The other day I went to the farmers market with my boyfriend and we bought a huge bunch of basil. I have found that since herbs are usually sold as a huge bunch for a very low price, it is worth only buying 1 or 2 types at a time. A lot of recipes include a few herbs at a time, but in order to not let any go to waste, I have had to scrap my fantasies of multiple herb salads while only cooking for two. Instead, I have just started putting the herb of the week into everything I make. Sometimes the combinations are matches made in heaven, while other times you find that you don’t like the way certain herbs accent other flavors. However, in the end, you end up learning what goes well with what by taste. And you don’t have any waste. For example, in the beginning of the summer, I found Apple Mint at the market. I was fascinated by the new herb and bought the bunch. It was so much mint that I did not know what to do with it, so I just started throwing it into everything. We ate it in salad with tomatoes, on fish, in mojitos, in everything. I loved its flavor, but when I finally used the rest up in an ice cream I had discovered my favorite use for it. Apple Mint Ice Cream was my great success for the month of July.
This week our intensive herb was basil. I have been using a leaf or two as a garnish for everything, but last night it appeared in almost every dish. For cocktail hour I made a basil- cucumber mojito. Along with the drinks I prepared a ceviche with fresh Stonington, CT scallops (local for me). I cut the scallops in half both ways and set them in lemon and lime juice with a hint of garlic to “cook” in the acid. After about an hour and a half, I seasoned them well with salt and mixed them with diced heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, and thinly sliced basil. Following that we had cantaloupe melon with feta cheese from Beltane Farm and basil chiffonade. And of course for our main dish there was a side of pasta with a classic pesto. I love basil, but what I love more is learning about what it goes well with and what it does not. There is no shame in throwing an herb in something and later realizing that it was not the best choice. The reward of learning all of the flavor nuances of the herbs is much greater than wasting Summer’s verdant bounty.

"I'm quite convinced that cooking is the only alternative to filmmaking"

-Werner Herzog

I had been wanting to see Les Blank's short film "Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe" (1980) for quite some time. I like the title, I like Les Blank, I like Werner Herzog.... Well I finally saw it yesterday and was thrilled by what I discovered. Do you know where Werner Herzog cooks his shoe before he eats it? Chez Panisse. Assisted by none other than Alice Waters, who helps him soak his shoe in duck fat before putting it in the pot. Brilliant. And he really does eat it.

Back in May, Katie (my roommate) and I enthusiastically signed up for a half-share at the Kensington/Windsor Terrace CSA in Brooklyn. The pickups started in late June. With a half-share you are supposed to pick up your veggies every other week, but restless/busy/weekend booked as I have been this summer, this was the first Saturday that I was able to be the one to go pick up our vegetables.

And I will report, that I had so much fun! It was a fantastic week. We got purslane, and corn, tomatoes of every color, purple basil, fennel... yum. And beautiful. Everything looked so delicious that Katie and Nick (other roommate) and I decided to have an impromptu dinner party to celebrate our CSA booty.  Svetlana, Tom and Sarah who are in town from LA came, along with Brandon, one of Nick's new friends from medical school. We had a huge salad, with the fennel, purslane and tomatoes-- we added some other farmer's market goodies like peaches and feta too.  And we also made purple basil pesto with walnuts. It did not look as purple all ground up, but it was still tasty. 

For dessert I made a peach crumble, and we had ice cream with an assortment of fun toppings (toasted nuts, coconut, raw cacao powder, sprinkles, creme fraiche) for mini-sundaes. We also discovered something sort of naughty, well I don't know if that's the right word-- but I accidentally had some of the creme fraiche on a bite with my vanilla ice cream. I know it sounds like a little much, but I will go on record as saying that I liked it better than whipped cream. 

Assuming I will be here for more CSA pickups (I already know I'm going to be in San Francisco for Slow Food Nation next one) we want to have more CSA dinners. Everything is so fresh and delicious-- so much better eaten right away and shared with friends.

Food is all around us. Last weekend, Emma and I went to Shohola, Pennsylvania. We are working on a local eating project with Leda Meredith and Ellen Zachos, so we went over to Ellen’s country house to explore our region more in depth.
Upon arrival Friday afternoon we immediately headed out again for a bit of watercress foraging. It is so great to hang out with Leda and Meredith, because you constantly are learning how to identify edible wild foods and fun tips for their uses in cooking. When I am around them it feels like everything is edible. It was amazing for me to see watercress growing in the wild- so pristine, vibrant, and green.
Friday night we were treated to delicious local-beef hamburgers grilled to perfection by Ellen's husband, Michael. Boy oh boy- were we in for a treat, because Ellen and Michael had just returned from New Mexico and had brought with them some green chiles. Emma and I are really dreaming about New Mexico these days, so we were delighted to have some of what- is- local-there on our on our local-here burger. I must add that while Michael was out manning the grill, us ladies made up a new cocktail- the Pennsylvania Pirate- a Shohola-Caribbean crossover with Elderflower Champagne, Brugal Rum, and muddled mint. That became the beverage of choice for our cocktail hours.
Saturday morning we went to the farmers market and bought our missing supplies: cheese, fingerling potatoes, eggs (hen eggs and guinea fowl eggs too!), plums, and purslane. After the market we headed over across the street and picked blueberries and blackberries like little bears for a few hours. We spent Saturday afternoon filming tips and techniques for our local eating month, so that all of our viewers learn how to store up for Winter on local foods. One of those techniques was preserving blueberries without sugar- one you should all stay tuned for (hint hint). Saturday night we had a special dinner, which everyone will learn about soon, made with 100% local ingredients. My favorite was the fingerlings cooked in duck fat. Yum.
On Sunday morning we wrapped everything up and sat down for a final lunch. One of Ellen’s farmers had given us some lamb sausage with paprika and parsley, which we through in the skillet. Ellen was generous and opened up a bunch of her chutneys: apple and chipotle, pear and ginger, and tomato, lemon, and ginger.
What I loved about the weekend was that I had a role in where my food came from. I had learned how to forage for watercress, and eaten the results in a salad. I had met the woman who sells the eggs and fowl at the market, and as a result I had faith in how those ingredients had been raised. I know that I can eat hot oatmeal in the Winter topped with local blueberries that I had picked myself. This is going to be an ongoing theme from now on, as we work more on learning how delicious local foods are.

A couple of weeks back my roommate Katie's friend Daniel from college came to stay with us. He is working at Hill and Hollow Farm, a biodynamic farm in Kentucky, and brought with him this beautiful red cornmeal that they grow on his farm. I'd never seen anything like it, but it was even better when he turned it into a delicious cornbread, the recipe for which he kindly shared (and it's posted here)... Oh how we love handy houseguests!

I am going to let everyone in on a little secret recipe I am working on. It is a local version of Cobb Salad. I never really liked Cobb Salad, but when you use local ingredients, you have to give everything a second try. This all started because I happened upon Avocado Squash at the Union Square Greenmarket one day. I have to admit that I often lament the fact that avocados are not a local ingredient. Their smooth texture and richly subtle flavor are one of a kind. But these Avocado Squash that I found are actually quite comparable and make a great substitute. Lately I have been going loca (sorry, I am a bit cheesy at heart)brainstorming all of the things that I can make with avocados using local ingredients. I am going to publish my recipe during September's local eating month, but I wanted to let everyone in on what is going into it. Red leaf lettuce provides the base of the dish, chicken is simmered in some aromatics, creating a tasty soft meat, Avocado Squash are roasted until nice and soft, purple peppers are thrown in for their awesome color, heirloom tomatoes are sliced and added in, and local blue cheese adds a salty crumble. I am not going to share with you my secret recipe for salad dressing, nor the hidden spice that makes this extra special. You must all stay tuned for early September when we can enjoy the harvest at its peak.

This week Sophia and I went to Washington, DC to film an interview with Senator Harkin. We talked about the Farm Bill, farmer's markets and the importance of eating locally. The interview will air next month as part of our Local Eating Month. Throughout the month of September we will be posting recipes, videos, tips and techniques for ways to bring local foods into your daily life.

After we filmed the interview we went to Adams Morgan and had macchiatos at Tryst, mojitos at Bossa and mezze at Meze... Very indulgent, but we had a lot of college culinary memories to fit into one short afternoon.

Yesterday Emma and I did a demonstration at the Cortelyou Road Greenmarket. The neighborhood was great, with everyone smiling and saying hello to one another. It really felt like a nice community. We were happy that despite the rain (and hail!), people came out to get their fruits and veggies. For the demo we made Corn on the Cob with Fresh Herb Oil, as well as Sweet Apricots with Mint. Both are simple recipes that just combine herbs with fresh produce. We hope to make it out there again in the near future, so we will keep you posted.

At the farmer's market in Cooperstown (I went there with my mom two weekends ago) there is a woman who sells pies and only pies. Small, medium and large. The pies are hearty looking because they are made with whole wheat flour, but she stamps delicate floral patterns around their edges so they are elegant too. Behind her booth are photos of a wheat field and a man plowing. The man is her husband, he grows the wheat for her pies and she turns it into flour. I asked her if they had any flour for sale, and she said "no, he only grows enough for my pies." I felt quite taken by that notion.

After a wonderful week in Istanbul, my family traveled south to the town of Kucukkuyu on the Aegean coast. I say we traveled south, but in order to get here, we actually drove west around the Marmara Sea on the European side, and then took a ferry across the Dardanelles to arrive here. I had learned about the strategic importance of the Dardanelle Straits when I was in high school, and about Russia’s efforts to take them from Turkey. I guess back then I could not quite grasp how important this body of water really was. But being here now, and traveling through the narrow waterway, that opens up the door to Asia like a key, I have a newfound wonder at Turkey’s geographical position.
Anyway, as I have already mentioned, we are settled in a small seaside village called Kuçukkuyu. My cousins have an apartment here, which they have owned for more than 10 years. Rumor has it that this area has the best food in Turkey, due to its abundance of fresh produce. The area is well known for its olives, and there are groves covering the landscape. It is also famous for its tomatoes, and we have managed to eat them at every meal. We eat them sliced for breakfast, along with cucumbers, olives, and cheese. They are a permanent fixture at lunch and dinner in çoban salatasi, a “Shepard” salad, with chopped tomato, zucchini, and peppers, as well as a myriad of other stews and sauces. The area is also famous for their Ezine cheese, a strong-flavored goats milk cheese, which is served in triangular slices at every meal.
One thing that I like about Turkish cuisine is the combination of flavors and textures that balance each other out: salty and sweet, crunchy and soft, etc. For example, watermelon is often eaten here combined with white cheese. It is a very simple preparation: watermelon slices are served next to slices of the salty semi- soft cheese. Not only does it combine salty and sweet, but also crisp and smooth. Many people have been putting out recipes of this type of dish, as it has become a popular combination also in the States. I just read this one for Watermelon Salad with Feta or Cotija at Simply Recipes. But don't worry about needing any additional ingredients- do like the Turks do: simple slices of watermelon and white (feta) cheese side by side.