Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Postcard from Asheville

I love Asheville in the springtime, I love Asheville in the fall, but I most especially love that pretty mountain town in the summer, when the sun’s warm and the hills are a such a vivid green they almost make your eyes hurt.

My husband and I dashed away for an anniversary trip recently to a restored 1920s cabin outside of Asheville. We did a lot of cooking there - and much wine-sipping on its airy screened porch - but we also made a point to spend a lot of time eating in town. I caught with a friend and her boyfriend who have recently moved there, and they’re equally as food-nutty (she gifted us a jar of her homemade radish kimchee), so it was excellent company.

I wanted to share some of the highlights with you:

The Asheville City Market - Oh, boy. So my favorite farmers’ market in North Carolina is probably one of the most established - the Saturday morning market in downtown Carrboro. But farmers’ markets are always best if you can get to them early, and we got to Asheville’s late. It’s still nothing to sneeze at. We also didn’t bring a cooler and we were on our way to go tubing, so it wasn’t practical to buy anything. This was painful. I really wanted to buy some of the Spinning Spider Creamery’s bloomy rind goat cheese.

Dinner at Limones - I think I could live at Limones, a sultry, modern Mexican restaurant in a high-ceilinged, historic storefront. Just set up a nice little spot at the bar, under the pressed-tin ceiling…my favorite way to eat here is all-apps. And margaritas from their inventive menu - the margarita caliente strikes just the right balance between salty, sour and spicy, while the jamaica version (that’s hibiscus) is flowery, aromatic and refreshing. They go nicely with the ceviche, the crab tostadas and more. Save room for freshly-made churros and hot chocolate for dessert. They also serve brunch, which I’ve never had, but the menu looks awesome.

Happy Hour(s) at the Wedge - We met our friends here promptly at 5 p.m., and four or five hours went by like that. The Wedge is a somewhat hidden micro-brewery (Asheville’s got plenty of these) near the banks of the French Broad, in a gritty, post-industrial part of town that’s seeing some re-birth as an artists’ community. The Wedge is very no-frills, but like much of Asheville, it’s dog-friendly, and there are buckets of peanuts to much on with Golem, a tasty Belgian golden ale, or the fruity Belgian Abbey ale, or any other of their brews.

Here are some shots:

And…

Late Night Dinner at the Admiral - The Admiral doesn’t have a website - they have a MySpace page. Which won’t tell you much of anything. And I suspect that’s the way it’s owners like it. Don’t let the dive bar interior (and exterior) in up and coming hipsters West Asheville fool you - this place takes its food seriously. I’ve heard rumors of frogs’ legs. We got here late - around 10 p.m. - and it was only my quivering lip and quiet out-of-towner whines that got us some grub, but I’m so glad we ate here.The cooks crank delicious plates out of a tiny open kitchen saddled next to the bar. We had a hot crock of lip-smacking pimento cheese, a catfish sandwich with bacon and cheddar, more ceviche (this time bedecked with the unusal choice of salty, crunchy popcorn - yum) and flank steak. They were out of the most tempting-sounding dishes - raw oysters and the like. Oh, and our waitress was hands down the most charming, most sweet thing.

The waiters stacked some of the tables out of the way as a DJ set up turntables in a corner. Soon, a few young couples were dancing to croony, scratchy records. The night ended in a happy blur.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Playing with Pesto

I made my first batch of pesto of the summer last week. My basil plants were getting bushy, so I knew it was time.

My zucchini plants are also in high gear, and, as I was assembling the pesto ingredients, I figured out yet another way to use up some zucchini.

I took a vegetable peeler and made some zucchini ribbons. In other words, I just used peeled entire zucchinis into long, wafer-thin pieces.

These blended right into pesto-coated spaghetti. Two medium zucchini seemed about right for one pound of pasta, but you could use a bit more if you want.

I blanched the zucchini ribbons right in the pasta water. I threw them for the last 30 seconds of the pasta’s cooking time. Of course, the zucchini can be enjoyed raw, too.

If you want to try it, you’ll probably want a little extra salt to season the zucchini.

You can get my pesto recipe in a story I wrote last year by clicking here.

The story also has a video of me making pesto the old-fashioned way, in a mortar and pestle.

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Politics and N.C. Wine

CORRECTION: Raffaldini Vineyards now says that its Vermentino was not given to President Giorgio Napolitano of Italy during President Obama’s recent trip to Europe. Supposedly, the president does plan to give a bottle of the wine as a gifft at a later date.

N.C. Wine has made its way to Italy, thanks to President Barack Obama.

According to a press release from Raffaldini Vineyards in Ronda, Obama gave President Giorgio Napolitano of Italy a bottle of Raffaldini’s Vermentino at a meeting in Rome this morning.

Vermentino is not a well-known grape in the States, but it is in Italy, where it produces light and refreshing wines that are perfect for seafood.

The folks at Raffaldini do know vermentino quite well, though. In fact, almost the entire vineyard is planted with Italian grapes, a grand experiment for the young N.C. wine industry.

I have not tasted the latest vintage of Raffaldin’s vermentino, but if it’s anything like previous vintages, it should get at least grudging respect from Italy’s president.

Apparently, the gift included other U.S. wines, but no word on what they were.

Here’s hoping that N.C. wine does its part in furthering international relations.

Monday, July 06, 2009

Gluten-Free Follow-Up

A couple of weeks after my column on the new Betty Crocker gluten-free mixes, the Wall Street Journal ran an article July 2 about the mixes. (Note: the paper’s Web site requires subscriptions.)

Two things in the article stuck out to me:

1) Customers are clamoring for these products. And big corporations are starting to listen.

2) Accommodating specialized customers is at least partly possible because these companies realize that they don’t need to advertise them so much. Instead of a $50 million promotion, companies apparently can get away with just $ 5 million, says Ann Simonds in the article. Simonds is the president of baking products for General MIlls, which makes Betty Crocker products.

It really is amazing what can happen when companies stick to responding to customer demand instead of racking their brains for just any old way to get people to spend more money.

Friday, July 03, 2009

Nutrition Needs

A recent survey reported that 95 percent of physicians understand the importance of nutrition in fighting chronic diseases.

Sadly, only 12 percent of them do something with that knowledge.

The online survey of 400 physicians was conducted by Hart Research Associates in conjunction with the American Dietetic Association and the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine. It also had support from Abbott Nutrition, a division of the Abbott health-care company.

Judging from the ADA’s June press release, I’m guessing that the survey’s main purpose was to push for better insurance coverage for nutrition services in any health-care reform bill that surfaces in Congress.

But I do think it’s true that most doctors don’t deal with diet as part of their treatment, whether preventative or not. It’s really a shame, since diet plays a role in many types of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

In fact, I’m reading a new book by Ski Chilton, a professor at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, that deals with this subject from a fascinating new angle.

The book, called the Gene Smart Diet, talks about how to get our genes to work for us through diet and exercise. It draws a line from the wrong kind of diet to inefficient gene function/cellular maintenace to chronic inflammation to a host of deadly diseases.

I’m still reading the book, so stay tuned for more info later. But basically Chilton believes that we can help determine which genes express themselves in us simply by what we eat.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Summer, Ceviche

I have ceviche fever. I was in Asheville recently (more on that later), where I had it twice. Uh, I know, in the mountains. I should have been noshing on wild game or trout. But it was delicious, and it reminded me of how ridiculously easy and appropriate ceviche is as we head into another hot Carolina summer.

Ceviche is basically fish that has been lightly “cooked” in acid - namely, lime or lemon juice - and then is served cold, usually with crunchy accompaniments such as tortilla chips or tostadas.

In Ensenada, a large city along Mexico’s Baja peninsula, you’ll find mobile ceviche stands and people snacking at them all over downtown, so I think of it as Mexican street food, but it’s certainly popular in Peru, Panama, Chile and other South American counties, in and outside of restaurants.

Maybe because it’s so simple…and so good. Here’s my recipe, based on one from Rick Bayless:

Take one cup freshly-squeezed lime juice, a handful of cilantro, one garlic clove, one scant teaspoon salt and one roughly-chopped jalapeno (use less if you’re shy of heat) and blend in food processor.

Cut any fish (tuna, catfish, halibut, snapper, mahi-mahi, mackerel, bass, squid are some that come to mind) into 1/2-inch cubes (you don’t have to be too fussy about this) and put in bowl. Add other fish if you wish, or even shellfish, such as bay scallops, and figure on about quarter of a pound per person total if you’re eating this for dinner, maybe half of that if it’s an appetizer or snack. The last time I made ceviche, I used tuna, bay scallops and calamari. I think it was a pound of fish, total, and we had way too much leftover, so I’ll buy less next time.

Ceviche won’t really hold much after a day, so you want things to be super fresh. You’re after clean, sharp, pristine flavors. If you can make this dish at the beach, I can’t think of a better location!

Pour lime mixture over the fish, and stir. Cover and put in fridge for about an hour, but not more than two hours.

Meanwhile, chop a selection of accompaniments. I like fresh tomatoes, avocado, yellow bell peppers, raw white onions (with a bit of the bite taken out by rinsing them in cold water when they’re chopped) and I like the cut fairly small on them. Some other ideas are roasted poblano peppers, red onions, a little salsa…

And my husband makes his delicious tortilla chips but cutting up some corn tortillas into triangles and frying them minutes before we eat. Saltine crackers are also traditional in Mexico.

Spoon some of the ceviche onto a plate, sprinkle with the garnishes, and dig in with the chips. If you want to stop the “cooking” process, drain the fish of the lime bath and serve later.

Eating ceviche on your front porch, barefoot, with some chilly rose or riesling (which can be smashing with ceviche, by the way)...that’s my idea of summer. And it’s cheap, too - you’ll need far less fish than you would if you were grilling it or cooking it another way, and best of all, you don’t even have to turn on your oven. All the cooking is in the fridge.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Coupons for Winston

If you’re into cutting coupons, there’s a Web site devoted to Winston-Salem businesses. And it’s trying to build up its number of participating restaurant and food businesses.

The site, www.coupons4Winston.com, is run by Wes Beroth and Jim Gilbert. I know Gilbert likes to cook because he won the pie contest that Family Services sponsored in May as part of its Taste of the Town fund-raiser.

Current coupons include one from Downtown Thai for a buy one, get one free entree between 5 to 7 p.m. Thursdays with two drink purchases.

Other restaurants include Kernel Kustard and Asian Cafe. The site also has businesses in surrounding areas, such as Full Moon Oyster Bar in Clemmons and J. Butler’s Bar & Grille in Lewisville.

For those of you who missed Gilbert’s recipe for Triple Chip Race Pie, which I posted here in May, you can check it out here.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Potato Salad Permutations

When I was growing up, I knew of one or two ways to make potato salad.

Now I know of more than a dozen.

Today, you can find potato salad with olives, anchovies, avocado, fennel and more.

Be sure to check out my July 1 story on potato salad. It’‘s chock-full of new ideas and recipes.

In the meantime, here’s a spicy potato salad from Chef Jim Coleman, the host of TV’s Flavors of America, courtesy of Chefs Choice.

Be careful not to overcook the eggs. Put them in a pan, cover with an inch of cold water and bring to a slow boil. As soon as the water boils, remove pan from heat and let sit 15 minutes. Then drain and rinse eggs with cool water.

Coleman’s Spicy Egg & Potato Salad

2 cups medium diced (scrubbed or peeled) new potatoes                
7 jumbo large eggs, fully cooked
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 large jalapeno pepper (or other chile), finely minced
1 tablespoon finely choppedgreen onions
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon each of white, black and red pepper, or to taste

In a large saucepan, over high heat, bring enough salted water to cover the potatoes to a boil. Add potatoes and reduce heat, simmering 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain the potatoes and let cool to room temperature.

Peel eggs and coarsely chop them to about the same size as the potatoes. In a medium to large mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, shallots, hot pepper, rice wine vinegar, salt and trio of pepper. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours (longer is fine as well) to allow the flavors to blend.

An hour before serving, remove salad from refrigerator and gently fold in eggs, potatoes and green onions, lightly mixing until well combined.

Makes 6 servings.

(Photo courtesy of Chefs Choice)

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

No Slowing of Organics’ Momentum

Back in January, when I wrote about 2009 trends, I wondered aloud if the recession would rein in all the interest and growth in local and organic foods.

Organics, especially, are more or less a luxury for the middle class and particularly the poor, because they often are much more expensive than their conventional counterparts.

When money is tight, luxuries are the first thing to go. I just heard last week from chefs saying how hard country clubs have been hit, with quite a few chefs being laid off as membership declines.

So I was pleasantly surprised to read a 2009 survey sponsored by the Organic Trade Association (OTA) and KIWI Magazine that indicates that organics are doing quite well.

The survey reports that three in 10 U.S. families say they are buy more organic foods this year than last year.

Perhaps even more impressive, the study reports that 73 percent of U.S. families now buy organics at least occasionally. Clearly, some folks who are NOT rolling in dough, give organic food a high priority. The study said that most people cite health as the reason for buying organics.

If other studies and data emerge that back up this one, I think it’s safe to say there’s no stopping organics. And that’s a good thing, no matter what you might think of organics, or this grassroots movement becoming big business.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Book Club for Cooks

The Stocked Pot cooking school on Jonestown Road has added a neat new feature since I wrote in February about its opening, or rather revival.

Now chef Don McMillan is leading an informal book club. Each session will include discussion of a food book, plus recreation of some of the recipes.

On June 25, the topic will be Maya Angelou’s Hallelujah the Welcome Table, which includes personal reminiscences as well as recipes. McMillan did the cooking for the book’s photography, so he has some insider stories to tell with this one.

In July, he plans to lead one about Juliie and Julia, about home cook Julie Powell and her recipe-by-recipe cooking through Julia Child’s masterpiece, Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol 1 (and one of the success stories about bloggers turning their hobby into a career).
This Stocked Pot session is planned to occur a week before the movie version, starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child, opens in theaters.

McMillan will even accept suggestions about which recipes to prepare.

For more information, go to http://www.thestockedpot.com.