Traditional Food and Drink – Page 4

February 8, 2012

I’m On the Alphabet Soup Podcast!

At the end of January, I met up with my friend Autumn (of Autumn Makes & Does) to chat about food, Queens, and urban gardening for her Alphabet Soup podcast, which is “a podcast about food & words.” I had a great time talking with her and we explored many topics, including the secret fruit trees of Queens, my years as a vegetarian, preserving produce with lacto fermentation, water kefir, creativity, my love of teaching.

We also ventured into commentary about social and political issues as they relate to food. It was a nice, relaxing time, and I think we both enjoyed ourselves. The podcast is a little over an hour.

I hope you get a chance to listen. I was struck by how much – at least to my ears – I sound like I’m from the West coast still, after 10 years in New York. I wonder what my friends from high school would think of my accent. I’m still amused by my story about becoming a vegetarian, too.

Check out the podcast here:

Episode 9, Meg Cotner (here’s the mp3 audio file)

You can also listen on iTunes.

Thanks so much, Autumn. I had a blast!

February 6, 2012February 6, 2012

What I’ve Learned While Making Cheese

As you would know from my Harmonious Belly Facebook page, I’ve embarked on a cheese making project. It’s one of those things I promised myself I’d explore in the new year, and I’m really glad I kept that promise. It, among all my recent projects, has been the most humbling.

I’ve made what can only be described as beginner’s mistakes. But I have developed a certain appreciation for the trips and falls I’ve made, and forgiven myself for them – it’s been a big learning experience.

Now, I’ve only attempted to make cheese twice now – a batch of ricotta and a ball of fresh mozzarella. Both are fresh cow’s milk cheeses, and both are what I originally considered to be beginner cheese making projects – in my mind, that meant “easy.” Perhaps for some people it is easy, but for me it wasn’t – in that I did not attain the desired result. The cheeses were certainly edible, but they didn’t take the form or texture that I desired.

So, here are some of the things I’ve learned so far during cheese making.

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January 31, 2012January 31, 2012

Beyond Kombucha

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Beyond Kombucha office and brewery. They are located right here in Astoria and are producing a lot of kombucha in their relatively small space. The visit was both educational and fun, plus I got to try some different flavors, all of which were delicious.

As I walked to their office from the train, I totally missed the entrance to the space! It’s actually located in the back of a parking lot in amongst a bunch of other small industrial spaces and warehouses; more specifically, the space is located below the Rent-a-Center in Astoria.

Once I figured out where they were exactly, with help from Liz (Beyond Kombucha’s Project Co-ordinator) on the phone and a couple of nice guys in the parking lot, I descended the stairs to the office. As I did, the aroma of kombucha hit me – that lovely sour smell I like so much. I met Liz and Spiro, the founder of the company, and Liz took me on a tour.

First, we visited the room containing the second fermentation vessel and the final vat for the kombucha ale, but we then realized it would be better to start where the kombucha itself was brewing. That room currently contains wooden barrels brewing vanilla rooibos tea as well as a “SCOBY farm” – lots of large jars containing SCOBYs. I have to admit, the idea of a SCOBY farm is pretty cool.

I love the look of the wooden vessels brewing the vanilla rooibos for the Mava Roka, Beyond Kombucha’s own kombucha ale. Yes, you heard that right! Beer!

I believe these are oak barrels in which they are brewing the vanilla rooibos.

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January 25, 2012January 24, 2012

My First Oysters

Yesterday, I tried my first oysters ever. I’d been squeamish about them for a long time, but they were presented to me and I knew this was the time to try them. I’m really glad I did. They tasted like the sea!

Oysters are quite nutrient dense. They have a lot of iron, tons of Vitamin B12, and a huge amount of zinc. They are also an excellent source of calcium.

Like with most sea food, I liked them with fresh lemon juice. I also like spicy things, so a drop of hot sauce also went really well. I know I could be a purist and eat them with nothing, but as a newbie, I wanted a little help. I’ll try them solo another time.

I will admit, we found opening the oysters a little challenging. We had an oyster knife, and I can totally see why you’d use something like that, as opposed to a regular paring knife. It’s got a thick blade with a curved tip, shaped to dig in and pry apart the oyster. We found it challenging, still, to open them – those suckers really don’t want to be disturbed.

We had a great time eating the oysters. It can take a lot of effort getting these guys pried open, which makes eating them even more satisfying. We had to work hard to get our food!

Here’s to more oysters in my future.

January 18, 2012January 15, 2012

Astoria’s Butcher Bar

In late December, I stopped by Butcher Bar, a new spot in Astoria focusing on local, organic, and grass-fed/pastured meats. It’s part butcher shop, part barbecue restaurant. The barbecue is pretty dang good, but I must admit that it’s the butcher shop aspect that excites me the most. I order most of my meats through my CSA or online, so it’s really cool to have a place I can just walk to if I want some fresh pastured meats.

While I was there, I got into a conversation with the owner, Matthew Katakis, about the shop and his reasons for opening it. Essentially, he came to understand that grass-fed/pastured meats are superior in many ways, and felt that now was the time to bring them to Astoria. I agree with him on all points, and am particularly happy to see someone who is so much a part of the community doing this. The people behind Butcher Bar are the same ones behind Pita Pan, a popular Greek spot on 30th Ave in Astoria.

They head upstate every Monday and visit the farms and pick up their meat. This allows them to have a closer relationship with the people that raise the meat, and since a lot of the farms are local, the meat fresher. They also work with Heritage Foods, and stock D’Artagnan products. Across the board, they are sourcing from places that humanely raise their animals, which is important to me.

The sell a number of cuts, some whole and some of the meat is ground up. I hear from very reliable sources that the “Bob’s Burger” is fabulous – 80/20 brisket and… bacon. The delicious smokey bacon fat melts into the rest of the meat and makes for a real taste sensation.

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January 16, 2012January 15, 2012

Making Wine Vinegar

One of the things I wanted to explore this year, is making vinegar. Imagine my delight when I learned that it takes almost no time and starting it only takes a few ingredients: wine, water, and raw vinegar (for a starter).

Above is what I used to start my batch of vinegar – 1 cup of leftover wine, 4 Tbs raw apple cider vinegar, and a vessel in which to make it (wide mouth mason jar). I was sure to add very hot water to the jar and swirl it around to make sure it was a clean and sterile space. I also added 1 cup of water.

There’s now about 6 layers of cheesecloth over the opening, secured with a rubber band, and I’ve wrapped the jar in a tea towel. It’s now sitting on my kitchen counter in a far corner that gets no direct light.

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January 10, 2012January 10, 2012

An Afternoon of Fermented Foods

Last week, I went over to the my friend Denise’s home for a mid-afternoon snack and chat. Little did I know how awesome an afternoon it was going to be, full of fermented foods. We ate a number of kimchis, had some pancakes made with kimchi, and enjoyed a fermented soda. She did a great job making the fermented products, and got me all excited again about making ferments.

The first kimchi I tasted was a water kimchi. This is a lesser-known kimchi in the US (I’m really familiar with the cabbage kimchi), and is very light. She made it with primarily some kind of leafy green.

Next was a kimchi made from butternut squash. The squash was not cooked beforehand, but you’d never know it – the squash was soft but not without substance. It was a little sweet, a little savory. Really wonderful!

The final kimchi I tasted was the kind I’m used to – cabbage kimchi with ginger, garlic, hot peppers, etc, though not made with napa cabbage. It was very good. We used some of the juice in the mung bean pancakes.

Then I tasted a bit of this corn salsa she made back in the late summer. Wowza, it was delicious! I am going to make this next year.

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