Posts from — April 2009

Last night as my wife Adele and I wound down the day, and began readying our son Jake for bed the doorbell rang. It didn’t ring the typical one time, whoever was there gave two quick rings grabbing our attention. We all sprang up , Jake and I headed for the door. Upon opening the door there was a young man with a bandanna on his head, a tie dyed t-shirt beneath his button down, jeans and sandals. He quickly went into his pitch… [Read more →]

We’ve been talking about doing some type of review of sustainable alcoholic beverages here at canvas for some time. As with many things in life this took time to come together. Our first panel tasting is tonight and we’re all excited. As we ready for the evening the jitters creep in.

Although we have our format together, the first tasting will be a work in progress since most of us are lay people in this vain. We hope to share some great new sustainable products with our readers. As with any review beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I hope our first tasting is a beauty that I’d want to drink myself or share with my friends. [Read more →]

The philosophy and health benefits of eating raw foods (Part II)

Read Part I here

As a personal chef, I don’t question my clients’ choices of a particular diet unless it helps me understand how to prepare recipes in the most flavorful way. I’ll admit that when one of my clients mentioned the Raw Food Diet, I was skeptical because of the meld of flavors that cooking emits, but intrigued because of the health benefits and the change in lifestyle that goes beyond a different set of ingredients. It involves setting up your kitchen in a completely different way, from learning to use a dehydrator to practically never using your stove (which adds savings to your energy use). A blender, juicer, food processor, and a chef’s knife are also part of the main kitchen fixtures. Menu planning can require a few days to a week in advance if sprouting or marinating is required. [Read more →]

The chefs at Grace’s Marketplace share their favorite springtime foods

Written by: Maria & Rusty Pacheco

Spring signifies new beginnings and fresh starts. As we leave the chill of winter behind, we eagerly look forward to seasonal blooms, and this holds true for those of us in the food industry as well.

Spring in the food industry heralds the arrival of plump artichokes, hearty asparagus, fresh fennel, rhubarb, and swiss chard—just to name a few vegetables. Fruits we look forward to include apricots, casaba melon, fresh currants, figs, and luscious cherries.

Local fish is abundant and readily available. Flounder, tuna, monkfish, and skate caught off the shores of Montauk all make for healthy and delicious meals. Oyster Bay yields a wealth of shellfish including clams and, of course, Blue Point oysters.

Spring also signifies the arrival of holidays celebrated over meals that call for lamb. At Grace’s Marketplace, we carry organic baby spring lamb that is raised nearby in Pennsylvania. Here’s a recipe for our favorite way to prepare it.

Roast Baby Spring Lamb

1 organic baby spring lamb, cut in pieces
Extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, sliced
6 sprigs fresh organic rosemary
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Zest and juice of one organic lemon
1 bunch organic parsley

Heat the oven to 350°F. Place the lamb in a baking dish. Generously coat the lamb and the baking dish with olive oil. Using the point of a sharp knife, make small incisions in the lamb pieces and push in the slices of garlic. Roughly chop the leaves of three of the rosemary sprigs and sprinkle over the lamb along with salt and pepper. Tuck the remaining sprigs of rosemary under the lamb. Sprinkle the lemon zest over the lamb, then pour the lemon juice over the lamb. Roast the lamb in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Baste regularly with the pan juices, using the bunch of parsley as a basting brush.

I had the pleasure of attending the Go Green Expo in NYC this past weekend, and during what are such unarguably challenging times, it is heartening and impressive to see how many entrepreneurial people and innovative new products are flooding the market supporting the effort towards to sustainability. It was like a breath of fresh air—literally and figuratively considering how much we can lower our carbon footprint and promote health and well being by choosing eco-friendly alternatives—to see that so many companies are emerging to support responsibility . . . tough times notwithstanding . . . because it’s the right thing to do.

Despite whatever setbacks our administration is experiencing pushing through their cleaner energy plans, it’s amazing to see how much progress is being made on the grass roots level, and walking the aisles of this show you could literally feel the momentum building. The energy and excitement, and the broad spectrum of products and services—including food and beverage, health and beauty, fashion, automotive, building, gardening, decorating, travel, education, jobs, toys, and even services such as dry cleaning, printing, and limos—was inspiring. I left the expo feeling upbeat and optimistic for the first time in many months, realizing that progress is truly being made and that more and more people and companies are joining the effort.

It’s been a long time coming, but the eco-trickle is finally starting to flow full force. What are some of the great new eco-friendly products and services you’ve seen lately? We’d love to know, so leave your comments below.

—Diana Murphy, canvas editor in chief