Intro

 My style is simple but my food is bold. I believe in eating a wide variety of whole foods and not worrying about it too much. When it comes to cooking I tend to let the farmers do all the hard work. I have a repertoire of classic technique that makes it easy to showcase the natural beauty and flavor of the food I prepare. My goal is to promote health and healing through the every day act of eating. There is a direct correlation between the food we eat and the way we feel. The agriculture industry has admitted that conventionally grown crops in the U.S. are less nutritious than they were even 50 years ago. The exception being local farms where there are good stewards on the land. Hopefully, you have already joined a community supported agriculture program. My goal for this blog is to show great ways to utilize what you get in your CSA box. One of the awesome goodies in the box from Riverview Farms this week is popcorn. If you haven't had a chance to enjoy the experience of popcorn that hasn't been saturated in toxic hydrogenated fake butter you are in for a real treat!

Popcorn            yd:2 qts  

1/2 cup corn kernels

2 tbs butter

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs zatar seasoning

Redmond's mineral salt, to taste

The key to picking a pot to pop your corn in is simple. Just make sure that the kernels can fit in a single layer on the bottom of the sauce pot. A sauté pan will not work for this endeavor, unfortunately. You want a pot with a lid, but I have been known to stick a cast iron skillet (or any skillet for that matter) on top of a pot if I didn't have a lid that fit. 

Heat the pot to medium-high heat, and add your butter and oil. If you think this sounds like too much oil I will warn you that if you don't have enough fat in the pan your popcorn will taste stale. Just use good, whole fats and remember that your brain needs fat to function properly. When the butter starts to foam a little add your kernels to the pan. Place the lid on top and then start shaking the pot. You want to keep it on the burner, but you have to move and agitate the kernels or else they will burn. Shake it back and forth and don't give up. In about 4 to 6 minutes you will start hearing a popping sound. Keep shaking until you don't hear a kernel pop for 2 seconds. Take the popcorn off the heat and toss in a bowl with the zatar seasoning and salt. Of course you can do any variation on seasoning you want. One of my other favorites is to use a couple tablespoons of sesame oil and chili flakes.

Root Vegetable Pavé

As winter comes around I look for dishes that I can bake ahead of time and eat whenever I get the urge. Casseroles, tagines and stews are great to keep around for a few days because they usually taste better a day or two after you make them. Pavé is a fancy French word that's basically defined as any food that has a rectangular shape, so if you don't want to sound too bourgie you can just change the name of this to "root vegetable gratin". I personally enjoy most things French.
The thing about this dish is that it's a hearty winter dish that can be served as a "starch", but it doesn't have russet potatoes like most root vegetable gratins. I tend to avoid conventional potatoes because I feel that other root vegetables are a lot more interesting and provide nutrients that most Americans fail to get enough of. Parsnips are a good source of calcium and magnesium as well as folate, which is the naturally occurring form of vitamin b9, a water soluble vitamin that prevents anemia and has been linked to helping fight anorexia through proper regulation of hormones in the brain.

Root Vegetable Pavé:
yd:6 squares
1 parsnip
1 carrot
1 small celery root
1 medium sweet potato
1 tsp chopped thyme
2 cloves garlic
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp celery seed
3/4 cup parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice vegetables thinly on a japanese mandolin. Toss in a mixing bowl with heavy cream and season with salt, pepper, thyme and celery seed. Layer in an enameled cast iron casserole dish. The best way to do it is to start with the celery root, then a layer of sweet potatoes, followed by parsnips. I save the carrots for the top as a garnish. In between each layer I sprinkle some shredded parmesan, but this isn't a necessary or integral part of the dish. Pour the excess cream over the gratin and cover with wax paper and foil. Bake for one hour or until tender when pierced with a skewer.