A Day for Local Flood Relief, and A Farmer’s Market

by cobb, October 14, 2009 | Permalink

In order to assist with repairs and rebuilding after damage inflicted by the recent flooding through Georgia, Slow Food Atlanta has created what they call the Georgia Flooded Farms Relief Fund. The Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) provides money for relief, but for farmers, this only comes in the form of loans. Slow Food is helping more directly by generating and simply donating funds.

To this end, all of the Atlanta area Whole Foods Market stores will be pitching in. On Wednesday, October 21, we will donate 5% of our store’s income to the Georgia Flooded Farms Relief Fund. With help from you, our customers, we can speed up the recovery from this unforseen tragedy.

In addition to our 5% Day, we will also be having a gathering of local farmers and growers here at Harry’s Farmers Market in Marietta. From 4-7 PM, you can come and buy food right from the hands of the farmers who grew it. With over 20 farmers and growers coming to pariticipate, and all of them donating a portion of their own profits from the day to the Relief Fund, it should be a day to remember. We hope to see you there!

Seafood 101

by cobb, August 31, 2009 | Permalink

This month, Chef Ben wanted to change pace a bit and give the School of Fish a much broader approach. Rather than focus on a specific fish or recipe for the entire evening, he decided to drop some knowledge, and teach the School of Fish about Seafood in general, and about Seafood at Whole Foods Markets. Be not afraid, there was still food to be enjoyed: a summery, southwestern salad with shrimp and Ben’s own dressing.

The salad itself was an uncomplicated affair - romaine lettuce, cucumbers and the like - made remarkable with the addition of roasted corn (both white and yellow), chopped mango, tomatoes and poblano peppers. And let’s not forget the dressing: Olive oil and Rice Vinegar, Salt and Pepper, Garlic and Cilantro, Fresh Lime Juice (Chef Ben does not approve of bottles, lime-shaped though they be) and warm Honey. Don’t skimp on the dressing, but be wary that if you use too much, there will be no crunch to the salad. No one, not you, not your guests, not Ben, will be happy with a crunchless salad. Topping the salad with sauteed shrimp, Ben offered some advice for their cooking:

• Season shrimp (or any fish you’re cooking, really) evenly with salt and pepper. Evenly. Treat them, each and every one, like you love them the most.
• Heat your pan first, then add neutral, high-heat oil, like canola or grapeseed.
• When you place (not throw) your shrimp in the pan, listen for a sizzle. If it’s quiet, it’s cold, and you should take the shrimp out. Cooking takes heat!
• Shaking the pan is not going to help anything, including the flavor. And eating food that doesn’t taste great doesn’t look cool.
• Color is the key to determining if a fish is cooked, and a splash of beer to deglaze is the perfect way to finish.

So, now that we’ve eaten, let’s get down to brass tax. What makes the seafood Ben cooks, that Whole Foods and Harry’s sells, different? Well, to begin, we know where all of our fish come from. Be they wild or farmed, their place of origin is always available to whoever wants to know, and they are always harvested and raised responsibly. When it comes to farming seafood - Aquaculture - there are a lot of bad facts and ideas floating around. Those don’t apply to Whole Foods Market. Our quality standards could take up pages and pages, so let’s just get the greatest hits:

• We prohibit the use of antibiotics, added growth hormones, and poultry and mammalian by-products in fish feed.
• We do not carry genetically modified or cloned seafood.
• We require that our farmers work to minimize the impact that aquaculture has on the environment, by protecting natural habitats, monitoring water quality and sourcing feed responsibly and sustainably.
• Our farmed seafood is free from added preservatives such as sodium bisulfite, sodium tri-polyphosphate and sodium metabisulfite.

Our farm-raised fish are great, but our sustainable, wild-caught fish might be better. Whole Foods is proud to be the first national retailer to partner with the Marine Stewardship Council in offering several varieties of certified sustainable seafood. There’s more information about our sustainable efforts here. In fact, the Whole Foods Market website is simply loaded to the gills with information about our Seafood, Mercury content in Seafood and handling it safely. It’s a wealth of information, just like our boy Ben. Unfortunately, it won’t cook you a meal. You’ll just have to come back to Ben’s class next month.

Of Sheep’s Milk and Fables

by cobb, August 16, 2009 | Permalink

With August all around us, it became time for another Cheese Class led by our very own Specialty Team Leader, Chris. This month, he drew another great crowd and demonstrated another great set of cheeses. Our theme this time around was sheep’s milk.

Trying to show off a different world of cheese flavors and possibilities, Chris chose seven different cheeses: Ricotta Salata, Hudson Valley Camembert, Manchego, Valbresio Feta, Ossau Iraty, Crypus Grove Lamb Chopper and the classic, Pecorino Romano. As always, Chris offered suggestions on wine pairings for each cheese and provided a few side items to show off the versatility of his cheeses, namely a Balsamic Reduction with Strawberries and a Pistachio-Mint Pesto from Atlanta’s own Bella Cucina. And if cheese wasn’t desserty enough, there were champagne grapes to sweeten the palatte after all was said and done.

In his easy manner and informative spiel, Chris reminded us all that you don’t have to be some kind of expert to enjoy cheese; all you have to be is ready to eat something new, like the shepherd in Chris’ Pecorino Romano fable. According to legend, the shepherd took a long journey, carrying with him a flask of sheep’s milk. All the banging around from the trip took its toll on the milk, causing it to naturally ferment. Discovering this, the shepherd also discovered Pecorion Romano, show that even shepherds can enjoy the so-called finer things in life. Bon Appetit!

Monkfish, or: Poor Man’s Lobster

by cobb, August 2, 2009 | Permalink

When Chef Ben last led the School of Fish class at Harry’s, he was presented with a request for Monkfish to be his next subject. Good readers, ask and you shall receive. Last night, July 30, Ben showed off a simple recipe, using Monkfish, Prosciutto do Parma, Heirloom Tomatoes, Israeli Couscous and Fresh Herbs.

Not one to fear mixing his meats, Ben started by wrapping the Monkfish fillets in the Prosciutto, then wrapping each wrapped fillet in plastic, to allow the flavors to marry, or at least become good friends. That is to say, they need be wrapped only for a short time. Ben then sauteed the wrapped fillets, giving them a sear for color and texture. The thickness of the fish called for further cooking, which Ben gave them in the oven. An unconventional move for our boy, who told the class, “It’s okay to use the hot box as long as you’re not trying to amek magic happen with first preparing the meat or seafood.”

Ben prepared Israeli couscous (larger than normal couscous, more like a pearl-shaped rice pasta) in a ham broth, then sauteed it with oven-roasted Heirloom Tomatoes, fresh herbs, butter, salt, pepper and a splash of honey. The wrapped fillets were served over the couscous and veggies, with beautiful results.

No Crutches, No Excuses - King Salmon with Chef Ben

by cobb, July 2, 2009 | Permalink

What better way to celebrate the height of Salmon Season than with night of cooking with Chef Ben? This month, Ben decided to present us with King Salmon in a Beurre Blanc sauce and a Potato Torte, both with rendered Dry Aged Chorizo.

Prepared ahead of time, the Torte was simply thinly sliced red potatoes with olive oil, goat cheese (one 4 oz log provides enough flavor for the whole dish pictured!), and fat from the chorizo, rendered out by cooking the sausage slowly in a pan that you start cold. Ben sauteed these together, then transferred the whole pan to an oven, baking for about 12-15 minutes before serving.

This isn’t to say there wasn’t a show! Ben demonstrated the creation of a simple Beurre Blanc sauce, using butter, Biokult’s Grüner Veltliner (one of our Top 10 Summer Wines), Fresh Thyme, Cream, a single wedge’s worth of lemon juice, the rendered, diced Chorizo and one of Chef Ben’s favorites, diced Shallots. Served with simply seasoned Salmon (again, just salt and pepper), it provided a great deal of flavor without overpowering the complexity of the fish.

If Chef Ben would have us learn one thing from this class, it would be to avoid overcompensating with uneccesary flavors. Even with a basic set of ingredients, you can create a vast array of flavors. Ben’s next challenge? Some of our classes’ regular attendees have requested Monkfish or something to pair with Red Cabbage, but we’ll just have to wait and find out. We’ll see you in a month!

Gotta Have Goat Cheese!

by cobb, June 19, 2009 | Permalink

Wow! What a full class! 23 people attended this delicious Goat Cheese class! We tasted a little bit of everything. Chris kept it short and simple with wine pairings for each! Drunken Goat anyone? How about some peach chutney?

Remember though, Chris did tell us that the whole “wine and cheese” concept is a French thing that we copied and that most Europeans eat cheese with beer any day! It’s just too bad that we couldn’t taste either of them with our cheese! 

Don’t forget that our local pesto was a great pairing with any goat cheese as well! Next month, our class topic is cheddar! You guys voted on it. We’re teaching and of course, you’re tasting it!

We always love to hear about your personal stories about cheese! Cindy, thanks to you and your husband for sharing your wonderful experiences in Châteauroux with me and for your enthusiasm in joining us on Facebook!

Happy Eating Everyone!

GO WATCH THIS MOVIE!

by cobb, June 10, 2009 | Permalink

Food Inc Movie

Check out the website at www.foodincmovie.com

Eat Seasonally! Buy Locally!

by cobb, June 8, 2009 | Permalink

Come check out all of our local products that we carry in our store. We’ve got local peaches, blueberries, vidalia onions and more!

Last week, we went to visit 2 of our local vendors in Athens, GA. 

We listened to their stories and had the opportuntity to look around their facilities. We’re brining their stories and other stories of local and regional products to you through our profiles that are placed next to their products. Take a minute to read about them when you’re in the store next. You can also visit our local blog site at http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2009/06/ambos-seafood/

School of Fish- Can’t Stop the Catfish

by cobb, May 29, 2009 | Permalink

Miso Catfish…who would’ve thought it could be SO good! To wrap up our Catfish promotion, we had a great class with Chef Ben. It was a simple and EASY recipe that anyone could make at home. All you needed was some key ingredients…sesame seed oil, miso, honey, soy sauce….oh it was so delicious! Chef Ben taught us how to make a great kale dish too!

• Don’t forget that the sooner you put in the red pepper flakes into your recipe, the spicer the dish will be!
• Cook with simple ingredients to enhance the flavor of your fish, don’t cover up the flavor of good fish
• Take the time to evenly season your fish
• invest in a good fish spatula, stop using your “grandma’s spatula”

Summer Madness!

by cobb, May 28, 2009 | Permalink

Are you kidding me?! We have these crazy sales going on that are only going to be around for a limited time! I totally started taking advantage of this last night. Jumbo snow crab legs are on sale for $5.99lb. That’s a savings of $4! They were SO good. I steamed them for a little less than 10 minutes and they were perfect. Just a snap of the leg and the delicious crab meat just pulled right out! Oh! It was perfect!