February 6th, 2011
Charlotte, NC - My Home
Fads, in my opinion, are typically a bad thing. Movements in music, television and fashion that are followed by very large groups over the last 10 or 20 years have rarely brought about anything truly innovative, creative or even likable. For the past 50 to 60 years the great majority of the fads that involved foods have been detrimental as well.
Frozen pre-made dinners of the 1950's, originally a great timesaving tool for the working and/or single mother (since most guys, other than professional chefs, at that time were pretty much douches about not cooking), have morphed into over-relied upon vessels of cheap or fabricated ingredients, gargantuan amounts of preservatives and the worst smells encountered by man. Ever been in an office break room with the door closed while 30 people nuke a different flavor of Lean Cuisine? I almost ralphed in someone's block-o-chicken with powdered "gravy" once. It's frat initiation material.
Mega farms shipping fruits, vegetables and meats to all parts of the country, while a great symbol endless the opportunities attainable by entrepreneurs and intelligent business people in this country, have led to mass outbreaks of illness time and time again.
The boom of the fast-food industry, who's menu items originally consisted of, at least, real ingredients that were cooked to order, quickly spiraled into millions of people opting to have it their way multiple times a week by scarfing down gray Burgers and compacted Chicken McSplooge with a half-life of 100K years. We've sold our souls in the name of convenience.
Not forgetting all of the species depleting over-fishing and environmentally devastating over-farming, we've done some pretty bad stuff to the sea creatures of the world because of food fads - you know, outside of the whole regular killing it and eating it part, with which I'm obviously down.
As with most bad things, however, its not all bad. In the past few years there have been some very good fads to gain traction in the food world. Locally stocked and supported farmer's markets. Small, non-conglomerate beef, pork, lamb and fowl farms. A resurgence in the appreciation of offal, the nasty bits, all of the guts that were previously thrown away or sold for pennies per pound to ethnic markets where their magical qualities are still enjoyed and respected. Farm Fresh Eggs are all the rage and artisan cheeses, cured meats and baked goods are now as common place in large cites as ever. With every bite, every new customer and new appreciator the interest perpetuates. With every new restaurant visit, every dinner party or passed along recipe where a new ingredient or source is shared, promise of continued support for these things is bolstered and they continue to flourish. Take Grateful Growers, a pork and fowl farm local to me in nearby Lincoln County. Their Harvest Moon Grille food truck drove around the city dispensing their dishes comprised of incredible local ingredients to the point that they garnered a huge following. Based on that support they have now opened the Harvest Moon Grille, taking Monticello's vacated space at The Dunhill Hotel in downtown Charlotte.
One problem that people sometimes note with these new fads are the associated costs. These farms don't have contracts with Super Wal-Marts to pump out their products hundreds of pounds at a time. Their prices are typically higher than those of average grocery items but their quality and flavor differences are exponentially greater so I say you actually get a better bargain, more bang for your buck if you will.
The best part to me is the variety. Because the old food fads still have a firm hold on the average mega-mart, you have much less of a chance at finding some of those nasty bits I was mentioning earlier. Doing some asking around at your local farmer's market can score you some pretty awesome finds that aren't milling around in the refrigerated case at Harris Teeter. And those parts are still dirt cheap. You just need to know what you are looking for...
A fan of Anthony Bourdain, I remember watching the episode of A Cook’s Tour, his first show with the Food Network before moving to the Travel Channel to film No Reservations, chronicling his visit to Fergus Henderson's St. John in London. The host, famous for being, well, a slight lunatic, was reverent in Fergus' house, solemn even. This struck me and as I paid closer attention to the food I understood why. This was as basic, simple and honest as it gets. No neon lights, waterfalls or DJ booth. White walls, dark wooden chairs and plates of the most exciting food I'd ever seen. I didn't act on these thoughts immediately, but years later I ordered Henderson's cookbook The Whole Beast: Nose to Tale Eating, and slowly began working through the recipes. There was a bit of a thrill when I went to the butcher shop to ask for a cow's heart and was given an approving nod by the man behind the counter.
One entry of the cookbook is a recipe for Deviled Kidneys on Toast with a note from Ferguson mentioning that it is “the perfect breakfast on your birthday with a glass of Black Velvet (half Guinness and half Champagne).” So I, of course, sought out fresh lamb’s kidneys for my birthday feast this year. I didn’t have to search far. I had been spending some time recently checking out the website of a farm in, ironically, New London, NC called Windy Hill Farm. Owned by Charles and Dana Burrage, Windy Hill raises pigs, lambs, chicken and cattle. After a simple pre-order on their website, I swung by the Yorkmont Farmers Market on Saturday morning and picked up my kidneys for $2. After walking by Nova’s Bakery’s stall for some mini ciabatta - for that toast portion of the equation, I was well on my way to my birthday breakfast. I awoke the next day with a twinge of excitement not completely unlike Christmas morning. The “deviled” aspect of the dish comes from the spiciness of the cayenne pepper that is mixed into the light dredge of flour, mustard powder, salt and pepper. After shaking off the excess dredge, the kidneys are sauteed in a good amount of browned butter and finished with chicken stock and a liberal splash of worcestershire. This liquid, after the kidneys are removed, is reduced to a thick sauce. Both I spooned on top of the warm, crisp ciabatta toast and sprinkled with fresh parsley to distract from the 4 or 5 shades of brown on the plate.
Having only eaten lamb kidneys once, a couple years ago, I was, admittedly, a bit apprehensive of my first bite. While prepping and cleaning the kidneys I picked up a noticeable smell - what is it that kidneys do again? This apprehension quickly turned into big-ass smile as soon as I took my first bite. They were amazing! Very lamby and I mean that in the best way. Full of that deep lamb meatiness with just a slight irony hint in the background. And the sauce was over-the-top awesome. The sweetness of the butter rounded out the sharp edges of the worcestershire very nicely and the chicken stock added a needed body and helped cut the salt just enough. This sauce I plan to use in the future to accompany several different things, not just kidneys such as these. The texture contrast was spot on with the soft, almost creamy kidneys, spreading across the crunchy toast. Washed down with the Black Velvet, I immediately new that this would not be a one-time meal to be checked off of a list. I will spend the rest of my life persuading, coaxing and, if need be, lying to my friends in order to spread the gospel of this recipe. Happy Birthday to Me!
As I was preparing this dish I was tempted many times to augment or “doctor up” the recipe. Adding small flavorings or aromatics to elevate what, on paper, seemed almost too simple. I feel quite certain that had I given in I would have lost something - I would have not noticed one certain aspect of this meal that makes it truly special. While enjoying the meal and realizing that it was so incredible despite containing less than 10 ingredients it hit me that the reason was the impeccable quality of those few ingredients. A lamb that was raised 40 miles away gave its organs and a loaf of truly artisan bread baked less than a 20 minute drive from my house were brought together to make a truly awesome breakfast.Adding to that - I did not have to go out of my way or spend an exorbitant amount of money to adhere, almost completely, to several current food fads while making this dish. Not the goal when I set out to prepare this, but a pretty cool bonus.
Windy Hill Farms
New London, NC
windyhillfarmnc.com
Nova’s Bakery
Charlotte, NC
novasbakery.com
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