Archive for Local

Cadillac Culinary Challenge

September 21, 2010 · Filed under Local

Come on down to the Walt Whitman Mall this Saturday and participate in the Cadillac Culinary Challenge.

The Long Island Foodies were invited by their friends at GM to participate in this great event, where you can experience the very finest of cuisine and the very best of Cadillac.

Participants will be able to compare the Cadillac SRX Crossover and CTS Sport Wagon against the competition: the Lexus RX 350, the Mercedes ML350 and the BMW 535i Sports Wagon. Also available will be the Escalade Hybrid, the world’s only full-size luxury hybrid SUV.

While checking out the new vehicles, you can enjoy a complimentary culinary demonstration, where you can pick up cooking tips from some of the best in the business, including Eric Lomando of Kitchen A Bistro and Jonathan Contes of Mosaic.

Culinary demonstrations will be held at 11:30 AM, 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM.

Hope to see you there!

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Chickens in Huntington Station

November 21, 2008 · Filed under Local, Organic, Poultry

One of our local readers (yes, do actually have “readers” of this blog and not just our friends throwing a little support our way) is involved in what could be the greatest psuedo-political/policy issue of our time.  Now, I realize that this is a bold statement, and you may disagree with us when we say this, but here at the Foodie we feel that this issue’s time has come and we need to lend some support.

I’m talking about backyard chickens.

Now, you’ll notice that I said nothing about roosters.  And for those of you who have forgotten what was learned in High School Sex Ed, female chickens can lay all the eggs they like without the need for them to be “fertilized.”  So sorry Mr. Rooster, you’ll get no attention here on this page unless you can find a way of laying eggs without waking up the neighbors.

This page, is all about the ladies.

So, the story about Tim and Jennifer Jurik can be found on Newsday’s website here. I feel like they tell the story pretty accurately from what Jennifer told me, so I’m not going to bore you with my retelling of the tale.  Instead, I’d like to address some of the comments and questions posed on Newsday’s comments page.  (Now, for those of you that don’t read Newsday online and have never before been exposed to the comments page on their articles, I warn you now; Long Islanders are some racist fucks.  Sorry to use such harsh language, but sometimes it is appropriate given the circumstances.  So I’m just saying, read the comments page and be exposed to a new view about your neighbors).

I’d like to start on a point that Tim brings up at the end of the article; that people sometimes see his chickens and wonder what they even are.  This is because so many of us have been conditioned to think that chicken comes on a styrofoam plate, covered in shrink wrap and priced per pound.  And this just furthers our cause here at the Foodie which is to expose people to where their food comes from.  Maybe if people realized that a living, breathing animal has given its life so that you can enjoy that McDonald’s Southern Style Chicken Biscuit sandwich then maybe, just maybe we’d either have a few more vegetarians out there or we could at least prevent some of the sub-human actions that some of our fellow Earth dwellers have done in order to pass the time. Enjoy that hamburger, enjoy that chicken salad, but just pay attention and realize that no, it did not come from the guy at the deli but came from a living animal.  Tasty.

The next point I want to bring up is that it’s extremely economical to raise backyard chickens.  The chickens themselves are not expensive, especially if you get them as chicks.  The Jurik’s 5 birds provide them with about a dozen fresh, organic eggs a week.  That is almost a $200/year savings.  Plus, after you’ve provided this living creature with a long, happy and healthy life (in which in return is it has provided food to sustain your family), should that animal pass on and leave this earthly domain, the stewed chicken made from this bird would be tremendous.  In return for a happy and healthy life, this bird is happy to give it’s all to you as long as you treat it with respect.  (Here’s a great article on a new movement involved with giving respect to the animals that we consume)

So we’ve addressed the fact that the chickens don’t make noise (the roosters do) and that in return for a happy life these birds are more than happy to provide you with sustenance to feed your family.  Also, their “droppings” are great fertilizer for your garden and they just love to eat all the little bugs and insects that ruin your harvest.

So, to wrap it all up in that fast, curt Foodie style you’ve come to know and love, I will say that Huntington should amend it’s Town Code to allow a small number (less than 10) of backyard chickens to be kept on residential property as long as the chickens are provided with the necessary living arrangements (a coop, water, etc.)

Remember, no roosters.

For those of you interested in backyard chickens and are looking for more information, take a look at these links for more information:

Backyard Chickens

A Flock of Your Own

HenSpa

My Pet Chicken

Backyard Poultry Magazine

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Breeze off the Peconic

September 10, 2008 · Filed under Local, Travel · Tagged ,

A story is a beautiful thing.  It could be a gentle breeze off the Peconic when in reality it’s the air conditioning while on the couch in Huntington.  Luckily this weekend, it is a gentle breeze off the Peconic.  And while the gang of approximately 10-12 (it would change up on a daily basis) would provide an entertaining landscape for the weekend, the setting is the real leading role in this fairytale.

We descended onto Cutchogue on Friday afternoon; Stefani was already there with Julie, Bonnie and Fran while I had Gil in tow a few hours later.  K Scan and Brendacho were only a few minutes ahead of me and we were going to be met over the next few days by Brian, Mary, Dan, Marcus and Nikki.  A full schedule was on deck even though Tropical Storm Hanna had other plans. Farm fresh eggs, Long Island heirloom tomatoes and fresh seafood would fill our bellies till they bust.  Topping all of that off would be bottle after bottle of North Fork wine.

There’s not much in the terms of recipes that I can share, although I will provide a few tips on how to serve food for 10-12 semi-intoxicated 30 year olds.

Frittatas are an easy way to serve a healthy dose of protein while cleaning out the fridge of leftovers, all at the same time, in one pan.
Start by chopping up some onions, garlic and peppers and saute them in a cast iron pan with some unsalted butter.  (I don’t have to tell you to put the onions in first before the garlic or it’ll burn, and I probably don’t have to tell you to salt and pepper with each addition to the pan, hence the unsalted butter)

Then, add to the pan whatever is leftover in the house.  Julie’s mom knows how to stock a kitchen, so there was plenty of ends of cheese, breakfast sausage, broccoli rabe, spinach and tater tots; all frittata magic.

Once all of these ingredients are cooked in the pan, it’s time for the eggs and herein lies on of the true secrets to this fabulous dish.  Don’t whisk the eggs, just throw them in the pan whole.  When you combine the eggs with the rest of the ingredients, the yolks will break and start to mix with the whites, but not entirely like you would with an omelet.  This leaves you with bits of white scattered with bits of yolk all throughout the dish. The whole thing then goes into a preheated oven at about 350 until the eggs are cooked 3/4 way up; the top will remain a little uncooked when you switch on the broiler.

Take the pan out and top the eggs with some more shredded cheese and put it under the broiler to finish cooking the top and serve when there’s a nice brown char of cheese on top.

How I could forget the pie, I’ll never understand.  Too much wine I’m sure.

At two separate occasions over this weekend, pies were purchased from Briermere Farm.  And while all the baked goods at Briermere are excellent, there is one pie that claims top prize; the Raspberry Creme Pie.

This is better than any pie I’ve ever eaten, just thinking of it now brings a tear to my eye.  The raspberry preserves on top are seedless which is a big help plus they are super fresh, and the creme is sweet and works well with the tartness of the raspberry.

A little bit pricey (although not as much as the $26 peach creme pie) at $18.50, but well worth the drive and the expense.

Go out right now and buy one.

Not on the road yet?

What are you waiting for?  The North Fork awaits.

Briermere Farms
4414 Sound Avenue
Riverhead, NY 11901
Open daily from 9:00am – 5:00pm
(631) 722-3931

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A day in the Hamptons

August 29, 2008 · Filed under Local, Market, Produce, Restaurant · Tagged ,

Acting on a recommendation from a very trusted source, the Long Island Foodies woke up kinda early on Saturday morning and started heading out east to the other fork; the South Fork.

The purpose of our trip was an apple pie.  Now I know it’s a little odd to be eating apple pie in August on Long Island (they won’t be in season for another month at least), but this recommendation was super bold, so we had to act on it immediately.  “I could eat one of these apple pies everyday,” he said.

Olish Farms Country Market was busy when we got there.  Cars were pulling up as soon as others left.  The produce looked really great, albeit over priced but I didn’t expect any differently.  We weren’t here for great prices on local produce (we’d be at the Westbrook Farmers Market if that were the case), we were here for fresh baked apple pie.  The kind with a whole lotta butter in the crust, chock full of apple slices and a great cinnamon, syrupy sauce throughout.  Another positive was that the person who baked the pie knew what they were doing; they rested the apples after cutting them.  This way the apples shrink down in size before the crust is put on (ever had apply pie where there’s this huge void between the crust and the apples, this is why).

I can honestly say that this is probably the best apple pie I’ve ever had.  There is no doubt that given the opportunity, I could eat one every single day and never get tired of it.  In fact, it seems we’re heading out to Center Moriches this Saturday as well, and I definitely think that a pie from Olish’s is on the menu.

After leaving Eastport, we headed on down the road to Westhampton Beach to their weekly Farmers Market.  I’ll admit I was a little jealous when I saw that they had practically 30 vendors including fish and cheese.  But, what do you expect, it is the Hamtons (whatever that means).

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We picked up some organic mushroom barley soup, some seven grain bread and some really great yellow tomato salsa.  Sun was shining, beautiful day.

We were a little hungry and hadn’t had any real breakfast yet, so we stopped in a little luncheonette on our way out of town.

Olish Farms Country Market
Eastport Manor Rd
Eastport, NY 11941
(631) 325-0539

Eckart’s Luncheonette
162 Mill Road
Westhampton Beach, NY 11978
(631) 288-9491

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Congratulations Catapano

July 29, 2008 · Filed under Local, Market · Tagged

A quick congratulations goes out to Long Island’s own Catapano Dairy Farm.  At the American Cheese Society’s 2008 Cheese Competition in Chicago, Catapano won 1st place with their new blue cheese, Peconic Mist.

This is Catapano’s first attempt at a blue.  Peconic Mist is a blue-veined cheese, made from goat’s milk and is available at the dairy itself,  or at The Village Cheese Shop and Lucy’s Whey in East Hampton.  A whole 9.6-ounce wheel is $15; half wheels are $8.

Catapano Dairy Farm
33705 North Rd.
Peconic, NY 11958
(631) 765-8042

Open from 10:00am-5:00pm during the Summer
Call for Spring and Fall hours

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Mushrooms anyone?

July 28, 2008 · Filed under Foraging, Local · Tagged

I wish I could say that our mushroom foraging trip with the Long Island Mycological Club proved fruitful, but with these drought conditions (yes I know it rained a ton yesterday, but that didn’t help us on Saturday morning) we’ve been experiencing, the microbes weren’t making themselves known.

Oh well, no matter.  There are still other outings to be had, and when the weather gets a little cooler and a little moister, I’m sure that oyster mushrooms, black trumpets, chanterelles and hen of the woods will be at our fingertips.

We did find a section of wild blackberries that look a few weeks away from being in season, so check back to see how that foraging expedition goes.

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Cheese Tasting

July 25, 2008 · Filed under Local, Market · Tagged , ,

It’s not everyday that 30 or so foodies get together to taste French cheeses and drink fabulous wine, but this past Wednesday was a special night.  We were invited by Long Island’s best cheesemonger, Steven Damiani, to attend Uncle Giusepee’s first ever cheese tasting which focused on the Cheeses and Wines of France.  We were joined by a heck-of-a-lot of foodies who all piled into the Smithtown Uncle Giuseppe’s Wednesday night for a few hours.

I’ll try to get you a rundown this weekend as to the stuff we liked (I was the only one in my little section that liked the Reblochon, but I’m a stinky/funky cheese kinda guy) and what we bought (we had to buy the Reblochon and Stefani and I both loved the Tomme Crayeuse and that bottle of cava that’s sitting in the fridge would do well with a Manchego, even though that wasn’t being tasted this evening).

Also, I hope to get a few wise words from Thomas Barresi of Uncle Giuseppe’s for this page.  Quick note, being that we were all tasting wine all night, Tom offered to pay for a cab ride home for anyone that needed one, which was not only very generous and responsible but just goes to show you how Uncle Giuseppe’s is more than just a supermarket.  We don’t shop here on the regular (weekly), but do try to make it once a month or so, because they’re just a better market, stocking better products with a better selection and better prices.  If it wasn’t 13 miles away, we’d probably be there every week.  For now, it’s mostly to stock up on interesting pantry items, great cheese and that random piece of amazing produce that jumps out at us (like the Georgia peaches did to us last month; the smell just jumped up and grabbed us, so we new that they were going to be great peaches).

The event was hosted by Steven Damiani, and Jake Young whose wife told me, “he’s going to be everywhere, you’ll see.”  Great stuff Jake!

The Cheese and Wines of France

Uncle Giuseppe’s
95 Route 111
Smithtown, NY 11787
(631) 863-0900

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Local Produce

July 23, 2008 · Filed under Local, Produce · Tagged

With the growing season full upon us, it is far easier to get access to fresh, local produce than anything else, but some people still don’t know how to make slight changes to their procedure in order to take advantage of this.  We’re a little spoiled (just a little?) around here at Long Island Foodie; we’re members of the Hamlet Organic Garden for a few years which means that local, organic produce fills our kitchen every Friday.  But, even still, we like to supplement our CSA share with other local, farm fresh ingredients.

So, if we run out of something or don’t get something in our share that we are looking for, we have a few options:

White Post Farms has a lot of fresh, local produce.  Just yesterday I picked up Long Island corn and hand picked string beans.

J. Kings Local Farmer’s Market is a little bit of a hike out to Holtsville, but having access to all sorts of local farm goods (some that don’t sell retail) at farmer’s market prices can’t be beat.

Huntington Farmer’s Market is where we are every Sunday at 8:00am.  Can’t beat the farm fresh eggs ($2/dozen) from the Orchards at Conklin, plus their white nectarines are amazing.  Every week I pick up a dozen eggs, a half gallon of apple cider, some honey sticks, some feta cheese, some bread (now that the Bread Guy is back) and whatever fresh produce looks good.  I definitely recommend supporting the local farmer’s market; prices are cheaper than the supermarket, you’re supporting local farmers and the food is fresher and tastier.

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The Clubhouse – The Place for Steak since 1962

July 17, 2008 · Filed under Local, Restaurant · Tagged

I would be totally remiss if I didn’t mention the fabulous meal that we had the other night.  Stef’s dad took us out to eat at The Clubhouse, a venerable institution on Jericho Turnpike that has been around since 1962.  We originally were going to cook dinner at home, but a long day at the office prevented me from looking forward to slaving over a stove for anything more than a few minutes and Mike saved the day by mentioning this little gem.  We had never been there before, even though I drive past the place just about everyday.  He had been there for lunch once and was pleasantly surprised, as view from outside doesn’t really match the power and elegance demonstrated inside the restaurant.

The meal started off with a really great crusty bread and butter, the type that would be destined to mop up the last few drops of chowder (better than picking up the bowl and licking it clean).  Before the chowder came out, the three of us noshed on some really great crab cakes (although I would have liked mine with a little bit more sear to it, but otherwise it was delicious).  Then came the shrimp chowder which was by far, the best soup I’ve had to date.  It beats the seafood soup at Chez José, the seafood soup at El Picacho and the lobster bisque I brought home from Town Meat Market.  It had that velvety texture that makes you go back for more; the type of soup that inhabits your dreams at night (sucks when you wake up though to find no soup).

For protein, Mike and I ordered the Cowboy Steak which was a rib eye while Stefani ordered a piece of buffalo meat (I think it was a tenderloin).  And even though we all ordered medium rare and received steaks that were closer to medium, the flavors of the meat were so good that, not being the type to waste food, were happy to gobble up all that was on our plates (especially considering the waitress was kind enough to comp us dessert).

For dessert, we had the homemade pecan pie a la mode, the homemade white/dark chocolate mousse, and the rice pudding.  Rice pudding was a little watery for us all, the mousse was good (white chocolate actually surprisingly good) and the pecan pie, well, it was good but when you’ve had Stefani’s, it’s tough to compare.  Maybe we’ll share that recipe soon.

All in all, it was one of those truly satisfying meals.  Hey, nothing is perfect in life, you have to roll with the punches, but we rolled and as a result, had a wonderful meal.

(Hey Dad, thanks for the meal, sorry the post wasn’t up fast enough.  Pressures of the day to day, ya know?)

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Greatest salad ever?

July 17, 2008 · Filed under Local, Produce, Recipe · Tagged ,

I couldn’t wait a second longer to post about last night’s salad.

I really wanted to make something that Stefani would enjoy, using some of the farm fresh produce from our CSA.  She was going to be playing volleyball until dinner so I had some time to figure out what I was going to do.  A trip downstairs to the backup fridge found some assorted chard (swiss and rainbow) and a really delicious looking beet.  Now, I’m not a beet kind of guy, but my wife’s family is Russian and beets are big in their book, so she grew up with a certain level of comfort with them.

Although when I told her on the phone that I was serving the beet raw, she expressed some reservations.  “I’ve never had beets raw before, I’ve always cooked them.”

Well, raw beets here we go, as we make a super fast and super healthy salad that did wonders next to a piece of steak from the grill.

(The recipe comes from one of my favorite food sites, The Kitchn and I adjusted the quantities based on what I had on hand)

Sautéed Rainbow Chard with Raw Beets and Goat Cheese
serves 4 to 6

3 or 4 medium-sized beets (we had one big and 4 or 5 inch-wide ones)
4 large handfuls of rainbow chard
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces of goat cheese, crumbled

For the dressing:
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Peel the beets and either grate them on a box grater or in a food processor. You should have about two cups of shredded beets.

Separate and chop the thick stems of the chard. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot on medium heat and cook the stems for about 5 minutes, until they are softened. Add the leaves of the chard, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning with tongs, until the leaves have wilted and cooked down. Transfer the chard to a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

Make the dressing. Whisk together the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Season with salt and pepper, then stream in the olive oil while whisking vigorously.

Combine the chard and the beets and toss with the vinaigrette (depending on how much chard you have and how saturated you want your greens, you may have some vinaigrette left over). Top with goat cheese.

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