One of my goals for the coming months is to find lessons for skills I want to either learn or improve upon. I had a head start a few weeks ago with a class offering by Whisk, a unique, local kitchen-everything shop in Cary (more about them in a bit).The class was Mastering Knife Skills, a two hour, hands on lesson taught by Ethan Hamme from the Messermeister company who was both knowledgeable and entertaining. The photos that follow are from another class Ethan taught and were generously provided by Whisk for my use here.One of my biggest take aways of the night was at the beginning of class when Ethan shared his thoughts on honing. You either get into the habit of doing it before you use the knife each time or you get into the habit of doing it after. He thinks it is easier to do it before, making it a step in the mise en place and therefore more likely to be remembered.The class was focused in particular on the chefs knife and its uses. We first learned proper grip and then dove right into different techniques for different vegetables.I am sure I could have found my way through my first julienne watching a YouTube video, but now I have actually done it. We then cut the julienne down to a fine dice called brunoise.An interesting component of the class was the assortment of chefs knives on the table. This afforded students the rare opportunity of taking different knives out for a test drive throughout the class and see what felt good in their hand. At the end of class I had to wait in line behind other students to check out with my two new chef/paring knives sets, so it looks like a win-win for students and store.Whisk was just opening its doors in Cary when I moved to the area a little over three years ago. By luck, I briefly met Dan, one half of the husband and wife owners, when we both spoke at the same event so I have known about and visited their site many times and knew they held regular classes. I had even looked at the class listings a year or so ago and thought, "I will have to do that sometime". And then a year went by.Let's all make 2017 be our "sometime"!
Read MoreKale Chips - Sometimes a Matter of Necessity
The Scarlet Kale in my counter top hydroponic system has been growing by leaps and bounds to the point that they are overshadowing the slower paced cilantro and parsley starts.I needed to trim some leaves to let more light down to the smaller plants in the middle and a great excuse for kale chips.I use my hands to toss the rough chopped leaves with a little olive oil then sprinkle with salt (cayenne or any other spice you would like to add) and toss again.Cook at 350 on a parchment lined pan for until crispy and paper like, apx 10 minutes.I like to let mine cool on a rack for good air circulation and while I haven't done side by side experiments, I think it keeps them crispier.
Read MoreAutumn Recess
Autumn has arrived in North Carolina, bringing with it the final harvest of bell peppers, roma tomatoes and serrano peppers.The herb garden has brushed off the first few light freezes and stands ready to make meals fragrant and savory for months to come. I am confident that the thyme, oregano and sage will over winter well and hope that the french tarragon and parsley will also.Parsley is such a staple of fall and winter dishes that I have more growing on my deck. I have been poaching from the deck parsley for a few weeks thinking that it would not handle the frosts as well, but so far it is also doing wonderfully.In previous years I have repeatedly removed pine needles from the garden beds only to replace it with a different mulch. This year I have come to my senses and am embracing the pine trees taking care of mulching for me.Collards, carrots, cabbage and parsnips are tucked into their naturally (and effortlessly) mulched beds.The fall planting of sugar snap peas has been supplying tender pea shoots and now has peas forming as well.The hydroponic herbs were changed over 10 days ago to the varieties I know and love to cook with and are already doing quite well. I am growing 2 plantings each of my favorite basils and cilantros, 3 of the flat leaf parsley and just for fun I am trying to grow 2 red kales hydroponically.With the Super Bowl and attendant tomato starts almost 2 months away, this cozy, fall garden that is mostly taking care of itself feels like a recess.
Read MoreAero Garden Update - Day 46
Day 46 of the prepackaged herb pack that came with my AeroBount and I have excellent basil growth, both genovese and thai. The mint was just starting to grow and the cilantro, parsley and chives never really took off. The genovese basil, while in the same family, is not the basil I usually grow. I do not know if it is a function of the variety or of the hydroponics but it bruises extremely easy and blackens quickly on warm dishes.My Baker Creek order came in last week with seeds for my hydroponic herbs and counter top microgreens so I decided to ditch the prepackaged herbs and start my own this weekend.My aero garden has space for 9 pods so I planted 2 of each except for the parsley that I planted 3 pods of because fall stews + parsley = YUM!
Read MoreLiving Ingredients
Although I have grown herbs indoors for each of the last 5 winters, my indoor garden has always been in a designated growing area and not particularly convenient to the kitchen. So in a kitchen that is already small on space, I gave over fully 1/2 of my breakfast bar to try the AeroGarden, because the idea of growing fresh, green herbs right where I cook this winter is very appealing. That probably also explains the microgreens taking up the other 1/2 of my breakfast bar now.Microgreens are a great choice for indoor veggies in the off seasons since they aren't usually around long enough for pests or disease to become a problem and can be used in a variety of dishes. They do need a little more attention in terms of keeping them moist and harvesting on time, but that is all the easier when they are located in the heart of a home.My breakfast bar has become a living pantry :)
Read MoreCooking Up A Hurricane - Applesauce (Part 1)
Hurricane Matthew made landfall in the Carolinas this morning, just north of Charleston, SC, and more than 5" of rainfall is expected for the Raleigh region over the next 24 hours. With the cool, windy and very wet weather keeping most of the Mid-Atlantic seaboard indoors until late Sunday it was time to get cooking.As part of this week's CSA delivery from The Produce Box I special ordered 15 lbs of slightly blemished Ginger Gold Apples from a local farmer to make applesauce in my pressure cooker.Apples were peeled (not guaranteed organic), cored and cut into 16ths. Some very small bruises were present and easily cut out.The apple chunks and spices were placed in the pressure cooker - I used Flo Lum's recipe with two variations, I added a bit of freshly ground nutmeg and cut my apple chunks a bit smaller for a smoother texture.The end result was a delicious treat that will not last long enough to worry about freezing.I know apples are traditionally paired with pork, but try pairing them with homemade cheese quesadillas, especially for the under 10 yo set!
Read MoreTaking The (hydroponics) Plunge
It all started so simply...I was looking for a birthday gift for a friend. She does some gardening and is always looking to eat healthier so I went to a few of my favorite online shops and searched Gifts For Gardeners to see what came up.What came up (over and over) were the counter-top, hydroponic growing contraptions that promise fresh herbs, greens and veggies faster than their soil bound counterparts. The reviews spanned the positive to strongly positive and some of the user videos showed amazing results.I have been resistant to the idea of hydroponics because it is not a natural system and doesn't even attempt to mimic a natural system. Food plants grown hydroponically are not dining at the full banquet of known and unknown plant (and human) nutrients, minerals and components found in organically rich soil, but instead are fed a simplified diet of nitrogen, phosphate, calcium and magnesium diluted in water. What does that mean for the creatures that are eating them? But there is the not-so-small matter of having fresh herbs to cook and garnish with through the winter months... Many of my outdoor herbs are still doing very well, though my beloved basil is already beginning to look pretty rough and with fall officially here, some of the others will begin to say good-bye for 2016 in the coming weeks. This is the time of year I usually begin my indoor herb garden in the dormer nook upstairs as a stop-gap measure to cover the basics (basil, rosemary, oregano, cilantro) until they can be sown outdoors again.Overall, my indoor herbs usually do pretty well each year in their little corner of the house, though they do have to cope with occasional fungus flies, aphids, powdery mildew outbreaks and a water deficit when I travel. The more I considered it, the more it seemed that growing a mix of fresh herbs through the winter months right on my kitchen counter, right where I cook and where I can be a bit more attentive on a day-to-day basis, even if it is hydroponically, is maybe not such a bad idea. Herbs are especially dense on flavor and hopefully will not have a watered down taste. Enter the AeroGarden for my friend and myself.I opted for the Bounty Elite from William Sonoma because it has the most space for plants (up to 9 depending on variety) and the LED light can raise from 15" to 24" as plants grow.I have to admit, I was impressed by the touch screen display that shows days since planting, days until nutrient add and monitors and alerts for water level. It is programmable by plant group being grown (herbs, tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, flowers, etc).If you happen to have kids under the age of 10 in the house, the space age looking pod domes are an added bonus.So I am taking the plunge, I hope this particular horticultural/culinary experiment works out well - if the herbs I am growing are as robustly flavored as their soil bound brethren, it will mean my indoor garden upstairs is relegated to spring seed starting and even more herbs are making into everyday meals than they already are. Updates to follow!
Read MoreBetter With Basil - Pasta Maker
Late blight is wrecking havoc on North Carolina tomatoes this year, particularly the heirloom varieties. Last year I was pulling down green tomatoes in late November and this year they were pretty much done by late August. C'est la vie.Luckily, there are some good things happening in the kitchen while I wait for the fall lettuce and spinach to fill in the garden. I have been working with my pasta maker, trying different shapers and getting the hang of the process. This week I wanted to try adding some fresh basil into the mix so I chopped it very finely and tossed 1 gram of it with the Anson Mills pasta flour before adding it to the maker using the angel hair shaper.The result was very pretty and did have a hint of basil taste. I was concerned that the basil would interfere with extruding and/or the pasta's ability to hold together when cooking, it did neither.I want to try the experiment again with a little more basil which means I should probably use the spaghetti shaper to be safe. I had already started the sauce when I decided to try adding basil to the pasta but next time I would like to try it with a simple butter garlic sauce that won't overpower the flavor of the pasta like the thick, homemade tomato sauce in the photo above.I am also wondering if I can do the same thing with finely chopped, fresh spinach and a thicker noodle.With fall/soup season just around the corner I have also ordered some kansui, the alkaline ingredient that gives ramen noodles their distinctive texture and the ability to hold up well in soups.I am beginning to suspect that the folks that sell fresh pasta and noodles at the Farmer's Market aren't doing it to make money, they just want an excuse to make more than they can personally eat...
Read MoreMangia - Seconda Parte
Recently I wanted to find some great make-ahead recipes that I could prepare in batches and freeze for fast and easy, but still homemade meals that I would feel good about on those "I don't feel like scratch cooking" nights. Stuffed pastas kept catching my eye as something highly versatile (options including but definitely not limited to: cheese, spinach, squash, beef, tuna with a bechamel sauce) and are super easy to freeze and reheat.I already had a great homemade pasta dough recipe (for use with the KitchenAid stand mixer and pasta roller attachment) and ravioli filling recipe but wanted to do some research and see if some varieties freeze better than others.While doing searches for freezing homemade stuffed pastas my results kept turning up all these recipes and ads for pasta maker machines...hmm. A few dozen YouTube videos and Amazon.com reviews later, I decided a pasta maker was just what I needed both to make fast and easy ravioli for my make-ahead meals as well as ditching the boxed, dried stuff in my pantry for fresh, on-demand pasta made with high quality wheat*.I found the pasta maker I wanted on sale at Williams-Sonoma - the Philips Smart Pasta Maker. I liked this one in particular because in addition to the weighing function which helps you fine-tune your liquids if you are using more or less than a perfect single or double batch of pasta flour, it comes with 8 shaping discs meaning no accessories to purchase later.I had to try it right away after it arrived so I made a simple angel hair pasta to get a feel for the machine and process.The adverts say that you will have fresh pasta in 15 minutes, I am pretty sure they mean when the last of the noodles come out because this machine begins extruding pasta in just 3 minutes!I made a double batch which was double the amount I needed. The other 1/2 can be dusted with flour and refrigerated for a few days or frozen for a longer storage time.The pasta was fantastic - delicious and with great bite, perfect al dente!* A note on the pasta flour I use - as much as possible, I buy my grains from Anson Mills. I could do a whole series of posts on Anson Mills and founder Glenn Roberts and how they are reviving lost tastes through heirloom grains. If you haven't read it yet, a great way to get to know Glenn is through Dan Barber's seminal book The Third Plate. I became an instant convert based on what I knew about Glenn's grains. Tasting them only further cemented my ardor.
Read MoreThis Ain't Your Grandma's Pressure Cooker
A couple of weeks ago I was interested in understanding how pressure cookers work and I ran across this aptly titled video by America's Test Kitchen "Why Chefs Love Pressure Cookers".I was intrigued with the chefs describing how pressure cookers can cook sometimes tricky dishes to perfection and how the steam within the pressurized chamber infuses the dishes with deep flavor, but it was Tony Maws using a counter-top electric pressure cooker that completely captured my attention and sent me searching in a whole new direction.Electric pressure cookers eliminate a lot of the fear inducing factors novice pressure cooker users have about the stove top kind as well as a lot of handy features cooks of any level will love. They have a sear setting to brown meats and/or veggies before adding in liquid to finish the meal, they have food-type settings (i.e. meat, vegetables, rice, beans) to take a lot of the guesswork out of the length of time and pressure to cook with, and have redundant safety features to avoid the exploding pots some of us remember seeing in the 70s and 80s when an inattentive cook allowed the pressure to get a little too high.Fast forward a couple of weeks and dozens of viewings of pressure cooker meal recipes later and my Breville Fast Slow Pro was here and ready to be tested. I started with this simple Pot Roast recipe from Flo Lum (more on her in a minute). The meat was seared then removed from the pan to sear the carrots and onions while the pan was gently deglazed.The veggies were then removed, the meat added back in and the veggies placed around it. A little thyme, salt and pepper and it was ready to cook.In just 50 minutes I had a delicious one-pot meal that was tender, flavorful and so easy!I had been accumulating recipes I wanted to try once my cooker arrived and will share some of the variety below. A disproportionate number are from Flo Lum's pressure cooker playlist because she does a great job of displaying the versatility of these counter top appliances and she has a companion blog for printable versions of her recipes.Zuppa Toscana - Risotto - Mashed Potatoes - Low Country Boil - Applesauce - Holiday Ham - Baby Back RibsAfter seeing the Zuppa Toscana recipe I had to reconsider my decision to not grow kale this year and now have some Nero Di Toscana seeds started to add some fresh, homegrown flavor to this dish when I make it later this year.
Rocking in the Kitchen
I received a gift today from a gardening friend in the mid-west. My friend had no way of knowing I had my eyes on these for a while now. I had first seen the Ulu knife of Alaska a couple of years ago in a video about chopping herbs and had been interested since.I had some herbs that had been dried over the weekend so I popped them in the bowl side of the cutting board and tested it out. The rocking-cutting motion is distinct from what most of us are used to with a relatively straight blade and a flat cutting board, but I can see how with a little practice this would be extremely effective!A big thank you to my friend for the gift. Sharing (seeds, tips, surplus produce, etc.) seems to be hallmark of the gardening soul and I am grateful to have been bitten by the bug and be counted among its ranks!