Hi,
No reason you’d be reading this part of virtual hudson valley anymore, given the stretch of time with no content, but I thought I would at least post that we closed down comments because, well, we’re tired of deleting all the spam.At any rate, enjoy Ilana’s blog, which continues. Dean is almost done with his book, so the podcast may be revived next (this) year.
Happy new year to everyone,
Dean (and Alex and the rest of VHV)
No news yet as to when we will relaunch the podcast, but we are coming into tourism season up here. Leslie is busy in her gardens, both of them a mere 8-hours drive one from the other. Alex and I are buried under our work (which explains much of the continued podcast hiatus), and Ilana, of course, keeps trucking away on her to-do list on a regular basis over there on the events page. Make sure to visit often, and you will never find yourself bored and sitting at home, in the dark, by yourself. That’s no way to be except by choice.
Cari is also keeping busy, and that’s what this post is about. Those of you who saw the front page of the VHV website already know that Cari has a movie star shacking up on her farm, and he’s quite a stud from what I hear.
If you would like to see the brute perform, you should check out her website, cariswanson.com. Here are the sordid details:
RJ the star trick horse of the Disney classic film “Hidalgo” (2004) moves to the Hudson Valley for the summer to promote Horse Rescue, Rehabilitation and Retirement Foundation.
Come meet RJ June 9 at Windrock Farm, Amenia, NY for further details call 845.868.7944.
As I mention on the podcast, this episode is our last before the break. We may periodically post recipes here in the meantime. If you subscribe to the RSS feed, you will know whenever that happens. I would tell you how to do that, but I don’t know what browser you are using.
If you would like to hear the direct streaming feed of our most recent and still timely podcast, please click here. You can also download the show from Apple’s iTunes music store, or by using Juice, a nifty little podcast subscribing program.
This week is our 75th episode. It is our best ever, and with that we will take a little break for a couple of months to catch our collective breaths. We appreciate everyone who has listened, and we assure you we will return, likely not until the new year and not until Dean gets through a much bigger chunk of his book.
On this week’s show NY Times Garden QandA columnist Leslie Land talks up revisits breaking down the garden and magnificent winter squashes while she gets you ready to make Xmas cookies, Cari Swanson tells you about some of the amazing horse events that happen in the Valley this time of year every year, special guest Valzhyna Mort, a poet from Belarus who now lives in DC and recently visited the valley, reads her poem about white apples, Alex Tuller gets ready for fall with a nice steaming pot of rabbit stew, and we have a clip of the week from the Rhinebeck Chamber Music Society. Hosted by Dean Temple.
Please note, we are only posting shows now for one month, and may drop that to two weeks. If you want a copy of an old show you can email us here.
Please make sure to visit our contributors online:
Leslie Land
Cari Swanson
Valzhyna Mort
Ilana Papele
Dutchess County Arts Council
A POEM ABOUT WHITE APPLES
white apples, first apples of summer,
with skin as delicate as a baby’s,
crispy like white winter snow.
your smell won’t let me sleep,
this is how dead men
are haunting their murderers’ dreams.
white apples,
this is how every july the earth
gets heavier under your weight.
and here only garbage smells like garbage;
and here only tears taste like salt;
and we were picking them
like shells in green ocean gardens,
having just turned away from our mothers’ breasts
we were learning
to get to the core of everything with our teeth.
so why are our teeth like cotton balls now;
white apples,
in black waters, the fishermen,
nursed by you, are drowning.
(Read by Valzhyna on the October 19, 2006 podcast)
(As prepared and read by Big Al Tuller for the October 19, 2006 podcast)
1, 3-lb rabbit (or two smaller) Ask your butcher to cut it up for a sautee for you.
—
Marinade
1 large onion finely sliced
6 garlic cloves, crushed
3 healthy sized thyme branches
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
Pepper
1 Tbs olive oil
3 cups young, deep colored, tannic red wine
—-
Salt
Flour
4 Tbs olive oil
1 head garlic, cloves separated, uncrushed, unpeeled
Bouquet garni (lots of thyme, bay leaf, dried orange peel)
Pepper
In a large mixing bowl, mix up the rabbit pieces with all the dry ingredients for the marinade. Add olive oil and red wine to cover and let marinate for several hours. Turn the pieces over a couple of times. You can put everything into a zip lock.
When you are ready to start cooking, gather a big bowl and colander to fit inside and dump the rabbit and marinade into it. Dry the rabbit pieces, salt them and dredge in flour. Heat the olive oil in a heavy large sautaé pan and arrange the rabbit pieces and garlic. Brown on medium heat turning several times and during the process sprinkle a little extra flour over the browning pieces.
In a sauce pan, bring the marinade to a boil and then pour it over the rabbit. Scrape the pan to make sure all the bits on the bottom dissolve into the liquid. Add the bouquet garni and set to just a bare simmer with lid slightly ajar. After 30 minutes turn over the rabbit pieces. Check again in about 15 minutes. Test to see if the thigh of the rabbit is tender. If so you can remove the pan from the heat, add pepper and salt and serve.
The dish is better if prepared early in the day and allowed to sit a bit, then reheated. It is also very good if finished with the rabbit’s liver, pureed and mixed with a bit of the sauce and then reintroduced to the dish, stirring it around over low heat and letting the sauce thicken.
If you would like to hear the direct streaming feed, please click here. You can also download the show from Apple’s iTunes music store, or by using Juice, a nifty little podcast subscribing program.
On this week’s show NY Times Garden QandA columnist Leslie Land talks up autumn light, leveling the garden and saving the winter squashes, Alex Tuller has to do something with all that parsley in the garden, and that something is her mother’s remarkable parsley soup, and we have Ilana Papele’s list of things way too great to miss in the Hudson Valley. Hosted by Dean Temple.
Please note, we are only posting shows now for one month, and may drop that to two weeks. If you want a copy of an old show you can email us here.
Please make sure to visit our contributors online:
Leslie Land
Cari Swanson
Ilana Papele
Dutchess County Arts Council
(As prepared and revealed by Alex Tuller on the October 12, 2006 podcast)
What to do with a ton of parsley? This is a very versatile soup that is easy to prepare and tastes great either cold or hot.
4 c chicken stock
1 lb white potatoes, skin on, sliced
1 c yellow onion chopped
2 T butter
2 giant handfuls parsley, washed and thick stems trimmed off
1/2 c half & half
salt
white pepper
1 T soy sauce
1 T lemon juice (or to taste)
Bring the stock to a simmer. In a large sautaé pan over medium heat sautaé the onions and sliced potatoes in the butter for about 3-4 minutes. Add a little salt during this process. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Lower temperature and simmer for 10 minutes. Add parsley, bring back to a boil, then reduce to simmer and let cook until everything is soft.
Puree in batches in blender. Returning to a pot, add half and half, soy sauce, lemon juice, salt, pepper and gently reheat. Taste, adjust seasoning. Serve.
Next week’s show (for October 19th) will be our 75th podcast. That’s a lot – and with very few breaks – and we figure it’s time for a breather. So with that in mind, we will be taking a short hiatus, possibly until Jan 2007, possibly less. A lot of it depends on how much progress Dean makes on his book and how quickly.
In that time we will think about the show and what we might want to do to make it even better. If you have suggestions we would love to hear them.
Ilana’s list of things to do in the Hudson Valley will continue, of course. You can always find it at virtualhudsonvalley.com. Leslie’s and Cari’s blogs will continue uninterrupted. Dean and Alex will continue to eat, so there may still be recipes. There may even be the occasional special episode. Subscribe to the RSS feed and you won’t miss a thing.
Enjoy the next two shows, and thank you for listening.
If you would like to hear the direct streaming feed, please click here. You can also download the show from Apple’s iTunes music store, or by using Juice, a nifty little podcast subscribing program.
On this week’s NY Times Garden QandA columnist Leslie Land continues her push for spring bulbs with the often underrated by magical family of alliums, Cari Swanson starts getting ready for one of the biggest horse events of the year – the Equine Affair in Western Mass, Alex Tuller poaches pears fresh from local farms for your dessert, and we have Ilana Papele’s list of things way too great to miss in the Hudson Valley. Hosted by Dean Temple.
Please note, we are only posting shows now for one month, and may drop that to two weeks. If you want a copy of an old show you can email us here.
Please make sure to visit our contributors online:
Leslie Land
Cari Swanson
Ilana Papele
Dutchess County Arts Council
(As prepared and presented by Alex Tuller on the October 5, 2006 podcast)
This is a very easy dessert and Fall is the time to make it because the pears are in season and you can probably find a sweet fortified wine from a local winery that would work well for the syrup.
This recipe is from Marolyn Charpentier, the Vagabond Gourmand. Visit her online at the vagabondgourmand.com.
Make the syrup at least 12 hours in advance or a day ahead:
12 fl oz (1 1/2 c) water
8 oz (1 cup) sugar
1 cinnamon stick
4 star anise
1/2 vanilla bean
4 fl oz Madeira
Mix the water, sugar and spices together in a small sauce pan, bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the Madeira and simmer for another 10 minutes. Pull off the heat and let sit.
4 firm local pears (you want them just under ripe)
Juice of one lemon keeps the fruit from browning
Slice the pears in half and peel and core them. Try to leave the stems on, it is pretty for the presentation. Toss with a little lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Reheat the sauce and poach the pears (make sure the syrup comes up about 1/2-3/4 of the way up the pears) for 10 minutes. Test to feel doneness, the pears should still be firm and hold their shape. When done, gently remove them from the syrup, let cool and then respoon syrup over them, cover and place in the refrigerator to chill.
To serve, dish 2 pear halves per person and spoon syrup over them.