Bonticou Ducks

By: Nicholas Leiss
Chicken, Duck, Duck Fat, Game Birds, Geese, Meet Your FarmerLeave a Comment on Bonticou Ducks

Why did the chicken, duck and goose cross the road? To get to Bonticou Ducks It started as a quintessential Hudson Valley day. Picture this. Hugging the narrow curves of the winding Stone Ridge Mountains, I arrived at an orchard to meet a farmer. This is not just any farmer. Her name is Polly Gregor…

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Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Salsa Macha

By: Nicholas Leiss
Autumn Vegetables, cauliflower, Dried Chili, Roasted VegetablesLeave a Comment on Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Salsa Macha

Every now and then, I love cooking vegetables the same way I would cook a large roast of meat. Whole-roasting cauliflower is a great statement roast and a nice change of pace from your classic Sunday roast. The star of this dish is the salsa macha. Salsa macha is unlike other salsas that might come…

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Spaghetti Squash Johnny Cake with Spicy Maple Peanut Vinaigrette

By: Nicholas Leiss
Autumn Vegetables, Nuts, Roasted Vegetables, Spaghetti Squash, VinaigretteLeave a Comment on Spaghetti Squash Johnny Cake with Spicy Maple Peanut Vinaigrette

This recipe shows my love of johnny cakes. While johnny cakes are more of a breakfast dish and often on the sweet side, I wanted to enjoy them as a savory appetizer. That’s where spaghetti squash comes in. Spaghetti squash has a natural sweetness that works well with the cornmeal in the batter, yet it…

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Twice-fried Artichokes, Aleppo Pepper & Pesto Aioli

By: Nicholas Leiss
Aioli, Artichoke, Fried Vegetables, Pesto1 Comment on Twice-fried Artichokes, Aleppo Pepper & Pesto Aioli

This recipe is based on the concept of “If it grows together, it goes together”. We are very fortunate to have Charles from Field & Larder in the area. He grows beautiful artichokes and basil in the summer. A smear of pesto aioli on a sandwich will change your sandwich-making life. In this recipe, I…

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Lamb Ribs with Black Garlic Harissa

By: Nicholas Leiss
Black Garlic, Black Garlic Harissa, Carving, Dried Chili, Grilling, Lamb, Meat, , , , Leave a Comment on Lamb Ribs with Black Garlic Harissa

Anyone that’s familiar with the deliciousness of merguez (North African lamb sausage) will quickly notice a similarity to these lamb ribs rubbed in black garlic harissa. Merguez is traditionally flavored with harissa, a spicy chili paste. Our recipe is a large-scale version of merguez using lamb ribs that you can share with friends and family.…

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Dashing Star Farm

By: Nicholas Leiss
Lamb, Meet Your FarmerLeave a Comment on Dashing Star Farm

Dashing Star Farm is named after the beloved border collie and sheep herder, Blaze-in-Sky Dashing Star. But owner Lynn Mordas also prides herself on raising sheep and chickens with so much attention to detail, great chefs take notice. Dashing Star treats agriculture like a science. It also supports the local community, which is what Farm2ChefsTable…

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10 Reasons to do your own Herb Garden

By: Nicholas Leiss
Herbs1 Comment on 10 Reasons to do your own Herb Garden

I look forward to cooking with herbs all year long  because many dishes are packed with pinches or even handfuls of fresh herbs that perk things up a bit. With a little bit of proper planning in the spring time, you can have a bountiful variety of herbs right at your fingertips. Not to forget,…

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Tomatoes

By: Nicholas Leiss
Summer Vegetables, Tomatoes, , Leave a Comment on Tomatoes

You say tomato, I say tomato Is a tomato a fruit or vegetable? Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in fruit salad. I disagree with that old adage, slightly. Tomatoes are delicious with watermelon, one of my favorite unexpected food pairings. Tomatoes are so versatile that they can…

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Summer Squash

By: Nicholas Leiss
Summer Squash, Summer Vegetables1 Comment on Summer Squash

Squash comes from the Narragansett-Native American word askutasquash, which means “eaten raw or uncooked”. Mic drop. That pretty much sums up why summer squash is so great. But squash is also great for zucchini bread to pumpkin pie. What’s not to love about squash? The squash family is huge. It includes everything from giant pumpkins,…

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