From Waste Basket To Market Basket

Rather than preaching about wastefulness, why not start withthe satisfaction of good cooking?

EATING ROOT TO STALK -- DELICIOUS THINGS TO DO WITH THE ODD BITS

Chard stems: Cook with red wine, vinegar, sugar and salt for a sweet-and-sour relish.

Carrot tops: Puree with basil, Parmesan and pine nuts for pesto.

Fennel stalks and fronds: Chop finely and saute wiht leeks for a delicate sauce for fish.  Or boil in simple syrup and use to flavor lemonade.

Leeks: Finely chop the usually discarded dark green parts and stir-fry with ginger, garlic, fish sauce and tofu.

Asparagus stems: Save the tough ends in the freezer for stock.  

Apricot pits: Crack them open and find the kernel inside.  Use to infuse cream with a subtle almond flavor.

Broccoli stalks and leaves: Trim and peel the stalks, then shave into a slaw with dressing for feta.

Cauliflower stems: Roast the whole head with tomatoes, anchovies and garlic.

Watermelon rinds: Trim the dark green skin from the rinds, then pickle with lime juice, sugar, vinegar, salt and mustard seed.

Two Cheeses to Delight Your Palette

Today we are sampling two very different cheeses that have quite interesting profiles. They are both fairly new creations, actually variants on much older traditional cheeses. These are notable examples of how modern cheese makers, both here and in Europe, are “massaging” and tweaking well established recipes and demonstrating how creativity and craft can expand our cheese horizons (as well as their profits no doubt).

Pierre Robert (France, cows milk, pasteurized, animal rennet)

Not to be confused with the WMMR disc jockey. Rich, rich, rich and did I say rich? Based on the well known and much beloved Brillat Savarin triple cream, which means that whole cream has been added in the process. The name comes from a combination of the first name of the creator and that of his best friend and only dates back to the 1970s, but is still very highly regarded, even among French cheese snobs. Sit back and enjoy the full creamy flavor of Pierre Robert.

The cheese is soft and gets very soft without much aging but has a longer shelf life than many other soft cheeses like Brie. I’m informed that with more aging the rind gets thicker, but I’ve never kept it around long enough to notice that. And unlike many other blooming rind cheeses the rind it not intended to be eaten. Pierre Robert is really milky, actually creamy, certainly flavorful, a tad salty but not at all assertive. It can take on an ammonia smell if kept too long. It is spreadable but simply popping a small piece in your mouth is gustatory fun.

Pairs well with dry sparkling wines. Goes nicely with strawberries, fresh sliced peaches or nectarines, I think.

Assiago with Basil and Olive Oil (US, Sartori, cows milk, pasteurized, vegetable rennet)

Sartori cheeses are products made by a Wisconsin-based Italian American family who claim that everything they make is “inspired” by traditional old country recipes. While that may or may not be so, all of these cheeses are excellent and they have won numerous awards.

They make a wide range of cheese using the nutty Assiago as a base. Assiago is a very versatile and popular cheese and Sartori’s additions work well. The hand rubbing of basil infused olive oil makes for a unique cheese. It tastes like a cross between Parmesan and sharp white Cheddar with a savory high note complementing the rich, herbal flavor from the basil. 

Chianti or Valpolicella are both nice partners. 

- Burt "The Big Cheese" Siegel

A Coop Can Change a Community!

Our crowdfunding campaign has gotten off to a great start! We raised $2,761.00 in our first week. That's quite impressive! Thank you all for your help spreading the word about our campaign and the wonderful opportunities we have to make our CreekSide Co-op even better. We literally cannot do this without all of you. 

If you have ever asked yourself, "What can I do to help the Coop?", THIS is what you can do to help the coop. We need you, our members and friends, to personally contact everyone who cares about you and who cares about our community, tell them about this campaign and why the Coop matters to you, and ask them to contribute even a small amount. We have provided a sample letter that you can copy and/or modify to reflect your experience and we ask that you send this out via email, snailmail, facebook, twitter, linkedin, or whatever you use to communicate. We also have a flyer that you can print out and spread around in coffee houses in Center City, your sister's coop in North Carolina, or even Trader Joe's, anywhere that our message might not naturally get to but where people care about our mission. Together we can move mountains!

Flyer: (PDF) (JPG) 

Letter: (DOC)

The Joy of Fresh, Local, Hand-made Mozzarella

When we think of Mozzarella, we too often think of a fairly tasteless creamy white cheese whose sole purpose is to melt on pizza. It is ubiquitous and it is by far, and sadly, the best selling cheese in the US. According to the U.S.D.A., Americans eat over 30 pounds of cheese a year and over 1/3 of that is Mozzarella (11.5 pounds per person per annum). Cheeses called cheddars (although as you know by now the term 'cheddar' is not very descriptive of flavor) are second in popularity, (9.6 pounds). Alas, many of those lack much character or flavor either.

But lucky you! As a shopper at Creekside Co-op you have the opportunity to taste two distinctive and really tasty fresh (and actually hand made) Mozzarellas crafted right here in Philadelphia.

Mozzarella is a very simple cheese to make, it is making it right that is the hard part. Claudio’s is a neighborhood fixture on south 9th Street and the less ambitious neighbor of Dibruno Brothers. The family owned business has been making Mozzarella for over 60 years. At one time fresh “Mozz” was a staple of neighborhood groceries that served the Italian community, but since it is a somewhat time consuming process most of what we eat is now made in factories. Not surprisingly, each cheese maker has his own recipe and this is a particularly good one.

The plain Mozzarella we are sampling today is milky and a bit on the sweet side. It, of course, melts beautifully and you might like it on hamburgers or chicken. It does wonders in a Caprisi salad but I have been known to skip the tomato and basil and simply dribble a few nice size slices with balsamic vinegar, a good but not too assertive olive oil and a bit of sea salt.

The smoked version stands very well its own. Sal at Claudios assures me the smoky flavor is not the artificial smoke variety but is done by “some guy who knows how to do this” who owns a big smoker and patiently carries out this happy task each week. Never serve either one right out of the fridge as the cold inhibits the flavor. Nor should you keep it around more than a few days. It not only loses flavor and texture but will turn sour due to its freshness and non-pasteurization.

Burt "The Big Cheese" Siegel

In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day (albeit a little late) two unique Irish cheeses

Irish cheeses have traditionally been well made but not all that unusual. While cheese has been produced for centuries on the Emerald Isle, most of what has been exported to the states has been local variations of basic cheddars and a few cow’s milk blues. In recent years farmstead sheep’s milk and goat’s milk cheese have been produced but hardly seen outside of Ireland and England. Cahill’s farm has been making and shipping some unusual and flavorful cheese that I think you will enjoy and will not be your run of the mill cheddars.

Cahill’s Whiskey Cheese (cow’s milk, pasteurized, vegetarian rennet)

This is a  tangy and rich flavored  cheese Infused with the robust flavor of  aged and mellow Irish whiskey.   It  has a  creamy mouth feel  and  unique undertones of the smooth, woody and  somewhat nutty taste of pure Irish Kilbeggan Whiskey. The booze adds character but the whiskey flavor is certainly not overly pronounced. It goes well on sandwiches and is a nice melting cheese. It is produced by over 100 year old Cahill’s farm in Limerick. After the curd is formed and whey is drained off, the whiskey is added which gives the cheese a deep golden hue.  It pairs well with dark ales, and of course Irish stouts. I enjoy it with Smithwick’s Red Ale.

Cahill’s Irish Porter Cheese (cow’s milk, pasteurized, vegetarian rennet)

The first thing you will notice about this cheese is that it resembles a mottled piece of chocolate, then you smell the malty porter aroma. Last but not least, you will marvel at he unusual taste (at least I do). This is another Irish cheddar, but this time infused with Guinness Irish Porter and you certainly will find that noticeable. The flavor is quite complex. Along with the porter, you might even notice hints of chocolate, but that might be a matter of your eyes fooling your taste buds. This cheese, has a bit of a tang but not as much as the whiskey cheese. It also goes well with ales and you might want to double up with a rich porter.