Local Lemons

Chocolate Coconut Pancakes

My original plan was to share with you, my readers, the exciting events and exotic foods of the Berkeley International Food Festival. The event was nothing to write home about, so I found something that was – my homemade dark chocolate and coconut pancakes with real organic maple syrup. 

Once upon a time there was a man and a woman. They woke up one morning to growling stomachs, aching for pancakes. Why resist, they thought, as they skipped down the stairs to ready their morning meal. Uh oh, we are out of pancake mix, whatever shall we do? I guess we’ll have eggs, the women said. The man hung his head in utter disappointment.

Sound familiar (aside from the skipping maybe)? Do you know how easy it is to make pancakes from scratch? All you need is flour, baking powder and milk. It takes maybe five minutes longer than the bottled stuff. And I say "stuff" because that's what it is. Read the ingredient's from Aunt Jemima's complete pancake mix:

ENRICHED BLEACHED FLOUR (BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, LEAVENING (SODIUM BICARBONATE, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), DEXTROSE, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL WITH MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, NONFAT DRY MILK, SALT, DRIED WHOLE EGGS, CALCIUM CARBONATE, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, DEFATTED SOY FLOUR, SOY LECITHIN, CORN STARCH, SODIUM CASEINATE, CULTURED WHEY, SOYBEAN OIL, CARRAGEENAN, WHEAT GLUTEN, GUAR GUM, NATURAL FLAVOR.

Seriously? I don't know about you, but corn syrup solids and defatted soy flour do not pair well with my morning coffee. These pancakes are a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat pastry flour, coconut milk and dagoba semi-sweet dark chocolate. Switching to homemade pancakes is an easy way to incorporate natural, whole foods into your diet. I believe it was Michael Pollan who said you should not eat anything that wasn't around at the time of your great-great grandparents. Do you think they poured pancakes out of an offensive red plastic bottle?

The Secret To Grilling Fresh Corn

Fresh corn on the cob sure looks tasty when it has golden marks from the grill tattooed across each kernel. But take a bite and all to often you'll get a mouth full of tough little dried-out nuggets sticking to and between all of your teeth. Don't ruin a defenseless cob of fresh corn by shucking and throwing it on the grill au naturel. Follow a few simple rules and you'll be wiping your cheeks free of the juicy goodness bursting from your barbecued corn on the cob.

The first step is to soak your cobs in water for 20 minutes before cooking. This helps them steam while cooking, producing plump, juicy kernels. Next, pull down the husks, but careful not to tear them off. Drizzle the corn with olive oil, salt, pepper and chili pepper. Pull the husks back up and tie together with kitchen twine. Now you're ready to grill.

Cook the corn on medium heat for about 12 minutes, turning every so often. The husks will get black and ashy. Tear the husks off and turn the heat up to high. Cook the corn for one more minute to get the coveted grill marks and smokey flavor, and serve.

There you go – juicy, golden corn right from the grill. Try it this way once and I guarantee you'll never go back to throwing naked kernels on an open fire.

Summer BBQ Recipes

Grab your tongs and a few hunks of meat. It's summer and time to grill.

People love barbecues. But next time you host a cookout, do your guests and their arteries a favor by skipping dried-out burgers and nitrate-laden dogs. Opt instead for fresh vegetables, high-quality meats and homemade salads, sans the mayo. No-knead bread is great for parties, and instantly ups your culinary clout in the eyes of party-goers.

If available, find house-made sausages form your local butcher. Our favorite is from Ver Brugge in Oakland, where we bought goat, lamb/rosemary, chicken/apple and chorizo. When your sausage is done (10-12 minutes on med. heat), cut into bite-sized pieces and serve with toothpicks. Your guest won't fill up by eating an entire link, and they'll enjoy more of the healthier, non-meat dishes. Plus, you can buy less meat and spring for the good stuff.

I always have fruit on the table as well - whatever is the season's sweetest. Eating a piece of fruit will cleanse your palate after noshing on smokey meat from the grill.

Hosting a BBQ is a circus act where you balance cooking, serving, socializing, cleaning and the general task of keeping guests happy. Keep the flow running smoothly by preparing the night before, and devising an efficient setup between the table, bar and grill. If possible, situate the grill so you're facing guests, at least partly, while cooking.  I haven't quit mastered the art of seamless hosting, but I learn a few things from every experience. What did this last BBQ teach me? Take time to eat and keep your dog away from the grill.

Summer BBQ recipes:

• Mixed potato salad with green beans and capers
• Pasta salad with toasted chickpeas, oven-roasted tomatoes and pecorino
• Homemade whole wheat harvest bread
• Lemongrass chicken wings
• 4 types of sausage (chicken apple, goat, lamb rosemary, chorizo)
• grilled corn on the cob
• vegetable skewers with squash, onion and peppers
• fruit salad with sliced kiwi, apricots and nectarines  

PaperChef #41: We Have A Winner!

Well Kristina, I am passing the PaperChef hat on to you for your Orzo Salad with Asparagus, Artichokes, Tuna & Lemon Vodka Vinaigrette recipe. Congratulations! The stunning photo above is from Kristina's blog, Former Chef.

What a task, trying to choose between such worthy contenders. With Vodka as the fourth ingredient, I knew I'd see some interesting entries. But these dishes were nothing short of beautiful.

As a quick reminder, contestants created a recipe using ingredients from my Vegas PaperChef post – asparagus, artichokes, tuna and vodka. I chose Kristina's dish, from for a few reasons:

• I love her vinaigrette. The olive oil to vodka ratio is tastefully balanced, and the lemon adds great pucker.
• Olives lend color, salt and an intense flavor to the subtle vegetables. Plus they pair well with artichokes.
• Orzo is interesting - not your average pasta for salads. I enjoy orzo because it absorbs the surrounding flavors and is not heavy like rigatoni or penne.

She carefully selected each ingredient and prepared them artfully, at least to my eyes. This was not an easy decision – check out the collection of recipes for yourself and you be the judge.

On a side note, I'm in the process of redesigning Local Lemons while teaching myself some CSS. Bear with me and excuse my recent lack of tasty recipes

The Great American Food and Music Festival at Shoreline Amphitheater

 

Amid the long lines, bewildered staff and a few grouchy attendees, there was some delicious food and good times to be had at The Great American Food and Music Festival, held at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View.

Thanks to foodbuzz.com, Alejandro and I were sporting blue VIP bracelets that gave us front row seats to chef demos, access to the wine tent and as much free food as we could handle. The festival featured top regional cuisine from across the nation, including Buffalo wings from Anchor Bar in Buffalo, pastrami from Katz's in New York, hot dogs from Pink's in Los Angeles, burgers from Burgermeister in San Francisco and more.

Bobby Flay is on the lookout for the best burger in San Francisco. Check out the highlights of the day to see who won...

How to Cook with Wild Mushrooms

Blog posts with straight forward recipes are fine and dandy, but how does the saying go – you can give a man a fish?

Instead of handing you the fish, I'll reveal some pointers that changed my opinion of cooking with wild mushrooms. Ready? Here we go:

• When buying fresh mushrooms, purchase those that look alive. This means relatively clean, no holes, blemishes, mold or tears. The stem and cap should be fully intact.
• Never wash wild mushrooms. This is not as gross as it sounds. Wipe them down with a towel to remove any grit. Washing them will result in mushy mushrooms, and those are no fun to eat.
• Cut the bottom portion of the stem before cooking - not the whole stem. I usually trim about quarter inch.
• Cook on high heat for about two minutes. This will vary depending on the size of the 'shrooms, but if you overcook them, they'll turn into a slimy mess. Keep reading for more tips...

Paper Chef #41: Las Vegas Edition

Have you heard? Local Lemons was named the best food blog ever!
Wait, that's not true. But I did win the Paper Chef contest last month with my thyme-buttered gnocchi recipe, and I get to host this month's event.

If you're new to the competition, get familiar with the rules and regulations of Paper Chef before continuing to read. Basically, I randomly choose three ingredients from the list at Paper Chef, and a fourth ingredient is up to me. You then cook up tasty dishes using these items, Paper Chef posts the round-up, and I choose the winning recipe.

It just so happens I'm working in vibrant Las Vegas this week, so welcome to the first-ever Vegas Edition of Paper Chef!

Here we go...

Roulette is the name of game I chose to pick this month's ingredients. After randomly eliminating 12 options off the list, I gave the remaining 38 a number correlating to the numbers on a roulette wheel. Let's take a spin...



And the first winner is #26: ASPARAGUS. Let's spin again:



The second number is....... 18: ARTICHOKES. And for the final spin, the number is....... 35: TUNA!

And because this is Paper Chef Vegas style, I'm choosing VODKA for the fourth ingredient.

So there you have it. The four ingredients for this month's Paper Chef are:

 Asparagus, Artichokes, Tuna and Vodka

Your dishes can include any number of additional ingredients, as long as you use these four as well. Enter the contest by creating your recipe, blogging about it, and sending an email to:
paperchef(at)gmail.com before Tuesday, June 9th 2009 at midnight. Shortly after, a round-up will be posted on paperchef.blogspot.com, and finally the winner will be announced right here on Local Lemons.

Can't wait to see what crafty recipes you come up with – Cheers!

Chocolate Cherry Pie

My oh my, what a decadent cherry pie. Rich dark chocolate, deep purple cherries and sweet agave nectar nestled inside a flaky butter crust, laced with finely ground graham crackers.

Here’s another thing to add to my “you can’t get this in New York” list–cheap cherries. No matter what time of year it is, cherries never get as inexpensive as they are right now in the Bay Area. I bought these at Yasai Market on College Ave. in Oakland for $1.50 per pound, and the farmers’ markets have them for $2.50 per pound. That’s right my New York City friends, this means you can bake a cherry pie and still have money left over to pay the rent.

And what pairs with cherries better than chocolate? I used organic, fair-trade dark and milk chocolate from Dagoba. Chopping up the chocolate before you mix it with the cherries helps prevent an all-chocolate bite of pie, and helps it completely surround the cherries as it melts. There is not a pinch of white sugar in this recipe (except for garnish, and I did that for the sake of pretty pictures). The agave nectar and super ripe cherries give it all the sweetness it needs. Don't expect your run-of-the-mill syrupy cherry pie. This one is full-bodied and balanced, much like a fine glass of Cabernet.

There are a zillion flaky pie crust recipes to choose from online. There’s all-lard, all-butter, a combo of both, or even olive oil pie crusts. I prefer all-butter, but also sifted in ground graham crackers with the flour for texture, flavor and because they go so well with dark chocolate. Homemade pie crust is so simple, and as long as you keep all the ingredients as cold as possible, I guarantee it will bake up ten times better than store bought.

Spicy Cauliflower and Why I Love Pine Nuts

 

You may be surprised to know that there is more to the pine nut than just pesto. Pine nuts are the edible little seeds from pine trees that add texture and flavor to just about any Mediterranean dish. Use them in place of Italian cheese for a smooth buttery taste and an overall healthier recipe, or crush them up to thicken a sauce in place of flour.

Pine nuts turn sour, so buy them fresh, use them quick and store them in the fridge. I buy mine at Monterey Market, where they are far cheaper than anywhere else in the East Bay – about $11.50 per pound compared to $14 at Berkeley Bowl. You may notice that the Chinese variety are more affordable than others, but really, it is not worth it. Do a simple google search for "bitter taste and pine nuts" and I think you'll agree.

Capers, olives, chili peppers, basil and other sharp notes balance the understated character of pine nuts, and highlight why they are worth three times as much as other nuts. Toasting them brings the nuttiness forward while softening the sweetness, and adds more of a crunch to the otherwise soft consistency. To toast, simply heat up a cast iron pan and shake around on low heat for about 7-10 minutes until golden.

For this recipe I picked up a head of cauliflower at the Temescal market, chopped it small, and sauteed it with olive oil, freshly crushed chili peppers, garlic, salt-packed capers and fresh parsely. I added mashed and whole pine nuts to subdue the bite, and tossed it all with whole wheat spaghetti.

If you are a spice fiend like me, crush the chili peppers yourself. Much better than the bland powdered stuff you find topped with a red cap.

What are your favorite non-pesto, pine nut recipes?
 Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Quail Eggs with Smashed Potatoes and Arugula

I would have walked right past these speckled little eggs at the farmers' market, but Alejandro stopped to inquire and discovered that a pack of ten eggs cost only $1. One dollar? This was the beginning of the cheapest breakfast I have ever had.

I've been served quail eggs before at fancy restaurants, but never has one perched in my own kitchen. When I was short on ideas for what to do with them, I put some feelers out on facebook and twitter. Darya from Summer Tomato suggested sushi, and although it sounded oh so tempting, I didn't have all the ingredients on hand. The light bulb eventually went off (or on?) when my friend Jason mentioned eggs and potatoes. What could be simpler? And, along with showcasing the sweet flavor of the quail eggs, I could use the spicy Sicilian arugula that flourishes in my backyard.

This breakfast is exactly what I love about local, seasonal cooking. A few simple ingredients can produce an extraordinary meal that also happens to be extremely inexpensive. Besides the grilled bread that I made out of a whole wheat loaf from Wild Flour Bakery, this meal for two people cost me about $1.50 – total. Take that Mickey D's!

California Paella

This may upset a few people. Before I even say it, I'm going to apologize up front because I do not mean any disrespect. The thing is, I've traveled through Spain, I've been to Valencia, and I was not impressed with the paella. That sounds crazy, doesn't it? Logically, it would mean that I just don't like paella. But that's far from the case.

My issue with the paella from Valencia was the ratio of rice to, well, everything else. There was way too much rice, and not enough meat and seafood to make it worth the 25 euro price tag. When I finished eating it, I felt slow and sluggish, much like a carb-filled meal tends to do, and not ideal when you're sightseeing around a beautiful country.

I wanted my paella to be different. I kept the technique of traditional Spanish paella, but used ingredients that are closer to home. My first thought was to only use local ingredients, but I fell short after visiting The Spanish Table in Berkeley, where I bought paella rice from Spain. This was an all seafood paella. I purchased the fish at Ver Brugge in Rockridge, and it must have been my lucky day because they had homemade seafood sausage available, a perfect substitute to chorizo. I also used fresh squid, scallops and local halibut, combined with tomatoes, peas, chickpeas, capers, olives and mint. The mint was the biggest surprise, lending its refreshing aroma to the entirety of the dish.

I didn't use broth in this recipe, and that was semi-intentional. I wanted to use either vegetable or seafood broth, but when I didn't have time to make it myself, I opted for water instead. I thought it a much better solution than ruining the meal with processed stock from a box - after all, you don't drink wine from a box, do you?

Italian String Beans with Anchovies and Breadcrumbs

Wait! Keep reading - don't turn away just because I said the "A" word. Why is everyone so afraid of anchovies? Why do anchovy virgins cringe at the very sight of them? If I can convince just one reader to give these little fish a fair chance, I will have accomplished my good deed for the day.

Anchovies–and especially good anchovies–bestow a piquancy that you can't achieve any other way. It's an understated, salty, and complex taste that complements so many other flavors. Isn't that reason enough to at least them a whirl?

I'm going to share some tips about buying anchovies, so you have no excuse for not trying them. There are a few different kinds - in a jar, in a can, marinated and whole. Salted, whole anchovies are my top choice when cooking - but if this is your first experience, save the whole ones for another time. If you do buy them whole, soak them first to remove the salt, and carefully fillet the fish away the from the bone. Ever had fish sauce? It's also made with anchovies.

When buying them in a jar, look for those from Spain or Italy, and count on spending about $6 or $7 per jar. Although cheap, I'm not crazy about the Roland brand anchovies - they have the overpowering fishy taste that gave anchovies a bad name.

Here's the best way to get introduced to the unique world of anchovies. Take three fillets from the jar, and mash them up with a fork or knife. Then heat up some olive oil in a saute pan. Turn the heat to low, and add the anchovies. Using a wooden spoon, mash them up until they dissolve. And there you go - the beginning of an amazing clam sauce, puttanesca, sauteed spinach or this delicious string beans recipe.

Thyme-buttered gnocchi with fava beans, walnuts and prosciutto

Doesn't this look like a dish that would please any mother?

For this month's Paper Chef contest, the ingredients were floury potatoes, thyme, and prosciutto, with the theme being Mother's Day. As soon as I saw this list, I had visions of fluffy gnocchi floating around in a buttery springtime sauce. After all, there's no better way to say thank you to your mother than the labor of love that is homemade gnocchi.

I baked russet potatoes, passed them through a ricer, and slowly added the sifted flour and egg yolks to produce light pillows instead of gummy lumps. You can mash the potatoes with a fork, but the texture turns out much smoother when you use a ricer. I found one for a dollar at a garage sale.

 For the sauce, with a mortar and pestle I mashed a pesto of fava beans, walnuts, meyer lemon zest, parmigiana reggiano and lemon juice. Then, I made thyme butter which I slowly browned before throwing in the gnocchi, fava beans, pesto and thin slices of prosciutto d'parma.

If there were ever a recipe that reminded me of my Mother's Day, this is it. The citrus and the fava beans brought in the flavors of May, while the thyme and prosciutto added a unique character that made this dish worthy of the occasion. The love that went into this dish started with the organic, farm fresh ingredients that I picked up at the Old Oakland farmers' market, and ended with the meticulous pressing of each little piece of gnocchi. It's truly the meal that will prove to your mother how much you care.

How to Make Fresh Mozzarella Like Giuseppe

I can’t yet compete with 40 years of experience, but I’d like to think that my homemade fresh mozzarella at least comes close to that of Giuseppe’s, the master cheesemaker at Caputo’s in Brooklyn.

Since I was young, one of my favorite things to eat was creamy mozzarella cheese with olive oil and tomatoes from our garden – I know, my parents fed us well. But, my standards rose along with my age, and after traveling through Italy and living in the old Italian neighborhood of Carroll Gardens, the mozzarella must be exceptional to get my stamp of approval.

It’s rare these days to find fresh mozzarella with the texture and richness that I once took for granted, so I often rely on my own two hands to get the cheese I want. It’s actually quite easy – I use the recipe from  Ricki’s Mozzarella Cheesemaking Kit, which I purchased about two seconds after reading Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal. Vegetable. Miracle.

I’ve made this cheese many times, and a few small tweaks have transformed it into cheese that’s great melted on something, to cheese that you want to savor all on its own. First, the quality of the milk is the most important. My top choice is the organic, whole, cream-on-top milk from Straus Family Creamery. I’ve also used their raw milk with great results, but I like the flavor of their whole milk better. On their website, Straus explains it’s the combination of the fog, salty coastal air and special vegetarian diet they feed their cows that give the milk its unique aroma and taste. I can’t attest to their methods, but I can say that their milk is the best I’ve ever had – actually the second best. First place goes to the almost mythical dairy products that come from Valle d’Aosta in Italy.

Another trick to this cheese is the kneading process. I try to work the cheese as little as possible. Ricki suggests stretching the cheese before you shape it into a ball, but I often leave that step out to produce an ultra-creamy texture similar to mozzarella di bufala. It also improves the texture if you only let the curds set for three minutes instead of five. It may take a few turns to get your cheese exactly how you like it, but I’m sure every batch will be even tastier than the last. And the best part? It only take a half hour to make.

See the “About me” photo at the top of the page? That’s me making cheese in my tiny Brooklyn kitchen. When I told my neighbor I was making homemade cheese, he just had to run over and take a picture. You’ll find that’s a common response when you tell people you’re making cheese from scratch.

Citrus Nut Bars

My in-laws are in town from Bogota, Colombia, so along with all the shopping and sightseeing, I've been trying to show off my kitchen skills. They've had my cooking before, but not since we moved to Berkeley.

Instead of the usual chocolate chip cookie or cranberry pie, I opted for a true taste of the bay with these crunchy little citrus bars. I used fresh lemons and oranges, walnuts from the farmers' market, local honey and agave nectar instead of sugar.

My tactics worked, and they were impressed – so much so that they ate them for breakfast as well. It always makes me happy when I try to make a dessert a bit healthier and my guests don't notice the difference. Just goes to show that there really is little need for white sugar when there are so many tastier substitutes available.