So…it snowed last night. Seriously. And there’s a possibility of several more inches this weekend. And I though the Berkshires would be a slight reprieve from winter in Vermont. Silly me.
Halloween in Monday. Honestly, while I love the excuse to decorate my apartment and eat tons of miniature candies (because if its mini, it barely counts, right?), Halloween just isn’t a big deal to me. Mostly, it just marks the end of autumn and the beginning of the most wonderful time of year, that stretch from Nov. 1 through Christmas that is just one massive holiday extravaganza. Baking, listening to Christmas music (Michael Buble’s new Christmas album came out earlier this week. I about had a heart attack from all the excitement), 24/7 Thanksgiving specials on the Food Network. I can’t wait!
One reason I can’t wait (besides all the ones I just listed)? Guess who is hosting Thanksgiving this year???!!! Like you need to guess…That’s right, my grandparents and my mom – all the way from Texas – will be joining the dog and I this Thanksgiving. I have the most fabulous menu planned. I’ve been at it for weeks already. I can’t share it yet – top secret – but suffice it to say, it is awesome.
Changing gears slightly…to dinner last night! Do you remember a few weeks ago, I went to the Greenpeas TV dinner and had the most amazing butternut squash soup ever? Well, what with last night being all cold and snowy, I decided to attempt to recreate it. Although it didn’t come out exactly the same, it was delicious.
I had some frozen squash in the freezer, so I defrosted it . While that was frosting, I heated some chicken stock and some onions in a big pot. I added the squash and let that all simmer together for a few minutes. I added half a can of drained kidney bean and attacked it with the immersion blender until smooth (the beans add thickness). Then I added the rest of the beans and milk until I reached the desired consistency. A dash of herbs de Provence, some grated parmesan cheese, and some crumbled bacon (and a splash of bacon fat) finished the dish. I served the soup in a bowl drizzled with a swill of EVOO and some freshly cracked black pepper.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
Chicky, chicky recipe and musing
I have to admit, money has been tight lately. More that tight, actually, but that’s beside the point (taking a new job – at a pay cut – moving, trying to still see family and friends, and putting food on the table have proved to be a challenge, and I wouldn’t be making it right now if it wasn’t for my mom and her continuous support). One of my biggest expenses is, and has always been, food. I am very poor at planning meals ahead or creating a working budget – although I am a big proponent of coupons, another kudos to my mom. Furthermore, I like to cook, and the recipes I choose often involve ingredients that I buy, use the one time, and then let go to waste. I am bad at cutting recipes down to one or two servings. I am bad at coming up with creative uses for leftovers or random ingredients. Basically, to summarize, I spend too much money on food, and some of it inevitably goes to waste.
So anyway, I am looking for ways to trim my grocery bill. I tend to do one larger shop each week, and then a couple “mini” stops at the store to pick up an ingredient or two for this recipe or that. As the sole person in a one-person household – unless you count the dog, which, I must say, I often do – feeding myself should be relatively simple. I also eat breakfast at home and pack lunch to take to work every day, increasing the need for groceries but decreasing overall expenses.
Trust me, this is all going somewhere.
Last weekend, the local botanical garden held a harvest festival. My dad and I went (who, yes, was visiting and yes, we had a fantastic weekend) and stopped at the booth of Tortured Orchard, a condiment/sauce company based locally – they do have a website for long distance orders, too. The company is run by two very friendly women, and dad and I wandered over to try a sample – and walked away with three jars. I picked up the sweet apple blush, which is a cross between apple sauce, cranberry sauce, a fruit compote, and a relish. It is sweet and fruity, and would work well in sweet and savory applications.
Fast forward a few days. I was eager to try my blush on something, although I didn’t know what. I was reading a book based around food and was eager to cook something. I had some leftover fresh rosemary, a bag on lemons and a bag of red potatoes, both bought on a manager’s special, and a mostly gone by pear in the fridge. Furthermore, I had a giant log of butter, graciously sent to me by my mom, along with an equally large block of cheese. So I got creative, and the following recipe is the result. I want to note – I stopped by the grocery store to pick up the one item I needed (chicken). I wanted to get excess so that I could freeze some and avoid the need for such trips in the future. A pack of three boneless, skinless chicken breasts, albeit on the large side, was almost $7. Meanwhile, a pack of twice as many boneless, skinless thighs was only a dollar more. The lesson here – break out of your comfort zone and try some different cuts, and it might save you quite a bit of money. Also, Rocco DiSpirto said on Rachael ray’s talk show the other day that you actually save calories by going with the thighs. I’m sold.
Harvest fruit chicken thighs
Ingredients:
A large pat of butter (whatever “large” is to you will work – mine was somewhere between 2-3 Tbsp)
A drizzle of EVOO
2 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 large springs rosemary, one chopped and one left whole
Salt and pepper
Pinch of cinnamon
A whole lemon, halved
2 ripe pears
A couple spoonfuls of Sweet Apple Blush by Tortured Orchard, at room temp or slightly warmed
Directions:
Get the butter melting in a skillet over medium-high heat, and add the olive oil. Meanwhile, treat the chicken with salt, pepper, and chopped rosemary on each side, and sprinkle the top with the cinnamon. I cut each thigh in half to speed up the cooking process, and also to stretch each serving. Once the butter-oil mixture is nice and hot, add the chicken to the skillet (it doesn’t really matter which side of the chicken you start with, you’ll be flipping it a couple times). Squeeze the lemon halves over the top of the chicken, and add the halves to the skillet, along with the rosemary sprig – this is simply to flavor the cooking oil. Once both sides are starting to brown (a couple minutes each side), reduce the heat a little and top the skillet with tin foil. Total cooking time for the chicken in about 12-15 minutes, depending on the thickness.
While the chicken is cooking, slice a pear. I didn’t bother to peel it, but you certainly can if that suits you. Once the chicken is cooked, pull it from the skillet and set aside. Add the sliced pear to the remaining lemon-rosemary butter, and quickly sauté until warmed through and soft.
Plate each thigh half and top with sweet apple blush, as much as you’d like. Serve with pears.
I quartered some red potatoes and boiled on a back burner while preparing the chicken. Both got done at about the same time. I drained the potatoes and served topped with more butter, salt, and pepper.
So anyway, I am looking for ways to trim my grocery bill. I tend to do one larger shop each week, and then a couple “mini” stops at the store to pick up an ingredient or two for this recipe or that. As the sole person in a one-person household – unless you count the dog, which, I must say, I often do – feeding myself should be relatively simple. I also eat breakfast at home and pack lunch to take to work every day, increasing the need for groceries but decreasing overall expenses.
Trust me, this is all going somewhere.
Last weekend, the local botanical garden held a harvest festival. My dad and I went (who, yes, was visiting and yes, we had a fantastic weekend) and stopped at the booth of Tortured Orchard, a condiment/sauce company based locally – they do have a website for long distance orders, too. The company is run by two very friendly women, and dad and I wandered over to try a sample – and walked away with three jars. I picked up the sweet apple blush, which is a cross between apple sauce, cranberry sauce, a fruit compote, and a relish. It is sweet and fruity, and would work well in sweet and savory applications.
Fast forward a few days. I was eager to try my blush on something, although I didn’t know what. I was reading a book based around food and was eager to cook something. I had some leftover fresh rosemary, a bag on lemons and a bag of red potatoes, both bought on a manager’s special, and a mostly gone by pear in the fridge. Furthermore, I had a giant log of butter, graciously sent to me by my mom, along with an equally large block of cheese. So I got creative, and the following recipe is the result. I want to note – I stopped by the grocery store to pick up the one item I needed (chicken). I wanted to get excess so that I could freeze some and avoid the need for such trips in the future. A pack of three boneless, skinless chicken breasts, albeit on the large side, was almost $7. Meanwhile, a pack of twice as many boneless, skinless thighs was only a dollar more. The lesson here – break out of your comfort zone and try some different cuts, and it might save you quite a bit of money. Also, Rocco DiSpirto said on Rachael ray’s talk show the other day that you actually save calories by going with the thighs. I’m sold.
Harvest fruit chicken thighs
Ingredients:
A large pat of butter (whatever “large” is to you will work – mine was somewhere between 2-3 Tbsp)
A drizzle of EVOO
2 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 large springs rosemary, one chopped and one left whole
Salt and pepper
Pinch of cinnamon
A whole lemon, halved
2 ripe pears
A couple spoonfuls of Sweet Apple Blush by Tortured Orchard, at room temp or slightly warmed
Directions:
Get the butter melting in a skillet over medium-high heat, and add the olive oil. Meanwhile, treat the chicken with salt, pepper, and chopped rosemary on each side, and sprinkle the top with the cinnamon. I cut each thigh in half to speed up the cooking process, and also to stretch each serving. Once the butter-oil mixture is nice and hot, add the chicken to the skillet (it doesn’t really matter which side of the chicken you start with, you’ll be flipping it a couple times). Squeeze the lemon halves over the top of the chicken, and add the halves to the skillet, along with the rosemary sprig – this is simply to flavor the cooking oil. Once both sides are starting to brown (a couple minutes each side), reduce the heat a little and top the skillet with tin foil. Total cooking time for the chicken in about 12-15 minutes, depending on the thickness.
While the chicken is cooking, slice a pear. I didn’t bother to peel it, but you certainly can if that suits you. Once the chicken is cooked, pull it from the skillet and set aside. Add the sliced pear to the remaining lemon-rosemary butter, and quickly sauté until warmed through and soft.
Plate each thigh half and top with sweet apple blush, as much as you’d like. Serve with pears.
I quartered some red potatoes and boiled on a back burner while preparing the chicken. Both got done at about the same time. I drained the potatoes and served topped with more butter, salt, and pepper.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Moveable Feast: delicious, delicious, delicious
Yesterday afternoon and into the evening was the Green Peas TV “Dinner at Eleanor’s” event – and it was fantastic. The dinner was a fundraiser to benefit The Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill and ARCS, AIDS-Related Community Services, as well as an opportunity for local filmmaker Jane Watson to film another episode for her website, Green Peas TV.
Watson is known for taking celebrated chefs from around the Hudson Valley and the Berkshires and putting them in intriguing locations. They then prepare a themed feast using local ingredients. There are usually about 100 tickets available, the proceeds of which benefit a chosen charity. The whole ordeal, dubbed a “Moveable Feast” by Watson, is then filmed and turned into a webisode.
“I take the chefs out of their restaurants and put them in these unique places for an adventure and the create attention,” Watson, who created Green Peas TV about three years ago, said. “And whatever they’re making has to be local, right down to the butter.” The locations, which have ranged from a bridge to a crumbling castle, create dramatic flair in the films and draw attention to Watson’s cause. The dinners and resulting show are truly local, from the crew to the chefs right down to the ingredients.
“From the Catskills to the Berkshires and everything in between – that whole region is my scope,” Watson said. “My goal is to take this area and brand it as an agri-tourism epicenter on the East Coast.”
Yesterday’s event was no exception to this formula. The dinner was held at Oak Terrace, Eleanor Roosevelt’s childhood home. The house, which has not been regularly inhabited since the Roosevelt’s lived there, stands proudly on grounds overlooking the Hudson River. The facades are in surprisingly good shape, while the interior has a crumbling, neglected feel to it. The empty rooms still hold intricately decorated marble fireplaces and floor-to-ceiling windows but are void of furniture. The basement is especially spooky, and I could not even bring myself to venture into the attic – way too creepy.
The event began inside the house, where a bar was set up, serving a choice of two historic “pre-prohibition” cocktails – FDR’s own recipe for martinis, and a fizzy drink that contained cassis, gin, lemon juice, and a little egg white (also known as a gin-cassis fizz). The result was a light pink color, with a bit of foam on top. I felt very sophisticated drinking it from my champagne flute. From here, one could sip their drink, enjoy a few passed hors d'oeuvres (including a yummy retro curried deviled egg, complete with bacon chip), mingle, and take a self-guided tour of the house.
The dinner itself was served in a tent on the grounds, with a lovely view of the river. Even the mosquitoes couldn’t detract from the charm of it all. The first course, or amuse bouche, was a small bite – a crostini with green peppercorn cheese, garlic confit, and a bacon crisp. The cheese was strong, and the garlic had a mellow flavor from the cooking process. Overall, an excellent way to whet the appetite.
Next came the soup course, an absolutely delicious and thick butternut squash soup with leeks, white beans, and smoky cheddar, drizzled with EVOO. The soup was full of complex flavors and very satisfying. This was my favorite dish; in fact, I spent quite awhile thinking about how I might recreate it.
The main dish was next, consisting of shredded chicken, along with sautéed mushrooms, served on a thick slice of country bread and swimming in a savory sauce. This was a hearty portion, and slightly reminiscent of childhood meals of hot open-faced chicken sammies.
Next, in a truly European style, was the salad course – mixed green topped with sliced apples and pears, candied walnuts, soft goat cheese, and alpine cheese. The pear was perfectly ripe – a rare find for a salad – and the candied walnuts were nice and sweet, a great way to prepare the palate for dessert.
First dinners were presented with a white nectarine sorbet, served in a martini glass and covered with champagne. After this palate cleanser came Harney and Sons “Paris” tea bon bons, beautifully decorated, as is the style of Joshua Needleman, owner and chocolatier at Chocolate Springs Café in Lenox, who prepared the dessert. Finally, each dinner was served a glass on dessert wine (a thick, sweet cassis in this case) and a dark chocolate mousse cake, again, beautifully decorated – so much so that I almost didn’t want to eat it. Almost.
All the courses were served on recyclable, biodegradable plates. Many of the ingredients used in the meal were locally sourced. Also, wine from Clinton Vineyards, based in Clinton Corners, NY, flowed freely throughout the evening – a nice cold white, with smoky, woody undertones – the perfect way to accent the hearty harvest meal.
The webisode will be edited and posted to the Green peas TV website, although it may take awhile – Watson has a lot of projects going on at once! Check out http://greenpeastv.com/.
Watson is known for taking celebrated chefs from around the Hudson Valley and the Berkshires and putting them in intriguing locations. They then prepare a themed feast using local ingredients. There are usually about 100 tickets available, the proceeds of which benefit a chosen charity. The whole ordeal, dubbed a “Moveable Feast” by Watson, is then filmed and turned into a webisode.
“I take the chefs out of their restaurants and put them in these unique places for an adventure and the create attention,” Watson, who created Green Peas TV about three years ago, said. “And whatever they’re making has to be local, right down to the butter.” The locations, which have ranged from a bridge to a crumbling castle, create dramatic flair in the films and draw attention to Watson’s cause. The dinners and resulting show are truly local, from the crew to the chefs right down to the ingredients.
“From the Catskills to the Berkshires and everything in between – that whole region is my scope,” Watson said. “My goal is to take this area and brand it as an agri-tourism epicenter on the East Coast.”
Yesterday’s event was no exception to this formula. The dinner was held at Oak Terrace, Eleanor Roosevelt’s childhood home. The house, which has not been regularly inhabited since the Roosevelt’s lived there, stands proudly on grounds overlooking the Hudson River. The facades are in surprisingly good shape, while the interior has a crumbling, neglected feel to it. The empty rooms still hold intricately decorated marble fireplaces and floor-to-ceiling windows but are void of furniture. The basement is especially spooky, and I could not even bring myself to venture into the attic – way too creepy.
The event began inside the house, where a bar was set up, serving a choice of two historic “pre-prohibition” cocktails – FDR’s own recipe for martinis, and a fizzy drink that contained cassis, gin, lemon juice, and a little egg white (also known as a gin-cassis fizz). The result was a light pink color, with a bit of foam on top. I felt very sophisticated drinking it from my champagne flute. From here, one could sip their drink, enjoy a few passed hors d'oeuvres (including a yummy retro curried deviled egg, complete with bacon chip), mingle, and take a self-guided tour of the house.
The dinner itself was served in a tent on the grounds, with a lovely view of the river. Even the mosquitoes couldn’t detract from the charm of it all. The first course, or amuse bouche, was a small bite – a crostini with green peppercorn cheese, garlic confit, and a bacon crisp. The cheese was strong, and the garlic had a mellow flavor from the cooking process. Overall, an excellent way to whet the appetite.
Next came the soup course, an absolutely delicious and thick butternut squash soup with leeks, white beans, and smoky cheddar, drizzled with EVOO. The soup was full of complex flavors and very satisfying. This was my favorite dish; in fact, I spent quite awhile thinking about how I might recreate it.
The main dish was next, consisting of shredded chicken, along with sautéed mushrooms, served on a thick slice of country bread and swimming in a savory sauce. This was a hearty portion, and slightly reminiscent of childhood meals of hot open-faced chicken sammies.
Next, in a truly European style, was the salad course – mixed green topped with sliced apples and pears, candied walnuts, soft goat cheese, and alpine cheese. The pear was perfectly ripe – a rare find for a salad – and the candied walnuts were nice and sweet, a great way to prepare the palate for dessert.
First dinners were presented with a white nectarine sorbet, served in a martini glass and covered with champagne. After this palate cleanser came Harney and Sons “Paris” tea bon bons, beautifully decorated, as is the style of Joshua Needleman, owner and chocolatier at Chocolate Springs Café in Lenox, who prepared the dessert. Finally, each dinner was served a glass on dessert wine (a thick, sweet cassis in this case) and a dark chocolate mousse cake, again, beautifully decorated – so much so that I almost didn’t want to eat it. Almost.
All the courses were served on recyclable, biodegradable plates. Many of the ingredients used in the meal were locally sourced. Also, wine from Clinton Vineyards, based in Clinton Corners, NY, flowed freely throughout the evening – a nice cold white, with smoky, woody undertones – the perfect way to accent the hearty harvest meal.
The webisode will be edited and posted to the Green peas TV website, although it may take awhile – Watson has a lot of projects going on at once! Check out http://greenpeastv.com/.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Fall in the Berkshires!
I love fall! I love the crisp, cool morning, the fresh apples at farm stands and markets (and consequently the smell of apple pie baking), the leaves turning colors – which they already are here in Western Mass. – the clothes, the promise of holidays to come…I love fall! (I also feel like I’ve been on this rant before, probably, oh, about a year ago…)
This morning when I woke up and took the dog out, my breath left little puffs of mist in the air. The Weather Channel informed me that it is going to frost tonight and I better bring my plants in. My apartment is decked out in pumpkins and gourds. And on the way to work I swung by Dunkin Donuts for a coffee and a pumpkin muffin. Life is good.
Now, last weekend I drove all the way out to Starbucks for a pumpkin cream cheese muffin. As I am sure I have rambled on about in the past, I LOVE these muffins and look forward to them all year. And I have to say, this was really a disappointment. Starbucks is not exactly next door – it’s about a 20-25 minute drive, usually including a bit of traffic. Since I moved a few months ago, I have gone through serious Starbucks withdrawal – like, I need an IV in the crook of my arm. So anyway, actually driving up and going to Starbucks is a much bigger deal than it used to be. This Starbucks is pretty small, kind of out of the way, and overall pretty lame. But I am ecstatic that pumpkin cream cheese muffins were out on the shelves, and I promptly ordered one. My coffee was good; the muffin, not so much. It seemed like it wasn’t quite baked through, and was sorely lacking in the candied pumpkin seed department. I ate the top (always the best part anyway, right?) and offered the rest to the dog. No takers – this from a dog that licks his own butt. Seriously. So from now on its Dunkin Donuts pumpkin muffins. Not quite the same, and no cream cheese, but good nonetheless, and much less expensive and out of the way.
Also last weekend, I had the opportunity to judge an apple pie baking contest that was sponsored by King Arthur flour! Ah, the hidden perks of being a journalist. It was really fun, even though judging meant I didn’t get to enter. And really, I should have – not to sound cocky or anything, but my pie would’ve blown them away. There were a lot of yummy pies, but many of them were so heavy on the spices (esp. the nutmeg) that one could barely taste the apples. And I believe that a pie should really showcase the apples – esp. considering the area we live in.
Oh, and finally, the last bit of news – my dad is coming to visit in a couple weeks! I have big plans for us – a visit to Viva for tapas, Chez Nous for a French dinner, a glorified min-Thanksgiving Sunday night, hiking, shopping. Its gonna be legen – wait for it – dary!
This morning when I woke up and took the dog out, my breath left little puffs of mist in the air. The Weather Channel informed me that it is going to frost tonight and I better bring my plants in. My apartment is decked out in pumpkins and gourds. And on the way to work I swung by Dunkin Donuts for a coffee and a pumpkin muffin. Life is good.
Now, last weekend I drove all the way out to Starbucks for a pumpkin cream cheese muffin. As I am sure I have rambled on about in the past, I LOVE these muffins and look forward to them all year. And I have to say, this was really a disappointment. Starbucks is not exactly next door – it’s about a 20-25 minute drive, usually including a bit of traffic. Since I moved a few months ago, I have gone through serious Starbucks withdrawal – like, I need an IV in the crook of my arm. So anyway, actually driving up and going to Starbucks is a much bigger deal than it used to be. This Starbucks is pretty small, kind of out of the way, and overall pretty lame. But I am ecstatic that pumpkin cream cheese muffins were out on the shelves, and I promptly ordered one. My coffee was good; the muffin, not so much. It seemed like it wasn’t quite baked through, and was sorely lacking in the candied pumpkin seed department. I ate the top (always the best part anyway, right?) and offered the rest to the dog. No takers – this from a dog that licks his own butt. Seriously. So from now on its Dunkin Donuts pumpkin muffins. Not quite the same, and no cream cheese, but good nonetheless, and much less expensive and out of the way.
Also last weekend, I had the opportunity to judge an apple pie baking contest that was sponsored by King Arthur flour! Ah, the hidden perks of being a journalist. It was really fun, even though judging meant I didn’t get to enter. And really, I should have – not to sound cocky or anything, but my pie would’ve blown them away. There were a lot of yummy pies, but many of them were so heavy on the spices (esp. the nutmeg) that one could barely taste the apples. And I believe that a pie should really showcase the apples – esp. considering the area we live in.
Oh, and finally, the last bit of news – my dad is coming to visit in a couple weeks! I have big plans for us – a visit to Viva for tapas, Chez Nous for a French dinner, a glorified min-Thanksgiving Sunday night, hiking, shopping. Its gonna be legen – wait for it – dary!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Follow me on Twitter!
Yes, I am totally behind the times, but I finally set up a Twitter account. Follow me @Allie3601!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
A Moveable Feast, as they say
So, I just wanted to write and share with everyone an upcoming opportunity that I’m really psyched about. I covered this event for the paper, and in the process got an invite (and a comped ticket, which at $125 is no small feat!).
To summarize: Green Peas TV, a regional online cooking show that travels around the Berkshires, the Hudson Valley, and the northwest tip of Connecticut, takes celebrated local chefs and puts them in unique locales to prepare an elaborate dinner (and by “unique” I mean things like an bridge over the Hudson, an abandoned castle, and more), and just sits back to see what happens. The dinners, dubbed by creator Jane Watson as “moveable feasts,” are then filmed and turned into webisodes. As she explained to me, “I take the chefs out of their restaurants and put them in these unique places for an adventure and the create attention. And whatever they’re making has to be local, right down to the butter.”
The next moveable feast will feature Joshua Needleman, owner and chocolatier at Chocolate Springs Café in Lenox, MA, along with other regional chefs. The event, featuring historic cocktails, a five-course harvest feast, dessert wine and chocolate pairings, and an exclusive historic house tour, will be held at Eleanor Roosevelt’s little-known childhood home, Oak Terrace (which is not usually open to the public), on September 18. Watson describes Oak Terrace as “a creepy old house” full of history. “No one has lived here since the Roosevelt’s and nothing has been done to the inside,” she said. “Back in the 1800s, they built houses so well, it is in surprisingly good shape.” She mentioned the massive fireplaces and giant windows overlooking the Catskills as neat aspects of the house.
There is also a fascinating back story associated with the feast’s location. Dinner at Eleanor’s: A Moveable Feast will celebrate the relationship between the Roosevelt and Morgenthau families. Henry Morgenthau, Jr., was the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and governor of the Federal Farm Board during the administration of FDR. Eleanor and Morgenthau’s wife, Elinor, developed a friendship based on similar social and political concerns and the Roosevelts made frequent visits to the Morgenthaus’ Fishkill Farms in East Fishkill. Eleanor maintained a lifelong commitment to farmers and farming in the Hudson Valley. Much of the food for the upcoming feast will be sourced from Fishkill Farm, bringing everything “full circle,” Watson said.
As you can see, this is a really unique event (quintessentially Berkshires, as I’ve taken to saying). According to Watson, past guests have included food editors from The New York Times and The Boston Globe, the Zagats – yes, those Zagats – and other well-known members of the foodie circle. And guess who’s going to the next dinner? Like you really need to guess…
To summarize: Green Peas TV, a regional online cooking show that travels around the Berkshires, the Hudson Valley, and the northwest tip of Connecticut, takes celebrated local chefs and puts them in unique locales to prepare an elaborate dinner (and by “unique” I mean things like an bridge over the Hudson, an abandoned castle, and more), and just sits back to see what happens. The dinners, dubbed by creator Jane Watson as “moveable feasts,” are then filmed and turned into webisodes. As she explained to me, “I take the chefs out of their restaurants and put them in these unique places for an adventure and the create attention. And whatever they’re making has to be local, right down to the butter.”
The next moveable feast will feature Joshua Needleman, owner and chocolatier at Chocolate Springs Café in Lenox, MA, along with other regional chefs. The event, featuring historic cocktails, a five-course harvest feast, dessert wine and chocolate pairings, and an exclusive historic house tour, will be held at Eleanor Roosevelt’s little-known childhood home, Oak Terrace (which is not usually open to the public), on September 18. Watson describes Oak Terrace as “a creepy old house” full of history. “No one has lived here since the Roosevelt’s and nothing has been done to the inside,” she said. “Back in the 1800s, they built houses so well, it is in surprisingly good shape.” She mentioned the massive fireplaces and giant windows overlooking the Catskills as neat aspects of the house.
There is also a fascinating back story associated with the feast’s location. Dinner at Eleanor’s: A Moveable Feast will celebrate the relationship between the Roosevelt and Morgenthau families. Henry Morgenthau, Jr., was the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and governor of the Federal Farm Board during the administration of FDR. Eleanor and Morgenthau’s wife, Elinor, developed a friendship based on similar social and political concerns and the Roosevelts made frequent visits to the Morgenthaus’ Fishkill Farms in East Fishkill. Eleanor maintained a lifelong commitment to farmers and farming in the Hudson Valley. Much of the food for the upcoming feast will be sourced from Fishkill Farm, bringing everything “full circle,” Watson said.
As you can see, this is a really unique event (quintessentially Berkshires, as I’ve taken to saying). According to Watson, past guests have included food editors from The New York Times and The Boston Globe, the Zagats – yes, those Zagats – and other well-known members of the foodie circle. And guess who’s going to the next dinner? Like you really need to guess…
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Viva!
The other day, I went to Viva restaurant I Stockbridge on assignment for “Local Dish.” Little did I know that the advertising person that coordinated this lunch for me had arranged a little something special. Usually Viva is closed on Mondays; Luis, the owner/chef, opened just for me and I had a private chef’s lunch. And it was a.maze.ing.
I didn’t order off the menu, instead, Luis had a special tasting menu planned. I started off with three different tapas (I should mention that Viva is a Spanish restaurant), followed by paella made especially for me, and all washed down with good strong sangria.
I started off with datiles (8.00), which are dates stuffed with an almond, wrapped in applewood smoked bacon, and then deep fried (yes, really), served atop a balsamic reduction. The thick-sliced bacon is naturally smoky and salty and gets really crispy from deep frying (I also learned that Viva does all their frying in canola oil, compared to some more conventional oils). Inside, the date is sweet, soft and juicy, and the almond is crunchy. The balsamic is sticky and sweet, with a slight tang, from being reduced. Each date is the perfect bite of textures and tastes, sticky and sweet and salty and hot and crunchy, all leading to a highly satisfying mouthfeel. The sweet notes of the dish linger – that is, until the next dish. By far my favorite dish that I tasted. I will dream about these dates for many nights to come.
Next came the wild mushroom croquettes (7.00), served with a garlic aioli for dipping. Luis mentioned that he likes making aioli because it originated, at least partly, in Spain. He makes his fresh daily, using egg yolks, garlic, and Spanish olive oil. For the croquettes, he makes a stock-based béchamel and blends in wild mushrooms – cremini or whatever is available at the time. This is then battered and deep fried (gee, are we sensing a theme here). When the plate arrived at my table, the batter was the first thing to hit my nose. It smelled hot and friend and salty, and it was all that and more. The aioli was thick and creamy, with a strong garlic flavor, the croquettes were good on their own, and then the aioli really elevated their flavor. The mushroom flavor, while subtle, was definitely present. The coating was nice and crunchy and kind of crackled when I bit into it, which provided contrast to the filling, with was smooth and hearty. The crispy coating was flavored with herbs, which brought me to an interesting observation. I really enjoyed how every component, layer, level, what have you, of each dish was carefully and thoughtfully flavored and treated with respect (kind of reminiscent of Indian cuisine).
My final tapas was garbanzos, deep fried with Moorish spices (6.00). I got a brief history lesson from Luis when this dish was delivered, who cited the many cultures and traditions that influenced Spanish cuisine and culture, including Roman, African, and Moorish. He named cumin and paprika as spices brought in from these other areas, but I decided to Google “Moorish spices” to get a better idea. A recipe from Frances Mayes’ blog –who is best known for writing “Under the Tuscan Sun” – that was tagged for using Moorish spices included paprika, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, a pinch of ginger, and saffron (read the blog post here: http://www.francesmayesbooks.com/tag/moorish-spices). That seems pretty accurate for these beans, which were fried and then dusted with spices. The scent of the spices was very strong as it wafted up from the bowl. The skin (shell?) of the beans became very crisp from the frying, and inside the bean was still soft and warm. These were surprisingly good – it was hard not to eat the whole bowl and I chatted with Luis. The spices complimented that natural chickpea flavor without overwhelming it, and I was left with a lingering salty flavor.
Finally, completing the meal was a traditional paella. When the Valenciana paella arrives to the table, the heady smells of seafood and saffron are the first the nose detects. The aromatic saffron rice is studded with succulent chicken, chorizo, clams, and shrimp. The natural flavor of the chicken is intensified by the other ingredients, the clams and shrimp are perfectly tender, and the chorizo is mild yet flavorful. Flecked with bits of onion and tomato, the rice has a beautiful bright yellow color from the saffron. Homemade stock helps the rice retain a lot of moisture and keeps it from becoming dry, as well as adding another savory layer of flavor. As a bonus, many of the vegetables are locally grown.
As a true connoisseur of paella knows, the most coveted part is the bits around the edge of the pan that get crispy and caramelized during cooking – and this paella did not disappoint. The charred edges added texture and a deep smoky-sweet flavor.
This dish, which takes about 25 minutes to prepare, serves two for $38.00. A tapas-sized portion or individual entrée is available upon request.
Recommended pairing for any of these dishes: the house sangria, made with a good, strong bodied red wine, liquor, and fresh apples and oranges. The sangria sits for while to allow the flavors to meld, and the fruit soaks up all the flavor from the wine and liquor. Luis jokingly referred to it as “drunken fruit,” noting that many of his patrons eat the fruit at the bottom of the glass (I helped myself to a couple pieces, and it was yummy). Luis invented this sangria recipe and has been serving it since day one at the restaurant.
The atmosphere at Viva is fun and sophisticated. The walls are a vivid red, the napkins and plates are bright yellow, and lively Spanish music plays softly in the background. Little touches, like the pretty silverware pattern, the flowers, and the artwork give the place a lot of character and perfectly compliment the authentic, well-executed Spanish cuisine. They have live flamenco music Friday and Saturday nights, and the dining room has really been cultivated to invite people to sit, talk, enjoy a variety of tapas and drinks, and just take pleasure in each others company. I can’t wait to go back with my dad when he visits this fall.
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