Fun Playing with Mother Earth and Slow Food on Terra Madre Day

Every since I gave my first volunteer day to World Hunger Year as a follower of the late singer Harry Chapin, in 1977, I have been involved in the food movement. The "food movement" takes many forms - some fun and tasty,  some serious and life-or-death, and some in between these extremes. The organization that best embodies this movement for the "average American,"  IMHO, is Slow Food. Founded internationally by delegates from 15 countries in 1989, Slow Food in the US

seeks to create dramatic and lasting change in the food system. We reconnect Americans with the people, traditions, plants, animals, fertile soils and waters that produce our food. We inspire a transformation in food policy, production practices and market forces so that they ensure equity, sustainability and pleasure in the food we eat.

Slow Food USA Mission Statement.

Slow Food designated Thursday December 10, 2009 as Terra Madre Day. Members were encouraged to celebrate eating locally, and to celebrate 20 years of Slow Food activism. Events raised the voices of small-scale farmers, fishers, breeders and all those who uphold good, clean and fair food production and traditions in their region, and are working for food sovereignty. And so, in this spirit, Bob and I partook in two fabulous eating adventures that celebrated the locally owned and smaller-scale food producers and providers. And we had fun playing with all of this food, too.

We began with lunch delivered from Mister Brisket to a diverse group assembled in our office conference room - a few of the firm's attorneys, friends, and Slow Food members.


BBQ Brisket on White

Two people ordered this - the perfume was amazing!


The Charles Barr

Since I couldn't decide between corned beef and pastrami, I decided to enjoy both! On rye, of course, with deli mustard. Yum.

And as if this feast wasn't enough - local farmer Courtney McLeod (also known as Herbthyme on the local chat boards) brought us two lovely dessert choices from her farm kitchen  - banana bread and chocolate pumpkin bread.

Sorry the banana bread got short shrift - I was shooting across the table.

After about 5 hours of digestion, it was time for part 2 of the festivities, which would include many of the same folks who shared our lunch - a Meet the Farmers' Dinner at The Greenhouse Tavern.

Our evening began in the intimate downstairs room, with the farmer-guests seated at the Chef's Table alongside the open kitchen.  The tables were set with bread from On the Rise Artisan Breads and the most creamy looking spread - I thought for sure it was cheese or a dip from Lake Erie Creamery (one of the featured farmers) - but the server informed us that it was butter churned in-house! And a delightful start it was!

The amuse was served to each diner, then a platter was set on the table for anyone who wanted more!

Arincini with Parmesan & Chives

This succulent bite was served with an Aperol Cocktail with Prosecco. As we enjoyed, Chef-Owner Jonathon Sawyer welcomed us.

Our first course featured Lake Erie Creamery cheeses:

Endive Tarte Tatin with Fresh & Aged Goat Cheeses and Roasted Grapes

 

I've never thought to roast grapes - but what a wonderful idea! The tatin melted in the mouth - it was a shame that farmer Mari Ann Janosko was unable to join us, so she could hear those lip-smacking sounds for herself!

Old Overholt Rye & Pimm's Highball

Chef Jonathon decided to go all over the map with the drink selections - after the prosecco cocktail that began the evening, we enjoyed Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale with our first course, and this cocktail with our second. The rye liquor complimented the rye flavors in the salad course perfectly.

Caraway & Rye Roasted Seed Carrots with Assorted Greens, Pumpkin Seeds and Bacon

The greens and beets were supplied by Farmer Peter McDermott of Urban Farms and they were simply marvelous - the carrots had an extra shot of sweetness infused into them by the recent frigid weather snap, and the greens conversely had been harvested "just in time" to avoid being frozen.

The next two courses were served family style:

40 Clove Garlic Chicken, Whole Fryed, with Lemon, Thyme & Pomme Puree

The chicken, from Hickory Acres farm in Oberlin, was incredibly crispy and moist, and the deep fried lemons added a new taste twist. Farmers Fred and Chris Thaxton delivered with the most heavenly organic garlic, which was roasted to perfection.

Eat your heart out, Colonel Sanders - the herbs and spices complimented the fresh poultry  to a tee.

Thaxton's garlic was especially wonderful mashed into the pomme puree:

Sorry - too busy eating to photograph the combination - but you get the idea!

The last meat course was sourced from Farmer Aaron Miller and featured his grass-fed beef!

Braised Beef Shortrib with Pearl Onions

 

My portion.

My table-mate's portion.

Unfortunately, I was so fixated on the beef that I didn't photograph the Yorkshire Puddings when they came out, nor did I snag one. Chef Jonathon said that more were coming, so I didn't worry about it. Bob and I finally snagged the last two from the initial batch, that were sitting on a serving plate on the far side of the tables.  Since I knew more were coming, I didn't photograph it (it was already getting pretty cold). Trust me that the puddings were beautiful to look at and delicious to eat - but when the additional batch came out, the emphasis was more on taste than looks:

These were every bit as delicious as (and a lot warmer when I got to taste them than) the first ones!

For dessert, Chef Jonathon combined some of Lucy's Welhausen's magnificant Ohio Honey with Ohio Grenache for a warming glogg, which complimented the honey-based dessert very nicely:

 

Fennell Pollen Panna Cotta with Ohio Honey

A light and succulent ending to a fabulous celebration of some of our finest local farmers and their wares! The flavor of the fennell pollen cut through the rich panna cotta, and brought out the honey notes.

I hope that you found some local food to play with on Terra Madre Day. And it's ok if you didn't - no need for event psychosis - every day can be Terra Madre Day if we take a little time and effort to consider where our food comes from and how it is made. We are very lucky in the Cleveland area to have so many fine sources at the farm, retail and restaurant levels to play with food that is made with love, on so many levels.

Fun Playing with Birthday Food

Another birthday is in the books. Since I am reaching the age where I don't want to think about how many - I use this festive time to simply celebrate life and the good things in mine.

We woke up on my birthday morning to overcast skies. We nevertheless hustled to the Farmers' Market, where we scored, among other things, some gorgeous broccoli, first-of-the-season local tomatoes, and fresh dill. I unfortunately left my camera home.

As we headed off for Mister Brisket, the skies opened up and it began to pour. And storm. But weather would not keep us from our mission: fresh Alaskan Sockeye! And since we had to go to Mister Brisket anyway - we decided a deli sandwich would start our birthday eating in style! (Ok, ok - Bob did not have to twist my arm.) I had pastrami on rye and Bob had BBQ Beef. Both were absolutely yummy. We ate upstairs at the Heinen's on Cedar, then did some shopping. We acquired some beautiful Southern Ohio Corn and a case of wine to enhance our dinner!

Next stop - Western Reserve Wines. We hadn't visited this retailer since their move from SOM Center Road into The Shoppes of Solon North, but I knew they were having a wine tasting today of their "12 under 12" wines - and since we in a stock-up mode, it seemed a perfect birthday treat! You can see the wines we tasted here. We bought all but 2 (and doubled up on two others to make the case).

Once home, Bob went to work to create a fabulous birthday dinner for us! We started with these beautiful, if blurry, tomatoes:




Tossed Salad of Garden Lettuces, Organic Carrot and Local Tomatoes

We enjoyed our home-made sesame-spicy vinaigrette with this.


Seasoned Salmon Atop the Cedar Plank


Broccoli and Corn Prepare to Meet the Grill

After a visit with Mister Weber, the rest of our dinner was served:



The salmon was seasoned with salt and pepper, and lightly sprayed with lemon-grapeseed oil before grilling. The fat oozing from the tender meat is what came naturally!






My Birthday Dinner Plate


OOPS - Almost forgot the Caramelized Onions and Dill Topping!

Instead of the usual red onion - I bought a local sprouted onion from Heinen's - and the taste was picked-from-the-garden good!

We had picked up two "individually sized" cakes from Heinen's bakery for the birthday candle ritual - but we were so stuffed by the time we'd finished our meal that we had no room for any dessert! Such is the wonderful bounty available to us this time of year that we didn't get to either mini-cake until a few days later - and I'm ashamed to admit that there is still one in the fridge that we haven't touched yet!





This had chocolate and peanut butter - and it was sinfully delicious!

But my birthday party did not end here! For later in the week, we had the perennial office celebration. As the guest of honor, I chose lunch delivered from Mister Brisket (and this time - I had my camera to record the delicious corned beef sandwich I enjoyed):





And of course, a real live birthday cake made by our amazing receptionist/pastry chef Lise:



Almond cake and chocolate pudding, I believe (I could check the chunk left in the fridge, but that would be too easy, wouldn't it?).

And so, another festive, happy birthday time came to an end, accompanied by great food and great folks! And lots of playing with amazingly wonderful food!

More Fun Playing with Breakfast Food

What a difference quality eggs make! This post shows three recent breakfasts, all made with Kathy Breychak's incredible Blue Eggs.

Saturday June 14, I awoke to realize that we did not have a scrap of bread in the house. And I was hankering for some Blue Eggs for breakfast. So, how to make them? Matzoh Brei!

Of course, the only proper medium for frying Matzoh Brei is Onion Nyafat.



Soak matzoh in warm water, lightly beat eggs with salt and pepper and add to drained matzoh, let soak for as long as you can wait, then fry in hot Nyafat. Add salt after frying, and serve with a big glass of ice cold Organic milk or make an Egg Cream (I did, but didn't get a photo of it).



This Matzoh Brei is "pancake" style rather than "scrambled. I think it gets crispier when you let it sit rather than tossing it around incessantly. But there are times I scramble it.










Yum.

This past weekend, Bob and I enjoyed a number of treats from Cleveland's resident meat maven - Mister Brisket. On Friday, I learned that Mister B had scored some fresh Copper River King Salmon. And at a reasonable price, too (last week, it was well over $30 a pound, this week, it was well under $30).

And of course, once I trundled down to the store (2156 South Taylor Road, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118), I had to get some other goodies from them. So - I loaded up a half pound each of pastrami (best in Cleveland and maybe the world), corned beef, and turkey breast and a package of casing hotdogs.

Saturday morning - Pastrami & Eggs. Knowing how I intended to use it, Mister Brisket sliced the pastrami into thick slices. Add Blue Eggs and a hot pan and . . . magic!


Four Blue Eggs


Pastrami begins to render over a low flame




Now? Not yet.


Now? Yupper!


Lightly Beaten Eggs Poured Over the Meat

And, after a perfect flip:









We served it with Challah and Ghee (and yes, a little ketchup for me).

Sunday, it was the corned beef's turn:




Four Eggs to Start, Again



The Corned Beef was more thinly sliced, and didn't render as much fat as the pastrami had.







Another perfect breakfast. Thanks to Kathy Breychak and the gang at Mister Brisket for providing the ingredients for me to play with!