How to make a really great grilled cheese sandwich
Use a generous amount of butter (not oil or margarine) and cook over low heat.
Use good, fresh bread. I’m using a seeded multi-grain bread made from whole wheat, rye, oats and barley.
Use a flavorful cheese with good melting properties. I’m using sharp white cheddar and asiago.
To enhance the flavor, sprinkle a little sea salt on the cheese before placing the other slice of bread on top.
Here’s the trick- weight the sandwich with a bacon press or something similar. You want enough weight to press the sandwich down without totally flattening it. Flip and repeat.
Crispy, melty goodness.
Thai Curry Shrimp with Ginger Jasmine Rice
Fresh ginger, shallot, garlic, peppers, cilantro, lemon grass, coconut milk, Thai spices*, coconut oil, jasmine rice, fresh jumbo shrimp and unsweetened flaked coconut. Not shown; red curry paste**
Substitute coconut milk for 1/2 of the water called for in the instructions for the rice. In that mixture, steep freshly grated ginger, lemon grass and spices for 15 minutes.
Saute the shallot and garlic in coconut oil until colored. Add peeled & deveined shrimp, spices and peppers and continue to saute until shrimp is just under done. Add curry paste, coconut milk and cilantro. Stir to combine, then simmer on low until thickenend, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the rice in the coconut milk and water mixture until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Serve topped with toasted coconut and additional cilantro.
* corriander, red pepper, cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic, black pepper, basil, cardamom and cloves
** dried red chili, garlic, lemon grass, salt, galangal, shrimp paste, kaffir lime peel and pepper
Rating ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Organic farming ‘could feed Africa’
Traditional practices increase yield by 128 per cent in east Africa, says UN
By Daniel Howden in Nairobi
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Organic farming offers Africa the best chance of breaking the cycle of poverty and malnutrition it has been locked in for decades, according to a major study from the United Nations to be presented today.
New evidence suggests that organic practices – derided by some as a Western lifestyle fad – are delivering sharp increases in yields, improvements in the soil and a boost in the income of Africa’s small farmers who remain among the poorest people on earth. The head of the UN’s Environment Programme, Achim Steiner, said the report “indicates that the potential contribution of organic farming to feeding the world maybe far higher than many had supposed”.
Food & Water Watch
Take Action Food & Water Watch
Tell Congress to Break Up Milk Monopolies
Over two years ago, the Department of Justice started an investigation into anti-trust violations by Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), the company that picks up over a third of the milk from U.S. farms. The DOJ has never released the findings of their investigation and we need Congress to shine some light on what is going on in the dairy industry.
Tell the House and Senate Judiciary Committees it’s time for them to conduct hearings into anti-competitive behavior by dairy giants like DFA.
Food Security
Pollan a Must-Read « Sustainable Food Center
Pollan a Must-Read
Sunday’s New York Times Magazine entitled The Food Issue is rife with dialogue on the failures of the Western food system and what each of us can do about it. I worked in a glatt-kosher restaurant in NYC for two years and was thrilled to read the article on how different members of the movement are creating change in hopes of bringing humanely raised animals into the equation of mindful and spiritual eating.
Michael Pollan’s long-anticipated open letter to our next Farmer in Chief makes the strongest case yet for a shift away from a global, industrial food system. Pollan weaves the seemingly disparate issues of energy, healthcare and food sovereignty together beautifully – and most importantly, in a way that everyday people (even politicians!) can understand.
Pozole Roja with Cornsticks
Pozole Roja is a traditional pre-Colombian stew, adopted as the local cuisine of Guerrero, Mexico. In the US state of New Mexico, pozole (from Spanish pozole, from Nahuatl potzolli) is traditionally served on Christmas Eve to celebrate life’s blessings.
While it looks a little complicated, it really isn’t hard. As long as you have “mise en place” (everything in place) before starting, you’ll get through this fine, and be justly rewarded in the end.
Pork shoulder, dried ancho and guajillo chiles, garlic, achiote seeds, dark chocolate with chipotle, cinnamon and cocoa nibs, crema (think of Mexican crème fraîche), fresh cilantro, fresh mint, key limes, Spanish onion, Mexican oregano, olive oil, peppercorns and nixtamal (white corn/hominy).
Start by toasting the achiote seeds in a hot, dry skillet until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add good olive oil and infuse over low heat for about 20 minutes. Strain the resulting annatto oil through a coffee filter placed inside a funnel. Stored in a cool, dark place, annatto oil will keep indefinitely.
Trim the excess fat from the pork, but leave a little intact. In a Dutch oven, sear the pork in a little of the annatto oil. Add onions, garlic and oregano and cook another 5 minutes.
Add water (or stock, if you prefer) to cover, cilantro and mint (I’ve stuffed the herbs into a cheesecloth bag for easy removal) and S&P. Simmer until pork is fork-tender, about 2 hours.
Split the chilies and remove the stems and seeds. Place on a flat skillet and weight for about 20 seconds. Flip and repeat.
Transfer the toasted chilies to a bowl, cover with boiling water and let stand until soft, about 1/2 hour.
Gather up the ingredients for cornbread. Coarse-ground yellow cornmeal, all-purpose flour, milk, baking powder, butter, egg, chiles and salt.
Lightly toast the cornmeal on a dry skillet to bring out the flavor, then add it to the bowl with the other ingredients (I’ve added a little shredded cheddar cheese). Mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Do not over mix.
Blend the re-hydrated chiles with 1/2 of its soaking water until smooth. Transfer to pan and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the hominy and simmer another 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, pour the cornbread mix into a pre-heated iron cornstick pan (or muffin tins or 8×8 glass baking dish) and bake at 450 degrees until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
Serve in a bowl garnished with crema, chopped mint and cilantro, and shaved chocolate.
