Local Lemons

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.

Buffalo Burger with Roasted Yucca

I am not what you would call a meat eater. I can't quite call myself a vegetarian either, though I was up until recently. I eat plenty of fish, small amounts of chicken, and practically no red meat. But, I married a Colombian, which means along with for better or worse and richer or poorer, my vows also included a promise to cook red meat, at least occasionally.

I was gazing through the glass counter at the butcher for a nice cut of lamb or beef, but I unexpected stopped in front of an animal of a different color – buffalo. I remembered reading about the health benefits of buffalo, and how it had far less fat and cholesterol than beef and more iron and B-12, so I grabbed a 1/2 pound of ground meat and headed to Berkeley Bowl to pick up the fixings for buffalo burgers.

When I got home it bothered me that I had no idea where the buffalo (bison, actually) was from, so I called Ver Brugge Butcher in Rockridge, and the man who answered told me it was from South Dakota. So much for eating locally, but at least I supported my neighborhood butcher shop, and this was a purchase I did not plan on making often. Sorry Alejandro…

I used a Master Heavy Cast pan that I bought at an antique flea market to cook them up. It was my first time using this odd shaped contraption, and while it was a bit cumbersome, it got the job done. Before cooking the meat I added some chopped onion, salt, pepper and extra-virgin olive oil to give it a little moisture and flavor, and split it into two patties without working the meat too much. I grilled up some brioche for the bun, and topped it with roasted tomatoes, arugula from my garden, and manchego cheese.

Instead of potatoes, I picked up some yucca root, or cassava, and roasted it along with a couple of baby carrots. If you’ve never tried yucca, it tastes similar to a potato, though it’s heartier and has a tropical, almost coconut-like feel. Before you cook it, remove the waxy peel and boil it for about 20 minutes until soft. Then, cut it into rounds or strips and roast until it turns a nice golden brown. I’m not big on frying yucca, as most recipes tell you to do. It’s obviously not as healthy and it ruins the earthy texture that makes it so appealing.