Cook & Digest

Healthy Food Can be Gourmet

As a teenager I learned that Russian soil was very deficient in Iodine which is an essential trace element. An enlarged goiter on my neck wasn't on my "must have" list so I researched foods looking for the highest concentration of Iodine. Sadly I found out it was seaweed. To say at least, I didn't enjoy it. And to be totally honest I hated it. It looked like brown muddy desiccated grass with unpleasant metallic aftertaste. I ate it and kept eating it once a week, not because I became accustom to its taste or started liking it, but because I thought it was healthiest thing I could do in my circumstance.

Because of that unpleasant but healthy experience, my goal in life, as a Chef, is to create nutrient dense meals that are delicious. Here is my recipe for another Super Food: Kale. Just like cabbage, brussels sprouts and broccoli it's a member of Brassiaco family that are well known as a cancer fighting vegetables. The phytonutrients in kale also help to neutralize potentially cancerous substances. Kale is loaded with beta-carotene, an important nutrient for good vision, vitamin C, which boosts your immune system and helps to fight the cold, as well as in iron, manganese, calcium and potassium.

This raw Kale salad is a great example of how a healthy nutritious food can taste fabulous.

Super Food Kale Salad Yields: 4 servings 1 lemon, juiced 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 bunch kale, stalks removed, leaves thinly sliced 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/3 cup dried currants 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice and mustard. While whisking add olive oil in a slow stream.

Place the Kale in the large bowl. Pour the dressing over the Kale. Add Parmesan, currants and pine nuts. Toss, serve and enjoy a super food salad that tastes out of this world.

Information about Iodine

Iodine is an essential trace element, deficiencies in it can cause mental redardation. The USA and Canada makes Iodized salt avaiable nationwide but unfortunately in Russia and other countries less then 35% of the households have access to Iodized salt. For more information on Iodine Deficiency please see iccidd

Yes, we can!

Todays bitter cold winds took me back to my childhood where I once told myself I would rather be dead then have a job as a Siberian trolley driver. Seeing those women working in unheated trolleys, sub zero temps, getting out every half hour to manually pry the frozen track mechanisms free, was a job worse then hell. I could not imagine how those woman survived that daily routine, my short ride was torture enough.

I am sure a few people look at me as being crazy, my job as a Chef requires a schedule that is just about 100% opposite of the rest of America, because of the odd and long hours. I end up working most weekends and every holiday. It might sound sad, to celebrate holidays the day after the rest of America, but for family it's not a big deal. My husband told me he loves our "day after holidays" because he can get some killer discounts on gifts!

I have a passion for cooking, I love it! And there is no other place I would rather be during this blistering cold winter day then in my toasty kitchen. But I need some fresh & local ingredients, so forced myself out of my comfortable kitchen, to visit the Phoenixville Farmers Market.

During the summer the farmers market is held outdoors, which is a wonderful time in good weather. To my surprise, during the winter, they also hold the market outdoors! I was less then thrilled with the Siberian temps but pleasantly surprised to see a dozen brave local farmers. Sue Miller from Birchrun Hills Farm had an amazing variety of grass fed beef, veal and a fantastic "Fat Cat" raw milk cheese. Charlestown Farm brought bock choy, arugula, Asian greens and frozen tomatoes. I purchased some giant Shiitake mushrooms from Joe and Angela Evan's Oley Valley Mushrooms, a dozen organic pastured eggs from Barb Shelly's Mountain View Poultry Farm, Kohlrabi and radishes from Dan H's Jack's Farm and some heritage pork and nitrate free bacon from Country Time Farm. I felt like a trolley driver after just a half hour of shopping so I ran to my car with my goodies and a very big, new found, appreciation for our local farmers!

I cranked up the heater and raced home. I couldn't wait till dinner to create a simple Asian greens salad with radishes, cheese and Shiitake mushrooms. Wow what a difference the Asian green salad mix made. It has a nice spicy bite that really made this a perfect "winter mix" salad compared to the bland organic "spring mix" you can find at the local grocery.

I was always jealous of warmer states like California with the year round growing season. Who would of guessed a local Pennsylvania farmer, Melissa Ingaglio from Charlestown Farm, was growing greens in an unheated greenhouse through out the winter. At this very moment I began to believe: "Yes, we can!" have local, organic, produce all year round.

Phoenixville Farmers Market Winter Salad with Radishes, Smokey Shiitake and Fat Cat Cheese

Vinaigrette Ingredients: 1/4 cup Sherry vinegar 2 T Dijon mustard 1/2 cup olive oil sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste Salad Ingredients: 1 T olive oil 1# Shiitake mushrooms from Oley Valley Mushrooms, sliced 1/4 t Chipotle powder or to taste 1/2# Asian greens from Charlestown Farm 4 oz radishes from Jack's Farm, sliced 6 oz Fat Cat cheese from Burchrun Hills Farm, crumbled

Vinaigrette:

In a small mixing bowl whisk together mustard and vinegar. Add olive oil in slow stream while whisking to make an emulsion. The vinaigrette can be kept for up to a week in the fridge.

Salad:

Heat the oil in the cast iron skillet until almost smoking. Add sliced mushrooms, season with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with Chipotle powder. Cook stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden brown. Cool to room temperature.

Place Asian greens in a large bowl toss with sliced radishes, cheese, mushrooms and just enough vinaigrette to evenly coat.

Plate the salad, enjoy and rember "Yes, we can!" eat local & fresh all year round.