Itinerant Muse

More on Salmon

Grilled Salmon Burger with grilled mushrooms and red peppers on a bed of spinach

Can't get enough of wild Alaska salmon!  Chef, author and New York Times columnist Mark Bittman talks about the dangers of eating farmed salmon, as I had mentioned in a previous post.  You can see his video at http://tinyurl.com/mps6op.

His video and article led me to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, a really interesting website where you can actually print out  a fish buying pocket guide for your geographical region.  This guide is invaluable as a buying guide on how to buy fish emphasizing three key issues:  where is the seafood from, is it farmed or wild-caught, and how was it caught.  The guide lists best choices, good alternatives and what to avoid.

For instance, did you know the Bluefin Tuna has become an endangered species and consumers are asked not to purchase it?  And did you know that when buying halibut, make sure it is Pacific Halibut, not Atlantic?  Who knew!

Anyone who loves fish as much as I do should check out this website.  In doing so, you also support those fisheries and fish farms that are healthier for ocean wildlife and the environment.

Be healthy and buy wisely!

Culinary Awakening in Asbury Park

Art is drama beside the stage at Langosta Lounge in Asbury Park.  The cuisine is described as "vacation inspired cuisine" and is a mix of Caribbean flavors mingled with Southwestern tastes.  Situated right on the boardwalk, the glass-enclosed restaurant offers magnificent views of the Atlantic.  Curiosity of what's happening in Asbury has caused me to take a self-guided culinary tour of the city by the sea that for years has struggled with fighting a bad rep ~ run down boardwalk, misguided politicians, drugs, street crime ~ the list goes on.  The good news is, the culinary scene has truly awakened the city bringing a diverse ethnic mix ranging from Spanish/Portuguese to Trinidadian and Japanese.  Culinary tastes span the globe as Asbury Park is revived.

Finally, the city is realizing a renaissance, thanks largely to the devoted and loyal business owners and residents who refused to give up and to the arrival of Madison Marquette Investors, developers and operators of retail mixed-use real estate.  Partnered with Asbury Park Partners, LLC, the firm is revitalizing the entire Asbury Park waterfront.

Restaurateurs have taken heart and have seen the vision of the future of a booming seaside resort once again.  The boardwalk is brimming with great restaurants, fabulous uncluttered views of the ocean and sights of fantasy as seen in this gigantic table sculpture evoking memories of a shrinking Alice at the Mad   Hatter's Tea Party. The table is part of a project by the Rockwell Group out of New York City that is to be a children's waterpark.

Another great sculpture is on site now as the project continues ~ this brilliant water pitcher.

Back to my restaurant excursion ~ I lunched at the Salt Water Beach Cafe, another spectacular ocean viewing restaurant, one of several owned by Tim McCloone, a legendary shore personality.  The views were definitely more rewarding than the food ~ must have been an off day for the kitchen.  Another wonderful and welcoming restaurant is Market in the Middle, a very inviting, cozy dining spot with excellent food that is promoted as "ever environmentally conscious." Market in the Middle serves only organic poultry, sustainable fish and locally grown produce. The owners call the menu creative world cuisine and offers a wide selection of wines and cheeses that vary seasonally. Every Thursday night, Market in the Middle features a blues band and jazz every Sunday afternoon. Definitely a spot not to be missed when visiting Asbury Park.

Last Sunday, we celebrated my son's birthday at another great restaurant , Stella Marina Bar & Restaurant ~ aptly named as it offers spectacular vistas of the ocean.  And, the temperature was in the 50's so the Boardwalk was bustling and springlike air came wafting through the open doors. The interior is reminiscent of Tuscany with decorative tiles in sandy tones that are framed with terra cotta brick and artfully intermingled with what looked like sandstone.  An open kitchen with hanging sausages and garlands of peppers and garlic greet you as you enter.  Chefs are bustling behind the open air culinary theater and a friendly hostess and servers eagerly welcome you to your table.

The menu offers a wide variety of Italian specialties, antipasti, pizzas, pastas and pesce with traditional Italian desserts to culminate the meal.  I can truly say the Tiramisu was to die for ~ one of the best I have tasted.  The menu is fairly priced and a wide selection of fine wines are cleverly grouped by price.  We had a fine, rich and smooth Montelpuciano d'Abruzzo for $25.

As the weather begins to warm, I strongly suggest you awaken your palate by taking a culinary adventure to Asbury Park.  You'll definitely enjoy the ride!

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'The Secret Life of Bees" Cookbook

Yesterday, the film "The Secret Life of Bees" premiered with a star-studded cast of African-American actors and Dakota Fanning.  Based on Sue Monk Kidd's best-selling novel ~ and one of my all time favorite reads ~ about the need for love, sisterhood and redemption led by the family matriarch, August Boatwright (played by Queen Latifah) who operates a successful bee farm and honey-making business.

 SueBee Honey, a product of the Sioux Honey Association, in conjunction with SKAR Advertising, has produced a Special Edition Cookbook and Black Madonna Honey (the honey made by the beekeeper, August).  Net proceeds from the cookbook and Black Madonna Honey will go to benefit First Book, a nonprofit organzation that gives children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books.  The Sioux Honey Association is a green company, which means all its products and containers are safe for the environment in concern for the balance of our ecosystem.

One of the recipes that I will try this week

Sue Bee Honey Key Lime Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:
1/3 cup Sue Bee Honey
5 Tablespoons key lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
4 chicken breasts, skinless & boneless

1. In a resealable plastic bag, mix honey, key lime juice, garlic and lemon pepper. Place chicken in bag, seal, and shake to coat. Marinate in refrigerator at least 30 minutes, turning bag occasionally.

2. Preheat outdoor grill for high heat.

3. Gill marinated chicken about 8 minutes on each side, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Discard any remaining marinade. Serves 4

I had the good fortune of finding key limes in my market this week and purchased several on a whim because I so rarely see them in NJ, especially this time of year.  I'll give a full report after my family has tested the recipe. 

Right now, for tonight, it is time to make Grace Parisi's Skillet Chicken and Mushroom Potpie (borrowed from my Food & Wine newsletter) for Sunday supper on a blustery, chilly fall night.

I'll serve it with a yummy, rich Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.  Time to get the pan sizzling!

PS: Another great read of Sue Monk Kidd is "The Mermaid's Chair" ~ I couldn't put it down, so cozy up in your fluffy duvet and dig into a terriic spellbinder!

 

Slow Food Nation in a World of Fast Food

Heirloom tomatoes from Jack and Joanne's garden.

This Thursday, October 16, is World Food Day.  With the financial markets in the throes of distress globally, more people out of jobs, more long lines at food pantries, we need to come back down to earth and respond to more sustainable farming ( a topic, which I have addressed before in this blog), become more grass roots in our communities, and save cherished foods that are endangered and threatened by environmental damage.  Slow Food USA is hosting an event on Thursday, Oct. 16, Step up to the Plate: Ending the Food Crisis, in a call to our nation's leaders and presidential candidates to address the roots of the problem.  Special Guests include noted restaurateur, Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse, and best-selling author of Diet for a Small Planet, Frances Moore Lappe.   Information about reservations can be found at whyevents@whyhunger.org.

Slow Food USA's mission "seeks to create dramatic and lasting change in the food system. We reconnect Americans with the people, traditions, plants, animals, fertile soils and waters that produce our food. We work to inspire a transformation in food policy, production practices and market forces so that they ensure equity, sustainability and pleasure in the food we eat."

Among the many programs supported by Slow Food USA is US Ark of Taste, which is a program that catalogs more than 200 wonderful foods threatened with extinction.  We need to support programs like this to help preserve our foods and natural resources and to support our farmers, fishermen, ranchers and producers who provide for us.

Discovering food treasures in Vermont

I find it truly amazing to discover the multitude of natural food and energy resources we have from around our country ~ and how discovering these resources is so serendipitous!! Last year, I had a wonderful treat visiting dear friends, who happen to be the godparents of my daughter and whom I hadn't seen in 20-something years. They happily moved from NJ to Dorset, VT. ~ I unfortunately have stayed in this forlorn state. While I was in VT, I tasted some absolutely divine chevre goat cheese from their son's organic farm outside of Burlington, VT., Does' Leap . What a wonderful program he and his wife are offering with internships to learn organic farming, in particular, the making of a variety of fresh and aged goat cheeses. I have to say that I love goat cheese and this was the smoothest, most tasty, wonderful goat cheese I have ever experienced!
You must go to the website ~ and if you are visiting VT., please visit ~ George and Kristan are doing an incredible job in organic farming and keeping our food pure!! They also raise organic beef, pork, and chicken where all the goats and livestock thrive in the luxury of feeding on VT vegetation. Their farm is part of a growing coterie of sustainable farms, accredited and partially funded under a grant from the USDA's Rural Busniess-Cooperative Service.
Interns who apprentice at the farm learn, not only the art of making goat cheese, but goat care, including homeopathy, as well as all aspects of working a sustainable farm and marketing its products.
What is sustainable agriculture? For those who are as ignorant as I, it is one that produces abundant food without depleting the earth's resources or polluting the environment. It is agriculture that follows the principles of nature to develop systems for raising crops and livestock that are, like nature, self-sustaining ~ hard to believe, but it is a concept that is still in its infancy!
Check it out ~ just as Al Gore's book, An Inconvenient Truth, opened our eyes about global warming, sustainable agriculture has a maze of roots reaching agro-ecology issues, creating self-sufficient food systems, organic food production and its benefits, protecting water quality, and managing pest control ecologically. This is really fascinating and informative for all of us who wish to lead healthier, environmentally conscientious lives moving on in the 21st century.

And, if you love goat cheese, you have to try the chevre from Does' Leap ~ a warm, crispy baguette spread with Does' Leap chevre, and a fine red wine ~ divine!