Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

A MOMENT OF BRILLIANCE IN PARIS

Posted: September 10, 2012 in chicken, Food, Paris, potatoes, spuds, travel
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I love French cooking. Whatever they create, no matter how simple, is almost always better than its American counterpart. Part of that comes from the demand for the best quality ingredients. Nothing comes out of a box or a packet…everything’s made from scratch.

So it was no surprise that when I was in Paris on vacation recently, and I was walking through a Sunday farmers market in the Marais district, that something as simple as chicken and potatoes knocked my socks off.

You can find rotiserrie chicken anywhere in the USA, and it’s common in France as well. But what made this so special was the potatoes. They took small fingerling potatoes, peeled them, and then placed them on the bottom of the rotiserrie oven, where all the juices, herbs, flavors, and yes–fat, slowly dripped down from the rotating chickens above, basting and flavoring these spuds like nothing I’ve ever had before.

It was an incredible moment, popping one of those golden morsels in my mouth, and savoring the wonderful flavor of something as simple…as a spud.

Read more: http://www.94hjy.com/pages/alz_food_blog.html#ixzz264Ffyp3j

CHEESE CURDS: TOOTH-SQUEAKIN’ GOOD!

Posted: September 6, 2012 in cheese, curds, Food, Rhode Island, Southern New England, Uncategorized
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Even if you’re a huge fan of cheese, chances are you’ve never tried cheese curds. Cheese curds are the solid parts of soured milk, either eaten alone or used in regional recipes, mainly in Canada and the Midwest of the United States. The locals call it “squeaky cheese,” because it literally squeaks against your teeth as you eat it.

Cheese curds are usually found only in areas where cheese is made, because it is at its best when it’s freshly made. American varieties are usually yellow or orange, colored much like cheddar cheese, though you can find uncolored curds as well.

My first taste of cheese curds came from an airport store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as I was traveling to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to visit the in-laws.

But now, you can find cheese curds here in our area…and closer to home means fresher curds.

Our friends at Simmons organic farm in Middletown, RI make their own organic goat cheese from milk they get from their own goats. And every once in a while, Karla and Mark treat us customers to cheese curds as well. They are awesome and worth asking for.

Meanwhile, in Westport, Mass, the Shy Brothers farm, makers of those delicious thimble-shaped Hannabel cheeses, also have their own cheese curds, which I find occasionally at Lee’s Market in Westport. Worth a look the next time you’re there.

Whether you eat them by themselves–and they are addictive–or add them to a recipe (most famously used in that classic Canadian dish, Poutine, featuring french fries, brown gravy and cheese curds) cheese curds are something you have got to try.

With the home garden in full swing, we enjoy freshly sliced tomatoes, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and crumbled cheese curds. Or, we take fresh corn on the cob, drizzle a little fresh lime juice on it, and then crumble curds on top. Fantastic!

Read more: http://www.94hjy.com/pages/alz_food_blog.html#ixzz25gdnUVLo

WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THOSE CUCUMBERS BEFORE THE SEASON ENDS

Posted: September 5, 2012 in Cocktails, Cucumbers, Drinks, Food, Recipes, Rhode Island, Soups, Southern New England, Uncategorized
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Cucumber season is winding down here in Southern New England. If you think these veggies are nothing special, it’s probably because you bought them from a supermarket, where they’ve been grown on the other side of the planet, covered in wax to prevent bruising, and then shipped to your local store where they place them under artificial lighting.

Go to your local farmer now. Buy some amazing fresh cukes. Then try any or all of these suggestions…

CRISPY CUCUMBER SOUP

3 medium-sized cucumbers, peeled and seeded

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 cup vegetable broth

4 cups plain yogurt (I like the full fat yogurt)

1/2 cup mint leaves

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

Peel and seed 2 1/2 of the cucumbers and place in a blender with garlic, broth, 3 cups of the yogurt, mint leaves, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Mix well. Add remaining yogurt and wisk in.

Finely dice the leftover 1/2 cucumber and place in soup bowl. Add soup on top.

Garnish with a pinch of SEA salt, preferably Fleur de Sel.

REFRESHING CUCUMBER DRINK

This is a recipe I found last summer, and it’s one of the most refreshing summer drinks you can make for yourself. But it also requires a lot of preparation. It’s worth it. I made a pitcher this past weekend, and I can’t even begin to tell you how good it was!

Ingredients per pitcher:

8 English cucumbers, peeled and seeded

4 cups lightly packed fresh mint leaves

12 Tablepsoons fresh lime juice

8 teaspoons sugar

16 ounces vodka

4 ounces Cointreau

Peel cucumbers and quarter lengthwise. Remove any seeds. Cut a couple of quarters into thin stalks for garnish. Rough chop the rest of the cukes and put them in a food processor. Blend until totally liquefied. Strain cuke juice through a fine sieve, squeezing out as much liquid as you can from the solids. Throw the solids in your compost bin.

In a pitcher, combine mint, sugar and lime juice. Muddle the mint leaves, then add 1 cup crushed ice to the pitcher and stir well.

Add 3 cups cucumber juice, the vodka and Cointreau to the pitcher and stir well again.

Strain liquid into tall glasses filled with ice. Garnish with cucumber stalks.

PIMM’S CUP

Pimm’s No. 1 is a gin-based liqueur made in England. There are many variations of this drink, but my favorite is this simple:

Pimm’s No. 1

Ginger ale

1 smaller cucumber, peeled and quartered lengthwise

In a tall glass filled with ice, pour 2 oz of the Pimm’s No. 1. Fill to top of glass with ginger ale, leaving enough room to place a stalk of cucumber in the glass.

And nothing comforts me more than a bowl of chopped cukes with sour cream, some finely chopped fresh dill and a pinch of salt. Something my Mom gave us as kids that I still love today.

Read more: http://www.94hjy.com/pages/alz_food_blog.html#ixzz25algwxHE

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