Knock Twice Food

Photo

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:49:56 -0400

Twin Oaks Garden (plot N6) April 8, 2010

Beets

More beets

Beets again

Carrots?

Chard

Hello!

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 10:35:31 -0400

Before and after shot. Over the course of the past two days,...

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:26:03 -0400

Before and after shot. Over the course of the past two days, Rachael and I worked for five hours in the garden. We tilled, raked, picked out weeds and other organic matter, and planted our early spring crops: onions, carrots, beets, and chard.

More to come.

Seeds ordered, pt 1.

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:09:10 -0400

I just finished ordering seeds for the first round of planting. Here is a list, with descriptions:

DR. CAROLYN 65 days. [Selected from a sport of Galinas. Named by Steve Draper in honor of Dr. Carolyn Male who first saved the seed.] The most flavorful yellow cherry tomato we’ve grown. Excellent balance of sugar, tartness and depth of flavor. The pale-yellow, cherry-sized fruits are typically borne 6 to a cluster. Round 1-1/4” fruits.
CHEROKEE PURPLE 85 days. Disease-resistant, good for the South. [Pre-1890 TN heirloom, reportedly of Cherokee Indian origin. Introduced 1993 by SESE. Seed courtesy Craig LeHoullier.] Large fruits (10-12 oz.) are smooth with slightly ridged shoulders. Ripens to a unique dark, dusky pink/purple. Sometimes called a black tomato, the color carries through to the flesh, especially at the stem end.
CONTENDER (Buff Valentine) 42 days. Our all around favorite. [Introduced in 1949 by the SC/AES. Possibly derived from pre-1855 Early Valentine] The best early green bean for gardeners who desire a combination of good flavor, disease-resistance, and high yield. Has excellent fresh eating quality. Bears slightly curved thick pods, approximately 5-1/2” long. Fairly hardy under adverse conditions and well suited to greenhouse use. Resistant to common bean mosaic virus (race 1) and tolerant of powdery mildew.
RAINBOW CHARD (Five Color Silverbeet) 60 days. Originally from Australia, a multicolored rainbow of plants in shades of red, orange, pink, yellow, and creamy white.
SUMMER MESCLUN MIX These heat-resistant greens should provide great salads all summer long. Includes one packet each of Tatsoi mustard greens, Magenta Magic orach, Parris Island Cos lettuce, Buttercrunch lettuce, Anuenue lettuce, and Jericho lettuce.
CHIOGGIA (Dolce di Chioggia) 52 days. [Pre-1840 heirloom.] Chioggia is a beautiful bicolored scarlet red garden beet with interior rings of reddish-pink and white. This specialty Italian variety beet is notable for its earliness, attractive color, relative absence of bleeding, and its ability to compete with weeds.
SCARLET NANTES 70 days. [1870] A garden favorite appreciated for its fine texture, mild flavor, and very small core. Cylindrical roots average 6-1/2” long, 1 to 1-1/2” at the shoulder. Can be grown for winter storage, but best flavor is from spring grown carrots.
ST. VALERY 70 days. [French heirloom mentioned in Vilmorin 1885.
Popular market variety in the early 1900s.] Deep orange roots are 8-10” with
sweet, tender flesh and excellent storage quality.

Dill, onions, and basil were also ordered. The plan is to till our soil this weekend and start planting as soon as possible.

News and a Cocktail

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:36:00 -0500

My wife and I just got a parcel in a community garden*** just a few blocks from our apartment. She doesn’t know yet… but I’m super excited. Finally we can start growing things that are too big for our window sill and require more sunlight than we can provide from inside. Its also great news that now we can also start composting. Needless to say, I’ll be writing about our efforts here.

To celebrate, a new cocktail*.

2 oz rye whiskey
1/2 oz tripple sec
4 hefty dashes of Fee Brothers Grapefruit Bitters

Combine, cool**, and drink neat.

*No name, still a work in progress.
** I keep a bottle of Old Overholt in the freezer, so its already cold. I mix the ingredients in an 8 oz Ball jar and shake.
***This is more accurate.

Tomato 'Snow Day' Soup

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:05:30 -0500

32 oz can of dice tomatoes
32 oz of broth

Mix liquid ingredients. Bring to a boil. Continue boil for at least 20 minutes, or till the soup has noticeably reduced. Add desired amount of salt and pepper.

If you’re feeling bold, add heavy cream.

Garnish with thyme leaves.

White Bean Soup

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:11:26 -0500

Start with this recipe from Bon Appétit. I didn’t use sage.

Coat the bottom of a saucepan with oil. Heat. Add one whole onion, chopped. Salt. Add two thick carrots cut into rounds. Once glistening and tender, remove contents and transfer to dish.

Tear apart or cut one bunch of kale. I used lacinato. Add oil then kale to already hot saucepan. Again, once tender and glistening, remove.

Add one can of diced or crushed tomatoes to saucepan. Add reserved bean fluid and 16 oz of broth. I used chicken. Bring to a boil.

Once the liquid is boiling add onion, carrot, and kale to pot. Cover with lid.

Add one zucchini, sliced into rounds and quartered.

Cook near simmering for 20 minutes.

Serve and enjoy.

Please. More evidence: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:00:22 -0500

Please.

More evidence: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

knock-twice: Photo by House of Sims on Flickr. Song,...

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:20:38 -0400

knock-twice:

Photo by House of Sims on Flickr.

Song, ‘Too Much Time,’ written and performed by Captian Beefheart & His Magic Band from the 1972 record, Clear Spot.

knock-twice: —Harris Perley Gould & W.F. Fletcher. Canning...

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 07:52:39 -0400

knock-twice:

—Harris Perley Gould & W.F. Fletcher. Canning Peaches On the Farm. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agricullture, 1910.

Read online at the Internet Archive.

Another Summer Soup

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:09:19 -0400

Last month’s soup of choice was an original creation, chickpea and tomato soup. Today, Rachael and I made a recipe that we first tried our last summer. It’s a corn chowder and its incredible.

The recipe belongs to Mark Bittman, and though we only follow it loosely — no milk — its has quick become one the most flavorful, versatile and easy to make soups in our repertoire.

In regards to technique, the revelation for me from this recipe is boiling the stripped corn cobs in water… its such a simple, obvious and wonderful inclusion. What more, it imparts such rich corn flavoring to the water that aside from salt and pepper very little additional seasoning (today, cayenne) is required for a great base broth.

However you approach it, Bittman’s chowder is an excellent and afordable addition to your summer eats.

Recommended beer pairing: Schneider & Brooklyner Hopfen-Weisse (2008).

Boiled eggs, poached eggs, fried eggs, scrambled eggs...

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:54:12 -0400

Boiled eggs, poached eggs, fried eggs, scrambled eggs...:

Thanks PBS! Thanks Julia. Thanks Rachael.

I’ve never had this, so I can’t say whether or not...

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:58:00 -0400

I’ve never had this, so I can’t say whether or not its good. That said, its the closet thing I have to a ‘family-recipe.’ My mother found this and passed it along while she was going through her dead uncle Joe’s stuff. She says it belonged to Joe’s sister and my grandmother, Frances.

After the wedding maybe I’ll give this recipe a whirl. Afterall, bacon and potatoes — what’s not to love?

Flickr.

Corn & Tomato Scramble

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:04:23 -0400

Corn & Tomato Scramble:

Gourmet rocks my world again with another awesome recipe, this time for the corn & tomato scramble. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but simply put, this best base recipe for a summer salad that I’ve come across. Ever.

Both simple and versatile I can see myself spinning this off into a number of permutations that include things like: hot peppers, peaches, rice, soup and more.

scanwiches: Homemade: Dagwood, Pastrami, Roast Beef, Peppered...

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:31:59 -0400

scanwiches:

Homemade: Dagwood, Pastrami, Roast Beef, Peppered Turkey, Honey Ham, Bologna, Cotto Salami, Provolone, American Cheese, Cheese Whiz, Swis, Pepper Jack, Muenster, Cheddar, Alfalfa Sprouts, Tarragon, Pickles, Red Cabbage, Horseradish with Beets, Mayo, Mustard, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Fresh Tomatoes, Lettuce, Baby Lettuce, Shredded Carrots, Purple Onion, Bacon Bits, on an Onion Roll, White Bread, Dark German Wheat Bread, and Potato Bread.

Excepting the Cheese Whiz, I’m strangely allured to the decadence of this sandwich.

Chickpea Tomato Soup

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:56:00 -0400

3/4 c chickpeas, hydrated
28oz can of diced tomato
3 generous handfuls of spinach, rolled and sliced thin
1 liter box of broth
ground corriander seeds
salt & pepper
basil leaves
olive oil

In a large pot add broth, chickpea liquid and tomato juice; bring to a boil. Add corriander, salt, pepper and olive oil to taste. When boiling add chickpeas and tomatos. Simmer. Wait for the broth to reduce, only slightly. After 20 or so minutes — or whenever you’re hungry — turn off heat and add spinach.

Serve in bowls, garnish with generous amounts of basil.

There is a story behind this image, but I’m more concerned...

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:57:15 -0400

There is a story behind this image, but I’m more concerned with the representation itself. Everyone should be as happy as the cook as Mr. Angelo clearly is.

Blueberry Pancakes, no eggs

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 11:11:35 -0400

Blueberry Pancakes, no eggs:

Arggh. Haven’t had a chance to swing by the famer’s market in weeks. The result, no eggs. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but I wanted to make pancakes.

Thanks to the Internet, I’m giving this recipe a shot.

I’ll let you know how they turn out in the comments.

Definately going to try this... soon.

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:56:42 -0400

Definately going to try this... soon.:

2 cups cold soy milk (must contain more than 12% soy)
1 teaspoon nigari water

In a medium bowl or measuring cup, stir together the soy milk with the nigari water. Pour the liquid into 5 ramekins; each should hold about 3 ounce.
Place the ramekins in a stove-top steamer, cover and steam just until the tofu is set on top, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the heat, type of nigari and soy concentration in the milk. (It will jiggle when tapped, like crème brûlée.) Remove from heat, cool until just warm and serve. Or cool to room temperature and chill; serve within two days.

Soft-shelled Crab-wich

Tue, 12 May 2009 08:45:46 -0400

Last night I made soft-shelled crab sandwiches. The living* soft-shelled crabs were purchased from the Dupont farmer’s market, dredged in flour and cornmeal and pan fried. I baked the rolls the day before. The salad was dressed in a mayonnaise sriracha dressing. The corn steamed. Simple and delicious.

*This was the first time that I ever had to kill something that I was going to cook with and eat. It was a little difficult at first, but once the crustacean was dispatched I was glad for the experience.