The Artichoke: Spring’s Spiny Treat
Olive-green in color, this flower bud of a relative of the common thistle is covered with spiny-tipped leaves. While this description doesn’t sound very appetizing, somehow humans have managed to get beyond the intimidating appearance of the artichoke, which has intrigued and inspired us since the days of the Ancient Greeks (when, as the myth goes, an angry Zeus turned his mortal girlfriend Cynara into an artichoke).
The artichoke’s latest press takes the form of food writer Russ Parsons’ new book, How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table. Parsons, the food and wine columnist for the Los Angeles Times, is an acclaimed food journalist whose first book, How to Read a French Fry, was well-received by critics.
Although Parsons focuses on many fruits and vegetables in How to Pick a Peach, his treatment of the artichoke is of interest this month, because March marks the beginning of peak artichoke season in Monterey County, California, where 80% of the nation’s artichokes are grown, according to the California Artichoke Advisory Board. For nearly fifty years, the town of Castroville has celebrated artichokes with an annual festival each May, which includes a parade, agricultural art displays, and, of course, everything artichoke.
Even if you can’t make it to Castroville this spring, that’s no reason to miss out on this delicious vegetable. Parsons suggests buying baby artichokes (usually more reasonably-priced than their larger counterparts) and braising them, yet these small, tender specimens are also tasty when sautéed with garlic, olive oil and red pepper and served atop fresh linguine. Is your mouth watering yet?
Hard Work Pays Off for Chef Abby Harmon
When it comes to getting ahead in competitive world of culinary arts, a little elbow grease can go a long way. Just ask Chef Abby Harmon, owner of Caiola’s Restaurant in Portland, Maine. Although Harmon has always been interested in cooking, she studied recreation management and education in college, and didn’t find her way into a restaurant kitchen until later in life.
Despite her lack of formal training, Harmon decided to take a job as a line cook in 1990 at Street & Co., a small seafood restaurant. Although she was new to the business, Harmon threw herself into her new career, putting in 80-hour weeks. In three years’ time she took over as head chef, and the increasingly successful restaurant doubled in size.
While hard work and experience have been the keys to Harmon’s success, she encourages aspiring chefs to pursue career training. “If you know what you want to do early in life, you should pursue your passion, ” she advised in a recent interview. She suggests that young chefs combine formal training with experience in a restaurant where they can hone their skills under the tutelage of a talented supervisor. “Look for a restaurant with a healthy work environment,” she added. “In the right kitchen you can learn a lot.”
This advice has clearly worked in Harmon’s own life. Caiola’s, which has been open for several years, was an instant hit. After 15 years preparing seafood, Harmon is happy to cook “every farm animal available”. Currently her favorite menu offering is grilled cabbage, stuffed with seasonal vegetables and served on hot borscht with fried goat cheese. Not bad for a recreation management major!
Restaurant Owner Mixes Fine Art and Fine Food
Rural Maine is not the place you’d expect to find a fine dining establishment. Nevertheless, Susan Ferro, owner of The Artist’s Cafe (and accomplished painter), has found a niche for herself in the small coastal town of Machias.
In a recent interview, Ferro explained that her love of culinary art began at an early age. “I started cooking at age five, making mud cakes and decorating them with grass.” Ferro’s Sicilian father began teaching her the basics of Italian cooking when she was 12, and as a young adult she discovered Julia Child’s television show and cookbook. She was hooked.
Cooking was just a hobby until a friend convinced her to open a small seasonal cafe in downtown Machias. Desperate for ways to supplement her artist’s income, Ferro took the plunge and began sharing her culinary skills with a wider audience.
Although she admits that it was intimidating to cook for strangers at first, Ferro clearly overcame her fears. Nearly fifteen years later, The Artist’s Cafe is the oldest upscale restaurant in town. Taking advantage of the community’s seasonal economy, Ferro closes in the winter and devotes herself to her artwork, which decorates the cafe’s walls.
Ferro’s advice to aspiring restaurant owners? “If you love what you’re doing, that’s all that matters. It doesn’t have to be financially successful; it can be emotionally and spiritually successful.” Combining her passion for cooking with her love of art, Susan Ferro has clearly found her recipe personal success.
Protecting the Future of Food
What could be so important that it must be stored six hundred miles from the North Pole, buried 500 feet in a frozen mountain in a vault designed to withstand natural disasters or explosions?
Millions of varieties of seeds, from banks all over the world, are being collected for the Global Seed Vault, according to an article in Sunday’s New York Times. The Vault, which is run by the Global Crop Diversity Trust, is an attempt to protect one of humankind’s most valuable resources from extinction or destruction.
While farmers around the world used to practice seed-saving techniques, increased mechanization, trends toward to monoculture, and climate change have changed the face of traditional agriculture, and are leading to the loss of heirloom plant varieties. At stake are more than just a few kinds of carrots or squash, however. Agricultural scientists worry that as the world’s crop diversity vanishes, the few existing varieties could be completely wiped out by diseases, pests, or changes in weather patterns, leaving us with a food crisis similar to the devastating potato famine in Ireland in the1800s.
Of course, from the chef’s perspective, agricultural diversity is always welcome - just think how the subtle differences in tomato varieties can affect your favorite sauce recipe. While it’s nice to know that a vault in Norway is protecting the precious gems of genetic diversity, why leave this important work to just one organization? We can all play a role in keeping our food supply safe - an easy way to start is by buying produce from small, local farms.
Cast-Iron Cookware is Back!
Although they’re not as shiny as All-Clad, as high-tech as Calphalon, or as pretty as Le Creuset, cast iron pots and pans are a long-lasting, versatile addition to any kitchen. Here are a few reaons you should make room on your pot rack for a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven.
- They last and last. Probably your grandmother used cast-iron (in fact, there may be a few pieces in your attic, which with a little work could quickly become useful once again).
- Cast iron is relatively inexpensive. Even if you buy a new piece (which may not be necessary, given the amount of used cast iron available online or at thrift stores), it won’t put you out nearly as whichever high-priced fancy piece is in fashion this month.
- It can move from stovetop to oven and back again, in a single bound. No need to worry about melting anything. Just be sure to have a good oven mitt (preferably leather) to effectively grab your hot (and heavy) skillet.
- Cast iron conducts and holds heat with ease. Stews, soups, or stocks cooked in a covered cast iron Dutch oven will stay warm for hours, allowing flavors to meld and ingredients to finish cooking.
- Season your pan well (easy instructions can be found online) and you shouldn’t need to use much oil for cooking in it.
Throw down a few bucks for a cast iron skillet, learn how to properly season it, and you, too, may quickly become a convert. Turns out your grandmother was right about a few things after all!
