Author: AJ

EarthBox Update — July 1, 2013

by A.J. Coltrane

Previous post here.

…And Lo, it became unseasonably hot in the urban garden. And the lettuces spoketh:  “Man, that’s about enough of this $#%#$!”

If it’s a cool-weather vegetable, it’s done until summer has passed. That includes the parsley, cilantro, dill, and lettuces.

The flip side is that the summer vegetables are all doing great. The cocozelle zucchini plant has multiple squash going. The tomato plants are almost six feet tall. Everything is either blooming or ripening, or both.

The pics, starting with the first two zucchini. The one on the left is ~6″, the one on the right is 8+”.

 

Rolling Stone for size reference. Feline tail in the foreground.
Rolling Stone for size reference. Tail of the feline who had to get involved in the foreground.

Continue reading “EarthBox Update — July 1, 2013” →

Beer of the Week: Ninkasi Radiant Ale

By Iron Chef Leftovers

I like Ninkasi beers – they tend to be solid and drinkable, easily available and priced at a point that you won’t break the bank drinking them. A while back, I realized that there were a handful of their beers which I hadn’t tried yet, so I decided to give them a shot. Radiant Ale, their summer seasonal, was one of those beers. The beers run around $5 in a 22 oz. bottle (which is what is being reviewed here) and are generally available just about anywhere you can buy beer. The beer clocks in with 40 IBU and a 6.0% ABV.

From the Ninkasi website:

Earthy and floral hops balance this Northwest-style pale ale, with a touch of Crystal and Vienna malts for flavor. Crisp and flavorful, Radiant Ale is a clean-finishing summer offering in the Ninkasi tradition. The smooth malt character is balanced by an elegant hop bitterness, the perfect complement to a glorious summer day.

Tasting Notes:
A touch of Crystal malt is used to sweeten-up this beer in addition to some Vienna malt for balance. The multiple hop varieties are grassy and earthy in tone and differentiate Radiant from most of the citrus forward Northwest Pale Ales!

Food Pairings:
Fish, Poultry, Tomato Sauces, Rustic Breads, Toffee, Cookies

The beer pours orange, almost tan in color with a fizzy, light cream head. Light amounts of hops and citrus appear on the notes with a fair amount of grain in the mix – reminds me slightly of a lager (possibly from the Vienna malt). A good bit of slight bitterness on the initial sip (not sure if that was a good or a bad thing), with a nice crispness which fades into a long, grain heavy finish. I really couldn’t find any defining notes in the beer – not a ton of hop flavor and not an overly complex beer, almost like an ale on training wheels. It felt like a beer that was designed for people who like lighter beers. That being said, it would be a fine beer to sip on a warm summer day on the back deck with a friend.

Ninkasi Radiant Ale orbits into the picture with a bright 3 masses of incandescent gas out of 5.

In case you don’t get the reference, They Might Be Giants can help you out:

Focaccia. Simple.

by A.J. Coltrane

Making rustic breads is easy. Focaccia is even easier. The recent-high-school-graduate niece made the loaf below, with very little coaching.

focaccia 061513

This became one of two caprese sandwiches for GNOIF. (She made both breads.) Both of the breads were devoured in no time.

The ingredients are essentially the same as for the No Knead Bread, with extra-virgin olive oil added to the mix — 400 grams AP Flour, 300 grams water, 8 grams kosher salt, 1/4 tsp instant yeast, and 1-1/2 TBP olive oil. (75% hydration and 2% salt by weight. Most of the time I use the scale if it’s baking related. It’s just as fast as measuring cups and the results are way more consistent.)

Everything gets combined in the Kitchenaid and mixed on low speed with the paddle attachment for 8 minutes. Cover the dough with plastic wrap for 18-24 hours. The next day, line a sheet tray with parchment paper and add a light coat of extra virgin olive oil, about 1-2 tablespoons. Scrape the dough out onto the parchment and spread it out to near the corners of the tray. (It doesn’t have to be perfect, the dough will fix itself.) Let rise 1-1/2 to 2 hours until poofy. When the dough is almost ready to go, preheat the oven to 425 F. Spread about 2 tablespoons of oil over the top of the dough and dimple the top with your fingers. (Oiled fingers help keep the dough from sticking as much.) Place the tray in the oven and bake 22-25 minutes. Let cool in the tray.

focaccia sliced 061513

We sliced this loaf width-wise. Both sides were lightly coated with basil pesto. (Yay Earthbox basil!) We splurged on heirloom tomatoes, which were “drained” and thinly sliced and chopped. The sandwich was finished with fresh mozzarella that had been thinly sliced and squished between paper towels until most of the moisture was pressed out.

Easy! I’m sure that one out of one nieces would agree.

Beer of the Week: Populuxe CDA

By Iron Chef Leftovers

The nice thing about Populuxe and their ever-rotating tap list is that I can drink a beer, take a couple of months to review it and it will eventually end up back on tap. This means that, unlike some of the beers that I am taking so long to post the review of (say Pumpkin beers in March), there is a good chance that you will be able to drink this beer somewhat soon after I review it. Populuxe continued their foray into the world of hoppy beers with the release of the CDA; Cascadian Dark Ale, or as it is otherwise known, a Black IPA.

The beer pours jet black with a tan head. Lots of citrus and hop notes with a bit of roasted malt hiding on the nose. The first sip reveals some chocolate up front, yielding to delicious roasted flavors that linger for a long time before giving way to an explosion of hops and citrus peel in a very long and pleasant finish. A little bolder than the roast on most other CDA’s (which tend to be more hop forward), but very assertive and hoppy enough to please the most ardent hophead. The best part of this beer is how layered it is. It moves away from the one dimensional palate that you get from a number of CDA’s, which look like a dark beer, but taste just about like an IPA and gives you something much more interesting. The amazing part of this beer is that you still and pick out those layers when you are on your second pint.

When this beer shows up on the tap list again, get yourself down to Populuxe and have yourself a pint.

Populuxe CDA sneaks in under the cover of darkness and scores a strong 4 things that go bump in the night out of 5.

"What is wrong with the large production of animals in this country?"

By Iron Chef Leftovers

A moderated discussion between Dana Cowin, Mario Batali, Chris Cosentino and Anya Fernald took place at the Aspen Food and Wine Festival recently. During that discussion Cowin asked, “What is wrong with the large production of animals in this country?”

Batali had this response:

What’s right with it? Meat is not produce with the intent of good animal husbandry technique, of animal health, which of course together means it’s not produce with the intention of producing a delicious product. Meat in this country often resembles the taste of cardboard.

He is right. They also go on to talk about using the whole animal, which is a very interesting read.

Unfortunately, the article does not seem to have the full transcript of the discussion, but it does have parts of it here. I will post the full transcript if I can find it at some point.

“What is wrong with the large production of animals in this country?”

By Iron Chef Leftovers

A moderated discussion between Dana Cowin, Mario Batali, Chris Cosentino and Anya Fernald took place at the Aspen Food and Wine Festival recently. During that discussion Cowin asked, “What is wrong with the large production of animals in this country?”

Batali had this response:

What’s right with it? Meat is not produce with the intent of good animal husbandry technique, of animal health, which of course together means it’s not produce with the intention of producing a delicious product. Meat in this country often resembles the taste of cardboard.

He is right. They also go on to talk about using the whole animal, which is a very interesting read.

Unfortunately, the article does not seem to have the full transcript of the discussion, but it does have parts of it here. I will post the full transcript if I can find it at some point.