We brought you a warm Curry Spice in this week's share with incredible Chicken from Tad at Feather Brook Farm and Sweet Potatoes from Luke at Brookford, to dust off the winter weather blaaahs.
We went back to Claire at Curio Spice for the second week in a row asking for her Jedi Spice Mind Tricks. She sent us away with the Comfort Curry and we can't stop eating it; in soups, on veggies, coating almost any meat or fish. But (Spoiler Alert) Curry Powder is not actually an Indian Spice:
A Culinary History Lesson From Taste @ HuffPo
"Curry powder can be a lot of different things. Actually, that’s exactly what it is: curry powder is a combination of a bunch of spices. It can range from five ingredients to more than 10, and it can include spices such as: cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, dry mustard, fenugreek and black pepper.
The idea of "curry powder" . (It resembles the North Indian spice mix garam masala, but it isn’t a spice mix most Indian cooks would recognize.) British manufacturers came up with curry powder in an attempt to create a ready-made flavor that could recreate the flavors of South India that British colonists came to love.
In fact, the term curry for Indian cooking is also British in origin ― they lumped all the savory, spiced Indian dishes into one category called curries. You can't go to India and order "a curry" ― it just doesn’t exist. There are several possibilities for where the word British word “curry” comes from, one being that it was derived from the word Kari, which is the word for sauce in Tamil, a South Indian language. "
This spice has a complicated origin story. It's not quite the authentic Indian spice mix that most of us might think it is, but it is incredibly versatile and delicious.
Posted on December 16, 2017
Erin Baumgartner
Read more
The seasons they are a-changin'. That crisp little edge to the air definitely turned to a bite in the past week and cold fronts are sneaking up on us. For us that means scarves and pom-pom hats, for our produce the change is a little more serious. Our more fragile summer veggies like lettuce, tomatoes and fruit can't handle the frost. We've transitioned to their more robust counterparts, like squash, beets and parsnips for the season.
These beautiful Chestnut Mushrooms from MycoTerra, pictured above, are ready to go all season long. According to Julia at MycoTerra: " Chestnuts are an attractive mushroom having a pleasant nutty flavor with peppery hints, not spicy but a nice seasoned flavor."
As the bounty of summer fruit and vegetables shifts to a hardier fall crop, we will still bring you a beautiful array of local meat, fish, cheese, grains, and yes produce, all through the winter.
Posted on November 11, 2017
Erin Baumgartner
Read more
Yesterday we had the joy of visiting Tad (handsome guy featured above) at Feather Brook Farms. Tad and his farm are the origin of much of your eggs and meat. He raises chickens, hens and rabbits and sources our beef and pork. Tad is a joyful smiling guy with a deep faith in and commitment to sustainable food practices and top-notch animal husbandry. We are excited and proud to bring you his products, especially this week's ground beef. Check out our recipe recommendations for the perfect burger and Sloppy Joe, below!
Posted on October 21, 2017
Erin Baumgartner
Read more
This week we are highlighting one of our favorites; gorgeous, fresh Atlantic Salmon fillets from Red's Best. We love working with Red's Best out of Boston. Their goal is "to sustain the livelihoods of American fishermen and their families while sustaining fisheries for harvest." What could be better than that?
These fillets, with their soft pink hue* can take on a variety of flavors. We've provided a few recipes that will let you eat this buttery fish all day long - breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
*Nerd Alert*
What makes salmon pink? This fish's flesh can vary from a very light pink to a deep orange color. The secret is that this this depends on the amount of carotenoid astaxanthin the fish have in their diets based on how much shrimp and krill they eat. Astaxanthin is a naturally occurring carotenoid pigment that's found in some marine plants and animals. It is recognized as being one of the most powerful antioxidants found in nature.
So eat up. This pink fish is good for you.
Posted on October 14, 2017
Erin Baumgartner
Read more
Nothing says "Family Dinner" more than a prized recipe shared among friends. Here we are including the ultimate comfort food, Chicken Pot Pie, from our dear friend John Henry with whom we have shared countless meals, laughs and glasses of wine.
John's recipe, below, calls for a dark horse ingredient that adds a special bit of magic to the crust. Not necessary but if you have it lying around - it's a game changer.
PS: We are thrilled to be in our second month of working at our shared commissary space, Foundation Kitchen (Cheesy photo above!). Lots of beautiful food coming out of ambitious start ups here!
Posted on October 07, 2017
Erin Baumgartner
Read more
This week we are highlighting some beautiful Organic Poblano Peppers from Brookford Farm. These peppers may look scary for those who don't love heat, conjuring up memories of the time you ate a Ghost Pepper chicken wing at your cousin's BBQ and nearly died. But you don't have to worry - poblanos are mild and versatile given their relative low Scoville Unit Measurement and can be approached without trepidation.
What the hell is a Scoville? (Nerd Alert)
According to Wikipedia: "The Scoville scale is a measurement of pungency (spicy heat) of chili peppers- or other spicy foods, as reported in Scoville heat units (SHU), a function of capsaicin concentration. Capsaicin is one of many related active components found in chili peppers, collectively called capsaicinoids. The scale is named after its creator, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. His method, devised in 1912, is known as the Scoville Organoleptic Test."
If you want the heat off a pepper but much less of the relative burn, remove the seeds and the ribs before cooking. They pair amazingly with the rich sirloins from this week and we have included a few ideas below.
Posted on September 30, 2017
Erin Baumgartner
Read more