Bellvale Farms Creamery

WOW!

Took the family for a nice drive to upstate NY, about an hours drive from Bronxville, NY.

stopped at a few farms along the way and found this gem.

 Bellvale Creamery has its own cows and then uses the cream to make ice cream. That's all they do. Unbelievable. about 30 cows does the trick, It was the BEST ice cream I have ever had , and I am an ice cream buff. I had the coffee, baby had vanilla and mommy had pistachio.

 

http://bellvalefarms.com/creamery.html

 Bellvale Creamery on the top of Mt. Peter is a "must-stop,” even for hikers on the Appalachian Trail, which passes through from New Jersey into Harriman State Park. Their ice cream is beyond fabulous, attests this writer – homemade – with dangerously addictive, yummy flavors, (one with chunks of fudge inside) and the view over Warwick is great.

First, the aroma of fresh-baked waffle cones greets you as you walk through the door. Then you might notice some of the delectable, seasonal berries that could be in any one of the more than 20 flavors of ice cream.

Locavore Salad

I am trying to eat food that is locally grown and in season. When you eat this way you are considered a Locavore. I guess it can be considered trendy, but I feel this is the way it should be. It seems natural to eat food that is locally grown.

This salad I created yesterday contained locally grown baby fennel from Satur Farms on Long Island NY. They were soooo full of flavor and fresh.

The tomatoes from another local farm in NY are called "sungold" cherry tomatoes from Pedersen Farm.
They grow vegetables and plant and run a farm stand at the southeast tip of Lake Chautauqua.

The cucumbers were from Wells Homestead Acres, an 11th-generation farmer in Riverhead, NY. Lyle Wells grows asparagus in the spring, zucchini in the summer and squash in the autumn.

I dressed all in an EVOO and red wine vinaigrette. Delicious!

So do what you can to make your next meal a local event!

P.S. I got all these great foods from FreshDirect.Com.

Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana

Pizza has been on a tear recently. Everyone and his brother can tell you where the best pie is.
From Coal to wood and gas fired. Ovens handmade in place or imported from Italy, its all out there.
Frank Pepe's has been around since 1925 and has recently opened a new location in Yonkers, NY.
Great place with a limited menu of just pizza, salad and drink.
On this night we had their famous clam pie with no cheese and no sauce and a plain with cheese. Both pies were awesome!
The crust is both crispy and chewy with the right amount of black burn underneath from the coal ovens.
The pies come severed on paper on a sheet pan.
Check it out the web sit listed here http://www.pepespizzeria.com/index.php . If you get a chance and go you will not be disappointed.

Pasta al Pesto

 

It's hard to believe that this tasty dish is so easy to prepare and with very few ingredients.

Pasta, in this case Linguine, is enrobed with basil, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt and pine nuts.

I stopped measuring for this recipe a long time ago but it goes something like this.

- Fill your blender with fresh washed and dried basil leaves.

- add one clove of garlic, cut into 2-3 pieces.

- add about 3-4 tablespoons of cheese either pecorino romano or parmesean.

- pulse the blender while streaming in EV olive oil until it starts to churn on its own about 1 to 1 1/2      cups of oil.

This will make about 2 cups of sauce for about 1 pound of pasta.

While the pasta is boiling, lightly toast pine nuts until golden brown.

Mix the drained pasta with the sauce and sprinkle the pine nuts over the top. 

ENJOY!

-A nice variation is to add split raw cherry tomatoes and grilled shrimp to top the pasta.

 

Sunday Supper

Again it simplicity. For this Sunday it's red sauce over pasta, breaded chicken cutlets and and green salad.

For the sauce, I used a can of whole peeled plum tomatoes from DOP San Marzano. Today we used Cento brand.

I poured the can into a blender and on high speed let it go for about 1 minute. Meanwhile I browned a clove of garlic, peeled and cut into 2-3 pieces, in some olive oil. When the garlic was a little browned I poured the sauce from the blender to the post and let it simmer for about 45 minutes.

I boiled the pasta. Today it is a brand I bought at Eataly in a blue bag called  Gragnano - Alfeltra.

I like a little grated Locatelli over the top.

For the Chicken cutlet I bought no hormone no antibiotic chicken breast. Skinless and boneless. Then I butterfly them to the thickness that I like and pound a little more.

I dredge them in an 2 beaten eggs (pastured). Then I dredge them in a mixture of plain breadcrumbs, Locatelli cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Then I fry in olive oil until nicely golden brown. I will hold them in a warm oven while I fry in batches. 

Enjoy.

Poolside Steaks

Simplicity at it's best!

These came from FreshDirect.com. Shipped out to Amagansett, NY shrink wrapped in a thick ply vacuum pack. I ordered them as 1 1/2" thick bone in NY Strip steaks. OMG. Let me tell you folks, I don't know if it was the fresh sea air or the steaks but these were the best steaks I ever ate, in my life. I cancelled a reservation at The Palm because I know I will be disappointed after these steaks.

Fresh Direct 1 1/2" thick bone in NY Strips

Here is the simplicity. Just give them a heavy dose of Kosher salt on each side and let them sit as the coals get ready. That's it!

Then throw them on a real hot grill. A glass of Cote du Rhone will help the chef.

hot grill - cote du rhone

Here is my grilling trick. I call it the 2 minute trick.

I only cook for 2 minutes each side at a time until its done. Ok here is how it works.

For my 1 1/2" thick bone ins, I am thinking around 6 minutes per side, with the grill hood off, for perfect med rare towards med not towards rare.  So I cook 2 minutes TURN, 2minutes TURN, 2minutes TURN, 2 minutes TURN, 2 minutes TURN, 2 minutes DONE.

Poolside Steaks

Lobster After Labor Day

Lobster After Labor Day

 

 

 

 

There is NO law that says you can't have lobster after labor day.  These were very good but I do believe the best lobster is found in the winter months. I think it has to do with the harder shell and colder water. We have had them in the beginning og the Summer but at this time of year they are a bit different. These we had today had very soft shell. I could actually snap and then tear the claws apart. I did not need a craker at all. The meat was very sweet and tasty. We dipped the meat in melted butter that we spiked with fresh lemon juice.
The potatoes that we boiled were locally grown in cutchouge, NY. Amagansett is a beautiful place any time of year. The bi-colored was from Altobelli Family Farms very sweet. Also locally grown.