Tuesday, August 4, 2009

You Only Have to Be Taught Once

Everyone watched as my friends’ daughter Madeline placed her sandal clad foot directly on the kitchen table.
“Mommy mommy mommy,” she chanted. She’s not yet two years old, and her vocabulary is limited.
“Oh,” her mother Amy said from the chair where she sat nursing her younger daughter. “There she goes putting her foot on the table. I don’t know where she learns this behavior.” We all turned to observe Amy sitting sideways in her chair, one leg thrown over the stuffed armrest.
“Mommy!” her daughter announced.

We learn a lot from our parents, and not only how to sit at the kitchen table but also how to eat at it. My parents taught me about the joys of an English breakfast, a Thai Tom Yum soup, a kefta kebab. They taught me not only how to cut with a knife and fork so I could eat steaks, but also how to eat rice with my right hand (because we wipe ourselves with our left hand). They taught me that our family knows how to cook meat and fish and how to eat it – bones and all. They taught me how to suck the marrow out. They taught me to appreciate food.

Imagine that you’re five years old. Imagine that you have stomachaches all the time, and food is far less interesting than books and friends and weddings between your stuffed animals. Imagine you like hot dogs and corn pops and salty biscuits, but are picky about everything else. And then one day, you start eating goat curry. It’s meaty and spicy and suddenly the hot dog turns into the last kid picked for kickball. But you have to be taught to eat it correctly, to dip your chapatti in the curry and pick up a soft piece of meat, to chew every bit off the bone, and to seek out and call dibs on those fat bones filled with soft, buttery marrow. You are taught to suck the marrow out until it melts in your mouth. You only have to be taught once.

I can’t share the recipe for goat curry – for one thing, I don’t have it in writing. But I can tell you to go out and buy a lamb shank and make something like this Braised Lamb Shank with White Beans. It's a good, homey sort of meal, with the fat of the lamb cut by the hearty white beans. Season the meat and brown it in canola oil in a Dutch oven, then remove it. Saute some chopped onions, carrots, and celery in the oil, add some broth, and return the lamb to the pot. Braise on low heat for 2-2 1/2 hours. Then stir in some white beans mashed with lemon juice and cook another ten minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Serve yourself a lamb shank, and on it there should be a bone, like the one on the left side of my plate, that will be full of marrow. Suck it out, making a really loud slurping noise. That's how I do it. I show my appreciation for the food, and to my parents for a lesson well taught.


Summer Gazpacho


























Ah, summer produce! Just returned from a week at Kiawah Island. It was heaven! Biked a lot, hung out at our pool and the beach, no make-up, no bra and ... well, you get the idea. (Lots of good summer drinks, too but we won't go into that now). The best part was the wonderful farm stand (Rosebank Farms) right around the corner. Local peaches, tomatoes, corn, okra and gorgeous fresh flowers. Oh yeah!

So first up: gazpacho. This recipe is adapted from one I got years ago from my good friend Scott Peacock. It's good the first day, but even better on the second when it is thoroughly chilled and the flavors have had a chance to blend. Oh, and don't even THINK about using a food processor for this, folks. Seriously. It's supposed to be kinda chunky.

Summer Gazpacho

1 cucumber
*4 small yellow local cucumbers
3 small sweet local onions
1 red onion
2 yellow peppers
2 red bell peppers
6 stalks celery, leaves included
6 scallions
4 large heirloom tomatoes
2 hot peppers (jalapenos or whatever you like), minced
8 cups vegetable or tomato juice (preferably organic)
2 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons tabasco or hot sauce
Sour cream or yogurt for serving

Use a large chef's knife to chop cucumbers, onions, peppers , celery, scallions and tomatoes. Vegetables need to be finely chopped, but still just a bit chunky. Stir in hot peppers, vegetable juice, salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and hot sauce. Taste to adjust seasoning. Let chill and serve when very cold, topped with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

This ended up making about 4 quarts (yeah, I always make too much). Feel free to halve the recipe, although gazpacho never lasts too long around here. I have been known to eat it for breakfast.....

*substitute 1 regular cucumber if you can't get the small, yellow local ones.
Oh, and one final comment. Never, EVER make this when tomatoes aren't ripe and at their peak of juiciness! There's a reason why it's called "Summer Gazpacho."

















Healthy Beef Chilli

Beef Chilli is of course a very popular dish but so often there are a great many unnecessary and unhealthy ingredients incorporated within it. This version eliminates those ingredients but still produces a delicious and healthy meal to be enjoyed by all the family.

Ingredients (Serves Two)

1lb ground or minced beef
1 large white onion (finely chopped)
1 green and 1 red bell pepper (de-seeded and sliced)
4 large garlic cloves (crushed or very finely chopped)
1 14oz can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
1 14oz can red kidney beans in water
3 small red birds' eye chilli peppers (de-seeded and finely chopped)
1 tsp ground cumin seeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaf/cilantro (plus a little extra for garnishing)

4oz basmati rice for serving upon

Method

In a large, dry pot, brown the beef, stirring well with a wooden spoon to ensure even cooking. Wash the red kidney beans thoroughly in a colander under running water before adding all the remaining ingredients - bar the coriander/cilantro and the rice - to the pot. Bring up to a gentle simmer and allow to cook in this way for about forty-five minutes.

The rice should be timed to be ready with the chilli and cooked dependant upon the instructions on the packet. The chopped coriander/cilantro should be stirred through the chilli immediately prior to serving with the little left over used as a garnish.

Obama and Healthcare Reform…

What does our president propose?
Well, firstly it’s important to understand that healthcare costs are the biggest driving force behind the federal deficit and thus, healthcare reform is Obama’s top legislative priority. Specifically, Obama is designing an overhaul to create a government-run insurance program to compete with private insurance programs in an effort to insure the 46 million uninsured Americans. With healthcare costs rising faster than inflation, the number of uninsured is guaranteed to climb without reform [1].
A recent Washington Post poll shows that public support for Obama’s healthcare reform has plummeted below 50% [1]. Big ouch. Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker, said there were enough votes to pass the bill in the House. This count was later questioned by Boehner.

Obama is pushing for the bill’s first version to be passed in each chamber of Congress before the one-month August recess. Republicans want a delay [1]. The month-long break is sure charge opposition.
Please comment -- what are your thoughts on Obama's proposed healthcare plan?


[1]. Whitesides, John. Obama Says Healthcare Crucial for Economy. Reuters Health. July 22, 2009.