Here’s one more root vegetable recipe before we switch over to asparagus and salad greens. I clipped this out of a New York Magazine while we still lived in NYC, because we occasionally shopped at Windfall Farms. I also don’t really have any good rutabaga recipes, other than our standard roast-everything-in-a-pan method. “Hold on there, Lindsay”, you might say, “The title of this post says ‘turnip’ not ‘rutabaga’.” Yes, observant reader, it is actually . . . → Read More: Gilfeather Turnip Casserole]]>

Here’s one more root vegetable recipe before we switch over to asparagus and salad greens. I clipped this out of a New York Magazine while we still lived in NYC, because we occasionally shopped at Windfall Farms. I also don’t really have any good rutabaga recipes, other than our standard roast-everything-in-a-pan method. “Hold on there, Lindsay”, you might say, “The title of this post says ‘turnip’ not ‘rutabaga’.” Yes, observant reader, it is actually a rutabaga, but Mr. John Gilfeather thought it was a turnip. Also, Jerusalem artichokes are neither Israeli nor artichokes. What can I say? Vegetable identity crisis.

The Gilfeather turnip is a Slow Food Ark of Taste product, which makes it worth seeking out. The Ark of Taste program finds and protects endangered flavors – those beloved by old-timers, but threatened by industrial agriculture. Just for fun, here are some other Ark of Taste products from the Northeast.

• Bay scallops
• Boiled cider (used as a sweetener)
• “Old-Type” Rhode Island Red chicken
• Shrub (okay, not technically a Northeast thing, but a new favorite of mine)
• True Red Cranberry bean

Kind of makes me want to make an Ark of Taste bingo game…

Back the to rutabaga! It looks like a big white turnip, but is a little milder with less of a bite. Originating in southern Vermont, it’s even more local to us now that we’ve moved to Boston, so I was delighted to find one in one of our last CSA pick-ups.

This would make a great light lunch, but we cooked up some sausages to make a more substantial meal. It was nice and fluffy, like mashed potatoes, but with a more complex flavor – just enough peppery-ness.

Gilfeather Turnip Casserole

Serves 4 as a side or 2 as an entrée

Directions

1. Peel the rutabagas and chop them into cubes. Try to make the chunks close in size, so that they all cook in the same amount of time.
2. In a medium pot, add the rutabagas, a pinch of salt, and enough water to cover. Boil until the rutabagas are soft, about 30 minutes.
3. Once the rutabagas are soft, drain them and allow them to cool for a few minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Put the rutabagas, eggs, milk, salt, spices, and flour into a food processor and process until smooth. If you don’t have a food processor, you can mash everything by hand, but I’d recommend mashing the rutabagas until they’re smooth first, then the eggs (one at a time), then the rest. This will help you get all the chunks out.
6. Rub just a little of the butter on the bottom and sides of a 1-quart soufflé dish. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish.
7. Use a fork to mash the remaining butter into the bread crumbs and sprinkle it over the top of the rutabaga mash.
8. Bake for an hour or until the buttery crumbs are nicely browned.

Looking at that photo, I think that it would be a really pretty side for dinner guests if it were baked in individual ramekins. It’s not terribly attractive sunk down in that big soufflé dish (we don’t have a 1-quart one, so I used what we had).

This was part of the fantastic picnic that we brought to Governor’s Island. This is a great recipe straight out of The Candle Cafe Cookbook,which is from a great vegan restaurant in NYC. They call it white bean “pate”, but to me “hummus” is a better term. That’s essentially what it is only with another type of beans substituted for the chick peas / garbonzo beans.

Tuscan White Bean “Hummus” Sandwiches with Tomato . . . → Read More: How to Make Tuscan White Bean “Hummus” Sandwiches]]>

This was part of the fantastic picnic that we brought to Governor’s Island. This is a great recipe straight out of The Candle Cafe Cookbook,which is from a great vegan restaurant in NYC. They call it white bean “pate”, but to me “hummus” is a better term. That’s essentially what it is only with another type of beans substituted for the chick peas / garbonzo beans.

Tuscan White Bean “Hummus” Sandwiches with Tomato and Arugula

Makes 2-4 servings

Directions

We had a lot of leftovers from our party, and otherwise we stuck to simple meals that we’ve already posted about, such as frittata and roasted vegetables.

The picture below is a mix of roasting potatoes, celeriac, . . . → Read More: Leftovers and Tallgrass Burger]]> We’ve had a busy week, so we haven’t had time to do anything really interesting in the kitchen. We are doing a bunch of cooking tomorrow for the Superbowl, so we’ll have some post material after that.

We had a lot of leftovers from our party, and otherwise we stuck to simple meals that we’ve already posted about, such as frittata and roasted vegetables.

The picture below is a mix of roasting potatoes, celeriac, orange and purple carrots, and some sort of purple radish that I can’t remember the name of. It makes for a pretty mix, which we drizzled with some homemade honey mustard vinaigrette.

A very purple roasting mix

For those in NYC, we should also note that we ordered in one night, from Tallgrass Burger. The reviews online are mixed, which is surprising, because we had a great experience. Tallgrass uses only grass-fed local beef (the type we cook with). We both had “The Classic”, which comes with cheese and horseradish-mustard sauce which was both original and tasty. The garlic fries were also great.

Some people online complained about their burgers being overcooked or undercooked vs. their order, but Lindsay and I both commented how they nailed her medium and my well. Others online complained about the price, but we’re willing to pay for better ingredients. At $7 for the Classic, it’s not outrageous. It’s more expensive than McDonalds, but cheaper than a sit-down restaurant.

Plain and simple, the reason we are posting it is that they were the best burgers that we’ve had in a long time. A friend of mine went last night on our recommendation, and she agreed that they reminded her very much of In-n-Out Burger. The style is very similar: not to small, not too huge, thin-patty, reasonable portion size, and high quality. Boo to the naysayers.

On Saturday night, we had dinner with my Aunt Jean, Uncle Wendell, and cousin Theresa at The Farm on Adderly in Brooklyn. Although we’ve been there before, this is our first time having dinner there, and we were not disappointed. They highlight local ingredients, small farms, and sustainability.

The meal’s highlights were:

Red carrots

Rainbow beets

Fresh horseradish

Mixed color fingerling roasting potatoes

For Andy from The Office: Broccoli Raab

Green beans, still . . . → Read More: Market Day!]]> Today was an early day at the Union Square Greenmarket. Lindsay had an event for work, so I was shopping alone today. On my first pass through for browsing I got a few pictures, but once I started buying my hands were too full to take any more!

Red carrots

Rainbow beets

Fresh horseradish

Mixed color fingerling roasting potatoes

For Andy from The Office: Broccoli Raab

Green beans, still going!

Snake squash (or at least that's what I named it, which I think makes perfect sense)

The sign reads: "O'Sage Orange: Do not eat: repels cockroaches, $2 each" (???)

Keith's Farm Rocambole garlic - get some!

Sign for Elk Trails Bison: healthy, delicious, but not exactly cheap!

Union Square Greenmarket Events: 11/17: Panel on local grains - see www.grownyc.org

Union Square Greenmarket Events: 11/21: Local grain pancake breakfast: see www.grownyc.org

Giant rutabaga - as big as a man's head!

Eating locally isn’t just about what you cook in your own home. It’s also important to support restaurants that make . . . → Read More: Eating Local at The Farm on Adderley]]> My mom came to visit this weekend, which called for decadent eating. Sunday morning was beautiful, so we decided to head out to Brooklyn for brunch and a walk through Prospect Park to enjoy the foliage. Erik and I had been to The Farm on Adderley for brunch once last summer and it was calling.

Eating locally isn’t just about what you cook in your own home. It’s also important to support restaurants that make an effort to purchase locally produced products. According to The Farm’s website:

The Farm on Adderley tries to speak to the way we want to cook and feed ourselves and our neighbors. The restaurant aims to bring thoughtfully produced food and ingredients to our community in a totally accessible way. Much of the way The Farm has evolved has been to pursue the principles of supporting local farmers, artisans, entrepreneurs as much as possible, making delicious food from that, and serving it in a completely honest way.

As further proof of their local cred, Slow Food NYC awarded them the Snail of Approval, which is given to organizations that contribute to the quality, authenticity and sustainability of NYC’s food supply. I use the Snail of Approval as my personal Zagats. The Farm’s website also includes a list of sources, so you can check up on them for yourself.

Snail of Approval or not, I wouldn’t send you to Ditmas Park if it wasn’t worth the ride on the Q. This place is so scrumptious that the trip out there is a minor sacrifice. The Farm’s brunch menu has some traditional dishes alongside some really creative ones and does them all well.

My mom and I both had Bloody Marys and a salad of smoked trout and poached eggs. Can you tell we’re related? The Bloody Mary had a good kick and wasn’t too alcoholic (important when you’re drinking with your mom at 11 am). I like a little more herb-age in mine, but not a real complaint. The salad was absolute heaven – a little smoky, deliciously creamy, with a nice crispness from the greens. Erik had half my Bloody Mary (get your own next time!) and toast with scrambled eggs over Swiss chard home fries. He says that even the toast was spectacular. Erik and I also split the cheddar grits (for research purposes, of course), which were flavorful without being overly rich. Then, since my mom’s visit made it a special occasion, we split the chocolate mousse with salted cream. Light and rich at the same time. I’m drooling now.

Sorry not to have any photos! We were sitting at a dark table and didn’t want to be annoying with the flash.