Tat Soi and Sugarloaf

My last article and recipes for the newsletter!

Tatsoi and Sugarloaf

Tatsoi is a popular Asian vegetable, also called flat or spoon cabbage. It is part of the brassica family, related to broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale and cabbage. This variety of tatsoi is like the tatsoi we grow for our salad mix, however in the colder weather it grows close to the ground for warmth and forms a beautiful, big rosette. It’s lush, dark green, spoon shaped leaves are mild in flavor with a hint of earthy sweetness. The stems are edible but will require a little longer cooking time than the leaves. I used scissors to snip the leaves from the rosette and washed them in cold water. 

Paying homage to its native land, tatsoi is especially good with Asian flavors and dishes.  Sautéed with soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and topped with sesame seeds tatsoi makes a great side for chicken, seafood or tofu. Or, break the traditional rules and served it wilted in a pasta with brown butter sauce, shaved Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon juice. It can also be used raw in salads, poached, steamed or added to soup and stir frys. Tatsoi can easily be substituted in recipes that call for kale, bok choy or spinach

Sugarloaf, also known by it’s French name pain de sucre, is a type of salad chicory that grows in upright heads and looks much like romaine with large leaves. It is the most mild of the radicchios and is slightly sweet with a pleasant bitterness that gives salads an instant boost! It is a handy green to have around when preparing winter comfort food and pairs well with pork and winter squash. Chopped leaves can be poached in seasoned broth or soup, or simply sautéed with olive oil, onion and shitake mushrooms for a healthy side dish.

Like any leafy green, both tatsoi and sugarloaf are loaded with vitamins, minerals and health promoting antioxidants and low in calories. Sugarloaf is especially high in vitamin K, fiber and potassium. Store these greens wrapped in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer and use within 1-2 weeks to ensure the leaves stay crisp!

Seared Sugarloaf with Balsamic vinaigrette

1 head             sugarloaf, outer leaves removed and quartered

2 T + ¼ c olive oil

2 T            balsamic vinegar

1 t            honey

1 t            fresh thyme

½ t             Dijon

tt            S&P

Heat 2 T of olive oil in a skillet. When pan and oil are hot, lay quartered sugarloaf, cut side down and sear until nicely browned, about 2-3 minutes. Turn to other cut side and sear in the same way.

To make the vinaigrette, whisk vinegar, honey, thyme, dijon and ¼ c olive oil. Add S&P to taste.

Drizzle vinaigrette over warm sugarloaf and serve with roasted beef or chicken.

Beans with tatsoi and crispy bacon

Great with chicken, fish or ‘breakfast for dinner’ with latkes and poached eggs.

1 can            Cranberry or azuki Beans

½ c            Beef or pork stock

1 T            Garlic, minced

¼ c            Onion, minced

tt            S&P

1 bunch tatsoi leaves, julienned

2 T             red wine vinegar

4-6 strips bacon

Cook bacon in a frying pan or bake in the oven at 400° until crispy (10-15 minutes). Allow to cool on a paper towel and chop.

In a large sauté pan, sauté onion until translucent. Add garlic and sauté another minute. Add beans and stock and cook until liquid reduces.

Add tatsoi and red wine vinegar and cook until tatsoi is wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Add beans and tatsoi to a medium mixing bowl, discarding any excess liquid, toss with crisp bacon and serve.

Packer Fan

YESSSSS!!! it is officially my last day of work in Wisconsin!! I am finishing packing and heading east sooooon!!!!

**title disclaimer/clarification**
I am a fan of packing....not the packers.

NOOOO!

I have been awake for less then 20 minutes and already my day is ruined.

I was informed this morning that Ami is on the menu for lunch. Apparently, the boys wanted to do once last roast before everyone goes home and decided to pick the smallest goat in the pasture. Well, there isn't much meat on Ami so they had to kill another goat as well. lksdflkasnf lds why not just kill one flipping goat instead of my little Ami!?!??  I am very disappointed that I won't be greeted by him anymore. It also makes me incredibly sad that they will be gnawing on my poor little guy at lunch. It makes me want to go back to a vegetarian diet.

Surprise! It's winter.

Wisconsin is not so different than Michigan. Take a look at these pics taken within 24 hours of each other....

Tuesday....

...Wednesday.

What the french toast is this noise? Rumor has it that the 'snow' won't stick around, but the fact that is it is here at all, makes me less than happy.
 If this were snow, perhaps it would be acceptable, but the muddy, leafy ground is covered in a fresh layer of slush. Climbing up or down the hill to my wooden condo is a bit of a challenge. Walking on level ground is a bit of a challenge. I am not looking forward to marching lunch down to the barn.

Last Day at the Star

This last Saturday was my last day at L*. Even though I am looking forward to moving home next week, it was still a bit sad to leave the kitchen that night. Through the ups and downs of life on the line, I grew strangely attached that group of guys (and gals) in the past 6.5 months. The thing about working in a kitchen is, you spend the better part of your days in a confined space with the same 8 people day after day, week after week. You come to depend on each other rather quickly. Through it all you become much like a family. A completely dysfunctional family. No matter how busy you are, you have to be able and willing to drop what you are doing to bail someone out of the weeds. And no matter how far in the weeds you get, someone will be there to pull you out of it. And when Dad comes home you better have your homework done, a clean station and sharp knives. As in any family, nicknames are given, traditions and lessons are passed down, stories of 'how things used to be' are told, the littlest brother gets picked on relentlessly,  and tempers can rise. But at the end of the day (or service) you know everyone is going to kick back and grab a drink before heading home.

While communication can a weakness in some families, the opposite is true in the kitchen. If there is one thing we can (and must) do well is communicate. At any moment through the day I can tell you where either of my station partners are and what they are doing (although, sometimes I'd rather not know). We try to use as few words as possible to convey the most information. Whole sentences are often whittled down to single words.  The most commonly spoken words in the kitchen are: behind, hot and open. "Behind" means, "hey, I'm walking behind you, so don't make any sudden movements." "Hot" means, "Hey, I'm walking with something so hot it will burn the flesh right off your body so, don't make any sudden movements." And "open" means, "Get out of the way now, I need to open this oven/cooler". In an atmosphere where things come down to the second, the pleasantries are deemed a waste of time and thrown out the window. On occasion even words take too much time. Stephen once slide a squeeze bottle toward me, looked at me, then the bottle, then the jug of oil on top of the line.

This over communication is necessary for a kitchens success, but at times can get a little annoying. Yes, I know I have to keep agitating the potatoes running under cold water. I knew that when I walked into this kitchen, and have been told by three different people today to remember to swish around the potatoes whenever I walk by them. And yes, I know I have 2 minutes to put up these plates because 30 seconds ago you told me I had 3 minutes. But, understanding that it is better to be over informed than under, I just keep my snarky comments to myself. Every once in a while, usually after the fifth time someone says 'behind' in 20 seconds, I find my self unable to control it any longer and a "Please, keep my posted of your where-abouts at all times" will escape my mouth.

On my last day, I listened as these single words were firmly stated throughout the kitchen and plans for service where discussed. In the back ground the hood fans whirled, saute pans were dropped into hotel pans, and knives chopped away on cutting boards. The topic of conversation is always the coming service and idle chat is reserved for the after work drink. I was pretty nervous when I saw the reservations for the night were already pushing 150. I hadn't worked in a week and the usual Saturday night team was incomplete. I wanted to go out on a good note and Chef Dunn's words echoed in my mind, 'As a chef, you are only as good as your last plate'. I certainly felt the pressure for a perfect service.

Amazingly, service went smooth. Almost too smooth. I kept waiting and anticipating some sort of mini disaster. But it never came. At the end of the night, I sighed a sigh of relief. No disasters. Whew.

To all of you that I worked with at L*, I will miss spending every weekend with you. Working in the kitchen is a unique experience and I'm glad I got to share it with you. If you ever find yourself on the other side of the lake, hit me up!

I am thankful for all amazing opportunities I was given this summer at L* and I look forward to returning to Madison often.

Some family pics!

Cheese Terms

Here is my article from last week's cheese newsletter.

With Halloween behind us, it's time to take down those spooky decorations and start considering family gatherings, dinner parties and gift exchanges. One of my favorite things about visiting my brother's family in France, especially during the holidays,  is that no matter how many courses or dishes are served up there is always a cheese plate. No exception. Wedges, wheels and bricks are arranged on the platter and presented simply with bread and yet another generous pour of red wine. C'est la vie!

If you find yourself hosting a holiday dinner party in the next couple of months, a cheese platter will appease your guest's growling bellies and buy you some time while you put finishing touches on the meal. Or it can serve as a fuss-free 'dessert' course. Putting together a plate is easy and requires almost no prep time! If you are attending a dinner party, specialty cheese also makes a great gift for the host or the foodies on your holiday shopping list.

For a cheese plate worth gathering around, follow these simple rules.

1.Keep it simple. Stick with 3-5 types of cheese, too many may become overwhelming to your guests. Plan on about 3 oz of cheese per guest as part of a meal or 6 oz if the cheese is the main event!

2.Variety is the spice of life! Choose a selection of milks, regions, textures and styles. Pick a few crowd pleasers and also a couple interesting or wacky cheeses, just to keep the party interesting.

3.Label them. People like to know what they're digging into. Many cheese are packaged beautifully, if you can, salvage the label and tape it to a tooth pick or simply write on a small piece of index card and display near each cheese.

4.Garnish your plate with a few accompaniments. Most cheeses pair well with sliced apples and pears, figs, grapes, dates, berries, chutneys, jams, nuts and honey. Also serve some simple bread or crackers. 

The hard part making a confident purchase when faced with heaps of cheese.  The first challenge may be, finding a store with a decent selection. Do an internet search for specialty cheese stores in your area. Once inside, you might find yourself staring blankly at the selection. Or, read a label only to realize you have no clearer understanding of what lies beneath the waxy rind or parchment wrapping. Never fear! Use this list of defined terms to help you gain an understanding of the tasty morsel you hold in your hand!

Raw/unpasteurized: milk has not heated above 100°F and cheese was aged for at least 60 days.

Pasteurized: milk was heated between 144° and 160°F for a period of time to kill bacteria

Aged: cheese was stored in certain conditions to allow the product to mature or ripen. The longer a cheese has aged the stronger and more complex the flavor will be.

Paste: the interior of the cheese beneath the rind. It will be described as hard/firm, semihard/firm, semi soft or soft. These describe the texture of the cheese and refers to the amount of moisture in the paste.

Washed Rind: a cheese which has been washed or rubbed with brine, wine, beer, cider or brandy which will impart flavor.

Bloomy Rind: a cheese that is ripened from the rind inward. Achieved by spraying the cheese with a mold. Cheeses like camembert and brie are examples of bloomy rind cheese.

Natural Rind: the rind that formed naturally, without the ripening agents or washing.

Bandaged: a cheese that has been wrapped in cloth or dipped in wax during the aging process to protect the cheese and manage moisture loss.

Double or Triple cream: at least 60% or 72%, respectively, butter fat in the milk solids used in the cheese making.

Turophile: a lover of cheese...that's you!

Even with these terms confidently under your belt, choosing can be a task. There is an infinite amount of variation between cheeses made in similar styles. Depending on how the animals were raised and what they ate will affect the flavor of their milk. Cheeses aged for the same about of time will taste different depending on the temperature, humidity and facility in which they were aged. Two cheeses that have been cloth bandaged can nothing like the other depending on the type of milk, length of aging, and environment. My policy to taste everything at least once. Use the labels as guidelines to make educated selections, but tasting is the only way to know for sure.  As always, be resourceful! If you have questions, get a hold of someone who can help! Employees at specialty shops are more than egar to give suggestions.


Tonight's dinner menu:
potato soup with celery root, parsnip and apple topped with caramelized apple and toasted pecans
whole wheat dinner rolls with fig butter
sausage stuffed portabella

Mon Ami

This is my favorite little, farm goat whom I have affectionately named, Ami.

mon petit ami

He arrived on the farm by a bit of a mystery. One day I noticed him out there, obviously different from all the other goats. I asked where he came from and no one had an answer. It seems someone just dropped him off one night!

I think he is adorable and unlike the other goats, would come right up to the fence to get some lovin! I dedicated my granola stash to him and feed him a few handfuls whenever I am around.

This morning, he heard or saw me coming out of my condo and ran up to the gate, stuck his little head through, bleated at me and wagged his little tail. Where ever I was headed could wait, I couldn't resist going down to pet him.

From a few weeks ago

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other goats are pretty mean to my little friend and he is more or less an outcast of the herd. They bully and butt him all day. :( I wish I could take him home with me. How do you think the city of Grand Rapids would like Ami in my backyard???

Extreme Condo Makeover

Not so much a 'makeover' as it was a 'clean and tidy'. After moving out of my apartment in Madison last weekend, I have quite a few more things to fit in my tiny, wooden condo. Today was dedicated to organizing and cleaning. Success!

before

after

I also got myself in this little predicament today.

I took the first step to descend the ladder from the loft and it slid off and fell....leaving me in the loft with no way to get down. For those of you who know the story, I reacted much like Jonah did when his book fell off the bed. I leaned over the loft, surveyed the scene and said, 'uh-oh.' Luckily, I have practice jumping from high places (Jenna, you know what I'm talking about). So I threw all my pillows and blankets on the ground, swung my legs over the ledge, and with all my extreme upper body strength, 'gracefully' lowered myself to a safe dropping distance. No broken legs or shattered ankles. whew.

Who says there's not excitement and suspense in the valley??

Cripsie and Crunchy

 First frost of the season...I think. In my book it is the first. 

Woke up to this scene out my window.

Persimmon Bread

I have never worked with persimmon, but when they arrived in last week's fruit delivery, I had to look up some recipes and give them a try! They are naturally very sweet and tropical tasting.

Here is a recipe I made last week, adapted from (James) "Beard on Bread".
It is super moist and delicious! Great for with coffee or chia for breakfast or as a late night snack!


2 c APF
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t cinnamon
1 c brown sugar
4 oz butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1/4 c brandy
1 c fuyu persimmon bread (about 4 blended)
1 fuyu persimmon, diced
1 /2 c pecans, walnuts or hickory nuts toasted and chopped
1/4 c coconut shavings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together: flour, salt, soda, spices and sugar.
Combine: butter, eggs, brandy and puree.
Stir wet ingredients into the dry and thoroughly combine.
Fold in diced persimmon, nuts and raisins.
Pour into a greased loaf pan and top with coconut.

Bake for 50-60 minutes. Lay a piece of aluminum foil over the top to prevent the coconut from over browning. Test center of bread with a skewer. Bread is done when the skewer comes out clean.

SlowPig

As if this weekend hasn't been exciting enough, I thought I'd schedule one more last horrah with the pork crazed T-Mill. Chef Tory was asked to be apart of a first ever event called SlowPig. It was sponsered by SlowFoodUSA and the Madison Club. I first saw the poster in the restaurant about a month ago. A few days later, Tory asked if I would work the event with him. I knew nothing about the event, but it had the word 'pig' in it, so I figured it had to be good. Besides, when chef asks a question the standard response is always, 'Yes, Chef.'.

As the day of the event approached, I still didn't know many details. I wasn't even sure what time to come in to start. As I ate brunch at the Graze bar, I ran into Tory (also brunching) and found out my in time and discovered from the bartenders that this event was a competition between 5 chefs. Really? That makes things a bit more interesting.

Rewind to Friday. At about 430pm a whole pig was delivered to our backdoor from Willow Creek Farm. One whole pig. The beast took up the entire 6 foot table and Chef set to work breaking down the animal. Technically, this left only 1 day to do all the prep for the competition. Not-gunna-happen. I'm not sure how much of that pig we ended up using, but I know that we had pates, head cheese and sausage on our menu that could not have been made in that short amount of time. My guess is that we used a lot of the Mangalitsa that we got in a couple of weeks ago.

Return to present time (well, Sunday) and I'm in the L* kitchen chopping cilantro and gathering cutting boards and 9-pans (quick culinary lesson! a 9-pan is a pan that is 1/9 of a hotel pan!) We loaded up the Graze wagon, speed rack and a couple coolers and set off for the Madison Club. 

Once we arrived, we quickly set up our station and started pulling out the ridiculous amount of food we brought. 10 dishes and 5 different sausages. Like Chef says, 'That's how we roll, baby!' We started setting and plating dishes just before guests arrived and once they arrived, they hit us hard. We had 2 guys in the kitchen frying crispy head cheese and pork belly and 5 of use plating and we could hardly keep up with the demand. Our biggest obstacle was running out of plates every 5 minutes. I don't think anyone was expecting the whirl wind of activity that was upon us.

setting up the station and beginning to plate

 The calm before the storm allowed us to set out quite a few plates the way there were supposed to be. After that, it was a bit helter skelter and not everything got the required garnishment.

pork pie with cranberry mustard

The pork pie was a pate including heart and liver baked in a flaky dough.

Pate de campagne baked in brioche with Dijon and cornichon

Sheriff Mendez happily waiting his portion of porchetta

The whole crew! Brent, Matt, 'Coach', Jedi, me and Mikey.
How do I always get stuck with a bunch of boys?!

Here is what our menu included:
Pork Pie with Cranberry Mustard
Pate de Campange in brioche with Dijon and cornichon
Crispy Head Cheese (head cheese wrapped in brick dough and deep fried) with Quince puree
Pork Belly Saam with kimchi
Face Nacho with pickled red onion, cilantro relish and radish
Confit pork tongue on a radish salad
Porchetta with 12 year cheddar polenta and mushroom ragout
Schinitzel with pickled pear, brown butter and caper sauce
Pork Lard Waffle with bacon ice cream and bacon caramel
Weisswurst
Smoked Cheddar and Apple Kielbasa
Brewfarm Brat
Caramelized onion, mushroom, garlic and gouda sausage
Boudin Noir with Garlic mashed potatoes
House pickled: beets, radish, cucumber, carrot
Sauce Gribiche

A pretty serious undertaking.

Very particularly garnishing the pork pie with what Coach describes as a 'blob' of cranberry mustard

our area...mind you there were 3 other floors, full of people milling about

 After about 4 hours of service and running out of almost everything, we 'cleaned up' and awaited the announcement. Guests were asked to cast ballots for 'best pig' and 'best punch'. (There was also a competition between 5 area bartenders who created a signature punch featuring local spirits).

the after math :/

 Sadly, L* didn't win. The win went to some restaurant in Milwaukee. Lame. But Ruben, our very own hipster mustached bartender did win best punch! And apparently was the only one who got the memo to come dressed up!

 After the disappointing verdict, we hauled our stuff back to the restaurant and all got ready to head out for Halloween! A couple who both work at L* were hosting a party at their apartment, so most of us headed over there for a home brew and cookie!

I finally got to dress up as Sandy!

Someone who feels your pain, Mom.

I got home late and had a rough time getting up early to pack up my car and move back to the valley...but the weekend was worth it!

MudRun

Friday, Brandi made a journey west to Michigan's neighbor across the lake and I found her after my shift sitting at the Graze bar.  This wasn't just any visit, we had signed up for the Madison Mud Run!! With registration starting at 730 the next morning, we thought it was best to pre-game the night before with mexican and margaritas. Carb loading and plenty of rest....who needs it!?

Thinking the race started at 9, we showed up to registration promptly at 8am, only to discover our heat wasn't released until 11:06am. :/ So, we headed back down town to march the farmers market and get a proper breakfast complete with coffee. Where else to go on the square, non other than Bradbury's! Crepes and Flat Whites, all around.

Arriving back to the race, we 'stretched' and waited for our heat to be released. As we counted down from 10, our excitement rose! After about 100 yards, I remembered how little I liked running, but the cool autumn air felt good and I was excited to see what kind of obstacles we would face. The excitement quickly diminished. After a quarter mile of running we found out, they weren't going to ease us into anything. First obstacle: water crossing. We had to jump in a muddy, murky, waist deep creek wade across, climb out and continue on our next four miles of running and obstacles with 10 pound weights on our feet! I can't say that I was too thrilled about it, but it is exactly what I signed up for, so I jumped in with no hesitation and just got it over with! The next obstacles were as wet or muddy as either of us had expected. We had to crawl under some things, climb a 5 foot wall with climbing grips followed by jumping a 5 foot wall spiderman style with no grips or rope. Next we had to run up soaped up ramps, through inclined plastic tunnels, through an inflatable obstacle course (that a little girl and fallen into a corner and couldn't climb out, Brandi had to pull her out!). Then just when we had mostly dried off we approached a long line for the next obstacle. The slip-and-slide. Yes! This is my kind of obstacle! When we got to the front of the line, we chanted for more soap, ran together and superman-ed down that slip-and-slide like it was our job!

Soapy and giggling we started to run again (our least favorite part of the race). We had a few more obstacles before the main event. As we rounded the last corner, a volenteer shouted 'keep your mouths shut!' I was a little offended but soon found out what she meant.  A 40-50 foot mud pit came into view with ropes of flags a mere two feet from the ground. This is what we had been waiting for! We dove in and frantically crawled through the mud. Laughing most of the way I caught many splashes of mud right in the mouth. Getting up out of the mud, we still had to run to the finish line which was up hill! Gah! We crossed the fine line together feeling completely beat but proud of the physical accomplishment we both had achieved! We waddled back to the car and were riddled with questions from racers who had not yet started the race.

before

after

before

after

When we got done taking our dirty pictures, we realized we hadn't brought anything to change into or towels to clean up with! Smart. Luckly, we got a race t-shirt so we changed into those and headed back to the finish line to redeem our post run beer, chicken wing and chips.

Even after removing my socks, (which we threw away, along with our shoes) I discovered polka dot dirt marks on my legs

On the rid home we had to go pantsless and scurry into my apartment unseen. A feat we almost managed to pull off. Almost.

mudface

After the race, we prerinsed our shirts in the sink before putting them in the washing machine and showered and headed down town for post-run snacks. Due to my mis-direction, we walked the long way around the square to Cooper's Tavern bellied up to the bar and downed a sconnie egg, belgian cut fries with malt vinegar aioli, ruben sandwich and brisket sandwich with green salads. We don't play around.

We both loved the race, minus all that pesky running and can't wait to do another!!

Halloweens Past

Halloween is probably my favorite 'holiday'. I have a long tradition choosing non-traditional costumes and I'm am proud to say I've never bought a costume from a halloween store.

Sure when I was little I was pumpkin, princess and witch. I had a stint when I was into dogs and was a poodle and dalmatian. But as I grew older I chose things like an Egyptian and snowman to go trick-or-treating. Even after I was told I was too old for trick-or-treating, I dressed up as Blue from Blues clues and my senior year of high school I was Arwen Evenstar.

 

The first few years of college I dressed at Micheal Jackson and Flava Flav. Most recently, I was Princess Leia, Carmen San Diego and last year I was a lumber lady!

Here's a peak at my costume for this year....any guesses??

Radicchio di Treviso

Don't be mistaken, contrary to popular belief, radicchio is not a lettuce. It is actually a type of chicory. Chicories thrive in cold weather making them a late fall or winter crop. Included in the chicory family are frisee, endive, escarole and radicchio. Varieties of radicchio are named for the region where they originate. These red, leafy chicories originated in the region of Treviso in northern Italy and so, bear the name. The great thing about Italian is that, it is pretty easy to sound out. At least in this case, it is pronounced just as you think it should: rah-DEE-kee-oh dee trav-E-so. The Italians take their chicories almost as serious as they do their cheese. Like Parmigiano-Reggiano, Radicchio di Treviso was grated Protected Geographical Status (PGS) under European Union law.

Treviso is very popular in Italian cuisine, however is shamefully most commonly seen in the US as filler in prepacked mixed greens. It's vibrate colored leaves stand out among the other leafy plants and have a crisp, yet tender texture. Treviso has a bitter taste, similar to kale or chard, that we American's seem to run from. Our palates tend to prefer sweet over bitter, while Europeans embrace bitter flavors. Bitter isn't bad, but it does, generally, need to be balanced. Adding an element of fat, like bacon, cheese, olive oil, toasted nuts or sausage gets the job done. Or, if you wish to stay true to your American palate, adding some sweetness, like honey, apple or pear will also balance out the bitterness. Treviso also mellows when cooked; braising, roasting, grilling or searing are the best cooking methods.

As the availability of salad greens dwindles, treviso makes an excellent stand in. The chill of late autumn days make me crave warming foods and a salad of roasted or seared treviso hits the spot! Roast in the oven or sear in cast iron and top simply with shaved Parmesan, crispy lardons and a drizzle of oil and balsamic vinegar or with sliced apples, fennel and walnuts. But wait there's more! Treviso is more versatile than you may think. It is excellent shredded and added to creamy risotto. You can puree cooked treviso to make a soup or garnish soups with grilled and chopped treviso. Use it in pasta dishes that feature cream and sausage or as a filling for stuffed pasta.

To store, keep in plastic bag or wrapped in damp paper towel in the refrigerator. Before using, remove any outer leaves that may be wilted. You can pull whole leaves from the head or cut the head in half or quarters, depending on your intended use. In the center of the head is a core, which is edible but most often is discarded. Cut a 'v' shape in halved heads to remove this core or pull whole leaves until only the core remains.

There are entire cook books dedicated to preparing chicories, so don't feel stumped if this is your first encounter with this striking vegetable. Here is a recipe to get you started!

 

Flat bread pizza with roasted squash and treviso

This recipe only seems labor intensive. It actually comes together quite easily! You can also use a store bough pizza skin or any pesto you made this summer!

Squash:
1-2 squash (butternut, sugar baby, festival)
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 sprigs sage
2 T olive oil

pesto (there will be some leftover!):
1 c spinach
½ c walnuts, toasted
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
dough:
1 c warm water
1 T honey
1 T olive oil
1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
2 ¾ c whole wheat flour
1 t salt
slaw:
1 head radicchio, outer leaves removed, cored and sliced
4 sprigs flat leaf parsley, leaves finely sliced
juice of half a lemon
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper
assembly/extras:
1 shallot, sliced thin
¼ c Parmesan cheese
¼ c pine nuts, toasted
Roast the squash: preheat the oven to 400°. Place halved squash cut side up and top with garlic, sage, oil, salt and pepper. Roast until very tender, about 35-40 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, scrape flesh into a food processor. Squeeze garlic cloves out of their peels into the bowl as well. Blend until smooth and set aside.
Make the slaw: Combine all of the ingredients and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Make the pesto: Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until everything is blended, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Season to taste. Put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to avoid discoloration and set aside.
Make the dough: Combine water, honey, oil and yeast in a large bowl. Let the yeast set for about five minutes or until you see bubbles forming on the surface. Add the flour and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until combine. Knead with your hands until you have a smooth lump of dough.
Make the pizza!: Increase oven to 450°. Roll dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness and transfer to a pizza stone or oiled sheet pan. Spread the squash puree evenly onto the crust. Dollop the pesto on top and sprinkle the shallots on. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove and top with radicchio slaw, cheese and pine nuts. Return to oven for 3-5 minutes. Slice and serve warm!

Next

I have never been more excited about food.

Next Restaurant

This is amazing. Chef Grant is a master mind.

Anyone want to go with me???

Big 'Apple'?

Forget the apples. There are way better things to eat in NYC.

The trip to New York was...awesome. A whirlwind of food and drink, traveling and cooking and not much sleep.

We stayed at Hotel le Jolie (yes, i realize the name is not in gender agreement, but I didn't name it!) in Brooklyn and the first night ate at Diner, not far from our hotel. The menu changes everyday there so instead of printing new ones, they just tell you the menu verbally and write down the main item in each dish on the butcher paper on the table. We ordered at least one of everything and passed plates around the table, sampling everything. I took pictures of each plate (of course) and took some notes on the butcher paper, but reached a point where there was too much goodness happening and had to just enjoy it.

My favorite dishes were...

bean salad with sungolds, shallot vinaigrette and aged goat cheese

roasted carrots with sunchoke puree (notice the note taking)

pork rillet and pickled vegetables

Their big brother restaurant, Marlow and Sons, sent over a few dishes (compliments of the kitchen) which were also delicious...however the only one I can remember now was the razor clams.

We made sure to also order one of everything on the dessert menu, and again were treated to a couple desserts from Marlow and Sons. The one that stole the show for me was apples baked in phyllo dough. Simple, but executed perfectly.

Thursday we spent day prepping, cooking and serving a dinner for 74 at the James Beard House. We experienced more 'speed bumps' than desired, but had (mostly) plenty of time to over come them. Most of the problems were small and easily remedied. However, the big problem was with the steaks. I'm not sure what specifically what the problem was, but they were not to Chef's standards and he didn't want to serve them. He spent a good amount of time on the phone calling around to local butchers and finally was able to get a hold of some beef. They said they would deliver it between 530 and 7pm. ....we waited. and waited. we got nervous and waited some more. The meat arrived at 7:05, partially frozen and needing to be butchered. So, as guests arrived and passed through the kitchen, Chef cut the loin from the ribs, portioned and cleaned the steaks. Talk about cutting too close for comfort. Although, I thought Chef handled the situation really well (much better than I would have), I'm sure he was freaking out just a little bit.

Photo credit: Tom Kirkman

 Every dinner is going to have a few unexpected obstacles, that's what makes it interesting. The trick is to not let your guests realize them. Which, if nothing else, is what we were able to do. At the end of the meal, we were paraded through the dining rooms and all the guests seemed thrilled with the dinner and none the wiser to our challenges that day. Whew.

First Course: Fountain Prarie Farm Beef carpaccio with pea vine, fried shallot, pickled mushroom, Dunbarton Blue cheese and brioche crouton (Photo credit: Tom Kirkman)

Third Course: Orecchiette with house sweet sausage, Blue Mont Raw Milk cheddar and autumn chicories (Photo credit: Tom Kirkman)

Forth Course: Dry Aged NY strip steak on sweet potato puree, crispy Buttermilk Blue crumbles, brussel sprouts with bacon and topped with spicy peanuts (Photo credit: Tom Kirkman)

After spending all day in the kitchen, we were tired but ready to spend sometime on the other side of food service. We headed to Fatty 'Cue in West Village and once again ate our way through the menu. The menu here was bit bigger than Diner, so we didn't try everything, and to be honest I'm not sure of everything we ate. Chef ordered for the table and we shared everything. There was a lot of bacon and a lot of bold flavors. Asian influenced for sure. We had a couple bottles of '09 Sauvingnon Sket a sparkling wine from Austria (delish!) and the show stealer for me was the 1/2 buttermilk fried rabbit. By the time we got it, I was already stuffed and had to over come my fear of eating meat off the bone (which I have noticed seems to subside after a couple glasses of wine). But some things are worth it and that wascally wabbit definitely was. The whole experience at Fatty was awesome. The service was great and the kitchen obliged chef's request for 'something not on the menu' and set out a huge meaty plate of something.

Friday we slept in as long as we dared. Our flight left at 630 and we all wanted to see the city before going home. A few of us took the train to Times Square and walked around there for a couple hours. I kept my eye out for the Naked Cowboy, but I didn't see him. Nor did I see anyone famous. :/ But we found Le Bernardin, Eric Ripert's flagship restaurant and home to a painting you Grand Rapidians might recognize! Nic bought his daughter a snow globe and I got a Giants t-shirt before we split up for lunch. Nic, Eric and Brent got to go to Per Se, a restaurant by Thomas Keller where our old sous chef now works, but because of dress code, I wasn't able to join them. But in New York City, great food is never hard to come by. I got lunch at Bouchon Bakery, another Thomas Keller restaurant, and found a spot in Central Park to enjoy my sandwich, macaroon and latte.

Spotted: B snacking in the park

 I resisted the urge to go to the Upper East Side in hopes of seeing anyone from Gossip Girl by searching for some electric blue pants. I saw a pair in Bloomingdale's the first day we were in the city and was set on finding some affordable blue 'New York' pants. I found them at H&M before heading back to the hotel for the fun task of getting everyone's bags to the airport. Two wheely suitcases, one back pack and one huuuuuge duffel bag and my purse...not a dainty thing. Somehow, I was able to load myself up with all the bags and make it to baggage check. I checked the duffel and set off for security with the remaining 3 carry on + purse. :/ Have you ever gone through airport security with 4 bags including a lap top and camera? Don't forget to remove your shoes and put electronics in a separate bin. I'm sure the people around me figured I must be the most high maintenance person ever. Finally, I made it to my gate and realized I had to pee. But couldn't leave all the bags and of course I don't trust a stranger with all that. So I waited until everyone else arrived from bringing the coolers from the beard house.

The crew (Photo credit: Tom Kirkman)

The trip went by so fast and left me with a list for things to do and places to eat for my next visit. As I said in my previous blog, I feel extremely honored to have been able to go on this trip. It certainly was an experience I will never forget. A big thanks and shout out to Tory for seeing something in me and wanting me to be apart of the NY team! The trip was amazing.

Breaking it down, boys and girls.

Question: What do cooks do with their (little) time off?
Answer: Go to work and butcher animals in the name of learning.

Wednesday of this week, six pigs were slaughtered. Friday of this week, six pigs were delivered, quartered and in barrels, to the restaurant. Today, some of us came in to break down and cut up said pigs. That's fresh.

The pigs we got aren't your standard, run of the mill pigs. These are acorn fed, whey finished Mangalitsa pigs raised for us at Uplands Dairy. (That's how we roll at L*. Everything we do, we do it big!) Mangalitsas are an type of heritage hog orginally bread for lard. They are big and wooly and some of the best pork you could ever be so lucky to get your mouth on.

When the pigs arrived on Friday, the chefs could hardly wait to get a taste of it. Once the first chop was cut off the loin it went directly on the grill. With only a liberal dusting of salt and pepper, it was by far the most flavorful bite of pork I've ever had. Not to say that I have had a lot of pork that could rival it, but this thing was good. The fat was velvety and the meat was tender with a natural flavor that could never be imitated.

Chop

This morning we all trudged into the kitchen after a late night of saying good bye to one of our sous chefs, feeling both tired and excited. On the table, Chef pieced together a half a hog from the head, shoulder, belly, loin, ham and trotter and gave us a quick run down of where all the cuts come from.

Then we all took a chunk'o'pig and got to work skinning, deboning, sawing and cleaning the best we could.

sawing chops off the loin

removing the skin from the ham (hind leg)

 We removed the skin from all the hams, but if we had left them on and had more room in the coolers and freezer, they could have been dry cured, pressed and made into prosciutto!

skin from the ham and the beginnings to my Lady Gaga costume

Trotters aka pigs feet

Trotters can be pickled (Papa's favorite) but these are going to be cleaned and re-stuffed, sliced thin and served on a salad of some sort.

Once things were cut up, we were able to take some meat home for a steal of a deal! I took 2.5 pounds of shoulder home and am going to be grabbing a couple chops when they come out of the brine!

The best part is, this was only the beginning. In a few weeks, we have another Sunday scheduled to learn about making sausage and chartcuterie and will again have the opportunity to get our hands all porky and take home some of our work!