Yesterday I saw yet another front yard veggie garden – I love this trend! Is it a trend? In Takoma Park it seems these gems are popping up all over, in my neighborhood especially. There’s one next door, across the street, katty-corner, two down the avenue and, of course, my own.
I dug my garden out of the zoysia grass when I moved in five years ago, cutting up the lawn and replacing it with bags of organic soil I hauled up the 27 steps to my yard. The result has been moderately successful – I’ve grown all sorts of greens (lettuce, arugula, spinach, chard, collards), green beans, sugar snaps, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, parsley, cilantro, eggplant, carrots, beets. I am currently overrun by weeds, but that has nothing to do with poor soil and everything to do with neglect.
My best crops this year are eggplant, jalapeños, and bell peppers, which are turning red just as I’d hoped. Talk about a great sandwich ingredient – roasted red bell peppers and roasted eggplant on a nice, artisanal bread spread with pesto from the garden basil, and maybe a bit of mozzarella or goat cheese – like a bite of late summer.
How to roast a pepper
Wash the pepper but keep it whole. Set the toaster oven on broil (or the oven, if you don’t have a toaster oven, or use the grill if you’ve got stuff going already). Set the pepper under (or on) the heat, turning as each side blisters and/or turns black. To blister the entire pepper will take 10-15 minutes. When it’s ready, remove it with tongs, place it in a paper bag and fold over the top. Leave it for 5 minutes or so, then remove and peel away the skin. The flesh will be nice and soft and sweet, great for slicing up in a sandwich, as a pizza topping, or as a “sinker” in a salad. (To roast the eggplant, slice and spread with olive oil, then place on the grill, or set under the broiler until slightly tender).
Shameless plug: I learned about other, quite beautiful and inspiring garden options when I wrote an article about people who ditch their lawns and instead choose ornamentals and natives. This choice is often all about aesthetics, but many people turn away from grass because more plantings provides food and shelter for wildlife, and minimize runoff that can pollute our waterways. The article, which features five examples of lovely lawnless homes, is in the current issue of Bethesda Magazine. (Sorry, no link to this particular article, but you can get it on newsstands)
Saturday, August 29, 2009
God is in the [sandwich] details
A good sandwich is all about the condiments and additions. I have learned this from sandwich shop menus – among my favorites, the Sea Star on Chincoteague Island, Va. During a week-long vacation there, we treat ourselves to things like The Big Cheese and Super Sprout the first day, then make our own inspired creations the rest of the week. I’ve also cribbed from Whole Foods and Starbuck’s – they may be corporate but they’ve got some good ideas (send me local sandwich shop ideas, please!). Who says you can only get a cool sarnie (as Jamie Oliver calls it) from a shop? DIY.
First, forget about the main ingredient. You don’t need the roast beef, or turkey-n-swiss, or even egg salad. And even if you do choose these, focus on the accoutrements. If it were a salad, my nephew would call these “sinkers” – all the stuff that sinks to the bottom of the lettuce bowl. Cucumber chunks. Pitted olives. Roasted pine nuts. Raisins. Gather enough of these goodies and, as in so many other things (orchestras, for example), the sum of the whole becomes far greater than its parts. It becomes a Great Sandwich. Or, at least, Lunch.
This week’s triumph resulted from rooting around to find an “everything” bagel left from the bikers’ breakfast, which I smeared with humus made by the lovely Yahron, owner of Olive Tree foods.(Yahron runs a great falafel stand in Takoma Park, and sells his humus and other goodies at the co-op across the street).
Humus could be considered the Main Ingredient, but if you think about it, it’s just a spread. I jacked it up with some extra tahini I saw in the frig last time I went searching behind the milk carton. Olives spiked the flavor some more. Fresh tomatoes and thinly sliced cucumbers from the market upped the daily veggie quotient. And to top it all, I added my favorite sandwich enhancer, lifting the meal to sandwich-shop level: alfalfa sprouts. I must start growing these babies again, it really is so easy and their health factor is off the charts.
There you have it. I should have taken a picture. Still getting the hang of the whole blogging thing – maybe by the next food post I’ll remember the camera.
First, forget about the main ingredient. You don’t need the roast beef, or turkey-n-swiss, or even egg salad. And even if you do choose these, focus on the accoutrements. If it were a salad, my nephew would call these “sinkers” – all the stuff that sinks to the bottom of the lettuce bowl. Cucumber chunks. Pitted olives. Roasted pine nuts. Raisins. Gather enough of these goodies and, as in so many other things (orchestras, for example), the sum of the whole becomes far greater than its parts. It becomes a Great Sandwich. Or, at least, Lunch.
This week’s triumph resulted from rooting around to find an “everything” bagel left from the bikers’ breakfast, which I smeared with humus made by the lovely Yahron, owner of Olive Tree foods.(Yahron runs a great falafel stand in Takoma Park, and sells his humus and other goodies at the co-op across the street).
Humus could be considered the Main Ingredient, but if you think about it, it’s just a spread. I jacked it up with some extra tahini I saw in the frig last time I went searching behind the milk carton. Olives spiked the flavor some more. Fresh tomatoes and thinly sliced cucumbers from the market upped the daily veggie quotient. And to top it all, I added my favorite sandwich enhancer, lifting the meal to sandwich-shop level: alfalfa sprouts. I must start growing these babies again, it really is so easy and their health factor is off the charts.
There you have it. I should have taken a picture. Still getting the hang of the whole blogging thing – maybe by the next food post I’ll remember the camera.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Biker Boys
So they’re off.
This afternoon, three 18-year-old boys loaded up three bicycles and pedaled off to Baltimore for the first leg of a 4-month journey that will take them up to Boston, over to Seattle (by train), then down the west coast and across the United States. One of them was my son, Tyler (that’s him on the left).
They were pretty patient with all the picture taking and questions from parents and friends asking about first aid kits, giving advice over routes, and expressing dismay over how small a kitty litter box seems when it’s converted into panniers (that would be Tyler’s alt-flavored choice for saddle bags, they’re known among some cross country trekkers to be watertight and cheap). Maybe the boys were tolerant because we plied them with bagels and fresh fruit before they left. Or maybe they’re smart enough to know big love when they see it.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Things my teens have taught me
1) It’s okay to start making cookies at 10 p.m. on a work night (the picture
shows Clara practicing in the daytime with a pie, three years ago!)
2) [Some] lyrics to rap are revolutionary. In a good way.
3) Cayenne on fried eggs tastes great.
4) It matters how you look.
5) It doesn’t matter how you look.
6) It’s okay to be late.
7) Question convention. More.
8) Run in the rain.
9) Friends are important.
10) So is family.
Friends who dance
Over the weekend I saw a show at the Dance Place, indisputably the center of dance in D.C. I could go on and on about how much I love this community of people, how warm and welcoming they are in class and at performances, how generous the community programs that take in neighborhood kids for a free summer camp and after school programs.
And the shows are fun, too.
I found out about this one, Choreographers Collaboration Project, from Alicia Luchowski, who takes Carla’s Monday night class with me. She choreographed two pieces in the show: By Twos and Threes moved upstage and down, playing with shadows in, you guessed it, groups of two and three dancers; and Where Do You Come From?, which (among other things) placed repeated motifs in dramatically contrasting music -- Simple Gifts with Yo-Yo Ma and Allison Krause, and the more earthy, Latin beat of Rodrigo y Gabriela. It seemed to be about origins. I’m totally making that up, there was no explanatory note in the program – but that’s one of the things I love about modern dance, you can take from it what you will.
There were three other choreographers in the program, and I was happy to discover one of them was Danielle Greene, who I got to dance with when I was in Carla and Company, one of the resident companies at Dance Place. Danielle’s piece, Weathering the Storm, buffeted dancers around the stage but I also saw a round, flowing element to the movement, like wind and water.
It’s always fun to see the work of someone I’ve watched move up close, in class or rehearsal – I imagine I recognize their bodies superimposed on other dancers, an odd displacement when the movement echoes through totally different body types.
And the shows are fun, too.
I found out about this one, Choreographers Collaboration Project, from Alicia Luchowski, who takes Carla’s Monday night class with me. She choreographed two pieces in the show: By Twos and Threes moved upstage and down, playing with shadows in, you guessed it, groups of two and three dancers; and Where Do You Come From?, which (among other things) placed repeated motifs in dramatically contrasting music -- Simple Gifts with Yo-Yo Ma and Allison Krause, and the more earthy, Latin beat of Rodrigo y Gabriela. It seemed to be about origins. I’m totally making that up, there was no explanatory note in the program – but that’s one of the things I love about modern dance, you can take from it what you will.
There were three other choreographers in the program, and I was happy to discover one of them was Danielle Greene, who I got to dance with when I was in Carla and Company, one of the resident companies at Dance Place. Danielle’s piece, Weathering the Storm, buffeted dancers around the stage but I also saw a round, flowing element to the movement, like wind and water.
It’s always fun to see the work of someone I’ve watched move up close, in class or rehearsal – I imagine I recognize their bodies superimposed on other dancers, an odd displacement when the movement echoes through totally different body types.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
How I feel about gardening
The Writer's Almanac captures a little of the magic of growing a garden in a Barbara Crooker's poem, Vegetable Love. I love the secret caves of peppers and the plump pulp of tomatoes.
Picking sugar snaps not long ago, I wondered how we got from treasuring juicy, ripe, round, swelling, abundant peas and peppers and eggplants and tomatoes and melons, peaches and apples and berries -- all nice and fat -- to admiring thin, even emaciated women we call "slender." In the natural world, the only slender I want is maybe a willowy stalk of asparagus or a bunch of haricot vert.
That's my green pepper in the photo, still growing plump.
Proof that I love to cook
Last night I pulled together a pantry meal -- you know, one of those surprisingly fabulous dinners you pull out your... cabinets ... when you just can't face the weekend crowd at the grocery store. It's called "Peasant Tortilla" in Julee Rosso's book, Great Good Food, but I've know it as Spanish Tortilla at places like Jaleo. It's way easy, beautiful on a plate, and makes me feel sophisticated because I imagine the other people joining me in savoring this very dish: They are sitting at a neighborhood bar in Spain, ordering tortillas to accompany lovely glasses of wine and chatting away, en Espanol.
Here is a my recipe, based very loosely on Rosso's. Once I get the hang of blogging, I'll start posting photos, too.
Ginny's version of Spanish Tortilla
1 potato, thinly sliced (the "thin" part is very important here)
4 whole eggs, 2 egg whites (please use free range, trust me on this)
1/2 an onion, again with the thin slices
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes from Monica's garden, thanks!)
1 clove garlic, chopped (smashing it changes the flavor, but you could go either way depending on how much time you have for chopping)
3/4 cup frozen peas
a handful of Greek olives, pitted and chopped
olive oil for the pan
salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil at medium-high in a cast iron skillet that you can put in the oven (actually, use whatever you like, but I love the cast iron -- sister Jean, are you listening? I'm still using what you gave me 20-plus years ago!). Add the potatoes, arranging in overlapping circles from the outside in. While you let 'em brown on the bottom (use a spatula to peek), preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Once the potatoes have browned, scatter all remaining ingredients except the eggs over the top (no, you haven't flipped them, just leave them in the pan the way you first arranged them). Whisk the eggs and eggwhites all together, then pour over the potatoes etc. Place the skillet in the oven until set, maybe 5 minutes.
When you plate this (don't you love that verb, "to plate"?), you can flip it so you see the lovely layers of browned potatoes,or you can leave it upright and see bright green peas and summer-red tomatoes rising up out of the eggs.
This makes enough for my dinner, the next morning's breakfast, and someone else's generous snack later in the day -- 3 to 4 servings.
Here is a my recipe, based very loosely on Rosso's. Once I get the hang of blogging, I'll start posting photos, too.
Ginny's version of Spanish Tortilla
1 potato, thinly sliced (the "thin" part is very important here)
4 whole eggs, 2 egg whites (please use free range, trust me on this)
1/2 an onion, again with the thin slices
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes from Monica's garden, thanks!)
1 clove garlic, chopped (smashing it changes the flavor, but you could go either way depending on how much time you have for chopping)
3/4 cup frozen peas
a handful of Greek olives, pitted and chopped
olive oil for the pan
salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil at medium-high in a cast iron skillet that you can put in the oven (actually, use whatever you like, but I love the cast iron -- sister Jean, are you listening? I'm still using what you gave me 20-plus years ago!). Add the potatoes, arranging in overlapping circles from the outside in. While you let 'em brown on the bottom (use a spatula to peek), preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Once the potatoes have browned, scatter all remaining ingredients except the eggs over the top (no, you haven't flipped them, just leave them in the pan the way you first arranged them). Whisk the eggs and eggwhites all together, then pour over the potatoes etc. Place the skillet in the oven until set, maybe 5 minutes.
When you plate this (don't you love that verb, "to plate"?), you can flip it so you see the lovely layers of browned potatoes,or you can leave it upright and see bright green peas and summer-red tomatoes rising up out of the eggs.
This makes enough for my dinner, the next morning's breakfast, and someone else's generous snack later in the day -- 3 to 4 servings.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
I Love to Cook. Really.
I love the idea of cooking. Flipping pages of cookbooks and old issues of Cooking Light, talking over recipes with friends, planning dinner parties. I get so lost in this that time passes and I get hungry and I can’t wait to get ingredients and cook and THEN eat, so I don’t actually cook. I go buy something ready-made.
Today I went to the farmer’s market in Silver Spring and bought a miniature quiche from Praline (yum) and vowed that eventually I will make one myself. Later. I’ve even chosen the recipe, thanks to my lovely neighbor, Claire, who has loaned me the original Julia Child cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Claire has had it since her college days. It is food-splattered and wobbly on its spine, so she is especially generous to loan it out. I picked it up after I saw the movie Julie and Julia -- the libraries and book stores are clean out of copies. I’m giving it a sort of trial run – if I like it, I might splurge and order a copy of my own. Actually, I’d be sharing it with Clara, who was so inspired after the movie she was ready to go to the store for ingredients at 8 p.m. I took her to Mon Ami Gabi instead. We’ll cook with Julia next week.
BTW, the Silver Spring market has gorgeous produce, and today it had tomato tastings hosted by Washington Gardener magazine. But it’s more expensive than our Takoma Park market, which is hands down the best one in the area.
Today I went to the farmer’s market in Silver Spring and bought a miniature quiche from Praline (yum) and vowed that eventually I will make one myself. Later. I’ve even chosen the recipe, thanks to my lovely neighbor, Claire, who has loaned me the original Julia Child cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Claire has had it since her college days. It is food-splattered and wobbly on its spine, so she is especially generous to loan it out. I picked it up after I saw the movie Julie and Julia -- the libraries and book stores are clean out of copies. I’m giving it a sort of trial run – if I like it, I might splurge and order a copy of my own. Actually, I’d be sharing it with Clara, who was so inspired after the movie she was ready to go to the store for ingredients at 8 p.m. I took her to Mon Ami Gabi instead. We’ll cook with Julia next week.
BTW, the Silver Spring market has gorgeous produce, and today it had tomato tastings hosted by Washington Gardener magazine. But it’s more expensive than our Takoma Park market, which is hands down the best one in the area.
A beginning
Why blog?
I have a lot to say.
Like how I love my kids (don’t believe teenagers are awful, who started that rumour anyway?) And how music can move me to tears (Don, are you listening?). How joyful dance can feel. How lovely it is to walk to the farmer’s market and chat with five people I know on the way, in a community where I know shopkeepers by name and can walk to just about everything I need.
And bad stuff, too: let’s talk about the toilet that requires four flushes to do the job, and the girl who got to hand her dad the tools but never learned how to fix things herself (that would be me). Then there are the yawningly empty nights when it’s just me and the dog and – well, and now a blog.
But this will not be a me-fest.
Or at least not entirely. Mostly I hope you will see some little piece of yourself here, that something will resonate and make you say, yes, what she said.
That is what I would like to do best.
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