CHESTER COUNTY CULINARY TOUR APRIL 2009

It promised to be a gorgeous day .. the skies were blue and the sun was shining .. we had an early start so after a light snack of fruit,cookies& juice I gave everyone a canvas tote bag and we piled into the shiny white van ready to start our culinary adventure of Southern Chester County .

With Clint as our driver the ride to Chester County was a smooth one .. I gave a little bit of information to everyone about where we would be going and who we would meet.

Our first stop was a Mushroom farm. This is the largest grower of specialty mushrooms in the US it is run by the 3rd generation family and has been in operation since 1927.. We toured the mushroom houses and our guide gave us fascinating information on how each type of mushroom is grown .. we even got to taste a mushroom straight from the soil ..

At the end of the tour we were able to buy mushrooms of all kinds & everyone took advantage of this great opportunity .. mushroom boxes filled the back of the truck that was following us with ice in coolers to keep our purchases cold !

Next was a visit to a local farm where Jack Hill makes his wonderful concoctions of jams & jellies from fruit grown on his property.. we watched as he and his Amish helper cooked small batches of jam with real sugar to make his award winning jams & jellies .. this retired man whips up the most delicious jellies you will ever taste.. we sampled some and bought lots !

On to a nearby farm where Tom & Barbara run a Sheep Dairy with pasture- raised lamb. They also manage 25 colonies of honeybees & along with fabulous lamb sausage we sampled their wonderful honey and old world cheeses. Tom answered some questions and gave us insight on what it takes to run a small family farm .

Our next stop was a wonderful Boutique winery ... where we sampled some astonishing blends and sampled local artisan cheese & chocolates. This small 7 acre winery is set in Avonadale and run by the same family for 5 generations. All the grapes are harvested by hand to produce some of the areas best wines .

Needing a little nourishment we headed to lunch . We dined in a local restaurant owned by a young couple who uses local produce for some great American dishes .We ate in a private dining room savoring our meal and sharing our enthusiasm for this culinary adventure .

On our last stop of the day we headed into Lancaster County where we were privileged enough to visit a local Amish Dairy farm close to milking time ! We toured the barn and watched as the cows came in from pasture ~ we bought raw milk and brown eggs along with vegetables put up by his wife .. we were followed around by 3 beautiful blue eyed children with bonnets.. it was a real experience.

Join me on my next culinary tour of Southern Chester County .. it will be an experience you will not forget !

LOCAL CULINARY ADVENTURES

I am always looking to do something new and interesting with my business ... I have been in the food business in one way or another since 1983 .. yes you read that right .. it surprises me too to think I have been cooking or thinking about cooking for that long .. as I always say time passes very quickly in life !! Especially when you are having fun!
The cooking classes I teach are wonderful but I am always trying to add a twist to make life & food more interesting .. to inspire and make people want to cook for their family & friends .. to think about food in a new way !
So this winter .. I started to think about taking a Food Inspired Tour of Chester County .. a land .. not too far away .. of rolling hills, scenic farms , Amish buggies ,a land rich in agriculture and full of beauty .. only a short beautiful drive from here.
Clint & I have been taking leisurely drives to Chester County on our days off .. just exploring .. finding antiques shops and farmers markets.. brown eggs and rich & tasty mushrooms, affordable colorful flowers .. fresh milk & cream and luscious produce.
I want to share this beautiful countryside with my clients ... so this Spring I am offering a LOCAL CULINARY ADVENTURE to Chester County .
Yesterday Clint & I went to visit all the farms & people we will be visiting this Saturday .. it was a great day .. our schedule is crammed with stops to visit a Mushroom farm that has been in the same family for years .. quite an operation ! You will never look at mushrooms the same way again ! We will talk to a retired man who makes jams & jellies with the fruit growing on his farm and has won awards for the interesting concoctions he dreams up .. a bee keeper with fabulous local honey for sale .. an Amish Dairy farm where we will take a tour of his farm and buy fresh milk & eggs .. a wonderful boutique winery .. we will have lunch in a restaurant owned by a young couple that cook with all local & organic foods from the area .
It promises to be a fun filled special day .. and I will be sure to post pictures .. look for the next Local Culinary Adventure to Chester County .. and join us to see how food is grown and produced and gets to your table !

APRIL SHOWERS

As I sit here on the computer it is pouring outside .." all day rain" as Clint likes to say .. stormy , windy , rainy .. a perfect day to stay in bed under the covers or curled up with a good book .I am doing neither .. I am here on the computer searching for inspiration .. looking for clues .. trying to not to feel down or blue ..

Some days are just like that .. you wake up not feeling yourself .. not happy but not entirely sure why or what you can do about it .. I make an effort not to read the newspaper .. not to listen to the news .. I find it all so depressing sometimes .. Bad news makes the headlines .. so I turn away from that .. but today nothing seems to be helping .. not even cooking ~which usually makes me happy .

Why is it that sometimes we just feel blue .. not ourselves .. and it's hard to snap out of it .. writing sometimes helps me so I am trying that too .. maybe I can write myself out of this mood !

I will take some time to think or meditate .. close my eyes and think of what I have in my life .. which is a lot & I will dwell on the good and know that this too shall pass and April Showers (even the downpours ) bring May flowers !

Here is wishing you a Happy Day and lots of flowers !

HAVING FUN

Teaching cooking classes is always fun for me but sometimes it gets to be even more fun .

I had the pleasure of teaching 20 ~ 3 year old how to make pizza the other day .. it was quite an experience .. now you would think the attention span of these kids is short and to a degree it is but when there is food involved~ look out !

There was excitement in the air as they filed out from their class rooms .. they came into the big room set with small tables and chairs .. at each place setting was a pizza pie shell and on the table bowls of topping and 'gravy " and cheese .. there was broccoli & olives ,pepperoni and mozzarella cheese .. .. these kids were ready .. they slathered on the sauce and proceeded to pour mountains of cheese on top of their pizza .. they artfully arrange the toppings .. who likes pepperoni ? olive ? broccoli ?? some wanted them all.. other carefully laid one of two pieces on top of their pizza .. they were laughing and having a good time .. a good sign and one we should all take a lesson from .. cooking is fun .. we should laugh and smile and enjoy our time in the kitchen .. and we get to eat well in the process !

Spend some time in the kitchen with someone you love .. cook together and enjoy the reward of your labors .. food is meant to be shared with love laughter & joy .. be a child again .. if only for a little while !

L'AGUILA

My family is from Abruzzo.. we have many relatives in Italy all from the area of the earthquake .. over the past few days I have been on the Internet contacting everyone making sure everyone is OK .. emails are flying back and forth along with phone calls and prayers.

I am witness to the devastation through my computer screen . I have been to the beautiful city of L'Aguila ,visited the churches , taken a caffe in the local bars ,walked the cobblestone streets. It is devastating to see the damage that has been done .

My cousins are all OK but terrified none the less .. they write to me as they still feel the tremors that have been rocking the region, asking for prayers and hope . My father comes to my kitchen everyday to talk about Italy .. it was his childhood home and as a little boy he remembers feeling the shaking of the ground and feeling helpless.

One of his closest friends lives in the city center .. She and her Husband managed to escape that night with only the clothes on their backs .. driving the back roads to their daughter's small apartments in Rome .. all the major roads were closed for fear of collapsing bridges & tunnels .It took them all night long ~they are 80 & 83 .I spoke to their daughter who lives in New York .. she was teary and frightened and told me she is walking around in shock .. she grew up in L'Aquila.The many medieval buildings are her home .. now crushed and shaken to rumble .

To witness, even if only through pictures , the devastation and ruin breaks my heart ,it makes me realize what is important in life .It makes me want to reach out and help in any way I can , it makes me sad.

FOODS & FLAVORS

I've been "cooking up a storm" so to speak , since we have come home from Italy .. my inspiration has been all the fabulous food we ate for 5 days while in Rome !.. I am doing things just a little differently than I usually do .. with time and love as the key ingredients .. As a cooking class teacher I am always trying to find fast & easy recipes to share with my students but sometimes to get that flavorful and rich taste .. time is the essence !
So with that in mind I called my butcher in the beginning of the week and ordered a few cuts of meat that would tolerate slow long cooking .. pork roast with a bone in .. veal shoulder seasoned and tied into a fragrant bundle .. lamb roast with the bone still intact... and I have been using the method that my mother used all her cooking life "on top of the stove " .
I usually shy away from this type of braising because I felt that type of cooking needed my unadulterated attention but I am pleasantly finding that it is not the case at all .. sure there is a little more work in the beginning of the cooking process than just turning the oven on and throwing the roast in .. you must brown or caramelize all the sides of the meat .. this provides a nice crust and wonderful flavor worth the extra time .. as soon as my roast are golden brown on all sides I add a liquid to gather all the bits and pieces that cling to the big dutch oven .. this is called de~glazing and can be done with broth or water ... better than either of these choices is wine ! Sometimes I use all three .. I add some aromatic vegetables such as onion , garlic , celery , carrots and then the lid goes on .. I check the time and then go do something else for at least an hour .. when I return I flip the meat over and baste it .. make sure there is enough liquid in the bottom of the pan ( too much and you are boiling ~ too little and it will burn ) about 2 inches is all you need .. this liquid does not evaporate quickly because the lid is on at all times.
I check doneness with a meat thermometer .. I can usually tell if it is almost done because the house fills with the wonderful aroma of a mouthwatering meal ! at this point I peel and cube some Yukon gold potatoes .. those buttery delicious potatoes that cook in a flash .. I sprinkle the potatoes around the roast and let it stay on a low flame for about 20 to 30 minutes more .. turn off the heat and let it rest ..

I can say that we have been eating very well since we got home from Bella Italia

MARTI & PIERO

Friends are hard to come by .. good friends that is .. someone who knows you and understands you .. someone you can keep in contact with and enjoy sharing little pieces of life .. someone who shares your interest and zest for food and all things Italian...

I have a friend like that .. a high school friend that I just recently reunited with.. Marti.. she now lives in the hills of Tuscany in a little town called Stia .. Our lives have many parallels... food was her profession and Italy her passion .. she contacted me a few years ago by email & we have been corresponding regularly ever since.. it has been fun and quite an adventure for me to hear her stories.. she is a free spirit and has a very interesting life .. following her heart & her dreams.

Last October when in Florence with my culinary tour ~Clint & I were able to break away from the group for an hour to have a coffee with her & Piero and this week when we came to Rome .. Clint & I made plans to make our visit just a little bit longer .

She was one of the first people I told about this adventure to Rome .. we were both very excited !

We made plans to take the Eurostar to Florence Santa Maria Novella Station & meet them there ~Daily she would send me info on Italy .. weather , train schedules, plans she was making for our visit .. we were to meet at the train station .. she & Piero would be taking the bus from their little town and we would take the early train .. we arrived at almost the same time .. phoning each other from across the station.. we met at the Farmacia ..

We spotted each other immediately and happily held a non stop conversation as we strolled through the streets of Florence on our way to the Mercato Centerale .. the large food market in Florence.This was a perfect place to bring me ! I loved looking at the the stalls asking Piero about the different cuts of meat that I was not familiar with ~ and believe me there was many .. the volume of butcher stalls was staggering .. each selling a specialty .. there was tripe & intestines .. there was cow tails and testicles.. nerves and even .. and I am hesitant to even write this but the face of a cow was on display for sale .. kind of makes rabbit sound benign.. but as I always say about food ~ it is all what you are use to !

We wandered around the market sampling prosciutto and pecorino.. gazing at the fish .. fresh from the sea... we went to the second level where all the beautiful produce was on display .. all this food was making us hungry so we headed out into the Florence sunshine over to a little Trattoria that both Piero & Marti knew of for a wonderful traditional lunch.

We sat in the corner and drank Vino Rosso a casa and orderd a fabulous meal and enjoyed it with wonderful warm friendship .. our afternoon ended too soon.. before we knew it after some wine & vin santo & lemoncello we were headed back to the station .. Us to Roma and Marti & Piero back to Tuscany.It was a wonderful visit and one I will not forget .

Italy is just a little more special with friend like Marti & Piero!