Dancing Spoon

Fresh, Really Fresh, Eggs

Trends Food

by J. Michael Wheeler
The Hip Egg
In case you hadn't heard, the chicken coop is what's new.  Kathy Lohr (Backyard Coops Make Chicks Chic, All Things Considered, May 21, 2009) reports that “Chickens aren't just for farms anymore. That's right — urban hens are hip. Across the country, city dwellers — attracted by the idea of having fresh eggs, a new hobby or even unique pets — are keeping flocks.”

Chicks And The City
The backyard chicken movement is catching on, thanks no doubt to the variety of resources for people who want to learn more about keeping chickens in their backyards. There are Web sites, coop tours, and in Atlanta, there's even a class called "Chicks and the City." The class, offered through a community garden's education program, teaches everything would-be urban chicken farmers need to know.

Some cities don't allow residents to keep chickens, because they worry about the noise, the smell and the rodents that are attracted to the feed. And, of course, there are those who say they don't want chickens next door. Yet many are taking another look at the idea.

From how-to to where-not, Lohr's story makes great listening. Click here to Listen.

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The Food of a Younger Land: A Portrait of American Food--Before the National Highway System, Before Chain Restaurants, and Before Frozen Food, When the Nation's Food Was Seasonal

Award-winning New York Times–bestselling author Mark Kurlansky takes us back to the food and eating habits of a younger America: Before the national highway system brought the country closer together; before chain restaurants imposed uniformity and low quality; and before the Frigidaire meant frozen food in mass quantities, the nation’s food was seasonal, regional, and traditional. It helped form the distinct character, attitudes, and customs of those who ate it.

Click here to buy The Food of a Younger Land: A Portrait of American Food--Before the National Highway System, Before Chain Restaurants, and Before Frozen Food, When the Nation's Food Was Seasonal

Hand selected books for foodes are at Foodie's Emporium! Click here.

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Grillin' Basics Part One

Tips Grilling

 by J. Michael Wheeler
Grillin' Basics Part One
Cooking on an open fire goes all the way back to prehistoric Barbecue-Man. And while he probably wasn't clutching a can of Budweiser in one hand and a can of charcoal starter in the other, the basics of cooking over an open fire remain the same.

I admit that the start of each grilling season it takes me a while to get my chops back. I'll over cook the salmon or under cook the sliced potatoes. So in the interest of loosening up for the grill we present some Grillin' Basics.

Paint it black and the kettle grill pictured here looks pretty much like the one in over 85 million American backyards today. But this one is the very first. Read more...

Burn Baby, Burn
Of course if you use a gas grill for your outdoor cooking your selection of fuels is, well, gas. But for those of us who prefer to cook on real fire, there are more choices. Here are some of them:

Lump Charcoal Usually made from softwood. It comes in a variety of sizes. Easy to light, but quick burning.

Charcoal Briquettes Slow burning, easy to find. Some claim they give food an unpleasant taste.

Self-igniting Charcoal Briquettes or lump charcoal treated with a flammable substance. Easy to light. Let all of that flammable substance burn away before cooking.

Wood Hardwoods like oak and olive burn slowly and the aromatic smoke imparts a great taste to the food. Wood fires must be tended carefully to keep an even and steady heat.

How Hot is Hot Enough?
"Heat your grill to medium-high and place the . . ." How do you determine the temperature of your grill? While some grills have built-in temperature gauges, and there are even infrared heat seekers to tell you how hot your grill is, you've got a couple of built-in thermometers yourself: your hands.

Place your hand, palm facing down, just above the grill where you'll be cooking. (Please don't wear long, loose-fitting clothing while grilling.) Without being too macho about it, hold your hand over that spot and count how many seconds it takes before you say "ouch" and have to take your hand away from the grill.

Here's a chart to help you determine your grill's temperature. If you can hold your hand above the grill for this long, the grill is that hot:

· Two seconds is high heat
· Three seconds is medium-high heat
· Four seconds is medium heat
· Five seconds is medium-low heat
· Six seconds is low heat
· Seven seconds or more means you have time to open another beer

Read more grilling articles, Click here.

Grilling Recipes
We've got some very tasty grilling recipes here at Dancing Spoon Magazine. Kate Gooding's Grilled Wild Turkey with Apricot Glaze on Basmati Rice is from her new Dancing Spoon column Out of the Ordinary.  Gloria Baskt is very much into cedar planked grilling. She's got several tasty recipes like Cedar Plank Grilled Snapper and Lime Ginger Marinade for Cedar Plank Grilled Chicken.

Steak lovers might want to try David Haley's Chimichurri Grilled Flank Steak. He has some great wine suggestions too. And for something really over the top check out Steak & Truffles: Wow. As part of his Super Bowl Shuffle, Chef Gavan Murphy gave us grilled Mini Beef Sliders and Asparagus Skewered Shrimp.

Find more grilling recipes, Click here.

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Weber 22-1/2-Inch One-Touch Gold Charcoal Grill, Blue.
Qualifies for FREE SHIPPING!

Weber 22-1/2-Inch One-Touch Gold Charcoal Grill
Weber Gold Series, 22-1/2" Dark Blue 1 Touch Charcoal Kettle Grill, Heavy Gauge Porcelain Enameled Steel Lid & Bowl, High Capacity No Rust Ash Catcher, Patented 1 Touch Cleaning System, Heat Resistant Nylon Handles On Lid & Bowl, Hinged Cooking Grate, 10 Year Limited Warranty.
• Charcoal grill with heavy-gauge porcelain enamel to prevent rust
• Nickel-plated cooking grate includes 2 hinged side openings for easy re-fueling
• Tripod base, nylon handles, and all-weather wheels provide easy maneuvering
• One-Touch stainless-steel cleaning system; removable high-capacity ash catcher
• Measures approximately 23 by 27 by 35 inches; 10-year limited warranty

Hand selected grills and grill accessories are at Foodie's Emporium!
Click here.

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Roasted Ambercup Chili

Ordinary Out of the

OOO by Kate Krukowski Gooding
Roasted Mexican Ambercup Squash Chili
I love this squash right out of our garden, baked, buttered and salted. Add some spices and watch this hearty squash settle into the cockles of your stomach! Ambercup Squash is in the Butternut Squash family.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon pumpkin seed oil (or canola oil)
1 tablespoon butter
1 ½ cups onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder *
1 tablespoon ground roasted cumin
1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
½ teaspoon Chris’s hot sauce
1 14oz can diced tomatoes with juice
½ cup dry red wine
1 Ambercup Squash, halved and deseeded  (can substitute butternut)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons fresh, chopped Cilantro
2 scallions chopped for garnish (optional

Locavore: An App for That

Technology Foodie
by J. Michael Wheeler

Eat Local? Yeah, there's an app for that.
Okay, I admit it, I’m an iPhone evangelist. I use my iPhone for every thing from organizing my shopping list to running my business to listening to an ever-changing mix of music to looking at the Eiffel Tower from space.

And now I can use it to find what foods are local, the nearest farmer’s market, food that’s in season and food that soon will be in season. This newest foodie app on the iPhone is called Locavore:

Eating local food when it’s in season is an increasingly popular goal amongst people who are interested in eating the tastiest, healthiest food while also being good to the environment.

Food of a Younger Land

by J. Michael Wheeler
Regional cuisine was the way of life in America before the interstate, fast food, and the homogenization of our menus. To chronicle the cooking and eating habits, traditions, and struggles of local people In the 1930s, FDR created the Federal Writers’ Project under the New Deal as a make-work program for artists and authors. The project, called “America Eats,” and writers were dispatched all across America. It was abandoned in the early 1940s because of the World War and never completed.

Mark Kurlansky’s latest book captures these remarkable stories, and with authentic recipes, anecdotes, photos, and his own insights, guides us to a time when Americans had never heard of fast food and the grocery superstore was a thing of the future.

Braised Mustard Greens

Community From Our

Mustard Greens (or Chard) Braised with Ginger, Cilantro, and Rice
Mustard Greens? Chard? They’ll be in your local farmer’s markets soon, but what do you do with them? Originally grown in the Himalaya region of India, mustard greens are nutrient-rich and contain high amounts of vitamin and essential minerals. Mustard greens add a pungent, peppery flavor to recipes and are good eaten raw or cooked.

Member Anthony Theobald posted this tasty recipe on our Dancing Spoon Community. If you haven’t tasted the Dancing Spoon Community yet, you’re in for a treat. This is really the place for you. Connect to people who are passionate about the culinary world. Create your own group, start a discussion, post a blog, meet other foodies! Join Now!

Wine: Healthy & Happy

Wine About

by J. Michael Wheeler
Eric Olson sent us some thoughts about wine and health:

How good is a glass or three a night for your health? Many of you have, no doubt, been reading the latest about wine and health and, like me, are quite pleased. Not in a told you so attitude, but you had to wonder why we feared a natural product from the earth that's been around for centuries, if not longer. "Wine is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" just about sums it up (Ben Franklin).

I came across a nice succinct piece from an article in Wine Spectator’s Wine & Health News entitled "Wine and Health Round-table" that had many quotes from doctors and other professionals in the health field. Amid all the claims and counter claims one quote stood out, from Dr. Mitchell Krukoff, Duke Medical Cardiac Center, as making, I thought, the best sense: "Wine is at the core of some of the most balanced human lifestyles. I'm sure you've heard of the Mediterranean diet. I think as much as chemistry is interesting – at the end of the day, the real message is where does (wine) fit in your lifestyle? How does it help balance this very amped-up, stress riddled culture that we all live in, with the ability to feel relaxed, to breath and to actually enjoy what God has given us.” Good job, Ben and Mitchell. Pour yourself a nice glass of wine tonight, swirl it around, breath deeply, relax and smile. It just might be good for you.

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Aerates your wine while you pour it!

Soiree Bottle-top Wine Decanter
The Soiree is a wine accessory that fits into any standard corked wine bottle, and comes with an extra gasket that will work with any screw cap bottle; allowing you to pour, without dripping, directly through the Soiree. Once you place the Soiree in the wine bottle, the Soiree aerates your wine as you pour it. The Soiree allows you to decant just the portion of wine you want - a glass or a carafe. The Soiree can also be used to pour the wine into a decanter, further expediting the "opening" of your wine. Soiree fits securely into any wine bottle allowing you to pour, without dripping directly through the Soiree. In using the Soiree to aerate your wine, you will notice the subtleties and character of the wine emerge immediately upon entering your glass. Soiree delivers a truly open wine just by pouring through it!

Hand selected wine accessories are at Foodie's Emporium! Click here.

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2009 JBF Cookbook of the Year

2009 Best Books

by J. Michael Wheeler
You gotta love that fat! The 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards have been awarded and the winner is FAT! This year's best cookbook is going to help us appreciate a misunderstood ingredient!

Cookbook of the Year
Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes
Duck fat. Caul fat. Leaf lard. Bacon. Ghee. Suet. Schmaltz. Cracklings. Jennifer McLagan knows and loves cooking fat, and you'll remember that you do too once you get a taste of her lusty, food-positive writing and sophisticated comfort-food recipes. Dive into more than 100 sweet and savory recipes using butter, pork fat, poultry fat, beef fat, and lamb fat, including Slow Roasted Pork Belly with Fennel and Rosemary, Risotto Milanese, Duck Rillettes, Bone Marrow Crostini, and Choux Paste Beignets. Scores of sidebars on the cultural, historical, and scientific facets of culinary fats as well as sumptuous food photos throughout make for a plump, juicy, satisfying read for food lovers.

Established in 1990, the James Beard Foundation Awards are a program of the James Beard Foundation,  whose mission is to celebrate, nurture, and preserve America’s culinary heritage and diversity in order to elevate our appreciation of the culinary arts. For more information visit jamesbeard.org.

Hand selected books are at Foodie's Emporium! Click here.

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A Wine Pairing Hint

Wine About

by J. Michael Wheeler
Eric Olsen sent us a great hint about pairing wines:

Some more thoughts on matching food and wine, a sometimes difficult and intimidating task. Last night had dinner at a friends house and she was serving a tomato, shrimp, feta dish which sounded pretty Greek to me — so I grabbed a bottle of Notios, Agiorgitiko from Greece, of course. What a genius I was — what a perfect match, and why not? The Greeks, as well as French, Italians Spanish et al, have been perfecting their local dishes and wines to match and you can make use of that. The Notios was very light in tannin and fairly light in body with high acid. The tannins would clash with the acid in the tomatoes but the acid in the wine perfectly complimented the dish. Warmer weather is upon us and you shouldn't bother with heavy "attacking" wines, such as Bordeaux. I love Bordeaux, but again the tannins would be aggressive in warm weather and you should opt for less tannin and more lip smacking acid, but that's another subject. For now, when cooking Italian, or French, or whatever, don't fight history, use it.

Eric Olsen is the proprietor of a jewel of wine shop in Salem, Massachusetts . For more about Eric's shop, Salem Wine Imports click here.

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Aerates your wine while you pour it!

Soiree Bottle-top Wine Decanter
The Soiree is a wine accessory that fits into any standard corked wine bottle, and comes with an extra gasket that will work with any screw cap bottle; allowing you to pour, without dripping, directly through the Soiree. Once you place the Soiree in the wine bottle, the Soiree aerates your wine as you pour it. The Soiree allows you to decant just the portion of wine you want - a glass or a carafe. The Soiree can also be used to pour the wine into a decanter, further expediting the "opening" of your wine. Soiree fits securely into any wine bottle allowing you to pour, without dripping directly through the Soiree. In using the Soiree to aerate your wine, you will notice the subtleties and character of the wine emerge immediately upon entering your glass. Soiree delivers a truly open wine just by pouring through it!

Hand selected wine accessories are at Foodie's Emporium! Click here.

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Peppered Kangaroo Filets

Ordinary Out of the

OOO by Kate Krukowski Gooding
Peppered Kangaroo Filets with Wild Mushroom Sauce
My brother, Michael, discovered this great wild game market, The Healthy Buffalo, in Chichester, New Hampshire. He was so excited since he knew I had been searching for local connections for out of season game meats and other specialties. The top of my list of attractions were kangaroo, alligator, buffalo and gems like turtle and pheasant.

Kangaroo filets are very tender and do not need much fussing. In the winter when our comfort foodometer kicks in, pairing earthy flavors with Kangaroo can send your palate onto a licentious journey. Adding a twist pairing earthy mushrooms with coconut milk makes your olfactory work as well as your taste buds.