Egg & Artichoke

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#2 | January 2010 F[ood]ashion

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Foodashion #2

Transcript of Egg & Artichoke

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#2 | January 2010

F[ood]ash•ion

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One of my biggest fears of going raw was my visits to Trattoria Sostanza Troia in Florence, Italy : a quaint and phenomenal restaurant where, typically, I will eat 8 nights out of 10 while I am visiting. The current owners started out as waiters when they were just teens and now being in the late 60’s, they tell wonderful stories as well as having taught me how to make one of my favorite dishes in the world. This amazing little restaurant which, during World War II, hid Jews in the basement, has a tiny kitchen that seems could barely f it one cook and a frying pan. They cook this dish on a pan from World War II that I do not believe has ever actually been washed.

For me, it is ALL about the eggs and that means that they should be really fresh: laid in the past 2-3 days. In the Union Square market on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, you can buy them from the Grazin’ Angus Acres Farms stand. Something so simple: eggs, artichoke hearts, really good olive oil, salt and pepper, and of course my family’s facial expression when I bring it to the table: what could be better?!

Egg with ArtichokeEgg with ArtichokeAll photographs by Erica Simone

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Dan Gibson from Grazin’ Farms is a farmer that takes such pride in what he does: he treats his chicken and cattle as if they were his kids (except the fact that their destiny is a bit different.) On Saturdays, when I buy his eggs or beef from his stand at Union Square, I can’t wait to go home and cook something good for the troops waiting with their tongues hanging out. For me, holding the unwashed, un-laid eggs in my hand feels like heaven and enough to satisfy my raw regime. I asked Dan to tell me about his eggs.

What makes your eggs so much better than eggs from an organic supermarket?

WE ARE A LOW VOLUME EGG PRODUCER THAT USES THE CHICKENS TO CON-TROL FLIES, WEEDS AND FERTILIZE OUR PASTURES (3 DAYS BEHIND THE CATTLE JUST LIKE YOU MAY HAVE READ ABOUT IN “THE OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA” BY MICHAEL POL-LAN) – IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, JUST HARD WORK.I DON’T BELIEVE THERE IS ANY LARGE VOLUME PRODUCER AT ANY TYPE OF SUPERMARKET THAT DOES CHICKENS/EGGS LIKE WE DO. THEY WOULDN’T BELIEVE IT TO BE COST EFFECTIVE. THE WAY WE FARM IS MANUAL HARD WORK – THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS TO GREAT EGGS AND MEAT!

Why are your eggs so bright yellow/orange?

OUR EGGS HAVE ORANGE CENTERS FOR ONE SIMPLE REASON – GRASS – BE-CAUSE OUR LAYING CHICKENS ARE PASTURE-RAISED IN LUSH GREEN PASTURES VIA EGG MOBILES THAT MOVE EVERYDAY TO FRESH GRASS. IT’S THE SAME BETA CARO-TENE THAT MAKES CARROTS ORANGE, ALONG WITH LOTS OF OMEGA 3S, THAT DO IT. I ALWAYS TELL OUR CUSTOMERS, “THE EGGS DON’T LIE – YOU CAN TELL IF THE CHICKENS ARE EATING GRASS OR NOT!”

What is your favorite egg dish?

I’M A SIMPLE MAN WITH SIMPLE TASTES. I LIKE MY EGGS OVER VERY EASY WITH SOME OF MY WIFE’S FRESHLY MADE BREAD/TOAST TO SOP UP ALL THAT RUNNY, GOOD FOR YOU, YOLK! I DON’T WANT TO COVER THE EXTRAORDINARY TASTE OF A REAL EGG IN AN OMELET.

Can you tell me some egg secrets either about care or process that I might not know?

WHEN AN EGGS IS LAID, IT LEAVES THE CHICKEN WITH A PROTECTIVE “BLOOM” COATING ON IT. WASHING EGGS CAN TAKE THAT PROTECTIVE COATING OFF AND MAKE THE GAS-PERMIABLE EGG SHELL VULNERABLE TO CONTAMINANTS. WE DON’T “WASH” OUR EGGS, JUST FLICK OFF ANY UNDESIRABLES BEING CAREFUL NOT

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TO GRIND THEM IN. OUR EGGS ARE IN SUCH HIGH DEMAND THAT THEY SELL AS QUICKLY AS THEY ARE LAID. THAT IS, THEY ARE AS FRESH AS POSSIBLE WHEN WE BRING THEM TO MARKET. MOST TIMES, THEY’VE NEVER BEEN RE-FRIGERATED AND NEVER NEED TO BE. LOTS OF CAMPERS WHO WANT TO TAKE EGGS ASK US ABOUT THIS.

You also sell grass fed beef from your farm. Do the cows and chickens ever get in a f ight? and if so who wins?

CATTLE AND CHICKENS LIVE PERFECTLY SYMBIOTIC LIVES. COWS DROP PAT-TIES THAT FILL UP WITH HIGHLY NUTRITIOUS FLY LARVAE THAT THE CHICKENS USE AS A PURE PROTEIN SOURCE. THE CHICKENS SPREAD THE MANURE, HELP KEEP FLIES FROM OUR CATTLES EYES (SO THEY GROW BETTER/HAPPIER), THEY EAT SOME GRASSES THAT THE CATTLE DIDN’T WANT, THEY GIVE US THE WON-DERFUL EGGS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THEY LEAVE BEHIND THE BEST OR-GANIC FERTILIZER – CHICKEN POOP – SO THAT THE GRASS GROWS FAST SO WE CAN AGAIN GRAZE THE CATTLE THROUGH AND DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN STILL, WE OFTEN SEE YOUNG CALVES AND THE CHICKENS FACING OFF. THE CALVES DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT TO THINK OF THE CHICKENS SO THEY CHARGE AT THEM BUT ALWAYS STOP SHORT AND THE CHICKENS JUST SQUAWK A LITTLE AND GO BACK ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS – I’VE SEEN THIS GO ON FOR HOURS AT A TIME.

If you were at a retaurant and were craving eggs would you break down and eat them knowing what you know about the industry?

NEVER – IN FACT, I FREQUENT RESTAURANTS THAT SERVE OUR BEEF AND PAY UP JUST TO HAVE IT COOKED

FOR US. IF YOU HAVEN’T SHAKEN THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU, DEVEL-OPED THE MUTUAL RESPECT AND TRUST NECESSARY TO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN WHAT YOU ARE EATING, THEN IT’S JUST MYSTERY MEAT AND YOU’RE TAKING A CHANCE NOT WORTH TAKING. IT’S SHOCKING TO ME HOW OFTEN WE READ ABOUT THIS AND STILL FOLKS BUY WITHOUT KNOWING THE FARMER.

I recently learned that when pealing hard boiled eggs the fresher they are, the harder it is to peel them without loosing the outer layer of skin. Why?

HONESTLY, I’M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHY THIS IS BUT I DO KNOW THAT IF AFTER BOILING, YOU DUNK THE EGG INTO ICE WATER, EVEN THE FRESHEST EGG WILL PEEL EASIER.

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