Editor’s Note: In 2012 one of our main goals is to help our readers get back in the kitchen cooking seasonally inspired meals for themselves and their families. Welcome to Back to the Kitchen, our seasonal, home cooking series where you will find tried and true recipes and techniques using locally sourced and sustainable ingredients.

By Jennifer Spaide

Frittatas are a quick and easy way to serve up a tasty meal that makes use of leftovers.  You can use any veggies on hand, but seasonal leafy greens, like kale, add a nice heartiness, as does the addition of leftover whole wheat spaghetti (although any type of pasta or grain would do).  Be sure to use an oven-proof sauté pan as moving effortlessly from stovetop to oven is key to your frittata’s success.

Make a frittata to turn leftovers into a quick meal.

Kale & Spaghetti Frittata

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1. 8 large eggs
2. ¼ cup milk or water
3. ½ red onion, chopped
4. 2 cups cooked kale, coarsely chopped
5. 2 cups whole wheat spaghetti, coarsely chopped
6. 1 cup gruyere* cheese, grated

Leftover cooked kale and spaghetti plus some freshly chopped red onion add flavor, texture, color and nutrition to this dish.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚.
2. Whisk the eggs and milk together, along with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Set aside.
3. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Drizzle in two tablespoons of olive oil.  Add the onions and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until translucent.
4. Add the greens and pasta, and mix well.
5. Pour in the whisked eggs and stir gently to distribute evenly.  Sprinkle the cheese on top.  Cook the frittata on the stovetop for 3-5 minutes, until the eggs have started to set on the bottom and around the edges.
6. 

   Add the egg and stir, top with cheese,cook until it's set on the bottom, then put it in the oven to finish cooking.

   Transfer your sauté pan to the preheated oven and bake until golden on top and set all the way through, about 10 more minutes.

7. 

   The frittata is done when it's set up (no runny egg) and golden on top.

   Remove pan from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before gently sliding your frittata out onto a serving platter.  Slice and serve.

*Feel free to substitute the gruyere for cheddar, goat, feta, or any other cheese you prefer.

Kale frittata is a quick, healthy, and delicious one-skillet meal.

Jennifer Spaide is a natural foods chef, writer, and mother. Spaide received her Masters in Human Nutrition at Columbia University and attended culinary school at The Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. Jennifer grew up with an innate appreciation for fresh-from-the-garden foods and wants to share that passion with others. Her online magazine, Simplicious, gives readers fresh recipes that are healthy and easy to prepare, bites of tasty information that help bring health into the home, and breaks down complex topics into easily digestible table-talk that even the kids will understand. In addition to her magazine, Spaide maintains a bi-monthly column in the New Canaan Advertiser, and continues to work as a freelance writer and recipe developer. www.simpliciousmag.com.

By Analiese Paik

A steaming pot of beans means endless mealtime possibilities including a snack of beans topped with grated cheese.

It’s time celebrate the bean. This lowly legume has a reputation as peasant food, but it’s a comfort food in our house and my go-to solution for quick meals. Beans are easy to cook and will come out great if you follow my Golden Rules. Once cooked, beans are both versatile and delicious. Serve them as a side dish with pork, a main dish with rice and a vegetable, in a burrito, as soup, and in chili.

I suppose beans got their peasant reputation from being relatively inexpensive compared to other proteins. With all of us watching our budgets, figuring out ways to serve family-friendly meals on Meatless Mondays, and searching for leftovers that actually reheat well day after day, reaching for beans is a no-brainer. Additionally, groundbreaking research has revealed that the iron in beans is more readily absorbed by the body than iron supplements or the iron found in meat, making it a top food choice for anyone suffering from iron deficiency, the most common nutrient deficiency worldwide and the most common nutrient deficiency in children.

Besides the superior taste and texture of home-cooked beans, they’re also healthier than canned beans containing bisphenol-A (BPA) in their linings. BPA is a known endocrine disruptor commonly found in the lining of canned foods and made headlines when it was banned in baby bottles and sippy cups in 10 US states. Some companies, like Eden Foods, never put BPA in their liners. It’s not just canned beans that can expose you to BPA, it’s all canned foods. Prevention Magazine recently published a list of 7 Foods That Should Never Cross Your Lips and canned tomatoes topped the list because their linings contain BPA and the acidic nature of tomates causes it to leach. Choose jarred tomatoes instead, a product available at farmers’ markets. Visit this post on TreeHugger for a list of retailers and food manufacturers that use BPA-free cans.

Don’t wait for the FDA to finish its “in-depth studies” in order to make a determination about whether to ban BPA on March 31; take steps to avoid it now. Canada declared BPA toxic in 2010 and regulates its use in food and consumer products. The FDA is way behind as usual. This excerpt from the FDA’s website should get you motivated to avoid canned food with BPA in their liners (you will not find any such information on the cans.)

“….both the National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health and FDA have some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children. In cooperation with the National Toxicology Program, FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research is carrying out in-depth studies to answer key questions and clarify uncertainties about the risks of BPA.”

Now, back to making beans. Follow these simple rules and you won’t go wrong. Beans are cheapest when purchased in bulk and one of the widest selections is available in the bulk aisle at Whole Foods Market, including an enticing line of heirloom beans from Cayuga Pure Organics in New York state.

The Golden Rules of Cooking Beans

1. Always soak dried beans overnight in water.
2. Always rinse beans before cooking.
3. Never boil beans or they will crack and break.
4. Always skim off the foam that rises to the top.
5. Never add salt until they are tender.
6. Do not drain excess cooking water after the beans are done.
7. Season beans with aromatics and spices during or after cooking.

Anyone who wants to quibble about my Golden Rules is welcome to comment below. There’s scientific research and/or common sense behind each one, not to mention firsthand experience!

Basic Bean Recipe

Homemade burritos start with a pot of beans and can be as simple as this version with roasted and peeled Poblano chiles, a dusting of Beaver Brook Farm's raw, aged sheep's milk cheese (Pleasant Valley) and a splash of sriracha sauce on a whole wheat organic tortilla.

Time: overnight soaking plus at least 2 hours for cooking

Servings: 6-8 as a main dish, 12 as a side dish or snack

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups dried beans – black, pinto, cannellini, navy, or heirloom varietal

Preparation:

1. Measure out beans, place in a single layer on a cutting board or sheet pan, and remove any damaged beans or foreign objects. The light background of a cutting board provides a contrast that makes this easier.
2. Rinse the beans, place them in a medium bowl and cover  with cold water until it rises above the level of the beans by 4 inches. They beans will absorb the water and expand to fill the bowl. Leave them undisturbed overnight or at least 6 hours.
3. When ready to cook the beans (within 24 hours of beginning the soak), drain and rinse them, then place them in a cast iron French Oven (Le Creuset) or other sturdy pot with a lid that’s large enough to hold the beans and enough water to cover them by 2 inches.
4. Add cold water to cover the beans by 2 inches, cover with a lid, and turn heat to medium to bring it to a boil. Once the beans reach a full boil, immediately remove the lid and turn the heat down to a low simmer.
5. Take a metal or wooden spoon and skim the foam that rises to the top of the beans. Optional: If you wish to add aromatics like onion, celery and carrots to the pot, now’s the time. Just tie them up in a piece of cheesecloth so you can easily remove them when the beans are done. Add a fresh habanero or dried chipotle to the pot for a simple seasoning. Dried, ground chiles like Anchos, make a delicious addition along with some ground cumin and Mexican oregano.
6. Cook uncovered at barely a simmer until beans are soft, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on the bean. The beans should remain covered with water so add some fresh, cold water if necessary.
7. When the beans are tender, add salt and taste. Add more salt as necessary to bring out their flavor.
8. Serve with rice and a vegetable for lunch or dinner; spoon into a tortilla and top with roasted peppers, aged or fresh cheese, and some hot sauce to make a burrito; or spoon into a bowl and top with cheese for a quick snack. To make soup, remove and puree half the beans or puree the entire pot with an immersion blender.
9. Store leftover beans in their cooking liquid. When you reheat the beans, this liquid is your insurance against dried out or burned beans. Beans freeze well!

Editor’s Note: In 2012 one of our main goals is to help our readers get back in the kitchen cooking seasonally inspired meals for themselves and their families. Welcome to Back to the Kitchen, our seasonal, home cooking series where you will find tried and true recipes and techniques using locally sourced and sustainable ingredients.

By Jennifer Spaide

Don't be put off by celeriac's gnarly appearance. It's delicious raw, boiled or roasted.

Celery root, or celeriac, is the root of the wild celery plant, a cousin of the celery stalk we all know and love.  Its white flesh is earthy and mildly herbaceous, with undertones of celery, and offers a good source of vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C and potassium.

While it is similar in size and shape to a turnip, celery root’s knobby, gnarly appearance often lands it in the unwanted bin. But given its versatility and ease of preparation,  celeriac deserves a spot in our farmers’ market bag or grocery cart. Celeriac is delicious eaten raw- grated into slaws, salads, and remoulades.  It is also a wonderful alternative (or accompaniment) to potatoes- roasted, mashed, or used in gratins, soups and stews.

This hash is a stepped-up version of the diner standard.  While it’s delicious alongside your morning eggs, it also makes a hearty side dish for brunch, lunch or dinner.

Celery Root & Potato Hash

Serves 4

• 1 celery root, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 2 russet potatoes (or whatever you find at the market), peeled & cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 3-4 slices bacon (optional), thinly sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp thyme leaves, chopped
• extra virgin olive oil

Scrub and peel the celeriac with a knife, then cut it in 1/2 inch wide slices, then strips, then dice.

Place the diced celery root and potatoes in a small pot and cover with cold water.  Add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  As soon as the pot boils, turn heat off, and drain the celery root and potato in a colander.  Set aside.

Add just enough water to the pan to cover the celeriac and potatoes.

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add the sliced bacon and cook until golden and crispy.  Remove bacon bits and drain on a paper towel.  Reserve.

The hash is done when both the potatoes and celeriac are browned and tender.

Add the onion to the sauté pan, season with salt and pepper and sauté until translucent, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the garlic and thyme leaves, sautéing another 1-2 minutes.  Then add the parboiled celery root and potatoes.  Sauté until the veggies are browned and tender.   Season with salt and pepper.  Top your hash with the bacon bits before serving.

Variation:  Sauté the sliced bacon in 2 tbsp olive oil, then toss with the remaining ingredients, spread out on a sheet pan and roast for 20-30 minutes, at 350˚, until golden brown.

While it’s delicious alongside your morning eggs, it also makes a hearty side dish for brunch, lunch or dinner.

Jennifer Spaide is a natural foods chef, writer, and mother. Spaide received her Masters in Human Nutrition at Columbia University and attended culinary school at The Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. Jennifer grew up with an innate appreciation for fresh-from-the-garden foods and wants to share that passion with others. Her online magazine, Simplicious, gives readers fresh recipes that are healthy and easy to prepare, bites of tasty information that help bring health into the home, and breaks down complex topics into easily digestible table-talk that even the kids will understand. In addition to her magazine, Spaide maintains a bi-monthly column in the New Canaan Advertiser, and continues to work as a freelance writer and recipe developer. www.simpliciousmag.com.

Honey and thyme roasted carrots is a simple dish to prepare. Make it in bulk for easy meals later in the week.

It’s root vegetable season. Visit any farm stand or farmers’ market and you’ll find heaping piles of parsnips and carrots freshly dug from the earth. Grab a few pounds of each to create a few days’ worth of this vegetable side dish versatile enough to be served as part of a vegan or vegetarian meal or alongside a meat or fish dish. Pick up a bottle of the very best olive oil you can find, some local honey, and fresh thyme. The recipe is that simple.

Simple Roasted Parsnips & Carrots

adapted from a recipe by Danny Boome on the Food Network

Ingredients:

• 8 large parsnips
• 8 large carrots or 12 medium
• 8 thyme sprigs
• local honey
• excellent olive oil
• sea salt

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 sheet pans with low sides so the vegetables can brown. Line the pans with parchment or recycled aluminum foil if you’d like.
2. Scrub and peel the root vegetables. Cut off the tops and tips of each. In order for the vegetables to cook evenly, the pieces should be of equal size (which is why I don’t love Boome’s recipe saying to simply halve the vegetables lengthwise). For the carrots, cut them in half crosswise if they are more than 4 or 5 inches long, then cut them in half lengthwise and cut those in half lengthwise again. For the parsnips, cut off any thin tap roots, and cut the middle part off just below the top bulb. Leave the thin tap roots whole, cut the middle part and top bulb as you did with the carrots. You will likely have to cut the top bulb into at least three pieces once you halve it lengthwise to achieve cuts of roughly equal size.
   

   Parsnips ready to be roasted.

   

   The vegetables will shrink after they cook.

3. Lay the carrots on one sheet pan (lined if you like) and the parsnips on another, drizzle with enough olive oil to coat, then honey to taste and mix well with a rubber spatula or your hands. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and top with a few fresh thyme sprigs. As the vegetables cook, the thyme leaves will fall off the stems and be incorporated into the vegetables without any extra work on your part!
4. Place the sheet pans on the middle and upper oven racks and roast for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, stir the vegetables with a rubber spatula so they cook evenly and return to the oven for another 20 minutes. The vegetables should be just golden and tender. Test one piece to be sure and return to the oven for another 10 minutes if need be.
5. To serve, either mix the vegetables together or serve in separate bowls. Refrigerate any leftovers and reheat in the oven.

Perfect with almost any meal, roasted root vegetables are tender and sweet.

Author Emily Brooks will be signing copies of Connecticut Farmer & Feast at the Winter Farmers' Market at the Norfield Grange in Weston on Saturday, December 17.

Cookbooks are always welcome gifts for the home cook, providing us with new inspiration when we get stuck in a rut. With more home cooks choosing to eat local-in-season, a cookbook that serves up recipes using native ingredients is sure to be a winner. Celery root remoulade, rosemary turnip ratatouille (recipe below!), baked pumpkin, winter day rice, apple soup and carrot bran muffins are a few of the seasonal recipes that author Emily Brooks offers readers in her cookbook, Connecticut Farmer & Feast.

Author Emily Brooks will be signing copies of Connecticut Farmer & Feast at The Winter Farmers Market at Norfield Grange this Saturday, December 17, from 11 am until 1 pm. The Norfield Grange is located at12 Good Hill Road in Weston and there is plenty of free parking.

Connecticut Farmer & Feast introduces readers to Connecticut’s agricultural bounty and those passionate individuals – Connecticut’s farmers and producers – who toil endlessly to bring us our food. The book tells the stories of more than forty of Connecticut’s devoted farmers and artisan food crafters who proudly produce Connecticut’s vegetables, fruits, meats, cheeses, and other food items found at farm stands, farmers’ markets, and top restaurants throughout the Nutmeg State. Emily Brooks tells their stories in elegantly written profiles, showcasing lives rich in both food and history. In addition she includes up to three individually created recipes to feature each producer’s specialty foods. The result is a heartfelt invitation into the lives of Connecticut farmers and the foods they produce through a labor of love.

At the Winter Farmers’ Market at Norfield Grange, families can defy winter while purchasing farm fresh fruits and vegetables, honey, maple syrup, goats milk cheese and yogurt, handmade soap and body products, natural beef and pork, wild-caught seafood, eggs, baked goods, prepared foods, and more. Visit the Crafters’ Corner, and check some items off your last-minute holiday shopping list with beautiful hand-knit hats, hair accessories, boxwood wreaths and trees, live orchids, custom drawings and paintings, and much more. The Market is open every Saturday, from 10am to 2pm (closed Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve) at the Norfield Grange, 12 Good Hill Road in Weston.

About the Author

Emily Brooks is the founder of Edibles Advocate Alliance (ediblesadvocatealliance.org) and the founder and director of Bridges Healthy Cooking School. Brooks nurtures social entrepreneurs who support local agriculture, sustainable farming, and sustainable food systems as a business consultant. She is the creator of Buy Local Connecticut and is a regular local food and sustainability expert on National Public Radio. She lives in Woodbury, Connecticut.

This healthy and flavorful recipe from Connecticut Farmer & Feast was reprinted with permission and is an excellent make-ahead dish when you’re expecting a crowd. It’s also a smart way to prepare several days’ worth of vegetables for a busy family.

Joe Gazy’s Rosemary Turnip Ratatouille

From Gazy Brothers Farm, Oxford, CT

Serves 6-8

Marinade

• 1/3 cup minced rosemary leaves

• 3/4 teaspoon dried lavender

• 3 cloves garlic, sliced

• 2 teaspoons orange zest

• 2 teaspoons sea salt

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 3 Tablespoons fresh orange juice

Vegetables

• 3 pounds carrots, halved and sliced

• 3 pounds turnips, diced to the same size as the carrots

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a mortar and pestle or in a blender, blend the rosemary, lavender, garlic, orange zest, and sea salt to a coarse paste. Transfer to a small bowl and blend in the olive oil, lemon juice, and orange juice.

2. Pour the mixture over carrots and turnips that have been placed in large (16×9 inches) roasting or casserole dish. Toss to combine. (Note: Lots of air space is necessary for browning, so if the vegetables are piled too high and too deep, use two roasting or casserole dishes as needed, baking them together. Use sheet trays if desired.

3. Bake for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally to rotate the turnips and to ensure browning on all sides. Roast until carrots and turnips have released their juices and are brown and starting to crisp. Serve warm.

Note: This marinade is brilliant with lamb, duck, pork, quail, turkey, or beef. Will marinate up to 3 pounds of food. Marinate meat for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days.

Organic cranberries - not from the US, but from our neighbors in Canada.

Even though I grew up eating canned cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving, I never use it now. We’re a “from scratch” house just as more and more households endeavor to be as our food system gets scarier and scarier. In the case of cranberries, a fruit native to the US and one that was certainly available for the first Thanksgiving, their preparation is simple so there are no excuses not to make it yourself. Beware their bitter and tannic nature, however, which is quickly tamed with the addition of a sweetener. If you don’t like the natural sweeteners I suggest, use Port or another sweet wine in place of the sweetener and water in the recipe.

In this simple and quick recipe the cranberries are cooked with a sweetener and spices long enough to become tender and form a beautiful sauce.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz fresh cranberries (2 generous cups), rinsed well. (organic cranberries from Canada are available in 8 oz. bags at Trader Joe’s)
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup honey, demerara, turbinado or cane sugar (bags marked simply as sugar can be made from GMO sugar beets)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 whole allspice berries
• nutmeg, freshly ground
• pat of butter (optional)
• cheese cloth or a metal tea holder

Procedure:

A simple spiced cranberry sauce takes minutes to make and will sing on the plate next to the turkey.

Add the sweetener and water to the saucepan and bring to the boil, lower to a simmer, stir to mix and add the cranberries and cinnamon stick Wrap and tie the cloves and allspice in cheese cloth or place them in a metal tea holder and add them to the pot (for ease in removing later). Cook over medium low heat uncovered for at least 10 minutes or until the berries have popped and the sauce has thickened.

Test the cranberries for tenderness and continue cooking if necessary until they are soft and tender. Add more water if necessary to maintain a sauce-like consistency. Grate fresh nutmeg over and taste again, adding more nutmeg if you’d like.

If the sauce is not sweet enough for your taste, try stirring in a pat of butter and tasting it again. Drizzle with honey if you think it’ still too puckery. Allow to cool and remove cinnamon, cloves and allspice before serving.

Happy Thanksgiving!

By Analiese Paik

Cauliflower is in season. Shocking orange, green and purple varieties beckon from farm stand shelves and farmers’ market stalls. Heed their calls to make this healthy and delicious vegetable the centerpiece of your next meal. A member of the Brassicaceae family, cauliflower and its cruciferous cousins like broccoli, cabbage and kale, are prized for their cancer fighting properties. Purple cauliflower is unique in that it contains anthocyanins, the same antioxidants found in red wine.

Steaming and sautéing cauliflower are fine, but roasting coaxes and concentrates its flavors, yielding a tender, sweet vegetable even a kid could love.  To make roasted cauliflower as a side dish, just follow step 3 in the recipe below. Tandem cooking the cauliflower in the oven while the lentils and rice are each cooking on the stove makes for a speedy dinner. You’ll have plenty of leftovers for a convenient lunch or dinner later in the week.

Freekeh is an ancient grain that's recently become more available to the consumer.

Freekeh is a roasted green, or immature, rice, that has a very rich and nutty flavor. It’s toothy texture, not unlike that of whole barley, adds contrast to soft lentils and tender cauliflower. Available in the bulk food aisle at Whole Foods Markets from New York grower Cayuga Organics, Freekeh is prepared the  same way as brown rice, with a ratio of 2 parts water to 1 part grain. I cook all my grains in a rice cooker so I can set it to cook and then open it when dinner’s ready. Rice cookers automatically sense when the grain is cooked and switch to the “keep warm” setting.

Feeds 6-8

Prep time: 15 min.

Cooking time: 25 min.

Cooking requirements: 4 quart saucepan, 2 quart saucepan or rice cooker, baking pan or sheet pan

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked lentils, green, brown or black (not red)
• 1 head fresh white, orange or purple cauliflower, cut into florets of roughly even size
• 1 medium onion, cut into medium dice
• 1 cup Freekeh (green rice available at Whole Foods Markets in the bulk aisle)
• 1 small head garlic (optional), separated into cloves and peeled (leave cloves whole)
• 2 tablespoons good curry powder (mild or ¾ mild and ¼ hot)
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 bay leaf
• Extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt

Cooking Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and put rack in the center of oven.
2. Rice: Pick out any stray leaves or stones from the Freekah and rinse. Add 1 cup rice and 2 cups water to the rice cooker and set to cook. Or bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a 2 quart saucepan, add 1 cup Freekah, lower to a simmer and cover and cook until tender, about 20-25 minutes. The grain does not need to split open and become fluffy to be done.
3. 

   Roast two batches of cauliflower if you like to double up on vegetables as I do.

   Oil the bottom of a baking pan or sheet pan large enough to hold the cauliflower florets in a single layer. Add the florets and whole garlic cloves, drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil (enough to coat each floret), sprinkle with sea salt and toss well. Place in 400 degree oven on the middle shelf and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through. They’re done when they are easily pierced with a paring knife.

4. Set the 4 quart saucepan over medium heat, add 2 tsp olive oil, then add the onion and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
5. Pick out any small stones from the lentils, rinse, and set aside.
6. Add ginger, curry power, and optional chopped garlic (add only if you will not be roasting the cauliflower with garlic) to the onions. Stir until the spices are aromatic, about one minute.
7. Add the lentils, 4 ½ cups water, bay leaf and salt, raise the heat to high and bring to the boil, then lower to a simmer and cook uncovered about 20-25 minutes. Taste test the lentils after 20 minutes to check for tenderness. Add more water if it becomes too dried out (you want the lentils to have some liquid in them).
8. Remove the bay leaf from the lentils when done. Remove  the cauliflower from the oven and gently stir into the lentils. Check for seasoning. Serve with Freekah.

By Elizabeth Keyser

Marc Alvarez is the chef/owner of Concierge Foods and is on a mission to change the way you eat. Photo c/o Concierge Foods.

Marc Alvarez wants to be your local food source and cooking coach.  The former personal chef to fashion designer Donna Karan (and celebrities he cannot name) started Concierge Foods, a web-based food delivery service, to connect consumers with the best local and organically raised food – produce, poultry, seafood, dairy products, grains and legumes, honey, jam, coffee and tea.

The Bedford, NY business recently expanded delivery to Greenwich and Stamford, CT. Alvarez picks up products from farms, markets and producers in New York state, New York City and Lancaster, PA, packages customers’ orders and delivers to their door. He makes the first delivery himself and spends a minimum of twenty minutes with the customer sharing information about the provenance of the products they ordered, how to store and cook them, and answers any questions. “A lot of times people don’t know what to do with local products. They would buy more if they knew a few ways to prepare it. Squash for example is so versatile. I make soups, stews, ravioli and gnocchi with it.”

Fresh vegetables are sourced year-round from small and medium-sized family farms dedicated to sustainable agriculture. Photo c/0 Concierge Foods.

His formal CIA training and solid background as a restaurant chef  inform his knowledge of products and quality. His mentor Frank Crispo of Crispo Restaurant in New York City taught Alvarez  to cook with whole animals, a rare talent that’s very much in demand now. Alvarez is fluent in head cheese, guanciale, offal and belly and wants to educate the consumer about these lesser-known cuts.  He encourages people to cook at home and eat healthier. Concierge’s website includes recipes for dishes ranging from Oatmeal & Sweet Potato Breakfast Bars to Braised Lamb Shoulder with Carrots, Fennel and Thyme. Alvarez is ready to answer questions like “What do I do with kohlrabi?”, “What’s the best way to cook grass-fed beef?” or “Oh, no, I’ve ruined the potatoes, they’re way too salty.”  He says his goal is to educate people about the product.

In just six months, business has grown 140 percent, a sign that Alvarez is correct when he says that a lot of people want super-fresh, healthy, local, sustainably and organically raised food, but “don’t have the time to run around to farmers’ markets.”  Concierge’s customers like being able to order whatever they want each week, rather than participating in a farm CSA, in which they must accept what’s in their basket each week. A number of customers have discovered Alvarez’ farm-to-door delivery service after enjoying his food at private events. “I create seasonal menus for private parties that expose people to the best of local food. When they ask where they can get ingredients like the ones I use, I refer them to the website.”

Alvarez makes his rounds to a wide range of farms and markets, and updates Concierge’s website with information on available products every Sunday. Customers order online and Concierge’s vans deliver within 48 hours, Tuesday through Saturday. The delivery fee is $5 for the Bedford, Greenwich and Stamford area, and is $20 for customers in Woodstock, NY and points north. He’s looking forward to serving Connecticut residents as far east as Westport and Fairfield where the delivery fee will be $10.

Fall produce is being sourced from Blue Star Farms in Columbia County, NY. Lacinato kale, Siberian kale, three types of onions, two types of cabbages – Savoy and Tendersweet – plus Kabocha and Sweet Mama squash.

Chickens come from John Boy’s Farm in upstate New York. Alvarez praises the firm texture and off-white color of the flesh. It reflects the chickens being raised in pastures and the high quality of their feed, which is organically grown and GMO-free.

Beef comes from several sources. Snow Hill Organic Farm in North Salem, NY is producing 100-percent grass-fed Certified Angus beef that’s “the best I’ve tasted,” says Alvarez.  He notes that it’s best cooked slow and low or quickly seared. Brandt Beef in California provides what Alvarez calls his “middle tier” offering – cuts of naturally raised, Devon cows that “are tender and have a nice beef flavor.”

Concierge Foods offers a full complement of fresh dairy products from local farms and co-ops. Photo c/0 Concierge Foods.

Milk, from grass-fed, organically raised cows, comes from Natural by Nature in Lancaster, PA.  It is pasteurized at a low-temperature and packaged in refundable glass bottles.

One of the artisan, farmstead cheese available through Concierge Foods. Plans are to continue to grow the offerings. Photo c/0 Concierge Foods.

Artisan and farmstead cheeses are sourced from a small collective of dairy farms in the Hudson Valley called the Pampered Cow. Familiar names like Old Chatham Sheepherding Company can be purchased alongside new ones like Hawthorne Valley, whose Aged Alpine is the only Demeter Certified Biodynamic farmstead cheese available on the market.

Concierge Foods sources fresh, sustainable seafood from Down East Seafood, the first small business in New York City to operate an all-electric delivery truck. Photo c/0 Concierge Foods.

Sustainable seafood comes from Down East Seafood, which he picks up fresh weekly at Hunt’s Point.  Pole-and-line caught Bigeye tuna, Icelandic cod, and Wild King Salmon – all rated “Best Choice” on Seafood Watch’s guide to sustainable seafood, plus black sea bass and lump blue crab meat – both “Good Alternatives” in the guide, are currently available. Alvarez is planning to add American caviar to Concierge’s offerings.

Because Alvarez is an accomplished chef and knows the joys of working with the best seasonal ingredients from around the world, he doesn’t limit Concierge’s offerings.  “People want organic lemons, limes and avocados,” he said.  He gets white truffles from Italy, and “beautiful black mission figs.” Before making additions to Concierge’s offerings, Alvarez cooks with new ingredients and holds tastings with chef friends.

On his desk at Concierge’s facility in Bedford is a book on winter gardening by Eliot Coleman. Alvarez will provide winter produce from Satur Farm on Long Island, the cooperatives in Lancaster, PA, and Blue Star Farms in Stuyvesant, N.Y. “I’m trying to get more farms growing into the winter season. Spinach, carrots and arugula all taste better in the winter.”

Alvarez says Concierge’s business has grown organically. And he’s got plans brewing. He’s looking into getting a commercial kitchen so that he can provide Concierge’s customers with prepared foods.  “I’m getting lots of requests for prepared foods but I’m not going to cook everything for them. The starch and vegetable will be cooked but a protein like salmon will be marinated so it can be cooked fresh at home. Things like braises will be fully cooked because their flavor improves from being made a day ahead.”  A kitchen will allow him to save money and waste little when he buys a whole hog, for instance.  “I’ll make guanciale and head cheese. I’ll brine and smoke ham steaks from one leg and grind the other to make pork sausages,” he says.

His ultimate dream is to have a commercial kitchen and teaching space on a farm – a place to grow, cook and teach.  “I just need the right person to partner with,” he says.  When he visits farms, he notices products farmers might overlook.  Recently, he noticed fennel stalks loaded with seeds.  “What are you doing with those seeds?” he asked the farmer. He was met with a blank expression.  “Grind them up and sell them for dry rubs,” Alvarez said.

This winter he’s planning a test, working with four farmers and providing them with seed money to grow what he knows he can sell. His dream is to get area farmers to work cooperatively and give them some financial security.

“I want to build a community,” he says.

Concierge Foods

Chef/owner Marc Alvarez

357 Adams Street

Bedford Hills, NY  10507

Phone: 914-241-9200

marc@conciergefoods.com

http://www.conciergefoods.com/

Twitter: @ConciergeFoods

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConciergeFoods

Lentils. Do you cook with them? They are one of the least expensive yet easiest ways to add a tasty vegetarian protein to a meal. Unlike beans, which can take more than an hour to cook, they take only 20-30 minutes. In this recipe, I greatly simplified a traditional Mexican recipe for stewed lentils for a class I taught at Mercy Learning Center two years ago. The students loved it! Lentils are so naturally full of flavor and palate pleasing (even kids like them) that the addition of a few seasonal ingredients and about 20 minutes of cooking times is all you need to make a meal. I stopped using vegetable or chicken stock in my lentils years ago as a shortcut and nobody noticed. All you need is water.

This recipe is great for Meatless Monday and the $5 Challenge event on Sept. 17. If you have other seasonal ingredients on hand, like peppers, Swiss chard or kale, they’ll make a great addition to the meal. Cut the peppers into a small dice and add them to the first step (sauteeing onions and chiles). Wash, de-stem and cut the Swiss chard or kale into strips, then add them during the last 10 minutes of cooking, making sure to cook until tender (test!).

Ingredient Note: If you have any Mexican oregano, add a pinch (1/2 tsp.) with the tomatoes. It’s very powerful and is not at all related to Mediterranean oregano.

Meal Tip: Start your rice just before you start prepping the lentil ingredients so both meal components will be done at the same time. Brown rice takes 45 minutes to cook. Always use 2 parts water to 1 part rice and there is no need to rinse the rice first.

Once the pot has come to a boil, lower it to a simmer and do something else for 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup dried, uncooked lentils (any color but red, which turns to mush when cooked)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 chiles (any fresh, hot green chile), seeded, stemmed and finely chopped (wash hands immediately after handling)
• 2 cloves medium garlic, peeled and finely chopped (3 cloves small)
• 2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 4 cups cold water
• 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (leaves or stems and leaves)
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Preparation:

1.     Sort and rinse the lentils in cold water, then set aside to drain.

2.     In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion and chiles. Cook until soft, about two minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, stirring frequently.

3.     Add the tomato, lentils, water, salt and bay leaf to the pot, cover and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook until the lentils uncovered until soft, about 20-30minutes. Dip a spoon in a have a taste to see if they’re done or still crunchy.

Leave the lid off while the lentils cook so the water reduces to create a stew.

4.    Remove bay leaf and add the cilantro and red wine vinegar. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste.

5.    Serve with tortillas (organic corn or whole wheat), brown rice or quinoa.

Lacinato kale (Tuscan) growing in my raised beds. Harvest leaves from the bottom up.

A few years ago I blogged about making kale chips, but it bears revisiting because people are suddenly crazy about kale. Don’t believe me?  Do a quick Twitter search (twitter.com/search), for #kale or #kalechips and you’ll see just how many other people are sharing their love of kale, along with recipes and nutrition facts. Fortunately, CT farmers are growing this green beauty and it’s in season right now.

Exciting Facts:

• Kale is in season (any variety, curly or flat, will do)
• Kale chips are delicious
• Kale chips are easy to make
• Kale chips are kid friendly
• Kale chips last longer than fresh kale

It’s easy to see why kale chips deserve another blog post showing you how to make them. Here it goes, a photo recipe for the easiest vegetable snack (yup!) you’ll ever make and wonder why you never did before. Put them out before dinner when everyone is moaning about how hungry they are, serve them to beer drinkers, put them in your children’s lunch boxes, take them on a picnic and serve them as an extra vegetable with dinner.

Ingredients:

1. Bunch of fresh kale, preferably organic from a local farm
2. Good olive oil, preferably organic
3. Good, fine grain sea salt

Kitchen requirements:

1. Oven with three racks
2. Three rimmed sheet pans
3. Very large bowl
4. Cutting board
5. Salad spinner
6. Very sharp chef’s knife
7. Metal spatula
8. Container or bag for storing the chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to anywhere between 250 and 300 degrees. The cooking will go faster at a higher temperature, but you’ll have to keep a closer eye on the chips to make sure they don’t brown.
   
2. Lay the kale in a pile next to your cutting board. Please the kale leaves, one at a time, on the cutting board and remove the leaves from them stem by running your knife down each side of the center rib, starting at the top and ending where the leaf ends. Compost the stems.
3. Gather the leaves and rinse them in cold water in a salad spinner. Spin until mostly dry, but some water is still clinging to them (it makes distributing the oil easier).
4. Put 2 heaping handfuls of the leaves into a large bowl, drizzle on some olive oil, and toss with your hands to distribute the oil evenly over the leaves. After a minute or two all the leaves will look evenly coated.
   

   They are ready to be placed on the sheet pan now that they're uniformly coated with olive oil.

5. Lay the leaves in a single layer, but snug against one another, on a rimmed sheet pan. My pans are well seasoned from years of use, so chips never stick. If in doubt, line your pans with parchment paper or a non-stick liner like Silpat. Sprinkle all the leaves evenly from a height with fine sea salt. Coarse sea salt will overpower the chips.
   
6. Prepare next two trays the same way, then put all three into the oven and set the timer for 10 minutes.
7. After 10 minutes rotate the trays to ensure even cooking. Move the bottom tray to the middle, top tray to the bottom, and the middle tray to the top. Set time for 10 more minutes.
   

   Be sure to rotate the pans to ensure even cooking.

8. After a total of 20 minutes cooking time, check for doneness on each tray by lifting a chip with your spatula. If it’s light as a feather and doesn’t feel damp at all to the touch, it’s done. Do not let them brown or they will be very bitter. Check again every 2-3 minutes.
   

   Done! Still green, but dry looking and light as a feather.

9. Remove tray and let cool when done. Remove chips from tray with a spatula and store in a lidded container or plastic bag. Store at room temperature for a few days.
   

Variation: replace olive oil with toasted sesame oil (and toasted sesame seeds if you have them) for Asian inspired kale chips.