Eggplant Caviar

This is one of the easiest crowd pleasers you will come across.  The garlic and olive oil added to the eggplant make this one irresistible dip.  And fyi: it freezes well too.  So if you have access to great local eggplant and herbs in the summer months I highly recommend making batches of this and freezing it to help get you through the winter--just make sure to freeze it in the size batches you will you want thawed.  


Ingredients
2-3 Large globe eggplants (the big round purple kind--these work the best for this recipe; Asian eggplants don't have enough flesh and the paler Italian varieties don't puree the same once they are cooked)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (use a good quality first-cold pressing oil)
5 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
juice of 1/2-1 lemon (depending on its juiciness!)
1/2 cup fresh herbs, finely chopped after measuring (My preference is generally for a basil and parsley mixture, but I have also used oregano, chives, and tarragon in the mix before--depending on what I have had in the garden.)
Salt to taste (maybe just less than one tablespoon)


Putting It Together
Cut the stem end off of each eggplant .  Stab each eggplant a couple of times with a knife.  Bake in a 375 degree oven until they are tender (maybe 45ish minutes).  I generally leave them in the oven over night, but that is really just out of laziness--you can make this as soon as the eggplant are cool enough to handle.  Cut them in half, and scoop out the flesh. Toss the skins.  Mince the flesh as fine as you can get it and put it into a bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients, mix and adjust the seasoning.  This will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. 


Serve with bread or toast.  (It also goes really well with scallops--just cook your scallops and then place them on a bed of eggplant caviar. A mache salad with a lemon mustard dressing would make a nice side.)


Pairing Suggestions:  Any kind of dry rose will go well with this dish! As will a negroni or pastis... 

Wild Mushroom Tart

It is that time of year again!  Wild mushrooms abound, at least in some parts of the world!  Unfortunately I am here in New Orleans and have yet to venture north or east in search of the bounty.  But luckily I still have some dehydrated mushrooms from last year's abundant mountain-top harvest!  This was my first time making this tart and it turned out remarkably well.  I paired it with the tart green salad with anchovy dressing to help balance the rich creaminess of the tart.  There was also the added bonus of using the leftover tart crust for an impromptu apple tart!  The earthiness of wild mushrooms is truly divine.  We ate it as a main course but if you cut it into smaller pieces you could serve it with an aperitivo.  But no matter how you slice it, it is so good you'll wish you had more!

Tart Crust
See recipe from the (Easy) Onion Parsley Tart
Once the tart crust is rolled out as thin as you can get it place your tart pan on it and, adding an inch to circumference of the pan, cut out your shell.  Place the shell in the tart pan and press on all sides so that it fits snugly.  If excess dough hangs over the edges roll your rolling pin over the top to remove them.  Place in freezer for 30 minutes to rest and chill.
Preheat oven to 350.
Butter one side of aluminum foil and place inside the tart.  Fill with dried beans (I keep a bag reserved just for this use).  Bake the tart for 20 minutes.  Take the tart out, remove the foil and beans, prick the crust bottom all over with a fork. Put it back in the oven and cook for another ten minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Filling
1 & 1/2 cups of mixed dehydrated wild mushrooms, re-hydrated, squeezed of excess liquid and cut to bite sized pieces*
3 shallots, diced
1/2 cup loosely packed parsley leaves, diced after measuring
3 medium cloves garlic
1 teaspoon Piment d'Espelette (or medium-heat paprika)
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1/2 pint table cream (do not use whip cream)
4 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 dashes of high quality vinagre de Jerez (sherry vinegar)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste


Heat a large saute pan on medium-high.  Add the oil and saute the shallot with some salt until it just starts to color.  Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes.  Add the butter and stir to melt.  Add the garlic and saute for one minute more.  Add the flour and mix.  Add cream and buttermilk and cook to mix, it should thicken a bit.  Add the cheese, vinegar, and parsley, mix and remove from heat.

Putting It All Together
Brush Dijon mustard and a drizzle of olive oil over the bottom of the tart crust.  Pour the filling into the tart. Grate a bit more Parmigiano over the top.  Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes until the crust and filling are golden brown.

Pairing Suggestions:  Serve with a Chianti Classico or Vino Nobile di Montepulciano


*Note: To re-hydrate mushrooms soak them in hot water for 20 minutes. Once the mushrooms are done soaking I freeze the liquid to use at a later date for mushroom risotto. If you have fresh wild mushrooms use them instead! I would use about two cups of fresh mushrooms, maybe even more!  Any mix will work with this. In fact if you are looking to save money or don't want to use wild mushrooms any variety of (edible!) mushroom will work...  For this tart I used 3/4 cup morels and 3/4 cup chanterelles.  I couldn't find my porcini (maybe I already ate them all!) or I would have added those as well. 

Deregulate GMOs? So says Federoff

Nina Federoff's op-ed in the August 18 New York Times infuriates.  Her blatantly one-sided interpretation of the benefits of GMOs and the chemical fertilizers and pesticides that accompany them neglects to address the true issues surrounding not only GMOs but intensive, non-ecological farming as a whole.  While the growing population and their burgeoning desire for meat-based protein are relevant, pertinent issues which must be confronted, to neglect the benefits of sustainable, ecological, low-cost farming methods is atrocious.  Agroindustries and deregulated genetic modification are not the only solutions to the mounting problems of global warming and an ever increasing population.  Federoff grossly overlooks the proven problems that accompany GMOs.  Has she not read of the new superweeds that have become resistant to Round-Up (Monsanto's powerful herbicide which many GMO crops have been modified to withstand)?  An article in the Daily Mail refers to statistics from the journal Weed Science stating that 21 species of weeds have become resistant to glyphosate (the principal ingredient in Round-Up) and there are now 11 million acres in the U.S. (up from 2.4 million in 2007) infested with glyphosate resistant weeds. A quick search of Weed Science's current issue has countless articles relating to glyphosate resistance.  So that parked tractor that Federoff cites as a boon to the environment is actually busy 1. applying various herbicide cocktails to try to kill these weeds 2. plowing up the field to try and rid it of its invasive weeds 3. parked in the shade watching as the field of soybeans becomes worthlessly covered by superweeds.

Federoff's big push is the total deregulation of genetically modified organisms. She claims that there is "no scientifically credible evidence of harm."  While we can easily argue over the definition of "harm," one thing is clear: as long as industry is self-regulating and conducting it's own studies on the negative effects of gene modification, there will be no evidence of harm until it is too late. 

NY Times op-ed from August 18th, 2011


Letters in response to the op-ed


Anna Lappe's excellent rebuttal of Nina Federoff's op-ed

The Red McClure Potato

The following has been adapted from the application to board the Red McClure on to Slow Food's Ark of Taste.  After the tasting panel met in the fall of 2010 the Red McClure was unanimously voted onto the Ark.  Slow Food Roaring Fork is currently working to gain the potato's acceptance onto the International Ark of Taste as well as creating a Slow Food Presidium recognizing the Carbondale, Colorado area as the historic growing region of the Red McClure.  

The Red McClure is an heirloom red skinned, white flesh potato developed by Thomas McClure as a sport of the Peachblow potato.  Recognized for both its superior taste and cooking qualities, the Red McClure boasts a unique flavor and adaptability to various cooking methods.  It has medium to deep eyes and varies in size from very small to large sized spuds.  It has been replaced in the market by “typier” potatoes: ones with darker skin, fewer blemishes and much shallower eyes.

A full load

The Red McClure was developed in Carbondale, Colorado in the early 1900’s and released to the public in 1910.  This area was known for the quality of the potatoes produced and in its early history produced more potatoes than all of Idaho combined.  Today the historic area of production, the Roaring Fork and Crystal River Valleys of Colorado,  has only home gardeners and a handful of small commercial producers.  The potato seed for the current project is sourced in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, which is now the major growing area for Colorado potatoes (although they no longer grow any significant quantity of Red McClures).  It is Slow Food Roaring Fork’s intent to create a Presidium for this potato encompassing the historic growing regions of the Roaring Fork Valley from Aspen to Glenwood Springs, Colorado and the Crystal River Valley from Carbondale to Marble, Colorado. 

     E.H. Grubb in his 1912 book The Potato best sums it up:  “The Roaring Fork and Crystal River Valley section of Colorado is as nearly perfect in soil conditions as can be found, and the potatoes grown there are not excelled anywhere in the world, and are equaled in but few places.”   While E.H. Grubb was a Carbondale resident, he was also one of the premier potato specialists of the day and served as Vice President of the Potato Association of America and was the Special Commissioner to Europe in Potato Investigations for the U.S. Government.

Talk about potatoes!

     The Red McClure potato is on the verge of disappearance.  It exists currently only in seed banks and has no commercial production aside from what Slow Food has initiated each growing season since 2009.  The potato was grown on a commercial level in Carbondale and its surrounding area up until the 1940’s.  It was also the principal red potato of the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado until more recently.  While this cultivar has been recognized for its superior flavor and versatility in the kitchen it has been replaced by more commercially viable potatoes.

     In the early 1900’s the Russet Burbank potato, one of the most widely known and grown potatoes in America, was selected by Lou Sweet on his ranch outside of Carbondale, Colorado as a natural mutation of the Burbank variety.  While the historic import of potato growing in this region is undeniable, the current lack of agriculture (and potato growing specifically) is a threat to this heritage.

     Without the continued support of Slow Food Roaring Fork, access to grow and consume Red McClures in the decades to come is unlikely.  Our goal is to see to it that the Red McClure’s existence is self-sustaining.  We aim to promote the potato so that local growers have the opportunity to market the historic aspects of the potato along side its superior culinary characteristics.  Through local awareness we have already created a short-term demand for the potato.  We aim to make this demand more long-term and to create the methods needed to ensure the availability of the potato to all who wish to participate in its revival.  As the potato has not been grown under significant acreage in quite some time, the technical side of production still demands attention.  We hope to work with Colorado State University’s San Luis Valley Research Center on the growing conditions and (organic) practices suited to the Red McClure in the Roaring Fork Valley. 

The Selling Squad

      All of the commercial growers who grow for Slow Food practice organic farming and all of them make the potato available at local farmer’s markets here in the Roaring Fork Valley.  We also offer seed to school gardens as well as to home growers to encourage support and knowledge of this potato’s role in the history of the Roaring Fork Valley.

     There has been enormous support from growers and consumers alike for the Red McClure potato.  At the centenary anniversary of Carbondale’s annual Potato Days festival in the fall of 2009, Slow Food Roaring Fork sold over 300 pounds of organic Red McClures in a single day.  We firmly believe that the Red McClure deserves a permanent presence in our area’s current culinary vernacular.  Inclusion on the International Ark of Taste and the creation of a Presidium would help create the demand needed to ensure a steady supply of seed in the market so that Slow Food Roaring Fork can step away from the incubation of this initiative and focus on widening the growing potential here in our own valley.

If you could choose only one staple what would it be?

Potatoes.  Without a doubt I cannot be without potatoes

Potatoes with tomatoes potato bread  potato pancakes potato salad garlic mashed potatoes gratin dauphinois gratin provencal fried potatoes baked potatoes steamed potatoes roasted potatoes leeks with potatoes roasted cod potatoes potatoes and cabbage potato chips crawfish etouffee stuffed potato potato doughnuts shoestring potatoes souffle potatoes potato vegetable soup brandade with potatoes potatoes with mayonnaise potatoes with mustard potatoes with ketchup potato tortilla growing potatoes Red McClure Charlotte Ozette French Fingerling Coquette Colorado Rose  La Ratte Peruvian Purple Kennebec Russet Burbank hash brown potatoes patatas bravas curried potatoes potatoes with peas Carbondale potatoes grilled potatoes gnocchi with mountain top porcini wild mushroom stuffed potato


My only problem with potatoes:
I can not say no to a potato!

Scuppernong Mocktail

With fresh scuppernongs now hitting markets here in the South, it is a perfect time to explore the possibilities of this flavorful grape.  For this mocktail simply muddle five scuppernongs in a glass and add a few ice cubes.  Pour chilled sparkling water over the concoction, mix, and enjoy!

For a real cocktail add an ounce and a half of Oronoco or Ten Cane rum and you are good to go!  The smoky flavor of these two rums will perfectly complement the scuppernong.  You can garnish with an orange or lime slice for a classy touch.

Grilled Shrimp

Vacationing on the Gulf Coast in Mississippi where you can walk down to the dock and pick up fresh jumbo shrimp right off the boat is a treat in and of itself.  I am discovering a multitude of recipes for shrimp and the following is my favorite so far. And it doesn't hurt that this recipe is so simple and quick.  Make sure you think ahead to marinate the shrimp a few hours before you are ready to eat!

Ingredients
1 lb. fresh jumbo Gulf shrimp
1/4 cup pastis (I have been using Henri Bardouin which has a lot more botanicals in it than the more ubiquitous Ricard, but Ricard should work almost as well)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons of salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
wooden skewers soaked for at least 30 minutes before grilling

Mix all of the ingredients but shrimp in a bowl.  Dehead the shrimp.  Rinse the shrimp then devein (using kitchen scissors cut the backs of the shrimp open and remove the digestive tract with a knife).  In either a tupperware container or a flat baking dish put the shrimp and pour the marinade over them tossing to cover.  Refrigerate at least two hours, mixing the shrimp in the marinade at one hour.

Prep the grill to medium-high.

Make yourself a pastis! 
In a tall glass pour one and a half ounces of pastis, add one to two ice cubes, add enough water to dilute into a cloudy haze, roughly 4 ounces.  Cheers!

Grilling the Shrimp
Remove shrimp from the fridge.  Skewer the shrimp, but don't crowd them together.

Grill approximately two minutes on each side or until cooked through.

Alternatively you can broil them instead of grilling.  Just preheat your broiler and follow the same instructions.

I have served these on my classic salad as well as on a sandwich with sriracha mayo, tomato, basil and bibb lettuce. You can also peel them leaving the tails on and serve as an hors d'oevre with the sriracha mayo.

Pairing suggestions: Enjoy with sparkling water mixed with a splash of Italian limonata or that pastis if you haven't finished it!  This could also easily pair with a crisp Italian white such as a Gavi di Gavi .

A Raw Deal!

Following is a link to "The Latest Raw Milk Raid: An Attack On Food Freedom?" an article written by Ari LeVaux for The Atlantic.  This article and the event in question demonstrate the degree to which  big corporations have their way with our food system.  With an inability or unwillingness to focus on Big Agriculture, the source of most food-borne pathogens,  federal and local governments waste precious resources policing small agriculture enterprises which pose minimal threat to the public.

Click here for The Atlantic's August 15, 2011 article!

Anchovy Dressing and Tart Green Salad

This is my classic dressing with a tart and savory twist.  It is simple to make and quite tasty.

Ingredients
Four anchovy fillets
1/3 cup olive oil
Three cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Juice from one lemon
One tablespoon Dijon mustard (preferably Maille)
One tablespoon brewer's yeast flakes
One teaspoon sea salt
One head of escarole (or a mix of escarole, radicchio, and romaine; just make sure the majority of your greens are from the chicory family), cut or torn into bite size pieces, washed and dried.
Optional: one cup of fresh basil leaves

Making the Dressing
In a small sauce pan put the oil, anchovies and garlic.  Heat on low until the anchovies are fully melted and the garlic has just started changing colors.  Let cool.

In a glass jar put lemon juice, salt, mustard, and brewer's yeast.  Mix thoroughly.

Pour the cooled oil mixture into the jar.  The level of the lemon juice mixture and olive oil mixture should be identical; if they are not adjust as needed (by adding either olive oil or lemon juice).
Put the lid on the jar and shake vigorously to emulsify.

Dress your salad in a large salad bowl and
Enjoy!

Marinated Blue Crab Claws

This is an easy dish that will have everyone licking their fingers!  Blue crab claws can be purchased already cooked with the shells removed, in a one pound container.  They may be a bit harder to find outside of the Gulf South!


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Juice from 1/2 large lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (I prefer Maille)
• 2 chopped green onions
• 2 minced shallots
• 1 minced celery stalk
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon organic lemon zest
• 1 pound cooked blue crab claws, outer shells removed from claw meat

Putting It All Together

In a medium glass bowl mix all liquids.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the crab claws and mix.  Using your hands gently fold in the crab claws and mix to cover.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Serve on a plate with claws assembled in concentric circles radiating outward.  Don't forget the napkins!

Pairing Suggestions:  Rose, of course!  Or you could make yourself and your guests Negronis. 

Mark Bittman's Bad Food (Tax)

Everyone has their own opinion of what constitutes good food.  In Sunday, July 24th's New York Times Mark Bittman officially confirmed his place along side Michael Pollan as an advocate for healthy, unprocessed foods.  Many may take issue in his jump from recipe purveyor to opinion writer but we can only hope that his ideas have a positive influence on future food policy. His article, "Bad Food? Tax It",  offers a glimpse into the possibilities of a federally supported soft drink excise tax.  Bittman argues in support of such a tax.  (Why he omits diet sodas from the equation is baffling; are they not just as noxious as sugar laden drinks?)  He acknowledges the artificially low prices of soft drinks due to current subsidies for corn (and high-fructose corn syrup) yet he fails to make a critical connection: the passage of a beverage tax without the full eradication of this subsidy is simply a means of recuperating the funds the government has already given farmers and corporations to grow and manufacture the very product we would be taxing.

Bittman  suggests a transfer of commodity based subsidies to other "staples" such as seasonal greens, vegetables and other healthy foods.  While noble in its ideals this transfer of subsidies would benefit neither farmers nor the public.  Artificially low food prices (of any food) do not adequately convey the true cost of growing food.  Food is not free, even if you grow it yourself, as farmers well know.  The average American spends less than 9.5% of their income on food; this is the lowest percentage of income spent on food of any other country on the planet (Italy spends 25%, Japan 19%, France 16%, and the UK 11%; middle-income countries spend 35% and low-income countries 55%).  We need to focus on changing the American diet through sustainable, cost-effective means.  A beverage tax may help get us there; redirected subsidies will not.

Regardless of one's stance on subsidies, taxing unhealthy foods is certainly one means of persuading Americans to change their high calorie, saccharine-rich diet.  Mark Bittman's front page opinion in the Times' Sunday Review helps focus our attention on one aspect of this diet; it's time to impose an excise tax on soft drinks and help America work off its ever increasing waist line.

Click here for Mark Bittman's "Bad Food? Tax It"

Tart Green Salad

This is a very tasty, eye-pleasing, belly-filling salad! Lynne Rossetto Kasper's salad of the same name provides the inspiration for this dish.  The tart greens pair beautifully with the warm garlic balsamic dressing.  It is quite an easy salad to make once you are habituated.  Make sure to serve the salad on a platter and not in a bowl: the diversity of colors and textures makes this a stunning salad.  The warm dressing will be drizzled over the top (and not tossed in).

Ingredients
One medium red onion, sliced into thin rings

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

Mix of greens: radicchio, escarole, romaine, curly endive cut or torn into bite size pieces
1 cup fresh basil

1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley leaves

4 scallions (white and green parts) thinly sliced on the diagonal

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
One loosely packed cup Parmigiano Reggiano, shaved with a vegetable peeler
6 large cloves of garlic, thickly diced
3/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I used vinegar from my own barrel, but a good red wine vinegar will work)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Optional: Prosciutto di Parma, cut into bite-sized squares; cooked and then lightly sauteed white beans

Preparation

Soak the onion in the 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar for 30 minutes (this will tame its bite).  Wash and spin the greens, basil and parsley.  Mix the greens with half the pine nuts, most of the scallions, half a cup of shaved Parmigiano, half the prosciutto and/or white beans (if using).  Arrange on a platter.  

Making the Dressing

In a medium sauce pan cook the olive oil and garlic on low heat until the garlic just begins to color (take care not to overcook the garlic).  Remove the garlic from the oil and reserve.  Turn up the heat to medium and add the vinegars and lightly whisk together.  Add the brown sugar.  Let the dressing slowly bubble for a minute.  Taste for sweet/tart balance.  Stir in reserved garlic.  Season with salt and pepper.  Whisk everything together vigorously.  Set aside until ready to serve, reheating to warm if it has cooled off.  This dressing can be made several hours ahead of time.  (I had left over dressing and used some the next day and it was quite good then as well.  However, it is best made fresh.) 

Salad Assembly

Spread the drained red onions across the salad greens.  Sprinkle the remaining scallions, pine nuts, Parmigiano, prosciutto and white beans across the top.  Spoon the warm, thoroughly whisked dressing over the salad.  Enjoy immediately!

Pairing Suggestions: I would serve this with a crisp white from Friuli, or a young Chianti.  A good, fruity Beaujolais could also work.  If you do go for a red I would serve it slightly chilled!