GASTRONORMOUS

Last Saturday I grabbed my dog, my big nylon shopping bag, and my sunglasses and headed over to the little Farmer’s Market that occupies the southeast corner of Ft. Greene Park every Saturday. This market does not take up as much real estate, and the offerings are not as expansive, as the market at Union Square in Manhattan, but what it does have is of high quality, and there is enough variety to inspire even the most listless home cook to create a fresh, seasonal meal. Besides local produce, there are plants and flowers, artisanal cheese, meat, fish, fresh eggs, baked goods, and goat milk to be had.

Here are some pictures from my visit to the farmer’s market. Recipes using some of the raw materials pictured here are to come!

This is a salad inspired in part by one my mom makes and in part by the specialty oils and vinegars I happened to have in my kitchen cupboards on a recent evening.

A salad of avocados and oranges may sound like an odd combo, but the creaminess of the avocado balances out the bright acid of the orange in such a blissful way that I think it must be no accident that the two fruits grow in the same climes–it is as if Mother Nature intended them to be eaten together.

The mandarin oil I mentioned in a previous post I thought would work well here for obvious reasons, but since it was a little too orangey last time, I decided to cut it with another oil. I was just going to use some good quality extra virgin, when a tin of chili-flavored olive oil on the shelf caught my eye. (I am not so into store bought flavored oils generally–these were both gifts, actually–but these from O&CO. are of very good quality, and the chili one especially is very versatile.) The slight spiciness would add just the touch of intrigue I was looking for. But then! I saw that I was completely out of white wine vinegar. Quelle dommage! And the cider vinegar I had just would not do. But what was the slender orange-capped bottle stashed in the verrry back of the top shelf of the cupboard? Ah! It was rice vinegar with chili flakes! That might just work, it might just work perfectly.

The salad ended up being a great combination of sweet-salty-creamy-fresh-and-spicy (whew!), with none of the tastes or textures overpowering the others. I hope you try and enjoy it.

Sweet and Spicy Avocado-Orange Salad

For the dressing:

2 T. chili-flavored olive oil
2 T. mandarin-flavored olive oil
2 T. seasoned rice vinegar with pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. chili pepper paste
A few grinds black pepper
a pinch of salt, optional

For the salad:*

4-6 cups of mixed salad greens, cleaned and spun/dried
2-3 scallions, sliced
1 ripe avocado, cut into cubes
1 large orange, sectioned, then sections cut crosswise in half or thirds

Whisk together in a large glass bowl all the ingredients for the dressing, except for the salt. Taste dressing, then add a pinch of salt (and adjust other flavors to your taste), if needed.**

While the dressing rests, slice the scallions, cube the avocado, and section the orange (I did this the fancy way, which makes for better eatin’–no tough membranes. Psst! It is also faster than peeling by hand!). When you cut the sections out, hold the orange over the dressing bowl to catch all the juices.

Give the dressing another quick whisk before throwing in the avocado, scallions and orange sections. Toss very gently so as not to mush the avocado. Put the greens in a salad bowl, spoon the avocado-orange mixture onto the greens and toss. (You don’t want to just dump the entire bowl’s contents into the greens as it may be very liquidy.) After you toss with the greens, assess the dressing situation and add some of the reserved dressing from the glass bowl if necessary.

*Next time, per the good suggestion of the Hubs, I would add some sliced celery and toasted nuts (pecans or walnuts would be especially good). That would add a nice bit of crunch that this salad lacked. Add the celery with the avocado-orange-scallion step; the nuts should be tossed in right before serving.

** The rice vinegar I used has salt and corn syrup in it (I know, yuck, bad for you.), so be sure to taste the dressing before adding salt.  If you use an unsweetened rice vinegar, then add a couple pinches of superfine sugar too.

I can’t tell you how many times I have looked at a delicious-looking ice cream recipe and resented my kitchen’s lack of an ice-cream maker. Well, the Accidental Hedonist offers an ice cream recipe that doesn’t need any special equipment. Plus, the Mascarpone iced cream with amaretti cookies and a sauce of cherries and wine looks amazing. I can’t wait for a special occasion to make it. A hot Friday night counts as a special occasion, right?

Mark Bittman suggests using a way-too-sweet and ridiculously cheap ($4) rosé to make sangria. Not quite a sangria using a box of wine, but I respect him for it. (Plus, he uses fresh mint in the beverage, which is a great idea.)

And in the realm of the ridiculous: The British are for some reason more offended by a gay kiss than the clearly heinous Heinz squeeze-bottle mayonnaise, as reported on Epicurious’ blog. A commercial for the product is like My Two Dads meets The Odd Couple, but featuring a gay kiss.  I personally object to the fake New York accent of the sandwich-maker. I think the ad is actually rather sweet. Judge for yourself.

I don’t have that much counter space, but I might be able to make room for this cute little bread maker. Amy claims to have a just sliver of counter space, and still enough room for it.

A story that hits close to my heart: David Chang bans photography at Ko, and people react. I am sick of hearing about David Chang and his Momofuku iterations, so that isn’t the part that hits close to my heart, but the debate about the practice of taking pics in restaruants in general does. Apparently many people are up in arms about it (read the comments after the post). I never use my flash in restaurants, so I assumed that my photo-taking didn’t bother anyone. I recently committed one of the cardinal sins, though. I took a picture of the dining room at Lodge, including other patrons. I guess I understand now why that would be a no-no, but I didn’t think much about it at the time–I thought about all the print restaurant reviews I have read that include pictures of patrons sitting at the table. In any case, I won’t do that again, though I can’t promise to stop taking pics of my food.

There are a couple of knife sharpening guys who roll around Brooklyn in old-school delivery trucks, ringing brass bells to announce their presence (it is amusing to watch adults wielding knives and scissors running after the knife man with all the excitement of children running after the ice cream truck). Having these reminders of yesteryear is one of the neat things about living in Brooklyn, but also, they happen to sharpen the hell out of cutlery. The other night I got frustrated with how my knife was slipping dangerously on the onions I was chopping, and lamented the knife truck’s absence when I needed it most.

Then I remembered I had this Anolon knife sharpener. I bought it ages ago, but neglected to use it until that evening. After seeing what a difference the sharpened knife made in slicing onions, I wondered what took me so long. The sharpener is a snap to use, just fill it with water and pull your knife through each of the three slots several times. It took mere minutes, and made a huge difference in the sharpness of the blade.

My knives may not have the steeley edge they would after a meeting with the knife truck, but in the meantime, this will more than just do.

One day last week I noticed squashed berries on the sidewalk right outside a community garden in my neighborhood. Suspecting it wasn’t the aftermath human-on-produce violence, I looked up, and lo and behold! There was an enormous tree, probably 30 feet tall, it’s long branches filled with plump berries. Apparently no one is tending to the tree, so the ripe fruit had been left to fall to the ground. The berries look something like blackberries, but I do believe blackberries grow on bushes. So–what is this big tree, and are the berries edible?

The next question is, if these are edible, do I surreptitiously pick some from this neglected tree? I don’t want to steal, but I hate to see food wasted. And it IS a community garden, after all, right?

This is an all too familiar conundrum. In my old neighborhood, Brooklyn Heights, there was this pear tree on the other side of a large stone garden wall that I used to walk by fairly often, which in Autumn would become laden with fruit, some of which hung over the wall onto the street side. It bothered me that no one was picking these luscious pears and I constantly threatened to no one in particular to buy an extending light bulb installer/grabber to pick some of these golden beauties. I never did get up the gumption to do it.

In the case of the berries, as with my other fruit-related saber-rattling, the picking will probably never come to pass.

Though I won’t be baking any community-garden pies any time soon, it would be nice to know what this is so at least I can impress people with my horticultural knowledge. If you have opinions or advice on any of the above questions, please say something in the comments below.

Last weekend the Hubs bought some beautiful turnips, beets, and potatoes at the local farmers’ market, and then last night wondered what the heck to do with them when he decided to make dinner for us. His solution was to turn to the internet and type in the ingredients as search terms. He came up with a recipe from a website that seems like a dubious source for recipes–a magazine for a radio program at Clemson University. I have not heard of that university, let alone their radio program or its magazine. I am sure glad he trusted it, though, because the dish turned out to be surprisingly delicious.

These are different than other roasted root vegetables recipes I have seen, in that in the final stages of roasting, the veggies are coated with broth and vinegar, which give the roots a beautiful and super tasty glaze.

He followed the recipe faithfully with a few exceptions: The beet greens, meant to be the basis of the salad, on our bunch was too wilted to use, so we used basic mixed greens instead. He used chili-flavored olive oil instead of plain olive oil for the roasted veggies to give the dish a bit of kick. He threw a couple new potatoes into the dish. Also, he couldn’t find fresh thyme, so he just used the called-for rosemary.

Roasted Beets and Turnips Salad
[from Your Day, Clemson University]

For the roasted roots:
Coarsely chopped Fresh Thyme (about 15 stems), divided into thirds
Coarsely chopped Fresh Rosemary (about 6 stems), divided into thirds
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10 baby beets (about 1 inch in diameter), washed, unpeeled, leaves trimmed and saved (see salad below), root end trimmed and cut in half (1/4 if larger than 1”)
4 to 6 (about 1 pound) Turnips, washed, trimmed, peeled and cut into 6 – 8 wedges
1/4 cup canned low salt chicken broth
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

For the salad:
Reserved Beet Greens (or other greens)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
3 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 425 F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Mix 2/3 of thyme and rosemary, oil and garlic in small bowl. Add turnips and beets to bowl. Toss with herb mixture and transfer to baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in oven, stirring once, about 40 minutes.
After vegetables are roasted, mix 1/3 herbs, chicken broth and 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar in small bowl and pour over roasted beets and turnips on baking sheet. Return baking sheet to oven and roast until liquid evaporates and vegetables are slightly glazed. About 5 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare beet greens by tearing leaves and washing, spin in salad spinner to dry or blot with paper towels. Mix together 1 clove garlic, 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a medium bowl. Add beet greens and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. To serve arrange beet greens on salad plates and top with roasted vegetables. Can be served hot or at room temperature.

[Gastronormous notes: Next time I might add some bleu cheese to the vinaigrette for the greens. Also, personally, I would use salt and freshly ground pepper on both the root vegetables and in the vinaigrette for the greens.]

The Hubs thought I was too hard on Lodge in the restaurant review below. I thought that half the dishes were good, the other half mediocre. It was not a horrible restaurant, by any means. If the choice was between Lodge and the Olive Garden, don’t get me wrong, I’d absolutely choose Lodge.

If you have an opinion on Lodge, let us know!

A friend of mine has some great work in a successful group show at Like the Spice gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. After attending the opening last Friday we all decided to go out to dinner somewhere nearby. Luckily, there were a number of good restaurant choices in the more or less immediate area. At first we stopped at the festive Taco Chulo, but we were too hungry for the 30-minute wait. So we ended up at Lodge, which had an interesting looking menu and was able to seat us immediately.The interior, as the name might lead you to suspect, is faux-rustic, all wood paneling and antler light fixtures. The large space is divided in two; the bar space was completely empty, but the dining room was full save for one table that seated the five of us perfectly. The empty bar was a puzzlement until I studied the arrangement of the furniture, which, though it is a large space, doesn’t seem to be equipped to hold more than a dozen people.

The waitress took our beverage orders and then a while later came back and explained the many specials in excruciating detail, a process that took much longer than it needed to. We don’t need to know the precise plating of every dish, just the major components will do, thanks. I ordered the gouda mac and cheese (a side) and wanted a side vegetable to go with it. I asked the waitress which she thought was better the toasted brussel sprouts or the lemon and garlic mushrooms. She said brussel sprouts, rather unequivocally. I love crispy brussel sprouts, so I followed her advice.

For an appetizer we had an artichoke dip that was possibly the best i have ever had. It wasn’t too mayonnaise-y or liquidy, but very thick and chunky. It isn’t much to look at and I’m afraid the photos don’t do it justice, but everyone at the table loved it.

Unfortunately much of the rest of the food was not as winsome as the appetizer. Many dishes suffered from under-salting, including my brussel sprouts, which also were not crispy as the “toasted” in the title implied, but actually seemed braised, served in a pool of the presumed braising liquid. They were also very undercooked; I hardly nibbled them. The grilled whole trout was also under-seasoned, and the shrimp hush puppies that came with it were lacking the shrimp. The sweet potato fries were overcooked to the point of being mostly inedible.

The cheeseburger was deemed well-cooked and tasty. The cod with a cauliflower puree, spinach, and bacon–a special–was another standout. Everyone loved the mac and cheese that I ordered. I liked it, but wasn’t as completely won over by it as the others. I love macaroni and cheese and the flavor was good, so I admit I ate all of it, but the texture was a little too thick and sticky for my taste. If I ate there again, I would instead try something meant to be an entree than cobble together sides to form a meal. But whether or not I go again is in question. Based on this experience, I think I might instead give Taco Chulo a try. I assume there is a reason for the wait for a table.

Lodge
318 Grand St (at Havemeyer)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 486-9400

No, I am not holding these jams hostage, though the paper does supply proof this was breakfast today.

I am a big fan of the big Sunday brunch, but this morning I opted for a modest breakfast of 2 pieces of toast with two different jams, one a cloudberry jam I bought at the new Brooklyn IKEA yesterday and the other a ginger spread I had on hand.

I had heard of cloudberries, but had never tasted the exotic fruit, and I was excited to try this jam. At first taste, it was reminiscent of raspberry jam, though with less tartness. But then came the crunch of the copious seeds, which it turns out have quite a bitter flavor. Maybe it is an acquired taste (and texture), but I am not sure I am crazy about this jam. Without the lingering bitterness imparted by the seeds, it would be a nice accompaniment to my morning toast.

The ginger spread, on the other hand, is incredible. Thick, spicy, and sweet, it is perfect for those who like a little sugar and spice in the morning. This spread is great on buttered toast, a bagel with a cream cheese schmear, or on pancakes. It is a versatile spread, and one should not feel obligated to use it only at breakfast. I originally bought it as an accompaniment to a cheese plate I was putting together for guests. It was really amazing with the aged gouda and even the goat cheese. There are tons of other ways to use it; it is great with peanut butter; it would be yummy heated up and poured over ice cream; and I am sort of interested in the idea of incorporating it into savory dishes. On top of every thing else it has going for it, the jar is really cute! It is shaped like–what else?–a mini ginger jar!

Ginger People ginger spread [$3.99]
Hafi cloudberry preserves [$2.99 at IKEA, $9.00 (yikes!) at L'Epicerie]

Friday in my office is referred to, IMO sort of offensively, as “Oriental Friday.” This designation for the entire day is in honor of the Friday lunch menu which is almost always Chinese, Japanese, or, more recently, Thai. The Japanese restaurant we order from uses poor quality ingredients (and always seems to get my order wrong), the Chinese place makes just plain miserable food, but the Thai food (from Thai Basil) is sublime. I had wished to end Working Through Lunch Week on a high note with the Thai food, but alas, forces beyond my control chose indeed to betray the “Oriental” tradition of every Friday before this one and order pizza instead. Pizza! On a Friday! Zut!

We ordered from a joint called Planet Pizza. Considering they have dedicated their entire world to the pizza pie, you’d think they would make a half decent one. But no. (I actually ordered a calzone today, but I am familiar enough with their pizza to make this assertion about their pie.)

FRIDAY’s lunch–Planet Pizza, Greenwich, CT
Calzone with broccoli and mushrooms

This calzone is gigantic. That you can say for it. The mushrooms are not canned. That also you can say for it. (An aside: I never understood the canned mushroom concept. If ever there were an H20-unfriendly vegetable, the mushroom is it. What genius thought it would be awesome to drown mushrooms in water and seal them in tin? Now, onward…) The cheese was sort of sour (not sure if it was the mozzarella or the ricotta). The bottom of the calzone was soggy. The crust was flavorless. The sauce on the side was–there is no other word for it–insipid. Sigh! I don’t know about you, but I am totally over Working Through Lunch Week.

Moral of this one-week story: If you are on a road trip and pass through Greenwich around lunchtime. I advise you to keep driving to the next city. There has to be better food on the horizon. I hate to be so negative on the town. It really is lovely here. Quaint streets. Some beautiful residential architecture. A great little museum. And the trees growing bags of cash are almost in bloom this time of year. It has got a lot of things going for it, it really does. Lunch delivery is just not one of them.