FOOD ON THE FOOD

Hot Stacks

Oh my god, you guys, I have to tell you about this awesome place I discovered. They let you pick out books to borrow, as many as you want, FOR FREE. No kidding. I mean, assuming you return them on time or miniscule charges will accrue. It’s called a “public library” and there’s one pretty much everywhere. There are free slow computers with even slower Internet access, too. Why haven’t we heard anything about these “public libraries” before?

Now that we’ve cancelled our Netflix account, discontinued our magazine subscriptions, and slashed every area of our budget besides mortgage, utilities, and food, I’m starting to explore all of the areas of the public library, not just the book section. Like the public restrooms. Just kidding, but did you know that you can rent DVDs? It’s true! Cookbooks? Of course. Magazines. Well, you can at least flip through them on-site and write out your freelance ideas onto note cards that will later be formulated into query letters that will be systematically rejected by every one of those publications because everyone has cancelled their magazine subscriptions. Apparently, I’m shooting myself in the foot with this whole library thing, but that’s okay because the building has these large, low buttons that, if you aim your cane just right, activate these automatic doors that open right in front of you. AMAZING!

Anyway, I’ve been reading a lot of books lately. First, I read all of the breast cancer memoirs that have been published, both to help me sort out some of this emotional baggage that’s been packed away for six months, and also to see if all of the cancer-related writing that I diverted away from this blog and into a folder in the dank basement recesses of my hard drive could be turned into anything useful. Maybe something that might help somebody else. But no, according to my formal queries. Apparently, cancer’s not funny. Really? It’s not? Thanks for telling me. Also, it’s overpublished. Call us back when you have a more obscure, deadlier disease. Okay. I’ll keep my fingers crossed! Also, nobody reads essays anymore. Are you sure about that? Short-form writing is dead. (cough) Twitter.

But that’s okay. I didn’t want to write about cancer anyway. Cancer doesn’t deserve it. So I’m back to reading food books, and, my oh my, do I love them. Here are some of my favorites:

• Cod by Mark Kurlansky. Doesn’t this sound like the most boring read ever? About a fish. Well, it’s not. The history and plight of the cod are fascinating and still very important today. If only my high school social studies teachers were able to convey history so enjoyably. Kurlansky also wrote Salt about the humble mineral that changed the world.

• Farm City by Novella Carpenter. A UC Berkeley grad moves to Oakland and starts a small urban farm amid the gangs and crackhouses. First it’s just vegetables, but soon she’s raising poultry, bees, rabbits, and pigs. From dumpster-diving for pig chow to navigating the transition from life to their inevitable death, her writing is full of dry humor and a passionate love of food.

• A Platter of Figs by David Tanis. Written by the co-chef of Chez Panisse, this cookbook is full of relatively simple, seasonal menu ideas that will put your farm vegetables to good use. The photography is absolutely gorgeous and makes you yearn for in-season cherry tomato crostini with ricotta and Vietnamese cucumbers. The Preschooler was fascinated by this book and made me help him read the recipe names over and over and over again. I didn’t mind a bit.

• The Jungle Effect by Daphne Miller. Possibly my favorite so far (though I haven’t finished it), this book examines how certain indigenous diets evolved, from Mexico to Cameroon, and how they relate to low incidences of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease in those same populations. The idea is to examine how some of these concepts can be applied to our diet today to help counteract the negative impacts of a modern, industrialized diet. Fascinating stuff, I tell you. Very interesting psychological insights as well. There are a couple of copies available at the Lexington and Medfield libraries, if you’re interested (you can also request that a copy be sent to your own branch if you’re part of the Minuteman Library Network).

So, what else have you guys been reading lately?

Zaleti

I don’t know if anybody else is going to like these. Not the best way to start a post, I realize, but this isn’t one of those guaranteed-crowd-pleaser types of recipes. It pleases the Preschooler and I, and that’s about all I can guarantee. There are cookies that will kill you with sweetness and there are cookies that won’t, and while there is definitely a place for both (right here in my stomach), these fall firmly in the latter category. However, after the Caramel deLite incident(s), this is a welcome departure.

Zaleti is the traditional name for these northern Italian cornmeal cookies, usually made with lemon rind and grappa-soaked raisins. I use dried cranberries plumped with brandy instead and a perky pinch of zested tangerine peel. Then I cut them into diamond shapes and, after they’ve baked and cooled, give them a February dusting of powdered sugar. They’re like a rustic tea cookie if tea parties took place in the woods instead of fancy hotels. With some tree stumps for tables and the woodland creatures and my mushroom log dolls sitting all around. What are you looking at?

The result is a snack I don’t feel guilty about when the Preschooler (or I) want more than one. But, for some mystical reason that I can’t explain, two is usually plenty.

Zaleti

Winter Moon Organic Farm of Hadley, MA sells local cornmeal ground on a bicycle-powered mill at the Wayland Winter Farmer’s Market.

¾ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup brandy
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
½ tsp. salt
12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened (1½ sticks)
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Zest of one tangerine (or corresponding amount of orange or lemon)
Powdered sugar, for dusting

In a small bowl, soak the dried cranberries in brandy for about an hour or until plump. You can omit the brandy and use apple cider or even water to moisten the cranberries instead. The kids won’t miss it, though I might.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, and salt. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and tangerine zest. Stir in the dry ingredients along with the raisins and any remaining liquid. Cover and chill until firm enough to handle, about an hour.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness somewhere between ¼- and ½-inch. Using a sharp paring knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into diamond shapes and set on cookie sheets. Bake about 15 minutes or until zaleti are lightly browned around the edges. Let cool on rack. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

But They’re So Damn Cute!

If only the Girl Scouts were honest. Honest about the serving size of their Caramel deLites (the cookies formerly known as Samoas) that they so innocently peddle. The nutrition label on the box assumes you will eat two cookies in one sitting. Two! That is incorrect. Everybody knows that as soon as you open the box, it’s as good as empty. So, I took the liberty of extrapolating all the nutrition numbers to reflect the reality of the situation.

Discuss.

More February Food Events

I’m beat from today’s treatment and the subsequent snowy traffic jam on Rt. 9, so how about an events list.

The Harvard Museum of Natural History is hosting a free Food for Thought lecture series, starting with “The Origins of Agriculture: Everything You Need to Know in 50 Minutes or Less” this Thursday, February 8. Dr. Bruce D. Smith of the Smithsonian talks about his research on the history-altering transition from hunting and gathering to large-scale food production, and its significance in understanding the current human condition. On Tuesday, February 23 is “From Cooking Food to Cooking the Planet: Growing Constraints to Food Production.” Dr. Samuel Myers of Harvard Medical School discusses the troubling trends that stand in the way of feeding an ever-increasing human population, from rising temperatures to changes in pests and pathogens, and how new approaches to sustainable agriculture will be necessary to achieve food security. Both are at 6 p.m. and open to the public. (Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge, 617-495-3045)

If you’re worried about the food served in the public schools, then you may be interested in the film Two Angry Moms playing at BU on Sunday, February 21 at 3:30 p.m. The documentary follows two mothers who channel their disgust into working to improve the offerings at their children’s school cafeterias. Following the film will be a discussion of area school lunch programs with speakers Claire Kozower from Waltham Fields Community Farm, JJ Gonson of Cuisine en Locale, and Kim Szeto of the Boston Public Schools. Cost is $5 at the door by cash or check. (Boston University GSU Conference Auditorium, 775 Commonwealth Avenue, 2nd Floor)

Interested in joining a CSA? On Thursday, February 25 at 6 p.m. is the Arlington CSA Farm Share Fair where representatives from more than 20 area farms will be on hand to answer any questions and/or sign you up for a 2010 summer CSA share. Farmers are also invited to sell their produce, so bring a bag/cash. (Park Avenue Congregational Church (Parish Hall), 50 Paul Revere Road, Arlington Heights)

Also, two more weeks left for the Wayland Winter Farmer’s Market (though the Natick market continues through March).

My Chocolaty Valentine

Have you ever gone out to buy a present for someone and you finally finish your shopping only to realize that what you bought was what you yourself wanted? Not necessarily what the other person wanted. At all.

That’s kind of what these Valentine’s posts are like, in case you haven’t caught on. A whole lot of what I would want, which will work out perfectly if the person you're buying for is anything like me. Or actually is me. That would be the most perfect situation of all, but I don’t want to be presumptuous.

Anyway, here are some chocolaty (and local) Valentine’s ideas:

Taza Chocolate: Full-flavored, stone-ground organic chocolate bars and nibs from tropical Somerville. Okay, fine, the beans are actually grown in the Dominican Republic in a direct trade arrangement, but the craft is right here, baby. We like the drinking chocolate made from melting their chocolate disks in hot milk with a plate of churros on the side. Taza chocolate can be found wherever fine local foods are sold or online at tazachocolate.com (churros sold separately).

Sassy Sauces: Decadent ice cream toppings in a variety of flavors including Bittersweet Chocolate, Peanut Butter Fudge, Milk Chocolate Caramel, Spicy Dark Chocolate, and Rum Caramel. They're made right in Natick with Vermont butter and cream. Someone gave these to me as a gift last year and they’ve become verrrrry popular in our house. You can find them at these locations or at sassysauces.us.

Cocoa Metro Chocolate Milk: Local milk + Belgian chocolate = the most delicious chocolate milk you may ever taste. Plus, the cute bottle can be used as a vase for any possible flowers in your future. You can find Cocoa Metro here.

And speaking of flowers, that picture up there is a glass replica of the cacao plant at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Their glass flowers exhibit would be a cool place to take your Valentine’s Day date if your date is into such things as anatomically correct botanical replicas painstakingly crafted in blown glass starting in 1886. My dates prefer the dinosaur room, but I digress. We were talking about chocolate.

For you non-local folks, check out the chocolaty confections from Foodzie. A friend of mine turned me onto this online marketplace that connects you to small-scale artisans, sellers, and growers all over the country. You can also search by region.

And don’t worry if your chocolaty gift doesn’t arrive exactly on Valentine’s Day.* Love doesn’t like to be confined to any particular schedule, really. And we’ll always wait for chocolate. So go on and make some love happen.

*If the chocolate doesn’t arrive in time for Valentine’s Day, you at least need a card or something. Don’t be a dumb-ass.

My Cheesy Valentine

There was supposed to be a photo right here. A photo of an attractively sliced log of goat cheese on a rustic-looking plate, maybe some scattered nuts, with red jam artistically spooned onto one of the slices in a whimsical heart shape. Can you picture it? Good. That picture in your mind is far better than anything I could conjure up with my camera and dubious food-styling talents.

The idea remains, though: A local jam and cheese pairing for Valentine’s Day.
I’m a fan of Bonnie Shershow’s jams and preserves. I use them for toast, to flavor plain Liberté yogurt in the morning, and to top little cheesecakes by night. They’re a bit on the pricey side. After all, they’re handmade with fruit from local farms and no added pectin, but they’re delicious, and if you can’t spend $10 on jam on Valentine’s Day, then when can you? Do you love the person or not?

I asked the cheese experts at Formaggio Kitchen to suggest some local cheeses that would complement her jams. Kurt Gurdal (son of the owner and big cheese, Ihsan) had some nice ideas:

Red pepper jelly: Cabot cloth-bound cheddar, an English-style cheddar aged in the cellars of Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont. Or Equinox by Consider Bardwell Farm also in Vermont, a hard, aged, Italian-style goat’s milk cheese. For you non-local folks, try a pecorino or anything fatty to balance the peppery punch.

Strawberry Rhubarb: Champlain triple crème, a soft, buttery, ripened cow’s milk cheese from Vermont. Non-local folks, try a French triple crème or chèvre.

Peach Ginger: Bridgid’s Abbey, a creamy, mild Trappist-style cow’s milk cheese by Cato Corner Farm in Colchester, Connecticut. The farm also makes a Spanish Manchego-style cheese (but with cow’s milk instead of sheep’s) dubbed “Womanchego.”

Blackberry, Blueberry, or Black and Blue: Consider Bardwell’s Manchester, an aged raw goat’s milk tomme, or Jasper Hill Farm’s Winnimere, a washed-rind cow’s milk cheese wrapped in spruce bark. Non-local folks, try a Swiss emmenthaler.

Raspberry or Raspberry Lime: Goat cheese from Carlisle Farmstead in Massachusetts or aged goat cheese from Twig Farm in West Cornwall, Vermont with its earthy rinds. Non-local folks, pick your favorite goat cheese or a French Époisses.

Honey and Nuts: Bayley Hazen Blue, a cow’s milk blue cheese from Jasper Hill Farm. This cheese also pairs well with locally made Taza chocolate.

Bonnie’s jams can be found at Formaggio Kitchen, Russo’s, Savenor’s, Nashoba Brook Bakery, and online at bonniesjams.com. Enjoy!

To Market, To Market

That was quite a winter farmer’s market out in Wayland on Saturday. Wow. Picture, if you dare, what the Russell’s parking lot looks like during the first warm week of spring and that should give you an idea of the kind of numbers we’re talking about. People were commenting about the crowds and someone noted, “The Globe ran an article last week.” Somebody else chimed in, “Yeah, and some lady wrote about it on her blog.” What? Who? Well, lots of people have been writing about it on their blogs lately, not just me, but I slipped away from the group and around the corner to the relative safety of the gelato stand just in case. (Gelato Guy has the potential to be my new best friend though he doesn’t know it, yet.)

This is not to dissuade anyone from going. It was all perfectly civilized. That it was so successful is a very good sign, both in terms of support for local farmers as well as local businesses. Judging by the activity at the registers, Russell’s was benefiting from this brilliant collaboration as well (I still have my eye on a particular kite). Also, I don’t know if this was part of the regular gig or not, but there were lots of tables with yarn and pretty knitted things for sale, which made a lot of sense given the farm-oriented theme. The Preschooler enjoyed looking at the angora rabbits and touching the fluffy heaps of wool in the display baskets.

As far as food, there was soup to sample and honey to buy, grass-feed beef from Springdell Farm in Littleton, fresh seafood from Globe Fish, apples from Groton, and tons of beautiful vegetables. Red Fire Farm in Granby had pretty much every root vegetable you could think of, plus garlic and kale. E and T Farms had lovely salad and micro greens that they grow hydroponically on their Cape Cod koi farm. Winter Moon Organic Farm in Hadley had parsnips, celery root, and watermelon radishes. Then I saw they were also selling organic popcorn AND POLENTA, and my budget was shot.

I cannot emphasize enough the moral-boosting properties of going to a market in a lush, heated greenhouse in the dead of winter. Makes you feel like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. A big, warm, potentially-cancer-causing-but-simultan-eously-life-giving ball of light. I forgot my camera, but there are some nice photographs of the market up at Serious Eats with a write-up by Penny at BostonZest. I wonder what other kinds of community partnerships like this could be forged?

Only three more shopping weeks left!

Just Keeping It Real Around Here

I hear people are worried that I might actually bare a breast at some point in this sacred space we call my blog. Fear not. Given what I know about myself, I think the odds are highly stacked against that. A part of me still wants to believe I’m badass enough to do it, so if you could just continue to play along, I would appreciate it. Things on the cooking front have been less than inspiring this week, with one kid recovering from strep and the other one coming down with it, and me only a week out of surgery. I never quite made it to the grocery store (save my trip to Codman for the fish delivery), so we were working with a barren pantry and the dregs of the crisper. Dinner one night consisted of fried rice made with some ratty old turnips and a hopeful heap of curry powder. The next night was pasta and salad. Then more pasta and salad, this time with a side of fresh fish. Words cannot express how very uninterested I was in gutting 5 grey sole that day, but the reward was a fish that tasted absolutely delicious when sautéed in nothing more than olive oil. Last night’s dinner was pita pizza, my fallback when we’re out of hotdogs. I made the kids their favorite: cheese, no sauce, hold the toppings. It evolved through trial and error over several weeks with me coming up with various creative combinations and the kids eliminating at least one ingredient until there was nothing left but cheese melted on bread. Whatever. I’m too beaten down to care. Then I made one with sauce and sausage for Husband, and a sauceless version for me with caramelized onions, mozzarella, goat cheese, and rosemary.
Actually, the last one adds up to more than the sum of its parts, and I would recommend it for your winter pizza repertoire. Just sauté an onion in olive oil on low for about 20 minutes with a pinch of salt and sugar (2 onions for a regular-sized pizza). Sprinkle some mozzarella on the pita (often, I put a little cheddar on there, too), pile on the onions, dot with goat cheese, sprinkle with rosemary and black pepper. Bake 8 minutes or so in a hot oven. Drizzle with a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil while it cools. Around here, you can make it with all local ingredients, too. I use the large pita pockets from Bay State Bakery in Worcester because they stay thin and crispy the way I can’t seem to make my own pizza crusts come out. Ah well. Next week is another week.

But My Ribs Are Real

So everything went fine with my “procedure” last week, in case you were wondering. My expectations, admittedly, were pretty low. The initial conversation with the plastic surgeon went something like, "Can you just slap something up there that’s moderately convincing. Something that will stay put, instead of shimmying up and out of the neck hole of my shirt while I’m talking to my neighbors, Jesus Christ.”

But it turns out that the man has an artistic streak, a masterful grasp of subtlety and restraint that you don’t see too much evidence of on the market these days. It took me by surprise because I’m pretty sure we didn’t hit it off the first time we met. Probably because I just assumed he was surgically altering me with his eyes the minute he walked in the room, sowing potential seeds of self-doubt to ensure future business, causing me to become instantly hostile and defensive. Nevertheless, I’m willing to admit when I’m wrong and I may have been a little bit…you know, wrong about him. Maybe. Potentially.

Anyway, his good work isn't suitable for viewing, yet, so how about some ribs instead?

Sticky Asian Spareribs

Let marinate overnight for maximum flavor. Parboiling the ribs keeps the cooking time in the oven to under an hour.

3½ lbs. pork spareribs
½ cup hoisin sauce
3½ Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice wine, white wine, or sake
1½ Tbsp. minced garlic
1½ Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
Pinch or two of dried red pepper flakes, more if you like them spicy
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
½ Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. sliced scallion greens

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. With a sharp knife or kitchen shears, separate the spareribs into 2½-inch-long pieces. Add the ribs to the pot and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together hoisin sauce, soy sauce, wine, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, sesame oil, and sugar. Remove the ribs, let cool slightly, then add to the marinade. Toss lightly to coat and cover with plastic wrap. Let the ribs marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the spareribs and marinade on a sheet pan lined with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Flip the ribs and bake them another 15 minutes or so until the meat is tender and the glaze is sticky but not burnt. Sprinkle with sliced scallions. Original recipe says to serve with roasted winter squash, which you can bake alongside the ribs on a separate pan, cut-side down, until tender. Serves 4-6.

Source: Adapted from A Spoonful of Ginger by Nina Simonds.

Local Ingredients:
Ribs: Chestnut Farms, Hardwick, MA
Butternut squash: Waltham Fields, Waltham, MA