potatoes

Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course

by Anne Maxfield on January 28, 2013

Accidental Locavore Gordon RamsayYou might think that someone like the Accidental Locavore would spend any and all TV time staring at the Food Network. And you would be wrong. It’s not because they turned down the Accidental Locavore show three times – really, it’s not. It’s because most of the programs just aren’t terribly interesting. I’m never going to make an appetizer from gummy worms and liver, coated in crushed Cap’n Crunch, are you? Nor am I looking to replicate the two types of fried clams (good as they are) that Guy Fieri turned up at Bob’s Clam Hut, one of our favorites on the way to Maine.

When I watch food shows I want to see beautiful food, food I’d want to eat and food that I want to eat enough to seek out the recipes and ingredients. Until recently, this was a very hit-or-miss proposition. However, now from a surprising source, there’s a new must-watch show (and no, it’s not the Taste) and a steady entry on the DVR’s to-do list. It’s Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course on BBC (added bonus, it’s on right when I’m eating lunch).

Until this show, Gordon Ramsay was on my short list of chefs I could care less about. Humorless and abusive, listening to him tell any number of people to f–k off is not my preferred form of entertainment. On this show he’s charming, laid-back and informative. There are lots of useful tips, the recipes are easy and straight-forward and the food looks delicious!

You’ll want to book a trip to England, if only to go hang with the terribly British butchers in the most immaculate shops, or the potato expert, slicing open a potato to reveal an amazing midnight-blue interior. Actually, all the food shots will have you drooling, so don’t say you weren’t warned!

Accidental Locavore Rosti PotatoesI’m definitely going to try the pork spare ribs. The leek and potato rosti looks like it would be great with a roast chicken (whether I roast it or buy it). I like that Gordon advises you always to cook extra potatoes, which you can always use for gnocchi or the rosti – advice I will surely act on! Since the show is British, all measurements are metric, but don’t let that bother you, so far nothing I’ve seen looks like an extra gram or two would make a huge difference and Chef Ramsay is always encouraging you to taste, taste, taste. Where you will need to convert is on oven temps and there are plenty of sites for that.

For videos of the episodes, click here and to find out what’s on each episode, Wikipedia has a great run-down. Let me know what you think.

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An Easy Dinner: Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes

by Anne Maxfield on October 11, 2012

Accidental Locavore Chicken With ChorizoWhile the Accidental Locavore has a fascination with Pinterest, most of the food posted on it doesn’t appeal to me. Once in a while, something will look really good and get re-pinned to my “Things to Try” board. And once in a longer while, I will actually make one of these “Things to Try” (now, maybe I should create a “Tried” board…). Such was the case with the Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes.  So I gave it a shot the other night. It’s super easy, prep time is about 10 minutes and it feeds 2 with leftovers (see verdict below).

Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes

Print recipe
Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes
Serves 2
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 1 hour
Total time 1 hour, 10 minutes
Meal type Main Dish
The Accidental Locavore makes an easy chicken recipe with potatoes and chorizo. A fast main course chicken dinner with a Spanish twist.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 6 chicken thighs (bone-in with skin)
  • 6oz Spanish chorizo, cut into 1/2 inch disks
  • 1lb small potatos, cut in quarters (I used both red and Yukon gold potatoes)
  • 1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2 inch dice
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano (if you have fresh, use about 2 teaspoons, finely chopped)
  • 1 small orange, zested

Directions

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425°. Put the oil in the bottom of a shallow roasting pan (I used a hotel pan--rimmed cookie sheet). Rub the skin of the chicken in the oil, then turn skin-side up, salt and pepper the skin side.
Step 2
Add the chorizo and potatoes, tossing to coat with the oil. Sprinkle the onion and the oregano on top, then zest the orange over everything.
Step 3
Cook for 1 hour, basting every 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
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Accidental Locavore Cooked Chicken ChorizoThe verdict: The original recipe was just a mess! What you have here is my best adaptation and the comments are based on how I interpreted the recipe.

Good, but needs more seasoning. I’m not sure if it was just that the chorizo on hand might have been a little dry, but after cooking, it was pretty crispy. Solution for that would be to use bigger pieces or add them halfway through the cooking. We thought a mix of Mexican (fresh) and Spanish (cured) chorizo would be interesting. I cut the onion into a pretty fine dice and it was essentially incinerated by the time the chicken was cooked. Bigger chunks should take care of that. Some Spanish (green) olives would add some color and saltiness to the dish and I’ll probably toss them in next time. Because this was such a simple dish to toss together, I’ll definitely make it again.

Frank said they were the best roasted potatoes I’ve made (high praise indeed!) and used the leftovers to make home-fries the next morning.

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If a Small Farm Fails, Does Anyone Notice?

by Anne Maxfield on June 4, 2012

Accidental Locavore Farmstand

This past week and especially the weekend were especially sad for the Accidental Locavore. The news was something I’d been hoping–desperately hoping – not to hear for almost six months now. When I finally got in touch with my farmer about continuing our arrangement for my weekly farm box, he said he wasn’t farming anymore. The hurricane and subsequent storms from last August had wiped him out. And a farm that had been feeding people for generations is no more.

Accidental Locavore FarmThey say that cooking is cathartic, writing, too, and that things happen for a reason. Because there were some cans of good tuna in oil out on the counter, this morning I started to prep the ingredients to be cooked for a salad Niçoise: eggs (from my friend Bill), potatoes and haricots verts. As it turned out there were about eight potatoes that had been from one of last summer’s final boxes. A few wrinkled red new potatoes and some old-looking purple ones. Normally I might have tossed them, but they just looked a little aged and they were from the farm, the last I’ll ever have, so I took care to boil them properly.

With the salad I’ll make a dressing in the traditional French way using two tiny shallots I found in the bottom of the drawer with the potatoes, a last gift from the farm.

Food is fleeting, like music or theater. A taste, a sight, a smell, a memory of what was. You never realize how much of your life is entwined with something like the farm, until it’s gone. Although running down the road for a last-minute tomato or ear of corn has been a thing of the past for a few years now, the Friday night farm box pick-up, with the delicious surprises inside, was the inspiration for this site. It gave me a clearer understanding of what brings me pleasure and has made me not only a better writer, but a much more adventurous cook. The farmer taught me an immense amount, not only what to look for in a zucchini, but literally offered me tastes of things I’ve never had before, like kohlrabi and elderberries. I’ve grown accustomed to the ease of preparing food that comes from just down the road, with a taste that cannot be duplicated by big agribusiness, no matter how “organic” they are.

Accidental Locavore Deserted FarmAnd so, with these last potatoes, this shallot, I salute this farm. It will be sorely missed.

 

 

 

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Recipe for Corn Chowder With Bacon and Potatoes

by Anne Maxfield on December 10, 2010

Accidental Locavore Corn ChowderLooking for a warm and comforting bowl of soup for a cold day? Here’s a recipe for a great creamy corn chowder put together without cream and with corn I froze from the overload this summer, potatoes from Farmer Paul, and local bacon from Dickson’s at Chelsea Market (my new favorite amazing  bacon). It’s from Saveur with tweaks. Serves 4.

  • 4 strips bacon cut into 1/2″ lardons (strips)
  • 2 cups corn kernels (from 4 ears of corn if you have fresh)
  • 2 tablespoons butter (could be less if your bacon renders a lot of fat)
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 cups milk
  • 2-3 medium new potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 small jalapeno pepper (optional), seeded and finely diced

Heat the bacon in a large pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally until crisp. Reserve 2 tablespoons for garnish, leaving the rest of it (and the rendered fat) in the pot. Add the butter, thyme, garlic, onions, and bay leaf. Cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 6 minutes. Add the corn, milk (jalapenos, if using) and potatoes. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to low. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.

Discard the bay leaf. Partially puree the chowder either with an immersion (stick) blender, or by taking about a cup of the chowder and pureeing it in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add it back to the rest of the soup, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the bacon garnish, and enjoy.

If you got some of our chipotle salt for the holidays, using it to finish the soup gives it a nice kick.

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