Eating with Abs

Guest Columnist Nikki Brown Dishes on American-Style Sweet Potato Fries

Abigail Wick — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:11:17 +0000

Guest contributor Nikki Brown is a self-proclaimed semi-vegetarian with a sweet smile that she puts to good effect when lobbing snarky jokes. Her comic sensibility borders on biting, and reflects her white-hot mind. We first met in a yoga class in San Francisco, where we were mutually awestruck by one another: Nikki and I both carry a mutant gene that allows us to perform super-human feats of flexibility, such as dropping into the scissor splits on-demand. Apparently, Nikki has a few other gifts up her sleeve, such as the culinary arts. Before I became a Berliner, I used to love visiting her hyper-modern Haight Ashbury flat for dinner parties and potlucks, and in the following guest column, Nikki dishes on harnessing the farm-to-fork treasures in her weekly CSA delivery to create a sweet, sophisticated twist on a classic American staple: the french fry.

It all begins with my Farm Fresh to You CSA box. CSA is an acronym for community-supported agriculture, and is a program that allows consumers to directly invest in local farms’ upfront yearly capital in return for weekly doorstep deliveries of seasonal, regional produce. Sometimes, this means more sweet potatoes than a girl knows what to do with. Fortunately, sweet-potato fries are creamy-sweet inside and crispy-brown outside, and there’s no better way to cook ‘em.

What You Need:

Sweet potatoes (sliced into sticks)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Paprika
Salt & Pepper

What You Do:

Drench potato slices with oil, paprika, salt & pepper
Cook in 425-degree oven for 30-minutes, turning once
Serve with ketchup (lots of it, if you’re going for American-style fries)

Photo by little blue hen

Happy New Year from the World’s Hipster Capital: Williamsburg

Abigail Wick — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 23:03:36 +0000

Happy 2012, my lovelies! I rang in the new wave with my baby sister, Anna-Lisa, the girl I’ve loved passionately ever since the day she was born. For the past year, it has been a sad day in Sisterville–the Atlantic Ocean has been between us. We rectified too much time apart with a special, week-long jaunt in New York, where we holed up in the world’s hipster capital of Williamsburg and toasted 2012 with a bottle of bubbly at a swell joint called Juliette, a French-style brasserie in Brooklyn.

It’s not possible to communicate the full breadth of how much I love this girl:

Contributing Columnist Helly Parsons Dishes on ‘Tanzanian Beans’

Abigail Wick — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 15:06:58 +0000

Helly Parsons hails from New Zealand, that sweet Pacific landmass where the climes are perennially warm and the culture laid-back and loving. She and I first met at the Unlike City & Travel Guide headquarters in Berlin, where Helly works as a marketer and I am an editor. When she first told me about Tanzanian Beans, a plant-based meal with a Kiwi twist, I knew that this golden gal was onto something special–so I invited her to share the love. Take it away, Helly!

Tanzanian Beans

I’m quite proud of New Zealand’s culinary culture. As a small, green country, we’re never far from the farm and fields and we pride ourselves on local and seasonal produce.The country’s food identity is very much an ethnic mash-up. As well as our Maori heritage, we’ve assimilated onto the table edible offerings from Asia, the Mediterranean and the Pacific Rim. It’s the British influence, however that is the strongest, and in New Zealand, it’s meat-based meals that reign.

As a predominantly carnivorous nation, my naïve first impressions of vegetarian and vegan cuisine lead me to believe a few lettuce leaves garnished with cherry tomatoes was as good as it got. Fortunately, my curiosity and years of exploration have uncovered a wealth of delicious and exciting plant-based eats. My absolute favorite vegetarian dish is called Tanzanian Beans. Brimming with flavor, it’s an exotic potato and bean combo accented with citrus & spices. Delish!

The ingredients.

The preparation.

The eats!

Tanzanian Beans

What you need:

3 cloves of crushed garlic
1 onion finely chopped
1 green chilli or 1 tsp of chilli powder
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander
2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp cilantro roughly chopped
1 cup dried coconut
2 cups of cooked or canned beans (2 or 3 varieties with mixed color is good- black eyed
peas, kidney beans, white beans etc)
1 cup parboiled potatoes diced (approx. 2 potatoes)
½ cup of diced parboiled carrots (approx. half a carrot)
Juice of half a lemon or lime
Oil

What you do:

Pour a few glugs of oil into a pan.
Add garlic, onion and chili. Sauté for a few minutes, then add remaining herbs and spices.
Add coconut and stir.
Add beans, potatoes and carrots.
Mix well to coat the veggies and allow to simmer for 5-10 mins.
Pair with green veggies or chapatti and complement with a dollop of coconut cream.

New York’s Candle 79 Mixologist Kyle Bullen’s Exclusive Eating with Abs Autumnal Cocktail

Abigail Wick — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 23:24:34 +0000

New York-based Kyle Bullen transitioned from his career as a male model into his current role as a lead mixologist in the fine-dining sector. His passion for and commitment to animal advocacy first lead him to Millenium Restaurant in San Francisco–the most-upscale vegan eatery on the West Coast–and then to New York’s über-posh Candle 79 in Manhattan, where he fashions artisanal cocktail recipes and manages the bar. He’s super-handsome, has a heart of gold, and helped edit the just-published Candle 79 Cookbook. Below, he concocts a special autumnal cocktail using Eating with Abs’ favorite purveyor of organic, eco-friendly spirits–Puro Verde Tequila. Take it away, Kyle–it’s a true honor to have you contribute!

I get excited when autumn rolls around. I love working with flavors of summer, but my enthusiasm is far more aroused when I see the rising towers of pumpkins, apples, pomegranates, and other fall favorites along the street-side farmers’ markets of New York City. The colors and flavors this time of year take me back to gatherings with my family in Ohio, childhood trips to the apple orchard for fresh cider, and walks through colorful forests with my father, the trees showering us with falling leaves.

The name of this year’s Autumnal Cocktail at Candle 79, Mexican Apple doesn’t quite transport you to Ohio, but having spent several years living in San Francisco amongst a true melting pot of people in my early 20s, I’ve come to appreciate the integration of flavors inspired by a medley of cultural and culinary traditions.

My gift of feeling and thinking in flavors is the life source of my drinks. When I create a cocktail, I start with one base flavor in mind. For the ‘Mexican Apple’ it was Puro Verde’s Reposado Tequila. It has a clean, fresh taste that I knew would pair well with one of the most classic seasonal libations, hard apple cider. My favorite apple brew, Doc’s Draft, is locally made with New York State apples, a natural choice, with a crisp, dry flavor.

Kyle in-action this Thanksgiving at Candle 79

After selecting these two dominate tastes, the rest is about layering and weaving other interesting flavorful notes to create an exciting dance on the tongue. Finally, bitters ties this cocktail together seamlessly on the palate. And so the Mexican Apple was born and found its home on this year’s Candle 79 Thanksgiving Libations menu.

Only subtly sweet, the Mexican Apple is a refreshing cocktail with balanced fall flavors, delicate enough for a meal, but equally delightful sipped on its own!

Mexican Apple Cocktail Recipe

Glassware: 12 oz. rocks glass
1 ½ oz. Puro Verde Organic Reposado Tequila
¾ oz. Pomegranate concentrate
¾ oz. Vanilla bean infused agave simple syrup
2 dashes Bar Keep Apple Pie bitters
2 ½ oz. Dry hard apple cider
Ice
Apple wheel Garnish

Instructions: Add all ingredients over ice and stir. Garnish with an apple wheel.

To make the vanilla bean agave simple syrup, mix equal parts water and agave with vanilla bean. You may substitute a dash of vanilla extract with the bean. If you cannot find pomegranate concentrate, use juice. To balance the sweetness of juice, you may wish to use slightly less agave nectar. If you cannot find Bar Keep Bitters, use one dash of the classic, Angostura Aromatic Bitters. In my recipe, I use Doc’s Draft Hard Apple Cider.

Soups Ahoy!

Abigail Wick — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:01:07 +0000

The best part of living in Berlin is leaving the city and subsequently coming back. Every time I return to the threshold of this strange and dark metropolis, something in my spirit sighs with sweet relief. After my weekend foray in Dresden–a swell, little slice of East German heaven–nothing helped me settle in more than the preparation of a simmering pot of soup.

You all know that I don’t do fancy and utterly abhor recipes–how trite and dull. For me, it’s all about throwing in whatever seasonal vegetables I picked up from the organic market that morning and then making a little impromptu magic. It’s super-hydrating, super-nourishing, super-warming and absolutely wunderbar (that means ‘wonderful’ in Deutsch, y’all). xxo, abs

Lovely leeks all sliced up and ready for action.

Organic, German-made bouillon for a little shebang.

No meal is complete without crucifers, and broccoli is my personal penchant.

Carrots noir...

Lentils pack a price-savvy, protein-rich punch.

I love a blend of Jasmine and Basmati organic, fair-trade rices.

Voila!

Guest Columnist Ellen Roggeman Dishes on Agricultural Biodiversity

Abigail Wick — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:16:17 +0000

For several years, Ellen lived in Thailand, where she became interested in agriculture while working on awareness campaigns about the effects of international trade regulations on the lives of small-scale farmers. Currently based in San Francisco, Ellen is completing the final weeks of her two-year stint as a product developer and gardener at McEvoy Ranch. In the following essay, she reflects on the farm’s failed stone-fruit crops this year; rather than letting the low yield portend failure, she came up with a creative solution for launching the McEvoy’s new boutique jam and jelly line. (PS: This will be Ellen’s last contribution from California, as she is relocating south of the Rio Grande, to Mexico, to be her fiancee. Her future posts will likely feature more tequila and tacos–oh, how I hope!)

“Let’s just call it a wacky year and forget about the white tape.” That’s what McEvoy Ranch head gardener Margaret Koski-Kent and I decided. Why mark the trees that didn’t bear fruit with white agriculture tape if that would mean flagging 2/3 of the orchard?

Remember that week of summer sometime in May? Well, when it quickly turned back into winter our hopes for summer fruits were dashed. Once a stone fruit tree (think necatrines, peaches, plums) blooms it is very vulnerable. Rain can ruin the buds meaning that fruit never develops. And fruit that does “set” might not ripen if it doesn’t get the heat and day length it needs to sweeten.

So all summer we picked only five trays of peaches, about six very absurd looking necatarines, and maybe ten plums….maybe. Funny year to have started a jam line, no?

But life did give us lots of lemons. So, we made Meyer Lemon Marmalade and Crabapple Meyer Lemon Marmalade and a small batch of Elderberry Meyer Lemon Marmalade.

Lovely things can come from scapping a well-developed plan and then just working with what you have. A nice crop of cherries was turned into Cherry Lemon Verbena jam, which is available at our Ferry Building shop as I type. And an early flush of apples was quickly turned into Pink Pearl Apple jam, Apple & Lavender Jelly, Wild Fennel Applesauce, Apple and Almond Conserve, and other fun creations.

If this was a children’s story I think the moral would be: three cheers for biodiversity! Without it we may have only been able to offer some mint jelly and a “we’ll try again next year.”

It reminds me of the rice farmers in Thailand who first taught me about farming and what it is to depend on a crop for one’s livelihood. They spoke of a day years ago when they grew multiple varieties of rice. From one small province, Surin, there were over 100 varieties of rice grown. Some could float on top of the water in a really rainy year. Others were perfectly happy when water was sparse. So the switch to nearly everyone growing solely Jasmine rice was a dramatic shift. Suddenly if the weather wasn’t right or a pest invaded, a whole crop could be lost in a flash, and with it, a year’s salary.

It’s years like this one which make me thankful that Margaret is committed to biodiversity and that our customers are adventurous enough to try Rhubarb Orange jam instead of the strawberry standard. It wasn’t a typical summer, but it was a creative one, and, hopefully, that creativity will hold us until next summer when, fingers crossed, plums abound.

If you live in the U.S., you can find a selection of Ellen’s newly-released estate food products, including Apple and Lavender Jelly, Rhubarb Orange Jam, Crapapple Meyer Lemon Marmalade, Cherry Lemon Verbena Jam and Tomato Jam, in McEvoy’s San Francisco Ferry Building shop. To order, call +1-415-291-7224.

Long-Legged Ladies Do Lunch…California Style

Abigail Wick — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:00:14 +0000

I love San Francisco–the sweeping coastal vistas, the glittering skyline, the beautiful people. Two such babes are my dear homies Rachel Znerold and Lula Chapman, who have their hands in everything from fashion design and modern dance to visual and performance art. It’s so sweet of them to remember me across the pond and photo-document the preparation of a classic, California-style lunch that’s bursting with brightly colored seasonal produce. In the following write-up, penned by the bombshell Znerold, autumnal gourds make an appearance, as do–um–Lula’s gams. You can’t make this stuff up, people; it’s just too damn good (and good for you). Take it away, Ms. Znerold!

“I have to buy this zucchini…it’s just SO beautiful,” Lula gushes over the phone. Immediately I know she must be walking past the copious Mexican produce markets on the way over to my Mission apartment for a spontaneous lunch meeting. I giggle at the thought of Lula being beckoned by the striped, light-skinned squash.

“Bring it over!” I squeal, “I’ve got the makings for my mom’s famous pomegranate poppy seed salad and some leftover roasted butternut squash!” It’s Lula’s last day in San Francisco before she jets off to Australia and then to Equador, and I’m thrilled at the prospect of sharing food with this gorgeous girl one last time. Exhausted and still buzzing with excitement, we were planning to debrief from our latest video/performance art piece that debuted during ‘Yerba Buena Nights’ the previous weekend. I could imagine no better way to bond than by cooking yummy homemade veggies in my sun-soaked kitchen.

I popped the butternut squash (that I had roasted the night before) back into the oven and began to whip up the salad. I had just learned a new pomegranate preparation trick from an awesome farmer in Marin, and was eager to try it out. (De-seeding the fruit while submerged in a bowl of water makes for fast and easy cleanup!) Lula sautéed the thinly-sliced zucchini with a dash of olive oil, salt, pepper and a garlic clove, and within ten minutes we were ready to enjoy our delicious (and decadent) lunch!

Roasted Butternut Squash

Cut butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle olive oil and a 1/3 cup water in a metal cooking dish and place squash face down. Cook 30-45 min on 400F or until squash is soft.
OPTION: Sprinkle salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg over top!
To reheat, place squash face up in cooking dish and place in 400F oven until warm.

Sheila’s Famous Holiday Pomegranate Poppy Seed Salad

Wash and clean greens, breaking into bite-sized pieces. (I like to use red-leaf or butter lettuce)
Toss lettuce in a poppyseed dressing. (I make my own dressing 99% of the time, but I haven’t attempted this one yet. My mom’s fave is Brianna’s Homestyle All Natural Poppyseed Dressing- It’s Vegan!)
De-seed pomegrante and sprinkle over salad. (Try the underwater trick: De-seed in the water, then strain!)
OPTION: Get Creative: add citrus fruit, nuts or seeds! My mom always adds orange and grapefruit sections, but today I sprinkled on raw sunflower seeds.

Garlic Seared Zucchini

Thinly slice the Zucchini and finely dice a garlic clove.
Sauteé Zucchini and garlic in a little extra virgin olive oil and salt/pepper until for a few minutes or until slightly soft.

I love brunching in Paris.

Abigail Wick — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:27:53 +0000

Especially on the sun-soaked terrace of my friend Roger’s place in Issy. He whipped up this simple, scrumptious meal of sautéed broccoli with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper; sliced cantaloupe; and salad with a homemade dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. He actually outdid himself with dessert (Roger believes in post-prandial sweets at every meal): French vanilla ice cream smothered with a farmers’ market peach and berry compote that he stewed-up brilliantly.

I was, needless to say, impressed by his French culinary skills. It’s true: The French really do everything better–whereas in the States, eating an all-veggie meal is considered ‘healthy,’ in Europe it’s simply par-for-the course. The culturally and socially enshrined approach to nourishment and noshing is incredibly sane and balanced.

Oh! And did I mention the champagne? He also believes in no less than a bottle of bubbly with brunch. Word.

Guest Columnist Jamie Smith of C.R.A.F.T. Dishes on Raw Kale Salad

Abigail Wick — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 19:59:24 +0000

DIY trend-spotter and taste-maker Jamie Smith and I both sprang-up in small-town Texas (what you Europeans would call a village). Now, she lives and works in the state’s liberal, bohemian enclave–Austin, one of my favorite sweet-spots in the U.S. For her popular blog–C.R.A.F.T.–Jamie creates really awesome (mostly) free things for home, wardrobe, kids, and kitchen. She’s a crafty, foxy beauty and–I’ll be honest–a bit obsess-able. For such an au naturale gal, she at the same time exudes a cosmopolitan vibe–a killer combination that leaves you wanting more! For Eating with Abs, the brunette bombshell whipped-up a wicked-good 100-percent raw kale salad. You know how much I love cruciferous-family vegetables (kale, kohlrabi, cauliflower, and the like), and it’s super-swell to have her as a contributor. Take it away, babe!

Ok, so I’m no kale expert–in fact, this super-yummy, super-healthy dish is my one and only kale specialty, which I learned originally from a friend who was at the time into a raw-foods diet. There are some essential ingredients for the dish: 1) Kale, 2) Avocado, 3) Sea Salt, 4) Nuts. The rest can be a radical improvisation, and you can include just about any veggies or mix-ins you find in your fridge, from cheese to cabbage to carrots to apples…you get the idea. It’s a pseudo-recipe that is lots of fun, hands-on, and even a little messy to prepare. Here’s what you do:

Wash and dry your kale. Using your fingers, separate the kale leaves from the stalk, tearing the leaves into tiny little bits. Don’t be lazy in this stage–the itsy-bitsy pieces are part of the breaking down process that results in the final dish!
Add sea salt and massage–by hand–into the kale. I don’t measure, just add it little by little, to taste.
As you add the salt and massage it, the kale breaks down and gets smaller and smaller…
Spoon avocado into your bowl and continue to massage–this is a messy process!
Toast a nut mixture of your choosing–anything you have on hand like walnuts, pecans, whatever. I toast mine in a skillet on low heat with some agave nectar for about 6-10 minutes, stirring occasionally and then putting them on a plate and popping them in the freezer to cool quickly.
Voila! Your salad is delicious and ready to eat. You can also add some oil and vinegar, feta cheese, chopped celery, grated carrot. Really, anything you like. Stamp it with your own signature! I hope you give this a try, everybody, because kale is yummy and good for you!

PS: ‘Like’ Jamie at Craft. You can also ’like’ me at Eating with Abs!

Guest Columnist Ashley Elsalameen Dishes on Puro Verde Organic Tequila

Abigail Wick — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 15:00:35 +0000

Although currently located in Washington, D.C., Ashley Elsalameen is a tried-and-true Southern girl in full possession of the region’s requisite charms: modesty, manners, and a lightning-quick mind. She and I first met as teenagers, and after ten years have found ourselves reconnecting because of our mutual passion for farm-to-fork food and artisanal drink. I just love making old/new friends! Ashley is the director of marketing at her family’s business, Puro Verde Spirits, an organic tequila company with a wide presence throughout the United States and Mexico. Below, this gorgeous dame dishes on the liquid-gold libation that stirs the soul, teases you onto the dance floor, and holds court in the pantheon of spirits: Tequila!

On a recent business trip to Mexico, Ashley visited the agave fields.

“Tequila revealed our souls, unclothed our fears, and sucked out our secrets.”

The menu of La Tequila, a famed tequila bar and restaurant in Guadalajara, lists the spirit’s magical properties: It fixes broken hearts, turns men into buddies, makes women join forces, opens doors, brings out hidden beauty, and celebrates friendship. Such a refined description of the distilled intoxicant might sound far removed from the tuh-key-luh! conjured in the minds of many Americans who perhaps overindulged in college but, as you will soon learn, a special magic suffuses tequila’s past. It is the stuff from which myths, conquests, and legends are born, and it is best served as a 100%-agave variety that is preferably organic (for extra good vibes) and an adult-like sense of responsibility. As with all fine libations, tequila should be respected–it is, after all, a potent nectar of the gods.

Tequila is more than just Mexico’s most popular drink and valued export; it is an emblem, a national icon. Despite its cultural reverence, most modern-day tequila is expediently, unethically mass-produced–distilled from agave grown with chemical pesticides, mixed with food coloring and sugars, and fermented with accelerants–and these are only some of the adulterations. All is not lost, however; current production’s lack of integrity and control has inspired a few forward-thinking distillers to reclaim traditional, sustainable farming roots. It’s what my family’s company’s distiller has done, and its from these fields that we offer discerning drinkers our Puro Verde Organic Tequila.

It wasn’t too many years ago that my father first tasted its juices, and love fast ensued; in fact, it soon became the potion that all of us believed in and, as a newly-formed business team comprised of family and dear friends, we enjoyed making the magic happen in partnership with one another.

On the Mexican farmland roam hundreds of cattle, donkeys, and horses–the animals feed on the grasses and naturally fertilize our company’s single-estate bound agave. To supplement the herds’ diets, as well as the family’s, acres of corn are grown and milled on-site. The cattle also share milk with not only the family but also the surrounding community of Amatitán, just a short drive from the famed city of Tequila in the low country of Jalisco.

As a supplemental water supply for the entire lot, there is a 600’6” natural well sourced from the base of Mt. Tequila; this natural spring water goes into the each bottle of Puro Verde just before it’s sealed.

To ensure a continuous bounty of agave after each harvest, the fields self-sow their seed. Once the eight- to ten-year-old agave is harvested, the agavero farmer replants the “sons” (natural volunteers of the plant that sprout alongside their mothers). To close the loop of cooperation, once the mature agave is harvested, cooked, and crushed for its mosto (juice), the by-product plant is composted and returned to the growing fields.

My family likes to call Puro Verde naturally the best tequila because of its organic upbringing, USDA endorsement, and organic certification from one of the world’s most respected agencies, BioAgriCert. But, at the end of the day, it simply tastes good (well, more than good). Our yeast-free recipe of naturally fermented agave juice is rested in bourbon white-oak barrels for Puro Verde’s aged varieties. We recommend sipping it neat–no, really! Since the inception of Puro Verde, the only thing about drinking tequila the puckers my face is when I see people shoot it. Fine libations (like fine food) should be savored, and tequila belongs to the ranks of the increasingly popular “sipping culture” borne of people’s awakening about what (and how) they consume. The beauty of thoughtful purchases and consumer education is that manufacturers are asked to care more about how their products are made, how they affect their environment, and how the people involved in the process of its creation are taken care of.

At the beginning of this essay, I quoted from a long list of tequila’s mysterious dealings with those who imbibe. The list concludes with the following: “We should all believe in something…I believe I’ll have another tequila.” With full respect for the drink and those who contributed to its cultivation, of course!