Restaurant Widow

Muskmelon

You have no idea how good this smells!  After buying it from Wenger's produce at the Worthington Farmer's Market, I could smell it while I was driving and it was in the trunk of my car!  According to the Penguin Companion to Food, the delicious flavor of melons is masked by refrigeration, so I plan to eat this one at room temperature, with just a little salt.

How can you tell if a melon is ripe?  Press the end opposite the stem end; it should yield to pressure.  Summer melons, such as this muskmelon, will not ripen very much after being picked; "winter," or late autum melons, will continue to ripen after being picked.

July 29th CSA & Market Report - Oh, the Bounty!

Pictured left are bits of the "Wild Things" purchased (discussed below).  It seems that Summer is almost over before we get into full growing season - even still we aren't quite there - and then suddenly it's fall and you're packing things in and waiting for next year.  Of course, some of you have the fortunate circumstance of being surrounded by great things all year long, but here in Ohio, we have a few blissful months.  And I really mean that.  It is my hope that Ohioans one day realize how great we have it.  We live in the middle of unbelievably wonderful produce, meat and dairy and most of us don't even realize it.  But that will change.  Okay, sermon is over.  I'm putting my shoe back on and stepping away from the podium.

This week's CSA included: several heads of various lettuces, including green, red and I believe oak lettuce; bag of mixed greens with edible flowers; zucchini; cucumbers; beets; onions, white and red; a delicata squash (pictured right); and 1/2 dozen eggs.  I also bought, from Elizabeth Telling, this lovely bag of mixed "Wild Things" (pictured at top) she was selling for $1 an ounce.  In the mix were flowers, purslane, amaranth, lamb's quarters and other very healthy and edible weeds.  Sandy told me that purslane, a wild vegetable which is revered from Asia to Europe but widely ignored in the US, has the highest nutritional content of any other green.  Oh, the things you learn at the market.  At any rate, the mix was simply too beautiful to pass up and even inspired me to go out and purchase a salad spinner, the one gadget which I insist keeps me from eating my greens.  We'll see how it works.

I also bought this pungent and leafy celery from Toad Hill Organics - I might try to dry the leaves and see how they work as a seasoning.  They give off an unbelievable scent, I can't imagine simply throwing them away:

Also purchased were cranberry beans (pictured right), okra (Chef says okra should be harvested when it's smaller than your thumb, otherwise it's only good for the hogs.  Any thoughts on this?  The okra I bought is certainly bigger than my thumb, but we'll give it a try anyway.  I have some andouille sausage that's just itching to be made into gumbo), kohlrabi, squash in all shapes, sizes and varieties, a few green tomatoes, numerous varieties of hot chiles galore (poblano, Hungarian wax, sweet and hot banana, jalapeno, and who knows what-all) - still no sweet red bell peppers yet, alas, nectarines, blueberries, leeks, and something I am sure I am missing.

It's funny how I meant to keep things light this week because Husband and I have several wine/restaurant/industry events this week which are certain to keep us from cooking at home, not to mention I am working almost every day and still must find time to write my current freelance article, which will require a few nights out to happy hour (oh, the pain).  And yet!  I stocked the fridge mightily with high hopes and lots of vegetables.  I will keep you posted on the results.

By the way, the Pearl Alley Market (Tuesdays and Fridays 10:30 - 2pm on Pearl Alley between Gay & Broad, downtown) is getting better - there have been at least 7-8 farmers there the past few weeks - be sure to try the amazing blackberries from Jacquemin farms; also, Sundog organics is there (as he is Saturday mornings at the Worthington farmer's market, west side of high, farthest north location) and he has about the best price on beautiful fresh cut flowers out there, such as $6 for a large bunch of sunflowers or Jerusalem artichokes.  Peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet corn, eggs, soap, squash, cucumbers, herbs and fruit were also well represented.  The more we go the better it will get!

Weekend Cat Blogging - Brother Visits!

Chez Widow is full of excitement this week as one of the tinies as returned!  Brother - new name as yet undecided - is here for a visit.  His new mom is busy dogsitting 2 Shih Tzus, and thought maybe he'd be better off in a less dog-full environment.  As you can see from this picture, he is settling right back into life with his old pals (here with Grover Jay).  He and Mama Mimi have been in near constant motion since his arrival three days ago, proof that little kitties need lots of stimulation.  New mom will be lucky if she gets him back!

In other tiny news, little Yoda is adapting well to her new home - eating over a cup of food a day -  and has found a friend it her Chiuaua housemate - they have been found spooning on numerous occasions.  I will try to get a picture of it one of these days if I can.  Marble, the other female, is quite the acrobat - her new parents awoke one day to find her perched atop their bedroom door.  George and Ollie are also doing well.

Summer Lunch, to Celebrate Tomatoes

Summer Lunch - Serves 1

1 pound local, ripe heirloom tomatoes, any sort
sea salt, preferably Maldon or something else nice and crunchy

Rinse and chop tomatoes.  Place in bowl.  Sprinkle salt over and eat.  Although the first of the season heirlooms should be eaten as simply as possibly, you may, if you must, add any of the following: torn basil leaves, good olive oil, freshly cracked pepper, fresh mozzarella, crusty bread or toast points, room temperature pasta or some nice sherry or balsamic vinegar.

1 cup of chopped delicious heirloom tomatoes is very low in calories (37), and provides 78% of your daily vitamin C, 22% of vitamin A, 16% potassium and unmeasurable happiness.

Tomato Update

So, I know you've all been lying awake at night wondering how my tomato plants are coming along.  I suppose they are as good as can be expected for our first attempt.  The tough part is watching them grow slowly and then coming home one night to find something has knocked all of your green tomatoes onto the ground.  Not to be eaten, just knocked off.  Fortunately, Husband saved the day by making some lovely green tomato pesto with mint and Thai basil - oops, I really should have documented that. . .

At any rate, the tomato we thought was a green zebra is now orange (and pictured above) - this is why we mark our gardens very carefully, children.  It turns out many tomatoes appear to be green zebras when small.  Husband now thinks this is the green zebra, but I'm choosing to keep an open mind. (at right)

July 22nd CSA & Market Report

To say I was feeling uninspired Saturday morning would be a bit of an understatement.  This is highly unusual, because Saturday mornings are one of my favorite times of the week - I think about strolling through the markets all week long, I have to admit.  But last week, with no air conditioning, I did very little cooking; I had to get up and clean the fridge and sadly, discard some beets and other things I couldn't find the energy to cook or store.  I felt guilty about the waste and it kind of zapped my enthusiasm.  Oh, and it was raining.  Good for my tomatoes (or the raccoons who will eat them), not good for me.  But, for the first time all week, it was blissfully cool outside.  Just in time for my air conditioning to start working again.

It's a good thing I went quickly to see the boys from Wayward Seed farm (aforementioned forgotten farm from a few weeks ago); they were quite the pick me up.  We had a nice discussion about the beauty of real baby carrots, and I looked down to see this lovely bunch of hot pink lamb's quarters (pictured left) .  I told them how I spent $4 on a bag of lamb's quarters when I was in North Carolina only to come home and discover that it had taken over the parking area behind my house.  Yes, yes, I know it's a weed, but I didn't expect to have my own giant patch of it here in Columbus!  The unbespectacled farming partner noted that this was planted on purpose - it was a Seed of Change plant, after all.  That wouldn't have swayed me anyway, although it was interesting, because I already had my designs on it.  $2 was the agreed upon price and that led into a discussion on the use of lard and how it needs to make a comeback.  I told them they should go to Amish country, where lard has never gone out of fashion.  They noted that lard should be our fat of choice here in Central Ohio, considering it is abundantly available here just as olive oil is in Italy.  I have no plans to give up olive oil, but I do plan to utilize bacon fat in the cooking of these lamb's quarters, that's for sure.

My CSA contained Swiss chard, lettuce mix, cucumbers, potatoes, green beans, beets, onions 1/2 dozen eggs, and something else I know I'm forgetting.  I also bought some very nice dried cherry and almond granola from Quiver Full Farm, who have the lovely cornmeal I tried a few weeks ago.  It's more of the chewy variety, versus the crunchy version sold at the Magik Granola Company at the Clintonville Market.  I bought loads of hot peppers and yet more Red Thumb potatoes from Arbor Hill Organics.

We have yet to see heirloom tomatoes, and although I felt indignant that I had them this time last year, reading through my archives proved that I really didn't start seeing them until August.  Which is sad, because it seems like there's a whirlwind of tomatoes and then all of a sudden it's Autumn.  And this is the first year I can wholeheartedly declare that I am now a Summer person.  When my air conditioning is working. 

Eat More Mackerel

For many Americans, mackerel is the red-headed stepchild of the fish family.  We'd much prefer to stuff ourselves with the overfished "Chilean Sea Bass" (not a bass at all, but victim of a clever marketing scheme), and we seem to have a distaste for anything considered "fishy."  However, it is frequently the case that the stronger flavored fish have the highest omega 3 fatty acid contents; which, according to the American Heart Association, may be good for those at risk for heart disease - which is just about everyone in the US, if you listen to the heart scan commercials.  At any rate, mackerel is loaded with omega 3 fatty acids, and is low enough in contaminates to be consumed by adults and children alike.  It has also been responsibly fished since the 1970s and is considered on of the "good" fish by Oceans Alive, an oceanic watchdog group.

I first learned to appreciate mackerel by visiting Kihachi, where broiled mackerel is a staple menu item.  Mackerel's high fat and savory, rich flavor lend it perfectly to a simple preparation.  In this picture, which is not very good, I'll admit (sorry, but it is still hot here at chez Widow, and food styling has taken a back seat to sitting in front of the fan), we have simply salted the fish (still bone-in) heavily and grilled it - skin side down - over very hot coals.  You might wish to baste with a little ponzu (Japanese yuzu citrus marinade) or lemon juice.  Grill for a about 5 - 6 minutes on the skin side and then turn over, grilling for another 2-3 minutes on the flesh side.  The skin becomes crisp and delicious.  Because mackerel is rich and fatty, we grilled some mild banana peppers for a side dish - they work very well to cut through the fattiness.

Mackerel is inexpensive, delicious and good for you.  It grills beautifully and goes great with simple accompaniments, such as rice and steamed veggies (here it's served with grilled pattypan squash).  I bought this mackerel at Tensuke Market (formally Seafood Japan) for $6.99 a pound.  Yep, that's right. 

Biddie's Coach House

Located in quaint Old Dublin - or is it Olde Dublin?  Biddie's Coach House is almost too precious for words.  The building, an old house which was built in 1813, is covered with chintz, quilts, doll houses and mismatched china.  It is, after all, one of Columbus' only tea rooms (British Style).  Biddie's is the perfect place for you to take your  mother (er-if you're a woman) or your Anglophile teenage daughter (or was I the only one?)  It would make the perfect place for a proper bridesmaid party (I had mine at a similar venue - Persnickety, which is in an old church and is equally lovely.  Ooh.  Maybe I should have tea week. . .).  There are numerous nooks and crannies (and grannies) located throughout the space, and we were seated in the "Painted Porch," an area which, as the name suggests, has been hand painted with pastoral scenes throughout, and is pictured at left.

The food, as can be expected, is highly focused on salads and crustless sandwiches, and portions are very ladylike (read: small), so you'll certainly have room for a dainty little something for dessert.  I chose the Rainbow lunch, which is rather like a sandwich trio in the disguise of cake.  Pastel-hued, crustless bread is layered with a very fine ham salad (now that's a phrase I never thought I'd utter), pimento spread and good egg salad.  The entire bit is covered in herbed cream cheese "frosting" and sliced to look like a piece of cake, although the gherkin-olive toothpick on top is kind of a giveaway that there's not red velvet hidden within.  The rainbow cake came with a nice little spinach and carrot salad (the egg cup contains crumbled bleu cheese), and various bits of sliced fruits and vegetables.  You're supposed to feel healthy while eating it, even though you know there's half a pound of cream cheese on the plate.

Mum (come on, it's tea) chose the Chef's Whim, which today was a well-composed and tasty salad of ham, pineapple, almond slivers and other bits in a lite, slightly sweet dressing.  The salad was contained in a crepe which had been baked, tuile-style, to form a crispy bowl.  The effect was precious (of course) but well-conceived and executed.  She chose the creamy broccoli to accompany which I did not try.  Lemon bread and fruit slices where also along:

We skipped the tea (Twinnings - to whom, by the way, I am distantly related through Husband, just thought I'd throw that in) but settled on dessert.  I had cheesecake which was definitely of the homemade variety - nothing fancy here, this was cheesecake on a graham cracker crust which was made in a sheet pan (slices were square) and covered with a very good compote of kiwi and mango chunks:

Mom chose the creme caramel, being very nice because I was decided between the two and she thought she'd try the one I didn't try.  It was a very lightly textured custard with an equally light caramel sauce, topped with a few slivered almonds:

Biddie's is charming and fun; it does exactly what it claims to do and does it well.  It's a great place to go to lunch with the girls, although Mum and I were surprised to see two men dining with their wives while we were there.  I tried to imagine Tall Husband sitting there with dainty plateware, laughing at his tiny little sandwich, and decided I would only take him there if he requested to go, which would happen about the same time I ask to have date night at Tee Jaye's.  High tea is served on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and contains a variety of sweets, savories, scones and jam.  A party was to be in for high tea next to us, and here is a picture of the setup - notice the mismatched china and quilts on the table - it's really very charming:

Info:  Biddie's Coach House 76 South High Street (this is South High Street in Dublin, mind you; aka Dublin Road further south and north) Dublin 614.764.9359  Biddie's is about a 25 minute drive northwest of downtown Columbus.  Biddie's is open for lunch only Monday - Saturday, but will serve dinner for large private parties.  Reservations are highly recommended

July 15th Market & CSA Update

Yet another beautiful - if hot - Saturday for touring the farmer's markets.  This week, I decided to go back to last year's habit of going to the Worthington Market first, then south the the North Market.  This is because the Worthington Market gets very crowded after 9:30, and if one can get there early, one can have a nice leisurely morning at the market.  Of course, this meant that by the time I got to the North Market, everything was practically sold out. 

Ah well, I don't plan to do very much cooking this week anyway, as the air conditioning in our house has been on vacation with no repair person available until Tuesday, and it is really too hot to think about turning the oven on after 9 in the morning.  I know, I know, probably loads of you don't have air conditioning and I shouldn't be whining, but we aren't equipped with fans everywhere to combat the hottest weekend of the year.  To be true, I wouldn't really mind so much if we did have fans everywhere - I grew up without air conditioning, although in a big farm house surrounded by breezy trees . . .

But!!  I digress as I am want to do . . . This week's CSA contained 1/2 of a giant head of cabbage (which will make a good lunch in this heat), baby beets, 1/2 dozen eggs, Swiss chard, red and white onions, a bag of salad greens, cucumbers and zucchini.  I supplemented this with black raspberries, some more kohlrabi, more of those wonderful Arbor Hill potatoes - to be boiled and eaten cold, I think, with sea salt - pattypan and sunburst squash - I have been waiting for Mead Acres to begin their crop of baby squash but I just couldn't wait any longer after eating some big pattypans raw at work; they're so sweet.  I also bought the kitties a number of catnip sachets from Pop & Judy's at the Worthington farm market - the ones I bought last year finally gave up the ghost a few months ago.  Then of course there was sweet corn, and I also got a good number of hot peppers, for making hot pepper mustard, should my kitchen ever get below 88 degrees.

Friday morning my mother and I drove out to Jacquemin Farms (they are still growing rhubarb, by the way, $2 a pound) to pick up my order of sour cherries (10 pound bucket), which I brought home and put into a clafoutis which was a total flop, much to clafoutis-loving Husbands sadness.  Will try again with a different recipe.  I also bought some honey from their farm, which is mostly from squash and sweet pea blossoms.  It is so pale and mild it is reminiscent of golden syrup.  A little honeycomb with the honey slowly melting out makes a lovely addition to a cheese plate, by the way, particularly if you have some good aged bleu - Stilton, Fourme d'Ambert, what-have-you.

And lastly, I love it when I walk past something being sold for a pittance that I've been wanting for awhile - in this case, these antique blue Ball canning jars I bought from the landscaping people at the Worthington Market for 50 cents.  Okay, now get out there and see what's available in your neck of the woods!

 

Weekend Cat Blogging - Tiny Update

Well, Wednesday saw the last of the tinies leave the nest.  We had grown so attached to Brother (seen here getting a bath from Grover Jay) that we thought about keeping him, but reason set in and we decided we had to get things back to normal - including the litter box cleaning schedule.  All of the kitties are adjusting well to their new homes, from what I hear - they have been named George, Marble, Ollie, Ed (or Memnoch, maybe), and of course Yoda.  Yoda, ironically enough, went to live with the girlfriend of a huge Star Wars fan, along with their collective Chiuaua, Golden Retriever, lizard, and who knows what else.  Yoda is apparently ruling the roost - good for her.

Our cats are settling back into the routine of fighting over who got to the window seat first and whose catnip bag is whose.  One of the neighborhood strays I take care of had a batch of kitties so I am trying to look out for her and keep her well fed; who knows, maybe we'll have another batch of tinies soon . . . but probably we'll just get back to the good old pictures of fat kitties - after being exposed to constant kitten food for the past 3 months, they are all ready for diets!!