Docsconz- The Blog

On the Farm - John Boy's Mountain View Farm

Tucked away on a hillside deep into Washington County, N.Y., in the Town of Jackson, not far from Vermont, sits a small farm with Berkshires and birds. John Ubaldo and his wife Laura relocated here a bit over one year ago from downstate N.Y. primarily to raise the Berkshire breed of pigs, a heritage breed, renowned for the flavor of their meat as well as their flocks of chickens, ducks and geese. For some background on the Ubaldos and their products see here and here. They sell their product at Farmers markets in Westchester, N.Y., through Washington County's Farm to Chef Express or directly from the farm. At the moment, they do not have a website.

 

I paid a visit to the farm yesterday to pick up some spare ribs and had a chance to visit with the Ubaldos and their livestock. I also left having purchased a few items beyond the ribs that I drove there to pick up, including goose, duck and chicken eggs, andouille, Canadian bacon, smoked duck breasts, smoked quail and smoked trout.

After we finished conducting business, the Ubaldo's brought me down to visit with their prized Berkshire pigs. Our first stop was to see the pigs out in the field, especially John's favorite boar, who he affectionately, albeit inappropriately at this time, calls "Grandpa." Grandpa is a large, still young, very friendly boar, who got up out of his late afternoon revery to come and pay us a visit. He very much seemed to enjoy John's caresses and scratches. The other pigs looking on from surrounding fields appeared to be a wee bit envious as many ambled over to see what was going on.

John Ubaldo with "Grandpa"

While standing there, I noticed that the air did not smell of flowers. On the same token, neither was it a profound stench. I could certainly discern that this was a farm, but it was not significantly odoriferous or particularly unpleasant. It was clear that these pigs, even though most are destined for a slaughterhouse and a plate, are extremely well cared for.

We moseyed on to visit other pens. The Ubaldo's have a rotation set up for certain pigs as they ready for market. Though the pigs have the fields and even woods to roam around in for most of their lives, as they close in towards the end, their feed becomes more circumscribed. It is not for nothing that these pigs attain the size they do. Unlike most pig farmers in the U.S., the Ubaldos do not slaughter their pigs until they reach a minimum weight of 400 pounds and at least one year of age. Even though he breeds the pigs, Ubaldo does not sell any piglets for slaughter. His preference is for the classic, deep red, highly marbled meat of the adult Berkshire.

To emphasize the last point he and Laura brought me to see their most recent litters of piglets, including a litter of rare English bloodline Berklshires less than 24 hours old. The other litters of adorable piglets were 3 and 6 weeks old respectively. Unfortunately, the breed has a reputation for poor mothering and the mother of the 3 week-old litter had to be separated from them as her milk had run dry and she was more likely to inadvertently hurt or kill them than to nurture them. While the mother may have suffered somewhat from the separation, the piglets appeared not to have as they were active and extremely playful. The newborn piglets and the 6 week-olds were still penned in with their mother, though the newborns were in a pen designed to allow them access to their mother without her being able to inadvertently crush them.

Newborn under the warming lights

Piglet less than 24hrs old

Unfortunately the afternoon had shifted into evening and I had to get on. On my way off the property, I stopped to visit with the birds. With plenty of free-range including a pond and meticulously clean barns, these appeared to be very well-taken care of birds too. Interestingly, John Ubaldo told me that he does not have a significant problem with predators since all the birds are housed at night. During the day, he does lose an occasional bird to a roaming hawk or a smart snapping turtle.

 

For more photos of this superb farm, please see here or the slideshow below.

SPAC Patron's Club No Longer Just for Patrons

It had been awhile since I dined at the Patron's Club in The Hall of Springs at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. My wife and I had been Patrons of the performing Arts Center for a few seasons in the '90's, but with growing children and increasing expenses, had to give that up.It was a great place to have dinner before a performance of the NYC Ballet or the Philadelphia Orchestra. The food was good and reasonably priced and the setting was beautiful and couldn't be more convenient for the show. As it was then, the Club is managed by The Glen Sanders Mansion.

The view from the dining porch

When I discovered from a friend, Chef Christopher Tanner, who was recently hired to be the Chef de Cuisine there this summer, that the restaurant was no longer just available to Patrons, my wife and I decided to try it again, especially knowing that Chef Tanner, a talented cook who makes all his own charcuterie and is a Culinary Professor at Schenectady Community College, would be cooking.

With our son in tow, we made a reservation for 7:30 PM, which meant that we would have the restaurant mostly to ourselves as the vast majority of diners, eat there before the 7:30 curtain. It was a beautiful time of the evening as the lowering sun cast beautiful light along the Palladian buildings of the hall of Springs and The Little Theater across he pond.

One is not likely to leave the restaurant hungry, as included in the price of a main course, they have a "Tuscan" Table with an assortment of dishes prepared by the kitchen including shrimp cocktail; various freshly smoked seafood items such as lobster,scallops, mussels, salmon and trout; corn and seafood chowder; grilled vegetables, composed salads and a seemingly endless array of other dishes, all freshly prepared by the hard-working two man kitchen crew. The Tuscan table by itself is $30, which also happens to be the price of the least expensive menu items (remember the TT is included with the main course). Nothing on the menu was priced at more than $39. The wine list is unremarkable, but not overtly expensive either.

Of course, the curse of a broad buffet such as this, is that it is very easy to fill up before the main course arrives. Despite trying to limit ourselves, that still was our fate, which was too bad, as we couldn't enjoy Chef Tanner's mains as much as we otherwise would have. The dish I ordered included braised chicken thighs with house-made Mortadella, dandelion greens, fingerling potatoes and a poached egg. One look at the plate and I cursed myself for eating even a relatively meager amount from the buffet. My wife had roast loin of lamb with house made thyme lamb sausage, house-made gnocchi and a potpourri of nicoise olives, summer squash and heirloom tomatoes. Our son had a pork shoulder ragu with house-made pappardelle pasta, Taggiasca olive sauce and Tuscano Olive Oil. The food was all very well prepared, but if I had to do it over again, I would either have severely limited myself at the Tuscan Table (to some of the beautiful smoked seafood items) or I would have ordered a lighter main course such as the pan-seared scallops. Regardless of how full I may be from dinner, my sweet tooth dictates that I always have at least a little room for dessert, which Chef Tanner graciously comped for us. These included black cherries in a kirsch liquor topped with a rainier cherry foam, house made Valrhona chocolate gelato and a "Study in Orange" which included a lovely orange panna cotta with some candied kumquats.

 

 

Taste of the Week - July 5 -11

This was a very good week for eating locally. The market produce is beginning to hit its peak, we had some very nice restaurant and market meals and my son's birthday dinner was everything I and he hoped it would be. There were plenty of fine bites and gulps with quite a few candidates for my taste of the week. That honor, however, must be bestowed upon the squash blossoms that I purchased and cooked yesterday, making a Stuffed Squash Blossom Tempura. Stuffed with chevre mixed with lardons and ground pistachio and quick-fried with a tempura batter in grapeseed oil, they were delicious!

The Stuffing:
Lardons 25g
Ground pistachio 25g
fresh chevre (Sweet Spring) 100g
salt and pepper to taste



Mixed together well



9 beautiful, fresh squash blossoms
Stuff each with a tablespoon+ of the filling
Prepare tempura batter
Fry at 340ºF with enough grapeseed or other oil to cover

Enjoy hot and crisp!

Dinner at The Farmers' Market

Farmers Markets, farm stands and food markets in general have always been places to get food to prepare for a meal. A growing number of markets and farm stands have freshly prepared food on the premises to purchase and eat. Indeed some markets, like Barcelona's La Boqueria de San Josep have become almost as well known for the restaurants within the market as for the fresh food that is for sale. So while eating at a food market is not a brand new concept, The Saratoga Farmers' Market under the direction of Market Coordinator Suzanne Voigt, the promotion of Melanie Beam of Mountain Media, the support of Slow Food Saratoga Region and the cooking of Chef Dan Spitz, put together a special After Hours dinner featuring products from the market for about 40 or so lucky guests who paid $30 each for the privilege. The dinner was held at The Saratoga Market Pavilion on an evening that like many recent ones, started with rain, but fortunately quickly became clear and beautiful. The lovely vibraphone, guitar and sax jazz rhythms of Geo/Beat added even more sunshine.

The premise was for people to gather and socialize at the market to enjoy a reasonably priced meal of ultra-fresh local produce and meats. The scheduling of the dinner coincided with the Market's "Eat Local Week" activities and pre-empted the usual 2nd Wednesday of the month Slow food Saratoga Region Restaurant dinner. With the food, water, tables and table coverings provided, diners were asked to bring their own chairs, dinnerware and if so desired, additional beverages.

Proving that he could conjure a superb meal under less than ideal kitchen circumstances, Chef Spitz, who caters locally, put together a dinner utilizing two Weber kettle Grills and a couple of gas grills to finish his preparations. Opening the dinner, there was goat cheese from Sweet Springs Farm, sweet cherries from Saratoga Apple and Kilpatrick Farm radishes with chive butter. This was followed by an immaculately fresh salad featuring greens and turnips from New Minglewood Farm and a herb vinaigrette.

Sides were passed around the tables. These included beautifully prepared grilled squash with salsa verde and a black-eyed pea salad. The mains consisted of  lusciously smokey BBQ chicken from M&A Farm, a Frittata of peas, herbs and goat cheese and smoked Elihu Farm lamb riblets with ancho chili. Each of the dishes was packed with flavor. The chicken was particularly moist and juicy. Dessert consisted of mixed berries with cream. Fortunately, we are still enjoying lengthy days, as the only thing that brought this convivial dinner to an end was the falling darkness and aggressive mosquitos that arrived with the departure of the sunlight.

This is not likely to become an everyday event at the market, but it was eminently successful and worthy of an encore shuld the principals have the energy and desire to do so.

At The Market - July 11. 2009

Squash Blossoms! The Kilpatrick Family Farm had an abundance of beautiful squash blossoms, both male and female, at the Saratoga Farmers Market today 3 for $2. I bought nine.

Michael Kilpatrick and his squash blossoms

Ideas in the Studio - Round Two

No, I wasn't there, but I certainly wish I was. The photos and the menu indicate a particularly extraordinary meal, having incorporated so many of my favorite foods including soft-shell crabs, sweetbreads, pig cheeks, foie gras, sea urchin, goose eggs, squab and so much more. Alex discusses a need for flexibility here. Given that the diners and the beverages they bring for meals at Studio Kitchen are always interesting, there is no doubt in my mind that this was a truly incredible evening!

Ramblings in Italy – Region of Parma

Ramblings in Italy – Region of Parma

June 15, 2009

Visit to Antica Corte Pallavicina and Dinner at Al Cavallino Bianco

 by Rocco Verrigni

 
Culatelli

On the banks of the Po River in the region of Parma, in Polesine Parmense, lies Antica Corte Pallavicina Relais, a restored 14^th century estate with historical connections to Maestro Guiseppe Verdi and his family. Also on located on the grounds is Al Cavallino Bianco Ristorante. 

With friends from the area, I toured the cellars and grounds of the estate. Our tour guide was Massimo Spigaroli who along with others has restored the estate. He is also the force behind the production of one the region’s celebrated products, Culatello di Zibello, a cured ham made from the black pigs “Nera Parmigiana” of the area. Walking among the thousands of culatelli hanging in the cellars was mildly intoxicating and full of the smell of aging. We also toured the cellars were hundreds of wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano lie, as they go through their 2 year aging process.  

Alora (then) it was up to the restaurant where we tasted the fruits of some one else’s hard labor. We started our meal with a degustione of the local cured meats and cheeses. Of course there was Culatello di Zibello (DOP), a distinctive pear-shaped ham entwined in reams of string that form a broadknit net with meat that is uniformly red and speckled with pieces of white fat between the muscle fibres, a scent that is intense and distinctive, and a taste that is sweet and delicate. The selection also included strohlghino, a salume made with the trimmings of culatello, coppa, a muscle of the pork right behind the back of the head, at the top of the shoulder, pancetta, other local salumi, and lardo. All of this went well with a local red sparkling wine, Fortana, similar to the regions most celebrated, lambrusco. I then had a Parmigiano specialty, Tortelli di Erbette, the ethereal pasta of the area, stuffed with greens, in a light butter sauce and of course, parmigiano reggiano cheese. I finished with a pistachio semi-freddo, café and nocino, the Emilia-Romagna digestivo made made from unripe green walnuts steeped in spirits.

A perfect day and evening in the region of Parma with friends. Thank you, Giacomo.

Whiskey a Go-Go

I have been a wine enthusiast for twenty-five years or so and have developed a fair appreciation for the grape and its nuances. Of course, I enjoy other beverages, though my experience and knowledge of them pales compared to my experience with wine. I enjoy a well-made cocktail be it creative or classic and have an appreciation for spirits even if my knowledge is minimal compared to others. When it comes to food and beverage, I am always happy to expand my knowledge and experience when opportunities present themselves.

I had just such an opportunity this past Friday night when friends, David and Connie Bannon, invited my wife and I along with a number of other friends of theirs to their home for a tasting of Scotch and Irish whiskeys as well as a dinner prepared by a recent graduate of the CIA, David Lashinsky.

The tasting was prepared and delivered by Nigel Manley, an English ex-pat living in New Hampshire. Manley  manages The Rocks Estate, a conservation and education center, when he is not indulging in conveying his passion and knowledge of fine whiskeys. Having procured a variety of Scotch and Irish whiskeys available at the N.H. State Liquor Store, Manley's selection covered the regions of Scotland as well as styles from Single Malt to blends and so on, affording the taster an extensive tour of the genres, highlighting characteristics, similarities and differences.

Manley started with Scotch and explained the distinctions between single malt and pure malt whiskeys and what makes Scotch scotch. Single malt Scotch is, of course, made in Scotland using malted barley from one distillery and aged at least three years. Pure malts do not come from a single distillery. They use a vatted malt, which is a combination of several single malts. The age designation is based on the youngest malt used. Blends go even further aiming for a style consistent from bottle to bottle and year to year. Blends generally consist of 40-60% malt whiskey often containing as many as 30-40 different malts. Usquaebach and The Original Oldbury Sheep Dip were mentioned as examples of this, while Teacher's Highland Cream was available to taste.

Manley went on to discuss some of the important distinguishing components of Scotch and focused the rest of his Scotch discussion on Single Malts. He stated that "It all begins with the water," which happens be an unappetizing brown color having percolated through many feet of peat moss, giving it a unique flavor. Another critical component of the character of a particular Scotch include its geographic origin, such as the Highlands, the lowlands, the islands and the areas of Islay and Campbeltown. The type of wood used for the barrels as well as the previous life of the aging barrels also provide an important influence on the taste of the final product with oak and sherry casks being particularly popular for various distilleries.

Before actually offering tastes of the different selections, Manley suggested a technique for tasting, which included smelling the Scotch, first in the glass (preferably a wine glass) then after having covered the glass for a few moments; tasting the Scotch for "first flavors"; tasting it again for "finish" and then adding a little water before smelling and tasting again.

 

Representing the Lowland Region, Manley poured Auchentoshan 10yo Single Malt. With a pale gold color, the Scotch was not overtly smoky. It was somewhat gentle on the palate with citrusy notes and a crisp finish. A 15yo Glenlivet single malt from the Highland/Speyside region was a bit darker with an amber color. Aged in french oak, vanilla notes shone through. It had a slightly bitter finish. Caol Ila from Islay proved to be my favorite of the evening. Aged for 12 years in casks previously used to age sherry, this pale amber colored whiskey was smoky, salty and slightly sweet with layers of flavor.

Manley moved on to some Irish whiskeys, the highlight of which was one from Knappogue Castle. A single malt from 1994, this was pale amber in color, smoky and deep with some grassy and lemony notes breaking through the smoke. While I expected to enjoy the Scotches having had some experience of enjoying them previously, I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and quality of the Irish whiskeys, of which i previously had next to no experience other than Jamison's.

All this alcohol begged for something to soak it up and our hosts obliged, offering a lovely dinner prepared by a local recent graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., David Lashinsky. Lashinsky prepared a delicious dinner of crab-stuffed beef tenderloin, creamy, cheesy polenta, asparagus, hot potato leek soup and portobello mushroom salad. Dessert was birthday cake to celebrate the birthday of our lovely hostess.

A Pair From 1991 - July 9th, 2009

Today is our son's 18th birthday, his last at home before he goes off to college. To celebrate, we opened a bottle of 1991 Dominus. The wine was beautiful, even though it was still big and bold with a lot of oak and fruit, a Parker special (yes, I'm talking to you, Gerry Dawes!) There are times I enjoy a big, bold, Parker wine and there are times I enjoy something else. After 18 years, this wine is drinking very, very nicely. The tannins are soft, the fruit is intact and the finish is long.

The wine went quite nicely with a dinner of Lewis-Waite Farm filet mignon with shiitake-parmesan cream sauce*, sautéed Sheldon Farms green beans with mint and chopped pine nuts and baked Sheldon Farm potatoes. For dessert, my wife baked a birthday cake.

*Recipe: 10oz. of shiitakes, destemmed and sliced, cook over a low heat without fat. Add one chopped scallion then a little butter before adding enough cream to provide liquid and body. Finish it with S&P and about 4oz of freshly grated Parmesan. Drape over the filet mignon, which has been topped with additional Parm and some balsamico tradizionale di Modena and broiled. I initially cooked the filets in a CVap to a temp of 118ºF then placed them in a hot pan with melted butter. The pan was placed under a broiler for about 4 minutes to sear the exterior and caramelize the parmesan. If cooking conventiomnally under a broiler turn once then apply the Parm to the top of the steaks.

At the Market - July 8, 2009

I bought 5 pints of currants yesterday from Scotch Ridge Berry Farm at the Saratoga Farmers market. My wife will make a currant jam with these. What do you do with currants?