The Houndstooth Gourmet

Back at the market at last. I missed my semi-regular Sunday morning ritual of going to the Dupont Market. During spring and summer, I focus on markets which are closer to me, but when they close for the season, Dupont is where I head to. The market has a good vibe-a kind of energy where food and people come together and create something so rustic right in the heart of the city.

Cardoons….cardon’ts

At Next Step Produce, I bought a large bunch of cardoons. I’ve only eaten them once, at Vermillion. I believe it was a gratin dish, and I loved it. I found a recipe for cardoon soup from Mario Batalli, and set out to make it. After prepping, chopping and simmering the cardoons in salted water for about 30 minutes, I decided to check them for taste and tenderness before I went ahead with making the recipe.

They were, in a word, bitter. Perhaps I should have soaked them for a couple hours beforehand. Conquering cardoons would have to wait for another day. Undeterred and still in the mood for soup, I dug out a large bag of frozen broccoli from my freezer, some scallion and cheddar cheese and made a broccoli cheddar soup, served up with sourdough bread that I purchased from Atwater Bakery. Man, that is good bread!

Success with a market salad

While making the soup, I threw a couple beets in the oven to roast and made a simple vinaigrette for a salad. Here’s the recipe for this market salad that truly tasted fresh and wonderful. The beets (New Morning Farm) were earthy, the Allegheny chevre from Firefly Farm was slightly piquant, the cress (Next Step Produce) was peppery and the vinaigrette had a slight licorice taste that went well with the cheese.

Roasted Golden Beet, Chevre and Cress Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette

Serves 4 generously

Ingredients

• 2 golden beets

• 1 bunch cress, washed and dried (arugula would also work well in this salad)

• 1 log fresh chevre

• 2 Tablespoons champagne vinegar

• 6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 5-6 Tablespoons honey

• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon, or 1 Tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped fine

• kosher salt

• freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash beets and dry thoroughly. Place beets on foil and/or parchment paper (I wrapped them in parchment, followed by foil) that has been placed on a baking sheet. Drizzle beets with olive oil and coat completely. Generously salt beets with kosher salt. Wrap beets and roast in the oven for 1 hour. Allow to cook and cut top and bottom of beets. Peel skin and chop beets into small cubes.

For vinaigrette, use a bowl and whisk. Pour vinegar in bowl, along with a pinch of kosher salt, several grinds of pepper, mustard, tarragon and honey. Whisk to combine. Continue whisking and stream in olive oil. Check for seasoning.

To assemble salad, lightly dress the cress. Plate cress and top with 2-3 slices of chevre and beets. Drizzle additional vinaigrette on the plate. I like to add a small pinch of good salt crystals and a bit of ground pepper just before serving.

Enjoy the photos, and until the next At The Market, eat and buy local when you can.

Tags: District of Columbia, farmers markets, salad, Recipe by Ramona
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(Pineapple sage in bloom)

The perennial question that people have for the day after Thanksgiving is “what do I do with the leftovers?”.  Now see, for me, the answer is simple. Make another meal! We all love turkey and the trimmings, so why reinvent the wheel? Sure, make some soup, make a frittata or even make turkey hash. It’s all good. But if you just want to fill up another plate and heat it in the microwave, go for it!

(Pineapple sage, clove and crystal ginger)

One dish that you can get started on right now is the cranberry. This chutney is easy to make and can be stored in your refrigerator until Thanksgiving. Better yet, save a couple spoonfuls and make yourself a turkey, brie and cranberry melt. Maybe you’ll have some stuffing leftover too? Heck, throw that on the sandwich too!

(Cranberry chutney)

Now, this is what midnight snacking is all about! Enjoy.

Cranberry Chutney

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 1 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries (frozen is fine to substitute)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves\
• 1 Tablespoon crushed crystallized ginger
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon pineapple sage, finely chopped (optional and not a deal breaker)
• 1 crisp apple, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped

Directions

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add cranberries, raisins, honey, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, vinegar an water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes until cranberries pop and soften.

Add celery, sage and apple. Cover and allow to cool. Refrigerate for up to one week in an air-tight container.

(Turkey, cranberry and brie pannini)

For pannini, layer leftover turkey, cranberry chutney and a generous portion of brie on sourdough bread. Butter bread on outside, and grill until warm and cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

(Cranberry chutney spooned over brie and sourdough bread)

Tags: cranberry, Recipe by Ramona
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Well, you know that farmers market fans like me need a market fix-preferably on a weekly basis. So it’s no wonder that I sought out the Headhouse Square Farmers Market while I’m in Philadelphia. I was so excited, and filled with anticipation as I saw the bustling market and felt the energy within. Much like the Dupont market in Washington, D.C., the Headhouse Square market brings the best farm fresh food from the surrounding areas (of PA and Southern NJ )to the heart of the city. On Sundays during market season, historic Headhouse Square is filled with baked goods, meats, eggs, cheese, seasonal produce, jams, jellies and honey. Oh, and dog biscuits too!

The Headhouse Square market is run by The Food Trust, which runs 30 markets in total. The Food Trust is a community-driven entity, educating patrons on nutrition and food that is in season, and wholesome. They advocate to make the market accessible to all by participating in programs such as WIC and accepting EBT cards and Senior Citizen’ cards. Their mission is to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, nutritious food-and it shows. Just check out these Farmers Rock items they sell!

Here’s just a sample of the amazing bounty at the market….

Hillacres Pride raises free range chickens that are fed organic chicken feed, in addition to the insects and grubs which they scratch for. I bought a dozen brown eggs for $4.

Weaver’s Way Farm, and urban farm, had an array of just-picked produce and herbs. I bought fresh rosemary, a handful of sunchokes and a couple of leeks, all for about $4. The rosemary and leeks flavored a baked chicken that I was compelled to make after eating processed foods for a week. Yuck.

Yum.

This guy from Versailles Bakery (Collingswood, NJ) just had to get into the photo of these marvelous sticky buns. Take another look…

Versailles’ sticky buns were a terrific bargain at $1.50 each. They were surprisingly light, and very fresh. The best part perhaps was the crunchy caramel that lined the wax paper underneath. We also enjoyed savory flatbreads; spinach and cheese, and broccoli and cheese. The dough was flaky and rich and I picked up every little piece that broke away! Here is a sample of their foccacia:

and pain au chocolates:

If this hasn’t made your mouth water yet, check out this tray of pastries from Wild Flour Bakery:

Wild Flour Bakery was started by Nishon Yaghoobian, former Executive Pastry Chef at Philadelphia’s venerable Striped Bass restaurant. Since participating at the Headhouse Farmers Market in the Spring of 2007, his business has met with an overwhelming response by customers who buy the baked goods that are made from the best quality ingredients.

I’ve become a fan of these little challah slider rolls. They have a beautiful shiny crust, and are light as a feather inside. A bit of Pate de Campagne from Tallulah’s Table made a nice snack.

Tallulah’s Table in Kennett Square PA offers among other things, housemade charcuterie, duck rillets and Pate de Campagne. From thier website:

We use superior ingredients. As a rule we use organic poultry, local dairy products, Belgian chocolate, King Arthur organic flours, daily fresh fish, carefully selected Hausbrandt Italian coffee, beautiful produce, and of perfect Kennett mushrooms. We make and smoke our own sausage and fish and
We consciously provide many vegetarian items. We bake all of our own breads and pastries. We select and age cheese that is well worth the indulgence.

Located outside of Philadelphia in Chester County, PA, Birchrun Hills Farm is owned and operated by Ken and Sue Miller. Their Holstein cows are raised without hormones, and provide the raw milk for the cheese that is made at the farm. Birchrun features Birchrun Blue and Highland Alpine cheeses.

Spring Hills Farm in Dalton, PA, is nestled in the rolling hills of Northeastern, PA and is a working family and organic farm. Their crop of award winning maple syrup is harvested each Spring. The trees are tapped in the spring because nightly temperatures are below zero, while daytime temperatures rise enough to get the sap flowing. A lovely woman at the farm stand explained the difference between Grade A and grade B maple syrup. The former is produced in the beginning of the season and has a paler color and milder flavor. The latter is produced late in the season, and has a deeper color and more pronounced maple flavor. It is often called for in cooking and baking.

There’s a lot more to this wonderful market. I’ll share more vendors and food later and suffice to say, this market is well worth seeking out if you are in the Philadelphia region. And as always, until the next At The Market, eat and buy local when you can. Wherever you are.

Tags: travel, Philadelphia, farmers markets by Ramona
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Well ok–I’ll admit something simply not shocking, I didn’t come up in life a foodie or a homespun gourmet. I wasn’t hanging on to anyone’s apron, peering up to see how the stuffed cabbage was made (is anyone else out there jealous of all of those tv food show hosts that brag about cooking meatballs with Grandma when they were like 2 years old? Or have recipes passed down from every double X chromosome family member since Eisenhower was in office?). Growing up, I did my fair share of swishing food around my plate to make it look like I’d eaten more than I had (What, eat? But…but…it’s still light out! Must…be…out..playing!). I was masterful at pushing vegetables over the side of the dish where I knew no one would see. I tried vegetables if only to appease my mom (fried tomatoes come to mind and now I adore them) but lo and behold, here I am; someone who loves to cook, bake and appreciates slow food that is grown as naturally and locally as possible.

I suppose my first experience eating “locally” and “sustainably” and “for a social cause” came over a decade ago when I worked at the University of Pennsylvania.  I frequented The White Dog Cafe on Sansom street which was a short walk from the hospital, and happened to be a very popular spot among those who lived and worked in University City. The owner, Judy Wicks (whose accomplishments and awards are enumerated here), was on a mission that was unknown to me at the time. She wanted her restaurant to support local purveyors using organic and sustainable farming practices, and moreover, benefit her employees and people all around the world.

That’s called having a lot on your plate.

From The White Dog Cafe’s website:

The Cafe sources all produce in season from local organic family farms. All meat and poultry is humanely raised, and fish and seafood are sourced from sustainable fisheries. One hundred percent of electricity is purchased from wind power sources, the first business in Pennsylvania to do so.  Entry-level employees make a minimum “living wage” of $9/hour.  Twenty percent of profits are contributed to White Dog Community Enterprises and other non-profits.  Community Enterprise projects have included Fair Food, which connects local family farms with urban markets, and SBN, which was spun off in 2006.

Fair Food Farmstand, a part of White Dog Community Enterprises, is located in Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market. It provides a venue for local (Southeastern PA and Southern NJ), small, family farmers to make their food available in the urban Philadelphia marketplace. Not only does this allow market-goers access to fresh, delicious food; it educates a broad swath of the public that files in and out of the market on a daily basis about the value of sustainable farming and living practices.

On my recent visit to the Fair Food Farmstand, I saw that each and every item is attributed to its source. Now I realize that this practice can become rather trite on restaurant menus to some, but it was heartening to see that within the small footprint of the stand, there was an abundnace of products ranging from red onions, to scorzonera (black salsify),  and heirloom red cranberries from Vincentown, NJ.  And raw milk! Yes, for you home cheese makers who would love to get your mitts on some raw cow juice! There’s no need for an underground milkyway in PA. as raw milk is legal: although the production and distribution of raw milk and raw milk products is not without impediments and controversy.

I was also pleased to see chevre from Apple Tree Goat Dairy in the refrigerator case. Those of you who frequent the Northern Virginia farmers markets, such as Del Ray and West Alexandria, know that Tom the Cheese Guy brings this wonderful cheese to us in season. It’s just one of the many artisan products showcased at this wonderful stand.

I do hope you have a chance to enjoy visiting the Fair Food Farmstand as much as I did, should you find yourself in Philadlephia! Their footprint may be small, but their mission is mighty.

Tags: travel, Philadelphia, farmers markets by Ramona
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 Termini Bros.has been a South Philadelphia baking institution since opening in 1928. Their tradition of Italian confections has made Termini’s a househould name to the Italian-Americans of South Philly, and well beyond the city limits. Known for making mouth-watering canolli, cookies, and pastries, Termini’s carries on the Italian tradtions passed down from generations of Italian immigrants.

 Termini’s canolli are considered the best there are by many, and one look at the photo above show just how fresh each canolli is made, with riccota filling piped inside to order. The filling  is a luscious foil for the crisp outer shell

. Among the pantheon of great Italian desserts is the sfogliatelle (SFOO-ya-dell, or SPOO-ya-dell are among the pronunciations), a shell-shaped pastry which is typically filled with orange scented ricotta, and sometimes has candied citrus and cinnamon added, as is the case with Termini’s version. Sfogliatelle originated in Naples, Italy and is said to have been perfected in convents and monasteries, as they are labor and time intensive to make.

Impossibly intricate, the sfogliatelle’s pastry shell is redundant with many, many layers of crisp crust that lightly shatters to the to bite. Sfogliatelle pastry is rolled very thin and slatherd with shortening. Then, the pastry is rolled so many layers are formed. Next, the roll is cut into what looks like rolled ribbons, and the center of the roll is pushed out, creating the point and many layers, as well as a pocket for filling. Once filled, the sfogliatelle are sealed and baked so that the many layers stay separated and become crisp. Kind of like a “crunchy” al dente!

During my stay in Philadelphia, I made a visit the famous Reading Terminal Market.RTM is a cornucopia of food, ranging from eateries reflecting cuisines from around the world, to fresh produce, baked goods, spices and of course, the good old favorites of Philadelphia; cheesesteaks, hoagies, and roast pork Italian sandwiches.

After being sated (if not stuffed) with an incredibly juicy roast pork with sharp provolone and brocolli rabe at DiNic’s Roast Beef & Pork lunch counter, I headed over to Termini Bros. to buy  dessert for later. I decided on the flaky clam shaped pastry just begging me to buy it! The sfogliatelle ($4.50) pictured above was fresh and heavy for its size, with flaky crust and dense ricotta filling. The semi-sweet nature of the pastry allows it to pair well with teas, or even espresso (with a shot of grappa, of course).

If you can’t buy excellent Italian pastries near you, you can either visit one of Termini Bros. locations in the Philadelphia area, or order from them online!

Tags: mail order, pastry, travel, dessert, Philadelphia by Ramona
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