DC Metro Locavore

I have not been a good blogger lately.  I recently finished graduate school and moved to the DC Metro area to start a job.  I will miss Pittsburgh, my friends and my favorite farmers (especially Mott Family Farmers) tremendously.  Moving has made my locavore commitment difficult, but not for the reasons I expected.

In the first week here I went to farm markets in Dupont Circle, Bethesda, and Rockville.  There is an abundance local food available in the area (including drop-offs from the famous Polyface Farm), however, I have sticker shock. During my Low Income Locavore year in Pittsburgh I ate for $5.43 per day (on average for 301 days) and I'm not sure that would be possible here.  Stay tuned for my adventures as I look for ways to eat a DC local diet affordably.  

Another reason I haven't posted is that in a different kitchen with a different stove, I am failing at cooking.  I'm scalding things I never had trouble with in the past and my timing is completely off. I have a renewed appreciation for beginner cooks.  Though from past experience, I am confident it will get better.

While you wait for me to recover my cooking skills, I recommend that everyone in the DC Metro area check out Stonyman Gourmet Farmer cheeses (you can find them at the Central Farm markets in Bethesda or Rockville).  Completely incredible and worth every penny.

Asparagus in Creamy Lemon Pasta Sauce

This quick and easy dish was delightful; the delicate lemon flavor complimented the crisp spring asparagus.

Servings: 5
Time: 15 minutes

1 pound pasta
1.5 pounds asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter
Zest from 1 lemon (~1 tablespoon)
Juice from 1 lemon
1 cup half and half
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bring salted water to a boil and cook pasta per instructions.  Heat frying or saute pan on medium and add butter.  When the butter is melted add asparagus.  Stir frequently for 4 minutes until asparagus are bright green.  Add the lemon zest and juice and stir for 1 minute.  Add half and half as well as 1/2 cup cheese, turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 minutes.  Salt to taste, then turn heat to low.  When pasta is finished, mix pasta and sauce.  Garnish with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and parsley flakes.


Thanks Mott Family Farm for the amazing asparagus!

Bike Fresh Bike Local Farm Tours

The Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture is hosting 25, 50, or 70 mile Bike Fresh Bike Local farm tours along country roads across the state:

Bike Fresh Allegheny County - Sunday, June 2

Fresh Centre County - Sunday, August 4

Bike Fresh Chester County - Sunday, September 22

 Registration is $40, which includes food and beer.

Easter (or Secular) Eggs Goldenrod

Every Easter I look forward to making my Great-Grandma Marjie's eggs goldenrod with the abundance of hardboiled eggs, but it doesn't have to be Easter to enjoy this hearty breakfast. 

Eggs Goldenrod
Makes 4 large portions (this recipe can be scaled to accomodate more or fewer servings)

8 slices of toast or 4 english muffins
8 hard boiled eggs

4 tablespoons of butter
4 tablespoons of flour
3 cups of milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder 
8 slices of toast
chives, chopped for topping (optional)

Peel the hard boiled eggs and separate the yolk from the white.   Put the yolks in a small bowl and use a fork to break into small pieces.  Coarsely chop the whites.  In a saucepan on medium heat, warm the butter until melted and bubbly then add the flour and stir until it makes a paste.  Add milk, a splash at a time, whisking constantly until lumps disappear.  Then add the salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Turn the heat to low and simmer until thickened, stirring often for about 10 minutes.  Mix in the egg whites.  Serve on top of toast or english muffins with a sprinkle of egg yolks and chives.

French Onion Soup

I had beef soup bones from Burns Angus Farm in my freezer and I wanted to make soup while it was still cold outside.  I made beef stock, a smaller version of this recipe, with the soup bones, celery, onions, carrots, garlic, bay leaves and water.  Then I made a fabulous French onion soup:

French Onion Soup
4 Servings
Active Time: 30 min
Total Time: 1 1/2 hours

1 pound onions, cut in half and sliced thinly lengthwise
2 tablespoons oil (I used half butter half olive oil)
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup port wine
8 cups beef stock
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
4 pieces of crusty bread, cut into 1 1/2 inch thick slices
1/2 pound gruyere cheese, sliced thinly or grated
4 ovensafe bowls

Heat oil in a stockpot on medium-low then add onions.  Cook onions on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until brown and caramelized (45 minutes - 1 hour).  Stir in flour then add port wine and continue stirring until thickened, about 2 minutes.  Next add beef stock, bay leaf, and thyme and turn up heat to medium high until boiling.  Once boiling, turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes so flavors can meld.  During that time, toast the bread under the broiler on low until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side.  Remove bay leaf from soup and add desired quantity of salt and pepper, then pour into oven safe bowls.  Float a slice of bread onto each bowl of soup and top with gruyere cheese.  Put the bowls in the oven and broil on low until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 6 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Philly Farm & Food Fest

Save the date for the Philly Farm & Food Fest on April 14th at the Philadelphia Convention Center Annex.  General admission is $15 and kids under 12 get in free.  Enjoy the Local Libations Lounge, watch cooking demonstrations, buy humanely raised meat, learn at various workshops, and check out over 100 exhibitors.

Lard and why I love it

A few days ago I made lard. Unlike vegetable shortening (such as Crisco), lard has no hydrogenation.  The problem with hydrogenation is that it generates trans-fats.  Trans-fats are worse for one's health than cis-fats (like those found in lard) because trans-fats are not found in nature so the body processes them differently.  Although the new Crisco formulation claims 0 trans-fats, it actually contains 0.5 grams of trans-fat per serving (less than the required amount for labeling). I looked at the Crisco food label and noticed that the total fat was 12 grams, but when I added up the fats they list it only adds up to 11.5 grams, leaving out the 0.5 grams of trans fats (below I added them back in). I was surprised to learn that other than Crisco having trans-fats, lard and Crisco are relatively similar in nutrition:

Vegetable Shortening			Lard
1 tbsp			1 tsbp
113 calories			115 calories
Total Fat	12 grams		Total Fat	12.5grams
Saturated Fat	3.0 grams		Saturated Fat	5.0 grams
Trans-Fat	0.5 grams		Trans-Fat	0    grams
Monounsaturated	6.0 grams		Monounsaturated	6.0 grams
Polyunsaturated	2.5 grams		Polyunsaturated	1.5 grams

Ingredients			Ingredients
SOYBEAN OIL, FULLY HYDROGENATED PALM OIL, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED PALM AND SOYBEAN OILS, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID (ANTIOXIDANTS).			LARD

Another great thing about lard is that you can make it at home, with just one simple ingredient (according to Michael Pollan's food rule: don't eat anything with more than 5 ingredients).  Plus by making my own lard I can support small farmers instead of big agribusiness. My adventure in lard-making started at Whiting Meat in New Wilmington, PA where I asked for 4 pounds of pork back fat. I intended to make a small batch, to last a few months.  The man at the counter went into a cooler and returned with a long piece of fat he folded in half on the scale.  The meter read 18 pounds and he murmured "if you don't use it all just throw it out" and charged me about $15.  The chunk I took home was over 2 feet long and 2 inches thick with bumpy pale skin on one side and a few long streaks of pink muscle left on the other.  I cut half of it into cubes (the rest is in the freezer) and put the cubes into a glass Pyrex dish and cooked them in the over for about 3 hours at 250 degrees.  Then I let it cool for 10 minutes and poured it through cheesecloth and into mason jars.  It was so easy and the final product is wonderful.  Tonight I used my lard to make a fantastically rich and flaky pie crust for quiche.


For more about lard check out these articles:

Lard: the new health food? in Food & Wine

High on the Hog in The New York Times

Who Killed Lard?  in NPR Blog