Farm to Table: HMG get's their review on! Destination: DC/Baltimore

View from inside VOLTIf you could magically have one job in the world, what would it be?  For me, it would be food critic.  Getting paid to eat - what could be better?  With the source of food, especially animal meats, becoming more and more a question on people’s minds, I decided to start an on-going series on farm-to-table restaurant reviews fulfilling my need to constantly find places I feel food is safe to eat and where the local farmer has an important role with what’s on the menu.   And, of course, to also fulfill my fantasy of having Frank Bruni’s job.  This won’t be a hard core critical look at food, but my humble opinions on what’s cooking.

The motivation for this series started when I planned a trip to the Washington DC/Baltimore and Charlottesville, Virginia area.  I know my local haunts and going into uncharted territory I wasn’t sure where to plan our meals.  How does one find a restaurant that strongly believes in supporting small local farms?  Surely, this is where I want to spend my tourist dollars and to experience the terroir of the region in the food and wine.  I found, like many other things, that if you just google "farm to table" and the city in question, you’ll find a smattering of suggestions.  More specifically, the website Local Harvest, can locate farms, restaurants, and Farmers’ markets by zip code and is an invaluable website when doing your research.


FOUNDING FARMERS

Located minutes from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, Founding Farmers, a play on the rich “founding fathers” history of the area was our first destination.  This is farm-inspired eatery serves “scratch-made traditional American classics inspired by the heartland” all in a certified eco-friendly Green Restaurant.  From the energy efficient and reycled building elements to the use of filtered water and low-fume paints, this dynamic space was obviously the hotspot of DC.  The mission of the restaurant  is to buy from family farmers whenever possible, some local, some not. From their menu:

“The difference between institutional/corporate farming vs. family farming affects everyone: our health, our land, and our lives.”

We first started with a few cocktails with the most memorable one called “Bone” - a combination of Knob Creek whiskey, lime juice and tabasco garnished with a sweet bacon lollipop!  A stiff drink, the bacon made for an interesting pairing that took the edge off the hard liquor element.  I enjoyed it for the novelty but wouldn’t go back for seconds.

For appetizers, we had the popcorn of the day - Rosemary-butter, which was shockingly addictive.  There were raw oysters from Maryland that were absolutely perfect and skillet roasted Mussles with Chorizo in a white wine pesto broth that was so good we drank the broth after wolfing down the mussels.  For dinner, we had the Southern Fried Chicken Salad which was buttermilk-marinated fried chicken on top of iceberg lettuce, bacon, avocado and cheddar.  Not usually a fan of iceberg lettuce, this came together to feel both satisfying and somehow light at the same time.  The piece de resistance was the Fresh-ground Cheeseburger.  The meat, tender, tasty, perfectly cooked had a sauce reminiscent of the secret sauce in a Big Mac.  This burger made our top 5 hamburgers of all-time.  Don’t miss this one.

This was our first experience with a farm-to table restaurant with a comfort-driven food feel.  Expecting to feel our energy plummet after eating the heavier comfort foods, we surprisingly felt fine.  A reflection, I’m sure, of the high quality sourced ingredients.

Very good




VOLT

Located about 50 miles north of DC in Frederick, Maryland, VOLT was our second night’s dinner adventure.  Being a huge fan of Top Chef and the Voltaggio brothers, I was excited to see Bryan Voltaggio’s menu.  The restaurant is located in a 19th century restored brownstone mansion.  The decor was an interesting mix of natural elements with a strong undercurrent of the 1980’s from the abstract artwork and the white seating with black accents to the Converse sneakers worn by all the waitstaff.  A fun theatrical element was a wide-screen TV at the bar showcasing the kitchen in action so that all patrons could partake in the culinary spectacle.

The close proximity of VOLT to the area’s numerous artisanal farmers and ranchers drives the menu.  Meats were sourced from nearby Shenendoah Valley specifically the heritage breed Red Wattle Pork and Border Springs Lamb.


Artic Char - don't miss this masterpiece.
Overall, we were pleased with the service, and the food was excellent with a few extraordinary dishes that were highly memorable:   Cherry Glen Farm Goat cheese ravioli with butternut squash, maitake mushrooms, toasted pumpkin seeds and celeriac .  Artic char with carnival squash, pumpkin leaves, black forbidden rice, matsutake mushrooms in brown butter. Both of these dishes were second courses.



Very Good

Sadly, Bryan Voltaggio was not cooking that night

Maine Avenue Fish Market

Don't let the looks of this place scare you away. Best crabs and raw oysters!There is nothing more local and seasonal than crabs in Washington DC.  I always follow the simple rule: If the month ends in the letter “r” i.e. October through December - that’s when crabs are in season.  One of the last remaining open seafood markets on the east coast, the Maine Avenue Fish Market has been in operation since 1805 - older than the Fulton Fish Market in NYC.  DO NOT MISS this destination if you are ever in the area.  Freshly shucked oysters and clams were almost for the taking but my main mission was to get messy with some steamed Maryland crabs seasoned with Old Bay spices. 

Right before your eyes, crabs were selected, brought back to the kitchen and presented to you in a brown paper bag.  It’s advisable to bring some towelettes since there are no washrooms available and your fingers are the only utensils needed for good crab eating.  Standing looking out over the water I made a bib out of a bunch of napkins and chowed down until my hands hurt.  Crabs were sold by the size and were a bargainous $20 for a dozen.  The meat was plentiful, succulent, and as flavorful as can be.  When crabs are in season the eggs located in the head of the crab are sublime.  I sucked them all dry and dream of them as I write this blog wishing I could teleport back for just another taste.


Excellent.

Don't talk to me, I'm eating...

Weekly Musings: Quince for Kale

Imagine everyone on your street using their land, however big or small, to grow food, whether perennial or annual, and using the food to feed each other?  “Food miles”, a term which refers to the distance food is transported from the time of its production until it reaches the consumer, would be whittled down to “food feet.”  One of the hopes of our micro-farm was to set up a model of growing to encourage others to follow our example, no matter how small their growing space or how much growing experience they had.  Our neighbors, Bob and Enid, who we met at various functions promoting the sustainable food movement, recently gave us 5 lbs of quince fruit from their tree.  We happily gave Bob and Enid a share of our abundant kale and end of season tomatoes.

We are in the process of planning and planting various perennial trees and shrubs to provide us with fruit, berries and nuts on the section of our property we fondly refer to as our future edible forest garden.  Many of these will take years to grow and produce and we were thankful for a local supply of fruit - one we had not really cooked with before.  We had purchased and eaten quince paste, also known as Membrillo, a few years ago, which we served with a plate of pungent cheese. We found the quince paste to be an outstanding sweet accompaniment.


QUINCE
Cydonia Oblonga

The quince fruit is highly fragrant and smells of apples and pears with the presence of floral notes as well.  When I first took notice of it, I immediately wanted to eat it raw.  Well, it was inedible.  Quince is usually not enjoyed fresh because it is highly tart and astringent.  It needs to be cooked.  The fruit is typically harvested in the fall and a mature tree can yield 75 lbs of fruit.  Though the country of Turkey ranks highest in the  production of quince fruit, it is a pretty hardy tree and can be grown in zones 5-9 in this country.  According to Lee Reich, the Hudson Valley guru of edible landscaping, in the spring “branches are festooned with large white or pinkish blossoms, each resembling a “single” rose blossom...in the late summer and autumn, the show is quite dramatic from the large yellow fruits, which can be left dangling on the stems for many weeks.” 

GROWING QUINCEQuince tree at the Bonnefont Herb garden at The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park

Quince is a relatively compact tree growing rarely more than 10 feet high and two-thirds that width.  It can have multiple trunks but if you train it to have one trunk, it can take on a gnarled, twisted and picturesque appearance.  The best example can be seen in NYC at The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park where four famous quince trees grow at the periphery of four beds that make up the Bonnefont Cloisters Herb Garden containing over 250 species of medieval medicinal herbs.

Plant quince trees in full sun and well drained soil.  Decide whether you want to have it grown as a shrub or with 1 to 3 trunks during its first growing season and prune accordingly.  If you are in the Hudson Valley, Micosta Nursery in Hudson, New York sells 6 different varieties.  You need only one tree as quince is self-fruitful.  Raintree nursery is also a good source for the west coast. 

RECIPE: QUINCE PASTE

Quince paste is a wonderful homemade gift for your foodie friends and family.  It is time consuming and should be given to those who appreciate the effort.  Since it stores well in the refrigerator for up to 3 months, it’s a great idea to make several batches to eat through the winter months and to give out as holiday gifts.  When cooking, enjoy the aromas of banana, flowers, apples and almonds that waft from the stove.  The essential tools to make this recipe are a food mill, food processor, rubber spatula, wax paper and a 9x12 roasting pan.


4-5 lbs of quince, scrubbed clean
sugar
water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pan with wax paper

Place whole quince in pan, cover with foil and bake for 2 hours.  When quince is cool enough to handle, remove as much of the flesh as possible into a large food processor taking care not to put in seeds, core or any hardened, brown areas.  This is the time consuming and messy part.

Add enough water, 1/4 cup at a time to make a puree the consistency of a thin pudding.  Use the smallest disk on your food mill and process the entire batch.

Measure out how much puree you’ve made and multiple by 2/3.  Measure out that amount of sugar.  Put puree in a heavy saucepan on med-low heat and add sugar.  For example, I made 6 cups of puree and added 4 cups of sugar.  Stir constantly for 25 minutes.  Puree will darken in color.  Be careful not to burn your puree.

Pour into your wax-lined pan, cool then cover with plastic and chill overnight.  With a knife and spatula section off slices of your paste.  It should have a jelly and gum drop consistence.  Wrap in wax paper store and plastic and store in an airtight contained in the refrigerator.

Serve with pungent cheeses like Manchego or use as a substitute for your usual jam.


Stirring quince and sugar mixture constantlyQuince paste should have the consistency between jelly and gum dropsYeah, I had a little Martha Stewart in me when I did this.

Another Day in Foodie Paradise: Hudson Valley Garlic Festival 2010

Fog and Thistle Farm in Germantown, New YorkWhen pondering what you should grow in the fall, there is one clear answer: Garlic.  Easy to grow and rewarding, this allium is a powerful player in achieving optimum health.  There are many websites with great instructions on growing, maintaining, harvesting and storing garlic.  Take 1 clove of garlic and place in the ground in October (in Zone 6 New York), pointy side up, 2” deep and 6” apart.  Cover with seed free mulch and wait patiently until the spring.  You’ll first enjoy eating the garlic scapes in June and then finally the bulbs in mid-summer and on.    You do NOT want to use garlic for planting from your regular grocery since it is likely sprayed with a substance to prevent sprouting, according to Witchcat Farms in Vermont.  Buy directly from the farmer.  We met the nice people at Witchcat Farm at the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival in Saugerties, New York.  This was the 22nd year of the festival and runs at the end of the month every September.  We loaded up on 2 organic varieties from Witchcat Farm: German Porcelain Music, 4-5 large cloves per head and mild in taste and the more unusual Hungarian Purple, with 6-8 cloves and more spicy and pungent in flavor.

Possible posters for the next garlic festival in 2011
The Hudson Valley Garlic Festival is one of over 50 garlic festivals in the country.  There is everything garlic you can imagine.  Garlic Hamburgers, Garlic Ice Cream, and Garlic Chocolate Chip cookies that we snatched up from Mountaindale Farm.

Soft, gooey and so right after a garlic heavy meal

Over 45 garlic farms, mostly from New York State, set up gorgeous booths selling their incredible bounty.  The other varieties we purchased were Spanish Rojas from Free Bird Farm, German Reds from Six Circles Farm, and Riesig from Cedarville Farm.  We were especially excited about a rare variety called MarJean from The Garlic Devas in Lewis County New York.  This garlic, with no official name, has been grown for generations in New York by Marty and Jean, neighbors of The Garlic Devas, thus the name, MarJean garlic.  Marty and Jean are now in their mid 80’s and happy to see their garlic live on with The Garlic Devas.  We are definitely planting lots of this variety and will continue Marty and Jean’s work.

We already harvested 200 garlic heads this July on our farm but we have to find the balance between how much we personally consume and how much we sell to become sustainable i.e. not having to buy more garlic to seed every season.  This season we plan on upping the ante and planting at least 400 cloves.


In addition to garlic, there was honey which  we bought from Swarmbustin Honey, Maple Syrup from Mapleland Farms, Garlic Vinegar from Rolling Hills.  This garlic vinegar is indispensible in our salad dressingsGorgeous yellow oyster mushrooms from Wiltbank Farm in the Catskills, venison and buffalo products from Highland Deer Farm (the Buffalo steak was divine!).  Why deer need to be farmed in this area is an enigma!

Yellow and brown oyster and shiitake mushrooms are Wiltbank Farm's specialty
We stopped and spoke with David Stern current Director, writer, lecturer, horticulturist and cofounder of the Garlic Seed Foundation, an educational not-for-profit organization that promotes ecological production and hearty consumption of garlic.  I asked him why, in New York State when we have a plethora of garlic farms, does grocery store garlic come from China or Argentina (even Whole Foods).  His simple answer, as a farmer himself was, “Why would I sell my garlic cheap when I can make a better wage selling garlic locally at farmers markets and at garlic festivals like this one?”  Good answer.  Whole Foods and other grocers want to pay the lowest price for a product so as to maximize profits.  Garlic farmers are smart and know where their markets are.  We should all consider this when purchasing garlic for ourselves and our families. By paying a bit more for local garlic we support the farmers who work hard to grow the garlic, we ensure a local source of organic garlic and most importantly we keep the farms of our local garlic growers economically viable and able to stay in business.  For more information on garlic, visit the Garlic Seed Foundation website and become a member.  Once you do you have access to the garlic hotline - someone will answer all your questions on garlic!  We joined and are looking forward to our first issue of The Garlic Press.

In honoring garlic in a recipe, something I love to do in so many ways, I decided to feature a Purple Basil Pesto.  I grow a basil that tastes like a Genovese Italian Basil but with deep hues of purple.  The resulting pesto turns out to be more black than purple but can be a gorgeous counterpoint in pasta or bread if topped with a chiffonade of green basil.  Out of the various pesto recipes I've tried, this is the one I go back to everytime.  It's so good, you could even leave out the cheese making this dairy-free and won't feel deprived.

RECIPE: BASIL PESTO

2 garlic cloves
Salt
3 Tbs toasted pine nuts
3 cups basil leaves, stems removed
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a food processor, process garlic, salt and pine nuts first.  Then add basil and olive oil.  When smooth add parmesan just to combine.  If freezing, do not add parmesan until you defrost and use it in the future.

Adapted from Deborah Madison

Eggplant vs. Flea Beetle: Viva La Aubergine

It’s Fall.  For most people who grow, this is the last stretch for the heat-loving plants such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.  At this point, I think I’ve eaten enough fresh tomatoes to last me through the winter.  One thing I haven’t grown tired of are eggplants.  I never thought too much of them until I grew them and was forced to find creative ways to cook them; now I’m an addict.  We grew a few different eggplants here but my favorites are a Japanese and Tuscan variety.  The Japanese come in early and continue to produce and the Tuscan Globe comes in later in the summer and are prolific with heavy, strikingly violaceous fruits.

The biggest issue in growing eggplants are keeping flea beetles from making swiss cheese from the leaves.  This annoying poppy seed-sized pest shows up early in the season and continues to eat away the leaves of the eggplant.  I am surprised that eggplant is not considered one of the “dirty dozen” fruits - the vegetables that contain the highest levels of pesticides even after being washed and peeled.  The list, compiled by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), lists celery, kale, and bell peppers as among the most contaminated.  Obviously, with organic growing techniques this is not an issue.  

Part of our organic practices to reduce pests and disease is to use Nutrient Density growing techniques that address the quality and health of the soil which will then translate to a healthier plant.  The same reason a strong healthy immune system is integral to a healthy human being, the same logic applies for the plant.  Last year our eggplants had flea beetles but the plants were so strong that they could still grow lush and produce a nice bounty of fruit in spite of the bugs.  This year, the flea beetles became more of a nuisance and the plants were not able to compete with them.  They did not succumb to the bugs but they were certainly not the optimum and productive plants we saw last year.  Click HERE  to see an example of plant stress and evidence of how a strong plant is your best defense against disease and pests.  Please note how the plants at the left of the bed received optimal light and are healthy and pest free and how the plants towards the right were partially shaded and have evidence of insect damage to the leaf.  The Nutrient Density growing method can take 3-4 years to really change the mineral and microbial content of the soil so we didn’t expect to see a dramatic change right away.  Every season, we re-test soil and re-amend the soil and much of the amendments take seasons to break down to be utilized by plants and soil microbes.  So what did we do besides watch the flea beetles have a hey day?

CONTROLLING FLEA BEETLES - ORGANICALLY

In the long term, addressing the soil health should obviate the need for “control” but in the meantime, I’m not going to sit around letting a little army of flea beetles dine on my eggplant.

1. Crop rotation.  This is essential since the adults can overwinter in the soil and in plant debris.   However, if your area is small, you are likely not able to plant them far enough from last season’s planting area. They emerge in the spring waiting for you to put your healthy seedlings in the ground.  If your seedlings are stressed they will take this opportunity to defoliate and kill your plant.  You definitely want the healthiest seedling possible and you don’t want to plant these seedlings too early since eggplants LOVE heat.  Using a row-cover in the spring until the population of flea beetles die down is also helpful.  It’s just a physical barrier between the plant and the environment.

2. Trap Crops - this is more applicable to farms, but the idea is to plant a more desirable plant for the flea beetles to feed on so they leave the eggplant alone.  This includes planting Chinese mustard greens nearby or to interplant radishes like “Chinese daikon” or “Snow Belle.”

3. Manual Removal - There are reports that physically removing beetles can be effective.  The flea beetle is so small that some people report using a small portable vacuum to literally just suck them off the plants.  We have not tried it but plan on doing it next year if continues to be a problem.  Time to find the old Dust Buster.

4. Botanical controls - the last option.  The only one that we would advise using is a very diluted spray of organic neem oil  Apply this only on a cloudy day.

Tuscan "Prosperosa" Eggplant. Note the leaves.

COOKING WITH EGGPLANT

A few of our favorites dishes that use eggplant include a Baba Ganoush, Roasted Vietnamese Eggplant with Scallion Oil, breading and frying the slices of eggplant, grilling slices, and using them in stir-fry dishes.  When laziness creeps in, we bring our Japanese eggplant to our local sushi master, Ume, at Murasaki in Nyack, New York.  The first time we did this, Ume looked at the eggplant thoughtfully, brought them back to the kitchen to broil and minutes later presented us with a simple dish from his childhood in Japan.  How cool is that?  Here’s the recipe he used.  It’s simple and sublime.  It is so refreshing to find a chef that is so excited by the challenge of using local ingredients on the spot.  Murasaki has become one of our favorite restaurants in town and we high recommend it to anyone who enjoys traditional artisanal sushi.


RECIPE: Yaki Nasu (Ume’s Eggplant)

4 Japanese Eggplant
3 Tbs sesame paste
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs Dashi (this is a bonito and seaweed broth).  You can substitute with dashi powder which is sold in Asian markets.
garnish with 2 Tbs bonito flakes and/or thinly sliced scallions (optional)

Broil eggplant until soft (5-10 minutes).  Peel off skin and cut into sections
Blend the remaining ingredients together
Spoon sauce over eggplant and garnish with bonito flakes and scallions

Keeping the Tradition: The Chinese Tamale

A melting pot of cultures is a great thing.  Growing up, living near, and working in New York City affords the adventurous food eater many opportunities to dine like they live in other countries.  However ethnically diverse an area may be, there are the little things that make home-cooked foods and family traditions still difficult to find and experience.  Sure, I like to taste every ethnic food available to me, but there are still many things that just don’t make it to the menu.  There are two specific food traditions that have been handed down in my Chinese family: “fon saw,” a pork filled dumpling encased in a doughy rice-based flour that is like no other you’ve ever tasted and “Joong” a Chinese version of the tamale.  You can find forms of these in Chinatown but I’ve never purchased one that tastes as good as the recipe that was handed down in my family.

As my aunts are aging, I have decided to make sure that I am as adept at making these delicious treats so that I may continue the tradition for many more years.  I’m going to document the recipe for the Chinese tamale called “Joong” from start to finish.  Like most Chinese things, this food has a fantastical story to it.  In 278 BC, Chinese scholar and poet Qu Yuan, a  favored minister of the people but unpopular with the ruling regime, drowned himself out of despair because of accusations of conspiracy and wrongdoing by his prior sovereign.  He was so beloved by the people that in order for the fish to spare his body, they threw joong into the river so that the fish would eat the tamales and not Qu Yuan.

Making joong is an undertaking that starts 30 days before by salt-preserving duck eggs.  Amazingly, even in Manhattan, it was extraordinarily difficult to find duck eggs even at all the upscale foodie markets.  I didn’t want to go to Chinatown for these - who knows, they could have been made with melamine.  Instead, we got a dozen eggs from our friends Dan and Larry at By Pond Farm in NJ and the other dozen from John and Alex at Camp Hill Farm in Pomona, NY.

RECIPE: SALT-PRESERVED DUCK EGGS

2 dozen eggs
2 1/2 cup kosher salt
7 Tbs white wine
3 tsp peppercorns
14 cups water

Using a large vessel with a tight lid, add water and salt and mix until dissolved.  Add the wine, peppercorns and carefully add all the eggs.  Seal the container and let sit in a cool location out of direct light for 30 days.  Drain and eggs are ready to use.  For this recipe, you will want to use only the yolks.  Look how gorgeous they came out.
 

Looks like salmon roe. These came out so beautifully.

You want to make this traditional food in large quantities both to share with family or to freeze and enjoy in the coming winter months.  This is not a recipe that is easy and there is definite technique to the wrapping portion but once you get it, it’s easy to make.  The effort is well worth it.  It is a carbohydrate dense meal packet that is satisfying and takes little time to defrost and prepare once it is made.  There is flexibility to this meal and ingredients can be added or taken away based on preference.

RECIPE: JOONG
Makes 50-60

Ingredients

24-36 duck eggs done salt preserved 1 month in advance.  See first recipe.  The day of assembly, separate whites from the yolk and use only the yolk.  They should look like large salmon eggs, congealed.  Cut into quarters or halves depending on your preference.

2 packages of dried bamboo leaves submerged and soaked overnight

5-7 lbs Sweet Rice soaked for 30 minutes and drained.  Add 2TBs sea salt and mix throughly. Set aside.

3-4 lbs split mung beans, soaked for 30 minutes, drained.  Add 1 Tbs sea salt and mix throughly.  Set aside.

1-1.5 lbs Chinese sausage “lap cheong”, steamed, skin removed and cut into 1/2” diagonal strips. Don’t get the lean variety.

3.5 lbs pork shoulder roast (or pork butt) cut into 3/4” pieces and salted overnight.  My pork was from White Thunder Organics.

1 lb Dried Shrimp soaked for 30 minutes and drained

1 lb raw peeled peanutsChinese sausage: "lap cheong" - so good!

2 lbs chestnuts, frozen, steamed and drained

Bakery twine

1 DAY IN ADVANCE:

Soak bamboo leaves in a large basin for at least 24 hours.  You will need a few pots or bowls filled with water to weigh down leaves so they are completely submerged.


ASSEMBLY DIRECTIONS

Soak and steam all necessary ingredients and have them “mise en place” for assembly.

2. For assembly see this video

on how to layer, fill, fold, wrap and tie the tamale.  You will need 4 bamboo leaves for each Joong.

The starting point in ensuring the tamale is securely wrapped. Overlap leaves like above.

Have several large stockpots 3/4 full of water ready.  Bring to boil and place joong in the pots enough to submerge them in the water.  Bring back to boil then reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 4 hours.

4. Remove joong, cut twine, discard leaves and ENJOY!  The rest can be easily frozen for 6+ months.  To defrost, steam for 25-30 minutes.

Comfort food Chinese style

This recipe was from my Aunt Betty and it is in memory of my Uncle Wing.