Farming in the Future: The 2019 Future Harvest – CASA Conference

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Judy

The future of farming will include Big Data.  And innovative packaging.  And perceiving marketing opportunities.  And providing services to small farmers, scaling for profitability and affordability.  And taking advantage of climate change to grow new crops.

With conference sessions, meal keynotes, business coaching and other specialized sessions for farmers, and an exhibit hall, the 20th anniversary Future Harvest-CASA Conference continued the tradition of providing a place to learn and network for all of us involved in local agriculture.

The Crowd of Chesapeake Farmers

The Crowd of Chesapeake Farmers

If you wanted a glimpse of way our farmers are planning for climate change, taking advantage of trends in consumer preferences, and making the most of the explosion of data gathering and communications on social media, the educational sessions at this year’s conference were ideal.  Here are some of the highlights as I experienced them.

Conference Sessions

Phil Gottwals reported on the Chesapeake Foodshed Assessment, a massive data gathering project he undertook to expose trends in consumer attitudes towards local food production.  What he found was disturbing: local supply cannot meet the demand for foods of verified local origin.  His recommendations for remediation included a unified certification system employing a food blockchain.

Phil Gottwals Reporting on the Chesapeake Foodshed Assessment

Phil Gottwals Reporting on the Chesapeake Foodshed Assessment

Drew Baker presented a more optimistic assessment of local innovation.  Old Westminister Winery was the first winery on the East Coast to put wine in cans.  Drew discussed the obstacles met and overcome regarding consumer resistance and unfamiliarity.  The winery leveraged their reputation for making fine wines to introduce the new products, which include low-alcohol wine blends.

Drew Baker and his Wine

Drew Baker and his Wine

An excellent session was presented by Nancy Staisey and Helaine Harris, market runners for the Historic Lewes Farmers Market, covering strategies for increasing sales for their farmers.  They drew on a large data base, collected over several years, which allowed for analysis of the results of various special programs designed to maximize sales.

Lessons from Lewes

Lessons from Lewes

Their deep base of data was possible because they have been tracking farmers’ sales figures against different experiments, such as the effects of sampling unfamiliar produce and having cooking demos with seasonal tie-ins.

Farmers Markets were again the topic at Rene Catacalos’ special session.  The author of The Chesapeake Table spearheaded the discussion celebrating the synergy among producers and value-added vendors within markets, and carbon-footprint reduction of using local produce.  One big concern: the disengagement of college students from professions in the food chain by concern over student debt.  Are we losing our future local farmers to crushing debt loads?

The Chesapeake Table Round-table

The Chesapeake Table Round-table

A session focusing  on local grain growing and processing was lead by Heather Coiner of the Common Grain Alliance and Jonathan Bethony of Seylou Bakery and Mill.  The CGA is working to foster a local culture of grain growing and bread baking in the mid-Atlantic similar to those already existing north and south of us.  Jonathan is a pioneer in utilizing local grain at his mill and bakery in D.C.

Many, many questions remain to be resolved around small grain farming, efficient milling and the best grains for bread baking, not to mention convincing a retail audience to purchase loaves at a cost of $11.00 each.  There is a lot of experimentation and development yet to be done.  By the evidence of the baked goods we tasted, the results are delicious.

The Bread Session

The Bread Session

The Seven Grains

The Seven Grains Used in Seylou’s Bread

I had been looking forward to a session on fig growing, and I was not disappointed.  Although it was titled “Growing Figs as a Cash Crop,” I hoped to glean pointers from Eric Rice for making a success of this finicky but delicious fruit in my backyard.  We will see if the knowledge I gained increases my luck this year!

Eric Rice Educates Us on Fig Growing

Eric Rice Educates Us on Fig Growing

General Sessions

At the general sessions, awards were given, and keynote speakers enlightened us, while (not incidentally) delicious food was consumed.  Ingredients provided by the producers and prepared by the conference center staff are one of the greatest arguments for locally produced Chesapeake-area food.

We heard from Dena Liebman, FH-CASA Executive Director,

Dena Liebman, Executive Director

Dena Liebman, Executive Director

and keynoters Karen Washington on food justice, Ellen Polishuk and Forrest Pritchard on sustainable agriculture, and Dr. Ray Weil on building soils.  Chip Planck of Wheatland Vegetable Farm was honored for his years of service to area farmers.  His recognition award was a plank.  Yes, it was.  See the picture if you don’t believe me.

Keynoter Karen Washington

Keynoter Karen Washington

Keynoters Policshuk and Pritchard

Keynoters Policshuk and Pritchard

Keynoter Ray Weil

Keynoter Ray Weil

Chip Planck with his Plank (far left)

Chip Planck with his Plank (far left)

Other Stuff

And did I mention the food?  There was a huge paella, a make your own taco bar, an ice cream sundae table, a very fancy dessert display, and other buffet items during the two days of the conference.

Menu and Thank U

Menu and Thank U

Lunch Tacos

Lunch Tacos

Baked Apples for Dessert

Baked Apples for Dessert

Another Day's Dessert

Another Day’s Dessert

Great Big Paella

Great Big Paella

There were other features I didn’t get to: Pre-Conference Sessions, One-on-One Business Coaching for Farmers, Farmer-to-Farmer Chats, the FH-CASA Annual Membership Meeting – for farmers, more information and networking packed into one weekend than the rest of the year combined.

And last but not least, the Tradeshow.  Many companies and organizations had tables in the hall to familiarize farmers with their services and wares.  There were mushroom suppliers, soil amendment purveyors, equipment sellers, insurance vendors, and friendly locales.

Vanessa Wagner and the Loudoun County Chicken

Vanessa Wagner and the Loudoun County Chicken

And, though many folks were dressed in Farmer Chic (denim and plaid), there was one wonderful dress.  It came from Nepal.

Morgan's Beautiful Dress

Morgan Wittelsberger’s Beautiful Dress

And the future of farming?  A very lively embodiment was careening through the room. The picture’s slightly fuzzy because the kid wouldn’t stand still!

Unstoppable 2

Unstoppable!

 

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Coffee Love from the Land Down Under

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Judy

Is there a trend happening here?  Casual food from the rest of the English-speaking world invading DC (see my review of LEON)?  If so, more, please!

I finally visited the latest iteration of Bluestone Lane Café, the coffee-obsessed Aussie chain (there are three Bluestone Lane Coffee Shops here as well, but they have very limited food menus).  It took awhile because it’s a long walk from the nearest Metro stop.  I finally had incentive, though, because my friend Carolyn wanted to do a recce in advance of her planned trip to the Land of Reversed Seasons next month.  (and, flash: as we sat in the café, the DC Circulator rolled past the enormous windows bound for Union Station.  We had found our ride home.)

The Café occupies part of the ground floor of a new building, shared with the West End Library.  Two of my favorite things, coffee and books, side by side.  I was predisposed to approve! Entering the light-flooded, high-ceilinged space, replete with such markers of Millennial attraction as fiddle-leaf figs and blond wood (hard on your behind) furniture, we were greeted by a winsome server with an unmistakable Aussie accent.  Lucky was his nickname, and lucky we were to be served by him.  Also lucky:  comfy pillows which we could use to cushion our backs or bottoms.

Bluestone Lane Interior: Light and Figs

Bluestone Lane Interior: Light and Figs

The Counter, Dominated by the Espresso Machine

The Counter, Dominated by the Espresso Machine

Tablescape with Filtered Water and Blue Umbrellas

Tablescape with Filtered Water and Blue Umbrellas

And how was the food?  Tasty but overpriced.  I found the Brekkie Board (half portions of avocado toast and granola with Greek yogurt) not quite worth $16.00.  Carolyn got the full-on portion of “classic avocado smash” with prosciutto add-on, also $16.00.  Other options include sandwiches on brioche, grain bowls, and various combinations of quinoa, kale and poached eggs.  All good, but they don’t raise the Café above many other lunch options downtown.

It’s been a few years since I was in Australia, so I can’t vouch for the terroir of this particular strain of health-conscious cuisine, but little of it strikes me as particularly indigenous to that continent.  But then, what Bluestone Lane trades on is the quality of their coffee.

And here’s where I have saved the best for last.  On those several trips I made to Australia, one of the unique and outstanding taste sensations (about even with the mud crab and Moreton Bay bugs), was the delightful surprise of, and subsequent shameless indulgence in, Australian-style iced coffee.  Indeed, if I lived there it is absolutely a given that I would weigh many more pounds than I do now, and it would all be the fault of Australian iced coffee.

Lucky, Food, Iced Coffee in Center (Pride of Place)

Lucky, Food, Iced Coffee in Center (Pride of Place)

All That's Left Are the Vanilla Bean Seeds (Sign of Superior Ice Cream)

All That’s Left Are the Vanilla Bean Seeds (Sign of Superior Ice Cream)

So I was hoping against hope that the menu item labelled “aussie iced latte” would, in fact, translate to the obscure object of my desire; and lo! it was so!  Belated research on Bluestone’s website reveals the ingredients: “A double shot of espresso poured over whole milk and ice cream.”  It was not described on the café menu, but we relied on Lucky’s assurance.  And I was transported to Brisbane, and my first delighted discovery of this treasure.  It lacked the remembered whipped cream topping, but that was gilding the lily even then.

So I left Bluestone Lane Café happy, and thanks to the iced coffee, sufficed.  I would come back for that singular attraction; in fact, I am already craving it, and plotting my return.

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Israeli Soul Food: Event and Review

Posted on December 30, 2018 by Judy

Event: Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy Presents Nourish Your Soul: Featuring Michael Solomonov & Steven Cook, in conversation with Joan Nathan

Review: Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious, by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook

It’s déjà vu all over again.  Another knockout cookbook from Solomonov and Cook, and another complementary event with Joan Nathan.  This one had an extra added attraction: a variety of dishes prepared from recipes in the book, served buffet style.

The event was presented by The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s Women’s Philanthropy.  About 400 folks came to the Washington Hebrew Congregation, ate, listened, and left well-nourished.  During the interview, we learned some interesting things about Israel (“Nobody cares about carbohydrates in Israel”); Solomonov and Cook’s history together (the only two Jewish line cooks in Philadelphia); and the cuisine of Israel: it’s such a small country that the farm-to-table movement is a given.  Vegetables travel no more than 100 miles to restaurants and markets.

What does Israeli soul mean to these cooks?  There are immigrants from so many countries, and the cuisine is a mix of them all.  Sort of like America.

On Stage: Joan Nathan, Michael Solomonov, Steven Cook

On Stage: Joan Nathan, Michael Solomonov, Steven Cook

Now, about that food.  The dishes were prepared by Carmel Caterers.  I take it on faith that they were true to the book’s recipes (just in case, I prepared one in testing the book.  My Matbucha and theirs seemed in sync.  She said modestly.)

The Scene at the Soul

The Scene at the Soul

My Crowded Plate

My Crowded Plate

The Bartender Shakes That Thang

The Bartender Shakes That Thang

Dessert!

Dessert!

A variety of salads, from Turkish to Radish-and-Zucchini to Cabbage-with-Sumac-and-Dill fought for space on my too-small plate with both Chicken and Lamb Shawarma.  There was a signature cocktail, not included in the book, Limonanna.  It was made with bourbon, but otherwise resembled a caipirinha.

For dessert, two from the book: Almond Basboosa Cake and Ma’amoul Cookies.  They would have gone better with Turkish coffee, but alas, it was not on offer.

And about the book?  It’s big, beautiful, full of color, with little character sketches of people, food venues, and places in Israel.  It makes me want to go back and visit – and eat!  I was there for a summer in 1969, when the food was not all that.  Much like my sojourn in Philadelphia, I left just as the food renaissance was getting started.

And about the recipes, most are written clearly, in conventional style, with a list of ingredients and a set of instructions.  The chapters on hummus toppings and salads, however, are done in straight-through conversational mode (“Chop 1 onion and cook in 1 tablespoon olive oil…add a pint of cherry tomatoes…”), which makes for totally unnecessary difficulty in assembling the mise en place for efficient cooking.  As professional cooks, the authors should have resisted this stylistic tic.

At four pounds, three ounces, it’s slightly heavier than Zahav.  Really, guys, is this a competition?  But on the positive side, it totally avoids Dreaded Overleaf Fallacy.  Even when a recipe is illustrated with multiple step-by-step illustrations, all the instructions are contained on a single page, so when using a book stand and cooking, no need to turn pages.  Yay!

I decided to give the Five-Minute Hummus a whirl (in the food processor), and make some of the toppings for it.  Also, some of these ingredients get stuffed into the Sabich, a sandwich in a pita which is sort of like a falafel sandwich with eggplant instead of falafel.

I have ranted in the past about many promised completion times for recipes (the New York Times is a notorious offender) not including prep time, so giving a false time frame, and by implication, misrepresenting the level of difficulty.  The Five-Minute recipe is also guilty of this lacuna, but only a little – peeling the garlic clove, juicing the lemon, measuring out the ice water, and draining and rinsing the chickpeas all add more time.  Twenty-Minute Hummus would be more accurate.  That said, it makes darn good hummus.

I made two of the toppings: Matbucha with Egg, and Black-Eyed Peas.  Both were synergistic with the hummus –  way better together than each on its own.

Hummus Ingredients

Hummus Ingredients

Dried Limes and Turmeric for the Black-Eyed Peas

Dried Limes and Turmeric for the Black-Eyed Peas

The Black-eyed Peas, Cooking

The Black-eyed Peas, Cooking

The Resulting Feast

The Resulting Feast

The Haminados recipe is an interesting adaptation of a traditional slow-cooked Shabbat dish, in which the eggs are just one ingredient of a full meal cooked for many hours in a single pot.  Tea, coffee, and onion peels stand in for meat juices to produce a simulation of the traditional dish (and reminded me of Chinese tea eggs, which are simmered for fewer hours but produce similar results).  Was it worth baking overnight, then boiling away the liquid, to produce eggs with a creamy, but not outrageously unique, consistency?  It was.  Once.

Egg Baking Liquid

Egg Baking Liquid

For the Sabich, we combined the Hummus, Haminados, Matbucha, some mango chutney to simulate Amba (a spicy mango sauce), celery to replace a tomato/cucumber mixture, and smoked eggplant for a sandwich we couldn’t eat without making a mess – but it was a delicious mess!  Right in the spirit of the authentic Sabich, according to the book.  And really tasty.

Sabich, Ready to Stuff

Sabich, Ready to Stuff

This book is so full of recipes using fresh produce that I regret not having had it on hand in the summer, but there are others, especially in the meat-oriented sections, that I look forward to fixing in the cold months ahead.  Let the adventure continue!

Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious, by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, New York, 2018.

 

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Bourbon and Beer: Not Just for Boilermakers Any More

Posted on November 22, 2018 by Judy

Note: This report was contributed by Barry, the resident beer-lover (using the editorial “we”).

Last week, we had the opportunity to attend the first tasting of the newest product from Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House in Baltimore, Guinness Stout Aged In Bulleit Bourbon Barrels. This was a press event at the brewery’s Barrel Room, and featured generous pours of the product, and tasty food pairings to go with it.

Guinness Stout Aged In Bulleit Bourbon Barrels (Picture Courtesy Guinness)

Guinness Stout Aged In Bulleit Bourbon Barrels (Picture Courtesy Guinness)

The new beer is brewed in Ireland, transported to the USA, and then aged in barrels furnished by Bulleit Bourbon, Guinness’ sister company, for six months. The result is a very pleasing, somewhat softened version of the iconic stout.

The company’s literature reads like a wine report, describing aroma, taste, and mouth feel, which this beer drinker found it difficult to take entirely seriously. The 10% alcohol rating, however, is totally in earnest.  Enjoy this beer judiciously, or, (even better), have a designated driver along.

Food Pairings

Food Pairings

The food pairings, also a new concept to us when related to beer, were nonetheless very well prepared and delicious, and did indeed seem to go well with the product. They included Bruleed Mission Fig with Goat Cheese, Braised Short Rib with Thai Cherry Glaze,  Maple Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Crispy Pancetta, and  Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta. Tasty indeed!

The Barrel Room

The Barrel Room

And an addendum from Judy:

Since Barry’s visit, I have had the opportunity to taste the new stout.  I concur with his opinion.  The notes of vanilla and oak contributed a complexity to the taste profile, and the aging seemed to smooth it out on the palate.  The hoppy bitterness which I object to in beer was noticeable but tolerable.  It did not interfere with my enjoyment at all – I’d willingly drink it again!

Guinness Stout Aged In Bulleit Bourbon Barrels will be available for a limited time nationally, beginning in November 2018.

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Review: The New Chesapeake Kitchen by John Shields

Posted on November 20, 2018 by Judy

Another winning cookbook by one of the champion promoters of our local foodshed!  John Shields’ latest book is a repeat of a winning formula – a collection of recipes by chefs and home cooks all around the Chesapeake Bay and environs.  He has interspersed the many intriguing new-twisty ones (Beans and Bacon with Grilled Goat) with tried-and-true ones (Sauerkraut), while inserting lessons on eating locally, conserving the environment, and local history.

There are the usual divisions of breakfast items, appetizers, mains, desserts, etc., but also sections on preserving, fermenting, and canning.  Local food producers, like Firefly Farms and Hex Ferments, are prominently featured.

One would imagine that, after multiple cookbooks, television series, and years running restaurants, Chef John might be getting low on original ideas.  One would be misinformed.  Paging through the book, I looked for a recipe that would stop me cold – one that would make me think, “I have got to go cook that right now!”  And sure enough, there it was: Spaghetti with Cantaloupe.  With only a few ingredients, a pasta dish is transformed into something amazing: a delicious, savory and entirely seasonal treat (hint: locally grown fruit and a little tomato paste are the essential ingredients).

Amazingly Delicious: Spaghetti with Cantaloupe

Amazingly Delicious: Spaghetti with Cantaloupe

At this year’s Baltimore Book Festival, Chef John demonstrated two recipes from the book.  Wide Net Blue Catfish “Catties” are a riff on the regional Baltimore “coddie” (codfish cake), and an example of adaptive cuisine – taking the invasive blue catfish now infesting our waters and putting them to the highest possible use – making them delicious.

Chef John Cooks

Chef John Cooks

"Catties" and Doggie

“Catties” and Doggie

 

Apple and Mango Chutney Cobbler is another new twist on an old favorite.  If, like me, you are never sure if your piecrust will turn out well, cobbler is the magic answer.  The mango chutney both sweetens the apples and lends an exotic cast to an antique dessert.

Serving Cobbler, with a View of Federal Hill

Serving Cobbler, with a View of Federal Hill

The book is nicely designed, with no DOF (Dreaded Overleaf Fallacy, in which a cook is forced to turn the page to follow the recipe).  The recipes are accessible and easy to follow.  Another win for “the Culinary Ambassador of the Chesapeake Bay.”

The New Chesapeake Kitchen, by John Shields, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, 2018.

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Nourish Your Soul: Featuring Michael Solomonov & Steven Cook, in Conversation with Joan Nathan

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Judy

NourishYourSoulGraphic

Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook have written a new cookbook.  In 2015, they came through town in support of Zahav (which I reviewed here).   History repeats itself: they will appear at an event hosted by The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, for Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious.   They will once again be joined by Joan Nathan, and I hope to (once again) combine a report of the event with a review of the new book.

Zahav, which won the James Beard Award for Best Book of the Year, contained many recipes transcribed from restaurant kitchens, and was perhaps a little daunting for the amateur cook.  (Rereading my review, I find myself bragging on having the nine or ten spices in my pantry necessary for producing one dish.)  The new book promises to reveal “the food of the people” from market stalls, bakeries, juice carts… adapted for the home kitchen.  Sounds much more approachable.  I can’t wait to see it!

The coming event, in aid of the Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy, on Wednesday, November 14th,  promises enlightenment, schmoozing, and food from the cookbook’s recipes.

Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious (Rux Martin Books, Houghton Mifflin, on sale October 16, 2018, $35) by Michael Solomonov and‎ Steven Cook.

Nourish Your Soul: Featuring Michael Solomonov & Steven Cook, in conversation with Joan Nathan, November 14th, 6:30 p.m., at Washington Hebrew Congregation.

BONUS: Joan Nathan will speak at the Culinary Historians of Washington meeting at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 11, about her latest cookbook, King Solomon’s Table.

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A Day in the County: A Visit To Common Root Farm and Waredaca Brewing Company

Posted on October 26, 2018 by Judy

Last week saw the first Heritage Harvest Festival, sponsored by Heritage Montgomery.  This farm tour was not to be confused with the Annual Farm Tour and Harvest Sale, held in July and sponsored by the Montgomery County Office of Agriculture, even though the format was the same: a self-guided drive to any of a dozen or 15 farms around the County, each offering tours and other bucolic activities meant to acquaint folks with the scope of agriculture in our area.

We took the opportunity to visit Common Root Farm, one of the newer farms selling at the Olney Farmers Market,  in Derwood, only a few miles down the road from Olney.  The farmers, Erica Coady and Ryan Kalivreternos, were proudly out standing in their field, ready to conduct tours.  We joined them.

Common Root's Field Crops

Common Root’s Field Crops

Common Root's Greens (and Reds)

Common Root’s Greens (and Reds)

Ryan Demos His Cultivating Tools

Ryan Demos His Cultivating Tools

Erica Explains High-Tunnel Construction

Erica Explains High-Tunnel Construction

This is the first year they are farming at this site.  Erica and Ryan have put in an enormous amount of work to prepare the soil in the field and the farm structures for raising crops.  They showed us the high tunnels, the seed starter, and the old barn where they wash their crops to prepare them for selling.

Tomatoes in the Tunnel

Tomatoes in the Tunnel

Inside the Seed Starter

Inside the Seed Starter

Showing Off the Washer and Centrifuge in the Barn

Showing Off the Washer and Centrifuge in the Barn

The crop washer and centrifuge were made from PVC pipe, an old pump, and a washing machine.  The farmers use intensive planting to maximize the yield from their small acreage, along with “regenerative, ecologically sound farming techniques free from synthetic chemicals and pesticides” (quoting from their website).  It seems to be working very well.

They are young, but have previous farming experience.  Ryan’s father farms (and was there for the tour – that’s him in the plaid shirt on the left in the barn picture).  They plan to be bringing their greens and winter crops to the Market through December, and maybe very early in the Spring of 2019.  I can personally recommend the radishes and lettuce, and hope to become familiar with their other crops bye-and-bye.

We also took the opportunity to visit Waredaca Brewing Company, a craft brewery on the site of a horse farm and former summer camp.  It may have been the last good day of the season to sit out on their picnic lawn and enjoy the sunset and a delicious Reveille coffee stout – perfect for me, as I love coffee and hate hops.  We sat just far away enough from the band to have it serve as pleasant background music, and enjoyed a lovely end to the warm day and the warm season.

Waredaca Lawn With Band

Waredaca Lawn With Band

Looking Toward the Paddock

Looking Toward the Paddock

 

 

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The Last Rational Regional Book Festival

Posted on October 22, 2018 by Judy

There was a time, back in the Golden Age (five years or so ago), when there were at least three book festivals in this area with food/cookbook tracks, but lately, in an alarming trend, two of them have all but eliminated this most interesting of foci.   One right-thinking one remains, however: the Baltimore Book Festival.  Their Food for Thought stage is alive and well.

While the Gaithersburg and National events have forsaken the foodies among us, in Baltimore they still recognize that food is the second-most important necessity of life (after breathing).  The three-day event at the end of September boasted a full program of book authors and cooking demos.  Because of a conflict of scheduling (albeit a one-time problem), I could only attend the BBF for one day.  Saturday, however, was full of tasty tidbits.

Saturday’s program was billed as “A Special Day with Chef John Shields and Friends,” and a genial host he proved to be.  With the assistance of Kevin Brown, longtime MC of the Food for Thought stage and co-owner of the Station North Arts Cafe, he curated an afternoon-long program full of cooking demos, thoughtful discussions with writers, and one nationally-famous chef (or two if you count himself!)

Chef John is the owner of Gertrude’s restaurant at the Baltimore Museum of Art and the author of several Chesapeake-focused cookbooks (the latest of which I will be reviewing very shortly); he has also appeared on two PBS cooking series.  For the first hour, he treated the audience to a lesson on blue catfish – how this invasive species is threatening the Bay ecosystem, and how we can fight back by eating them (the best revenge!)  And he demonstrated by fixing “Blue Catfish Catties,” a play on the codfish “coddies” of Baltimore tradition.

Chef John Shields Cooking

Chef John Shields in the Kitchen

Kevin Brown, Looking Fabulous

Kevin Brown, Looking Fabulous

There were samples of “catties” and an Apple Cobbler made with Major Grey’s chutney. “Makes it sexy,” said Chef John.  It certainly was.

Handing Out Samples

Handing Out Samples

"Catties"

“Catties”

"Catties" and Doggie

“Catties” and Doggie

Renee Brooks Catacalos has written a terrific new book, The Chesapeake Table,  about our local foodshed.  I have a copy, which I will review soon.   My only complaint is that it doesn’t mention the Olney Farmers Market, but I can forgive her for that.  I expect that a close reading will reveal many new resources to explore and a web of local relationships.  John and Renee met while Renee was running Edible Chesapeake, a sorely-missed magazine.

Renee and John and Kevin

Renee and John and Kevin

Some highlights from the conversation: There are so many more food resources now than twenty years ago; consumers should exercise the “power of the pocketbook” to make choices as to where to shop.  There are new models for CSAs.  Meat can be stretched by using it as a seasoning rather than as center of the plate.  People are lacking in basic cooking skills – they are no longer taught in schools.  So true!

Chef Virginia Willis showed off her virtuosity by preparing three (count ‘em) dishes in a 45 minute demo.  Her new book, Secrets of the Southern Table: A Food Lover’s Tour of the Global South contains recipes for Mexican Chocolate Pudding as well as Cat-Head Biscuits.  Why such diversity?  Today’s South contains multitudes of cultural influences, from “Vietnamese tacos” to the Seafood Chowder she demonstrated along with the pudding and biscuits.

Kevin Pictures Virginia

Kevin Pictures Virginia

The pudding contains cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and espresso powder as well as more traditional ingredients.  While we dug in, she gave a master class in turning White Lily flour, buttermilk, and shortening, first into a “shaggy mass,” and then into a set of great big biscuits (the size of a cat’s head – hence the name).

Have Some Pudding!

Have Some Pudding!

Virginia Demonstrates the Biscuit Touch

Chef Virginia Demonstrates the Biscuit Touch

And Attracts an Avid Watcher

And Attracts an Avid Watcher

Another local chef, Cathy Barrow, demonstrated a recipe from her new book, Pie Squared.  Imagine, a book full of great big pies!  If all the recipes in the book are as good as the samples of Just-Like-Artichoke-Dip Slab Pie, it should be a winner.

Cathy Barrow and Audience

Cathy Barrow and Audience

Cathy's Pie

Cathy’s Pie

 

Then the program took a turn towards food policy and ecology, as Tom Pelton, host of the public radio program The Environment in Focus, joined Chef John for a discussion of the best ways to harvest the bounty of the Bay in a sustainable way.  Oyster farming, for example, can be beneficial to the ecosystem.  The number of oyster farms in Maryland has gone from zero to over 100 in under a decade.  What a delicious statistic!

Kevin and John and Tom

Kevin and John and Tom

The Food For Thought program wrapped with a Food Writing Panel.  Three writers delved deeply into questions of food as metaphor; authenticity; the intersection of food, race, class, and gender; and challenging old ideas through food writing.  It was perhaps the truest expression of the program’s name, but I thought that the time devoted to it was just about right for an outdoor book festival.

Food Writers R to L: Carrie Helms Tippen,Soleil Ho, Tia Keenan, Hannah Howard

Food Writers R to L: Carrie Helms Tippen, Soleil Ho, Tia Keenan, Hannah Howard

To wrap up the day, I moseyed over to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) tent, just across the way, and caught their food panel.  The writers discussing “The Speculative Table: Beyond Stew and MREs” considered aspects of writing about food that reflected back to the last Food for Thought panel with a different perspective on many of the same issues: in the context of fiction, how does a writer deal with the issues of culture, class, power, etc.?  In addition, when worldbuilding, a writer needs to account for how foods are acquired/produced/traded for, considering the level of technology available.

SFWA Panel, L to R: Marianne Kirby, Nibedita Sen, Lara Elena Donnelly, Scott Edelman, Karlo Yeager Rodriguez, Denise Clemons

SFWA Panel, L to R: Marianne Kirby, Nibedita Sen, Lara Elena Donnelly, Scott Edelman, Karlo Yeager Rodriguez, Denise Clemons

And then there were donuts.  Not just any donuts: thoughtfully provided by Scott Edelman, these products of Diablo Donuts boasted such flavors as Maple Bacon, Espresso, S’mores, and Dirt Cake (complete with gummy worm).  A fitting ending to a Food- and Thought-filled day.

Devilish Diablo Donuts

Devilish Diablo Donuts

 

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Minimal-Maximal: The Expanded Glenstone Museum Opening October 4 in North Potomac, Maryland

Posted on September 29, 2018 by Judy

When I saw advance pictures of the new pavilions at Glenstone, opening next week in North Potomac, Maryland, I thought, “It looks like the Getty without the views.”  After a press visit, I must admit that my impression was misinformed.

The Getty Museum in Los Angeles perches on a hill, affording vistas out over the valley which are a big part of the experience; so big, in fact, that on both of my two visits there, I spent most of the time outside.  The collections are displayed in relatively dark, uninviting spaces, compared to the massing of buildings, gardens, and setting of the exterior.  Glenstone could not be more divergent.

One suspects, immediately upon entering the “parking grove,” that Glenstone has taken great pains to provide a unique visitor experience, and they have certainly succeeded in doing so.  Every detail has been considered, from the gravel, low walls and rounded black stones defining parking spaces (no painted stripes on asphalt here), to the 10-minute walk to the main pavilions – and that’s just for starters.

First Sight of the Pavilions from Arrival Hall

First Sight of the Pavilions from Arrival Hall

The Split Rocker Sculpture Looms from Over the Hill

The Split Rocker Sculpture Looms from Over the Hill

Outside the Pavilions

Outside the Pavilions

The minimalism of the architecture is apparent from the visitor’s center to the main pavilions (which is revealed to be one interconnected building, but is always referred to in the plural – a little semantically unsettling).  Again, every detail has been considered, from the various “reveals” as the visitor progresses through the exhibit rooms to the hiding of electrical outlets.

Water Court from Inside the Pavilions

Water Court from Inside the Pavilions

Water Court from Inside the Pavilions - Another View

Water Court from Inside the Pavilions – Another View

The Big Phrygian Sculpture by Martin Puryear

The Big Phrygian Sculpture by Martin Puryear, and Guide in Minimalist Gray

 

Integration of the built environment with nature has been the lodestone of the enterprise from the project’s inception.  Building and landscape architects worked closely with the founders, Emily and Mitchell Rales, to realize the interpenetration of every aspect: buildings, setting, artworks, and consideration of the total visitor experience.  To that end, a crew of human guides eagerly engage visitors to answer questions and provide a more elevated level of involvement than merely reading wall text would (one will search the walls in vain for text other than – there’s that word again – the minimal identification data).

Emily Rales

Emily Rales

Mitchell Rales

Mitchell Rales

 

And what art it is!  The new museum was built to display more of the Rales’ Modern and contemporary artworks than the older, smaller Gallery could exhibit, and does it ever.  A tour of the main room of the pavilions reveals work by Duchamp, Warhol, Stella, Giacometti, and many other world-famous artists.   The galleries are flooded with natural light (even on a cloudy day), and visual access to the central water court punctuates and heightens the experience.

Hanging Ruth Asawa Woven Basketry Works

Hanging Ruth Asawa Woven Basketry Works

Pictures Being Taken

Pictures Being Taken

And my favorite room?  That would have to be the one that one of the guides told me they refer to informally as “the kitchen.”  It includes the Dieter Roth piece “Herd (Stove),” and a Yayoi Kusama: “Accumulation on Cabinet No. 1,” which looks to me like sweet potatoes and other food-related elements arrayed around a pie safe.

Food-Related Kusama

Food-Related Kusama

Outside, sculptures are integrated into the landscape, accessed from walking trails which are engineered to provide a contemplative, holistic experience.

Zigzag Walkway Over Wetlands

Zigzag Walkway Over Wetlands

And Art! Buried Sinks by Robert Gober

And Art! Buried Sinks by Robert Gober

Elijah and the Ball: Clay Houses Boulder by Andy Goldsworthy

Guide Elijah and Clay Houses Boulder by Andy Goldsworthy

Art by Nature: Flowers and Bumblebee

Art by Nature: Flowers and Bumblebee

Here I found and engaged Paul Tukey in conversation.  As the Chief Sustainability Officer, he oversees the 230 acres of managed landscape.  We happened to be standing in front of a grove of pawpaws.  The staff enjoyed the harvest just a week ago.  I’m afraid I didn’t hide my envy well.

Paul Tukey Amid the Pawpaws

Paul Tukey Amid the Pawpaws

One trail leads to the café.  There, we had lunch, served on hand-made dishes.  The chef, Brian Patterson, a former lead instructor at L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, confirmed the impression that Charlotte had given me at breakfast (lemon-rosemary cream scones, local honey, Ceremony Coffee) that Glenstone was committed to locally-sourced, seasonal food.  He works with farmers and suppliers to provide meals that are delicious, but – and it must be a balancing act for him – do not become a “destination” in themselves, and unbalance the total museum experience.  Unlike other institutions around town, Glenstone does not think of the café as a profit center; Chef Brian couldn’t give me a definite price point, but assured me that the cost of lunch would be reasonable.

Cheerful Charlotte at Breakfast in the Arrival Hall

Cheerful Charlotte at Breakfast in the Arrival Hall

Cafe Interior

Cafe Interior

Lunch Menu, with Local Food Sources Listed

Lunch Menu, with Local Food Sources Listed

Soup, Sandwich, Salad, Quick Vegetable Pickles

Soup, Sandwich, Salad, Quick Vegetable Pickles

Chef Brian Patterson

Chef Brian Patterson

Inside-Outside-Intersection

Inside-Outside-Intersection

And here we ran into the limits of minimalism: filled with patrons, the din in the café was so loud as to make conversation uncomfortable.  Too many hard surfaces!  But, a small quibble.  There is also an outdoor patio for food service, which would be delightful in good weather.

Glenstone will be a terrific addition to our museum scene.  “Always free,” the Raleses promise.  The catch will be securing tickets, as a limited access policy is enforced, and the museum is open only Thursday through Sunday.  More information here.

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At Long Last, LEON: The British Chain Arrives in Washington

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Judy

We have been honored with the first U.S. location of LEON, which is serving up dishes much more interesting than the phrase “British food” might conjure in American imaginations.  Think not about fish and chips, stodgy roasts, or mushy peas – the menu here is Mediterranean-diet influenced, with touches of Empire thrown in.

Their motto – “Naturally Fast Food”  – can mean anything and nothing, but I don’t hold it against them.  Their heart’s in the right place.  The menu relentlessly reinforces LEON’s focus on fresh, locally-sourced, feel-good-about-eating-it choices.  There’s a lot of kale, quinoa, and chicken; the waffle fries are baked.  Still, there is bacon and sausage on the breakfast menu (served until 11:00 a.m., and replete with avocado and smoked salmon as well as “The Full English Breakfast Box.”)

A British Empire Sense of Graphic Design

A British Empire Sense of Graphic Design

Noble Steed and Waffle Fries

Noble Steed and Waffle Fries

As the founder, John Vincent, follows a gluten-free diet, he has provided lots of opportunities to exercise that option, as well as accommodating low glycemic load, wheat-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan eaters.  And yet, choosing any dish on the menu would not come with a sense of deprivation, but with a satisfying depth of taste and generously abundant serving sizes.

Leon Founder John Vincent

Leon Founder John Vincent

It’s impressive that such high-quality ingredients can be offered at such reasonable prices.  At the press preview, we tasted many of the menu items, and while I personally found some more appealing than others (I have to admit I’m tired of quinoa and over kale,) they ranged from above-average to excellent.

The menu is divided into categories based on format.  There are salads, wraps, little and big “hot boxes,” and sandwiches.  A certain set of ingredients gets recombined a lot, varying spices and flavorings to keep it interesting.  So, sweet potato falafel can be had as a wrap with (excellent) hummus, or as the star of the Lebanese mezze salad with hummus, roasted carrots and the aforementioned kale and quinoa salad, or as a big hot box.  All the hot boxes come with a generous amount of brown rice, which LEON cooks in a way that maximizes chewiness and flavor.  I don’t know how far LEON will let you customize your lunch, but personally, I would opt for more rice and less salad.

Chicken Sandwich, with Lamb Kofta

Chicken Sandwich, with Lamb Kofta

Lebanese Mezze Box

Lebanese Mezze Box

And Modest With It

And Modest With It

The Moroccan meatballs hot box is the most-ordered menu item, and with good reason.  The beef meatballs are served in tomato sauce, topped with garlic aioli.  Delicious!  The lamb kofte run a close second, as do the pesto chicken meatballs.  Vegetarians should head straight for the truffled portobello and halloumi sandwich.  Truffle sauce adds that element of umami, and the grilled halloumi cheese (an unfamiliar element in the States outside Greek restaurants, but here served with many items) contributes a layer of flavor and an intriguing, chewy texture.   I know it’s a cliché, but I had to say it: “I would order this even though I’m not a vegetarian!”

The chicken choices are all actual roasted thighs, not patties.  Kudos should be given to LEON for having the courage to offer only dark meat in this breast-loving country.  (Full disclosure: dark meat has always been my druthers.)

Very few of the choices are noticeably spicy, certainly not as served in their country of origin.  A question of cultural appropriation, damped down for our American tastes?  But many sauces are available to punch up the spice to your tolerance level.  As long as you don’t expect the “Brazilian black bean” hot box to taste like a real feijoada, you’ll be happy here.

Drinks are also curated to present an array of quirky, interesting choices.  There is kefir, kombucha, organic Tractor soda, teas and “steepers” (herb teas), and their own blend of organic, fair-trade coffee beans which they import and roast at Swing’s.

We got a peek into the kitchen, where many tasks are carried out simultaneously by well-trained workers.  The front of the house was also being managed by greeters and servers handling the opening-week line with professional panache.

Organization in the Kitchen

Organization in the Kitchen

Waiting to Order

Waiting to Order

The Serving Counter

The Serving Counter

 

The Greeter Manuel's Pins Represent Training Courses He's Passed

The Greeter Manuel’s Pins Represent Training Courses He’s Passed

If that opening enthusiasm is maintained (and I can’t think why it won’t be), LEON will have a long and happy reign serving tasty, healthy food to the occupants of downtown Washington.  And, may I suggest a few more branches in the ‘burbs?  Say, Montgomery County?

LEON, 1724 L St NW, Washington DC

 

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