eG Foodblog: nolnacs (2011) - Pork, peaches and pie. Saying goodbye to

[nolnacs]

I don't typically shop at the Fair Food Farmstand during the summer since I go to the local farmers market, but it is a regular stop for me during the winter for raw milk and fruit. This stall at the Terminal Market sources all their products from local farmers.

I don't have an image of it, but they also have a case of frozen meats.

Are those fresh figs up there by the cheese???? I've never ever seen a fresh fig. Before I die, I swear I am going to find, hold and eat a fresh fig.

I have a strange bucket list.

They are indeed. You might be able to grow figs depending on your location. I think some varieties are cold hardy down to about 10 degrees so as long as you have some shelter for it, it should be able to be okay. The easiest way to do it would be to keep the (small) tree in a large pot and put it inside the garage/barn for winter. I had one when I was in Chicago and I even got a few figs that first summer.

[nolnacs]

On Sunday afternoon, my wife and I met up with Katie Loeb at the Headhouse Farmers Market. Our mission was to get tacos al pastor from Los Taquitos de Puebla but they were not there. I think that they were frightened away by the forecast of rain.

Our failure to procure tacos weighed heavily on us, but we continued through the market in search of other tasty things.

A view of the market from the north

Some of the delicious things available

As you can see from the above image, Headhouse is a covered market with brick pillars. Most of the vendors have their tables in front of the pillars which means that the aisle is narrow and often crowded. You have to very careful as you walk through the market lest you become overly distracted by a beautiful tomato and fail to notice the small child or dog (of which there are many) scrambling around underfoot.

Our first stop of the day was at Beechwood Orchards as Katie was interested in picking up some of their asian pears.

I purchased some of the red table grapes. Very tasty but lots of seeds.

[nolnacs]

Our next stop is my favorite vendor at Headhouse, Three Springs.

Next week is last week for peaches. Sad.

Gala apples and Cresthaven yellow peaches

My wife loves the apple cider

Some of their vegetable selection

It's somewhat hard to tell from this shot, but unlike the other vendors, Three Springs forms a little alcove away from the rest of the market. This makes browsing their selection much easier.

Katie and I were discussing what to do with tiny little eggplants. Our conclusion was that a cater could make really cute tiny stuffed eggplants with them.

Farmer Ben - I always enjoy his witty weekly market updates

Three Springs is where I picked up my crate of peaches on Sunday morning. I actually buy quite a bit from them in bulk. So far this year I have purchased strawberries, sour cherries, peaches (multiple times) and tomatoes leaving my freezer well stocked with fruity goodness. I also picked up some white peaches for my wife as she prefers them to the yellow and some apple cider. Katie picked up some white peaches as well.

Edited September 12, 2011 by nolnacs (log)

[Jenni]

I don't know if you were joking, but those aubergines would be awesome stuffed btw...

[nolnacs]

Time for lunch. Unfortunately, weekday lunches for me are not that exciting as they almost always consist of leftovers. When I woke up this morning, I decided to go with some quinoa salad as I was not hungry from over-consumption of pork the night before. That being said, I kind of wish I had a pork sandwich now. I usually also bring two pieces of fruit with me. One to eat with my lunch and one for an afternoon snack.

Some of my coworkers were telling me this morning that there is a outstanding sandwich shop nearby called Ioannoni's that has better roast pork than in Philadelphia. I think I might have to examine this bold claim later this week. Have any of you ever heard of this place?

[nolnacs]

I don't know if you were joking, but those aubergines would be awesome stuffed btw...

Not joking, but it would be quite the time commitment to stuff all those little eggplants.

[ScottyBoy]

I am just amazed by the depth of that market, way to go Philly!

[nolnacs]

Right next to Three Springs is Queens Farm which offers, among other produce, Asian greens that are not commonly seen in stores.

Long beans look neat, but I don't find them particularly tasty

Oyster and shiitake mushrooms

Gigantic oyster mushroom clusters

The proprietor of this stand. My wife likes to chat with him in Mandarin. I'm never quite sure what they are talking about.

[nolnacs]

The last regular stop for me at Headhouse is Hillacres Pride which is my source for raw milk and eggs.

They have some tasty cheeses as well

I like to end my market shopping with a little something sweet so we stopped by Market Day for some caneles.

I picked up a pack of two large caneles for my wife and I to split. So, so, so good. The contrast between the soft, eggy interior and the caramelized, almost crispy exterior is incredible. They are rather pricey at 2/$5 but well worth it in my mind. They also have the packs of mini caneles which are also good, but I like the ratio of crust to interior on the large ones better.

A warty pumpkin! Fall is coming

[Genkinaonna]

I love love love caneles! I'm so jealous of that market. I'm thinking I might have to try my hand at that pork, it looked so great, although my dad claims pork gives him "crazy dreams" and so I limit the amount I make at home ...

Really interesting blog so far, sorry about the hand!

[nolnacs]

I love love love caneles! I'm so jealous of that market. I'm thinking I might have to try my hand at that pork, it looked so great, although my dad claims pork gives him "crazy dreams" and so I limit the amount I make at home ...

Really interesting blog so far, sorry about the hand!

I'm glad you're enjoying it.

I've never attributed "crazy dreams" to a particular foodstuff before. Work, movies & books - sure, but never food. Strange.

I think you should go ahead and make the pork anyway. Your dad can always have a spinach and provolone sandwich.

Edited September 12, 2011 by nolnacs (log)

[nolnacs]

Dinner tonight was a lot simpler, but before I started making dinner I finished up my giardiniera. I drained the vegetables then added some spices, olive oil, and vinegar.

I put the giardiniera in canning jars, but I am not going to can them due to issues with canning garlic. Instead they will go into the refrigerator.

For dinner, I made a simple carrot soup.

Sautéed onions in butter

Added 2 pounds of sliced carrots and 3 stalks of celery

Then 3 cups of chicken stock

While the carrot soup cooked (~30 minutes), I put a loaf of semolina bread in the oven. I made the bread a few weeks ago and froze the extra loaves.

Still wrapped in its protective foil

Warm and tasty

Blendtec annihilates carrots

Smooth, creamy carrot soup

[Trev]

Yum, that soup looks delish! I love the shots of the produce, especially the mushrooms.

Following right along here....

Edited September 13, 2011 by Trev (log)

[nolnacs]

While the carrot soup was cooking, I busied myself with making pie. Yes, PIE!

400 g flour, 1/4 t baking powder & 1 t salt

Added 1 C of lard

Lard is mostly cut into the flour. I did just a bit more after this picture.

Added liquid ingredients: 1/3 C cold water, 1 egg & 1 T vinegar

Mixed all together

[nolnacs]

I should mention that I sliced up the peaches for this pie yesterday and mixed them with the brown sugar. This causes the peaches to release some of their juices which I then reduced.

Reducing

Reduced

Rolled out. This pie crust is very forgiving. I rarely have problems rolling it out. Of course, tonight it didn't want to cooperate

I like to use the rolling pin to help transfer the crust

For a double crust pie, slice away the excess dough to the edge of the pie plate

Like so

I poured the reduced liquid back into the peaches, added thickeners (1 1/2 T cornstarch and tapioca), 1/4 t cinnamon and about half a cup of toasted pecans

Top crust on. Sorry there are no pictures of putting the top crust on, but you want to trim the crust so that there is about 1 inch overhang and then fold that overhang back under the bottom crust.

This is how I like to flute the crust. It is a technique that my mom taught me but I haven't seen many other people use.

I like to use a milk wash on my pies and then sprinkle with sugar. Don't forget to cut vent holes.

[nolnacs]

As you can see, I had some blowout despite the fact that I reduced the juices. I probably put too much filling in the pie. It doesn't really bother me except that when it hits the bottom of the oven it starts smoking. I had to put a piece of aluminum foil underneath to catch the spillover.

The crust is actually darker than it appears in the image. It is extremely important to be brave and leave the pie in the oven until it is nicely browned. Pale, anemic looking pie crusts make me sad and they will make you sad too if you have to eat them.

[nolnacs]

While the pie was in the oven, I did some prep work for tomorrow night's dinner which is an interesting recipe in the NYT that I saw last week. It caught my eye because I have never made london broil before.

Anyway, I just needed to mix up the marinade

and apply it to the steak. I'll be cooking it sous vide tomorrow so I went ahead and put it in a vacuum bag

[KatieLoeb]

I was bummed the Taco guys were not out yesterday too. I was really looking forward to some tacos al Pastor, and theirs are like the Holy Grail of al Pastor, at least that I've had. But it was lovely meeting you and the Mrs. and shopping together anyway. The pictures came out great! One small correction:

Beechwood Orchards is where I buy my plums and occasionally peaches. Northstar Orchard is my go to for the heirloom Asian pears, and really great apples as well as Asian pear cider that I use for margaritas. Don't think you caught any pictures of their stand.

Perhaps we'll do the taco lunch another Sunday, blogging or not...

Edited September 13, 2011 by KatieLoeb (log)

[andiesenji]

As you can see, I had some blowout despite the fact that I reduced the juices. I probably put too much filling in the pie. It doesn't really bother me except that when it hits the bottom of the oven it starts smoking. I had to put a piece of aluminum foil underneath to catch the spillover.

The crust is actually darker than it appears in the image. It is extremely important to be brave and leave the pie in the oven until it is nicely browned. Pale, anemic looking pie crusts make me sad and they will make you sad too if you have to eat them.

Just a note about pie baking. I always bake my pies with the pie pan on a sheet pan. I've been doing this since I worked in my mom's bakery back in the mid '50s and it sure saves have to clean gunk off the floor of the oven.

There is also no possibility of messing up the pastry rim when removing the pies from the oven.

[nolnacs]

Just a note about pie baking. I always bake my pies with the pie pan on a sheet pan. I've been doing this since I worked in my mom's bakery back in the mid '50s and it sure saves have to clean gunk off the floor of the oven.

There is also no possibility of messing up the pastry rim when removing the pies from the oven.

I do that sometimes, but I feel like the bottom crust does not get as browned when it is sitting on the sheet pan. Do you find that to be the case as well?

[kayb]

So what's the character that's cut as a vent into the pie crust?

Looks luscious, btw.

[nolnacs]

So what's the character that's cut as a vent into the pie crust?

Looks luscious, btw.

Thanks. The vents don't represent anything. I just start cutting and try to end up with something that looks neat. Thinking about it further though, it definitely seems at least partly inspired by the kanji characters that I (sort of) learned while taking Japanese in high school.

[nolnacs]

The london broil for last night is now cooking in the water bath. However, my wife wanted a snack so she had some of the Chimay Grand Cru that I picked up at Downtown Cheese on Saturday with some grapes and semolina bread.

I had a bite of the Chimay and it is very good.

[nolnacs]

I'm going to be making bucatini all'amatriciana later this week and I need to decide which meat to go with. Should I use guanciale (right) or pancetta (left)? Guanciale is the more traditional option but I also like pancetta in this dish.

[heidih]

Are those meats you cured? I have no input on the dish as I am not familiar.