Troy Famer's Market

This Saturday I was able to free up some time before work to visit the Troy Waterfront Farmer's Market. As this was the first time I have been this year, I was blown away with the choice of ingredients and the abundance of quality local ingredients. You can find anything from flowers to herbs, bread to meat and poultry. The photo above represents some of the produce I bought: (top) raspberries, yellow tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, red heirloom tomato, (bottom) red onions, orange beets, yellow carrots, purple shallots. I am a big fan of finding something different in veggie land, even if it is just for color. There was even a guy selling exotic mushrooms.



Now is definitely the time to go. The growing season is at its peak (in my opinion) and corn and tomatoes were everywhere. Local herbs and fennel were plentiful. Tubers such as potatoes, onion, radish, beets, carrots were all starting to make their appearance in quantity. Garlic is starting to be pulled in many varieties, and us garlic lovers know what a treat good quality garlic is. You can't even compare it with the crap from the big supermarkets.





I particularly fell in love with these purple shallots and red onions from one vendor and have been using them regularly since Saturday. The onions are sweet and well suited for slicing in rounds over fresh tomato with salt and olive oil.



I would definatley encourage anyone who loves fresh local ingredients to go check this market out. Visit the Troy Farmer's Market website for directions, hours and vendor information, but do not hesitate! Go now and get in on these amazing ingredients. Yet another quality event for Troy.

Here is some more (dare I say it?) food for thought...

Grilled Artichokes

My favorite way to prepare artichokes is to grill them. They really are not difficult to prepare, and are well worth the extra bit of prep time. First, trim the chokes and stems, wash them and slice them in half. Steam them in water, flavored with garlic cloves, lemon slices, peppercorns and salt.



When just tender, and do not let them get too soft, take them out to cool. When easy to handle, use a knife and take out the hairy stuff that resides just above the heart. This should be an easy process at this point as they are halved. Then, cut each one in half again to wind up with quartered chokes. Combine garlic and olive oil and brush the chokes liberally. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Light up a grill and when coals are ready grill each side of the choke, including the “leaf” side, just enough to crisp up the chokes and for grill marks. Sometimes I will throw some mesquite on the coals for a really nice smokey taste. Brush with garlic oil as needed and serve. You will love the flavor and will always want artichokes prepared this way. A great company pleaser as well. These can be prepared ahead and served room temperature as an antipasta or a nice simple side dish to a summer meal. Don’t forget $1 a piece at the Chopper this week.

Hot Market Tip: Lobsters $7.99/lb. at Price Chopper this week. Yum, local corn on the cob and lobster! Sounds like summer.

All Natural Beef Burgers

Last night we grilled burgers using the Grazin’ Angus Acres all natural ground beef we bought at The Berry Farm. The burger was a bit on the drier side, so do not overcook these patties. Mrs. Freak requested skinny, smaller patties this time so that could also have led to the dryness. Anyway, they more than made up for this in taste. They had a rich deep beef flavor, more like a game meat than typical market meat. That packet shown in the previous post cost seven bucks and made 6 patties (four if you like your burger on the thicker side), which I think is worth is for this kind of quality local beef. Especially since the Freak Fam only has burgers about four times a year. I know I’ll be back for more. To learn more about this beef, check out Grazin' Angus Acres.

Hot Weekend Tip:
Artichokes are on sale for $1 each at Price Chopper! This is great since we all know they are usually a rip off selling anywhere from $2-$3 a piece! I’ve got mine all ready for sunday and will share one of my favorite ways to prepare them on my weekend update. Also, since you’re going to the Chopper to pick up artichokes anyway, you may be interested in T-Bone and Porterhouse steak at $6.99 a pound. It may not be Grazin' Angus Acres, but it's a good price.

Weekend Update: Eats, Gem Farms, More Local Farm Stands

Friday EATS was selling sushi grade yellow fin tuna for $15/lb. It looked better than any tuna I have seen in the local markets. Two “lobes” I was able to pick myself (it was hand-cut in to portions by EATS), cost me just under ten bucks. I took it home, sliced it into strips and ate it sashimi style. It was awesome. No trace of funky smell, or any smell for that matter, and the taste was clean and buttery.


Sunday, the Freak Fam took a road trip south-east of Albany to Gem Farms where they raise buffalo. Not only was it awesome to see these beasts, but we were able to buy the meat as well. I bought hamburger patties, filet, flank, and delmonico. Buffalo meat is supposed to be lower in calories, fat and cholesterol than beef. It supposedly has less fat content then chicken, turkey and shrimp. I will update you when I cook it and put the quality and flavor to the test. But definately worth the short, beautiful drive from Albany. Get directions from the Gem Farms website.

We had lunch in Chatham, a very quaint town with a couple of cute gift shops and cafes. Mrs. Freak had an avocado, tomato and brie sandwich at Our Daily Bread that hit the spot on a hot afternoon, but all other lunches were unremarkable. After, we drove up and down route 9, 203 and 28A hunting for farm stands and there were plenty. Everyone is packing corn. Berries, beans, peaches, onions, potatoes were all plentiful. Tomatoes weren’t quite local yet. One stand off Route 203 called The Berry Farm, had a large selection of exotic local produce (baby turnips, baby beets, champagne grapes, gooseberries), but also stocked local chicken, pork and beef. I picked up some awesome looking burger meat which was from anti-hormone, local grass fed angus cows. See the label for yourself.


This was a great run, we left the house just after ten and we were home before two. There are so many farms in our “backyard” and I am just beginning to explore them. I will keep posting the farm stands throughout the summer, you really want to hit them now!

Easy Summer Salad

Here is one of my favorite summer salads that we enjoyed tonight. It is quick and easy to prepare. All ingredients are local and delicious.

Line a platter with sliced cucumbers, tomato, then thinly sliced onion. Top with arugula (from Mrs. Freak's garden). Salt and pepper each layer and drizzle with olive oil and a tiny squirt of balsamic. A great way to start off dinner in the dog days of summer. Also great with sliced avocado on top!

Local Corn Alert!

It's here...!

I saw my first local corn for sale yesterday. Gade farm is just starting in dribs and drabs. There was probably about 30 ears or less on the table when I was there. None looked good enough to buy yet, the ears were all on the small side and kind of dry looking. The Barber's Farm stand, formerly at Stuyvesant Plaza in '05, but now behind Passano Paints on Western Ave, looked fresh and vibrant. The kernels were on the large side, what my family refers to as "cow" corn, I suppose because this means its going to be chewy, but the corn still looked really good and fresh. When cooked, the kernels didn't "pop" right off when you sunk your teeth in (the way I like it) yet were not chewy in the least. The corn had a nice texture and great flavor for early corn. Most of the produce I've picked up from Barber's Farm stand over the years has been excellent. In July & August they are behind Passano Paint Monday thru Friday from 12 - 5:30 pm and Saturday 9 am - 1 pm.

Be on the look out now for it's only going to get better from here on in. Every day counts from this point on. It's corn season!

Enjoy!

Aromi d'Italia = Aromi di Rip-Off

Something just doesn’t smell right at Aroma D’Itlalia, a little Italian restaurant in twenty mall at the crossroads of Route 20 & 155 in Guilderland. Myself, Mrs. Freak and Little Freak went to eat there the other night and decided it didn’t quite come up smelling like roses, not to mention Italy.

Little Freak ordered a sausage orzo soup to start. The sausage was plentiful, and in irregular chunks, like it was hand formed, and was obviously home-made. I found it to be the most redeeming quality about the soup, which was otherwise very salty and contained an abundance of crushed black pepper. I tend to use a lot of pepper on my food but even this was a bit much for me and definitely too much for Little Freak, who rarely leaves soup left behind.

Mrs. Freak ordered a crab stuffed portabello mushroom, which we all agreed had enormous potential but failed miserably in the end. Both the mushroom and the crab were of good quality, but there was so much cheese covering the plate that the food was just lost to it. This appetizer started out in theory as a gourmet treat but dish ended up as a leftover 50’s appetizer that was completely non-committal and unmemorable, over-cheesed and unfinishable. At this point I was feeling pretty good about NOT ordering an appetizer.

For dinner I ordered a grilled pizza. Out of all the pizza on the menu (around 10) one of them was billed as grilled pizza, simply adorned with cheese, fresh tomato and basil. If anyone has enjoyed grilled pizza, it is quite simply a unique smokey treat. However, I came to discover the crusts are pre-made, boboli-type things, and this hard disc of a crust was just thrown on a grill for a second for grill mark effects, then loaded with the toppings, and baked to melt. To make a long story short, I have had better frozen pizza in my time. The crust was dry, hard, and despite someones previous efforts to over-salt everything, virtually tasteless.

Little Freak ordered linguini with white clam sauce, an all-time favorite. Kudos to the chef for the generous amount of whole clams that adorned the plate, around ten in all, however this dish did not stand up to the test as well. Neither little freak nor myself could eat it, other than the clams. The sauce was absoutely tasteless, devoid of any seasoning and sat at the bottom of the bowl, lifeless and unwilling to coat the pasta. This leads me to believe they must rinse the pasta in water, or add oil to the end to keep it from sticking. Mind you the pasta was not over cooked, just not cooked right.

Mrs. Freak’s sausage and sweet pepper penne on the other hand had so much potential. The thin, red-based sauce had a rustic quality packed with flavor and not over-salted at all. The peppers and sausage melded together for an authentic taste but once again, the sauce refused to coat the pasta. Both dishes were bowls of pasta in water and suffered miserably.

We ordered a pint of gelato to go, as I couldn’t bear to stay any longer. With one wine for the Mrs and I, this meal came to over $70 before tip! Yikes and ouch! This was the real kicker! I make pizza at home as well as clam sauce and it’s ten times better than this. This is why I have such trepidation when it comes to dining out. I just can’t stand to waste my money (and my time) in this manner when I can cook these things myself.

I cannot reccommend Aromi d'Italia, unless you are go solely for the gelato, which proved to be quite good, but not that good for $8.99 for the pint. You have been warned by the Freak.

Last Day for Alison's Chicken Sale

I hope everyone had a happy Fourth! I know I did and the rain did not hinder my desire to grill in the least.

I went to the Guilderland (Westmere) Price Chopper and found Alison's all-natural air-chilled chicken to still be on sale for $1.69/lb. They were much bigger than the previous chickens that were in the case earlier this week. They were all hovering around 5 pounds each and looked so much different than the Perdue and Price Chopper brands. First off, Perdue and Price Chopper chickens are vacuum sealed in bags with some sort of liquid. Whether the liquid is just secreted by the birds or added on purpose to somehow keep them fresh I do not know but either way that liquid is coating the bird and adding (or detracting) from the flavor. Alison's chickens are dry in the packet they come in (due to the fact that they are air-chilled) and are a beautiful shade of pale white, unlike the very yellow appearance of other brands. They are all-natural and antibiotic free. Check them out raw for yourself in the following photos.





I prepared a simple spice rub of paprika, onion & garlic powder, cumin, chili power, sugar (regular, brown, turbinado, choose whatever), salt & pepper. I rubbed the birds with a small amount of olive oil and generously applied the spice rub all over, including sprinkling inside the cavities. I lit a charcoal grill and "roasted" the birds whole off to the cold side of the grill, covered. I added some mesquite to the coals before closing the lid to give the chicken a nice smokey flavor. This par-cooking ensures that the chicken is done before you bbq and gives it a great outdoor cooked taste. They came out great.


I brought the birds inside to cool and relit the grill. Once cool, I split the chickens with a cleaver and prepared a simple bbq sauce. Just use your favorite one, however, I have found that bbq chicken lends itself well to sweeter sauces, particularly ones with honey.

Once the grill was ready, I grilled the split chicken directly over the coals, turning before flare-ups, while generously applying the sauce. As the chicken is already pre-cooked, there is no reason to go on forever. Just turn and coat, crisp up the skin, and get a good layer of sauce coated on. That's about it all it takes for sensational chicken and boy it was good.


By the way, these two chickens fed my little family of three for two dinners and two work lunches. Not bad for around fifteen bucks! But act quickly, this sale ends today! If you want to learn more about Alison's chicken visit their site: Alison's Family Farms.

Salmon Update

Ok, so I'm in EATS and they have the Pacific wild salmon in again and it looks great! It came in that day and was $7.99/lb. Two good size steaks I was able to pick out myself cost me $9.75. I wish I got a shot before I marinated but I didn't think.



At first smell I detected a faint wiff of fish but mostly just kind of a sea smell. They probably gut and clean them at EATS as there was some small brownish matter clinging to one of the "legs" on each. Sort of like how parts of liver will stick to the rib cage of chicken. Anyway, my trusty boning knife sliced that right off and after a rinse in cold water they smelled fine. After marinating they went straight to the grill (charcoal of course) and were done in no time.



I like my salmon very pink in the middle and Pacific salmon in particular will get dry very quickly so do not over-cook. I highly reccommend this salmon and will get it again. If you see it in the case, do not hesitate to ask when it came in.



Easy Salmon Marinade:

Lemon Juice
Soy Sauce
Dijon Mustard
Olive Oil
Fresh Herbs, I like Rosemary
Cracked Black Pepper

Combine all to a consitency that will coat the salmon well. I don't use exact measurements but if you need them contact me and I will give you best approximations. Leave out for 15 minutes or so for flavors to absorb. Grill and enjoy.

This Just In: Chickens For Sale

The Price Chopper in Guilderland on the corner of Route 20 and Johnston Road (formerly a Grand Union) has air-chilled all natural whole chickens on sale for $1.69/lb. This puts them at about $4-$6 a piece! Stock up now for a healthy fourth of July BBQ. Visit www.alisonsfamilyfarms.com if you want to know more about the chicken, but it is a great product. I got home and checked the on-line flyer but it didn't give any mention of them, however, the in-store sign indicated that the sale was good until July seventh.

Also, the fish counter had soft shell crabs for $3.99 each, on sale from $5.99 normally. They are cleaned and ready to go. Simply dredge in flour and saute. A couple of these go a long way as they are rich and delicious.

Riboff'07

Every year I organize a rib competition for friends and family. It's basically a chance for all of us to get together and have a good time, but also offers a chance for everyone to put their money where their mouths are in the great "who makes the best ribs ?" debate. This years we had 14 racks of ribs entered into competition. I was lucky enough to nab 3rd place with my tandori rib recipe. An out of town friend took first place with a Vietnamese rib concoction, and my Mother snagged second with a tradional 50's recipe (hers were only baked!) in which the marinade included pickle juice amongst other odd things only found in recipes from that era. Special thanks to my parents, who, with the bigger house and outdoor area, hosted this event for me as they graciously do every year.

Troy Night Out, plus: El Mariachi

I guess I need to do some back-tracking today. On Friday night I took my out of town guests to Troy Night Out. I am ashamed to say that this was my first time going as well. I have always avoided Troy, as people never seem to say anything good about it. We had a great time. The weather was perfect and we all thought that Troy was beautiful (at least that part). The community turn out was impressive as people ambled down the streets poking in galleries and antique stores, bars and restaurants. There was an outdoor vendor selling schwarma, chicken & beef, cut right off the spit. Packed into a fluffy pita (the kind you never find in markets) smeared with tsatsiki sauce, lettuce, and tomato, onion, the smokey meat was delicious and a perfect appetizer to start our adventure.

One gallery in particular which stood out amongst the others was Kismet, located on Fourth street. The four person band playing white noise in the front of the gallery set the tone for a very unussual but exciting gallery scene. It was obviously the most popular place in all of Troy night as people billowed in and out, and swarmed the inside. An intense mix of art from artists from opposite ends of the universe dotted the walls. I won't attempt to be so presumptious as to describe the art so just go and see for yourself, there is bound to be something you'll love and something you'll hate. To me that just means good art. To top all of that of was this table which flanked one wall filled with beverages and exotic dumplings and other tasty niblets which all seemed to have a Far Eastern/Asian influence. Somebody's been in the kitchen cooking up some good finger food for this gallery. The food created a nice touch and a damn good incentive to hang around and look at art. Also, home-made sangria and dollar tap pints were available. Not your average gallery by far. I was very impressed with Troy Night Out and will go again before summer's out. It is nice to see people get together to support a community. It was something I haven't seen in a long time.

As for dinner, my friends were hell-bent on going more casual than intended, now that we were stuffed with dumplings and schwarma. We had once taken them to El Mariachi years before and they loved it, so back we went. Although my friends are from a major metropolitan city, they claim that El Mariachi rules in authenticity and flavor, which is unmatched where they live. I tend to go to the Washington Avenue location and having never had a bad meal there, that's where we stay.

My ultimate favorite are the soft tacos. Cheap and awesome, you order them by the piece,they can satiate any size appetite. They come in all the obvious flavors: beef, chicken, two kinds of pork, but the best are the more exotic meats. The lamb is quite different. You can taste that you are eating a different meat. It is slightly salty and shredded, studed with fresh onions and herbs which help bring out a wondeful gamey flaver that I can't get enough of. On advise of the owner I ordered his favorite soft taco which is the beef tongue. I was very hesitant, as I have never had tongue that I liked, but it was awesome! I new favorite for sure. Little tender chunks of char-grilled tongue meat looked like grilled liver but tasted sweet and nutty, almost like the consistency and taste of frois gras. I know you all probably think I'm crazy but for a few bucks you should try it for yourselves. Friend 1 ordered carnitas, his all-time favorite, and he swears this is the best place he has every had them. Carnitas are basically pork chunks boiled down with seasoning and water until just the fat and pork remain. After this you continue to cook the chunks until they brown from their own fat. The meat is so tasty, fork tender, and beautifully crisped. They serve it with tortilla. Friend 2 ordered papas con chorizo for the table, which is another stellar dish. Basically fried potatoes with chorizo sausages. However, the chorizo meat has been taken out of the casing and fried down to a tiny crumble. It coats the potatoes nicely and makes for a dish everyone seems to love. The margarita's are great but if you like straight tequila, this is the place, with well over 25 select tequila's to choose from. Ask your waiter to reccomend a good repasado or anejo (on-yay-ho). It will be served in a small brandy snifter and will taste like you are sipping a fine brandy. This will shatter your perceptions of tequila. Mariachi is one of my family's staple restaurants as it is afordable and delivers a great product.

All in all a great night.

EATS Continues to Surprise

A quick trip to EATS for last minute company snacks proved quite fruitful and surprising!

They had the most beautiful Pacific wild caught salmon which arrived today. They were cut in thick steaks and had an amazing deep red color ($7.20/lb.). They had fresh Berkshire pork and beef, and I was told they had soft shell crabs in the back. I'm definitely bummed I am going out to dinner with friends from out of town tonight. Hopefully they will continue to pull off fresh products like that. In the frozen cases were a number of unusual sausages, including pheasant sausage.

I walked away with a French hard cheese called Comte, a Belgium nutty, creamy gem called Wynendale, and a classic smoked Gouda. I also purchased a half pound of sable, hand-cut to order. Their sable is so fresh and pure, the flesh white and glistening you would think you were in New York City. And for $20/lb. it can't be beat. I also bought a half pound of Applegate Farms black forest ham. Nowhere near the taste of Rolf's own black forest, but definitely more convenient for me today. Finally, I purchased six duck eggs. I much bigger version of a chicken egg, duck eggs make wonderfully fluffy omelets and bigger tastier fried eggs. I like to serve mine over steak. They are .50 each, a whole dollar less than I have seen in New York City.

If you have not been to EATS yet in Stuyvesant Plaza, you definitely need to check them out. They seem to be getting better and better with each visit.

Blackened Shark

The shark proved to be great. It looked and smelled great raw. I grilled it over hot coals, turning on each side. It was tender and chunks flaked off easily with a fork. The shark had a nice buttery taste and texture with an almost snow white interior. I definately recommend the blackening spice rub.

You could do this with more control, and probably even better, pan searing the shark inside. However, it is just to darn hot to do that tonight.

Pickles, Almonds, and Vodka, oh my!

Today's foraging was hot and hectic. As the temperature rapidly approached 100 degrees I found myself hustling all over town in preparation for weekend company, as well as tonight's dinner.

First stop was Price Chopper for basics, however the shark steaks at the fish counter caught my eye. While shark is not the healthiest fish on the list, I always tend to buy fish that just plain looks good, despite my predisposition to salmon. The shark was glistening, fresh and beautiful, and at 3.99/lb. an unbeatable price. I will make a blackening spice rub and grill them over hot charcoal. This fish looked great both at the Westmere Chopper and Westgate (a great Chopper despite what people think).

Next stop was Honest Weight. I could go on for ever about this Coop, and it really deserves a post unto itself, so I will only focus on the purpose of my trip. Spanish Marcona Almonds, from the bulk section, was my ultimate goal. So far as I know, Honest Weight is the only place in town that carries them. They are blanched and then roasted in oil and sea salt. They are very different from American almonds both in appearance and taste. They are sweet and nutty and go great with any anitpasta platter. I always serve them as an appetizer with prosciutto, cheese, almost anything, and of course wine. Cheese is another thing Honest Weight does best. Gustav, the cheese buyer, brings in the finest cheese from all over the world. Probably the best selection in the Capital District, but not the greater outlying area. I choose the brie they were sampling that day, Delice d'Argenal, a triple cream gem that oozed out of the rind and Caciotta al Tartufo, an Italian cow's milk semi-soft cheese studded with truffle. Truffle cheese stands well on its own, but if you have any left over, shave it into a cream based pasta sauce, it is pure heaven. Last but not least, I bought Guss' pickles, two tubs. The only other place I have seen Guss' pickles is when they set-up shop at the Garlic Festival in Saugerties, last FULL weekend of September every year. The new half-sours are crisp, clean, dark green and provide the crunch you want in a half-sour. Best pickle I have ever had yet. Local Snow and English peas looked great by the way, although I don't believe they were organic. The organic Mexican garlic at 5.99/lb. is worth every penny. Buy it and realize how much better, tastier, and longer lasting it is than supermarket garlic. Also in the bulk section, the organic mexican sugar is amazing. It smells like caramel and looks like finely ground ecru colored crystals (one of my secret ingredients in spice rubs for ribs).

After that I hoofed it up to All Star Wine & Spirits in Latham Farms. They have a new vodka from Ukraine called Zhitomirksa. Wall Street Journal recently rated it #1. It is a five time distilled wheat vodka and is smooth as silk! Introductory sale at All-Star puts this find at $12.99 for 750ml. A steal for this quality! If you like your vodka ice cold and straight up this is for you.

Last stop was Latham Farms Hannaford. I am addicted to the pickled garlic with hot red peppers in the serve yourself bulk olive bins near the fish counter. Doesn't taste like you are eating raw garlic at all. Crunchy, tangy and spicey. A nice alternative to olives. Another antipasta favorite, along with the pickles, almonds and cheese. I will serve all these before dinner with cocktails for my guests this weekend.

Well, that's enough foraging for one day. If you want to make your own blackening spice for the shark, go to epicurious and look it up. There are several recipes and they are all easy.

My First Post!

Greetings Albany area eaters!

As I am anxious to start my first post (and I do not have a lot of time this morning), I will quickly update you on what I have found that is fresh now, and what you can expect to hear more about in the future.

Currently I am pulling great fresh produce out of the Gade Farm in Guilderland. They have great figs in their cooler (if you are looking for figs, I have seen them in Price Chopper lately but they were very soft and well over a buck a piece). Kolrobi is in season, Gade asparagus is amazing (recipe below), their lettuce is huge and buttery - buy all varieties. They have ruhbarb, cukes, squash, all their own. Peas are coming very soon. Call them at 869-8019 and find out what's been harvested.

In the future you can expect more about Eats, Via Fesca, Honest Weight, Local Markets, my trip to Rhinebek and the local meat, chicken and produce I have found, Pearl Grant Richmans, All Star Wine & Spirits, and more. I will also share my favorite local dining experiences.

As an avid home cook (I cook dinner almost every night except Saturday), I have come to rely on fresh ingredients. The trouble is finding them between all the places in the area. I will try to document the food I find as I find it so you can find it too! I hope you enjoy.

My new favorite way to make Asparagus:

Marinate asparagus in olive oil, crushed garlic, dijon.
Grill (I am charcoal only grill freak, but use what you will) until just tender.
Place back in the dish you used to marinate them, add fresh cracked pepper, squirt of lemon juice, and a tablespoon of truffle salsa ( or shaved fresh truffle if you can afford it). A dash of truffle oil can be substituted for truffle.
Simple and delicous, a great side for meat or chicken.

Fresh truffles can be found at EATS in Stuyvesant Plaza.
Truffle Salsa can be found at Pearl Grant Richmans in Stuyvesant Plaza.