recipe: nettle soup (soupe aux orties)
As Kirstin said earlier, we're trying to eat as much local produce as possible this month. So when the local farm market had stinging nettles, we decided to take the plunge and try them out.
Nettles are a family of flowering plant that's native in the greater DC area. The plants are covered in small, brittle hairs that contain a chemical cocktail that stings if it pierces the skin - they're the embodiment of the attack plants in the Harry Potter series of books. This is a natural defense for the nettle in the wild, and a deterrent to many amateur chefs. The sign over the basket containing bags of nettles said "wear rubber gloves when handling them."
And they're correct: the things do sting, even through thin work gloves. Apparently it is possible to avoid the sting with careful handling, but better safe than uncomfortable. And the best thing: cooking or crushing the nettles destroys the defense mechanism, and they're very tasty, nutrient-rich, and their deep green color adds a nice contrast to soups and sauces.
So last night, I donned the gloves and made my first nettle dish. A big tip 'o the hat to Chocolate & Zucchini for the recipe.
Nettle Soup (Soupe aux Orties)
- A dab of butter
- One medium onion, peeled and sliced
- Two small potatoes for mashing (or one large), peeled and sliced*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- One bunch of young stinging nettles
- Freshly ground pepper
* - I didn't peel the white potatoes I used, and the soup's consistency was fine. I'd imagine that a tough-skinned russet might be a bit too fibrous, though.
- Melt the butter in a medium soup pot over medium heat.
- Add in the onion, and cook for five minutes, until softened, stirring regularly to avoid coloring.
- Add in the potatoes and salt, and pour cold water or stock to cover by about an inch. Cover with a lid, bring to a simmer, and cook for ten minutes, or until the potatoes are soft (test this with the tip of a knife).
- While potatoes cook, put on rubber gloves and pluck the nettle leaves from the tough, fibrous stems (discard the stems). Rinse the leaves thoroughly in cold water.
- When the potatoes are cooked, add in the nettles (they'll shrink rapidly once in the presence of steam), and cook for five more minutes, until the leaves are soft and wilted.
- Purée with an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender).
- Grind in some pepper, taste, and adjust the seasoning.
Serve hot, preferably with fresh, crusty bread.
Notes:
I used thin vinyl "handyman" gloves, and still got stung in a few places, so if you're using something thin, double-layer. The sting wears off in about a day, give or take. Aloe and cortisone creams can help alleviate the itch and burn.
Also, the amount of salt listed in the recipe was a bit too little for the batch I made - thus the call to adjust seasonings in the end. If you want more kick, add a little cayenne pepper toward the end, before blending.
A big tip 'o the hat to Chocolate & Zucchini for the recipe.
eating locally
May is the month-long Eat Locally challenge sponsored by Life Begins at 30 and Locavores.
Some people go whole-hog and refuse even to drink beverages or use spices that aren't locally produced. I am not so die-hard nor so willing to sacrifice. My aspirations are decidedly smaller, but I'm content with them:
We at Off the Eaten Path will strive to eat something locally produced every day. We also will consume something new from the farmer's market each week in May in order to broaden our horizons about the types of food that are available and that we enjoy. Finally, we also will try a local restaurant this month where we have not eaten before in order to support local food businesses.
- What's your definition of local for this challenge?
- What exemptions will you claim?
- What is your personal goal for the month?
Our local farmers' market defines local as within 150 miles of Washington, D.C., and that seems reasonable to me.
We reserve the right to take one day off a week (although we'll try not to need to).
To find new foods to add to the repertoire. To continue to support local agriculture. To consume what we buy without waste. To try some new recipes. To blog here more often about our experiences in the kitchen and with the local restaurant scene. And most of all I hope to be pleasantly surprised that this will not be a stretch for us taking into consideration that we already buy a large portion of our food locally at the farmers' market.
fresh from the market
Sunday marked the return of the full farmers' market. Between January and March, many farmers opt to take time off to rejuvenate and plan and sleep in on Sundays, leaving us with a third of the normal sellers. But come the first Sunday in April, they're back with fresh foods from their greenhouses and storerooms to tempt us.
This week we celebrated their return by buying:
- Milk
- Eggs
- Golden beets
- Watercress
- Grape tomatoes
- Spring lettuce
- A cucumber
- Pink lady apples
- A variety of cooking apples
- An onion
- Hon tsai tai (an Asian green particularly good in the spring)
- Red spring onions
- A baguette
- Croissants
- Apple tartes (these were especially tasty!)
- Cheddar
- Strawberry yogurt
- Orange poppies
- Daffodils
- A purple hyacinth
Next week, we're looking forward to blueberry scones and microgreens and some other spring Asian greens. And as the weather gets a bit warmer, we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for rhubarb, wild mushrooms, and ramps.
sushi 101: know your fish
Kudos to Sarah Gim over at Slashfood for her wonderful School of Fish series. Thus far, she's covered almost 10 types of fish used in sushi and sahimi - well worth a visit, as even some of the more "veteran" sushi eaters might learn a thing or two.
dc loses a local brew
A moment of silence for the passing of DC's local brew, Foggy Bottom.
The Heurich family is finally shuttering the last vestiges of their brewing empire, effective immediately. It's been many years since the beer was brewed in the District, at their once landmark factory at the Watergate (since replaced by the infamous apartment and office complex of All The President's Men fame). Even though the beer was being brewed out-of-District, it still used the old family recipes.
But now it is no more. Buy some if you find it, because this is the end.
uk food: the campaign for real ale
One of my favorite (or "favourite" for the proper speakers out there) bits about the UK is that they've rediscovered their craft beers again. In most cities and towns, you can find at least one pub serving a real, hand-pumped, room-temperature ale. And this is good stuff, the multiple flavors and textures coming out due to the fact that the beer isn't so cold that it freezes your taste buds, yet is still quite refreshing.
And this movement can be traced, in large part, to the work of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale. As well as ale, the Campaign seeks to preserve the best in beer culture, including pubs that have historical significance. This group works tirelessly to celebrate some of the best in British, Welsh and Scottish liquid fare.
If you ever go to the UK, look for CAMRA's telltale logo in a pub's window - if it's there, you can be assured that a hoppy treat lurks inside.
review: rasika
Note: this review has sat in queue for a while, though it's still relevant to the DC dining scene - enjoy!
As part of DC Restaurant Week, Kirstin and I had dinner at Rasika, a modern Indian restaurant in Penn Quarter. Thanks to a friend, we were able to use her reservations and enjoy some of the best Indian food we've experienced in DC.
Rasika is upscale, part of a group of restaurants that include Ardeo/Bardeo and The Oval Room. Chef Vikram Sunderam certainly has the pedigree, having spent the past 14 years as head chef at Bombay Brasserie (read a review here) in London - a hotbed of high-quality Indian fare. The interior of the restaurant is warm, with rust-colored tile on the walls, wood floors, and bead separators that keep the bar and dining areas apart. There are also two round tables in bay windows for large parties, as well as a private dining area behind the host's podium.
We took advantage of the special $30.06 Restaurant Week menu, which offered a lot of wonderful options for the money - though we noted that the vegetarian tasting menu ran $36, offering one extra dish, though possibly not dessert. The RW menu included an appetizer, a main course, and dessert.
Kirstin chose palak chaat for her appetizer (the signature dish, according to our friendly server), a vegetarian sampler with palak makki, dal makhani and kashmiri vegetable curry, and apple jalebi for dessert. I chose the tawa fish for an appetizer, fish malai curry for an entrée, and anjeer and walnut kulfi for dessert.
Most of the dishes went over well. The palak chaat was a clear winner: a delicate, crispy spinach with lovely, balanced spices. The tawa fish was also well-executed, flaky and mellow with a spice mix that had a subtle zing. While my fish curry was an excellent portion size and had and intricate yet not overpowering flavor, sprite's veggie sampler was both too big and had a lot of building spices, which proved far too potent. The desserts made up for it, for sure, though her jalebi (a fried dumpling) was a bit too greasy and heavy. My kulfi - an ice cream/sorbet - had a wonderful pyramid presentation and tasted great, closing the meal quite well.
All told, Rasika is a winner. I'd like to co back and try one of their prix fixe sampler menus sometime.
Rasika
www.rasikarestaurant.com
633 D Street NW
Washington, DC
(202) 637-1222
Hours:
Lunch:
Mon - Fri: 11:30am - 2:30pm
Dinner:
Mon - Thu: 5:30pm - 10:30pm
Fri and Sat: 5:30pm - 11:00pm
quick review: brunch at perry’s
I went to brunch today at Perry's Restaurant, which is noted for its impeccable breakfast fare, sushi, asian fusion quisine...
... and its Sunday brunch drag queens.
Yes, in this case, Perry's excellent fare is very much upstaged by its parade of drag queens. It's quite impressive, and if you aren't in on the joke, it can be quite a shock to the system. I, of course, happened to pick the prime position to be part of the show.
But like I said, the food was terrific. Their brunch is an all-you-can eat affair for $22.75 a head - not bad if you come hungry. I give high marks to their sushi (California rolls, tekka maki, Philly rolls, cucumber rolls, and tuna, salmon and shrimp sushi), their sweet potato soup, their marinate mushroom salad, their buckwheat groat salad (which might make me actually buy some Kasha and give it a try - that would erase a childhood food dislike), the seared beef, and the waffles.
But really: everything was tasty, the coffee was hot and strong, the buffet replenished often, and the service most friendly. It's a must-experience for any DC dweller.
A note: this is a very popular brunch, and the line get started before 10:00 am - and the doors open at 10:30, give-or-take. So get there early if you want first seating.
Perry's Restaurant
1811 Columbia Rd NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 234-6218
whew – the half-smoke is safe!
I just read that Ben's Chili Bowl, one of my favorite DC eateries (and one of the most historic) will be able to stay in business, thanks to an appeal to the city's assessor. The problem was that Ben's property assessment nearly doubled, which would've forced some tough decisions. The appeal brought the assessment back down to their current level, the board ruling that the historic value of the building negates any potential development worth.
Huzzah! More chili half-smokes!
the flying disc of coffee makers
There always seem to be new ways to approach the art of brewing coffee. Some prefer the standard drip, others the percolator, still others the french press. Lately, the coffee pod systems have gained traction in offices and B&Bs.
However, there is a new entry into the fray: the Aerobie AroePress, which utilizes a lot of parts normally seen in their record-setting flying disc.
Gotta love new approaches to old challenges....