Skip to main content

Farm to table and vegetable slaughterhouses ... New York Eating


I have just come back from a quick trip to New York for the lovely Gabriella's graduation.... Go Ella!!


I stayed at The Marlton and ate at Gemma's, Cercle Rouge, Margaux, the brilliantly named Butchers Daughter and had a pretty serious, five bottles between three, dinner at Il Buco Alimentari e vineria


However, one of the things that always makes me smile about eating in the USA is all the great hoopla that surrounds the food business. Every time I go there's a new piece of terminology, everyone is now not only eating 'family style' but are pretty keen that their food is 'farm to table' but in terms of culinary terms my favourite is on the Butchers Daughters website ... they aren't just a vegetarian restaurant they are a ......  



“vegetable slaughter house”


.... hear them courgettes squeal, watch those avocados suffer! Actually I had a lovely time sitting at the bar with Gus and I thought the food was pretty good but the nomenclature is world class.
And it got me thinking ... what do all these things mean? Does eating family style demand that you don't talk to each other, or someone eats in their room or is constantly texting at the table. 
Is 'farm to table' food magically transported Star Trek style from the farm to the table? Don't all vegetables start off in a farm and end up on the table? I presume it's a reference to food thats transported over long distances in refrigerated lorries and planes that's by definition not local and that's obviously a good thing.
And my final observation is that smashed avocados appeared wherever I went, on toast, on planks and chopping boards, under eggs and over salsa ... and then I remembered that my daughter loves smashed avocados on toast for breakfast ... when did that start? when did guacamole turn into the ubiqutous choice for a healthy breakfast? Who knows? .... tastes good though.

Have a good day (as they might say in New york)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Crack potatoes courtesy of Ottolenghi. Harissa and confit garlic roast potatoes

Another recipe from Ottolenghi's Simple, another recommendation from Will Saunders.   I know its the middle of summer but who doesn't love a roastie? These little tinkers are so good that they are like crack, class A calories. The clever bit is the addition of semolina and caraway seeds which adds a new level of crunchiness to add to the delicious warm heat of Harissa. Heres the recipe These make a lovely, spicy change from the traditional Sunday roasties. They’re especially good with spiced roast meat. Serves six to eight. 2 large heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled 130g goose or duck fat 4 sprigs fresh rosemary  6 sprigs fresh thyme  2kg maris piper potatoes, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks 40g ground semolina 2 tsp caraway seeds, toasted and lightly crushed 2 tbsp rose harissa Flaky sea salt Heat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Put the garlic, fat and herbs in a small ovenproof pan or saucepan for which you have a lid. Cover and roast for 40 minut

Nigel Slaters deceptively brilliant monkfish

Lisa discovered this recipe in her favourite Nigel book. It is one of those fish, 'but not as we know it Jim' recipes. Not just because Monkfish is the fish that can best impersonate meat but also because of the marinade ingredients that are more often featured with lamb. It's not difficult to do but the flavour is a revelation, which makes it a perfect recipe in my book. This can be cooked on a grill pan or a barbecue. Ingredients 3 bushy sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped 4 anchovy fillets 2 large cloves garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large lemon, juice only 3 tbsp olive oil 800g/1½lb monkfish fillet Method Pull the leaves from the rosemary stalks and chop them finely, then tip them into a bowl large enough to take the fish. Rinse the anchovy fillets and smash them to a rough pulp with the flat edge of your chopping knife. Peel the garlic, crush it flat, then smash it to a purée in the same way. Stir together the herb, anchovy and garlic, adding a grind

Sea Bass on mushroom potatoes with salsa Verde

I felt the overwhelming need to cook something new on Saturday night. I didn't want the tired and tested I wanted to explore new culinary waters. However combined with this desire was an equal and opposing force, driven by being absolutely knackered, that meant it had to be simple too. I returned to one of Jamie's early books, to a recipe that IO had meant to do on countless occasions but never quite got round to. I have done several versions of Sea Bass on a bed of potatoes, some that I have written about on this blog. The one question I would have is about the thickness of the potatoes and the length of time they need to be cooked through ... in my oven I reckon they need about 10 minutes more than the recipe suggests. I would suggest a bit of a trial run if you are going to do it for a dinner party ... however once you have given it a whirl I think this makes for a very easy recipe for a crowd. Here's the recipe. Roasted slashed fillet of sea bass stuffed with herbs, bak