Brine and Dine

We cannot thank enough everybody’s support and especially...

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 22:19:00 -0500

We cannot thank enough everybody’s support and especially patience for all these months. Absolutely we’ve learned a lot about what it takes to start a business not only for the first time, but also non-traditionally (collectively).. Finally, the last thing we need to move forward in our project has been completed: the label. Not only do we believe that you all will love what you will eat, but that you will also know exactly what it is as we tell it to you as beautifully as we know how. Behold. Thanks so much to Brian and Lizzi for this.

Banh Mi

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 12:06:27 -0400

Banh Mi

Photo

Sat, 08 Sep 2012 16:33:29 -0400

The most insanely big farm share i’ve ever gotten. With...

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 18:56:06 -0400

The most insanely big farm share i’ve ever gotten. With swaps (opted out of the swiss chard for an extra eggplant and celery for an extra tomato)

5 corns
4 onions
1 purple basil
2 purple eggplants
bunch of beets
1 purple bell pepper
1 red frying pepper
2 purple cherokee tomatoes
1 orange tomato
10 grape tomatoes
2 yellow plum tomatoes
1 extra large beefsteak tomato
3 large beefsteak tomatoes
3 medium beefsteak tomatoes

~~*FAITHFUL READERS!! SHOULD THE ABOVE IMAGE PRESENT TO YOU A...

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 19:56:00 -0400

*~*~*FAITHFUL READERS!! SHOULD THE ABOVE IMAGE PRESENT TO YOU A MUSHROOM YOU ARE CERTAIN IS TOXIC YOU HAVE A LITTLE WHILE TO LET ME KNOW. THANKS IN ADVANCE.*~*~*

Adventurous eating, for most, involves putting into your mouth the unfamiliar. This is often obscure animals or obscure parts of the animals you do know. For vegans, it is maybe limited to the potentially poisonous.

Today I was taking an extra long route through the “woods” of central park and happened upon this mushroom at the base of a tree. Surprised since it hasn’t really rained in a good while and his mushroom was pretty young, i grabbed off what I could. I was stopped by a guy from Manhattanville or maybe the eastern part of Morningside Heights. He said he had seen that mushroom all over and wanted to know what it was. ”I hope it’s Chicken of the Woods” I told him. And I gathered the rest.

We’re all raised being terrified of mushrooms we find in the wild. Certainly anything but the button or portabella or oyster will mean instant death. In fact, only 2% of mushrooms are poisonous which is not to say that the remaining 98% are pleasant to eat.

What’s good about the group (polypore) that chicken of the woods belongs to is that given three specific characteristics, all held, you can be sure the mushroom is at the very least safe to eat. For a beginner (like myself) this is pretty comforting. Those three conditions are:

Grows on wood
Grows in a shelf-pattern rather than like an umbrella (like the portabella or shiitake)
Pores underside the cap as opposed to gills (think porcinis or king oyster)

ALL THREE of those conditions MUST be met.

I first had chicken of the woods on a walking tour of edible foods in central park. Though i walked away with some knowledge (but more valuable were the takings), I since swore the tours off if only for a particularly annoying member of the group who interrupted constantly to scream out that she had found whatever the tour guide was getting to. She admitted to never missing a tour and as a result I’ve made sure to miss every subsequent one. While I believe I’ve sufficiently retained a lot of the knowledge pertaining to wild plants, that fear of wild mushrooms persists.

However, back in the old country, my ancestors would routinely harvest and eat wild boletes (some of which ARE poisonous) and here I am.

So here I go…

See ya in the funny papers
David

And the results

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 21:12:19 -0400

And the results

Today I bought this book from one of my favorite, but more...

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 19:15:43 -0400

Today I bought this book from one of my favorite, but more elusive, street sellers. Her prices and selection are always the best. Inspired by the design and knowledge, my CSA’s supply of tomatoes, and the rediscovery of my pasta maker with extensive collection of dice (so finally again I can make tube-shaped pastas), I rode to the Italian market at the Chelsea Market for some semolina. I was convinced that this semolina might be more authentic or of better quality than Bob’s Red Mill. That I can’t say now and it’s unlikely that if it is true I’ll know it, but I can say it is much cheaper. I’ll for the future, though, probably just go to the International Market behind the Port Authority. The cost is the same, but the location is not only closer it lends itself to a secret and magic. There is something to respect about Hell’s Kitchen residents fighting the offer to change the neighborhood name to “Clinton” even if the move was fought only because grit is suddenly cool in a “post-crime” [sic] New York. It is actually one of the more expensive neighborhoods now.

As cheap as pasta is, it’s quite easy to just want to buy packaged pasta in the interest of time. I’ll say that with some practice and good timing, you can be efficient enough to produce a bowl of pasta in slightly more time than might take store-bought. Also available to you now are such pleasures as herb- (roll dry herbs into the dough) or vegetable- (replace the water with vegetable juice) infused pastas, or extremely long linguine.

I’ve followed the rules as they are written, but found that understanding the appropriate texture of pasta is a pretty quick art to master. This means it’s possible to get sloppy. Pasta dough should be allowed to sit and settle for about thirty minutes. The water will distribute itself more evenly in this time allowing for an easier to work with dough. Repeat kneading through your pasta roller will recreate this effect, except messily at first and what time you think you’re saving by rushing this wait will be lost in the pasta bits you now have to sweep up. Similarly I’ve upped the water by just enough to create a sufficiently moist dough which means a neat and quick sheet formation, but invariably this leads to pasta that sticks together some after boiling. Some solutions I’ve heard include drying the pasta first (this only makes sense to me if you’re making enough for several meals) or pouring some of the cooking water over the pasta. It’s also wise to remove the pasta gently from the water using a spider or pasta fork.

Never rinse Italian pasta! I was raised doing this and it’s a huge mistake. The starches actually help the sauces cling to it. Instead allow it to simply drain. If it seems like it’s sticking at this point, mixing with sauce will break it back up nicely.

Until I’ve actually read through this pasta book I can’t pair for you sauces with pastas, but I can in the mean time offer a basic recipe I’ve really enjoyed, courtesy of my friend, Nick. Thank goodness it’s tomato season.

A whole head of garlic, peeled and pressed
Quality extra-virgin olive oil - Fairway’s oils are all reasonably priced and expertly chosen and described. Right now I’m using Gata Hurdes Extremadura which is a great all-purpose oil. If you go before 7 pm or so you can sample a lot of the oils for yourself.
Either a 28oz can of whole peeled tomatoes or, if available, nice local tomatoes.
Basil and other herbs/spices

I like to brown the garlic in the oil just a little, being careful not to burn. Add the basil, some black pepper, and other herbs and let the oil take up the flavour. If the tomatoes arelarger I’ll remove the harder core, but otherwise I don’t find this necessary. Halve or quarter the tomatoes and add them to the pan* and then cover. Simmer for as long as you’d like. The longer you simmer the richer your sauce will become. I’ve allowed nearly a gallon of canned tomatoes to become about a quart. At this point you won’t need or want salt. You can add to the sauce vegetables you have extra of but no use for such as squash or mushrooms. Nick recently began adding hot pepper brine and swears by it, but tonight I’ll just be adding hot peppers.

*I have also read before, and will test tonight, that adding leaves from a tomato plant (to be removed when finished) will impart a nice flavor. I know I always love smelling my hands after I handle my tomato plants.

Off to the kitchen!
David
Brine and Dine

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/dining/coping-with-summers-bounty-of-vegetables.html

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 02:06:52 -0400

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/dining/coping-with-summers-bounty-of-vegetables.html:

we are the heroes of the Cyber-Scullery: ginger beer boring

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 01:43:04 -0400

we are the heroes of the Cyber-Scullery: ginger beer boring:

cyberscullery:

started brewing some ginger beer today, it’ll be ready in 48 hours!!! here’s the recipe:

enough for ~4 16oz locktop bottles.

2 ounce ginger juice
2 ounce galangal juice
4 ounces fresh lime juice
4 ounces orange juice
12 ounces simple syrup, made with palm sugar and cardamom pods
40…

First crocks finally came! They are HUGE

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 15:18:05 -0400

First crocks finally came! They are HUGE

From my CSA

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 14:50:57 -0400

From my CSA

First padrons from the garden!

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 14:50:01 -0400

First padrons from the garden!

Death of a Mother

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 00:13:42 -0400

There was a quick moment when Kombucha was gaining ground that I began to buy it. I’d justify the $4 price tag at those times when I thought I might be getting sick (rare) knowing full well I won’t take medicine (even rarer). I believed, and still do, that a PMA and plenty of outdoors and liquids can help you get over the common cold.

The elixir isn’t only a punk rock cure-all (along with garlic and ginger), but can also be quite refreshing! Not one to follow directions, after my first batch I began making my Kombuchas using infused teas such as vanilla black and tiramisu rooibos as well as altogether non-teas (dried apples with cinnamon). Sugar seemed to be the main force behind the SCOBY’s work.

My initial batches were all made in a large (2 gallon) glass jar and then messily transfered to 12oz beer bottles with some fruit juice for second fermentations. The reintroduction of sugars after the yeast eats up the original batch from the tea allows the Kombucha to become carbonated and makes for the effervescence that anybody who has bought GT’s Kombucha is familiar with. Still an inexact science for me, it was not uncommon for bottles, after conditioning for a week, to explode in my face upon decapping.

The whole process there became tedious and messy. I’d need to sanitize all the bottles and track down enough to contain my product, losing most to distribution among friends.

So I soon made the switch from glass jar, with its inefficient transfers, to ceramic water crock, with a built in spigot. I could easily move my finished Kombucha from vessel to vessel without spilling or sacrificing any.

As the two of us became more comfortable sharing a living space (I brewed in my pantry) I became a bit more careless with my upkeep. I’d go two and then three weeks before calling the tea ready. I then started to notice that the lip of the crock would cause the SCOBY, which will grow with each fermentation (much to the chagrin of any brewer), would actually form a seal, allowing a second fermentation to occur in the initial vessel! Kombucha would emerge from the spout already bubbly (and quite a bit boozy, I will say) and the complex teas I used made for interested flavors from the get-go.

Neglect was also never an issue. I’d leave my SCOBY home alone for weeks at a time without much liquid to accompany it. It would always be ready for a new batch when I was.

All good things must come to an end…

I walked in the other day to find my SCOBY dead. My resilient mother, as resilient as my own mother I believed, had ended its tenure here on earth. Gone are the days of my flawless creations. Certain I had lost the perfect being, I sulked.

My spiritual advisor, Hannah, who herself has been a professional Kombuch-er, tells me that relief is not far off. While it’s true that people beg for takers of their extra SCOBY, I can’t risk the purity of my specimen being compromised by the sorts of things I’ve seen on the J train…

But her solution is to simply pour a bottle of Kombucha into my crock and return to my forgetful days. As the time passes, the SCOBY present in each bottle of Kombucha (similar probiotics can be found in unfiltered cider vinegar) will grow just as mine did. Eventually, perhaps, I’ll take again those culinary risks. And perhaps I’ve learned my lesson…

Until
David
Brine and Dine

vegan lasagna entirely from scratch. even the noodles.

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 00:12:11 -0400

vegan lasagna entirely from scratch. even the noodles.

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 10:26:41 -0400

Sometimes not knowing what to make...

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:42:00 -0400

…can reveal to you a recipe you with you had devised sooner. I wanted to eat something before heading to hot yoga yesterday, and I had some mustard greens from a trip to the farmers market a week ago as well as a bunch of Japanese salad greens (mizuna and mibuna) from my CSA. In the fridge i found what was left of a bag of limes, all needing to be used sooner rather than later. I tossed with a good amount of greens the following:

2 T sesame oil
2 T tahini paste
1 T chickpea miso (south river miso)
1 lime, juiced
1 T sushi rice vinegar
black pepper

The result is somewhat reminiscent of the dressing I used to enjoy eating at Hibachi restaurants as a kid. I don’t doubt this will also be good tossed with noodles.

In spite of my meal, I still grew dizzy after an hour of yoga and spent the remaining thirty minutes laying down with a towel over my face. I’m lucky enough that the room has a mirror, so that even in the back I could not hide from my embarrassing situation.

4:30 again today?
David
Brine and Dine

Dinner had to be these vegan tacos. One went missing before i...

Sat, 09 Jun 2012 18:29:49 -0400

Dinner had to be these vegan tacos. One went missing before i thought to take this photo (which I didn’t think much about)

I think a lot about these tacos, though.

Since becoming vegan I have remained pretty ambivalent about...

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 19:13:00 -0400

Since becoming vegan I have remained pretty ambivalent about cheese substitutes. At first none were really very good and I do sometimes enjoy daiya for the novelty of some “normal” pizza (the great equalizer), but I’m just as happy without it.

I know, however, that acceptable vegan cheese is the bane of most vegans’ existence and also the most commonly-cited barrier to veganism I hear, whether or not the claim is true.

Daiya came along a few years ago and completely changed the playing field. Their product I think tastes good (though it is available in only the basic of flavors so very little has to be achieved by way of complexity) , it melts and stretches; all without soy. It seems, from what I’ve been able to gather via independent research on other topics, that the right combination of agar and starch allows for the elasticity found in Daiya and not other fake cheeses.

Daiya first serviced only the food industry and then created the shreds for retail markets. Latest to the line is these ‘wedges’ though the round shape doesn’t evoke that image in my mind. I bought the Havarti flavor since it is one not represented in the shreds. I had some crackers which i was excited to try the “cheese” on.

The texture of this was really disappointing to me. It reminded me of Teese and why I didn’t much care for that or worse yet all the times my family would mistakenly (or not) buy “cheese-product” instead of cheese; this must be something kosher companies are notorious for. Imagine cheeze-whiz with a bit more substance but not much that refrigerating the normally-shelved product wouldn’t achieve. The cheese sliced to be sure, but plenty of residue was left on the knife. I almost feel like this would spread more easily than the commercially available vegan cream cheeses out there.

I don’t know if Havarti is a particularly salty cheese, but this certainly is. Whether this enhanced the flavor or it was simply the $6 I just spent I will admit that I ate the whole thing within twenty-four hours, save for the small bit sampled by a non-vegan which resulted in a scrunched face. Who knows.

If I’m going to buy a block of vegan cheese, I’d much rather it slice well than melt (we already have the shreds for that) so I think Daiya could have concentrated their efforts in the area of recipe adjustment rather than packaging. I recommend to anybody who seeks the same to go with Bute Island’s products. They are a bit harder to come by, but the website lists distributors and outlets (possibly outdated) and their assortment of flavours is way greater. They promise the same melting-power, but I have never put that to the test. I am more than happy to snack on this on some crackers or with fruit.

But of course there is also the option of making your own. While we work on our raw-fermented nut-cheese, this is a Brine & Dine creation inspired by the raw pizza that was served at Jubb’s Longevity before they shut their doors.

1 c nut pulp from nut milk (I like to use hemp seeds)
2 T tahini
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 clove garlic
2 T nutritional yeast*
1 t miso (we recommend South River Miso)
dash nutmeg
dash cayenne
dash turmeric (if desired for colour)

Place all of these things in a food processor and process until smooth. I have always played around with the amounts and I have found this to be a great spreading cheese a little reminiscent of the stuff in ritz crackers if that was any good for you. Hope that’s not a turn-off…

*is nooch raw? i’ve heard both sides of the story

At Brine & Dine we obviously are not limiting ourselves to...

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 13:49:17 -0400

At Brine & Dine we obviously are not limiting ourselves to the fermented. My problem with veggie burgers has always been that they have either been made of processed soy in an attempt to make them taste as meat-like as possible or otherwise made of fresh veggies but without the attention paid to structure and trying to grill it to any point under charred spelled disaster. Truth be told, I liked my veggie burgers burnt so I was able to satisfy my cravings more or less.

It doesn’t seem like there was ever a good middle-ground, though. I have read reviews of veggie burgers in the city during plenty of late-night sleepless fits. Sometimes the descriptions alone were enough to put me to bed. A few, however, appealed to my senses, and all of these incorporated beets into the mix. I have tried in the past to do that myself but have always made the mistake [sic] of overdoing it on the beets. The advantage of beets is they add a nice moisture, earthiness, and forgive me for saying, authenticity to your patty.

I found to be best a nice mixture of nuts, seeds, beans, beets, and spices to help create this veggie burger which so far I think is one of my better ones. It does require frying (or baking) before grilling. To bind the mixture I used some vital wheat gluten flour, needing more when the initial amount created a recipe too unstable for my liking. I did not get the same texture I am used to with VWG so I would guess that any flour would offer similar support. Chick pea flour will be my trial for next time. Its airiness will allow for a burger that isn’t too dense (for those of us who like to eat several) and will also create a gluten-free option; though what is a burger without the bun? I know that gluten-free products have made leaps and bounds but this is not my area of expertise. I’d sooner use greens as my sandwicher.

What are some of your success stories?

Growing up I had always believed that my mom’s mom was a great cook. Before my palate had...

Wed, 30 May 2012 12:34:07 -0400

Growing up I had always believed that my mom’s mom was a great cook. Before my palate had developed I think I was just excited that she’d microwave me some bacon which was of course forbidden in my kosher home. I’d spend every Friday night there and Saturdays at my dad’s folks.

The unfortunate reality is that she’s not a very good cook. She kept quiet about it then but makes no secret of it now. She grew up during the depression and while money was tight, anything she bought at the market she was required to eat in its entirety, like it or not. After too many misses for too few hits, she retreated into a realm of familiarity and to this day remains wary if not outright opposed to tasting anything new. Even our garlic kraut, combining two flavours she does like for certain, was tested with great trepidation. She ended up loving it.

Probably over a year ago now I installed on her computer a program that would catalogue all of her recipes, as plain as those might be. Her mastery of the program was never achieved and by this point she’s stopped being able to open it altogether. However, there is one archived recipe of hers worth preserving in the world.

The one thing I know she does well was mandelbrot. As exact a science as baking tends to be, the recipe has survived her seemingly random adulteration of it (adjusting the sugar without adjusting anything else, leaving out nuts entirely) and has further still succeeded in my own kitchen using the simplest of vegan substitutions (apple sauce for eggs). I am baking a batch right now for a benefit at CIA (Culinary Institute of America, duh. No gods, no masters…all pastries? hrm)

As the last few days in NYC have been excruciatingly hot, even for a child of the summer as I am. I so look forward to setting the remainder of these in my freezer to enjoy cold. As there are no liquids in the batter except oil, it never really freezes, simply becomes pleasantly cold.

3/4 c sugar
1 c + 1 T oil (I used safflower)
3/4 c apple sauce
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3 c flour
1 c chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375

Mix the oil, apple sauce, and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients (minus the chips) and then combine the two bowls until a thick batter is formed. A rubber spatula will be less frustrating than a whisk at this point. Form two loaves about an inch thick and four inches wide. Score each in 1-inch increments and place in the oven for 25 minutes. Cut through at each score and turn each piece on its side to brown for another 20-25 minutes. Though definitely delicious fresh, I really recommend taking the time to freeze them.

David Bilmas
Brine and Dine

Brine and Dine

We cannot thank enough everybody’s support and especially...

Banh Mi

Photo

The most insanely big farm share i’ve ever gotten. With...

*~*~*FAITHFUL READERS!! SHOULD THE ABOVE IMAGE PRESENT TO YOU A...

And the results

Today I bought this book from one of my favorite, but more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/dining/coping-with-summers-bounty-of-vegetables.html

we are the heroes of the Cyber-Scullery: ginger beer boring

First crocks finally came! They are HUGE

From my CSA

First padrons from the garden!

Death of a Mother

vegan lasagna entirely from scratch. even the noodles.

Sometimes not knowing what to make...

Dinner had to be these vegan tacos. One went missing before i...

Since becoming vegan I have remained pretty ambivalent about...

At Brine & Dine we obviously are not limiting ourselves to...

Growing up I had always believed that my mom’s mom was a great cook. Before my palate had...

~~*FAITHFUL READERS!! SHOULD THE ABOVE IMAGE PRESENT TO YOU A...