paste-eaters anonymous

Talking Back to Charlotte Allen

 take the quiz: "Which has more fat and calories?" and get the answers here.

Hey Charlotte! I read your opinion piece, “Keep your self-righteous fingers off of my processed food,” as well as heard your interview on NPR’s Talk of the Nation. It’s very...thought provoking. But I respectfully ask that you calm down for a moment. 

    No one is telling you what to eat and how to live. They are just showing their side of the story, one that most local businesses and small farmers share too. It would help American consumers if they were shown more than the glossy ads and public relations created to sell you Lunchables and KFC’s Double Downs. Knowledge is usually power, and who knows, maybe you would think twice about buying that chicken “sandwich”--no matter how cheap it is--if you knew how the chicken was raised, what it ate, and what chemicals were pumped into it, (we could get into the whole fat and sodium content thing, but that’s another battle). 

    I’m lucky that I am able to buy locally grown food, even though cheaper produce is available in the supermarket down the street. I know that Steve the farmer started the seeds in March. I watched as they planted seedlings and harvested crops all summer long. This was particularly soothing information to have when E.Coli was prevalent in spinach grown on large commercial farms. I find it all tastes better, too.

    I also know that the money earned by Steve will be spent in my community, and that Steve truly cares about what happens here, especially environmental and social issues that effect the health of me and my neighbors. He also employs many friends of mine, with good benefits. I find it reassuring that I can call up the farm, ask a question about the produce, and get an answer, not some “FAQ’s” off of a web page.    

    If you are concerned about “America’s poorest people affording automobiles, cellphones and TV’s,” perhaps you should be concerned about the corporations that broke the unions that provided decent jobs and benefits to Americans. Or took their business out of the U.S. so that they could avoid not only paying higher wages and benefits, but also higher taxes--money for the customs inspectors for the goods they ship from overseas, roads they ship their products on, or education for the people who buy them. 

    Instead of making a good living and being able to afford health care, many have been driven to making less than they did in the past, hoping they don’t get sick because they don’t have coverage. And while the cost of living--processed products included--have gone up, earnings have not. 

     It’s true, people can’t afford to live on the wages that the Chinese make. But the drive to pay less doesn’t help create sustainable, durable products. We now live in an age where it is acceptable to dispose of products after a few years, regardless of where it is made. This damages the ability of workers to earn a true wage, and is causing undeniable damage to the environment. 

    There is a cost to low prices, and I believe Ms. Shell and Mr. Pollan are simply pointing it out. They also admit to succumbing to the seduction of low prices and processed foods. This is America, after all. We are a corporate nation and we will never be pure. 

    So eat your Haagen-Dazs, your Hostess cupcake. Enjoy! But please, be mindful that your decisions do have consequences, and respect those that point them out. 

    

Fast Food

When it's well past dinner time and my blood sugar has dropped so dangerously low that I may not be held accountable for my actions, I like to have some quick fixes available. Fortunately, I live less than five miles from a Trader Joe's (or The Traitor Joe as we like to say here in Paste-Eater's ville).

Everything in this meal comes from TJ's: 2 cans of Garbanzo Beans, 1 package of Israeli Couscous, 1 jar Curry Simmer Sauce (if you like it spicy--we do), 1/2 bag of frozen peppers, 1/2 bag of frozen peas, Whole Wheat Naan, Olive Oil (not pictured--nothing against it, just forgot it).

Saute peppers in olive oil until they are soft and defrosted. 

Drain and rinse the beans, add them along with the curry sauce and peas. Cover and turn down so it simmers.

Prepare couscous using package directions (do I have to tell you everything?). I suppose to make this "authentic" (but it's from an American supermarket, so how pure can it be) you could use Basmati rice but this is supposed to be fast and I really like Israeli couscous.

Serve with Naan (I use the kind that's with the bread products, not the frozen ones. I think they might be cheaper. Wrap in foil and pop in the oven for a few minutes). Ta-da!

Caramelized Onions

I'm on this kick to cook new things. I figured this was a good start.

Step 1: Put two pounds of thinly sliced onions in a large, covered skillet (this one's non-stick), on medium (I've got an electric stove) for about twenty minutes, stirring once or twice.

Step Two: After twenty minutes, add 2T olive oil and a pinch of salt. Turn heat down to medium-low and cover again, stirring once or twice for another twenty minutes.

Ta-da! While it doesn't look much different than the picture in step two, this is the final result after a full hour of cooking. I'm sure if I had a gas stove I might have had darker, more caramelly-looking onions. 

But these were damn sweet! Thanks to Mark Bittman, How To Cook Everything Vegetarian pg. 329

They're Good For Your Heart

We don't cook turkey on Thanksgiving. The Husband isn't wild about any of the typical feast fare and unlike me, he doesn't live to eat. But I'm not heartbroken about not having the traditional meal because I know there will be those folks begging me to take the last of the pie, turkey and other trimmings come Sunday or Monday. So I make what he does like, which is baked beans.

We started the day with Coma Rolls, what I like to call my homemade cinnamon buns. There is so much butter and sugar in these things that unless you have a supply of insulin handy, you best prepare for a long nap. Which we did. Those parades are overrated anyway.

The meal itself was presented around 4 o'clock; beans, homemade bread, a green salad and Indian pudding (or, as I had to qualify, Native American Indian pudding). It's a traditional New England dish baked with cornmeal and molasses and a real pain in the ass to make if you don't have a double boiler. In case you were wondering. It's really good with vanilla ice cream. But what isn't.

Then we headed off to a friends for more dessert and to referee two brothers in their forties pelting each other with cat toys.

We know how to be thankful.

Radish Rave

I'm a produce geek. But I have standards.

While some folks get excited about Spring and the arrival of asparagus, or get all worshippy about fiddleheads (overrated weeds in my book), I get giddy when the bright beauty of local radishes hit the scene.

If you've only had radishes that come from a little plastic bag, you might think I'm nuts. Well, I am. But once you experience the bite and crunch from these little nuggets (although some are almost as big as beets), you'll completely understand.

The red and white ones on the left are called French Breakfast; I hear that the French eat them with butter.  The pink, red and white ones are called Easter Egg. I just call them MINE.

Support Your Local Tomato

I have no pictures, but if I did (and I will, soon), you would be swooning at all the tomatoes we have at the farm. I think this year there are over 30 varieties. It's the kind of thing that gets foodies all giddy and the insecure all nervous.  If I hear "what kind of tomato is good in a salad?" one more time...But I digress. There is serious business to be done this short season and I'm willing to be your guide. Below is a list of 3 of my current favorites, more to be brought into the spotlight at another time.

Sungold: this little orange cherry tomato is my ultimate taste of summer. There is nothing more sublime than biting into your first one of the season. Of course, any after that ain't too shabby either. It's a sweet one, giving you a touch of tomato flavor. I can eat a pint for dessert.

Black Prince: A dark, dark green almost brown with a tinge of red. Usually 3 to 4 inches in diameter. A smooth mellow flavor that lingers; you get that tomato vibe a minute later. Excellent with a really good mozzarella.

San Marzano: One of the more sought-after plum tomatoes, for when you want to make a sturdy sauce. Meaty, with a soild skin that's easy to remove--just pop it in boiling water for half a minute and it will peel right off. Not bad with eggplant, either.

And don't store your tomatoes in the fridge unless you like those flavorless supermarket tomatoes.

I'm hungry.

First Pick

We went out to the field yesterday after work and picked these. It's still a bit of a hunt; the cold weather last week made for slow ripening. The next few glorious days of sun ought to be just what's required for sweet, sassy berries.

Yes, once again you see me soaking food. And now I will go into a tirade of why you should.

For conventional farming, it's about washing off any pesticide. However, that said, most farms around here use the Integrated Pest Management method, which you can read about here (and see a great picture of my boss). It's a way of working with the crops, the fertilizers and the soil to make spraying as minimal as possible. True, organic is best, but if you only have have your local non-organic farm, you are still making a better choice than big agriculture at the supermarket; fresher, less manipulation, less fossil fuel used to get it to the store. Chances are you might run into the folks who grow and pick it.

But to be honest, the pesticides don't really scare me. My boss is in his seventies and been eating this way all his life. Last month he was on top of the farm stand attaching metal roofing--I should have so much energy.

Because produce is out in a field, it's at the mercy of critters, birds, and dirt--particularly if it's near a busy road. Most of the stuff we grow is washed before we put it out in the stand, but only to remove the surface dirt. We always recommend that folks clean their produce when they get home.

The reason I wash, soak and rinse food is the fact that everyone and his germy brother has put their hands on it. Can't tell you how many parents bring kids in and let them play with the produce like it's a petting zoo. Or adults who cough into their hands and then root through everything. I don't bring this up because I'm trying to gross you out (well, maybe a little bit, it's more memorable that way) or get you to buy only things packaged and sealed up (we know that isn't the answer either--bought any spinach lately?). I'm just urging you to really take a good look at what you bought. It may take a little more time, be a little more inconvenient, but as it's prepared, that dinner will be appreciated as nothing short of miraculous.

Friday--a short walk. Saturday--a long walk. Sunday--eight hours of filling in drink cooler at work (a case of Snapple weighs about 42 pounds, btw).

Pea Tendrils

Perhaps you have heard all the seasonal hype regarding fiddleheads and ramps. Personally, I don't know what all the hooey is about. Weeds with good PR, I say.  I would much rather hold out for asparagus and green onions.

However, should you ever stumble across some fresh (the operative word) pea tendrils, please take my advice and try some.

I haven't seen them out in the field, only when they have been picked and brought out to the farm, so I can't for certain say that they are the shoots that come from the pea crops or some other part (I've got to get out there to see them). All I can say is, they are sublime when prepared as below.

Rinse pea tendrils well. I will someday post a long, overblown tirade on the importance of washing all produce; not because of the chemicals and pesticides as everyone immediately conjures up (and absolutely an important concern), but because of the fact that everything is out there for the general public to rub their germy little hands all over. Horror stories abound. But I digress.

Heat 2-3 tablespoons of good olive oil in a skillet. Toss in the rinsed and dried tendrils in the pan and saute until they are somewhat wilted and a very vibrant green. Salt, pepper, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. The taste gives me the giddy feeling that Spring is finally here, all shiny and green with more edible delights on the way. Enjoy!

And I would be completely remiss if I didn't credit this dish to Guida Ponte, one of the wonderful chefs at the farm. Walk out on a non-manicured to the inch lawn with Guida and she's bound to bend over and pick something up and say, "you can eat this!" "It's very good!"

delicate delights

Is it true that these local beauties are only two weeks away?
If you are a fan of asparagus and live in Eastern Mass., you owe  it to yourself to give these a try. Steam slightly and they will be so tender they practically melt in your mouth.  Be adventurous and try the purple ones--they taste the same, but look awesome!

And if asparagus is on the way, then these, and these, are as well. You just gotta love spring!

A Good Egg

Supermarket egg on the left, fresh from the hen egg on the right. Can you see the difference? The fresh egg yolk is darker and plumper, and the white is clear. This is from a hen that eats organic feed and roams around outside. I have no idea how the supermarket hen lives.