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Thursday, September 25, 2014
Down and Dirty Know Your Farms' fall tour offers a peek behind the market booth
Posted By Alison Leininger on Thu, Sep 25, 2014 at 9:00 AM
Every article I've read on farmers market shopping stresses the importance of talking to the farmer behind the food. It's a great idea, but a little hard to put into practice when you're juggling money, potatoes and a tote bag, while the next customer looms over your shoulder to see if you snagged the last dozen eggs.
This weekend brings an opportunity to step away from the market table and get some real face time with farmers. For the seventh time, Know Your Farms runs its two-day tour, offering access to 13 nearby farm sites. For $25 a carload (advance price), visitors can see where and how growers raise everything from alpacas to zucchini.
This volunteer-run group has organized Charlotte-area farm tours since 2008, paralleling the efforts of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association in the eastern part of the state, and the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project to the west. For the first time this year, Know Your Farms has split its tour into two, offering a spring version in May and this month's fall edition. "Last year, we got a lot of people saying they didn't have time to talk to the farmers," says tour coordinator Wesley Shi. "That's why we shrank the tour."
- E Belk Photography
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Down and Dirty Local markets stay hot even when the temperatures drop
Posted By Alison Leininger on Thu, Sep 18, 2014 at 9:30 AM
Sometimes it's hard to predict what you'll find at the farmers market on any given day. This time of year you'd expect tomatoes, okra, squash and maybe corn. But someone in a white jacket sautéing grouper? Hmm, that might be worth setting down the tote bag to stick around for awhile.
- 2012 File Photo/Alison Leininger
- Adam Reed of Santé and his then-sous-chef Terra Ciotta host a cooking demonstration.
If you think shopping at Charlotte's grower-only farmers markets just means looking over pretty piles of produce, think again. As community hubs, these foodie magnets have become vibrant sources of learning and entertainment.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Food News Get your fill of tequila at new Mexi-Cali restaurant Bakersfield
Posted By Tori Wright on Wed, Sep 17, 2014 at 10:00 AM
With the recent departure of Cantina 1511 from its old post, there’s a new Mexi-Cali restaurant that seems to be taking over East Boulevard. Bakersfield is an odd mix of Johnny Cash, margaritas and Alamo-era western movies. All that’s missing are sombreros and an upstairs brothel.
Perhaps Friday night was the wrong time to try to find a seat at the bar, but once finally positioned, it’s best to know whether you would like to start the night with a single margarita or the whole pitcher (hey, I’m not here to judge). What seems to set these libations apart from the rest is their use of real lime juice and agave, instead of sour mix and sugar. Even I, who swears against anything tequila, enjoyed the sweet and salty elixir.
- Tori Wright
- Bakersfield margarita
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Keia Is Hungry Eat This: Camarofongo at Nano’s Dominican Food
Posted By Keia Mastrianni on Wed, Sep 10, 2014 at 10:00 AM
When I first heard the word mofongo, it conjured up memories of my childhood, when my Italian-by-way-of-Long Island mother would hurtle Italian-ish swear words at me in times of toddler distress. One of them sounded an awful lot like mofongo. Couple that with an offensive hand-to-chin gesture and, well, you get my drift. But, I digress.
Mofongo is a traditional Dominican dish, also found in Puerto Rican cuisine, made of fried green plantains mashed with garlic, mixed with crispy bits of pork skin, called chicharrones, and usually served with a simple tomato sauce. In Charlotte, you can get your mofongo fix at Nano’s, the well-loved Dominican restaurant at 3428 N. Tryon St. Nano’s was first opened in 2007 by Julio “Nano” Victoria Sr. and then recently purchased by Dalton and Miriam Espaillat, the husband-and-wife team who also own Three Amigos (Dalton is the Dominican amigo) and Sabor Latin Street Grill.
Nano’s serves a plethora of mofongo options, including a version with the option of shrimp, marinated steak, fried chicken or crispy pork.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Friday, September 5, 2014
Down and Dirty The farmers of today meet the chefs of tomorrow
Posted By Alison Leininger on Fri, Sep 5, 2014 at 9:56 AM
The refrigerator life of squash blossoms. Chef Dan Barber's book The Third Plate. Fresh ingredients in school lunches. Pasture-raised chickens.
These topics of conversation all came up recently in a modest dining room tucked into a business park in southwest Charlotte. Chef Terra Ciotta, instructor at the Art Institute of Charlotte, had invited several local growers to share lunch with the students who cook and serve their products.
- Alison Leininger
- Students Jasmine Scott, Wayne McDoward; Carl Wagner from Carlea Farms; chef José Espinosa of Chef Charles Catering
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Dorie Greenspan's Tiramisu Cake
This layered cake is definitely a "pick-me-up" with a little booze and caffeine.
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Braised Chicken with Shallots 2
I don't think I'll be making this again, but hey, if you like shallots more than a fat kid likes cake, then go for it.
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Crockpot Arsenal: Pork Tenderloin with Chunky Pear Sauce 1
When standing over a hot stove sounds an awful.
