Farm Inspired Meals.

As I write this I am sitting at Mountain View Farm in Purcellville VA. Right across the Shenadoah River from Historic Harpers Ferry. Mountainview is run by Shawna And Attilla and they come to the market I manage in DC- the 14&U Farmers Market. Through out the market season they bring in great naturally grown produce to my neighborhood in DC. Their farm is a part of an environmental center. It consists of 900 acres of wooded land and includes pasture and the market garden.

Shawna and Attila also raised goat, have a few sheep 2 pigs and are also waiting on their heiffer to calve so they can have milk. I might be lucky and get to have my first experience helping a cow give birth.

As I am out here everything inspires me to cook.

For breakfast, I had an omllette (from the chickens that used to be here until they met their fate by a local mink) filled with black beans and salsa that Shawna made from the summer's tomato and green pepper crop. I also had local bacon on the side.

Then for lunch, I made one of my favorite soups. Saute bacon in olive oil, add garlic, onion, carrot and celery. Saute till soft and then add tomato paste. Then add chicken stock and cubed potatoes (from the farm) Simmer until potatoes are soft. Then add cannelloni beans and ditalini pasta. Finally, I grated Keswisk Creamery's Carrock cheese ( it is very similar to Parmesan). For dessert I made a pear (from the Dupont market) upside down cake.

Then before it is my dinner time I did the rounds up at the pasture and gave the goats their water and grain. Threw kitchen scraps to the pigs and gave the Heifer with child a special grain mix. After they eat then its time for my dinner.

Now it is dinner time. I am roasting cubed blue magic Hubbard squash tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin and cinnamon. I'll later mix it with some extra black beans. The main dish is a Grass fed T-bone steak.

YUM! I love life on the farm!

Farm sitting

I am taking a winter vacation and going to farmsit at Mountain View Farm. Mountain view comes to the market I manage and grows great greens and produce. They also raise beautiful goats, chickens and have a pregnant heifer.

I am looking forward to a week away from the city in the foothills of the blue ridge mountains. While on the farm I'll be feeding the animals, hiking, and cooking up lots of farm inspired meals.

RIght now I am packing up some of my buys from the market this week:

Mushrooms: portobella, oyster, and crimini
Collards
Buffalo chorizo
buffalo summer sausage
leeks
potatoes
Blue magic hubbard squash
fresh mozerella
ricotta
keswick cheese
bacon
pears

chicken

And my friend Sandy of Painted Hand Farm will be visiting mid week and will bring her delicious goat, veal and grass-fed beef and a duck from Pecan Medow.

I am looking forward to a week on the farm, the train ride to harpers ferry and a week of food and friends and farm animals.

A Box of Sweet Potatoes

At the end of the market that I manage last November I stocked up on lots of storable produce. I stocked up on kabucha squash blue magic hubbards and bought a 25 pound box of sweet potatoes. I am slowly working my way through 25 pounds. Blue Magic Hubbard Squash and black bean burritos, sweet potato pizza and a favorite of friends: sweet potato fries. But one of my favorites is baked sweet potato with butter and Keswick Creamery fresh bovre with garlic and oregano (Their take on fresh goat cheese- chevre). Also, a great breakfast is steel cut oats with baked sweet potato stirred in.

Blue Magic Hubbard Squash and Black Bean Burritos

Before Christmas, I was invited to a vegan baby Jesus Burrito Party. I racked my brain on how to prepare a burrito filling that wasn't the same old black bean filling. So I came up with this. Also, after looking through mexican cookbooks I was pleasantly surprised that I approrprately selected a traditional Mexican vegetable: squash.

First, I cut up the squash into small 1/2 inch cubes, tossed with olive oil, ground cumin, and cayenne. Roasted in 400 Degree oven till the edges are a bit caramalized

Next, heat up on stove top olive oil, saute onions, add crushed red pepper flakes, add black beans.

Finally, toss squash cubes with beans. Stuff your tortilla for a delicious burritto.

Sweet potato fries

Julien sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch matchsticks. Toss with olive oil, cajun seasoning and salt. Roast at 400 degrees till perfect

Baked sweet potato: two ways

This preperation of the sweet potato is very simple and so delicious!

1. Wrap potato in aluminum foil poke with fork in several locations, bake in 400 degree oven till insides are mushy, cut open, add fresh raw butter and a scoop of keswick creamery garlic and oregano bouvre.

2. Saute steel cut oats in butter, add water, bring to boil till al dente (what I love about steel cut oats is the all dente bite and the nutty smell as I simmer the oats) meanwhile bake a sweet potato in oven. When oats are done, add raisins, brown sugar and scoop the potato into the oats. YUM!

Lazy Day: Easy Soup: Delicious

I got home from work late last week and, honestly, my kitchen at best resembled foothills of mountains of dirty dishes. I was starving and didn't feel like mountaintop removal mining before eating. Simple was in order.

I made a delicious potato leek soup roughly following Julia Child's recipe.

Lightly saute leeks in butter, add cut up potatoes, add chicken stock. Simmer till the potatoes are soft. Once soft, puree with immersion blender, add salt, pepper, butter and creme fresh.

I also sauteed some spicy italian sausage balls and dropped them in.

This meal was so delicious and so simple and quick!

Celery Root & Apple Soup

I first had this soup a couple years ago at lunch during restaurant week at Zola Next to the spy museum in Washington DC. At the time the soup was so simple and delicious that I wanted to recreate it at home for myself. I have tweaked the recipe over the years but last night I think it was the best I have ever made. It is a light and simple soup that taste delicious!

1) saute half an onion and one large garlic clove in olive oil (or butter). Add cubes of celery root, 2 apples and several small potatoes. Saute until onions are translucent and vegetables are browning on the sides.

2) Add stock: Vegetable or chicken. Raise heat to boil.

3) Simmer until vegetables start to fall apart.

4) Meanwhile, in a saute pan saute mixture of mushrooms in butter till crispy, add a little apple cider to deglaze pan.

4) Blend to a silky consistency with immersion blender.

5) Add butter, small amount of maple syrup and a tad of apple cider.

6) Serve with a dollop of creme fresh and topped with mushrooms.

YUM!

Spring Pie

Pizza. Lately I have been resorting to pizza on work nights. No not delivery and not even frozen pizza, not even your traditional tomato sauce pizza. Rather I have been resorting to pizza in the general sense. I take a cheap bag of pre-made pizza dough from trader Joes and add different veggies that I have sitting around in my fridge waiting to be eaten. In the words of an Ex the pizza is just a vehicle for the good stuff.

Pizza starts with a good bed. I have found a good cheap bed that is perfect to lay all my veggies on: trader joes pre-made pizza dough. First, the price is right: $0.99 a bag and this is enough to make two pizzas (each pizza is enough for either one with left overs or plenty for two). Second, Trader Joes has three different varieties: plain, herb garlic, and whole wheat.

After a good bed you need some good sheets and a nice comforter to make your bed yummy and pretty. Lately I've been topping my pizza with fresh spring time vegetables. After several trial and errors I have found that the best pizzas are those with simple toppings and not overdone. I had several where I kept putting on topping after topping and then adding cheese. While these were delicious i have grown to like the simpler pie with a few simple toppings and lately have been going cheesless. Following are a few of my recent creations:

Leek Garlic and Mushroom

This is a very simple pizza but the flavors are perfect together. On top of plain pizza dough I brush Olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then I add finely chopped leeks, thinly sliced garlic clove and top with thinly sliced crimini mushrooms. Then cook in oven untill the crust is crispy and the mushrooms perfectly cooked.


Green Onion, garlic, Potato, Mushroom and Asparagus

This is my latest creationg and I think my favorite so far. I used the herb and garlic dough brushed on olive oil sprinkled salt and pepper and a few red pepper flakes. Then added finely chopped green onion and thinly sliced garlic. Next, I added very thinly sliced yellow potatoes and thinly sliced crimini mushrooms. Finally I topped it off with halved asparagus that had been tossed in olive oil and salt and pepper. YUM. and it is pretty too.


Sweet potato Pizza

I made this pizza when I realized that I had a surplus of sweet potatoes that needed to be eaten ASAP. Started with a plain pizza dough base, brushed the dough with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Then added very thinly sliced sweet potatoes. Next I added caremalized onions. Topped with tiny mushrooms tossed with olive oil salt and pepper and rosemary (can't remember their name; the mushroom lady gave them to me in exchange for watching her stand at the farmer's market) and finally topped with a few shavings of romano cheese.

Mushrooms!

I have always had an affinity for the delicious taste of various fungi known as mushrooms! But lately I find myself gravitating to the mushroom in every meal I cook. At both the Dupont and Penn Quarter farmers markets there is a mushroom producer that always has a great selection. When I am feeling indulgent and the season is right (basically the month of may) I can score my favorite wild fungi- the Morel. Though my go-to mushroom is a crimini (a baby portobella).

My favorite way to prepare the crimini is by quartering it, tossing with olive oil, salt pepper, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Then I saute on a medium heat and eventually add butter and cream for a mushroom cream sauce. Good by itself with quartered mushrooms or equally good pureed and added with your favorite fresh pasta.

Alternatively, I take the mushrooms tossed with olive oil et al. and put in a roasting dish (tonight with asparagus) and roast it until the asparagus and mushrooms are soft yet still have a bite to them.

These mushrooms are so versatile that I eat them along side roasted asparagus, on top of a fresh salad with a light dressing, with egs prepared in any which way, or as its own main course.

Who needs boys when you have fungi in your life?

Dang, I LOVE mushrooms!

When the Urge Hits: The Tang of Spring

Lately I have been enjoying simple foods. I like something that taste great yet takes minimal effort to prepare. I want something that I can just have waiting in the fridge and eat when the urge arises: instant gratification- taking food porn to a new level!

Rather than keeping little-debbi nutty bars (from my youth) or other snack food, my go to instant gratification snack food has been a tangy sweet treat! At the farmer's market Kuhn's orchard has been bringing beautiful stalks of rhubarb. I take these green and red stalks cut them up and toss in melted raw butter from Painted Hand Farm and add 1/2 cup of sugar, a dusting of cayenne pepper and a tad of cinnamon. (fresh ginger and lemon juice are also good additions.)

I cook it over a medium flame until the rhubarb breaks down and makes a mushy jam. Then I put in a seal tight container and keep in the fridge.

Then when the urge hits me I pull out my rhubarb compote and a helping of Keswick Creamery yogurt and have a great indulgent snack!!

Smelly Feet

My favorite neighborhood pizza place recently changed their menu to my distain! Radius pizza in Mt. Pleasant, Washington DC is a great neighborhood restaurant that is well known for its free bottle of wine Wednesday special and for me their gorgonzola gnocchi. Since Radius is literally two blocks away from my apartment it has become a staple in my weekly diet. Their gorgonzola gnocchi is e at the center of my love of Radius. Unfortunately, Radius recently changed their menu and took the gnocchi off so now I am left to my own devices.

My love of gorgonzola gnocchi started about a year ago when I went to my best friend, Malea’s house. (Actually my love of gnocchi is a sordid affair: I have one bad memory of ordering it, under peer pressure, at my birthday dinner at Pasta Mia in Adams Morgan, it was served with a tomato sauce and I hated it. Like most loves I gave it another try and now have a lasting relationship with it.)

After work Malea and I stopped by Calvert Woodly to get some wine and cheese. As we were waiting in line I smelled the foulest smell emanating from under Malea’s arm. It literally smelled like rotting flesh and stinky feet all bound up in one. I was reluctant to say anything to Malea because I was starving and looking forward to her home cooked meal. Plus, I pretty much trust her cooking instincts.

A stinky cheese purchase and half mile walk to her apartment later we were in the kitchen boiling potatoes to make our own homemade gnocchi. My responsibility was to roll the gnocchi against the fork and let to drop (according to the directions from Marcella Hazan). Soon, I realized the under the heat of a flame and sliced with heavy cream, the pungent odor of gorgonzola gives way to a rich creamy sweetness that pairs wonderful with homemade gnocchi.

Last night I decided to recreate my favorite gnocchi meal. This time I didn’t make my own Gnocchi. Instead, I purchased it from the farmers market that I work at. The gnocchi was a perfect little pillow of potatoes. For the sauce I first caramelized onions in olive oil and then added the gorgonzola to melt and then added cream. Finally, I dropped the slightly boiled gnocchi in and served it. Next time I think I might add some mushrooms to the sauce. I also roasted fresh asparagus from the farmers market. YUM! Mold that smells like funky feet never tasted so good!

Seduced By an Avocado

Last night on my way home from work I stopped by the supermarket to find something to cook up.  The past few days I had used up all my farmers market finds and was in need of some new inspiration.  After meandering around the produce section at Whole Foods I was less than inspired.  While I am craving asparagus, I did not want to purchase any, knowing that soon enough I would have local asparagus from local farmers on my table.  

But soon enough the ripe avocados seduced me with their bumpy dark peel.  After picking up a few I knew that they were perfectly ripe.  Now my challenge was to plan my dinner around the avocado.  I slowly started picking up various things.  A lemon, a bunch of beets,  a small bag of walnuts, and baby-boc-choi.  I knew I had some leftover blue cheese at home and some delicious green onions from the market.

Once I got home I started my avocado centered dinner by halving the beet and roasting it in a 400 degree oven tossed with some olive oil and salt and pepper.  Next, I halved my baby-boc-choi and sprinkled olive oil and salt and pepper on it. The beets were fork tender after about 45 minutes, at which point I toasted the walnuts and put the baby-bo-choi on the grill pan. Finally, right before the baby-boc-choi was finished grilling (just long enough to wilt it and bring out the crunchy crispness) I added the green onions to the grill pan.

Meanwhile, I prepared a simple lemon olive oil vinaigrette, with lemon juice, tad of mustard, tad of honey and salt and pepper and olive oil.

Now for the seduction of the avocado:  I cut up the avocado in cubes, tossed with cubed beets and diced tomato and tossed in the toasted walnuts and vinaigrette. Next add crumbled blue cheese (left over from a cheese plate several nights ago) topped with baby-boc-choi and grilled green onions.

YUM!

Avocado,  you can seduce me anytime you want.  I don't care if you are not local!

Homemade Pizza

Trader Joes always has exactly what I am looking for. This time it was pre-made pizza dough: Joe's price is right $.99. Plus they have a great variety: regular, herb, and whole wheat. Sometimes I like to get all three and have a pizza party.

After a trip to the farmers market I had local portobello mushrooms, homemade pesto, local mozzarella cheese, and green onions. I knew the best way to use all of this was on top of a fresh pizza.

After rolling out my dough (in a shape roughly representing the West Bank)I brushed the dough with Olive oil and spread my homemade pesto on the pizza. Next I added portobello mushrooms, which had been tossed with olive oil, rosemary and red-pepper flakes. Next layer, fresh tomatoes and top with fresh green onions. Put in oven, until the mushrooms and tomatoes are nicely cooked. Finally add mozzarella and let melt. Top with fresh cut green onions.

Morels

It is April and the once a year crop of morels has made its rounds. So tonight I shared my morals with some of my closest friends. We had deliciously plump (happy pigs) Pork chops- marinated in lemon juice, rosemary and thyme grilled, and sauteed morels with shallots, butter and cream. YUM! I love the earthy taste of morels shared with friends. For desert we had delicious dark chocolate with red hot pepper and ginger snaps.

Wet and Cold Spring Evening

The past week has been damp and cold. An unwelcome part of spring. But I guess summer will be here soon enough. Tonight. after putting some recently sprouted seeds in little better soil and setting up a grow light for those recently germinated seeds, I decided to cook up some potatoes and mustard greens that I have.

I'm making a simple potato soup: Saute 2 onions in olive oil with a bay leaf and chopped rosemary, peel, quarter and thinly slice potatoes. Add the potatoes to the onions until they are coated and sauteed. Next add a cup of water a 1.5 teaspoon of salt. Then add 1 quart water. Bring to boil and let simmer for 30 minutes. Finally I'll put a cup or two of the potatoes through a food mill then mix in with some butter. and quickly boiled mustard greens, red pepper flakes and lamb sausage balls.

Top it off with shaved Parmesan Cheese

Potato soup on a cold damp spring evening is perfect!

Thrown together dinner

Tonight I literally took a few things and threw them together hoping it would be edible.

Dice and sauté one onion, garlic clove, and jalapeno.
Add summer squash coins
Add halved cherry tomatoes
Add corn

Salt and pepper and at the end add two spoonfuls of fresh yogurt.

I was a little bit leery but in the end it was great.

Desert: more yogurt with nectarine and my friend john’s cherry jam that he made from cherries in his garden.

Stratagraphy

I am formerly an anthropologist. Maybe formerly isn’t the best description: I still and will forever identify as an anthropologist. In college as I was studying anthropology I had to take intro to archaeology. You see, archaeology was what got me excited in anthropology in the first place. After spending a summer restoring a 200 year old cemetery in my hometown I was obsessed with archaeology - my friend and I spent every day the summer between Jr. and Sr. year in high school in the grove of trees, cutting down 200 year old weeds, and uncovering different strata, where the tombstones had fallen over and were now buried under dirt. It all started with a summer of what some might call digging up graves.

Though, when I got to college I instantly found that rather than the dead I was more interested in the living: cultural anthropology. Nonetheless, I still had the anthro requirement to take archaeology. The one thing I remember about that class is we had to draw our own stratagraphy. I think I chose a landfill, maybe not I can’t remember.

Well today, I was mulling over what to do with my beautiful eggplant and loads of tomatoes. So I am creating a summer stratagraphy. Each layer is a different fruit and i have used different cooking techniques for each, mixing cooked and fresh elements to this dish

Layer one: A thin soup of roasted tomato sauce: roast tomatoes, puree, sautee onion and garlic, add tomatoes and fresh oregano and a spoonful of pesto
Layer two: A slice of Cherokee purple tomato, lightly roasted in the oven
Layer three: Sliced eggplant, first roasted in oven then grilled on grill pan
Layer four: Goat cheese
Layer five: Fresh green zebra tomato
Layer six: Fresh basil pesto

All skewered with a sprig of rosemary.

No Cook Summer

Nothing says summer like a kitchen full of tomatoes of multiple varieties. Today at the market I picked up my favorite cherry tomato- sunburst. They are smaller than other cherry tomatoes and are bright orange – an explosion of flavor in your mouth. I eat them raw all the time. I also picked up a couple of my favorite green zebras. Then after going to my friend’s community garden plot I picked up some more red cherry tomatoes and regular tomatoes.

One problem: casualties. Riding a bike has its inconvienience, namely sometimes all my tomatoes get squashed a little in my messenger bag. First thing when I get home I have to do triage, separate the squashed maters from those that were saved. Then I have to think up quick ideas to use the squashed ones before they go bad.

I decided to take today’s casualties and make a chilled Gazpacho and a salad with cherry tomatoes, avocado, and corn. Both were perfect!!!

Chilled tomato Gazpacho

Cut four small tomatoes
Peeled and seed two small cucumbers
Dice a 4th of a red onion

Puree tomatoes and half of cucumbers in food processor, chill in fridge
Add onions and left over cucumber to separate bowl and let sit in white wine vinegar

Add cucumber and onion and vinegar to soup


CHerry Tomato, Avocado, & Corn Salad

This was my favorite and is perfect for a late August summer day:

cherry tomatoes- cut the larger ones in half
1 ripe avocado, cut in cubes
corn on the cob- boiled for a minute then de-cobbed
jalapeno, finely diced
1/4th red onion diced
small bunch of basil chopped

mix all together, sprinkle lime juice and oil on top, season with salt and pepper.

My Version of Succotash

The fridge is pretty bare, but I have corn on the cob – if you ignore the catepillar that ate part of the cob, fresh lima beans (babies) and fresh tomatoes from my friend’s community garden. Perfect for a succotash!!

Saute three cloves of garlic in olive oil. Add Red chili pepper flakes. Add lima beans, cover with water, bring to boil. Keep at boil for 10-20 minutes, routinely refreshing with more water. You want to boil until the lima beans are soft. I added chicken broth at some point to add a little extra flavor. Add Italian seasoning and salt to taste. Close to right before the lima beans are perfectly soft, add corn that has been cut off the cob. Finally, immediately before eating add chopped tomatoes. Also t the very end I added a large spoonful of basil pesto.

I accomponied this summer dish with homemade french fingerling potato chips

A perfect succotash for late a August summer evening!

Simple Summer Pasta

I got home from work late today and needed to make something quick.After putting on Iron and Wine on the turntable, I started assembling one of my favorite summer melodies.

Cut a handful of cherry tomatoes in half
boil pasta

Mix pasta with tomatoes, pesto, goat cheese and top with fresh cut basil

Eat with a cob of corn

YUM!!!!

Perfect Sunday

Sunday’s are best spent with friends. Yesterday was no exception. I started off by going to Malea’s house for waffles. They were delicious! Fluffy from the buttermilk, yet crisp from warming in the over. Topped with peaches equals YUM!

Then after post breakfast stupor we trekked over to my friend Lisa’s community garden plot. She is out of town for three weeks and invited me to water the garden and take some of her veggies. This was perfect! 1) I love community gardens and hope that one day I can find a coveted plot in my neighborhood. 2) all the gardens were overflowing in ripe tomatoes of all varieties – heirloom, roma, and early girls, Basil, peppers and squash. I was in my own little paradise.

So we went home with a load of basil, several tomatoes and some flowers. Several minutes later we transformed the Basil into two large batches of pesto

After doing some much needed cleaning in my kitchen I then invited another friend over for dinner. I needed to use the seconds tomatoes I got from the market on Saturday. So I made a simple tomato sauce with sliced squash from Lisa’s garden


Simple Tomato Sauce:

Sauté one small onion and three cloves of garlic
Add pinch of red pepper flakes and Italian herb seasoning.
Add chopped up tomatoes.

Simmer until the liquid reduces, Add more herbs and salt as necessary.

Puree Tomato sauce

Add thinly sliced squash

Serve over boiled spaghetti

Basic Pesto

Mix fresh Basil, garlic and toasted nuts in food processor. Drizzle in Olive Oil. Add salt pepper and parmesan cheese.

Feast'o'Beets

So often in the kitchen I find myself wasting so much food. Whether it is from ambitious market shopping with eyes bigger than my tummy, or if I only use one part of a veggie, one way or another I know I am contributing to the waste of a lot of useful nutrients.

Today was different. I went to the market, inspired by the bounty and look of large bunches of beets I bought bright red beets with greens attached: just the way they were pulled out of the ground! I've made beet dishes before and I have also actually bought beet greens as a solo produce item before, but today I decided to integrate the whole vegetable into a feast'o'beats-- eating the beet from head to toe:root to tip top leaf.

For this feast'o'beats I invited my friends Dave and Rick over. Menu included butter sauted beets with orange juice, Beet greens sauted with olive oil, onions, rosemary, red pepper flakes, cannallini beans, and sprinkled with bacon and parmesan cheese.

OJ Beets

- Wash and peel a big bunch of big beets, then shred - real easy if you have a cuisine art

- Melt butter in pan, add beets, saute until beets are soft- but still have a little bite.

- add orange juice.

- you can also add a dollop of creme fresh at the end for an extra treat

Beet Greens'n'Beans

- Saute Diced onion in olive oil until translucent, add rosemary, red pepper flakes and white wine, reduce down until jammy

- add chopped up beet greans, Cover with lid until greens are wilted

- add can of cannalini beans untill heated

- top with crumbled bacon and parmesan cheese.