Culinaria Creyde

Gowanus Pig Roast!

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 03:19:00 +0000

Lemongrass Squid with String Beans and Basil

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:43:00 +0000

By popular demand...

ingredients:

1/2 lb. fresh squid
small bag fresh green beans
3 shallots
olive oil
homemade chicken stock
1 stalk lemongrass
1 small bunch basil

In a big stainless pan, over med heat, sautee shallots in the olive oil to brown them. Add green beans and sautee for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and lemongrass to pan and cover to braise beans for 8 minutes. Uncover and add the sliced squid, which will steam cook in the pan on top of the beans. When squid is ready (5 min or so) add the chopped basil to the top, mix, and serve. Yum.

Fiddleheads!

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:57:00 +0000

More shoots for spring! Eating spring shoots gives you the kind of energy that you can only get from eating plants that gather the seasons first rays of sun and first rain showers. Good for preparing for a long cycling tour! These were sauteéd and eaten with a light chicken broth soup, with baguette and garlic aoli on the side.

Sunnyside up

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:53:00 +0000

Creyde is at home today, sick with a head cold. What better comfort food is there than Tello's fresh eggs and some local spring asparagus? This was a mosaic inspired breakfast.

Ramps!

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:20:00 +0000

My favorite way to prepare them is simple... saute in butter and add a little salt. They can be mixed with sauteed asparagus and accompanied by brown rice.
Later this month I will try a ramp/asparagus tart. Stay tuned...

Landscaper Power Bars!

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:31:00 +0000

Have you ever read the ingredients on the power bar wrapper? Once you get past the main ingredients it ain't pretty. Lots of unpronounceables. A few weeks ago I vowed to Marty that I would not eat one during this bout of Century training. Well, while getting really hungry on my first 50 mile ride yesterday, I decided that I absolutely had to run into a store and buy something to eat. Yes, I did it. I stood in front of the store and gobbled down a Cliff Bar.

In order to not ever let the power bar industry catch me off guard again, I decided to make my own today. Its really easy and they turned out well. Get your food processor ready!

Landscaper Power Bars

2 cups granola

1/4 cup dried currants

1/4 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup ground raw almonds

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1/4 cup stoneground flour

1/4 cup ground crystallized ginger

1/4 cup pumpkin seed

3 tbsp almond butter

2 tbsp ny rooftop honey

1 pasture raised egg

* stir together all the ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon, then press the mix tightly into a cake pan that is coated with coconut oil. Bake at 225º for 30 minutes. After you remove it from the oven, let it cool and then cut into square pieces. Eat, and ride like hell...

Power Bar in process...

Moore Brothers Winetasting

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:34:00 +0000

I am hosting a benefit winetasting at Moore Brothers Wine Company in NYC on April 8th,2008. All are welcome! This is a wonderful opportunity to get to know the best wine shop in NYC, try great artisanal wines, and support a great cause! All donations go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. For more information please see the INVITATION

Please contact me at wandringa@gmail.com if you have any questions! Hope to see you there!

Goat Cheese Chocolate Truffles

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:28:00 +0000

These truffles are truly divine! But you should follow the times in the recipe closely. Creyde left the mix to chill for over an hour in the fridge and went to yoga. When she remembered the mix four hours later, it had solidified to one big truffle!

Gourmet | October 1993
Servings: Makes about 25 truffles.
ingredients
6 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
6 ounces (about 3/4 cup) fresh goat cheese (also known as goat
fromage blanc, available in bulk at specialty foods shops)
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted, for coating the truffles

preparation
In a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water melt the chocolate, stirring until it is smooth, remove the bowl from the pan, and let the chocolate cool slightly. In a bowl whisk together the goat cheese, the confectioners' sugar, the vanilla, and the lemon extract until the mixture is light and fluffy, whisk in the chocolate until the mixture is combined well, and chill the mixture, covered, for 1 hour, or until it is firm. Form heaping teaspoons of the mixture into balls and roll the balls in the cocoa powder. Chill the truffles on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper for 30 minutes, or until they are firm. The truffles keep in an airtight container, chilled, for 3 days.

Sardines!

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 02:58:00 +0000

"Sardine" means small fish, and most of the sardines we buy in this country are young herring. These wonderful little creatures go totally underappreciated. In Spain they are commonly found in the fish markets...

but in this country we buy them in tins. I try to look at the bright side of this...all you have to do is open the tin and they are ready to go with some bread, cheese, and olives! Perfect for when you don't want to leave your reading chair to cook dinner.

Sardines are small but mighty. They live in huge schools and practically the whole ocean-predator food chain depends on them for its diet. When under attack, they swarm into a big racing ball to create a more formidable shape and minimize the chance that they are gobbled up by their predators.
Since they are low on the food chain they are not high in contaminants. And they have a very high level of heart-healthy omega-3 fats. Make sure they make it into your basket next time instead of those fish oil capsules!

Jerusalem Olive Oil Cake

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 03:15:00 +0000

photo Howard Yoon

Olive Oil Cake, published Oct 18, 2006 in NPR's Kitchen Window

This recipe is from Holiday Baking: New And Traditional Recipes for Wintertime Holidays, by Sarah Perry (Chronicle Books 2005). You would never believe that olive oil can rival butter until you try this!

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest (from about 3 medium oranges)
1 tablespoon of orange liqueur (Grand Marnier or Cointreau)
1/4 to 1/3 cup sliced toasted almonds
2 tablespoons marmalade, warmed in the microwave
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with a round of parchment or waxed paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until well blended, about 1 minute. Whisk in the olive oil, milk, orange zest and orange liqueur.

Whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture until thoroughly blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, scatter the almonds in a single layer on a small baking sheet or pan and toast in the oven until slightly brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

To serve, unmold the cake, remove the parchment paper, and place the cake on a flat serving plate. Using a pastry brush, coat the sides of the cake and a 1-inch rim along the top with the warm marmalade, arranging any bits of peel along the rim. (If the marmalade is too thick, add 1/4 teaspoon warm water and stir.) Press the almonds onto the sticky top rim. Using a fine sieve, lightly dust the powdered sugar evenly over the top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Sun + Earth combination

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 03:02:00 +0000

For a new flavor to combine with earthy sweet potatoes, try making an apple-honey butter. I like to combine the tree fruit with a root vegetable. Its a sun and earth combination.
Bake a local apple alongside your sweet potatoes until the apple is mushy and dark. Scrape out the flesh into a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of sweet (or salted) butter, mix with a spoon, and drizzle honey over the top. Then refrigerate until the sweet potatoes are done. Spoon this onto the sliced or mashed sweet potatoes and enjoy! This goes well with marinated flank steak and braised brussel sprouts.

Bacon Love at Flying Pigs Farm

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:16:00 +0000

Flying Pigs Farms supplies New York City with the best bacon there is, hands down. They bring their heritage-breed pork to you every Saturday at the Union Square Greenmarket and Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket. All their pork is certified humane raised and handled by Humane Farm Animal Care. What does this mean? It means that your pork wasn't force fed while standing in a sanitized frankenstein pen during its lifetime. It was running around rooting in the mud like a happy pig should be.
I like bacon because it fast and easy to cook, and you don't have to commit to a recipe to cook it every now and then. Just toss it on the skillet. Their Canadian Bacon goes well with everything, especially beans!

Gifts from the Freezer

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 22:26:00 +0000

Granola…sigh. Blueberries…yes!
This summer, for the first time I had the foresight to hoard fresh blueberries in the freezer until winter, and what a treat it is! I put boxes of them in those ziplock freezer bags and made myself wait until January to eat them. No more dried fruit or apples, and thank goodness for the freezer. For breakfast I eat them (defrosted) with granola, ground flax seed, bee pollen, and Ronnybrook Farm milk.

In Praise of Beans

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:20:00 +0000

Beans, a most humble food, get a bad rap as a “poor mans food”, which is totally underserved. Yes, they are cheap, and thank goodness for that. Lets keep it that way.
They also get a bad rap because they can wreak gastrointestinal havoc, i.e. cause gas, if they are not cooked properly. Unfortunately this stops people from cooking with them at home, because who has the time to cook beans when you’ve got a half hour to eat?
I’m not going to go into detail about all the advantages to eating beans, all the proteins, phytochemicals, and nutrients they have. If you are really interested you can google it. I’m just going to praise them because they taste good and they are a perfect winter food.
I still recall one of the many food conversations I had with my Cuban friend, in which she explained that one of her favorite foods were black beans. That’s interesting, I thought. It just would not have occurred to me to ever put black beans on the top of my list. But I had never tasted Cuban black beans! Or Brazilian feijoada!
The first secret to a great relationship with beans is to buy a PRESSURE COOKER. A pressure cooker is a pot that has a lid that seals and locks, and cooks on a regular gas stove. It’s easy and safe. By cooking your food under high pressure it dramatically reduces cooking time and saves fuel. Back in 1998, when I told my Cuban friend that we don’t use a pressure cooker, she looked at me like I was crazy. Its true, I was. My beans would sit on the stove for about an hour and often char to a crisp from forgetfulness. Another pot ruined. Cubans just don’t do this. They don’t have the beans, pots, and fuel to spare so they can be spaced out in the kitchen. If beans and rice are what they have, they are going to prepare them carefully, efficiently and deliciously. And their old pressure cooker looked like it was from the 1950's too, just like those beautiful but well-used cars that Cuba is famous for. Cooking pre-soaked beans in a pressure cooker takes about 10-15 minutes. Don’t ever think about buying those cans again. I pre-soak the beans (black, kidney, garbanzo) for about 8 hours while I am away at work. My favorite beans are KIDNEY beans, because the color is lovely, they hold their form, and they are flavorful on their own. All I add is salt, cumin, and a bay leaf. And they are perfect with a cooked green like collards or kale.

souffle!

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 22:25:00 +0000

My savvy friends (the Tus) whipped up this souffle about two hours before they left for the JFK airport on their visit...
It is a goat cheese souffle from Alice Water's Art of Simple Food Cookbook. Creyde's kitchen was short on ramekins so we used a baking dish too. Want to make sure that your host always welcomes you back the next time you visit? Bake a souffle on the last day! I can't wait for their next visit!! Come back soon Tus!!!

On The Road

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 21:41:00 +0000

IHOC= International House of Corn

Welcome to TEXAS! Pull off the road and supersize yourself for breakfast! IHOP offers the bottomless coffee cup and 4 different flavors of corn syrup! Pour it on! Wahooooooo!

Miami Eats

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 21:14:00 +0000

Conch Fritters and salad

Cuban morros y cristianos

Chicharrones y tostadas yum crunch

The best of Miami street food... the conch stand was at a local art fair, and the Cuban joint was a drive-up market with enormous portions of prepared food...

Roland scales the backyard tree with machete so the yankee guests can try the coconut milk!

Sidewalk Cider Press

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 20:48:00 +0000

Apples collected from neighborhood trees...

Cider Man in action...

This sidewalk intervention happened on a sunny October afternoon in Park Slope, two Cider Guys were turning the press on foraged apples... and the juice was delicious! Looking forward to next year...

Jefferson's Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 21:56:00 +0000

What struck me about Thomas Jefferson's kitchen in Monticello was what a likeness it has to Julie's kitchen color!

Stone Barns - no Blue Hill

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 03:27:00 +0000

Garden home brew

Pigpen

A happy lamb is a chewing lamb

Hen and Eggmobile in background

Bee Keeping

The barn

Farmers Market- Meat Purchases

http://www.stonebarnscenter.org/

Stone barns is an amazing center for agricultural education just about a 40 minute drive north of the city. Please look at the website for background and info. This is a wonderful place to take kids for the afternoon. The restaurant on site- Blue Hill- is booked months in advance so we didn't go. We took the livestock tour and met some nice pigs and sheep instead.

By Request - Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 03:18:00 +0000

FIG CHUTNEY - delicious when served alongside smoked ham and cheese

From Artisanal Cooking by T. Brennan and A. Friedman

makes 1-1/2 cups~

1-1/2 cups red wine
1/2 cup port
1/4 cup sugar
2 star anise
1 pound black mission figs, stems removed and cut in half lengthwise
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt

1. Put the wine, port, star anise, and sugar in a 2 qt. pot and set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and let simmer until reduced by half, approximately 15 minutes. Stir in the figs. Let simmer until syrupy, approx. 1-1/2 hours.

2. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and season with salt. Let cool, and refrigerate in an airtight container.

Applewood

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 18:07:00 +0000

Last night we got lucky with the last no-reservation table at Applewood!

Seasonal soup was a mild celery root pureé with bits of jalepeños.
We shared three small plates:
duck bolognese with potato gnocchi and garlic confit (in a delicious red-wine reduction of some sort)
ham confit with tomatillos,peaches, and grilled leeks
and butter poached maine lobster with beets and cipollinis
and the entree of grilled pork loin with creamed spinach, baby turnips, and red wine-plum reduction.

Best were the two pork plates! The pork with peaches and super-thin sliced tomatillos was the winner.
Antonia was so happy she forgot to brush her teeth!

Red Hook Discoveries

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 05:48:00 +0000

Talk about food and place! Los Vendedores is a cultural food celebration landscape. What obviously began as a way to feed spectators at the weekend soccer matches has turned into an incredible exchange of culture and food.

Corn guy is very happy. I'm trying this next weekend. Stay tuned.

Cocineros

El Salvadoran pupusas, corn tamale con crema, y platanos.

Urban Foragers

Horchata y mango con limon

We still had room...local Red Hook key lime pie!

El perrito le gusta también

An Ode to Food Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 05:43:00 +0000

How much do we really understand about the path from the farm to table?? What’s the story behind that pad thai you had for lunch, and where did all the ingredients originate from in the vegetable spring rolls? And where did those tomatoes come from at the local Whole Foods, for that matter? All I can say is that for most urban and suburban dwellers it is a MYSTERY and we prefer to keep it that way. We like the way it appears when the waitress brings it over. Perfect. Food comes from kitchens. Besides, when you stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, you probably won’t like what you see.
Well, not everybody feels this way. For some, satisfaction comes from buying it from the farmer who grows it, picks it, and delivers it to us fresh.
I’ve been thinking about that voyage from farm to table in all its mystery. How many factors determine what I will eat for lunch? Was the source of my lunch determined by the cheapest purveyor? Did the shrimp come from a farm in China? Is the corn in those tortillas genetically modified? Do I really want to know?
How on earth are we ever to know the story of the journey? The truth is that as long as we eat in restaurants, we can’t. Some claim to have locally sourced ingredients but most don’t.
So far I see two options. The first is cook for yourself using food you grew yourself. Since our fire escapes are not big enough for a full garden, the next best thing is to wander over to a farmers market and see what the seasonal offerings are.

But there’s a big world out there, and its crazy to limit yourself to what goes in and out of your own kitchen, especially if you live in New York City. And there ARE options. I care about what I eat, but I don’t want to be a purist that won’t eat that taco at the park.
So I’ll forget about that food map this afternoon and order the ceviche too.

Zagats has traditionally been the source for food culture in New York City. The list and the review, by someone reputable. But now there are publications like Edible Brooklyn that actually dig down past the plate and reveal the food sources. These publications highlight everything from regional farms and top restaurants to local novelties and individual nuts and their gastronomic obsessions. And there’s Gastronomica, Slow Food, and The Art of Eating. The way I see it, these publications are an important link in the information channel. A really important link. They help complete the map, and they pique public interest in redefining what the farm to table map could/should be. Whether you are passionate about sustainability or just want more Omega-3’s the information is available, thanks to writers and journalists. Matt Potteiger talks about the different ways that food practices link people and place, and they ways that a new discourse in landscape architecture could encourage an incorporation of food spaces into our daily environment. Are food publications a vehicle for this discourse? Yes. Could a blog do the same? More talk, more think, more sharing, more implementation. I will blog on.!

Dungeness Crab in Canada

noreply@blogger.com (w.andringa) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 11:53:00 +0000

Creyde's family enjoy the local sea spoils on Vancouver Island, BC!