by Suvir Saran
Tomato-Onion-Peanut Chutney
Tomato chutney always finds a home on my table. This version is a little different because of the peanuts, which add a wonderful texture.
½ cup/160 ml canola or grapeseed oil
36 fresh or 54 frozen curry leaves, roughly torn
12 dried red chiles
2 tsp brown mustard seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp ground turmeric
2 medium red onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup/145 g raw, skinned peanuts
3½ lb/1.6 kg tomatoes, roughly chopped
9 oz/255 g tomato paste (or one 4.4-oz/125-g tube double-concentrated tomato paste)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp Sambhaar Powder or curry powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1½ tbsp kosher salt, plus more if needed
Heat the canola oil with the curry leaves, chiles, mustard seeds, and cumin seeds in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until the cumin is golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the turmeric and cook until the chiles darken, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Stir in the onions and cook until they have wilted and are opaque, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the peanuts, cook for 3 minutes, and then add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, sambhaar powder, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, pressing the tomatoes up against the sides of the pot to crush them.
Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the tomato juices are reduced and the chutney is thick and jammy, stirring often, 20 to 35 minutes (in the summer when tomatoes are juicy, it may take longer to thicken; in the winter, it may happen more quickly). Taste, adding more salt if needed, and then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Makes about 6 cups/1.4 L.
Farmhouse Resources
Living on a farm is wonderful and charming, and also requires a lot of conducting and orchestration of little details to make everything seem seamless. Some of these details require our pantry to be stocked with all kinds of items, from foreign and exotic to local and artisanal. It’s also imperative that our home has a stockpile of kitchen equipment and basics to keep the kitchen prepared for any need and occasion.
Farm life teaches us about investing our money wisely. We buy quality items that will last us a long time. If we buy cookware, we buy items that will last longer than our lifetime. Ditto for bakeware and knives. When we buy spices, we buy them whole and grind them as needed. As people who live on a farm, we also pay attention to what we buy, how we buy it, where we buy it, and how and when it comes to us. All of this helps us remain more connected to the earth and ensures that we make the smartest buying decisions.
From the choices we make for our cleaning supplies to the ones we make when buying kitchenware and foods, each decision impacts our lives and those who follow us. With this in mind, we share here an indispensable list of the people, places, and companies—local and farther afield— that make our life in Washington County more delicious by their hard work and passionate endeavors.
3-Corner Field Farm
Beautiful sheep’s milk cheeses, yogurt, lamb yarn, and soap are made by Karen at her Shushan, New York, farm. Their brebis blanche and feta are often found on our brunch table.
www.dairysheepfarm.com
A&J Enterprises
Our one-stop shop for nearly all things farm related, from work books to garden supplies and livestock feed.
www.a-jenterprises.com
Agricultural Stewardship Association
ASA is a community-supported land trust dedicated to protecting local farmland from encroaching development.
www.agstewardship.org
Allen Brothers
When Charlie and I are in the mood to splurge on the finest-quality prime and Wagyu Kobe-style beef, tiger shrimp, and lobster tails, we look no further than Allen Brothers. From humanely raised veal to the most luscious dry-aged steakhouse-style steaks and delicious prepared foods (like my lamb burgers), Chicago-based Allen Brothers offers an entire catalog of superior-quality foods.
www.allenbrothers.com
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
Dedicated to protecting rare breeds and conserving genetic diversity in American livestock, this conservancy is our source for choosing animal breeds to populate the farm.
www.albc-usa.org
American Masala Farm
Read all about our farm and its history, the history of Hebron, New York, and view photos of our heritage-breed chickens, ducks, guinea hens, goose eggs, hand-raised chevon (baby goats), and lambs on our Web site.
www.americanmasalafarm.com
Aunt Sally’s Catering
Sally Longo is the host of Dinner at 8 on local channel 8, and going anywhere with her is like walking with a major celebrity at your side. Her food is a mirror image of the times we live in—worldly, diverse, delicious.
www.adkcookbook.com
Battenkill Kitchen
This shared-use nonprofit kitchen is devoted to educating adults and youths. The Battenkill Kitchen provides seminars and cooking classes on mindful and healthful cooking and global flavors, as well as an eight-hundred-square-foot commercial food production facility for rent to local residents and food start-ups.
www.battenkillkitchen.org
Battenkill Valley Creamery
Award-winning Holstein and Jersey cow’s milk are the specialties at Battenkill Valley Creamery, available from the farm or from select retailers.
www.battenkillcreamery.com
Black Lab Farm
Brian and Christina farm their land in Greenwich, New York, with great attention and produce an incredible array of black raspberries, Chandler blueberries, supersweet strawberries, and some of the best vegetables around.
(518) 744-9174
Byrd Mill Company
Peanut flour adds a beautifully nutty flavor to the coating for my fried chicken. It’s also excellent in tart crusts for a peanuty essence. Based in peanut-centric Virginia, Byrd Mill has been milling flour for centuries.
www.byrdmill.com
Caldrea
This company is one of our favorites for Earth-friendly, animal-friendly home-keeping aids.
www.caldrea.com
California Olive Ranch
This ranch features first-class award-winning olive oils from the Northern California foothills.
www.californiaoliveranch.com
Chaiwalla
Mary O’Brien’s all-too-charming teahouse in Salisbury, Connecticut, offers beautiful tea and tomato tarts, as well as wicked-good desserts.
(860) 435-9758
Chickens
There are a few sources we turn to for buying chicks. Here are our favorites.
Meyer Hatchery
www.meyerhatchery.com
Murray McMurray Hatchery
www.mcmurrayhatchery.com
Stromberg’s Chicks and Gamebirds
www.strombergschickens.com
The Chocolate Mill Pastry Shop and Café
Glens Falls, New York, is said to be having a renaissance, and the proof is in the pudding—or crème pâtissier—made by Certified Master Pastry Chef Frank Vollkommer and his wife, Jessica. The perfect mix of talent and kindness, the couple creates food that captivates anyone with a sweet tooth.
www.chocolatemillcafe.com
Comollo Antiques and Fine Wine
This is our spendy destination for fabulous wine and antiques in the Green Mountains.
www.vtantiques.com
Consider Bardwell Farm
Award-winning European-style goat’s milk and cow’s milk cheeses come from Angela Miller’s farm in West Pawlet, Vermont. We won’t list the cheeses we like—because we love them all. It’s a great place to stop by, visit the goats, talk to the überfriendly cheesemaking team, and enjoy a “Pawletty” at the café. Real artisanal cheese devotees should definitely check out the cheesemaking classes.
www.considerbardwellfarm.com
Country Gallery Antiques
&nbs
p; Beautiful Scandinavian antiques abound at Country Gallery Antiques in Rupert, Vermont. The selection of rag rugs, antique cookery gadgets, country farm tables, and grandfather clocks is mind blowing.
www.country-gallery.com
Courthouse Community Center
Offering performing arts, crafts, and educational activities for the people of Washington County, this community center is also the location of the Courthouse Community Garden, whose goal is to educate the youth of Salem, New York, about how to grow, process, and market food.
www.salemcourthouse.org
Cuisinart
I rely on my Cuisinart food processor to make quick work of chopping and shredding vegetables, emulsifying mayonnaise, and even making pizza dough. The Cuisinart ice-cream machine is a luxury that creates the silkiest, easiest homemade ice creams.
www.cuisinart.com
Culinary Institute of America (CIA)
The nation’s premier culinary academy— with locations in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore—CIA offers professional degrees and seminars and programs for recreational cooks.
www.ciachef.edu
Dancing Ewe Farm
Delicious sheep’s milk ricotta, pecorino, and caciotta made by Jody and Luisa Somers have become staples in our refrigerator.
www.dancingewe.com
De Gustibus Cooking School
This cooking school on the top floor of Macy’s in Herald Square has been a New York City institution since 1980. It was recently bought by Sal Rizzo (see his recipe for Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes, Onions, and Herbs), who is maintaining tradition by showcasing new and emerging chefs and cookbook authors, as well as the names we all know. I frequently teach classes here when in New York.
www.degustibusnyc.com
Emile Henry
An exquisite collection of enameled stoneware and tableware that goes from oven to table in high style can be found at Emile Henry. I am a huge fan of everything they do, from dinner plates to ramekins, tagines, braisers, and pie plates.
www.emilehenry.com
Falk Culinair
This beautiful brushed copper cookware comes from Belgium. We use their massive 13½-qt/12.7-L pot for making jam.
www.copperpans.com
Flying Pigs Farm
Heritage breed pork from the Battenkill River Valley is what you’ll find at this farm.
www.flyingpigsfarm.com
Foods of India
The absolute freshest spices, legumes, and hard-to-find Indian ingredients can be found here.
(212) 683-4419, 121 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York
Gardenworks
Our local source in Salem, New York, for incredible blueberries and raspberries, as well as cheeses, flowers, organic salad greens, herbs, and pumpkins in the fall and winter.
www.gardenworksfarm.com
Granite•Ware
We love our go-to speckled cookware for canning and preserving.
www.columbianhp.com
Hicks Orchard
This is New York state’s oldest u-pick orchard. We love the sour cherries, summer plums, pumpkins, and goats.
www.hicksorchard.com
The Hyde Collection
Though we are a four-hour drive from the galleries and art museums of New York City, we get our art fix at this gem in Glens Falls that offers a rare opportunity to view art en salon. The 2,800-piece collection offers seasonal installations from Degas to Wyeth.
www.hydecollection.org
Illy
Days begin early at the farm, and for Charlie and many of our guests, that means fresh-brewed Illy coffee first thing.
www.illyusa.com
J.K. Adams
Located in the handsome village of Dorset, Vermont, J.K. Adams has been bringing New England craftsmanship to the industry for more than sixty-five years. It’s a great source for beautiful cutting boards, wine racks, bowls, and more.
www.jkadams.com
Kaiser Bakeware
I’m a big fan of their new state-of-the-art La Forme Plus collection.
www.kaiserbakeware.com
Kerrygold
There is something to be said for good butter— it not only tastes better, it performs better, too. Kerrygold is our favorite widely available variety.
www.kerrygold.com
King Arthur Flour
This brand is our choice for pure and consistently performing flour, grains, and baking notions.
www.kingarthurflour.com
KitchenAid
We’d be lost without KitchenAid’s stand mixer, food processor, and immersion blender, not to mention its line of professional-quality kitchen accessories.
www.kitchenaid.com
Korin
Korin is known around the world for the best-quality knives and also for a beautiful collection of tableware, top-notch kitchenware, and superb spices and sauces, like shichimi and aged shoyu (Japanese soy sauce). For many years, Korin was the well-kept secret of the world’s top chefs—it’s now open to the public!
www.korin.com
The Lawyer and the Baker
We often plan a trip to Manchester Center, Vermont, just to visit this lovely café. The egg salad is incredible—and I have been known to buy an entire sheet pan of their incredible pecan squares or a whole tart or pie.
(802) 366-8018, 32 Bonnet Street, Manchester Center, Vermont
LeCreuset
We love these traditional enameled cast-iron pots (and our favorite silicone spatula) for making dal and rice, and for braising.
www.lecreuset.co.uk
Locust Grove Smokehouse
Our local Argyle, New York–based butcher is who we turn to for specialty hard-to-find cuts and last-minute requests.
www.locustgrovesmokehouse.com
Lodge Cast Iron
My cast-iron skillet is always on my stove top. I find it indispensable for making biscuits, cornbread, upside-down cakes, and steaks.
www.lodgemfg.com
Lucini Italia
Prepared in small batches and using 100 percent natural ingredients, Lucini’s olive oils, vinegars, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and tomato products are bar none.
www.lucini.com
Mauviel
I love the look of copper pans hanging from the pot rack in my kitchen. Mauviel’s French imports are as functional as they are beautiful.
www.mauvielusa.com
Mrs. London’s Bakery and Café and Max London’s Restaurant
A trip to Saratoga Springs is always a treat because we get to purchase the incredible croissants, cannelés, and other delectable creations (many made with eggs from our farm) of Wendy and Michael London at Mrs. London’s Bakery. Max, their son, is showing the world his own brilliant culinary talents in the restaurant next door.
www.mrslondons.com
www.maxlondons.com
Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day
We love the lemon verbena dishwasher gel— it’s the bees’ knees for superior scrubbing.
www.mrsmeyers.com
National Peanut Board
The National Peanut Board is an organization dedicated to supporting American peanut farmers. Its Web site provides information about peanut farmers, gluten-free cooking, and nutrition facts about this popular legume.
www.nationalpeanutboard.org
Nielsen-Massey Vanillas
This is our go-to source for reliable, superb-quality, origin-specific vanilla bean, vanilla paste (an addiction of mine), and extracts, as well as other flavorings.
www.nielsenmassey.com
Rancho Gordo
This ranch produces incredibly beautiful heirloom dried beans.
www.ranchogordo.com
Republic of Beans
Discover chef Cesare Casella’s noble pursuit to bring dried Italian heirloom beans, lentils, and rice to the plates of Americans.
www.republicofbeans.com
Royal Oak Peanuts
Big, fat, crunchy, and delicious, these are handsdown our favorite Virginia-g
rown peanuts. They’re roasted to order in peanut oil for the freshest flavor.
www.royaloakpeanuts.com
Saratoga Apple
If there is an apple on our counter, it more than likely came from either our tree or Saratoga Apple. We come here for our favorite heirloom apples, like Belle de Boskoop, Fortunes, and Northern Spys, as well as plums, black currants, and chestnuts.