LOCALLY,
NATURALLY &
HUMANELY.
Kids in the Kitchen
Howdy Farmers Market Friends:
Each of us are entrusted with important gifts to pass along to our children and other kids too. Among these – a foundation of good manners, a healthy revulsion for the New York Yankees and a love of food and cooking. The kid who doesn’t learn family foodways soon finds him/herself on an island – “the little prince/ess” who assumes that food is prepared for him/her. To steal a punchline from my suburban NY youth: “The only thing a Jewish-American princess knows how to make for dinner is reservations”. Read the rest of this entry »
The Abbondanza Papers
When I was a kid, my friends and I quickly learned which of the neighborhood houses were the right ones to show up at just around mealtime. This was where I learned the Old World term abbondanza – abundance, plenty, copiousness. Read the rest of this entry »
Good Grass, man
Twenty-some years ago these words would have found me along with friends Benny and Zippy in a college dorm room cleaning a bag of pot on an opened up “Yes” album cover or maybe “Frampton Comes Alive”. Now entering the middle part of middle age, my botanical pursuits have taken a tamer turn, leading me to spend my time visiting the garden center and tending the backyard veggie patch. Read the rest of this entry »
My Supper Has A First Name
My son and I attended an organizational meeting last evening for the RI Raised Livestock Association annual Fundraising Dinner to be called the Carnivores Carnival. Thought I would mention it since each of you who (1) value local natural seasonal food and (2) make the conscious choice of “mindful eating” would surely groove to this inspiring scene. Read the rest of this entry »
Slovenian Rhapsody
We collect tastes in our travels and increase the sum of our being in the hopes of living a life worth looking back on down the road. A transformative food experience of this sweeping magnitude was nowhere more powerful for me than in the lovely little country of Slovenia flyfishing with some pals 8 years ago this week. Read the rest of this entry »
Remembering Bub
Surely we all know a taste that brings back a flood of memories from our youth – thoughts of people long gone who return crystal-clear in our mind’s eye with the first bite. One of those tastes for me is a good German potato salad. Read the rest of this entry »
God’s Own Mayonnaise
An appreciation of food chemistry can lead you to an understanding of how different elements in the culinary landscape interact with each other to good effect. This past week we experimented with the Dark Art of emulsification in search of the perfect accompaniment for a 100% grass-fed dry aged burger. Read the rest of this entry »
Satay Night Fever
Funny how good passed appetizers, just like Jordache jeans, narrow leather ties and Bee Gees LP’s, never seem to go out of style. A great host will have perfected a favorite few standbys that can be prepared before the party and rolled out in a succession of little amusing bites to complement a glass of wine and enchanting conversation (or overly informative personal medical details) among the assembled throng. Read the rest of this entry »
Blame it on Mario
I brought a marinated and grilled London Broil to Farmers Market yesterday along with an herb Gremolata sauce inspired by my hero Mario Batali. People loved it and I would like to share the recipe with you. I’ve been experimenting and making it my own. My friend Gaetano who owns Ortygia, a rustic Sicilian restaurant in Bradenton, Florida suggested the lemon zest and I envisioned the sun-dried tomato paste in a flash of brilliance. Read the rest of this entry »
Ronan – Our Herd Bull
Ronan, our herd bull, is munching his last bites of grass at Treaty Rock Farm. He is scheduled to head up the road in a couple of weeks since we need to ensure the genetic diversity of our herd. He will be missed - he produced very healthy calves. As an older bull, he is likely to be tough, so we will be grinding him into some extremely tasty hamburger with all of the steak cuts going into the grind. Let me know if you want in on some. We'll miss you, old fella.
