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New Leaf Cafe

new leaf cafe

Last month for Valentine’s Day, my guy suggested we celebrate with brunch at the New Leaf Cafe in Manhattan. New Leaf Cafe is the little restaurant in Fort Tryon Park near The Cloisters, the branch of the Metropolitan Museum dedicated to art and architecture of the Middle Ages. It’s a lovely setting.

The Cafe is managed by the New York Restoration Project, founded by Bette Midler in the mid-1990s. While cleaning up the park, she and her friends came upon this little stone building from the 1930s, and decided it would be good as a restaurant. Within a few years, the New Leaf Cafe opened for business.

I had been to the Cafe years ago and had happy memories of that time – strong coffee and delicious chocolate cherry bread pudding.  I had just enjoyed a walk through the park and a brief stop in the Cloisters, with my friend Jo and her young daughter.  We wanted a little something to eat, the place was crowded hardly at all.

cafe on the hill

For brunch, though, it was packed.  Unfortunately, they don’t take reservations for brunch, so it’s best to show up as early as possible and put your name on the list.  We got there at 11:45 a.m. and were told we’d have an hour wait.  Fortunately, it ended up only being a 30 minute wait.

What I didn’t know is that the New Leaf Cafe is a sort of locavore/farm-to-table restaurant, which thrilled me!  The meats, eggs, and dairy come from within 100 miles, and come from humanely-raised, pastured animals.  Most everything was organic.  And best of all, it was fantastically delicious.

I ordered two eggs served over smoked mozzarella and roasted tomatoes and sausages.  He ordered a burger made from grass-fed beef.  So, so good.  I didn’t take any pictures during our meal; it was more important to focus on the taste of the food, the beautiful surroundings, and each other.

The beautiful space contains simple lines, lots of wood, and it reminds me a little of a combination of the spaces at Greens in San Francisco (the openness) and Chez Panisse in Berkeley (the wood and lines). Our server was wonderful as well, being helpful when needed, an being attentive without overbearing. She smiled and laughed a lot, too.

They do take reservations for meals other than brunch, thank goodness.  Do yourself a favor and have a meal at the New Leaf Cafe.  It will be a delicious and beautiful experience.

New Leaf Cafe in greener times.

Photo Credit: (cc) Susan NYC via a Creative Commons license on flickr.

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Making Mascarpone Cheese

mascarpone

This week I’m working on adapting a favorite carrot cake recipe to accommodate soaking the flour ahead of time. Soaking the flour will break down its phytic acid, making it more easily digestible. And while I was able to make other adjustments pretty easily, one sticking point was what to put on top of the cake.  The recipe calls for a cream cheese frosting, which is a perfect thing to put on a carrot cake, but it seems a shame to use a highly processed product like commercial cream cheese on top of this wonderfully earthy cake.   Fortunately, I was able to come up with an excellent solution: mascarpone cheese.

So, a little while ago, my friend Judith had a recipe of hers featured in one of the top slots on Foodbuzz.  Nearby was another featured recipe, this one for homemade mascarpone cheese.  I took a look at the recipe, and realized that I had found my solution right there!  Mascarpone is a little bit softer and creamier than cream cheese, but for my purposes, it’s perfect.

Making mascarpone at home takes a just little bit of time, and the process is pretty straightforward.  The resulting product is fresh, creamy, and delicious.  And you know exactly what you’re getting because you made it.

March 2010

Mascarpone Cheese
Adapted from a recipe from Teenie Cakes

2 cups heavy cream (I used raw cream)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Fill a saucepan with enough water so that when a heat-resistant bowl is set on top of it, the water touches the bottom of the bowl. This will be your double boiler setup.  Normally you don’t want the water to touch the upper pan, but in this case, it is desirable.

Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is at a simmer. Pour the cream into bowl, then place it on top of the saucepan. Heat the cream, stirring often with a whisk, to 190 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

Add lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently until the cream curdles. The whipping cream will become thicker and should evenly and thickly cover the back of a wooden spoon.  The curds will be very, very small, almost imperceptible; the thickening of the cream is the key.

Remove the bowl from the saucepan and cool for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, line a strainer with four layers of cheesecloth, run water over it to dampen the cheesecloth, and set the strainer over a large bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined strainer. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface. Once cooled completely, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the strainer) overnight or up to 24 hours.  The cheese will drain during this time.

The next day, remove cheese from the bowl and strainer, transferring it to another bowl. The mascarpone will be removable as once solid piece.  Stir it, and you will see how magically creamy it has become!

Make approximately 12 oz.

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Tree Pruning and the Promise of Future Fruit

pruning workshop sign

A couple of weeks ago my guy and I attended a tree pruning workshop as part of the Bronx Green-Up.

There are a number of fruit trees in our backyard that are quite overgrown and scraggly right now. They are so overgrown and scraggly that they will not efficiently bear fruit, so we won’t get to enjoy much of a harvest as a result. So, I wanted to learn how to prune the trees to improve the situation. Sure, I could ask my landlord to do it, but I thought it would be more fun to learn to do it myself.

The workshop was held at the El Girasol Garden on 138th Street. A woman named Sara Katz led the workshop. She is a community horticulturalist with the NY Botanical Garden. She educated us on basic pruning techniques, as well as why you prune and when.

So, why should we prune? Well, there are four primary reasons: 1) to increase air flow throughout the tree to avoid fungal disease, which can lead to rotting fruit; 2) to increase access to the sun by the fruit, which improves the quality of the fruit as well a their color; 3) to removed dead, diseased, and damaged branches/wood; and 4) to encourage the tree to have good form, which both pleases the eye and helps the tree remain stable and accessible.

garden through the trees

One of the things that mystified me was how to decide when to prune. Turns out late winter (right now!) is the best time to prune. When you prune in the late winter after the most intense cold has passed, the tree is less likely to sustain injury, like frostbite. Additionally, it’s just easier to see the shape and construction of the tree in winter because the leaves are all gone.

Sara gave us guidelines as to how much of the tree to prune:  never prune more than 1/3 of the living wood in any season; and it’s better to under-prune than over-prune. That being said, some trees are more vigorous than others, and can be pruned with more intensity. Stone fruit, like apricots, peaches, and plums can be pruned more aggressively than apple trees, because apricot trees grow faster than apple trees.

There are two main kinds of pruning cuts: thinning out cuts and heading back cuts. The purpose of thinning out cuts is to remove crowding in the tree, by removing a whole branch. Heading back cuts involve shortening the length of a branch, and consist of larger cuts. If done properly, the result of thinning out cuts is no new growth where the cut was made, and the result of heading back cut is to encourage growth and later fruiting from the cut point.

As far as pruning technique, clean cuts are very important.  Cut cleanly to the branch, and the tree will respond positively.  Messy cuts can cause problems later down the line.  Also, use different tools for live wood vs. dead wood: loppers and pruners for live wood, saws for dead wood.

garden sculpture

As far as tools, loppers are the pruners with a cutting tip attached to long handles.  Pruners are smaller, and fit into the hand; you often see people pruning rosebushes with these.  There are also tools with very long handles for higher reach, like to prune way up at the tippy top of the tree.

Probably the most challenging aspect of the afternoon for me was figuring out what exactly to prune.  A basic list is as follows:

  • Suckers or watersprouts. They are called watersprouts if they grow off of branches, and suckers if they grow up from the ground around the base of the tree.  They grow straight up and are pretty easy to spot.  They are vigorous growers and drain nutrients that the tree needs for fruit production.
  • Downward growing branches. They do nothing for the tree and should be removed.
  • Broken branches or stubs. Usually the result of earlier damage, such a storms, improper pruning, or a break.  Disease and/or insects use such places as an opportunity to set up shop, so it’s best to remove them.
  • Shaded interior branches. Since they won’t get much sun, the fruit they bear – if any – will be of lower quality.  Remove them.
  • Rubbing branches. When branches rub together, it injures their bark, which is an open invitation to insects or disease.  Make a heading cut (shorten the length of the branch) or simply remove one of the two branches.
  • Narrow crotches. This happens when a branch grows upwards instead of outwards.  This is not conducive to good form for the tree; the ideal crotch angle is 45-55 degrees.  Remove.
  • Competing leader. This usually occurs near the top of the tree, when a branch is allowed to grow taller than the central leader.  Such competition will cause the tree to grow unevenly, which makes the tree unstable.  A heading cut is the solution to this problem.

We now feel well-armed with knowledge and practical skills in basic tree pruning as a result of attending this workshop.  Our teacher was excellent and taught us a lot.  We look forward to pruning our fruit trees, and having an improved harvest compared to last year, which from all accounts was a meager one at best.

Future fruity NOMs are ours!

bronx sky

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Freekeh Pilaf

bowl of freekeh pilaf

I had the opportunity to order through my CSA a couple of unusual and interesting whole grains:  freekeh and farro (aka emmer wheat).  Now, farro I was familiar with, but freekeh was a little bit of a mystery. I was definitely intrigued; they arrived a few weeks ago.

Turns out, freekeh is a pretty amazing grain.  It’s known throughout the Arab world as farik, and has been around for a long time – it was recorded in an 13th century cookbook as farikiyya.  Freekeh is young wheat or spelt that is roasted or smoked just before it reaches maturity.   It looks a little like brown rice but bigger, though some say it looks like large green bulgur.

soaked freekeh grains

It is high in minerals, vitamins, and protein than many other whole grains, and four times the fiber of brown rice.  It’s also very, very low in gluten, as it is harvested before it starts to develop.

I wanted to come up with something to do with these grains.  With grains, I do three different things with them:  I soak, sprout, and ferment them.  I chose to soak the freekeh with a little bit of acid; I used raw apple cider vinegar, but lemon juice would do just fine.  The helps to break up the phytic acid, which inhibits the absorption of all those amazing minerals in the freekeh.

I remembered that when I was back in grad school I would use leftover brown rice in a throw together pilaf of sorts – the grain combined with a vegetable, some kind of dried fruit, and nuts.  It was extremely cost-efficient and filling, and most importantly, it was extremely tasty.

raw mushrooms

I wanted rich, savory flavors in my pilaf, so I chose mushrooms (umami!), and I also had dried apricots and almonds in the house, so I went with those.  The resulting combination was delicious and I loved it.  The grains are chewy and toothsome, a little sweet and nutty, and quite filling, what with all that fiber.  The mushrooms and onions add a nice savoriness, and the nuts and dried apricots add a crunchy and sweet-tang to break up the rich flavors throughout.  A very satisfying dish, overall.  I hope you like it.

freekeh pilaf

Freekeh Pilaf

1 cup dry freekeh
water for soaking, plus 1 cup for cooking
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 small red onion, diced
1 tablespoon of butter
10 oz mushroom caps, chopped
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt
2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
red wine, for deglazing
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
salt and pepper

Soak the freekeh in water and 1 teaspoon vinegar for 8-12 hours. Drain and rinse. Combine the freekeh with another cup of water in a saucepan, bring it to a boil, then cover and let cook on low heat until the freekeh has steamed and absorbed all the water.

Cook onion in butter until it caramelizes a bit. Add mushrooms to the onions, add a glug of olive oil and salt. Let the mushrooms release their juices.

Add the pressed/minced garlic to the onion-mushroom mixture. Cook until the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms start to sear. De-glaze with red wine.

Add the steamed freekeh to the mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Stir to combine. Add the slivered almonds. Stir to combine. Finally, add the chopped apricots. Stir to combine.  Let cook for another 5 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6-8.

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Real Food in the News

lacto-fermented veggies

I was made aware of an article on CNN yesterday about a “real food challenge” this past February, declared by traditional food blogger Jennifer McGruther of Nourished Kitchen (as I write this, her site is down, no doubt from all the traffic from CNN!).  The month-long project challenged readers to eat real food for a month.

Part of the process was a pantry purge, which threw some people for a loop.  Out went packaged food (organic or not), refined oils, white flour and sugar, low- and non-fat dairy, and dried pasta (and presumably refined grains in general).  In went whole grains and flours (to be prepared traditionally by soaking), plenty of seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables, pastured meats, lacto-fermented vegetables, and food cooked in traditional fats.

One reader commented, after starting the project , “I thought we ate healthy.”   I can remember feeling similarly when I started eating a more traditional diet.  Wasn’t low-fat the way to go?!?  It’s particularly jarring, yet freeing, to understand that eating traditional fats – including saturated fats like butter and lard – is a good thing.  Not only are these fats extremely tasty (aka NOM-able), add flavor to your food, but your body will be able to better absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K than if you maintain a very low-fat diet.

One part of the article I found a little questionable was the reaction of registered dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner, who is also an American Dietetic Association representative. Her statement, “Processed food is defined as any food that has undergone a change of character. For example, edamame would be unprocessed, and tofu would be processed.” is silly. Technically yes – tofu is processed. But tofu is not considered “processed” in the same way things like Fruit Rollups and TV dinners are: full of refined sugars, mineral-depleted salt, and ingredients that require a solid understanding of phonics to pronounce correctly. Home canned garden tomatoes are also technically “processed” in a water bath, but not “processed” like commercial ketchup.  To confuse the two is short sighted at best, and misleading at worst.

Anyway, it was nice to see traditional food get some (fairly positive) attention from the MSM.  The concept of “slow food” has become more common on the cultural tongue, but “traditional food” is less so, even though I believe they are related concepts. I think the article is a help, and it’s good to have someone speak well on the issue, to give another perspective at to what “healthy” is – we still have a real bias against things like saturated fats in our culture, and  I won’t even start on the debate about raw vs. pasteurized milk (that’s for a later post).

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

An inconvenient challenge: Eat ‘real food’ for a month
By Madison Park, CNN
March 2, 2010 — Updated 1801 GMT (0201 HKT)

(CNN) — The task set by a food blogger seemed deceptively simple: Eat real food for a month.

More than 900 people signed up for the challenge, and some were confident that it would not be difficult to avoid processed foods for 28 days.

But in the age of potato powders, cheese in a squirt can and microwaveable meals, eating only “real food” turned out to be much more difficult.

On Day One of the challenge, blogger Jennifer McGruther gave this instruction: Purge your pantry of processed foods.

Find the rest of the article here.

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Sprouted Lentil Soup

sprouted lentil soup

So, last week I showed you how to sprout lentils, and also mentioned how they make for a delicious sprouted lentil soup.  I made such a soup last week; it was a perfect dish for a cold winter night, and my household enjoyed it immensely.

The original recipe specifies using lentils du puy, a lovely little french lentil.  To be honest, I’ve never tried sprouting these lentils, but I think it would be worth a shot.  I used brown lentils, which are more common.

My favorite moment when making this soup is toward the beginning of the cooking process.  Onions, leeks, and garlic cook with thyme and cumin, and it smells amazing.  They don’t call them aromatics for nothing!  I feel like I could eat just that sometimes.

onions, carrots, celery

The soup recipe came from an old copy of Food & Wine, in an article about Bobbi Brown, the founder of the cosmetics company bearing her name.  She originally got the recipe from the  Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

I halved the recipe; a full recipe will make 8 pints of soup!  You can, of course, double what I indicate below, as it would be an excellent way to feed an army of people.  This soup tastes even better the day after.  It also freezes beautifully.  Enjoy with a red wine of your choice (perhaps the same kind you put in the soup).

Sprouted Lentil Soup
adapted from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

1/2 pound sprouted lentils
a generous glug of olive oil, plus more for serving
1 large onion
2 medium garlic cloves
3 large leeks, whited and tender green parts only, chopped
celtic sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 tablespoon chopped thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 celery ribs, cut into 1/4 inch dice
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock or water
1 pint crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons dry red wine
freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving

Heat the olive oil in a large pot.  Add the onions, garlic, leeks, 1/2 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, the thyme and cumin, and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender, 15-20 minutes.

Add the celery and carrots and cook until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes.  Ad the stock/water, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and sprouted lentils to the pot.  Increase the heat to high, cover and bring to a boil. Uncover, reduce the heat to moderate and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about an hour.

Stir in the red wine and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of parmesan.

Makes 8 cups.

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Sprouting Lentils

I love sprouting lentils.  It’s easy to do, fun to watch the lentils grow their little sprout tails, and by doing this their nutritional value gets a big boost.  Sprouting also makes them easier to digest by neutralizing the phytic acid, which is found in all grains and seeds.  Additionally, sprouted lentils provide two amino acids – methionine and cystine – that unsprouted lentils do not.

Throughout history, sprouting has been a traditional treatment of seeds and grains prior to eating.  The Chinese knew about the benefits of sprouting centuries ago, sprouting mung beans in order to prevent scurvy (germinated seeds contain vitamin C ).  In the West, myriad beers were made from sprouted grains.

lentils under water

lentils after first soaking

Your lentils must be organic; conventionally grown lentils will not sprout.  Sprouting should only take a couple of days from start to finish.  I like to use a colander as the vessel for my lentil sprouting.  Here is a reasonable timeline:

  • In the evening put the lentils in a bowl and cover with water.
  • The next morning, rinse the lentils in a colander, and shake out as much water as you can.  Leave the lentils in the colander, and place it on a plate covered with a towel.  Cover the lentils with another towel and set someplace where the lentils will be undisturbed.
  • That evening, repeat the process.  The next morning, repeat the process.
  • That evening, your lentils should have little sprouts coming out of them!

You can repeat this for a couple more days, depending on how long you want the sprouts to be.  For lentils, it’s best for the sprouts to be no longer than a quarter inch.

rinsed lentils

baby sprouts

So, how do they taste?  As delicious as unsprouted lentils.  Just like with any legume, it’s best to not eat them raw.  They are great lightly steamed, or used in my favorite way, in delicious sprouted lentil soup.

Happy sprouting!

sprouts up close