Recent Cookery: Art, Failure, and Practice

I have been doing a good bit of cooking lately, so I'm trying to catch up. I've also been attempting to improve my photo-taking, so below you'll find a "gallery" of pictures in which I've attempted to capture the art of cooking.

This leads me to something I've been thinking about: cooking really is an art. By that I mean that it has to be practiced. Sometimes you just don't get it right, for example:

This looks like a pretty nice (if bland colorwise) meal of halibut poached in white wine, butter, and chives, with kolhrabi (which had a beautiful purple skin before I peeled it), and okra fritters. I followed actual recipes for the halibut and the fritters, yet found both to be disappointing.

So, it's back to the drawing board. My friend Katie, who is a restaurant manager and a mean cook, and I got together and just combined ingredients. From scratch and our imaginations, we came up with a fantastic dinner, which I've taken pictures of below.

It's always fun to start out with an appetizer, in this case Normandy Farms bread,
EVOO with salt and pepper, cheese, and a glass of red.

a lovely salad Katie prepared with arugula, mushrooms, cucumbers, yellow pepper, shredded carrots, snow peas,
and a mixture of red wine vinegar with beet and carrot salad dressings from Whole Foods salad bar

Farmer's Market basil pasta with seared scallops and a colorful zucchini, squash, and red pepper stirfry

That's a lot more like it!


Not long after, my sister and I made dinner. She has embraced kale as wholeheartedly as I have (must run in the family) and made a fantastic Chopped Kale Salad (recipe below) over red quinoa. We grilled okra and chicken and enjoyed it all with a glass of white wine.


Chopped Kale Salad, Coco Style

• 1 avocado
• 1/2 red onion, diced
  
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
  
• 1/2 lemon
• grated ginger (optional)
• 1 cucumber
• 1 bunch red kale
• sea salt to taste
  

1. In a large bowl, mash avocado with lemon juice, diced red onion, diced peppers, and sea salt to taste. Add grated ginger if desired.
2. Wash and finely chop kale and cukes. Toss in avocado dressing until coated evenly. If kale seems too crisp, add more lemon and salt to soften.

Serve chilled.

Help! Too Many Eggs

I've mentioned before how great it is to have fresh, organic eggs from Rosebank Farms every week. I split the dozen with my mother, so we each get six eggs weekly. However, last week she didn't take any eggs, so they are all mine—and I don't know how I'm going to use them all up before Friday!

I have six eggs left that I'd like to use in the next two days, and I need your recipe suggestions! The recipe that uses the most eggs for the least amount of work (doubling the recipe doesn't count; I have to be able to eat it in a couple of days) will be featured on the site for Thursday Night Leftovers, and you will also have my undying appreciation!

Local Eating in Charleston Part III

For the finale of my Local Eating in Charleston series, I would be remiss if I didn't post about restaurants in Charleston that put an emphasis on local produce and meat. And who better to talk to about that than jimihatt.

"It is ultimately our responsibility to trust our local farmers and insure that what we do ingest is just," he says of the recent egg recall debacle that sparked this post series. For example, "What's in a hot dog? Unless it's your butcher making that stuff, you shouldn't be eating it. The FDA allows a certain amount of road parts in your regular ballpark franks. They allow a certain amount of fecal matter and non pork or beef product. They're not willingly trying to sell us rat meat, but…"

By contrast, he cites Craig Diehl of Cypress restaurant, which is known for its house-made charcuterie, as are High Cotton and McCrady's, to name a few. "The charcuterie movement in Charleston has super taken off," says jimihatt. "You can go to Cypress bar and order off the menu their happy hour corn dog and it's amazing. He does it just like Hormel would make one, the same procedure except he knows exactly what's going in it."

Groups like Maverick Southern Kitchens (High Cotton, SNOB, The Old Village Post House), Rev Foods (Taco Boy, Poe's, Closed for Business, Monza), and the Hospitality Management Group (Cypress, Magnolia's, Blossom) have long been on the local foods bandwagon, ordering form South Carolina farms such as Mibek and Keegan-Filion Farms.

In addition, independent restaurants like Sesame Burgers and Beer, EVO Pizzeria, Triangle Bar & Char, Wild Olive, and many others have a focus on local ingredients, including grass-fed beef.

And we mustn't forget McCrady's. Beard Award winning chef Sean Brock has become synonymous with local food in charleston. "A lot of restaurants are now shining the local light," jimihatt says. "It's not that McCrady's is my favorite—it's that they're doing the most." Indeed, the same management group will open Husk, an all-local restaurant, in November of 2010. There will be no olive oil, no balsamic vinegar, no soy sauce—nothing that doesn't grow in the South.

jimihatt, who also works at McCrady's, needs no local introduction. Guerrilla Cuisine, the underground dining movement in Charleston, highlights not only local chefs and local food, but locals. Its community tables and exclusive, secretive ticketing methods encourage strangers to meet at each event.

jimihatt now has some land specifically intended to grow produce for GC events and has been doing seed-saving research in conjunction with McCrady's. "We may not be self-sustaining yet, but we want to feature as many local farms as possible."

"It's really good that we can group together and challenge each other to eat locally," he says. "It's all an experiment. We're cooking because people want to come and eat it! Otherwise what would we do with the squash as long as your leg?"

Good question.

Local Eating in Charleston Part II

For the past year, I've gotten local organic produce from Rosebank Farms Community Supported Agriculture. Since then I've learned about the number of farming co-ops in the Charleston area. This is by far the cheapest way to get the freshest food—I pay $200 for 12 weeks, which averages $17 per week. A typical week in the summer involves 6-8 each of peaches, corn, squash, and cucumbers, as well as tomatoes, huge bags of field peas, eggplant, okra, and the occasional Southern treat, like Muscadines. And that's the smallest portion serving 2 people.

Rosebank also offers Giddy Goat Cheese, local organic eggs, and fresh flower bouquets—all of which I've sampled and loved.

However, this isn't the only CSA in the Charleston area. Thornhill Farm in McClellanville, SC, has gotten so popular that its 2010 lineup is full; you have to e-mail them to be put on a waiting list for 2011!

Several CSAs are still available for the fall season starting in October:

• Rosebank Farm
  
• Ambrose Family Farm (offers delivery for a very reasonable rate)
  
• Thackeray Farms (Queen Street Grocery is the drop spot.)
  

Lowcountry Local First also offers a comprehensive list of CSAs in the area, from beef to seafood to produce. Most CSAs offer delivery and pickup options at varying prices, as well as a range of "serving sizes" for couples, small families, and larger families.

Finally, Healthy Home Foods based in North Charleston offers not only organic produce and meats but instruction on how to prepare them.

Stay tuned for Guerrilla Cuisine founder jimihatt's perspective on restaurants supporting local farmers in Charleston!

Charleston Farmer's Market: A Local Interlude

I got a hold of some great stuff at this morning's Farmer's Market: homemade pasta, grass fed beef from River Run Farms, tomatoes, okra, red and yellow peppers, oyster mushrooms from Mepkin Abbey, and Farrah's Giddy Goat Cheese! (Farrah has an art show coming up at Bin 152 on Wednesday—don't miss it!)

clockwise from left: beet pasta, spicy red pepper pasta, basil pasta
all surrounding oyster mushrooms

This is the perfect start for some of my favorite recipes: Okra, Onions, and Tomatoes, which is my grandmother's recipe and exactly like what it sounds, except that you add corn and a little honey; Steak with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, and Feta over basil spaghetti; and homemade Mushroom Fettuccine with goat cheese and roasted red and yellow peppers.

Tonight I made Tabboule Salad, my mom's recipe, with quinoa instead of bulgur wheat. This is the simplest, yummiest recipe you can ask for: cold quinoa, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, fresh mint, fresh parsley, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Chop it all up, put it in a bowl, and marinate about an hour. Piece of cake and remarkably tasty and refreshing. The quinoa gives it some protein.

In the goals department, I've decided I need to be making my own bone broths. I meant to get some soup bones today at the market but forgot. Bone broths are incredibly nourishing in ways that non-bone stocks are not, and as flu season approaches I could use some of those extra nutrients. I'll be posting on how to make broths out of chicken and beef bones, and I might even get daring and try fish broth.

I Am a Slacker

So I've totally slacked off on Eating Locally in Charleston part II...but it is coming, I promise! Featuring an interview with jimihatt of Guerilla Cuisine, Charleston's collaborative dining experiment, the post should be up early next week.

Despite the Labor Day holiday, it's been a looong week.

Thursday Night Leftovers: The Night Before Rosebank

So tonight was leftover night because I'm getting fresh veggies from Rosebank Farms tomorrow and I had forgotten to thaw any fish. So I threw together one of the most delicious meals I've had in a long time. I mean, this was alllll flava!


Spicy Salmon Curry

• 1 cup veggie broth
• leftover pinkeye peas (which I snapped and cooked yesterday) in broth
• 1 can salmon
• about 2 cups leftover rice, which I had cooked with coconut milk (I used Thai Jasmine rice, but you can use any leftover rice)
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 package frozen veggies (green beans, carrots, etc.)
• 1 tsp curry powder
• garlic chili pepper sauce (A Taste of Thai brand) to taste
• sea salt to taste
  

Basically you put all of this in a big pan and simmer it for 10-15 minutes (depending on how much of a hurry you're in). But if you want instructions:

1. Heat frozen veggies in vegetable broth for 3 minutes; add salmon and stir.
   
2. Add peas in broth; toss in rice and stir.
3. Add chickpeas, curry powder, garlic chili sauce, and salt to taste. Stir and simmer 10 minutes.

Now I will be the first to admit that canned salmon (despite the fact that it is included my list of 10 things you should have in your pantry) is kinda gruesome when you open it up. But ooooooh, is it good in here! The curry and coconut milk (add some if you haven't cooked your rice in it) take away any fishiness, and the salmon makes the dish richer and soaks up the curry. I had seconds.

But that's not all! I had a bunch of cucumbers from Rosebank, so I made this awesome cucumber raita with chives and basil to top it off!


Chive-Basil Cucumber Raita

• 1 small cucumber, diced
• 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
• a handful of chives and basil, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Mix it all up! It's good enough to eat by itself.
And I also had a bunch of fresh squash, so I brushed it with oil and sprinkled on paprika, and tumeric and roasted it in the oven. (I feel terrible that I didn't use my grill, but I wanted to write this post and the grill takes more watching than the stove. I should have used it, though.)
Roasted (Grilled) Squash

• 2 medium squash (about 2 cups) sliced about 1/2 inch thick
• olive oil
• paprika
• tumeric
• salt

Brush squash with olive oil front and back; sprinkle with paprika, tumeric, and salt. Roast or grill for 5-10 minutes or until you can insert a fork easily.

All of this serves two very hungry people, three moderately hungry people, or four people who say they don't like leftovers but will be wishing you made more.

An Egg Locally Is Worth a Dozen with Salmonella: Local Eating in Charleston Part I

In the wake of the egg recall, and a smaller ground beef recall, I thought it might be appropriate to do a post on some of the ways to eat locally in Charleston. It's healthier for you and for the environment, and it makes a statement:

I am not going to put up with or financially support unsafe, unethical, inhumane, and dangerous farming and livestock practices regarding my food.

Because ultimately we are responsible for policing our food choices. It's pretty obvious the government and agribusiness are not going to do it for us. (If you haven't read NYU's nutrition and health public department head Marion Nestle's comments on this subject, you should; they're pretty funny.)

Charleston is home to 10 farmer's markets: there is at least one happening in the Charleston area six days a week! Charleston Post & Courier has a great schedule of these markets; so does the "Buy Local" pamphlet you can pick up in a lot of restaurants and shops around town.

I've reproduced a quick reference here:

Saturday

• Downtown (Marion Square): 8 a.m.-2 p.m., April 3-Dec. 19
  
• Summerville: 8 a.m.-1 p.m., April 3-late fall.
• Moncks Corner: 8 a.m.-2 p.m., June 19-Oct. 30

Monday

• John's Island (Freshfields Village): 4-8 p.m., June 7-Aug. 30

Tuesday

• Mt. Pleasant: 3 p.m. until dark, April 13-Oct. 19

Wednesday

• Monck's Corner: 8 a.m.-1 p.m., June 19-Oct. 30

Thursday

• Daniel Island: 3 p.m. until dusk, May 6-Sept. 30
• Goose Creek: 3-6 p.m., May 6-Sept. 30.
• North Charleston (Park Circle): 2-7 p.m., April 22-Oct. 28

Friday

• MUSC: 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m., through late fall

If you're not in the Charleston area, I also found a great resource at SimpleSteps.org on eating locally. This is a sustainable living site that encompasses everything from the environment to health. On this page, you can find what produce is in season in your area, as well as a list of nearby farmer's markets.

How do you live and eat locally and sustainably? Send me your ideas!

Stay tuned for a post on community supported agriculture in Charleston and how you can sign up for inexpensive locally grown produce! Also restaurants in the Charleston area that support local farming.

Reader Question: The Psychology of Coffee Shops (How Labels Can Wreak Havoc on Your Eating Habits)

I was thrilled to receive a reader question by e-mail this past week!

"Like most freelancers, I spend a lot of time working out of coffee shops, which instinctively means coffee in every form, with a muffin, cookie or other piece of bakery goodness on the side. Thankfully, I spend time at the gym too, although lately my schedule has negated my workout and I've really noticed the pounds piling on.

"Any tips for picking out healthier options or tips to keep the weight off with my crazy schedule?"

Actually, I was dismayed to receive this question because I don't know the answer. I have spent most of my adult years loving coffee shops, coffee, and muffins. When I go into Starbucks, I don't want tea.

Then, my optimism was renewed. I realized, I don't go into Starbucks anymore because their coffee tastes burned and their pastries are frozen, and I actually find the smell of the store kind of nauseating since working there in college. (Although they still make the best Americano I've found yet.)

I also must admit that, yes, I do go for tea now about 60% of the time. This has been a huge change wrought from tears and sleepless nights—why can't I stop drinking coffee when it makes me feel so terrible (racing heart, near panic attacks, etc.)?

The thing is, coffee shops are a lifestyle, just like freelancing, just like wine bars or expensive restaurants or dives. We identify ourselves based on these trappings. Our subconscious mental script is "I am the kind of person who..." Drinks wine when she cooks, just like the sexy, cosmopolitan women on TV. Is too tough for decaf. Can drink my friends under the table. Shouldn't have to try to be skinny. Fill in the blank.

Do any of these reasons sound ridiculous to you? That's because they are. Yet they have all floated through my head at some point (and occasionally still do).

So the first thing to do is realize your mental subscript. What labels are you identifying yourself with? In the case of this reader, she is a freelancer. Perhaps her subscript is that freelancing about long, dogged hours without rest or home-cooked food, pushing herself to the limits of her stamina, working instead of eating, and then eating whatever is available without being too particular because she's starving. Or perhaps she like the social aspect of meeting in coffee shops with other freelances, and she doesn't want to lose touch with those people or be seen as aloof because she's trying to take care of herself.

The second step is the tough part. Start to change this mental subscript. We unconsciously label ourselves because it makes us feel safe, defined: we live in a world of labels--male, female, heterosexual, homosexual, grad student, soccer mom, husband, wife, partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, CEO, freelancer, you name it--and some part of us likes to fit into those categories.

I was obsessed for a while about what my job title would be. I didn't like "health counselor"; it was too vague. It took me a while to come up with "food therapist," but I love it! It is a label that empowers and nurtures me, and hopefully communicates some of what I do.

However, labels always have some kind of positive and negative connotations. Become aware of what labels you identify with and their positive and negative lifestyle traits. And then create your own definition of the label you choose to include taking care of yourself in whatever ways you need to.

Here are some practical ways to do this:

• Make the gym less intimidating and shorten your workout. Burning some calories is better than burning none at all. Interval workouts maximize calorie burn in minimum time. Or consider a yoga routine; I often find that doing yoga reduces my desire for sugar and caffeine.
  
• Be sure to eat breakfast. No arguing. If you are full of a black bean breakfast wrap and a banana, you're going to be a lot less likely to order a cheese danish in an hour or so.
  
• If you don't have an office, work and hold meetings in casual restaurants and cafes instead of coffee shops. That way you can choose to order healthier meals that are providing you some nutritional value.
• Quality, not quantity. Get the small mocha, but order it full fat. The higher fat content will satisfy you emotionally and physically for longer. Go for smaller cookies or pastries, and if they don't have anything small, break it in half and throw half away. Seriously, it all tastes the same after the first bite.
• Order a water with your beverage of choice. Water flushes toxins from your system. Drinking a glass of water for every caffeinated beverage will slow you down and keep you hydrated.
  
• Eat some variety. If you're craving sugar and caffeine, chances are you are out of balance nutritionally. Making sure to either cook or find a restaurant that provides dark leafy greens like kale and whole grains like quinoa as often as possible during the week.
• Make lunch your main meal. If you're out during the day, going from breakfast meeting to coffee chat to lunch with coworkers to afternoon client rendezvous, switch your main calorie intake from dinner to lunch.
  
• Evaluate primary food. What problems do your job create in taking care of yourself? What creative ways can you change or address them? Are you more important than your job or clients? Absolutely. If you are sick, tired, or just not feeling your best, who's going to complete your projects?
  

Lastly, don't try to do this alone. Enlist in the help and support of friends, and if you just aren't seeing results, get professional help. Of course, I always recommend my food therapy program, which can help you identify the areas of your life that are holding you back from living at your best.

Another great option is an acupuncturist. Many acupuncturists are trained in Chinese herbal medicine and can identify the sources of your imbalances and cravings. My acupuncturist, Amy Jo Gengler of Re-Soul in Charleston, has been hugely instrumental in reducing my dependency on caffeine.

OK, that's it for this very long post! What are your strategies for staying healthy throughout the workday?