Spring Foraging

May 19, 2012

Ah, yes. Spring.  Warm weather, longer days, and things are blooming!  In this kind of weather, I take my daily anti-histamine and start walking all over the roadways, trails and off the beaten path.  I am a huge fan of foraging for edibles in our environment, not only because it's FREE, but they are also interesting to cook with. In the past I've written about finding blackberries and pecans in South Carolina, but Virginia has presented me with more interesting options!

Straight away, I must thank my mother Ginny Summerour Barber, both grandmothers (Ruby Messer Barber and Mary Lynn Morris Summerour) and my cousin Buddy Cook for teaching me about wild edible plants and flowers in the Southern United States.

My two latest finds have been right here in the heart of the city, within a mile of my apartment and where I least expected to find something edible. This spring's "foraging" has taught me two important things: 1. weeds and trees are everywhere.  2. most people don't know what they have growing in their own yards.

Almost every day I walk past the Arlington fire station 10 here in Rosslyn.  They have a lovely herb garden between the sidewalk and their front door and currently, their chives are in full bloom. These beautiful, tiny purple flowers are dainty and add a nice mild onion burst of flavor when you add them to your food.  After asking permission from one of the firemen to collect a few flowers, I recently took several home and added them to my tempeh sweet potato curry.  It was such a pretty, gourmet touch to my cooking - and it did not cost me a thing!  The firemen thought I was crazy, and I am, but it was also a teaching moment, I think I convinced them to sprinkle some chive flowers on top of their next batch of alfredo pasta before serving.

Tempeh sweet potato curry with chive flowers

Last weekend, Danger, Doug and I were walking along the C&O Canal in Georgetown, when I noticed a few familiar berries smashed into the walkway, and hanging from a tree above - a type that I remembered picking in my grandmother's Atlanta backyard during my childhood.  No, it was not the blood of Pyramus. I had stumbled upon a mulberry tree.
In the last two weeks the little tart pink berries are ripening and the birds are going crazy for them.  As you can see in the picture below they look kind of like an oblong blackberry, but the taste is very different.  Their flavor is a little lemony with a mild sweetness. Mix them into your morning yogurt or sprinkle on top of vanilla ice cream. WOW!

Unripe and ripe mulberries on a mulberry leaf. The ring is a size 5, for scale.

I like to write about foraging to encourage you to be more aware of your surroundings, and spark further interest in the natural world.  Foraging is so much fun, and another way to get you and your family out of the house, exercising and learning about nature.  

Here are some educational resources on foraging and edible flowers:

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07237.html

http://eatingmymoccasinsnow.blogspot.com/2009/04/autrey-mill-nature-preserve.html

http://www.foragingtexas.com/

*Just because it is "natural" and came out of the woods does not mean it's safe to eat! Please confirm your plant identification and/or consult a trusted naturalist before digging in!*

Comfort Food

March 24, 2012

This blog post is a little late hitting the web, but, I think that many of us may still be in need of it's content. With spring upon us, outdoor temperatures have been anywhere from scorching to near freezing, and the Devil has cursed us once again with a super-size dose of pollen.   This past winter was hard for many of us who had cold upon cold, and now we get to suffer through spring allergy season.

If you're not feeling well, the recipe in this post is for you!  I made it a few weeks ago when Doug was feeling under the weather with a cough and sinus congestion.  Poor guy!

When we're not feeling well, we tend to turn to comfort food.  Everyone has their own favorite, be it macaroni and cheese, lasagna, or our personal favorite: chicken and dumplings.

This recipe is from Alton Brown, with a few modifications.  I was so excited to make it, since it required the use of the pressure cooker that I got for Christmas!  On this episode of Good Eats, Alton cooks his whole chicken in a pressure cooker, which yields tender, perfectly cooked meat in a quarter of the time and a delicious golden broth to boot.  

Alton also discusses the controversial topic of how to make the dumplings.  Some cooks like the "fluffy" (dropped) dumplings, while some like the "flat" (rolled) dumplings.  He goes on to comment that difference in techniques has nothing to do with The North vs. The South. The "fluffy" ones in soups originated somewhere in England, while the "flat" dumplings originated in Germany.  

Anyways, my Mom has always made the "fluffy" dumplings, while I have also enjoyed the "flat" variety made by my friend Natalie.   Alton's recipe allows for both styles and methods of dumpling creation.

Alton Brown's Chicken and Dropped Dumplings

Alton Brown's Chicken and Rolled Dumplings

The dropped dumplings recipe did NOT take 2 hours.  

Another note on how we changed the recipe to our liking:

- We cooked a local free-range 4 pound hen, bought at the farmer's market of course

- I added a medium sized onion in with the chicken while it was cooking in the pressure cooker.  

-For an extra serving of vegetables, I chopped into small pieces 2 large carrots, 2 large stalks of celery and a handful of fresh parsley and added them to the gently simmering broth before I started making the dumplings.  By the time the dumplings were ready to go in, the veggies were soft.

-We also used King Arthur White Whole Wheat all-purpose flour for our dumplings.  They came out light brown in color, but the taste was not much different from using regular all-purpose flour.

I hope that I've inspired you to make something yummy when your loved ones are feeling "under the weather."  As good as this is while you're sick, it's even better when you're not....after all, half of what you taste is what you're able to smell!

Homegrown Science Experiment

January 23, 2011

I am sure that you, dear reader, in some point of your life have had the experience of finding a "science experiment" in your home.

You know what I mean. I won't go into details, but we all have found the 6-week old pizza slice under the couch or that brie that "went missing" and re-emerged in grotesque form in the back of the fridge. Many a parent and college student has had this experience.

We are surrounded by the fungus among us. In the immortal words of Dr. Frank Austin, it's a microbial jungle out there. Millions of spores invade our homes every day. Some of them are good and some of them are bad. Many people have dreadful allergies due to these floating reproductive parts, or spores. Some of them, such as the wild yeasts in San Francisco, are quite useful.

Today I am going to share with you a fantastic "science experiment" that I conducted recently.

Fear not, for this experiment was delicious!

I was searching for a weird, quirky and fun Christmas gift for members of my family. I hit the myco-jackpot when I stumbled upon Back to the Roots, a company in Oakland, California.

They specialize in home mushroom garden kits. These kits are easy to use, and made from composted coffee grounds mixed with oyster mushroom spores. You can grow your own gourmet mushrooms at home in as little as 10 days. They also have a program for donating mushroom garden kits to schools and science education centers.

Here are the pictures of my kit at day 8 and day 14:

The fruits of our experiment made us want to eat something delicious and unhealthy:

Venison Stroganoff

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3-6 oz mushrooms, such as oyster, portobello, sliced

1 pound beef stew meat OR

1 pound venison cube steak, sliced into 1/2 inch wide strips

1 medium onion, diced

6-8 tablespoons flour for dredging the meat

1 tablespoon flour for the roux

1 tablespoon butter, unsalted

2-6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 cup sour cream (use non-fat if you wish)

2 cups low fat, low sodium beef stock, homemade is best

1 cup rice or

8 oz egg noodles, cooked per package instructions

Method:

Place 2 tablespoons oil into a saute pan on medium-high heat.

Sautee the onions and mushrooms until tender. Set aside.

In a dutch oven with high sides and a lid:

Heat 2-4 tablespoons of oil on high heat.

In bowl, mix together 1/2 of the salt and pepper, and 1/2 of the flour. Coat the stew meat or strips of venison in the flour mixture, and fry until cooked through and browned.

Drain the meat on paper towels and set aside.

Remove excess oil from this frying vessel, put heat on medium.

Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon flour. Cook until a dark blonde color (roux).

Then, de-glaze with 1 cup beef broth.

Scrape up all the bits on the bottom of the pan, and then decrease heat to a simmer.

Add the tomato paste, cooked mushrooms/onions, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper and cooked meat and stir to combine.

Allow to reduce/simmer for 10-15 minutes with the lid cracked.

Add broth as needed for a thicker/thinner gravy.

Once at desired consistency, turn off the heat and slowly stir in the sour cream.

* If you realize at the end of cooking that need to add a thickener, I always recommend arrowroot powder. 1/2 teaspoon dissolved in 1 teaspoon cold water. Stir into your finished dish slowly, it will thicken quickly. It's tasteless and it won't clump like wheat flour!

Serve over rice or egg noodles.

We added chopped flat leaf parsley on top to make it pretty, and I like the flavor of fresh parsley.

MMM Science is tasty!

Witam Nowy Rok!

Happy New Year!

4 stycznia 2012 January 4, 2012

Every year many Americans find themselves making a New Year's Resolution, and promising to stick by it. No matter what it is, be it weight loss, going vegan, or learning a new language, most people don't come close to success.

I have decided that my New Year's Resolution (and yours too!) will be to try new vegetarian or vegan dishes in the coming year.

Mostly this Resolution stems from curiosity and recent good experiences with what's available at the self-serve buffet at our local Whole Foods Market.

I find myself eating yummy tofu or seitan

(yep, pronounced just as folks do in Lower Alabama , when referring to the Devil: SAY-TAN, LOL) from the Whole Foods buffet and thinking, "Man, I can make this at home!"

Trying something new is fun, can be inexpensive, and hey, it's so easy, you can't make excuses for not fulfilling your New Year's Resolution.

For those of you brave enough for my challenge, here is an easy step-by-step photograph series on how to make Baked Asian-style tofu and veggie stir-fry.

First: Buy a block of firm or extra firm tofu. Drain off water. Then wrap it in 2-4 paper towels, then wrap in a clean kitchen towel, and weigh it down for 30 minutes to get rid of excess moisture.

Step 2: Now that some moisture is gone, cut into 1" cubes as seen below.

Step 3: Dice a medium onion, cut 2 peeled large carrots into match-sticks, and cut up some broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces. As you can see in the photos, I decided to use brussels sprouts, cut into quarters. Somehow brussels sprouts are good in a stir-fry.

Step 4: Now for the flavor. Whisk together: 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, juice of 1/2 a lemon or lime, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 cloves garlic minced, a 1-2" piece of ginger grated, pinch or two of red chili flake, 1 tablespoon of Mirin, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1 tablespoon honey*.

Also, don't start your marinade at the same time you're cooking the veggies. Marinade first!

* To make this dish vegan, omit honey and just use agave nectar instead.

If you don't have mirin, just use apple cider vinegar and a little more honey.

Toss in your tofu cubes and let marinate at least 30 minutes.

Step 5: Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Remove tofu from marinade, save the excess marinade. Evenly spread out your tofu cubes on parchment paper and bake for 30-40 minutes, stir them about halfway through.

Step 6: While tofu cubes are baking, stir-fry in a wok or large skillet all of your veggies. You can use a tablespoon of sesame oil or olive oil for this. Put onions and carrots in first, then your greenery.

*If you want to bump up the flavor and are not vegan/vegetarian, add a tablespoon of fish sauce to the pan during this step.

Step 7: Remove tofu cubes from oven when they have browned edges. Allow to cool slightly.

Add the remainder of the marinade to the pan when the veggies are mostly cooked. Toss to combine. Add a little water if too dry. While veggies are hot, toss in the baked tofu cubes.

The purpose of baking the tofu is to keep it from getting mushy in the pan. I have tried many different methods of cooking tofu in a stir-fry, but I lack essential wok-skills and this is a good way to have non-mushy, flavorful tofu.

Makes 4 hearty servings. Serve with brown rice, white rice or quinoa.

Step 8: Eat and enjoy! Let me know what you think about this one! It is a favorite of ours. We make it weekly with whatever is at the farmer's market (hence the brussels sprouts).

This is a perfect way to try something new, it's easy and healthy!

Winter is upon us (maybe)

December 5, 2011

Winter seems to be upon us here in Northern Virginia. I must say, this place has the strangest weather of all the places I have lived. Last week, it was sunny and 65 degrees when we went to the gym at 7 AM, and then at 11 AM, the clouds had moved in, and it began to sleet.

Things are improving, as the daytime temperatures have stayed consistently lower for the past few days. I just want it to get cold, and STAY cold! The weather needs to make up it's mind!

With the cold weather here, and the choices at the farmer's market becoming more slim, I find it fitting to post our new favorite winter stew recipe. And what is better with stew than homemade cornbread.

I make mine in the "Southern" fashion in a well-seasoned, never "washed" cast iron pan. My Mom usually uses White Lily self-rising cornmeal, which contains the baking soda, baking powder, and about 20% wheat flour/80% whole grain cornmeal. There is never, never any sugar added, and the use of buttermilk is strongly recommended.

Since I cannot buy White Lily products in the DC metro area, I have very happily decided to make a 100% cornmeal loaf using chef John Martin Taylor's cornbread recipe. His ingredients and technique are exactly like my Mother's, with the exception of the flour/cornmeal. I'm using stone-ground, whole-grain North Carolina grown yellow cornmeal that I found at the Ft. Myer Commissary, of all places!

Now for the delicious stew recipe. This stew is packed full of fiber, protein and deliciousness!

Please note that ANY of the vegetables mentioned can be substituted, as I know some things are not always available at the farmer's market, or perhaps some

of you out there have food phobias.

Winter Market Goulash

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon butter or bacon grease

1 pound leftover bison roast, shredded. We like to use a 2 pound slow-roasted bison shoulder roast. We use half of it for this stew, and half of it for chili. Ground beef is OK too, just be sure to cook it before adding it to the stew.

1- 15 oz can of stewed tomatoes

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 "fist-sized" celery root, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces

4-5 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces

2-3 medium sized beets, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon thyme, fresh or dried

1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika

pinch of brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)

2 cups chicken or beef stock, homemade is best :)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Put all of the chopped root veggies (carrot, celery root, sweet potato and beets) onto a sheet pan and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spread them out for even cooking. Let bake for 30-45 minutes, or until fork-tender.

In a heavy stew pot or cast iron dutch oven on your stovetop-

Cook the flour and fat together on medium heat to make a roux. The roux needs to be between a dark blonde to caramel color before continuing with the recipe. Once the roux has this color--

Add the diced onions and cook on medium-high heat until softened.

Add the tomatoes and chopped garlic, and cook for 3-5 minutes on medium heat.

Add your cooked bison or beef, the fork-tender root vegetables, spices, and salt and pepper.

If the mixture is too thick, add chicken or beef stock for desired consistency.

Let simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Serve with hot cornbread and butter, and a glass of your favorite red wine. I like a Malbec with this dish. As for a beer pairing, Doug recommends the Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale.

I am proud to say that most everything for this dish (herbs, veggies, bison, butter, chicken stock) was sourced at the Courthouse Farmer's Market last Saturday. I made the chicken stock a few weeks ago from a locally-raised hen, and I put it in the freezer. The only ingredients NOT sourced locally were the tomatoes (I canned those myself in South Carolina in August), spices, flour, salt and pepper, and olive oil.

This recipe shows that anyone can find a local farmer's market, even at the beginning of winter, and find the ingredients to make something delicious.

The thing to keep in mind is to buy what looks good and then figure out later what to do with it.

Make seasonal dishes with seasonal ingredients.

It's an adventure and a challenge!

Balls O' Bunny

October 10, 2011

It's October, and that means deer season in the South.

Yet, many hunters do not know that rabbit season is also coming up soon.

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, rabbit season runs from November 5 through February 29 this year. And as a bonus, you get to bag 6 each day!

If you have never had rabbit, you are missing out. Rabbits are not just cute little bunnies that bring you chocolate eggs on Easter (that folklore is kind of weird by the way....giant rabbits leaving candy for children...in egg form....seems un-natural...and yet somehow Santa is much less creepy.....anyways, I digress....)

We have found a wonderful source of "domestic" "free-range" rabbit here in Northern Virginia from EcoFriendly Foods, producers of pastured poultry, pork, and game meats.

They are at our local farmers market every Saturday.

You can get rabbit parts, for dusting in seasoned flour and deep frying, like I grew up eating, or you can try their ever-weird "ground rabbit", at a mere $8.50 per pound.

We decided to give it a try...

Ground rabbit is not as weird as you would think. In Great Britain, ground rabbit is a fairly normal ingredient for meatloaf and meatballs.

Buying "game meats" like venison, rabbit, or even pheasant there means buying a wild animal that has been shot by a hunter.

This type of enterprise in the United States is illegal. There is hope though, as you can buy "farm raised" varieties to quench your craving for venison or rabbit here Stateside.

Or just get it from your Greek neighbor, Dinos!

This recipe was inspired by our Greek friend, backyard rabbit-farmer, and neighbor in Gainesville, GA: Dinos.

I hope that he will try this recipe himself and drink some ouzo in our honor!

Bunny Meatballs: Greek Style

Pre-heat your oven to 400 F and put some non-stick spray on your muffin tin.

We like to bake our meatballs in a muffin tin. Helps to keep them "round" and frees up the cooktop!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground rabbit. It's surprisingly lean, since most of the fat is next to the skin

1 egg (chicken, not chocolate)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

juice of 1/2 of a lemon

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried sage

10 juniper berries*, crushed into a powder

1 teaspoon dried or fresh rosemary, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 of a medium sized onion, finely minced

1/4 cup of Old Fashioned Oatmeal, pulverize into a powder OR just use bread crumbs

Method:

In your food processor, chop into little bits the Oatmeal, garlic, onion, lemon, salt and pepper.

Combine all of the spices (including juniper berries) into a coffee grinder and pulverize them too.

Put the contents of your food processor and coffee grinder into a mixing bowl, and then add the ground rabbit and egg. Mix together gently.

Pinch your mixture into ball-shapes, however big or small you like them. Mine are about the size of a chicken egg each.....and they fit nicely into the muffin molds.

Bake for 20 minutes. Let the meatballs cool for 3-5 minutes before serving.

I find that lifting them out of the muffin mold with a spoon works best, especially if they stick a little.

Yogurt Sauce: Good on everything

Ingredients

1/4 cup Greek Yogurt

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon dried dill

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

salt and pepper to taste

drizzle of olive oil

Mix it all together and enjoy!

Make yourself a salad with romaine, crumbled feta, yogurt sauce, add roasted potatoes and bunny balls and you are good to go! MMMM!

Just remember: cute little bunnies are not just for Easter anymore....they're the Other Other OTHER white meat!

*P.S. THIS SPICE COMES WITH A WARNING. DON'T GO CRAZY WITH THE JUNIPER, OK?

Random food trivia: Juniper berries are also an important ingredient in JAGERMEISTER.

Back to the Lowcountry

September 24, 2011

Chillin' with Radar in Goose Creek

The wedding of Rebecca Alderman and Kurt Infinger

Cypress Gardens, Moncks Corner, SC

Spinning wool dyed with indigo at the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site

Cypress Gardens. Moncks Corner, SC

Charleston Tea Plantation, tea bushes

The Angel Oak. John's Island, SC

Yep, that's me, hugging a 300+ year old tree!

Thanks Dave for this picture!

Sigh. I miss South Carolina right now. I'm sure you have read about the significant change in my lifestyle, with concrete all around my feet, and roughly 2 square feet dedicated for gardening inside my apartment.....so it comes as no surprise that going to Charleston for a weekend caused a certain amount of homesickness.

It was a great weekend, homesick or not. I got to see many friends from the Animal Medical Clinic of Goose Creek, eat wedding cake, and even Miss Jerri from Hilton Head came up to Charleston to hang out with me!

I want to thank Dr. Janette Blackwood of Goose Creek (JB!), her husband Dave Zook, and their dog Radar for being excellent hosts. I had a great time with them exploring Charleston and the surrounding 'burbs that I did not know were in existence. They also made the pilgrimages with me to long-time favorite spots like Bojangles, Sesame Burger, and the Charleston Tea Plantation.

Janette also was gracious enough to let me hold her kitchen hostage and make home-made hummus for the covered dish wedding reception.

Below I have listed my recipe for hummus, a slight derivation from Alton Brown's recipe, for all to try!

Simple Hummus for the Masses

This is a great recipe for a party, or to keep in the fridge all week for your husband to snack on.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

3 cans of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

3 cloves of fresh garlic

1/4 cup of tahini paste (ground sesame paste...you can get it at Publix)

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon of table salt or sea salt

juice of 1 large lemon

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method:

This is best done with a food processor fitted with a steel blade. You can do it by hand with a potato masher and some elbow grease, but it takes a while and your arms will hurt at the end.

Put the garlic cloves in the food processor, pulse until chopped fine.

Then add the 3 cans of drained chickpeas, the tahini, the salt, pepper and lemon, and blend until smooth.

If the mixture looks a little dry, add 2-4 tablespoons of water, and pulse together.

Lastly, turn on the food processor, and drizzle in the olive oil as the blade is spinning.

Voila! You have authentic hummus to feed an army.

Turn out your hummus into a bowl or tupperware, serve with pita bread, chips, and/or veggies.

For an extra authentic flare, pour a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil on top of the hummus, to make a little "lake", and then sprinkle on some sumac. Enjoy!