and It's All About Spinach!

Spinach. You can saute it, turn it into a salad, a quiche, a souffle, or spanakopita. Add it to an omelet or frittata. Use it in lasagna or a pasta sauce or soup. It's one of my favorite greens but it can sometimes seem a little tame these days, compared to the sharp spiciness of arugula or strong stemmed kale. Nevertheless, it's completely utilitarian, delicious, and so ridiculously nutritious (we're talking high levels of vitamins A and C, along with iron and calcium) that it's a frequent player in my kitchen and, no doubt, in yours, too.

I just finished reading the uncorrected proofs of a new cookbook by Terra chef/owner Jeff Rossman. Called From Terra's Table, the book will be out in November and I've already written it up for my Local Bounty column in San Diego Magazine. I don't want to step on that but when I came across Jeff's recipe for Mixed Mushroom Ragout with Herb-Polenta Cake and saw that it includes Swiss chard in the polenta, I thought, "Bingo!" because I knew I could swap out the chard for spinach and have a very cool recipe for this week. And, Jeff gave me his blessing to do it for this. I made it last week, using beautiful crinkled Bloomsdale spinach that I found at Specialty Produce. One of the reasons I really love and recommend this Savoy variety is that it holds up well to cooking instead of immediately collapsing like flat leaf spinach.


Specialty Produce also had several kinds of exotic mushrooms so I pulled out a mix of gorgeous red lobster mushrooms, a very lively looking hand of oyster mushrooms, and little fresh shitakes.*


Between the mushrooms, the spinach, and the polenta, you have an earthy vegetarian dish rich in flavor. And, the recipe is pretty easy for a home cook -- so long as you have everything prepped before you start cooking. It also makes a lot of food. I halved the recipe and still had many portions of the polenta.

Mixed Mushroom Ragout with Herb-Polenta Cake
from From Terra's Table by Jeff Rossman
Serves 4 to 6
Total Time: 4 hours, Active: 1 1/2 hours

Herb-Polenta Cakes
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups yellow onions, diced
2 cups assorted chard, cut into 2-inch pieces (I substituted spinach)
12 cups chicken or vegetable stock
4 cups polenta or yellow corn meal
1/4 cup fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
1 cup freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Mushroom Ragout
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil
1 pound mixed mushrooms
1/2 pound leeks, washed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup white wine (any non-oaky kind that you would drink)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. In a large pot, saute the onions and chard (or spinach) in the oil until tender. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Whisk in the cornmeal slowly to avoid lumps. Stir over medium-high heat. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until thick. You can serve this creamy polenta now or continue to make the cakes. Pour the mixture into a plastic-lined baking dish or loaf pan (Note: I just coated the pan with oil) and chill (at least 2 to 3 hours). When ready to serve, cut the polenta into discs or squares and reheat them on a hot griddle or in a saute pan. (Note: I poured some on a salad plate for dinner and the rest into an 8 X 8-inch pan--remember, I halved this recipe--and by the time I had made the ragout, it was about set).
2. For the ragout: in a saute pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and stir in the mushrooms and leeks. (Note: lobster mushrooms are fairly hard in texture so if you use them, give them a head start in in the saute pan before adding the rest of the softer mushrooms.) Continue cooking until tender, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the white wine. Cook for another minute, until the wine burns off slightly. To finish the sauce, whisk in the butter and emulsify. Serve over the hot polenta cakes.



So, here's what are my Fall Fest colleagues are up to:

Todd and Diane at White on Rice Couple: Tuna and Spinach Bruschetta
Cate at Sweetnicks: Spinach Egg Breakfast Cup
Marilyn at Simmer Till Done: Spanakopita Scones
Alana at Eating from the Ground Up: Spicy Indian Lentil Soup with Spinach
Gilded Fork: Spicy Artichoke Spinach Dip, and a Dossier on Spinach
Nicole at Pinch My Salt: Spinach and Sausage Soup
Caroline at the Wright Recipes: Spinach Rotolo, a rolled ricotta and pasta extravaganza
Alison at Food2: Spinach Artichoke Dip
Michelle at Cooking Channel: Paneer With Spinach
Kirsten at FN Dish: Everyday Spinach Dishes with Giada
Liz at Healthy Eats: Mini Spinach-Mushroom Quiche
Food Network UK: Eggs florentine, brunch of champions
Margaret at A Way to Garden: Why I plant spinach late, and other tasty tidbits




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
 *full disclosure: I do some research and editing for Specialty Produce

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Friday, September 17, 2010

San Diego Foodstuff's Caron Golden to Be on Oct. 7 Weblancing Panel for SPJ

I thought I'd share this notice of an upcoming event some of you may be interested in, held by the San Diego chapter of the Society for Professional Journalists. I'll be on the panel talking about my experience establishing San Diego Foodstuff -- and how it's led to a new career. If you're a writer looking for new ways to earn a living, please join us. It should be a very interesting event.

Attention freelancers and would-be freelancers!  Looking for new ways to generate leads for freelance jobs and sell your services?  Curious about ways to make money (legally) online?  Go beyond mere marketing and learn useful, money-making tips at SPJ’s “Weblancing: How to Create Content-Driven Websites that Make Money” program, set for Thursday, Oct. 7.

Whether you are a freelance writer or employed journalist, you can use your skills to create websites that generate revenue. By writing original content, freelancers are landing story assignments from top editors, as well as earning income through Google ads, display ads, affiliate links, ebooks, membership sites and other products – all while working at home, without huge investor budgets. Panelists will provide tips on how to set up a content-driven website, how to pick your niche market, what to put on your website, how to write content and blogs that attract readers, how to get advertising, and how to make money in the process.

Seth Hettena, author, blogger (www.sethhettena.com) and former AP reporter, will moderate the discussion.  Panelists include:
  • Anne Wayman, creator of www.aboutfreelancewriting.com, which features original content about how to make money freelancing and includes regular job postings for freelance writing and editing jobs
  • Caron Golden, freelance writer and editor, blogger, and creator of www.sandiegofoodstuff.com, which covers all things foodie
  • Helen Chang, freelance writer, editor, ghostwriter and creator of www.ghostwriter-needed.com
When: Thursday, Oct. 7, 6:30 p.m.
Where: KGTV Studio, 4600 Air Way, San Diego
Cost: Free for SPJ members, $5 for non-members
Questions: Contact spjsandiego@gmail.com


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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

You Say Potato, I Say Hatch Chile Potato Salad for Summer Fest 2010

I sometimes wonder if one of the ways in which the world may be divided is between rice people and potato people. If so, and despite the fact that I love rice, I'd be hanging with the potato folks. To my mind, potatoes are about as close to being pure comfort food as you can get and as the world's fourth largest crop beind rice, wheat, and maize, they have a kind of peasant-like underdog quality to them I find appealing. As we head into fall, I'm so glad that they're this week's Summer Fest topic.

My favorite potatoes are a French heirloom that Specialty Produce introduced me to. They're a smallish tuber--maybe three to four inches in length--and very elegant with their pinkish red oblong shape that reveals a butter yellow interior. I'll slice these up and boil them until they're just soft, then toss with a garlicky vinaigrette and sliced Kalamata olives.


As the weather cools, I'm all over your basic baked potato--baked until the skin gets really crispy, of course. Or, perhaps I'll pick up some baby Yukon golds for a smoky cooking with coarse sea salt in my French diable.

 
And, come Chanukah, watch out for my latkes.

But, today is about combining potatoes with another favorite ingredient: Hatch chiles. I've now bought and roasted close to 10 pounds of chiles, which are bagged and in the freezer. I pulled out a couple this week to make Hatch Chile Potato Salad, which I served over the weekend with grilled chicken and broccoli. The potato salad has some heat but also the smoky flavor of the chiles combined with slow roasted tomatoes and garlic in a lemon-garlic dressing.

Hatch Chile Potato Salad
Serves four as a side dish

1 pound red potatoes (baby or regular size)
1 large shallot, finely minced
2 large roasted Hatch chiles (about 1.5 ounces), peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 large pieces of sun-dried or oven roasted tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
2 scallions, chopped
Lemon-Garlic Dressing (see below)

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add whole, unpeeled potatoes and cook until tender (about 15 to 20 minutes).
2. While potatoes are cooking, make the Lemon-Garlic Dressing and prep the other ingredients.
3. When potatoes are fork-tender, remove from heat and drain in a colander. When they're still warm but cool enough to handle, slice or quarter them into bite-sized pieces. Add to a large bowl with the shallots, chiles, tomatoes, parsley, and about 3/4 of the scallions. Reserve the rest for garnish.
4. Pour enough dressing over the potato mixture to moisten it, then toss to mix well. Let sit so the potatoes absorb the dressing. If necessary, add more dressing before serving. Top with the rest of the scallions.

Lemon-Garlic Dressing
Makes about 1/2 cup

1 clove garlic, finely minced
Juice of 1 large lemon (about 2 to 3 tablespoons)
A mix of herbs (I used chives, epazote, and parsley)
Kosher salt to taste
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Combine the first four ingredients, then slowly whisk in oil until the dressing thickens.


Now, let's see what the rest of my Summer Fest 2010 colleagues are doing with garlic:

Alison at Food2: Boil 'Em, Mash 'Em, Stick 'Em in a Stew
Kirsten at FN Dish: Twice-Baked Potatoes
Sara at Cooking Channel: Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes
A Day of Potatoes: Spuds for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Nicole at Pinch My Salt: Potato Taquitos, made with leftover mashed potatoes
Caroline at the Wright Recipes: Indian Spiced Potatoes with Chickpeas (Aloo Chole)
Cate at Sweetnicks: Bleu Cheese Potato Mashers
Alana at Eating From the Ground Up: The strange experience of growing potatoes
Margaret at A Way to Garden: Potato Growing, Curing and Storage Tips
Paige at The Sister Project: French Fries to soothe a burnt-out cook's soul
Marilyn of Simmer Till Done: Baked Potatoes: Cooking Can Be So Easy
Guilded Fork: Round-up of Favorite Potato Recipes
Food Network UK: We Like Spuds



Now It's Your Turn!
This collaborative effort won't be much fun without you! The more info we all give, the more we'll all enjoy summer'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 red tomato Summer Fest 2010 badge above (illustrated by Matt of Mattbites). We'll also be tweeting using #summerfood as our hashtag until Sept. 21, then we'll switch to #fallfood. 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, September 10, 2010

The Renegade Lunch Lady + Olivewood Gardens = A Sizzling Weekend!

As most of my friends and readers here know, I'm passionate about Olivewood Gardens. I teach there regularly as a volunteer and even wrote a piece about it for the Fall 2010 issue of Edible San Diego.


Olivewood Gardens, which is a stunning seven-acre teaching site in National City, helps neighborhood students -- mostly in elementary school -- learn about gardening, nutrition, and cooking -- while simultaneously weaving in the science and math skills of their school curriculum. So, a cooking session is more than demonstrating a recipe from produce grown in the organic garden. It's a hands-on experience that can be about understanding how flavors work together, practicing knife skills, learning about vitamins, figuring out fractions, and having fun!


But, it takes funding to keep this effort going. The weekend of Oct. 1 will combine three great fundraising events, all centered around nationally renowned chef, author, and children’s nutrition advocate, Chef Ann Cooper, aka the “Renegade Lunch Lady.” She will be the featured guest at the 1st Annual Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center Fundraiser, created by San Diego chefs Julie Sayer Darling and Melissa Mayer.

Chef Ann, has been featured on ABC News Nightline, CNBC, CNN, The Martha Stewart Show, and TED, and is committed to “changing the way we feed our children, one lunch at a time.”


This three-day event, with Chef Ann as the featured guest, will take place October 1-3, 2010. All proceeds will benefit the Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center.

School kids, their families, and community members can all get involved, meet Chef Ann, and help promote children’s nutrition in San Diego. Here is the schedule:

DAY 1, FRIDAY, OCT. 1, 2010:
Junior League’s Southwest Exchange Conference
Keynote Address by Chef Ann Cooper, “The Renegade Lunch Lady”
6:00-8:00 pm; Fibonacci’s, 10300 Campus Point Dr, San Diego, CA 92121

Tickets: $10 per person and open to the public; includes appetizers and cash bar

San Diegans will have the opportunity to engage in an inspiring discussion about how to make school lunches healthier for our children both nationally and here in San Diego. You don’t want to miss a chance to see this dynamic nationally recognized speaker.

DAY 2, SATURDAY, OCT. 2, 2010:
Organic Dinner and Conversation with Chef Ann Cooper.
6:00 -10:00 pm; Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center, 2505 N Ave., National City, CA, 91950

Tickets: $200 per person. Purchase online through Olivewood Gardens. Guests may also RSVP: 619.336-2253 / amyc@icfdn.org.

Eighty guests will enjoy an exclusive dinner under the stars with Chef Ann Cooper on the beautiful grounds of Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center. Guest San Diego chefs and mixologist, Ron Oliver of The Marine Room, will create a sumptuous, organic champagne reception and five-course dinner. All organic produce will be donated by Suzie’s Farm. A silent auction with choice items will take place throughout the evening with all proceeds benefiting Olivewood Gardens.

Chefs include: Amy DiBiase of Cosmopolitan Restaurant and Hotel, Flor Franco of Indulge Catering, Katie Grebow of Cafe Chloe, Ricardo Heredia of Alchemy, Joe Manganelli of Cucina Urbana, Melissa Mayer of Suzie’s Farm, pastry chef Sara Polchynski, Rancho La Puerta, and Chad White of Roseville.


DAY 3, SUNDAY, OCT. 3, 2010: Garden Picnic
11:00 am- 3:00 pm; Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center, 2505 N Ave., National City, CA, 91950

Tickets: Adults, $50, kids 12 and under, $10.
Purchase online through Olivewood Gardens. Guests may also RSVP: 619.336-2253 / amyc@icfdn.org.

Families will enjoy fun, farming, and food at the Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center! Guests will tour edible gardens, learn about gardening and nutrition with hands-on activities, and eat freshly prepared local foods cooked by top San Diego chefs and food writers. And don’t forget your bathing suits and flip-flops! The pool will be open with a lifeguard on duty.

A national television show will be filming the events that day too. Come and see who it is!

Chefs include: Amy DiBiase of Cosmopolitan Restaurant and Hotel, Ricardo Heredia of Alchemy, Kristen Conairis of Wicked Goodies, MIHO Gastrotruck, pastry chef Sara Polchynski, Rancho La Puerta, personal chef, Diane Stopford, and Chad White of Roseville.

Food writers include Susan Russo and, well, me! Please come to one, two, or all of these great events! I'll be there and hope to see you!





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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Garlic Rules! Summer Fest 2010 Eases into Fall

I have a drawer filled with spices and dried herbs, a pantry filled with luscious oils and sparkling vinegars, and a refrigerator filled with way too many condiments. But ask me what my favorite ingredient is and I've got to say garlic.


So, when I saw that garlic was this week's Summer Fest ingredient, I about panicked. If you use garlic almost constantly, how can you possibly choose a recipe to feature? Or two? I add garlic to vinaigrettes, saute with it, roast it, pickle it (with scapes), and make pesto and other sauces. I have a wonderful recipe from Paula Wolfert's Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking for a Spanish Garlic and Egg Soup. But, with that exception, garlic's almost always the reliable supporting actor and not supposed to hog the scene. But, in my kitchen, it frequently does.

One of the best tips I've ever gotten for cooking with garlic comes from my friend Anne Otterson, who credits it to Jacques Pepin. He used to be a visiting teacher at the Perfect Pan cooking school back in the 1970s, when Anne was its director. According to Anne (and Jacques), add a little water to the saute pan when sauteeing garlic for a dish. This prevents the garlic from burning if you're busy with other tasks.

I asked other friends and readers on Facebook for additional garlic tips. Susan Russo of Food Blogga like to saute garlic before adding it to pesto to avoid garlic's overwhelming pungency and odor after the pesto sits. Jerome White zaps cloves in the microwave for 10 to 12 seconds to help peel the skin from the cloves. If you've got any additional tips for working with garlic, please share them below!

So, back to a garlicky recipe. It actually didn't take long for me to settle on something. I almost always have a jar of this in my refrigerator. And, no, it doesn't exactly feature garlic, but it might as well because it's really what makes this dish.

Italian Marinated Eggplant
I've had this same recipe from Gourmet since August 2002. It really should be called Pickled Eggplant since boiling the eggplant in white wine vinegar takes it to a whole other dimension. It came from one of Gourmet's readers on its "Sugar and Spice" page. Gourmet later published another version of this from the staff but honestly it's not nearly as good. The little changes in proportions they made didn't serve the flavor at all. So, I'm sticking with this and I hope you try it. Not only do I drain it and enjoy on a crusty piece of bread or toasted pita, I often add it to tomato sauces for flavoring. Enjoy the oil, too!

1 1/2 lb eggplant, peeled and cut  into 3-1/4-inch sticks
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
2 cups white wine vinegar
2 cups water
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1/4 teaspoon crumbled dried
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
About 1 1/2 cups olive oil

1. Toss eggplant with salt and drain in a colander set over a bowl, covered, at room temperature 4 hours. (Eggplant will turn brown.) Discard liquid in bowl.
2. Gently squeeze handfuls of eggplant to remove excess liquid.
3. Bring vinegar and water to a boil in a 3- to 4-quart nonreactive saucepan. Add eggplant and boil, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in colander, then set colander over a bowl and continue to drain eggplant, covered and chilled, 2 hours more. Discard liquid in bowl.
4. Gently squeeze handfuls of eggplant to remove excess liquid, then pat try with paper towels.
5. Stir together eggplant, garlic, oregano, pepper, and 1 cup oil in a bowl. Transfer to a 1-quart jar with a tight-fitting lid and add enough olive oil to just cover eggplant. Marinate eggplant, covered and chilled, at least 4 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving. Scoop eggplant out of jar with a fork to drain excess oil. Marinated eggplant keeps up to 1 month.


Now, I also have a simple little recipe for a Sorrel & Garlic Sauce that was inspired by my friend Erika Kerekes. I was looking for ideas for what to do with some of the sorrel growing in my garden. She suggested her simple Lime and Sorrel Sauce with mayo that her young sons love with fish. I loved the idea and adapted it, and found that it's also wonderful with sauteed scallops, steamed potatoes, and other vegetables.

Sorrel & Garlic Sauce
1 1/2 ounces sorrel, washed and dried
1 clove garlic
zest of a small lime, like a key lime
juice of 2 small limes
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I like Maras pepper and you can find it at Silver Cloud Estates)
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a mini food processor and blend till creamy. Periodically stop, remove the lid, and scrape down the ingredients to the bottom of the bowl.

Makes 1/2 cup of sauce


Now, let's see what the rest of my Summer Fest 2010 colleagues are doing with garlic:

Todd and Diane at White on Rice Couple: Garlic Knots
Sara at Food2: Easiest Recipes Ever, Starring Garlic
Michelle at Cooking Channel: Roasted Garlic
Liz at Healthy Eats: 5 Reasons to Eat More Garlic
Kirsten at FN Dish: Garlic Chicken Greats
Margaret at A Way to Garden: Growing and Storing a Year of Garlic
Caroline at the Wright Recipes: Ajo Blanco Soup, and Confit Garlic
The Gilded Fork: Garlic Dossier and Recipes
Food Network UK: Glorious Garlic
Alana at Eating from the Group Up: Pickled Garlic
Cate at Sweetnicks: Double Dose of Garlic—Cuban Black Beans and The Best Pork Ever
Paige at The Sister Project: Spaghetti with Garlic and Zucchini
Nicole at Pinch My Salt: Spicy Pickled Garlic


Now It's Your Turn!
This collaborative effort won't be much fun without you! The more info we all give, the more we'll all enjoy summer'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 red tomato Summer Fest 2010 badge above (illustrated by Matt of Mattbites). We'll also be tweeting using #summerfood as our hashtag until Sept. 21, then we'll switch to #fallfood. 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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