EAT- IN and Black Rice Greek Salad

Huewww! It has been so hot hot hot in New York. There is no way you feel like eating anything hot so I have been mixing up some grainy salads a lot lately. This one seems like a no brainer: Greek Salad + Rice - but its the black rice that makes it special.

Black Rice Greek Salad

1 cup black rice (cook to instructions)
chopped basil
halved cherry tomatoes
feta cheese (I used goat's feta)
Kalamata olives
vinaigrette (1 lemon, 2-3 tablespoons good olive oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar)
season: salt and pepper


(picture of rice coming soon, camera cord connecter is mia :(

In other news:

1. All across the country concerned people are holding eat-ins to petition what children are being fed for school lunches as well as send a message to Congress that goes something like this: "We are not happy about the American food industry, so do something about it already." Check out an Eat-In in you hood

2. I am proudly spreading the word on Roofop Farms and rocking publicity it is getting, from Edible Brooklyn to BBC.

3. Here are some good resources for some grass-fed meat and some restaurants in NYC that use clean and nutrituous products and produce.

Fleisher's

Heritage Food USA

Knickerbocker Meats Inc

Grub Stops:

Roberta's and the Bees they keep

Franny's and their Larder

Back Forty

Savoy

La Cense


4. Check ou this aMAZing new project: Brooklyn Farmyards and the video

5. Lastly, in case you missed all there salad recipes in the NYTimes I thought I would send you them again, in case your summer recipes inspiration in waning.

Words: from one yogi to another

I took an Erica Robinson yoga class today and these words were passed on...

These are some serious times
That we livin in G
And our new world order
Is about to begin
You know what I’m sayin
Now the question is…
Are you ready for the real revolution
Which is the evolution of the MIND
If you seek than you shall find
That we all come from the DIVINE
You dig what I’m sayin
Now if you take heed to the words of wisdom
That are written on the walls of life
Then universally we will stand
And divided we will fall
Cause love conquers all
You understand what I’m sayin
This is a call to all you sleepin souls
WAKE UP and be in control of your own CYCLE
And be on the lookout for those spirits tonight
Trying to steal your light
You know what I’m sayin
Look whats inside yourself and
PEACE, give thanks, live life and believe
You dig me
You got ME
                                               ---- Public Enemy

join the revolution, be part of something big, bigger than yourself

J

Halloumi and Nectarine Salad

There are few things I like more than Halloumi cheese... it is the perfect "meat" for vegetarians and no other cheese can get close to its unique taste and texture. In fact, I love it so much I bring a few packets over with me when I come to Algeria. I try and save it for special occasions but I gave in the other night. There were several envious faces around my supper table when I made this. My family had roast chicken that night but I know they would have definitely 'gone veggie' if they had known halloumi was on offer!

On my way to France, I was lucky enough to stay with Hannah and her family outside Guildford. This recipe is a tribute to a fantastic-yummy-sunshine warm salad I had at Hannah's house, made by her lovely mum Sue. Their salad was made with peaches and chicory - I will definitely look out for chicory when it is in season. I have not managed to get their salad out of my mind and came up with the simplified Algiers version!

Thank you Hannah and Sue for being so inspiring! Xxx

I used a lined griddle pan to give the food a char-grilled effect but I am sure an ordinary frying pan would work too. I had not used a griddle pan before and I am going to buy one for my flat next year. I just loved the look of the food when it was cooked and it was so quick! Expect more char-grilled recipes soon...

Per Person:

1/4 pack Halloumi cheese

2 Nectarines

Few sprigs of Coriander

A handful of Pistachios

3 tbsp Olive oil

Pepper

Cut the nectarines (or peaches) in half and each half into 4 wedges. Place in a bowl, mix with the olive oil and season with pepper whilst you wait for the griddle pan to heat up. Once pan is hot, place the wedges on and allow to char grill for a minute each side. Chop the halloumi up into slices and marinate in the same bowl as the nectarines - the remaining olive oil will have mixed with the fruit juice giving the halloumi an extra yumminess. Allow the nectarine wedges to cool whilst cooking the halloumi on the griddle pan.

Roughly chop the coriander and pistachios. Mix all the ingredients together and arrange. I added an extra drizzle of olive oil and a final ground of pepper. Enjoy!

C x

Rooftop Farms and a NEW new york

I have officially moved back to New York... and as you guys can see Charlotte is pit-stopping in Algeria before she passes through NY for a crazy visit with me. Nutty how different our worlds are right now!

Moving back has been kind of intense to be honest. I have been worried about falling back into old routines but (big fat BUT here) New York is feeling really new and fresh ever since I started volunteering at Rooftop Farms in Greenpoint with just about the coolest Brooklynites eva' and some great stragglers trekking in from Manhattan (me being one).

So in just a couple weeks I have met amazing people: the real farmers (Annie and Ben) and the volunteers (Kendra, Kate, Will, Spencer, Corey, Hannes, Erika, Margret, Alice and many more). Being up there on the farm and finally getting truly involved in the food movement feels freaking amazing. It feels like I have come home, like I have found my place.

Annie has let me help out with the Growing Chefs initiative she runs, which means I am teaching kids about our earth, getting them to stick their hands in the dirt and helping them understand where food comes from.... oh only if I could do this forever.

I have learned how to compost and I listen to everything Annie and Ben say about farming hoping that their crazy farming knowledge might rub off on me in an osmosis-like manner.

Volunteering at the farm has also led me to fall madly deeply in love with Greenpoint and north Willamsburg. Halfdan had been telling me to check GP out forever he said I would love. Oh how well he knows me. I think one of my favorite things is the constant sea of bikes floating about everywhere.

And OMG I met Cathy from Not Eating Out in New York on the roof this Sunday. I kind of sounded like an idiot but she was nice anyway. She is the reason I heard about the farm in the first place.

Rooftop Farms sells produce sold on Sundays as well as selling to restaurants like Eat Records and Marlow & Sons. But check out the market if you are in the neighborhood. 

Local, Organic, Grown with Love.

There is also a bees station on the roof, so hopefully honey will be available soon.

Us volunteer farmers grabbed some lettuce from the market for our rocking rooftop picnic, which we hope to make a weekly tradition.

Everyone made and baked amazing things. Will even made his own bread !

Kate, a fellow farmer, brought along this awesome purple cauliflower salad. I am still to get the exact recipe so I'll probably update this, but Kate said it is a simple recipe where the only major trick is marinating the veggies OVERNIGHT in a red wine vinegar/ extra virgin olive oil mixture.

July's Purple Cauliflower Marinade Salad

carrots (one, julienned)

head of purple cauliflower

chopped zucchini (one big one)

chopped parsley

red wine vinegar and e.v.o.o to taste

salt/pepper

edible flowers to garnish (optional)

Toss it all together and let is marinate for at least 24 hours. That process softens the zucchini and the cauliflower a bit. Don't worry the veggies didn't get soggy though, they were just right!

After the picnic and farming Will, Spenc, Alice and I headed over to a free concert in the East River park in north Williamsburg.

(Alice being her cute self)

Being involved in Rooftop farms feels like I can read Michael Pollan's books and not get discouraged (well completely) because I know there is a massive movement rumbling right under us, which is fighting back against corporate American monopolies and helping us restore our food system. Check out some more sites if you are into food politics and buying locally:

Food Inc

Just Food

CENYC

Take Part

Small Planet Institute

Grub

Take a Bite

Child Nutrition Act

Upstate Farms

Queens County Farm

The Edible Garden

And totally listen to this interview with Food Inc stars and food justice experts and activists.

bringing you information for the food revolution...

J

Premier Mai

I have yet to find a more atmospheric place in Algiers than Premier Mai market where we buy most of our food. Stalls crammed with goods, people of all ages jostling to get passed, stifling heat...it is an experience worth having. As you enter the market, shops in various guises display clothes and an assortment of accessories. The more colourful and novelty-like the better. It is always worth having a good search around as you never know what you might find, or what you might find you need! There is an amazing cultural blend within in the market with Abayas hanging next to tight tops and skimpy dresses. I know Jacqueline would be impressed at the shoes on sale - heels that I will never be able to walk in! This is a photo heavy post but it is the only way you can experience this place.

I think the only thing which might improve this place is a little cafe, somewhere to buy a coffee and sit and watch the world go buy. There is so much going on but you end up following the river of people taking you deeper into the market itself. Going against the current is not that easy! Further into the market, the fruit and vegetable stalls start to emerge and they were the point of today's visit. Aisle upon aisle of produce, stalls piled high with ripe fruit and dented vegetables. Odd shaped vegetables are at home here. Often you will be allowed to taste before you buy...figs, nectarines and herbs have all been bought this way. Once you have seen what is on offer that day you are quickly able to go to the stalls with the best selection or most ripe and competitively priced food. Almost all of the food is grown in Algeria - we like to support local on this blog! The odd imported avocado or mango makes a rare appearance although their prices tend to put everyone off buying them. Nougat is a firm favourite of my brothers...pretty impressive blocks I think!

Now that we have got a well stocked fridge, expect some new recipes on the blog in the next few days. I am hoping to do some baking and different salad dishes.

Char xx

Cucumber Salad with peppers and poppy seeds

My goodness I feel like a stranger on this blog! Jackie has done such a fantastic job on the blog from Brighton, it felt I was down there eating all those yummy things too. I am sorry I have been away so long but I know you will all forgive me if I promise to do some posting to make up for it!

Algeria is incredibly hot at the moment. Yesterday it had reached 41 degrees by 10am. It is a little too hot for my liking although I know a lot of you would be enjoying the heat if you were here. I am avoiding being outside at midday, if only to avoid having to put suncream on! The evenings bring a breeze off the ocean and it is idyllic looking out over the bay of Algiers.

The heat tends to stifle your appetite; light, refreshing salads are all you can manage during the heat of the day. Ottolenghi came to the rescue at lunch today as only cucumber stared back from the fridge. (I am hoping to go to the big market tomorrow called Premier Mai to stock up on fruit and vegetables – I will take some photos!). This salad has been tweaked a little from his original recipe as I did not have all of the ingredients. Most importantly, it was tasty and simple. Perfect.

Cucumber Salad with peppers and poppy seeds

Serves 4

2 medium cucumbers*
1 long pepper

4 tbs olive oil
2 tbs poppy seeds
Juice from ½ a lemon
Zest from 1 lemon
A handful of mint, roughly chopped
Salt & Pepper

Chop the cucumber at an angle into long lengths, about 1cm wide and 3-4cm long. Finely slice the pepper and add to the cucumber.

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. I did use my hands as Ottolenghi suggested!

Season to taste and serve. If not serving immediately, the salt tends to draw out some of the liquid from the cucumbers. You might need to drain some liquid before serving it.

* If you can’t find the small, crunchy cucumbers which are typical of the Middle East and North Africa, scrape out the seeds of a normal long cucumber to avoid the salad getting too watery and losing that fresh, distinct taste.

On a separate note, I arrived here on Sunday and have so far managed to get through 3 books. What a treat! I can’t remember the last time I have been able to read so much for pleasure. Hopefully I will get through a mountain of books and then have some to recommend to you all.

I have just heard about an Algerian author called Yasmina Khadra – I am looking forward to reading one of the books over the weekend. This author is particularly interesting because Yasmina is the nom de plume of an Algerian army officer, Mohammed Moulessehoul. He has written Wolf Dreams and The Swallows of Kabul.

Hope you are all having a lovely summer.

Big hugs, Charlotte Xx

The perfect summer side: Fresh Lemon and Parsley Leeks

This side is fresh, simple, healthy and most importantly tastes amazing. I serve it as a side to accompany fish or with something heavier, like pasta, just to get greens in there. The funny part is it always stands out like a main course. The leeks get mentioned more than the main.

Ill tell you I did not use to love leeks put this spring I got thrown into the love-all-things-leeky club after reading Why French Women Don't Get Fat. Yes I know! Wohoo I can feel your judgement- but NO just hold on. A quick disclaimer about this book - because let me tell you I do not read diet books - it is actually beautifully hilarious, very women empowering and really not about dieting as much as learning to how eat properly, enjoy food, stop worrying and just embrace life. I had been seeing it everywhere and hearing about it non-stop, so I decided to buy it and honestly I loved it. Anyway Mireille got me onto leeks like no other, probably because ever other recipe she mentions includes leeks.

They have great detoxing powers and they always make me feel fresh and new, so here is my I-think-I-have-been-eating-too-much-heavy-food/ what-an-easy-great-side recipe:

Fresh Lemon and Parsley Leeks

Serves 2

Prep and Cook time: no more than 15-20 min

2 large leeks

handful of chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley

half a lemon squeezed

a dollop of luxury organic butter

Chop the leeks into 3\4 inch sized circles. Rinse them in cold water and then toss them into boiling water, reduce the heat (so they are not be boiled) and cook for no more than two minutes. You want them to remain a little crunchy with a fresh bite. Blanche them in cold water, dry them and then saute them in a pan with a splash of extra-virgin olive oil for a couple minutes. Then turn the heat off, mix in half the parsley, a dollop of butter and squeeze the lemon juice on. Plate and garnish the remaining parsley. Serve immediately.

Be innovative- maybe toss them on pasta or an egg next time,

Jacqueline xx