The Garden Apartment

Get ready to plant your garden {or share someone else's}

View of the vegetable gardens at Bigg Rigg's Farm (Loom, WV), July 2008; not the view from The Garden Apartment's "garden"

When I named this blog The Garden Apartment, it was in part to describe the irony of living in one. Certainly, we have a view of our "garden" from our living room. In the summer we grow shade loving flowers and a few herbs in the windows, but right now we look out to concrete window wells with empty flower pots. 

Thus, gardening is not a real option in The Garden Apartment. At least, not anything that requires full sun. This is why The Garden Apartment is all about seeking out fresh foods from the local area through DC area farmer's markets.

But, isn't this garden-less state the reality of many of us living in urban areas? We live in apartments, condos, and other small spaces which make endeavors like gardening (and cooking) challenging.

This is why I was so excited to get an email from a reader describing a new DC resource called Sharing Backyards. Basically, this resource is a large google map of the greater DC area with flags where people are either looking for a yard to garden in (for apartment dwellers like me) or have a yard they wish to share (like all you lucky folks with yards). In short: garden networking.

I think it's a fantastic resource for our people in our area looking to improve their green thumb and I hope it will be successful.

Be sure to check it out Sharing Backyards, and of course, post your space or desire for garden space.

A Fresh Perspective {and cranberry beans and rice}

The Garden Apartment's kitchen gets some fresh paint, and its inhabitants enjoy some red beans and rice just in time for Mardi Gras.

Cranberry Beans and Rice

"It looks radioactive." 

This was our first reaction to the orange paint we had so carefully selected for the Garden Apartment's kitchen. The paint's name was "candied yam," a name I had felt perfectly represented the culinary activities that occur regularly in the Garden Apartment kitchen.

Candied yam? Or Nuclear Power Plant Orange?

But now, I wasn't so sure.

After a successful Saturday of painting our living room a sandy brown color, this didn't seem to be going so well. We grunted and moaned as we continued the uncertain orange process. 

The end result? Well, we still aren't sure what to think. If anything, we've realized we aren't quite as bold or adventurous as we thought we were. On the upside, the paint is so bright that we no longer need to turn the light on when we wake up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water.

The new Garden Apartment kitchen: a completely fresh perspective

Well, at least we had a good meal on Sunday.

After a weekend of hard work, we needed something to make it feel more like the weekend. Inspired by all the partying and festivities of Mardi Gras (and maybe reminiscing a little about our recent trip to New Orleans), we whipped up a delicious pot of red beans and rice. Would you be surprised- or shocked- if I told you that the dried cranberry beans I used were a farmer's market purchase? 

This dish is fairly easy to make, though it takes a little time for the flavors to meld together. I took my inspiration for this dish from two New Orleans food blogs: New Orleans Cuisine and Cooking with Herb St. Absinthe. 

The big thing to keep in mind is that if you plan to use dried beans, they need to soak overnight. After a long Saturday of painting, I simply tossed a cup of beans into a Tupperware container, filled the container with water. And then, after a longer Sunday, the beans were all ready for this delicious dish.

Cranberry Beans and Rice Printer Friendly Version

Serves 4, Main Course

• 1 Cup of dried red beans, soaked in water overnight
• 2 TB EVOO or vegetable oil
• 1/2 lb of spicy sausage (like Andouille), cut into 1 inch pieces 
• 1/2 large red pepper, diced 
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced 
• 2 stalks celery, diced 
• 2 large cloves of garlic, smashed then minced 
• 2 TB tomato paste 
• 1 Cup crushed tomatoes 
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1 tsp (plus more to taste) hot sauce
• 1 TB Cajun seasoning 
• 1 TB Worcestershire sauce 
• 1/2 Cup low-sodium chicken stock (plus more, if necessary) 
• salt and pepper, to taste 
• cooked rice, for serving 
• (optional) parsley, finely chopped (as garnish) 

Place the cranberry beans in a medium pot. Cover with water and cook at a simmer for 30-45 minutes, until tender.

In the meantime, heat 1 TB of the oil in a large saute pan. Add the sausage pieces and cook until nicely browned on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the remaining TB of oil to the pan with the red pepper, onion, and celery. Cook until almost tender, about ten minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for one more minute.

Pour the two TB of tomato paste into the sauce pan and caramelize in the oil (simply saute the paste in the oil, stirring from time to time) for approximately one minute. Return the sausage to the pan. Add the crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, salt, pepper, and the cranberry beans with some of their cooking liquids. 

Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. If needed, add more chicken stock to keep the mixture with a bit of a "saucy" consistency.

Enjoy over warm white rice. 

Eating the cranberry beans and rice was as exciting as painting the kitchen orange, but much easier to swallow.

The Garden Apartment gives dating advice

Yes, you heard me right: dating advice.

In short, I am advising all men to take their valentine to the farmer's market this weekend-- and then to cook dinner with their market finds. Yes, I know it's chilly outside, but that's no reason not to spark a little romance at the market. 

Check out my market dating advice here and here. I was hoping to really jazz my column up with a photo of my handsome husband posing with his own market bag full of gourds and root veggies. He declined, however (smart man). 

As for myself, I am not taking my own advice. Or rather, John is ignoring it. We are off to a cabin in West Virginia where I will be away from the computer and farmer's markets. However, I will have a kitchen in this rustic cabin. You can't take me away from all my vices.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Valentine's Day tapas: Small plates, Big romance

Reminiscing about a special honeymoon in Spain, The Garden Apartment put together a romantic small plates dinner for two. The "Hallmark Holiday Crew" has also put together some great Valentine's Day treats, so be sure to send some love to Amy at Eggs on Sunday {and her Valentine's Day brunch} and Grace at A Southern Grace {and her Red Velvet Cupcakes.}

It was February of 2008. John and I had been married for just a few months. It was the time of year when the weather turns dreary and moods are understandably low. The romance was (perhaps) a bit lacking. 

Though I typically frown upon the commercialism of holidays like Valentine's Day, I decided to use the day as an opportunity to up the romantic ante. But, rather than go out and buy a sappy card or bunch of embarrassing balloons with messages of love streaked across their bulbous shapes, I did something a little more personal.

Thinking back to our honeymoon, I remembered a meal we had eaten in Paris: steaks with pepper sauce and the cheesiest imaginable mashed potatoes served directly from a copper pan. I recreated the meal for John, and amazingly it took us (in terms of romance) right back to Paris.

Isn't it amazing how a flavor, a taste, or a simple sensation can take you back to a particular place or a specific moment in time?

This year I decided to recreate some foods we ate in Spain, where we spent the last ten days of our honeymoon. I mean, who wouldn't want to be taken back to this little street?

An avenue in Sitges, Spain-- just south of Barcelona

Or this beach?

Los Canos de Meca, Andalucia, Spain

Or the little town of Vejer de la Frontera?

The view from our bed and breakfast looked like this:

I dare say, even if you've never been to Spain, you wouldn't mind eating food that could simply make you imagine yourself there. 

Am I right?

El Palmar de Vejer- a beach that truly felt endless and sparsely occupied

With this in mind, I put together a little menu of Spanish tapas for our (pre) Valentine's Day celebration. 

One food that stood out was the pork. Seriously. We ate an impressive amount of pork all throughout Spain: Serrano ham, chorizo, and other pork products whose names have slipped my memory.

Proudly displayed hams, a common scene in restaurants throughout Spain

At one point, we were certain we had ordered Serrano ham, but our poor Spanish speaking skills actually solicited a plate full of deep fried bacon. It was delicious, and we made deep guttural noises while we sucked it all down. 

Our stomachs, however, were not so happy about it a few hours later. 

So much for romance. For our tapas menu, I would stick to non-fried Spanish pork products. 

In another instance, we were set on eating at a certain restaurant our trusty guidebook had recommended in Sevilla. The line to get into this restaurant, however, kept us wandering around eating at non-guide book restaurants. 

We learned that everyone seems to use the same guidebook, and everyone seems to believe it to be the gospel-- as I do.

My nose stuck in the guidebook, a habit which John found amusing

At one restaurant we stopped in while waiting for the line get smaller at the non-guide book restaurant, all we ordered were olives, a decision which greatly bothered our surly waiter. Despite this, the olives were well worth the waiter's attitude: the enormous green orbs had the most perfect briny flavor. 

That same night, after walking by the recommended guide book restaurant's long lines one more time, we stumbled down several winding streets into a candlelit restaurant with beautifully tiled walls. We ordered the papas bravas, a dish we'd enjoyed at other places. These papas bravas, however, were divine. The sauce was more savory than the others had been-- seeming to have spices of saffron and the slight spice of roasted peppers. We drooled over them and forgot all about the guide book.

The next day we tried to find that restaurant again with no luck. 

We did, however, finally get a seat at the guide book restaurant. And you know what? It wasn't all that great. It's funny, but I don't even remember what we ate there.

The point of this lengthy dialogue is this: food can take you back. Whether it's an exotic locale or simply a homemade meal from a happier time, a single dish can inspire happy memories and a little romance.

With no further ado, here was the menu for our Valentine's Day trip down small plates memory lane.

• Warm olives with garlic and citrus zest
• Roasted Almonds with Smoked Spanish paprika 
• Apple, Manchego, and Serrano Ham Toasts (recipe below)
• Papas Bravas (click here for recipe)  
• Shrimp and Chorizo skewers (previously made here)
• White Sangria    

The olives were simply warmed in a sauce pan with some olive oil, sherry, orange and lemon zest, garlic slices, and thyme. Yum.

For the almonds, I mixed some salt, pepper, oregano and smoked paprika. I tossed the almonds in the mixture and roasted them in the oven at 325 for about fifteen minutes. They were simple and delicious.

The next tapa was a bit locally inspired, with a whole lot of help from Spain. I picked up some great mutsu crispin apples from the Bigg Riggs Farm booth at the Alexandria Farmers Market and combined them with Manchego cheese and Serrano ham.

Apple, Manchego, and Serrano Toasts

• 1 loaf of French bread, sliced 
• 4 slices of Serrano ham (you could substitute another salted pork)  
• several thin slices of Manchego cheese  
• 1 green apple, thinly sliced  
• 3 TB EVOO, plus extra for drizzling 
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced   

salt and pepper, to taste 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place bread slices on a cookie sheet and bake until lightly browned, about 10-15 minutes.

In the meantime, heat 3 TB of olive oil and the thinly sliced garlic until warm. The garlic should fizz a little, releasing its flavor into the oil.

Remove the bread from the oven and brush with the garlic-infused olive oil. 

Assemble: On each toast place: one slice of Manchego cheese, a thin piece of Serrano ham, and one-two apple slices. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy immediately.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

I'm sorry to tell you that the white sangria swept me off my feet and I failed to document anything past the toasts. 

However, Amy at Eggs on Sunday smartly put together a romantic Valentine's Day brunch. Here's a sneak peek of her heart shaped citrus and cranberry scones for you to drool over:

You'll have to visit Eggs on Sunday to see the rest of the menu.

Grace, of A Southern Grace, whipped up these dreamy looking Pink Velvet Cupcakes. Check them out!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Is there a food that takes you back to a special place or time spent with someone you love? Write in and share your love with The Garden Apartment this Valentine's Day!

Garden Apartment Gumbo

A trip to New Orleans inspired me to try my hand at gumbo- though more of a Virginia gumbo, utilizing local Chesapeake Bay lump crab along with some locally grown veggies.

Unless DC takes a freak turn towards warm temperatures, this time of year is always the perfect time to take a trip somewhere south.

This year, John and I decided to take a long weekend trip to New Orleans with some of our good friends.

John had been to the Big Easy on a few other occasions, back in his single days. These trips were reportedly full of Bourbon Street imbibing and a general lack of cultural experiences.

Things change once you're married.

Now, now. To be fair, we did spend a good portion of our trip in the French Quarter. But we also meandered out of the French Quarter several times-- only to be richly rewarded by wonderful neighborhood pubs, restaurants, shops, and music venues.

On our first night, we took a cab to the Bywater to a little neighborhood joint called Vaughn's. It was Thursday, a night described in our Lonely Planet Guidebook as "legendary" due to trumpeter Kermit Ruffins and his band The Barbeque Swingers. We quickly learned that the entire city is pure music and food. You see, Kermit's band is called the Barbeque Swingers because they are known to make barbeque for the people attending their gigs. There was no barbeque the night we were there, but the band had prepared some very tasty red beans and rice. It was served up in large vats at the back of Vaughn's. Music lovers, as Kermit referred to all of us, crowded around with styrofoam bowls filled with the local specialty.

It was a great way to begin a long weekend filled with delicious food, drink, and fantastic music. 

There was my discovery (and repeated rediscovery) of the mint julep- a drink which inspired this photo.

There were walks down by the water, after eating beignets and drinking coffee at the powdered sugar covered Cafe du Monde.

 

And there was the stumbling into a little hole in the wall called Coops Place. It was a dark, musky smelling place with seats misarranged all around the bar and the sides of the restaurant. Upon finding a seat wedged between the bar, pool table, and the corner, we began noticing wonderful things. First and foremost: the smell of their own smoker out back. Second, their menu made it impossible to make a choice, especially once we began seeing other customer's food arriving: bowls of steaming gumbo, plates full of fried chicken, red beans and rice, and their special jambalaya.

Unable to decide, we chose the combination plate. What a plate full of food, but especially, what a bowl full of gumbo. It was delicious. 

In this spirit, I decided to come home and make my own gumbo. 

I'm sure it won't quite qualify as New Orleans style, but in the mode of the Garden Apartment, I did purchase several of the ingredients locally. 

At the Old Town Alexandria Farmers Market, I bought some of Bigg Riggs Farms frozen peppers. Calvin, of Bigg Riggs, froze many fresh picked veggies this summer and is selling them at market.

 

At the DuPont Circle Market on Sunday, I picked up a pound of jumbo lump crab from Buster's Seafood, a family-operated fishery located in Urbanna, Virginia. Buster's also had fresh caught rockfish, claiming this is the best time of the year to eat it. Apparently, they are at their "fattest" right now. (For more information on seafood at the DuPont Circle Market, click here.)

Heading home, I worked on a gumbo. With a little inspiration from an episode of Bobby Flay Throwdown, some time browsing through many gumbo recipes, and a little faith in my own cooking abilities, here's what I whipped up.

Garden Apartment Gumbo Print Friendly Version

{Serves 4}

For the roux

• 1/2 Cup flour
• 6 TB butter
• 1/4 cup onions, finely minced 
• 1/4 cup celery, finely minced 
• 1 TB Worcestershire sauce 

For the stew

• 1 Cup Spicy Sausage, diced (I used chorizo) 
• 1 TB butter 
• 2 Ribs Celery, diced 
• 1/2 large onion, diced 
• 1 Cup multi-colored peppers, diced  
• 3 large cloves garlic, smashed then roughly chopped 
• 1 TB Cajun Seasoning 
• 1/2 TB hot sauce 
• 2 tsp fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried) 
• 2 tsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
• salt and pepper, to taste 
• 3-4 Cups Fish Stock 
• 1 1/2 Cups crushed tomatoes 
• 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails-on) 
• 1/2 lb lumb crab meat  

Make the roux

In a large stockpot, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir until combined. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook for approximately 45 minutes, until the roux is dark brown in color. Add the finely diced onion and celery and stir. Remove from the heat, add the worcestershire and combine.

Make the stew

Toss the sausage in a hot large saute pan for approximately two-three minutes, until nicely browned. Remove.

Lower heat to medium and add 1 TB butter to the pan. Add onion, celery, garlic, and peppers. Saute until the onions are translucent. Add cajun seasoning, hot sauce, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper. Turn off heat and set aside.

* I suggest working on the stew while the roux is caramelizing. Just be sure to keep stirring the roux. Once all the spices have been added, simply turn off the heat and wait until the roux is ready to put it all together. 
  

Put it all together

When the roux is beginning to get brown, heat the fish stock in a medium sauce pan.

Once the roux is complete, add the fish stock and crushed tomatoes. Stir. 

Add the sausage, vegetable and spice mix. Cover and allow to come to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Add the shrimp and crab meat. Cook until the shrimp is pink, approximately 5 minutes.

Enjoy over white rice. 

And of course, since it's gumbo, feel free to add your own local ingredients and have a little fun.
  

The Garden Apartment Reports {and Makes a Headline}

A few weeks ago, I was browsing the pages of The Examiner when I saw an advertisement for writers. Curiosity got the best of me, and I clicked away to see whether they were looking for any writers in the food category. 

This position was listed:

DC Farmers Market Examiner

Could this be any more perfect for a farmers market foodie like myself?

I filled out an application, and as of today I officially have my own page at the DC Examiner on-line. 

Don't worry, dear readers, I will still be writing regularly here at The Garden Apartment. I will save my long-winded, photo-filled musings for all of you loyal listeners who expect no word limits for me. And of course, if there is something especially juicy or delicious in my Examiner market reports, I'll be sure to direct you that way.

Now, now. I just need to toot my own horn one more time. Aside from reporting, I actually made a headline (err, byline) this week. 

Remember this bowl of goodness? I made this apple, fennel, and pomegranate salad with maple vinaigrette back in December, immediately after a Thanksgiving full of rich and not-so-healthy foods. It was crisp, sweet, tart, and refreshing. In short: delicious.

Apparently, food columnist Emily Battle of the Fredericksburg Freelance Star was equally satisfied with the salad. The recipe was featured in her food column yesterday, which you can view on-line here. The column also featured these other winter recipes (not my own): curried butternut and rice salad, and orzo and cheese baked in an acorn squash.

Okay, I'm done now. I will return to my regular reports this weekend. 

I plan to brave three markets in the hopes of a better outcome than last weekend.

Of course, the 50 degree forecast will make farmer's marketing much more appealing.

Optimism {and a winter citrus salad}

After a completely unsuccessful farmer's market trip Saturday, a little help from the south keeps me on the sunny side of life with a delicious winter citrus salad.

 

Click the photo to view it on Flickr with notes.

Optimistically, I appeared at the Old Town Alexandria Farmer's Market in Saturday morning's 13 degree weather. The flower guy, one of three vendors at market, took pity on me while I shivered waiting for a friend and advised me where to stand to absorb maximum heat from the sunlight. 

Really. It was that bad.

His advice paid off when Kate showed up and bought several bunches of flowers from him. Of course, she had to climb into his truck to make her purchase because the flowers would have frozen if they had been displayed outside.

As for myself, I had been planning to buy some Greek yogurt, apples, and honey. I struck out, 100%. And I can't blame the dairy, farmer, and beekeeper for their absence. It's cold, windy, and I doubt there are a lot of people waking up early aching to shop outdoors for local produce.

So, I had to find something else seasonal, though perhaps not so local. Luckily, this was not at all difficult.

You see, I am completely smitten with citrus right now. 

Perhaps my favorite, based on looks alone, is the Blood Orange. Must I explain the name? 

Juicy, tart, red flesh which I find completely irresistible.

The Pink Navel Orange provides more eye candy. As advertised, "pink is the new orange."

Although, it's more or less salmon. No?

Last but not least, based on taste alone, my favorite is the Temple Orange. I'm positive it's called the Temple Orange because one bite makes a believer out of you. I, for one, can testify that it's the sweetest citrus fruit I have ever tasted.

With all these new loves in mind, I dragged my husband to Whole Foods last night where I bought a bag of every available citrus. He would have been miserable, but he occupied himself with selecting several bottles of good reduced price wine.

When we got home, I put together something John refers to as a "citrus orgy." I prefer the more sophisticated "winter citrus salad."

Winter Citrus Salad  Print Friendly Version 

Serves 2

• 1/2 Cup assorted citrus fruits, peeled and sectioned off*
• 1 avocado, sliced 
• 1 lime, juiced 
• 1 lemon, juiced (if available, try the sweet tasting Meyer lemon) 
• olive oil, about 2 TB (+ more for drizzling)
• 1 Cup of mixed greens
• salt and pepper, to taste 

* I used three orange varieties, a Honeybell tangerine, and a pink grapefruit. Basically, the more variety, the better.

 
Make the Vinaigrette:

In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. 

Assemble the Salad:

Divide the lettuce between two bowls. Place half of the avocado slices on each salad. Top off with mixed citrus fruits. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, then add salt and pepper to taste. If desired, drizzle with additional olive oil.

Variations:

* Add one minced garlic clove to the vinaigrette.

* Add thinly sliced red onions to the salad.

* Garnish with cilantro or mint.

After shopping indoors, purchasing fruit from a much warmer place, and eating this delicious salad, I can safely say I am feeling more optimistic- sunny, even- about winter. 

Don't worry, I'll be back to the farmer's market again next weekend.

For more winter citrus inspiration:

The Romance of the Orange: A History of the Temple Orange

(whereas I learn that the Temple Orange is named for William Chase Temple, not any sort of religious experience)

Flaky Blood Orange Tart at Smitten Kitchen

Citrus Salad with Mint Sugar at Epicurious