Where is your food coming from?
Interesting video...sure you have seen something about this:

Something to remember is that in the United States cows must simply be able to walk the distance to be slaughtered, but can be prodded ceaselessly to get there. And technically, all beef cows that are raised in today's standards are extremely ill/on the verge of death because they are being fed things like corn that they were not supposed to be eating and then pumped with enough antibiotics to make it feasible for them to walk the distance to slaughter. Enjoy.
- posted by Jenna V @ 7:49 PM 1 comments

 
potatoes
here is something i wonder and i don't have a proper reference book around:

let's say my anonymous friend is making a mash to put atop a shepherd's pie. what if, instead of running the potatoes through a ricer then adding parmesan, salt and egg yolks, she just took the baked potatoes and threw them in a food processor with the other ingredients. what consequences does this invite?
- posted by Jesse @ 8:16 PM 3 comments

 
My friend Danny made these eggs this weekend and they were fantastic:



We didn't have creme fraiche so we used sour cream instead, and we did have goat cheese so he tossed a dab of that in as well.
- posted by Jenna V @ 8:38 AM 0 comments

 
do ang nguoi dai lan
here is an interesting editorial about chinese food. i encourage someone, probably myself, to read the book mentioned

The how of this is easy. The Chinese who sailed to the Golden Mountain of America to lay the ties and tracks of the transcontinental railroad were all men. In this womanless society, these workers ate a food of survival; unfamiliar ingredients were cooked in rudimentary Chinese fashion. This coarsened cookery is what evolved into the Chinese-American genre. It is bastardized food, prepared first to feed a worker and then to please an American palate that dotes upon overcooked vegetables and sauces thickened with cornstarch and sugar.

The why is more complex. Chinese-American food is regarded unquestionably as Chinese by an American public that consumes it by the ton. And while the public bears some responsibility for its love of these sodium-assisted flavors, much of the blame must be placed on those of us who are responsible for interpreting Chinese cuisine. I include those who collate its recipes, those who critique it, those who rate its restaurants. They have failed to do their jobs.

NYTimes
- posted by Jesse @ 7:39 AM 1 comments

 
tamal
a dish of grain or pulse wrapped in plantain leaves and steamed or boiled is a popular food in different cultures. three versions.

tamales:

ground nixtamalized corn (masa) is mixed liberally with lard (perhaps 1lb lard per 5lbs masa) and perhaps some chile sauce. enough lard is added so that the masa is en su punto, a bit in cold water floats. plantain leaves or corn husks are smeared with the masa and then rolled into a package so that stewed meat and other fillings are contained in the center. it is steamed. a food for holidays.

banh chung:

glutinous rice and mung beans are soaked for a few hours, over night. the mung beans are steamed, then mashed. at the same time, bits of streaky pork are marinated in fish sauce, salt and pepper. onto a cleaned plantain leaf layer rice, mung bean paste, meat, bean, rice into a square shape. wrap tightly in several layers of leaf and tie up. boil gently for 6-7 hours. let rest for a day. slice the package and remove the leaf. pan fry or eat as it is. a food for holidays.

koki

cow peas, black eyed peas, are washed, then soaked overnight. the chaffs are removed. they are ground, then mixed with red oil, salt, and ground habanero. they are wrapped in the plantain leaf in bundles like those old timey wallets with some type of leaf being incorporated into the mixture and boiled. served hot with boiled plantains or cocoyams. it should be very spicy, red and oily. a strong breakfast food.
- posted by Jesse @ 9:43 PM 0 comments

 
wings
if you live where chicken wings are cheap, they are a great accompaniment to beer. all this week i tweaked a recipe for baked chicken wings that are as refreshing as the fried, but less filling.

the great advantage of frying is the crispy skin, or the crispy breading if you bread, so i aimed towards this effect more than anything else.

cut chicken wings into sections.
sprinkle with salt and cayenne pepper, then brush with melted butter on both sides.
bake on a pizza stone (one that has been thoroughly preheated) at 425F for 25-30min.

they are not as crispy as fried, but are browned, which is what is crucial for the flavor.

make some some sauce. i made the barbecue sauce from joy of cooking (a bottled sauce often has too much sugar or is insipid in one area or the other). the traditional buffalo sauce is melted butter with red wine vinegar and louisiana hot sauce.

smother the wings with the sauce. best accompanied with a pale ale during the greatest super bowl upset.
- posted by Jesse @ 8:17 PM 0 comments