Locashopavore: Viviano's on the Hill

Locashopavore: Viviano's on the Hill, originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002.

St. Louis has dozens, if not hundreds, of specialty food stores thanks to its diverse international population. I thought it would be fun to choose one store and improvise a recipe from its shelves (and my pantry) - going in without a preconceived notion of what to make for dinner that night, just playing with whatever they have that's fresh or interesting.

I'm going to call this my 'Locashopavore' experiment - when you can't get something locally produced, get its replacement from a local store - and I'm starting it off with Viviano & Sons, Inc., on the Hill.


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"The Hill" neighborhood in St. Louis is a haven for the serious gastro-shopper. It's always been (and continues to be) a predominantly Italian-American neighborhood, and as such the specialty stores and restaurants are famed for their pastas, meats, and breads. One of the most popular and best known shops is Viviano & Sons, Inc., more commonly known as just "Viviano's".

The store has a nice selection of all things Italian - sauces, pastas, deli meats, wine. It was early morning when I went in, and the store was relatively empty, so I asked for some assistance from the very helpful woman behind the counter. After explaining my quest, she gave me a quick tour of some of the highlights & recommendations. I chose the following:

Ingredients

• Pancetta
• Viviano's White Cream Sauce
• Louisa's Cheese-filled Spinach Tortellini
• Locatelli
• Arugula - from my pantry (fridge)

To start I got a pot of water boiling for the tortellini, defrosted the frozen white sauce, and washed the arugula.

Then, I chopped a slab of pancetta into thick pieces and fried them in a tiny bit of olive oil. Once browned, I drained the pieces on a paper towel and poured off all but 1 Tsp of the drippings.

I added 2 handfuls of arugula to the sauce pan, covered, and removed from heat for 1 minute to wilt the arugula. I stirred the arugula into the drippings (yum!) and covered for another minute, until the arugula was soft but not limp.

I returned the sauce pan + arugula to the burner and stirred in the white sauce. While I got that simmering, I added the frozen spinach tortellini to the boiling water and cooked it for 7 minutes. I drained the tortellini and let it rest for a minute. I stirred the pasta into the sauce, then served in a big bowl with the locatelli, which is a nice salty cheese.

I must say that Viviano's cream sauce is heaven, and certainly kicks the garlic off any I've ever made. I am sure I will use it again, and will keep a couple of containers on hand in the freezer. All said, this was a really simple meal to pull off, and it tasted fantastic! You could omit the pancetta & arugula and make an even easier & faster dish...but why would you??!

Chris Freeland
cfreeland27 (at) gmail.com

Baetje Farms' "Coeur de la Creme" Tart with Kimker Hill Farm flour crust

Baetje Farms' "Coeur de la Creme" Tart, originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002.

I recently finished The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, and though I do tend towards hyperbole, I have to admit this book has changed my life...or at least my views towards food, specifically the food I prepare to feed myself and others.

I've been shopping at two of St. Louis' interesting seasonal farmers' markets, the Tower Grove Farmers' Market and Soulard Market, for years without really understanding *why* I enjoyed the food I prepared from ingredients purchased seasonally and grown locally. The Omnivore's Dilemma, which I highly recommend you read, helped crystallize my thoughts around being responsible for the meals I cook, and one of the conceits of the book centers on meals prepared from locally hunted, gathered, or farmed ingredients. I wondered if I could do the same thing in St. Louis. I decided to start with a single dish, a goat cheese tart, inspired by my favorite new ingredient.

Baetje Farm's "Coeur de la Creme" chevre-style goat's milk cheese is, in a word, sublime. It is the most satisfying cheese I've had in a long time, for both gustatorial and ethical reasons. Steve & Veronica Baetje live and work on their goat farm in Bloomsdale, Missouri, about 55 miles south of St. Louis. Their cheeses and production were recently featured in Sauce magazine [will link once available] and also in a local business journal, which provided a glimpse into the life of what appear to be the happiest goats in the world, frolicking in green pastures and producing some of the best goat cheese I've ever had. The cheese is molded into a heart (hence the "Coeur"), and can be rolled in a variety of organic herbs - for the purpose of my dish I wanted just the plain, which is such a misnomer because the flavor is tangy and the texture is just right for the tart I was envisioning.

I like to make my own pie crusts, having learned from my Grandma Ellen how to make a flaky, buttery crust for both savory and sweet pies. At the Tower Grove Farmers' Market I found locally milled flour from Kimker Hill Farm in St. Clair, Missouri. After talking with owners Denise & Dan Wissman, and explaining the kind of dish I was preparing, I was guided to purchase their 10 Grain Flour and Oat Flour for the tart's crust. Following the classic recipe for Pâte brisée from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I mashed the two flours together with butter, shortening, salt, and water and turned out a really flaky crust.

I also wanted to use farm-fresh eggs, and I was lucky enough to find Sheri's Poultry at Soulard Market. They had organic eggs that were laid that morning, so I bought a dozen of the slightly speckled, slightly smallish eggs.

Finally, I used another local ingredient from Greenwood Farms - BACON!! I love bacon, and this from the Atkinson family in Newburg, Missouri, had a great smoky flavor.

The rest of my ingredients were purchased at Soulard Market, with the exception of the cream and butter, which I purchased from a local supermarket. Next time I'll try to get some fresh cream and churn my own butter. No, really, I'm going to try!

Here's a map of the farms and markets that helped in the preparation of this dish:

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***

Ingredients
For Crust
1/4 cup Oat Flour from Kimker Hill Farm
1 3/4 cup 10 Grain Flour from Kimker Hill Farm
-or 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1 1/2 sticks chilled butter, cut in 1/2" pieces
4 T shortening
1/2 cup iced water, plus more as needed

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Place in a 2qt. or larger food processor with the slicing blade on. Pulse once or twice to smooth out the dry ingredients. Add the butter and shortening and pulse 4-5 times, until the flour mixture starts to pull together into small pearls. Turn the blade on and add the water in one fell swoop, stopping the blade just after and pulsing another 5-10 times until the dough just starts to come together around the blade. Do not overmix!

Pull the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and quickly form into a ball, working fast to stop the butter from melting due to heat from your hands. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours and up to a day in the refrigerator. The dough will freeze for quite some time if carefully wrapped.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured surface to just larger than 9". Carefully transfer the dough to an 8" tart pan rubbed with butter. Gently press the dough into the edge of the pan, forming the bottom and sides of the tart. Place a piece of aluminum foil on the tart and fill with beans to keep the tart from puffing during baking. Bake on a sheet at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Remove the crust from the oven and carefully remove the aluminum foil and beans. Use a fork to prick the bottom of the crust in several spots, then return to the oven for another 8-10 minutes. Remove when center is firm and edges are just starting to brown.

For Filling
1/2 lb. bacon lardons - I used Greenwood Farms' smoked bacon
1/2 cup sliced fresh green onions, green and white parts
4 cloves minced garlic
4 cups fresh spinach, washed and dried
9oz. Baetje Farm's "Coeur de la Creme" cheese (1 1/2 hearts)
-substitute with your favorite chevre
2 T softened butter
3 T heavy cream
2 large eggs
pinch of Penzey's French Four Spice
-substitute with fresh ground nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste

Heat a dash of olive oil in a large skillet and add the bacon. Stir over med-high heat until the bacon pieces are browned and crispy. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon. Pour off all but 1 T drippings. Stirring quickly, add the green onions and the garlic. Heat for 30 seconds until the onions start to open up, then add the spinach. Cover and remove from heat. Let the spinach wilt for 1 minute, then stir to begin mixing in the onions, garlic, and oil. Cover again and wilt for 4 minutes. Stir again and let cool (preferably to room temperature but it can be a little warmer if you're rushed for time).

Mix the softened goat cheese, butter, and cream with a fork until lightly blended. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then add to the cheese and mix well until smooth. Season with a pinch of Penzey's French Four Spice and salt and pepper to taste.

Fold the wilted spinach into the cream mixture. Scatter bacon pieces on the bottom of the cooled tart crust, then gently spoon in the cream mixture, smoothing with a spatula. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, until center is light and puffy and the top is just starting to brown. A knife to the middle should come out clean.

Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then gently remove the sides of the tart pan. Cool to room temperature, then slide the tart off the bottom of the tart pan. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Chris Freeland
cfreeland27 (at) gmail.com

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Flank Steak & Chorizo Mixed Grill

Flank Steak and Chorizo Mixed Grill, originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002.

The following is an unofficial rule of country parties: Someone will bring a layered taco dip - you can just count on it. I understand the allure of taking a taco dip to a party because 1) it's tasty, 2) it's easy, 3) it can be made ahead. I, myself, have taken many a taco dip to parties, especially our neighborhood Cinco de Mayo party.

But this year I wanted to make something a little more interesting for our neighborhood "Cinco de Tres." And yes, I know it should have been "Tres de Mayo" but I didn't plan the party... Anyway, I think of this as an "unlayered taco dip" or an "open face taco". You could just as easily serve with warmed tortillas for a real taco.

One note: there's a somewhat special ingredient in here called crema mexicana, a sweet and creamy cultured milk product that is similar to crème fraîche. It really does add a certain zing to the dish, but you can just as easily substitute sour cream if you're not close to a Mexican grocery store (in St. Louis we are lucky to have several).

Ingredients
Marinade for flank steak
1 lime, zest and juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped green onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
3T oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp cumin

Marinade for vegetables while grilling
2 T butter
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cumin

4 lbs chorizo
2 lbs flank steak
3 ears corn
2 Vidalia onions, thick sliced
2 red bell peppers, thick sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped green onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup crema mexicana

Combine ingredients for steak marinade in a bowl. Muddle slightly using the back of a wood spoon to open up the onions and cilantro. Spread 1/2 cup of the marinade in the bottom of a 9x13 glass dish. Place flank steak on top and spread remaining marinade on steak. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 12.

Bring grill to medium high heat. Microwave ingredients for grilling marinade to melt butter, or warm on the grill in a ramekin or inexpensive pie plate. Place vegetables on grill in single layer and brush with butter marinade. Turn once veggies start to char and brush with remaining marinade, about 5-10 minutes total depending on grill heat. Remove veggies to pan. Grill chorizo until cooked through, turning during cooking, about 7-10 minutes. Grill flank steak for 5-7 minutes on each side, until center reaches desired temperature (I like it a little on the medium rare side).

Cut flank steak and chorizo into bite-sized pieces, cutting on the diagonal. Cut corn from cob into a large bowl. Chop grilled onions and red peppers and place in bowl with corn. Chop remaining cilantro, green onions, and garlic and place in bowl. Stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place meat in bottom of a large dish. Top with dollops of crema mexicana. Cover that with large spoonfuls of the roasted vegetable salsa. Top again with dollops of crema mexicana.

Check out the finished product in my Flickr photos.

Chris Freeland
cfreeland27 (at) gmail.com

Rosemary & Orange Mint Julep

Rosemary Orange Mint Julep, originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002.

That's (Rosemary) + ((Orange) Mint) = Julep.

Here's a great way to jazz up a traditional mint julep for a Kentucky Derby party. I really like the idea of combining savory herbs in simple syrups to cut the sweetness of the syrup itself and to provide a deeper base for the drink. Rosemary tastes great with citrus, and citrus tastes great with bourbon, so this seems to be a win-win from all perspectives!

Ingredients
Serves 8
2 cups bourbon
3 cups rosemary and orange mint syrup

Chill bourbon and syrup. Place about 1" of orange peel plus 4-6 orange mint leaves in each glass. Muddle, with syrup. Ice glasses with shaved ice and pour in bourbon and syrup mixture. Garnish with a sprig of mint.


Rosemary and orange mint syrup
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
1 sprig rosemary
1 orange, peeled
10-12 mint leaves

Bring sugar and water to a low boil in a saucepan. Sitr in rosemary, orange peel and mint leaves, and boil for 3 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. Cool to room temperature. Strain syrup using a sieve or colander to remove the herbs and orange peel (run it through cheesecloth again if there's any small sediment). Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to allow flavors develop. Keeps for 2 weeks refrigerated.


Chris Freeland
cfreeland27 (at) gmail.com

Chocolate Covered (Dried Tart) Cherries with Vanilla Cream

Chocolate Covered (Dried Tart) Cherries with Vanilla Cream, originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002.

I love chocolate, I love cherries, and I love vanilla, but I'm not a big fan of them all thrown together into chocolate covered cherries, at least not the cheap store-bought ones with that day-glo red cherry and the sugary goop inside. I decided to try making a version with dried cherries, dark chocolate, and a thicker vanilla creme. They were really simple to make and turned out delicious. Next time I'm going to try soaking the dried cherries in brandy first (yum!).

Ingredients
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream
1 T butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 bag dried cherries (I like Sunsweet's Sweet & Tart Cherries the best)
2.5 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1 oz milk chocolate, chopped
1 tsp light corn syrup


Sift powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat in cream, butter, and vanilla extract, adding more cream if needed to give the mixture a smooth but firm consistency. Using the dried cherry as a scoop, cover half of it with the vanilla creme mixture and place it on a small baking sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, or until the vanilla creme has solidified.

Melt the chocolate and light corn syrup over a double boiler with barely simmering water, stirring constantly. Remove the top part of the double boiler and allow the chocolate mixture to cool slightly. Keep the water simmering in case you need to rewarm the chocolate as you cover the cherries. Remove the cherries from the refrigerator and working one at a time, drop the cherry into the chocolate mixture and lightly roll until covered. If the vanilla creme melts or becomes runny let the chocolate cool a bit more before proceeding. Use a fork to extract the cherry from the chocolate dip, shaking off excess chocolate. Place chocolate covered cherry on another baking sheet lined with wax paper and once completed, refrigerate until chocolate is solid (at least 1 hour).

Chris Freeland
cfreeland27 (at) gmail.com

Yukon Purple Sweet Potato Gratin

Yukon Purple Sweet Potato Gratin, originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002.

I had a surplus of purple potatoes from last week's Purple Potato Soup, so I used them with sliced sweet and Yukon gold potatoes to make a tasty and visually pleasing gratin. I like to add Gruyère to the traditional nutmeg-laced milk sauce for a richer, cheesy flavor.

Ingredients
6-8 Yukon Gold Potatoes
3-4 Purple Potatoes
2 Sweet Potatoes
2 cups milk
2 sprigs sage
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 T salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/8 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cup Gruyère, grated
2 T butter

1/4 lb bacon

1 cup cream


Preheat over to 400 degrees.

Peel scrubbed potatoes and slice thinly using mandoline. Butter 13x9 baking dish. Place potatoes in single layers by color: starting from the bottom, Yukon, Purple, Yukon, Sweet, Yukon.

Bring milk, garlic sage, nutmeg, salt & pepper to boil in medium saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup grated Gruyère until it melts. Pour over potatoes in dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 50 minutes, until milk is almost evaporated.

While the gratin is baking, cut bacon into lardons and cook in medium pan until crisp. Drain on paper towels and reserve.

Remove gratin from oven and remove foil. Bring cream to boil in saucepan, pour onto gratin, and sprinkle top with remaining cheese and crispy bacon lardons. Bake uncovered until top is slightly browned, about 20 minutes. A quick blast under the broiler might be needed.

Let cool slightly before serving.

Chris Freeland
cfreeland27 (at) gmail.com

Purple Potato Soup

Purple potatoes, originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002.

2008 is the International Year of the Potato (yes, really) and our friend Mark threw a Potato Potluck. I had a hard time deciding what to take because I've never met a potato dish I didn't like. I was thisclose to making my infamous "Aunt Pittypat's Yam Cake" (which I'll blog about soon), but decided against it for 2 reasons:

1. My friend Mikey eats gluten-free and I don't think I can make a flourless version of a yam cake, and

2. Yams aren't potatoes. Yams aren't sweet potatoes either, even though we Americans tend to use the term interchangeably. And to cap it off, sweet potatoes aren't potatoes, or at least not the kind being fêted during the International Year of the Potato. Sigh.

I work at a botanical garden and manage IT projects for taxonomists. That second part is a big, big deal. The International Year of the Potato is celebrating Solanum tuberosum, which is in the family Solanaceae. That family has some other fun members, like peppers (Capsicum), tobacco (Nicotiana), and deadly nightshade (Atropa). The genus Solanum itself contains 2 of my other favorite economic plants, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and eggplant (Solanum melongena).

The sweet potato, much to the surprise of many, is not just a variety of potato. The common sweet potato found in stores is usually Ipomoea batatas, which is in the family Convolvulaceae, making it kin to morning glories (species in Ipomoea and Convolvulus). Yams are yet again in another family, Dioscoreaceae, and there are several species of yams used in food preparation, although they are all in the genus Dioscorea.

Confused yet? Don't worry - there's no test later. Just remember that botanically speaking potatoes are closely related to tomatoes, sweet potatoes are like morning glories, and yams are, well, something else entirely, even though we call them sweet potatoes. The fact that they are all delightfully edible is simply an example of the way plants have evolved mechanisms (like tastiness) to enlist animals to perpetuate their species. Smart guys, those plants.

Oh right, this is a cooking blog and not a science lesson. Sorry, but my personal and professional interests converge sometimes, and this happens to be one of them! Enough with the botany - on with the eatin'!

So instead of making a yam cake I decided to cook a potato soup, but wanted to do something fun with it. I love purple potatoes and just to get in one last botanical bit, they are a cultivar called 'Vitelotte' or 'Vitelotte noir' (sorry, really done with all that now). Besides having a beautiful color, they have an earthy flavor that's quite different from a Yukon gold or a russet. I use them in potato salads, where they make a great contrast with green celery.

I'd tried to make Purple Potato Soup once before, but used vegetable stock because a vegetarian friend was coming over (when I cook for a group I try to accommodate those on the fringe; gluten-free one day, lacto-ovo vego the next). Vegetable stock tends to be really golden in color and it turned the soup mauve. I hate mauve. The soup tasted good, but it looked terrible. This time around I was cooking for carnivores, so I made it with chicken stock. It turned out a lovely shade of lavender. I think I may experiment some more and try beets to give an even bolder color blast. But for now, here's my recipe for Purple Potato Soup.

Ingredients
1/2 lb. bacon, cut into lardons
1 T butter
2 leeks, white stalks rinsed and chopped
1 cup mushrooms, coarsely chopped
3 lbs. purple potatoes, cubed (I prefer to leave the peel on)
1 T salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp French Four Spice from Penzeys
1 cup white wine
2 14oz cans chicken broth
1 pint heavy cream

Garnish:
1 cup chopped parsley
Sour cream

In a large soup pot, brown the bacon over medium high heat. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 T of the drippings and add the butter. Brown the leeks and mushrooms in the pot until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, salt, pepper and French Four Spice and cook until the potatoes are softened, about 7-10 minutes, stirring often to keep the leeks from burning. Deglaze with the white wine, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pot. Add one can of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pot from burner and allow to cool.

At this point you'll have a pot full of some pretty ugly looking vegetables. Don't worry - you're going to puree them all together into a beautifully smooth soup. Get a blender and a big bowl. Working in batches, puree the potato mixture until smooth, adding in more chicken broth if needed during blending to smooth the mixture. Pour each batch into the bowl after blending.

Rinse out your soup pot and return to stove. Add cream and bring just to a simmer. Whisk in batches of the potato puree until the soup is combined and smooth, adding more chicken broth (or wine, or water) until you reach your desired consistency. Adjust salt and pepper and serve. You can also let the soup cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for up to 2 days, reheating when ready to serve (you'll want to add more liquid during warming if you refrigerate the soup).

Scoop into large bowls and garnish with the bacon, a dollop of sour cream, and parsley.



Chris Freeland
cfreeland27 (at) gmail.com