full belly farm part two

this is me in the pomegranate trees.

every year that i can, i attend the hoes down festival at full belly farm. this year i fulfilled a dream of finally going camping with my dear friend olivia.

while i didn't see quite as many friends as i sometimes do, some of the women of berkeley acupuncture project were there giving free treatments and so was chef charlie, who despite his fame was volunteering in the kitchen sunday morning to make breakfast. we also reunited with our wonderful former kitchen co-worker and friend may, who is now hard at work at say hay farms.

for me the highlight of this particular year was a workshop that could have been called, "so you think you want to start a farm" with farmer chris hay of say hay farms. chris practices certified organic, ecologically sustainable, integrated farming. he talked about solving problems and then going right into solving the next problem and needing to be okay and not taking it out on the few people around you. it reminded me of certain aspects of being a chef and it also reminded me of something my brother once said that i will never forgot: "work, life and love are all four letter words that mean the same thing." whether you are a chef or a farmer the love part is important.

as far as i know the eggs from say hay farms are the best eggs available anywhere. a dozen is eight dollars. that's 66 cents an egg and that is not expensive. it is clear to me when i eat these eggs that they have more nutritional value. aside from superior taste that comes from a diverse diet of vegetable scraps and bugs, i find myself sustained for hours.

this annual festival "dedicated to honoring and promoting the knowledge of sustainable rural living through inspiration and education" has a rare integrity. truly green: there are water taps to re-fill the bottle that you bring, all food waste is composted, and the plates that deliver delicious made-from-scratch food are washed by volunteers after meals.

i always return home from full belly farm feeling fully fed and connected.

summer vegetable frittata

LOVESANDWICH is a little book with recipes for picnics. each section is loosely arranged into a picnic menu celebrating spring or summer produce.

this morning i made a variation of one of the recipes in the first chapter, the only breakfast themed menu in the book, by making a spring vegetable frittata using summer vegetables.

today i used shallots, two kinds of summer squash from lucero farms, scallions i had almost forgotten about, dried thyme and goat cheese that was left over from making salty goat sandwiches. i wanted basil, but i didn't want to go to the store.

frittata is an excellent fridge-cleaner. and really on this one i offer more of a method than a recipe. 

frittata

1. pre-cook vegetables of your choice accordingly.

2. in a cast iron pan with generous olive oil and salt, cook the onions and/or other aromatics until tender.

3. in a medium bowl combine eggs, olive oil, herbs and salt. whisk vigorously for one full minute.

4. add vegetables, onions and cheese if using, to egg mixture and pour back into the same cast iron pan.

5. bake at 325 for about 25 minutes, until set in the center.

6. cool slightly and slice into wedges.

more details are in the book!

the salty goat

                                                                         

over the next few weeks i am going to feature pictures, recipes, and the stories behind the recipes from my latest cookbook lovesandwich: 32 simple recipes for picnics.

a few years ago i had a great job working at, and developing the menu for local 123. one of my first assignments was a new vegetarian sandwich. ease of preparation and simplicity were important. the salty goat has just three components: olive tapenade, goat cheese and greens. 

i based my tapenade recipe from what i observed being made at the phoenix pastificio where i worked over 15 years ago. i'm not sure that i ever actually made the olive tapenade there, but i do remember that part of my job was to squeeze each and every kalamata olive destined to be part of the olive bread to check for pits.

people like whimsically named sandwiches, so the name was supposed to be a reference to what i thought meant something like "wacky guy" in mexican slang, but i've never fully confirmed that-everyone i ask has a different answer. 

 a fruity goat is a good variation. simply substitute super easy apricot chutney for the tapenade.

if you want to forgo bread make a salad with goat cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes and use the tapenade as a rich and delicious salad dressing. 

the salty goat is a simple sandwich that travels well. a nice one to take on a picnic.

olive tapenade

4 oz. mixed green and black olives

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. flat leaf parsley
1 tsp. capers
1 tsp. fresh herbs (thyme, tender rosemary, mint...)
1/4 tsp. orange zest

1. crush olives using the bottom of a juice glass and remove pits

2. hand chop olives, parsley, capers and herbs and mix with olive oil and orange zest.

3. combine with goat cheese and greens to make a sandwich, use as a dressing, or dab onto almost anything.

summer alphabet

avocados
basil
blackberries
corn
dry farmed early girls
eggplant
figs
grapes
huckleberries
jalapenos
kohlrabi
lettuces
mangoes
nectarines
okra
peaches
peppers
plums
raspberries
romano beans
shallots
strawberries
tomatoes
watermelon
zucchini

summer solstice

and just like that it was summer.

this year i spent the first days of summer at camp tipsy with joshie, some of his friends, and for the last night and day; nate and olive.

it's not very often we get to spend so many days alone in the quiet away from the city and our work. i planned our meals this time so we had a beautiful dinner every night, usually sharing a big salad out of the same bowl.

in the quiet i figured out some of what is next.

for the rest of the summer i am going to feature recipes from my latest cookbook as well as out-takes that didn't make it into print.

happy summer. so far so good.

camp tipsy salad

one head red leaf romaine
handful of flat leaf parsley
2 nectarines (or 3 pluots, 5 apricots, peaches or cherries)
one avocado

one shallot, extra fine dice
sherry vinegar
olive oil
salt

1. trim off the sandy bottom and carefully rinse romaine and tear into pieces. pick parsley leaves and cut nectarines and avocado into large chunks.

2. put shallot into a small bowl with just enough vinegar to cover and a generous pinch of salt. let sit as long as you can stand it, then whisk in olive oil to your taste.

cheese puffs

a few months ago my mom and i submitted a recipe to a contest in food and wine magazine. it was for the kerrygold company, and the requirement was a recipe that featured both butter and cheese.

certain that we might win i was excited to be traveling to a food and wine extravaganza in austin, texas, but with no word yet dear readers; i will be sharing this adaptation of a family recipe with you.

a while ago my dad reminded me of how extraordinary my mom is, with the example that she is "so quiet" that he has to look around the house to determine whether or not she is home.

there are so many other things: lynne stevens started her career using a manual typewriter and was soon in high demand for her shorthand and dictaphone skills. she has worked at magazines and in advertising doing cut and paste production and is now literate in several design programs. she is fluent in both mac and PC. an avid gardener and cook she believes "by hand" is usually the best way. she works at a women's literary club in san francisco that will remain nameless.

she typeset both of my cookbooks. she always made ten or more different varieties of cookies at christmas time. she stayed home. she went to work. she drove me places and picked me up late at night. she taught me how to drive. once, when i was inconsolably heartbroken somewhere around age 30 she offered to wash my hair and i accepted.

i know how to cook because of my mom. prodigious herself, i grew up with recipes from mastering the art of french cooking. she took me to hear julia child speak. i had a child sized pasta machine and would make pasta until all of the chairs and broom handles were put into use as drying racks or until we ran out of flour. whatever came first. i rolled out a lot of fondant. and i think the main thing was that she never attempted to steered me in some other direction.

these puffs make an elegant spring nibble. something to have with a cocktail. something nice to have ready in the freezer. you and your guests are worth any trouble. thank you for teaching me everything i know.

cheese puffs 

makes about four dozen

1 loaf pullman bread or other firm un-sliced white bread 

4 oz kerrygold butter

3 oz natural cream cheese

4 oz. kerrygold dubliner cheese, grated

1 tsp. dijon mustard

2 egg whites

1. trim crust from bread and cut loaf into 1-inch cubes.

2.  using a double boiler combine butter, cream cheese, dubliner cheese and dijon and beat until smooth.  

3. beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into melted cheese mixture. 

4. dip bread cubes into cheese mixture and place onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze solid.

5. to finish bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until browned. 

peanut-sesame noodles

todays recipe is based very closely on a recipe from the ny times by sam sifton. when i originally saw this recipe i had never had, or heard of take-out sesame noodles. this recipe so intrigued me that it made it's way into my most sacred hand written recipe book. note the little stains on the paper.

there are a lot of differences between the east and west coasts. during my brief time living in new york, working there, and when i was in cooking school i noticed fewer vegetables on the plate.

this recipe is fabulous as written; the kind of thing you might scarf down straight from the fridge. but as a california girl, a west coast person, this is how i adapted this classic warm weather recipe.

i bought the egg noodles and cucumbers at the berkeley bowl, and the radishes and scallions at the new tuesday farmers market near sweet adeline. everything else was already in our pantry.

peanut-sesame noodles

1 pound fresh chinese egg noodles

3 1/2 T. soy sauce
3 T. toasted sesame oil
2 T. seasoned rice vinegar
2 T. tahini
1-2 T. chunky peanut butter
1 T. grated ginger
2 tsp. grated garlic
2 tsp. chili-garlic paste

6 scallions cut into 2" lengths
2-3 persian cucumbers cut into fine batons to match the size of the noodles
1 bunch radishes, cut in half, and then into wedges

black or blonde sesame seeds and/or chopped roasted peanuts

1. cook the noodles until just done in well salted boiling water. rinse well with cold water and drain thoroughly.

2. in a large bowl whisk together all dressing ingredients. i use a microplane for both the ginger and garlic. add noodles and combine.

3. fold in vegetables reserving a few scallions and radish wedges to garnish the top. sesame seeds and/or peanuts add texture and are a nice touch as well. serve chilled.