Bites October 2011

Dig in with your knife and fork - early October serves up a full plate of Columbus food news! 1. Local Foods Week starts Friday with a happy hour at restaurants around the city benefiting Local Matters. Festivities continue October 1 - 8 with events as diverse as an urban farming forum at the Wex to local drink tasting at House Wine to the culminating Harvest Dinner and Ball and Market to Market ride. Head over to the Eat Local Ohio site to find the activities that match your calendar and budget.

2. Local radio station WCBE turned 55 on Monday. Happy Birthday 90.5! A documentary about their history will be screened on Monday October 10 from 5:30-8:30 at Shadowbox. Notable for promoting local music and events, WCBE is also host to Foodcast, a radio show about all things edible in Columbus. Tune in at 2:01 on Saturdays or listen to archives and read notes on the Foodcast website.

3. Carole at ChopSizzlePop is seeking interview questions for her newest blog feature, "Ask the Chef". The first "chef" (who claims he is just a home cook) is Cleveland native Michael Ruhlman. I submitted my question; head over to the ChopSizzlePop page to ask yours.

4. Columbus Underground celebrates their 10th anniversary of being the go-to source for independent online news this October. Walker and company have scheduled a slew of celebratory events including new flavor launches from Sugardaddy's and Vienna Ice Cafe listed on the 10th anniversary messageboard thread. Huge kudos to the CU team for featuring the best of Columbus every day!

5. Franklin Park's Hungry Planet exhibition and events continue in October with a Live-fire demo October 2, food truck court on October 9 and Wednesday 'Food for Thought' lecture series.

6. The latest art exhibition at Brother's Drake is Yummy! an explosion of food and art. The opening reception is this Saturday, October 1 from 7-11 pm featuring nosh from local and independent folks and a raffle benefiting Mid Ohio Food Bank. The exhibit will continue through October 23.

7. Celebrate Local, a pop-up holiday shop featuring Ohio produced foods and gifts, opens Saturday. The non-profit store will be located in the former Harry and David store at Easton. Tomorrow, I'll post a preview of the Celebrate Local.

I must apologize in advance for light posting over the next week. I am teaching four classes in the next seven days and will celebrate my own birthday on the 9th. You can see me in person at the Family Pasta and Sauce class this Sunday or the Applicious Culinary class on Thursday October 6. Contact me to register for either.

Slow Food $5 Challenge, Julia Child Style

When Slow Food USA issued their $5 Meal Challenge, I pledged to participate right away. I love a real food cooking challenge! I hesitated which way to go with the meal. I could test myself to be as local as possible, or as cheap as I could get. As I often do in times of culinary indecision, I considered WWJD? What Would Julia Do?

Mrs. Child, with her easy-going and fun-loving manner in the kitchen often guides me. Her cookbooks are the backbone for our holiday roast bird among many other staple cooking methods. While a few of her recipes seem dated now, most are so classic that they stand the test of time.

The spirit of Julia told me to cook a hearty meal for friends. It should include at least a few courses to mimic a value meal. I was inspired to finally try her pastry dough and apple tart whose picture I so often admired.

Alex and I drew up a menu from Julia Child's The Way To Cook for our regular Friday night dinner date with another family. The backyard abundance of pepperoncini peppers became modified Feta Peppers as an appetizer. We knew meat would be a cost prohibiter so we chose Braised Lamb with Beans to stretch the protein. Alex, the bread baker of the family, had never used her French bread recipe so we chose Hard Rolls to accompany the stew. The meal concluded with Julia's Free Form Apple Tart.

Considerations

• We amended the challenge right off the bat by changing the date of our dinner to avoid an existing conflict. Slow Food is hoping most participants cook their value meals on September 17.
• We counted the three children in our calculations as equal eaters because as Horton the Elephant reminds us, "a person's a person, no matter how small."
• But the kids didn't actually eat full servings so there was a large adult-sized serving of lamb and beans, two rolls and a few peppers leftover.
• We used lamb stock that we made from an about-to-be-trashed carcass we reclaimed from Alex's parents. Equivalent homemade stock in the store is outrageously priced and wouldn't fit in our budget, though bouillon cubes would fit in the price per meal. I believe that Julia Child would agree with Michael Ruhlman that water is better than cheap bouillon. In the end we decided to charge ourselves nothing for the lamb stock, which is exactly what it cost us.
• A post is coming soon about adult beverages from one of our fellow diners, Mark. The kids drank Snowville creamery milk which slides in under the $5 mark at $0.36 per 6 ounce serving.
• I indicated where we used organic and/or local items.
• I counted our backyard produce and egg as organic (though it isn't certified) and priced it at farmer's market value for organic goods. If I had counted home-raised ingredients as free, another 39 cents drops off each person's meal.
• Alex rendered lard from the lamb scraps. Instead of using the vegetable shortening called for in Julia's tart dough, I substituted the free lamb lard. You can't taste it in the tart but the texture of the pastry is lighter than any I've ever made. We have an additional 1.5 cups of lard left for future meals.
• Calculations do not include alcohol consumed while cooking, a tradition Julia Child championed. ;)

Reflections

I usually give little attention to food cost because cooking and eating are my hobbies and life's work. I see no reason to skimp. As it turned out, with just a little planning, our meal cost only $4.44 per serving.

This challenge forced me to take every penny into account. At first I was disheartened as I started to price out meat. We wanted to buy from local purveyor Bluescreek Farm Meats (and now figure we could have) but the price per pound for what we wanted was too much. I realized that if all other ingredients were simple and portions were controlled adequately, we could easily have a filling meal.

I do wish I had sprung for a bit of salad on which to serve the peppers. They were lovely as hand passed appetizers, but I left the meal wishing for some more freshness. In hindsight (we never know exactly how much of something we're going to use, even when following recipes), our budget would have allowed for a simple green salad.

Other than cost analysis, it would be interesting to run a calorie and nutrient comparison with a typical fast food value meal. I attempted this with a nutrition calculator but it was having a bad day and not wanting to cooperate. I know our meal was high in fat and calories. I'm also certain the beans contributed a lot of fiber and vegetables in the dishes added vitamins. Because no preserved food was used in our recipes, the sodium content is undoubtedly lower than a drive thru meal.

The night following the Julia Child dinner, we cooked for 10. Our menu was roast Bell & Evans chicken (20.56), roast organic potatoes (5?), organic onion (1), backyard steamed green beans (free or 5), and baked apples (5). Add another 5 bucks for incidentals like herbs, oil, and spices, and without even trying, we created another meal under $5/serving.

Upon reflection, I realize that many of the meals my family eats are Real Food Value Meals. The cost of some meats and some processed foods we use like alcohol and cheese do raise the price significantly. We are lucky to be able to indulge in these frequently. Some of our consumption practices like bulk buying, access to a vehicle to shop at three different stores, and investing in a garden and deep freezer might not be available to some low income families who rely on fast food value meals regularly. On the other hand, the power of restaurants to negotiate prices and buy in bulk must equal what we can do at home. The promise of low cost real food is definitely there.

I challenge all my readers to participate in the Slow Food USA $5 Meal Challenge. Take the pledge and cook on September 17 or leave a comment about your favorite low cost real food meal.

Cost Calculation (based on 7 servings)

Lamb and Beans 3.5# halal lamb shoulder (from Mediterranean Imports) - 17.96 1.5# organic onion - 2.19 1 cup box red wine - 1.28 1/4 cup olive oil - 0.40 1 tablespoon salt - 0.03 1 teaspoon organic fresh ground pepper - 0.03 1/2 teaspoon fresh organic backyard rosemary - 0.10 (farmer's market price) 1 1/2 cup chopped organic backyard tomato - 1.20 (farmer's market price) 2 1/2 cups homemade lamb stock - 0.0 4 cups cooked organic great northern beans (from 2 cups dry) - 1.26 3.48/serving

Stuffed Peppers 1/4 cup Bulgarian feta (from Mediterranean Imports) - 1.47 1/3 cup sour cream (subbed greek yogurt) - 0.83 1 backyard egg yolk - 0.33 (farmers market price) 1 teaspoon salt - 0.01 1/2 teaspoon organic fresh ground pepper - 0.01 1 teaspoon Worcestershire - 0.20 4 drops Sriracha hot pepper sauce - 0.10 1 pint organic backyard pepperoncini peppers - 1.00 (farmers market price) .56/serving

Free-form Apple Tart 3 low-chemical Ohio Paula Red apples - 1.00 1/4 cup organic cane sugar - 0.10 1 1/2 cup organic all purpose flour - 0.43 (from King Arthur Co-op) 1/2 cup cake flour - 0.38 1/4 teaspoon salt - 0.01 6 ounces Ohio Amish butter - 1.16 1/4 cup lamb lard - 0.0 .26/serving (made 12 servings)

Hard French Rolls 2 1/2 teaspoon yeast - 0.05 1/4 teaspoon organic cane sugar - 0.01 1# bread flour - 0.71 (from King Arthur Co-op) 1 Tablespoon local rye flour - 0.20 2 1/4 teaspoons salt - 0.02 0.14/serving

Total: 4.44/serving

Taste the Future at CSCC {Giveaway!}

Culinary school has always been a fascination to me. People from all walks of life end up in school to train how to stand behind a hot stove for long hours. Why?

Columbus State Community College (CSCC) invited me to find out. Anna and I sat in on an International Cuisine course session, part of the culinary apprenticeship program.

Making of a Chef, Columbus State Style

Columbus State has a dual approach of intense classroom instruction combined with 6000 hours of apprentice work. Students learn about everything from sanitation to accounting, and menu planning to food preparation in the culinary apprenticeship program. They graduate with an associates degree and three years of restaurant experience.

By the time I met the third year students in the International Cuisine class I observed, they knew their way around the well-stocked kitchen. Prep work was focused and jolly. Students sought the advice of instructor James Taylor, Certified Executive Chef, as needed.

I chatted with students about their aspirations. Many were looking forward to continuing in their apprentice kitchens after graduation. One wants to find a place in a military base, as her husband recently enlisted in the Army. Another hopes to continue on to a fine pastry school, such as the Le Cordon Blue.

Taylor provided some additional insight into why a person might come to CSCC: for the confidence to cook great things. Taylor teaches students that a "recipe isn't a be all, end all thing - it doesn't excuse you from using your brain."

Joking voices were replaced by pans clanking on stove grates and the sizzle of meat on the grill as the plating deadline approached. The teaching kitchen was a whir of activity.

Students delivered their dishes to a central table where they were gently critiqued by Taylor. The chefs-to-be analyzed their own work too, guessing why dishes prepared with the same recipe looked different and evaluating plating looks. Students practiced using the dish tank before serving themselves. As we tasted the dishes together, the students were clearly exhausted but endeared to this program.

Taste the Future

Low tuition is a hallmark of the community college system, as is a strong scholarship system. Taste the Future is Columbus State's nod to their successful culinary program and their biggest community fund raising event.

At Taste the Future, visitors enjoy drinks, music, and tastes of the finest dishes chefs have to offer. Many participants are CSCC graduates who return at Taste to give back to their school. Read the Hounds in the Kitchen 2009 Taste the Future recap for an idea of what the event entails.

This year's Taste the Future will be held on September 13, 2011 from 5:30 to 9 pm. Tickets are $100 each, available online or by calling 614-287-2436.

Giveaway (Now Closed)

Wish you could spend an evening sampling chefs' best at Taste the Future? You can! Organizers provided me with two pairs of tickets to giveaway.

To enter, leave a comment below with the offering you most wish to try at Taste the Future 2011. The menu of dishes is expanding every day.

Giveaway Details:

Contest entries close at 12:01 AM EST on Tuesday, September 6. Two winners will be selected with random.org. Winners will have 24 hours to respond to email notification with their mailing address for delivery of the tickets.

Winners must have a US address. Only one entry per person please.

Retail value of each pair of tickets is $200. Tickets are for the 2011 Taste the Future event held on September 13, 2011 at Columbus State Community College Downtown campus, 550 East Spring Street, Columbus, OH 43215.

Disclosure: I received a pair of tickets to Taste the Future, a tour, lunch, and tastes at the cooking class. All opinions are my own.

Zucchini Pronto {Recipe}

Summer means two things in Ohio: an abundance of zucchini and heat. The savvy home cook needs an equal amount of creative recipes that come together in quick minute so as not to warm up the kitchen and make the cook sweat. Zucchini Pronto is one such dish. Basi Italia introduced me to the concept, the same restaurant that inspired my home version of their marinated kale salad.

Like many quick-cooking meals, this recipe requires thorough mise en place. Shred and prepare all ingredients so they are ready at hand. Use a heavy bottomed or cast iron skillet heated very hot and have bowls or plates set out before cooking so the zucchini can be plated instantly.

What are your favorite ways to prepare a plethora of zucchini?

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Zucchini Pronto serves two as an appetizer or side dish

2 tablespoons high quality olive oil 1/4 cup slivered almonds 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups shredded zucchini (about 1 medium) white pepper 8-10 very thin 3 inch shreds of Parmesan or Peccorino cheese (use the very best you can afford)

1. Heat a large cast iron pan over high heat. 2. Add olive oil. Then layer almonds, garlic, and zucchini in pan. 3. Heat for one minute and then flip sections with a spatula. Keep heat on high to sauté, not stew. 4. After two minutes, when zucchini is heated through, pile into a shallow plate or bowl. 5. Cover immediately with cheese. Allow it to melt with the heat of the zucchini for approximately one minute before serving.

NB: If you want to double or triple this recipe, use more pans. If you pile more zucchini into a single pan it will stew and juices will run instead of the quick sear/sauté that is key to this dish.

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PS. I am a nominee for a central Ohio blog award. May I have your vote?

Added to Hearth and Soul.

Peanut Butter Pie for a Guy I Will Never Know

I wasn't going to make Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey. I heard about his sudden death via the twitter account of his food writer wife, Jennifer Perillo. The story touched me and I hugged my husband and daughter more tightly than usual that day.

When Jennifer urged readers to make peanut butter pie and think of Mikey today, Friday, I still wasn't going to make it. I didn't know the family and definitely don't need another dessert in my diet.

But the recipes from food friends started appearing. My taste buds watered at all the various interpretations of peanut butter pie.

I looked a little more seriously at the recipe. I didn't have everything called for in Jennifer's recipe, but I had most ingredients, enough to make it work.

So after Lil's bedtime, I whipped together peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar and more. I served Alex dessert. We toasted a guy we can never know but whose memory is inspiring home cooks around the world to enjoy dessert with their loved ones tonight.

We should all be remembered so well.

Foodbuzz 24x24: It Couldn't Be...

Have you ever read a recipe and thought "that can't be tasty"? I usually skip right over those. Many of us also have food gifts that are getting dusty in the pantry because we are unsure if they will be good. The "It Couldn't Be..." dinner I hosted Saturday, supported by Foodbuzz, was a chance to try those offbeat dishes. I invited food and recipe loving friends to contribute a suspect course to a pot-luck style meal. Decor included my funky chicken collection atop a colorful oilcloth table covering from local fabric store Sew to Speak.

Pastry chef Heather brought Hot Mushroom Meringues from the Antoinette Pope School Cookbook, published in 1957. These appetizer toasts topped with eggy mushroom and baked meringue earned a solid 4 on a scale of 0 to 5. They could use some help in the visual department but were a passably tasty dish.

Debra and family brought baked spareribs with luau sauce from Texas restaurant chain Luby's cookbook. The sauce of peaches, tomato and vinegar was surprisingly tasty, again earning a 4 from those who ate the combo.

Alex used the occasion of the It Couldn't Be dinner to cook his first beer can chicken. He searched Larousse Gastronomiquefor an unfamiliar yet possibly tasty sauce, settling on the chicken liver Bearnaise. The chicken and sauce were both outstanding, solid 5s. I couldn't see having a whole dinner without vegetables so I made a salad topped with homegrown heirloom violet jasper tomatoes, ark of taste Jimmy Nardello peppers, and purple beauty sweet peppers. I searched for a salad dressing that would fit the spirit of the It Couldn't Be meal and came up with the cottage cheese dressing from our 1966 Women's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery. The veggies were tasty but the salad dressing was hit or miss. Alex and Heather couldn't stomach it at all, while the rest of the table decided it was passable but not something to serve again. Drinks for the meal were wine gifts of various sorts. We started with a sparkling strawberry wine that only tasted acceptable with an ice cube or two. It leaned heavily towards soda pop but not so much so as the second bottle, an apple Ohio wine that scored 0 among those playing the ranking game. Fruity does not begin to define the depth of sweetness in this concoction. The final wine was an unlabeled mystery red given to us by a seed potato buyer. It was the best of the bunch and we would love to know more about it. After a quick tour of the garden, I served the piece de resistance: sausage cake from a Nordic Ware promotional cookbook circa 1970s. Made from a whole pound of (homemade, of course) pork sausage with cold coffee as the liquid, this spice cake was clearly meant to be served as dessert. Three of the five adults enjoyed the cake, while the other two had trouble overcoming the psychological barrier that their dessert contained undetectable meat. We tried the cake with an apple moonshine pairing and decided that a chef could serve this at a restaurant using the moonshine in a hard sauce and patrons might love it.

Dense and sweet, unsuspecting diners might not know the cake contained sausage if they were not told. We'll try this theory on our family coming over tonight. Shhh....

Overwhelmingly, our dinner party was pleased with the recipes we chose. It just goes to show, when you take a risk on something that 'couldn't be', you may very well be pleasantly surprised!

Potato Chickpea Samosa {Recipe}

On a recent Saturday morning, I woke early and drove to the Worthington Farmer's Market. I was on a mission to buy sour cherries and meet AJ of Sassafras Bakery. Fruit in tow, I introduced myself to the sweet bombshell that is AJ and chatted with my friend Patti who happened to be working the bakery stand too. I couldn't leave without purchasing Sassafras' most hyped treats - the potato & bacon pocket pie and kitchen sink granola bar. I shared the pie with Alex, who was still hobbling around with a piece of an axe in his thigh. It was flaky and savory and oh so delicious. "I could eat a dozen of these," I sighed. "Me too. They're like breakfast samosas," agreed Alex.

One thing led to another and that night we were folding, filling, and frying samosas for the first time.

We used the tome 1,000 Indian Recipes as a guide for the recipe. While I'm not sure we will ever work our way through the whole book, the few recipes we have made are spot-on to the Indian cuisine we eat in the US and what Alex has had on his trips to India. The samosa recipe was another one to add to our permanent file.

The dough is a barely mixed flour and oil one that rests for a few hours to develop gluten. It is divided into equal pieces and rolled into balls. Each ball is then rolled into a thin circle and cut in half.

Each half folds into a triangle pocket by sealing one side from middle of the base across the rounded edge. The other corner is brought across and sealed to the outside. Filling stuffs in and the third edge is sealed.

The filling can be made of practically anything. Alex and I opted for a fairly traditional potato, onion, and chickpea filling while Lil filled her pieces with leftover chicken.

While stuffing our faces with the savory, slightly spicy, crisp samosas, we realized that the recipe is vegan. Though a little heavy on carbs and not at all low fat, I'll keep samosas in mind for parties where I want to feed people with a variety of dietary needs.

We made a double batch of dough and filling and fried all of the resulting 48 samosas. What we didn't eat on Saturday we froze.

To reheat with crispness, we pop them in the toaster oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. When we are feeling lazy, 1 minute in the microwave works, though the texture of the wrapping sogs a bit. Potato Chickpea Samosas from 1,000 Indian Recipes by Neelam Batra makes 24

Traditional Samosa Dough

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour + 1 cup for dusting 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground ajwain seeds (available through Pensey's) about 1/3 cup water 2 cups oil for deep frying

1. Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, salt, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and ajwain seeds in food processor and pulse a few times to mix.

2. Run motor and slowly pour water until the flour gathers into a semi-firm ball that does not stick to the sides.

3. Remove to a clean bowl, cover with a towel or plastic, and let rest 1-4 hours for the gluten to develop. Dough can be refrigerated at this point.

Potato Chickpea Filling

2 tablespoons canola oil 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 2 teaspoon coriander seeds 1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek 1/2 teaspoon tumeric 1/4 teaspoon curry powder 1 teaspoon chili garlic paste 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger 1 vidalia onion 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste) 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste) 1 cup / 8 ounces cooked chickpeas (1/2 can) 2 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cubed and boiled until tender in salted water 1/2 cup water

1. Grind cumin and coriander with a mortar and pestle.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add all spices, chili paste and ginger to the oil and stir for one to two minutes, being careful not to burn them.

3. Add onion into seasoned oil. Cook covered for 20 minutes or until caramelized and very tender, adding water after five minutes.

4. Stir in potatoes and chickpeas. Cook for another five minutes while slightly mashing potatoes. Add a little more water to cook as necessary.

5. Allow to cool before stuffing into samosa dough.

Assembly and Cooking

1. Heat oil to 350 degrees in a large deep pan.

2. Divide dough into 12 balls.

3. Roll a ball into a thin 12 inch circle and cut in half.

4. Fold each half into a triangle pocket by sealing one side from middle of the base across the rounded edge. Bring the other corner across and seal it to the outside.

5. Stuff in a tablespoon or so of filling and seal the third edge.

6. Fry in hot oil for 4-5 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate or rack to drain excess oil. Serve warm.

PS. Meet and bid on a date with AJ at the Local Matters benefit Hills Foodie Fair this Saturday.

Added to Hearth and Soul 58.

Home Pickled Cornichons {Recipe}

Mmmm...cornichons. Oh...gherkins. I like to say your names. I love how your vinegary taste and crunchy texture excite the palette, especially in between bites of rich charcuterie. The tiny cucumbers needed to make cornichons are difficult to find raw. To fulfill my homemade pickle desires, I did what any self-respecting homestead would do: grow my own.

I started with Parisian Pickling Cucumber seeds from Seed Savers Exchange. Last year the plants grew a little and produced just enough cucumbers for a single jar of cornichons before rust withered the plant away.

This year, I planted six seeds from the same packet our sunniest compost rich raised bed. The plants are ten feet long, trellising on anything that stands still, and covered with hundreds of yellow flowers.

Each flower matures into a bitty cucumber overnight. Given another 24 hours, the cucumber is perfect for cornichon making. If left un-picked, the cucumber grows to 8-inch long relish-making size in another 24 hours. This rapid development seems magical, as is the camouflaging effect of all those green leaves hiding the cucumbers.

I pick off the correctly sized cucumbers daily and store them in the fridge. When I have 8 to 10 collected, Lil and I wash and pickle them with this simple recipe. Pickling is great for young cooks because they can stuff the jars and count the spices. If all goes well, we will have a stash of jars in the larder before winter.

I created this recipe based on several versions I found in cookbooks. It is tart but not too tart and rich with spices. Many recipes call for salting the cucumbers overnight and rinsing them to ensure a crisp pickle. Because these babies are so tiny, I skip this step and they are plenty crunchy for me. If you have access to fresh grape leaves, tossing in one per jar is reported to help the texture of pickles.

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Homemade Cornichons for each half pint jar

2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 cup white vinegar 1/3 cup water 5-8 whole 2-4 inch cucumbers, washed thoroughly with spines rubbed off 1 clove garlic, peeled 1 small bay leaf 1/2 tablespoon pepper corns 2 whole cloves 1 bay leaf 1 fresh grape leaf, washed, optional

1. Heat salt, vinegar, and water in a pot over medium heat until boiling. 2. Pack cucumbers into a sterilized jar with peeled garlic clove. Sprinkle spices over cucumbers. 3. Pour boiling vinegar brine into the jar, leaving 1/4 inch head space. 4. Wipe rim and place new lid on the jar. Finger tighten a ring on the jar and place in a hot water bath. 5. Boil in hot water for 15 minutes. Remove from water bath and allow to cool to room temperature.

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Added to Simple Lives Thursday 53 and Punk Domestics.