I Love Beluga When It Snows

No, don't get your knickers in a knot--that's beluga lentils, not caviar. To be quite honest, I have a great fondness for both (palate-wise), although slaying an entire (female, endangered) fish just for the roe has ceased to be something I can excuse, so the latter is off my personal menu. The vodka and champagne that customarily accompany caviar, fortunately, are vegan items--although in my ripe middle age, I seem to have lost that youthful penchant for overindulgence, so these I enjoy infrequently. I met my lifetime quota early on, I think.

Looking out my back door as the snow melts.

Yesterday it was a balmy 55 degrees in my neck of the woods; this morning it was barely above 32, with an inch of snow on the ground. By mid-morning it was slowly melting, but the cold was still bone-chilling. This called for some hot, stick-to-the-ribs comfort food, and few things come close to the warming pleasure of a steaming pot of lentils.

I'm inordinately fond of all legumes, but certain forms stand out--and oddly enough, now that I come to think of it, my three favorite ones are black: black beans, black urad dal, and, the protagonists of today's post, beluga lentils. They get their name, obviously, from their resemblance to the aforementioned (and now, alas, abandoned) delicacy. Lucky for me, I prefer the flavor of lentils to that of any living creature, so no big loss.

Cooking lentils of any kind a is pretty straightforward affair, but I like to do them a little more justice than mere boiling. So, for my comfort food du jour, I began by sautéing some finely diced onion, celery, red bell pepper, garlic and Aleppo pepper in a little extra virgin olive oil over a low  to moderate heat until soft and fragrant. Then I added the lentils and stirred to combine and coat them with a light sheen of the oil, before adding water and an unsalted vegetable bouillon cube. I raised the heat until the pot was boiling, then lowered it again to maintain a simmer. I covered the pot and continued cooking until the lentils were tender.  At this point, I added salt and cooked them a little longer, until the liquid was reduced to a creamy sauce.

A nice salad from our bathtub garden is all it'll take to complete this evening's meal--perfect for when my wife and I return from the gym.

Life she is good, n'est-ce pas?

The Heroes Who Make All Heroism Possible

One week ago today, a group of very courageous, highly trained individuals successfully undertook a dangerous mission to apprehend a man believed to have caused the deaths of thousands of people. These men have since been regarded as heroes, as perhaps they should be. This is not a political blog, and I will not be remarking on the wisdom of such a mission. However, I would like to take a look at our notion of heroism, and specifically at those individuals who I consider the unsung heroes of civilization.

I remarked some time ago that if there had never been a fertile crescent, there would never have been a cradle of civilization, and I have been reflecting on that statement, off and on, ever since. It was the ability to grow food on a stable spot, as opposed an erstwhile reliance on hunting and gathering, that enabled humans to develop complex civilizations, with laws, property ownership, the division of labor, and specialization of skills. It also made possible the support of armies, which in turn enabled the projection of power and conquest. Everything we have today began with the planting of seeds, the nurturing of plants, and the harvest. Even now, our entire social structure is contingent upon the ability to grow food. Of course, transport, storage and distribution are also crucial, but even these would not have any importance if food itself were not grown first.

Mexican farmers, using ancient techniques in a painting by my late father, Phil Roettinger

 

 

Why am I bringing this up? We're approaching a crossroads unprecedented in our history, at which point we'll need to decide whether we will choose to produce food in a sustainable, healthful manner consistent with ecology and the laws of nature, or continue on the path away from these principles and in the end bring about the destruction of everything our ancestors labored to achieve.

There are many ecologists, environmentalists, and even a few politicians who are working hard to ensure that we make wise decisions regarding our farming methods as well as other factors that influence our future ability to feed ourselves well. At a conference on The Future of Food earlier this week, Prince Charles gave a brilliant keynote speech, in which he noted the distinction between agriculture and agribusiness. He covered several related topics (I recommend watching the "full speech," versus the 4-minute clip), but what struck me more than anything was his appreciation for, and championing of, the fundamentals of natural, organic farming and the protection of both the environment and biodiversity. I've never thought much of royals, but I recognized in his manner the best sort of leadership on this subject, and became an instant fan.

Now I'll get to the point, which is recognizing the real heroes of civilization: farmers. And by farmers, I mean the actual people who dedicate their lives, day in, day out, to the study and practice of everything involved in growing food. These people never get what I would call a vacation, or a full day off, or many of the comforts most of us take for granted. Nor do they get much of a shot at amassing a fortune (to put it mildly). More importantly, however, they are crucial to our survival, as individuals and as a species. Just as armies stand between us and foreign enemies, farmers (real farmers, I mean) are all that stand between us and death by starvation.

In recent times, there have been "advances" in farming that are not based on what Prince Charles referred to as agriculture--that is, the great body of knowledge acquired over the last 10,000 years of what works and what doesn't. This time-tested and time-honored body of knowledge is part intuitive, part empirical, part technological, part social, even part religious/spiritual, whereas the "advances" I refer to are purely technological and profit-driven. That's not to say that farmers shouldn't be well rewarded for their labor (although historically they largely have not), but the glaring flaw in these new farming methods is that they have come about solely for profit, at the willful expense of all other considerations. To put it briefly, modern "factory" farming relies on practices that pollute the environment, deplete the soil, poison the produce, diminish biodiversity, and endanger the future of food itself.

As a cook, my heroes are organic farmers, especially those who grow heirloom varieties of fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and legumes. These brave souls work very hard, very long hours, and their livelihood is always at risk, subject not only to the whims of weather, but to the encroachment of Big Ag. Many have given up and moved to cities in search of more lucrative, less back-breaking work (and who could blame them?). But those who remain, implementing the methods of their ancestors, adding to the collective knowledge, and persisting in the most natural and noble of basic professions--these are at the vanguard of the battle to maintain a healthful, sustainable  source of food for all humanity. And they are the last line of defense against the greed-driven mechanism that reduces both plants and animals to mere commodities for ruthless exploitation.

So, next time you're at a farmer's market, consider walking up to the organic produce stall with the most unusual fruits and vegetables, and saying, with the utmost sincerity, as one might say to a veteran, "Thank you for your service."

Black Quinoa

After my post on "Ruby Red Jasmine" rice, I sent the folks at Alter Eco the link, so they could read what I said about their product. As I had figured, they were pleased. They responded by sending me samples of some of their other products, including a package of black quinoa. I've been busy lately, but I finally got around to trying it.

If you've already made "regular" white quinoa and red quinoa, you know that the red takes longer and has a chewier texture than the white. Black quinoa takes even longer than red, and has a downright crunchy texture--although a pleasant one. I noticed that the instructions on the package hedge a little by indicating that we should "simmer until all water has evaporated." A bit sneaky, but quite acceptable for a cook like me. I ended up adding a little liquid toward the end, in order to keep cooking it a while longer.

I decided to make a sort of pilaff using chayotes--I don't know if they have these in Bolivia, but I find most Latin American cuisines meld happily with one another. So I boiled two chayotes while the quinoa was cooking. When the chayotes were just tender, I peeled them and cut them into roughly half-inch dice.

I began the "pilaff" by sweating finely diced onion, celery, leekm and garlic in a couple tablespoons EVOO until very soft and fragrant. I turned up the heat and added the diced chayotes, stirring until almost dry and sizzling. Then I grated the zest of a large tangelo, set it aside, and squeezed the juice into the pot. As the juices bubbled, I added the cooked quinoa and turned the mixture until it was heated through. Then I fluffed in the tangelo zest and a bunch of chopped parsley.

The assertive crunchiness of the black quinoa made for a fun contrast against the tender-firm texture of the chayotes, and the rich aromatic background of slow-cooked vegetables, along with citrus and parsley notes, made this a very satisfying dish.

Making It Right So You Won't Hate It

In my career as a private chef, I've had the distinct pleasure many times of changing people's minds about food. Specifically, I've found ways to prepare various foods (mostly in the vegetable category) my clients had always loathed, in ways that made them reassess their tastes. I discovered the potential for this early on, when I had a request for Brussels sprouts--a vegetable I had gagged on many times as a child. I had up until this point enjoyed great success for the most part, pleasing the palates of my employers virtually without fail, so I was determined to develop a recipe that would make this disgusting little vegetable edible.

As it turned out, the whole reason that Brussels sprouts had been such a turnoff was because my mother always cooked them to death, rendering them hopelessly mushy, and stinking like socks worn three days on sweaty, unwashed feet. In fact, they were not half bad if you cooked them just until tender-crisp, and dressed them properly.

I've found that the best method is to first cut the Brussels sprouts in half or quarters--after removing the dry outer leaves and trimming the base in such a way as to keep the little nubs intact--and blanch them in boiling salted water. Once they're just tender but still bright green and slightly crunchy, I drain them, quench them in an ice bath, and then lay them out on a towel to dry.

After that, any number of applications are possible, but my current favorite treatment is very simple. I just heat a little coconut oil in a wok, throw in some finely julienned fresh ginger and then stir just a few seconds before adding the blanched Brussels sprouts. A quick toss to reheat and coat them with the ginger-infused oil, and they're ready to eat. A few nights ago I did exactly this, but on a whim, I added some dots of my homemade sriracha sauce--which is hotter and not as sweet as the commercial stuff (the recipe, from my first cookbook, Omega 3 Cuisine, appears below).

The point I'm leading up to is that given half a chance, there is no vegetable that can't win us over. All it takes is a little inventiveness and experimentation to find the right combination of tastes and textures, and sometimes the right accompaniment (context can often be key). I've had people eating all kinds of foods for which they had maintained a lifelong hatred, and loving them. Mushrooms, spinach, turnips, cabbage--it's amazing how many people live with a profound dislike of perfectly good vegetables, simply because they had never encountered them prepared in a way that brought out their delectable nature.

Now to be sure, some people will never come around to certain vegetables (and some people just won't eat vegetables at all) no matter how beautifully they're prepared. But these are the exception, believe me. My father had an abiding prejudice against all but a select few vegetables, such that it was hard to get him to even try them--and yet I got him to eat even his most despised ones--and praise them! So if you think you hate one food or another, think again. You might change your mind if you try them made even slightly differently than you've been accustomed to having them. My advice is, if you haven't been able to choke down a particular vegetable, don't give up; keep trying new ways until you hit the sweet spot.


Sriracha Sauce

15 dried red chilies, seeds and stems removed

½ teaspoon salt

4 ounces palm sugar (about ½ cup)

1 cup water

7 fresh red Jalapeno chilies

1 cup garlic cloves, peeled and root end removed

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Place the dried red chilies, salt, palm sugar and water and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle, low simmer, cover and cook about 15 minutes, or until chilies are very tender and the liquid has reduced to a syrup. Remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients. Let the mixture cool slightly. 

Transfer to a blender and process until smooth. Pour into a clean glass container. Stored in the refrigerator, Sriracha Sauce will keep for at least 4 weeks.

Watch Those Glycoalkaloids!

No one I know has gotten sick--much less died--from eating potatoes that have sprouted or turned green. However, there is a slight risk from eating potatoes in this condition, so I just thought I'd bring it to everyone's attention.

Potatoes belong to the Solanaceae, or "nightshade" family, which all contain varying amounts of glycoalkaloids. These are natural toxins that serve as the plant's defense against fungi and creatures that might want to eat them (including us). Now before we get all freaked out and swear off potatoes, let me add that tomatoes and eggplants are also members of this family, and if they were all that lethal, every Italian would be dead (not to mention the Irish). Apparently, tomatoes and eggplants contain much lower levels of glycoalkaloids than potatoes, so we can go ahead and take them off the terror watch list now.

There are some varieties of potato that tend to have dangerously high levels of glycoalkaloids in any condition, and these have been identified over the years and removed from cultivation and distribution. The potatoes we pick up at the market are only potentially harmful when they're sprouting, and when they begin to turn green.

There are a few factors that stimulate the potato to produce these toxins, including periods of high metabolic activity (such as sprouting), extremely low temperature, exposure to light, and stress conditions (such as rough handling). These are all the plant's defense reaction to "attack."  However, the most common one in potatoes that look fine when we buy them and then turn green a while later is exposure to light. As a precaution, it's a good practice to store potatoes in a dark place.

If you happen to notice a greenish color on or just under the skin (see the picture below, with a section of skin scraped away), the affected area can generally be peeled away. Simply take it down to where the green color is gone. But once the green color has spread well into the interior of the potato, it's best to consider it too toxic to eat.

The most common symptoms resulting from eating potatoes with high concentrations of glycoalkaloids are mainly a mild gastrointestinal discomfort, although some cases have also included nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and headaches. In some rare instances where people ate the sprouts and flowers, or very green potatoes, the results were much more serious, with reports of hallucinations, paralysis, and even deaths. Again, these cases are very rare, and the data is anecdotal, so I wouldn't panic and stop eating potatoes altogether.

I know this post may be a little alarming, but consider that we've all been eating a ton of potatoes over the years with none of the more severe symptoms. I'm just putting the information out there so people can be aware and avoid eating green potatoes. Also, cooking potatoes at high temperature (roughly 350F and above) will lower the concentration of glycoalkaloids, so those who enjoy their "freedom fries" and baked potatoes can generally continue doing so without undue worry (beyond the normal concern regarding fried food).

Bon appétit, everyone!

Chocolate Cherry Amaretto Pie

Yesterday was my wedding anniversary (it's amazing how fast 19 years can whip by when you're having the time of your life!) and I decided to make an ice cream pie, using my favorite non-dairy ice cream, "Cherry Amaretto," from Larry & Luna's Coconut Bliss.

Two things I'd like to say right away: One, I don't eat a lot of sweets (I avoid sugar for the most part) and two, Coconut Bliss was already my favorite treat even before I stopped eating animal products. I had been a Ben & Jerry's New York Chocolate Fudge Chunk enthusiast for many years, but it had become clear that ice cream was a major contributor to my skyrocketing cholesterol. So, being an off-the-deep-end kind of guy, I simply stopped eating ice cream. It was then that I noticed Coconut Bliss in the freezer at my local Vitamin Cottage, and discovered that it was in fact non-dairy. I've never been fooled by any of the soy or rice imitation ice creams, but Coconut Bliss was a seamless fix. I still don't eat a lot of it (sugar is sugar), but it's a delectable treat I thoroughly (and judiciously) enjoy .

Back to last night's dessert. I dreamed this up in part because I learned too late about a vegan blogger's conference (it was already sold out) and my last hope of going was to enter a giveaway contest for a free ticket, offered by none other than the makers of my favorite ice cream.

The concept was pretty straightforward. An almond crust (the toasted almond would play off the amaretto flavor) with two layers of the Cherry Amaretto ice cream, separated by a chocolate ganache flavored with kirsch (to echo the cherry), with a chocolate ganache topping flavored with amaretto. My wife LOVED it.

Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Cherry Amaretto Pie

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Combine 1 1/4 cups almond meal, 7 tablespoons palm sugar, and 5 tablespoons coconut oil in a bowl. Work with your fingers until thoroughly mixed. Pack evenly into an 8-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Set the pan on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake 10 minutes and remove. The mixture will have puffed and sagged a bit; use a 1-cup measuring cup or something with a similar shape to gently but firmly push the almond mixture back into place. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Place the tart shell in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
3. Remove the tart shell from the freezer. Soften a pint of Coconut Bliss Cherry Amaretto ice cream with a silicone spatula and spread half into the bottom of the tart shell. Return the remaining ice cream and the tart shell to the freezer for about 15 minutes.
4. While the first layer of ice cream is chilling, prepare the first ganache. Chop 2 ounces very dark chocolate and place in a small bowl. Heat 1/3 cup coconut milk in a small pot until bubbling. Add 1 tablespoon kirsch liqueur and pour the mixture over the chocolate. Whisk gently until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the tart shell from the freezer and pour the ganache over the ice cream, spreading evenly with the back of a spoon. Return to the freezer for another 15 minutes.
5. Remove the tart shell and the remaining ice cream from the freezer. Soften the ice cream with a silicone spatula and spread it into the tart shell, taking care not to get any on the crust. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon or a cake spatula (if you have one). Return the ice cream pie to the freezer and allow it to firm up thoroughly, about 2 hours or more.
6. Prepare the second ganache. Chop 6 ounces of dark chocolate and place in a bowl. Heat 1 cup coconut milk in a small pot until bubbling. Add 2 tablespoons amaretto liqueur and pour the mixture over the chocolate. Whisk gently until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Allow it to cool completely. If the mixture is still very soft, set the bowl in an ice bath and whisk for a few seconds to firm it up very slightly. Do not let it get very cold, or it will become too firm to handle. Scoop the ganache into a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. 
7. Remove the pie from the freezer and pipe the ganache in a tight spiral, starting from the center and working your way to the rim. Return the pie to the freezer for about 10 minutes.
8. To serve, gently loosen the tart pan and pop it off by pushing up from the bottom. The crust should come loose from the bottom, but if it's stuck, slide a knife under it to free it up. Cut the pie with a hot, dry knife and serve.

 That's it. If you don't have a pastry bag, you can just spread the second ganache over the top with a cake spatula or butter knife. in this case, I would suggest skipping the ice bath, because it will be much easier to spread that way. The frozen pie will chill the ganache down very quickly, believe me.

Try it! Post a comment!

Compulsive Diagnosing Disorder

Yesterday my wife brought to my attention what I thought was a hilarious article she found on Yahoo! Health, which identified two new eating disorders. One is an acute form of what are called "adult picky eaters" (a genuine form of suffering in my book). The other is what JAMA and Psychology Today refer to as "orthorexia," (an obsession with healthy eating). What struck me most was the description given of what "sufferers" of orthorexia limit their diet to:

• Orthorexics: Those affected may start by eliminating processed foods, anything with artificial colorings or flavorings as well as foods that have come into contact with pesticides. Beyond that, orthorexics may also shun caffeine, alcohol, sugar, salt, wheat and dairy foods. Some limit themselves to raw foods.

Now I'm sure these signs of a potentially serious "eating disorder" may be alarming to the vast majority of "normal" Americans, who are more than willing to daily consume Velveeta cheese, Pop Tarts, Big Macs, Cool Ranch Chips, Twinkies, Red Vines, and every other foodlike mass product. After all, refusing to eat these and the many other convenience face-stuffings can only mean one of two things: Either there is something terribly wrong with the "foods" being rejected, or there is something wrong with the person rejecting them.

Let's examine this dichotomy. In a nation of eaters, two-thirds of whom are overweight, many of whom are unhealthy and some of whom are barely mobile, someone making consistently healthy food choices might indeed seem rather an oddity. At the same time, every bit of both existing and emerging evidence supports shunning those products noted as the first to be eliminated by "orthorexics"--and shunned completely, not moderately--for health reasons.

Next time you spot a motorized shopping cart being driven by someone far too large to comfortably walk and push a normal cart, take note of the contents. I don't say this as a cruel jab at obese people; I'm merely pointing out a simple cause-and-effect study that can be done while waiting in line. If you want to know why so many Americans are unhealthy, just look at what they're eating, and in what quantities. This isn't only about weight issues, either. It's about many other health problems, also--resulting from a diet of non-food chemical additives, hyper-refined carbohydrates, massive amounts of fat, salt and sugar, and unprecedented quantities of animal products.

I think it's only fair to insert here that I've had it comparatively easy. I've always been thin, with a roaring metabolism that enabled me to eat whatever I wanted without gaining weight. Overweight people I've seen most likely did not eat much more than I did, but whereas I got away Scot-free, they paid dearly. What's more, many do not realize that the food produced today is packed with unhealthful (in some cases toxic, or carcinogenic) as well as fat-generating ingredients, especially refined carbohydrates. Worse, producers make their processed foods difficult to refuse, and virtually impossible to eat moderately. Understanding these facts is what has given rise to the relatively new, seemingly compulsive habit of  label reading.

Being overweight, and especially obese, is only one obvious sign that something is wrong. Other health problems develop unseen and even unfelt--until they are so far along that they need drastic medical intervention. Some, like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, fatty liver, and colon cancer, are the direct result of consistently unhealthful dietary choices. The diseases that are not directly caused by poor diet are at the very least exacerbated by it. And certainly, a  person's chances of surviving any disease are much better if they were healthy and fit to begin with.

So, the question that comes to mind for me is: Who has a dangerous eating disorder, the people indiscriminately scarfing down foods known to fatten, sicken and kill them, or the people watching what they eat, and consciously selecting the foods most likely to support health and well-being?

It's interesting what passes for "normal," and what stands out as abnormal. I'm old enough to remember cigarette advertisements boasting that "more doctors" preferred the brand being promoted over other, presumably inferior brands. What's even more interesting is the eagerness of the medical profession to diagnose (and develop a treatment for) new and exotic illnesses--many if not most of which begin with a profound lack of understanding about the direct relationship between what we eat and our health.