March 2009
1 post
Soup Stock.
Forget the bullion cubes, making your own soup stock is so easy you’ll wonder why you didn’t start doing so sooner!
Soup stock is the flavored liquid that is used as the base for many soups, adding a robustness to the overall flavor. There are many different kinds of soup stocks according to what you put in them. For instance fond brun, or brown stock, is achived by roasting bones...
February 2009
3 posts
Granola by Christine Caruso
Granola, the healthy, fatty, and delicious treat of grains, seeds, and sometimes fruit, is a relatively modern delight with a somewhat interesting past of sanitariums and marketing. During the 1800’s Sylvester Graham, an American dietary reformer who was obsesssed with curbing sexual excitement through diet, developed graham flower. Slightly later Dr. James C. Jackson, who was an...
Tahini
Tahini, or simply sesame paste, has been garnering much attention on the health food circuit in recent years due to it’s nutrients(contains manganese, copper, calcium, vitamin B1, vitamin E, lignans, and phytoestrogens with anti-cancer and antioxidant properties) and it’s ability to act as a base for many dressings and sauces. However, sesame paste has been in use much longer than...
Quick Tip: Peelin'
If you don’t have a peeler or simply can’t find your prized Joe Ades swiss peeler around the kitchen, use this handy little trick that does the job. All you need is a knife and you are good to go. Josh Greco, chef, musician, and contemplator, demonstrates this trick on a carrot. Hold one end of the carrot and place the knife edge at a 45˚ angle, with the spine away from your hand,...
January 2009
3 posts
Rice
Rice is a staple food in a large portion of the worlds diet, ranging from Asia to Africa and the Americas. Rice is viewed as a peasant food in some regions of the world, while in others it is viewed as a health food(the macrobiotic diet holds great importance on eating brown rice), however in many cultures across the globe rice is viewed as sacred, containing creation myths such as the Javanese...
Steam Beer by Matt Miller
This is my first attempt at brewing an all-grain batch of beer. All-grain brewing is essentially making beer from scratch (malted grains, water, yeast and heat) as opposed to using packaged malt extracts that are diluted with water to create the wort. It’s more work, but should result in a much better beer, let’s hope… The recipe we’re using is a slightly modified version of one I found in John...
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut has it’s roots in ancient civilizations(generally believed to have been brought to Europe by nomadic Tatars who encountered fermented cabbage in China) but is most commonly associated with the German(hence the derogatory “Kraut”) culture as the companion to a nice juicy bratwurst, although many other European countries have their own version of kraut such as the...
December 2008
7 posts
USDA
Every week heralds news of Obama’s cabinet nominations for his upcoming administration. Some seem somewhat positive when viewed from my conservationist perspective, however many I view with skepticism due to their past record and current stance on certain issues. Though all nominations are equally important for various reasons, the nomination for Secretary of the United States Department...
Cranberry Crabapple Chutney
Many have never had the pleasure of trying the traditional Indian condiment chutney. The idea of chutney is to crush together local and fresh fruits, vegetables, and seasoning. This fits perfectly with my food ideals of eating as local and fresh as possible. Because of this there are many different varieties of chutney, from coconut to mango. Basically, whatever is available. I was able to...
Beans.
Beans are amazing. They provide nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which supply other plants with essential nutrients, thus their role as one of the “Three Sisters” in Latin and Native American cultures where they are grown with maize and squash. They are high in starch, protein and dietary fiber and are an excellent source of iron, potassium, selenium, molybdenum, thiamine, vitamin B6, and...
It's B-A-N-A-N-A-S
This year saw the WTO, backed by Chiquita, Del Monte, and Dole, turn down EU trade tariffs on bananas(http://english.aljazeera.net/business/2008/02/2008525122414971745.html;http://www.reuters.com/article/gc08/idUSL739774220080727?sp=true;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/322938.stm). The EU obtains most of their bananas from post-colonial regions of the world, such as the...
Cabbage Stew
Having a Saturday off from the farmers market is a rare treat, so finding myself at a farmers market was a little odd, but what can I say, I’m addicted to food. While there I stumbled upon the most perfect little cabbages and frozen carrots(it was below freezing), which gave me the inspiration for cabbage stew. Prior to the market, however, I was taking photographs in the Brooklyn...
Diet or Lack of a Definition
My diet - not for loosing weight but just what I eat - cannot be defined(should it?). I’ve been saying I’m a vegetarian for the last few years, yet I eat meat on occasion. I don’t feel like these meat occasions are lapses in which my will has been broken by carnal desire, I simply feel that meat in small amounts is good. I predominantly eat vegetarian. I very rarely eat any...
Foraging is Fun!
About a month ago I stopped by Prospect Park in Brooklyn for some foraging fun. I swooped up some lambsquarters (leafy green which grows like a weed related to quinoa), wild scallions, garlic mustard (in the mustard family and very invasive),mugwort (makes for some lucid dreams, is used in Korea, and can help in child birth), hawthorn berry (good for your heart), and spice bush leaves (the only...