http://www.marketfreshchef.com/ Thoughtful tasty tidbits from an adventurous luser, cook, wife & mother. en Copyright 2011 Wed, 07 Sep 2011 10:12:30 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Carte Blanche on hand. I have requested it, but the database shows there will be a long wait. I believe the Kindle will solve my problem. I am a BzzAgent and their latest word-of-mouth campaign I am looking to qualify for is testing the new Kindle. Summer is over, life is about to slow down, my house is quiet. It's time to settle in with a good book. ]]> http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2011/09/listen-to-that.html http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2011/09/listen-to-that.html 007 BzzAgent Carte Blanche Kindle Wed, 07 Sep 2011 10:12:30 -0500 Kingston DataTraveler Locker, 8G. I've loaded it with ALL of my Market Fresh Chef recipe files. Since it arrived, I've updated it every few days, because I add &/or edit the database daily. It goes with me when I leave the house. Once in a while I need instant access to those recipes, and if my main computer at home is not on, I can't log in remotely to view the original flies on the HDD. I really like the personal security feature, and since I publish these recipes, they become protected content while on the stick. I received this to test & talk about because I am a BzzAgent for a word-of-mouth marketing company in Boston called BzzAgent. I've been getting new products to try and tell others about from them for quite a few years. It's interesting, if you like to be the 'first to know' in your circle of friends & family. This is not my first secure memory stick, I also have a Sandisk Cruzer; same size, but I find the security system to be cumbersome. That should make both the people at Kingston & BzzAgent pretty happy.]]> http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2011/06/new-gadget.html http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2011/06/new-gadget.html Computer rails BzzAgent DataTraveler Kingston Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:36:21 -0500 Because I was adopted when my mother was 37 & 1/2 years old, I think it was very hard for her to be "girlie' with me when I entered my teens. That being said, or perhaps because I still have fond memories of my girlie years, I always say 'yes' when Brigit approaches me with a girlie concept. Mind you, her timing bears no coordination with my adult (read 50-year-old woman) schedule. So saying 'yes', in my case meaning 'being approachable', takes a determined effort on my part. Effort that is never regretted, more so when there's a stew or other easily off-put task on my list at that moment. I also have a personal wrong to right. Today it was an instant face-lift mask. I was in the dark when the activity began, but was also in my weekend cocktail hour at the same time. I heard rumblings, clackings, rattlings, in my kitchen. I knew better than to simply shout out an inquiry. As I approached my lovely teen, she was cracking an egg. I reminded her that our 8-hour crockpot Irish Stew was less than an hour from readiness. I thought she was hungry and making a snack. Then the fun began. She told me she was using an egg white to paint on her face for a beauty treatment. (I am quite sure I did this at her age...c.1975) She began painting herself with one of my pastry brushes, but was scrimping on the application. I encouraged her to use more. She squealed as she applied it because it was very cold. (She was not told the tip I recall about letting the egg come to room temperature first). I decided to move the party to the downstairs bathroom. Brigit wanted to paint my face. So I removed my glasses, let her pull my hair back, and have at it! Twenty tight-skinned minutes later, we were both rinsing our faces and laughing. I had just enough time to plate the stew, fresh-faced and feeling much younger than fifty. As I calculate it, .13 cents and a loving mother-daughter experience is well worth getting a little egg on your face. http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2011/01/egg-on-my-face-really.html http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2011/01/egg-on-my-face-really.html Motherhood Fri, 07 Jan 2011 18:29:54 -0500 Viva in the Berkshires. (It was published in DinnerWhere Magazine 2010).

Seville Orange Cake VIVA A golden orange scented, moist cake. -please add ingredients in order 3 eggs 1 cup sugar 1 cup orange juice 2 Tbsp. orange zest 1/2 cup olive oil 2 cups flour 1 Tbsp. baking powder Orange Syrup Make while cake is baking. To be poured after cake is baked. 2 tsp. orange liqueur (Gran Gala Orange liqueur) 5 Tbsp. butter 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup orange juice Bring to boil till slightly thick, pour in cake pan while cake is warm Set oven 350, Butter and flour a bundt pan. In a metal bowl beat eggs till thick and light in color. Slowly add sugar, then add juice, zest, oil. Mix flour, baking powder, add to wet, beat carefully. Pour in pan, bake 45 min. till tester comes out clean. Cool slightly, dust w/ confectioners sugar.Then add orange syrup. The first time I made the cake, I made and I used the syrup, but no confectioners'. The second time, I did not make syrup, just dusted. I don't see how you can do both, except in the case of dusting the very moment the dessert goes to table. The cake is so moist & the syrup so wet, the confectioners' is wasted. I'll stop nitpicking and suggest you enjoy this confection using best quality olive oil and be sure to find Seville oranges. Gran Gala is a less expensive and highly acceptable version of Gran Marnier. Cointreau would also work, in my experience. My editors' photograph of the cake never made it to the page. ]]> http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2010/10/olive-oil-oranges-yumcake.html http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2010/10/olive-oil-oranges-yumcake.html Cooking tales Dinnerwhere Magazine Luis Zambrano Seville Orange Cake Viva in the Berkshires Thu, 14 Oct 2010 12:59:48 -0500 Columbia County Fair today, September 6, 2010. I did not place or win. Let me know what you think. Coriander Spiced Chicken with Heirloom Tomatoes, Red Onion, & Whole Wheat Linguine Serves 6 Chef's Note: Organic produce is recommended. The tomatoes, onions, and fresh coriander are sourced at The Farm at Miller's Crossing, Claverack, NY. The cheese was made at Sprout Creek Farm in Poughkeepsie, NY via the Chatham Real Food Market. The poultry was raised at North Wind Farm, Tivoli, NY via The Berry Farm in Chatham. The chive blossoms are from the chef's private victory garden in Chatham. Ingredient List: 2 teaspoons whole coriander seed 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 3/4 teaspoons Kosher salt 1/4 teaspoons red chile flakes (or more if you like it hot) 4 pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes, chopped bite-size 1 medium red onion, chopped medium 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing on chicken 3/4 cup grated Ouray cheese Salt and pepper, to taste 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 pound whole wheat linguine 2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves 6 stems edible chive blossoms Method: 1.) Toast the coriander in a dry skillet, let cool, and mix with the pepper, salt, and chile flakes. Grind in a spice mill (there will be about 1 Tablespoon ground spices) and set aside. 2.) In large bowl, gently mix the tomatoes, onion, oil, 1/2-cup cheese, and 1/2 of the spice mixture. Add salt to taste. 3.) Set a barbecue grill to medium-high and place a large stockpot of salted water on high heat on the stovetop (or a side burner on the grill); bring water to a boil. 4.) Trim the chicken breasts and place between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pound with a meat mallet to 1/2-inch thickness. Lightly oil the chicken and place on a platter. Sprinkle both sides liberally with the remaining spice mixture. 5.) Grill the chicken, turning after 4-5 minutes. Grill until cooked through and no longer pink inside, about 3-4 minutes more. Place the chicken on a platter, tent with foil, and set aside. 7.) Meanwhile, put the pasta in the boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain in a colander. Add the hot pasta to the tomatoes in the bowl and toss gently but thoroughly. 8.) Divide the pasta and tomatoes between 6 plates, spooning the extra juices from the bottom of the bowl over the pasta. Cut the chicken into slices, or bite-sized pieces, as preferred. Divide the cut chicken over the plated pasta. Sprinkle each dish with chopped coriander and the individual tiny white chive flowers. Serve, with the remaining cheese to pass. ]]> http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2010/09/you-be-the-judge.html http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2010/09/you-be-the-judge.html Cooking tales Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:01:11 -0500 At 50 years of age, I am entering my first cooking contest. Yes, "it's about time", some have said. Yes, I am certainly prepared, and yes, I am a nervous wreck! I've always fantasized about entering recipe contests, but lost all nerve long before I could fill out an entry form. This year, The Columbia County Fair is holding it's second annual County Bounty Culinary Cookoff. The premise is very simple and there are only two prizes to be awarded: $500 and $1000. I have to submit my written recipe in advance, using and citing as much locally sourced product as possible. Then, on the last day of the Fair, I deliver 8 plated portions of my submission to the judges, and about 2 hours later the winners are declared. I am a imaginative recipe reader. That is to say, when I read a recipe, I can taste it without preparing anything. I have read about cooks who have this approach to cooking, and because I enjoy the work of cooking and have hundreds of cookbooks, not to mention "recipe world" at my fingertips on the web, I do follow recipes when I get busy in the kitchen. When company comes for dinner, instead of putting a trusted favorite on the table, I try something new. It's for ME that I do this: I want to be surprised by a recipe I read which intrigues me. Hopefully, my guests will like it too. I have never worried abut the outcome and never been disappointed.

So fast forward to last Wednesday. Husband works nights, so I make his "dinner" at noon. He eats a small portion then, and brings a regular portion to the railroad for later. We are heavily submerged in tomatoes and other fresh organic local produce right now. My refrigerator & counters are literally overflowing. Rather than search my database by ingredient for something to cook Wednesday, I simply looked around the kitchen. I had chicken breasts, red onions, whole wheat linguine (a pantry staple) and 6 pounds of tomatoes. I also had a new spice-grinder filled with what was labeled "Moroccan Seasoning". It contains cracked coriander seed, cracked black peppercorns, flaked red pepper & sea salt. I diced a couple pounds of mixed heirloom tomatoes, put them in a bowl with diced red onion & ground a lot of the seasoning on top. Tossed it, added olive oil, lots of grated Pecorino, tossed again and set it aside. I trimmed & pounded a couple chicken breasts, oiled & sprinkled them with the same seasoning & fired up the grill. Next, I set the water to boil for the pasta, cook the chicken, set it aside. When the linguine was done, I drained it & dumped it on the tomatoes, tossing very gently. Plated this, topped with sliced/diced chicken, a dash more cheese, sprinkling of fresh chopped coriander leaf & a few white chive blossoms from my garden.

It was well received at home. A neighbor had been nudging me to enter the Fair contest. It occurred to me rather suddenly that this recipe might be a good entry. I dashed a portion of it off to the neighbor's house for a second opinion. "Yes" they pronounced simultaneously. All that was left to do was source the ingredients from my local markets & farm sands, buy a fresh batch of spices and do another trial of the recipe. I decided to make a custom blend of the same Moroccan spices but using toasted coriander seed & grinding it in my spice mill with the peppercorns, red pepper flakes & Kosher salt. The aroma was intoxicating!

Fate's pendulum has been set in motion. I have seven more days to sweat about this, including making it at least one more time. If Lady Luck has any weight, I'm in good shape, as the recipe got a wink and a nod from her royal highness Ruth Reichel. The former Editor in Chief of Gourmet Magazine, and restaurant reviewer to The NY Times & The 'Left Coast' Times came into the shop where I work today. I could not help myself, so I blurted out my plans, and she patiently, kindly listened; appeared to be interested, even! Ruth said it sounded delicious, and "Good Luck" as she went out the door. Perhaps since it's my very first time doing this a little extra luck will be on my side. Ps. It's called Coriander Spiced Chicken with Heirloom Tomatoes, Red Onion and Whole Wheat Linguine. ]]> http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2010/08/theres-a-first-tme-for-everyth.html http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2010/08/theres-a-first-tme-for-everyth.html Cooking tales Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:08:43 -0500 Walking into a concert you are full of anticipation. Filing along at a moderate clip, eager to see how good your seats are, with patient and happy people all around. Leaving, however, is another story. The concert was Carlos Santana, the venue Bethel Woods. Both very, very good. (And Steve Winwood opened the show, amazing in his own well-deserved right.) All in all a memorable 50th Birthday present. The 'funny thing' happened at midnight: a group of guys dragging a huge wooden bench down the paths towards the exit gate. It was covered with a big blue tarp. They could barely lift the bench, try as they might. There was at least a half dozen of them. I started laughing out loud, and one of the guys looked at me and said "What, you don't think we'll make it past security? It's covered up pretty well." That was it, I lost it! Was the funniest way to end a great night, amidst a shuffling crowd of complete strangers. I could not recover from the irony for most of the (three hour) ride home. One of the guys had handed me a business card for bigbluetarp.us. Makes the story even better. http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2010/07/funny-thing-happened-on-the-wa.html http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2010/07/funny-thing-happened-on-the-wa.html Travel world events Bethel Woods Big Blue Tarp Carlos Santana Steve Winwood Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:25:56 -0500 When one's favorite of all favorites knife disappears, a chef's kitchen world gets blurry. Nothing is in it's place, long-established food prep rhythms are interrupted, and dire consequences can ensue. Shortly thereafter, when all the inquisitions prove useless, a pair of new gadgets make an entrance. It's a total surprise: husband has purchased another brand (egad!) of pairing knife to replace the missing Henkels Four Star, and has also brought home a famous brand "mini chopper" to lessen the blow. How can he not know that I am loyal to one brand of knives and one brand alone, and only rarely delegate the very largest pureeing, chopping or slicing tasks to my trusty 12-cup Cuisinart? How can he not also know that food prep is my mediation, my relaxation, and my nirvana before later sitting at table to enjoy "the fruits"? The answer is simple, my friends: he does not cook. Over one month after the offending weapon arrived I finally broke down and unsheathed it. Pretty sharp, decent weight, good feel in my hand. And the mini food chopping gadget has also finally been christened. Ugh. I repeat, big jobs get processed in the Cuisinart but only if I'm in a hurry. I like to cook. Chopping & dicing are at the top of the list of pleasant prep tasks. Now where's that gift receipt? http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2010/01/a-sharp-tale-of-dicey-conseque.html http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2010/01/a-sharp-tale-of-dicey-conseque.html Cooking tales Cuisinart Henkels Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:58:15 -0500 We have had a very particular food diet imposed on our household. It's a one-for-all deal. Two of us don't need to be on it, but it's just plain unfair to the afflicted to be slurping down one's favorite whatever while the other looks on in hungry frustration. What's on the menu is white breads, white rice, potatoes; all without seasonings or fats of any kind. White meat chicken and plain fish fillets. Cheerio's, corn flakes, rice chex. Soy milk. That's about it. No fruit or vegetables. Mind you it's just for 3 weeks. It surely speeds up my prep and cooking times in the kitchen. There's really nothing to do. No sauces to simmer, no herbs to snip, onions to chop, no garlic to mince, The big whisk has been hanging sadly unused. I love my whisks (I have 4, all different sizes). I love going into the kitchen long before dinnertime and going through the mise en place process. Everything gets prepped, measured, placed in it's own little dish and set by the stove in order of use. The entree' is cleaned, trimmed, cut-to-order, and returned to the refrigerator. Pots, saute' pans & roasters are pulled out of hiding. Finally I check the clock so I know what gets started first, make myself a Manhattan or a cosmopolitan and go watch the evening news. Clearly, I am missing this ritual. I noticed yesterday that the giant bottle of favorite olive oil I automatically purchased because I was almost out is yet unopened. Ack! I haven't used a drop in two weeks. Will I loose my taste for it? For butter and s&p, for garlic and heavy cream in a pan sauce? We are slowly reintroducing foods on the "maybe" list. Canned carrots, vinegar, applesauce, jam, and jelly. Bleech. Not much to work with. While the ailing family member may be feeling a bit better, my palate is in serious withdrawal and I am chomping at the bit (pun intended) to return to my favorite hobby: cooking. I might start dipping the ends of white bread loaves in my delicious olive oil when no-one is around. Yum! http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2010/01/you-never-really-miss-somethin.html http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2010/01/you-never-really-miss-somethin.html Cooking tales Sun, 24 Jan 2010 10:40:09 -0500 I expected a long search on google to find the proper name for this phenomenon, but my first hits were filled with the simplest explanations. There have even been children's books written about them. How have I missed this? I feel left out. The morning after we spotted them in our yard, we saw hundreds more in a field while on our daily walk. Apparently when there's just the right amount of snowfall, and it's exactly the correct texture, when the little critters wander out they are not only unseen by the red tailed hawks looking for lunch, but the snow does not collapse on them or behind them. Unluckily for one fat mouse, Tiggr has superb hearing, so he tracked the creature down and gleefully played with him before finishing him (or her) off. You can see from the messy catprints on the left, Tiggr had a fine time romping and playing with his prey. We've seen him do it before in this blog. Tiggr likes public appreciation.]]> http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2010/01/tunneling-mice-who-knew.html http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2010/01/tunneling-mice-who-knew.html Cat tails mouse tunnels tiggr the cat Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:24:52 -0500 Long live the Moose.]]> http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2009/01/the-moose-is-dead.html http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2009/01/the-moose-is-dead.html Cooking tales world events Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:52:47 -0500 Wade's Mill) and vintners (Rockbridge) outside Lexington, Virginia last July, I was surprised that they did not know what a CSA was. You can read about the concept of Community Supported Agriculture here. I have been a member of a csa, The Farm at Miller's Crossing, for 10 years. My recipes are passed out to all of the shareholders, or members, during the 5 month growing season which exists here in the Hudson Valley. That is to help the members use all of the goodies in the weekly share. For example, arugula has a very long growing season, so it appears repeatedly in our harvest. After the first one or two pounds of it, some folks get tired of preparing it the same way, perhaps the only way they know. This is where I come in. I provide four or five recipes with each harvest that are closely matched to the produce in the weekly share. All year long I collect and develop recipes towards this end. I have about 25 that use arugula. Kohlrabi anyone? I have a dozen ideas on how to get that unusual root on your dinner table. And now they are on the web, as well. Go see here. We are planning to celebrate the great feast of Thanksgiving in Lexington this year. Yes, I am running away from home for yet another Holiday. I think that's just fine. I am bring some people, my favorite kitchen knives, local organic produce and root veggies from the Farm, and of course, a slew of recipes. That's what a CSA is. ]]> http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2008/11/csa-whats-that.html http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2008/11/csa-whats-that.html Cooking tales Travel CSA Lexington Virginia Rockbridge Vineyard Wade's Mill Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:53:55 -0500 The Tween learned how to fish on the fourth of July. In fact, it seems as though we've created a monster. We could not get her to put the pole down. She had worm guts and fish blood and hook scrapes and line burns all over her hands. "So what?" she said. I estimate she caught, and released safely, 30 to 40 sunnies, bluegills and strawberry bass over the course of three days. She was baiting the hooks with canned corn, cooked peas, worms and anything else she could dig up. Fearlessly she wrapped her bare hands around the wrigglers on the end of the lines and, without getting poked by their fins, carefully removed the hooks. In fact, one fish had an old hook under it's eye, so after she removed the small hook she had caught it with, she took pains to get that hook out as well. I can safely state that no fish were harmed in the making of this new fisherman. When she spotted a really big lunker, she got very excited. But the look on her face made a drastic change when the shiny two foot carp ate the strawberry bass, the hook, the line, the sinker and all in one gulp. That was one that got away. She tried for two more days to catch it, and finally gave up when she spotted a blue-tailed salamander on the stones, which she proceeded to try to grab. Then her attention was taken by a garter snake which had draped it's body around a red-winged blackbird nest in the cattails. The parents were making a terrible ruckus, and the fledgling had hopped up the stem of the protective reeds to relative safety. There was no lack of nature to hold our attention this week. She named the regular visiting rabbit Steve, and no matter how many white tailed deer wandered around the house, it was definitely Frankie every time. We're heading back to the house in November. The flora and fauna will be waiting, I'm sure. http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2008/07/shes-happy-but-the-fish-isnt.html http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2008/07/shes-happy-but-the-fish-isnt.html Travel Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:33:20 -0500 ]]> http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2008/07/big-balloon-in-the-sky.html http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2008/07/big-balloon-in-the-sky.html Travel Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:30:33 -0500 Note there are 4 deer in the back edge of the field; two does and two very young ones. As the stream babbled over the rocks seen here, it sounded to me like a woman singing in a deep contralto. ]]> http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2008/07/walkers-creek.html http://www.marketfreshchef.com/2008/07/walkers-creek.html Travel Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:26:23 -0500