Harrietts Tomato

World's Teensiest Noodle

From the Chicago Sun Times: TOKYO — Japanese scientists say they have used cutting-edge technology to create a noodle bowl so small it can be seen only through a microscope.

Mechanical engineering professor Masayuki Nakao said Thursday he and his students at the University of Tokyo used a carbon-based material to produce a noodle bowl with a diameter 1/25,000 of an inch in a project aimed at developing nanotube-processing technology.

The Japanese-style ramen bowl was carved out of microscopic nanotubes, Nakao said.

Nanotubes are tube-shaped pieces of carbon, measuring about one-ten-thousandth of the thickness of a human hair.

Oreo Cookies Make Daring Escape

Breaking News via The Huffington Post:

MORRIS, Ill. — Police say a trailer loaded with 14 tons of double-stuffed Oreos has overturned, spilling the cookies still in their plastic sleeves into the median and roadway.

Illinois State Police Sgt. Brian Mahoney says the truck's driver was traveling from Chicago to Morris on Interstate 80 around 4 a.m. Monday when he fell asleep at the wheel and slammed into the median.

"The boxes came out of the trailer and boxes were ripped open," he said.

The crash about 50 miles southwest of Chicago remains under investigation.

Mahoney says no charges have been filed but both lanes of traffic remain closed while authorities remove the cookies.

Cooking at the End of the World in the Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal has published a piece I wrote about cooking at the South Pole.  The print copy appears on the first page of the Weekend Journal section March 15/16.  Take a look online at this link here...and look at the slide show as well,  with photos taken by me as well as Todd Adams and Margaret Adams. 

Chilean Wine 9-Year Retrospective...Vintners Infiltrate Napa

Father and son vintners Aurelio Montes and Aurelio del Campo of Chile's Montes Winery were in New York last week for a vertical tasting of their signature "Montes Alpha M", a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The assemblage of a couple dozen wine writers spat their way from 1997 through 2005. 

The winemakers are  getting close to releasing their first Napa Valley-produced wine, a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah blend.  The label also owns vineyards in Argentina. 

A vertical tasting is fascinating since the growing conditions and weather of each year are so evident on the palate.  To oversimplify, the drought years taste thin, the warm damp years taste fat, and this is the root of wine obsession--we are actually drinking the earth, the sky, and all the elements in a glass.  Nature, over millenia, has poured itself into the subtleties one finds in a wine, then we add to this the energies of those who nurture the fruit until the winemaker infiltrates it with soul.  It's a long process, and a magical one.

Aurelio Sr. mentioned that growing grapes is altering somewhat because the weather is getting warmer.  Without blinking he used the G word...Globalwarming... and it's beginning to effect the wine business.   The traditional way of vertical growing no longer works for all grapes and growers are having to deal.  We'll be keeping our ear to the ground for more on this.

Ms. Tomato wrote about Montes earlier this year after visiting them outside of Santiago, Chile - theirs is the vineyard built according to feng shui principles, where the barrels are serenaded by Gregorian chants, carvings of angels peek around every corner and water fountains create pleasant white noise. 

The winemakers are known for concentrated, boutiquey wines...they seem to be going for cult status.  The Alpha M is made in the Bordeaux style, and the Aurelios say that several restaurants in Bordeaux carry it.  The 2005 runs about $80 a bottle. Montes also produces Carmenère, one of Chile's specialty grapes, as well as Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and a late harvest Gewurztraminer, all of which retail for under $25.

Dining for Darfur August 21 in New York

Complete and utter appall is the only possible humane reaction to the continuing Darfur genocide.  Food writer and blogger Andrea Strong has been channeling her own frustration by organizing benefits to support the International Rescue Committee (IRC).  The first, held in 2006, raised nearly $30,000.

The second annual Dining for Darfur Wine Tasting Gala, sponsored by T Edward Wines, will be held on Tuesday August 21st at the Puck Building in Manhattan.  Over 400 wines, many of them organically-driven, will be poured and a menu of signature dishes from Blue Ribbon, Cookshop, and Hill Country will be served.   Tickets are a reasonable $125 each. 

The Discreet Charm of Two Buck Chuck

Some of our most romantic moments have been spent in Trader Joe's.   As former So'Californians, we practically grew up there, whiling away hours in the olive oil and sauces aisles.  So imagine our glee to hear that the cheap booze TJ's has become known for, namely the $1.99 Charles Shaw Chardonnay, was voted Best Chardonnay from California at the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition with 98 points.

As reported in the Napa Valley Register on June 29 of this year, the tastings are blind, so none of the judges had a clue they were extolling the virtues of two-dollar wine.

From the Register: "Dr. Richard Peterson, veteran winemaker and a State Fair judge for 20 years, said, "We have the most open judging I know. There is nothing to bias judging. We get numbered glasses. We don't know the region, brand or price. We evaluate the judges frequently to make sure they're tops in the field. Charles Shaw won because it is a fresh, fruity, well-balanced chardonnay that people and wine judges — though maybe not wine critics — will like." "

Notably, two-buck chuck is actually three bucks in New York where real estate prices continue to inflate at record speed.  Rumor has it Trader Joe's is adding to their NYC area stores with a location in Beorum Hill, Brooklyn...a short four blocks from the Tomato Estate.  Now we can never leave the 'hood.

Our 2Cents on the Fancy Food Show

By now you've read all about the Fancy Food Show in New York, that bacchanalia of tortilla chips and handpainted chocolates.  Now, we all have our little obsessions--yet Ms. Tomato's, oddly enough, weren't completely addressed this week by her food writing peers.  Perhaps that's because we favor old news, it's more comfy.  So, because you are chomping at your bit to know, here are our observations on what's looming on your Whole Foods/Trader Joes horizon. 

SALT.  Yes, yes we've read about that endlessly too.  But it's not just slabs of Himalayan pink  (used, by the way, as architectural bricks, serving platters, replenishing of body minerals, and flavor) but flakes, nubs and powders now come in a veritable Sesame Street spectrum of colors.  And by the way, BLACK is the new food color, and we found more than one kind of black salt.  Black food is cropping up all over Spain, so look for it on the LES, PDQ.

TEA.  Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be another kind of tea our there, this beverage sector continues to expand exponentially.  Beautiful tight little fists of flowers and leaves that bloom into art bouquets when doused with boiling water, showcased in glass teapots--no longer exclusively for Marie Antoinette (watch fab Coppola movie for a viewing).   Rooibos, aka red bush tea, in several guises, including Red Tea Espresso, wherein leaves are placed in the espresso grounds filter of the machine and water is forced through to create a foamy shot.  Powdered green tea packets for ice drinks.  Tea, tea, tea, tea.

U.K. FOOD.  Traditionally the brunt of jokes, Brit food is getting famous, many thanks to NYC pub food goddess April Blomfield who has supplied us with a vision of what could be...and probably hasn't become yet in the actual UK, other than within a few choice products.  The British contingent pedled classics such as Duchy Originals biscuits (of HRH Prince Charles fame), and Walker's Shortbread.  But we were most charmed by the Haggis booth, the name of which we didn't catch, manned by two genteel suited and tied gentlemen for whom  a very peaty single malt might be a style accessory, along with the breastpocket puff. 

DEVELOPING COUNTRY PRODUCTS....and VEGAN SEAFOOD.  Serbian truffles.  Kelp vegan caviar in "salmon", "black" and "wasabi" flavors--the molecular party goes retail.

YET MORE ITALIAN CHEESE.  Again, not the most original of observations, but many on our shores still think mozzarella, parmesan and gorgonzola.  Italian monks and country folk, however,  have been hand-crafting endless types of unique artisanal formaggios for centuries. Huge wheels of the stuff were out in all their splendor last week, doled out by extraordinarily good-looking cheesemakers.  Creamy, blue, crumbly, soft, washed rind, stinky, old, new-- the variety of small production cheese from all the regions is pretty magnificent.

NUT PRODUCTS.   Someday soon someone is going to invent a Thanksgiving nut loaf that is actually worth eating.  Meanwhile, nut oils and nut milks are being used in new ways.  In fact, here at H.Tomato, we will share our Cauliflower Puree soup made with almond milk in coming days.  Like it or not, there is a vegan underground afoot, which ought to make a lot of pigs happy, and the animal food-eschewers don't want to be confined to steamed veg.

WHAT'S COMING AND ISN'T QUITE HERE YET.  The Organic and Natural room (tucked in a corner and not so easy to find) had some great products, and we hope to see more - this is where we found Rooibos "red espresso"  and cool nut oils such as Moroccan argan - but these fine folks haven't yet acquired the marketing oomph that other worldly wise vendors have developed over years of edging out competitors.  As an ardent organic and natural food fan, we'd like to see this portion of the market get sexier than the other stuff while holding on to some dignity and grown-upness, in contrast to barbecue sauce that comes in cowboy doll bottles, or salsa labels filled with so many exclamation marks they make Dr. Bronner look dour.  You gotta get the message out there to the masses, not just the choir.

Joey Chestnutt Wins Hot Dog Eating Contest

Joey Chestnutt, a 23-year-old American, won the annual Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest today by downing an unfathomable 66 dogs and buns in 12 minutes, unseating 6-time champ and sport babe Takeru Kobayashi.   Kobyashi entered the ring in spite of recent reports he is battling arthritis of the jaw and recovering from a wisdom tooth extraction.  Although the Japanese gurgitator initially put away as much as Chestnutt, he came in second with an official score of 63 due to a "reversal" -- unintended vomiting of the goods. 

Chestnutt may reign supreme in competitive eating circles, but he doesn't have quite the sex appeal of Kobayashi.  Suddenly we aren't so interested in this sport.  Photo of Chestnutt in victory face at left by Seth Wenig of the AP.  Photo of Kobayashi in former victory face at right by Chris Collard.

Read the Associated Press piece here. 

Smith Street Stinky Cheese Gurgitators

Couldn't resist leading with the beauty shot - this is the actual Cantal that ended up in the stomachs of some 25 gurgitators today at the first annual Cheese Eating Contest sponsored by Stinky Bklyn and Smith & Vine on  Boerum Hill's food-lined Smith Street.   

These contestants were a far cry from the rowdy lot that frequent the professional eating circuit -- most look cute and cuddly, like they'd call you ma'am and open the door for you,  with no green dreadlocks, biker tatts  or ginormous bellies anywhere to be seen.   

But then they  volunteered to consume 60 seconds worth of Cantal, one of France's oldest and most classic cheeses, named after the Cantal mountains in the Auvergne, with a flavor reminiscent of a mild white cheddar and a provenance of  hay-fed Salers cows.

A little more refined, one might argue, than your average Coney Island weiner.

"One minute of cheese, is not really that much cheese," said the victorious Oliver Butler, after downing a couple of winning wedges, that amounted to about 6 ounces. "I think if I practiced I could eat twice that much next time."  He'd never entered an eating contest before, he said, but did study the masters and knew enough to start the day with a big breakfast to stretch out his stomach....and it worked!  Witness the girth of the famed gold belt, and pray future cheese contests don't cause you to fill it, young man.

Anyone who lives in this 'hood where, incidentally, the Tomato Estate is located, is more than grateful for the appearance a few short years ago of Michele Pravda and her partner Patrick Watson who first opened the wine store Smith & Vine, then later the cheese shop Stinky Bklyn, right across the street. 

Before they materialized, it was all scary plexiglass bullet-shield type liquor stores with dusty bottles of Chianti and  plasticwrap feta at the Met Store.  Now we just zip down the block for dry sausages from Spain,  a chunk of Folie Bergere fromage, and some outrageously good olive oil, then proceed across the street to peruse the selection of Armagnacs and gaze upon the under-$10 wine table that is so chockfull of drinkworthiness.

Now if only we could convince Mark of the Doughnut Plant to stop opening stores in Japan and look a little closer to home...Boerum Hill, Mark, Boerum Hill.

Behold below, the happy cheese clan: from left Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Michele Pravda, Oliver Butler, and Patrick Watson.

House of Spinach

This report comes from a new online magazine called Reality Sandwich...a building partially made from spinach.  The original link comes from the website of the very fine Buckminster Fuller Institute, whose managing director Elizabeth Thompson is a friend, also a contributor to Reality Sandwich.  But how cool is this? 

The single family dwelling by Matthew Coates and Tim Meldrum runs a photosynthetic and phototropic skin made with spinach protein.  It's the winning entry in the Cradle to Cradle design competition and not only is it sustainable, it actually produces extra energy to share with neighbors.  (Note:  unclear whether the above picture is of the winning building or just a virtual spinach fantasy, but it's irresistable nonetheless.)

Lawn Mowers that Go Baaahh

We can't help but love the twice-yearly New York Times' T-Living magazine - for one thing they occasionally publish under Ms. Tomato's nom-de-plume, and for another they print some great food art.  Last weekend's edition included the above tidbit on page 28, which we wrote (blink while thumbing through and you'll miss it, but it's  quality that counts).

Our little article is about one of the best milk-fed lamb producers anywhere, Don Watson, who lives between Colorado and Northern California.  He provides lamb to the still-miraculous Chez Panisse, but first rents them out as lawn-mowers.  He calls his company Wooly Weeders.

This is not a vegan story, but it is a sustainable farming one.  It's true the little critters are headed for the roasting pan and dinner plate... first however they get to roam around and do one of the things they do best--consume.  Ewes and their lambs are set free on acres of farmland and within 24 hours munch the grass down to a perfect 2" height, trim the vines of lower leaves so sugars get channeled into the grapes, and dispose of noxious weeds which they easily digest.  As they move on to greener pastures, they leave rich natural fertilizer as a gift to the soil.  Charming!

The other discovery in this edition is the work of artist Kevin Van Aelst who uses food as a medium.  He created the signature "T" of the spring issue, in the form of what looks like a tuna belly and salmon sushi roll.  Yes, yes, we know it's yer basic logo, but we urge you to check out his site by clicking on his name above, where you can peruse his collection of clouds in a cup of coffee...he's a bit of a genius.

Cheese Rolling the Gloucester

On Spring Bank Holiday Monday, this year May 28th, a mob of competitors will chase a 7-8 lb wheel of Double Gloucester Cheese down a steep decline at Cooper's Hill, near the English town of Brockworth.

Since 1988, the cheeses used are the local, hand-made wheels from Mrs. Diana Smart and her Brown Swiss, Holstein and Gloucester cows.  Winners keep their cheese.

The traditional event, which dates back to 1884, uses volunteers to ready the hill for the onslaught of traffic.  The all-time cheese-chasing champion is a Mr. Stephen Gyde, who has taken home a total of 21 wheels over a span of 14 years.   

Pulitzer Prize for Food Writing

Jonathan Gold of LA Weekly has won a 2007 Pulitzer Prize for criticism...the first Pulitzer to go to a food critic.   Wow.

Martha and Alain in Outer Space

That's Martha...Stewart and Alain....Ducasse.  And it's actually their food that's in outer space.

A few weeks ago we posted a blip on Ducasse cooking for the space program, but we'd no idea it was the space TOURIST program.  But of course!

Stewart's long-time 'friend' , Hungarian-born computer software billionaire Charles Simonyi, 58, at right, needs a decent meal as he orbits around our Big Blue Marble, blogging away for the kiddies. 

His hope is the epistles will foster interest in space travel among the young, something apparently on the wane since the advent of celebrity gossip blogging and disturbing video games.

The rocket takes off from Kazakhstan.  Kazakhstan to the Moon--we wonder how much it costs to keep that trip carbon-neutral...but inquiring minds really want to know what the astro-vacationers will be eating and which offerings from Ducasse, who "created" the menu, are sanctioned by Stewart, who "chose" the menu.  Here's a juicy bit from the Associated Press piece, authored by Maria Danilova:

"The menu includes quail roasted in Madiran wine, duck breast confit with capers, shredded chicken parmentier, apple fondant pieces, rice pudding with candied fruit, and semolina cake with dried apricots. It was to be prepared by celebrity chef Alain Ducasse's consulting and training center, ADF, according to Space Adventures."

Read entire AP article here, courtesy HuffPo.

Food & Wine...and Tomato

How do we love Kate Krader, Senior Editor at Food & Wine?  Let us count the ways! 

She has  1) taught us much about what we know on the subject of food writing; 2) illuminated us on the mysterious world of Food Magazine Editors, and; 3) mentions our little blog on the  Food & Wine website.  How can we help but love her?  And we spread the love like creamery butter...read her , under "Cheese Master" on Food&Wine.com.

Mmmmmmmmm....Rachel Loves Her Job

Thanks to Gawker for alerting us to the genius of artist Naomi Leibowitz .    VIDEO HERE of Rachel, loving her job, as we all probably would.

Squirrel Salad Sandwich

This online cooking video hosted by The Huntress, demonstrates how to shoot, cook and make a salad from a squirrel with "a cute little butt."  She promised her son a squirrel sandwich...and she delivers.

Thank-you Dr. Sardonic for passing along this instructional video.

Missing Mushroom Men

There are certain foods we take for granted.  The basic button mushroom, for instance.  Ms. Tomato had a vague idea of how these came about, but it wasn't until we toured a grower just outside Santiago, Chile, that we found new  respect for the little critters and the people who harvest them.

We also were impressed at the full flavor of a superfresh button mushroom - why hadn 't we thought of this before?  Of course a domestic Spore is also better when just-cut! Without the benefit of salt, lemon, butter or any such thing, this plain little fungus is meaty and delicious.

It all starts with the making of fertilizer from hay, a process on view above.  It is hosed down and starts to rot in the sun, is then put in a huge vat the size of an 18-wheeler truck and shifted around, mixed with stuff and allowed to rot more.  It ends up black and rich, the perfect foodbed for fungus.  Packed into a sort of plastic wrap box, the beds are then stored in environment-controlled dark rooms until mushrooms bloom.  Then they are hand cut by....mushroom ladies.

Why ladies?  We asked our host, the farm's manager, a gentleman who had been headhunted for the post in his native Northern Europe.  He explain