Raaka Virgin Chocolate at The Bryant Park Holiday Shops

All images © Valery Rizzo

I shot some new work for Brooklyn artisan chocolate makers, Raaka Virgin Chocolate in Clinton Hill. The work will be printed large scale and hung in their shop at The Bryant Park Holiday Shops, opening this November. 

When I tell you their chocolate is one of the best, I mean it! Producing only dark chocolate varieties, they are one of the few chocolate makers that don't roast their beans before grinding, leaving the cocoa in it's purest form. Their chocolate is vegan, nut free, gluten free and made from certified organic ingredients. The bars are each hand wrapped in beautiful paper designed by artist Elissa Barbieri at Loop and is printed with soy inks on 100% post consumer recycled, chlorine-free paper that was processed by wind generated energy.

Raaka's friends from Recycled Brooklyn and artist Alayna Rasile with be building and decorating their space at the market. By the way I want something from Recycled Brooklyn for my home! check out their Esty shop! The Bryant Park Holiday Shops open November 26th and run till January 6th, 7 days a week. 

Not in New York for the holidays :(  you can always order directly from Raaka Virgin Chocolate's website.

Still Life iPhoneography Workshop at 3rd Ward

All images © Valery Rizzo, shot on the iPhone 4s

Hi everyone, I am now an instructor for With Food in Mind and have been asked to teach a workshop about Still Life iPhoneography at 3rd Ward. Learn how to take GOOD photographs of food with your iPhone.

With Food in Mind produces projects at the intersection of food, visual culture and social change. They work with visual and performing artists, architects, musicians, writers, chefs, cooks, farmers and foragers to create grade school curricula, adult workshops, exhibitions, publications and events.

3rd Ward, for those of you that don't already know, is a multi-disiplinary workspace and education center in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

The workshop will be on Saturday, October 20th from 10am - 1pm. Register by October 13th. Interested? Click here. 

All images © Valery Rizzo

Spelt Berries and Cucumbers with Garden Update

All images © Valery Rizzo

As you know I have been having lots of fun with my garden this year. I did much better than last year, I may even try composting next year. I also learned that as long as I kept the birds and squirrels fed they would leave my vegetables for alone. I made all kinds of light and healthy dishes all summer long with tomatoes, cucumbers, string beans, eggplants, basil, spearmint and other herbs from the garden. I presently have several red bell peppers I am anxiously waiting to harvest and bunches of strawberries if I get to them before the birds do.

The spelt berry and cucumber recipe was adapted slightly from Mario Batali's book Molto Gusto. I used spelt berries instead of farro which I found at the Park Slope Food Coop and the cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and basil were from my garden.

Spelt and Cucumbers with Cherry Tomatoes, Red Onion and Basil

1 1/2 cups spelt berries

2 or 3 medium cucumbers, cut into 1/4 inch triangles (I used Diva cukes but Kirbies would also work nicely)

1/2 of a red onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice

1 large handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 handful fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (chiffonade) I throw in the tiniest leaves, whole

1/4 cup Lambrusco vinegar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Fresh ground black pepper

Sea salt

Combine spelt berries and water to cover by 2 inches in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer, skimming off the foam. Reduce the heat to a bare simmer and cook until berries are just tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Drain spelt berries and transfer to a large bowl. Add cucumbers, onions, tomatoes and basil, mixing well. Add vinegar, olive oil, salt and fresh pepper, mix well and serve, or let stand at room temperature for 1 hour to bring out the flavors. This can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 3 days. 

Serves 4 to 6 people.

Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm and Apiary at The Bklyn Navy Yard

All images © Valery Rizzo

I have been busy working on my latest photo feature for Nona Brooklyn about the amazing new Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm and Apiary over at The Brooklyn Navy Yard. The entire crew from The Grange are inspiring and the farm, produce and honey are unbelievable. They have several farm stands at markets in Brooklyn and Queens where you can buy their produce and honey bee products. A few retail stores and several local restaurants carry and cook with their produce as well.

For those of you unaware I also shoot a monthly, sometimes bi-monthly, photo feature for the amazing James Beard award finalist, group blog Nona Brooklyn. Nona is all about local, artisanal, sustainable and/or traditional food and drink made by people for a passion for what they do.

To see the full feature (photos and story) on Nona Bklyn, about the farm and apiary at the Yard click HERE.

Hopefully you will be as inspired as I was to grow your own food, eat locally grown produce and become more connected with your community and the environment.

Brooklyn Photo of the Week: Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm

Photo © Valery Rizzo

Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, 2012.

Limoncello di Brooklyn

All images © Valery Rizzo

August always makes me feel as though I should be in Italy. The hot sun forces you to slow down and enjoy the time with friends and family preferably with a nice long meal outdoors. This year, since I could not be in Italy I decided why not bring Italy to Brooklyn by asking my cousin Amalia for her Limoncello recipe and having my sister come over and make some Limoncello with me. For those of you that are not familiar, Limoncello is a traditional lemon liqueur, served chilled and usually as an after dinner drink, in the summer. The best Limoncello is found and made in Southern Italy, particularly around the Amalfi Coast, where the lemons are the size of small footballs.

My family is also from the same region of Campania and I always remember them having homemade liqueurs in their refrigerator, when I went to visit.  Sometimes relatives would bring me homemade Limoncello to take back home with me, which was the best kind because it was made with love and given to you in reused uniquely shaped bottles. One year my cousin Annastella’s grandmother Stella tried to give me a bag of no joking, thirty lemons from the lemon tress in her garden to bring back to the US in my suitcase. I managed to get that down to ten, not having the heart to tell her I was not allowed to smuggle fruit out of the country.

A few weeks ago my sister Rossana came over with my niece Siena and while the two of us prepared the Limoncello, Siena ran around my vegetable garden.  We joked about starting our own artisan Limoncello business in Brooklyn and calling it Sorelle Limoncello, sorelle means sister in Italian. It’s not hard to make but everyone has their own variations in the alcohol used, the amount of lemons, the sugar and water combination and the amount of time that you let it steep. You can even add a few lemon leaves to the infusion, if you are lucky enough to live somewhere that grows lemons locally.

Limoncello di Brooklyn

The following is the recipe, although I feel as though Limoncello is one of those recipes you have to make a few times while trying different things until you master it. This is my version of a combination of my cousin Amalia’s recipe, a Giada De Laurentis recipe, a suggestion of leaves from Amalia’s friend Donatella who owns a beautiful agriturismo in Italy that I visited and a Brooklyn addition of organic lemons from The Park Slope Food Coop.

Traditionally Limoncello is made with 180 proof whole-grain alcohol, but it is not easy to find. Brooklynites you may have to go to Jersey for this. I used instead 80 proof vodka (which Giada uses) which you may find you like better, but if you want that stronger kick that Limoncello ususally has then make it with the same amount of pure grain-alcohol (which is more than double the proof of vodka).

11 organic lemons  (thicker skinned, oval shaped lemons work best)

2 lemon leaves  (optional) (The Coop tried their best to get them for me but due to Asian Citrus Psyiild their supplier was unable to ship out lemons with stem and leaves)

1 liter bottle of 80 proof vodka

3 1/2 cups water

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Wash lemons and using a vegetable peeler remove the peel from the lemons into long strips vertically from top to bottom. (Reserve lemons for another use). You want just the lemon peel and not the pith which is the white part of the lemon.

Place the lemon peels and optional 2 lemon leaves in a 2 quart air-tight jar. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover the jar and let steep or infuse for 15 days at room temperature. (some recipes steep anywhere from 4 days to 40 days or more)

After 15 days, in a large saucepan, stir the water and sugar together over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 min. Cool completely. Pour the cooled sugar syrup into the jar over the vodka and peel mixture and stir together. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.

The next day strain the Limoncello through a mesh strainer into another 2 quart jar and discard the peels. Using a funnel transfer the Limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to one month. Makes 2 bottles.

Before serving chill in the freezer and serve in liqueur glasses.

Brooklyn Gathers in the Catskills

All images © Valery Rizzo

We all left Brooklyn, heading up to the Catskills to gather together for a weekend of good friends, great food and a Southern-style outdoor barn wedding. Our friends Brian and Laura who you may remember from my Sunset Park Shrimp Boil Post, were getting married in the town of Roxbury, New York, an area they had traveled to many times before and wanted to share with all of us. Most of us, including the wedding party all stayed at the Roxbury Motel, a beautiful motel with outrageous 1960's television inspired themed rooms, which turned into  a game of I'll show you mine if you show me yours. The night before the wedding it seemed as if everyone met at the same place for the dinner, the IT place you must eat when you are in the Catskills, Peekamoose Restaurant & Tap House, a rustic refurbished farmhouse that serves wood-grilled steaks, seasonal vegetables and has marshmallows you can roast outside around a bond-fire.

Knowing Laura, I knew this wedding was going to be one of those special weddings. You know the ones, where every detail is tastefully designed and extraordinary and where most things are homemade or locally sourced, which has also become a very Brooklyn thing. The day started out with guests parking along the road side and walking across a small bridge above a creek, leading to an open meadow, surrounded by trees strung together with globe lights and The Roxbury Barn in the distance. There was a badminton net set-up and horseshoe for the kids to play with and for the adults a raw oyster bar, which was a boat loaded with fresh local Island Creek Oysters from Duxbury, Massachusetts, served with white wine and garlic scape mignonette.

Cocktails were being served in the barn. All the drinks were created by Laura herself and good friend Holly Sheppard, chef and owner of the fabulous Brooklyn Catering Company, Fig and Pig, who catered the entire event. Cocktails included Cava, The Panty Dropper (a rosey pink cocktail made with vodka, rhubarb syrup, orange, triple sec and topped with purple basil), The Carpet Baggers Wife (cava, currant pureé and elderflower liqueur) and The Love Balm (made with lovage & lemon-balm infused gin, lovage simple syrup, lemon, mint and seltzer). The Lovage and Lemon-balm were both from Laura's garden in Brooklyn. There was also a large wooden canoe outside filled with several really unique and local beers. Hors d'oeuvres included Beet Lollipops, Deviled Eggs, Boiled Peanuts, Lobster with Micro Beet Greens, Canapés and Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwiches.

Laura also personalized each of the dining tables in the barn with jars of her homemade Pickled Ramps. There were also jars of a popular Southern pickle, Brian's sister Judy and husband Dave's Pickled Watermelon, as well as bottles of crushed Salemme Pepper which Laura loves cooking and seasoning foods with. Dave Salemme, Brian's brother-in-law is part of the Salemme Pepper Company in Connecticut. Laura also baked her heart shaped lavender shortbread cookies for everyone to take home as favors. 

The ceremony took place up a large hill and along a path leading to a forest of towering pine trees. Laura and Brian got hitched in this beautiful natural spot surrounded by a circle of  family and friends.

Afterwards all the guests followed the happy couple, down the hill and back to the barn where the food and dancing begun. Brooklyn, DJ Saasha Foo, spun tunes that had everyone dancing...even me! She specializes in Atlanta Hip Hop, only spins vinyl and can be found doing her thing every last thursday of the month at The Emerson and every first tuesday of the month at Project Parlor, both in Brooklyn.

The show stopper of the evening was from Fig and Pig Catering, which served up a roasted Whole Heritage Pig as well as 16 Hour Brined Fried Chicken, Yogurt and Herbed Potato Salad, Farro with Baby Squash, Purple Cauliflower and Roasted Garlic Dressing, Asparagus Kale Salad with Lemon Anchovy Vinaigrette, Heirloom Tomato and Corn Salad with Cotija and Lime Vinaigrette and a Salad of Local Baby Lettuces with Muscadet Vinaigrette.

If that was not fabulous enough, after all the eating and dancing, it was back up the hill which now had a path lit by candles and troops of flickering lightning bugs leading to a spectacular bonfire and Holly still at it, this time with a Crawfish Boil! What a night!!

The next day after our farewells, my husband and I went on a driving trip around the Catskill Mountains. We stayed at Kate's Lazy Meadow (Kate Peirson's place in Mount Tremper) where we saw a bear right outside our cabin window, we ate homemade Rhubarb/Strawberry and Blueberry pie from Mama's Boy in Phoenicia, took walks along creeks, saw many deer (even one with large antlers), wild turkeys, hawks, a hummingbird (as we drank morning coffee), rabbits, woodchucks, taxidermy, vintage cars and trains, wildflowers, visited farmstores (one of my favorites, Lucky Dog Farm Store and Cafe in Hamden) and farmstands, browsed for antiques, met an Australian cattle dog named Arrow and discovered Olde Brooklyn Sodas! I have never even seen these in Brooklyn. There was a Williamsburg Root Beer, Coney Island Cream Soda, Red Hook Raspberry, Brighton Beach Black Cherry, Bay Ridge Birch Beer, Greenpoint Grape Soda, and a Flatbush Orange Soda. I had to try one of each...my dentist won't be too happy about that.

I can really understand why so many people from Brooklyn I know have houses up in the Catskills, it's a really beautiful place with so much history and only a two hour drive back to the Big City.