Roasted green bean, pepper and potato salad

2012
05.03

Garden Gloves & Seed Packets

The first week of May in Colorado is a permission slip of sorts to begin thinking about gardening. It’s not usually safe to plant anything as tender as a tomato plant before Mother’s Day, this year spring barged in early and barred the door to late snow storms, so this weekend the planting begins. Seed packets sit on my kitchen counter, full of summer’s promise, waiting for black soil and a fresh drink of water. It will be few full moons before I reap anything I sow, but the herbs in my garden took got a jump start with the early spring. The garlic chives are blooming and the marjoram and oregano are calling dibs on any available garden real estate. A few inches off the top is in order to keep them in line and give this roasted green bean, pepper and potato salad recipe an spring touch.

If you don’t have fresh marjoram, any other green herb will do. This is a no-rules, whatever salad. Whatever is in your fridge, whatever is in your garden, whatever, drop it in. The only rule is to pour boiling water over the onions, it will soften the sharpness and allow for the vinegar to sink in and give the onions a nice pickle.

 

I used mini-peppers in this salad, but whole sweet peppers quartered, will work just as well. Brown them over high heat.

 

Roasted Green Bean, Pepper and Potato Salad

INGREDIENTSRoasted green bean, pepper and potato salad, Eating Between the Lines by Kimberly Lord Stewart

Serves 4-6

4 medium white, red or yellow potatoes (or 6-8 small, whatever you have on hand)

1 small onion, peeled and sliced

8 small red, yellow and orange peppers

1 jalapeno

1/2 pound green beans

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (use the good stuff)

2 teaspoons course ground mustard

1 Tablespoon capers

3 Tablespoons fresh marjoram (or oregano), finely chopped

1 clove garlic or 1 Tablespoon garlic chives, either one finely chopped

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. Wash and boil potatoes until tender (20 minutes or so). Drain and set aside when done.
  2. Meanwhile, bring a kettle of water to boil. Place sliced onions in a strainer, pour boiling water over the onions.
  3. Put onions in a serving bowl, add vinegar and a hefty pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside.
  4. Lightly coat a cast iron skillet with vegetable oil, heat to high heat. Add whole peppers and jalapeno and cook on all sides until nicely charred. Remove from pan and allow to cool.
  5. Add green beans, roast and toast the beans for about 5 minutes until they are browned. Add the beans to the onions.
  6. Seed the peppers, tear in half and place in the bowl. Seed the jalapeno, chop finely and toss in the bowl.
  7. Add mustard, capers, marjoram and garlic toss to coat the ingredients evenly.
  8. Slice the potatoes, add to the bowl and give it a light-handed stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or cold.

 

 

 

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Vietri Gnocchi and Shrimp

2012
04.25

A favorite pastime while living in Italy was to wander through the pottery shops in Vietri. The terraced city that hangs on the hillside is a classroom, where potters learn to steady their hand to form the clay and paint primitive fishes, handsome roosters and purple grape clusters on terra-cotta platters, bowls and mugs. The pottery factories are lined with rows and rows of knee-high stacks of pottery, each one another attempt at perfection.

The factory shopkeepers sold the imperfections to tourists. A perfect platter might sell for hundreds of dollars in an American department store, but the seconds sold for only a few lira, the cost of a cappuccino and a pastry.  I loved the lopsided bowls, uneven mug handles and imperfect paintings.  They reminded me of the irreplaceable art my children gave me for Mother’s Day, a pitcher with a thumbprint permanently imprinted on the side and a clay castle with black paint drips on the turrets. I wondered if these artists own mothers felt the same way about all the stacks and stacks of practice pieces that lined the factory floors.

Today when I use these bowls, I make sure the food is worthy of the time that went into their making.  These bowls, though simple and imperfect when compared to elaborate Renaissance majolica from Deruta, are too good for cold cereal, lumpy oatmeal or store-bought ice cream, only pasta will grace these bowls.

I’ve never mastered the art of pottery or making gnocchi, soft-potato dumplings. Frozen is my friend when it comes to gnocchi. I recently tried Caesar’s gluten-free, wheat-free spinach gnocchi.  Within 15 minutes, I had a nice meal, one fit for my Vietri pasta bowls.

Spinach gnocchi with shrimp and wine sauce

Get all the ingredients ready ahead of time, because the gnocchi and shrimp cook fast and will be worthless if over cooked.

Serves 3-4

1 bag frozen gnocchi, spinach or plain

1 pound of large shrimp, peeled and cleaned (16 count per pound)

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 Tablespoon white wine

3 Tablespoons cream

 

DIRECTIONS

 

  1. Heat a large pot of boiling water for the gnocchi
  2. Blot the shrimp dry with a paper towel.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
  4. Cook the gnocchi in the boiling water. It will be done when it floats to the top of the pan.
  5. Meanwhile, add the shrimp to the skillet and sauté until they just lose their pink color (3 minutes or so)
  6. Add the garlic and sauté for less than a minute, until fragrant.
  7. Add lemon juice, tomatoes and wine. Bring to a simmer for a few minutes until syrupy. Add cream and basil and cook until thick and the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
  8. Drain the pasta and add to the shrimp sauce, toss to coat. Serve immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Pink Slime: what you need to know before your next BBQ

2012
03.22

What will beef producers think of next to eek out as much money as they can from the American consumer? While shoppers scrape up enough money to pay for a roof over their head and put food on the table, it’s unsettling to find that every miniscule gram of tissue and tendon is being scraped off the bones of beef carcasses and is being extruded into a meat-like mixture called lean, finely textured beef (LFTB), better known as Pink Slime.

American school systems buy 7 million pounds of the stuff to shave off about 3 cents per pound of hamburger. Yes, three cents per pound. Don’t our kids deserve better than that?

When shopping, if you are not sure about whether hamburger contains LFTB, ask the clerk or butcher. A key word here is hamburger vs. ground beef. Few shoppers understand these as very different products. They are both beef, but by USDA law, hamburger is allowed to have as much as 30% added-in filler including fats and LFTB.

Ground beef does not have “added” fat. Yes, ground beef many contain fat, but it is not “added in” when processed. The fat is naturally occurring from the marbling and the outside trim (like what you see on a steak). So, one way to avoid pink slime is to buy ground beef, not hamburger. GROUND BEEF, NOT HAMBURGER. Nearly every news story written on this subject says ground beef in conjunction with pink slime, but pink slime is in hamburger, not ground beef. See below for grocers that have pink-slime free hamburger.

Is pink slime safe? Is pink slime healthy? Don’t bet your next hamburger that anyone knows the answers to these questions.

Exactly what is LFTB? It’s a ground beef filler made from the bits and pieces left on beef carcasses including tendons, fat, tissue and meat. These bits are spun (centrifuged) to separate the meat from the fat and extruded into ground beef like material under a cloud of ammonium hydroxide spray to discourage bacterial growth.

Hence, the name pink slime, a name coined in 2002 by a microbiologist, and made famous by Chef Jamie Oliver.

In a recent Chicago Public Radio interview on KBEZ, Kantha Shelke, PhD, of Corvus Blue, a food research firm and spokesperson for the Institute of Food Technologists, told the listeners of Eight-Forty-Eight that the safety and science around the substance needs better scrutiny.

Shelke explains that USDA allows fillers like LFTB to be added to hamburger. To date, there are no studies showing whether LFTB is safe or not. Shelke says this issue is really about perception, as many people find this practice most unpleasant. I agree, it may not be unsafe, but it is certainly an unappetizing thought that serves no other purpose than to eek out a few cents per pound.

The practice of using pink slime began in dog food production and making tallow-fat for cooking oil. My dog deserves batter. Our children deserve better. And, those who can least afford to eat healthy, deserve better food than pink slime.

I understand the history of using every living part of an animal, it’s a long held practice—think of bone marrow and beef tongue. But pink slime goes too far.  There is no nutritional value and no taste value in using LFTB. Even USDA describes LFTB as a non-nutrient filler. Just because the technology allows for the production of pink slime, should it be in our food? I think not.

Here is a list of grocers that carry some or all brands of hamburger meat that do not contain pink slime:

• Safeway

• Supervalue

• Kroger
• Wal-Mart

• Sam’s Club

• Albertson’s

• Costco
• Whole Foods

Looking for recipes that are affordable and healthy, that do not call for pink slime, link here for recipes on Rosemary Beef Hash, Roasted Vegetable Tostadas and others.

For more on food labeling issues like ground beef and hamburger, look for Eating Between the Lines, the supermarket shopper’s guide to the truth behind food labels (St. Martin’s Press, 2007) by Examiner reporter, Kimberly Lord Stewart.

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Sugar-Free, Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012
01.30

It’s been a few months now since the founders of Swerve, a non-calorie, baker-friendly sweetener company, asked me to give their product a try. It’s taken me that long to pin down a chocolate chip cookie recipe that works well enough for public viewing. I started with the basic Toll House recipe. Right out the oven, just about any cookie tastes good, but once they cooled off, they were hockey pucks. In the trash they went. For the second batch, I got out CookWise, the brilliantly written trouble shooter cookbook by Shirley Corriher. On Shirley’s suggestion, I used baking soda not powder, added a little milk and refrigerated the dough. It was close, but still not quite right. Second batch, in the trash.

The third time was a charm. I finally got it right by melting the butter, taking out one egg white, adding more molasses and lowering the cooking temperature by 50 degrees. They were Toll House perfect, but by taking out the sugar, each cookie is 130 cal. vs. 160 cal., 11g carbs vs 19g carbs, 3.6g sugar vs 11.2g sugar.

 

Swerve Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 36 cookies
You will need 2 baking sheets, parchment paper, an extra hour to do something else while the batter chills, airtight container to store the cookies. This recipe has been tested at an altitude at 5,200 feet, but not at sea-level. If you live less than a mile up, it may not need any changes, but please let me know what you discover.

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces unsalted butter
10 oz. bread flour flour or all purpose flour (
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup Swerve
3 Tablespoon molasses
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 ounces lowfat milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, or sugar-free chocolate chips (find them at Whole Foods or a health food store)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Set aside. Stir flour, baking soda, salt, set aside.
3. Mix Swerve and molasses in a bowl, mix well with a hand or stand mixer until it resembles soft brown sugar. It may stick to the sides of the bowl, so scrape it down a few times. Add melted butter, turn up the mixer speed to medium and cream until soft, about 3 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, whisk eggs, milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix for about a minute.
5. Turn down the mixer speed to low. Gradually add dry ingredients and give it about one minute for the dough to come together.
6. Add the chocolate chips and stir it up until they are evenly distributed. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for an hour. On a cold winter day, just leave it on the back porch.
7. Line baking sheets with parchment. Scoop the dough with a small ice cream scoop, press the dough down into a flat patty with your hands, otherwise you will have cookie golf balls.
8. Bake one sheet at a time, for 9 to 11 minutes. Less is better, so check them often to make sure they are not too brown. The Swerve tends to dry out the cookies, so a slightly soft cookie is just right.
9. Slide the parchment off the baking sheet, and allow the cookies to cool. Also, don’t start another dozen on the same hot cookie sheet, use a cool pan, or allow the baking sheet to cool before loading up another batch.
10. Store in an airtight container.

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Holiday food books that are sharp as knives & weepy as soft meringue

2011
12.13

This the season for cookbooks. But the joy of cooking can often get lost in this star-studded world of celebrity chefs and their best selling cookbooks, written by behind the scenes food writers with the help of molecular-cuisine sous chef working harder than Kris Kringle’s elves and publicized by tinsel-town public relations firms who push their client’s work on television producers, who are desperate to fill a 30-second spot. If none of this is your cup of Early Grey, I have some food and cookbook recommendations that will make you look at food in a new light, minus the television spotlights.

At the High Court, A Tribute to a Chef Supreme

compiled from recipes by Marty Ginsburg, by the Supreme court Justice spouses

Marty Ginsburg, late spouse of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, was a chemist by training, a tax lawyer and professor by profession, but a cook by heart. The book, At the High Court, A Tribute to the Chef Supreme, reflects Marty’s passion for cooking, but more than anything the book’s authors said you get to know the man behind the recipes because of the way he wrote them. In a NPR interview with Claire Cushman, director of public relations for the Supreme Court Historical Society, says that Marty wrote the recipes with friendly advice, encouragement and humor. The book is sold as a non-profit project through Supreme Court Gift Shop online or in-store.  For a much better review than this one, go to the NPR interview, but here are a few excerpts to wet your appetite:

For orange biscotti: “Knead the dough several times and divide kneaded dough into two equal parts. This is a miserable, messy, ugly procedure because the dough is horribly sticky. Do your best.”

Wild boar recipe for a New Year’s dinner by Justice Antonin Scalia after a hunting trip, ends with, “Throw out the roasted meat and drink the marinade (just kidding).”

 

 

Memory’s Kitchen, A Legacy from the Women of Terezin

by Micheal Berenbaum, edited by Cara De Silva, translated by Blanca Steiner Brown

Yes, this book is about food, but more so, it is about the strength of the human mind. It is a cookbook of sorts, the recipes are not meant to be replicated in the kitchen, they are meant to be savored in the fiber of your being.  This Holocaust diary is a cookbook compiled from memory by the female prisoners at Terezin, a way station to Auschwitz, may be the most remarkable. The Terezin prisoners recalled and wrote down their recipes for chocolate torte, breast of goose, plum strudel, and others not because they thought they might ever need them–they were surviving on scraps and potato peels at the time–but as a testament to the future, so that their grandchildren might receive a fragment of their inheritance. The manuscript found its way in 1969 to Anny Stern, the daughter of Mina Pachter, whose poems on barracks life are also included. The foreword speaks to the book’s intent: “[this work] is not to be savored for its culinary offerings but for the insight it gives us in understanding the extraordinary capacity of the human spirit to transcend its surroundings, to defy dehumanization, and to dream of the past and of the future.” Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and indie bookstores.

 

Best of Food Writing for 2011

edited by Molly Hughes

I am soon going to need an entire bookcase for my collection of Best of Food Writing. I usually get one of these for Christmas, but I can never wait to read it, so I find a comfortable chair in a bookstore and sneak an early look. This year’s 2011 version does not disappoint. Food writer’s best works are collected every year and kneaded together in this tasty collection, edited by Holly Hughes. I am particularly interested in Deborah Madison’s piece on handwritten recipe cards, as I have begun to collect old-school, butter stained recipe cards from anyone who will give them to me (this is a hint…please email me if you have any to donate to my new food obsession). Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and indie bookstores.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Easy as Pie this Thanksgiving

2011
11.07

Amanda Tutone's Brandied Pumpkin Pie

I cringe this time of year when I go into a supermarket and see pre-baked pies. You can have your turkey with a pop up timer or those French fried onions on green beans, but a store-bought pie is just wrong. This year, I bartered with a good friend−she gave me pitted Colorado sour cherries in exchange for a freshly baked apple pie. I like the idea so much that if any Boulder County readers want to barter for a freshly baked pie, let me know and we can negotiate. What is a home-baked pie worth to you?

For centuries, pie was as common as buttered toast, it’s probably where the phrase, “Easy as pie” came from. Pie baking was such a given that few recipes were written down. It wasn’t until 1545 that the first recipe was printed in Proper Newe Booke of Cokerye:

To Make Short Paest for Tarte – Take fyne floure and a cursey of fayre water and a dysche of swete butter and a lyttel saffron, and the yolckes of two egges and make it thynne and as tender as ye maye.

I love that line, “tender as ye maye.” A tender hand is the key to a successful pie crust, it should barely hold together and you should see big blobs of fat in the crust. I recently met someone who tells it much better than the Proper new Booke of Cokerye.

Pastry Chef Amanda Tutone

Meet Pastry Chef Amanda Tutone. Tutone is a New York CIA-trained chef (the white coat chef’s school, not the covert-spy school), who is the pastry chef at Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Tabernash. Tutone and Executive Chef Evan Treadwell recently taught a cooking class at a newly completed teaching kitchen at Devil’s Thumb. Chef Treadwell made a lovely potato truffle bisque, a bright pistachio wild-rice salad and a wintery Chanterelle stuffed baby chicken, followed by Tutone’s brandied pumpkin pie. I promise to post Chef Treadwell’s recipes later in the week, but for now, let’s focus on the pie crust.

Pastry Chef Amanda Tutone’s Pie Crust

Makes one single crust

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

pinch salt

6 Tablespoons cold butter, cubed

1/4 cup cold water (may not use it all depending on your climate)

METHOD

Blend the flour with the butter with your fingertips.

1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips. There should be flat pieces of fat and coarse pieces the size of peas in the dough.

2. Add only enough water for the dough to hold together. The amount will vary one day to another, depending on the weather.

3. Gently bring the dough together. This is the “tender as ye maye” part. Do not knead the dough, it should look barely stirred. You will see bits of fat, and slightly damp dough. It will NOT look like bread dough or cookie dough. It will look uneven in texture and color, don’t fret.

4. Now it’s time to chill. Form the dough into a thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour to overnight (if you are in a rush you can freeze it for 30 minutes, but this is my advice not Amanda’s.)

Look for flat coins of fat in the crust for a flaky crust.

 

5. Flour a wooden board. Coat the dough disk top and bottom and the rolling pin liberally with flour. Roll out the disk into a 12-inch circle. It’s Okay that the dough edges are uneven and the fat pieces are visible, that means it will be “tender as ye maye.”

6. Place the dough in the pie pan. Cut the edges evenly and leave a one-inch overhang. Tuck the dough overhang under to form a thick border. Pinch the dough into a decorative border.

7. Return the pie crust to the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

8. For Amanda’s brandied pumpkin pie recipe, click through.

 

 

 

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Category Farm2Table, Kitchen String Recipes, Uncategorized |

Sugar-Free Coconut Banana Cake

2011
11.02

Sugar Free Banana Coconut Cake

Finding a calorie-free sweetener to stir in your coffee is not a big deal, there are enough pink, blue, yellow and green packets around to find one that will make do. But for baking, to stir in your favorite cake recipe, not so much. Yes, there are a few options out there that use the stuff in the yellow packets blended with half sugar. But, if you are trying to go all out sugar-free, not so much, until now. At a recent ingredient trade show, I was introduced to a new sugar-free sweetener that can be substituted one-for-one with sugar and it holds up to baking; it even makes sugar-free frosting. The brand is called Swerve and it’s available online as a granulated and confectioner blend.

I gave it a try at home with a banana coconut cake recipe. I didn’t change a thing from the original recipe, I just switched out the sugar with Swerve. The results were hard to believe, but as you can see, the cake looks like any other cake. The crumb is light, the frosting looks like well, frosting. My tasters said had I not told them it was sugar free, they wouldn’t have known otherwise.

So what is Swerve? Swerve is made in New Orleans, a town known for sugar with a touch of shuga. In fact, Swerve is made from sugar. It’s a sugar alcohol called erythritol. There are other sugar alcohols on the market, xylitol, sorbitol and manitol, but these cause … how can I say it nicely? …digestive upset and a laxative effect that make sugar-free not so sweet. And unlike these sugar alcohols, that are digested in the large intestine (hence the tummy trouble), 90% of Swerve is digested in the small intestine, which means no tummy trouble.

What about ease of use and taste. I tried it one for one with my recipe and it behaved just like sugar. As for taste, it’s sweet like sugar and it leaves a cooling effect. It’s not a flavor aftertaste like other alternative sweeteners, it’s a cooling sensation. This cooling effect might pair well with key lime, lemon, coconut, cherry and chocolate with mint recipes. If you do try it, let me know what recipes you discover using Swerve. BTW–I am not paid by Swerve to say any of this.

Banana Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe uses no eggs, so don’t worry as to whether I left them out. This cake can be made vegan by substituting the butter for a vegan margarine. Though I haven’t tested it, it could likely be gluten-free as well with a gluten-free cake flour blend. For added fiber, substitute half the flour with whole-wheat pastry flour.

Cake Ingredients:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup Swerve
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 8 ounces melted butter or trans-fat free margarine
  • 3 cups very ripe mashed bananas (approx. 6-8 bananas)
  • 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
  • 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Frosting Ingredients:

  • 8 oz. low-fat cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 stick butter or trans-fat free margarine
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 teaspoons coconut extract
  • 2 cups Swerve confectioner’s

2 cups of shredded coconut, for outside of cake

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, cut into 8-inch circles.
  2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg  in a large bowl.
  3. Peel and mash all of the bananas and place them in mixing bowl.
  4. Add Swerve and melted butter to bananas, and cream with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth.
  5. Add the milk, vinegar and vanilla extract to the banana, butter mixture and whisk together.
  6. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix on low-medium speed for 1-2 minutes.
  7. Pour into two prepared 8×8″ cake pans. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly.
  8. While the cakes are cooling, toast the coconut. Spread the coconut onto a baking sheet and toast at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
  9. Blend frosting ingredient in a mixing bowl until smooth and spreadable.
  10. Once the cakes and coconut have completely cooled, frost the cake. Start with a layer of frosting on the bottom layer, top with the second cake. Frost the sides and top with the remaining frosting. Press the sides of the cake with the toasted coconut and sprinkle the remaining coconut on the top.

 

 

 

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Girls Unite, Get the BPA out of food and school funding

2011
10.24

A study released last month by the Breast Cancer Fund showed that Campbell’s Disney Princess and Toy Story Soups contained the highest BPA levels among  12 foods tested. A follow on study in Pediatrics showed that the timing of exposure is significant, young girls exposed to BPA in the womb showed a greater risk for depression and anxiety by age 3. As stand-alone studies, this research is further evidence that the time is now to get the BPA out of canned food linings, but it’s even more tragic that Campbells’ brands support school education funding through Labels For Education. For more than 38 years, parents and teachers may have unknowingly exposed children to unwanted BPA exposure in the name of funding school programs. The conflict between school funding and junk foods like soft drinks is well known, but this new finding should make parents, teachers and administrators think again about supporting programs that encourage the consumption of foods that contain potentially harmful BPA.

The September 2011 study conducted by the Breast Cancer Fund showed that Campbell’s Disney Princess and Toy Story Soups contained the highest levels of BPA among 12 food items tested. The Breast Cancer Fund researchers concluded that one serving may not pose a risk, but “repeated and re-exposure to BPA from cans marketed to kids is a bigger concern.” The Breast Cancer Fund study found that BPA levels ranged from 10pbb to 148ppb in the 12 products tested. Disney Princess Cool Shapes Pasta with Chicken and Chicken Broth BPA levels ranged from 80-148ppb and Toy Story Fun Shapes, Shaped Pasta with Chicken in Chicken Broth tested at 71-90ppb. The test results showed the following BPA levels:

  • Campbell’s Disney Princess Cool Shapes, Shaped Pasta with Chicken in Chicken Broth, 114 ppb
  • Campbell’s Toy Story Fun Shapes, Shaped Pasta with Chicken in Chicken Broth, 81 ppb
  • Earth’s Best Organic Elmo Noodlemania Soup, USDA Organic, 38 ppb
  • Annie’s Homegrown Cheesy Ravioli, USDA Organic, 31 ppb
  • Chef Boyardee Whole Grain Pasta, Mini ABC’s & 123′s with Meatballs, 20 ppb
  • Campbell’s Spaghettios with Meatballs, 13 ppb

Do you remember in the movie The Graduate when Dustin Hoffman was told, “The future is in plastics?” In 2012, the future should be about new plastics. This month the American Chemistry Council asked the federal Food and Drug Administration to revise its regulations to “clarify for consumers that BPA is no longer used to manufacture baby bottles and sippy cups and will not be used in these products in the future.”  It’s a good move in the right direction, but baby bottles aren’t enough, as much of 90% of our exposure to BPA comes from items other than baby bottles.

There is such a thing as a BPA-free can lining, Eden Foods uses it successfully in many of its products. But, FDA has yet to approve a can lining for acidic foods, tinned tomatoes, juices and fruits still remain on store shelves. Canned food companies say it will cost then 14% more to change the linings, which may seem like a big bump in food prices, but according to Eden Foods it costs 2.2 cents more per can to switch to a safer lining. Most parents would agree that is a small price to pay for safer food.

All of this is possible, but it may take time, in the meantime, here are the food companies that have begun using a BPA-free can linings, BPA-free plastic and Tetra-Paks for some brands:

Eden Organic Foods Beans, Rice and Beans
Vital Choice Tuna
Wild Planet Tuna
Pomi-Tetra Pack Tomatoes
O.N.E. Tetra-pack Coconut Water
Nalgen and Camelback products are BPA free
Trader Joe’s canned corn, canned beans, canned fish, canned poultry, canned beef

 

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Burgers on Meatless Mondays

2011
10.08

To be honest, I wasn’t too sure about this Harmony Valley product when I got it. Meat analog products and even frozen vegetarian burgers have a certain queasiness factor that can be hard to overcome. And in the bowl, well, it looked a lot like other meat-analog products, pardon the visual, like pet food. But I am trying to reduce my meat intake and lose a few pounds (being a food editor is hell on the waistline), I gave it a go. I had one mindset going into this: if it could replace a bare-bones hamburger, with very few fixin’s, and like it, then I could be swayed.

 

EBL Test Kitchen Food Finds

DIRECTIONS: The product is very friendly to non-cooks, simply add cold water, no boiling, no mess and above all, no excuses about it being too difficult. I can live with that.

COOKING: I added a little oil to a non-stick skillet and seasoned the top of the burger with kosher salt and pepper and a little garlic powder, just like a beef burger. I cooked it over medium heat until the internal temperature reached 160° F. It browned nicely. I added a slice of cheese to melt.

FIXIN’S: As promised, I only added what I would normally put on a beef burger–pickles, ketchup, mustard, cheese and a whole grain bun.

SENSORY: OK, so it doesn’t win any food beauty pageant contents. It looks like wet pet food, but so does cooked ground meat, when you think about it. The raw product smell is hard to pin down, it smells like a grain silo, but it’s not offensive. After allowing for the suggested 15 minutes of soaking, it holds together remarkably well and can be shaped into a burger patty. I doubted this when I poured the water in and saw the brown slurry.

TASTE TEST: I was skeptical before the first bite. It looked like an actual burger (even close to the picture on the package), some vegetarian burgers lack that big burger feel, this did not. It felt like a burger in my hands and it actually had a similar mouth feel to a burger made from a very finely ground beef. I liked it and would definitely eat it again alone or mixed in a ground beef to stretch out a pound of ground beef.I froze the remaining patties and cooked them later, they turned out just as good.

I also tried the breakfast sausage and made a hash with purple potatoes, onions, salsa and a fried egg. It was an easy to make high protein breakfast and a good way to start out a meatless Monday. ONE WARNING: THIS PRODUCT IS NOT GLUTEN FREE.

Harmony Valley is a Fort Collins, CO based company. For more click here: http://www.harmonyvalleyfoods.com/foodservice

 

 

 

 

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Life’s Lessons from the Pan Am Galley

2011
10.06

If you’ve been watching the new Pan Am television show, you’ve seen the glamour, great uniforms and destinations like Paris, London and Berlin; the intrigue of the CIA using Pan Am as partner in espionage (yes it happened) and even the liberties that some rude passengers took with crew members (yes, these most definitely happened). I can attest that fellow former Pan Am flight attendant, Nancy Ganis, the Pan Am television show producer has captured all aspects of being a Pan Am flight attendant.

Now that we have either moved on to work for other airlines or found other careers as television producers, teachers, healthcare providers, and writers (the list goes on), I threw out a question to other former Pan Amers: “What skills did you learn with Pan Am that you use today?” For many, the job was far more than breakfast in Beirut, lunch in London and dinner on the Danube, it was about navigating and negotiating.

For this now writer and journalist, my time with Pan Am changed my center of gravity. It gave my telescopic American perspective a wide-angle lens. Though I didn’t always agree with what I saw, I better understood the whys and how’s of the world. Here is one story that sticks with me today:

“A pivotal moment was an unexpected stop in Tehran after the city was under Khomeini rule. As we descended to a country we were no longer welcome, in a plane the American flag on its tail, we were nervous about what to expect. American hostages were in Iranian custody and Pan Am played in integral role in evacuating Americans from the country (within a short time after this flight six American diplomats fled the country after hiding in the Canadian Embassy) . To use the air space, the pilot was instructed to land. The crew told the passengers to stay seated, do not make eye contact and do not say anything.”

“Within moments of wheels down on the tarmac, men wearing green scarves and carrying machine guns stormed the plane and in the name of Allah, demanded we give them all our alcohol. With guns in our faces, we wisely obliged handing over everything from bottles of Dom Pérignon to Johnny Walker miniatures. But, just as we were closing the doors, the very same grisly men came back on the plane, and in true Persian fashion, handed us clear plastic containers of pistachios and apricots and thanked us no less. For hours they sat on the steel galley counter, none of us dared take one to try. Throughout the flight back to Frankfurt, we stared incredulously at the Persian hospitality gifts—locally grown pistachios and apricots, arranged in intricate floral patterns—juxtaposed against an Arab-born revolution. Even today, those two-hours of terror and the intricately placed pistachios and dried apricots remind me of political principals that divide us and the similarities in human nature that solidify us.” –Kimberly Lord Stewart

If anything, Pan Am expanded our touch points in life, our surface area so to speak. Those moments ranged from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Here are some other thoughts from fellow crew members about what they learned and how they use those skills today:

“Pan Am either helped us refine skills we already had or taught us new ones. For, me it helped me become more assertive, cautious in how I communicate, and to work hard and pay attention to detail. My spirit is open and welcoming and I truly enjoy talking to all kinds of people – something that seems to be a common thread here. I get a kick out of being able to find a solution to a problem by being innovative and not giving up so soon. Pan Am introduced me to new cultures and helped me learn that while we are all so different, we are also so much the same!” –Romlee Stoughton

“I was a German small town boy when Pan Am hired me. I learned diplomacy, how to respect all people, how to make something out of nothing, how to feed the hungry when we were short meals, in short Pan Am made resourceful, caring human being out of me!” –Hans Vollmer

“ As my friends say to me I do not know a stranger, I still have people ask me for opinions and directions all the time. My husband says I have a confidence and friendly openness that I believe we all learned as Ambassadors of PanAm!” –Deborah Thorne

“I learned so many skills, I agree with Deborah, I can hold a conversation with a tree! I also learned public speaking skills and the ability to stand in front of strangers and teach a class with high tech aids or just winging it…something I could never do before.” –Michele Burdick

“Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility. Also, how to remain calm while the world falls apart around you. I agree with Michele about public speaking skills. As a teacher, I use that skill every day.” –Nancy Miller Latsha

“So many skills. I learned to properly open a champagne bottle before I was old enough to legally drink alcohol. I learned how to subdue a crazy person using a CO2 fire extinguisher and how to use a life vest as a straight jacket! All useful skills under the right circumstances … I once had a wild-eyed guy tossing lit matches at me during take off. I was a 100 pound 5’3″ stewardess not known for my toughness. I learned (as a Pan Am stewardess) how to speak with authority I did not necessarily believe I had. As soon as I could, I got out of my seat, stood above him and I said with a loud, clear, firm voice, ‘You give me those matches. You are not allowed to throw lit matches at anyone.’ In other words, I learned how to be tough when tough was called for.  A GREAT life skill ….. especially once I became a MOTHER.” –Valerie Saenz

“Being able to cook and organize a dinner/luncheon for a large number of people and actually pull it off. I’ve always remembered being told that if there was anything that could be done ahead of time, do it. That rule has meant a lot in many activities for me. Also, I the learned ability to interact with people at every level from the bottom up to royalty. It was all part of acquiring the poise needed for the job. I didn’t have it all when I started, but I learned it over the years, thanks to my co-workers and the exposure that we had all over the world.” –Joy Losee

“My sister-in-law would tell me that I could clean up a kitchen faster than she could imagine. I would tease her and say, we’ll be landing soon! My one great attribute, vis-a-vie Pan Am, is dishing up food with a serving fork and spoon with one hand. People marvel in a buffet line!” –Jo Vance Hofman

Definitely napkin folding: Bishop’s hats on the table, lotus under bowls, crackers for cheese and silverware for buffets in the same napkin fold we used on the carts. When I entertain, whether it is the placement of the entree on the plate, the appetizer presentation or the spiral of cocktail napkins on the bar, Pan Am lives on. –Lynn Hancock. An editor’s note, Lynn is a very talented artist. Her work captures the essence of Pan am style. To see her vintage note cards, stationary and invitations go to www.stewardessstyle.com.

“Don’t know where to begin. I was hired by a US-based company and sent to 20-plus countries around the world. At times, these countries were in a mess created by the very people from my home state of Texas. They had no idea how the world works. Many thought Dallas must be the epicenter of the globe.” —Marc Richard Eisman

“Ok, do we even need to discuss packing skills? My suitcase carried organized, purchases from most every continent back to my home base. Even today I find myself folding my clothes as if I were going to pack a carry on bag.” –Elizabeth Quiroz

“Being able to order a meal in just about any language…. Also getting around an airport even if you have never been there before.” –Ann Wilkerson

“Definitely not being afraid of striking up a conversation with anyone. My son always comments when I do it and it leads to amazing conversations and connections. Also, being organized…one of my functions is a job is putting on a gala…no sweat (yeah, right!)…[and like Ann said], I made sure I trained my son on how to get around an airport. Whenever we’d go on a trip I’d say, “Ok…get us to our gate.” Now that he’s away to college (LSU) I don’t worry about him at the airport.” – Sandy Sparby-Clarke

“I can strike up a conversation with anyone anywhere and rarely miss the opportunity to do so. Pan Am taught me to be fearless whether that be preparing an egg over easy in a first class oven at 800 degrees or staring down a customs agent in a communist country. And I learned to be very thankful because if you paid attention at all you learned quickly that the poorest of poor in America would be considered wealthy in many of the places we traveled.” –Natlee Wright-Grimley

“I agree completely with all of the above and as Bob Barton used to say, I learned to, “take it easy and hurry up!” I must have learned the job very well because 22 years after I left Pan Am, dressed in my civies, people on planes still think I am a flight attendant. Recently on a flight a flight attendant asked me if I used to be a FA. I told him I did fly for Pan Am an eon ago. He said, “I knew it. You have that Pan Am look.” Made my day!” –Nelle Petit Smith

“Pan Am taught us self reliance and multi tasking before that was even a catchphrase. I annoy people with the speed I clean, cook etc. And all those little tricks we learned- 101 uses for club soda and coffee grounds….ahhhhhhhhhh I MISS IT ALL.” –Cynthia da Silva

“Being able to be by myself in a foreign country, using the map from the hotel, and figuring out how to take public transportation to where I want to go. Self-reliance, and multitasking.” –Mary Beberman Heine

Lastly,

“I am all of the above as well! Plus saying “bathroom” and “exit” in multiple languages.” –Alex Wissman

Kimberly Lord Stewart is a former Pan Am flight attendant and now works as a writer and a food journalist. The movie Argo, directed and starring Ben Affleck, about the Canadian hostage escape is the casting and planning phase.

To see what all the Pan fuss is about, watch full episodes here: ABC’s Pan Am.

To buy the handbags and other luggage inspired by Pan Am, log on here: Pan Am Brands.

 

 

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Maple vinegar, new food find

2010
12.16

For two weeks now, I’ve poked and squeezed on a bowl of fresh persimmons, waiting and wishing them to ripen. That day finally arrived this week. So what do to with these gorgeous orange globes? It’s the holiday, so yes, I could make a sweet bread. But it’s not even Christmas yet, and I am already tired of sweets. I wanted something light and fresh that would allow the flavor of the persimmons to shine, not hide behind sugar and spices.

The answer came from a recent food find, maple vinegar from Quebec. The vinegar is tart and sweet, but not too tart or cloyingly sweet like some sweeter vinegars. Because it’s just a whisper of sweet and tart, it’s perfect for salads or to add a flavor splash to cooked vegetables.

Interestingly, Quebec is the world’s largest supplier of pure maple syrup. The Pure Canada Maple Syrup website is full of maple recipes and great information about maple’s health properties.

I digress, so back to the persimmons and maple vinegar. The delicate-sweet persimmons and tart vinegar were the perfect match. This recipe is fast, light and offers a fresh change from wintery heavy foods. BTW–if you don’t have any maple vinegar, mix a bit of real maple syrup with rice vinegar.

INGREDIENTS

Per single salad:

2 cups organic baby spinach, washed and dried

8 blackberries, washed and dried

1 ripe persimmon, seeded and cut into eight pieces

1 ounce of Comte cheese, cubed

2 tablespoons pecans

2 teaspoons maple vinegar

1 Tablespoon canola oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Place spinach, persimmons, blackberries, cheese and pecans on a salad plate. Whisk maple vinegar, canola oil, drizzle over salad. Season with salt and pepper.

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Top 10 recipes from Delicious Living

2010
12.22

Editors spend a ginormous amount of time coming up with end of year top ten lists. The top movie according to unnamed major film critics is The Social Network (not sure I agree). Pitchfork says the top album is Kanye’s West’s, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and the Country music mag, The Boot, gave Dirks Bentley, Up on the Ridge a top spot, followed by Kanye’s BFF, Taylor Swift for Speak Now. So it is with great pleasure that I introduce Delicious Living’s top ten healthy recipe list (drumroll…) and a recipe from your’s truly made it on the list. It took the second spot like Taylor’s new album, no worries, at least I was nominated. Check them out here.

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EBL on the airwaves

2010
12.30

Start your New Year off right with a virtual tour of the grocery store on My Great Kid radio. Whether your resolution is weight loss or just trying to eat healthier for you and your family, this recent radio podcast will help. My great Kid  is hosted by Staci and Steve Bockman, two of my favorite radio hosts. The couple does so much to help special needs kids live healthier and happier lives. Download the broadcast here or link to this MP3 of the show.

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Indian Food in a Flash

2011
01.08

I adore Indian food, but for some reason I usually get a craving for curry somewhere between putting my feet up on the coffee table to watch the news and pouring a glass of wine. It doesn’t help that for me Indian recipes are as complex as a new yoga pose and they take way too much prep time to whip up on a whim, until now. Stonehouse 27 sauces use real ingredients like cumin, black mustard seeds, star anise and dates in their line of 6 sauces–Tomato & Chiles, Tamarind & Garlic, Cashews & Cream, Cilantro & Coconut, Dates and Tamarind. It’s impossible for me to decide which one I like best (I tried all six flavors last year at Expo West, but just now found them at my local Sprouts grocery store). For this go around, I opted for Tomato & Chiles with leftover lamb and rice.

Stonehouse 27 Tomatoes & Chiles w/ Lamb & Vegetables

Makes 4-6 servings

1 pound cubed lamb, cooked leftovers or sauteed stew meat

1 T canola oil

1 sweet potato, cubed

1 zucchini, thickly sliced

1 onion, coarsely diced

1 carrot, peeled and cubed

1/4 cup cashews

1 jar Stonehouse 27 Tomato & Chile Sauce

Basmati Rice

DIRECTIONS:

Saute lamb in pan if not cooked. Remove from pan and set aside. Saute onions, zucchini, sweet potato, carrot until vegetables are soft. Add lamb, cashews and sauce.Heat through, pour over rice.

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Winter Food Staycation

2011
01.13

I was running late this morning (as usual), so I opted for no socks. Bad move. Gray slush oozed over the lip of my clogs, as I stepped out of the car in the grocery store parking lot. The snow-plow driver grinned and waved as frowned and sloshed toward the glass doors. Luckily I remembered my grocery list, it gave me hope for warmer days to come. The list was the first step for magazine assignment to be published in June. In spite of my soggy cold feet, I spent the morning in complete denial looking for summer-like ingredients from the southern hemisphere.

I usually ignore apricots from Chile or berries from Argentina and opt for seasonal and local produce, even in the winter. This is where idealism and reality clash. The only local produce in Colorado at this time of year is dried beans. By now most of the local apples are gone and maybe I can find potatoes and winter squash. But there is one shining example of the future of local food, a canned food company called MM Local. Don’t worry, this isn’t the same “mmm, good” company you may be familiar with from your childhood or your less locally aware days. MMLocal is a Colorado-based company, with the motto “Eat Local, All Year.” When we are deliriously happy shopping for local fruit and vegetables at the summer farmer’s market, and not thinking about winter, MM Local picks and packs Western Slope Peaches, Front Range Tomatoes, Paonia Pears and Boulder Pickled Beets.

Some Colorado retailers like Tony’s, Spinelli’s in Denver and Lucky’s and the Dish in Boulder are catching on and lining shelves with MM Local goods, but company founders Jim Mills and Ben Mustin warn, even MM Local sells out of some popular products. There are a couple of ways to make sure you don’t get left out in the cold. First, here is the complete list of retailers that carry MM Local products, LINK or for next winter, buy your share ahead of time and pick it up in the fall at one of their partner locations, LINK. Think of it as a Community Supported Canned Food Drive. As an example, if you purchase a Partner Share (50 Products for $275) you get:

  • 12 Front Range Tomatoes with Basil or Rosemary
  • 10 Western Slope Peaches (with and without Honey)
  • 14 High Desert Chile Peppers (hot and mild)
  • 14 Heirloom Beans, Pickled Boulder Beets, and Paonia Pears

The beauty of MM Local is not only the gorgeous local produce, it’s also a way to support the growth and success of local Colorado farmers. If MM Local isn’t yet in your area, ask your favorite sustainable grocery to carry their products.

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EBL on Kid Kritic Radio

2011
01.14

QUIZ: Should you buy?:

A. organic apples or

B. organic oranges? (Answer below).

If this question is on your mind as your wander the produce aisle, you are not alone. Shopping for produce is often an apple and orange argument. Do you waste money on fresh produce?  Do you struggle when trying to chose ripe nutrient-packed flavor-filled fruits and vegetables? If you answered yes to any of these questions listen in on the EBL interview on Kid Kritic Radio.

ANSWER: A for Organic Apples. Apple growers are notorious for using pesticides to keep pesky bugs away. If you or your kids eat an apple a day, you may be better off choosing organic apples. Look for the number 9 on the produce sticker to find organic apples. More info on EBL here.

Resources from the Kid Kritic radio topics:

Organic Strawberries Contain More Antioxidants than Conventional

Organic Farming Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Healthier Food Choices for You and the Planet

Sign the Petition for Jamie Oliver’s Kids Healthy Foundation





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Make 2011 the year of the small farm

2011
01.15

Crosby Mint Farm, longest family-owned operating mint farm in America.

Eight months ago, I met a group of people who live life at the end of the rainbow. They didn’t get there by following a pot of gold. They got there by following their passion and staying true to the legacy they inherited. For brother and sister, Jim and Linette, heirs to the Crosby Mint Farm, it wasn’t an easy road to follow. The path was littered with uncertainty, heartache and anger. While not always hand in hand, they are finding their way back to a fresh new beginning.

Linette Crosby in the spearmint field

Jim Crosby, pouring mint oil from the still

Crosby Mint Farm, St. Johns MI

Their story is like many other farming families across this country. While the details may differ, the underpinnings are the same. Small farming takes heart, and the type of moxie that most people tire of sustaining year after year. Last summer during the harvest, as I watched the boiler steam into the night sky and mint oil drip off the still into a 100-year old still bucket, the same one their father used, I marveled at their perseverance to keep the farm going. In 2011, the Crosby’s will celebrate 100 continuous years of mint farming, no other mint farm in America can make that claim.

Dawn Pizzoferratto, passionate small farm supporter and proud to say, my cousin.

The number of small farms in America is growing, yes growing, in part to families like the Crosby’s who hang in there day after day. It’s also because of passionate supporters who go out of there way to buy goods, whether it’s mint oil, fresh eggs or just picked berries, directly from the farm. Let’s make 2011, the year of the small farmer, by supporting people who live at the end of the rainbow. Watch the latest YouTube Video from the Crosby Farm to learn more and order mint products here.

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Kid’s health: nanny state or stately necessary?

2011
01.18

I recently posted a commentary on WellWise.org about Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, titled Feed Kids’s not Palin Politics. Sarah Palin took exception to Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity work to get healthy food in schools, educate parents and get families moving. A Wellwise Facebook friend, and supporter of Palin, accused me  of being a liberal (how little he knows me). But the rancor makes me wonder, does the Federal Government have a role in keeping children healthy? I tend to say yes because allowing junk food in schools and cutting funding for physical education are but a few of the many reasons American kids are where they are today, overweight and on the couch. I am encouraged by recent changes to get the junk out of schools and improve the quality of school lunches, but is there more than can or should be done? And does the federal government have a role in the health of the nation’s children. I’d like to hear your thoughts.

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Sign Petition to Stop GM-Alfalfa

2011
01.24

Save Alfalfa. Join the Alfalfa and his gang by signing the petition that says no to GM alfalfa.

SIGN THE FOOD DEMOCRACY NOW PETITION & TELL USDA NO TO GM-ALFALFA.

Just when organic foods are getting more affordable, agricultural policy makers could change all that with the approval of genetically modified alfalfa. Within a few days, the USDA will announce the final policy on genetically modified alfalfa, and if approved your organic grocery bill will undoubtedly go up.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsak believes that finding a compromise between supporters of GM-alfalfa and those who stand firmly against is possible. “Surely, there is a better way, a solution that acknowledges agriculture’s complexity, while celebrating and promoting its diversity,” Vilsak wrote in a statement. Conversely, Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety says, ”The only option that will protect organic and conventional alfalfa growers and dairies is for the USDA to deny any approval of GE alfalfa.” READ MORE HERE…

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Category Farm2Table, Health & Wellness |

Can organic and GM farmer’s be friends?

2011
01.27

Beets in the Willamette Valley

Are the nation’s prime agricultural areas big enough to support both genetically modified crops and organic crops? Who has the most to lose?  Organic or GM? Questions mount as to how these two ag-policies can co-exist. Listen to this recent NPR report to see how this debate affects farmers.

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Winter Seafood Tidal Pool

2011
01.31

Here is a recipe for when the snow is feet deep and your toes would much rather be buried under a few inches of sand than stuffed inside a winter boot.

The amount of clams, salmon and scallops can be easily bumped up or down if eating alone or sharing with a friend or two, or three. Add a salad, bread and wine and you may forget it’s winter, or at least until the driveway needs shoveling.

Want to learn more about how to buy sustainable seafood? The Monterey Bay aquarium has a new iPhone app to help with on the spot ordering decisions at your favorite sushi restaurant.

Serve 2

INGREDIENTS

Wild Alaskan salmon filet, center cut, about 6 inches long, cut in two pieces
8 clams, washed well
4 scallops, dried
Salt and Pepper
Canola or extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons onion, diced
1 clove garlic, peeled, smashed
1 large organic apple, peeled, diced
2 teaspoons curry
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth

DIRECTIONS
Prepare salad, pour the wine and set the table ahead of time, because this recipe only takes about 15 minutes to complete. There is nothing worse than overcooked or reheated seafood.

Salt and pepper salmon and scallops.

Heat oil over high heat, in a heavy skillet large enough to hold broth and seafood. Brown scallops for 15-30 seconds on each side. Remove from pan.

Add onion, garlic, apples, curry and thyme, reduce heat to medium. Saute for 5 minutes until onion is soft. Up the heat to high, add wine and reduce by half.

Add broth and bring to a boil. Add clams and salmon. Cover. Cook until clams just start to open, 5-8 minutes. Add scallops and heat through. DO NOT OVERCOOK.

Serve in big bowls, with lots of bread to sop up the broth.

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What Will We Eat?

2011
01.31

Chris Bedford is co-founder and President of the Sweetwater Local Foods Market – Michigan’s first farmers market to exclusive sell locally grown fruits and vegetables raised in a manner that enhances biological diversity and builds soil health AND meats, eggs, and cheese from animals raised humanely without antibiotics or hormones. His film, “What Will We Eat?” tells the story of a citizen’s movement to build a healthy, local food supply for Michigan.

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The Evolution of Food Labels

2011
02.08

In the beginning, there were no food labels, only the earth and the sky.

But God wanted more, so on the third day He said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. Read more here…

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Help your local school get a salad bar

2011
02.14

Get the processed slop out and fresh salads in to your local school cafeterias. Last week, 500 schools got a fresh facelift when Whole Foods announced that it awarded grants to schools to fund more than 500 salad bars. Now it’s your turn to put your money where kid’s mouths should be–eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. On SaladBars2Schools.org, donate money to your school district to fund a salad bar. To date the organization has received $1.3 million toward it’s goal of $15 million. To date nearly 27,000 students have benefited from this program.

Whole Foods and the National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance, The Lunchbox, United Fresh are the founding sponsors of a campaign to help empower schools to increase their students’ lunchtime consumption of fruits and vegetables.Whole Foods Market shoppers surpassed the goal of $750,000, donating more than $1.4 million to the Salad Bar Project during the grocer’s four-week in-store and online fundraising campaign in September.

The company partnered with Chef Ann Cooper’s nonprofit, F3: Food Family Farming Foundation, to administer the grant application process. The Foundation received over 700 applications and has scheduled shipment of 460 salad bars to date, and is finalizing the review of 90 additional qualifying schools. Visit saladbars2schools.org for a current list of schools that have received salad bars.

“We were blown away by the generosity of our shoppers. We nearly doubled the number of schools we had originally expected to support,” said Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market. “With such a robust amount of funds raised, we are thrilled to be able to offer a salad bar to every school that qualified and are proud to support the courageous efforts of schools that want to provide kids in our communities more fresh healthy options in the lunchroom.”

To make an even larger impact in lunchrooms across the country, Whole Foods Market announced it is a founding partner of Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools, whose goal is to provide 6,000 salad bars across the nation by 2013.

Each day, 31.5 million children depend on the National School Lunch Program for meals. According to a 2009 study by scientists with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just one percent of adolescents ate as many servings of fruit and vegetables as recommended by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

“The best part about the salad bars is the smiles on the kids’ faces when they see the great fresh choices we can now offer,” said Jamie Smith, manager of food services for Santa Cruz City Schools. “They have quickly made theme bar days like “taco salad bar” and “make your own veggie pita” some of our most popular days.”

All schools receiving grants from the Salad Bar Project will be sent healthy salad bar kits in the next few weeks.  The kits include a five-well Cambro salad bar complete with utensils, pan inserts, chilling pads and training tools. Salad bar training tools and videos for school nutrition staff will also be available through TheLunchBox.org, which Whole Foods Market shoppers helped to raise funds to build in 2009 so all schools can have access to healthier food tools and tips.

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Category Uncategorized |

Mark Bittman sounds off on ag subsidies

2011
03.02

From the NY Times:

Agricultural subsidies have helped bring us high-fructose corn syrup, factory farming, fast food, a two-soda-a-day habit and its accompanying obesity, the near-demise of family farms, monoculture and a host of other ills.

Yet — like so many government programs — what subsidies need is not the ax, but reform that moves them forward. Imagine support designed to encourage a resurgence of small- and medium-size farms producing not corn syrup and animal-feed but food we can touch, see, buy and eat — like apples and carrots — while diminishing handouts to agribusiness and its political cronies. Read more here…

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We have seen the enemy..it is us

2011
03.25

A recent op/ed in the Iowa City Press Citizen mentioned my book Eating Between the Lines. It’s humbling to be included in the same paragraph as Michael Pollan and Elson Haas as Iowa City opens an all-year farmer’s market. I congratulate their community for taking this next vital step toward creating sustainable food sheds.

The op/ed caught my attention, not only for the kinds words, but also the source. Here is a newspaper in the corn belt of America making a statement about this country’s over reliance on processed and pulverized food. Is this a sign of things to come? I will go out on a corn stalk, and venture to say yes. But only if we recognize a fatal flaw in our thinking.

To understand where I am going, here is the excerpt from the op/ed:  “Many writers — such as Michael Pollan (“In Defense of Food”), Elson Haas (“The New DeTox Diet”) and Kimberly Lord Stewart (“Eating Between the Lines”) — recently have been trying to diagnose what they call “our national eating disorder.” The problem isn’t necessarily our craving for sugary and fatty foods — after all, people in Italy and France eat such food and wind up on average much happier and healthier than we are. Instead, much of the problem is an outgrowth of the industrial food chain that has become the dominant means of transporting food over the globe.” (Iowa City Press, op/Ed March 24, 2011)

“Industrial food chain.” That sounds so ominous, along the lines of big corporate interests or special interest groups. What is the industrialized food chain. Is it corporate entities like Nestle, Procter and Gamble, or Wal-Mart?  Or is it the mile and miles, of miles and miles, of corn farms that I passed on my way from Michigan to Colorado last summer.

What exactly is the industrial food chain?

Look no further than the end of our fork. It’s easy to blame the nameless faceless companies that dominate the food industry or the politicians that sign-off on agricultural subsidies to grown more grain. It’s easy to blame the farmers on the green John Deere tractors who work for pennies per bushel of corn. But in truth, you and I are the industrial food chain.

Not me, you may say. Not true. We all buy into the industrial food chain with our hard earned dollars. For every dollar we spend on processed food, we may not be the first link, but we fuel the industrialized food chain.

At a recent trade show and conference for the health food industry, I heard Ann Cooper, the Renegade Lunch Lady (you may know her as Alice Waters sidekick) talk about how we are too complacent about health and nutrition for the country’s most vulnerable–our very own children. Rhetorically she asked, “Since when did we let children decide what they get to eat, and when they get to eat.” By letting our kids eat Cheetos for breakfast and chicken nuggets for the other two meals of the day, Cooper says we buy into the industrialized food chain and forsake our children’s health.

Why? Because it’s easier to say yes to our kids and say yes to the convenience of processed nutritionally void foods, than it is to change our own patterns of behavior. Complacency laid the path for the industrial food chain to feed us whatever newfangled invention comes along.

The one and only way this will change is if we, the food shopper, vote with our dollar to opt-out of poor quality food and opt-in to feeding our families real food. Then and only then will we cut the chains of the current industrialized food system and add new healthier links to the chain.

We are the industrialized food system, it’s time to reinvent ourselves for the sake of our children.

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Free copies of Eating Between the Lines

2011
03.26

Eating Between the Lines was published four years ago. It’s tough for first-time authors to get enough traction, but I am happy to say it is still selling, thanks to the support of so many of you. In fact, the book sold as many copies in the past year as it’s first year. And, EBL is now available on FoodNetwork and Target.

To celebrate, I am giving away 10 free copies of the book. To win your free copy, please leave your name and address in the comments (I won’t make them public) and I’ll mail you a copy (only North American addresses, please). Feel free to pass this along to friends.

I am hoping to see the book in an electronic form…someday. I think EBL makes the perfect Kindle and iPad book to use for healthy grocery shopping. If you agree, please link through to Amazon, and click on the link in the left column that says: “Tell the publisher! I’d like to read this book in a Kindle.”

Again, thank you for your support.

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Large Italian EVOO brand under investigation

2011
04.01

Carapelli EVOO under scrutiny by Italian Officials

According to the Olive Oil Times, a very large, very powerful Italian olive oil company is being investigated. In Italy, the Forestry Department (Corpo Forestale) is responsible for preserving the environment, but also for protecting the purity of olive oil production. It’s an odd pairing, but nonetheless, the Corpo Forestale is working on an investigation involving Italian olive oil, Gorgonzola cheese, truffle oil and jams. Lucy Vivante, a reporter for the Olive Oil Times, said the label for one of the alleged brands was blacked out. But as Vivante reported, it was no secret that the brand was Carapelli Olive Oil. At the press conference, the investigators showed altered documents regarding the oil’s origin and discussed the strong possibility it was deodorized to remove any defects and it was most likely made from old and poor quality olives, yet it was still labeled as extra-virgin.

An earlier investigation in Italy linked low prices to low-quality fraudulent olive oil in Italian supermarket. Apparently extra-virgin oil was being sold for as little at 2 Euros per liter. A consumer group warned that true-extra virgin olive oil should retail for at least, 6 Euros a liter. This advice holds true for American supermarkets as well, true extra virgin olive oil should cost a minimum of $8-$10 US dollars per liter.

As more California Olive Oils reach markets outside the state, this may be a tastier, fresher option than relying on unknown cheap imports. Here are a few of my favorites:

Lodestar Farms

Lodestar Farms

www.lodestarfarms.com

Check out their olive oil club and the company is offering a discount on orders, use the code FM20

Katz and Company EVOO

Katz and Company

High quality and very distinct taste. Katz makes a delightful Meyers Lemon EVOO that is great for summer grilling.

www.katzandco.com/

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Faith in Faith

2011
04.23

It snowed this morning and my first instinct was to run outside in my bare feet and shake the snow from the peach tree branches and cover the tender shoots in the garden. Instead, I watched the flakes fall. It was a good snow, downy and damp. The flakes were light enough so the peach blossoms are still intact and wet enough to water the spinach, kale, peas and strawberries. Though I am impatient gardener, I am learning to have faith.

It’s a stretch to call anything from my garden food, yet. I can’t cook much from blossoms, shoots and leaves, but still I have faith that by July something growing in the dirt will be on my table…or not, and that’s OK too. I learned this the hard way last summer on my Aunt’s farm. Nearly a year ago next week, I arrived in Michigan with high hopes that were immediately shattered, a dear old dog who later died on the farm, and a car full of what we thought we needed for farm life for 6 months. We were so unprepared. Yes, the crockery was useful and my “Farm Girl” sweatshirt was well worn by the end of our adventure, but our suitcases were empty of two essentials for farm life–faith and patience.

Farm life is a lesson in faith.  Faith that seeds will sprout. Faith that rain will fall. Faith that the harvest will provide. That is an easy-button kind of faith. The more difficult type of faith is when what you’ve planned does not go as planned, but still everything will be alright, different but alright. Faith is not about the predictable, it’s about acceptance of the unpredictable. Soon after our arrival on the farm in May, we were rejected by once close relatives and the farm fields were flooded. But by October, our garden was ripe with edible food and our lives were forever richer from the life-long friendships and faith we gained from people who had been distant relatives and strangers months earlier. Had we given up too early, our faith would still be in pieces on the gravel drive of the old farmhouse.

Holy Week, for people of all faiths and even for those on a spiritual fence, is a lesson in faith on a much larger scale than my little garden or my aunt’s farm. This week reminds us to have faith in faith.  I heard an interview with author Ann Lamott this week about how she plans to spend her Easter. It is a statement about our faith in one another and faith in the imperfect. Lamott shared this story:

“When I was 38, my best friend, Pammy, died, and we went shopping about two weeks before she died, and she was in a wig and a wheelchair. I was buying a dress for this boyfriend I was trying to impress, and I bought a tighter, shorter dress than I was used to. And I said to her, ‘Do you think this makes my hips look big?’ and she said to me, so calmly, ‘Anne, you don’t have that kind of time.’ And I think Easter has been about the resonance of that simple statement; and that when I stop, when I go into contemplation and meditation, when I breathe again and do the sacred action of plopping and hanging my head and being done with my own agenda, I hear that, ‘You don’t have that kind of time,’ you have time only to cultivate presence and authenticity and service, praying against all odds to get your sense of humor back.”

As you share a sacred table this week with friends and family, remember that those you love will disappoint and plans with promise may fall away, but faith endures for those who have faith in faith, and faith in one another.

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Mothers, let’s get anti against antibiotics

2011
05.03

Mom's Get Mad About Antibiotics in Food

There is no greater voice in this country than that of mothers. It’s time we got loud about what is in our food. Last year, in her cheerful but don’t mess with me way, CBS anchor Katie Couric explained the issue pretty well on national news, here is the clip, and she testified for the Pew Trust. Now it’s our turn, everyday Moms, like you and I, need to tell our government leaders, farmers and fellow Moms that antibiotics do not belong in food production.

A group of Moms (and some Dad’s) are making it easy for us to be heard. The Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming’s Moms for Antibiotic Awareness,  is a group of mothers who are advocating for the reduction of antibiotic-resistant bacteria through phasing out the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in food animal production. As many as eight-in-ten Mom’s agree that they are concerned about farms animals being given antibiotics, according to a Pew survey, and 75% say they support antibiotic farming regulations. Now they need to hear from us.

Doctors warn us to take antibiotics only to treat a bacterial illness. But many large producers of meat and poultry feed these drugs to their healthy food animals, simply to offset the effects of overcrowding and poor sanitation and to promote faster growth. In fact, 70 percent of the antibiotics sold in the U.S. go to food animals that are not sick.

This dangerous practice helps breed deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can spread to humans. And children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are especially at risk. Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all told Congress there is a definitive link between the routine, non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in food animal production and the crisis of antibiotic resistance in humans. The problem is so far-reaching that vegetarians are not exempt, the manure and ground water used to feed crops are also contaminated with antibiotics.

In this food journalist’s opinion, “Animal feed contains so many unnecessary antibiotics, it’s the equivalent of spooning a little penicillin on your children’s cereal in the morning.”

In the coming months you will hear all kinds of excuses from the meat industry. “There is no proof that antibiotics in food harm people, it’s too expensive to not use antibiotics, in this economy shopper’s won’t support it….” I can go on and on. But don’t buy into it. The National Research Council (they love to put holes in these kinds of statements) estimated that by using fewer antibiotics in chicken, it would cost the shopper 1 to 3c more per pound, and for turkey, 2 to 3c more per pound. And, the last I researched this in 2007, the cost for antibiotic resistance in this country was between $4 and $5 billion, now that number is $16 to $26 billion, according to the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics and Cook County Hospital in Chicago.

How can we afford not to take a stand? Isn’t three cents per pound of poultry a small price to pay for the safety of our children and their grandparents, who are also at greater risk for developing antibiotic resistant infections?

There are a couple of ways to help, first be a follower of the campaign. Secondly, The Pew Campaign for Human Health and Industrial Farming is asking for Mom’s around the country to take a stand and contact their legislators to pass a bill that would place more regulation around the use of antibiotics in farming. LINK HERE FOR THE PETITION.

“Lawmakers should take swift action to pass the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA, H.R. 1549, S. 619), which would withdraw the routine use of seven classes of antibiotics vitally important to human health from food animal production unless animals or herds are sick with disease or unless drug companies can prove that their use does not harm human health,” says lead Mom, Laura Rogers, project director for the campaign. Rogers says that the bill has bipartisan support from both Republicans and Democrats, which in this climate is significant.

If you too wish to Become part of Moms for Antibiotic Awareness and take a stand against the overuse of antibiotics in food animal production and help protect your family from the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, join at www.saveantibiotics.org. Better yet, join and pass this on to your friends so they can be a part of this important campaign for the future of our health, our children’s’ health and even our own parents’ health.

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Mom’s Best for Mother’s Day

2011
05.04

I have one of those mother’s…you know the type…beautiful, talented and accomplished. She is a hard act to follow. In fact she is so gifted, that my sisters, brother and I couldn’t possibly have inherited all her talents, so we split them up. When we were kids, we moved a lot (13 schools in 18 years). Even so our house–whether it was basic-beige military housing or a newly built home–was so cleverly decorated that it ended up on a full-age spread in a Virginian newspaper.  I am allergic to sewing, but my youngest sister inherited her needle and thread talent and now has her own graphic design and custom-made invitation company, here is the link.

In the 1970s, when the maxi-dress hit the fashion runways, our fashion model mother, donned her mini-dress and protested on television.  I was too shy to even consider such a thing, but my other sister inherited her gift of gab and sales, she is a gorgeous, successful marketing executive (sorry no website). Our mother recently used her fighting spirit to get elected as mayor of her town, here is the link. Our brother, a real-life Rambo with my mother’s blond locks, inherited both her toughness and our Dad’s bravery and has a secret, tough-as-nails job (no link, if I told you, he’d have to well…you know).

As for me, I inherited her culinary skills. Even though she barely has the time to stop for lunch these days, and though she won’t admit it, she is a great cook. Over the years, I’ve used many of her ideas as inspiration for magazine articles. For this Mother’s Day, I am sharing a recipe inspired by her spirit–the rhubarb sharp, the berries sweet and the biscuits rich. For as long as I can remember, she made the best strawberry shortcake. Not the type with the spongy cakes from the supermarket, but real biscuits, with real whipped cream. The rhubarb ice cream is inspired by Dad, who loves rhubarb and to loves to make creamy, dreamy desserts. Here is a dreamy picture of the two, I’m hiding on the other side of the kiss. They make a beautiful pair, just like this dessert.

Mom’s Strawberry Shortcake with Dad’s Rhubarb Ice Cream

This recipe combines the tart flavor of rhubarb with sweet berries, sandwiched between rich-biscuit dough. Make the ice cream and biscuits ahead of time and assemble just before serving.

PART 1: ICE CREAM INGREDIENTS

1 lb rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (3 cups)
1 cup organic strawberries, chopped
1 cup sugar, divided
3 large egg yolks
2/3 cup 1% milk
1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine rhubarb, strawberries and 3/4 cup sugar. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until rhubarb-berry mixture has a soft jam consistency. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Whisk egg yolks lightly in a medium bowl, set aside. In a saucepan, combine milk and remaining 1/4-cup sugar, bring to a boil. Pour hot milk slowly into yolks, whisking all the while to prevent the eggs from cooking.

3. Return to saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Watch carefully and stir often around the bottom edges of the pan, because the custard will thicken and the eggs may overcook. Remove from heat as soon as thick enough. Using a fine-meshed sieve, strain into a bowl.

4. Add rhubarb-berry mixture and to egg-cream custard. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or as long as overnight. Freeze in an ice-cream maker to manufacturer’s instructions.

PART 11: SHORTCAKE BISCUITS

1 3/4 cups of all-purpose organic flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 Tablespoons sugar, divided into 2T/1T
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5 Tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup milk

DIRECTIONS
Makes 12-16 biscuits depending on size

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Stir together dry ingredients, using 2 T sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender, fork or food processor (light pulses), until the texture of course cornmeal (butter will still be visible in small bits like rice).
3. Stir yogurt and milk until thick but pourable (like melted ice cream). Add to flour-butter mixture. Stir until just combined. The dough will still be soft, and loose, that is perfect. If you stir too aggressively, the dough will be tough.
4. Turn out on to a floured board. Gently knead until just combined (30 seconds).
5. With your hands, form into a thick rectangle of about one inch thick. Cut into rounds using a floured cutter.
6. Place on baking sheet. If you like soft biscuits, place next to each other. If you like a crispy outside, place them one-inch apart. Sprinkle tops with remaining 1T sugar.
7. Bake for 9-12 minutes.

FINALE: STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Makes 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS

4 cups strawberries, sliced and sugared with ? cup sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped with 1T sugar and a splash of vanilla
Biscuits
Rhubarb Ice Cream

DIRECTIONS
1. Slice biscuits. Place a small scoop of ice cream on bottom biscuit. Spoon berries over ice cream Top with the other biscuit half. Add another generous spoonful of berries, top with whipped cream.

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Category Kitchen String Recipes, Uncategorized |

Spring Recipe Roundup

2011
05.19

It’s a been a soggy spring here, perfect for writing and cooking. Rather than repost some of the recipes I’ve recently published, I am linking out and sharing some unpublished secrets behind the recipes.

Yellow Squash and Corn Casserole. I loved this recipe on the farm last summer, when the summer squash was growing like crazy in the Michigan humidity. This recipe is a version of a favorite from the Victory GardenCookbook, my original copy is worn and torn, but so precious to me. It is one of the best cookbooks for how to garden, what to do when you have too much of something growing in the garden, and garden friendly recipes of every type. The book is in such demand that the price for even a used copy can be hundreds of dollars. Here is a link to an  Amazon for a used copy that is more moderately priced. It’s worth every dime.

Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Egg Salad I used soy bacon in this recipe, to keep the cost and calories down, but this recipe is meant for real nitrate-free bacon. My favorite brands is Coleman Natural Bacon.

Roasted Vegetable Tostadas with Chipotle Cream. The Chipolte-Cream dressing in this recipe is very good, but for an authentic version used Mexican sour cream, it’s a thin sour cream that pours, look for it in the cheese aisle, near the cream cheese.

Green Bean, Pesto, Pasta Chicken Green beans, pesto and potatoes are a summer treat from the village where I used to live in Italy. For a side dish, skip the pasta keep the rest of the ingredients.

Asian Spiced Catfish with Carrot Slaw Look for US-raised farmed catfish in stores rather than cheaper filets from Asia. The Asian fish farms may use antibiotics.

Rosemary and Grass Fed Beef Hash Grass fed beef can be pricey, but this recipe stretches out the portions.

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Category Farm2Table, Kitchen String Recipes, Sleight Farm, Uncategorized |

Dog days of summer recipes

2011
08.15

Last week, I had a surprise on my doorstep–a box of organic produce from Door to Door Organics. Summer’s bounty at my door, what could be better? Kale, Swiss chard, Japanese eggplant, lettuce and of course the ubiquitous late summer zucchini. With a few fill-in ingredients from the pantry, my own garden and friend Julie’s garden, this box of summer inspired a menu of dishes from lunch to evening fare.

Deconstructed Ratatouille

Ratatouille is a great go to dish when the summer garden is a bit too generous. Usually ratatouille is a summer jumble of tomatoes, onions, eggplant and summer squash all stewed together. This version is linear, each ingredient has it’s place. The line up includes the same ingredients as a traditional ratatouille, but by layering, the flavors stay distinct and fresh. Serve this with grilled meats or pasta (see the pasta recipe below). Makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 onion

3 Anaheim or 1 large sweet green pepper

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 small  yellow squash

2 small Japanese eggplants

2 small zuccini

4 medium tomatoes

10 basil leaves, torn

Salt and Pepper

1 fresh mozzarella ball (the kind in liquid)

8X8 square glass baking dish

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a medium skillet with oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers, saute until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Cover the bottom on of the baking dish with onions and peppers.

2. Slice squash, eggplant, tomatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices that look like coins.

3. Layer vegetables like this–summer squash, tomato, eggplant, zucchini. Repeat, making 4 rows.

4. Top with basil leaves. Generously season with salt and pepper. Top with cheese.

5. Cover with foil, leaving a gap so the cheese doesn’t stick to the foil.

6. Bake 375 degree oven for 40 minutes.

Marinated Eggplant and Summer Squash Sandwiches

This vegetarian sandwich filling also makes a great pizza topping. For added protein, smear bread with ricotta cheese before adding the vegetables.

Makes 3-4 servings

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 small eggplant, sliced thinly

1 small summer squash, slice thinly

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

4 slices provolone cheese

Whole grain sandwich thins

Marinade

1 Tablespoon balsamic dressing

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

crushed red pepper, hefty pinch

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat broiler. Line a baking sheet with a metal rack.

2. In a small bowl, coat eggplant and squash with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Lay eggplant and squash slices on metal rack. Broil until lightly browned.

3. Set aside rack to broil sandwiches.

4. Whisk marinade ingredients together in a medium size bowl. Add broiled vegetables. Coat well.

5. Top one half of sandwich bread with broiled vegetables, add cheese. Brush remaining bread with marinade.

5. Broil marinade-sandwich tops and open faced sandwiches until cheese is melted. Serve right away.

Whole Grain Pasta with Prosciutto and Peppers

Have all the ingredients ready to go, the pasta only takes a few minutes to cook.

Serves 4 side dishes, 2 mains

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

1/2 box of whole grain angel hair pasta

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 yellow pepper, sliced into strips

4 slices prosciutto, torn into small pieces

3 ounces talegio cheese, rind removed, cubed

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat pasta water, salt with a couple teaspoons salt. Add pasta.

2. Meanwhile, heat small skillet with 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Add peppers, saute over high heat until nicely caramelized and soft, add proscuitto and heat through. Turn off heat.

3. Cook pasta until just tender (3-6 mimutes). Drain pasta, put into serving dish. Top with peppers, prosciutto, cheese and olive oil. Toss and serve.

Kale and Swiss Chard Soup

Puree this soup for a quick and hearty meal as summers fades to fall.

Makes 4 servings.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20-30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch Swiss chard

1 bunch kale

3 Tablespoons canola oil

1 cup celery, diced

1 cup onions, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 Roma tomatoes, peeled and seeded (or 2 Tablespoons tomato paste)

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

5 cups vegetable broth

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup  heavy cream

Creme frache, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash chard and kale. Remove any thick ribs and reserve for another use, like making vegetable stock. Chop finally by hand or in a food processor (see photo).

2. Add oil to a large soup pot, heat over medium heat. Add greens and all remaining vegetables, except potatoes. Saute for 15 minutes until all the vegetables are soft.

3. Add tomato paste, potatoes and broth to pan. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Cool soup slightly. Puree with a hand blender, blender or food processor. Return to soup pot, add cream. Taste and season with salt and pepper again.

5. Serve in bowls with a dollop of creme frache.

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Category Farm2Table, Kitchen String Recipes, Uncategorized |

Little Italian Red Dress Tomato Sauce

2011
08.30

This time of year the Campagna region in Italy is laden with tomatoes. The rich red volcanic soil from Vesuvius is the perfect host for sweet vines that line the road from Gaeta to Naples. We know them stateside at San Marzano in a can. When I lived in Gaeta, every August I so wanted to preserve a bit of the Italian summer, but I dreaded peeling and seeding all those squishy tomatoes. Until an Italian neighbor introduced me to the nicest little invention, the Passatutto Velox, a countertop tomato mill.

The tomatoes go in the top, with a few spins of the handle, smooth sauce comes out the bottom and the seeds and skin spew out the other. Over the years, I’ve learned that it’s still a good idea to steam the tomatoes before running them through the mill, it intensifies the flavor, but there is no need to peel, seed, or even take off the little green hats on the tomatoes. I also run the debris of skins and seeds through the Passato twice, sometimes three times, to get all the goodness out. You won’t have to move to Italy to get one, unless of course you want to, Amazon now sells them. A standard food mill works too, but then you can’t use the word Passatutto with your friends. See the travel note at the bottom if you want to learn more about Gaeta, Italy.

Easy Homemade “Mader” Sauce

So here is my easiest, smoothest tomato sauce recipe. You can spice it up, add meat and vegetables. It’s perfect for pasta, pizza, over grilled meats or as a soup base. Think of this as a little red dress recipe, it looks great as is, or you can change it up. My only recommendation is that you don’t make this sauce while wearing a white shirt, the steamed tomatoes are pretty juicy and Passatutto will squirt a bit. This sauce calls for a bit of butter at the end, don’t leave it out, it really makes for a velvety sauce.

Makes 8 cups

PREP TIME: 30 Minutes

COOKING TIME: 20-30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

40 small plum tomatoes (30 if large)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups finely chopped onion

2-3 tsp minced garlic (optional)

1/2 cup red wine or 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

1 bunch fresh basil, chopped

3 springs fresh oregano, leaves chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

2 Tablespoons tomato paste (optional, use only if short on time and sauce is runny)

3 Tablespoons butter (if you plan to can your tomato sauce, leave this out and remember it when preparing the sauce)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat a large pasta pot with 4 cups water, preferably one with a strainer to life tomatoes out without losing the hot water. In batches, steam tomatoes until skins begin to soften and plump (it will look like an over-ripe tomato, one that is ready for the rubbish bin or compost pile. The skins do not have to split.
  2. Drain the steamed tomatoes. Set aside until you’ve steamed all 30 of them.
  3. Run them through the Passato or food mill two or three times.
  4. Heat a large sauce pot, add olive oil and onions. Saute. Add garlic and red wine or vinegar, turn the heat up, reduce until syrupy.
  5. Turn the heat down, add tomatoes, simmer for 20-30 minutes until thick. Add herbs, salt and pepper and tomato paste, if desired.
  6. Stir, simmer for another 5 minutes for the flavors to come together. Taste, correct the seasoning.
  7. Add butter and whisk until smooth and presto, it’s sauce.

So if you are green-tomato envious that I lived in Gaeta, don’t be,  you can go there too. The village is an hour south of Rome, one hour north of Naples and 90- minutes north of the Amalfi Coast, where I bought the bowl in the tomato picture. Gaeta is a delightful place with lively southern Italians, who like Americans. For years, the US Navy has had a presence there. So in the summer, when the population puffs up from 10K to 40K, it’s a bit of an Italian American festival. I recommend that you go there before this happens in May, early June or September and October, because the Romans take over the place and it gets a bit crowded. Here is a good run down from Trip Advisor. I like the Gajeta Hotel, it’s a new small hotel neat the pier. The village is also full of furnished apartments that sit empty 8-10 months of the year, except in the summer, when the Romans take the Rome Road to Gaeta for their holiday.

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The Greek in me

2011
08.31

The Organic Trade Association facebook page asked followers today, if you are what you eat, what food ingredient would you be? A lot of organic foodies must be incognito berries, broccoli and beans. A couple of people said kale, they must be organic dinosaurs (just kidding). An overly caffeinated ff..ff..follower said black tea. I suppose I’ve eaten enough chocolate to be a Belgian chocolate bar, but I increasingly turn to Greek yogurt for all kinds of recipes. I was weaned on Greek yogurt in my Greek grandfather’s diner in a Greek neighborhood in Detroit, so I guess it’s not surprising.

I used to buy buttermilk for baking, but why bother? I can get the same light crumb with Greek yogurt. If I fold in equal amounts of Greek yogurt and lightly sweetened whipped cream, it’s the prefect topping for macerated fruits or pies.

This week, I spread a thick layer on toast and topped it with tomatoes and honey, and served it with a salad and vegetable soup. The soup was good, but the bread..bliss. Guests had that look when I told them what it was (always a mistake), but after one bite that worried look changed to sheer delight. I recommend you not tell anyone about the white stuff on the bread, let them wonder.

Beefsteak for Breakfast (or any time of day)

INGREDIENTS

1 thick piece of sourdough bread

Butter or olive oil

Greek yogurt (enough to slather on a nice thick layer)

2 slices of tomatoes

Salt and pepper

Honey

DIRECTIONS

  1. Lightly toast bread
  2. Slather on a thick glob of Greek yogurt
  3. Top with sliced tomatoes
  4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
  5. Generously drizzle with honey
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Category Farm2Table, Kitchen String Recipes, Uncategorized |

Pan Am, more than a TV show, more than an airline

2011
09.28

The recent launch of Pan Am TV series on ABC has stirred up a plane full of memories of my years as a Pan Am flight attendant from 1979-1984. During the pre-show buzz, someone asked me why this is such a big deal for me, for other Pan Am crew members and even for passengers who flew the airline. I suppose, Pan Am was the equivalent of other women’s college years and my fellow crew members are a sorority and fraternity of sisters and brothers.We shared experiences that only those who wore Pan Am wings and blue could even comprehend.

Yes, it was glamorous for both crew and passengers. Yes, it was hard work to meet Pan Am’s standards of

Photo Courtesy of Caryn Ahern, http://www.facebook.com/pages/caryn-ahern-photography/64027505134

perfection, something that is virtually non-existent in today’s thin-air airline budgets. But above it all, Pan Am was part of something much bigger than ourselves–a changing world. With each trip our world got smaller and smaller.Within hours of takeoff, we were immersed in not only a new city, but at times we stood in the midst of political unrest and war, poverty and famine, human rights challenges and culture changes.

As you will see in the television series, all  (and more) of our most pressing needs were well taken care of by Pan Am, things like limousine and bus transportation to the world’s finest hotels, fine dining, fantastic shopping and incredible sightseeing. These experiences shaped our appreciation for the finery in life, but that is only half of it. It was our relationships with the cities and its people who influence us to this day.

For instance, after these many years, it is impossible for me not to wonder what ever happened to Samantha, a ten-year old girl in New Delhi, who invited me to lunch in her parent’s apartment to thank me for bringing her an antibiotic ointment to heal a skin rash. It seemed that every time I was in town, she found me wide-eyed and wandering through stalls in the cottage industry district. The tin-shanty stalls draped with turquoise and gold silk fabrics and intricately woven rugs were strikingly beautiful but stood in sharp contrast to the impoverished backdrop.
I met Samantha when I tripped over what I thought was a pile of rags in the street. I let out a cry when I saw the rags move and pair of eyes peek out from the cloth. A woman, who was near death, lapped up muddy water in a puddle. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her tongue scraped the asphalt. Samantha saw my fear and guided me away from the woman. Most likely her body would be in the gutter by days end and piled on a cremation cart before the sun rose.
Samantha taught me to barter with the merchants and shoo away the begging children that clung to my skirt. She laughed when I carried school supplies for the street children and  passed out naan from a local bakery to the mother’s who patted their baby’s bulging bellies and busked for money they claimed was for food. It was here that I learned prostitution comes in many forms, in India hunger is the trick of choice.

Samantha’s apartment was a simple room, with a cement floor and a patio kitchen. A single bare bulb hung from the ceiling and softly lit the space. The simple light was measure of success for her family and her father’s brass merchant business. Wrapped in a simple burgundy sari and holding naked toddler on her hip, Samantha’s mother cooked outside on the patio. I could hear the food sizzle on the single-burner stove. It was all I could do not to offer to help, as my mother taught me, but that would have been impolite.  I sat nervously on the floor on a thin woven carpet drinking tea with Samantha and her father.

When the sizzling ceased, I saw Samantha’s mother gracefully walk towards us, baby still on her hip, with one bowl. Five people, one bowl. Samantha took the bowl from her mother and handed me a spoon and the bowl of two-inch cubes of mutton buried in a deep red curry sauce. Though the room held three adults and two children, as an honored guest, I ate alone. My face was flushed and my hand shook as they watched me eat. I held the bowl in one hand and tried to cut the meat with the dull spoon in the other.

This was easily more than a week’s worth of meat for the entire family. How could I possibly explain that I had more than I needed to eat? How could I explain that my apartment living room was as big as their entire home? As I managed to chew a few bites of the tasty, but tough and too-large chunks of meat. I feigned fullness, set the bowl down, and prayed the children would get the leftovers.

I tried to repay Samantha and her family with a generous shopping trip to her father’s brass store. I bought brass bells, brass luggage tags, brass lanterns and brass and glass boxes. But in all honesty, no matter how much I bought, I could never reciprocate the family for their generosity and the friendship of their lovely daughter. As a food writer, many ask me what is my favorite meal in all the world. It was this simple bowl of curry and complicated emotions that came with it that stand out as my favorite meal of all time.

So as I continue to watch Pan Am, I am hopeful that producer and former Pan Am flight attendant, Nancy Ganis, can capture not only the glamour and the intrigue, but also the compassion and empathy that grew from our connections to the people we left behind when Pan Am turned off the galley lights for good.

In case you missed the show, here it the Sept. 25 pilot in its entirety. 

 

 

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Tags: , , Category Travel, Uncategorized |

Summer’s Last Sweet Hurrah

2011
10.03
The last of summer’s berries, peaches and nectarines are in stores, but as I look to the West, colder weather and snow are not far behind. I like to make this tart in late summer and early fall when fruits are their peak, but but it also works just as well for fall apples and pears. The crust presses in the pan, no rolling, and the filling takes a quick turn in food processor. This easy tart is fast (redundant perhaps, aren’t all tarts easy and fast…) and it’s also versatile, so don’t be afraid to change it up with a flavored filling, adding nuts to the crust or changing out the fruit. It is dessert tart for all occasions and all seasons.

Pastry Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp, vanilla
1 cup all purpose or white whole wheat flour

Filling Ingredients
1 8 ox, package of cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Topping Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
4 cups thinly sliced fruit or berries or both (the recipe in the photo is raspberries and nectarines)
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

1 cup macerated berries for garnish (don’t let that term scare you. Macerated means to break into pieces. I squished the berries in my hands).

Directions
In a food processor or mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add flour and quickly pull dough together. Press dough into the bottom of a 9 inch tart pan or springform pan (use the type with removable bottom and sides).

In the same bowl (see how easy this is), add softened cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla. Combine until creamy and the cream cheese lumps are gone. Pour into crust lined pan.

Combine sugar and fruit, toss gently. Layer fruit over the top of the cream cheese. If you like the nuts, sprinkle them over the top.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake for another 25 minutes until the top is a soft golden color. Loosen from pan. Allow to cool before removing from the pan.

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Category Farm2Table, Kitchen String Recipes, Uncategorized |

Pan Am Cherries Jubilee (white gloves optional)

2011
10.03

When I asked fellow crew members to name a quintessential Pan Am dessert, the unanimous answer was Cherries Jubilee. So in honor of those brave men and women who lit Cherries Jubilee fires in first class cabin in 1960′s, I came up with a new Pan Am Cherries Jubilee recipe. This recipe is a cherry trilogy with dried cherries, sour pie cherries and traditional dark Bing cherries. Instead of brandy, I used Spring44 Honey Vodka, from a relatively new Colorado distillery that makes a smooth, lovely vodka.

Luckily we were trained to maintain grace under pressure, because while making the dish, I nearly lit my friend’s arm on fire. I turned my back to the alcohol and whoosh, up it went. Luckily, I was trained in both grace and fire fighting, better known as grace under fire. A pan lid saved my kitchen and the hair on my friend’s arm.

 

Pan Am Cherries Jubilee

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups organic dark cherry juice, Knudsen brand

I 6 oz. bag dried cherries

1 can sour pie cherries, pitted, packed in water, drained

2 cups dark Bing pitted cherries (fresh or frozen) pitted, drained

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1/4 cup vodka or brandy

Vanilla ice cream

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a small sauce pan, whisk together orange juice, sugar and cornstarch, set aside.
  2. In a large flat skillet, don’t forget the lid, add juice and dried cherries. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes until dried cherries are soft and juice is reduced by one third.
  3. Add pie cherries, sweet cherries and cornstarch mixture. Bring to a a gentle boil, stir frequently until thick.
  4. Add vanilla and stir.
  5. Remove from heat. Add vodka and light with a long igniter or long match.
  6. Shake pan until the flame is gone and don’t forget to cover with a lid if the flame gets out of hand.
  7. Serve immediately over vanilla ice cream (white gloves optional).

 

 

 

3 comments

Tags: , Category Kitchen String Recipes, Travel |

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