My name is Annemarie Zwack and I live in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of New York. I cook local organic vegetarian meals at at Light on the Hill retreat center in Van Etten, NY. I grow a lot of the vegetables I eat and I like to work with local farmers when I cook professionally. Here are some of my recipes and a little about what inspires me to make them.
I've been reading Jared Diamond's book Collapse and thinking about Food Security lately. Edible Finger Lakes had an article in their summer edition that mentioned that even with all the bounty we have in our region, we don't have the infrastructure in place to support a year round local diet. This is a situation that we need to redemdy in order to be a sustainable culture.
They have grants available for Community Food Security Projects.
While I'm at it I might as well tell you about and share a link to a great network of folks in Ithaca that are sharing knowledge and supporting our cummunity food security. They are Ithacan.ning.com Check 'em out. Join 'em. And happy harvest season.
Dear cooks and good food enthusiasts, Things are growing again! Chives, rhubarb, onions, cilantro, all sorts of greens... If you happen to also follow my blog ZwackArt, you know I have, happily, been up to my eyebrows in wonderful, community based, art making projects. The only down side is that I haven't had much time to tell you about the yummy things that are happening in the kitchen. But by a beautiful synchronicity Marlo Capoccia, of Garden Gate, contacted me and invited me to start teaching cooking classes for her clients and the larger community as well. Marlo started a business where she delivers fresh local produce to people's homes and offices in the Ithaca area. Her website is really amazing! I think you will really be impressed by all of the local products she has found and will literally deliver right to your doorstep. Part of the goal of the cooking classes is to make knowledge about preparing local, healthy, delicious food really accessible. I think we are going to meet and even exceed this goal! The cost of the class is only $10 and includes childcare and a meal for your kids if you happen to have them and bring them. My sister would say "That qualifies as a date!" It's happening Monday, May 24th from 5:45 to 7:30 pm at 1219 Trumansburg Road (the 7th Day Adventist Church) next to the hospital.
And here's what's on the menu:
Red cabbage saute w/ brown mustard seeds Local Quesadilla: starring local pinto beans as re-fried beans Blue masa corn tortillas braised local greens & delicious raw cheese for the dairy tolerant
I'm not big on desserts, but rhubarb is in season, and I could easily do a rhubarb based dessert. What do you think? Please contact me if you think you'd like to take the class. There are only 12 slots available. We plan to keep going with the classes if this first one is a success, so let me know if there are topics you would like to see covered. And check-in here to get the recipes after the 24th.
I cook vegetarian meals at Light on the Hill, but at home I cook with meat when I know that the local farm that raised the animals has ethical practices, or that the animal has lived it’s life in the wild.
I signed up with the Piggery, in Trumansburg, NY, to get a CSA share for 12 weeks over the winter. Every week we got different hand crafted pork products. From the most unbelievably flavorful bacon, piggeroni salami, sausages, to roasts; all with out nitrates, growth hormones, or factory farm horrors. I had never cooked ham hocks before, but this was my solution and it was a success!
This slow-cooked meal-in-a-pot stew will make your whole house smell fantastic! It will require a couple hours from start to finish, but most of the time you will be free to do other things. A perfect way to spend a snowy day!
Cabbage and Black-eyed Peas & Ham Hocks
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small green cabbage
½ cup minced parsley
1 large or 2 small onions coarsely chopped
1 clove minced garlic
2 quarts water or broth
4-5 medium red skinned potatoes
1 ham hock
1 ½ cups black-eyed peas
3 bay leaves
½ tsp dry thyme
1-2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
few pinches real salt
Soak 1 ½ cups dried black-eyed peas overnight or bring to a boil and allow to sit for an hour.
Brown the ham hock in a cast iron dutch oven or large stainless steal pot on the stove top with olive oil. Throw in onions and stir. When ham hock is browned add water, peas and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmering for 1½- 2hrs. Then add potatoes, cabbage, garlic, and pepper. When potatoes are nearly tender add thyme, parsley, and salt.
Serve w/ crusty peasant bread and a good local butter.
