Herbaliciousness

I love fresh herbs; they add life and vitality to even the simplest of dishes. Though very convenient, I've come to the conclusion that most dried herbs just aren't worth the bother. I can't remember the last dish with dried herbs that really impressed me. Recently I heard the tip to throw dried herbs on the fire when grilling. That seems like a good way to use them. Or a good a way to dispose of them...

Why am I so crazy about fresh herbs? Because nothing smells better than a roast chicken with fresh tarragon. Fresh thyme used in stews or with meat imparts a uniquely earthy forest like quality. A little bit of minced chives is the mildest form of oniony sweetness you can add to delicate dishes like scrambled eggs.

Parsley and mint should never be relegated to the role of garnish. The pungent green bite of parsley takes on a whole other role when used in quantity. Mint can also be like a salad green and adds a cooling freshness to Middle Eastern dishes like fattoush or tabouli salad or to spicy Trapanese pesto.

Frankly I blame Kalyn and her Weekend Herb Blogging. Her herb-centric posts have caused me to spend far too much on little itty bitty plastic pouches of fresh herbs. So this year I gave growing herbs another try. In an apartment with no direct sun, I had little luck the first time around. This time I decided to put a box just outside my kitchen window. So far my mint, parsley, chives, thyme and tarragon are doing very well. And I can't tell you how happy that makes me. Using my own homegrown herbs is much more satisfying than buying them. No houseplant could possibly give me as much joy.

FOOD

Chinese Food & Cake

The only thing better than leftover Chinese food for breakfast are the memories of Chinese food from R&G Lounge the night before. Visions of divine crab, tender and crispy Peking duck, salt and pepper shrimp, delicate pea sprouts, sweet and savory char siu pork and so much more are dancing in my head. Thanks to the maven of all things sweet, David Lebovitz for visiting and giving me an excuse to plan a dinner with food bloggers and to share the best cake around, the Sacripantina from Stella Pastry.

FOOD

Sara Foster's Casual Cooking: Cookbook

When it comes to food, I don't believe in secrets. Secret restaurants, secret menu items, or secret recipes are all bad ideas. Food should be enjoyed and keeping it secret just gets in the way of that. I used to work with a Southern gal who told me her aunt made the best biscuits but she wouldn't share the recipe. Someday that aunt will die and the recipe will too. That's a shame. Sharing that recipe would be creating a legacy for herself instead of just memories that one day will die too.

So I would like to share with you a little secret of sorts. It's a book I've been inspired by quite a bit lately but I've kept the relationship to myself, until now. When I got a copy of Sara Foster's Casual Cooking I had never heard of Sara Foster. It turns out she has two other cookbooks and been featured in a number of national magazines. She started her culinary career as a chef for Martha Stewart's catering company and now runs a take-out business in Durham, North Carolina. Her cooking is casual, and the book is filled with main dish salads, quesadillas, pasta and even egg dishes. The recipes are not fancy, but great and sometimes healthy twists on the classics like a creamed corn that has no cream in it.

My copy of her book is filled with little sticky notes and while I may not be following her recipes exactly, they have been inspiring and intriguing me. I have played around with a couple of recipes, starting with Ricotta Tartlets with Spring Greens and Sauteed Onions. I experimented with my own version of this and it came out great! Mixing ricotta with a little egg and baking it turns it into a lovely starter. I used a muffin pan instead of tart pans and I flavored mine with green onions. Her recipe for Grilled Shrimp and Goat Cheese Tostada with a drizzle of cilantro chimichurri sauce was the impetus for my post on unorthodox quesadilla combos.

Here are the recipes I've bookmarked but haven't tried yet. The first recipe is Rigatoni with Sausage, Cannellini Bean and Swiss Chard Ragu. I have been looking for something new to do with Swiss chard for a long time and the picture of this dish is mouthwatering. Another recipe I have yet to tackle is Warm Sourdough Bread Salad with Chicken and Pine Nuts. This salad is like an Italian bread salad but with peppery watercress, golden raisins and pine nuts. Genius! Next time I have leftover chicken I am sure I will make a version of it. You can follow the recipes to the letter or just be inspired by them, either way, this book is a keeper.

FOOD

Blackberry Ketchup at Sherrill's Inn: Recipe

Just a week ago I visited historic Sherrill's Inn in Hickory Nut Gap just South of Asheville, North Carolina. Set against a backdrop of rolling hills and manicured gardens I enjoyed a leisurely cooking demonstation that utilized produce and meat from farms less than a mile away. Descendants of the family that owns the inn operate Flying Cloud Farm, named after an old stagecoach, and Spring House Meats. Local farms in the area such as Flying Cloud are primarily organic but have not sought certification. Spring House raises antibiotic and hormone free grassfed beef, lamb, pork and pastured chickens. Both sell at the local "tailgate markets" in and around Asheville.


I enjoyed a tour of the property and the inn, which dates back to around 1800.

Outside was a stone house with a spring running through it that served as a refrigerator.


There was also an old stockade on the property that serves as a smokehouse.


In one room were murals painted depicting early scenes from the inn.


Local chef Joe Scully and owner of the Corner Kitchen just outside the Biltmore Estate in Asheville prepared wilted Swiss chard, cheddar grits and pork chops with blackberry ketchup. Forget any notions of commercially prepared tomato ketchup, this spicy, sweet and tangy sauce is wonderful with pork, chicken or even turkey. Joe said his kids even it use it to dip their fries! It's a North Carolina recipe that can be easily made at home. You can use frozen or fresh blackberries and because they are cooked down into a sauce it's a good way to use berries that may be a bit over or under ripe.


Blackberry Ketchup

1 quart (or 1 1/3 lbs) blackberries
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
salt to taste
1/2 pound butter

Combine all but the butter, boil until reduced by half, syrup consistency, about 20- 30 minutes. Puree and strain out seeds. Return pot to the stove and whisk in butter while sauce is hot. Season to taste. Joe said the sauce will last in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Enjoy!

FOOD + ASHEVILLE

Bits and Bites

Culinate is a terrific new food site. It's about food but also about where food comes from and the decisions we make about what to buy and what to eat. It manages to be credible but never preachy. Articles and reviews are often thought-provoking and their profiles tend to go beyond the surface. Lots of great writers and bloggers can be found there including some of my favorites like David Lebovitz, Derrick Schneider, Matthew Amster-Burton, Deborah Madison and more. Check it out, if you haven't already.


Culinate is currently holding a Grilling contest. I know it's an odd request, but please vote for my friend and fellow blogger Matt of MattBites. He really needs to attend a grilling class. The poor boy grew up in Texas and thinks he knows about grilling but is clearly in need of some re-education. Click on the "GrillMe" graphic to vote for Matt's blog, not mine. The contest is almost over so please, sneak over there now and give him your vote. I'm happy with my George Foreman grill!


Over on the KQED food blog is a really cool recipe for Tomato Melon Gazpacho. I know because I posted it! It's from an absolute gem of a book that I reviewed/swooned over, Mark Bittman's Quick & Easy Recipes from The New York Times. If you love "The Minimalist" column over at The New York Times, you will treasure this book.

FOOD

Cooking with Amy goes Glam!

Did you know I'm a Glam girl? Ok, not really, but I did get to post a guest spot over at the Glam web site courtesy of Lifestyle Editor and Last Minute Party Girl author and contributor to magazines like Food & Wine, Bon Appetit and InStyle, Erika Lenkert.

Since I am almost always misquoted in interviews I figured, why not set the record straight? I interviewed myself and the result is a cheat sheet to some of my favorite picks and places and a funny story to boot. You can read all about it over at GlamNest.

FOOD

Ratatouille: Movie Review

I was going to just relax and stay in this weekend, but a sneak preview of Ratatouille lured me out of my lair. Set in Paris, it's the story of a talented rat with great ambitions. Because he appreciates fine food, he wants to leave the nest and become a chef. Remy the rat is guided by his visions of a famous chef and recipes he's read in a cookbook. As to be expected from a Pixar film, the animation is amazing and the level of detail will blow you away, but it was the culinary detail that won me over.

It will come as no surprise that Thomas Keller and Anthony Bourdain both acted as consultants on the film. The details of the kitchen brigade, the kitchen personalities and even the cooking itself is a joy to watch. Check out the enamel stoves, the use of rasp style graters and the walk in fridge! Overblown celebrity chefs, kitchen sexism, food critics and even health inspectors are all skewered. This is the least "kid-oriented" of the Pixar films, and if the sneak preview was any indication, it will have a large adult audience.

The idea that a rat doesn't want to eat garbage and has great taste is a brilliant premise. The message behind the film, if there is any, is that credit should be given to those do the real work and not to underestimate the lowly ones in our midst. The catch phrase "anyone can cook" sounds like it came from the Food Network, but the film is way more entertaining than anything on TV. Hands down, this is my new favorite Pixar film. By the way, don't miss the short in the beginning or the terrific animation in the credits. Ratatouille opens on June 29th.

FOOD