Vilsack is not “Change We Can Believe In”
USDA – Let them eat high fructose corn syrup.
CONTACT: Organic Consumers Association
Ronnie Cummins (218) 226-4164
Alexis Baden-Mayer (202) 744-0853
Carne de Venado Incrustada de Cacao y Cafe con Crèma de Comino Tostado
Cocoa & Coffee Crusted Venison w/Toasted Cumin Crèma
Make a dry rub of annatto seeds, cumin, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, cocoa, corriander and cinnamon. For best flavor, use whole spices toasted in a dry skillet before grinding. Coat the venison with the spice rub and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Gather the rest of the ingredients: pumpkins seeds, fresh thyme, sesame seeds, cloves, reserved dry rub, tomato puree, achiote paste, deied peppers, jalapeno, dark chocolate, onion and tomatoes.
Split the dried peppers and steep in hot water for a few minutes to soften.
Sautee the onion, jalapeno and rehydrated peppers in a little oil until softened.
Add chopped tomatoes, crushed toasted pumpkin seeds, achiote paste and a spoonful of the dry rub mix. Cook until tomatoes release all their liquid, about 10 minutes.
Add tomato puree, orange juice, fresh thyme and chocolate and simmer for 10 minutes.
Sweeten with enough agave or honey to provide a nice balance with the heat of the peppers.
Sear the venison in olive oil as you would a pan-fried steak. Deer that was properly field dressed, chilled and processed is generally as tender and flavorful as pastured beef.
Thicken the sauce with toasted bread cubes. Place thick-sliced venison over sauce and top with toasted pumpkin seeds and Mexican crema flavored with toasted cumin and S&P. Polenta fried in butter with cilantro makes a nice side.
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Tell Supermarkets, No More Fishy Business!
You can help save the oceans every time you go grocery shopping. Consumers buy half their seafood at supermarkets, yet most supermarkets don’t consider where the seafood they sell comes from or how it was caught. Destructive fishing practices and overfishing are two of the gravest threats facing our oceans, and experts predict if current trends continue, global fisheries will collapse in 50 40 years.
Take action – Flex your power as a consumer. Tell the largest U.S. supermarket retailers to adopt sustainable seafood policies, stop selling destructively fished seafood, and provide informative labeling so customers, like us, can choose the most sustainable seafood and avoid the most imperiled fish. Don’t delay, ocean protection starts with all of us.
Short’nin’ Bread
All-purpose, graham or whole wheat flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, buttermilk, butter, molasses, egg.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil and flour a 10-inch iron skillet.
Dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk.
Lightly beat an egg.
Grate cinnamon & nutmeg into flour.
Bring butter and molasses to a boil, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and allow to cool several minutes.
Stir molasses mixture into flour and combine well.
Stir buttermilk into flour and combine well.
Stir egg into flour and combine well.
Turn batter into perpared skillet and bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry.
Cool and serve.
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Fotch dat dough fum the kitchin-shed—
Rake de coals out hot an’ red—
Putt on de oven an’ putt on de led,—
Mammy’s gwineter cook som short’nin’ bread
“A Short’nin’ Bread Song—Pieced Out”
James Whitcomb Riley, 1849-1916
Adobo de Achiote (Achiote Paste)
Originally a Mayan mixture, achiote paste is responsible for the distinctive red hue of Puerco Pibil and other foods common to the cuisine of the Yucatán Peninsula.
Achiote seeds, whole allspice, black pepper, Mexican oregano, cider vinegar, garlic and Celtic sea salt.
Finely grind the achiote and place into a bowl. Grind the allspice, pepper and oregano and add to the achiote. Add a little cider vinegar to form a damp powder.
Mince garlic then mash with salt. Work the mashed garlic back into the achiote and moisten with orange juice to form a thick paste.
Refrigerate and store up to about 4 months.
A bow-hunting co-worker brought me some South Texas venison yesterday, so I’m thinking of making something along the lines of a Venado en Pipián Rojo (venison with pumpkin seeds and achiote).
Pan Seared Pork Medallions with Port, Wild Mushrooms and Fried Sage (favorite)
Wild mushrooms, stock, sharp feta or goat cheese, fresh sage, pork tenderloin filets, garlic, shallot, S&P and port. Assorted vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, fennel and beans.
Toss the vegetables with S&P and a little bit of olive oil. Roast in a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes, turning once.
Saute mushrooms, garlic and shallots in butter until browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Season filets with S&P and saute in olive oil until well browned and internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, about 8 minutes per side. Set aside.
Deglaze the pan with port, scraping up all the brown bits. Add stock and bring to boil. Reduce volume by half.
Meanwhile, fry the sage by making a thin batter of 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup water and S&P. Holding the stem between your thumb and forefinger, dip the leaves into the batter and then into hot olive oil. Fry for a minute or so then transfer to a plate to drain.
Add the filets and mushrooms back to the pan with the port and heat through, about 5 minutes.
Serve topped with crumbled goat or feta cheese and fried sage.
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