So I'd like to talk about how without the precision of a moyle, it can get really easy to steer off the traceability tracks. Sure, week one was easy. All gung ho. But as life happens and I'm in the restaurant business, as easy as that can make it, it also makes it tricky.
I went out to grab a bit to eat the other night. I sat at the bar at Telepan and had a salad and a glass of wine. Bill Telepan is one of the chefs that has been championing sustainability and farmers since the beginning of his career. So eating there was a no brainer. And then he sent out desserts. I didn't eat them all. I shared actually and they were far from finished when we stopped eating them. I can't tell you the hangover I had the next day. Headache I couldn't get rid of and just damn tired.
I should point out that before I started this project I was having a problem with headaches. And this week I found out that if I turn down the sugar, the headaches go away.
Really.
Key thing I've learned this week:
It's hard to find traceable anything at
1. children's birthday parties
and
2. a rest stop on the Garden State parkway.
I'm sure that will get a big "duh" out of you but I happen to find myself at each of those locations this weekend and without my usual arsenal of traceable snacks. Not only was I a bit stuck, but at the rest stop I was starving and really there's nothing even falsely labeled "organic". I was in the black hole of bad, bad food.
On the other hand, I'm getting alot of support from those close to me. Check out these photos of the lunch that Sherwin made for me when I went to his shore house to finish up some voiceovers.
Gorgeous Caprese Salad and greens with cherry tomatoes from Sherwin and Chris' garden
The whole shebang right out of the oven.
Za'atar chicken. Gorgeous, no?
Roasted squash and brussels sprouts
And I've been catching up on cooking all the ingredients I've bought over the last week:
Blue corn tortilla being trasformed into tortilla with Cabot clothbound cheddar
The tortillas for this quesadilla are from Hot Bread Kitchen, a great organization that teaches immigrant women to use the cooking skills they have and teach them how to make marketable products. It's filled with Cabot Clothbound cheddar. Which is crazy good.
Here are my groceries I picked up today from www.newamsterdammarket.org
Today's groceries. It's all in the pricing.
It ran me about $20. Suprising thing is that the eggs cost $5. Cheap compared to other farmer's market stands. I'm making mushroom barley soup right now with the shiitakes and the purple barley I got from Timeless food last week.
I think my next post will be a barrage of recipes.
I'll do my best.
By the way, I'm going to Le Bernardin tomorrow for lunch. Iffy, but they do have a green initiative now so I'll let you know how that goes. Michael Laiskonis, the pastry chef and good buddy is leaving his post there after 8 years so I'll be having a bite of dessert.
Guess I'll have to take one for the team.