Category Archives: Soul Food

Mother of All Media

Ayesha Curry is everywhere lately, as a lifestyle expert, a blogger, a magazine contributor and now, an author and a TV personality. We caught up with her ahead of her appearance at the Philadelphia Taste Festival this month to discuss all that she’s got cooking.

By Jessica Downey

It’s already been a whirlwind fall for Ayesha Curry. Aside from holding down the homefront with her husband, reigning NBA MVP Steph Curry, she’s been promoting her first cookbook and shooting her new Food Network show. She’s also likely been squeezing in some shooting practice. Video of a three-pointer Curry sank during a pickup game last August in China promptly went viral. And there’s more to come. Later this month, she’ll be headlining the Philadelphia Taste Festival of Food, Wine and Spirits October 22 at the Valley Forge Casino Resort.

If you’re already on familiar terms with the 26-year-old Canadian-born, Charlotte, North Carolina-raised mom of two daughters, just wait. You haven’t seen anything yet. This may be that elusive moment when we’re able to pinpoint the precise turn when someone becomes a household name.

Her cookbook, The Seasoned Life: Food, Family, Faith, and the Joy of Eating Well, published in September, and her show, “Ayesha’s Homemade,” is scheduled to debut this month.

Already, Curry’s lifestyle blog and YouTube channel, Little Lights of Mine, where she shares her love of food, family and her approach to living a balanced life, have quickly become go-to resources for millions looking for a lift in and out of the kitchen. Curry also contributes to TheBump.com and CALLED magazine, and she’s been featured in Food & Wine, Time, InStyle, People, USA Today, Brides, POPSUGAR, Hello Beautiful and Diablo Magazine. And, she launched her own brand of extra-virgin olive oil in 2014.

Before her trip to Valley Forge, Home + Table talked with the San Francisco resident about growing up in a foodie household, how she makes her family her top priority and her cookbook, a collection of about 100 of her favorite recipes, many of which she learned growing up, including Cast Iron Biscuits and Smoked Salmon Scramble.

And, of course, we asked if she’s hiding some serious game in deference to Steph.

What were you first introductions to food, growing up in Canada with a Jamaican mom?

AC  At my house, we always had ginormous family get-togethers with incredibly flavorful food.

What kind of influences did your mom’s heritage play on what you ate as a kid?

I think all those flavors really helped to broaden my palate and my taste buds.

What was your favorite thing to eat growing up?

I loved my mom’s oven-roasted, brown-sugar chicken, which I made this spring on “Rachel Ray.”

The food industry has been revolutionized in the last decade by so many celebrity chefs and cooking shows. Where do you fit in?

I’m a young mom of two whose passion for food really stems from family togetherness. My whole message is about cooking with love in an effort to gather your family together. I hope it will help people communicate with each other and keep their sense of family alive.

What do you love most about cooking, especially now that you have your own family?

I absolutely love getting the family involved in making the meals and then seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces when we’re done.

During the NBA season, which is pretty long, are you able to have regular dinners together as a family?

Yes! It’s actually the time when life is the most normal for us. We try to keep an everyday-regimen in place. Most nights are spent together unless there’s a game.

What made you want to write a cookbook?

I really wanted to put my love for food into words. I also wanted to share my joy of cooking for my family and getting everyone to gather together in hopes that one day they would do the same. And I wanted to leave a legacy for my girls.

How does your family-first approach translate to the recipes?

Many of them are family favorites that have been passed down from generation to generation. The others are some that I created over the years. Everything that went into this book is meant to be quick, easy and approachable.

We can’t let you go, of course, without discussing that three-pointer. Was it a fluke, or are you hiding some serious game?

In my dream, it goes in every time. But that shot was a little luck along with some pointers I got from someone I know.

Photo courtesy Little, Brown and Company / Coeur de la Photography

How to Prep for the Super Bowl of Grilling

DIY

Much as grilling’s evolved lately, the Fourth remains a sacred occasion. So we turned to chef Max Hansen to ensure that our epic cookout pleases even the strictest of traditionalists: Dad.

Grilling’s shed a lot of its wonky etiquette over the last few years, mostly because Dad’s no longer the only one manning the Weber. Those codes of conduct, it’s clear now, were implemented to protect his place on the throne, as though he was performing black magic out on the deck, and only when he named his successor would he cough up his secrets. But now, even eight-year-olds are doing it. And we’re grilling foods that are definitely charring Dad on the inside—watermelon! snapper! He’ll come around, though. Just give him some space.

Dad, however, wasn’t all wrong. The guy treated the Fourth like it was his Super Bowl, prepping his charcoal and tools as dawn broke, standing in clouds of smoke all afternoon long, handing over platter after platter of burgers he hand-formed the night before, wieners in toasted buns (some with cheese, which he despised, but he aimed to please), perfectly pink T-bones, fatty ribs, and on and on. A coup was the furthest thought from anyone’s minds then.

So Monday, we’re going to stage an epic cookout in honor of dear-old Dad, because the Fourth, after all, is about remembering where we came from. To ensure that we do right by him, we turned to Max Hansen to show us the way. Hansen’s cooked for and alongside countless big-name celebs and dignitaries over his career, but grilling is second nature to him. He does it year-round. What’s more, as the chef/owner of Max Hansen Carversville Grocery,  he’s a walking, talking field guide to Bucks County’s markets and artisan vendors. Yup, Dad, turns out we were paying attention all along. And, thanks.

 

All meat is not created equal
This, you’re likely well aware of by now. A free-range chicken tastes a lot gamier than the factory-farmed drumsticks we grew up eating. The difference is obvious in grass-fed beef, too, and even nitrate-free hot dogs. The time to bank on that difference not being so obvious is when you’re serving a carnivore’s delight. Quality, not quantity. No amount of rub is going to salvage a Deal-of-the-Day skirt steak.

Hansen favors the Fredericksburg, PA-based FreeBird  for his chickens. Once you’ve got that bird in hand, brine it and, when the time comes, grill it over a medium heat.

For his beef, Hansen heads to Haring Brothers Country Butcher Shop, in Ottsville, and None Such Farm Market, in Buckingham. At the latter, butcher Bob Jones cuts two-and-a-half- to three-inch boneless rib-eyes, at Hansen’s request—thick-cut steaks cook more evenly, he says—from the farm’s own Hereford Angus. He prefers Haring Brothers’ burgers for their slightly higher-than-typical fat content, which helps keep them moist regardless of their doneness.

Cleaning is non-negotiable
If you don’t start the day wiping down your grates, there’s only one possible outcome: Leftover fat’s going to flare up and lay ruin to all that expensive meat. Five, 10 minutes of basic house cleaning will make life easier for you throughout the afternoon—because meat doesn’t stick to a clean grate—and allow your food to taste as you intended, not like the remnants of a stamped-out campfire.

Thick-cut veggies are your friend
This may seem obvious, too, but it’s a mistake that’s often repeated: Keep your vegetable cuts on the larger side. That way, they won’t slip through the grate, and you’ll have an easier time cooking them. Thinly-sliced or -cut veggies tend to char faster than they cook. And, just like your meats, start with the best quality you can get your hands on. If you don’t pluck it from your own garden, get it from a farmstand. And then keep the dressing simple: olive oil (extra-virgin’s overkill here), lemon juice, salt, pepper and some herbs. That’s it.

All that remains now is keeping an eye on Dad. A smile’s coming, but he’s not going to be obvious about it.

 

Learning to Hate Ice Cream

THE SCENE

To impress upon our intern that making a magazine isn’t all meticulous makeovers and exceptional eating, we tasked him with covering one of the unhealthiest footraces around from the inside, partly for the learning experience, but mostly for the spectacle. What follows is an excerpt from his training log.

GOAL: Uncle Dave’s Ice Cream Jog ‘n Hog,  July 17

May 7

Felt shockingly good for the first time out. Planned to run a mile along the canal and ended up doing closer to two. I think I could have gone even further, but I figured it was better to play it safe.

May 8

Woke in the middle of the night with a cramp in my left calf, and when I reached for it, I realized that pretty much my entire body, from the neck down, was revolting against me. I stayed there, still as I could, for, oh, the next 29, 30 hours or so.

May 11

Feeling close to normal—finally. Since this race is about slugging back a lot of ice cream as much as it is running, figured I’d ease myself back into training by walking to oWowCow for a cone. Form felt fluid and efficient.

May 13

Oh, God! Jogged to oWowCow this time—after a good, long warm-up. Rewarded myself with a cup of Honey Lavender, because it sounded light. A block into my run back, it sat up in my stomach like a baby. And then I hit the bridge. And then the ice cream hit the bridge. The silver lining: Made it back to the office in personal best-time after fleeing the scene of the crime.

May 14

This binging-and-running thing is harder than I anticipated. So, one thing at a time. Headed over to Shady Brook and picked up some pints to practice on—Salty Caramel, Tiramisu, Wilbur’s Cake Batter, Dulce de Leche.

May 15

Was not aware that ice cream hangovers existed. Still managed to get a run in on the canal, albeit a short one. Felt—and looked, I’m sure of it—like a cow walking quickly on its hind legs, udders bobbing around.

May 19

Couple of good runs in a row. And by good, I mean, I didn’t vomit before, during or after. Also: I managed to maintain a pace and poise that couldn’t be confused with a fat kid protecting his hoagie from an angry wasp.

May 23

Today was not the day to start incorporating ice cream back into my runs. After three months of rain, it was sunny and 90. Positively, the ice cream was pretty damn refreshing. I couldn’t eat it fast enough. Negatively, a gang of bees, attracted by my sticky face and hands, forced my pace on the run back. Karma for the fat-kid metaphor.

May 28

Three weeks into my training and I’ve put on six pounds. I’d like to say it’s muscle. So, let’s say it’s muscle.

May 30

Seven pounds. I’m nursing a sore hamstring.

June 1

Scrolled through the galleries of last year’s Jog ‘n Hog. Half the runners look like they’re having the time of their lives. The others look like they want to be anywhere else doing anything else.

June 5

Legs are feeling sound again, or, at least, less like I just stepped out of some Ramsay Bolton torture device. Attempted my first, full-on Jog ‘n Hog practice run—5K, with a break for a pint at the midway turnaround. Would have been more realistic if I hadn’t carried the pint with me, it hadn’t melted and a gaggle of ducks hadn’t intimidated me into handing over all but the first gulp. They, however, fled afterward without any trouble. New mantra: Be the duck.

Photo courtesy Uncle Dave’s Ice Cream Jog ‘n Hog

The Best Thing I Ever Ate (Summer Edition)

LOCALLY SOURCED

By Lynne Goldman · founder + editor, Bucks County Taste

It was the middle of August. A friend had come to stay with us, and we were showing her some of our favorite spots. That’s how we arrived at oWowCow Creamery. I’ve been a fan since it first opened in Ottsville seven years ago. I know all the flavors by heart. But on this day, an unfamiliar one caught my eye through the glass: Sweet Buttered Corn. A lick and I was stunned. It tasted exactly like fresh Bucks County corn, all, well, sweet and buttery.

When I was asked to write this piece, I circled back and asked John Fezzuoglio, oWowCow’s owner and ice cream maker, how the flavor originated.

“We’re always looking for something seasonal, and to try to invent a flavor around that particular item,” he said.In this case, None Such Farms, in Buckingham, sought him out and asked if he could work with its sweet white corn. He started with a cream base, swirled in the butter flavor, then in went the sugar. From there, he swirled in cooked corn and added coarse pink or gray salt.

“The salt,” he said, “adds a bright sparkle. And the butter melds the flavor of the corn and the creaminess of the base.” The gradual incorporation helps keep the flavors distinct.
The Sweet Buttered Corn will be back this summer, mercifully, but only for a couple of weeks. I’m already bracing for the withdrawal.

Photo courtesy oWoWCow Creamery

Your CSA Field Guide

GREEN GROCER

The time to register is now, before the growing gets good. But every share’s a little different, so allow us to play matchmaker.

By Bill Gelman

We’re in the throes of CSA registration season. A few years ago, that news would have elicited a faint “Yay!” from the back of the room. Today, a mad scramble just broke out, because there are precious few shares still up for grabs. Community Supported Agriculture is a booming industry. There are now more than 12,500 of them nationwide, but the interest has grown just as fast, if not faster. Even with work requirements and more cucumbers than you’d ever want to eat in five lifetimes. What follows is a field guide to some of our favorite to CSAs to help you find the share that’ll best fit your family. Or, considering the urgency, just help you find a share.

Anchor Run Farm | Wrightstown

A pioneer of the movement around here—this is Anchor Run’s 13th CSA season—it’s also one of the earlier adopters of sustainable farming. All of its crops are chemical- and GMO-free. Those looking for an easy haul, however, may want to continue their search. Every share comes with a work (harvesting, planting, weeding and thinning) requirement—eight hours, at least, over the course of the season for full shares and four for half-shares. Seasons Spring, Summer, Fall Cost $410-$800

Myerov Family Farm | Perkasie

Half- and full-shares are available with and without work requirements (12 hours for full-shares, six for half). You’ll end up saving a little under 20 percent by pitching in. Sweetening the enticement even more, Myerov gets creative with how, exactly, you can knock off those hours. They don’t necessarily need to be spent out in a field under a soul-scorching sun. Host a pick-up location instead or a potluck dinner, or write the CSA’s blog. Wait. Never mind that last one. Seasons SSF Cost $360-$720

 

Blooming Glen Farm | Perkasie

If you’re an adventurous eater, welcome to your new CSA. Blooming Glen will set you up with all the staples over the next several months—arugula, heirloom tomatoes, sweet potatoes—and they’ll also throw you the occasional curveball, like Hakurei turnips and kohlrabi. Come those weeks, refer to their blog, where they’ll post recipes so that you can act like you know what you’re cooking. Seasons SSF Cost $420-$795

 

Honey Brook Organic Farm | Hopewell, NJ

Honey Brook’s actually comprised of four separate farms, two in Hopewell Township and another two in Chesterfield Township, in Burlington County, New Jersey. Pick-ups are available in both locations, and crops are shared among them (different conditions mean certain crops grow better and longer at one than at the other). An innovative box share program is also available. There, shares of various sizes are delivered weekly to several central locations around Pennsylvania and Jersey. If you’ve been overwhelmed by the size or your share in summers past, the box share is the way to go. Seasons SSF Cost $369-$769

 

Sandbrook Meadow Farm |  Stockton, NJ

It’s the end of July, and if you so much as lay eyes on another cucumber, you’re liable to fly into a Walter White rage. Brilliant as farm-fresh produce is, it can get a little monotonous, even at the height of season. Especially at the height of the season. Sandbrook’s come up with a savvy way around that. Membership fees are converted into credits, which you can then use as liberally or as frugally as you like throughout the season. Snatch up all the strawberries that you can fit in your car and then skip the next couple weeks entirely as you slowly realize your eyes were bigger than your stomach. Seasons SSF Cost $425-$925

 

J & J Farm of Glen Mills | Glen Mills

Farms, of course, are good for more than fruits and veggies, but that can get lost in a CSA’s onslaught. Not with J & J’s, though. Every other week—it’s a biweekly schedule—they also toss in free-range eggs from their own chickens, along with something out of the ordinary, like pickles in the summer and apple cider in the fall. Basically, the kind of small-batch stuff that lured you to a farmers market in the first place. Seasons Summer, Fall, Winter Cost $195-$360

 

Jack’s Farm | Pottstown

We realize that the costs we’re throwing around here are not insignificant amounts. And a lot of these farms require that the whole thing be paid up front since the brunt of their expenses comes over the winter. So, if you’re wading into the CSA waters for the first time, Jack’s is the safe play. The extent of your commitment here is one week. Seriously. Every week, the farm emails its subscribers a list of the available produce and what the share will cost. You decide then and there whether you want in—usually. Some weeks, there won’t be enough to go around, and because you’re a newbie, you’ll get last dibs. Seasons SSF Cost T.B.D.

 

Kimberton | Kimberton

You’re looking at the OG of the CSA movement around these parts. Barbara and Kerry Sullivan, with a little help from some neighbors, doled out their first harvest almost three decades ago, making Kimberton the first known CSA in Pennsy. Even now, Kimberton remains on the forefront. They’ll see your organic certification and raise you a biodynamic farm. It’s a deeply intensive practice. But all you really need to know is that it yields the purest fruits and veggies. Seasons SSF Cost $500-$910

 

A Heat Wave in the Dead of Winter

THE ENDORSEMENT

 

Our favorite spice guys are out with a limited-run balsamic vinegar.

We’ve been worshipping at the church of Saint Lucifer Spice for quite some time now. Its subtle heat adds some assertiveness to a lot of our staples—hummus, mac-and-cheese, chicken, nuts. In fact, it’d be easier to list the stuff we don’t put it on. (Cereal, BTW, is a definite maybe.) Tom Hewell and Ted Ebert’s latest creation may be even more versatile (and addictive). Saint Lucifer Divine Nectar ($24) is habanero balsamic vinegar that, just like the spice, gives the tongue a little kick before it slides down the throat. Hewell and Ebert played around with the recipe when Saint Lucifer was in its infancy. A collaboration with the Ocean City, New Jersey-based City2Shore Gourmet saw it through. Divine Nectar’s being produced in limited supply in Modena, Italy, the home of the world’s most refined vinegars. Stock up and drizzle it over cheese and roasted veggies, for starters. Then reach for the ice cream. Trust us. —Scott Edwards

Photo courtesy Saint Lucifer Foods

Cookies, Cocktails and Turkey Legs, Oh, My

1 Reply

SOUL FOOD

No one’s unfazed by the holidays. But you can minimize the damage to your waistline with a few new habits.

By Rose Nyad Orrell

Between the dinner tables loaded with candied yams, butter-lacquered turkeys and Waldorf JELL-O salads and the constant procession of cocktails and cookies that flows so matter-of-factly (of course you’ll have another), the deck is seriously stacked against all of us during the holidays.

We can (and should) guard against overindulging, but even then, our options are very limited. I challenge you to come up with one holiday eating- or drinking-related tradition that doesn’t result in a blood-sugar spike. Short of scarfing down a salad before you leave the house, the best tact is finding a balance. Here are a few tips on how to go about doing just that.

Eat clean for a week

We’re already in the throes of the party season, but it’s not too late to step back for a week, or even just a few days, and dedicate yourself to eating (and drinking) as little sugar as possible. No candy. No fruit. No flour. And—this one may sting—no alcohol. Aim to make each meal a quarter unprocessed protein and three-quarters veggies. Gradually, your body will reset itself, and you’ll feel just how much your moods chased the sugar rush. Which will help you be a little more conscious around the next cookie platter you confront.

Plan for the worst

Know, going in, that you’re probably not going to encounter much in the way of vegetables, or even really anything that isn’t smothered in cheese or powdered sugar. So eat a sensible meal before you get there and treat yourself once you do. After all, I’m not suggesting you steer clear of all desserts and the wine. Just pick one.

Likewise, don’t save yourself for one big meal. A turkey drumstick + a heaping pile of stuffing + a small mountain of mashed potatoes + a wedge of pumpkin pie does not = a day’s worth of mindful eating.

Be a better baker

No one will ever notice if you don’t use all of the sugar specified in the recipe. For that matter, there’s no reason you can’t substitute the flour, too, and upgrade just about everything else. The online reserve of alternative recipes that cater to special dietary needs is growing deeper by the hour.

Move more

Whether you go for a brisk walk around the neighborhood or hit the gym for an hour, do it a few times a week. And be consistent about it, even on Christmas and New Year’s Eve day. When you know what it takes to burn off 300 calories, it becomes a lot easier to pass on pie and that third bourbon.

Just. Slow. Down.

Look at what you’re eating, and then chew it down slowly. If you want that cream puff so badly, at least take the time to savor it. And just because you’re met at the door with an eggnog-filled tumbler, it doesn’t mean you need to down it then and there in front of the host.

Keep this in mind, too: It takes about 15 minutes for your body to register what you just ate. So, if you’re still somehow feeling hungry, wait. If your dinner table’s anything like mine, no one will be jumping up to clear it anyway.

Rose Nyad Orrell is a New Hope-based certified holistic health practitioner (rosenyad.com).