feast in the field & a fall borscht

this past weekend my fiancée Rachael & I were lucky enough to get out of the city and up to Connecticut, where the leaves are beginning to change and the air is cooling down for fall.  the occasion was a Feast in the Field at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center.  we came to know Freedman through my brother Josh, who participated in their farming internship a few years back.  in addition to the farms, they also run a huge pickling center and offer several Jewish workshops and retreats. 

before brunch, we walked around the field and surveyed all of the beautiful produce: kale, brussel sprouts, scallions, cabbage, various types of beets & carrots among others.  a large tent was set up in the middle of the field, with wildflowers as centerpieces and jars of their homemade pickles on every table.  appetizers were passed around - bruschettas with homemade goat cheese, homemade oven-dried tomatoes, eggplant caponata, and roasted peppers.  we ate our brunch – all of the ingredients grown in the very field we sat in – surrounded by green and mountains hovering in the distance. 

after we were lucky to pick a few beets and carrots from the nearby rows, and Freedman garlic which was put out in heaps for guests to take home.  when we came home I put our ingredients to good use by making a tasty fall borscht.  as usual the recipes here are merely guides – feel free to change it up a bit, to add ingredients as you see fit, or even to blend up the soup a bit if you like it a bit thicker.  but more importantly, enjoy!  and remember to support your local farms! 

Fall Borscht

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

½ medium onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 medium beets, greens reserved

3 medium carrots

4 small potatoes

1 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste

½ teaspoon paprika

¾ teaspoon cumin

a pinch of cayenne

2 bay leaves

pepper to taste

1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

¼ teaspoon minced fresh thyme

sour cream

1.  Thinly slice onion with the grain.  Peel beets, and slice the beets & carrots in thin rounds, and potatoes into chunks.  Set aside.  Wash beet greens well, remove stems and roughly chop.

2.  Heat large saucepan on medium-low and add olive oil.  Add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent, stirring frequently. 

3.  Add beets and carrots, and water to cover 1-2 inches.  Add all dry spices and bring to a boil.  Allow to simmer for half hour or until veggies are soft.  In the last 5 minutes add beet greens.

4.  Stir in parsley and thyme (reserving some parsley for plating if desired) and remove from heat.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of parsley.  Enjoy!

*Borscht is delicious both warm or at room-temp

hello everyone!  it’s been quite some time since I’ve written, but I’m back and ready to share more delicious, health-supportive recipes and nutritional knowledge with you. 

I recently completed my internship at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, where I worked 14 hour days and headed up the amuse bouche station, sending out tasty treats to customers before they began their meal.  it was an amazing experience and I learned a great deal about cooking and the restaurant industry.  during my last week I got to work on the farm cleaning eggs, which would then be used in the restaurant.  Stone Barns raises their own chickens (along with other animals and a massive amount of produce) so there are fresh eggs every day.  I brought several baskets of eggs into the wash room and loaded them up onto a conveyer where they were washed and sorted by size.  any broken eggs are put aside for pig feed.  the large, brown eggs were so freshly lain, some were still warm in my hand as I placed them on the conveyer belt.

eggs are one of those controversial foods that go back and forth between being labeled safe & healthy one day and horrible for you the next.  while it’s true that eggs are rich in cholesterol, studies show that they have little effect on blood cholesterol levels.  this is partly because the phospholipids (fatty substances) in the yolk interfere with absorption of  yolk cholesterol.  eggs are the most complete protein source available and contain all 8 essential amino acids.  unless you’re suffering from obesity or serious heart disease, you most likely do not have to limit egg consumption.

when purchasing eggs it’s easy to get frazzled by the many labels screaming out at you – organic, omega 3, free range, etc.  Harold McGee, in his book “On Food and Cooking”, says that “‘free-range’ can be misleading; it sometimes means only that the chickens live in a slightly larger cage than usual, or have brief access to the outdoors.”  organic eggs guarantee organic and vegetarian feed, though chickens do not naturally eat a purely vegetarian diet.  however, organic is certainly better than conventional, which is 6 times more likely to be contaminated with salmonella.  my preferred way to buy eggs is directly from a farm or farmers’ market, where you can ask the farmer how the chickens are raised.  if they’re allowed to roam freely on the grounds they tend to be higher in Omega 3 fatty acids, which our bodies need more of with today’s diet.  

check out the recipe below for a delicious quiche in an olive oil crust.  try it fresh out of the oven or cooled to room temp.  change up the filling based on whatever’s in season.

Olive Oil Crust

yields 1 (10 inch) crust

¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour

¾ cup whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon baking powder (optional)

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ cup olive oil

¼ - ½ cup ice cold filtered water (or less)

1.  In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder & spices.

2.  Add oil to flour mixture all at once but do not mix.  Toss flour around lightly with a rubber spatula.

3.  Add water one tablespoon at a time, tossing it gently into the flour mixture.  Be careful not to break up or mix together the balls of flour that form.  You have added enough water when there are no more dry crumbs at the bottom of the bowl.   *A light touch is important here.  The final blending will take place while rolling out the dough.

4.  Flatten dough into disk shape in plastic wrap and chill 15 minutes.

5.Place dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper (this is not necessary but can be helpful). Lightly flour both sides of the dough and roll to desired shape.  Place in pie or tart pan and chill for 15 minutes more. 

6.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Pierce dough several times with a fork and blind bake for 10 minutes to ensure the dough will not get soggy when filling is added.  Remove from oven and add filling.

Easy food processor instructions: 

Add dry ingredients and mix together.  Drizzle in olive oil & pulse.  Add water one tablespoon at a time until incorporated.  You’ve added enough when the mixture whips quickly around the food processor in one large mass. 

*            *            *

Seasonal Quiche

yields 1 10-inch pie

 

1 10-inch pie crust

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup thinly sliced onion

1 cup broccoli florets & stems

½ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon minced parsley

pinch of thyme

1 ½ cups packed grated cheese (Fontina works well)

5 large eggs

1 ½ cups milk

2 tablespoons whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

paprika

 

1.  Preheat oven to 375. 

2.  Cut broccoli into florets then peel the stem & slice into thin rounds.  In medium sauté pan, heat olive oil and add onions.  Sauté until translucent and add broccoli; sauté about 5 minutes until cooked through and bright green.

3.  In medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, flour, salt & pepper and beat well.  Add sundried tomatoes, parsley & thyme and mix well. 

4.  Spread grated cheese over the bottom of the crust and spread broccoli & onion mixture on top.  Pour in the egg mixture and sprinkle the top with paprika.

 5.  Bake 35-45 minutes, or until solid in the center.  Serve warm or at room temp & enjoy!