Terra Madre Delegates Share Food + Thoughts at FIG

Terra Madre luncheon hosted by FIG last Thursday was an amazing food and fact-sharing experience! Chefs Mike Lata and Craig Deihl presented a 4 course menu inspired by their trip to Torino Italy to attend the international Terra Madre conference promoting sustainable local food production. Photos follow...

Photos | Terra Madre Luncheon

SLOW COUNTRY CUISINE | Jeremiah Bacon

by Wendy Swat Snyder

Chef Jeremiah Bacon’s love of local fare began as a boy growing up on John’s Island, where family meals consisted of fresh shrimp and blue crab hauled into his john boat from surrounding salt marsh creeks.

The Charleston native elevated his love of seafood in New York City, where he honed his cooking skills at the award-winning River Café, and went on to work at some of the city’s finest restaurants, including Michelin three-star recipient, Per Sé.

Bacon now focuses on building relationships with local farmers and fishermen to create a seasonally driven menu that’s brought national attention to Carolina’s and maintained platinum award status from the Sustainable Seafood Initiative.

Bacon’s latest endeavor utilizes locally raised pastured pork. “I love pork and I love to eat charcuterie,” says Bacon. An ardent fan of craft beers, he presents the sausages paired with a German larger or Belgian ale, noting that the light, crisp flavor goes well with the charcuterie.

Sources for free range pork are Keegan-Filion Farms, www.keegan-filionfarms.com and Caw Caw Creek Farm, www.cawcawcreek.com

Jeremiah Bacon's Charcuterie

Peperone

5 lb. top round

40 g. Kosher salt

6 g. Insta Cure #2

1/4 to 1/2 pkg. live starter culture Bactoferm

1/4 c. distilled water

9 g. cayenne pepper

1 g. allspice

2 g. fennel

40 g . dextrose

95 g. dry non-fat milk powder

16 g. paprika

2 T. red wine

10 ft. hog casings or 20 ft. sheep casings

Soak casings in tepid water for 30 minutes. Combine meat with salt and Insta Cure #2 or DQ Curing Salt #2 and grind through the small die into the bowl of standing mixer set in ice.

Dissolve Bactoferm in distilled water and add it, along with the rest of the ingredients, to meat. Using paddle attachment, mix on lowest speed to incorporate all ingredients, 1 to 2 minutes.

Stuff sausage into casings and twist into 10-inch links. Using a sterile pin or needle, poke holes all over casings to remove air pockets and facilitate drying.

Hang sausage at room temperature, ideally 85 degrees, for 12 hours to “incubate” the bacteria; beneficial bacteria will grow and produce more lactic acid in warmer temperatures.Hang sausage to dry, ideally at 60 degrees with 60 to 70 percent humidity, until completely firm and/or it has lost 30 percent of its weight, 6 to 8 days if using sheep casing, 12 to 18 days if using hog casing.

Fields Farm Picnic

Slow Food Membership Drive

Slow Food USA is offering a discounted membership rate of $25 this month only. If you've been meaning to join and haven't gotten around to it, this is a great time to show your support of this international movement and get connected to our Charleston chapter, local news and events. The special rate is good through October 22, so join now and add your voice to the Slow Food network of changemakers. Sign up here!

On-the-Farm Picnic tomorrow!

A dip in the temps makes this weekend a great one for spending a day out in the fresh Fall air at Fields Farm. Pack a dish and join us for live music, cooking demos and a tour of the farm. Check Slow Food Charleston website for more info.

Invitation to Imagine a Slower Life

A recent NPR interview of author Elisabeth Tova Bailey, whose life was transformed by an incurable illness, motivated me to find out more about her book, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating: A True Story. Looks like a great read!

Certified SC Grown Campaign News

A recent AP article in the Post and Courier reports the SC Dept of Agriculture's three year old campaign to raise public awareness of locally grown products is succeeding on several levels. Read more...

Charleston Farmers' Market in Bon Appetit Survey

How great that Bon Appetit rates farmers' markets. In a September article they sampled lunch dishes from farmers' markets across the country and Charleston's ranked in the top 10!

Fields Farms is hosting Slow Food Charleston's annual picnic - come out and show your support!

A Shout to the Chefs!

Thanks to all the local chefs participating in the SC Department of Agriculture Fresh on the Menu initiative by dedicating at least 25 percent of their menu to local products. These efforts support local farmers and bring the freshest food to the table. We at Slow Food Charleston show our appreciation by highlighting a participating chef each month in Slow Country Cuisine.

AUGUST SPOTLIGHT | Okra

Craig Deihl's Roasted Pork Belly and Pickled Okra rock! We asked him for his take on these Southern summer favorites and some recipes from the kitchen of Cypress Lowcountry Grille.

SLOW COUNTRY CUISINE | Craig Deihl

by Wendy Swat Snyder

Low Country staples like okra, collard greens, grits and shrimp drive Chef Craig Deihl’s seasonal menu at Cypress Lowcountry Grille in Charleston. An advocate for animal pasturing and sustainable fishing, Deihl was among the culinary notables tapped to contribute to One Fish, Two Fish, Crawfish, Bluefish - The Smithsonian Sustainable Seafood Cookbook.

“The real challenge in doing a seasonal menu is changing the menu as often as the products change,” says Deihl.

During the hottest months of the year, okra is a mainstay on the menu, matched up with a Deihl favorite – pastured pork. “The quality of the meat is affected by the way the pig is raised, its diet, how it’s slaughtered,” notes Deihl. “All these factors make a huge difference in the final product.”

Chef Deihl's recipe for Pickled Okra follows. Deihl says buy extra okra so you can enjoy it later in the year when it’s not available.

Pickled Okra
1 cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
3 tbsp.salt
1 tbsp. mustard seeds
4 allspice berries
1 tbsp. mustard seeds
1 tbsp. celery seeds
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic
3 cups okra, washed (look for small, firm, green pieces)

In a non-reactive pot combine all ingredients except the okra. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the okra and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and shock the pot in ice water to cool rapidly. Transfer the pickled okra to glass jars and store in the refrigerator for at least 1 week before using. The pickled okra will keep for about one month.


Sources
Keegan-Filion Farm
http://www.keeganfilionfarm.com

Joseph Fields Organics
843-559-5349

Eat More Beef?

Piedmontese cattle originated in the foothills of northwestern Italy and are thought to be a mix of the Auroch and Zebu cattle crossed over 25,000 years ago. We are especially fond of this breed, because Piedmont is also home to the Slow Food movement in Bra, Italy. Today, in the United States, a network of family farmers is raising the cattle on a pure vegetarian feed without the use of antibiotics and without added growth hormones.

The Piedmontese is unique in that it contains myostatin, known as the "double muscle gene." Myostatin is only found in Piedmontese cattle and results in a natural tenderness. Though the beef is naturally lean, the flavor is rich and intense.

Courtesy of Heritage Foods USA

SLOW COUNTRY CUISINE | Sean Brock

by Wendy Swat Snyder

Farm to table philosophy finds delicious expression in the offerings of Chef Sean Brock of McCrady’s Restaurant in Charleston, S.C. Winner of the 2010 James Beard Best Chef Southeast award, Brock is committed to sustainable culinary practices and stocks his kitchen with fresh ingredients from his own plot at Thornhill Farm.

A passionate advocate for the preservation of crops near extinction, Brock also grows a number of indigenous antebellum crops including James Island Red Corn, Benne Seed and Sea Island Red Peas. “The sea island red peas tell a wonderful story,” says Brock, “and have such a wonderful, earthy flavor.”

Brock shares his recipe for Baked Sea Island Red Peas – one of his favorites – for great summertime eating with anything cooked outside on the grill.

Baked Sea Island Red Peas

Ingredients

1 cup of diced Benton’s Bacon
1 large Onion, medium dice
1 large Anaheim pepper, medium dice
5 pickled ramps, rough chop
1 pound dried Sea Island Red Peas (soaked overnight)
½ cup Medjool dates, rough chop
1 cup Western North Carolina BBQ sauce
2 tablespoons sorghum
3/4 cup Kentucky bourbon
2 bay leaves
Salt, white pepper, smoked paprika, hot sauce, Worcestershire and dry mustard to taste

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, render the diced bacon. When the bacon is rendered of all it’s fat turn up the heat and crisp the bacon. Add onions and pepper and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Place remaining ingredients into the pot and place in the oven for two hours at 250F. Stir every half hour or so to make sure they aren’t sticking.

Sources

Green Grocer Farm
George Albers
2463 Leadenwah Drive
Wadmalaw, SC 29487
843-559-5095

Anson Mills
Glenn Roberts
1922C Gervais Street
Columbia, SC 29201
803-467-4122
http://www.ansonmills.com

Slow Food Founder Visits Charleston

by Patricia Agnew

On February 23, the Charleston chapter of Slow Food was honored with a visit from Carlo Petrini, president and founder of Slow Food International and author of the new book Terra Madre exploring worldwide efforts to develop and sustain the local food movement. Slow Food Charleston hosted two events for our distinguished visitor.
Soon after his arrival, a well-attended reception and book-signing took place at McCrady’s, featuring hors d’oeuvres prepared by Executive Chef Sean Brock with local produce and meats from Thornhill Farm near McClellanville.
Cypress was the setting for the splendid event that followed. For a sold-out crowd, Executive Chef Craig Deihl (pictured above with Petrini) prepared an elegant dinner celebrating the much-touted black guinea hog, the small black breed of swine now returning to American tables thanks to the development efforts of Gra Moore of Florence-based Carolina Heritage Farms. Described by Chef Deihl as the most unbelievable pig he’s ever worked with, the hog is noted for its glorious fat and sumptuous meat resulting from a diet of heirloom corn, acorns, hay and other vegetables. Read more...

Carlo Petrini Book Signing at McCrady's

post | wendy s snyder

Place Bid - BiddingForGood Fundraising Auction

Louie's Kids and Slow Food Charleston the 2010 Signature Charities of BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival

The online auction for the BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival “Fill the Glass" Campaign is up and running. On the block is a series of original mosaics handcrafted by School of the Arts students using...beans and rice. These one-of-a-kind works of art can be viewed at the following link. Hurry - bidding closes March 7!

Place Bid - BiddingForGood Fundraising Auction

post | wendy s snyder

High on the Hog

Slow Food Charleston's Valentine’s Day event to raise awareness of the succulent and sustainable American Guinea Hog was a big success. A healthy crowd turned out to learn more about Gra Moore’s mission to restore the once-flourishing guinea hog population at his Carolina Heritage Farms and bring it to the local market.

A hearty “cheers!” goes out to Ted’s Butcherblock for playing host to the party, and Christophe Chocolatier-Patisserie for supporting our efforts with an innovative tasting menu. Celloist Helen Greenfield and guitarist Steve Green of Unwind Duo struck the right auditory note with a romantic repertory of Beatles classics.

Gra provided Guinea hog bacon for the Thursday event, which was presented dipped in handcrafted chocolate and dusted with savory seasonings such as Szechuan pepper and cayenne pepper. Ted’s staff treated us to a tasting flight for the various sweets: a Chateau Croix Mouton Bordeaux was paired with the chocolate-bathed bacon strips, Lockwood Pinot Noir with a cocoa-dusted nugget and Trignon Muscat with a blue cheese confection.

For more information about advocacy efforts on behalf of the American Guinea Hog and other rare breeds, visit the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy at www.albc-usa.org.

post | wendy s snyder