‘People often think of New York as a city, a concrete jungle with soaring skyscrapers and yellow taxis and the bright lights of Times Square,” says Will Guidara, the general manager and co-owner of Eleven Madison Park and the NoMad. “It is that, in part. But beyond that, it’s rolling hills of fruit orchards and fields of grain and ice-cold waters brimming with oysters.”
Guidara and his business partner, chef Daniel Humm, explore the nearby bounty in their new book, “I ♥ New York: Ingredients and Recipes.” The twosome profile more than 50 local farms — within a few hours of the city — that they have worked with over the years.
“Eating local ingredients grown by people who have dedicated their lives to this craft tastes and feels unlike anything else,” enthuses Humm.
So make a day trip upstate, grab some goods from the local farms featured in the book — and get cooking with Humm’s recipes. You may even meet some cuddly pigs and handsome sheep along the way.
Breakfast yummies at Flying Pigs Farm
Farmer Mike Yezzi’s hens eat well. At his Flying Pigs Farm, he adds ground oyster shells from Marlow & Sons, whom he supplies with meat, to their feed for extra calcium. The result are eggs that Humm raves about. They have “such a vibrant yolk and a super custardy taste,” the chef tells The Post.
And Yezzi has plenty of tasty accompaniments for those brilliant yolks on offer. He currently has about 300 pigs on the 200-acre farm, and he sells everything from butt bacon to sausage to pie dough made with butter and pork lard. The latter is one of his favorite offerings. It “just makes it too easy to make a pie,” he says.
246 Sutherland Road, Shushan, NY; call ahead to visit, 518-222-5166, flyingpigsfarm.com
Ham & egg sandwich
● Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. ● Build four sandwiches from 8 slices of ¼-inch-thick rye bread, 1 pound sliced Gruyère-style aged raw cow’s milk cheese (Humm suggests ordering Rupert cheese from Vermont’s Consider Bardwell Farm) and 1 pound thinly sliced smoked ham. ● Layer cheese above and below ham. ● Before placing the top slice of bread on the sandwich, use a 2 ¹/₄-inch round cutter to punch a hole through the ham, cheese and the bottom piece of bread. ● Remove the circle scraps. Top each sandwich with an unpunched slice of bread. ● Spread butter on both sides of the sandwiches. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat (use two skillets if necessary to hold all four sandwiches). ● Place the sandwiches, hole-side down, in the skillet, and reduce the heat to low. Cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. ● Flip the sandwiches and crack 1 egg into each hole. ● Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the egg is cooked and the cheese is melted, 10 to 12 minutes.
Fruits and veggies at John D. Madura Farms
John D. Madura grows nearly 100 different types of fruits, vegetables and flowers on his 300-acre farm. Among them are rare offerings such as red okra, round carrots — “they’re like baseballs” says the 45-year-old farmer — and salsify, a root vegetable with an oyster-like taste.
“It is a truly unique vegetable that many haven’t tasted but that is really easy to like,” says chef Humm. It “pairs beautifully with many other flavors.”
Salsify doesn’t come into season until early fall. Until then, you can grab some of Madura’s current crops — parsnips, onions, salad greens or starter plants and flowers — at his roadside J.A.D.S. Farm Market. With so many offerings throughout the year, Madura insists he doesn’t have a favorite. “I like them all.”
Intersection of County Route 1 and Glenwood Road, Pine Island, NY; johndmadurafarms.com; open April to December, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Caramelized salsify with apples
● Slice 1 apple into wedges and another apple lengthwise into ¹/₄-inch planks. Slice 2 pears lengthwise into ¹/₄-inch planks. ● In a medium sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil over high heat and add 8 salsify stalks, peeled and cut into varying lengths. ● Sear for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, rolling to ensure even caramelization. ● Lower the heat, pour off the excess oil, and add 2 tablespoons butter, 2 crushed whole garlic cloves, and 3 thyme sprigs. ● Baste the salsify for 2 to 3 minutes and remove from the heat. Pour out the excess butter, add ¹/₄ cup chicken stock, and simmer until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. ● Transfer the salsify to a plate. Repeat the caramelization process with the apple wedges and planks and then with the pears, omitting the stock and cooking the fruit until just tender. ● Finish the seared salsify, apples and pears with the lemon juice, and season with salt to taste. Spoon apple sauce onto four plates and top with olive oil. Arrange the caramelized apples, pears and salsify on the plates. ● Add 1 roasted garlic clove to each plate and top with apple chip topping.
Apple Sauce
In a small sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons sugar over medium-high heat. When the sugar has caramelized to a dark amber color, add 2 cups peeled, cored, and diced (1/8 inch) Gala apples. Toss to combine, and stew for 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon vinegar and simmer for 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium low heat. Add 1/4 cup thinly sliced shallot and sweat until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup white wine, raise the heat, and reduce until almost dry, about 3 minutes. Add the apple mixture, 7 sprigs thyme, 2 cups chicken jus, and 1 cup chicken stock and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Strain the sauce through a chinois and return to the pan. Reduce over medium heat to about 1 cup. Season with vinegar and salt to taste.
Roasted Garlic Cloves
Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a small baking dish, combine 1/2 cup butter, 8 sprigs thyme, and 4 large cloves of unpeeled garlic. Roast until the garlic is tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
Apple Chip Topping
Preheat oven to 200°F. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a boil. Remove from the heat and allow syrup to cool. Thinly slice 1 red apple on a mandoline. Dip the apple slices in the syrup and place on a 13 by 18-inch baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat. Bake in the oven until dry and light golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Immediately remove the apple chips from the pan and allow to cool to room temperature. When the chips are cool and crisp, crumble them. Just before serving, combine 1 cup of the crumbled apple chips with the 1 tablespoon sliced chives and 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley and season with sea salt to taste.
Chevre and goat’s milk at Lynnhaven goat dairy
Lynn Fleming reveals that her renowned goat cheeses have a secret ingedient: love. “That sounds corny but . . . it’s true,” says the 53-year-old farmer and former equestrian. “These goats provide for us, so they get the best of everything.”
Her affection for her animals and devotion to using fresh milk in her dairy products add up to a winning recipe. “Her cheeses [are] unlike anything [I’ve] ever tasted,” says author and chef Daniel Humm. “She is just so dedicated to her product and to her goats.”
Visitors to Fleming’s 9-acre farm can meet her beloved Nubian and Lamancha goats — she’s even named them, so you can say hello to Allure, Never, Stormy and friends — along with chickens, ducks and geese. The goats have more personality than you might expect. “They’re smarter than any dog,” boasts Fleming. And “they’re more independent than any cat, yet they still want to be your friend.”
414 Church Road, Pine Bush, NY; call 845-744-6089 for appointment; lynnhavennubians.com; goat cheeses and yogurts and chicken and duck eggs available for purchase.
Fresh goat’s milk curd with summer berries and beets
● Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place 7 baby beets, rinsed, in a small baking dish. ● In a bowl, combine 2 cups olive oil with ²/₃ cup red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 cups of water. Season with salt. ● Pour the mixture over the beets and cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Roast the beets until tender, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool and peel. Leave 4 beets whole and quarter the remaining ones. ● Make the fresh goat’s milk curd. In a medium saucepan, combine 4 cups goat’s milk and 2 cups cream, and bring to 183 degrees over medium heat. ● Season with salt. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and allow the temperature to climb to 190° to 195°F. It will take 15 to 20 minutes for the curds to develop. Gently stir the mixture with a spatula until the curds separate from the whey. ● Remove from the heat and carefully drain the curds in a colander lined with a quadruple layer of cheesecloth. Set over a large bowl and drain overnight. Transfer to a container, cover and refrigerate. ● To assemble the dish, shave 1 raw baby beet on a mandoline into 1/16-inch slices. Spoon fresh goat’s milk curd into the middle of each of 4 plates. Toss the shaved beet, raspberries, blackberries, red currants, roasted baby beets and strawberries with olive oil and salt to taste. ● Arrange around the curd and garnish with flowering mint. Finish with additional olive oil and pepper.
Sheep’s cheeses and yogurts at Old Chatham Sheepherding Company
Ever wonder if blue cheese is really blue? Want to know what sheep are good for besides wool? Learn the answers at this picturesque 600-acre farm in Columbia County. “There will always be someone around to guide you or answer questions,” says Matt Ranieri, the vice president of operations.
Or you can just figure it out for yourself by watching the daily milking demonstrations (with sheep) and less-frequent blue-cheese production. TMI? Just sit back and relax at the picnic area where visitors can enjoy lunch and try some of the fresh sheep’s yogurt and cheeses on offer.
“There are about 1,000 sheep that are out roaming around and just grazing, so it’s pretty beautiful,” says Ranieri.
It all tastes as good as it looks. “Their yogurt is smooth and incredibly thick,” Humm says. “It is not too tangy, with a good gamey flavor that is not overpowering.”
155 Shaker Museum Road, Old Chatham, NY; 888-743-3760, blacksheepcheese.com; visitors accepted at anytime, milking demos at 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., self-serve cheese store open 24/7
Sheep’s milk yogurt with granola
● Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, toss 2³/₄ cups old-fashioned rolled oats, 1 cup slivered almonds, 1 cup unsweetened coconut chips, ¹/₃ cup shelled pumpkin seeds, and sea-salt to taste. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat ¹/₂ cup loosely packed light brown sugar, ¹/₃ cup olive oil, and ¹/₃ cup maple syrup until the sugar is dissolved. Fold the sugar mixture into the oat mixture, evenly coating all of the dry ingredients. ● Spread out onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the oven, stirring every 5 minutes, until dry and lightly golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and fold in the ³/₄ cup golden raisins. Allow to cool before serving with yogurt and fresh fruit.
Fresh and smoked fish at the Beaverkill Trout Hatchery
Five generations of the Shaver family have raised trout in the dirt ponds dotting this remote hatchery. Sherry Shaver, 52, her cousin Frank Shaver, 50, and her son Philip Bellows, 26, don neoprene overalls to get into the ponds to harvest the fish, measuring and counting each little swimmer by hand. “It’s as close to nature as you can get,” says Shaver. “It just makes for a better fish rather than coming right out of concrete [tanks, like at more commercial hatcheries] to the table.”
Visitors can catch their own fish in the hatchery’s fishing preserve, and Sherry says your chances of hooking a trout are just about guaranteed. “We like to keep it stocked right up,” she says. Fresh and smoked trout are also available for purchase from the fishing shack.
Make sure to take something home. The hatchery’s use of the nearby river’s cool, clean water makes for “a local terroir that gives the trout a subtle but particular flavor,” enthuses Humm.
22 Alder Road, Livingston Manor, NY; 845-439-4947; fishing reserve open Saturdays and Sundays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., starting in May; bring your own equipment; $5.50 to $6 per pound for fish caught
Cucumber tagliolini
● Peel 6 English cucumbers and slice lengthwise on a mandoline into ¹/₄ by 1/16-inch strips that resemble tagliolini pasta. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup creme fraiche and 8 teaspoons lime juice. Season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Toss the cucumbers with ²/₃ of the creme fraiche dressing and reserve the remainder to finish the plate.
● Divide the dressed cucumber tagliolini among four plates. Break 4 smoked trout fillets (buy or go to nypost.com for smoked trout recipe) into 3 pieces each. Top each plate of cucumbers with three pieces of trout. Cut 8 cucamelons in half and arrange around the trout. Place 2 flowering cucumbers on each plate. Garnish with dill sprigs, flowering dill and reserved creme fraiche.
Smoked trout
Grind 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 2 teaspoons mustard seeds, 2 teaspoon ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon fennel seeds in a spice grinder. Combine with 1 cup salt and ¹/₃ cup sugar. Use spice mixture to generously season 2 whole trout (filleted, skin on, pinbones removed). Combine ¹/₄ cup chopped chervil, ¹/4 cup chopped dill, ¹/₄ cup chopped tarragon, ¹/₄ cup chopped thyme and half of a bay leaf, chopped. Sprinkle herbs evenly over the top of the fish. Refrigerate eight hours to cure, then rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Do not cover, allowing the fish to develop a thin film of protein to facilitate smoking.
Soak 2 cups of applewood chips in cold water for 10 minutes. Remove the cooking grate from a charcoal grill and light 1 to 2 pounds of charcoal in a chimney starter. When the coals are white-hot, arrange them in a pile on one side of the grill bottom. Drain the wood chips and place on top of the hot charcoal. Return the cooking grate to the grill. Place the cured trout in a pan set over a pan of ice. When the chips begin to smoke, position the pan of trout over ice on the cool side of the grate (that is not on top of the coals). Cover the grill and smoke until the fish is just cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes.