July 2009
July 31, 2009
July 30, 2009
TGRWT #18: A Basic Approach
What the hell is TGRWT18, one might ask. TGRWT stands for "They go really well together" and represents a project started by the Norwegian blogger Martin Lersch of Khymos to explore unusual flavor pairings that have a basis in science. Previous pairings have included strawberry and coriander, mint and mustard and chicken and rose amongst others. This latest round of exploration and the first I am participating in, was put forth by Trig from Aidan Brooks: Trainee Chef. Trig describes the rationale behind the product as:
"TGRWT is all about unusual flavour pairings - combining culinary ingredients in ways that we aren't familiar with from classical cooking. The scientific hypothesis behind these experiments is that if two foods have one or more key odorants in common, they might go well together and perhaps even complement and enhance each other. With the advent of modern analysis tools and the establishment of the Volatile Compounds in Food Database, this research has become much easier to undertake. But, as they say, the proof of the pudding..."
For this round he has chosen Plum and blue cheese, with wide discretion on the specific plums and blue cheeses to be used. Fruit and cheese have been served together for ages, so this isn't a huge stretch, however, blue cheese is not necessarily the easiest pairing. For example, my wife had a sip of orange juice after eating some blue cheese and nearly gagged.
I decided that I would approach this very simply to start. I toasted some Rockhill 8 Seed whole grain bread, sliced some Stilton like Boucher Blue from Vermont and sliced a basic Califonia plum and layered the cheese and the plum on top of the toast. It made for a lovely breakfast with the fruit, cheese and bread harmonizing nicely. The Boucher Blue is a firm, full flavored, assertive blue, but it mellowed considerably when paired with the plum. The toast and seeds added nice background flavors and textures. I can easily envision a gorgonzola-plum tart or perhaps something even more savory - a blue cheese-plum sauce over grilled sliced medium rare beef.
BTW, if you are not familiar with either Khymos or Aidan Brooks: Trainee Chef, they are absolutely worth checking out.
July 29, 2009
New York Cornfield 2009
Sheldon Farms Field Corn
In an article written for San Francisco Magazine, Chef/Author Daniel Patterson laments that "The corn that we eat in its natural state has lost its distinctive flavor, echoing America’s drift toward sweet, one-dimensional tastes." He continues to say, "The corn I remember from my youth was markedly different from what’s grown today." Patterson attributes this to farmers growing corn for a market that only seems to value sweetness, leaving the product one dimensional. The rise of "supersweet" hybrids and the decline of open pollination appear to be the principle reasons for the apparent unidimensionality of corn flavor. According to Patricia Sheldon of Sheldon Farms in Washington County, the reason that the supersweet hybrids were developed was to maintain the sweetness of industrial farm grown corn from places like Florida as the corn was transported and distributed elsewhere in the country. Many farms, including ones just selling locally took to those hybrids thinking that if sweet corn is good, "supersweet" must be even better. In addition to the lack of depth of corn flavor, according to Sheldon, the "supersweet" hybrids tend to have a mealy texture, owing to the high sugar content. She states, that though they use hybrids and no longer open pollinate at Sheldon Farms, they do not use "supersweet" varieties. Instead they use a number of different hybrids, which I will attest, still provide great corn flavor and crisp texture in addition to some requisite sweetness.
The photo of the field above is of field corn, grown to feed animals. In addition to being less sweet that corn grown for human consumption in the U.S., it is grown later in the season, is hardier, taller and designed for the entire plant to be harvested and used for feed. Of course, corn as animal feed has its own issues, but I will not get in to them here.
It is too bad that the state of sweet corn in the nation has generally come to this. Patterson has decided that since he cannot find the corn of his youth, he will not use it.
"Over the years, I’ve made corn-juice glazes, corn meringues, sautés of corn and chanterelles, corn-and-basil salads, and corn-and-tomato combinations of all kinds, but nothing has ever thrilled me the way steamed and buttered corn on the cob did in my childhood. Corn today is so sweet that it overpowers or undermines everything it accompanies, while lacking one key component: corn flavor.
This year, I’m throwing in the towel: No more corn on the menu. I’m tired of trying to create a balanced dish with an ingredient that tastes like it’s been impregnated with simple syrup. And I’m disgusted that the industrial seed companies bet—correctly, as it turns out—on Americans’ appetite for sweet, monolithic flavors with no subtlety, in the process ruining an extraordinary vegetable. "
While I share Patterson's observation and general lament, i am happy that I am still able to find at least some corn here in N.Y. state that still has depth of flavor and the texture that I have always associated with corn. Summer is still a time where I and others can still look forward to fresh, loal, in-season corn with character.
July 28, 2009
July 27, 2009
Community Spirit - The Annual Salem Courthouse Al Fresco Dinner
There are small towns and there are small towns. At their worst, they can be stifling and boring. At their best, they are a marvel of community with everyone banding together and showing a spirit and comradery that simply can not be beaten. The small town of Salem, N.Y. along with its sister towns in eastern Washington County certainly fits into the latter category. A town immersed in farms and art, there is no shortage of beauty, creativity and productivity. Nothing demonstrates that more than the annual Salem Courthouse Al Fresco dinner, which has taken place towards the end of July for most of this decade. Founded and run by local resident and culinary journalist, Annette Nielsen, the concept was based on an experience that she and her husband had attending a similar civic banquet in Siena, Italy just prior to the famed Palio horse race of that city. They were so impressed by how each of the city's contradas or neighborhoods would convene over a great feast under the stars just prior to the race and how it built civic pride and a sense of togetherness. The concept was brought to Salem as a means to take advantage of and foster community spirit and a way to raise funds for the restoration of the old Courthouse building, a central, historic, but rundown structure within the community. As the years have progressed and the dinners come and gone, the building has indeed seen improvements and has been put to good use housing a community kitchen as well as a new community garden.
The Al Fresco dinner utilizes the talents and products of the local community to provide an evening of food, convivality and entertainment for approximately 400 people. Set adjacent to the courthouse and next to a farm, the scene is as bucolic as a dinner for so many people can be. The meal starts with tables full of many of the finest cheeses of the area as well as hors douvre's passed around by the volunteer staff. In the meantime, a local band, The Roadside Blues Band was playing spirited music. A silent auction took place in an adjacent barn featuring crafts and services donated by talented and generous community members. My wife and I bid on and won a fantastic raspberry pie and 10 pounds of blueberry picking from a local farm, Garden Works as well as a dinner for four including pairings at Suvir Saran's and Hemant Mathur's great NYC Indian restaurant, Devi.
With blue skies overhead and green fields beside us, it was impossible not to be infected with happiness and warmth. The food, delivered family style by the army of young volunteers, was really no more than adequate, but given the overall experience, that was good enough and didn't really matter in the grand scheme. Given the logistical difficulties of preparing a meal for so many, it is remarkable that it is as good as it is. An opening salad consisting of greens, cherry tomatoes and sheep's milk feta was quite tasty with the feta elevating the dish beyond the ordinary. Meats served included a juicy, flavorful sausage made by the local market and marinated chicken. The chicken, unfortunately was dry and bland and was the chief reason I label the meal merely adequate. Roasted vegetables, corn on the cob and rosemary red potatoes were good, although cold by the time they arrived at the tables. Dessert, a strawberry rhubarb cobbler, whipped cream and berries was the highlight of the meal, the epitome of country life on a plate. Despite the meals limitations, the evening was a grand one, punctuated by the always festive Mettawee River Theater Company and their incredible Sendakian costumes.
Centered around food, but focused on community and the community building aspects of the growing, cooking and dining experience, this annual event is the embodiment of the Slow Food USA slogan of "good, clean & fair." That it is so richly supported by this wonderful community is no surprise and is an example of the kind of success that a motivated community, however small, can pull together to achieve.
July 26, 2009
Taste of the Week - July 19-25
I ate a lot of good things this week. Some were from my hands. Some were from my wife's hands and plenty were from the hands of others. It is not often, though, that I make a dish of a quantity sufficient to feed 60 or more people. That it actually turned out to be pretty damn tasty makes it all the more remarkable and therefore, worthy of my "taste of the week." I used a recipe taken from the May/June 2002 issue of Cook's Illustrated that was designed to feed 4-6 people. My wife and I then multiplied the recipe by 10. That doesn't sound like such a big deal until one considers the sheer volume of food and the equipment necessary to handle it. We have a pretty nice home kitchen, but it is still not equipped for catering or large scale production. The tricky part of making this dish was doing several steps in batches and over time, something that somehow actually came together without ruining everything. Aside from a good recipe and a little luck, there were at least a couple of other factors instrumental in this jambalaya turning out as well as it did: 1. was using some really good ingredients , most notably the andouille and tasso from John Boy's Mountain View Farm Berkshire pigs. That stuff was seriously good. I could hardly refrain from eating too much of it, when it was browning in the pan or draining on paper towels awaiting the next step and 2. the last minute advice and assistance of Chef Dan Spitz, who helped me navigate through some thick weeds.
The jambalaya was great last Sunday when it was made, but we also had plenty left-over and ate it throughout the week. It was particularly great to bring to work for lunch. The leftover jambalaya was enhanced with the meat from leftover ribs, harking back to a traditional "kitchen-sink" approach towards making the dish.
July 25, 2009
Ramblings in Italy - Looking Back
Ramblings in Italy
Looking Back
Ringraziarla a tutto
Thanks to Everyone
by Rocco Verrigni
After a trip with so many highpoints, it’s difficult to begin to thank those who made it such a wonderful and productive trip. But try I must. Everywhere I went I was greeted with enthusiasm, put up in homes, taken out to dinner, and treated like family, literal or otherwise.
So let’s start at the beginning. For providing me with an initial
home base that helped me to recover from the rigors of travel, I thank
Daniela Balestra, who shared her home, nourished me with the food of
summer, and spent endless hours conversing about food, culture and life. Your terrazzo is etched in
my mind. To Renato who hosted me at his photo studio my first weekend
in Italy and provided an opportunity to meet some locals and simply
spend a Sunday afternoon relaxing, talking and of course eating.
My next stopping point was Parma. Here, my host was a friend and business
associate, Giacomo Berselli, who is a life-long resident of Parma and
the quintessential spokesman of Parma, its bucolic surrounding countryside, world-famous products,
and history. Giacomo is is the director and founder of Marco Polo Institute,
whose mission is to promote Italian cultural education and tourism through
study-abroad programs with the United States and other countries. Somehow
within his busy daily schedule, he always found time to get together
to eat, not just in the city but in the surrounding countryside. No
matter what we were doing, there were always two elements involved,
food and culture or history. Giacomo’s seemingly endless of knowledge
about the history, food and customs of the area always excited me and
made me thankful for being the recipient of his passionate exchange
of information.
Heading south from Parma, I
traveled down the Adriatic coast to Roseto degli Abruzzi in the region
of Abruzzo. Up until now, my experiences were with acquaintances and
associates previously made. This stop would be very different in that
I would meet and make new acquaintances. With slight apprehension, I
arrived at Verrigni Pastificio. For the next four days, I was in the
hands of the Verrigni family for what turned out to be a very gratifying
experience. My stay here was punctuated by two meals a day and long
conversations with Luigi and Grazie Verrigni, my new-found relatives.
For taking a perfect stranger into their home and treating them like
family, ringrazio miei nuovi cugini trovati, I thank my new-found cousins.
Continuing my southerly route, I made my way to Orsara di Puglia, region
of Puglia where I met an incredible chef and personality of the area,
Peppe Zullo. From our first meeting that day which started with the
traditional kiss on each cheek greeting, to our goodbyes a week later,
I felt like a brother, friend and colleague. I have written at length
about my stay with Peppe and what remains is a huge thank you for opening
your home, workplace and heart to me. I know I have made a friend and colleague for life.
Thanks also go out to Livio Colapinto and Kathrin Tehervary of Cefalicchio Country House in Canosa di Puglia, who graciously invited me to the country house to attend the National Conference of Slow Food Governors of Italy where I met several slow food regional presidents, Roberto Burdese, the President of Slow Food Italy, and several other Italian Slow Food consorts. The night was filled with discussions with producers of some of the Puglia’s greatest products, including burrata, a fresh Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and cream, totally decadent, and of course samplings of many of the area’s wines, breads and cheeses. Although a bit nervous and uncomfortable about conversing in my limited Italian with some of Italy’s most influential people in the slow food movement, I was helped along by my newly-made “best friend”, Peppe Zullo who met me there. The traditional multi-course (7 or 8, I think) started right on time at 8:30 -9:00PM and continued until midnight or so. I’m not quite sure because I left before dessert.
Although there are many others to whom I am thankful, they are too numerous
to mention here. There is however one more person or should I say personality
to thank. For without him I would not have had a forum in which to share
my Ramblings in Italy. That person is John Sconzo a.k.a. Docsconz. By
the very nature of your reading my postings on John’s blog he needs
no introduction. I simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to thank
John in his own arena. Rest assured I will also do so in other arenas.
My association with John is relatively short but has developed into
one as rich as burrata, as pleasurable as a well-planned and prepared
meal, which he is known for, and as varied as the seasonal offerings
at the farmer’s markets of the area. Thank you, John for sharing your
forum with me and allowing me to tell la storia delle mie escursioni
in Italia, the story of my “Ramblings in Italy”.
Cent’anni.
Editor's Note: Thank you, Rocco, for such a lovely, thoughtful, poetic and entertaining travelogue. It has been a pleasure hosting it!
July 24, 2009
July 23, 2009
July 22, 2009
Open Studios of Washington County
With some of the most beautiful and bucolic scenery in the state of New York, Washington County excels in two principle areas of human productivity - farms and art. Readers of this blog have read and seen a fair amount on some of Washington County's finest farms, but I haven't written much on the area's formidable art scene.
This past weekend the second annual Washington County Open Studios Art Tour took place with artists around the county opening their studios to visitors. With a graduation party on Sunday and cooking for an anticipated crowd of 50-100 people, i did not have the time to partake of the whole tour. I did, however, pay visits to two studios representative of the exceptional quality of art produced in the area.
My fist stop was at Leslie Parke's studio in lovely Cambridge, N.Y., about 30 minutes east of Saratoga Springs. Leslie, who has been painting since the mid-70's has embraced a number of styles over her career from photo realism to complete abstraction and a number in between. Amazingly, she paints in all those styles with a keen eye and consummate skill. We commissioned Leslie a few years ago to paint portraits of our three sons as well as all of us together. She did an incredible job then of capturing our individual nuances. Some of her most recent work is a continuation on what she did with us, playing with light on water. In addition, she has done amazing work with trees and elements of the natural world. Walking through her studio was like walking through a gallery of a number of equally talented artists, each with a different style and viewpoint. The continual evolution has served to keep her work fresh and ever stimulating.
Slide show from Leslie Parke's Studio
After completing some errands and starting my drive home, I stopped at the studio of Gyula and Hannie Varosy in Cossayuna, N.Y. The Varosy's, a husband and wife pair of complementary artists, moved to their country home in the late '80's to raise their two daughters and commit themselves to their artistic endeavors. Gyula, Hungarian born and a Pratt Institute trained artist and architect, designed and oversaw the construction of my own home in the early '90's. In addition to the physical structure of the home, his influence extended to a number of items of hand-built furniture, sculpture and drawings. Dutch-born Hannie, who has an incredible eye for design and color, paints, draws and works with mundane smaller objects such as cigar boxes, transforming them into whimsical, but not sentimental or overly "precious" artistic expressions. Their eldest daughter, Clara, has channeled their abundant artistic energy into a budding career of her own. Now studying at Pratt, she also displayed some of her extremely promising work at the show. While Gyula has focused most of his creative time sculpting wood, bronze and plaster into colorful, amazing, erotic and sometimes frightening shapes often influenced by the world of mythology, it has been particularly fascinating to me to witness the evolution of their home and studio over the years from a lovely, but somewhat ordinary farmhouse and barn into an extraordinary landscape and gallery perfect for exhibiting their collective creativity. The two most recent additions include a specially designed and built exhibition space, that is a fantastic variation on an ordinary pole barn, and a nature trail along a brook and through woods, in which Hannie, in particular, has converted the wood's detritus into a serene gallery of nature.
Slide show from the Varosy Studio
If not already doing so, I would suggest keeping an eye out for next year's Open Studio Tour dates to make a visit to washington County to inspect these and the other outstanding studios in the area. At the same time, one can visit some of the great farms and farmstands of the area and partake of their splendor and bounty as well.
July 21, 2009
More John Boy's
I returned to John Boy's Mountain Farm this past weekend to pick up some more andouille and a little tasso for the jambalaya I was making. It so happened that John Ubaldo had just finished smoking some hog belly in his smoker. After seeing these beautiful bellies, of course, I had to pick up some bacon too!
July 20, 2009
At The Market - July 18. 2009
The season for local corn has finally arrived! According to farmer Albert Sheldon of Sheldon Farm, it has been an awfully trying summer for corn, with several frosts nearly wiping out their crop. While there might not be a superabundance of this summer staple, the quality of what there is remains high. I was at the Sheldon Farm market on Saturday to pick up corn, green beans, peaches, tomatoes and a few other items in bulk for a graduation party that we were preparing for our son. As far as I'm concerned, we are at the peak of the summer growing season with nearly everything now available. Of course, the season for a few items like fresh shell peas has essentially passed, but nothing speaks of the height of the season around here like fresh corn and heirloom tomatoes.
July 19, 2009
Taste of the Week - July 12-18
Veal parmiggiana is one of those dishes that has over time became commonplace, mundane and even a little bit of a cliche - that is until one has one done well, in which case, one can begin to understand what made the dish popular in the first place. I had such an example of veal parm this week at a wonderful, little. hole-in-the-wall, local restaurant called Cafe Lazio, owned and run by Adriano DiMario, a ntive of the region surrounding Rome. At Cafe Lazio, the menu is not extensive, but the food is fresh, well-prepared, extremely tasty and a super value. The veal was hand cut and pounded, a generous portion enhanced by just the right amount of molten mozzarella and a perfectly complementary marinara sauce. It came with a small dish of penne with the same marinara on the side. The meal hit the spot and reawakened fond memories of an otherwise oft abused dish. All the other dishes my family had that evening including a calamari with spaghetti "Fra Diavolo" and Cappelini with mussels, olive oil and garlic were also excellent.
Chef/Owner Adriano DiMario
Chef/Owner Adriano DiMario
July 16, 2009
July 14, 2009
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.
July 13, 2009
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.
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July 12, 2009
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!
John Sconzo
I'm a practicing Anesthesiologist and family man who enjoys all things culinary.
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