rick's picks

For those who want authentic homemade-style pickles but just don't have it in you, look no further. Rick's picks is the answer. The Lower East Side (NYC) based company has a national cult following and yet their roots are still attentive to staying local and sustainable. Try the sliced bread and butter, they have a little zing with added ginger and are not too sweet. 

Available by mail and at Greenmarkets.

- Wednesdays: Union Square Greenmarket, Union Square West Between 15th Street and 16th Street (year round)

- Saturdays: Union Square Greenmarket, Union Square West Between 15th Street and 16th Street (year round)

- Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket, Grand Army Plaza Brooklyn (year round)

- Brooklyn Flea, Bishop Laughlin High School 176 Lafayette Ave. Brooklyn, 10am - 5pm

- Sundays: Brooklyn Flea, 1 Hanson Place, at Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, 10am - 5pm

Tayto

I recently realized that with all the places I have traveled to around the globe there's a spud of a common thread to all those destinations. You could say my common thread is the chip, or crisp if you are in the UK and parts of the EU. I’ve de-bagged a couple in Greece, flavored with rosemary; very tasty. An interesting twist was the peri-peri version I noshed on in the outback of South Africa. And of course have nibbled on a few, purely for research in the US. Ahem. Sorry, those pre-formed spuds in a can don't make the cut.

So what makes this the unique link to my travels? The seasoning usually becomes very localized, like ketchup or pickle flavored - a favorite up in Canada. Mostly, I like them plain-n-simple like the way they were origially made.

Limerick Market - buying Taytos, Barry's and Jam

The original potato chip recipe was created in Saratoga Springs by another Chef George; George Crum and they were called "Saratoga Chips". It’s said Chef George came up with this crispy thin chip when soggy potatoes kept being returned to the kitchen from a Mr. Vanderbilt. The chip was such a hit they made it on the menu full time. See sometimes good stuff can come from a flop!

In 1920, Frank Smith was one of the first to season a slice. Smith's crisps were originally packaged with a twist of salt in grease proof paper bags - and sold in London. Smith’s today is known as Walker’s Crisps. Other than salt, the potato chip remained unseasoned until an innovation by Joe "Spud" Murphy, the owner of an Irish crisp company called Tayto, developed a way in the 1950’s to produce the world's first seasoned crisps. Flavors; Cheese & Onion and Salt & Vinegar.

You may be asking, George I thought you only ate healthy? I Sure do, but part of a healthy eating regemin is moderation, not sacrifice. I enjoy a few. I don't suggest parking in front of the TV with a 6 1/2 gallon can Grandma Utz’s Chips (one of my favorite’s made in the US).

So far Utz has me sold for chips in the US. What’s my top travelled chip? Without a doubt the original "Cheese and Onion" made by Tayto. My crew recently introduced me to Taytos when filming in Ireland for GH Living it UP!. It's time to go back, I finished my last bag. 

images: Hirsch Productions

Sunny Side

This post is an ode to song writer Bobby Hebb, who passed last week. His message in that very popular 1966 song "Sunny" has made its memory bookmark in millions of peoples lives. How could you not sing along with such an upbeat song? The song "Bread" was on the flip-side. In fact the song was covered more than 802 times by the likes of Marvin Gay, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Cher and many others.

I find keeping it on the sunny side begins first thing in the morning, so to keep Bobby's message alive here's my recipe for Eggs Benedict. Go ahead, serve them sunny side up in stead of poached you may find yourself whistling "Sunny".

Eggs Benedict

Hampton’s Brew

What goes well with wings, spicy food and anything grilled? A frosty pint of IPA. What’s IPA? Glad you asked. BTW you know my fave place to enjoy a fresh pulled pint is at Southampton Publick House - Phil Markowski's award winning brews. 

Located in Southampton, New York, The Southampton Publick House is a landmark for its beverages - Southampton Ales And Lagers. Since the 1800s, beer has been created and served in The Publick House’s previous incarnations as a speakeasy, watering hole and restaurant. 

IPAs were brewed to survive the voyage from England to India prior to the invention of refrigeration. The temperature extremes and rolling of the seas resulted in a highly attenuated (fermented) beer upon arrival. English pale ales were derived from India Pale Ales. American IPA can be a much different brew from the reincarnated English IPA. Generally more flavorful than English IPA, color can range from very pale gold to reddish amber. Hops are typically American with an assertive herbal and citric character; bitterness can be quite high as well.

Southampton IPA is balanced between the hopped-up West Coast-style IPAs and the Old World characteristics of a traditional European IPA. You could say that Southampton IPA is located somewhere between Europe and California, figuratively and literally.

Southampton Ales And Lagers' Brewmaster, Phil Markowski began brewing beer professionally in 1989 at the New England Brewing Company in Norwalk, Connecticut. In June 1996 he moved to Southampton to serve as resident Brewmaster at the Southampton Publick House. Phil uses three grains and a blend of three American and two English hop varieties to make this complex and delicious IPA. It’s full of floral hop aroma and has fruity apricot and grapefruit overtones. It has an assertive hop flavor and a refreshing hop bitterness while still showing plenty of caramel malt character to balance the flavor. It features more balance than any other IPA brewed in America. The result is an American-style IPA with the Old World characteristics of a traditional European IPA.

Balance, that’s what separates India Pale Ales. And that’s the difference between the Southampton IPA and most others. Watch the George Hirsch Living it UP! TV segment with Brewmaster Phil Markowski.

Southampton Publick House TV segment

Wine with Perfect Pitch

Terrific Tom Seaver won three hundred eleven games, struck out more than two hundred batters over nine consecutive seasons and won three Cy Young Awards. Then in the National Baseball Hall of Fame voting, Tom Seaver received 425 votes out of a possible 430 — the highest percentage ever received by any baseball player.

 

Today Tom Seaver is pitching another kind of perfect game at Seaver Family Vineyards, Diamond Mountain District, Napa Valley. Few take as much pleasure as Mr. Seaver in the hands-on labor of raising grapes -something that was very familiar to Seaver growing up with his family in the raisin business.

Seaver Family Vineyard's cabernet vines were all planted by 2002. "Nancy's Fancy" and "GTS" has received positive reviews. His goal was to grow the best grapes he could on soil that is just right for Cabernet. Will he out-produce the mega-vintners? Probably not. But, from all accounts his vintages are to be highly noted for achieving excellence in every bottle, that is if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a case, with the vineyard's limited 700 case production. 

With hands on dedication to his vines, Tom Seaver has matched his perfect pitched games on another kind of field. 

BTW - Seaver's #41 was retired by the Mets in '88.