Chefs Consortium

Mint recipe ideas

8
May

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“When all is complete deep in the teapot, when tea, mint, and sugar have completely diffused throughout the water, coloring and saturating it…then a glass will be filled and poured back into the mixture, blending it further. Then comes waiting. Motionless waiting. Finally, from high up, like some green cataract whose sight and sound mesmerize, the tea will once again cascade into a glass. Now it can be drunk, dreamily, forehead bowed, fingers held wide away from the scalding glass.”
- Simone Jacquemard, Le Mariage Berbere

The diversity of mint

Mint is a hardy perennial herb that never entirely dies during the winter and is the first of all perennial herbs to return in the Spring.  In the garden mint takes over empty space at an impressive rate.  Ideally it requires a dedicated space of its own – confinement and isolation are the best ways to manage sprawling and crowding of surrounding plants.

julepAs an essential ingredient, mint is the star in dozens of recipes, sweet and savory.  Crushed mint gives the mint julep its refreshingly distinctive flavor.  Tabbouleh, a Middle eastern salad made with couscous or bulgur, is delicious with tons of garlic and lemon juice, but not quite the same without a large dose of chopped mint.  Whether it’s mint jelly or mint in the marinade, lamb is rarely served without its herbal companion (look for locally prepared mint jelly from Beth’s Farm Kitchen).

As an herbal remedy mint is thought to settle an upset stomach and to alleviate the pressure of headaches.  A cup of mint tea before bedtime can be calming, acting as a mild sedative.  The menthol properties of mint make it especially soothing as a treatment for burns and as an aid in the relief of congestion.

Simple mint recipe ideas

Mint tea
Mint is easy to dry.  Clip clusters of mint with scissors and dry them on a newspaper in a cool dark place, like the basement.  Steep the dried mint sprigs in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes, then strain.

Mint simple syrup
Bring one cup of water and one cup of sugar to a boil.  Add one sprig of mint and let steep for 20 minutes. Remove the mint sprig and strain the syrup.  Use the syrup to sweeten iced tea, to macerate summer berries or as a garnish for desserts.

Mint pesto
Mint can be used to make pesto the same way that basil is.  Blanch the mint leaves in boiling water first before making the pesto.  Mint pesto is a perfect marinade or rub for any lamb roast.

Feta and tomato salad
Toss heirloom cherry tomatoes with cubed feta, olive oil, cracked black pepper, a dash of red wine vinegar, chopped garlic, and chopped mint.

Minted onion rings

Posted on by Noah

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The Calabria Pork Store

7
May

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Arthur Avenue: old world charm and good food

Five years ago Brooklyn experienced a coalescence of food artisans that made it a destination hotspot for foodies and chefs. Today spirits, micro-beer, kombucha, lacto-fermented pickles, cured and smoked meats, cheeses and breads are a few of the hand crafted foods and beverages that are Brooklyn-made.  But, while many of Brooklyn’s food artisans have called upon old methods and techniques to make high quality products that would meet the approval and respect of old world artisans, there is an absence of history and the passing on of skills and knowledge that comes with generations of families.

Arthur Avenue in the Fordham section of the Bronx is a different story.  In many ways the iconic four block section of Belmont still remains the “Little Italy” of the Bronx.  Upscale and red tablecloth restaurants, pizzerias, bakeries, and fish markets on Arthur Avenue have been around for decades, through generations of mom and pop owners who have passed the business on to their children.

The largest symbol of the multi-generational commerce on Arthur Avenue is the indoor open market that takes up a square block between Arthur and Hughes avenues.  Here butchers, bakeries, cafes, and produce vendors exchange goods with customers across dozens of counters seven days a week.

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Unlike Bourbon Street in New Orleans, where tourists flock to buy overpriced drinks and mediocre Cajun food, Arthur Avenue remains true to its character and flavors, almost a century after its own coalescence.  There are bakeries where the bread is leavened with eighty year old sourdough starter; delis where you can still get a mortadella sandwich; and shops where you can buy smoked meats, aged cheeses and pickled vegetables – like the Calabria Pork Store, where the ceiling is adorned with rows and rows of hanging dry aged sausage.

The Calabria Pork Store sells soppresatta (dry aged salame), aged hot and sweet Italian sausage, prosciutto (dry cured ham), capicollo (salame made from dry cured pork shoulder), pancetta (salt cured pork belly), fresh mozzarella, smoked mozzarella, black and green olives, pickled vegetables, and imported pasta and olive oil.

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Posted on by Noah

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Susie’s Climax Creations Duck Eggs

6
May

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Susie’s Climax Creations Duck Eggs

Spring is in full swing.

At the local duck pond the girls have gone missing. They are tucked away keeping their newly laid eggs safe and warm. The male ducks congregate on the banks of the water in waiting. Soon the ducklings will arrive. Elsewhere ramps are popping up from the ground, proving that once again life can rise from this recently frozen earth.

I suppose you could forage for these local or seasonal treasures. Or you could just go to the farmers market. Ramps seem to be everywhere. Duck eggs are a little harder to come by. Sure, you could visit Quattro’s Game Farm if you were in Dutchess county. But if you find yourself west of the river, there’s Susie’s Climax Creations.

This small Greene county producer can be found at the Schenectady Greenmarket. And their commitment to the care and feeding of their birds is remarkable. This is how they describe what they do:

“Through Humane, Natural, Organic, Chemical Free methods we offer our animals a happy, healthy and productive life. Our animals are provided with a pasture-based environment while treating them humanely and with loving respect throughout their lives. All of our birds are fed Certified Organic freshly milled grains & seeds. We custom mix the organic grains and seeds with Icelandic kelp and minerals to ensure a proper diet. Our feed does not contain any antibiotics, hormones or soy, which is detrimental to organic practices. We refuse to compromise the quality of the feed by using soy. Only the best organic feed is offered to our fowl.”

Duck eggs are larger than chicken eggs with a much greater proportion of yolks to whites. Gently poached or soft boiled, they make for a lovely breakfast. But a duck egg omelet–in the classic French style–makes for a delightful meal anytime.

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And since it’s spring, it’s almost a no brainer to stuff the omelet with sautéed ramps.

Eggs with onions was always a favorite dish of mine growing up. This is a much more grown up version of the form. I can think of no better teacher on how to do this than Jacques Pepin. He makes it look so easy. Don’t worry if yours isn’t perfect. Mine isn’t.

First, prepare the ramps. Here is a simple recipe that works well. You will only have to hold these for couple of minutes, because the omelet itself cooks in a flash.

When the omelet is done, slice a lengthwise slit in the top with the tip of a sharp knife. Push the ends of the omelet together to create a pouch, and spoon in the sautéed ramps.

As the weather warms up, remember the simple omelet. It’s a great thing to cook without heating up the entire kitchen. And it can be filled with whatever farm fresh seasonal produce you have around the house. It is quick, elegant and delicious.

But duck eggs make it extraordinary, and Susie’s are fantastic.

About Daniel B.

A west coast transplant now living in Albany, Daniel Berman is applying his communication strategy background to food writing with the ultimate goal of improving the culinary landscape in the Capital Region. He writes the FUSSYlittleBLOG and contributes regularly to All Over Albany.

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Wallkill View Farm Market

3
May

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Wallkill View Farm Market

Just off of the Wallkill River in New Paltz, Wallkill View Farm grows sweet butter and sugar corn, vine-ripened tomatoes, cantaloupes, yellow watermelons, hand-picked green beans, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, salad greens, raspberries, and blueberries.  The farm store stocks a variety of New York State cheeses, honey, maple syrups, jams, jellies, spreads, salsas, relishes, dressings and vinegars.

Also available is a selection of baking mixes for scones, breads, cakes, cookies, apple crisp, pancakes, waffles and more.  For savory dinner ideas, the farm has a selection of their own soup and pasta mixes and even stocks a mix for fried green tomatoes.

Specialty flowers and plants available from the Wallkill nursery and greenhouse:

  • Easter flowers
  • Poinsettias
  • Christmas Cacti
  • Potted flowers
  • House plants and hanging plants
  • Vegetable seedlings
  • Herbs – grown year round in the farm’s greenhouses
  • Annuals and perennials
  • Trees, shrubs and rose bushes
  • Flower bouquets that are picked daily from their flower garden.

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Wallkill View Farm also stocks gardening supplies, potting soil, decorative pots, window boxes, garden statues, gazing globes and garden and patio stones.

Wallkill View Farm Market

Open 9am – 6:30pm, 7 days a week from mid-March through Dec. 24
15 Route 299 West · New Paltz, NY 12561
(845) 255-8050
info@WallkillView.com

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New York potato chips

29
April

NorthForkpotatochips

North Fork and Wicked Good potato chips

A food review by Amy Halloran

I want the origins of some foods to remain mysterious. Oreos and Girl Scout Cookies, for instance, should look like they fell into a package straight from Mars. Any explanation is going to look like a lie, or at the very least, distract me from the task at hand. You are a cookie. I am a person. Don’t talk, just let me eat you.

Chips are kind of in that realm, too. But I don’t feel the need to look so far in the other direction because there is less mystery about potatoes and oil than the ingredients and processes that add up to Oreos.

Besides, I love potato chips. When I worked in restaurants I snacked on them with ketchup, like a dipping sauce. Nothing matches them aside, or even inside, a sandwich. If I don’t have any in the cupboard, lunch feels somewhat lacking.

Generally I buy Cape Cod chips or Kettle Chips, and I am happy to see that there are New York State alternatives. Not just because I LOVE NY, but patriotism does help.

North-Fork-Potato-ChipsNorth Fork Potato Chips are from Long Island. Wicked Good Potato Chips are from Columbia County. Both are made in small batches, and have a lot of crunch and flavor.

Upstaters trying to imagine farming on Long Island get squinty and dubious, but the island has a big agricultural history, and believe it or not, present. North Fork Potato Chips are produced on a farm by Martin and Carol Sidor. Making the chips is the secret to their success as a third generation potato farm. Aside from the particular real estate pressures of Long Island, consolidations have affected potato production, making it difficult to earn money just from the crop. Adding value to the potatoes they grow makes the farm work.

North Fork Potato Chips wow a lot of big names like Rachel Ray. Fitness Magazine gave their healthy food award to the Rosemary & Garlic Chips last year. My family staff of taste tasters agreed with the magazine staffer on the chips’ flavor: so big that it’s tough to eat too many of them.

Still, we managed, my two sons and husband and I, to make pretty good work of the bags we devoured on a road trip. These chips need absolutely no ketchup, not even the plain ones. They are cut thicker than average chips, and kettle cooked in sunflower oil.

Compared to other flavored chips, there is a shocking amount of seasoning. Almost like a powdered frosting. I really liked the salt and vinegar chips, and the BBQ flavor too.

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Wicked Good Potato Chips are from Ghent, much closer to my home. Chris and Bert Jones sell their chips at farmers markets and elsewhere – markets in the Berkshires, Brooklyn and Columbia County. Their two varieties – sweet potato and regular potato – earned their name because eaters, likely from Massachusetts, declared them Wicked Good.

Bert makes these chips in the Red Barn, the couple’s restaurant since 2001. While the restaurant took a year off to focus on catering in 2011, it opened for weekends last summer, and will open for weekends starting May 10th.

The potato chips are an echo of the Red Barn’s most popular appetizer. Hot chips with warm garlic and parsley were a big hit with customers. The couple thought of making potato chips on a trip to Spain, inspired by a street vendor’s fresh chips, which sold better than proverbial hotcakes.

This is a thin chip, and quite easy to eat right up. This summer, they’ll be adding another variety, a chili or curry flavor whose seasonings are still in the works. Whatever they come up with, I’m sure it will be pretty nice.

About Amy Halloran

Amy Halloran writes about food and agriculture, and is especially interested in the revival of regional grain systems in the Northeast. She also blogs at amyhalloran.com and FromScratchClub.com, and archives her work at amyhalloran.net.

Posted on by Noah

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