Page 17 - Valley Table - Spring 2023

Two trusty Greek bottles? Xydakis Assyrtiko 2018, a lively white from a garage winery in Mykonos, and Vaimaki Mater Natura 4 2009, a great red by a winemaker in Macedonia.
Spirits fill the shelves, too, with the Valley’s burgeoning distillery scene being well represented. The couple stocks the honey-infused whiskey from Callicoon’s Catskill Provisions Distillery, plus bottles from Neversink Spirits in Port Chester, Branchwater Farms in Milan, and Union Grove Distillery in Arkville.
Jonas and Natalie want their
design sensibility (a nod to Jonas’ heritage), such as Georg Jensen wine coolers, or more playful Italian design, reflecting Natalie’s time abroad. “We’ve just worked on our own spirit glass,” she notes, “they are handblown in Murano.”
A steady calendar of in-store events, such as wine tastings and oyster-shucking lessons, are building the store’s status as a local hub. From June through October, Folkways also serves as a CSA pick-up location for Copake’s Deep Roots Farm.
Savoring a New Lifestyle
All this equals a demanding
Noodling Around
Food trend forecasters have declared 2023 to be the year of plant-based and alternative grain pastas. According to the Whole Foods’ Trend Council, plant- based pastas are one way to up your produce intake— without sacrificing your favorite comfort foods.
Brands are utilizing ingredients like hearts of palm, squash, and seeds as either a base or additive in pasta dough. One company in the HV is way ahead of the curve: Since 2012, West Coxsackie-based Sfoglini has produced pastas from organic durum semolina and an assortment of puréed herbs and vegetables. Here’s why they’re worth a try. BY MEGAN WILSON
PASTA PIONEERS Sfoglini co-founder Scott Ketchum and chef Steve Gonzalez, who launched their brand
in Brooklyn, began adding veggie-infused pastas to their line primarily as a shortcut for home cooks. They figured “pasta with some flavor already built in made for easier and faster meals,” says Ketchum.
STAYING POWER After ex- perimenting with ingredients from NYC green markets (and then moving to Greene County), Ketchum and Gonzalez have solidified their core offerings. The most popular varieties are their porcini trumpets, beet fusilli, and hemp radiators and rigatoni. Last year,
they created kale penne, and they recently released sun-dried tomato ziti. These flavors are all
made by combining
vegetable purée with water, and then adding the mixture to their standard semolina dough. Accord- ing to Ketchum, the purée makes up anywhere from 10–25 percent of the finished product.
GOOD FOR YOU Sfoglini’s plant-based pastas have nu- tritional benefits. Their hemp rigatoni contains more protein per serving than plain durum semolina. It
also has Omega 3 fatty acids and increased fiber. The addition of porcini adds iron and calcium to trumpet pasta; beet juice in the fusilli packs in potassium; and kale gives penne extra protein, fiber, and antioxidants. DIG IN You can sub in vegetable pasta for regular wheat pasta in any of your favorite dishes. Sfoglini has recipes on their website (sfoglini.com) that will give you ideas. Porcini trumpets are perfect for truffle mac ‘n’ cheese and mushroom ragu. Kale penne shines
in a brothy caldo verde with fresh kale and sausage. The nuttiness of hemp pasta complements fennel and cauliflower. Beet fusilli is delicious in a goat cheese alfredo or in a vegetable-forward pasta salad.
shop to be a place of discovery as well as a place where there’s something for everyone. “We named it Folkways,” says Natalie, “to both communicate the idea of sharing social customs as well as being ‘the way of the people,’ meaning we’re inclusive. Whoever you are and whatever your taste, you’ll find things of interest.”
Alongside the liquor
are items that deepen its enjoyment. The couple work directly with artisans, and most items represent either a Danish
schedule for the couple
who are still working on their home and raising a family, which now includes son Atlas, 1. When they have free time, they hike or pop into local winemaking enterprises. And—true to
the Folkways ethos—they love exploring unusual, time-honored traditions. “We went to Troutbeck in Amenia on my birthday and did the falconeering experience,” gushes Natalie. “It was one of the best days of my life!”
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PHOTOS (LEFT TO RIGHT) BY BENJAMIN ALLEN AT HUDVALLEY PHOTO (@HUDVALLEYPHOTO); COURTESY OF SFOGLINI