February 2007

When life gives you lemons … hmmm I have heard that expression before. Lemonade. That’s the ticket. Or lemon tart. Or preserved lemons. I have a lot of the beautiful beasts right now, all sizes, shapes and variations of sour, some mine and some donations from friends who feared their trees’ fruit would be decimated by the frosts last month. I’ve been drinking a lot of that lemonade, too—my prescription for a sore throat or incipient cold, juice of one lemon, a big spoon of honey, as much cayenne pepper powder as I can stand (a lot, I’ve found), and almost-boiling water from the teakettle, to taste. Hot, spicy, lemonade. Sipped to soothe the throat and lungs, sipped to control a cough; last week, sipped to sooth my fevered flu-ridden soul.

I always talk about the farmers market here, but I also have planted a little tiny garden outside my business. I started last spring, planting herbs after digging up the dying ornamentals it once hosted. Then Rosetta’s mom planted a couple of tomato seedlings, and my herb garden turned into a vegetable garden. So, I added some more vegetables—I’m the type of gardener who wings it, buys on impulse, and weeds when the spirit moves me, but at least my plot has a drip system and Southwestern sun. Now I have gorgeous chard, dainty red Russian kale, one remaining head of lettuce, a bunch-worth of leeks, and my miracle pepper plant. Yesterday I picked three gorgeous green bell peppers from it. There are maybe fifty more, all growing by leaps and bounds, a week ago no bigger than my thumb-nail and today the size of small plums. It’s February, but this silly plant, put in the ground last summer (I was told “too late”), doesn’t know.

At the farmers market now there are lots of great winter vegetables, and not a pepper in sight. Not much has changed from last month—probably the farmers put their plants in the ground in an orderly manner, at the right time of year for each to produce in it’s season. Plenty of citrus, avocados, cauliflower and broccoli—plenty of roots like rutabaga and turnips, parsnips too. Kale, chard, cabbage, radicchio—I am waiting for the early fava beans of spring, but they are not yet here. Plus, lots of non-veggie items so you can go to the market and come home with all you need for good meals all week—meat, fresh crab, oysters, to name a few.

I’ve been asked a lot about using root vegetables lately. Probably because they look so healthy and wholesome now at the market, and people have almost forgotten about including these old hearty “storage vegetables” in their diets these days. So, here are a few good ideas for some of them. Our Recipe of the Month, Beef Mushroom Barley Soup, also uses several roots to flavor the broth.

Peel and slice parsnips into rounds, and toss with a bit of olive oil, salt & pepper and lay out on a pan and bake until soft and starting to brown. They are sweet and nutty and totally different than any other vegetable. Make mashed turnips or rutabagas, either chunky or pureed in the food processor for a smooth version. All they need is a bit of salt, pepper and butter to provide a wonderful and different vegetable. Roast root vegetables in little packets, neatly diced and wrapped in parchment or foil, with a sprig of thyme, a little salt and pepper, and a bit of olive oil. And, if you happen to get your hands on a bunch of delicate fresh baby white turnips, which just need to be scrubbed, quartered and quickly sautéed, you can also (separately) sauté the greens, a delicately flavored treat.

Fancy Food Show

I got a lesson in what makes the food world tick at the Fancy Food show a week ago. 6,000 stands, from all parts of the world, with fabulous cheeses, cured meats, and everything else you can think of. More chocolate and candy than is conceivable. Sauces of every type. Flavored vinegars--my friend Tony, who owns Big Paw, maker of fabulous naturally flavored vinegars (taste his products at the Grand Lake farmers market among others), clued me in to a trade secret: Most of them contain what he calls “wonf”, short for “with other natural flavors” which are not specified on the label. And can be anything “natural” which is very loosely defined.

The worst thing I tasted at fancy food (and I tasted selectively, spending only 3 hours touring) was a portioned, precooked, ready to serve duck breast. Talk about wonf! You couldn’t have told what the meat was, if the label didn’t say “duck”. The trash can got my taste. This type of thing is sometimes passed off in certain types of restaurants as food cooked on the premises. Along with pre-cooked, packaged prime rib, and the like.

Another popular trend is the burgeoning world of fancy tea. Disclaimer: my daughter works for a tea company represented at the show. Again, a lot of wonf represented in some booths (not at Teance, her company), and a lot of cheap tea too—but some delicate, lovingly grown teas as well. You will find your local upscale restaurant serving these, if my daughter has any sway. Which reminds me of a short story from our last trip back east: we went to my husband’s home town, in New Jersey and ate at the diner. I asked what kind of tea do you have? And was told “whaddayamean, what KIND of tea? We have TEA-tea, honey.”

We have some “tea developments” in the planning stages at the kitchen, too—but it’s premature to talk about these, so stay tuned; I’ll leave them for another month’s newsletter.

Classes

Respecting and caring for your tools, specifically your carefully chosen knives, is important. You need good sharp knives to work effectively in the kitchen. Our knife sharpening class will teach you how to keep your tools in top-notch shape, a very valuable skill. The class is taught by an expert, Eric E. Weiss, who sharpens for restaurants all over the Bay Area, and is a presence at some of the farmers markets as well. This is sharpening with a stone—which is part of the modest fee for this class, the stone a quality product you take with you and use for years to come. If you’ve ever entrusted your precious knives to a stranger with a grinding wheel to disastrous results, this class will help you avoid ruining any more of your expensive tools. Register today for a spot in this class, which is next Monday night, the 12th, from 6:30 – 8:30 PM. And, don’t forget to bring your knives!

Our other February class, Ayako Iino’s Chawanmushi and Imo-Gohan, a Winter Menu, takes place Wednesday the 21st. Ayako’s classes grow in popularity, as people realize they are going to learn to make foods that are not just the same as you’d find in your average Japanese restaurant. Ayako is a skilled chef, and a careful teacher. Discover the hidden world of home-style Japanese food, by signing up for her class today!

Rosetta Costantino is back with some great-sounding Italian cooking classes, including some that will help usher in the springtime. Check the schedule and make your reservations now, before they fill!

Have Your Next Event at the Kitchen

Remember that Paulding & Company hosts events of all kinds, from catered meetings to team development sessions for your company—and from birthday parties to rehearsal dinners for your family. Call or email us for a quote. Isn’t it time you had some fun in the kitchen?