Unexpected buy on organic chicken

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I went to ShopRite in Hackensack this morning to buy Readington Farms chicken for my wife and son, who have resumed eating meat. But I bought Coleman organic chicken instead, because it was nearly half the price.

There was nothing in the sales circular about the organic chicken, and I figured it was a misprint. And there were only skin-on legs available. But at 99 cents a pound, a tray of four legs came to around $1.50 or less, so I bought seven trays, most for the freezer.

Readington Farms legs were selling for the usual $1.89 a pound. And the store was having a 40%-off sale on crappy Perdue chicken. ShopRite rarely has a sale on drug-free chicken.

Both Readington Farms and Coleman raise their chickens on vegetarian feed and without antibiotics. All bets are off on how Perdue chickens are raised, but the parts are much bigger than their naturally raised cousins -- likely as a result of the antibiotics they receive.

My wife likes to rub drug-free chicken legs with Grace-brand jerk sauce (hot), put them in the refrigerator for several hours, then roast them in the oven. We use a meat thermometer, because they take less time to cook than conventional legs.

 

Brown eggs, oily coffee beans and more

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Peanut butter, jelly or preserves and sliced cucumbers make a great sandwich.

The woman behind me in the checkout lane today at Fairway Market in Paramus put down a dozen brown eggs, prompting me to say that I prefer them, too, but don't know whether they are nutritionally better than white-shell eggs.


Check out this Egg Facts 101 video on white and brown eggs from the American Egg Board, an industry group: 

Chapter 2: The Hen

We also talked briefly about losing weight by cutting down on bread, but she said life is too short for her to give up her bagel with peanut butter. I suggested she try a peanut butter, jelly or preserves and sliced cucumber sandwich.


I drove to Fairway in search of "dry" coffee beans for my built-in Bosch coffee machine, which has a grinder that has trouble with oily beans. They apparently don't go down the chute as easily as dry beans and can get hung up, prompting a message on the machine to "add beans."


But usually, I don't have to add beans. I do, however, have to pull out the sliding chassis, open the coffee-bean receptacle and stir the beans a bit with my fingers. Inconvenient. For the last few weeks, I have been using Jamaican Blue Mountain beans, which are dry, not oily, that my wife brought back from the island, but I'm running low.

First, I went to Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood for whole beans, but the store is no longer selling them loose. I have never used the Lavazza or Caffe Kimbo bagged espresso beans from Italy and don't know if they're oily.

Beans in open sacks

I went to Fairway for the beans, because they are displayed in open sacks and it's easy to see which ones are glistening with oil and which ones are dry. I chose a pound of dark roast from Brazil for $7.99.


I also picked up two pounds of Colombian Supremo, Turkish grind, for my drip coffee maker ($5.99 a pound); Fairway roasted garlic pasta sauce ($2.99 for a 32-ounce bottle), and fruit.


My wife went shopping at Costco in Hackensack today, and bought fresh, wild-caught flounder fillets for dinner ($8.49 a pound). 

So at Jerry's, I only looked over the complete $6.99, restaurant-quality dinners still available at lunchtime: stuffed flank steak, grouper or roast chicken. Each one comes with pasta, rice or potato  and vegetable side dishes. Great food at a great price.

Fairway Market, 35 E. Ridgewood Ave., Paramus, 

in the Fashion Center mall; 201-444-5455.

Jerry's Gourmet & More, 410 S. Dean St.,

Englewood, 201-871-7108.

Costco, 80 S. River St., Hackensack.

A North Jersey-style food run

Image by John Walker via Flickr

We found a well-stocked store on our visit to Alstede Farms in Chester.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

An Israeli cheese maker, a farm store as American as cherry pie and a Lebanese chef were among the elements of a food-filled afternoon on a sunny but blustery day in northern New Jersey.

Our excursion on Saturday took us from Bergen County to two farms and on our return, to a restaurant and bakery in Paterson's Middle Eastern bazaar -- a round-trip of about 100 miles.

I'll have to find a route with more two-lane blacktop on our next visit to Valley Shepherd Creamery, a sheep-and-goat dairy that makes and sells artisan cheese and a lot of other food in Long Valley, a lovely little town with antique stores and restaurants.

We started out on Route 80 west, headed south on Route 206 and drove two-lane roads past horse and produce farms until we reached the dairy.

As usual, cheese maker Eran Wajswol was busy in the back of the cozy retail store, dubbed the Sheep Shoppe, "making cheese."

There were only a few other customers in the store as I looked over the sheep's-milk cheese, yogurt, ravioli and other products in the cold case, and my wife and son sampled a semi-soft goat cheese.

Some of the cave-aged cheeses are $24 a pound, so I bought only a quarter-pound of Oldwick Shepherd cheddar and a third-of-a-pound of a parmagian-romano style cheese called Hunterdon. 

We also picked up four plain ewegurts ($2 each), a walnut-raisin baguette ($3.29) and that Crotin goat cheese ($5), which my 13-year-old son loved.

Valley Shepherd Creamery, 50 Fairmount Road, 

Long Valley, N.J.; 908-876-3200, call for hours.

Alstede Farms in Chester 

We've taken hay-wagon rides and visited the pumpkin path at Alstede Farms, but we were happy with shopping in the store on Saturday.

There was more fresh produce than I expected, probably grown in hot houses, including beefsteak tomatoes, red cabbage, arugula, dandelion and other greens. Coffee and hot soup were available, too.

We took home a large tomato, a head of red cabbage and a homemade cherry pie ($13.99). My son asked for a large cone of farm-made rum-raisin ice cream and raved it was the best he's ever had ($5.99). I needed a pick-me-up cup of black coffee ($1).

Alstede Farms, 84 Route 24, Chester; 908-879-7189.

Early dinner in South Paterson

Our first stop in Paterson was Fattal's Bakery, where the Al-Shark Moroccan sardines are only 99 cents a can, in spicy or regular oil. I picked up 14 cans of the spicy, plus yogurt drink ($1.49) and a mixture of olives ($2.99 a pound).

I love Fattal's Syrian bread, but didn't buy any, because I am cutting down on all bread and losing weight as a result.

For dinner, I couldn't decide on whether to go to our favorite, Aleppo Restaurant on Main Street, or La Ziza, a Lebanese place on the Paterson border we've tried several times despite the availability of hookah smoking.

It was early, about 3 in the afternoon, so we chose La Ziza, knowing there would be few other customers and little smoke to contend with.  

But we've probably had our last meal there after we were overcharged, the credit-card machine ran out of paper and the adjusted bill included a 15% tip on the original, inflated total.

That's a shame, because the food was as good as ever: 

Cold grape leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables ($5.95); cumin-flavored hummus ($4.50); lentil soup with fresh lemon ($2.95); a tart, finely chopped Lebanese salad ($6.95); and meat arayes, a toasted pocket-bread sandwich of seasoned meat ($5.50).

Only the overly sweet La Ziza lemonade disappointed ($2.95 each).

 In addition, we ordered one entree, fried, whole whiting with rice ($12.95), and asked the waiter to hold the greasy fried bread usually served with the three fish.

During our meal, customers at only two other tables were smoking water pipes, and they were nowhere near us. 

When I looked over the itemized bill, I noticed we were charged for an appetizer we didn't order. I called the waiter over and pointed that out to him and later, my son and wife said he "smirked," and they thought that meant he overcharged us on purpose.

Although the smoke was hardly noticeable, except for the sweetish smell, the air-conditioning was turned on as the staff, including the female chef, hunted for more paper for the credit-card machine. That took forever, and I had to put on my jacket because it was so cold in the place.

I paid the adjusted bill, but noticed only later the tip hadn't been adjusted downward. 

This morning, I joked with my wife: "Do you know where the restaurant that overcharged us is located?" 

"Crooks Avenue." 

Fattal's Syrian Bakery, 975-77 Main St., Paterson; 973-742-7125.

La Ziza Restaurant, 341 Crooks Ave., Clifton; 973-772-2700.

Inside our Thanksgiving dinner

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I had the tool, but zesting two oranges was the hardest part of the recipe.

If I had a larger stock pot, I would have ruined the healthy carrot-fennel soup I prepared for Thanksgiving and been stuck with a lot of watery stuff that I could never serve my guests. The recipe I included in my last post must be in error on the huge amount of water called for.


I started sauteeing sliced onion, garlic and fennel in olive oil Thursday morning. Meanwhile, I sliced the 5 pounds of organic carrots I had peeled the night before, and when the other ingredients were translucent, added the carrots and water.


The recipe, from the Stony Hill Inn in Hackensack, calls for two and a half gallons of water, but I couldn't find a pitcher that was marked with its volume. A Brita pitcher we use for home-purified water was marked in cups, but only two-thirds up the side, ending at "10c." The Brita Web site gave the volume in 8-ounce glasses. (A gallon has 16 cups).

So, I poured nearly a full Brita pitcher of water into the pot, probably a gallon in total, and that was all that would fit. There wasn't even room for the optional two cups of milk, so I saved that step for later.


I boiled the mixture until the carrots were soft, about 40 minutes, and added zest from two oranges. Then, I started transferring the solids and some liquid into a blender to puree them. I should have poured the low-fat milk into the blender, not the pot, because when all the solids were removed, there was still a lot of milky liquid left, and I was forced to discard it.


I was left with a pleasantly thick and grainy carrot soup that tasted neither of fennel nor orange zest, but once I seasoned it with salt and white pepper, it was bursting with flavor. It went over big at dinner.


The rest of the menu was easy to prepare: 

Ravioli with beef for my guests, my son and my wife; lobster ravioli for me, both from Costco and both drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and a shower of black pepper from a mill; seasoned turkey thighs, drumsticks and wings from the Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff that took on a beautiful color during simple roasting; baked sweet potatoes and yams; jellied and whole cranberries, and a big salad.


My reward for not eating meat was several glasses of delicious wine from La Familia Bujanda in Spain (made from the tempranillo grape), and a mid-afternoon nap.

Off to the turkey farm we went

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Turkeys and solar panels at a farm in Virginia.

When I called the Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff on Monday morning, I was told it wasn't taking phone orders the week of Thanksgiving, and that I'd have to come in.


The big draw here is chicken, turkey, ducks and other poultry that are raised naturally and sold fresh shortly after they are killed -- not frozen or shrink-wrapped. The turkeys picked up Tuesday were killed the night before, though at less busy times of the year, customers can walk in and ask for a fresh-killed bird.

The farm is hemmed in by homes and businesses, and the short drive along Goffle Road from the highway passes through Hawthorne and a bit of Ridgewood before you enter Wyckoff. 


I arrived Tuesday morning, a couple of hours after the 8 a.m. opening, and found a parking space right away, joining a steady stream of customers heading for the small store, past others emerging with white plastic bags sagging under the weight of turkey.


I walked in and placed my order for turkey parts with a man who had deformed fingers. He typed on a computer keyboard: six thighs, three drumsticks, three wings and four pounds of turkey neck, cut into 2-inch segments. Parts are $1.89 a pound.

As for not being able to call ahead, the man said what else could customers expect when the farm had to fill 1,500 orders.


I grabbed bottles of Uncle Dougie's "world's most dangerous" barbecue sauce and "Chicago-style chicken wing marinade" ($5.25 each) off the shelf and waited for my name to be called.

I looked over the frozen case, with venison, bison, rabbit and other exotic meats, and farm-made turkey products, and the egg case, with chicken and big-yolk duck eggs, which I've enjoyed sunny side up in the past.


In about 20 to 25 minutes, I was back in the car. Backing out of my space, I looked up at the the long building that houses the store and noticed for the first time the roof is covered with solar panels. Way to go.


I imagine that if you've put off visiting the farm until today, the wait will be very long and the small store will be very crowded.

Goffle Road Poultry Farm, 549 Goffle Road, Wyckoff. www.gofflepoultry.com

Search for ingredients

My wife and I had to visit three supermarkets on Tuesday to find all the ingredients we need for the carrot-fennel soup we'll be serving on Thanksgiving.


My wife found bags of Earthbound Farm organic carrots at H Mart in Englewood ($1.99 for two pounds), and bought three. We need five pounds of carrots for the soup.


But she couldn't find fennel or dill for the garnish, and the oranges we need for zest didn't look good. The story was the same at Shop Rite in Englewood.


So, later in the day, I went to Whole Foods Market in Paramus and found a small fennel bulb, a bunch of dill and two navel oranges.


Now, looking over the receipts, I realize I misunderstood my wife when she called from the Korean supermarket. She found dill, but not fennel. What will I do with all that dill?

Carrot-fennel soup

The recipe for this healthy soup comes from the Stony Hill Inn in Hackensack, and I found it in a magazine published by Hackensack University Medical Center.

By Joe Preziosi
Stony Hill Inn, Hackensack

Ingredients

5 lbs. peeled carrots (sliced)
1 small bulb of fennel (sliced)
5 cloves of garlic (sliced)
2 Spanish onions (sliced)
zest of 2 oranges
4 tbsp. olive oil
2½ gallons water
2 cups milk (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
2 sprigs dill (chopped)

Directions

• Put the olive oil, onions,
and garlic in a large stockpot over

medium-high heat. Sweat until onions
are translucent.
• Add fennel and a couple of pinches of
salt. Continue to cook until fennel is
slightly wilted.
• Add carrots and water. Bring to a boil.
• Reduce to a simmer and cook until
the carrots are tender but not mushy
(about 30 to 45 minutes, depending on
the slice of the carrots).
• When carrots are soft, add milk
(optional) and orange zest. Puree in a
blender at medium speed until smooth.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon soup into bowls and add dill
before serving.

What you buy when meat is off the table

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The First Thanksgiving by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863-1930).

On my weekly, pre-Thanksgiving swing through Costco in Hackensack on Monday, I spent $123.77 -- every penny on food.


I plan to eat a homemade carrot-and-fennel soup, and lobster ravioli for my holiday dinner, while serving my wife, son and guests turkey drumsticks and thighs from Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff.

At Costco, I picked up more Pasta Prima lobster ravioli ($11.99), enough for two dinners, and a two-pound bag of kale ($2.99) that I plan to sautee with extra-virgin olive oil and garlic as a Thanksgiving side dish.

My other purchases:

• Kirkland-brand smoked and sliced, wild-caught sockeye salmon ($14.99 for 16  ounces).
• Kirkland-brand frozen, wild-caught Pacific mahi-mahi fillets ($15.99 for 48 ounces).
• Kirkland-brand frozen, wild-caught Pacific cod fillets ($14.99 for 32 ounces).
• Earthbound Farm organic spring mix salad ($4.49 for 16 ounces).
• Jarlsberg sliced, reduced fat cheese ($8.99 for 32 ounces).
• Bartlett pears ($6.49 for 12).
• Newman's Own 100% grape juice ($6.99 for two, three-quart bottles).

I also bought cans of Le Sueur sweet peas, and Kirkland-brand sweet corn kernels and fancy green beans to donate to the Center for Food Action in Englewood, which said it was seeking canned vegetables and potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner baskets.