Slow Food

The Slow Food Manifesto

The Slow Food international movement officially began when delegates from 15 countries endorsed this manifesto, written by founding member Folco Portinari, on November 9, 1989.

Our century, which began and has developed under the insignia of industrial civilization, first invented the machine and then took it as its life model.

We are enslaved by speed and have all succumbed to the same insidious virus: Fast Life, which disrupts our habits, pervades the privacy of our homes and forces us to eat Fast Foods.

To be worthy of the name, Homo Sapiens should rid himself of speed before it reduces him to a species in danger of extinction.

A firm defense of quiet material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of Fast Life.

May suitable doses of guaranteed sensual pleasure and slow, long-lasting enjoyment preserve us from the contagion of the multitude who mistake frenzy for efficiency.

Our defense should begin at the table with Slow Food.
Let us rediscover the flavors and savors of regional cooking and banish the degrading effects of Fast Food.

In the name of productivity, Fast Life has changed our way of being and threatens our environment and our landscapes. So Slow Food is now the only truly progressive answer.

That is what real culture is all about: developing taste rather than demeaning it. And what better way to set about this than an international exchange of experiences, knowledge, projects?

Slow Food guarantees a better future.

Slow Food is an idea that needs plenty of qualified supporters who can help turn this (slow) motion into an international movement, with the little snail as its symbol.
_________________________________________________________________

Please go to this site:

www.slowfood.com

________________________________________________________________

If you have children in public school you may be interested in this press release from
the Community Alliance with Family Farmers:

SEPTEMBER 7, 2009

Action Alert: School Food Legislation and Labor Day Eat-Ins
Dear Friends of CAFF's Farm to School Campaign: The Child Nutrition Act is a federal law that comes up for reauthorization in Congress every four to five years. It governs the National School Lunch Program, which sets the standard for the food that more than 30 million children eat every school day. In the last few decades, as school budgets have been cut, our nation's schools have struggled to serve children the real food they need. CAFF and other organizations have joined with Slow Food to advance reforms that would: Give schools just one dollar more per day for each child's lunch. Establish strong standards for all food sold at school, including food from vending machines and school fast food. Fund grants for innovative Farm to School programs and school gardens. Establish financial incentives that encourage schools to buy food from local farms for all child nutrition programs. Train underemployed Americans to be the teachers, farmers, cooks, and administrators our school cafeterias need. The deadline for reauthorizing the current Child Nutrition Act is September 2009. Unless we speak up this summer, "business as usual" on Capitol Hill will let Congress pass a Child Nutrition Act that continues to fail our children. On Labor Day, Monday, September 7, 2009, Slow Food's Time for Lunch campaign is sponsoring a series of "Eat-Ins" (potlucks) around the country to promote a focus on improving food in our schools and to encourage people to contact their legislators about the need to improve school food. CAFF is hosting or co-hosting the Eat-In's in: Sunnyvale-- contact Emma Hoag-- emma@caff.org Monterey-- contact Kathryn Spencer-- kathryn@caff.org Hollister-- contact Nants Foley-- nantsfoley@gmail.com Humboldt County--contact Michelle Wyler-- michelle@caff.org If you would like to organize an Eat-In in a different town, visit to the Slow Food website for more information. If you would like to attend an Eat-In in a different town, click here and choose the map to find the one nearest you. You can read the policy platform in more detail on CAFF's website. If you have any questions regarding this legislation, please contact CAFF's Policy Director, Dave Runsten, at 530-756-8518 ext. 25 or dave@caff.org. If you have any questions about the Farm to School program, please contact Ildi Carlisle-Cummings at ildi@caff.org. Donations to the Farm to School Campaign can be made by clicking here or by sending checks payable to CAFF at P.O. Box 363, Davis, CA 95617.

Scotch Eggs

Why the idea of making “scotch eggs” came into my head, I can’t say. But as soon as I did think about it I remembered how satisfying they were to me as a kid to have on early Christmas mornings, after the candy and chocolate in our stockings were devoured by like, 6am.

The scotch eggs were made by mom the night before (and as I know now, in between assembling bikes and wrapping presents.) At any rate, to eat them, at any time, made me in 1960’s Ohio, feel like I was fully asserting the wee bit of Scots blood I had in my veins. (Turns out, of course, that Fortnum & Mason department stores in England invented them in 1851. But who knew? Probably needed something to stuff in those hampers, which are, in fact, still pretty cool.)

Anyway, my version is basic, great and stated in simple terms. You can always spice up the meat and or bread crumbs or coating (see following recipes), or break out and try a layer of something you think would be great, like mustard, or finely sliced cheese. I have no idea how that would work out but it sounds good to me.

_________________________________________________________________________

Scotch Eggs

Hard boiled eggs, Sausage meat, Eggs, Bread or cracker crumbs, Oil (if frying) & thermometer

Notes: Last time I made this, a pound roll of sausage did about 6 eggs with a fairly thin layer of sausage. The thickness of the sausage is up to you, so buy accordingly. I also deep fried them at 375 degrees, which worked out great. I usually, though, bake them in the oven at about 350, until brown on outside and sausage is not pink inside.

Peel hard boiled eggs. Place a patty of sausage meat in the palm of your hand and gently begin pressing the meat to the egg until it completely and evenly encases it.

When you have finished covering all the eggs with meat, dip them in the eggs---try starting with two eggs beaten very well…add more if you run out, just like making French toast.

Use a spoon and then transfer the egg dipped meat covered egg into the bread crumbs for the final coat.

Bake or fry. Eat hot or cold.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Nargisi Kofta

Hardboiled egg is coated with a mixture of ground lamb and curry spices

This is a popular North Indian Recipe from Uttar Pradesh. 'Nargisi' is derived from Nargis. Nargis refers to Narcissus, a winter flower grown in India. The flower has yellow center (the color of cooked egg-yolk), surround by white petals resembling cooked egg-white. Nargisi Kofta is a hard boiled egg coated with ground lamb, when cut in half, the egg-yolk and egg white look like the flower Nargis.

There are two sub-parts to making Nargisi Kofta: the Kofta itself, and the sauce. You can choose from a simple tomato sauce to complicated Makhni sauce. The casing of the Kofta is well spiced, so I have decided to use a very simple Tomato sauce.

Ingredients

Kofta

1. Ground Lamb: 1 Pound

You can use 85% lean ground beef.

2. Eggs: 2 Lightly beaten

3. Ground Cinnamon: ¼ teaspoon

4. Ground Cardamom: ¼ teaspoon

5. Ground Cloves: ¼ teaspoon

6. Ground Cayenne pepper: ¼ teaspoon

7. Salt: ½ teaspoon

8. Besan: 2 Tables spoon as a binder.

9. Hard boiled eggs peeled: 4

10. Besan: 2 Tablespoon for final coat

Deep Fryer

Curry Gravy

1. Ghee: ¼ Cup

2. Finely chopped Onion: 2 Cups

3. Minced Garlic: 1 Tablespoon

4. Serrano: 2 de-veined chopped

5. Turmeric: 1 teaspoon

6. Salt: ½ teaspoon

7. Chopped Tomatoes: 2 Cups

Garnish

Chopped Cilantro

Method

Kofta

1. Combine Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves, Cayenne, Salt, and Besan as a binder. Mix well.

2. Add in Lamb, Eggs. Mix well. You have a stiff batter.

2. Encase Hard boiled eggs in the stiff batter. Coat as heavy as possible.

3. Roll encased eggs in dry Besan.

4. Deep fry at 325º F till golden brown about 5 minutes.

Curry Gravy

1. Heat Ghee in a heavy bottom pan.

2. Add onions. Sauté till translucent to light brown.

3. Add Garlic, Turmeric, Serrano. Sauté about 3 minutes.

4. Add Tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Simmer at medium for about 20 minutes.

5. Gently Slide Kofta in the sauce. Simmer on low heat about.

6. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.

recipe from: indiacurry.com

Eatin' Corn...

“We put the pot on the stove as he walked down to the corn patch. Not much was worse than waiting for the water to boil when Daddy got back and had the corn in hand! We all shucked it out on the front porch and Mother would rush a silk-cleaned arm load straight in the house and drop them into the huge pot of boiling water , shut the lid with a great flourish, twist her arm quickly sideways (so she could see her wristwatch) and start timing.

We ate it with butter and salt. We ate it like a typewriter saying “ching” at the end of each row. We ate it like a big spiral. We had small kernels butter-glued to the corners of our mouths as we smiled and proudly added another shaggy cob to the pile in the middle of the table.

That was a whole meal in the summertime. A mountain of steaming sweeter than you can imagine sweet corn and tomatoes. Tomatoes so large and thick they looked like a steak on your plate.” --recollections from summer in Appalachian Ohio

Interested in Appalachian Foodways? Check this article from Berea College in Kentucky:

http://www.berea.edu/appalachiancenter/news/20080228-appfoodway.asp

_________________________________________________________________________________

Corn: Losing our genetic diversity

infoforhealth.org/pr/m13/m13chap3_7.shtml

________________________________________________

Khao Phoht Piak

Thai Coconut Corn Pudding

Most Thai sweets do not include wheat flour, which make them great for those who are gluten-intolerant.

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh or frozen corn, thinly sliced
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour
• 1 cup coconut cream (see below)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt (sea salt is preferable)

Preparing the dessert:

Bring the water to the boil over medium heat, put in the corn kernals and stir frequently until cooked through. Add the sugar and continue to boil until completely dissolved.

Mix the flour with some water and add to the corn. Continue cooking and stirring regularly until the flour is done, thick and clear; remove from the heat.

Mix the coconut cream and salt together, bring to a boil over low heat, then remove from heat. Serve the sweet corn and top with some of the salted coconut cream.

Recipe from templeofthai.com

Zucchini

Honor the Green Garden Goddess of Mid-Summer
Graceful, long, slender
Ripening into curvaceous.
Full and sometimes boldly striped.


Celebrate zucchini. Celebrate the abundance. There is no escaping it. In fact, in some parts of America I’ve read that August plays host to a “Sneak Some Zucchini on Your Neighbor’s Porch Night.”

Zucchini is a truly good sport and will play along with you in the kitchen with whatever you have in mind. Some of the best apple pie I ever ate was not (don’t tell the kids) apple. The important thing to remember is that for as long as zucchini has been growing, people of all cultures have also endured weeks of zucchini abundance, so take heart! If you are running low on ideas Wikipedia breaks down zucchini and culture thusly:

In Italy, zucchini are served in a variety of ways, especially breaded and pan-fried. Some restaurants in Rome specialize in deep-frying the flowers, known as fiori di zucca.

In France zucchini is a key ingredient in ratatouille, a stew of summer vegetables prepared in olive oil and cooked for an extended time over low heat. The dish, originating near present-day Nice, is served as a side dish or on its own at lunch with bread.

In Turkish cuisine, zucchini is the main ingredient in the popular dish mücver , or "zucchini pancakes", made from shredded zucchini, flour and eggs, lightly fried in olive oil and eaten with yogurt.

In Lebanon, zucchini is stuffed with minced meat and rice plus herbs and spices and steamed. It is also used in various kinds of stew.

In Greece, zucchini is usually fried or boiled with other vegetables. It is served as an hors d'œuvre. During fasting seasons it may be served as a main dish. In several parts of Greece, the flowers of the plant are stuffed with white cheese, usually feta or mizithra cheese, or with a mixture of rice and herbs. Then they are deep-fried or, less often, baked with tomato sauce in the oven.

In Bulgaria, zucchini are fried and then served with a dip, made from yoghurt, garlic and dill. Another popular dish is oven-baked zucchini—sliced or grated—covered with a mixture of eggs, yoghurt, flour and dill.

In Egypt, zucchini are cooked with tomato sauce, garlic & onions.



What do they do in Columbus, Ohio?




Quesadillas De Flor De Calabaza

From the Masa Assasin masaassasin.blogspot.com

1 1/4 pounds Squash Flowers, cleaned and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or unsalted butter
3 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Sea salt to taste
2 pablano chilies, charred, peeled, and cut into strips
1 tablespoon roughly chopped epazote
Oaxacan Cheese
Corn Tortillas

This is a fairly simple recipe; most of the work is in the prep. It was a fun day making these; my brother and I were prepping the flowers while the wife worked the grill and the masa. This Recipe is adapted from Diana Kennedys "From My Mexican Kitchen Techniques and Ingredients."

Rinse and briefly shake excess water off the flowers. Remove stringy green sepals around the base of each flower. If the flowers are large leave about a half inch of the stalk on. Roughly chop the flowers, calyx and stamen included.


Prepare chiles by placing over open flame , turning them from time to time until skin is blistered and lightly charred. Place them inside a plastic bag and set aside to steam for 10 about minutes; this process will loosen the skin. Then remove the skin by running your hands or a spoon down the chile. Cut into vertical strips.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onion garlic, and a little salt, and fry gently without browning until translucent, about 1 minute. Add the chili strips and cook stirring from time to time, for another two minutes.

Add the flowers and salt to taste, cover the pan, and cook over low heat until the round calyx is tender, not soft, about 10 minutes. Add epazote after 5 minutes.

The mixture should be moist not juicy.

Prepare some corn tortillas on the comal with some Oaxaca cheese and flor de calabaza mixture. Enjoy!
This is enough for about 15 quesadillas (which was a bit much) I will most likely split the recipe in half next time.

Baharat

Baharat. I love saying that word! It seems like it should be spelled with an exclamation mark.

Baharat! It means “spices” in Arabic and generally refers to a mixture that is used in North African and Eastern Mediterranean cultures. Countries like Tunisia, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Iraq and the Palestinian territories use baharat as well as Turkey and the Gulf States. Each culture has its special spice mixture traditionally used to compliment lamb, beef, chicken or fish. Baharat also works well as a flavorful addition to lentils, soups, rice and vegetables.

Recipes for Baharat

Baharat
2 tbsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom


Turkish Baharat
2 tbsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground mint
1 tbsp ground cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
pinch of ground cinnamon


Levant Baharat
1/4 cup black peppercorns
1/4 cup allspice berries


Syrian Baharat
2 tsp allspice
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cloves


Tunisian Baharat
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp dried rose petals
1 tsp black pepper

Kebsa spices (i.e. Gulf baharat)
1 tbsp red pepper
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground loomi (dried lime)
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp saffron threads

(recipes from www.theepicentre.com)

Pizza on the grill

So have you done pizza on the grill? I’ve been at it for several months now and continue to get excited each time I start mixing up a batch of pizza dough because the results have been so incredible. I use a stone and the result has been beautiful free form pizzas with crusts that are golden crunchy and bubbly. The real deal.
I put the baking stone on the grill cold (rinsing the stone first with water) and then bring the temp up gradually. It usually maxes out about 600 degrees, but that seems hot enough.
I assemble the pizza on a wooden pizza peel dusted with cornmeal and then slide it on to the hot stone, close the lid and wait a few minutes. The crust bubbles up beautifully and browns evenly.
I’m sure there must be some concern with heating the stone directly on the rack. Will it crack? So far so good. The stone doesn’t show any signs of stress. Mostly what I’ve read suggests not doing it that way. The indirect method (placing the stone over the area on the grill that is not being directly heated) is most often sited and then there are those who throw the dough right on the grill. In my opinion, neither of these techniques produces a satisfactory pizza.
It could be that heating the stone slowly has been the key so far. Also, I leave the stone on the grill to cool down, overnight if necessary.
Give it a try! You won’t be sorry. Being able to create pizza of this quality without heating up the kitchen is a definite bonus on these hot summer days, too.

Basic Pizza Dough
Yield: 3 lb. dough

1 T. dry yeast
1/2 t. sugar
2-2/3 C. warm water
2 T. olive oil
7-1/2 C. unbleached flour
1/4 C. whole wheat flour
2 t. coarse salt

Proof yeast for 5-10 minutes using 1 C. warm water and a pinch of sugar, until yeast dissolves and liquid appears creamy.

Add remaining water and 1-1/2 to 2 C. flour, including whole wheat. Beat this well (100 strokes!) until it is smooth and soupy. Let stand for 10-15 minutes until bubbly. Add the salt and olive oil and stir in rest of the flour by the cup, until dough is still and slightly sticky.

When the dough begins to form a mass that's thick enough to hold its shape, turn out on to a lightly floured surface and let rest. Clean and oil the bowl you were using. Knead dough ( 5- 8 minutes) and return to the oiled bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until double.

After first rise, form the crust or punch down and let rise again. Can be refrigerated up to 2 days. If you refrigerate, punch the dough down after it has been chilling for about 40 minutes and put in plastic bag.