Kitchens that Cook

Summer Time and the Veggies are oh so nice....

2009-07-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

Living in Central New York has ups and downs. We try to focus on the positives, and it is so much easier now than it is in the depths of February darkness with frigid temps and thigh-high snow. At this time of year, it feels criminal to think about leaving for a vacation because of the many things that are just about perfect here. This summer, even though it's been rainy, we haven't even needed the air conditioning! We can pick fresh fruit from June through October at a huge assortment of U-pick fields, we've got gorgeous country side, plenty of parks, lakes and recreational activities, and we are doubly rewarded as the fields ripen and the hard-working farmers present us the fruits of their labors in many wonderful venues. We have a wonderful farmer's market here - now expanding to the city center on weekdays so that we can walk at lunch time from work and see what luscious goodies await us.

We have re-discovered a wonderful opportunity this summer that is allowing us to have access to organically grown and freshly harvested vegetables on a weekly basis. It is a Community Supported Agricultural (CSA) farm that delivers a box of whatever is ripening in the fields each week. Members of the community purchase a 'share' of the farm's annual harvest before the growing season. From June through the middle of November part of the farm's weekly harvest of the freshest, highest quality produce is distributed to each member. We have experimented with the concept of a CSA in the past - one many years ago in Rochester had me working in the fields once a month and it was a great way to introduce the kids to the idea that food is actually grown and not just plopped onto the shelves as if by magic (sort of like them not understanding why when we needed money we couldn't just drive to the machine and get more!) Then there was another one more recently in Syracuse that offered great food, but was accompanied by a requirement that once a month we be present to divvy up the produce delivery to distribute to the members, and I got paired with someone who was downright mean and nasty - so we did not return the following year. This spring I was tempted by an email from Phyllis who runs Sugarpearl (http://www.sugarpearl.org) down the street from us offering CSA produce that would be delivered to their coffee shop, and all we would have to do would be to pick it up. How much easier could it get? Being part of a rapidly emptying nest (yahoo!), we figured it might be too much food for 2 adults and one or two vanishing and re-appearing teens. We talked our friends Zach and Linda into splitting a share with us - so we each wrote checks for about $250 and sent them into the Common Thread Community Farm with high hopes. And we have not been disappointed!

Each Thursday afternoon, we wander down to Sugarpearl, walk in and grab our box and newsletter, and rush home to figure out what is in it. Each week there has been at least one thing in the box that we were unfamiliar with - remarkable when you realize that we are NOT food-sissies and have tried pretty much everything we've ever had the opportunity to try in our lives! A recent box had Red Cabbage, Carrots, Fennel, Radicchio, Garlic Scapes, Kohlrabi, Summer Squash, Zucchini, Lacanato Kale and Head Lettuce (2 kinds). Last week we had Thursday diner with Zach and Linda, and prepared fish cakes with a mango salsa and a side of greens and beans. Then they went home with a grocery bag full of the remainder of their half of that week's box. The Common Thread Community Farm folks are making it possible for those of us who live away from the farms to enjoy their produce every day, and their efforts are also building a community. Last weekend they were hosting an evening on the farm complete with movies in the fields, and their facebook page is full of links to good information, photos of the farm compete with chickens and piggies, and of course recipes shared by others like us who don't always know what to do with something or other in the box. We like to think that Common Thread Farm is benefiting from our support and that they will grow and prosper and continue to provide us with more interesting and delicious food for long into the future. It is small farming operations like this that will ensure diversity in what is available to us, and continue to propagate so many of the varieties of vegetables that are not grown large scale commercially because they aren't great sellers or keepers in the mass-market. What fun - and what great food. So when the snow is flying and I am starting to hallucinate with Seasonal Affective Disorder symptoms next winter, maybe someone can remind me that this is why we choose to live here!

Closet TV Chef

2009-07-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

Recently I received a curious email from a touring interview operation called the 'AHA Moment'. The organizers had read something about some of my recent cooking demonstrations and decided I might have something to share. The fact that they were coming to town in a beautifully restored Airstream trailer made the participation even more tempting. The folks were very interesting and the stories are palpable. Check out the blog then link to the website for more: http://blog.ahamoment.com/?p=2450

This grill is on a roll

2009-07-05T07:51:00.000-07:00

Here we are immersed in the mother of all summer holidays...the 4th of July! For many the holiday is about flags, parades and fireworks...for me...there is nothing like the rush of charcoal smoke blowing through my hair!

I wanted to talk briefly about grilling on the go. If you are a grilling aficionado you likely own more than one grill. I am only moderately obsessive as I own only 3 or 4 (my wife Carolyn ran one over with the car last year so I lost count). A couple of years ago, I bought this grill to use in our newly christened 'Sky Deck' on the roof of our shop in Syracuse (http://www.cabfab.com/). I was so pleased with this little rig I got from Lowes especially when I realized how neatly it folded and rolled for portability. The thing that separates this grill from the old school Hibachi type grill or the little cheapies that have the three legs you shove in is that it is full sized and at a comfortable working height when done. You can check it out: http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=39740-42600-CBC830L.

We have discovered that the grill fits easily into the back of our Prius and give you a one stop tool for a great picnic on the go. The picture above is taken from the parking lot of our daughter's college apartment in Binghamton, NY. She is a lusty lover of grilled flank steak and this was her only request for her graduation dinner....well...portagrill to the rescue. While I was lighting the grill on this urban-ly diverse street, a slightly inebriated neighbor from across the street called me over to say "Dude...your cars on fire". I assured him all was well and the Flank Steak was a huge hit.

Recently our little grill had her biggest road trip to date and is pictured next to our rented RV in the midst of the counter-culture mega music festival call Bonnaroo in Manchester TN. Once we finished grilling dinner this evening, there was enough charcoal left for our neighbors who were hungry and appreciative!

Cheap Cooking Wine...

2009-05-31T16:27:00.000-07:00

A dilemma to be sure... what kind of wine do you cook with? There are those who subscribe to the theory of cheap cooking wine, and others like the people in our household who say "If you wouldn't drink it, why would you put it in something you are going to eat?" We have discovered that after going to all the trouble of creating a nice meal, we may as well splurge on the ingredients.

Keep in mind that spending under $10 a bottle for table wine is our norm... so when I am talking about using good wine to cook, it isn't an expensive bottle. Just not the stuff that's on the grocery store shelves in the cooking sherry section. The other obvious benefit to this line of thought is that we can enjoy a glass of wine and cook at the same time.

The island prep area inspired this line of thought when I was creating dinner with our 'leftovers' - having bought too many clams for us to eat in one sitting, we were left with a bunch of nicely steamed little gems. Unfortunately, they were really sandy, so the liquid they were steamed in was not really salvageable to use in preparation of the yummy white clam sauce I was preparing - BUT - there was an opened bottle of white wine in the fridge, some nice garlic, onions, celery, and a lemon. Sauteed with some olive oil and simmered in the wine and a bottle of store-bought clam juice, this made one delectable and quick meal.

One of our favorite vineyards is the Francis Ford Coppola Vineyard that puts out a really nice red and white table wine - appropriately named Rosso and Bianco. Nothing fancy - but perfect for drinking by the glass and cooking with at the same time - we usually pay around $8 for a bottle of either at our local discount wine shop. As the Italians say when they raise a glass... 'Salute!'

Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo

2009-05-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

My best friend is a Cajun...I know how to make a respectable Gumbo...this is not it!

OK...you're standing in front of the fridge...the family is hungry...at first glance the chilly landscape behind the thermal door looks bleak. Wait...what's that...left over steamed broccoli?...a package of chicken thighs that really should be cooked...frozen peas. My god...is that a bit of Kimchi from the Asian market...

And let's see what the pantry has to offer...a can of coconut milk (a staple in our house), a couple of onions, a few cloves of garlic and a lonely jar of Trader Joes Green Curry Sauce.

Sounds like the makings for Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo! The only prerequisites for this nosh is that it is never the same twice, is totally spontaneous and utilizes at least 3 refugee items from your fridge. It should end up in some sort of stewy form and ideally is good over rice (like what is not...OK...maybe Ice Cream).

Tonight it went like this: Browned the Chicken Thighs in Olive Oil...remove. Add the onions for 5 minutes of saute, add the garlic for a few more. Season with Salt and Pepper and a bit of Chinese 5 spice powder. Throw in the left over Kimchi and peas. Mix well and add the coconut milk and Trader Joes Green Curry Sauce. (Note...we don't have a Trader Joes anywhere near us in Syracuse...we are so fond of their pantry items that we often morph our road trips to hipper urban areas than ours...NYC...Boston...to make a stop and resupply our larder.)

Return the chicken and simmer the Mumbo Jumbo for 40 minutes or so. The chicken should be nice and tender. Cook some rice and as it nears completion, add the Broccoli to the Gumbo. Ladle some of your invention over the fresh rice and Viola...Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo version 1...now go make your own!

Retro Sink Base

2009-04-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

Last summer as Carolyn and I were driving through our neighborhood in Syracuse, we came across a nice little yard sale being hosted by some friends of ours. They had recently renovated their kitchen and had pulled out the original 1950's stainless steel sink in favor of a nice new undermount model. This 60" beauty had integrated washboards on both sides and was in great shape. Well...$200 later the sink was in the back of the car and a new 'Kitchen that Cooks' was born.

With so much discussion these days focused on Green Building and the new technologies coming to market almost daily, it is easy to neglect some of the most direct, effective and satisfying solutions. This recycled sink provides a wonderfully effective kitchen fixture and the start of a one of a kind design. I used the radiused corners of the sink to create the curved corner legs. On top of the backsplash I mirrored the shape with an integrated plate rack pitched toward the sink so dishes can be put away wet. The upper cabinets feature matched cherry panels and another 'Green product' called 3form in the upper panels. This 3form product is called Varia and it is made primarily of recycled plastic water bottles. If you want a treat for the eyes check out http://www.3-form.com/ for more of this material or head to my website: http://www.cabfab.com/ and see some more of our cabinetry featuring this great stuff.

Low and Slow

2009-04-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

OK...you're standing in front of your grocery store meat case looking for some chicken for dinner...boneless chicken breast...split breasts with the bone in...a nice roaster...forget it! Go for the thighs and legs...cheap and...secret be told...the best of the bunch! I am particularly fond of the thigh and use it in all sorts of incarnations. Tonight was a 'low and slow' night...the gift of time combined with charcoal to deliver some fall off the bone chicken. This meal started about 48 hours ago when a big package of legs and thighs found their way into a tub with a generous soaking of State Fair Speedie Sauce...never heard of it?...time you did! A truly fantastic marinade made right in our home town of Syracuse. Here's a link: http://www.citymade.com/MadeInSyracuse/prodinfo.asp?number=SFSB-86007 . Now...you need to have at least an hour or more to do this properly. I prepared a good pile of charcoal in my grill and after laying the fire, I set the chicken high above the coals. My grill has is a grill and smoker so I have good control over the damper and thus the temp. This is key...like the man says...Low and Slow. I shoot for about 225'-275' and I keep track of this with an after market thermometer I installed in my grill. If you don't have this technology, you need to keep the meat away from the heat such that nothing is charring in any way. The lovely browning of the meat is a long term process. As with so much of good

cooking...there is no right or wrong...just a developing instinct for what is happening. After an hour to an hour and a half the meat will be very tender to the touch and falling off the bone. I keep moving the pieces around while turning them trying to keep the cooking as even as possible. This is when the dark meat of the thighs and legs are at there best. While you can cook breast meat this way, the dark meat stays much moister and I think is far superior for this type of preparation. Tonight I paired this grill-fair with fresh broccoli steamed over some locally made Kimchi and a simple baked potato. As Bobby Flay says...'Boy meats Grill'

Korean BBQ

2009-04-27T06:42:00.000-07:00

"Summer food is more fun than winter food"...
These words graced our dinner table last night as a hearty meal of BBQ short ribs Korean style, the first corn on the cob of the year and a nice Mesculin salad laid out before us. For the past two years, we have had Korean exchange students living with us. While I had fantasies of uncovering generations of protected culinary wisdom from the east...mostly I learned that prepackaged Raman noodles come in limitless varieties. I did chaperon several inspirational trips to
our local Korean market and was exposed to many ingrediants which I now incorporate into my culinary adventures. Homemade Kim Chi and Tofu, chili sauces that are beyond flavorful and Korean BBQ Sauce. I know...I know...jarred sauce even from 1/2 way around the world is still a bit sacrilegious but man this stuff is great and honestly, I am not sure how much of the gentle subtlety of a fresh sauce remains after a good scorching over charcoal. You can check out my favorite to date here: http://veryasia.com/104245.html om/104245.html ... last night it did not disappoint. It has a wonderful fruit infusion from pears. I started with short ribs sliced thin (about 1/2") and across the bone. Thinly sliced flank steak will work as well. Marinate the beef between 6 hours and overnight. Prepare a nice charcoal fire (OK...gas if you must) and set the meat on a medium high fire. The sauce has a fair amount of sugar in it so it will burn is a hot second if you don't keep diligent. I like to work the meat around the fire for about 20 minutes really letting the sauce caramelize without charring. Got to tell you....I am already dreaming of the leftover ribs in my lunch box! Chris

Crawfish in Mississippi

2009-04-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Carolyn and I had a quick escape last month to Ocean Springs Mississippi. We took in a bit of Mardi Gras but mostly explored our little piece of gulf coast. On a beautiful sunny afternoon we turned on our 'restaurant radar' and ended up at Mikey's on the Bayou. Crawfish were on the menu and Carolyn descended on a basketfull. I opted for an Oyster PoBoy. We had a wonderful bayou native give us the run down on tearing into these mini-lobsters. Here's the deal...break the crawfish in two between the body and tail. If so inclined, give the body a quick suck...try not to over analyze this step!? The key to the tail meat is to carefully peel back the first two joints of the tail's shell freeing the meat for a hearty attack...it slides right out! Carolyn had it down in no time and crawfish now cower at the mention of her name.

Kitchens that Cook

2009-04-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

I live in the perpetually stressed world of the entrepeneur. This reality has recently become significantly more complicated by the onset of the 2nd great depression...am I depressed...no! My closest friend asked me yesterday what I was doing for myself these days (he likes to play therapist at any opportunity) and I told him I was trying to walk every day, get lots of sleep, blah blah blah....

Today I realized what I like to do most for myself is to cook! I like the kitchen to myself...the challange of no plans or recipes...some decent equipment...and an eager audience when I am done. I love to feed people and engage in a bit of performance art in the doing. Tonight I decided to write about it. No recipes...no preconceived notions...just some honest dialog about the lure of the kitchen and the residents within.