Category: Zola

Duck is another great reason for fall!

Here at Zola we are using a Confucius “style” duck that is more broadly used for Chinese cuisine.  More popular known as Pekin, the usage of a duck is very similar to that of a pig.  With its really lean, super red meat and a good amount of fat that renders into the meat, it has a wide array of uses.

Dr. Joe Jurgliewicz from Hamburg, PA has developed a great product and great reputation for consistency and quality.  Because they are a local (200 miles) sustainable farm, we enjoy buying our ducks from them.  This will give us as chefs another few uses for them.

Right now we are using the legs for confit, some leg meat for sausage, breasts for a few entrée’s and of course the fat for poaching vegetables. A lot of restaurants utilizes the fat for deep-frying French fries. Yum!

For those of you that enjoy the more exotic side try a braised duck tongue. Amazing!

What a great time of year! My favorite!

The changing of temperature, the foliage, the smells.

So many great ingredients are being utilized this time of year; apple cider, gourds, pumpkins, pomegranates, quince etc.  One of my favorite techniques utilizing fall ingredients is braising.

Braising screams fall!  The slow cooked pork shoulder or lamb shanks with stewed apples and squash, oh the flavors that abound!  The classic pork and apples is perfect for the crisp fall day when the leaves are changing.

Growing up in Northeastern PA, in farm country, life is about total utilization of product. Everyone raises their own livestock and grows their own vegetables.  They butcher their own meats and jar the gardens bounty.  This is in full swing right now and over the next few months all of these products will be utilized.

With the cornucopia of produce available to Zola from Southern VA, we have taken that liberty to preserve some of this year’s finest.  This was a great year for tomatoes as well as peaches and other fruits.  Over the next few months Zola will be featuring local pickled peaches, onion jam, and pickled garlic  just to name a few.