Harper Farms - Mirai Corn and Other Fine Produce

There's corn, and then there's sweet corn. And then, off in a category all its own, there's Mirai, or as I like to call it, the crack of corn. It's so tender and sweet, it can be eaten raw and still blow away most other sweet corns. It is marketed along with fruits as a dessert in Japan, where the Mirai name comes from (it has double meaning - both "taste" and "future", so it means something like "taste the future").

Behold the golden kernels of Mirai- the perfect eating corn. Wait... Do you hear that music? It sounds... like a chorus of angels... And where's that bright light coming from?

Yeah, I'll admit it. I'm addicted to Mirai corn. But don't think I'm saying that to join any support group. I'm enjoying this addiction guilt free. Fortunately, it's totally legal, and I have a steady supply available from a local farm stand. I'm lucky enough to live near Harper Farms, and even luckier to pass by it twice each day - it's conveniently located directly along my commute down Rt. 117.

A bin of Mirai corn at Harper Farms waits for me to come take it home. I won't let it down.

Harper Farms has been there over 100 years, and is now a 5th generation family operation. So I guess they know a thing or two about how to grow stuff in central MA. On a good day, I'll pull in on my way to work, just as the corn is coming in from the fields, and then I'll eat it for lunch that day. From field to stomach in less than 5 hours - now that's fresh baby! It may not be the absolute best way to cook corn, but 3 minutes in the cafeteria microwave makes me and my fresh corn the envy of my colleagues. Every. Single. Time.

Corn coming in from the fields in the morning at Harper Farms. I've hyped this stuff so much at work that I've become a corn mule. Everyone wants a piece of this action.

I'm sure you've heard the old cliche (or maybe even said it yourself), "Oohh ho ho! That corn is sooo sweet it doesn't need any butter or salt on it!" Well what a load of crap. Sure, it may not need butter and salt, but butter and salt make great corn taste even better. Why settle for great when you can have epic?

Mirai corn may be great on its own, but don't deprive yourself of one of life's rare treasures. Butter and salt are the perfect compliment to this amazing corn. Just do it.

If Harper Farms only delivered corn, it would still be worth seeking out. As it is, however, they have a ton of other great fruit and vegetable products, at very reasonable prices. Sure, they have standards like lettuce, green beans, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, and fresh herbs. But they also grow a cornucopia of exotic varieties like heirloom tomatoes, purple green beans, and thai eggplant. These are the interesting things that make a farmer's market so exciting to shop at.

Heirloom tomato varietal names are as colorful as the tomatoes themselves. Here we have black prince, green zebra, and striped cavern to name a few. Not only do they taste better, but at Harper Farms they cost less than the standard supermarket swill.

Thai eggplants are beautiful, with green and white patterns covering the golf ball sized fruit.

Lettuce, chard, squash, peppers - whatever your bag is, Harper Farms delivers quality locally farmed products. And you won't leave feeling like somebody stole your wallet.

Don't take my word for it - there's still some time left to get yourself some amazing corn before the end of the season, but time is running out. Supply is limited, so it's a good idea to call ahead if you're coming a long way. It's worth the trip!

Harper Farms
1539 Main St (Rt 117)
Lancaster, MA 01523
978-840-0258

Going Local - A Pork is My Friend Series

Index Last Updated: 09.13.08

I've been halfway around the world and have the stories and photos to prove it. And while it's great to blow a wad of cash on an exotic dining experience every once in a while, that's certainly not something I can do every day. So where do I go when I'm not on the road, when I'm just living normal life like everyone else? Where and what do I like to eat when I'm home? Well, it's about time you'd asked.

To aswer that question, I'm starting a series of posts, Going Local, to share my favorite places to hit up on a regular basis. I live and work in the Greater Boston area (the western suburbs, to be exact) so naturally most of my frequent haunts will be out that way. I do get into the city every once in a while though, and I'll make it a point to include some of those spots in time. Unlike most of my foreign experiences, these are places I've visited many, many times. If I still want to keep coming back, they must be doing something right.

For convenience, I'll be updating this post with links to each entry as it is posted, so it functions as an index of sorts.

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- Harper Farms, Lunenburg, MA - Great farm stand with the absolute best corn ever (9.13.08)

Paul Bertolli's Perfect Gnocchi: So Easy, a 2-Year Old Can Do It

When I went on a food book buying spree a few months ago, I picked up Paul Bertolli's outstanding Cooking By Hand, which has been on my radar for quite some time. I had borrowed this book from the library a few years back when I decided to start curing meat at home (there is a chapter dedicated to the craft, which Bertolli has pretty much perfected - but that's a story for another day). Not simply a collection of adapted recipes, this book is more like a compilation of essays, taking the reader deep into the thought process and philosophy of Bertolli's cooking. From pasta, to dessert, even to rediscovery of simple classics (a chapter aptly named "Cleaning the Fresco"), Bertolli provides complex analysis down to the seemingly insignificant minutiae that clearly demonstrate the makeup of a master chef.

The prose could be considered excessive and self-indulgent by some (get to the recipes already!), but that thinking would be missing the point of this book. Besides, the careful descriptions of each detailed step and its overall role in the finished product were tremendously educational, and kept me riveted. Nowhere was this more evident than in his writeup on classic potato gnocchi. I was attracted to this item right away, as it appeared to be one of the simpler preparations in the book, not to mention that I love to eat them. The poetic description of the virtues of this gnocchi recipe was quite compelling.

I feel obligated not to reprint the exact recipe, lest the copyright police stage a raid and lock me up. Get the book from the library, or better yet, buy it. This one dish is worth the price alone. The ingredients are pretty standard - starchy potatoes (like russets), flour, salt, and egg. The real magic, I think, is in the technique to bring these all together.

To prepare the potatoes: Boil the potatoes in their skins until fork tender. Drain and let cool only until you can handle them without burning your hands. Peel and rice them.

While the potatoes are still warm, add flour and egg. Kneed gently into a dough, being careful not to overwork it (don't want to develop too much gluten, okay?). Now the fun part begins.

I have fond memories of gnocchi making parties when I was a kid. And my 2-year old daughter loves to help me out in the kitchen (here she is making me proud by helping me cure some bacon), so it seemed a natural time to draw on here eagerness to help.

Rolling the gnocchi dough - Once the dough is ready, section into smaller pieces and roll into ropes, or "snakes" as my daughter likes to call them. 1/2" diameter is about right.

Cutting the gnocchi rope - Cut each rope into 1" long pieces. Make sure to keep them well floured during this stage. Look at that tiny, flour coated hand. Makes me want to weep.

Texturing the gnocchi - You can use a fancy gnocchi board to do this, but I find it works just fine with a fork, or a cheese grater, or anything else with a coarse texture. Texturing the outside of the gnocchi is not mandatory, but it does help to make a sauce adhere better. Just place a piece on the fork, lightly press your thumb and roll. This creates a little pocket on the inside, and a craggy texture on the outside.

A completed gnocco - Look at the look of concentration from my young sous chef. Impressive.

Elisabeth making a gnocchi "snake" - "I want to do it myself only, daddy!" And I tell you what, she made a darn good one. What can I say - she's got mad skillz.

Gnocchi sauteeing in brown butter - After a quick boil in generously salted water (they're done when they float up to the surface), the gnocchi were drained and tossed in a sautee pan into some brown butter. Not burned butter, but brown butter - important distinction. Sautee until the gnocchi begin to color. You could add sage or some other herbs here if you want. I skipped the green stuff and went straight up this time.

Perfectly cooked gnocchi, with a generous helping of Parmigiano Reggiano - Now that's what I'm talking about! If you've done it right, these morsels will be fluffy and soft. Oh, and they'll taste great too.

These were some of the best gnocchi I have ever made. My wife certainly thought that they were the softest and fluffiest, and I really couldn't disagree. In a word, they were, well, perfect. If you need to solve your gnocchi woes, do yourself a favor and check out Paul Bertolli's Cooking By Hand. After all, if Elisabeth can do it...

Stopover at Tokyo Narita International (NRT)

My extra stop at Tokyo Narita was much more of an adventure than it was a hassle for me. I was psyched at the prospect of getting some sushi on the ground, which despite being "airport sushi," is authentic Japanese sushi nonetheless. As it turned out, there is a sushi bar in the international transfer area, and it is quite good. They offer dine in service as well as take out. Seeing that I had access to the ANA lounge, courtesy of my business class ticket, as well as its complimentary Sake bar, I thought that take out would be the wise choice. Besides, there was a sumo match on TV, and come on, who can resist the sight of large, round Japanese men push each other around the floor? Not me.

Sushi at Tokyo/Narita - This may be airport sushi, but the quality level was first rate. From left to right: Horse mackerel (aji-saba), kanpachi, chu toro, red snapper (tai), otoro. Above the sushi is a fine cup of junmai-shu sake, courtesy of ANA. The prices were quite reasonable for how good this plate was. I look forward to diverting myself through Narita again soon.

Engrish Hello Kitty Toy - It's funny enough that a toy would declare itself "Boring," but it didn't click with me until a month later that this was actually supposed to be a "Bowling" toy (the Japanese reads "bo-ri-n-gu" and "su-to-ra-i-ku"). I just about busted open when it finally hit me. This item was for sale at one of the gift shops in the international terminal.

Japanease Seafood Chips - Made with real fish, shrimp, crab, squid, etc., these crisps are outstanding. Basically, the seafood is ground up and mixed with rice flour, then formed into a crisp and fried. The best way to describe the flavor is to imagine eating fried fish, but in potato chip form. Some chips have whole dried creatures pressed into them (a couple of shrimp and a squid can be seen in the chips in this photo). The black one is flavored with squid ink. The crab ones and the wasabi ones are really good, too. I picked these up at a gift shop at Narita.

The ANA Experience - Narita/Taipei (NRT/TPE) Route

My tickets were booked a bit late for my trip to Taiwan, so I ended up with an extra stopover at Tokyo Narita, then continuing on ANA (All Nippon Airways) to and from Taipei. It was my first experience with a Japanese airline, and I was generally impressed with the courteous service and food selection.

ANA Japanese Dinner, NRT to TPE - Clockwise from top left: Firefly squid with crab, beef and vegetable galantine with grilled tofu, Japanese pickles (radish, etc.), kelp cured shrimp and flounder sashimi, fried rockfish and vegetables with rice. There is also miso soup in the black bowl, and a dessert in the paper in the middle of the plate. And notice the bottle of sake in the upper right corner. Nice touch.

Salt-Boiled Firefly Squid (Hotaru Ika) and Swimming Crabmeat with Tosa Vinegar - Firefly squid congregate en masse off the coast of Japan each spring to spawn, creating a spectacular light show due to their natural phosphorescence. They are a sign of spring, and were celebrated on the May business class menu on ANA. Here, they were lightly boiled and served with crabmeat, some kind of sea tasting jelly, and something that reminded me of jellyfish. The taste was light, if not a bit fishy. The crab and sea jelly were pretty tasty, and the jellyfish add texture mostly, not much taste there.

Airplane Sashimi - Pink Shrimp and Kelp Cured Flounder - These were lightly vinegared to help preserve them, as they obviously have to be kept in storage for some time before service. Although not like sitting at a sushi bar, these morsels still were enjoyable, and a nice luxury at 30,000 ft.

ANA Japanese Dinner, TPE to NRT - Clockwise from top left: Soba noodles, Japanese pickles, appatizer dish (tamago omlet, pistachio crusted shrimp, fruit jelly, tiny dried fish), green tea mochi cake, fruit plate, beef and vegetables with rice. Again, there was miso soup, and sake.

Mandarin Lesson... In Japanese - The on demand entertainment system was convenient, so I thought I would pull up a learn Mandarin lesson to stay sharp. Turned out that it was only available in Japanese, which made for interesting viewing. I probably picked up more Japanese than I did Mandarin. For example, did you know that the Japanese word for "credit card" is "ku-re-di-to ka-a-do?" Well, now you do.

Taipei's Night Markets- Shilin et al.

Taiwan is well known for its street markets, and rightfully so. The many outsiders who have inhabited Taiwan over the course of its history may be gone, but their contributions to the culinary landscape are undoubtedly left behind. Taiwan's street food is considered by many to be the most interesting and vibrant of all in the Chinese world.

As any self respecting food-obsessed traveler would do, I hit the streets to explore these local food traditions myself. All the research I did before arriving pointed me to the most well known of Taipei's markets - Shilin Night Market.

Approaching Shilin Night Market - Every street around here was packed full of people. I'm guessing Friday night probably wasn't the best time to check this place out.

Bubble Tea - From the looks of the crowd, I was going to need to keep my game face on if I wanted to keep pace. I decided to pick up a drink to keep myself cool and alert. An amazing variety of exotic fresh fruits were waiting to be blitzed into refreshing beverages. But here in the home of the bubble tea, my choice was clear. Sweet, marble-sized pearls of tapioca collect at the bottom of a glass of sweetened milk tea, waiting to be sucked up by the gargantuan straw.

Shilin Market Food Hall - The only indoor part of the market houses a cornucopia of dining establishments. This is where you can pick up well known classics like oyster omlets and stinky tofu. You know, if that kind of thing floats your boat.

I had my wallet in a stranglehold in hopes of keeping it from hitching a ride with some nice stranger who might happen to bump into me in the street.

Claustrophobes beware! If you want to get a good deal, you're gonna have to brave the sea of people. On second thought, is this stuff really worth the hassle? Among the flotsam and jetsam lie a few great deals, no doubt, but it can take some time to separate the wheat from the chaff.

These glazed strawberries and tomatoes certainly look appealing. It always surprises me when tomatoes are included on a dessert fruit plate after a meal, which is fairly often. You would think I'd be used to that by now.

Sugar Roasted Corn - After a coating of sugar is applied, these pieces of corn are grilled over a charcoal fire to carmelize the sugar into a candy-like skin. Sweet! How come I've never thought to do that?

There are sausages, and then, there are SAUSAGES. This one qualifies as a SAUSAGE, for sure. I mean, look, these beauties are bigger than that girl's arm. I love the Chinese title - "Big Sausages" is the translation, but the literal text says "big fragrant intestine." If that doesn't whet your appetite, I don't know what will.

Besides Shilin, countless smaller street markets dot the landscape of Taipei, making this type of shopping a part of everyday life for the locals. These next photos come from a different street market, close to the office I was working at. I did ask the name of this place, but I neglected to write it down so I'm afraid it will have to remain nameless for the time being.

Organ and Innards Assortment - I can always tell when a shop is geared towards local customers, rather than western tourists like myself. But with this cart, loaded with liver, testicles, and other such tasties waiting to be soupified, I just can't tell for certain...

Really, Really Fresh Chicken - Um excuse me sir, I think you forgot your chicken head. There was just something disturbingly humerous to me about the severed chicken head sitting there on the table, with the cage full of chickens staring back as they await their fate thinking, "Oh, crap."

Griddle Cake - These pancake-like treats are cooked up in small circular molds. I didn't eat one, but they sure looked good. Pretty sure these were organ free.

Bell Fruit or Wax Apple - These tropical tree fruits are limited to Taiwan and a few other (mostly southeast Asian) locales. They are crisp and crunchy, mildly sweet, juicy, and very light and airy in texture. They were a nice, refreshing snack to help beat back the heat of the day.

Silks House - A Cantonese Gem in Taipei

I was fortunate enough to be treated to a most excellent Cantonese dinner on my last night in Taipei. The elegant Regent Grand Formosa is home to Silks House (晶華軒 for those who need to know).

This was a rather formal gathering, and the sophisticated decor and surroundings made me think about how tacky it would be to whip out the camera for an impromptu photo shoot during dinner. So I passed up snapping the first couple of courses, until my host, who understands my passion for all things edible, encouraged me to be free to disturb the ambiance and take pictures. I'm glad I did, as this meal was truly outstanding.

The dinner started out, as most Chinese dinners do, with a handful of apetizers circling the table on a giant lazy susan. Two standouts were whole water chestnuts, unpeeled, with a black skin around the edible white bulb part. I have only had the canned variety before, and let me tell you, these were nothing like those insipid excuses for food. Super sweet, crunchy, and crisp, every bite was an absolute delight. The second was dried scallop and turnip cakes - fried cubes of this pureed combo packed with explosive flavor. Their crispy exterior gave way to a soft interior that melted in the mouth, leaving a taste of fried goodness enhanced by the wonderful sweetness of the scallops. I would go back to this place just for these two things.

Appetizer Assortment - Clockwise from top left: Stuffed bean curd with dried candied tomato, lettuce salad, rolled chicken, smoked salmon. After the first two apps (you can see the black skins of the water chestnuts in the top of this photo), this dish was just okay for me. The candied tomato was a nice, unexpected twist, but other than that these items were rather straightforward.

Double Boiled Shark Fin Soup with Coconut - This, on the other hand, was spectacular. The perfectly executed broth was beautifully complex, yet clear and refined. Soft coconut added a pleasant sweetness, a perfect compliment, not overpowering in the least. And last, the shark fin, presented whole in its original shape. I've had shark fin previously, but this was the first time it didn't remind me of undercooked, flavorless noodles. Instead, each bite was soft and gelatinous (sounds gross, but it wasn't - promise), like eating the fat or cartilage off of a confit piece of duck. Its own flavor was subtle, having absorbed the flavors of the broth. I am aware of the controversy surrounding this delicacy, and encourage each person to make up their own mind on whether or not to eat it.

At this point in the meal, we were treated to roasted duck, Grand Formosa Style. This version was unique from other roasted duck dishes I have eaten before in that the pancake wrappers were made with whole grain oats, and the veggie accompaniments included thinly sliced ginger. Oh, and the duck itself was excellent - with beautiful crispy skin that simply shattered when eaten.

Sweet and Sour Short Rib - It's rare to find such a perfectly balanced sweet and sour dish as this one was, maybe impossible where I live, anyways. The beef rib was cooked nicely, still pink in the middle, with a semi-crisp outside. The soft cooked onions added a nice lift to each tender bite.

Steamed Grouper with Shiitake and Bacon - If there was one Chinese cooking technique I wish I could stuff in my suitcase and bring home with me, it would be how to create such amazingly perfect steamed fish. It renders the flesh a lovely soft texture, just one tick past "raw" and into "cooked" territory on the doneness scale. The fattiness of the fish adds an incredible, rich flavor when cooked this way. A soy based sauce accompanied this version, as is typical. But the harsh saltiness of raw soy sauce is somehow tamed to create a light, yet flavorful broth. So all this and then you go and add bacon? Genius. Obligation requires that I point out that the tofu, as is often the case, was utterly tasteless.

Braised Spare Rib with Rice - I have to admit to a certain disdain for plain white rice. But there are exceptions to every rule (sushi rice being the prime example), and this may be the biggest of all time for me. This rice was absolutely, without qualification superb. Not starchy, nor gummy. Not so sticky that it clumps together, yet with enough bind to give the illusion of creaminess. And al dente bite and subtle sweetness were the final elements needed to create the perfect white rice. Notice the fatty juiciness of the spare rib permeating the rice. Oh yeah. The braised meat was fall-off-the-bone tender, with the fat cooked long enough to become soft and flavorful. I now, for the first time ever in life, understand the rationale for putting some cooked item on top of a bed of rice. I'm utterly ruined.

Black Rice and Almond Dessert - This is not your average rice pudding, that's for sure. This nicely sweet (sweetened condensed milk?) porridge-like dessert featured the nuttiness of "forbidden" black rice enhanced with almond paste. It was rather rich, and provided a filling end to this fantastic meal. The deep purple color is derived naturally from the black rice, which turns this color when cooked.

Over the past 3 years, I've eaten a lot of Cantonese food. I'm happy to report that this was one of the best of such meals that I have had the pleasure of adding to my waistline. It ranks up in my top 5 list of Cantonese restaurants in Southeast Asia that I have visited. When I find myself back in Taipei, this place will most definitely find its way onto my itinerary once again.

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Have you been to Silks House? Please comment and let me know what you thought!

Food I Ate in Taipei

Simple title, simple post. No elegant wordsmithing here. Just a bunch of photos of stuff I ate while I was in Taipei. This covers most typical meals I ate, but I'm saving a couple of special things for future posts - one about a fantastic dinner at the Silk House, and another about foods of the night markets. Enjoy!

Taiwanese Chicken Rolls - Chicken spiced with cinnamon(?) stuffed with some vegetable matter (water chestnuts, etc.) into a thin dough skin, then rolled up and fried. My hosts told me that this is a Taiwanese specialty. They were quite good, with a thin crispy skin that was very light and flakey. The English on the menu read "Chicken Rools." Nice.

Black Chicken (Silkie) - Not only is the skin black, but the bones are too (the Chinese name translates to "black boned chicken"). Even the meat is tinged with blackness and appears a vibrant, bright (if there is such a thing) grey. The feathers, on the other hand, are typically pure white. I had a simply prepared steamed black chicken that was juicy and delicious. It was much more flavorful than a typical chicken. Afterthought - as I'm proofreading this, I realize that I didn't even comment on the presence of the chicken heads. I've been to Asia way too many times now.

Yakitori Bar - Japanese influence, and therefore, food, is common in Taiwan. One evening we headed out for yakitori to this place, called Japan, Taiwan. I was glad to see the grill pit full of real wood coals, with lots of skewered items sizzling away.

Grilled Intestines, Shrimp, Beef, and Fish - The excitement of the charcoal grill was equal and opposite to my anti-excitement upon seeing the lovely skewer of pig intestines on my plate. A colleague assured me that they were crispy and delicious when prepared this way. So against my better judgement, I grabbed the stick and tore into a hunk of pig colon. The first sensation was of a crispy exterior and a nice charred fatty taste - not bad at all! As I kept chewing, the pleasant taste melted away leaving a chewy bundle of fatty tissue in my mouth. More chewing... Wow... that sure does taste a little funky... Chew, chew, chew... Hmmmm... This sort of fecal aroma wafted across my palate. Yup, I could definitely tell what I was eating. Yeah, just too fecal for me. Those fish, by the way, have bellies full of roe. Very fishy. I was instructed to eat them with a bite into the belly first. Also not one of my favorites. The shrimp and beef were great, though.

Shrimp and Crab Hand Rolls - I had these tasty bundles for lunch one day along with a fantastic Japanese noodle bowl. Soup broth on this side of the world is amazingly flavorfull and complex. I have to figure out how to make that at home. No imitation crab in these rolls, by the way. The real thing makes all the difference.

We went to a Yunnan restaurant for lunch one afternoon. There were old women sitting in the restaurant shelling baby peas for this delicious soup (simply chicken broth and fresh, baby peas). Many of the dishes used ingredients that I was familiar with, but in ways I had not ever thought of before. I was impressed enough with this place to bust out the camera for a few of the dishes.

Steamed Bamboo - I had no idea that you could just eat hunks of bamboo. It is almost always served shredded into fine slices, and I realized that I've always just eaten it without giving it much thought. It was good, but not great. Less starchy than a potato, a little sweeter, but with a strong vegetal taste. These were served with mayo for dipping, which was a little weird.

Hearts of Palm with Chicken and Hot Peppers - An outstanding dish, full of flavor. Shredding the hearts of palm was a great way to use them. The small bits of chicken and peppers gave a nice lift to the flavor profile.

Fried Mushroom Sticks - Another brilliant idea. Thin strips of mushroom fried to a chip-like crispiness. Simply seasoned with salt and dried hot pepper, I envisioned myself popping open a bag of these while watching the game, and wolfing the whole thing down. Great snack concept.

Coconut Soup Dessert - This coconut broth was served cold (you can see an ice cube in the photo) and contained soft cooked lotus seeds. It was sweet, light, and refreshing - the perfect way to end a meal on a hot day.

Taipei Dunkin Donuts - A nod to my New England home, it appears that Taipei runs on Dunkin, too. Although that looks like a bagel sandwich in the picture, it is actually a donut. Think about that - donut, ham, mayo... Hmmmm... They had the regular donuts we get at home, but they also had...

Strange Dunkin Donuts in Taiwan - How could we pass on the chance to pick up some of these space alien inspired donuts? They were made out of a different type of dough than typical donuts, and were much more spongey in texture. From front to back: chocolate glazed, soybean, corn, soybean.