Stir fry

[Ginger, garlic scapes, fried tofu, bok choy, soy sauce, black pepper]

Farm Share Highlights

Garlic scapes, summer squash, daikon, baby carrots, sweet Japanese turnips

Sauce Chien Outside

Pork chops marinated in a Caribbean style mix [ garlic, onion, garlic scapes, white wine vinegar, cumin, oil ] and then grilled and served with sauce chien [ green onions, lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper, scotch bonnet pepper ]
Beets with dressing [ caraway seeds, vinegar, sugar, bay leaf and thyme ]
The trick with the caraway seeds is to boil up a little water and throw them in, then throw the rest of the dressing ingredients in and pour on the cooked beets a few hours before serving.

Homemade Kimchi

[ napa cabbage, scallions, garlic, ginger, Korean chili paste, fish sauce, sugar ] + 2 days or so to ferment

Middle Eastern Food in Queens

Went on a really fun trip yesterday to Steinway Avenue in Queens to get some practice reading the shop signs in Arabic, smoke apple hookah, and eat delicious grilled meats and kebabs with fries. We also had stuffed grape leaves and fattoush فتوش, a Levantine salad with vegetables, sumac, and grilled bread.



And we then went next door where Hani treated us to كنفه (Kanafeh), a Palestinian dessert which layers semolina with Haloumi or Nablusi cheese (the dish originated in Nablus). The whole thing is topped with sweet syrup and pistachios. Delicious.

Simple grilling

Red peppers and asparagus. Marinated chicken [ lemon thyme, basil, lemon, salt ]

Tempura

At Zenkichi. [Tomato, corn squid] [sugar snap pea] [radish]

Sunday brunch

Kale omelette [ kale, eggs, garlic, salt, nutmeg, pepper ] , lettuce with mustard vinaigrette [ white balsamic vinegar, mustard, olive oil ] , Moroccan spiced home fries [ potatoes, spice mix ]

Farm Share Highlights

Japanese turnips, beets, and garlic scapes

Spicy Vietnamese seafood and caramelised pork in Maryland

Chicken Tagine - Southern Greens

One of my favourite dishes ever - Moroccan style chicken with olives and preserved lemons cooked in a tagine. This one I didn't put a lot of stock in so the chicken browned and caramelised. A touch of saffron too for flavour.

And greens to go with it [ mustard greens, spinach, arugula, green cabbage, chard, kale, green garlic, chili flakes, chicken stock, and smoked turkey ]

Riverside park picnic

A lovely pot luck picnic with friends in Riverside park. Anna's salads were fantastic. Sage roasted carrot and avocado, spinach with pears and cumin. Ethiopian sourdough bread. Fig baguettes.

Saturday feasting

Torrential rain moved the grilling indoors, where we enjoyed all the freshly picked delights of the farm share.

Radishes and salt.
Cashew Gazpacho {ajo blanco} [ cashews, bread, garlic, sherry vinegar, salt ]
Steamed tilapia with garlic snape pesto [ garlic scapes, fresh basil, parmesan, lemon juice, olive oil ]
Grilled lemon thyme chicken with goat cheese arepas.
Salsa verde [ fire roasted tomatillos, onion, garlic, roasted jalapeños, epazote, cumin, lemon juice ]
Grilled endives and peppers with a mustard sour cream sauce.

Farm share volunteer day

Part of being part of the Hearty Roots Farm Share programme is doing a shift on the food stand one morning a season. So this week was my go. Setting up and chatting with the other CSA members - a nice way to spend the morning. In the share this week, lettuce, arugula, broccoli, radishes, garlic scapes (the top part of the garlic plant), mustard greens, spinach, and the most amazing coloured chard.

Chicken sandwich

Chicken sandwich [ grilled chicken, grilled red peppers, labneh, fresh basil, tahini sauce ]

Grilling

Italian sausages and grilled endives with a mustard sauce [ sour cream, garlic crushed in salt, mustard, pepper ]

Tofu Salad

Fresh tofu from the Sunrise Japanese market over mixed greens with a simple dressing of shiso vinegar, soy sauce, and black pepper.

Favourite cook books

I think this is the first Italian cookbook I ever bought. I found it in a junk shop in Greenpoint for 50¢ almost ten years ago. She's the queen of Italian cooking - simple but thorough. Very bossy, but that's how we like it!

Chann Paai 2.0

This wee food blog and kitchen memory archive just got a major upgrade in the form of the first guest blogger - Mr. Thomas Bailey from Dublin with his twin fish terrine recipe and photo. Now that there is more than one person writing here, we're all guests. More guests to follow, and more from Tom too - the soup king of Cork street (formerly Clanbrassil street).

twin fish terrine...

The weather was glorious yesterday and I thought we might go picnicing or for an adventure today, so last night I whipped up the twin fish terrine with thoughts of Swallows & Amazons style escapades inspiring me.

Predictably enough, it's a dreary Dublin day so we've just had the terrine for lunch with a handful of  watercress...

There's even some left over for later xxxxx

(it's so easy, you need 2 types of fish - I used fillets of cod and smoked haddock. Check both for bones. Blitz each fillet seperately with two eggs and 100mls of cream. To the cod mixture, I added some steamed asparagus spears and a good handful of basil leaves. To the smoked haddock, chopped spring onion, diced red pepper and a handful of flat leaf parsley. Line a small loaf tin with cling film or tin foil, allowing it to overhang the sides. Spoon in the cod mixture first. Then add a layer of roasted red peppers, then the smoked haddock mixture. Wrap the overhanging cling film or tin foil to seal.

Place the terrine in a roasting tin, pour hot water in to come halfway up the sides of the loaf tin and stick into a preheated oven 180 C/350 F for forty minutes.

Turn out of the tin and remove the cling film to serve.

Serve warm or cold, but I think cold is better)

Gifts from India

Our friend Kimm was just in India and brought us back some amazing pressies. Mango powder. A Masala mix that smells just amazing. And saffron! Nice!

2008 Farm share

I thought we'd missed the boat on doing the farm share for this year - we left it so late to apply the shares were all taken up. But through some good luck and probably a cancellation we managed to get a share for this year with Hearty Roots farm in Tivoli NY. The way it works is you pay up for the whole season, and the farmers then deliver a weekly batch of fresh vegetables to a local community garden here in Williamsburg. We're extra lucky here as the garden is across the street from us at the Red Shed community garden, so it's all about as local as it gets.


The season is 22 weeks long. Here's a shot of this weeks bounty, mainly seasonal leafy greens: radishes, lettuce, arugula, spinach, kale, green garlic, chives, bok choy.



And the first dish to be made from it. Arugula salad with green garlic vinaigrette [ minced green garlic, sherry vinegar, olive oil, salt, lemon juice ] and an omlette with green garlic two ways; crispy fried green parts inside an omlette cooked with the softer sauteed white part, and a little parmesan cheese.

Potted vegetables

All the edibles we have growing on the deck.

Chocolate mint.

Quoc's Shiso plant empire.

Lemon Thyme.

Sea Holly - about to bloom. Not so edible.

Zucchini plants - starting to flower.

Three Tomato Plants.

Chives. Cayenne Peppers. Jalapeño Peppers.

Italian Basil. Cinnamon Basil.

Oregano, Silver Thyme, Marjoram.

Duck and cherries

Duck breast with cherry sauce [ shallot, garlic, cherries, rosé wine, chicken stock, sage leaves, thyme, honey, black pepper, butter ]
Potatoes [ garlic, rosemary, salt, olive oil ]
Asparagus [ lemon, fresh basil, olive oil ]
All done on the grill outside.

Moroccan preserved lemons

One of my very favourite things ever.

And really easy to make. Mix up a cup or so of sea salt with a few spices [fennel seeds, coriander, black pepper, bay leaves]. Clean the lemons and slice them lengthways into quarters, but not as far as the end so the four sections stay attached. Press on each end to open the lemons up. Do this over the salt mix bowl so the juice collects. Pack the salt mix in between the sections and put them into a clean jar with a tight seal. Pour the lemon juice from the bowl in too. You might add a little water too so they're covered. That's it. Leave them in the fridge for a month or two until the skins become soft. You can then use them to cook with fish, chicken, or in a tagine. They keep for a couple of years too.

Oxtail sandwich

From my dear friend Tom in Dublin.

1/ The ox tongue sandwich I'm eating. I was loathe to put it down for even a moment to photograph it. If this were your food blog, under the picture it would say: brown seeded roll, tarragon mustard, lick of butter, wafer thin ox tongue, mature cheddar, pickled walnuts... I want another. Maybe with ice cold beer.

Noodles

Instant Junk Food. Noodles, ham, and a fried egg with a good dose of sriracha.

Favourite cook books

Russian - Finnish Border activity

Eggs with smoked salmon and parsley
Beets with thyme and sour cream