Corn Chowder

Summer is coming to a close, which means markets--both the farmers variety and the typical grocery store--are loaded with fresh vegetables. One of the great ones I find is particularly good from our farmers market is sweet corn. The corn that New Morning Farm sells in my neighborhood market on Saturday mornings is juicy and sweet and pretty affordable too.

Although we usually enjoy it boiled on the cob, I've found a few other good uses for summer sweet corn. This chowder, for example, is a great way to enjoy is corny sweetness as a soup. This is a pretty simple recipe that uses potato to give the chowder body and onion, garlic and herbs for additional flavor.

Corn Chowder
Adapted from a recipe by Tyler Florence for Food Network

2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups low-sodium vegetable stock (if desired, you can make your own corn broth, which would be delicious in this dish)
2 cups heavy cream
2 medium-size potatoes, peeled and diced
6 ears of corn
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme and sauté until the vegetables have softened, about 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Dust the vegetables with the flour and stir to coat. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add the cream and the potatoes, increase heat to bring to a boil and boil the mixture for about 7 minutes until the potatoes break down.

3. Cut the kernels off the corn cobs and add the kernels to the soup, discarding the cobs. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the corn is soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Serve in shallow bowls garnished with fresh parsley.

The Feed: September 10, 2014

Embrace science: make a better Chocolate Chip Cookie.

The Feed is my weekly round up of interesting food-related stories from newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites.

NPR: “The Science Behind Baking Your Ideal Chocolate Chip Cookie,” by Anne Miller. 
Cookie recipes are fascinating, since there is a lot of science behind them. The balance of fat, sugar, flour and leavening, as well any liquid ingredients, defines their texture and appearance from whether soft and cakey, thin and crunchy and ooey-gooey. Miller examines how the modification of particular cookie ingredients will lead to a different outcome.

New York Times: “Who Made That Cocktail Shaker?” by Melanie Rehak.
Rehak details the history of the cocktail shaker in this piece, which, not surprisingly, relies on the detailed cocktail history knowledge of David Wondrich. She also includes a helpful reminder about which types of cocktails should be shaken vs. stirred.

Washington Post: “Beer: Session IPAs offer the taste of hops without the kick of alcohol,” by Greg Kitsock.
“I like hops. I don’t like to get drunk,” said Black Squirrel bar owner Amy Bowman, summing up the appeal of Session IPAs in this great piece on the lower-alcohol but still very hoppy ales. 

Washington Post: “Plate Lab: Risotto with Base Notes That Sing,” by Bonnie S. Benwick.
Spicy Spanish paella sofrito is the inspiration behind this chorizo risotto served at Tico, the new restaurant on 14th Street  from chef Michael Schlow. 

Washington Post: “How climate change is affecting the world’s biggest food company,” by Roberto A. Ferdman.
This might sound obvious to a lot of people, but climate change isn’t just about whether it’s hot or cold outside; it can have direct, lasting impacts. One of those is how it affects our food supply. Ferdman’s Q&A with José Lopez, vice president and global head of operations of Nestlé S.A., offers insight about how the world’s largest food company is impacted by this, as well as how it is addressing the issue.

Huffington Post: “Is Organic Food Better for You?” by Danielle Nierenberg.
Whether organically grown foods are better for you than conventionally grown products has been a hot topic of debate for years. Nierenberg reports on a new Newcastle University study that concludes that organic foods are better for you, with more antioxidants and fewer pesticides. 

Epicurious: “The 8 Essential Biscuit Archetypes,” by Gabriella Vigoreaux.
To mark National Biscuit Month, Epicurious has the great rundown of eight different common biscuit types, including drop, buttermilk and savory.

Gizmodo: “This Cocktail Concocted By IBM's Watson Isn't Half Bad,” by Adam Clark Estes.

What happens when a supercomputer is asked to come up with a cocktail? It makes something fruity, tropical and blue, very very blue. 

Get Excited About Apple Today...The Kind You Can Eat

Apple, one of the world's largest technology companies, is expected to unveil new iPhones today, possibly a watch and other consumer electronics products. Their September product announcement has become an annual event followed enthusiastically by technology reporters, Apple fanboys (and fangirls) and anyone else clamoring for a new device with cool features.

Sure, the new iPhone may have more gigabytes than the last, but September is also a time to procure bites from another type of Apple, the kind you can eat!

Apple season will be in full swing soon. I've got a whole week of apple-themed posts planned for the week of September 22. To help build excitement about apples (either the electronic or fruit variety), here are some of my favorite apple recipes.

Deluxe Applesauce with Bacon, Caramelized Onion, Walnuts and Maple. Apple's electronics are high-end purchases--not kiddie stuff--and neither is this applesauce. "This Ain't Your Baby's Applesauce," I declared with this recipe, a grown-up version of the popular cooked apple puree, which augments its sour-sweet flavor with smoky bacon, the richness of caramelized onion and the earthy sweetness of maple syrup.

Apple Pie with Vodka Crust. Apple strives to make its products intuitive to use. What's not intuitive, is why adding a touch of vodka is the secret to perfect pie crust. In short, the evaporation promotes flakiness. Who knew? Apparently the folks at America's Test Kitchen where I got this recipe. It makes classic apple pie even better.

Apple, Arugula and Cheddar Sandwich. The beauty of Apple's devices is that they are (generally) simple to use, and simple is often best when it comes to assembling a good sandwich. When you have good ingredients, a great sandwich doesn't have to be a complicated thing. In this sandwich, a ripe apple, something a bit sweet like a pink lady or honeycrisp, pairs nicely with sharp ingredients like peppery arugula, Dijon mustard and sharp cheddar cheese, all built upon a crusty freshly baked baguette.

Baked Apples with Fennel and Onion. Apple pie is de rigeur for Thanksgiving dessert, but working apples into the meal earlier, such as this savory dish, may come as a nice surprise at the holiday table. Not at nice surprise at the holiday table--your iPhone--put it away and enjoy your meal and company!

Apple Custard Pie with Gingersnap Crust. One of Apple's greatest strengths is its innovation, not necessarily wholesale invention but taking preexisting elements and fashioning and/or combining them into something new and extraordinary. That's not unlike what happens in this pie, which melds elements of apple pie and pumpkin pie together into one irresistible treat.

Apple Margarita. There's a certain euphoria some people experience when they get a new Apple product. I'll admit, I was pretty excited to get my first iPod, iPad and iPhone. I don't know if drinking these awesome Apple Margaritas will bring that euphoria back, but they might make you a little bit tipsy, which could be just as fun.

Corn Crackers with Brie and Apple Butter. About 10 years ago, before Apple electronics were everywhere, they talked about the iPod as a potential gateway to other apple products. That proved to be true for me: my first Apple device was the 4th generation iPod, and now my computer, phone and a host of other things are Apple. Here's another type of gateway: a really great appetizer to kick off a great dinner.

Kale, Fig and Apple Salad. If you're like me, the apps on your iPad or iPhone includes a mix of productivity-oriented tools like Numbers and iPhoto, as well as mindless distractions like Candy Crush. Similarly, this salad is an unusual mix, but the flavors blend well to create a satisfying whole.

Apple Brandy Cocktails. Apple products generally work pretty well. But there are those nights when that rainbow pinwheel just won't stop spinning. For those nights, you might want to mix one of these great apple brandy cocktails to help ease the frustration while waiting for the day, like today, that an even better device will come along.

Dallas Drinks: The Kristin

Dallas Drinks is a co-creation with Dallas Decoder, honoring the characters of the television show Dallas--both the classic series and the newer TNT Dallas, which continues the Ewing family saga. See all of the Dallas Drinks here.

Kristin Shepard is, notoriously, the answer to Dallas' most important trivia question. Dallas Decoder has a rundown of her greatest moments. In designing the drink, I wanted a refreshing highball--something relatively light that you could imagine Miss Shepard sipping at an outside Dallas cafe as she plots her next move. I also wanted to connect the drink to three characters: her sister, Sue Ellen; her lover/bullet-holder, J.R.; and her biological son, Christopher.

With The Sue Ellen cocktail, the Kristin shares its pale pink color from the grenadine (a subtle nod to J.R.'s blood). With The J.R. Shot, the drink shares the flavor of mint, which I also used because its vivid green color reminded me of the Italian sportswear Kristin favored on the show. The drink shares the most ingredients with The Christopher, Bobby and Pam's adopted son, but also Kristin's biological son with Jeff Farraday, most notably its use of peppercorns and ginger to give the drink a nice spicy kick in fitting with Kristin's fiery personality.

Dallas Drinks: The Kristin

1/2 tsp. pickled green peppercorns (with brine)
12-15 spearmint leaves
1/2 oz. ginger liqueur
1 oz. American dry gin
1/2 oz. grenadine
4 oz. Italian lemon soda (Limonata)
Mint sprig garnish

Add the peppercorns, mint leaves and ginger liqueur to a cocktail shaker. Muddle the ingredients. Add the gin and grenade and fill the shake with ice. Shake until cold, then strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with Italian soda and garnish with mint sprig.

Giant Stuffed Zucchini

See the vegetable pictured below? A coworker brought me one recently and asked me if I could identify what it is. Based on its color and the texture of its skin, I said "some kind of zucchini," which turned out to be right, although I'd never seen a large, round zucchini before. It makes sense they would exist though; zucchini is a type of squash, many of which are round and about this size (about the size of a typical acorn squash).

Giant round zucchini, next to iPhone for size comparison

I wanted to find a great way to prepare, something other than what you'd normally do with the cucumber-size zucchini. I decided I wanted to stuff and bake it. Turns out, this was a good thought, as the stuffed zucchini was really tasty.

I was worried the zucchini might get too soft, but it stayed quite firm, even after I pre-baked it to soften it a bit. Since getting the timing and temperature right for stuffed dishes to have the stuffing and that-which-is-stuffed both optimally cooked is very difficult, I partially cooked the zucchini ahead of time and also fully cooked the stuffing ingredients. The second baking then finishes cooking the zucchini while warming through the stuffing.

Giant Stuffed Zucchini

Makes 4 servings

2 giant round zucchini, washed, any protruding stem parts removed
Extra-virgin olive oil (for brushing or spraying on zucchini)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 oz. uncooked Italian chicken sausage, removed from casings
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
Red chili pepper flakes
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp. fresh chopped sage leaves
1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (see note)
1 cup cooked white rice (see recipe for perfect white rice)
1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Note: To make fresh bread crumbs, cut the crust from a hunk of good bread and pulse in a food processor until ground to a coarse crumb.

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut each zucchini in half around the equator (so that the stem end is part of one half, and the non-stem end is the other half). Scoop out and discard the seeds and other soft inside parts (this will leave a shell about 1/2-inch thick). Spray or brush the cut side of each zucchini with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool (may be refrigerated if making ahead of time).

2. Heat a large sauté pan or frying pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and sauté until cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper-towel-lined plate. Add olive oil to pan. When hot, add the onion, red pepper and garlic. Season to taste with salt and a pinch of red chili pepper flakes. After about 5 minutes, add the thyme and sage, then sauté for about another 5 minutes until the vegetables are softened and the herbs are fragrant. Combine with the cooked sausage and set aside. At this point, the sausage-vegetable mixture may be cooled and refrigerated if making this ahead of time.

3. Reheat oven to 350 F. Place the pre-baked zucchini halves on a rimmed baking sheet, cut-side up. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the sausage-vegetable mixture with the shredded gruyere cheese, bread crumbs and cooked rice. Stuff about 1/4 of the mixture in the cavity of each zucchini half, leaving the stuffing slightly mounded. Spoon 1 tbsp. of grated parmesan on the top of each mound of stuffing and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Bake in the oven until the mixture is warmed through and lightly browned on top, about 35-45 minutes. Serve warm.

Restaurant: Kapnos (Washington, D.C.)

I love Greek cuisine, and there isn't a lot of it to be found in D.C. I was saddened by the loss of Yanni's Greek Taverna in Cleveland Park a few years ago, a place that Chris and I frequented for lunch on weekends.

So I was pleased with last year's opening of Kapnos, the latest in the expanding local portfolio from chef Mike Isabella. While Isabella may be best-known outside of D.C. for his appearances on Top Chef, around here he's the guy behind the wonderful downtown Italian restaurant Graffiato, which wows us each summer with sweet corn agnolotti and year-round with pepperoni sauce (itself a dish made famous on Top Chef), among other delights.

With Kapnos, Isabella steers close to the cuisine he first became known for in D.C. while working as executive chef at Zaytinya, the José Andrés outpost serving small-plate Mediterranean fare. While some dishes, like the wonderful spreads, may bring Zaytinya to mind, Kapnos' Greek-inspired fare charts its own creative course.

Kapnos, or closely καπνό, means "smoke" in Greek, and many dishes incorporate smoke or char, bringing to mind the smoke-kissed cooking at Del Campo. Take the dolmades, for example. The favorite treat of grape leaves stuffed with grains and nuts is nicely done with traditional flavors but comes with a surprising side of smoked grapes.

Other surprising flavors appear during our dinner, even in our cocktails. The Blame It on The Rain (I suppose named after Milli Vanilli's biggest hit) melds vodka, ginger liqueur, lemon, grilled fresno chili pepper and burnt cinnamon--making the drink "spicy" in three different, complementary ways. We preferred it to the Mustachio, a mix of pisco porton, maraschino liqueur, ginger beer an bitters that isn't bad but wasn't as memorable as the super-chilled metal cup it was served in.

One of the many spreads with freshly grilled flatbread is a great way to start. If you order the smoked eggplant spread expecting to receive something akin to gaga ghanoush, you'll be surprised, as the Melitzanosalata is a totally different game, featuring roasted peppers, walnuts and feta. The spread is really good, but the flatbread is wonderful: nicely charred on the edges, warm and chewy. We ordered an extra piece just to have some to wipe up the sauces from our plates. Shortly after the spread and dolmades arrived, we received a delicious smoked beet salad with yogurt and citrus, a nice balance of earthy, sour and smoky flavors.

Like a lot of restaurants serving a menu of mostly small plates, the food arrives fast-and-furious, and Kapnos did a good job of pairing what we ordered into courses of sorts. It's definitely a busy place, but despite that, I felt our server did a good job of making sure our needs were seen to.

The second half of our dinner kicked off with Greek fries, made with ground chickpeas instead of potatoes. The soft fried discs arrive with a sprinkle of mizithra cheese. A plate of loukaniko sausage served with oranges, white bean puree and shaved radishes disappeared so fast I can't quite recall what the sausage was like, but we must have liked it!

I do, however, fondly remember my favorite dish of the evening. Kapama is the Saturday special: a hearty, homey pasta dish of orzo with spicy tomato sauce upon which rests tender braised lamb shank. Chris remarked that the spices in the dish tasted like Christmas, and I can't disagree that its blend, which included clove, puts you in the mood for the holidays, even in the late summer.

Lots of peppercorn--in an assortment of colors--showed up in our dinner: our fries were dusted with ground black peppercorn, our almond and apricot baklava's accompanying ice cream was made with pink peppercorn and, in a cool twist, our beet salad came with green peppercorn meringues, wafery, delicate pieces that melted in your mouth. As I'm a major fan of all things peppercorn, I welcome this kitchen's interest in it.

The Kapnos interior is dark, but by no means cavernous. I really like the fresh design by D.C.-area firm Streetsense, a subdued mix of olive walls, warm wood floors and elegant light fixtures. We were seated close to a large window that looks into the kitchen, which provided me lots of entertainment during the evening.

Kapnos interior (photo by Greg Powers).

Kapnos is the third restaurant in Mike Isabella's burgeoning D.C. restaurant collective, and the most welcome since his original, Graffiato, charmed the city (me included) when it opened 3 years ago. In addition to drawing from similar influences as Isabella's former haunt Zaytinya, Kapnos' executive chef, George Pagonis, is an alum of Graffiato, as well as Zaytinya where he worked under Isabella. Pagonis is definitely somebody worth knowing: he'll be competing in this fall's season of Top Chef (the season is already taped, so don't worry about the chef being absent from the kitchen). It's worth noting that Kapnos is attached to G by Mike Isabella, a sandwich shop by day and tasting-menu restaurant by night. A sister restaurant, Kapnos Taverna, is due to open this fall in Northern Virginia. Isabella is clearly a guy with a lot of ambition. Thankfully, it's accompanied by continued great execution.

Kapnos, 2201 14th Street NW (at W Street NW), Washington, D.C. (U Street Corridor/Shaw). (202) 234-5000. Reservations: Open Table.

The Feed: September 3, 2014

It's September: time to eat some great apples.

The Feed is my weekly round up of interesting food-related stories from newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites.

Washington Post: “Unearthed: Small Vs. Large: Which Size Farm Is Better for the Planet?” by Tamar Haspel.
Haspel returns with another unearthed column, which is always a thought-provoking read. In an era where Big Ag is the Darth Vader to small, local farms’ Luke Skywalker, she dares to ask, which is really better for us. Not surprisingly, she finds reasons to root for, as well as change, both camps.

Washington Post: “Wine: 4 Bargain Bottles for Summer Sipping,” by Dave McIntyre.
McIntyre offers suggestions for four interesting wines, available in stores around the D.C. area for $10 to $17. Sounds like a good deal. The Merlot-Corvina blend from Italy sonds particularly interesting.

Washington Post: “Decoding Your Restaurant Menu,” by Steven Levingston.
Do you order your coffee “decaf” or “decaffeinated?” If the menu offers the latter, it’s probably charging you more for it, according to an analysis by linguist Dan Jurafsky, who studied restaurant menus and found that restaurants whose menus feature longer descriptive adjectives tend to charge more. Levingston’s article serves as a sort of preview for Jurafsky’s forthcoming book, The Language of Food, which I’m definitely getting excited to read.

New York Times: “Rethink Your Definition of ‘Salsa’,” by Mark Bittman.
“Salsa,” as Bittman points out, may mean “sauce” in Spanish, but it’s come to mean so much more in the food world, where it can describe a thick, liquidy puree to a chunky tumble with little moisture. Along with 12 great recipes divided into four salsa styles, Bittman also offers the line of the week: “A salsa is like pornography: You know it when you see it.”

NPR: “There's Much More to Apples Than Meets the Eye,” by Beth Novey.
By now, I think most of us are aware that there are plenty more apples to be had than just the red and green kinds—gala, honeycrisp and pink lady, for example, are pretty ubiquitous now. But there are many more types of heirloom apples out there. With apple season just starting to his us now, Novey’s article, which also details the apple’s great history, is a great reminder to try a new apple this season.

NPR: “Cutting Back On Carbs, Not Fat, May Lead To More Weight Loss,” by Allison Aubrey.
Given that the low-fat diet fad died a long time ago (to be replaced by the low-carb diet fads of the last decade), you’d think this wouldn’t constitute as “news.” However, since I’m much more a fan of science than fads, I appreciate that real research is now showing what many people (including me) have found through personal experience: if you want to lose weight, forgo the bread before the butter. Aubrey’s article suggests this strategy is also better for your heart.

NPR: “Real Vanilla Isn't Plain. It Depends On (Dare We SayIt) Terroir,” by April Fulton and Eliza Barclay.

I’m totally on board with ending the practice of equality “vanilla” with “boring,” when the complex spice is nothing but. Fulton and Barclay examine its globe-trotting history and also taste-test ice creams made with varieties grown in Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexico.

Bloomberg Businessweek: “This Is How Much Salad Burger Chains Sell,” by Vanessa Wong.
It’s no surprise to me that fast-food burger chains sell few salads. Despite the fact that these restaurants sometimes tout the existence of said salads to show their dedication to healthy eating, who are they kidding? I’d no more walk into a McDonald’s to order a salad than I would go to an ice cream parlor in search of a banana. What did surprise me—and isn’t really the point of the article—is how fewer than 10 percent of all restaurant orders include either a main or side salad.

Wall Street Journal: “McDonald's Faces 'Millennial' Challenge,” by Julie Jargon.
I eat fast food all the time, but I haven’t stepped into a McDonald’s (or Burger King) in over a decade. Like a lot of people I know, I go to places like Chipotle and Sweetgreen. And I’m not alone, especially among Americans in their 20s and 30s, which Jargon writes are abandoning the golden arches for “fast-casual” concept restaurants.