Valentines

So DJ and I are not huge Valentines Day people, but we go out once a week so we thought why not Sunday. Also our favorite Mexican place, Que Chula Es Puebla, was having their one year anniversary with live mariachi and 10% off. After the pm we walked over. To our dismay, the place was packed and the "live mariachi" was actually a guy in a sombrero singing karaoke way too loud! Needless to say we were disappointed and hungry. So we walked back home to regroup. After realizing that several of our regular options were closed, we decided on Dos Segundos in No. Libs. I had the chicken chimichanga and DJ had the goat burrito. With the addition of an enormous amount of complimentary chips, we were stuffed. Sadly they didn't have flan, but otherwise this was a great v-day dinner together.

I'll be home for hummus

After weeks sampling the gamut of store bought hummus, DJ and I decided to make our own. Here is the recipe that we followed.

1 can of chick peas
4 tbs of tahini ( sesame paste)
2 limes (we used instead of lemons because that is what we had)
cloves of roasted garlic to taste
1 tbs of cumin (or less if you want)
3 tbs of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

in a food processor puree the drained chickpeas. Add some of the water from the can if needed. In a separate bowl mix the tahini, lime juice, and garlic. Add into the processor. While it is running, gradually add in the oil. Lastly, add the spices and any other flavors you'd like. I was roasting peppers from the Frankford garden, locally grown garlic, and pine nuts in some Italian seasoning to put over pasta. I made a little extra and put into the hummus.

This hummus is better than any we have bought. It also makes more than the larger containers that sell for $4+ at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. This hummus cost under $2. The initial investment for tahini is around $4, but it lasts.

A Sustainable Weekend.

Despite working this weekend, I have not had a weekend off in quite some time, Jill and I were able to do some great things together. Friday evening the Circle of Hope Urban Farm Team presented a screening of King Corn. The team brought produce to sell for a donation. We scored some great peppers and eggplants.

King Corn is a good starting place if you are at all interested in why buying local and cooking at home is a good idea. King Corn is a documentary made by some young college grads trying to see where their food comes from. They discover that it all starts in Iowa, and decide to give agri-business a try. The movie is a good place to start, but there are a few books I'd read instead; Michael Pollan's Omnivores Dilemma and Wendell Berry's The Unsettling of America.

Saturday after work I finally was able to use the eggplant that I picked up the week before. One of my favorite meals has always been Eggplant Parmesan, but I had never made it. Saturday I decided to take a stab at this dish. It turned out well. I used a modified recipe from the Betty Crocker Cook Book. The breading was made from organic farm fresh eggs, home made bread crumbs, and hormone/anti-biotic free milk. Jill always freezes the heals of bread, or those last few old pieces of bread you can't really make a sandwich out of to make croutons or bread crumbs. This is a good idea.

The weekend together ended on Sunday as Jill and I made it to the Headhouse Market.

BBQ Okra

Saturday morning I received a call from work saying don't come in today. While this inevitably will make my paycheck much smaller, it afforded me the possibility of making it to the Saturday Headhouse Farmer's Market. The Saturday market is much smaller than the Sunday market and includes a craft fair. The Sunday market is more crowded but there are many more growers and artisanal cheeses and breads. But it was Saturday, and rather than dealing with the crowds at Reading Terminal, I made my way down to 2nd and Lombard.

One thing about the Food Trust markets that I really like is that I can get farm fresh eggs, at about the same price as organic eggs at the grocery store. I like to know where my food comes from. A grower at the Sunday Market comes down to Philly from about 35 miles from my home town in Central Pa.

It was Saturday and pickin's weren't slim, but there wasn't a lot to choose from. I was sad that Tom Colton wasn't there. I guess he only comes to town for the Sunday market. Tom is a great guy, but he wasn't there. However, I was able to get some heirloom red okra from a grower from Blackbird Heritage Farm, and some cheese from an Amish farmer from Lancaster County.

Last night I was able to get to the okra. I will confess, I've never been a big fan of okra, but Jill is. I just never had it prepared right. The times I had, had the okra it was generally deep fried and at the Cracker Barrel with my family (note I do not like the Cracker Barrel or most chain restaurants). I thought I'd try something different.

One of my friends once said you really only need to learn to make two or three dishes, and riff off of those your whole life. I tend to follow this advice. Most things I make have either a BBQ/Chili base, a curry base, or some sort of Italian base. I decided to go with the BBQ for the Okra. It turned out pretty well. The BBQ sauce I make is a tomato based sauce, cooked down with salt, pepper, chili powder, some sort of hot sauce, and whatever varety of mustard we have in the house. I also throw a bit of sugar or maple syrup in. We ate this with some corn over brown rice with pita on the side to eat with.