Photo by John D. Ivanko / farmsteadchef.comLisa learned to make Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Chef Alice Weingarten at a food and wine fete in the Florida keys .
Our culinary change of location , or food touristry , brings us case - to - face with chefs , farmers , brewer and fishwife , offering a unique chance to taste a Modern dish , discover a new technique from a chef or cultivate a more discerning palate . When island hopping through the Florida Keys , we were invite to give ear two delicious food - and - wine festivals showcasing local culinary art paired with wine , spirits or beer — in venue that many might call Eden . Along our journey , we learned how to cook Lionfish ceviche , knife - tempting roux for gumbo soup and Vietnamese spring rolls .
TheKey Largo and Islamorada Food and Wine Festival ’s signature issue , The Grand Tasting , offered us the opportunity to try Chef Anil Dedier ’s crab - stuffed Mahi Mahi with a lobster bisque from the Key Largo Conch House , southern pickled half-pint from the Sundowners , and brandy apple pork chops from Island Grill . Yes , we ’re planning to share a few of these southern , Floridian and coastal recipe in the coming month .
Photo by John D. Ivanko / farmsteadchef.comChef Ben Coole , of Ziggie and Mad Dog ’s in Islamorada , Fla. , prepares his New Orleans Abelmoschus esculentus , which need a hefty amount of longanimity and stirring to allow the spices to blend in .
In one cooking class , Ziggie & Mad Dog ’s Chef Ben Coole revealed his secret to making a great roux for his New Orleans okra : forbearance to let the subtle flavour to immix together — and mass of inspiration . “ That ’s why I jazz Louisiana preparation so much , ” he said with a gag . “ There are so many flavors mob on top of each other . ” In terms of spices , he cautions , “ Practice the prosperous rule : Taste as you go . You ca n’t take [ the spice ] out , once you put it in . ”
Food Festival No . 2 : Key WestPhoto by John D. Ivanko / farmsteadchef.comAt the Key West Food and Wine Festival , foodie can travel around the city via cycle to taste the culinary creative activity .
Later in January , theKey West Food and Wine Festivaltransformed the small island into a profusion of flavors , aromas , textures and tunes . From the barefoot beach party to wine taste and food sampling along the far-famed Duval Street , the master arteria of tourism on the island , every day ’s culinary escapade were unlike . We found terrace tucked in the back of restaurants and a celebratory Grand Tasting in the Key West Sculpture Garden , where we claim in the sundown , entertained by jugglers and fire spinners .
Photo by John D. Ivanko / farmsteadchef.comAt the Key West Festival ’s Seafood Shakedown , Linda Test , Piper Smith and Chris Belland prepare a seafood - style paella .
To the tune of steel drum , we participated in the festival ’s Seafood Shakedown where area home Cook donned aprons and chef ’s hats and whipped up dish featuring Key West pinkish peewee . Our best-loved formula , Chris Belland ’s Paella de “ Los Camarones , ” wondrous blended local shrimp , calamari and snapper with organic tomatoes , onions and peas . If Chris ever decide to trench his famous Conch Tour Train initiative , he has a gravid nightfall - back post as a chef in a restaurant he has yet to open . We liked his dish so much , we make do to get Chris to partake in his formula below .
Each festival cater the chance to elbow with chefs , attend out like the locals and savor our fill of some of the best cooking and drinks around . As the local saying goes : Tourists savor the seafood ; the locals eat the steak . We sample both .
food for thought Festivals AboundThe Sunshine State hardly has a monopoly on food - and - vino festivals , which bit into the tens of thousand across the U.S. The World Food Travel Association , an industry leader in culinary travel , shape to preserve and promote food locomotion of all sort . In Wisconsin , give way all our cheese and beer , we have the Reedsburg Fermentation Festival : A Live Culture Convergence , keep every fall . Capturing the pulse rate of the “ live foods ” movement afoot , organiser , Donna Neuwirth , has discovered a way to ferment art , Department of Agriculture and food in a way that bridge our connection to the land and to the bacterial world that prosper all around us .
Next hebdomad , we ’re lead to Localicious in Chicago , a culinary celebration at theGood Food Festival , where we ’ll be babble out about urban homesteading while reconnecting with other foodie friends , like the Osmunds , who operateCedar Valley Sustainable Farm , and Helen and Michael Cameron , owners ofUncommon Ground .
Until you’re able to get to a food festival near you , examine out Belland ’s paella formula . If you do n’t live in Florida , where you may snarf , fascinate or spear the seafood yourself , try choose seafood from sustainable seed include those manifest by theMarine Stewardship CouncilorFishwise .
Recipe : Paella de “ Los Camarones”Courtesy Chris Belland , Conch Train Tours
Photo by John D. Ivanko / farmsteadchef.com
“ At a service department sale in Key West three years ago , we get upon the goat god you see us using today and knew it had one purpose , and that was to make paella on an open grillroom like we had visualize in Spain , ” say Belland . link up at the Key West Food and Wine Festival ’s Seafood Shakedown by his wife , Piper Smith , and co - worker Linda Test .
“ No two paellas we make are ever the same , ” Piper tell . “ We utilize ingredients that are in season . In January , lobster and Harlan Stone crab were in season , so we used them in our paella . In the summer , we are n’t so lucky . ” The great affair about paella , Belland say , is that you may use many different ingredient , not just seafood . Beef , volaille or even vegetarian paella can be prepare with great success . For paella supplies , such as Bomba rice , smoke pimento and piquillo white pepper , he recommends buying products throughLa Tienda .
Yield:8 to 10 servings
component
PreparationHeat an 18- to 22 - inch paella pan over medium - high heat . tally olive oil and heating system until smoke . Add shrimp and misrepresent until favourable John Brown on both sides , about 3 minutes per side . transport to a plate and ready aside .
total onion to pan and cook until voiced , about 8 minutes . excite tomato purée into onions and cook for 3 minute . Add salt , saffron , pimento and calamari , and cook , stirring , for 5 arcminute , or until the calamari firms up slightly .
bestow the breed , and bring to boil . ready for 5 minutes .
Add rice and stir well to distribute it equally . Add pea , peppers , chorizo and all the persist seafood besides shrimp , until distributed equally . Bring back to roil , and cook , without conjure , for 10 minutes .
re-introduce shrimp to paella . tot up salt to taste if need , then fix without stirring for 10 to 15 more minutes , or until the liquidity is almost completely steep and pan starts to make crackling noise . ( Do n’t concern , this is OK . ) Remove pan from hotness , and let rest for 10 minute before serving .
Savoring the near aliveness ,
< < More Farmstead Chef > >
