CBC Documentary: "The Great Food Revolution"

From: http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/greatfoodrevolution/index.html

Once upon a time food was as predictable as fish on Friday, roast on Sunday. Bread was snow white. And fancy food meant one thing, French cuisine. But “The Great Food Revolution” has changed all of that.

Travel and immigration have introduced us to new foods and radically expanded our palates. An explosion in food TV shows, magazines and cookbooks educate and tantalize. Celebrity chefs rule the airwaves and have inspired a generation to take up cooking. And what was once rare and exotic can now be found at your local market.

Watch:
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4

Keep it or Toss it: StillTasty Helps You Decide

You open the fridge to that piece of food you want to eat.  You sniff it.  You think about how long it's been in there. You sniff it again.  You ask your roommate if he/she thinks it's still good. You sniff it again.

StillTasty will help you decide whether to eat it, or toss it away to avoid food poisoning. It also gives you tips on how to store the food for maximum longevity.

via Lifehacker

Shepherd's Pie for Chris

Shepherd's pie, or "Cottage Pie" was originally a way to use leftover meat from a roast in the days before refrigeration.  It's an example of traditional ways of making meat 'go further' by re-cooking it with cheaper starchy addition like potatoes; other examples of this can be seen in Yorkshire Puddings as well as Pie and Mash.  If you have any leftover meats, don't be afraid to toss them in with the ground beef; in this case, I had some leftover lamb that I used along with the beef.

In the recipe below, I wanted to create a 'layered' shepherd's pie, with a thin later of sweet potato on top of the meat mixture and a generous amount of mashed potatoes on top. If you don't want to create that effect, just add the sweet potatoes in with the potatoes, or omit them altogether.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 stalk celery (diced)

1 carrot (diced)

1/2 large onion (diced)

2 cloves garlic (diced) (yeah, I loves my garlic)

2 cups corn kernels (frozen or canned)

1 small package extra lean ground beef

1 tbsp Worcester sauce

2 tbsp flour

4 Medium Yukon gold potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks)

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup milk or cream

Optional: Leftover roasting meat, cut into small pieces

Optional: 1/2 cup beef broth or dark beer

Optional: 1 large sweet potato (peeled and cut into chunks)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Add the potatoes to a pot of boiling water. While the potatoes cook..
   
3. Add the celery, onion, garlic and carrot to a hot pan, saute until tender.
   
4. Add ground beef, combine with celery, onion, garlic and carrot and cook until beef is no longer pink.
   
5. At this point, add the Worcester sauce, and the beef broth or dark beer (I was out of both so I omitted them). Also add the cooked roasting meat. Season with salt and pepper. Add the corn kernels, and flour, then stir to combine. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Pour contents of pan into bottom of a shallow dish.
   
6. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and place in bowl. Add sweet potatoes to water in pot. To the bowl of cooked potatoes, cut up and add butter, cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Mash potatoes until desired consistency (some like 'em lumpy, some like 'em smooth)
   
7. When the sweet potatoes are done (if you stick them with a fork they should fall off on their own), pour out the hot water in the pot, season with salt and pepper, and mash.
   
8. Pour the sweet potatoes on top of the beef mixture in pan and spread even. Now do the same with the potatoes.
   
9. Put in oven for 30 minutes at 350.
   

Serve with ketchup or HP

Breakfast Burrito for Kim

I love breakfast, and I love burritos. These breakfast burritos are easy to make and taste damn good. If these things got any better, it would be the culinary equivalent of dividing by zero. A lot of people like to use bacon for this recipe, but ham works well too.

Makes: 1 large burrito
Prep time: 10 minutes

1 Large Tortilla
2 Large Eggs (scrambled)
1 thick slice ham (5mm) cut into strips OR 2 strips bacon
1 small avocado cut into strips
2 Tbsp Re-fried beans
2 Tbsp Salsa
Shredded Cheese
1 small avocado
Rice and beans (optional)
Hot Sauce (optional)

1. Spread the re-fried beans on the tortilla, add a few scoops of beans and rice if you have it, then add the avocado and the salsa and hot sauce if desired. Shred the cheese on the beans, as much as you want.
2. In a pan, heat the ham strips (or bacon) and put them in the tortilla on top of the cheese.
3. In the same pan, put in the eggs and cook until done. Put the eggs in the tortilla, wrap it up, and eat!

Chili for Chris

Make sure the beer used is good and dark, otherwise the flavours may not stand up to the potent combination of spices. I used Old Engine Oil, a dark, smooth old ale from Scotland with rich flavours of coffee, mollasses, and chocolate. As with wine, never cook with a beer you wouldn't drink!

I made this recipe for my family, including my 3 year old nephew and 1 year old niece, so it's not too spicy. If I were making it for myself, I'd put in some chili flakes and a chipotle or 2 for some smokey spiciness.

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: At least 1 hour.

Serves: 6-7

2 lbs lean or extra lean ground beef

1 lbs Italian sausage filling

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 can corn kernels, drained

1 large can crushed tomatoes with juice

1 can tomato paste

1 large spanish onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped

3 tbsp bbq sauce

1 Jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

2 cubes beef bouillon (premade with water), or liquid beef bouillon.

1 bottle dark (stout or porter) beer

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup chili powder

4 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp coriander

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried basil

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon sugar

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large pot. Add onions, celery, and garlic; sweat for a few minutes until becoming translucent.
   
2. Add red, green, and jalapeno peppers and stir to combine. Let sweat for a few minutes.
   
3. Add chili powder, coriander, oregano, cumin, basil, paprika salt. Stir to combine.
   
4. When the spice mixture turns a dark, toasty color, add ground beef and sausage filling. Stir to combine, and stir periodically until meat is cooked.
   
5. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, beer, bbq sauce, and beef bouillon. Stir to combine.
   
6. When the mixture has boiled again, add corn and beans, then stir to combine again.
   
7. Bring the mixture up to a low boil and leave for at least 1 hour, preferably 2. The longer it cooks at a low temperature, the better be.
   

Serve with: Shredded cheese on top, a dollop of sour cream, corn chips, guacamole, or any combination of the above!

I've added corn to the recipe to compliment the incomplete proteins found in the beans, so it'll be more nutritious. If you want to vegetarianize this recipe, just omit the meat and you're good to go.

Modern Supermarket Vegetables 5% to 40% Lower in Minerals

Photo via Flickr user altemark

From Time.com: 

"On the "Industrialization" of Agriculture: Thanks to the growing rise of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, modern crops are being harvested faster than ever before. But quick and early harvests mean the produce has less time to absorb nutrients either from synthesis or the soil, and minerals like potassium (the "K" in N-P-K fertilizers) often interfere with a plant's ability to take up nutrients. Monoculture farming practices — another hallmark of the Big Ag industry — have also led to soil-mineral depletion, which, in turn, affects the nutrient content of crops."

via Reddit

For anyone interested in learning more about the shortsightedness of modern agricultural practices, read Michael Pollan's outstanding In Defence of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. In one quick read he summarizes some major problems with industrial agriculture and the food industry in general. His common sense, gimmick free summarization is "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Words to live better by.

I'm going to put up a poll on the right about organic food to collect people's opinions. Please vote!

St. Patrick's Day Guinnes Beef Stew

St. Patrick's day is fast approaching, and if you're looking for an amazing recipe for Guinness Beef Stew, check out Kathy Maister's startcooking.com recipe.

Words of advice (and this is also mentioned in the above recipe):

• Do NOT omit the prunes. You may be thinking that it's weird, or gross, or both, but trust me. Leave them in. The colour of the prunes will give the stew a rich, dark colour, and the sweetness of the prunes will offset the bitterness of the Guinness stout. Which brings me to my next point..
• Make sure it's Guinness STOUT, not Guinness Draught. The stout has a stronger flavour that will go better in the stew.

Tiffins: Plastic Free Lunch Boxing

A tiffin is a stainless steal, stackable, sealable container for food (or anything you want, really). It's totally plastic free, and easy to clean and reuse, so it's great for both you and the environment.

I ordered a few Tiffins from http://www.happytiffin.com/ and received them just the other day - with a hand-written note from the owner telling me to enjoy my Tiffins!

If you're not sold on the idea, check out this video from the economist.com.

Unfortunately because they're steel, they can't be heated in the microwave, so if you're looking for a solution to that problem, check out Zojirushi's Mr. Bento.

Green Coconut Curry Seafood with Spaghetti Squash 'Noodles'

The best part about this recipe is that the curry sauce can be made on its own with different kinds of meat -or no meat at all. You can also subsitute the spaghetti squash for noodles or rice (if you choose the latter, try adding in a few halved mini-potatoes for extra carby goodness). It's a versatile recipe that will satisfy just about anyone's preferences.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Green Curry Sauce

2 tbsp green curry paste (add more or less depending how spicy you like it. I like it spicy.)

1 cup diced onion

1" cube ginger, diced

1 clove garlic, diced

1 tsp sugar

1 can coconut milk (You may want to shake the can to combine the coconut cream and milk, in the event they've separated)

Rice wine vinegar

Soy Sauce

Vegetables

1 red pepper

1 cup green beans

1 zucchini

Seafood

4 Giant Shrimp

2 Squid (cleaned) and sliced into strips

1 tbsp butter (optional)

"Noodles"

1 Spaghetti squash

1. Make the "Noodles"

1. Preheat oven to 350.
   
2. Split spaghetti squash lengthwise, and clean out all the seeds. If desired, reserve the seeds and toast them later for a delicious snack that reminds you of Halloween.
   
3. Spread a tablespoon of olive oil across the flesh of each squash, and season with salt and pepper.
   
4. Place squash, skin-side up on a baking tray, and place in oven for 30-40 minutes.
   

2. Make the Green Curry Sauce

1. In a large pan over medium heat, heat a tablespoon of olive oil, then add the onion, garlic, and ginger. 
   
2. While the above is sauteeing, add the curry paste, sugar, the coconut milk, a spash of rice wine vinegar and a splash of olive oil to a shakable container. Shake the container until the curry paste has dissolved. You don't have to do this step, but I find the curry paste clumps up in the sauce if you don't, and you spend a long time hunting down the chunks and breaking them up.
   
3. The onions, garlic, and ginger should now be starting to brown. Add a splash of soy sauce and stir, reducing the soy sauce and turning the onions, garlic, and ginger a dark brown.
   
4. Now add the contents of the shaker. Bring to a simmer. 
   

3. Seafood Time

1. Add the squid. You can also add the shrimp at this point, but I like to do them seperately (see step 3 below). Simmer for 3 minutes.
   
2. Add the vegetables to the pan, and stir to combine all ingredients. Bring the pan back to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and squid is cooked through.
   
3. In a small pan over medium heat, add the butter and melt. when hot, add the shrimp, and sautee until cooked.
   

4. Combine and eat!

1. Remove the spaghetti squash from the oven and place on a cutting board. 
2. With a fork, flake the flesh of the spaghetti squash inwards, collecting all the 'noodles' in the center of the rind. 
3. Place the noodles in the bottom of bowls, then scoop the curry sauce over the noodles. 
4. Finally, add the sauteed shrimp on the top. Garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro, if desired.