Art of the Table

Decked Out!

June 12th, 2008

Well now that this sun is shining I’m really feeling “decked out”! I tried giving the brightest and the best of patio dining in the Grand Rapids area and I at least highlighted my favorites or my newest hopes of where to go next! I admit I haven’t been to all of these places so I’d love feedback if you’ve been to a deck and it actually overlooks the dump or a bog or something - I’d like to know! If it’s the best deck you’ve ever been to I think I should know that too! So after you read my latest Rapid Growth article, let me know what you think about the deck dining in our fine city!

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From Farm to Table: The Art of Eating Locally

June 9th, 2008

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I’m admittedly a newbie to the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) movement. So newbie that I picked up my first allocation from Trillium Haven Farms last week. Thankfully the bounty starts, as my friend Lew says, as “a trickle at first”. I don’t think I could have handled a full faucet dousing of veggies upon my initial visit (and we’re sharing a share!)

I was stunned at the flavor of the green onions. They were so amazingly large, strong and thick, and they tasted like no green onion I’d ever had before! I am using them on everything, in everything! Tonight I made sauteed bok choy (with green onions of course!), using garlic, peanut oil, sesame seeds & a couple dollops of that goopy yummy asian garlic sauce. This was inspired by the recipe in one of my new favorite books From to Table: The Art of Eating Locally. The recipe is aptly entitled “A Versatile Recipe For The Hearty Greens You Don’t Know What To Do With”. I did modify the recipe a bit - I have to, it’s just my way.

Soon we’ll be on to this week’s take where I hope there will be Swiss Chard for my recipe below. Granted in about 4 weeks, I’ll probably be hoping there will be no more Swiss Chard! ~ In the meantime, you might not know the excitement of Amy and a new recipe. There is recipe bliss pouring out of me because of my newfound veggies and my love for cooking new fun things.

In the beginning of this book, Ivy Manning states gives her wholehearted and inspirational dedication. It says,

“This book is dedicated to the farmers and vendors at farmer’s markets everywhere. They get up early, get dirt under their nails, and stand in the blazing sun and pouring rain to sell us the fruits of their backbreaking labor. Blessed are the food growers, for we are always hungry.”

The book’s introduction and resources are fun & usable, good reminders of how we should live when we’re living locally and fresh. I’ll give you a recipe below, then you should come in and buy the book. Because it really is good.

This is the recipe I’m dying to try this weekend using locally grown Swiss chard, spinach AND Dancing Goat Creamery’s fresh feta to whip up a batch of these Swiss Chard and Feta Phyllo Pockets with Yogurt Dill Dip. When you try these I’ll be you will join my desire to eat well all summer and own this book too!

For 6 servings, use (items in bold can be purchased at Art of the Table):

1/3 cup white rice

2/3 cup cold water, plus additional as needed

1 bunch (1 pound) fresh spinach

2 bunches (2 pounds) Swiss chard, washed well and dried

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons Zoe olive oil, divided

1 leek cut lengthwise, white and light green parts sliced into thin rings

1 teaspoon minced garlic

7 ounces (about 1.5 cups) Dancing Goat creamery feta cheese

1/3 cup fresh dill, chopped

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 eggs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound phyllo dough, thawed

1/3 cup butter, melted, plus additional for brushing

For the yogurt dip:

2 cups plain full-fat yogurt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 small garlic clove, mashed to a paste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the rice and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Pour the rice into a large bowl and refrigerate until cool.

Cut off the stems from the spinach and discard. Place the leaves in a large bowl of cold water and swirl; the grit will sink to the bottom. Scoop out the leaves, change the water, and repeat. Scoop the leaves into a salad spinner or colander and dry well.

Separate the tough chard stalks from the leaves, finely chop the stalks, and tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chard stalks and leek; cook until the leek has softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the chard leaves, and toss with tongs to coat the leaves with oil. Cook for 3 minutes; add the spinach one handful at a time until all the leaves are added.

Transfer the mixture to a fine-mesh sieve or colander and press with a spatula to extract as much moisture as possible. Mix the greens with the rice and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Stir in the feta, dill, Parmesan, nutmeg, and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Stack 2 sheets of phyllo dough on a cutting board with the long side facing you. Cover the remaining dough with a clean dish towel to keep it from drying out.Combine the butter and remaining oil in a measuring cup. Pick up the right half of the top phyllo sheet, as if turning the page of a book. Lightly brush the bottom sheet with the butter-oil mixture, lower the top sheet onto the buttered sheet, and press to seal the right side of the sheets together. Repeat with the left side. Cut the dough into four 31/2-inch-wide vertical strips.

Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling on the bottom left corner of one strip. Fold the bottom edge upward, lining it up with the edge on the right side to make a triangular pocket. Fold the pocket upward, then to the left and so on as if folding a flag. Repeat with the remaining strips.

Place the pockets on a cookie sheet and brush lightly with butter. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (The pockets may be prepared ahead at this point and frozen on cookie sheets until solid. Transfer to a sealable plastic bag and use within 3 months. To bake, defrost the pockets at room temperature for 1 hour and bake as directed.) Bake the pockets until they are golden brown, 40 minutes.

To make the dip, whisk the yogurt, dill, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve alongside the hot phyllo pockets.

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Top 5 gifts for Mother’s Day (at Art of the Table)

May 5th, 2008

So I was doing some quick thinking about my mother and mother-in-law yesterday since I’ll be gone for Mother’s Day. Since I’m in the midst of trip details and trying to get out of town, I figured I had better do something about gifts quickly!

I came up with my top 5 Art of the Table choices for gifts (seriously if the ladies in my life see this the surprise is done for):

1. Cucina products - these lotions and soaps and room sprays have been popular since the day we opened, a new scent “Sanguinelli Orange & Rose” has been a hit.

2. Patricia’s Chocolates - So we might dwell on these more than we should, but isn’t it great that you can give your mom some art mixed with chocolate in a beautiful package for her day?

3. Reisenthel bags & baskets - This is the year of the “green” grocery bags. Our selection is amazing and fun, you can outfit that lady with stylin’ bags to head to the market or the grocery store with. I’m even taking one to Italy next week.

4. Coasters - I’ve never stocked so many coasters before! People have been absolutely begging us for coasters. We now have an ample sampling of coasters of all kinds. Help mom keep that coffee table clean with a set of cool coasters.

5. Aprons - It may sound a bit passe, those aprons. But don’t moms always love them? Some moms just plain wear them out! We just rearranged the linen section, adding a rack just for aprons, mitts & potholders. There are towels and other table linens to match many.

There are more ideas where they came from - stop by this week, we’ll even wrap it beautifully. Ready to give.