Local Challenge

This week, Derek and I attended a forum on the economics of local food in Jamaica Plain (my old stomping grounds that I miss every time I visit).  It was a thought-provoking, but also somewhat frustrating conversation about the need to go back to a local food economy and the challenges of doing so.  They had some great panelists, including Jamey Lionette, former owner of Lionette's market in the South End, now Don Otto's, which mainly focus on selling local, pasture-fed and humanely raised meats, and also has a great selection of local produce and dairy.  I've mentioned this place before - its right down the street and one of my favorite shops.  There was also a farmer from Allandale Farm, a full scale farm right in Brookline.  The owner of City Feed, another shop selling local products in JP, and the founder of Hardwick Beef, which raises natural grass-fed beef, also contributed to the conversation.  Rounding out the panel was a woman who started the area's first CSF (community supported fishery), Cape Ann Fresh Catch,  and is working to support local fishermen while encouraging sustainable fishing practices.  All of these speakers were insightful and inspiring, and it was great to hear what they've done to make local food work.  But its also frustrating when we talk about the corporate American food system that we're up against, a system that despite being broken and harmful, is very difficult to change.

The basic problem with our system is that it produces food that's too cheap.  And that's what Americans have come to expect, that is their main criteria for buying food.  Ridge Shin from Hardwick Beef used as an example the slogans of Shaw's Supermarkets ("Good Food Costs Less") and WalMart ("Always Low Prices" - which he interpreted as "Always Somebody Gets Screwed").  This system has resulted in the mass production of food that has become harmful to consumers, damaging to the planet and impossible to sustain.  The food producers can't make a living in the current food system without being government subsidized, or our food gets shipped in from South America where workers are paid $5 a day.  60 years ago, Americans spent 22% of their income on food.  Today we are spending less than 10%.  And that food from 60 years ago?  It was food grown close to home, eaten in season.  Eating local is not some impossible feat - its how people have lived and thrived for centuries!  In our self-indulgent modern society, we've gotten far too used to having everything we want at any time.  And its killing us and killing our planet.  We're spending less than ever on food, but yet we're fatter than ever and spending more than any other country on our healthcare.  Our food system is broken and its killing us.

Yes, buying local and naturally raised and grown food is often more expensive, but that's not because the food producers are trying to make a big buck.  We heard from all the panelists that they are not making money, they're just getting by.  You're paying more for food because it was actually raised and grown by a person, not a machine.  A person who is paying attention what happens to your food, who cares about what you're putting in your body.  A person who is making a fair wage for their work.  Cheap food doesn't only hurt the person eating it , but it also hurts the person producing the food because they can't make a living off of it.

I find some hope in forums like this, where people who see that we have a problem get together and discuss how to fix it.  The panelists were all shining examples of people who are making a local food system work, and providing that food to our community.  The tide is definitely changing.  There is so much information out there about the problems with our food system.  More farms are being started, more people are shopping at farmer's market and joining CSAs, more restaurants and chefs are cooking with local products.  But what I find so frustrating is that it seems like for every person who is making an effort to eat outside of our messed up food system, there are about 10 who have heard all the information about how broken the system is and just don't care.  They still want their cheap food.

The reality is, even though people lived off local diets for thousands of years, food habits are hard to change and a eating strictly local diet is not easy.  I try very hard at it and its pretty rare that I eat a 100% local meal.  We eat mainly local eggs and dairy and try to eat local produce.  Its easy in the summer when we get our CSA, but 6 to 7 months out of the year there just aren't as many options in New England.  And there's so much more that goes into our food that you don't always think about whether its local or not.  Flour, sugar, coffee, tea, chocolate, spices, grains - do you know where all of that is coming from?  I took a good look in my pantry and realized I did not.  I was very excited to post a seasonal, local rhubarb compote recipe today, then realized I had no idea where the sucanat and ginger came from that I added to the rhubarb.  Or the pecans and almonds that I sprinkled on top for serving.  Very likely they did not come from New England.  But thinking more about it, you can make this with local maple syrup or honey and skip the ginger.  It will still be delcious.  There are solutions if we take the time to look for them.

Here's where I've come around to - all we can do is our best.  We just need to pay attention and think about what we eat.  We need to ask, where did this come from?  We can all do a better job of that, but we can't beat ourselves (or anyone else) up about it.  We need to educate ourselves, our children and our friends.  Some people will care and some people won't, but we have to keep talking, keep trying, and keep supporting our farmers!

So, with a little bit of guilt and a lot of deliciousness, enjoy some rhubarb.

Rhubarb is a great Spring treat, a lovely preamble to the sweet, luscious berries and stone fruits of the summer.

Rhubarb is one of those foods that you wonder why anyone ever tried to eat it.  Raw and unadaltered it is mouth-puckeringly sour.  Who was the first person to discover that if you cook it with some sugar, it makes a pleasantly tart, perfect pie (not my mother, although she makes a mean one)?  I have fond memories of childhood summers spent at my neighbor's house, picking rhubard from their garden and eating it raw dipped in a little bowl of sugar.  Just a childish excuse to consume sugar, but the thought of it brings me back to long, warm, lazy days running across the grass and splashing in the stream.

Be careful of those fingers!

Spicy grated ginger is a great compliment to the tart rhubarb, but as I mentioned you can leave it out.  I love it and am contemplating whether I can grow it on my patio.

Rhubarb Ginger Compote
8 large stalks rhubarb, sliced 1/2" thick
1/2 cup water
1/2 - 3/4 sucanat, honey, maple syrup or sugar (more or less to taste)
1/2" - 1" piece of peeled ginger, finely grated (more or less to taste)

• Combine all indregients in a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot.  
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a low simmer.
• Cook until rhubarb has sofented and started to break down, and mixture is thick.  Taste as you go and add more sugar or ginger if you like.
• Serve warm over ice cream, or chill and spoon over yogurt for breakfast.

Afternoon Snack

Its 4pm on a Monday.  Lunch was a few hours ago and dinner is a long way off.  And I'm hungry!  Not stomach grumbling, gnaw my left arm off hungry.  But I definitely need something.  This is probably the most dangerous time of day for me.  This is the time when I am most likely to eat something really bad, really sugary, and really fattening.  Luckily, I am prepared.  I keep in my arsenal (AKA my desk) a hearty supply of afternoon snacking treats that are not only tasty and satisfying, but also healthy.

I always have some good dark chocolate, usually Taza, for an immediate quality sugar fix.  A small amount of rich chocolate is great for my immediate, post lunch sugar cravings.  But later in the afternoon I need something a bit more substantial.  I usually try to have a piece of fruit on hand, and keep some almond butter in my desk for dipping and smearing.  Dried fruit and nuts are good staples, too.  I often keep hummus and cut up veggies in my work fridge, for more savory cravings.  But lately I've been stocked up on an afternoon snack that fills all these requirements.  Slightly sweet, very hearty, a little savory and loaded with health granola bars.

The biggest challenge I've found with homemade granola bars is getting them to hold together and making them chewy.  In a granola bar or cookie, I always prefer chewy over crispy.

This recipe definitely got it right.  Its loosely based on a Smitten Kitchen recipe, but liberally adapted and I think a bit healthier.  

Feel free to be just as liberal with your adaptation.  The basic proportions of dry to wet are all that really matter, but you can use whatever kinds of fruits and nuts and grains and oils and syrups that you prefer. That's the best thing about granola and granola bars - they can be totally personalized to your taste (or to whatever happens to be in your cupboards!).

Chewy Granola Bars

1 2/3 cups rolled oats

3 Tbl sucanat (or brown sugar)

1/3 cup wheat bran

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 cups mixed chopped dried fruit and nuts (I used dried mangoes, cherries, banana chips, crystallized ginger, ground flax seeds, slivered almonds, sunflowers seeds, and unsweetened flaked coconut)

1/4 cup + 1 Tbl grapeseed oil

1/4 cup agave

1 Tbl pure maple syrup

1 Tbl water

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup almond butter

• Preheat oven to 350º
• line a 7" x 11" x 2" baking sheet with parchment paper, so it hangs over the edges.  Brush sides of pan and parchment with oil.
• Stir together all dry ingredients, through the fruit and nuts, in a large bowl until well incorporated.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients through  almond butter until just combined.
• Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until all dry ingredients are moist and coated.
• Spread mixture into prepared baking pan and use spatula to smooth out the top.
• Bake edges are browned and top is golden, about 30 minutes.  Center will still seem soft.
• Let cool on rack, then pop in the freezer for about 30 minutes.  Bars will harden and be easier to cut
• Lift out of pan using overhanging parchment and place on cutting board.  Cut bars in half, then thirds, then half down middle.  You should have a dozen bars.
• Store in airtight container at room temperature.  If very humid and warm in your kitchen, store in fridge.

Spring has Sprung

Spring has most definitely arrived in Boston.  How can I tell?  From the food that's in season, of course!  Oh, and the butterflies.

As a thank-you to Lucy and her mother for throwing me such a wonderful bride-to-be-tea back in September, my mother and I brought them to the Butterfly Place in Westford, MA last weekend.  Its basically a greenhouse filled with all different types of butterflies.  They all around you and its pretty cool!

These pretty blue ones were my favorite, but they are very elusive.  When you can actually get them to land, they close up their wings so you only see the brown outside.

Some of us were lucky enough to have passengers.  This guy took a ride on my mother's shoulder for quite awhile.

We think he was looking for a friend.

My mother is kind of obsessed with butterflies, and we all apparently know it.  For this outing she wore this pin that Lucy had given her, butterfly earrings that were a gift from me, and a butterfly purse that Lucy's mother had given her.  I had a friend too!

After a couple hours with the butterflies, we went for tea (again!) at the Stonehedge Inn.  It was quite a feast of scones, beautiful tea sandwiches and sweet treats.

After our busy day of butterflying and eating I stopped at Russo's to pick up groceries and found the first true signs of Spring - ramps and morels!  

You may recall me swooning over ramps about a year ago around this time.  They are so special and delicious.  Ramps grow wild, and are sweet, tiny green onions that are only in season for 3 - 4 weeks in the early Spring.  They are very precious and not cheap.  The same is true for wild morel mushrooms, also available for a limited time in the Spring.  But, if you are using them as the focus of your meal, its really not any pricier than buying a nice piece of meat for dinner.  And so much more worth it, in my opinion.  Plus, a little goes a long way.

A simple presentation and minimal cooking time is the best way to highlight these ingredients.  I sauteed them lightly with white wine and olive oil and tossed them with bucatini, a hallow type of spaghetti.

I still had evidence of my butterfly excursion.

Ramps and Morels with Bucatini

serves 2

4 oz. ramps, bulbs thinly sliced and green leaves left whole

4 oz. morels, washed and halved or quartered

1 Tbl unsalted butter

1 Tbl olive oil

2 cloves crushed garlic

6 oz. bucatini pasta

grated parmesan cheese

• Cook bucatini in large pot of salted water until just tender.  Drain and set aside, reserving some of the cooking water.
• Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add butter and swirl until melted.  Add ramp bulbs and saute a couple minutes until slightly softened.  Add mushrooms and saute a couple minutes more.  Add crush garlic and saute another minute.
• Add ramp leaves and saute another minute.
• Toss cooked pasta with vegetables, adding a little pasta water if needed to coat.
• Serve and top with grated parmesan.

Relish the Thought

We've received a lot of gifts lately.  One of the perks of getting married, that and getting an everlasting soul mate.  But let's talk about the presents.  My best friend Lucy threw me an amazing shower where we received an abundance of gorgeous kitchen supplies.  

Since we didn't actually invite anyone to our wedding, wonderful gifts have trickled in over the past few months, our favorite being an amazing collage made by our good friend Seth.  Its really too special to show here (I need to keep some things private, you know?), and I wouldn't want to risk copyright infringement with the artist.  Seth makes collages out of tiny pieces cut from magazines, basically using the pieces as brush strokes for a picture.  Seth and I have had a deal going for years where he gets me subscriptions to fashion magazines and I give them to him once I've read them.  His work incredibly detailed and takes a very long time.  We feel so honored to have a piece made just for us.

And of course, we will accept any and all food gifts.  That's really what you're here to read about.  We've gotten lots of fancy champagne and chocolate, but the tastiest gift we've received has been pickles!  Our friend De is friends with the makers of Moon Brine Pickles.  She gave us huge jars of their Super Dill and Pretty Hot pickles, and they are out of this world.  I love a good pickle, especially when they have the right amount of tang and crunch.  These dills are right up my alley, and Derek really likes the hots.  The best part about these pickles is the brine.  Its great to use in salad dressings, marinades - or to just drink straight from the jar!  De also asked her friend to make us a special tub of their dill relish.

Also great by the spoonful, but I've found lots of tasty uses for it.  Like on crabcakes.

Or homemade veggie burgers!

I made these burgers last week as one of those "what's in the fridge and what can I make with it?" meals.  What we had were some beautiful red lentils.

And kale.  I always have kale.

And a big old garnet yam.

All of this cooked, mixed together and fried in a hot pan made a pretty tasty burger.  A little on the mushy side, but still a great vehicle for the relish.  As is a spoon.

Lentil Yam Burgers

1 cup red lentils

2 bay leaves

1 large garnet yam or sweet potato

half a bunch of kale, about 6 large leaves, center ribs removed and leaves chopped into small pieces

1 small onion, finely copped

1 Tbl olive oil

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup (or more) panko bread crumbs

3 Tbls peanut oil

• Pre-heat oven to 400º
• Pierce sweet potato a few times with fork, wrap in foil, then bake until very tender, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, boil 4 cups of water in a medium saucepan.  Stir in lentils and bay leaves, reduce to a simmer, and cook until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain lentils and set aside.
• Heat a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add olive oil to heat.  Add onions and saute until softened.  Add kale, toss and cover.  Cook until kale is just tender.
• Scoop cooked yam from skin into a medium bowl.  Add lentils and cooked kale mixture and stir to combine.  Sprinkle in cumin, paprika and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix in panko, adding more if mixture seems to wet.
• Form into patties (it will make about 4 large or 8 small patties).  Chill for 30 minutes.
• Heat peanut oil over medium-high heat in large saute pan.  Add patties, and cook on each side until browned, about 4 minutes per side.
• Serve on their own or in a bun with Moon Brine relish.

Pizza Poser

I wonder what the Italians think of all the different forms of "pizza" we seem to have invented in the United States.  Remember English Muffin pizzas?  The name alone is almost blasphemous - an English pizza?  I used to make these a lot as a kid, because they were a tasty snack I could make myself out of items we always seemed to have in the kitchen, even when we were out of food.  An English muffin, a jar of sauce, some shredded mozzarella (this was before fresh mozzarella was common and readily available in the grocery stores and we had to settle for that gummy, yellow stuff.  It was tough growing up in the 80s).  There was also the French bread pizza (now French pizza?!).  French bread was also something we always seemed to have in the freezer, before the low-carb diet craze made my mother afraid for bread.  Then of course, there was the California pizza phenomenon, popularized by Wolfgang Puck and brought to the masses by California Pizza Kitchen, which used ingredients never before imagined on a pizza, like smoked salmon and barbecued chicken.

One of my favorite pizzas served at CPK is the shrimp scampi pizza.  There's no red sauce and its super garlicky.  I decided to try out my own version of the recipe using yet another unusual dough replacement - store-bought Naan (Indian pizza!). Now I firmly believe that nothing is better than good, homemade pizza dough, but sometimes I just don't have the time or energy for the kneading, rising, flouring and stretching that it requires.  I've found that packages of Naan are a great easy replacement.  They're perfectly portioned, thin, and much closer to what pizza dough should be than an English muffin or big hunk of bread.  But let's not call them pizza - how about flatbread?

A note about shrimp - harvesting of shrimp can cause huge environmental damage.  Huge nets trawl the oceans and bays for shrimp.  They scoop up whatever lies in their path, and anything that is picked up besides shrimp (fish, turtles and other marine life) is thrown back into the ocean dead.  It causes great disruption to the delicate underwater ecosystem.  Farmed shrimp - particularly in Asian countries - produces huge amounts of waste and fertilizers that run back into the waterways, so its really not a better option.  Your best bet?  Wild pink shrimp from Oregon, where they use bycatch reduction devices to limit what they pick up.  Hard to find, but worth it.  And if its impossible for you to find, the next best choice is U.S. farmed shrimp.  Most U.S. shrimp is farmed inland in closed tanks, so it reduces the waste going back into the oceans.  Check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch for more information on sustainable seafood.

Shrimp Scampi Flatbread
serves 2
2 pieces packaged Naan (I used whole wheat)
3 oz. fresh mozzarella (preferably buffalo), thinly sliced
2 Tbl olive oil
1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 oz. shrimp, peeled, deveined, and patted dry
juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper
1/2 Tbl unsalted butter

• Preheat oven to 500º
• In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium-low heat.  Add shallots and cook, stirring occaisionally, until lightly golden and carmelized, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, spread mozzarella evenly over each Naan.  Place on baking sheet and cook in oven until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Remove from oven and set aside.
• When shallots are carmelized, add garlic to pan and turn heat up to medium.  Saute another minute.
• Add shrimp and cook about a minute until shrimp just starts to turn pink.  Add lemon juice and white wine, and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer until liquid is mostly reduced.
• Add butter to pan and stir until melted, then remove from heat.
• Divide shrimp mixture evenly over each Naan.  Return to oven and heat another 2 - 3 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand a few minutes before cutting into quarters.

For a light Saturday supper, serve with a mixed green salad tossed with a vinaigrette made from lemon juice, dijon mustard and olive oil.

Irish Eyes

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I hope everyone is wearing their green and drinking a Guiness.  We celebrated St. Patrick's a little early last night and went to see my friend Lucy's father's band perform, The Boys of the Town.  They're an Irish trio and they are great!  Lucy is also in a band that performed last night, and she rocked it out on lead vocals singing a couple Cranberries songs.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I also made a traditional Irish meal.  I usually make Irish Soda Bread for this holiday, but I've always made the Americanized version, which is slightly sweet with raisins and caraway seeds.  But in Ireland, soda bread is a heartier brown bread.  This month's Bon Appetit featured this recipe that I decided to try.

Mrs. O'Callaghan's Soda Bread

adapted from from Bon Appetit, March 2010

olive oil for brushing pan

3 cups all purpose flour

3 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 stick chilled butter, cut into 1/2" cubes

2 cups buttermilk

• Preheat oven to 425º
• Brush a heavy nonstick baking sheet with olive oil
• Whisk together both flours, sugar and baking soda in a medium bowl
• Cut in butter until its reduced to pea-sized pieces
• Add buttermilk and stir until a shaggy dough forms
• Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead 10 times until dough holds together.
• Shape into a 7" round
• Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cut an "x" in the center
• Bake about 45 minutes, until deeply browned and bottom sounds hallow when tapped
• Transfer to baking rack to cool

This bread called for something soupy to sop up.  A traditional Irish stew is made with lamb and root vegetables, so I decided to make a vegetarian version.  It was very hearty soup that made great use of all the winter vegetables we still have tucked away.

Irish Vegetable Stew

3 Tbl olive oil

1 Tbl unsalted butter

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and chopped

1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed and chopped

1 large leek, well washed, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 cup pearled barley

2 1/2 pounds assorted root vegetables, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips and carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces

1 cup dark beer (like Guiness!)

1 quart vegetables broth

1/2 medium cabbage, thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

• Melt butter in olive oil in a large dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat
• Add onions, garlic and herbs and cook for 1 minute until fragrant
• Add leeks and cook for about 10 minutes until softened
• Add barley and stir until grains are coated
• Add root vegetables and cook 2 more minutes
• Pour in beer and cook 2 minutes
• Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil
• Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes hour
• Add cabbage and simmer another 30 minutes until vegetables are tender
• Season with salt and pepper to taste

Hey There, Pudding

The weather this weekend has been teasingly Springlike, but that has not stopped me from craving homey, Winter comfort food. I've been thinking about rice pudding for weeks. The super creamy texture, the warm scent of cinnamon and vanilla just begs to be enjoyed on a cold evening wrapped up in a warm blanket. Or maybe on an early Spring day with the windows open. Oh heck, I could eat rice pudding any time!

My first rice pudding was made a few years ago for Christmas. I used Ina Garten's recipe for Rum Raisin Rice Pudding. And I expected it to be a humble addition to the dessert table, passed over in favor of chocolate cakes and apple pies, but the rice pudding was the hit of the day. Yes, everyone loves rice pudding.

This weekend I decided do something a little different with my rice pudding. I always have some Taza chocolate in the pantry, and I've been trying to come up with the perfect vehicle for the discs of Cinnamon Chocolate Mexicano. Definitely the right match for a cinnamon -scented rice pudding.


I used arborio rice for this recipe. It makes creamy risotto, it makes creamy pudding. And I know they're pricey, but using a whole vanilla bean is very important. The extract is just not the same.


Be sure to cook this over really low heat for a long time. Low and slow is always the key to creaminess. You could use another good quality bittersweet chocolate for this recipe, but I highly recommend Taza if you can find it.


Mexican Chocolate Rice Pudding
serves 4 - 6
1/2 cup arobrio rice
4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, halved and beans scraped
1 cinnamon stick, halved
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 x 2.7 oz. package Taza Cinnamon Chocolate Mexicano chocolate, or 2.7 - 3 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

• Stir together rice, milk and sugar in a heavy medium saucepan. Stir in vanilla beans and pods, and add cinnamon stick.
• Bring rice mixture just to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• When rice is thick and creamy, remove from heat. Add a spoonful of rice mixture to a bowl with beaten egg to coddle. Stir egg into pot with rice, return to heat and cook 2 - 3 more minutes.
• Stir in chocolate until melted and well combined.
• Serve warm or chilled.