Blueberry Marinade

Lately, I've been challenged to create meals outside of my comfort zone as a chef. These same ingredients I've used my entire career, but in different ways. I've had to step back a bit, learn a few new tricks and educate myself on the true basics of food and rethink everything I know about nutrition and health. I've gone back to the roots of real food and, I must say, created many tasty dishes!

Yes, I speak of a new lifestyle - my newly found  "food love." Even though I'm calling it new, and this is the first time writing about it here, my love for real food has been around for quite some time.  I've gone back to basics by eating real and traditional food - I'd love if you came along with me.

Seasonal ingredients come and go so quickly that we must take advantage of them while they're around. Yes, I know you can go to any large grocery store and find blueberries in the dead of winter or Brussels sprouts in the heat of the summer. Personally, I don't want year-round fruits and vegetables from other parts of the world. They have many air miles, and frankly, don't taste as good.

Local farms are not hard to find.  You'll see many are relativity close by, if your heart is in it. Once you make it to a farm or farmer's market, here are a few things you should look for:

Are they using GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) seeds?
Where dose the produce come from? If you're not standing in the middle of fields of veggies, find out where they're grown.
Are they using harsh chemical pesticides? If yes, walk away quickly!

Most farmers will give it to you straight, and are all-around good people to know.

I was fortunate to came across a grassfed skirt steak, from a local company. Yummy! Although I know quite a bit about different cuts of beef. one thing I have to remember is grassfed beef has a different fat consistency than conventional, grain-fed beef. It should be cooked slow and low, to ensure the juicy and tender flavors it so desires to give. Read more on this here.

Once again, eating seasonal is key.  We happen to be at the peak of blueberry season, so I made a great tangy blueberry marinade - so easy!


Blueberry Marinated Skirt Steak



Ingredients
1 grass-fed skirt steak (8oz or so), cleaned & cut into 6-inch pieces

Marinade
1 1/2 cup washed blueberries
3 ea garlic cloves
1/4 cup ACV (apple cider vinegar)
12 ea black peppercorns
1 1/2 tbsp Brewers Yeast flakes (optional, but recommended)
sea salt to taste








Method
1. Place the steak in a 1-gallon vacuum seal bag or Ziplock
2. Blend all marinade ingredients, pour into the bag with the steak and seal. Let it sit for at least 45 minutes.

(I really wanted to light up the grill for this one... play a bit in my backyard kitchen.  Since the rains were upon me, I turned to my trusty cast-iron skillet.)

3. Over medium high heat, (careful not to smoke yourself out!), season both sides of the skirt with sea salt.
4. Sear the steak about 90 seconds on each side then lower the heat and cook for roughly 7 minutes on each side.
5. Set the steak on a rack to rest for 2-3 minutes. When serving, slice "against the grain."

I served the steak with salad and sautéed rosemary fingerling potatoes - more on that at a later time.

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Demo Day - Creamy Kale & Artichoke Dip

Kale has been growing in full strength this season, and members of Urban Oasis have been lucky enough to get a bit each week. Yet, I still hear the question "What can else I do with kale?"  The truth is, you can get tired of the same old thing all the time, so I set out each growing week to come up with something different to put on your plate.  As I slowly walk though the rows of kale, recipes swim wildly in my mind.  Eventually, I settle on an idea - A dip - and just in time for the Super Bowl! 

We go to gatherings, hang out in bars or just end up on the couch somewhere to watch the big game. Regardless of where we find ourselves, there's usually some form of junk food around. I'm betting a healthier option, like the one here - served with fresh Urban Oasis broccoli or carrots, might make you feel a little better while you're drinking that extra beer.  

Creamy Kale & Artichoke Dip
by Chef John N Carminati


Ingredients
6 mustard green leaves, stems removed
6 kale leaves, stems removed
6 artichoke hearts
2 medium radishes
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup, equal parts parsley & cilantro
8 oz block cream cheese, room temperature
lemon juice
olive oil
salt to taste


Method

1. Blanch and shock kale and mustard greens, squeeze out all liquid.
2. Combine all ingredients, except cream cheese, to blender or food processor and blend until combined.
3. Add cream cheese and blend.

Beef & Cabbage

As I sit here typing up tonight's dinner recipe, I noticed this would make two posts about cabbage in a  row - and I'm perfectly ok with that.  Farming is seasonal work.  I know these cabbages will only be around for a short while, and I'm taking full advantage!  As consumers, we're used to heading on over to the grocery store, at any time of year, and find pretty much every type of produce imaginable.  We forget, winter produce like cabbage shouldn't be readily available all year long - and especially not in the middle of the hot Florida summer!


Beef & Cabbage
by Chef John N Carminati


Ingredients
Cabbage Mix
1 white onion, sliced thick Julianne
1 medium cabbage, chopped
1 bok choy bottom, chopped (separate from leaves)
1/2 cup scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
salt to taste

Beef & Marinade
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp whole fennel seeds
2 generous pinches Kosher salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp hot sauce
3/4 - 1 lb thinly sliced beef

Method

1. In a medium bowl, combine beef marinade ingredients.  Add beef slices, and let marinate. 
2. In oiled saute pan, sweat onions until translucent and slightly caramelized.
3. Add cabbage, bok choy and butter to the pan and cover.
4. Stir every so often.  When bok choy and cabbage are tender, remove pan from heat and keep covered.
5. In a hot pan, sear the beef until cooked through.
6. Fold scallions into cabbage and add salt to taste.
7. Serve beef over cabbage

Demo Day - Bacon & Cabbage

Bacon & Cabbage

by Chef John N Carminati

Ingredients

3 strips of your favorite bacon, sliced thick Julianne
1 medium cabbage diced
1 medium bok choy diced, separate top from bottom
½ bunch chopped mustard greens

Method

1. In a large saute pan, over medium high heat, render out bacon until it starts to crisp up.
2. Add in cabbage and cover for about 10 to 15 minutes, mixing often.
3. Add the bok choy bottoms then cover again for about 5 min.
4. Add mustard greens and bok choy tops, wait 5-7 min longer and taste.

This was a very simple dish to cook, one you can come back to every so often while you’re working on other things in the kitchen. The best part of this dish (aside from its amazing flavors) is you only need four ingredients. The bacon was just salty enough, and gave off just the right amount of fat to help steam out the cabbage and wilt down the mustard greens to our desired consistency.

I wanted to use mustard greens so much in this dish to prove they’re not as scary as most people think. In fact, mustard greens are off-the-charts high in nutrition and so flavorful - once you bite into them, you definitely know you’re eating a mustard.  Please don’t be afraid of the unknown.  Lessons are learned though trial and error.  You’ll never know if you don’t like something until it’s on your plate.

Keep in mind, and I’ve said this many times before, recipes are always open to interpretation by the one behind the knife.  In your kitchen, you are the chef. There are times during my demos or at home, cooking for my girlfriend, when something in a recipe just doesn’t feel right for the moment.  Change it up a little, and the dish will take on a life of its own.

Food is good.

Parsley & Tomato Salad

At Urban Oasis, we have many different varietals of tomatoes.  Varying in size, color, sweetness and acidity, these different characteristics all play a large part in food paring.  I really wanted to showcase the quality of the farm’s fresh vegetables, so I chose a simple lemon juice dressing. Bringing in the green flavor of celery leaves and the earthiness of parsley gives this salad just what it needs to hold its own on any fine dining room table.

This tomato season has had its ups and downs.  The plants put up a fight early on, but due to farmer Dave’s amazing knowledge and skill, we ended up growing more than we ever hoped for.

Thanks, Dave!

During the demo, I wanted to show these tomatoes off a bit.  Not because I happen to work out there (and think they’re the best ever),  but because I love food. I also love sharing my passion with others, and this was one way to do just that.



Parsley & Tomato Salad

by Chef John N Carminati




Ingredients

1 1/2 cup halved tomatoes
1 cup packed picked parsley leaves
1/2 cup celery leaves
Juice from one large lemon, roughly 5 tbsp
2 1/2 tbsp walnut oil
Red onion, julienned
8 nasturtium leaves chiffonade and chopped stems
Salt to taste

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl, add tomatoes, onions, nasturtium stems and lemon juice.  Let the flavors marry together a few minutes.
2. Add nasturtium leaves, oil & salt.  Toss together and serve.  
3. Garnish with nasturtium flowers.

Demo Day - Turnips!

Turnips have been the talk around the farm lately, we've been waiting and watching, then waiting some more for them to be ready.  Now, the wait is over! The beautiful greens rise from their pots, the colorful bulbs reaching from the soil. Much to our excitement, they are ready.  Every member has been getting a few turnips in their goodie bags over the past couple weekends, and the question on everyone's lips has been, "What can I do with turnip greens?" Sounds like a job for the Chef on the Farm! (dat ta da da!) 

A demo for you.

Some time ago, as I was doing my nightly research, I came upon a delightful dish I wanted to try - Wilted Swiss Chard Quesadilla with Cheddar Cheese. Yum! ... if I do say so myself. Keep in mind, unless you are working in a professional kitchen with the Chef peering over your shoulder, recipes tend to change with whomever stands behind the knife. Not every ingredient will be the same, and seasons provide a different flavor.

I put my own spin on it - turnip greens and Spanish onions with avocado pico de gallo, made with radishes and nasturtium. Although, it may be a bit more time consuming than just using the same old stuff - pre shredded cheese blend, dry chicken breast and pre-made salsa in a jar - I promise you will enjoy the end result so much more when you've spent that extra time!

Wilted Turnip Green Goat Cheese Quesadilla with Avocado Pico de Gallo
inspired by DigginFood
Par 4-5 medium quesadillas


Make the pico first so there will be time for the flavors to marry together.


Pico de Gallo


Ingredients
2 medium tomatoes, flesh-only, small dice (Roma tomatoes are best, but use what's on hand.)
3 scallions, bottoms sliced
3 tbsp cilantro, fine rough chopped
3-4 Nasturtium petals with steams, finely chop stems and chiffonade petals
7-8 small radishes quartered,  blanched until tender
1 avocado, peeled large diced
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste

Method
In a medium bowl add all ingredients together, and set aside until ready to serve.


Quesadilla


Ingredients
4 turnip tops washed dried, rough chop leaves, remove most stems reserve the bulbs
2 small Spanish onions thick julienne
2 garlic cloves sliced
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 scallion tops chopped
Olive Oil 
Salt to taste
Whole wheat tortillas (or any kind on hand)
2 tbsp goat cheese per tortilla


Method
Make Turnip Greens Filling

1. In a sauté pan, lightly caramelize onions.  
2. Add in garlic and deglaze the pan with lemon juice.   
3. Add turnip greens and cover.  Let them wilt for about 10-15 minutes, stirring a few times so as not to char the pan.
4. Add scallions and cover for 2 minutes

Assemble the Quesadillas

1. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a flat skillet.  One tortilla at a time, place on the pan.
2. Add filling to one side of the tortilla, then crumble goat cheese over top of filling. 
3. Fold tortilla over top (Take care when folding it over so as not burn yourself). When both sides are crisp and golden brown, remove it from the pan and set aside.
4. Check the heat on the pan and continue making the rest. 

You can keep assembled quesadillas in a warm oven until they're all finished.

When you're ready to serve, cut each quesadilla into thirds, and place one tip on the other for plating. Top with pico de gallo and chiffonade nasturtium.

As the demo progressed and the quesadillas were coming together, I learned some guests I had in front of me were vegan and some were gluten-free.  I told them a little story about the makings of a chef, and how important it is to be able to adjust the menu according to factors like these.  After some quick thinking, I came up with a little something different, using the bulbs of the turnips. 

Using the same wilted greens for the base of this dish, I added to it orange citrus glazed turnips.  We are lucky to sell the fruits of a local citrus grove here at the farm, which I am a big fan of.  More on that at a later time.

Orange Citrus Glazed Turnips
by Chef John N Carminati 

Ingredients
Turnip greens filling from above
Avocado Pico de Gallo from above
4 turnip bulbs, peeled, halved and quartered. 
2 fresh squeezed oranges

Method

1. Blanche turnips until just before tender.
2. Over high heat, in a oiled pan, sear each side of the turnips.
3. Turn the heat down and deglaze with orange juice.  Reduce until nappe (until it coats the back of a spoon). Season to taste. 

For presentation, place greens then turnips in the center of the plate. Spoon the avocado pico de gallo over the top, letting it fall as it will.

An idea on the fly.

Kale & Pomegranate Salad

This past weekend, out at the farm, I performed a demo of kale recipes to the members at the market.  I hadn't really decided exactly what dish I'd be creating, but knew I wanted to utilize all seasonal produce.  Items like kale, pomegranates, and cranberries were on my mind, and I was very happy with the results!

Kale & Pomegranate Salad
inspired by this recipe
serves 2-4

Ingredients
6-8 kale leaves
1 1/2 tbsp shelled sunflower seeds
2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
1 1/2 tbsp dried cranberries
2 ea red radishes, sliced thinly
4 tbsp pomegranate juice
3 1/2 tbsp walnut oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt, to taste

Method

1. Wash and dry kale leaves, remove center ribs and chop them into small pieces
2. In a large mixing bowl, add radishes, roughly chopped dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, walnut oil, pomegranate juice and red pepper flakes.
3. Add chopped kale and pomegranate seeds to the bowl and toss.  Season with salt to taste and serve.