Field Trip

Food by Jordan Wolff

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Perfect Chicken Stock

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Lilikoi Ice Cream  Just got back to Texas after 5 weeks in Maui, and one of the things I miss the most is definitely the abundance of fruit everywhere on the island.  Bananas, coconuts, guava, papaya, lilikoi, and all of the citrus right now!  There is so much that you can smell it fermenting when you drive down the road, and what is amazing that most of it literally grows in your front yard.  We stumbled upon a hilarious "Donvier" ice cream maker in my Dad's kitchen from about 1990 and decided to take some of the fruit from our land and make dessert! We used fresh Hana, Maui eggs from a stand down the road, local dairy, sugar, and Hawaiian Salt in our base recipe which we borrowed here from Melissa Clark.  To this base we simply added lilikoi juice that had been strained from it's seeds and slightly sweetened with raw Maui honey.  After making this ice cream a few times my advice would definitely be to allow your base to simmer until truly custardy, and also to chill your fruit juice before adding to your base!  The ice cream was creamy and rich, yet perfectly tart and slightly sweet from the lilikoi.

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Selling perfectly ripe Eureka Persimmons at the Austin Farmer's market with Indian Hills Farm

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FORAGING DOWN THE COAST We decided to take the coastal route home from Rockaway to Texas, so we could see the leaves, eat lobsters and oysters, and do some surfing in the south.  First we went straight up to Maine and from there drove along the coast, spending time in Cape Cod, southern Jersey, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  Cape Cod was one of our favorite spots and here we realized why it is we eat the foods that we do on Thanksgiving.  There were wild turkeys every where and in the sandy lowlands beneath the dunes there were tons of wild cranberries just ripe for picking. It was such a nice surprise, we filled a bag and have them in the freezer...definitely planning to use those for a cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving! Also pictured is a tisane made from young pine needles from Maine, and fresh rose hip and rose petal tea! 

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SIMPLE FALL DINNERS PT.2 

Separate cauliflower into small florets and season with Olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast in oven for approximately 45 minutes at 425 degrees. Sautéed chard stems in oil with onions until soft and then throw in greens and add vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste. Heat cast iron skillet with butter, whole garlic cloves and herbs and place 4 seasoned drumsticks into pan. Brown in skillet for a few minutes and then transfer into oven until cooked through (use a cake tester or thermometer). Let the chicken rest, plate veg, and grate hard cheese over greens. Place chicken on top of veg and make sure to spoon dripping from the pan over drumsticks

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SIMPLE FALL DINNERS Back in Texas after spending the summer in Rockaway, NY.  Really missing the LA farmer's market's right now!  Here is a simple dinner made last winter that would be perfect for fall.  Simple roasted sweet potatoes with sage and butter, beautiful lettuce with toasted seeds and balsamic vinaigrette, and simple pan seared trout with herbs and lemon.

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EDGEMERE FARM DINNER PT.2 

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EDGEMERE FARM DINNER PT.1

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Dinners at the Hideout pt.2 Another amazing meal we made out at the hideout over the fire one night was a white bean and pig's feet stew with our leftover chicken bones from the night before.  One of the farmers at the market gave us a good price on the feet and we threw them in just to boost up the flavor.  After we stewed the beans for a few hours we sauteed up the rest of our ramps and tossed in the dandelion greens to serve.  Ingredients 

Soaked white beans

1 White onion

Left over chicken bones or chicken stock

3 jalepenos  

1 bushel of ramps

A few large handfuls of dandelion greens

Olive oil or butter

Salt Soak your beans over night and then put in large pot (we used a dutch oven) with enough water to cover by a few inches.  Then throw in your chopped white onion, jalepeno peppers sliced down the middle, chicken bones and pig's feet.  Place over fire and let simmer for about 2 hours, stirring and checking occasionally.  

After your beans are tender, throw some butter or olive oil in a pan and toss in the whites of your ramps.  Sweat until translucent and then add in ramp greens and wilt.  Toss in dandelion greens and serve over beans.  Add salt to taste.  

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Dinners at the Hideout pt.1 It's been a while since I've had a chance to use wifi because we have been living outside since our trip up from Texas!  We took the southern route and camped and cooked all the way to Pennsylvania, where we met up with Brian (http://www.witnesscompanyusa.com/), at his handmade hideout in the woods.  No running water or electricity, just fires to cook over, and an amazing outdoor kitchen setup.  We spent the weekend cooking and doing spring projects around the property.  We built a hugelkultur for a little food and flower garden, and planted some wasabi in one of the fresh water springs.  We foraged for fiddle heads and ramps and went to the first farmer's market of the season and bought up spring veggies and an amazing free range chicken and some other goodies.  We roasted the chicken in the dutch oven and then used the fat of the bird to cook up the potatoes, parsnips, ramps, dandelion greens and garlic and the veggies came out so tender and sweet.  Not many things more satisfying than making an amazing meal over a fire... Ingredients

1 whole chicken

1 bushel ramps

4 medium sized potatoes 

3 parsnips

A few handfuls of dandelion greens

6 cloves garlic 

1 whole chopped red onion 

Olive oil 

S&P

Bread to serve  First wash your bird and brine in salt, pepper and olive oil for as long as possible.  Then place in a dutch oven, cover with coals, place over fire, and let roast for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until cooked through.  

While the chicken is roasting, prep your vegetables, cut the stems of your ramps and separate the leaves.  Chop onions, potatoes, and parsnips.  You can leave the garlic cloves whole with the skins still on. 

After your bird is done, pull from the dutch oven and keep warm and covered near fire.  Throw your potatoes, garlic, and parsnips straight into the chicken fat, cover and let cook until they become tender, tossing to prevent burning.  Next add in the stems of the ramps and toss until they become translucent, once this begins to happen you can add in the greens of the ramps and cook until wilted and bright green.  Finally toss in your dandelion greens and serve on warm plate with hot bread and salt and pepper to taste.  

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In honor of Phoebe I made this coconut cake because she loved coconuts and I love her.  More pictures and recipes to come. 

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Golden Beet Risotto with Mushrooms I experienced my first tornado warning last week in Denton, Texas, and we were all quite shaken up.  First we had hail the size of golf balls and we ran around trying to save the garden bed from being destroyed.  A few minutes later it was hot and sunny and tropically humid.  Then in a flash the sky turned dark and off went the eerie wailing of the tornado sirens, meaning that one had touched down.  Car alarms started going off all up and down the block and the hail and rain came down again relentlessly.  We pulled the curtains and ran into the closet with a futon pulled over us and waited.  Luckily the storm passed without much damage besides some fallen trees and car windshields broken from the hail, and again out came the eerily bright sun as the temperatures began to drop steadily.  The next day was cool and sunny.  A truly beautiful North American spring day.  I felt like we needed to eat something grounding and comforting after all the chaos so I decided to use the golden beets I had to make a risotto.  This recipe was inspired by Emily, who used to always make this delicious red beet risotto with goat cheese that turns this incredibly deep wine color.  But working with what I had I decided to go for it with the golden beets, and to throw in some mushrooms as well.  Turned out delicious and hearty and the perfectly soothing meal after such a hectic day prior.  You could definitely use red beets if you don’t have golden beets and skip the mushrooms if you’d like.  This recipe makes about 6 bowls.  Again thanks to Stephanie for the photos!  You can see more of her work here. Ingredients

1 ½ cup Arborio Rice

6 cups broths, I again used the powdered “no chicken broth” (6 cups water to 3/8 cups broth)

2 large shallots

1 cup shredded Parmesan,I used real Parmesan and added the rind to my broth

¾ cups of white wine

2 or 3 golden beets

1 ½ cup chopped mushrooms

1 bunch of parsley

2 tbsps of butter

Dash of olive oil

Salt and pepper   First scrub your beets and use a paper towel to wipe clean mushrooms.  Cut beets into small easy-to-bite chunks, and try to keep the size consistent.  Slice mushrooms, and chop your shallots.  Drizzle the bottom of your stockpot in olive oil over medium/high heat and then throw in your shallots and sweat for a few minutes.  Add a bit of salt and watch that they are becoming translucent.  While the onions are sweating combine your water and broth (or boxed broth, or just water!) in another pot over medium heat.  Cut off the rind of your Parmesan and toss into the broth or water for extra rich flavoring.  Next toss your chopped beats in with the shallots with a tablespoon of butter.  After one minute or so throw in your mushrooms and the rest of the butter and cook for a few more minutes.  Once everything is thoroughly coated in butter throw in the rice and make sure that it is coated in oil and butter as well, stirring for another minute.  Next add in the wine and stir until absorbed.  Now add in the broth, one cup at a time, stirring to prevent burning and adding in the next cup only when the last has been absorbed.  You can try the consistency of your risotto and test that the rice is al dente and stop adding broth when you find it to your liking.  I ended up using a little less than 5 of the cups of broth until I found it was just creamy enough.  Save your extra broth in the fridge or freezer.  When you are about done toss in the cup of grated Parmesan and a little salt and pepper and top with lots of picked parsley!  stephanierosephotography.com

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Roasted White Veggie Soup with Wilted Spinach Hanging out with Stephanie in Denton, TX the other day and decided to make a hearty soup for us after yoga.  The soup turned out really nice and Stephanie took the photos, which look amazing! For the broth I used some of my favorite “no chicken broth” powder, which is a really nice way to cut your time if you don’t feel like making your own broth, and I think it is a lot more flavorful than the boxed broth.  The soup has a heartiness to it because of the roasted veggie flavor, and the spinach gives it a nice green boost.  Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower

1 bunch of spinach

1 whole white onion

6 cloves garlic

6 smaller turnips

2 large leeks

1 sprig of rosemary

Butter

Olive oil

5 heaping tbsp of “no chicken broth” (can be substituted with liquid broths)

Salt and pepper 

4 cups water Preheat the oven to 425˚ and wash your veggies thoroughly.  Next break down your cauliflower into medium/small florets, quarter your turnips, and peel your garlic cloves.  Place all of this on a baking sheet or large ovenproof skillet and drizzle with olive oil and salt.  Place this in the oven for about 45 minutes, and make sure to check periodically so that your garlic doesn’t burn.  The cauliflower should start to brown, while the turnips will stay white and soften.  Meanwhile coat a large stockpot in olive oil and place on medium/high heat.  Chop your onion and leeks and throw into the pot and let sweat for a few minutes.  Add your roasted veggies to the pot and then salt and toss in a sprig of rosemary and let marinate for a minute before adding about 4 cups of water.  To the water add about 5 heaping tablespoons of stock and mix until dissolved thoroughly.  You can test your broth and see if you would like to add more broth or more water.  Let this simmer for about 10 minutes and then pull off heat.  Remove your rosemary sprig and then very carefully pour soup into a large blender.  Puree until smooth and creamy and then add back into pot.  Take your bunch of spinach and tear off the leaves and throw right into the soup, mixing carefully.  The heat of the soup should wilt the spinach perfectly.  Drizzle more olive oil and add salt and pepper.  Ladle soup into bowls and add a knob of butter to each bowl and enjoy! http://stephanierosephotography.com/

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Cilantro Salad with Radish Sprouts If I had to choose cilantro might be my favorite herb…I even like featuring it as the main green of a salad along with it's stems.  This Vietnamese-style salad has always been a love of mine, and up here in Denton, Texas, the cilantro has been thriving in the backyard.  We spent the morning thinning the radishes and gathered a nice quart container full of beautiful little radish sprouts, as well as some green onions.  I’ve made this a few times and I think this may have been the best one yet!  It's the perfect spring salad. 

In the Salad:

1 large bushel of cilantro

1 small package or handful of mint

3 green onions

1 small red onion

1 quart container radish sprouts (we had these in the garden and could be substituted)

4-5 radishes

1 small bowl of sugar snap peas

1 large shallot

1 jalapeno (add more if you want to up the spicy)

In the Dressing*

2 Limes

1 clove minced garlic

1 small piece of minced ginger

Leftover shallot oil from frying shallots

2 tbsp olive oil or other mild oil

3 tbsp sesame oil

2 ½ tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp honey

5 or so drops of fish sauce

A dash of soy sauce

*This dressing can be altered to your liking…add more honey if you want sweeter, more vinegar if you need acidity, more soy or fish sauce if you want salt, etc… First thoroughly wash your veggies and set aside to dry.  Next slice up your shallot and add some sesame oil to a skillet over medium/high heat.  Once the pan is hot throw in your shallots and let sizzle until brown and crispy.  Pull from the pan onto a paper towel and save the shallot oil for your dressing.  Next take cilantro and cut off about ½ of the stems.  Chop remaining stems and leaves and throw into a bowl.  Pick mint leaves from stems and chop up mint and add to bowl.  Thinly slice sugar snap peas and green onion and add that to the mixture as well.  Take your jalapeno and cut in half and use a spoon to scrape out the white and seeds, then slice and add to salad.  Next add in thinly sliced red onion and radishes, as well as your cleaned radish sprouts.  The crispy shallots can then be added into the mix.  Mix together your olive oil, shallot oil, a little more of the sesame oil, fish sauce, soy sauce, some honey, vinegar, and your minced garlic and ginger.  Squeeze in the juice of two limes and then whisk together well and let sit for a minute.  Taste your dressing and see if it needs a tad more saltiness, sweetness, or acidity. Dress, toss, and enjoy outside if possible! 

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Moroccan Style Braised Veggies Emily and I made this dish one night in California with a recipe she found out of a magazine.  Of course we didn't have the exact ingredients so we made do with what we had.  Substituted certain spices, added burdock root, threw a large dried chili into our pot of chickpeas instead of making harissa to add a kick.  Although we really improvised here if turned out great with so many flavors and it only got better over the next few days.  I included the original recipe in the picture above because it really was our inspiration and was great to work from.  I also can't wait to make the harissa from scratch eventually!

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Spinach Pie

Being home makes me crave the food I grew up with.  My mom and I cook a lot but it’s been years since I had her spinach pie, which was her specialty when I was a kid.  Forever my mom has been making this flakey filo dough pie in a large casserole dish and we decided that since it was just the two of us this time maybe we should take it down a bit.  We decided to bake the pie in a medium/small skillet, and instead of having top and bottom layers of filo dough with crimped edges, we would just have the long layers of filo laid straight over the skillet and then folded over the top…almost like wrapping a present…a spinach present.  It turned out better than any we’ve ever made before, lighter, less soggy, and aesthetically beautiful as well.  Here’s what we used:

2 packets of organic chopped, frozen spinach

1 large white onion

garlic

1 handful of grated parmesan cheese

 ½ a block of feta

1 handful of chopped parsley

2 eggs

Butter

Olive oil

1 package of frozen filo dough

Nutmeg

Salt and Pepper

We used frozen chopped spinach to speed up the process, so first pull that out of the fridge and place in a strainer and allow to defrost and push as much water out as possible.  Defrost the frozen filo dough in the fridge.  Chop one whole yellow onion and sauté in butter with salt and pepper until translucent.  Add a clove or two of fresh chopped garlic and then toss in the completely defrosted spinach, add a shake or two of nutmeg and stir for a few minutes.  Pull from heat and pour the ingredients into a mixing bowl and let cool.  Once everything is about room temp throw in a handful of chopped parsley, a handful of grated parmesan and a half block of cubed feta.  Next add in two beaten eggs and then mix until everything is fully incorporated.  Preheat oven to 350 and melt about ½ stick of butter in a sauce pan, you’ll also need a pastry brush for this part.  Pull out your filo dough and lay flat on a surface and try to work quickly because the warmer the dough the faster it falls apart.  Have a medium/small cast iron, or oven safe skillet ready to place the layers of filo over, and butter the bottom.  Once you unfold the dough use your pastry brush and quickly brush the melted butter over the entire layer and carefully place over skillet.  Do this about 8 times, and make sure there is enough dough hanging over the edges of the skillet because you are going to fold it over and “wrap up” the spinach mixture inside.  Once you have about 8 layers or so put the mixture in the center of the skillet and then fold edges over and cover top completely.  Then brush butter over top of pie and put in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  Slice and eat hot or room temp. 

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Oysters 

The day after flying back into the bay area from LA, Emily and I decided we had to spend our Sunday eating oysters at the beach.  We started the morning out at Tartine, where Emily works and ate about 1000 pastries and then drove out to Hog Island in Marshall.  We knew even a bag of 50 would not be enough for the four of us and went for 62 of the extra smalls.  Extra small out here in Marin are actually quite large and since we were going to eat raw we decided to skip on the larger ones, which I find better for BBQing.  Anyway the smaller the oyster the more flavor in my opinion...We got our bag and had a beer outside and waited for our fourth to meet us on his motorcycle.  While waiting we had some BBQed oysters just as an appetizer to our raw and they were amazing.  After we met our friend we went to the market, grabbed some picnic supplies and a lemon and wine and stopped at Chicken Ranch beach in Inverness.  We started shucking immediately and the sweet salty happiness was only exemplified by the view and surroundings.  As the sun went down however we started to freeze, fast, so Evan started a fire right there in the sand and we drank our wine to stay warm.  Em and I shucked away and we ate our oysters with nothing but the tiniest squeeze of lemon (in my opinion the only way to go) and I don't think I could have imagined a more perfect day at home.