My CSA share week #1 (last week, June 4) Photo from the Golden Earthworm Organic Farm (my CSA provider!)

I’m blogging for the newest Edible community– Edible Queens, set to launch its first paper issue September 2009. I have to admit I was feeling a little neglected. It’s about time there was an Edible community in my very own ‘hood, so I’m happy to be a part of it! I think the first issue is going to be fabulous and until then, you can read more online.

I have a weekly post about what I receive in my Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) box. I also include all the recipe ideas my heart can throw out for whatever the box contents are. So instead of just one recipe with one or two of the ingredients, I’ll list a few different ideas (with no promises I’m actually making any of them!).

The blog is called Astoria Feed.

One, because it’s about the food from the Astoria CSA, two, because it’s the feed I’ll be eating all week, and three, because it’s also a news feed of all of the above and more. You can follow the link: www.ediblecommunities.com/queens/view-by-tag/66/ to see more.

If you’re in a CSA, or ever thought of what the experience might be like, the blog will be a fun place to follow my adventures. If you’re in a CSA on the northeast (or even midwest) the blog will be fun to follow along with because you’ll probably receive many of the same items around the same time. If you’re in a CSA in the south or west coast I despise you for your extended growing seasons while you sit there practically eating watermelons this time of year because and you’ve seen this produce come through long ago (I know because I was in California two weeks ago eating local cherries like a banchy (re Urban Dictionary: A wild creature with snarly brown hair that is excessive in all its activities.). (As an aside, I’m not really sure why a banchy has to have snarly brown hair, but I suppose it fits.) Please note I have to wait another month for local cherries! If you’re not in a CSA, have been there/done that, can’t join, or won’t be joining, it’s still a fun place to follow along and if nothing else, maybe you’ll be inspired by some recipe ideas!

Here’s last week’s post as a sample of what you get if you read:

WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
1 bunch baby bok choi
1 bunch beets
1 bunch French breakfast radishes
1 bunch rhubarb
1 bunch Japanese white salad turnips
1 bag arugula -or- spinach
2 heads of lettuce  or 1 head of lettuce and 1 bag salad mix

I love the freshness of spring greens! Our shares this time of year are so plush. Part of the fun of a CSA is that you receive whatever is in season. It’s like Iron Chef– you don’t get to pick what you want. It’s sometimes a challenge to come up with interesting recipe ideas, but it’s worth it to try new items and vary your diet. One thing to remember is that while the above list of vegetables is what is posted as what we’ll receive at the beginning of the week, the list often changes depending on what comes in from the fields (sometimes creating a bigger challenge!). For example, in addition to the above, we also received strawberries in our share.

Here are my recipe thoughts for this week:

Rhubarb- We received strawberries too so strawberry rhubarb pie is a given. But I love making a simple syrup with the rhubarb and whipping up mixed drinks (with alcohol or not). Bourbon goes well with rhubarb, as does tequila, but rhubarb lemonade, or rhubarb-mint with seltzer is equally refreshing.

Lettuce, Turnips, Radish- We get large glorious heads of lettuce. Really, some of our members wait all year for the lettuce! My box contained 2 billowing heads of butter lettuce– one red, one green. Golden Earthworm’s Butter Lettuce is my favorite. The white salad turnips are also spectacular. So sweet raw! I’m thinking some fish wraps in lettuce with a chipotle mayonaise (mix some mayo with chipotle in adobo sauce) and top with slice turnips and radish. You can even add shredded beets on top. Other proteins like shrimp, beef or shredded chicken would be good too.

Beets- It’s still cool enough to wrap beets in foil and roast them until tender(about 45 minutes). Or… peel and shred raw beets. Toss with some lemon juice, goat cheese, pine nuts (walnuts, pistachio work too), salt/pepper and fresh herbs– mint, cilantro, parsley. Whatever is around, just pile it on.

Bok Choi- My favorite for the bok choi is a quick stir fry. I like to add beef or chicken marinated in OJ and soy sauce and cook it up. Once done, boil down the marinade, add some fresh orange zest and toss it as a sauce for an orange beef in bok choi. Serve over brown rice.

This post is featured on Sustainable Table as this month’s Adventure in Fermentation. Also, if you’re in the NYC region, don’t forget to sign up for my culinary walking tour through Institute of Culinary Education (ICE). More details and sign up can be found on the Institute for Culinary Education’s website (see walking tours: Astoria).Kombucha (Kam-boo-cha). Or as I like to call it, ‘booch.

Kombu-wha?

That was my reaction when I first heard about the sparkly slightly tangy beverage. My first encounter with kombucha caught me by surprise: I was dining on a take-out lunch of sushi and grabbed a bottle of what I thought to be ginger beer (actual contents: ginger flavored kombucha). One sip and bleh- vinegar!? My dining companion on the other hand, found the beverage refreshingly tangy and gulped it up.

That dining companion enjoyed the new drink so much that a lingering hankering stayed with him and he continued to purchase it. I continued to take a sip here and there and eventually I too was addicted to the stuff. At $4 a bottle, this was turning into an expensive addiction and I eventually learned I could brew my own for mere pennies.

So what is it?

Kombucha hails from China and has been brewed in the east for hundreds (thousands?) of years. Traditionally consumed as a tonic to cure digestive problems and to help the body heal many maladies, the tea-infused beverage spread in popularity eventually reaching our shores. Kombucha is brewed with what is called a SCOBY– Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast. Yum! Other people simply call it a mushroom. I think it looks a bit like a slimey sponge. The “it” (SCOBY, mushroom, sponge) is what you add to sugary tea to convert (or ferment) the sugar into acids. Some of these acids include (from Kombucha Exchange): glucuronic acid, glucon acid, lactic acid, vitamins, amino acids, antibiotic substances, and other products.

The SCOBY is alive, brewing a probiotic (good-bacteria) filled drink. The final resulting acids depend not only on your SCOBY culture, but also the natural bacteria alive in the air and your home. If you give the ‘booch a dosage of sugar at bottling (a la champagne) and stop it up for a few days in a warm place, you’ll have a lovely sparkling brew.

The flavor is slightly vinegary and tangy and many people I speak to say it is addictive. I’m not sure if it’s the result of how you feel after drinking it, or something inside, but I know I get severe hankerings for kombucha every once in a while. These grow especially strong if I read an article about bacteria, or stomach acids. For those who think the classic flavor too strong, you can purchase (or make) kombucha mixed with not only with tea or ginger, but fruit juices. In my home we tend to stick with matcha (green tea) powder and sometimes ginger added at bottling.

There are many health claims out there that kombucha is a cure all, believe what you want– aiding in not only digestion or stomach upset, but liver detoxification, sharper eye sight, clearer skin, increased metabolism, increased energy, a general tonic to keep flu and sickness away, and more. (I gave it to my 90 year old grandmother when she had a soar throat and she said she could “feel it working.” In two days her throat was clear.)

Here in NYC, kombucha is rapidly gaining in popularity. The most popular company selling the beverage is out of California and I’ve seen it on shelves from New York to California and even in Indianapolis. You can find “sleeper cells” of kombucha enthusiasts across the country– those looking to pass on the love of kombucha by giving away free SCOBYs (that’s right, why pay for something when you can get it for free!). See the Kombucha Exchange for more information on how to get a free SCOBY or just ask a few friends or health food store, I’m sure you’ll run into one sooner or later.

To make kombucha:

Brew black, green or oolong tea and transfer to an open-mouth jar (I use a 1 gallon mason jar, but you can use any size you like as long as you can get your hand in there). Dissolve sugar in the tea (1 quart of water gets 1/3 cup sugar) and cool to room temperature. DO NOT use honey or maple syrup, both of which contain their own active enzymes. Add a kombucha “Mother” (the more friendly term for the SCOBY). Cover the jar with a light towel or cheesecloth and place in a warm, dark place. The SCOBY eats the sugar, converting it into acid. Note: With every brew “babies” are created by the Mother which is how folks can easily spread the love of kombucha. In 7 to 14 days you can begin tasting your brew. Once the acid level reaches your liking, bottle it with 1 tablespoon sugar (if you want to dosage). Leave behind about 10% of the liquid from the last batch plus the SCOBY and brew again. After a few brews the Mother tends to build up some yeast (brown mucusy looking trails). It’s fine to keep, but I tend to throw the Mother out at this point and allow the babies to take over.

NOTE: If you brew your own and the smell is cheesy or meaty, rather than vinegary, toss your booch and get a new SCOBY! The wrong kinds of acids have taken over your brew and it can make you sick. Also, if you see any mold develop at the top, throw it out and get a new one. Contamination is rare, but it can happen.

Good pizza is sooooo good.

I say this having come from pizza-centric people: the good people of Chicago. The Chicago-style pizza boasts a deep dish knife-and-fork-required slice oozing with cheese and a 1/2-inch thick crust. So dense and heavy it’s difficult to eat more than one slice, two is pushing a limit. Baked in a cast iron pan in a hot oven. A recent visit took me to the Art of Pizza (no website). I still think about that pizza today– so good I actually ate 2.5 slices and had to be rolled out. I cannot describe- or remember, what was best– the crust, the cheese or the sauce. My friends tell me Chicagoans are now pushing a thin crust pizza and dare I say it, but Chicago, don’t be crazy! Stick to the love of the dish!

I am blessed to now live amongst another pizza-centric people: the good people of New York City. A thin, often foldable crust slice. The better ones emerge from a piping hot coal oven slightly blackened on the edges. Easy to eat on-the-go as the NYC lifestyle demands. I like taking people to Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn, licking the plate clean, and walking the pie off over the Brooklyn Bridge. The pies can be as fancy as you like and you can mix and match toppings. But really, unless I end up in a national chain I’ve never had a horrible NY slice (I can’t always say the same for deep dish).

(But seriously, what are those chains putting in there?!)

Both cities are proud of their pizza and I am proud to have lived in both pizza-meccas. Sometimes California, with their “aternative” pizzas surface, but that’s hogwash! Sushi pizza? Pineapple pizza? Nay! But in this whole debate, dare I suggest I make a mean pie that competes with the best of them? (And for the record let’s just say no one beats a true Naples pizza where the great dish originated!)

I have no brick oven and no pizza stone– I make my pizza on a good old sheet pan. The secret, I have learned, is all in the crust (okay, it’s also in the toppings, but really, it starts in the crust). (And I bet if I added a brick or coal oven to the mix, or even a stone I could really be a contender).

Anyone can do it and if you don’t live near a pizza metropolis it is well worth it. Even if you do live near a pizza metropolis try making your own sometime! It cooks in about 15 minutes so once you apply your toppings it’s a super quick meal. You can be as creative or basic as you want and it’s fun for young children to get involved because who doesn’t love pizza?

Growing up, I remember a rare occasion when my brothers and I made our own pizza. As you would think, living amongst pizza-people, my family was more likely to purchase a good pie rather than make one. But when a company introduced a pre-cooked focaccia-looking sponge that rhymes with “Moboli” and they called dough, my family took to making pizza. (Actually, I can only remember purchasing “Moboli” once– perhaps we realized then you don’t mess with crust.

Here is another secret: forget tomato sauce. Really, forget it. I know you see it all the time scooped up and smeared with the back of a spoon, but forget it. Instead, reach for tomato paste. I recommend a 100% paste with no salt, seasonings or preservatives added. A thin layer of paste does wonders (and you can still spread it with the back of a spoon if you desire). The concentrated natural sugars bake in nicely to the dough and even tend to caramelize if exposed just right.

As for the toppings, that’s up to you. If you keep the crust thin, try not to pile them up too heavy. The above pie has tomato paste, anchovies, artichoke hearts, bitter spring greens (mixed from the garden), pesto (frozen from the garden last year) and fresh mozzarella (from the Italian deli around the corner– they make their own!). A few days later the pizza hankering returned and we had a bitter green, fresh chives, pepperoni and mozzarella pie. Before that it was olives and bitter greens. (Notice the bitter green theme? The garden grows crazy.)

To make pizza-making as small a chore as possible the trick is to make a lot of dough. Double or triple the recipe then divide the results into balls, each ball enough for one full pie. Sprinkle with a little flour then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. If you want pizza, remove the dough about 3 hours before starting your pie. Voila, pizza in under 30 minutes!

If you really cannot make the dough do NOT buy that “Moboli” stuff! Instead, head to your local pizza shop and ask to buy a ball of dough (they usually sell it for $2-3 a ball). If you do this, DO mix in some fresh herbs, and maybe some hot pepper flakes then roll out and continue.

This recipe is vaguely adapted from Peter Reinhart.

Herbed Pizza (Dough)
Makes enough for 3 pies. Prep time= 15 minutes. Inactive time= 2.75 hours. Cook time= 0 minutes.
2-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2-1/4 cups all-purpose white flour
2 tablespoons herbs (fresh is best, whatever you like: rosemary, thyme, oregano are all good) OR 1 tablespoon dried
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-3/4 cups warm water

Use an electric mixer with a dough hook (or knead by hand). Mix flours, herbs, salt and yeast to combine. Add olive oil and water and knead/mix for 8 minutes. Dough should form a ball and no longer stick to the sides of your bowl. Dust with more flour, cover and let sit undisturbed for 2 hours. Punch down and let rise another 45 minutes. Divide the dough into three equal portions, dust with flour and wrap portions you will not be using in plastic wrap and freeze.

Sprinkle a work surface with cornmeal, dust a rolling pin with flour and roll out your dough to desired thickness. I recommend about 1/4 inch. At this point, begin heating your oven between 450-500 F. Transfer dough to a sheet pan and add toppings. Bake 12-15 minutes, until crust (and cheese if applied) are golden.

Tips: if you’re making a pizza with a non-cured meat (like sausage or chicken) make sure to cook the meat first. Same goes for fresh mushrooms, bell peppers or onions! I also like some hot pepper flakes sprinkled on top of the tomato paste.

Recommended toppings to mix and match: Anchovies, olives, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, fresh greens (some people like to cook these first slightly, I like how they crisp up at the edges), prosciutto, lamb sausage, pesto, chicken, chorizo, ramps, garlic slices, fresh herbs, caramelized onions, roasted red pepper, bacon, shrimp, mussels, clams, asparagus, eggplant, etc.

Don’t forget to mix and match the dairy too: yogurt, lebne, mozarella, goat cheese, blue cheese, etc.

As mentioned, once you have the frozen dough, just thaw and continue as usual. It’s fun to have pizza dough on hand “in case of emergency” and friends are amazed when you suggest you whip up a quick pie. You can also use the dough to make focaccia, or even crackers if desired. Just alter the topping and roll out width depending on what you make!

This totally slipped my mind until D reminded me tonight! I alluded to it before, but I’ve been so busy and now proof is in the pudding. If you live in the New York City area, join me for a culinary walking tour of my fair neighborhood, Astoria, Queens!

More details and sign up can be found on the Institute for Culinary Education’s website (see walking tours: Astoria).

2 dates are available (more if they fill up- so ehem, fill them up!): June 20 and August 29. Both are 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

Here’s the teaser (from ICE’s site):

Culinary treats reach beyond Grecian shores in Astoria, as you will sample during a flavor-packed stroll through the Queens neighborhood. Each stop of the tour features a demonstration, shopping opportunity, or nibbles, such as honeyed baklava, nutmeg-laced bureks, fried haloumi, house-cured salumi, apple sheesha, and cardamom coffee. You will start the morning with Greek pastries and coffee, before sampling Bosnian bureks. You will continue to a Mediterranean grocery, where you will be able to fill you bags with assorted feta, olives, nuts, oils, and other culinary delights. You will walk by “old world” fish mongers and butchers whom locals favor, and enter an Italian market for a demonstration in sausage stuffing. A turn into the heart of Egyptian, Moroccan, and Lebanese cultures will set you among hookah bars and Middle Eastern specialty shops. You will rest our feet at a favorite funky Egyptian restaurant, to sample small plates. Join food writer and recipe developer Stacey Ornstein through the neighborhood she calls home. Bring your appetite and walking shoes…

A little urban gardening update is in order before more goodies, and the true 2009 harvest gets under way. Beginnings are pictured above and a recipe is at bottom. A timeline of winter urban gardening follows:

In early November, bracing the settling chill of the City, D and I haphazardly construct a cold frame in our garden plot and set out some seed. When I say haphazard I mean it in the truest sense: with no hard design plan (though two conflicting views in our minds) we enter a second hand building supply store near the garden. In approximately 1 hour, after much debate as to which plan to build, we leave with 4 pieces of wood (2 long; 2 short) and a large glass door I bargained down to $20. In 15 minutes, fighting the cold, we hold the wood together (no nails/ screws) and push soil around the sides to keep them in place. Getting cold and dark, I toss random cold hardy seeds inside our new cold frame: kohlrabi, mustard, arugula, tatsoi, spinach, radish, and potentially some others I mark as “?” in the garden journal. The glass door is set over top and we return in approximately 1 month.

To great surprise, makeshift cold frames have appeared in other garden plots constructed out of clear plastic and held down with rocks. To even greater surprise, many of the seeds we threw down actually sprout, specifically the tatsoi, radish, mustard, arugula and spinach. “Take that farmers!” We call to cold streets and abandoned buildings around the garden. We consider ourselves trendsetters in winter gardening. In the fading daylight hours of winter we had created a fabulous self-watering greenhouse (thank you condensation).

By late December we have the first of a measly harvest, not even enough for a side salad and we question if this is worth it– $30 for the wood and glass and about $10 in seeds (with seeds left over for future plantings come spring).

January is brutally cold and surprisingly snowy for New York City. We question our shoddy cold frame construction.

Early February arrives and after diligently ordering $60 of seeds for a 2009 planting season and reading many a garden book, my faith is renewed in our winter plants: we had simply started a few months too late. If we really want to benefit from a winter harvest, seeds must be planted in August to allow maturity in long days of sun and hibernation in shortened days December to mid-February.

We return in mid-February to find our once sad plants have taken off with the lengthening days. “Take that brutal January!” There was even a rogue something or other we could not yet decipher that had sprung from a late summer planting, not intended for the cold frame. Chamomile, planted late last season has survived the winter exposed to all elements. We harvest a small salad.

By late-February I start a few seeds indoors and we return again on an unseasonably warm day to prepare our soil for spring planting. We chopped up and turn under corn stalks from last year and take a long inspection of the cold frame goodies. The rogue something or other turns out to be broccoli rabe, an excellent surprise. I harvest a large bag of mixed greens that last four dinner-sized servings.

In mid-March we return again, this time finishing off soil prep and sow a few of the prepared beds with spring seeds: radish, spinach, arugula, mixed salad, carrots, swiss chard, scallions, cilantro, mint, sorrel and sage. I note in our garden journal that it is 3 weeks to the last frost date (April 13 in New York City). The newly planted radish are supposed to be ready to eat April 17 according to the 4 weeks-to-maturity date. The outlook is doubtful. This is not good news as I had hoped to pull the radish to make way for sugar snap peas, tomatoes, and cucumber. I harvest another large bag of mixed greens that last four dinner-sized servings.

Late-March I return again and transplant some purchased strawberry and kohlrabi seedlings as well as some home-grown fennel, leek and kale seedlings started indoors. Sugar snap peas also find their home in the ground next to the slow-to-mature radish, as well as some marigold, mustard and another patch of arugula and mixed greens. The two-week-old radish, spinach, arugula and mixed greens are now all peeking at this point. Swiss chard, carrots, scallions and herbs are not visible (grumbles and curses ring out). I harvest another large bag of mixed greens that last four dinner-sized servings.

In early-April I remove the glass from the cold frame. Leeks are looking straggly. Fennel is teetering on the edge of existence. Kale is kicking butt. November-planted greens continue on their course. I allow them to rest and grow before another harvest.

We come to present time, mid-April. Yesterday (estimated last frost date) I transplanted cilantro, cumin and basil into the garden that were started indoors. I am hoping this batch of cilantro holds on. I also direct-seeded parsley and another round of sage and mint. I harvested another large bag of mixed greens, including a single wintered radish and the rogue broccoli rabe. These should last four dinner-sized servings, potentially longer.

In total, the $40 I spent on supplies for the winter garden has served us 17 servings and counting. If these meals were at a restaurant it is a definite savings. Compared to farmer’s market organic purchases, I’m not sure just yet– though the winter crops will continue to feed us until the new seeds are large enough to take over at which point they will be pulled for some summer fare. The savings will no doubt be great as the original $10 spent on winter green seeds are still being seeded.

For these last few harvests I made a grapefruit Caesar salad dressing to enjoy with the spicy greens. Caesar is one of my all time favorite dressings and I order it liberally at restaurants, though often finish it with disappointment. Who says Caesar needs Romaine lettuce?! Or only croutons for adornment?!

With these slightly spicy mixed greens, simply served with a slice of wild salmon, the meal could not be more perfect to welcome in the spring (though April showers are doing a fine job of that). For something slightly more filling and exotic, I topped the salad with toasted hazelnuts and a few feta pieces, as pictured above.

Spicy Greens, Salmon and Grapefruit Caesar
2 servings. Active time= 10 minutes. Cook time= 8 minutes.
3 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts
2 large handfuls mixed spicy greens (mustard, arugula, kale, tatsoi, etc)
1/4 pound feta
Grapefruit Caesar Dressing (recipe below)
two 1/4 pound pieces wild salmon
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt/ fresh-ground black pepper

In a dry skillet, toast the hazelnuts over medium-high heat until lightly browned, set aside to cool slightly. Toss the mixed greens and feta with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the Grapefruit Caesar Dressing (recipe below). Warm a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add olive oil. Salt and pepper the salmon and cook, skin side up first, 3 minutes each side (for rare fish, longer for more done). Set finished salmon over the dressed lettuce, add hazelnuts over top.

Grapefruit Caesar Dressing
12 servings. Active time= 8 minutes. Cook time= 0. 
3 large cloves garlic (or 2 teaspoons garlic powder)
8 anchovies, patted dry
1 egg
3 tablespoons grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
2 teaspoons grapefruit zest
1 teaspoon mustard poweder
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
fresh-ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender and blitz until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. NOTE: I use a raw egg in my dressing because I know the farm my eggs come from. You can alternately boil the egg in the shell for 1 minute.

(If memory serves correct, this photo is of a wort kettle fermenting its way to beer at New Belgium Brewery in Colorado. D or A- any help on this? (And I know, a proper story is long overdue.))

 This post is featured on Sustainable Table as this month’s Adventure in Fermentation.

As promised, this month’s Adventures in Fermentation has us discussing the basics. What is fermentation, specifically in food. To start the conversation, let’s clarify that I truly mean the basics. I am no expert on the subject, just a food loving individual that has been fervently fermenting away for about 1 year now. My mind cannot hold down the chemical makeup, compounds and  gases part of the process, so this is a primer with further reading listed at bottom.

In short, fermentation is the process of turning sugars (carbohydrates) into alcohol (think wine) or acid (think vinegar). The final result depends on the bacteria present.

Something I find fascinating is that some bacterias are specific to a region. For instance, the beloved sourdough bread of San Francisco is specific to the lovely city, which is why sourdough bread in other regions rarely has that same tangy flavor as San Francisco sourdough. It’s so specific it is named after the city: Lactobacillus sanfrancisco. You can even purchase this bacteria online to inoculate your own starter with the culture. If you live in San Francisco you are lucky enough to simply leave a bread starter in your windowsill and Lactobacillus sanfrancisco will likely join the party.

Here’s another example: Ever wandered into a strawberry patch a few days after heavy rains and the field smells ever so slightly of wine? The fruit has begun the natural process of fermentation.

Many items you don’t think of as fermented foods are in fact, fermented. They come to us from an ancient tradition of fermentation, most often for food storage (when people are involved). Today, instead of relying on fermentation, we tend to rely on nuking all bacteria out of our food to create a dead zone, then refrigerate to keep growth away as long as possible. Most of us know wine and beer is fermented, even if we don’t know the process. Yogurt, cheese, miso, sourdough bread, kimchi, pickles, sauerkraut, soy sauce, salami, kombucha and more also arrive on our plate after fermentation has occurred.

In fact, without fermentation, it’s safe to say we probably wouldn’t be here today– or at least habitation in a large part of the world would have occurred after the invention of the refrigerator in the early 1900’s. That’s all well and good, you say, but you mention bacteria and that’s bad!

Oh sweet bacteria! Whether you like it or not, bacteria is present in our everyday lives. We breathe it, we walk on it, we touch it, we live it. In fact, without bacteria, digestion in our bodies would not be possible. It’s up to you to choose to fight it with the use of modern anti-bacterial soaps, scrubs, chemicals and pills, or live in harmony with it, making both you and the planet stronger.

I choose to live with bacteria. I’m not saying I walk around New York City licking subway poles, or if I get cut I don’t clean out the wound, but I might not wash my hands before I eat something. Since I made this decision, putting food that is alive and rich in bacteria into my body, I am sick less often, feel more awake, I digest food better, and in general feel healthier. In other words, I have created a thriving colony of bacteria in my stomach that are able to fight off infection more readily. Bad bacteria enters my system, good bacteria, already present in excess, attacks.

The following is summed from the great fermentor Sandor Katz’s book, Wild Fermentation.

Fermentation can produce alcohol (as in wine), lactic acid (cheese/yogurt), and acetic acid (vinegar). Fermentation preserves high amounts of nutrients in foods. It also begins breaking food down, making it not only easier to digest, but nutrients easier to absorb. Fermentation also transforms the food, producing new nutrients and removing toxins from foods (which is why some believe fermented soy is the only way this legume should be consumed).

Milk, especially when we pasteurize it, is indigestible for many people. By turning lactose into lactic acid, dairy products are not only easier to digest, they’re delicious and highly nutritious (which is why some producers are making big bucks selling “probiotic” filled products. Guess what– those probiotics, as in positive (or good) bacteria, should already be in the product if it is in fact real yogurt, not pasteurized after cultures were added!).

As we realize more and more, just like mono-cultures in our agriculture system are bad, mono-cultures in our eating habits are bad. By eating a diversity of foods helps a body receive a large range of nutrients. The same goes for fermented foods, and exposing your body to a wide range of microorganisms (bacteria).

Live bacteria are where these nutrients lie. Unfortunately, we bake bread before we eat it, and we pasteurize many products (like wine) killing any live bacteria that could help us. You can get your live bacteria rush by seeking out items that mention they are “unpasteurized,” “raw,” or contain “live cultures.” Or, you can ferment food yourself. The benefit of fermenting your own foods is that you harness your local bacteria, raising your resistance to allergies and bad bacteria in your own home or neighborhood.

Last month we discussed how to make our own yogurt. Next month we’ll explore another fermented food- any suggestions?

For further reading, check out:
Sandor Katz, Wild Fermentation
Wikipedia’s Fermentation (biochemistry) page
Microbial Fermentation

There is nothing like a good fishermen stew to wipe the gray days from our April galoshes. Nothing like a French fishermen stew to make us feel properly elegant. And nothing like a big ol’ pot simmering away to offer plenty of leftovers for the week to come (or freeze for the next rainy day).

Bouillabaisse (pronounced boo-ya-base), not only fun to say, is a delicious alternative to your basic fish soup. Even better, it is far healthier than its cream-based cousin, Chowder.

This fish stew comes to our shores via France as a way for fishermen to use up unsold leftovers from their catch. It comes to our plate today because I canned 25 quart jars of tomatoes and when I brainstormed uses for them beyond pasta, this was a dish listed (just after tomato ice cream).

What I love most about this dish, other than using up 2 jars of tomatoes, is the use of fennel. Woe is the lowly fennel bulb in the US marketplace that receives little attention. While I use fennel, and to a greater extent anise (fennel seeds) in dishes– most notable citrus-based salads, I loved the idea of adding it to a soup base. Fish is the perfect compliment to this tangy licorice-laced vegetable. (I used anise in my Bouillabaisse, noting it in the recipe, because it was what was on hand.) But thoughts of fennel have me dreaming of a spring fennel-potato cream soup. Thankfully, fennel seeds were planted last week in the garden.

I bulk of flavor of my stock comes from a cod head I purchased at my local fish monger. It’s flavor is far more subtle than fattier, stronger flavored fishes, like salmon, and provides a rich base to build on. After that, the remaining fish is a matter of preference and price. While there are Bouillabaisse purists who claim only certain seafood is allowed in a Bouillabaisse, I recommend a combination of favorite shellfish and fish that can hold up in a stock: clam, mussels, calamari, shrimp, cod and monkfish.

Another ingredient of Bouillabaisse is saffron. While I love the subtle sweet woodsy flavor of saffron, I believe the true winner in this dish is the fish. Saffron is expensive and I recommend forgoing this ingredient if you don’t have it around.

An interesting factoid to keep in mind once you get to adding the fish: Bouillabaisse is a combination of two French words bolhir, to boil, and abaissar, to simmer. So named because you add your first fish when the stock boils. Once added, the temperature drop, reducing the stock to a simmer. Return to a boil, add the next fish, again the stock is reduced to a simmer, and so forth. With each return to boil you can be assured that your fish is cooking through, without overdoing it– as long as you begin your bolhir with your fish that will cook from longest to shortest (approximately).

Bouillabaisse
Serving Size= 8. Prep Time= 20 minutes. Cook Time= 45 minutes.
12 clams
1 pound mussels
1 pound monkfish (with bone)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 onions, sliced thinly
1 4-inch length of orange peel
8 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon anise seeds (or 1 fennel bulb, sliced thinly)
1 cod head
4 generous pinches saffron
1 tablespoon dried herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil, marjoram would work)
2 quarts whole canned tomatoes, loosely chopped
1 pound cod, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 pound shrimp
1/2 pound calamari
salt/pepper to taste
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped,  for garnish

Clean beards from mussels, set aside. Cover clams with room temperature salted water in a bowl, set aside. Remove monkfish from bone. Cut meat into 2-inch pieces, set bone aside.

Warm the olive oil in a large stock pot. Add onions and orange peel, saute 3 minutes. Add garlic and anise, stir 2 minutes. Add 2 quarts of water, monkfish bone and fish head. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Remove bone and head. Stir in saffron until dissolved. Add dried herbs and tomatoes, return to a boil. Add clams. Return to a boil and stir to encourage opening. Add mussels. Return to a boil and stir to encourage opening. Continue to add shellfish and fish one at a time, returning the pot to a boil before each new addition. Stir the pot after each addition to encourage shellfish to open. Once calamari is added, cook just 2 to 3 minutes longer, remove from heat then salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, strain shellfish and fish into a large serving bowl or platter, sprinkle with half the parsley. Serve broth in bowls garnished with parsley. (Keeping these separate makes reheating easy– just reheat broth and once boiling, pour over fish and shellfish instead of recooking, eventually overcooking, fish and shellfish!) Bouillabaisse is often served with good crusty bread spread with a saffron mayonnaise and boiled potatoes.

Adventures in Fermentation is my new blog series over at Sustainable Table. Apparently it was Twittered too (I’m not familiar) and placed on their RSS feed. I’ll be posting a fermentation adventure about once a month. Goal #1: Set Goals. Goal #2: Stick to Goals.

Throughout the Adventure I hope to cover:
Wild Fermented Pickles, Ginger Beer, Sauerkraut, Beer, Kombucha, Kefir, Kimchi, Bread, Olives, Miso and more! The next installment will speak more about fermentation in general, and perhaps provide a report back of an upcoming fermentation party I’ll be attending (I received the invite 3 months ago so I could ferment on my attendance).

I realize most of my readers are the quiet lurking type, but I would love to get some comments going about things you like to ferment, recipes you have, or funny fermenting stories.

The post is below, or head over to Sustainable Table to read it, and other great stories!

Welcome to the first installment of Adventures in Fermentation. In these postings we’ll explore the universe of fermented foods, happenings in the fermentation world, and delve into some recipes to try.

Fermented food and drink are not just wine, beer, and pickles! There is a whole universe of fermented foods to explore. In the next issue, I’ll talk more about what fermentation is exactly and its many positives, but until then, let’s jump right into something soft and cloudy: yogurt.

That’s right, yogurt is a fermented food (remember the term probiotic for the next posting). It is one of the simpler fermented foods to make, requires few supplies, and is something most of us are familiar enough with that you might be willing to try it.

Here’s a kicker that might get you making your own yogurt:
Yogurt on the market most of us are accustomed to has added thickeners (tapioca, citrus pulp, cornstarch, or other synthetic agents) added to make the end product a thick and even consistency (there are also a lot of sugars added). We sometimes also see “with probiotics” stamped on the container. Yogurt naturally is a probiotic food, so forget that claim. The real question is: Why eat all those extras if all you want is yogurt?

Yogurt that does not use thickeners, is much thinner, sometimes even lumpy. To make the consistency weightier, without thickeners, producers often drain the product losing a lot of whey in the process (which can be used to bake bread with). I have heard if you heat the milk to a higher temperature before adding culture you can thicken your yogurt further, but if you are using raw milk products, you run the risk of killing heat sensitive bacteria that makes milk digestible.

I enjoy homemade goat yogurt (made with goat milk) topped with granola, a scoop of homemade preserves, or simply as a yogurt beverage similar to kefir (another fermented food) full of all those great probiotics.

If you are interested in making your own yogurt, it is fairly simple. (read on for the details!)

You will need:
• raw milk or high quality organic milk
• yogurt cultures
• a large pot to heat the milk
• a cooking thermometer
• a glass jar to store your yogurt
• cheesecloth

If you have a friend with a batch of yogurt going, you can grab about 2 tablespoons of their finished yogurt per gallon of fresh milk to make your own yogurt. If not, I recommend purchasing cultures (both a thicker European culture or “tangy” culture) from New England Cheese Making Supplies.

The final yogurt recipe is dependent on the culture you use.

If you don’t want to bother with cultures, you can try using store-bought yogurt as your starter:

1/2 gallon organic (or raw) whole milk
1 cup organic yogurt

Heat the milk on medium-low heat in a saucepot to 165 F, do not bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow milk to cool to 110 F. Add yogurt, stir to incorporate, cover with a clean kitchen towel and secure with a rubber band or tie. Place in a warm location, undisturbed, overnight (inside a turned off oven works great). The next day, transfer to storage container and refrigerate. To thicken the yogurt, strain it through multiple layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Reserve whey that drains for baking.

More ideas:
Use goat or sheep milk for other tangy yogurt creations
Sprinkle with cinnamon and a drizzle of honey

Yogurt is not just for breakfast or a snack! Try some of these ideas:
Blitz your yogurt with chickpeas or white beans for a delicious spread
Serve a dollop over grilled lamb
Use on your sandwich instead of mayo
Mix with garlic and a chipotle pepper and top a quesadilla
Add a dollop to soup
Use it in baked goods, or whip it with powdered sugar as icing
Make a fruit smoothie

Two recipes in two days? I must be going crazy. More likely, I have a few heavy weeks ahead of me and I thought this to be the perfect Valentine treat for you and your honey. Also, if your schedule is looking to be as hectic as mine (or you want to indulge in something that tastes like it took forever to make), this cake whips together in minutes, requires no dreaded cheesecake water bath baking, is light as a cloud, and as pure as heaven.

A while back I had an opportunity to purchase raw goat milk. Despite dreaming of a goat cheese-lavender-honey ice cream since summer, I made yogurt. But with this recipe today, I am one step closer to my ice cream dreams. Why? Because this recipe certifies that the effort for ice cream will be a delicious payback. If anyone out there wants to try ice cream and report back, by all means go for it!

A few weeks back I was flipping through my food magazines when a goat cheese cake got me thinking about my goat cheese ice cream dreams. While it’s too cold now for ice cream (okay, honestly, it is never too cold for ice cream), a little cheesecake might be just the thing to test my combination. With some newly engaged friends coming over for dinner I had a perfect excuse too.

So I set out altering the cheesecake to my own likings. I think further changes can be made to bring out more intense flavors, like the addition of lavender oil (is that food safe?) to the cake. And maybe the topping could go for a tablespoon of heavy cream just to thicken it slightly. I also tried to find chocolate wafers, but couldn’t. (And refused the advice of a local shopkeeper who recommended using vanilla wafers and blitzing it with chocolate syrup.) The lavender is subtle in the crust, the honey is just right and the goat cheese is not at all overpowering. The finished cake is not too sweet, so test the sweetness, or just drizzle extra honey over the top.

Honey Lavender Goat Cheese Cake
Makes 12 servings. Active Time= 20 minutes. Inactive Time= 2.5 hours.
Crust:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon organic lavender buds, no stems
8 ounces chocolate cookie (Recommended: Newman’s Organic Choco Alphabet Cookies)
Filling:
12 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream, cold
Topping:
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon organic lavender buds

1 buttered 9-inch springform pan.

In a small saucepan over medium heat combine butter, honey and lavender. Heat until everything is just melted together. Use a food processor to pulse cookies until grainy. Add butter combination to cookies and pulse until combined. Lavender will be mostly broken apart. Push into springform pan, refrigerate 30 min. Whip goat cheese, lemon juice, honey and salt until smooth. Add heavy cream, whip until thick. Pour into crust and smooth top using a spatula. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. For topping, just before serving, warm honey and lavender a few minutes to infuse. Drizzle over cake, straining and serve.

For the past few months, D and I built a mountain of squash by squirreling away our Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) deliveries. The thinking: we received little winter squash from our CSA last year due to a short harvest and would therefore savor every squash that crossed our path this year. (Last year consisted of many root vegetables because I refused to purchase any greens from the grocery making D quite ornery– For some reason he is unable to purchase these items unless he is told to do so and blames me.) As the squash rolled in (since October), D and I cautiously administered our provisions with a single rule: no squash until the depths of winter– unless rotting was otherwise visible.We appointed similar rulings to the tomatoes I canned: only 3 quarts per month from December to March. And corn: only 2 per month as long as we didn’t die after the first jar (that’s another story to come).

Our bounty grew so great that as fellow members of the CSA came into our home their eyes would pop: are you taking extra squash home? Not at all– we haven’t been eating it.

And then it overflowed.

You can understand that in a proper home this mountain would be no problem– a cool basement, garage or cellar would do the trick for storage. New York City is a different beast. Limited closet space already with a brawl underway between our tomatoes, corn, camping gear and vacuum, no basement, no garage. I piled our squash high in our largest wooden bowl (and then around it) on our dining room table (we’re lucky to have the space for a dining room table) creating a cubist-still-life-quasi-Jenga masterpiece of balance.

It was beautiful. Until rot entered.

First it hit an acorn squash. Just one, but my reaction was to cook up as many as possible to avoid an outbreak. I made a squash ravioli full of butter, nutmeg and sage. Eaten with such hunger no picture was secured.

Then a quick and basic soup with pretty much solely squash and chicken broth.

Another (deconstructed) ravioli followed. Eaten again with such gusto no picture was had. I say deconstructed because this time I was too lazy to stuff the ravioli so I cubed the squash, made linguini and tossed it all together.

The leftover deconstruction turned into a hash of sorts.

We turned to admire our slightly smaller mountain for a little more than a month. Squash no longer flowed beyond the confines of the bowl, but it remained that still life structure of sort.

So yesterday, with purpose to make the mountain more a mole hill, with an uncertain ending in mind, I roasted two butternut and the last two acorn squash. (I really was planning to keep the acorn squash for a coconut squash custard, bought all the ingredients, but was never in the mood.) I toyed with more ravioli, then with actually making squash-based noodles. I eventually grew hungry and settled on more soup.

The resulting dish wasn’t so much soup as a thick base that can go a step further. I think D was thinking this when he smelled the soup warming and whipped up some Basmati rice with saffron, pine nuts, raisins, and goji berries (a gift from my mom picked up at a recent food show)

I realize that most of my squash soup recipes contain some curry (because it’s a combination I love) and recently I’ve even added coconut milk. This recipe differs in the its final consistency- it’s much thicker. I also amped up the curry and D started tossing in ingredients as well. We used an ingredient called Coconut Smiles (another ingredient my mom sent me a while back). It’s simply dried coconut pieces, unsweetened. This ingredient is really what altered the consistency into more of a sauce because once blitzed, the coconut bits turn into a sort of coconut cream.

While we ate the dish as a soup last night and again for lunch, I can’t help but think slow roasting some lamb or chicken in it would be amazing, using it more as a sauce. This is why I am not calling it a soup. The ending is up to you. Blitzing it with some garbanzo or white beans as a spread would be delicious. Or simply heat some garbanzo beans in it for a great curry.

As an aside, when D’s rice was complete he excitedly created the rice domes while plating and dubbed the dish Utopia. Or maybe this is also a tribute to its many possibilities.

Curry Coconut Winter Squash
Serving size= 6. Active time= 20 minutes. Cook time= 30 minutes.
3-4 small-sized winter squash, roasted (acorn and small butternut are a good combination)
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
6 cloves garlic, lightly crush
1 tart apple (like granny smith), roughly chopped
1/2 yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 loose cup (about 5 ounces) dried, unsweetened coconut slices (alternatively, you can use 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes or even 1 can coconut cream)
1-1/2 tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 thai orange hot pepper (or other hot pepper or pepper flakes)
1 whole clove
2 whole allspice
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
salt/ pepper to taste
cilantro for garnish (optional)

(Preheat oven to 400F. Slice squash in half, remove pulp and seeds, place skin up and roast until soft, aproximately 45 minutes. Allow to cool.)

Heat a stock pot over medium-high heat with olive oil. Add garlic, apple, onion and coconut. Saute for 4 minutes until onions are slighlty translucent. Add curry powder, coriander, hot pepper, clove and allspice, stir to coat evenly and saute 4 minutes more. Use a spoon to scoop out squash flesh and add to pot. Add chicken or vegetable broth, cover and bring to a boil. Carefully in batches puree the soup using a strong blender (the coconut will still be fairly firm) until a smooth, even texture is reached. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve as soup, sauce, spread, etc with rice, protein or both. Garnish with cilantro.

Note: D made the rice in the above picture. It is basmati rice with a pinch of saffron, toasted pine nuts (almonds would be delicious too), a handful of raisins and a few goji berries stired in when the rice was finished cooking. He seasoned it with salt and pepper (a sprinkle of ground cardamom would also be good).