A Good Dish

making food simpler

NCECA – It Is Much More Than a Conference; It Is a Community

Porcelain pots by Marlene Jack
at a 2015 NCECA exhibition

The annual conference of the National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) is one of the best places to see and buy handmade pottery and connect with other clay people anywhere in this country. The location moves every year from East Coast to Midwest to West Coast and back again. The multi-day conference is sponsored by local colleges and universities with ceramics programs and by local suppliers.

Waiting for a slide presentation to start in one of the lecture halls in 2015

Pittsburgh is hosting the 2018 NCECA conference, “Cross Currents: Clay and Culture”, March 14-17. It includes lectures, panel discussions, networking sessions, demonstrations, technical forums and films as well as receptions, a sale of member donated cups, a K-12th grade ceramic exhibition, innovative performances (we’ve heard fabulous musicians ranging from the Sun Ra Arkestra to the contemporary string quartet ETHEL in past years) and lots of award ceremonies.

The non-profit area for networking and gathering information on schools, workshops, residencies and other educational opportunities

NCECA is a membership organization that promotes the sharing of ideas and information and promotes community building alongside professional and academic networking. Imagine thousands of flannel shirted, blue jeaned potters (with some stylish dressers along, too, of course) sprawled across the lobbies of the biggest hotels in Cincinnati, Columbus, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Boston and Las Vegas (that may have been the funniest contrast) and crammed into hotel bars and surrounding restaurants. It is often a clash of cultures in settings that are usually corporate and that makes it easy to spot comrades in clay and feel connected.

Pots for sale just out of Chris Gustin’s wood kiln
at a concurrent exhibit during the Providence NCECA

For me, the best parts of every NCECA conference are the exhibitions (of which there are many at the convention center, museums, galleries, campus buildings, coffee shops and public spaces), the sales of pots (ditto) and the chance to visit with potters and people involved with clay from across the country and around the world that I don’t get to see very often. It is a remarkable community and one I have been grateful to have been part of since my student days. It is a chance to see a US city while hanging out with 5,000+ potters, sculptors, teachers and other people involved with ceramics and learning more about the current state of clay.

Pots for sale inside and outside the Artstream Nomadic Gallery

This year will be no exception – there are dozens of wonderful sounding shows and sales – unfortunately, I am not going this time. Friends who will be there promise to take lots of notes and photos and maybe even bring back a pot or two. Some of my favorite pots were purchased at NCECA Conferences from the Artstream Nomadic Gallery (a repurposed Airstream trailer that travels the country selling pots), from a collective of potters called Objective Clay who exhibit together and from the La Mesa Tabletop show sponsored by Santa Fe Clay (and including place settings by dozens of potters). I hope if you get to the Pittsburgh meeting this year, you will report back on what you learn, see and purchase for the rest of us to share. And I hope to see you at next year’s NCECA conference in Minneapolis!

Shopping for pots at a recent conference

Healthier Cheesecake – No, That Is Not Necessarily An Oxymoron

Healthier cheesecake with berries and jam
Porcelain plate by Ryan J. Greenheck

We have a minor dessert dilemma in our home. My husband loves cheesecake. Always has. Especially the tall Italian style you used to find on the lower east side of Manhattan or on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. But he has become a healthier and more abstemious eater and now eschews most sugar and saturated fat so cheesecake no longer fills the bill. Last spring, when his birthday was approaching, I decided it was time to reckon with these conflicting desires. It took me many tries and although it’s far from perfect, I came up with what is essentially a baked ricotta pudding topped with berries, his favorite. It’s not the fabulous layered ice cream cake on a cookie crust I make for my son’s birthday but, believe me, it tastes better than it sounds.

Baked until golden, this can be served in slices or scooped into bowls as a pudding

Because I decided to forgo a crust, I felt a thick pudding (he loves chocolate pudding) might work if I could get the taste right. This recipe is the result – an amalgam of a custard pie and a cheesecake, and good for dessert or breakfast. I used a combination of Greek yogurt and ricotta cheese with maple syrup replacing sugar. The more eggs you use, the thicker, stiffer and richer the “cheesecake” will be. You could use gelatin or agar to firm up the texture instead of eggs but it would be more like pannacotta. Portion it out, bake and serve the pudding in ramekins or short glass jars, in keeping with the current layered breakfast/dessert in a jar trend, or use a single, larger cake pan or soufflé dish and spoon it out family style. If you want to serve it like cheesecake, sprinkle some graham cracker, digestive biscuit or ginger cookie crumbs to cover the bottom of a greased springform pan,pour in the pudding and bake. It holds its shape when sliced if you treat it gently.

Cheesecake pudding with maple syrup and walnuts
Porcelain bowl by Ryan J. Greenheck

Top this baked “cheesecake” any way you like. Choose any topping from berries, with or without a fruit sauce or blop of jam, to maple syrup with toasted walnuts (delicious). Blend in some cocoa powder, melted chocolate and chocolate chips. Or use slices of cooked citrus, caramelized bananas, fresh kiwi slices or pitted, halved fresh or cooked cherries. It’s your dessert, your choice. I liked it plain but my husband preferred it with fruit spread and berries. It isn’t your usual cheesecake but it is pretty good.

Cheesecake “pudding” with maple syrup and walnuts
Porcelain bowl by Ryan J. Greenheck

HEALTHIER CHEESECAKE/CHEESECAKE PUDDING

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix just until smooth (I used a blender):

  • 2 cups plain thick Greek yogurt
  • 2 cups ricotta cheese (15oz container)
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (less or more to taste)
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Pour into an 8 or 9″ cake pan or soufflé dish and bake one hour until firm and just starting to brown. Cool and serve at room temperature or refrigerate and serve chilled.

Top with berries, fruit compote, jam, caramelized bananas, more maple syrup and nuts, chocolate chips and a sprinkle of cocoa powder or whatever pleases you. Untopped, this will last up to 3 days refrigerated and serves 6.

Spanish Vermouth – Try It On The Rocks For Sipping Rather Than For Mixing

Spanish vermouth with slices of orange
Earthenware cups by Joseph Pintz

Vermouth is often my cocktail of choice. Add a wedge or slice of orange and ice and I am a happy sipper. For decades I’ve ordered vermouth on the rocks when a bourbon seemed too much and I didn’t feel like beer or wine. With the increasing popularity of sweet vermouth as a stand alone drink in this country, I now have company in my preferred drink and lots more choices.

Vermouth is actually wine fortified with alcohol, often brandy or sherry, but which is lower in alcohol content. It can range from sweet and syrupy to herbaceous and tart. It used to be that you could find only Martini & Rossi or Cinzano in the US but now the choices are much broader. France, Spain and even California are promoting delicious bottles and I am determined to try them all! I started with the more traditional Italians and moved to the more upscale like Carpano Antico, often used as the vermouth of choice in trendy cocktail bars. Dolin is a reliable and smooth French vermouth and my favorite US brand is Vya, which I tried recently at the bar at the Great Northern Food Hall and rates high on my list.

Vermut served in highball glasses at a community center with a bar in the Gracia neighborhood of Barcelona
Vermut and coffee at 11am in a public market in Barcelona

Overall, I think Spanish vermut is my favorite, partly because of the depth of flavor and partly because I love the Spanish tradition of drinking vermouth in the afternoon and on Sunday. I was introduced to Spanish vermouth by our friends Cindy (who spent a year in Barcelona and promised nobody would blink twice if you ordered a vermouth at noon) and Cristina (who took us to a lovely outdoor cafe that had a vermouth list longer than most wine lists) to whom I will be forever grateful. My husband ordered a vermouth alongside my cafe con leche at a lunch counter in an indoor fruit and vegetable market and no one batted an eye as we sat and sipped at 11am. As a bonus, no fancy glass is necessary – any old-fashioned or juice glass will do.

Black vermut served in an outdoor garden in Vic in Catalonia
Many Spanish vermouths are available to buy here now
Casa Mariol is a Catalan “black” vermut in a wonderful old timey bottle!

We brought home a bottle of Atxa from Spain and found another here. It is Basque, full bodied and a bit tawnier than some of the others but with a complex herbal range, very good for sipping. The Catalonian Casa Meriol (they call it black but it is really dark burgundy) is quite sweet despite having the best bottle of the lot. It struck us as a bit syrupy (hmmm – maybe over ice cream?) but can be balanced with a splash of seltzer and a squeeze of lemon. A bit like a rose in color, Priorat Natur Vermut is more balanced than most of the others, complex but with a more white wine-like mouth feel with vermouth flavor – absolutely delightful. The LaCuesta Rojo from Haro (Rioja territory) is thinner with more herbal and cinnamon notes. It is less sweet, a little more bitter, very easy drinking and has a beautiful label to boot. The La Copa Gonzalez Byass has more sherry overtones, along with strong botanicals. It is tawny and a little more spicy and medicinal, with a scent of vanilla. One of my favorite Spanish vermouth that is available here (since we aren’t finding places that make their own and serve it from barrels for a few dollars a glass like in Spain) is the Vermut Lustau, which became available in the US last year. It is sweet, as is all sweet vermouth, but not very sweet, made from a blend of sherry wines, complex and well balanced with flavorful botanicals like coriander and gentian. I think the Lustau, along with the Atxa and Priorat Natur, delicious but each in its own way.

The two I wouldn’t really recommend, although plenty of people seem to love them, are the Perruchi and the Primitivo Quiles. The Perruchi just seems too thin and one dimensional for my taste and the Quiles too sweet and, well, boring. Both would work in a mixed drink – think a Manhattan or an Americano – or in cooking (which is how I will use up my bottles) but I prefer one with more complexity.

Vermut on tap in barrels at Bar Electricitat in Barceloneta

No matter which red vermouth you choose, try it the Spanish way, with ice and a slice or wedge of orange. At about 13% alcohol, you can sip it happily for a long time without getting sloshy. If you are going to be drinking wine with your dinner, vermouth, like Lillet or Aperol, is a good choice for an aperitif because it is a fortified wine. Vermouth isn’t strong but is tasty and whets your appetite for its more formal cousin, wine, which may join you with your meal. It can also be used as a digestive, served after eating to help digestion, like brandy, port or a liqueur. Just remember to store an open bottle in the refrigerator. Don’t be surprised when you see how many types of vermouth cocktail bars are starting to stock. It may be wishful thinking but it can’t be long before the house brewed barrels of vermouth start appearing in bars! And if you are in search of a last minute valentine, a bottle of Spanish vermouth may be just what you need.

Earthenware cups by Joseph Pintz
from a cup sale at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art

Icelandic Lava Bread – Actually It Is Rye

Lava bread with smashed avocado
Porcelain plate by Aysha Peltz

We spent 3 weeks in Iceland in 2010 and it remains one of our favorite trips. Driving the ring road around the country and out onto the Snaefellsness Peninsula, we saw landscapes we never even imagined – waterfalls, moss covered lava fields, an iceberg lagoon, black beaches  and volcanic mountains rising out of coastal fjords in every shade of green, brown, grey and blue. The natural beauty stunned us. The food was another story.

Icy river in southwest Iceland

Since tourism and food culture in Iceland have exploded in the last decade, there are more kinds of foods available in restaurants and grocery stores. There are now greenhouses where a range of salad fixings are being grown. That wasn’t true on our first trip. Let me just say there were not a whole lot of green vegetables. What stood out were the major protein sources caught, produced or raised on the island, fish, dairy and lamb, and their lava bread.

Lava bread is moist and dense, perfect for toasting

Icelandic lava bread (also known as thunder bread, volcano bread, geyser bread, Icelandic brown bread or rugbraud) is one of the simplest breads to make. It is typically made of rye although it can be partly wheat, kamut or spelt flour, a sweetener (usually a combination of brown sugar and glucose syrup although I use maple syrup), baking soda, salt and buttermilk. Rye flour is available in good grocery, health and specialty food stores. I’ve even seen it at Job Lot. If you have a grain mill or Vitamix grain container, you can grind your own from rye berries in seconds. I like to add 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds for texture and nutrition but that is optional.

If you have a choice, use one that hasn’t been messed with, like the one on the left
Baked bread can be stored in the carton until ready to use

Traditionally lava bread is slow cooked in the geothermal heat of earth or sand from hot springs underground, hence its name. Although it bakes at a low temperature for a long time, it falls into the category of a quick bread, like pumpkin or banana bread. Since it is unyeasted, it doesn’t need a rise, and is more like savory cake in texture. It is a dense, sweet and dark, reminiscent of Boston brown bread and mixes up in just a few minutes. I make it in quart milk cartons but you could use empty cans or covered loaf pans. Lava bread is delicious freshly sliced or toasted and would make tasty croutons. Spread on a little butter or top it with cream cheese, fruit spreads, mashed avocado or make an open faced sandwich of egg, tuna or salmon salad, smoked salmon or ham – you’ll find your own favorite topping for this easy homemade bread.

Sliced lava bread with smoked salmon
Porcelain plate by Aysha Peltz

LAVA BREAD

Preheat oven to 210 F and remove top rack, making sure milk cartons will fit, standing upright, on bottom rack.

  • 4 1/2 cups rye flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 TBs baking soda
  • 1/2 cup raw sunflower seed (optional)
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup

Combine all the ingredients until just blended and divide evenly into 2 milk cartons (of which you have already opened the top end).

Bake for 6 1/2 – 7 hours at 210 degrees F (100 C). The bread will feel springy not squishy through the carton when you press on the sides.

Cool somewhat before tearing off milk carton. You can leave the second one in its milk carton for storage while eating the first. If you remove the carton, store in a sealed bag to keep from drying out. Makes 2 loaves which keep fresh 3-4 days and can be frozen when wrapped well.

Reykjanes peninsula coastline

Helping Along Your New Year’s Intentions by Having Vegetables at the Ready

A heaping portion of salad a day…
Triangular bowl by Tom Jaszczak

Eat healthier is always at the top of my list of New Year’s resolutions. For me that means eating less flour and sugar, drinking plenty of water and eating lots more vegetables. Sound familiar? Every January I start off full of good intentions and every year I do a little bit better. When I think about how I eat now compared with years past, there is no contest. There are so many more organic and local options that eating healthy is easier now. Always making sure we have celery, carrots, lettuce and other salad fixings in the refrigerator, leftover greens and some bags of vegetables in the freezer is a sure way to insure I should have no excuses.

Having fresh greens, like watercress, in the fridge and making a big salad makes eating better easier
Bagged kale salad from Costco puts a salad on your table in minutes

Jicama, watermelon radishes and cabbage are easy to find in January and add crunch and volume to cold weather salads. Seaweeds like arame and hiziki can be tossed with julienned carrots and onions and topped with a sesame vinaigrette. Thinly cut and massaged kale or a bag of arugula is an easy way to add a green salad to your diet any time of year or simply sauté that same kale, arugula, cabbage, watermelon radish or watercress with garlic or onions for a warm dish. Costco sells a prepared bagged kale salad ready to eat. All you have to do is dress it. The classic winter salad, the Waldorf (apples, celery, walnuts), is usually made with mayo and too creamy for my taste. Same thing with celery root remoulade but substituting a combination of yogurt and mustard for the mayo or using a vinaigrette solves that problem in both cases.

Root vegetables (beets, carrots, parsnips, squash and rutabagas) last a long time (most in the fridge, squash on the counter) and are easy to roast. Leftovers make a great base for salads or poached eggs or can be added to healthy up or substitute for your breakfast potatoes. I often make extra when roasting sweet potatoes for supper so I have some left over for breakfast or lunch that week. Making extra veggies, whatever way you are preparing them, will provide you the means for making healthy meals for a couple of days ahead.

Another way to up your winter vitamins and minerals is to get in a green smoothie. Just toss some greens in your blender alongside an avocado, some frozen fruit and/or yogurt, kefir or nut milk, perhaps upping the protein with nuts or seeds, and you can have a nutritious liquid meal in minutes.

Eating better can be the easy part of our New Year plans. Keeping your refrigerator and freezer stocked with vegetables can help that happen.

A green smoothie is an easy way to get in more veggies
Tumbler by Tom Jaszczak