A few months ago, we shared an image of Freshfarm’s weekly (individual) Market Share. Here is yesterday’s family Market Share. This bigger version usually has larger amounts of that week’s seasonal produce than the individual share with an extra item or two. The produce changes weekly. I picked up at Foggy Bottom, but other options are Columbia Heights, Ballston, City Center, Whittier Elementary, Minnasota Avenue, and THEARC.
The seedless green grapes from Mickley’s Orchard (which sells at the Whitehouse Farmer’s Market) are really good.
-JAY
Editor’s Note: Pawpaw fans will be pleased to know that Two Boots Farm will be selling them the next two Sundays at the DuPont Farmer’s Market.
If you ever wondered what Freshfarm’s Market Share looks like, below is this week’s bounty. It includes two bunches of celery, one kohlrabi, a half pint of blueberries, a pint of cherry tomatoes, one large zucchini, basil, and a lot of scallions. This is the personal share which sells for $26 per week. The family share sells for $40 per week. They also have a grain share for $10 a week which was black beans this week. There are about a half dozen pickup spots including Foggy Bottom, City Center, and Columbia Heights. Their website says EBT/SNAP customers get a huge discount, so be sure to tell anyone that applies to.
Restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores often have food left over at the end of the day that could go to waste. The Too Good To Go app is a marketplace where you can purchase food from business at the end of their day (or meal service). The items in these bags/boxes can be pretty random, even if you pick up two boxes at the same location (or on different days).
Ala
Le Pain Quotidien
The food is usually already packaged as a mystery bag (or box) when you pick it up during the specified timeframe, but there were some exceptions. I didn’t mind waiting a few minutes if a place put a bag together while I waited.
Rose Ave Bakery
Taim Falafel
Purchasing these deals can be competitive, with new mystery bags/boxes usually hitting the website 15 minutes after the current day’s pickup range ends. As an example, The Cakeroom‘s pickup range is 8pm to 9pm, which means that at 9:15pm on Tuesday, the mystery bags/boxes to be picked up Wednesday will populate on the app. There are exceptions such as Rose Ave Bakery that sometimes drop mystery bags/boxes on the app for same day pickup.
Zenebech
The Cakeroom
Below are mystery bags/boxes I tried:
Ala ($3.99) in Dupont Circle has two pickups with different types of items, afternoon and evening (and I tried both). The above image is from the afternoon timeslot, and contained a Halva Croissant, Apple Tea (loose chopped dehydrated apples), an herbal teabag, Meringues, one Thumbprint Cookie, and Crunchy Chickpeas (dried).
Le Pain Quotidien ($4.99) gave me 3 pastries: a Cheese Danish, an Apple Turnover, and a Pan Aux Raisins. PDQ is much more readily available on the app than other baked goods options and has multiple locations (Dupont, 17th Street, Penn Quarter) you can choose from.
Rose Ave Bakery ($3.99) downtown offers fun Asian American-themed pastries. It is located at The Block DC food hall with Pogiboy, which is also on the Too Good To Go app. My Rose Ave mystery box contained green pastries: two Matcha White Chocolate Donuts, a Pandan Donut (green filling), and a Matcha Chocolate Cookie.
Taim Falafel‘s ($3.99) mystery bag included a Falafel Bowl and Tractor Beverage Company‘s Mandarin Cardamom. Their Georgetown and Dupont Circle Locations are both on the Too Good To Go app.
Zenebech ($4.99) is an Ethiopian restaurant in Adam’s Morgan. When I checked in, they put together a Vegetarian Combo for me with injera (spongy flat bread made from teff). I was lucky enough to score bags from both Zenebech and The Cakeroom to be picked up on the same evening, which was nice, because they are on the same street a few blocks from each other.
The Cakeroom ($5.99) put together a bag of mostly chocolate flavored items. There was a slice of Cherry Cheesecake, two slices of Chocolate Vanilla Cake, and two Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes.
I recommend Too Good To Go in DC (it’s in other cities too) but you need to be open to receiving really random items, especially at Ala. If you get something you can’t eat, share it with a friend. Too Good To Go is definitely a good value, since most of the mystery bags I received were worth 3 to 4 times what I paid.
There’s a great relatively new Asian Market in the basement of Rice restaurant in Logan Circle about a block from the P Street Whole Foods. The people working in the market are friendly and helpful.
I often see interesting produce like makrut limes, key limes, holy basil (tulsi), yuzu, Thai Basil, and Thai bird chilies in the market. They carry a variety of prepared foods (from the restaurant upstairs), dry goods including green, red, and black rice, and various types of noodles, condiments, and sauces. The selection is a bit random, with a different option for fish sauce being available on each of my visits. They have groceries from various countries in Asia including Thailand, Korea, China, and Indonesia. It’s a “go and see what they have today” kind of a shop.
Mekhala‘s Asian cooking pastes are organic, vegan, and gluten free, and we were lucky enough to get our hands on a few of them. Of the dozen or so available varieties, the four that we cooked with were the Yellow Curry (Thai), Red Curry (Thai), Lemongrass Turmeric (Vietnamese), and Sichuan Mala Chilli (Chinese).
Lemon Turmeric Wild Coho Salmon
Yellow Curry Cauliflower Stew
The Yellow Curry paste worked well with coconut milk in a vegan cauliflower, peas, and onions dish. This was my second favorite of the four dishes shown here, and my dining partner’s favorite.
We used the Lemongrass Turmeric paste with coconut milk on wild salmon, which was my favorite of the four dishes. The scallions absorbed a ton of flavor, which helped make this a tasty combination.
The Red Curry with coconut milk and Lotus Foods Organic Jade Pearl Ramen (green noodles) was a wonderful soup you might expect to find in a restaurant, so it was nice to have it at home. This was my dining partner’s second favorite dish of the four.
Sichuan Mala Chilli Bacon Salad
Red Curry Jade Ramen
We combined the Sichuan Mala Chilli Paste with apricot preserves and a little lemon juice, and applied it to the bacon prior to cooking. This gave the bacon a nice sweet, sour, and spicy flavor, and a color that might put off people (like my dining partner) who aren’t used to eating bright red meat.
Whole Foods and Mom’s each carry a few of Mekhala’s varieties. I’m keeping an eye out for the Thai Basil Garlic paste. Mekhala also has a line of sauces and dressings such as Pad Thai and Thai Chilli. Once you have some of Mekala’s products in your pantry, you can use some of the recipes on their website, or experiment like we did. And yes, these dishes all involved some cutting and pastes. 🙂
-JAY
Editor’s Note:
Mekhala was nice enough to send several of these products for us to review. The Yellow Curry paste was purchased at Whole Foods.
Thai is one of our favorite cuisines, so we jumped at the chance to review Verve Culture’s Thai for Two Organic Curry Kits. The curry kits are imported from Thailand, gluten-free, and vegan, and come in Penang, green, and red varieties.
Red Curry with Broccoli & Bell Peppers.
Green Curry with Wild Salmon, Zucchini & Bell Peppers
Included in each are the following organic packets: curry paste, curry seasonings, coconut milk, and dried herbs. You follow step-by-step directions, which include adding 7-10 ounces of uncooked protein and 7-10 ounces of uncooked vegetables. The recipes were well described and not difficult. You are told to use 50 to 100% of the curry paste packet depending on desired spice level, and that the dried herbs (kaffir lime leaves, chili peppers, etc.) are not meant to be consumed directly (since they just flavor the sauce).
We made the green curry with wild salmon, a small zucchini, and a small orange bell pepper. The curry went extremely well with the wild salmon. We used 100% of the curry paste packet for this dish, which turned out to be around medium spice level (high for my dining partner).
For the Penang, we went with organic chicken breast from the Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op, an orange bell pepper, and fresh carrots. Visually, it contained orange vegetables with an orange sauce, so a different color bell pepper may have been a better idea. Scallions were added for a bit of color. 75% of the curry paste packet was used for this dish, which turned out to be around medium spice level (ok for me, but still a little high for my dining partner).
Penang Curry with Carrots & Bell Peppers.
Thai Curry Kits.
We used a small red bell pepper, and Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op broccoli and chicken breast with the red curry kit. 50% of the curry paste packet was used for this dish, which turned out to be around medium spice level (about right for my dining partner).
We definitely enjoyed all three curry varieties, since the direct from Thailand ingredients give them an authentic flavor, but our favorite was the green curry (with wild salmon), even at the 100% spice level. The kits are good for two people, but we had some leftovers of the Pinang and red varieties since we used an extra 1/4 cup of water and a pound of chicken each.
Verve Culture makes two other Thai kits: Tom Kha Soup and Pad Thai. For a limited time, there is a coupon code for your holiday gift-giving needs. Order 5 flavors of Thai for Two Cooking Kits with the code THAI4TWO.
“Score!” I thought when I discovered the last two frozen lumpia in the freezer today. They were tucked in a freezer bag behind a mostly empty bag of shell-on shrimp. Below that shelf, I found a bag of French cut string beans (the kind I use for lumpia). I must have bought an extra bag months ago while feeling ambitious, but then never made another batch of lumpia when the reality of rolling the Filipino spring rolls after work set in. “Oh hey, that pound of frozen raw wings I bought on sale for the Super Bowl before I remembered I don’t like football!”
What to do with only one fresh vegetable – a forgotten bell pepper – left and mostly bare stores? Go out? Heck no! We are solid proponents of staying at home and social distancing!
I used the frozen wings to make some stock. Once that was at a safe temperature, I removed the wings and added shrimp to the stock. I popped that shrimp out fairly quickly to keep it from getting rubbery and then I took out the shells. I marinated the wings in vinegar and soy sauce and then broiled them to finish them. (Is there anything sadder looking than boiled chicken?)
Meanwhile I fried up the lumpia and started sautéing garlic. My garlic was a little old, but whatever. I added the now cooked shrimp, various secret sauces (okay you got me…they are pictured above…and yes, I used bottled lemon juice. This is a comfort food (to me, anyway) emergency! I sautéed the thawed green beans, and pressed the water out the, and added the bell pepper and shrimp. When everything looked properly cooked, I removed all the vegetables and the shrimp from my wok.
After boiling some stock in the wok, I added some pancit noodles. Finally, I reassembled the shrimp, green beans, bell pepper, and pancit noodles and heated again.
Maybe not the best looking meal. Maybe not the best-conceived meal. But we didn’t leave the house. How about it, dcfüd? Show us some meals you made with all or no fresh items while we are mostly holed up at home hiding from Corona/Covid 19?
We recently had a wonderful weekend judging the 40th Annual National Oyster Cook-Off at the US Oyster Festival in St. Mary’s County, MD. We jumped at the opportunity to spend time with fellow judge John Shields (of Gertrude’s restaurant in Baltimore), and eat wonderful food in a picturesque part of the country. The oysters were of course fresh and delicious.
The highlight of the recipe contest was the winning dish, Buffalo Oysters in Blue Cheese Grits. The crunch and spice level of the fried oysters went well with the creamy grits. The Cream of Oyster Soup with Bacon was great as well, with a creamy texture, and smoky flavor. Now that I have the festival’s cookbook, I can prepare either of these dishes at home.
The judge’s dinner was the night before at the No Thyme to Cook (cooking school) in Solomons, MD overlooking Solomons harbor, and was amazing of course, since Gwyn Novak (one of the judges), and her staff and school are top notch. Gwyn even has a new book, How to Cook for Beginners, which covers all the basics (including knife skills, measuring, and cooking methods) for someone who wants to learn to cook. The book includes some great recipes, including Cinnamon Crunch Muffins,Garlic & Tomato Steamed Mussels, and Pasta Bolognese. One lucky DCFUD reader will get a copy of the book mailed to them (US addresses only):
We will randomly choose one entry (out of the first 100) to receive a copy of How to Cook for Beginners. To be entered in the contest, email your first and last name to Contest (AT) dcfud (DOT) com with the subject line “Cookbook Contest” by Saturday November 16th at 6pm. I’ll pass the winner’s email address to Gwyn’s marketing person (who will ask you for a US mailing address). Good luck!
Thank you John Shields for bringing this wonderful event to our attention.
“This year the greater Chesapeake community will be celebrating the 53rd anniversary of the U.S. Oyster Festival, the home of the National Oyster Cook-Off and the National Oyster Shucking Competition. The festival is happening October 19 & 20, 2019 at the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds in Leonardtown, Maryland. Both the Oyster Cook-Off and the National Oyster Shucking competition take place on Saturday, October 19.”
Contestants will be coming from all over the country, however, participants from the Baltimore/Washington region are under-represented. Whether a home cook or professional chef, enter your family recipes or creative new ones, and show the world that nobody can compete with the oyster cooks in our area!Submit your recipe(s) to the 40th Annual U.S. Oyster Festival’s National Oyster Cook Off!
Up to six recipes per contestant can be submitted, and the deadline is August 31, 2019. The three contest divisions are (1) Hors D’oeuvres, (2) Soups/Stews, and (3) Main Dishes. Here are the cook-off rules.
Equinox’s Mixologist, Peter Grimm Won Judge’s Choice for Cocktails.
Ivy City Smokehouse’s Chefs.
Ivy City Smokehouse’s Dish.
Jo-Jo Valenzuela of The Barkeep Consulting Won People’s Choice for Cocktails.
Kaz’s Sushi with Burdock Root!
Chef Kaz Okochi of Kaz Sushi Bistro.
Radiator’s Chef Jonathan Deardon Won Judge’s Choice.
Range Ran Out of Food before We Could Try Their Dish.
Silver’s Dish.
Executive Chef Ype of Silver Won People’s Choice.
Slate’s dish.
Earlier this month, we were happy to attend the Chile Chef Challenge at the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) HQ in DC. Thank you ProChile for showing us how wonderful Chilean mussels, salmon, and beef can be! This annual event highlights how Chefs and mixologists can do incredible things with truly high-quality ingredients. I won’t say which, but we actually voted for one one of the winning dishes and one of the winning cocktails. And of course, one of the highlights of any Chilean event is the wine!Above are some images highlighting the event.
I really enjoyed the mussel dishes, since it was excellent quality shellfish, but also because I just don’t order mussels enough in restaurants (or cook them at home). At the end of the event, one of the chefs (City Winery) asked me to help him finish off the last few plates, which I did.
I didn’t actually try Slate’s dish, since I have an allergy to one of their ingredients.
Event Winners:
JUDGES FOOD CHOICE
Executive Chef Jonathan Dearden of Radiator created a BluGlacier Aji Amarillo Spiced Salmon made with a quinoa-olive oil salad, avocado puree, and topped with pieces of salmon skin chicharron.
JUDGES COCKTAIL CHOICE
Mixologist Peter Grimm at Equinox created a masterpiece cocktail named Pisco Pomada, made with Waqar Pisco, ginger, turmeric, and lime.
PEOPLES FOOD CHOICE
Ype Von Hengst from Silver served a merqueen-spiced Range Meats Patagonian ribeye with Chilean pebre cilantro sauce, oregano and thyme seasoned roasted corn, and white beans finished with ulmo honey drizzle, pomegranate and pine nuts.
PEOPLES COCKTAIL CHOICE
Jo-Jo Valenzuela of The Barkeep Consulting gave guests something to truly enjoy with the Gobernador Otoño, using El Gobernador Pisco, pomegranate, Autumn-spiced citrus cordial, ginger beer, and bitters.
