If you’re lucky enough to live anywhere near a farm that grows strawberries, be sure to venture out to pick your own. When you tire of having sweet, ruby tinged juice staining your fingers, and you can tear yourself away from eating every other berry you bend to pick, head home to bake these easy and classic strawberry shortcakes.
Thank you, Christy Colasurdo and Tracey Medeiros, for sharing this recipe from their just released cookbook, The Connecticut Farm to Table Cookbook; 150 Home-Grown Recipes from the Nutmeg State, June 2015. This beautifully photographed book is a celebration of the local and seasonal. Although it highlights CT. chefs, the recipes are suitable for all die-hard locavores anywhere.
When peaches hit the summer market in CT there are plenty of reasons to celebrate. I love everything about them: their seductive fruity fragrance, their juicy sunny flesh and most of all, their versatility.
In this easy quinoa salad, peaches lean more savory than sweet, making this the perfect accompaniment to grilled fish or chicken. But remember that quinoa is a complete protein on its own so feel free to make this the whole meal and be done. I'm already dreaming about this salad for breakfast with some luscious creamy goat cheese or salty feta.
While juicy ripe tomatoes are on the wane, autumn provides an opportunity to experiment with firm green tomatoes. Don’t overlook these gems when you see them in the market. Once battered and fried, they’re a perfect canvas for arranging all sorts of cheeses, fresh figs and a swirl of balsamic glaze.
Serve one of these compositions as an appetizer or a light lunch and watch your guests thrill to one of autumn’s underrated fruits.
Thank you to Patti Popp, farmer at Sport Hill Farm in Easton, CT and Lori Cochran Dougall, Director of Westport Farmers’ Market, who introduced me to the wonders of green tomatoes.
Yom Kippur*, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, is a day of fasting and praying. When the longest day of the year ends (at least for those who haven’t eaten for 25 hours) family and friends gather around a casual buffet that often includes a sweet noodle kugel. Sure, there are bagels and cheeses, cucumber salads and fresh fruit. But it’s the kugel everyone goes for first.
Sure, on Jewish holidays, we love to eat symbolic foods* like apples dipped in honey and moist round challah on Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year. But somehow, most families I know begin the feast with glistening chicken soup.
Symbolic? Maybe only in the sense that it is an undisputed classic that signal the beginning of a family gathering.
Traditional Eastern European chicken soup is very basic, with a plump 3.5-4 pound chicken (or chicken parts), one quartered onion, sliced carrots, celery, parsnips, and fresh dill and salt, at the heart of the aromatic, slow simmered broth.
Consider this a foundational recipe, ripe for playing with, if you’d like to add some personal touches.
Many students can tell you the connection between the miracle of oil in the Chanukah story and why we indulge in deep fried latkes (potato pancakes). Here, Westport blogger, Liz Rueven, focused on a lesser known story as she created these Greek inspired spinach and feta latkes with a savory creamy topping. (Read her complete blog post here)
Photo: Tami WeiserJust as the evening temps begin to cool and farmers’ markets are bursting with bright mounds of apples and pears, Jewish cooks shift their focus to preparing meals for Rosh HaShanah, the New Year celebrations. This year, the holiday begins at sunset on October 2 and ends on the eve of October 4.
There are plenty of symbolic ingredients associated with the holiday, making menu planning a fun and meaningful challenge. Seasonal ingredients (apples, pears, squashes, potatoes, zucchini) reign supreme. Flavors traditionally lean towards sweet, referencing hopes for a joyful and healthy year ahead. Symbols of plenty, like lentils, beans and pomegranates, are also included and refer to fertility and wishes for an abundance of all positive things.
Here are some recipe suggestions to get you in gear for Jewish holiday cooking.
Did you miss Paula Shoyer, author of THE KOSHER BAKER, on the Food Network’s new baking competition “Sweet Genius”?
If so, you can catch her in Westport on Wednesday, January 25 when she will be offering a baking demonstration and scrumptious tasting at Chabad of Westport.
Shoyer performed magnificently on “Sweet Genius.”.She was poised, cool and creative in that episode in October 2011. Along with other contestants, she was given unexpected, last minute challenges like being asked to integrate jelly beans and hot sauce into her recipe already in the works. Her rosemary lemon sponge cake with raspberry mint sorbet between the layers was not the version she had planned on when she started!
Liz Rueven is a CTbites contributor and the founder of a new blog, Kosher Like Me.
The Stand Juice Company opened a second location in Fairfield , CT five weeks ago and they are rockin’ already. Carissa Dellicicchi and Mike Hrizdo, the dynamic husband and wife duo behind the Stand in Norwalk (opened in 2006), complement each other perfectly.
Carissa is the cook and creative force and Mike is the organizer and funny man. They first met in Miami at a raw foods market and bonded over their love for organic vegetarian eats and their passion for exploring the connection between better eating and healing the body.
Chef Nicole Straight will present two easy and flavorful recipes to shoppers at the Westport Farmers’ Market on September 8 between 10-2. Straight is the founder and Chef of TIME TO EAT, which helps parents and other busy people cook healthy, simple meals without investing hours in the kitchen. She was invited to the White House to participate in First Lady Michelle Obama’s GET MOVING CAMPAIGN, recently appeared on Bravo TV’s ROCCO’S DINNER PARTY, has won numerous awards in Fairfield County and may be seen on Channel 8’s WTNH, where she instructs viewers on simple meal prep.
Straight will be presenting her PEACH AND BLACK BEAN SALSA (recipe below)
The Westport Farmers Market is the place to be on Thursday September 1st as clean up from the not so friendly Hurricane Irene continues all over town. Come out to replenish your pantry and fresh produce supply while helping out area farmers and producers.
Bryan Malcarney, chef/owner of Blue Lemon in Westport, will be the guest chef this week. He has been in the same spot in Sconset Square for over eight years and has quite the following. His presentation at the market will include two seasonal favorites as he offers CUCUMBER DILL GAZPACHO (recipe below) and GOLDEN BEET GAZPACHO for tasting.
On a perfectly clear and balmy night last week, 60 diners gathered at Millstone Farm, Wilton, to dine alfresco in the field adjacent to Betsy and Jesse Fink’s farm house . Tim LaBant, Chef and owner of The Schoolhouse at Cannondale Restaurant, was focused and in good humor as he checked last minute details and greeted familiar faces. Enthusiastic attendees sauntered down the hill towards one very long, white draped table dotted with glowing candles and jam jars filled with brightly colored flowers from the fields.
Cecily Gans, Chef and Owner of the Main Course Catering Company, will have the rapt attention of salad enthusiasts at the Westport Farmers’ Market this Thursday August 4th, as she introduces two new dressings to liven up those farm fresh greens. Starlight’s greens will share the spotlight with Beltane Farm’s goat cheese as she turns to fresh herbs, stone fruits and berries to accentuate the summer theme. Chef Gans describes her favorite cheese vendor’s cheeses as “ a muse for my dressings.” Talk about inspiration springing from one ingredient!
Gans’ two dressings are virtual opposites, with the ASIAN THAI (see recipe below) utilizing Thai Basil and rice vinegar as a base for a spicier salad.
LaBant will be cooling his fans with HERBAL SNOW CONES as the temperatures continue to hold steady in the 90’s. Simple foods and icy treats are what we crave in this weather and LaBant obliges. Herb infused simple syrups mixed with freshly squeezed juices combine to make FRUIT FLAVORED HERBED ICES served in paper cones. Stroll the market with his refreshing creation and note the exotic combinations of distinctive flavors like GREEN TEA PEAR, WATERMELON BASIL, WATERMELON MINT, LEMON PRICKLY PEAR or PINEAPPLE PEPPER.
LaBant sources regularly from his neighbors at Millstone Farm in Wilton. He may surprise shoppers with an additional dish, utilizing ingredients he discovers from other vendors at market. I’ve heard murmurs about a mixed green salad with cherries, mint and Beltane’s goat cheese. We can only hope.
The Westport Farmers’ Market opened today with a celebratory vibe as late spring temps finally pushed into the low 80’s and bright sun pushed through the early morning fog. More than 30 vendors set up under their tents, arranging heaping towers of local produce and lovingly prepared food product as shoppers streamed in to resume their Thursday routines of shopping, eating, and shmoozing at this one stop al fresco mecca. Westport’s market, winner of BEST FARMERS’ MARKET for the third consecutive year in the annual BEST OF THE GOLD COAST AWARDS, has embarked on its sixth season with stricter guidelines imposed on market vendors. Lori Cochran Dougall, Market Manager, has developed 12 guidelines that must be met by both farmers and small food producers. These guidelines are accepted by all vendors and make the mission of this market clear: all edibles must be local, sustainable and healthy. What does this mean for shoppers?
Perhaps one of the keys to the bold flavors and exciting range of vegan desserts presented in Hannah Kaminsky’s latest cookbook, VEGAN DESSERTS, SUMPTUOUS SWEETS FOR EVERY SEASON, is that she insists that there aren’t any disclaimers about her recipes. “Each dessert must be delicious, bold and beautiful, not just for a vegan dessert but for ANY dessert.” It is for that reason, that Kaminsky’s latest book will appeal to a wide range of home bakers including those concerned with reducing fat and sugar, vegans and vegetarians, and Kosher bakers (always on the prowl for non-dairy desserts) alike.
Woodsy, flowery and herbal scents wafted towards the entrance of AROGYA as I sought shelter from the cold drizzle of the damp, spring day. Part tea boutique, part apothecary, AROGYA is committed to providing the ultimate tea drinking experience to novice and devoted tea connoisseurs alike. There were two contemporary glass teapots filled with steaming liquid on the reception desk. I made a bee line for the golden hued warmth, placed both hands around the handsome ceramic cup that was offered to me and inhaled the deep, earthy flavor of Pu-erh. The knowledgeable and friendly woman behind the counter explained that I was drinking organic Yunnan Pu-erh tea leaves combined with organic ginger. She proclaimed it to be the perfect warming anecdote to the chilly damp day. She was correct.
Let’s play the association game. What comes to mind when you think of pomegranates, black olives, roasted leeks, cardamon, lavender? First thing to pop into your head? COOKIES?!
Once you taste Andre Kreft’s savory shortbread cookie bites you may soon be thinking about some unusual ingredient and food pairings yourself. Kreft, a self taught artisan baker, launched SAVOR FINE FOODS only six months ago. He has created 12 flavors for his shortbread cookie bites that surprise and thrill with prominent flavors.
Sundays are pizza making days for kids at Coalhouse Pizza in Stamford. First rule co-owner, Gerard Robertson, puts out there? DON’T BE AFRAID TO MAKE A MESS! Better his place than yours, and a lot more fun, for sure. If one too many rainy days has given your clan cabin fever, this is a great way to get out, make your own pizza and learn something too.
Robertson invites kids of all ages to pull up a stool and gently work a ball of dough on the long stretch of white marble that wraps around the pizza prep area and the enormous coal oven.
Pizza is easy to love. Who doesn’t relish gooey mounds of cheese over even the most basic sauces and crusts? But for diners concerned with their health, it is no secret that most pizza is loaded with fat and sodium. For those with gluten allergies or intolerance, pizza parlor pizza is off limits.
SAVOR PIZZA in Norwalk is a dream come true for pizza lovers with gluten sensitivities and diners who are mindful of eating lower fat, less salt and organic ingredients. For those with gluten intolerance, it may become your go-to spot for take out pizza, the meal you thought you would never be able to eat again.
