I spent the better part of a recent weekend styling test shoots with Cleveland photographer Ricky Rhodes. We worked in the urban comfort of  Kalman & Pabst Photo Group. The shoot was natural ingredient and whole-foods focused, and we kicked the session off by by getting up close and personal with affable bunches of varicolored carrots from The Chef’s Garden.

The cooked presentation (did you know that carrots are more nutritious cooked than raw, and that cooking with oil increases the beta-carotene content?), is a simple roasted riff on Moroccan carrots. Whole spices, sea salt and oil are tumbled with the lengthwise-sliced carrots on a sheet pan  and set to roast. The warm flavors of exotic spices enhance and compliment the inherent sweetness of perhaps the most joyful of roots.

Filling in as baker at the adorable new Lemon Falls while the hunt for someone full-time continues. Hello, bakers…greater Cleveland area. Interested? Call and ask for Chef Karen.

Assisting Cleveland photo-stylist Melissa McClelland on Smucker’s shoots at the fantastic commercial photography studio of Kalman & Pabst.

*Eagerly awaiting the inaugural issue of edible Cleveland, which should hit the new stands this week. I penned a feature piece and am excited to finally see it in print. Feeling proud to be a part of the edible community.

It’s curiously summery weather in Cleveland, and I am not complaining!

*Received word that my sweet (wink, wink) piece has been cut from the spring issue of edible Cleveland, but will be a lead story for the summer issue. Proof positive that Cleveland is long overdue for their own edible publication – an over-abundance of wonderful content!

By this time, I believe everyone is familiar with the McDonald’s “pink slime” Chicken McNugget video. What appears to be a heaving mound of Pepto-Bismol pink soft serve ice cream, barely contained in a cardboard box, we discover, is the fast food giants’ processed chicken matter waiting to be fried into McNuggets.

The visual of the writhing pink puree, (actually a quantity of chicken mousse being extruded like so much Play-Doh), is not what bothers me most, nor that the contents contain every scrap part of the bird. What’s most offensive, is the quality and cruel treatment of those tragic antibiotic-dosed, factory farmed chickens. Furthermore, all of those errant parts are so filthy they receive a soak in an ammoniated bath to prevent us from getting sick from contamination. Disgusting, and thanks, McD’s.

I’ve read that McDonald’s will be discontinuing the use of the resulting, ammoniated “pink slime” (also fabricated similarly with beef to stretch the burgers), but come on. The food is still low-quality dreck which has a long road to remedy.

As with most of today’s food supply, if you want to know what’s in it, shop intelligently and prepare it yourself. That goes for the crunchy little barnyard bird bite – but let’s call it what it really is – a chicken croquette. Done properly with a short list of clean ingredients, it’s a hot, shattery-crusted, juicy morsel of savory poultry. Delicate, in fact. Perfect served as a hot hors d’oeuvre, or as your kid’s happiest meal. Healthier than the alternative.

Get over the fact that at one time this photo would have looked like piped chicken mousse and now you can’t help but think, “pink slime”. Trust me – this will become good eating.

Chicken croquettes are easy to make ahead and freeze – one batch yields over one hundred pieces – plenty enough to bag and store for multiple future uses.

A fresh, local pastured chicken from Tea Hills Farm is pureed in the food processor with some egg whites for binding.  Local, organic heavy cream (Snowville Creamery, here), is added for enrichment. Salt, pepper and a subtle hint of nutmeg provide light seasoning. If inspired, some duxelles, or other minced, sweated and cooled vegetables make a fine addition.

The sheet pan of piped out chicken mousse then goes into the freezer. Next, cut the frozen ropes into “nugget” sized pieces.

At this time you have two choices: bag the pieces and store as-is to finish at a later time, or dip them into an egg wash, crumb-coat and store, ready to fry out of the bag.

These croquettes were prepped, bagged and stored before I went on Mexican Holiday. Prep for a dinner I catered three days after re-entry was that much easier with one appetizer finished to the point of on-site frying..

Chicken Croquettes

Recipe Adapted from *Chef John Stropki via Heidi Robb

Yield: 100 + pieces

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb. skinned and boned fresh, best-quality chicken meat (white or dark or a combination), cut into small pieces.

3 large pastured egg whites

1 cup organic heavy cream

Kosher or sea salt, pepper and grated nutmeg to taste (taste by cooking a small amount in a hot pan.)

Whole beaten pastured egg (how many depends on the quantity of croquettes you are cooking)

Panko or homemade breadcrumbs

Fat for deep frying (I used lard)

Process:

Have all ingredients ready at the same cold temperature. Place the chicken and egg whites into the bowl of a processor. Pulse to break down, then puree until smooth. Pulse in the cream and seasonings, puree until thoroughly combined. Cook a bit of chicken mixture to check seasoning. Correct if needed.

Line a half baking sheet with a silpat or parchment. Fit a large pastry bag with a plain 1A tip. Pipe rows of chicken mousse until all is used – one half sheet should accommodate all of the mixture. Leave space between rows.

Freeze mixture until solid. Remove rows and cut into “nugget”-sized pieces. Bag and freeze or pieces now or proceed.

Have a sheet pan covered with a silpat or parchment ready. Set up dredging station with beaten whole egg and panko or other crumbs. Dip each piece of chicken into the egg to coat then coat with crumbs and place on the prepared sheet pan. You may now either freeze the coated pieces or proceed to deep fry. If deep frying:

Heat fat in a deep pot or deep fryer to 365. Gently lower pieces of coated chicken into the hot oil and cook, turning occasionally, until bronzed in color and cooked through. Remove with slotted spoon or Chinese strainer to a draining rack. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and a shower of herbs, or your choice of dipping sauces.

*Cleveland Chef, John Stropki, is one of those thunderbolts of talent who flies under the radar as a corporate chef, (for, umm, A Major Corporation). Karen Pelyhes Gorman, (dearest friend and colleague for nearly – gulp – two decades), and I have been fortunate to be able to call on and employ John for those occasions when we catered high-volume events and needed *that guy* to help get our food out hot, fast and looking great. And he has one of these – hawt.

Back in late October, I plugged into the Google search window, “Iyengar workshop February”.  What turned up was great fortune in terms of discovering a phenomenal Iyengar yoga instructor in NYC’s dynamic Lara Brunn, a truly special lodging in Mar de Jade, (tucked into the base of that lush volcanic jungle yonder), and the tiny West Coast Mexican fishing village of Chacala, Nayarit.

Meals at Mar de Jade are fresh, creative and abundant offerings. Much of the produce served comes from their own organic farm, and I’m sorrily missing my wee-hours morning snack of sweet n’tart guayabas eaten out of hand, and the housemade mango marmalade slathered stickily on toast.

The non-adventuresome and easily contented traveler could do no wrong in staying put for the duration, but that doesn’t suit my local cuisine-curious nature. A short stroll down the beach brings the scent of woodsmoke and the promise of fire-licked fish, fresh from the morning’s haul. Sit down, toes-in-sand with a friend, a liter of Pacifico, a pile of limes and salt to kick off a leisurely afternoon of grazing through Chacala’s finest oceanic offerings.

As a starter, I cannot resist a ceviche de pulpo. Served with a side of crunchy tostadas and limes. Limes with every dish at every meal. It’s a trend I can get on board with.

Bbq’d huachinango (red snapper), prepared as the local specialty, “pescado sarandeado” at Acela’s. Each palapa-covered restaurant has their own proprietary blend of sarandeado basting lubricant, many including a foundation of the local bottled hot sauce, Salsa Huichol. Whether you opt for the sarandeado or “al natural” preparations, the fish emerges moist and flaky with the lashing of smoke from local hardwoods.

This year’s travelmate, Binnie, and I devoured our first kilo of huachinango sarandeado at Acela’s. Served with warm corn tortillas, and a picante just-made salsa. Yes, soft fish tacos brightened with juicy squirts of lime, por favor.

Peering at Chacala through lush jungle foliage during a hike up a dormant volcano. So prehistoric in feel that a  swooping-in from a pterodactyl would not be at all surprising.

Peeling buckets of sparkling-fresh camarones. Soon to become ceviche, a topping for a tostada, or grilled with garlic and butter, “al mojo de ajo”.

Bottles of Jarrito’s Mandarina soda and huachinango sarandeado for two.

In the name of comparative research, we eat another kilo’s worth of huachinango sarandeado. Done to a flip of the grill cage at Chico’s.

Chacalans must love their beans. The fish came with a side of refried beans, and a grilled tortilla filled with more of those same frijoles.

Grilled local spiny lobster, “al natural”.  Maine lobsters, these aren’t, but when in Chacala…

The oysters looked beautiful. I love oysters, yet, I feared the Mexican oyster (shame on me). Next trip – I promise. They were served plump, glistening and simply on the half shell with a pile of limes, and I gazed enviously as locals devoured their platters with gusto.

There are at least fourteen varieties of bananas growing in the tropical climate of  Nayarit. The plaintains (platanos), are robust and fleshy, and delicious cooked on a slow grill and topped with jam and sweetened condensed milk. I worked on a similar recipe for Steven Raichlen’s Planet Barbecue, topped with guava paste and salty cheese. Do try this at least once with someone to share.

If grilled platanos aren’t your sweet thing, the ice cream man cometh. And so does the cart of fresh fruits sprinkled with chili salt and – you’re getting good at this – lime juice.

Chacala is home to some of the most intense and hotly-hued sunsets I’ve ever witnessed. Each night provided the only visual entertainment one could possibly desire, accompanied by the soothing sounds of the surf. Lights out.

This post is dedicated to Salsa Huichol, table mascot of Nayarit.

Shooting with the new Foodie pack for Hipstamatic.

Wiping down the last straggling crumbs from a six-week long Kitchen Boss season two, recipe test. I’ve been stuffed to the gills with tasty eats since the end of October – oof. Take a gander at that beautiful pie – look Ma, no wood burning or high-end oven at Pizzeria Heidi. One doesn’t need  pricey equipment to get the job done – solid technique and ingredients combined with practice, practice, practice with the equipment you have will assure kitchen successes.

Off to New York to wrap the job – ready and enthusiastic to connect with the colleagues I’ve been working with from remote.

Happy, peaceful and healthy holidays to you and yours.

- Heidi

Special thanks to Jessica Jerome for her invaluable kitchen assisting.

All I want is a yurt somewhere. Perched up high in the cold night air. With one enormous chair, oh! Wouldn’t  it be loverly?

The August vegetable explosion is on! Tomatoes are ripe and richly flavored, squash is thin-skinned and tender. All are available in peak abundance at local farmer’s markets. This “soup” of vegetables simply stewed in their own juices cooks, as if by magic, with a simple layering of the ingredients in a pot. I culled this one from my mom’s recipe box – one I remember thinking was completely crazy – cooking lettuce – that’s salad! A crunchy head of Romaine is a key component as ninety five percent of the lettuce’s own bulk weight is water which supplements much of the broth. A dish that won’t whack you over the head with aggressive flavors, but will enchant you spoonful by spoonful with a colorful tangle of vegetables and a co-mingling of naturally sweet juices enhanced by a grace of salt.

Layered Vegetable Soup
(ever so very slightly) Adapted from Nika Hazelton’s Garden Vegetable Soup
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced ripe tomatoes  - enough to cover the bottom of a 5-6 quart pot

2 cups onions thinly sliced

4 plump cloves garlic thinly sliced

2 cups small zucchini or yellow squash sliced 1/4″ thick

1 cup Romaine lettuce finely shredded

10 oz. package frozen peas (or two lbs. fresh shelled)

1 cup Italian parsley, chopped

1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

10 oz. package frozen lima beans (or 2 lbs. fresh, shelled)

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (plus extra for finishing)

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Chunk parmesan for grating (optional)

Spread tomatoes over the bottom of a 5-6 quart pot. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Top the tomatoes with the onions, then garlic and sprinkle lightly with salt. Add the zucchini and lightly salt. Top the zucchini with the lettuce followed by the peas. Sprinkle half of the parsley and all of the basil over the peas and sprinkle lightly with salt. Add the lima beans and the remaining 1/2 cup of parsley, lightly salt and drizzle the olive oil over the top. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat for twenty minutes, or until the vegetables start releasing their liquid (take care to moderate the heat level so the tomatoes do not scorch). Do not remove the cover at all for the first ten minutes.

Remove the cover and mix the vegetables well. Taste a slice of squash and determine if it is done enough for your liking. At peak season, the skin is tender and the squash cooks through quickly – same with the tomatoes. If the soup is done to your liking then you can stop here. If not, continue to cook, covered and low for another ten minutes or so until the vegetables are done enough for your taste.

Correct salt seasoning and grind in some fresh black pepper.

Serve hot, warm or at room temperature (my preference is for the two latter) with a drizzle of olive oil and a grating of parmesan.

This dish is best served on the first day, but subsequent second and third day rewarmings are tasty enough, too.

Summer is fleeting and peaches are ripe for the picking and eating. Out of hand, over the sink with sweet juices running down my chin and arm, sliced and steeped in a quenching peachy lemonade, or pureed and churned into cold ice cream. These are a few of the ways I’ve been indulging in the peaches I purchase at the farmer’s market from Woolf Farms. Last Sunday I was lucky to wrestle politely grab the last order of rosy Red Havens. Sweet, but not cloying with a welcome acid balance – perfect for roasting as to coax out the stone fruit’s natural sugars.

This may now be my favorite peach dessert. Ginger and peaches have a natural affinity for each other, and what doesn’t taste better with butter? A bit of salt elevates and intensifies the peach flavor, dark speckles of vanilla seeds add a deeper layer of nuance. I love basil with peaches, and the licorice-spiciness of this just-picked, tender leafed variety from Birdsong Farm holds its own beautifully with the zingy bathing of ginger. A cooling, creamy counterpoint is welcome, and I like mine in the form of a tangy cultured creme fraiche or Greek yogurt. A bit of texture and crunch comes from crushed amaretti cookies – almond being another magnetic attraction for peaches. No amaretti? Sliced or chopped toasted almonds are a superb option.

One single spoonful of this balance of flavors, temperatures and textures is guaranteed to send your mouth into a warming tizzy of late summer harvest madness, and compelling enough to ensure that the bowl will be licked clean. Mine was. Both of them.

Hot Buttered Ginger Peaches

Serves 4-6
Ingredients:

4 smallish firm-ripe, freestone peaches, pitted and cut into quarters

1/4  cup Ginger Syrup (see recipe below)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Good pinch of salt

1/2 moist vanilla bean, seeds scraped

Creme fraiche or Greek yogurt  - enough for dolloping

Fresh basil leaves

Crushed amaretti cookies or toasted almonds

Preheat the oven to 400. In an 8″ skillet, stovetop, heat the ginger syrup, butter, salt and vanilla seeds over a low flame, just until the butter is melted and all is swirled together. Arrange the peach quarters, one cut side down, on top of the syrup mixture.

Roast the peaches, center rack for twenty minutes. You can now opt to flip the peaches onto their opposite cut sides (which I do since I like to fiddle), or just baste and continue to roast another ten minutes. The peach skin should be a bit shriveled and the peaches softened, but not to a mushy texture. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for ten minutes before serving.

Spoon the warm peaches with puddles of pan juices into serving bowls. Top with dollops of yogurt, creme fraiche or sour creme. Add a few small leaves of torn fresh basil to each portion as well as a scattering of the crushed amaretti.

Ginger Syrup

This will make more than what you will need for the roasted peaches, which is wonderful. This syrup has become one of my kitchen staples. Think ginger lemonade, Moscow mules, as a glaze for pork or duck…

To juice the ginger, I take a quantity of fresh, unpeeled ginger, scrub it well in cold water, and trim free of any dried gnarly ends. Cut the ginger into chunks and press through a juicer.

The syrup ratio is one part ginger juice to two parts cane sugar. For the sake of a recipe:

1 cup fresh ginger juice

2 cups cane sugar

Combine in a jar and shake until the sugar is dissolved.

I’ve had several people ask if there is way to make ginger syrup in the absence of a juicer – yes. I’m providing the link to another recipe, one which has you simmer sliced ginger with sugar and water for a while, then straining out the ginger pieces. I’m sure the syrup is wonderful, albeit a bit tempered in taste from the fresh hot assertiveness of fresh ginger juice in the first recipe. Either way, the peaches in the buttery ginger syrup will taste amazing.

This year, if work does not interfere with my fun, I aspire to make it to one of the best events of the year – Veggie U’s Food & Wine Celebration. Veggie U supports The Chef’s Garden’s educational program dedicated to teaching elementary students where their food comes from and improving their eating habits.

In search of a hot summer’s eve spent cavorting with chef’s, farmers, friendly people, food and wine? Get thee to the Veggie U celebration – a *Do Not Miss* spectacular blast event which supports a fantastic effort. The rollicking event is held July 16th – (ticket info found here).

A little bit sweet, a little bit tart and alluringly aromatic is this pan of oven-roasted *rhubarb, (Mr. Frye’s rhubarb, to be exact). I enjoyed the hot pink compote chilled and served over thick, plain yogurt over the course of several breakfasts. This rhubarb is straight from The Chef’s Garden and was gifted to attendees of the last Earth to Table dinner at The Culinary Vegetable Institute.

The Chef’s Garden. Veggi U. The Culinary Vegetable Institute. I  know, it can be  a bit confusing, but for me it’s just all about a bigger community existing under the umbrella of founding father, Farmer Lee Jones,and his gracious wife, Mary. Such warm and welcoming folk who are so clearly and honestly devoted to spreading the love and word of their cause. Let the vegetables do the talking – they speak for themselves.

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Actually, allow Farmer Lee Jones do some of the talking about Mr. Frye’s rhubarb – it’s special.

*Oven roasted rhubarb: 300 oven, cut rhubarb, split and scraped vanilla bean pod, couple star anise, zest and juice of one organic orange, splash rose´, handful cane sugar, or to taste. Cook uncovered, 15-25 minutes, or until your desired degree of doneness.

A New Old Fashioned

Inspired by Florence Fabricant’s November piece on Armenian preserved walnuts, this little bit o’ sweet and a little bit o’ nutty in my bourbon was the kindliest conclusion to a long week of recipe testing and development. Conceptualizing, shopping, prepping, cooking, cleaning and transcribing 120 recipes – give or take – for a new TLC cooking show is what’s been keeping me out of trouble since the beginning of November. It’s been interesting and wonderfully challenging collaborating with the production in New York while working out of my Cleveland base for this particular project, however, I’m missing the energy, the pace and mostly, the crew.

Delicious food  in quantity flows forth in a continuous stream from my modest kitchen, which I have now dubbed, “The Little Kitchen That Could”. I’ve been overjoyed to supply friends, neighbors, and heck, anybody who’s hungry, with the efforts.

It’s cold, it’s snowing, it’s time for bourbon. To your health.

A New Old Fashioned

Serves 1

Despite the addition of maraschino cherry and preserved walnut, this cocktail was not overly sweet. Next time, I’ll try one without the cherry. I’m loving how the soft, chewable slices of walnut become perfumed and infused with the orange oils and whisky.

1 sugar cube

Few dashes bitters

1 wide piece organic orange zest

2 oz. favorite bourbon whisky (I’m currently favoring the 3 B’s: Bulleit, Buffalo Trace and Basil Hayden)

1 Armenian preserved walnut, sliced

1 maraschino cherry

In an Old Fashioned glass: place the orange zest and sugar cube. Splash the bitters onto the cube to saturate. Using a muddler or bottom of the handle of a wooden spoon, muddle the sugar cube and orange zest well to extract essential oils. In a separate glass, chill the bourbon with a few ice cubes. Strain the bourbon into the muddled mixture, stir. If desired, add an ice cube to the cocktail.