There’s this funny paradox I’ve noticed – when the weather is bad, or there’s anything to do involving a pitchfork and manure, people seem to think we’re hardcore weirdos with a fanatical agriculture hobby….but when it comes to just-ripped-from-the-ground vibrant produce and grassfed steak for dinner every night, then we’re suddenly privileged,…
Tag: Local Food
Sweet And Sour Turnips With Mizuna
In the garden there is currently an abundance of my two favorite kinds of turnips – Scarlet Ohno Revival and Purple Top. I love these varieties for their flavor, color, and prolific harvests – too prolific sometimes! Just last week I was asking a lady at the grocery store who was checking out with…
BOEUF BOUILLI AU LARD ET AUX POMMES DE TERRE: Boiled Beef With Bacon And Potatoes
If you have tried making serious broth, or have left-overs from a Pot-au-feu, you will likely find yourself with a cold boiled beef roast. It really doesn’t sound very appealing, but there many French recipes that incorporate cold boiled beef. This one could pass for a rich breakfast, a hearty lunch, or a satisfying dinner….
FILET SAUTE AUX CHAMPIGNONS: Steak With Mushrooms
This is a killer steak recipe – as if steak needed anything to make it any more delicious! There are two parts to this recipe, as it requires a ladleful of Spanish sauce, or Sauce Espagnole to finish off the sauce. Have a pot of broth bubbling on hand to make this recipe super easy…
Ambrosia: A Local Food Recipe
Ambrosia was originally the food and drink of the ancient Greek gods that gave them immortality, but in modern times it mostly refers to a fruity salad. It is one of those recipes like gravy, in which everyone has their own version. It can vary from a wholesome salad of orange sections, chopped nuts and…
Sectioning Citrus
Citrus sections are a delightful way to eat up the abundance of oranges and grapefruit this time of year. With all the pithy white and membranes removed, even the pickiest of eaters will delight in a bowlful. When I first had sectioned oranges at my in-laws’ house, I wondered how on earth they had spared…
Real French Dressing
I’ll never forget the moment I stepped inside Tata Gabby’s apartment building in France. The beautiful wrought-iron grating clanged behind us as the door shut out the streets of Nice and the bright summer’s day. We were enveloped in dimness as we walked up two flights of beautifully tiled stairs. I struggled to drag…
Cassava Stuffing – An All Local/Homegrown Recipe
There is nothing to inspire thankfulness and gratitude more than sitting down to a meal that is all home grown. When all the sweat and worry is yours, when you have watched the seasons turn as small seeds became large plants, as chicks became pin feather-studded adolescents, and finally a flock of magnificent birds with…
Roselle Mock Cranberry Sauce
Roselle is one of those garden plants that hardly anyone knows about. I first saw it growing at Karen Sherwood’s farm about ten years ago, and was impressed as much by its striking appearance as I was with the flavor of some homemade soda Karen had made with it. It is common and well-known in…
SAUCE TOMATE
SAUCE TOMATE (direct translation) Wash six large tomatoes, cut them in pieces, put them into a pot with a bay leaf, a sprig of thyme, a head of garlic, and an onion cut into rounds. Cook over a low fire, without water. Watch over the pot, and stir the tomatoes minute by minute,…
HARICOTS VERTS A LA LYONNAISE: Lyon-style Green Beans
R. Blondeau details three ways that beans are prepared: as green beans before the seeds develop (haricots verts), or after the seeds develop as shelly beans (haricots ecosses, or husked beans), or as dry beans. Snap beans (called le mange-tout) are tender enough to be eaten whole, seeds and husks. I had two kinds of…
Toadstools And Fairy Rings 