Gone Crabbing

     For the next week I will be conducting more culinary research, this time out on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.  The annual Dungeness Crab Festival is being held this weekend in the harbor town of Port Angeles and I feel it my duty to investigate how many different ways the crab can be served.



     I will provide a full report upon my return!

Sitting on a Tuffet

     We all know that it was Little Miss Muffet who sat on her tuffet eating her curds and whey.  But what exactly was in that bowl?  Europeans would say that she was enjoying Quark, a fresh dairy product that is created by warming sour milk until the milk proteans coagulate.  What results is a fresh acid-set kind of cheese called by different names: curd cheese, cottage cheese, or farmer cheese.  In India it is paneer, in France fromage frais and in Spanish speaking cultures it is called queso fresco.



     Quark has the firmness of sour cream but is drier, with a thick creamy texture yet somewhat crumbly at the same time.   It is a prime ingredient in sandwiches, salads and cheesecake (kasekuchen).  It is also used as a condiment on blintzes or mixed with herbs and spooned on boiled potatoes.

     Not sure it would be my first choice for a main course...

Fall into Soup!

     It's Fall once again and with the temperature dipping down what better time than now to enjoy a hearty bowl of homemade soup?  I recently came across an interesting recipe in the most recent Penzey's Spice catalogue for cheddar corn soup.  So I gave it a try and was pleased with the result.  Here it is for you:

Cheddar Corn Soup

8 oz bacon, chopped                                         1 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup olive oil                                                 1/2 tsp turmeric

6 cups chopped yellow onions                        12 cups chicken stock

4 Tbsp butter, unsalted                                    6 cups medium white potatoes,

1/2 cup flour                                                                   unpeeled, diced

2 tsp salt                                                              2 cups half & half

10 cups corn kernels                                         1/2 lb sharp white cheddar, grated

In a large pot, cook the bacon in the olive oil over medium high heat until the bacon is crisp.  Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.  Reduce the heat to medium; add the onions and butter and cook for 10 minutes.  Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric; cook, stirring, until thick and creamy--about 3 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and potatoes.  Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. (I cooked them for about half that !)   If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cobs and blanch for 3 minutes in boiling salted water and then drain.  Reduce the heat to low, add the corn to the soup, and then add the half and half and cheddar.  Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted.  Season to taste and serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

Prep time:  30 minutes

Cooking time:  about an hour

Serves: 22-24

Cinghiale

     One of my favorite Tuscan dishes to prepare is "Pappardelle al Ragu Di Cinghiale."  It's noodles with a pork ragu.  But not just any pork, mind you.  The recipe calls for wild boar.  That's what "cinghiale" means in Italian.  But that's not easy to come by.  It's not found in any of the national franchise mega marts, nor at most butcher shops, for that matter.



Valorie Fogel with Lloydie, a 3 year old 300 pound Russian Wild Boar                    

photo by Tom Wallace of the Star Tribune                    

     There's only one farm in the entire state of Minnesota that raises Russian Wild Boar, the original pork heritage breed.  Mike and Valorie Fogel own the Money Creek Buffalo Ranch in the south east corner of the state where they raise the pre-historic hogs along with buffalo and highland cattle.  How does it taste?  Mike says it's much leaner and far richer than meat from domesticated pigs.  "It's what pork used to taste like," he claims.  "They are intelligent problem-solvers and very athletic.  They'll eat anything."  But these prime species feed on corn cobs, high-moisture hay, oat pellets and other roughage.  And about now they are enjoying apples and pumpkins.

     One of his biggest buyers, The Heartland Restaurant in St. Paul, agrees.  They have it on the menu there in a variety of ways.  Most of the boar is cut up into chops and roasts.  The liver is made into braunschweiger, the kidneys into cassoulet, the tongue is pickled, the head becomes head cheese and the legs are cured to age as prosciutto.  And bacon?  Well, wild boar bacon goes for $14 a pound.  It's such a hot commodity that the Fogel family doesn't even save any for themselves.  It all goes to the customer!

At least the food was good...

     Take me out to the ballgame,

     Take me out with the crowd.

     Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks,

     I don't care if I ever get back.

A lot has changed since that familiar song was written way back in 1908.  The food at Citizen's Bank Park in South Philadelphia still includes peanuts and Crackerjacks.  But there is so much more to choose from!  



Not only are there Hatfield Hot Dogs which are "frankly the best" as the slogan states, the local pork producer also provides some great sausage sandwiches.  And there are other local companies that proudly offer their products, too.  Philadelphia Water Ice, Turkey Hill Ice Cream, Chickie's and Pete's Crab Fries, and Planet Hoagies are all for sale along Ashburn Alley just beyond right field.



Former Phillies All-Star Greg "Bull" Luzinski is out there as well with a mouth watering variety of BBQ specialties including a whole turkey leg.  Along the concourse there are vendors who highlight historic Philadelphia such as the Italian Market and Elfreth's Alley.



But be sure to bring along a wad of cash.  Bottled water goes for $4.25 and beers start at $8!  

Philly's First

     Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, has a number of firsts to its credit.  First post office, first library, first fire company...the list goes on and on.  But a lesser known fact is that the first tavern in the city under continuous operation is on a very tiny street, Drury Lane, not far from City Hall.  McGillin's Olde Ale House was established in a small row house back when Abe Lincoln first took the oath of office as President in 1860.  There William "Pa" McGillin opened the Bell in Hand Tavern downstairs and he and his wife Catherine  "Ma" raised their 13 children upstairs.  Locals who frequented the place simply referred to it as McGillin's and the name stuck.

     When Pa died in 1901 Ma continued to operate the business until her death in 1937.  Management was then passed on to one of their daughters, Mercedes, who ran the tavern until it was sold to 2 brothers in 1958.  And it remains in operation to this day, serving up good food  and libation at reasonable prices.  McGillian's has been named by Gourmet magazine to their list of the 14 coolest bars in America, and with good reason.  It is also widely believed that Ma's ghost still oversees the place in the late hours of the night.



      After the final Phillies game of the season (they lost again) I stopped by for dinner last Sunday.  The mussels fra diablo over linguine helped me to forget the dismal baseball season for the hometown team.

 



Dining in Style

     The Culinary Institute of America trains their students to become professionals.  That includes preparation, execution and of course, service.  And what better way to accomplish all this but by offering their best to the public?

     On each of the 3 CIA campuses there are restaurants open to the public that provide excellent meals in a variety of cuisines.  There are a total of 8 different dining experiences offered in San Antonio, TX, Greystone, CA and Hyde park, NY.  I had the good fortune to enjoy two meals while I was in the Hudson River Valley recently.



     The American Bounty Restaurant typifies the popular farm to table concept and highlights the seasons and products of the Hudson Valley with contemporary and regional fare.  The evening our group reviewed a dinner menu that offered some tantalizing dishes.  I began with an eye appealing coach farm goat cheese, caramelized onion and apple tart with house smoked bacon dressing.  It tasted as good as it looked!  Deciding on the entree proved to be a difficult choice.  There were so many good options from which to choose.  Sauteed wild salmon, moulard duck breast, roasted farm chicken and beef short ribs were just a few items I could have ordered.  But after some indecision I finally ordered the grilled rib eye of beef that was plated with smoked crushed cheddar potatoes and grilled romaine lettuce.  It did not disappoint!



     My only regret was about dining at the American Bounty was that I was unable to enjoy meals at the other CIA restaurants.  Bocuse provides a world class dining experience in classic French cuisine, casual yet sophisticated is the way they describe it.  Ristorante Caterina de'Medici is the dining facility within the Colavita Center for Italian Food & Wine, serving authentic regional Italian cuisine in a Tuscan style villa overlooking a herb and rose garden above the Hudson River.



     I was fortunate, however, to make a return trip for lunch to the Apple Pie Bakery Cafe located just inside the main entrance to Roth Hall.  Open daily from 7:30am to 5pm it showcases the talents of the students enrolled in bakery & pastry arts courses.  Unlike the other restaurants, Apple Pie does not take reservations and is more of a cafeteria style setting, offering a full menu to enjoy at tables or for take out.  I was delighted with my Dungeness crab cake and fries with home made aioli and tomato ketchup!