FOOD: Potato Latkes from Argia’s Adam Roth

By Kathleen Nixon

Falls Church Times Staff

December 23, 2011

Our final installment of local chef’s favorite holiday recipes comes from Adam Roth, co-owner of Argia’s with Aimee Suyehiro and co-owner of Red, White and Bleu with his brother James Roth.  Adam mentioned one evening that his favorite traditional holiday meal was with potato latkes.  “As a kid, they would smell up the whole house, so you knew presents were coming,” shares Adam.  His recipe is a take-off on his Mom’s latke recipe. “Latkes (or potato pancakes) are traditionally served during the Hanukkah holiday celebration commemorating the “miracle” where one day’s amount of oil in the Holy Temple burned and lasted for eight days. This is why we eat things fried in oil,” says Adam.

Latkes
1-1/2 pounds russet potatoes peeled
1/4 cup finely chopped white onions or shallots
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons flour (or more) or matzo meal (during Passover)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

In a food processor grate the potatoes or if by hand use the largest grate holes. Place grated potatoes in a seive to drain excess liquid over a bowl. Let mixture drain for 15 minutes. Pour off liquid from the bowl but leave the white potato starch that settles in the bottom of the bowl.

To that starch add onions, eggs, flour, 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt and freshly ground pepper. Return drained potatoes to this mixture and toss to combine.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking pan with paper towels. When you are ready to eat, in a large skillet heat 1/4 inch of oil over medium high heat until hot.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of potato mixture and cook for 3 to 4 minutes a side; latkes should be golden and crisp on both sides. Eat right away or keep warm in oven.

Serve with applesauce or sour cream, chopped chives or cottage cheese mixed with sour cream.

Argia’s

124 North Washington Street

Falls Church, VA 22046

(703) 534-1033

www.Argias.com

 

FOOD: My Favorite Things – Local Chef’s Holiday Recipes

Today we share a holiday recipe and memory from Chris Nye, the Executive Chef from Pizzeria Orso.  Chris frequents the Falls Church Farmers Market each week to gain inspiration for his weekly featured menu and to maintain his wonderful connection with our local farming community.

Chris shared that he made this dish for his wife in our small apartment when we were living in Manhattan during a cold November. She loved it so much that we ate the leftovers for the next few days. It goes great with a fried egg. Read more

Rustico’s Fall Salad

By Kathleen Nixon
November 18, 2011
Falls Church Times Staff

As the leaves are turning their vibrant colors, we start to miss some of the colorful salads that enticed us during the summer months.  We still have many wonderful ingredients available to make salads to complement any meal we just have to bring a little imagination to them. Some of the best ingredients for fall salads include apples which are plentiful this time of year and will be so until early winter.  Steve Mannino of Rustico created this wonderful fall salad which is great for any meal or your special Thanksgiving meal next week.

Rustico’s Fall Chopped Salad

Serves: 4

Dressing Ingredients:

2 cups apple cider, reduced to 1 cup

1/3 cup apple cider vinaigrette

2 oz honey

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Juice of half a lemon

1 T whole grain mustard

1 cup canola oil

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except oil in a blender and mix on high for 30 seconds

2. Put blender on low speed and slowly add oil until dressing is creamy in texture

3. Remove and store dressing in an air tight container for a week

Salad Ingredients:

2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped into 1/8 inch wide strips

1 red apple, small diced then put in water with lemon juice

1 green apple, small dice then put in water with lemon juice

12 leaves fresh parsley, chopped into fine strips

1 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

3 leaves fresh sage, cut into thin strips

½ cup carrots, shredded

¼ cup red onion, small dice

1 cup granola plus 1/4c for garnish

¼ cup celery leaves

Directions:

1. Toss together all salad the ingredients (except for 1/4c of granola and celery leaves) in a large bowl.
2. Just before serving combine salad ingredients with dressing and serve immediately
3. Divide salad among 4 bowls and garnish with granola and celery leaves

You can also add smoked turkey, grilled chicken, steak or even salmon to turn this salad into a full meal.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Liberty Tavern’s Liam LaCivita

BY Kathleen Nixon

October 28, 2011

Falls Church Times Staff

Liam LaCivita, Executive Chef at Liberty Tavern is our next Falls Church Farmers Market Chef. His demonstration is tomorrow, Saturday, October 29th from 9am to 11am. (The demonstration is now rescheduled for Saturday, November 5th)  Liam shares with us some of his background and philosophy on local cuisine.

Tell our readers a little about your background? Why did you get into cooking? Who inspired you? What have been some of your challenges as your career has advanced? What is new on the horizon for you?

I am half Irish and half Italian.  A lot of the food that I do is based on those two cultures.  I got into cooking primarily because I found it as another way of using my creativity in a more immediate way.  Food has always been an integral part of my life, through the traveling I did with my family and of course the food in my family has always been the center of attention. Some of my challenges in my career is constantly staying ahead of the curve, that being a chef is not all about cooking.  That is what I like most about being a chef, is that it is constantly evolving.  One minute your human resources, next minute a line cook, next minute a plumber…hahaha!

Tell us a little about your restaurant, your staff and how you incorporate local producers into your restaurant purchasing?

The Liberty Tavern is an American Regional restaurant that focuses on the use of seasonal and local ingredients.  We never opened the The Liberty Tavern specifically as that, to me it has always been common sense to use local and seasonal foods in my cooking.  That must be the Italian in me.

You work with many of the local producers? Who do you work with?

Dragon Creek, Polyface Farms, Trickling Springs Creamery, Jenkins orchards, Tuscarora organic Co-op and The Fresh Link. The last two are co-ops that bring small farmers products to the restaurants.

As a customer, what changes have you seen in the local food landscape?

I have seen many changes in the local food scene, hell just the fact that people are starting to understand a tomato doesn’t taste very good in February is a big change.

When did you start using local ingredients in creating your menu and recipes?

I have been using local ingredients probably since 1995/1996.  But specifically around 1997/98 when I was sous chef at 21 Federal in Nantucket where the local natural resources and farms dictated what I wanted to serve.  Everything was seasonal, it just made sense.

What ingredients has been the most challenging to work with?

No ingredient is really challenging.  Though if foraging for mushrooms, it is always interesting the proper way to cook mushrooms that I have never seen before.

Do you think your customers understand and appreciate your incorporation of local food into your menus?

I truly believe our customers appreciate and understand the food we serve and the use of local ingredients.  I know that because they tell me themselves.  That I appreciate.

What local ingredients are not yet available to the local economy that you would like to incorporate into your menu?

There are a lot of foraged local ingredients that don’t make it to the local economy. I would like for that to start changing.

How long have you been part of the Farmers Market Chef series?

This is my third or fourth year I believe.

What do you like best about the Farmers Market Chef series? Any challenges or surprises?

I love the sense of community at the Falls Church Farmers Market.  I like that it is almost a social event as well as a shopping experience.

What will you be preparing for your demonstration?

A medley of crostinis with housemade goat ricotta with Liberty Tavern bacon, caramelized farmers market apples, local greens; Wild mushrooms, truffled honey, sea salt and thyme; and roasted brussels sprout leaves with lemon marinade.

Due to the weather, we have rescheduled the Farmers Market Demonstration for Saturday, November 5th.

Dine Out for Farms Week

BY Kathleen Nixon

October 21, 2011

Falls Church Times Staff

As the harvest is in full swing, it is time for the second annual Dine Out for Farms™ week. A national program supports saving farms and farmland by dining at participating restaurants through October 23^rd. This celebration of food, farmers and the land needed to grow it was created to educate diners about the importance of farms while raising money to save farmland.

According to the Trust, each year we lose land the size of Delaware to asphalt and buildings that was once productive farmland. Once this productive land is lost to development, it cannot be brought back and along with it the ability for America to produce its own food.

Each week we see our local farmers at the Falls Church Farmers Market, but we don’t realize the challenges that they face providing our food. Every day, more family farmers are facing economic difficulties making it a challenge for them to stay on their land. Uncertain economic conditions, federal regulations and the urban sprawl test the most committed farm families. We are also facing a shortage of young people or new farmers who are ready to continue America’s farming tradition. Today, almost 60 percent of farmers are 55 or older.

This year, Dine Out for Farms restaurants are participating in several ways: offering a special dish, contributing a percentage of sales during the week or making a straight donation to help save farms.  By patronizing any one of the restaurants during Dine Out for Farms™ week, we can show that we care about protecting America’s farmland and the delicious food that it provides by dining at one of these participating restaurants.

There are many restaurants in our area that are participating in this national program including many right here in our community such as Open Kitchen, Clyde’s and Silver Diner.  You can stay locally or head on out to the lovely countryside and dine at the Restaurant at Patowmack Farms – one of my personal favorites.

To view a list of participating restaurants, visit www.farmland.org/dineout-locate. Or you can make a reservation through Open Table the Official Reservation Partner

Silver Diner
VA/MD
www.silverdiner.com

Clyde’s of Reston
Reston, VA
www.clydes.com

The Grille at Morrison House
Alexandria, VA
www.thegrillealexandria.com

Maple Ave Restaurant
Vienna, VA
www.mapleaverestaurant.com

Open Kitchen
Falls Church, VA
www.openkitchen-dcmetro.com

The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm
Lovettsville, VA
www.patowmackfarm.com

FOOD: Bertrand Chemel’s Falls Church Farmer’s Market Demonstration

BY Kathleen Nixon
October 2, 2011
Falls Church Times Staff

Saturday morning was cold and rainy – like the rest of the month has been. Chef Bertrand Chemel and his team showed up at the Falls Church Farmers Market looking at the skies and the early morning crowd wondering what the demonstration was going to be like and if they should have made the effort to come out this morning. Within a few moments of setting up, a crowd started to form and from then on Bertrand Chemel spoke for two hours straight showing the very eager crowd how to smoke Savoy cabbage, create blue cheese marshmallows, roll out butternut squash ravioli and how to warm body and spirit with great local and seasonal food on such a dreary morning.

At times throughout the morning rain pelted the onlookers, many crowded around with their umbrellas, but Bertrand just kept on demonstrating and talking to the crowd, answering questions and showing the Farmers Market customers how easy these difficult looking recipes could be. While many people protested not wanting to try beets, several takers of the skewers of roasted beet and blue cheese marshmallow with pistachio were blown away with the sweet taste of the roasted beets. As Bertrand smoked the Savoy cabbage over the fruit wood chips the aroma brought more folks over to the demonstration area.  His team of Dylan and Kelsey boiled up the ravioli and created the roasted beet salad skewers. They were also besieged with eager questions on cooking preparations.

 

Watch the Chef smoking the savoy cabbage. Video from Kathleen Nixon.

Bertrand was in his element – interacting with customers who want to know more about local food. He rolled out pasta, stuff the pillows with butternut squash filling and voila! Ravioli! He showcased how to roast beets on a bed of kosher salt so they won’t burn and how to easily rub off the skins so they wouldn’t stain your hands. The team provided more than 800 tastings of ravioli and beet salad and once done they headed back to 2941 to prepare for the lunch crowd of 200.

 

A rave review of the Chef’s presentation. Video from Kathleen Nixon.

FOOD: Bertrand Chemel 2941

By Kathleen Nixon

September 30, 2011

Falls Church Times Staff

 

Bertrand Chemel Executive Chef of 2941 will be the featured chef at tomorrow Falls Church Farmers Market Chef demonstration. Today he shares a little of his background and his love of preparing foods with fresh local and seasonal foods.

Tell our readers a little about your background? Why did you get into cooking? Who inspired you? What have been some of your challenges as your career has advanced? What is new on the horizon for you?

I was born in Montlucon about 80 miles north of Lyon. I grew up around farms. My parents always bought meat chicken, duck, pork, veal, and beef directly from farms. The only cans we used were my mom’s preserved vegetables, homemade pate, and jam. I had two grandmothers, one likes to cook only pastry and the other one only savory. At the age of 14 during summer break, I was looking for a summer job and my grandmother recommended me to her neighbor who was the baker in town. After two summers cleaning dishes and helping making pie and other small pastries, I decided to pursue culinary school.

After four years of culinary, I travelled to Megeve at the border of Switzerland and worked with this incredible chef, Michel Gaudin for about three years. He sent me to the South of France to work at the La Bastide Saint Anthoine a two-star Michelin restaurant. After two years Michel Gaudin asked me if I would like to travel and my first reaction was to go to New York City. He contacted Daniel Boulud and got me a job. I like to say that I have two mentors, one in France and one in New York. Daniel taught me a lot about how to run a restaurant, pleasing guests, working hard and respecting your employees.

Tell us a little about your restaurant, your staff and how you incorporate local producers into your restaurant purchasing?

2941 offers one of the most beautiful locations in DC and Northern Virginia. We serve innovative French American cuisine, using local and fresh ingredients. I always like to know where and how our animals were raised, who has the best berries around town, or who has the best lettuce at the market. Using produce and meats from farmers can be a challenge since restaurants use big quantities but that’s also the reason why I like to work with them.  They only giving you their best quality produce and it challenges us to be creative with our menu. At 2941, we change our tasting menu every week so we can feature the best produce and meats on any given week from seafood and meat to vegetables and fruits.

You work with many of the local producers? Who do you work with?

Tree and Leaf farm, Douglas Whipple from Whipple farms, Westmoreland farm for fruits and berries. In the summer, I like to go to the Falls Church Farmers Market and see what I can bring back to the restaurant.

As a customer, what changes have you seen in the local food landscape?

People want to know more about the produce they eating. If it’s organic, wild or farmed raised, they have more questions about where their food comes from.

When did you start using local ingredients in creating your menu and recipes?

Since I grew up around farmers, my grandfather was a farmer, I always ate farm fresh eggs, meat and poultry. My father had a year-round farm as well. When I worked at Café Boulud, I was always excited to go to the farmers market and buy vegetables, feta cheese and heirloom tomatoes, fresh herbs and everything else from local farms.

Here I use the Mclean Farmers Market and Falls Church one because I live close to them. And my bigger purveyors always carry fresh produce from Virginia farms.

What ingredients has been the most challenging to work with?

This year it was the tomatoes in the late summer. Because it was very hot, then dry and then we had so many storms, the quality of the tomatoes changed.

Do you think your customers understand and appreciate your incorporation of local food into your menus?

I believe that if I’m proud of the ingredients and produce we’re using to create our menus, our guests will taste the difference. For example, in the summer until late fall, my cooks and I have our own herb garden at the restaurant to create cocktails or essences for our menu.

What local ingredients are not yet available to the local economy that you would like to incorporate into your menu?

Wild mushrooms, ramps and beef

How long have you been part of the Farmers Market Chef series?

This is my second year.

What do you like best about the Farmers Market Chef series? Any challenges or surprises?

I like to meet the shoppers and introduce 2941 restaurant to them. I like showing them new and creative recipes that they can do at home. It’s good to see the parents who come with their kids.  Everything starts when you are young and I believe introducing our kids to the farmers market is a big step to healthy lifestyle for them.

What will you be preparing for your demonstration?

We will be preparing two dishes that feature seasonal items. The first is butternut squash ravioli, sage brown butter, with smoked Savoy cabbage, and the second will be beet salad, slowly baked Gala apple glazed in apple cider, blue cheese marshmallow with walnut vinaigrette.

 

 

FOOD: Dinner at Ray’s the Steaks

By Ra Chan

September 23, 2011

Special to Falls Church Times

On our way home, my husband, and I were trying to figure out dinner plans; after throwing out a few ideas, he wanted to take me to one of our favorite places for an impromptu date night. We’ve been a fan of Ray’s the Steaks since they were at their old location next to Hell Burger. What really attracts me to the new location is that they now take reservations and the space is much larger. In all actually, we’ve never had a tough time getting a table; we tend to get their before the peak of the dinner rush.

So after getting to our table and ordering a glass of wine, it was time to make that all important decision — which cut of beef did we want for dinner? I’ve never had a bad steak here, so I knew without a doubt, whatever we decided to go with, it would still be an amazing dinner.

I started off with the Caesar salad and got the crab bisque. I’m normally not a fan of bisque, I prefer more texture to my soup. But this one was outstanding with an amazing amount of lump crab meat! The soup was so creamy with the delicate sweetness of concentrated crab and just a hint of ground pepper.

I ordered the El Diablo steak, cooked medium with a side of the spicy piranha sauce. This steak was a top sirloin, grilled in a spicy sauce and topped with roasted garlic and sautéed onions. The garlic just melted over the steak; I even found myself spreading the garlic over the steak like butter! The sirloin was cooked to perfection. I normally love the piranha sauce, which is a spicier version of chimichurri sauce, but I didn’t really need this sauce since the spicy sauce that coated the steak gave it the perfect amount of flavor and seasoning.

My husband got the steak Bertolucci – NY strip served with roasted bone marrow, and served in a roasted garlic and red wine reduction sauce. The sauce really complimented the intense beef flavor and the bone marrow provided that extra punch, with its very smooth, creamy and buttery consistency.

This was definitely another successful meal at Ray’s. I love this place for so many reasons – the amazing cuts of beef, the completely reasonable prices, and the complimentary creamed spinach and mashed potatoes. I feel like I’m dining at a 5 star establishment and getting the best beef available, but I don’t feel out of place walking in with jeans and flip flops. As we lingered at dinner over a cup of coffee and some peanut butter truffles, I couldn’t help but just sit back and go over the meal in my head again. It was delicious and I relished every bite.

2300 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201

http://raysthesteaks.com/

703-841-7297

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