98th Annual PA Farm Show Serves Up Sass

The 98th annual PA Farm Show opened with a bit of snow and sleet, but not without the sass of Celebrity TV chef Nadia G. of the Cooking Channel’s The Bitchin’ Kitchen. She’s the author of two best-selling cookbooks, an early pioneer in the online lifestyle business, and the recipient of several awards for both her cooking and comedy.

Her punk rock, tongue-in-cheek, exuberant style is her appeal. She delivers flavorful dishes in stilettos and big jewelry.

Nadia is first generation Italian and a Montreal native. Her family’s kitchen is the foundation of her cooking skills, trained at the culinary institute of Hard Wooden Spoon Whacks. Her cooking demonstration centered on one of her favorite family dishes, Penne al Forno.

“Penne al Forno is simple, fresh and anybody can make this. You just need a little inspiration, unless you are a total twit,” she said. The base consists of onions (cooked past their translucent stage to caramelized pieces), garlic, spices, herbs, sugar, San Marzano tomatoes (crushed between your hands to keep some chucks, not pureed) and real Parmigiano. “Anytime you see cheese not in the refrigerated section you should be asking questions,” she said.

Her other recipe tips also include seasoning the pasta water with as much salt as you would season your soup; don’t over-season the sauce because you want the ingredients to shine and not taste like a packaged seasoning mix; adding a bit of sugar (to help out the tomatoes that suffer from the lack of flavor due to over-industrialized farming); and get creative by adding other vegetables, like eggplant.

We had the chance to chat, and here is an excerpt. For even more Q&A with Nadia head to phoebespurefood.com. Where we talk about kitchen tips, recipe flops (yup, you are not the only one), what she does in her down time and her newest ulive.com project. Tune in to the Cooking Channel for a mouthful of moxie, recipe inspiration and a few laughs.

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Are you living in Montreal or California now and how does that affect your cooking style?

I’m living in Los Angeles. It makes a big difference because it’s practically summer all year round and with access to organic and locally grown produce, the exceptional ingredients can’t be beat. There is also a strong Mexican influence and thus affects what foods are offered. I make a delicious guacamole and top with pomegranate seeds. I have a lot of fun creating new fusions because of the various influences which are a little different from my hometown.

Bolognese or chocolate chip cookies?
Bolognese although chocolate chip cookies baked with crumbled bacon on top would be rather good.

If a home cook could splurge on one pantry ingredient what would you suggest?

Good quality balsamic. A lot of people use balsamic and it has been popular for a decade, but the problem is people buy cheap balsamic, a $4 liter. That is not good, quality balsamic. Look for the term “mosto cotto” on the ingredients label. It’s grape must, a concentrated grape juice. Cheaper balsamic uses thickeners or artificial flavors. Pick a bottle that’s a minimum of 7 years old. It will cost about $13-14, but is worth it to drizzle on desserts; it makes amazing reductions and it has a whole different flavor profile.

As the Julia Child of the tech generation, how do you see the food industry changing with so many bloggers, Instagram and YouTube?

It’s a beautiful thing: food becoming more ingrained in pop culture. It’s amazing because it gives people knowledge. For the longest time people didn’t cook for themselves and people would find it funny that they cannot cook, saying, “I can’t even boil water!” It’s like, “Really? Can you wipe your butt? Because it’s a pretty important life skill being able to feed yourself and eventually feed your family, if that’s your thing.”

So, I think that’s great. The more people talking about food, blogging and Instagramming, it’s lovely because it gets the word out there about how to make a great meal, knowing your ingredients and feeling comfortable enough to experiment with them.

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Before we go, let’s talk a bit about what else you will find at the PA Farm show. I made an easy-to-read list of to-dos. Be sure, if you are a kitchen dweller, to check out the PA Marketplace and PA Preferred Culinary Connection areas. You’ll find Pennsylvania-made eats and be able to catch cooking demonstrations from some of the region’s best chefs.

I dare you not to run into a local Berks County Business or farmer. (Hint, hint… Green Kamikozees is one!) There is information about wineries, wine tastings, maple syrup tours and both contests and samples galore.

Let’s talk about the PA Farm show and what you can plan on this week. Here are some tips and tidbits:

- It is the largest indoor agricultural event in America and covers 24 acres.

- What flavor milkshake would celebrity TV chef, Nadia G. try at the PA Farm Show? “Swirled, it’s the best of both worlds,” she said.

- The show is free but parking is $10, so carpool. They do a great job of shuttling folks.

- There is a coat check, just as you enter the main building. I hate carrying my coat when it’s crowded.

- Best time to arrive: between 9am and Noon.

- Busiest time of day: 3:30-5:30pm

- Our very own Conlan Kerschner, local 13-year-old banjo player, received 1st place in the Instrumental Solo Intermediate (age 12-15) and the People's Choice Award this year.

- Berks County food producer Green Kamikozees is participating in the PA Marketplace area. Stop by to buy some hot and spicy pickled veggies.

- There is a Family Living Center which includes live cooking and lifestyle demonstrations. There are many events for children to participate in. Don’t miss the 60-year-old merry go round!

- The PA Preferred Culinary Connection is a must-do destination for cooking demonstrations. The Food Court is disturbingly huge and even more jaw dropping are the crowds. Well, maybe the lines for cheese curds and milkshakes.