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Posts Tagged ‘Hani Khouri’

Waiting for kids

Posted in animals, photo, tagged , , on February 4, 2010| 1 Comment »

A very pregnant doe

Hani Khouri of Redland Mediterranean Organics is waiting for his kids to arrive. Actually, his does (female goats) are pregnant and due to deliver their kids (baby goats) in mid-February or early March. Giving birth to a baby goat is called kidding, I was told. Really, I’m not kidding.

Cleopatra takes a sip of water

Hani keeps a small herd of Nubian goats, six pregnant does and one buck, and they’re all about one to two years old. This is the first kidding for the goats. This is also Hani’s first kidding and he’s excited, nervous and watchful of his herd. One doe named Cleopatra (whose picture you might have seen in the CSA newsletter last Saturday) is huge and very round. She started standing off to one side and went off her feed, which goats do when they’re sick, and that gave Hani the worries. But the vet checked out Cleo and said she’s ok, that’s also what pregnant goats do. So it’s watch and wait for now.

All this family excitement means no cheese and no ice cream in the CSA shares and at market. Too bad for us humans! The does need to save their milk for their kids. Hani can start milking three to four days after the births, after the kids get the colostrum. But even then he can’t milk as frequently or as much, until the kids are weaned at about two months age. Only then will Hani be back into full production.

Can all you hungry cheese fans wait until April or May? Looks like you’ll have to. Hani checked with other goat cheese producers in the state, and all their does are pregnant too. No fresh, local goat cheese to be had anywhere. Eating with the seasons — including goat seasons — is part of eating local food supplied by local growers, so you’ll have to be patient!

Goats love alfalfa

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To market, to market

Posted in events, food, locavore, market, photo, tagged , , , on December 11, 2009| 4 Comments »

Pinecrest Gardens Farmers Market

Suddenly it’s farmers market season again! A new market sprang up on Sunday morning in the Pinecrest Gardens parking lot. Formerly the South Florida Farmers Market, it has all your old favorite vendors and plus a few new ones. And it was mobbed! Despite a 9 a.m opening time, plenty of people pestered vendors at 8 a.m. (the old opening time) as they were setting up. Farmer Margie Pikarsky of Bee Heaven Farm emailed me, “Business was great. Best start day for a market. Pretty darn good, considering it was also a new location, and a month earlier!!!”

Claire Tomlin, The Market Company

The change in location was a long time coming. Germaine Butler, the founding president of the Pinecrest Garden Club, is delighted to have the Pinecrest Gardens Farmers Market at the garden. “I wanted a market for seven years,” she told me. “This is a community garden, and the market fits in here.” It took some persuading from Farmer Margie, Mitch Rabin of Living Colors Nursery, and Tim Rowan of The Lettuce Farm, to move the market to its new location. Claire Tomlin, who owns The Market Company which runs this market, is happy with the move. She said there’s plenty of room, plus it seemed a natural fit with the neighborhood. Compared to the Gardener’s location, the vibe is definitely more laid back, with people strolling up and down the long row of vendors. And there’s plenty of overflow parking along Killian Drive.

The large Redland Organics tent is located at the west end. If you’re in the CSA, and you want more of something in your share, you can find it at the market. If you’re not in the CSA, this is your chance to get the same things your friends are enjoying. You’ll also find goodies at RO tent that you won’t find in your box, such as smoked eggs, dried fruit, local raw honey, tomato plants, various tropical fruits from Possum Trot Nursery, and delicate oyster mushrooms (which debuted at Ramble) grown by Paradise Farms.

Fresh Local Organic at the Redland Organics tent

Redland Mediterranean Organics holds down the east end of the market. Stroll over to see Hani Khouri tending the falafel fryer, and get a taste of his goat cheese, hummus and tabouleh. Yeah, there’s another guy selling similar food, but it just doesn’t taste the same. And if you want pumpkin pie ice cream made with fresh goat milk, this is the only place you can find it.

And while you are there, stroll through the Pinecrest Gardens themselves. Admission is free, and docents from the garden club will give tours at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The garden club has big plans to put in a world-class kitchen and bring in world-class chefs to give cooking classes, according to Germaine Butler. Once an avid rose grower, she now plants arugula in the front yard, and has a philosophy of “sow it, grow it, serve it, eat it.” Sounds like a good match of garden and farmers indeed!

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How to make cheese

Posted in chef, food, photo, recipe, tagged , on December 2, 2009|

notes from workshop given by Hani Khouri at Fairchild Ramble

1 gallon fresh raw goat milk milk will produce approximately 1 pound cheese.

Heat milk to a boil. Add 1/3 cup lemon juice, apple cider vinegar or another acidic medium. This will cause the milk to curdle. Remove from heat.

Hani Khouri strains curds from whey with a cheesecloth-lined colander.

Have a colander lined with cheesecloth, set inside a larger bowl. Pour curdled milk into it to strain out whey (liquid). What to do with whey – can use in baking instead of water, use as base for soup or smoothies, or in pickling. (Hani pours it on his plants.)

Stir in salt to preserve, can use coarse or pickling salt. Don’t use iodized. Optional: can add fresh chopped herbs — oregano, thyme, sage. At this stage, if you hang the cloth and let a ball form, you get mozzarella.

Pushing whey out with cheese press. Finished cheeses are in background.

After it’s fully drained, put into cheese press (can get online at Gaiam). Press all the whey out, keep turning the press and keep pushing the whey out. Let it stand overnight. Don’t let the press stand in the whey.

Take out cheese from press and remove cheesecloth, and let cheese air dry on bamboo mat for three days, turning frequently. Rub the cheese with coarse salt every day.

Cook the cheese in brine (3 parts water, 1 part salt). The longer it boils, the more crumbly the texture. Be careful so the buttermilk doesn’t separate from the cheese. After cooking cheese, need to keep it in brine for storage.

Serve as you would in a Greek salad, or with chopped tomato and olive oil, or with watermelon.

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Thank farmers

Posted in farmer/grower, food, locavore, tagged , , on November 26, 2009|

Today, Americans will take time to sit down and share a Thanksgiving meal with family and friends. Now, more than ever, I am thankful for those who provided the Thanksgiving meal.

I am thankful to live in the United States where the average consumers spend about 10 percent of their disposable income on food, compared to those in India who spend more than 50 percent. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, menu items for a classic Thanksgiving dinner dropped 4 percent in price this year.

I am thankful that I have the opportunity to serve the people who grow our food. If you bought fresh pole beans for Thanksgiving dinner, then family farmers Larry and Mark Dunagan grew them with care in Redland. If you’re enjoying squash, then family farmers such as Arturo DeLeon, Angela DelliVeneri, Sal Finocchiaro, Vito Strano and Eric Torrese grew them with pride in South Dade.

Family farmers such as John Alger and Robbie Martens grew the super sweet corn in the fertile fields of the East Glade. The red tomatoes you’re enjoying were grown by family farmers such as Freddy Strano, Kern Carpenter and Ed Hagan. The green beans for your casserole were grown by family farmers such as Bruce Dunn, Leo Talarico and Dan Howard. There are so other many family farmers in Miami-Dade County who deserve our thanks for growing safe, affordable and abundant food.

I am thankful for the efforts of Donna Reno, Gabrielle Berryer and Hani Khouri, who are helping consumers reconnect with their food source through Slow Food. I am thankful for the work of Charles LaPradd of Miami-Dade County, who helped launch the Redland Raised regional marketing program at Publix Supermarkets last month. I am thankful for Gabrielle Marewski of Paradise Farms. She cultivates interest in local agriculture from chefs and foodies.

The South Dade farmer holds many titles — businessperson, steward of the environment, neighbor, community leader and grower. Taking seed, soil and water, this farmer produces not only a crop but an economic impact of $2.7 billion and provides jobs for about 20,000 people. Privately owned agricultural land provides wildlife habitat and is an aquifer recharge area. All the farmer asks for is the opportunity to make an honest living growing food for a hungry nation.

All of our farmers, large and small, deserve thanks every time we eat. We take many things for granted. America’s farmers should not be among them.

KATIE A. EDWARDS, executive director, Dade County Farm Bureau, Redland

published in Letters, the Miami Herald, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009

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Lunch with Hani and Martha

Posted in chef, food, people, photo, restaurant, tagged , , , on November 22, 2009|

Hani Khouri and Martha Montes de Oca

Chef and goat cheese maker Hani Khouri of Redland Mediterranean Organics has joined forces with Martha Montes de Oca, owner of Sous Chef 2 Go, to offer ready-made takeout lunches during the week. You get a choice of one of Hani’s Lebanese dishes or one of Martha’s Hispanic creations. Prices range around $7-9 for the meal.

Right now the prepared lunch is strictly takeout. Bistro tables will be set outside when the weather is cooler. Also, fresh local produce will be for sale at the store in a few weeks as the season picks up.

I dropped by a few days ago to check things out. Hani’s special of the day was lamb kofta. He was busy in the kitchen patting ground lamb between his hands and shaping it into oval kebabs, then cooking them on the grill. Lunch was two generous sized kebabs topped with chopped parsley and ripe tomato, resting on a pita. The lamb was cooked through, seasoned with minced onion, a dash of chipotle and other spices. A generous dollop of hummus topped with a puddle of olive oil was served on the side. Humble hummus, I’ve had it a million times, but Hani’s actually tastes like chickpeas!

Lamb kofta with hummus and pita

Martha’s lunches are Hispanic in flavor. Her daily special was chicken fricassee simmering in a crock pot. Its delicious aroma filled the kitchen and made my mouth water. She explained that all her ingredients are organic except for the meats. The customer has the option of organic (more expensive) or natural (less expensive). She also said, with a proud smile, that she deciphered the familiar favorite Sazón Goya, and created a similar blend with all-organic seasonings minus MSG.

To find out what the lunch of the day is, go to the Sous Chef 2 Go web site and click on the picture of the take-out bag. That will lead you to the lunch/takeout menu. Drop in for lunch, or call ahead to order a recipe that you can cook at home.

Sous Chef 2 Go
7758 SW 88 St.
Miami, FL 33156
305.595.8010
contact[at]souschef2go.com

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