Bratwurst, Shishito, Panzanella and Pickles - the World on My Plate

I made some food to celebrate the fantastic produce at the farmers market (can I ever get enough?? Noooo!!), and only later did I realize what I had put on a plate together had roots in various nooks around the world. Struck me as funny at the time, and boy was it all delicious.


Panzanella is one of the best - and simplest! - salads around. A great way to make use of old bread (or just bread you feel like frying up, if none old is sitting around) and incredible tomatoes, this recipe originates in Tuscany and has infinite variations. I found inspiration from The Bitten Word when I was pulling mine together, and kept it simple so the star of this show - my tomatoes - could really shine.

While shopping for meat at the Greene Grape - they buy only whole and half animals, as opposed to boxed meat, and butcher the choice cuts themselves - I discovered some delightfully plump rabbit and pork belly bratwurst. I think just hearing that combination made me drool on the spot, and I took home a bunch of sausages to grill. Bratwurst originally comes from a small town in Germany (all the way back in 1313!), but is widely available at butchers and specialty shops these days. Make sure to buy highest quality from small producers, not the run-of-the-mill at a grocery store if at all possible. It will taste better and be a healthier product to feed yourself and your family, and you will have the satisfaction of supporting another family: the small farm that takes pride in what they do.

At the farmers market, the stunning beauty of what's in the stalls pretty much guides my purchasing. Occasionally there's a list to check up on, but it's usually, "what hits me?" To that end, the Japanese-origin Shishito peppers virtually leaped into my arms last week. Their firmness, their sculptural curvy shapes and glossy-green brightness all said "take me!" So I did. From a preparation enjoyed at the Chelsea Basque restaurant Txikito, I simply blistered them in a scorching-hot skillet and seasoned with sea salt. Done, and delicious.

Please let's not forget the humble pickle. Pickles come in all varieties and flavors around the world. Their (sometimes spicy-)salty-sourness stimulate our saliva glands and make for a refreshingly bright crunch, the perfect counterpoint to any food on a plate. Left often as a garnish, but not to be underestimated if done well. Bold and bright, pickles delight.

I hope you will enjoy these flavors served together as much as I did. Recipes to follow - check back once the weekend has passed, once I've gotten more market shopping out of the way. I will be bringing forth a berry dessert to go with all this yumminess.....

In other news, a couple months back I shot a feature for AARP Magazine. It was a treat to work with the photo staff there and the project was a blast. The issue is available on newsstands now. Here is the story, and below, the shot they used -

And, a couple outtakes...

One last bit:

The wonderful Fork Magazine, another sustainable resource, featured my blog as one of their recent favorites (photo from this story). Reading their magazine cover to cover, I need to book a trip to Whales, pronto. Their take on sustainable food is completely speaking-my-language and, they are really nice people, to boot. The fact that I have Welsh blood makes whole thing even more imminent. So let's see what we can cook up. Stay tuned!

Linden Blossom Cocktails and a Salad Farm

Last week I was featured for the second time on Design Sponge (first story here), for their series called "Behind the Bar." I've been making some fabulous and quenching sips of late and it seemed like perfect timing to share these simple recipes - more like guidelines and then a "have at it!" kind of rule. If you haven't seen the full story, I encourage you to visit. Be prepared for temptation - which of course will lead you to refreshment. :)

In other news, I am working on content for the workshop I will be teaching this October, for the 2012 Conference of the Academy of Nutritionists and Dietitians. I'll be leading close to 100 people through the ins & outs of food styling and photography! If you would like to learn more, click here. To register to attend, click here and follow the prompts (member/nonmember, etc.). Will keep you all informed as things progress further....

Speaking of nutrition and refreshment, I visited a gourmet salad farm back in May during my trip home. It all happened by accident when I went on a wild goose chase for a woman and her roving food business called the Pink FlaminGO, but boy am I sure happy I landed at Brother Nature (thanks, Kristyn!). Set on an acre in Southwest Detroit, this prolific little farm even produces its own dirt.

Hay, helping to break down the compost into fabulous dirt

Using composting as a method to salvage would-be trash and also make use of loads of nutrient-rich organic matter, Greg Willerer harvests spent grain from a local brewery, collects aged zoo poo from the Detroit Zoological Society, and adds coffee grinds and their filters, and food clippings from nearby Astro Coffeehouse. And voila, incredible rich, black and dense dirt. Detroit Dirt.

Don't think that just because I was seduced by the dirt, I didn't fall in love with the greens. On the contrary. Between the most peppery and sharp mustard greens to the sweet-sweet flavor of the pea shoots, I wish I lived a little closer. Each tender herb, leaf, and flower is hand-picked by a small crew and the whole operation is a labor of love.

Left, clipping verbena for a customer

Right, the cloth keeps bugs away and insulates the tender greens as they mature

The bees make everything better...

Carrot tops in the tire 'container' garden

That visit was just long ago enough that writing this makes me feel like a return trip is in order. To see what they are harvesting now and hang out for a while with the honey bees, and of course, get my hands into some more of that dirt.

A final parting piece, in case you aren't enchanted already: there are some odds-and-end bits from the time spent soaking up my mother's backyard that are worth sharing. Small moments where time stood still and the only noise was the busy-ness of the insects and birds.

Young garlic pulled from one of the beds, and a birdseed thief

Summer Dreaming...and Design Sponge

 

I love the varied, inspiring stories at Design Sponge. I produced a delicious piece for them a few years ago, and somehow, managed unwittingly to create a new one virtually three years to the day, published last week. Kristina's enthusiasm has been a boon for my work - I decided I wanted to make a rustic and nostalgic-feeling to go with my mother's famous lemon meringue pie recipe. I hope you all like the results!

And, there's ANOTHER piece she and I have put together which is due out later this week. No secrets revealed, but I promise you it's fantastic....
 
In other news....

It's that time already, isn't it? I swear I was just back home having a wonderful visit with my parents. But I look, and that is almost two months ago already... where does the time go?? So many bits and pieces to share with you. I'll make it easy, and start at the beginning.

This is my mother's dogwood tree. I can tell just how long I've been away when I return home and witness how much larger it has grown. Almost covering the front lawn now, its limbs long and weighted with blossoms, the tree is magnificent. The breathtaking petals are worth many photographs, and as I'm not one to walk away from an easy photo opp, I dutifully obliged.

 

Walking out the door, the dogwood put an immediately lovely tone to each day. I, my husband, and my father each ventured out at points to photograph it. Whether it was early morning with coffee in-hand or just before running off to a separate destination, the tree was a strong presence and a welcoming subject. We were lucky to arrive and catch it near the end of its bloom cycle, just before my mother's iris plants and trumpet vines were to come onto the scene.

While home, we visited a place I'd been to a million times when younger - an island situated between Detroit and Canada, called Belle Isle. It is America's largest city park, and is home to playgrounds, gorgeous historic structures, a nature center, oodles of picnicking areas and scenic shoreline, and well, you get the idea. We visited for an afternoon and it was a blast to find the island much in the condition as I remembered it as a child (thank goodness some things haven't changed). A landmark fountain carved in marble was our first stopping point. An eccentric gambler and socialite bequeathed half a million dollars to have this built in his name during Detroit's Golden Era, completed in 1925. These are some of my favorite details....

These panels encircle the topmost element of the fountain, measuring around 3 feet tall apiece, and I found their detail and subject matter rather poetic. The fountain itself spans 160 meters and has 109 water spouts! It is framed by lions, porpoises, frogs, cupids, fish, and rams, along with various ghoulish mask-faces and scenes of indigenous people and craftsmen. Pretty damn cool.

From there - and by the way, it was the hottest day on record: over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (this was the beginning of May, people!!), but thankfully saved by incredible whipping winds - we four ate a simple picnic lunch on a sprawling lawn and then went to see the historic Conservatory.

a quick crab & red cabbage-scape salad with assorted sides

basking in the breeze

This place also has a special place in my heart. It is a gorgeous structure, and for free, you can see incredible and diverse displays of flora from all over the world. 

The cactus room was one of my faves...

 

There were succulents, jungle-y tropicals, lush blooms (an atrium-full - just think of that scent), such as amaryllis, and lilies, and more housed inside the five separate climates the dome and adjoining wings provide. There is even a courtyard lily pond with koi that glide through the water. Here is a view of the grand structure from the courtyard view, and a companion shot from long ago. :)

As it turns out this conservatory, currently known as the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory due to her gift of 600 exotic orchid plants (making Detroit the largest municipal orchid collection, for you factoid lovers), is the oldest continually operating conservatory in the United States. Built in 1904 by Albert Kahn the dome measures 85 feet high to accommodate soaring palms and other tropical beauties. It was as breath-taking and meticulously kept as ever.

That evening, we treated ourselves to food we don't eat everyday. Barbeque! Rich, smoky, piles of meat, cooked over low-heat and long - North Carolina-style. Slow's has designed their unique space using reclaimed wood and metal, and they have a rockin' beer list from small and artisan producers that will keep you drinking. To top that, they offer four kinds of sauce to go with the fixings - yummy! Makes me hungry all over again.

A potent ale from England - heady.

That's enough to send you drifting, dreaming for now, I think. But do come back - I haven't told you about the story of the gourmet salad farm. Every bit quirky and lovely as you might think. Right in my hometown. ;)