I received a question yesterday from a home cook that asks; “It's Spring... Do you use Dandelions in your professional kitchen? If so, how do you use them: Salads, Pasta et al? And, how do you prepare Dandelions for the various dishes?”
To answer the first question I have not, as of yet, had the occasion to use Dandelions in any of the professional kitchens that I have worked. I have however used a variety of other wild flowers in all of the kitchens that I have worked. I have, on the other hand, had many occasions in my own kitchen, worked with Dandelions and love to use them in salads.
It is possible to use both the bud of the flower (not the technical term but hey I’m a cook not a florist) and the greens. I personally have used them in, as mentioned above, Salads, I’ve used the greens for sandwiches and have used them once for a great stuffed pasta dish that I did. Dandelions are versatile and can be used in drinks as well.
It is important to note that the best times to pick the Dandelion and its greens for any edible use is after the first frost and before about September. This ensures that a lot of the bitterness commonly found in Dandelions is for the most part not there. That is not to say that they will not have bitterness to them merely to say that they will be less bitter.
There are some great books out there on cooking with wild flowers in general and Dandelions specifically. You may want to check out just a few of these. I personally have read (read flipped through for inspiration) the first;
http://www.amazon.com/Dandelion-Celebration-Guide-Unexpected-Cuisine/dp/1879863510
http://www.amazon.com/Neighborhood-Forager-Guide-Wild-Gourmet/dp/1552633063/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242910308&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Salad-Garden/dp/9625932909/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242910331&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Dandelion-Cookbook-Recipes-National-Cookoffs/dp/B00113EQQY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242910374&sr=1-2
Great question Home Cook. I hope you found this helpful. This is also a great time to remind people that food is about playing and fun. It is about trial and error and lots of experimentation.
Henry Ward Beecher once said; “You cannot forget if you would those golden kisses all over the cheeks of the meadow, queerly called dandelions.”
A la prochaine
SDM
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Population, Food, Development, Scarcity and Policy (file under WAKE UP)
This post is so important that I thought I would post it here as well. I posted it on my other blog today as well.
I have touched on this subject only once or twice before as I have an inner battle which rages between keeping this blog only as a means of relating my experience as it related to cooking. I have been thinking about this post for quite sometime and am thrilled that I finally have the time to write it.
Thomas Robert Malthus was a brilliant scholar (British) who produced incredible works on population and political economy. He spent a massive amount of time dedicated to understanding the problem he recognized probably two centuries before it was to become a massively important issue. His seminal work is called “The Principle of Population.”
In Principle he presents two very important theories which can be summarized as;
1) Population grows at an exponential rate while food production grows only arithmetically. (This has been untrue in the modern world because of advances in science and technology but ultimately will prove true in the coming decades.) Any shift in that balance between the two will illustrate that the power of the first is MUCH greater than the second.
2) In all societies there is a drive for population increase. This causes (my words not his) a class struggle which subjugates the lower classes and will never allow for a correction in standard of living for those lower classes.
He quite correctly in my opinion suggests that; “The power of population is so superior to the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man, that premature death must in some shape or other visit the human race. The vices of mankind are active and able ministers of depopulation. They are the precursors in the great army of destruction, and often finish the dreadful work themselves. But should they fail in this war of extermination, sickly seasons, epidemics, pestilence, and plague advance in terrific array, and sweep off their thousands and tens of thousands. Should success be still incomplete, gigantic inevitable famine stalks in the rear, and with one mighty blow levels the population with the food of the world.”
I have long suggested that Malthusian theory was now obsolete as we had surpassed the ability of the earth through technology and science to produce food exponentially in relation to population growth. As I have worked in the food industry I have read countless volumes (which by their very existence) suggest that this is untenable. That eventually technology will no longer be able to keep pace with the population explosion and that such being true will lead to the inevitability of class struggle, food shortage, famine and ultimately the death of tens of millions if not hundreds of millions of people. Moreover that our current policies do nothing to address the core problems.
Since the end of World War Two we have lived in a time of great peace and prosperity. Naturally there has been armed conflict but it has been limited to specific region and hot zones and has not become a global conflict. War, Malthus argued, was a positive influence on keeping population in check. Along with famine and people getting married later which lowers populations advance as the window for child rearing lessens. (again this is proving untrue as fertility drugs and treatments have shown us that grandmothers can have children… DANGER DANGER WILL ROBINSON). Populations’ necessity to stay in check as an important precursor to sustainability is being largely dismissed until very recently.
Now the question must be answered. How have we been able to stave off Malthusian theory from being correct until now? Well as alluded to above, since World War Two we have seen a great leap forward. In terms of population at the end of the war the earth stood at approximately 2 billion. Depending on the source the total war dead was anywhere from 55 million to 70 million which represented a decrease in world population of approximately 2.7 to 3%. However since the end of World War Two the population has exploded to approximately 7,000,000,000 today. A 300% increase.
We have been able to stave off Malthusian Theory through the ever increasing use of genetically modified food since 1990. I have written a much shorter post on this in the past. Genetically Modified Food or GM Food is food stuffs which have had their DNA changed by scientists through genetic engineering. This is troubling for two reasons; one is profit. There is a huge amount of profit to be made from the control of genetic engineering of food and the corporations that control the supply chain related to GM seeds will do anything to protect their value. Secondly it is alarming because as I touched on in the previous post I wrote on the subject, natural selection has fallen prey to GM Foods and has seen an extremely diverse food supply become increasingly homogenized. This homogenization has been largely left unstudied in terms of its impact on the food supply and the possibility of various forms of pests evolving to best our scientific achievement. These are very serious issues.
One such case I used was the case of the tomato Florida 47. There is a similar tomato which comes from California which is escaping my mind right now. However, these two tomatoes account for a ridiculous amount of the market in North America, somewhere in the neighborhood of 80%. 80% from two varietals that have been selectively modified and engineered not to deliver the most nutrients as the original fruit did but instead so that they are uniform, able to travel long distances, be red, plump and juicy. How do they achieve this? Through the modification of certain DNA parts of the plant which results in a lower amount of water, vitamins and nutrients and a devastating increase in the amount of SODIUM among other things. When you go to a supermarket to buy your tomatoes next time, look at them, feel them, smell them. I am sure that you will notice that smell is largely gone, they do not feel as tomatoes should and are instead as hard as tennis balls and they are all big and red. Then ask yourself; is this what a tomato is supposed to look like?
The same is happening all over the industrialized world. This is being done without much alarm, so that Food Production can keep up with Population explosion. EXACTLY WHAT MALTHUS WARNED ABOUT 200 YEARS AGO!
It is not restricted to Tomatoes either. Some of the most common food stuffs we eat are now genetically modified, including; Soybeans, Rice, Sugar Cane, Papaya, Cotton, Corn, Potatoes and Rapeseed. IN NO WAY IS THIS LIST EXHAUSTIVE MERELY ILLUSTRATIVE. Moreover is the current trend of farmers to switch to corn production as a means of producing ethanol. Foolish!
So what you say? Why does this matter? Well the problem with GM foods is that they are largely grown in areas that the environment is not meant to support them. As such it is necessary to transport massive amounts of water (another alarming and important issue which I will touch on after) and massive inputs must go in to the soil in order to sustain farms. I will elaborate presently.
GM Foods are expanding their reach at an alarming rate. Its influence on our daily meals has expanded by as much as 50 times (50 x) in a ten year period. And don’t think for a minute that this is happening in someone else’s backyard. It is our problem too. Canada for instance as of the latest statistics produces about 94% of its crops by time proven conventional methods. But that means that 6% is grown using GM seeds and methods.
In order to use GM seeds you must of course purchase the seeds from any one of a few massive multinationals that operate outside of the bounds of law. Though recognized as legal entities they largely operate with impunity. Such companies include; Monsanto and Bayer Cropscience just to name a couple. There are many, many companies which have at their core GM or GE (genetically engineered foods).
These companies, as mentioned above, largely operate outside of the law. While there have been numerous rulings and conventions with regard to GM or GE foods most of them favour the large multinationals and thus represent and clear and present danger to the food supply.
The practices of these companies is predatory and can be witnessed by Monsanto’s purchase of Delta & Pine Land company largely to gain access to what the company called its “Terminator Seed.” The purpose of which was to produce a plant which is seedless so that the cycle of production is entirely dependant on those select companies which own the seed. As if this were not predatory enough, in order to grow GM crops in places that were never meant to grow those crops, it is necessary to put massive amounts of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides which poison the soil and erode the soils ability to grow anything let alone GM crops.
For years, millennia in fact, it has been known as standard farming practice, that you had to rotate the crops, in order to maintain the quality of the soil. Those days no longer exist as massive industrial farms have taken over from the independent family farms. Which incidentally are suffering because of the inputs that they must buy in order to grow the crops which do not as promised, have greater yield or are less prone to disease. This millennia long practice going to the wayside has seen massive industrial farms set up in places such as Africa or South America in order to keep up with the ever increasing food demands.
Another (often not discussed) impact of our ever increasing use of GM or GE foods is that the inputs which are being used to grow these crops are now having a negative impact on water, causing both shortages and a poising of our water table as the fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides due to the increased amount of water to grow the crops eventually leaches into our water system. What is the impact of that decision for our species in 50 years?
Evolution has enabled us over long periods of time to deal with certain changes to climate, etc. One thing I am not certain that evolution can or will be able to do is to deal with increased toxins in our food while nutrients are being selectively and purposefully for profit removed from our food supply.
Make no mistake about it. I am not Chicken Little. BUT THE SKY IS FALLING! Malthusian theory through human ingenuity has been sidelined up until now. However, I believe, strongly, that the next fifty years are going to see massive food shortages which result from inadequate and ill informed food policy today. That these shortages are going to lead to a break down of those things that we consider civilization forming. And that the erosion of those forces of civilization are going to lead to untold strife. And yet countries pour billions into machines of death… does that make sense?
Our food supply chain in the oceans and rivers of the world is also unsustainable. As a result we are seeing large fish farms created with little to no study on the environmental and species impact. Extremely dangerous. As a species we are so greedy that we are eating ourselves to death, in fact to extinction and yet when is the last time you heard a World Leader, Obama, Harper, Sarkozy or anyone for that matter utter a single sentence on the coming shortage and crisis. There is a lack of true leadership at the levels that there has to be in order for our children to eat. This is not an issue which can be avoided. It is going to become reality. Sure we may be able to stave it off for a while but AT WHAT COST!
In the industrialized countries we have manufactured scarcity in order to inflate prices and thus stabilize profit centres. In Canada alone we destroy enough grain to feed the worlds hungry every year merely to protect profitability. Sure the powers that be will tell you that it is not fit for human consumption but do you really think that is the case? The same is true of other industrialized powers, the United States as well as the European Union. We also rely heavily on the World Bank and the IMF to create policies and funds which will help the problem. Unfortunately history proves that they are not concerned with the problem. Look at the conditions of loans in developing and under developed countries. The conditions create a consistent debtor country which has no means to get out of debt. When are we going to stop focusing on profit and start focusing on our species survival? A short reading of the history of Africa and Latin America bears witness to the previous statement.
Population has risen largely unchecked since the end of World War Two. The emergence of China and India as powerhouses in the next twenty years (best case scenario, worse is in the next five to seven) is going to strain the ability of the earth to produce even the most basic food stuffs for survival. Ultimately, I believe the answer we are going to be provided is a pill of some kind. My question is this; Where is the leadership on this issue? Where are the people raising the alarms about our imminent demise (in earth’s timeline sense)? Where are the people in power protecting us?
So where does this leave us. What can we do? First is buy local from local farmers. There is no shortage of Farmers Markets all over the industrialized world. In Ontario we have access to a seemingly endless supply of fresh foods, vegetables and fruits, game, etc. Buy local. Support your farmers.
Of course there is a big move to organic foods right now. But again I caution that organic foods have taken on the same life as GM or GE foods but in the opposite. Organic is largely unregulated and has a smattering of regulations from various bodies but nothing that is consistent or global let alone national in nature. This is not an attack on organic as I believe that it is a great movement. It is merely an acknowledgement that anything left largely unregulated ends up becoming less than the original idea and can be destructive.
We need to move away from industrial farms which are poisoning us. We need to demand, TRULY DEMAND action from our leaders today. For if the world continues on the same trend as the past sixty years we are headed to a world of 15 Billion people soon with little to no plan to feed that population or provide it with clean drinking water. Our current system is pushing us ever closer to the brink of destruction and NOONE IS PAYING ATTENTION.
Malthus was and is right. He was just off by a few years. There are countless articles, scholarly and opinionated on the matters discussed in this post. Find them. Figure out what you can do to make yourself healthier and in turn providing support, much needed, for the survival of our children. We can make a difference one person at a time. But we need to act now.
Adam Smith (you should also read Wealth of Nations) once wrote; “Such is the delicacy of man alone, that no object is produced to his liking. He finds that in everything there is need for improvement.... The whole industry of human life is employed not in procuring the supply of our three humble necessities, food, clothes and lodging, but in procuring the conveniences of it according to the nicety and delicacy of our tastes.”
Norman Borlaug once said; “Civilization as it is known today could not have evolved, nor can it survive, without an adequate food supply.”
Jeffrey Sachs in Scientific American wrote; “The recent surge in world food prices is already creating havoc in poor countries, and worse is to come. Food riots are spreading across Africa, though many are unreported in the international press. Moreover, the surge in wheat, maize and rice prices seen on commodities markets have not yet fully percolated into the shops and stalls of the poor countries or the budgets of relief organizations. Nor has the budget crunch facing relief organizations such as the World Food Program, which must buy food in world markets, been fully felt. The results could be calamitous unless offsetting policy actions are taken rapidly.
The facts are stark. A metric ton of wheat cost around $375 on the commodity exchanges in early 2006. In March 2008, it stood at over $900. Maize has gone from around $250 to $560 in the same period. Rice prices have also soared. The physical inventories of grain relative to demand are also down sharply in recent years.”
Oxfam has also started publicly crying out about the shortages that are coming;
"World leaders have a window of opportunity to prevent a worse situation resulting from the triple crunch of the economic crisis, climate change, and energy and water scarcity," Oxfam agricultural policy expert Carlos Galian said in a statement.
"Failure to act will see millions more people falling into hunger," he added.”
I am hopeful that something will be done in the coming months and years which can stave off our own destruction. We all have a part to play. Are you going to play yours?
Einstein was right when he said; “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
I have touched on this subject only once or twice before as I have an inner battle which rages between keeping this blog only as a means of relating my experience as it related to cooking. I have been thinking about this post for quite sometime and am thrilled that I finally have the time to write it.
Thomas Robert Malthus was a brilliant scholar (British) who produced incredible works on population and political economy. He spent a massive amount of time dedicated to understanding the problem he recognized probably two centuries before it was to become a massively important issue. His seminal work is called “The Principle of Population.”
In Principle he presents two very important theories which can be summarized as;
1) Population grows at an exponential rate while food production grows only arithmetically. (This has been untrue in the modern world because of advances in science and technology but ultimately will prove true in the coming decades.) Any shift in that balance between the two will illustrate that the power of the first is MUCH greater than the second.
2) In all societies there is a drive for population increase. This causes (my words not his) a class struggle which subjugates the lower classes and will never allow for a correction in standard of living for those lower classes.
He quite correctly in my opinion suggests that; “The power of population is so superior to the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man, that premature death must in some shape or other visit the human race. The vices of mankind are active and able ministers of depopulation. They are the precursors in the great army of destruction, and often finish the dreadful work themselves. But should they fail in this war of extermination, sickly seasons, epidemics, pestilence, and plague advance in terrific array, and sweep off their thousands and tens of thousands. Should success be still incomplete, gigantic inevitable famine stalks in the rear, and with one mighty blow levels the population with the food of the world.”
I have long suggested that Malthusian theory was now obsolete as we had surpassed the ability of the earth through technology and science to produce food exponentially in relation to population growth. As I have worked in the food industry I have read countless volumes (which by their very existence) suggest that this is untenable. That eventually technology will no longer be able to keep pace with the population explosion and that such being true will lead to the inevitability of class struggle, food shortage, famine and ultimately the death of tens of millions if not hundreds of millions of people. Moreover that our current policies do nothing to address the core problems.
Since the end of World War Two we have lived in a time of great peace and prosperity. Naturally there has been armed conflict but it has been limited to specific region and hot zones and has not become a global conflict. War, Malthus argued, was a positive influence on keeping population in check. Along with famine and people getting married later which lowers populations advance as the window for child rearing lessens. (again this is proving untrue as fertility drugs and treatments have shown us that grandmothers can have children… DANGER DANGER WILL ROBINSON). Populations’ necessity to stay in check as an important precursor to sustainability is being largely dismissed until very recently.
Now the question must be answered. How have we been able to stave off Malthusian theory from being correct until now? Well as alluded to above, since World War Two we have seen a great leap forward. In terms of population at the end of the war the earth stood at approximately 2 billion. Depending on the source the total war dead was anywhere from 55 million to 70 million which represented a decrease in world population of approximately 2.7 to 3%. However since the end of World War Two the population has exploded to approximately 7,000,000,000 today. A 300% increase.
We have been able to stave off Malthusian Theory through the ever increasing use of genetically modified food since 1990. I have written a much shorter post on this in the past. Genetically Modified Food or GM Food is food stuffs which have had their DNA changed by scientists through genetic engineering. This is troubling for two reasons; one is profit. There is a huge amount of profit to be made from the control of genetic engineering of food and the corporations that control the supply chain related to GM seeds will do anything to protect their value. Secondly it is alarming because as I touched on in the previous post I wrote on the subject, natural selection has fallen prey to GM Foods and has seen an extremely diverse food supply become increasingly homogenized. This homogenization has been largely left unstudied in terms of its impact on the food supply and the possibility of various forms of pests evolving to best our scientific achievement. These are very serious issues.
One such case I used was the case of the tomato Florida 47. There is a similar tomato which comes from California which is escaping my mind right now. However, these two tomatoes account for a ridiculous amount of the market in North America, somewhere in the neighborhood of 80%. 80% from two varietals that have been selectively modified and engineered not to deliver the most nutrients as the original fruit did but instead so that they are uniform, able to travel long distances, be red, plump and juicy. How do they achieve this? Through the modification of certain DNA parts of the plant which results in a lower amount of water, vitamins and nutrients and a devastating increase in the amount of SODIUM among other things. When you go to a supermarket to buy your tomatoes next time, look at them, feel them, smell them. I am sure that you will notice that smell is largely gone, they do not feel as tomatoes should and are instead as hard as tennis balls and they are all big and red. Then ask yourself; is this what a tomato is supposed to look like?
The same is happening all over the industrialized world. This is being done without much alarm, so that Food Production can keep up with Population explosion. EXACTLY WHAT MALTHUS WARNED ABOUT 200 YEARS AGO!
It is not restricted to Tomatoes either. Some of the most common food stuffs we eat are now genetically modified, including; Soybeans, Rice, Sugar Cane, Papaya, Cotton, Corn, Potatoes and Rapeseed. IN NO WAY IS THIS LIST EXHAUSTIVE MERELY ILLUSTRATIVE. Moreover is the current trend of farmers to switch to corn production as a means of producing ethanol. Foolish!
So what you say? Why does this matter? Well the problem with GM foods is that they are largely grown in areas that the environment is not meant to support them. As such it is necessary to transport massive amounts of water (another alarming and important issue which I will touch on after) and massive inputs must go in to the soil in order to sustain farms. I will elaborate presently.
GM Foods are expanding their reach at an alarming rate. Its influence on our daily meals has expanded by as much as 50 times (50 x) in a ten year period. And don’t think for a minute that this is happening in someone else’s backyard. It is our problem too. Canada for instance as of the latest statistics produces about 94% of its crops by time proven conventional methods. But that means that 6% is grown using GM seeds and methods.
In order to use GM seeds you must of course purchase the seeds from any one of a few massive multinationals that operate outside of the bounds of law. Though recognized as legal entities they largely operate with impunity. Such companies include; Monsanto and Bayer Cropscience just to name a couple. There are many, many companies which have at their core GM or GE (genetically engineered foods).
These companies, as mentioned above, largely operate outside of the law. While there have been numerous rulings and conventions with regard to GM or GE foods most of them favour the large multinationals and thus represent and clear and present danger to the food supply.
The practices of these companies is predatory and can be witnessed by Monsanto’s purchase of Delta & Pine Land company largely to gain access to what the company called its “Terminator Seed.” The purpose of which was to produce a plant which is seedless so that the cycle of production is entirely dependant on those select companies which own the seed. As if this were not predatory enough, in order to grow GM crops in places that were never meant to grow those crops, it is necessary to put massive amounts of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides which poison the soil and erode the soils ability to grow anything let alone GM crops.
For years, millennia in fact, it has been known as standard farming practice, that you had to rotate the crops, in order to maintain the quality of the soil. Those days no longer exist as massive industrial farms have taken over from the independent family farms. Which incidentally are suffering because of the inputs that they must buy in order to grow the crops which do not as promised, have greater yield or are less prone to disease. This millennia long practice going to the wayside has seen massive industrial farms set up in places such as Africa or South America in order to keep up with the ever increasing food demands.
Another (often not discussed) impact of our ever increasing use of GM or GE foods is that the inputs which are being used to grow these crops are now having a negative impact on water, causing both shortages and a poising of our water table as the fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides due to the increased amount of water to grow the crops eventually leaches into our water system. What is the impact of that decision for our species in 50 years?
Evolution has enabled us over long periods of time to deal with certain changes to climate, etc. One thing I am not certain that evolution can or will be able to do is to deal with increased toxins in our food while nutrients are being selectively and purposefully for profit removed from our food supply.
Make no mistake about it. I am not Chicken Little. BUT THE SKY IS FALLING! Malthusian theory through human ingenuity has been sidelined up until now. However, I believe, strongly, that the next fifty years are going to see massive food shortages which result from inadequate and ill informed food policy today. That these shortages are going to lead to a break down of those things that we consider civilization forming. And that the erosion of those forces of civilization are going to lead to untold strife. And yet countries pour billions into machines of death… does that make sense?
Our food supply chain in the oceans and rivers of the world is also unsustainable. As a result we are seeing large fish farms created with little to no study on the environmental and species impact. Extremely dangerous. As a species we are so greedy that we are eating ourselves to death, in fact to extinction and yet when is the last time you heard a World Leader, Obama, Harper, Sarkozy or anyone for that matter utter a single sentence on the coming shortage and crisis. There is a lack of true leadership at the levels that there has to be in order for our children to eat. This is not an issue which can be avoided. It is going to become reality. Sure we may be able to stave it off for a while but AT WHAT COST!
In the industrialized countries we have manufactured scarcity in order to inflate prices and thus stabilize profit centres. In Canada alone we destroy enough grain to feed the worlds hungry every year merely to protect profitability. Sure the powers that be will tell you that it is not fit for human consumption but do you really think that is the case? The same is true of other industrialized powers, the United States as well as the European Union. We also rely heavily on the World Bank and the IMF to create policies and funds which will help the problem. Unfortunately history proves that they are not concerned with the problem. Look at the conditions of loans in developing and under developed countries. The conditions create a consistent debtor country which has no means to get out of debt. When are we going to stop focusing on profit and start focusing on our species survival? A short reading of the history of Africa and Latin America bears witness to the previous statement.
Population has risen largely unchecked since the end of World War Two. The emergence of China and India as powerhouses in the next twenty years (best case scenario, worse is in the next five to seven) is going to strain the ability of the earth to produce even the most basic food stuffs for survival. Ultimately, I believe the answer we are going to be provided is a pill of some kind. My question is this; Where is the leadership on this issue? Where are the people raising the alarms about our imminent demise (in earth’s timeline sense)? Where are the people in power protecting us?
So where does this leave us. What can we do? First is buy local from local farmers. There is no shortage of Farmers Markets all over the industrialized world. In Ontario we have access to a seemingly endless supply of fresh foods, vegetables and fruits, game, etc. Buy local. Support your farmers.
Of course there is a big move to organic foods right now. But again I caution that organic foods have taken on the same life as GM or GE foods but in the opposite. Organic is largely unregulated and has a smattering of regulations from various bodies but nothing that is consistent or global let alone national in nature. This is not an attack on organic as I believe that it is a great movement. It is merely an acknowledgement that anything left largely unregulated ends up becoming less than the original idea and can be destructive.
We need to move away from industrial farms which are poisoning us. We need to demand, TRULY DEMAND action from our leaders today. For if the world continues on the same trend as the past sixty years we are headed to a world of 15 Billion people soon with little to no plan to feed that population or provide it with clean drinking water. Our current system is pushing us ever closer to the brink of destruction and NOONE IS PAYING ATTENTION.
Malthus was and is right. He was just off by a few years. There are countless articles, scholarly and opinionated on the matters discussed in this post. Find them. Figure out what you can do to make yourself healthier and in turn providing support, much needed, for the survival of our children. We can make a difference one person at a time. But we need to act now.
Adam Smith (you should also read Wealth of Nations) once wrote; “Such is the delicacy of man alone, that no object is produced to his liking. He finds that in everything there is need for improvement.... The whole industry of human life is employed not in procuring the supply of our three humble necessities, food, clothes and lodging, but in procuring the conveniences of it according to the nicety and delicacy of our tastes.”
Norman Borlaug once said; “Civilization as it is known today could not have evolved, nor can it survive, without an adequate food supply.”
Jeffrey Sachs in Scientific American wrote; “The recent surge in world food prices is already creating havoc in poor countries, and worse is to come. Food riots are spreading across Africa, though many are unreported in the international press. Moreover, the surge in wheat, maize and rice prices seen on commodities markets have not yet fully percolated into the shops and stalls of the poor countries or the budgets of relief organizations. Nor has the budget crunch facing relief organizations such as the World Food Program, which must buy food in world markets, been fully felt. The results could be calamitous unless offsetting policy actions are taken rapidly.
The facts are stark. A metric ton of wheat cost around $375 on the commodity exchanges in early 2006. In March 2008, it stood at over $900. Maize has gone from around $250 to $560 in the same period. Rice prices have also soared. The physical inventories of grain relative to demand are also down sharply in recent years.”
Oxfam has also started publicly crying out about the shortages that are coming;
"World leaders have a window of opportunity to prevent a worse situation resulting from the triple crunch of the economic crisis, climate change, and energy and water scarcity," Oxfam agricultural policy expert Carlos Galian said in a statement.
"Failure to act will see millions more people falling into hunger," he added.”
I am hopeful that something will be done in the coming months and years which can stave off our own destruction. We all have a part to play. Are you going to play yours?
Einstein was right when he said; “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Friday, May 8, 2009
The Beauty of Friends
My last post was a request for readers to send in questions. I’m not sure whether she read the plea or not but I got an email this morning from Linds (the woman who is responsible for this blog even existing) asking whether I would be interested in speaking with a young man who has expressed an interest in being a Chef.
Naturally I responded by saying that I would absolutely love to. She then responded by forwarding me his name, email and phone number. I plan on giving him a call when I get back from work on Monday.
I am more than happy to help anyone who is thinking of becoming a Chef or for that matter that needs any help. It’s who I am and who I always have been. It is a beautiful thing to be able to repay the assistance that I have been given in my endeavours. Paying it forward if you will.
Douglas MacArthur once said; “Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul. You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope as old as your despair. In the central place of every heart there is a recording chamber. So long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer and courage, so long are you young. When your heart is covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then, and then only, are you grown old. And then, indeed as the ballad says, you just fade away.”
I look forward to speaking with his young man and giving him the most prudent and candid advice I can. I will update you after our conversation.
Have a great weekend. Do something that scares you. It will make you a better person for it.
A la prochaine
SDM
Naturally I responded by saying that I would absolutely love to. She then responded by forwarding me his name, email and phone number. I plan on giving him a call when I get back from work on Monday.
I am more than happy to help anyone who is thinking of becoming a Chef or for that matter that needs any help. It’s who I am and who I always have been. It is a beautiful thing to be able to repay the assistance that I have been given in my endeavours. Paying it forward if you will.
Douglas MacArthur once said; “Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul. You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope as old as your despair. In the central place of every heart there is a recording chamber. So long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer and courage, so long are you young. When your heart is covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then, and then only, are you grown old. And then, indeed as the ballad says, you just fade away.”
I look forward to speaking with his young man and giving him the most prudent and candid advice I can. I will update you after our conversation.
Have a great weekend. Do something that scares you. It will make you a better person for it.
A la prochaine
SDM
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Questions...
I am right here to answer your questions... send them to askachefintraining@gmail.com.
I know you have them and I will do my best to answer them...
A la prochaine
SDM
I know you have them and I will do my best to answer them...
A la prochaine
SDM
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Sambal versus Sriacha
I received a question a couple weeks back about the uses of Sambal versus Sriacha by a follower of the blog. As some of you know, my last week or two have been very busy. As such this is the first chance I have had to respond;
Sambal
Sambal originates in Indonesia but is also very popular in the region in countries including Malaysia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. It can be both a powder and a liquid variety. Most commonly Sambal is made from;
Habanero
Thai
Cayenne
Bird’s Eye Chili
Spanish Peppers
There are numerous variants of Sambal all of which have a unique flavour all their own.
Sriacha
Oh how I love the Sriacha. Originating in Thailand in the city of Si Racha it is most frequently made from chili peppers. Its flavour is a little more potent due to the way that it is made with salt, sugar, vinegar and garlic.
To be quite frank I use them interchangeably. And I think that most in Western Culture do. However, in Thailand Sriacha is predominantly used for seafood. I tend to use Sambal with Oysters whereas I use Sriacha when I am making a strifry.
I hope that this was helpful to you. Keep cooking.
Dream big and inspired.
SDM
Sambal
Sambal originates in Indonesia but is also very popular in the region in countries including Malaysia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. It can be both a powder and a liquid variety. Most commonly Sambal is made from;
Habanero
Thai
Cayenne
Bird’s Eye Chili
Spanish Peppers
There are numerous variants of Sambal all of which have a unique flavour all their own.
Sriacha
Oh how I love the Sriacha. Originating in Thailand in the city of Si Racha it is most frequently made from chili peppers. Its flavour is a little more potent due to the way that it is made with salt, sugar, vinegar and garlic.
To be quite frank I use them interchangeably. And I think that most in Western Culture do. However, in Thailand Sriacha is predominantly used for seafood. I tend to use Sambal with Oysters whereas I use Sriacha when I am making a strifry.
I hope that this was helpful to you. Keep cooking.
Dream big and inspired.
SDM
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
A Well Stocked Pantry
Hello my fellow epicureans! I received the following question today; “What is in your pantry?” I took this to mean; “what should I have in my pantry?” We’ve come a long way in the past fifty years with regard to what’s in our pantries. Naturally what is in my pantry may not necessarily be in your pantry and vice versa. However what follows is a list (which I'm sure is missing a few things but I'll figure it out) of what I think should be in a serious epicureans pantry.
Olive Oil; Extra Virgin, Virgin and Pure
Sesame Oil
Walnut Oil
Coconut Oil
Palm Oil
Truffle Oil
Sunflower Oil
Grape seed Oil
Canola Oil
Hazelnut Oil
Flax Seed Oil
White Vinegar
Malt Vinegar
Balsamic Vinegar
Cider Vinegar
Sherry Vinegar
Wine Vinegars
Rice Wine Vinegar
Penne
Spaghetti
Farfalle (Bow Tie)
Fettuccini
Fusilli
Rotini
White Rice
Wild Rice
Basmati Rice
Arborio Rice (for Risotto)
Pearl Pasta (Israeli Couscous)
All Purpose Flour
Cake Flour
Pastry Flour
Corn Meal
Corn Starch
Lentils
Black beans
Red Kidney Beans
White Kidney Beans
Peanuts
Walnuts
Pine Nuts
Almonds
All Spice
Basil
Chili Powder
Cinnamon
Coriander Seed
Cumin
Curry Powder
Fennel Seed
Five Spice
Garlic Powder (I personally don’t use powder)
Ginger Powder (ditto)
Juniper Berries
Marjoram
Mint
Mustard
Nutmeg (fresh Nutmeg is a guilty pleasure of mine)
Onion Powder (I personally don’t use)
Oregano
Paprika (I love smoked paprika)
Crushed Peppers
Black Peppercorn
Green Peppercorns
White Pepper
Pink Peppercorns (a misnomer)
Poppy Seed
Rosemary
Sage – dried and rubbed
Salt – I only use Kosher Salt
Sesame Seeds
Tarragon
Thyme
Turmeric
Vanilla Extract
Baking Powder and Soda
Bread Crumbs – both regular and Panko
Chocolate – unsweetened, semisweet and cocoa powder
Evaporated or Condensed Milk
Coconut Cream
Coconut Milk
Molasses
Honey
Dried Apricots
Dried Raisins
Gelatin
Peanut Butter
Potatoes
Tuna
Yeast
Canned Tomatoes – which have brilliant flavour and usability
Sun dried Tomatoes
Tomato Paste
So I just put together this list on the fly. Other things you should always have around are onions, mustards, ketchup, maple syrup, capers, pickles, etc.
I hope this answers your question and if you need any clarification as to the uses of one ingredient over another just let me know. That’s why I am here. So that you can askachefintraining@gmail.com how to make the kitchen a little more fun and a little less confusing. AND A WHOLE LOT MORE DELICIOUS.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Olive Oil; Extra Virgin, Virgin and Pure
Sesame Oil
Walnut Oil
Coconut Oil
Palm Oil
Truffle Oil
Sunflower Oil
Grape seed Oil
Canola Oil
Hazelnut Oil
Flax Seed Oil
White Vinegar
Malt Vinegar
Balsamic Vinegar
Cider Vinegar
Sherry Vinegar
Wine Vinegars
Rice Wine Vinegar
Penne
Spaghetti
Farfalle (Bow Tie)
Fettuccini
Fusilli
Rotini
White Rice
Wild Rice
Basmati Rice
Arborio Rice (for Risotto)
Pearl Pasta (Israeli Couscous)
All Purpose Flour
Cake Flour
Pastry Flour
Corn Meal
Corn Starch
Lentils
Black beans
Red Kidney Beans
White Kidney Beans
Peanuts
Walnuts
Pine Nuts
Almonds
All Spice
Basil
Chili Powder
Cinnamon
Coriander Seed
Cumin
Curry Powder
Fennel Seed
Five Spice
Garlic Powder (I personally don’t use powder)
Ginger Powder (ditto)
Juniper Berries
Marjoram
Mint
Mustard
Nutmeg (fresh Nutmeg is a guilty pleasure of mine)
Onion Powder (I personally don’t use)
Oregano
Paprika (I love smoked paprika)
Crushed Peppers
Black Peppercorn
Green Peppercorns
White Pepper
Pink Peppercorns (a misnomer)
Poppy Seed
Rosemary
Sage – dried and rubbed
Salt – I only use Kosher Salt
Sesame Seeds
Tarragon
Thyme
Turmeric
Vanilla Extract
Baking Powder and Soda
Bread Crumbs – both regular and Panko
Chocolate – unsweetened, semisweet and cocoa powder
Evaporated or Condensed Milk
Coconut Cream
Coconut Milk
Molasses
Honey
Dried Apricots
Dried Raisins
Gelatin
Peanut Butter
Potatoes
Tuna
Yeast
Canned Tomatoes – which have brilliant flavour and usability
Sun dried Tomatoes
Tomato Paste
So I just put together this list on the fly. Other things you should always have around are onions, mustards, ketchup, maple syrup, capers, pickles, etc.
I hope this answers your question and if you need any clarification as to the uses of one ingredient over another just let me know. That’s why I am here. So that you can askachefintraining@gmail.com how to make the kitchen a little more fun and a little less confusing. AND A WHOLE LOT MORE DELICIOUS.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Sunday, April 5, 2009
As Promised...
I woke up this morning to a sound that has been lost to me and all of us for the past few months. Chirping birds, their songs lifting me out of my bed, ready to face anything and everything to be thrown at me today. So as always I visit my good friend Tim for a two cream one sugar and then check my emails. I was greeted by an email from Linds thanking me again and giving me some pictures of the food that she prepared.
My thanks to Linds for sending me the pictures and for having the bravery to step outside your comfort zone to produce a meal to die for on a very special occasion.
Potato and Leek Puree with Crispy Prosciuto
Seared Foie Gras with Red Currant and Fig Reduction
Homemade Tagliatelle with Braised Beef Short Ribs
Bread and Butter Pudding with Raspberries
If you have any food related questions feel free to send them to me at askachefintraining@gmail.com. I will do my best to answer the question to the best of my abilities and in a timely fashion.
Thomas Wolfe once wrote; “There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves.”
Are you cooking something today? Dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
My thanks to Linds for sending me the pictures and for having the bravery to step outside your comfort zone to produce a meal to die for on a very special occasion.
Potato and Leek Puree with Crispy Prosciuto
Seared Foie Gras with Red Currant and Fig Reduction
Homemade Tagliatelle with Braised Beef Short Ribs
Bread and Butter Pudding with Raspberries
If you have any food related questions feel free to send them to me at askachefintraining@gmail.com. I will do my best to answer the question to the best of my abilities and in a timely fashion.
Thomas Wolfe once wrote; “There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves.”
Are you cooking something today? Dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Monday, March 30, 2009
Chicken Based Meat Balls (file under what a kid wants…)
My friend L has just sent me a question because her daughter; “wants a BIG meatball for dinner. Any suggestions? I bought white and dark ground chicken (instead of beef). But really don't know how to even start making a meatball!!!”
SERVES 4
Ingredients
1 lb ground chicken, either dark or white, or any combination of both
1 egg
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
approx 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh oregano (or the equivalent dried)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Put ground chicken, egg, parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic, oregano and salt in a mixing bowl.
Mix together until evenly combined.
Form mixture into desired size.
In a non stick skillet heat olive oil over high heat.
Put meatballs into pan and cook until evenly browned on all sides. Depends on the size of meatballs.
* This recipe could not be easier to prep or make. And because of its simplicity you can include your kids in the making of them.
** Always remember to wash your hands thoroughly when dealing with any protein in order to stave off food borne illnesses.
I specifically chose this recipe because it is easy to make. Fun. Fast and delicious. I think you will enjoy it L. Let me know.
Do any of you have a question for me; just drop me an email at askachefintraining@gmail.com.
A memorable quote from the movie Meatballs came to mind; “Attention. Here's an update on tonight's dinner. It was veal. I repeat, veal. The winner of tonight's mystery meat contest is Jeffrey Corbin who guessed "some kind of beef."
I’m sure you will enjoy.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
SERVES 4
Ingredients
1 lb ground chicken, either dark or white, or any combination of both
1 egg
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
approx 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh oregano (or the equivalent dried)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Put ground chicken, egg, parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic, oregano and salt in a mixing bowl.
Mix together until evenly combined.
Form mixture into desired size.
In a non stick skillet heat olive oil over high heat.
Put meatballs into pan and cook until evenly browned on all sides. Depends on the size of meatballs.
* This recipe could not be easier to prep or make. And because of its simplicity you can include your kids in the making of them.
** Always remember to wash your hands thoroughly when dealing with any protein in order to stave off food borne illnesses.
I specifically chose this recipe because it is easy to make. Fun. Fast and delicious. I think you will enjoy it L. Let me know.
Do any of you have a question for me; just drop me an email at askachefintraining@gmail.com.
A memorable quote from the movie Meatballs came to mind; “Attention. Here's an update on tonight's dinner. It was veal. I repeat, veal. The winner of tonight's mystery meat contest is Jeffrey Corbin who guessed "some kind of beef."
I’m sure you will enjoy.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Jus
Hello all! I hope that you have had an incredible week. Sorry I couldn’t write, I was in a period of figuring things out and transition. I promise my replies will be faster in the future. Plus you can check out my exploits from last week at http://newbieintheweeds.blogspot.com.
I received a new question; “What is the recipe and related technique for making a "jus" (like that which might accompany a steak or prime rib)? Is it easy or difficult to make such a "jus"?
The base of any good jus is a great stock. In my second question that was asked I covered the basic elements of making a great stock. Assuming you already have a stock that you have just finished. Set aside the useable liquid (stock) and keep the bones, mirepoix, etc in the pot.
Turn on the heat and add some red wine, for the amount that we are dealing with I would say that half a bottle would be a great amount, to the remaining ingredients. Allow this to reduce until you no longer smell the alcohol. Again I caution you NOT to put your face over the pot, instead waft the air to your nose. Once reduced add water to cover the bones and allow to simmer gently and reduce.
As with the stock, you must take patience and great care to skim off the fat and particles that will negatively impact the quality of your jus. Once reduced to approximately one third its original volume turn off the heat and strain through a fine sieve.
Throw out the remaining ingredients and clean out the pot. Add approximately one third a bottle of red wine and let reduce. Then add equal parts of the stock and the remoulage (the second boil) into the pot and let reduce gently. You continue this until it reaches the desired consistency.
You want your jus to be thick and have a dark and rich almost purple or deep brown colouration to it. Once this is done you want to again put it through a fine sieve and put into containers to meet your needs. Jus can be frozen and used at a later date no problem.
Following these basic guidelines will produce a rich and flavourful jus.
A specific recipe for jus follows here that I feel best works for the home cook;
10 pounds bones
5 Carrots
2 Large Onions
1 Head Celery
1 bunch Leeks
1 small can of Tomato paste
1 Bottle Red Wine
Half a handful of Peppercorns
Water.
If you follow the instructions contained in the post related to stock and the instructions above you will find that you have a delicious jus that can be used for many meat dishes.
I trust that this answers your question. If any of you have any food related questions feel free to send them to me at askachefintraining@gmail.com.
Rodney Dangerfield once said; “I'm at the age where food has taken the place of sex in my life. In fact, I've just had a mirror put over my kitchen table.” Anybody else thinking of mirroring over their kitchen table?
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
I received a new question; “What is the recipe and related technique for making a "jus" (like that which might accompany a steak or prime rib)? Is it easy or difficult to make such a "jus"?
The base of any good jus is a great stock. In my second question that was asked I covered the basic elements of making a great stock. Assuming you already have a stock that you have just finished. Set aside the useable liquid (stock) and keep the bones, mirepoix, etc in the pot.
Turn on the heat and add some red wine, for the amount that we are dealing with I would say that half a bottle would be a great amount, to the remaining ingredients. Allow this to reduce until you no longer smell the alcohol. Again I caution you NOT to put your face over the pot, instead waft the air to your nose. Once reduced add water to cover the bones and allow to simmer gently and reduce.
As with the stock, you must take patience and great care to skim off the fat and particles that will negatively impact the quality of your jus. Once reduced to approximately one third its original volume turn off the heat and strain through a fine sieve.
Throw out the remaining ingredients and clean out the pot. Add approximately one third a bottle of red wine and let reduce. Then add equal parts of the stock and the remoulage (the second boil) into the pot and let reduce gently. You continue this until it reaches the desired consistency.
You want your jus to be thick and have a dark and rich almost purple or deep brown colouration to it. Once this is done you want to again put it through a fine sieve and put into containers to meet your needs. Jus can be frozen and used at a later date no problem.
Following these basic guidelines will produce a rich and flavourful jus.
A specific recipe for jus follows here that I feel best works for the home cook;
10 pounds bones
5 Carrots
2 Large Onions
1 Head Celery
1 bunch Leeks
1 small can of Tomato paste
1 Bottle Red Wine
Half a handful of Peppercorns
Water.
If you follow the instructions contained in the post related to stock and the instructions above you will find that you have a delicious jus that can be used for many meat dishes.
I trust that this answers your question. If any of you have any food related questions feel free to send them to me at askachefintraining@gmail.com.
Rodney Dangerfield once said; “I'm at the age where food has taken the place of sex in my life. In fact, I've just had a mirror put over my kitchen table.” Anybody else thinking of mirroring over their kitchen table?
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Monday, March 23, 2009
A Question About Stock
Hello again all. Yesterday I received another question in my inbox. This one about stock;
“I make wonderful chicken and turkey stocks.
My challenges are with making good beef and vegetable stocks. I have never tried making vegetable stock and only once tried making a beef stock. It produced glue.
Could you please provide good recipes and guidance, including for example, good tips like should I buy beef bones with meat on the bone?”
In my training at Reservation, the place which laid the foundation of my culinary journey, I was largely responsible for making massive quantities of stocks and jus. Stocks may seem like a lot of work to some of you but they provide the backbone for many, many preparations and should be given respect as such.
The first key to making a good stock is, are you ready for this, PATIENCE.
When making stock and then jus at Reservation I would start with an appropriate mirepoix while I was roasting the bones. Naturally having a convection oven makes the bones come out a little bit better than a regular home oven, but you can get similar results.
First and foremost I want to say this; Ingredients are key. If you buy bad, soured, spoiled or off ingredients (not that I’m suggesting you would but I find that common sense is by no means common). Thus source out the best place to get the freshest ingredients.
The principle for a beef, veal or chicken stock is the same. Bones, mirepoix, wine, water and herbs and spices.
In this case, for a beef stock, I would suggest buying bones directly from a reputable butcher. Only because I know who is asking this question well I happen to know that you can very easily hit St. Lawrence Market or Kensington Market to find what you need.
At Reservation and Without Reservation I use Veal Leg Bones and Beef Leg Bones. They come to me without any meat on them or at the very least only a little. There are numerous methods to preparing the bones for stock. Some people clean the bones while some prefer to just roast them. For the most part this is a matter of personal preference although there are some very specific and detailed culinary reasons for the multiple preparations.
I would not clean the bones that I was using as I would roast them in a 375 F oven until the bones achieved the colour that I desired (by I naturally I am referring to what Chef wanted which in turn became what I wanted). In a convection oven this could take anywhere from 35 to 50 minutes depending on a whole host of variables.
Once the bones were in the oven I would set to work on the mirepoix. For a good beef or veal stock you want to use roughly 40 % onion, 30 % Carrot and 30% Celery. This is only one way of doing the mirepoix though. You could include fennel, as an example, in place or in addition to celery. I would make my stocks at reservation with a case of bones that weighed 50 pounds and for that I would use approximately five onions, two heads of celery and around 11 carrots. This should give you a pretty good idea.
Some people prefer to roast the mirepoix a bit. I personally do not as I do not like the flavour that develops. Again personal preference.
I would then mix a slurry with Red Wine and Tomato Paste. Again it will depend on the amount of bones that you are using but for a smaller batch I would suggest using twelve or more ounces of tomato paste to each bottle of red wine.
Put a pot on the stove and wait for it to get very hot. Once very hot add the slurry to it and allow it to reduce. You know that it is ready when there is no more alcohol smell. DO NOT PUT YOUR FACE OVER A HOT POT. Instead, use your hands to bring the aroma to your nose.
Let’s assume that your bones are ready. Take them out of the oven and let them cool for a minute or two. PLACE, very important; PLACE the bones into the pot as opposed to just throwing them in. There are both flavour and appearance reasons for this.
Ones the bones are in you want to add your mirepoix and then cover with water. The last thing you want to do is add your flavouring agents, such as; Thyme, Peppercorn, Rosemary, etc. There is no need to do this as a bouquet garni as you are going to have to put the stock through a sieve or colander later.
At this point you have the basic preparations of a stock. You want to bring the stock up to a gentle simmer and then reduce the heat so as not to impart the stock with that tell tale flavour of burn or overheating. Moreover, if you boil your stock it will become cloudy (which for the home cook is not so big a deal but in a restaurant you don’t want it to be cloudy).
At Reservation stock would take me 24 hours to make to come up with a final product of approximately 20 L.
I would suggest that if you follow these instructions you can complete a very nice stock in 8 or so hours.
Now this is very important. You will notice that the scum will float to the surface. Regularly skim off this scum. It will, if left in, adversely affect the flavour and clarity of your stock. I would suggest skimming once every thirty minutes or so.
If you need to you can add a bit more water to the stock if you feel that it has reduced too far. However, as with any reduction, the flavours will grow more intense the more you reduce.
Finally, I use to at Reservation put my (read Chef’s) stock through a fine sieve. What this does is remove the small particles that will adversely affect you stock.
This will produce a very fine beef or veal stock. Best part is you can make big batches and freeze them to be used later.
Moreover if you wanted to turn that stock into a demi you would simply add more water to the pot and allow it to reduce for about the same time that you did the stock. Apply equal portions of stock and remi (second boil) into a pot of reduced red wine and gently simmer until reaching the consistency you desire and voila DEMI!
Vegetable Stock
A great vegetable stock starts with the ingredients and you follow the same basic principles of beef or veal stock although the time required is less plus you do not require the wine. Although this is a matter of personal preference as well.
Again with both stocks; PATIENCE IS KEY. You must skim your protein stocks very well.
In terms of recipes, some of the best have come from the incredible work of Escoffier, Blanc and as of recently Apicius. Each are available from the public Library and offer a wealth of knowledge when it comes to stocks. By the way, the current recipe belongs to an Executive Chef who I respect immensely and as such I have not given out his recipe.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, stocks are the basis from which many of the dishes I prepare gain their complexity, colour and beautiful flavour. Play with them over time and you will develop a recipe that is best for you.
I hope this answers your question. If not send me an email and let me know.
Raymond Blanc once said; “Like my father before me, I'm a very passionate person, with boundless energy and tremendous willpower.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!
A la prochaine
SDM
“I make wonderful chicken and turkey stocks.
My challenges are with making good beef and vegetable stocks. I have never tried making vegetable stock and only once tried making a beef stock. It produced glue.
Could you please provide good recipes and guidance, including for example, good tips like should I buy beef bones with meat on the bone?”
In my training at Reservation, the place which laid the foundation of my culinary journey, I was largely responsible for making massive quantities of stocks and jus. Stocks may seem like a lot of work to some of you but they provide the backbone for many, many preparations and should be given respect as such.
The first key to making a good stock is, are you ready for this, PATIENCE.
When making stock and then jus at Reservation I would start with an appropriate mirepoix while I was roasting the bones. Naturally having a convection oven makes the bones come out a little bit better than a regular home oven, but you can get similar results.
First and foremost I want to say this; Ingredients are key. If you buy bad, soured, spoiled or off ingredients (not that I’m suggesting you would but I find that common sense is by no means common). Thus source out the best place to get the freshest ingredients.
The principle for a beef, veal or chicken stock is the same. Bones, mirepoix, wine, water and herbs and spices.
In this case, for a beef stock, I would suggest buying bones directly from a reputable butcher. Only because I know who is asking this question well I happen to know that you can very easily hit St. Lawrence Market or Kensington Market to find what you need.
At Reservation and Without Reservation I use Veal Leg Bones and Beef Leg Bones. They come to me without any meat on them or at the very least only a little. There are numerous methods to preparing the bones for stock. Some people clean the bones while some prefer to just roast them. For the most part this is a matter of personal preference although there are some very specific and detailed culinary reasons for the multiple preparations.
I would not clean the bones that I was using as I would roast them in a 375 F oven until the bones achieved the colour that I desired (by I naturally I am referring to what Chef wanted which in turn became what I wanted). In a convection oven this could take anywhere from 35 to 50 minutes depending on a whole host of variables.
Once the bones were in the oven I would set to work on the mirepoix. For a good beef or veal stock you want to use roughly 40 % onion, 30 % Carrot and 30% Celery. This is only one way of doing the mirepoix though. You could include fennel, as an example, in place or in addition to celery. I would make my stocks at reservation with a case of bones that weighed 50 pounds and for that I would use approximately five onions, two heads of celery and around 11 carrots. This should give you a pretty good idea.
Some people prefer to roast the mirepoix a bit. I personally do not as I do not like the flavour that develops. Again personal preference.
I would then mix a slurry with Red Wine and Tomato Paste. Again it will depend on the amount of bones that you are using but for a smaller batch I would suggest using twelve or more ounces of tomato paste to each bottle of red wine.
Put a pot on the stove and wait for it to get very hot. Once very hot add the slurry to it and allow it to reduce. You know that it is ready when there is no more alcohol smell. DO NOT PUT YOUR FACE OVER A HOT POT. Instead, use your hands to bring the aroma to your nose.
Let’s assume that your bones are ready. Take them out of the oven and let them cool for a minute or two. PLACE, very important; PLACE the bones into the pot as opposed to just throwing them in. There are both flavour and appearance reasons for this.
Ones the bones are in you want to add your mirepoix and then cover with water. The last thing you want to do is add your flavouring agents, such as; Thyme, Peppercorn, Rosemary, etc. There is no need to do this as a bouquet garni as you are going to have to put the stock through a sieve or colander later.
At this point you have the basic preparations of a stock. You want to bring the stock up to a gentle simmer and then reduce the heat so as not to impart the stock with that tell tale flavour of burn or overheating. Moreover, if you boil your stock it will become cloudy (which for the home cook is not so big a deal but in a restaurant you don’t want it to be cloudy).
At Reservation stock would take me 24 hours to make to come up with a final product of approximately 20 L.
I would suggest that if you follow these instructions you can complete a very nice stock in 8 or so hours.
Now this is very important. You will notice that the scum will float to the surface. Regularly skim off this scum. It will, if left in, adversely affect the flavour and clarity of your stock. I would suggest skimming once every thirty minutes or so.
If you need to you can add a bit more water to the stock if you feel that it has reduced too far. However, as with any reduction, the flavours will grow more intense the more you reduce.
Finally, I use to at Reservation put my (read Chef’s) stock through a fine sieve. What this does is remove the small particles that will adversely affect you stock.
This will produce a very fine beef or veal stock. Best part is you can make big batches and freeze them to be used later.
Moreover if you wanted to turn that stock into a demi you would simply add more water to the pot and allow it to reduce for about the same time that you did the stock. Apply equal portions of stock and remi (second boil) into a pot of reduced red wine and gently simmer until reaching the consistency you desire and voila DEMI!
Vegetable Stock
A great vegetable stock starts with the ingredients and you follow the same basic principles of beef or veal stock although the time required is less plus you do not require the wine. Although this is a matter of personal preference as well.
Again with both stocks; PATIENCE IS KEY. You must skim your protein stocks very well.
In terms of recipes, some of the best have come from the incredible work of Escoffier, Blanc and as of recently Apicius. Each are available from the public Library and offer a wealth of knowledge when it comes to stocks. By the way, the current recipe belongs to an Executive Chef who I respect immensely and as such I have not given out his recipe.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, stocks are the basis from which many of the dishes I prepare gain their complexity, colour and beautiful flavour. Play with them over time and you will develop a recipe that is best for you.
I hope this answers your question. If not send me an email and let me know.
Raymond Blanc once said; “Like my father before me, I'm a very passionate person, with boundless energy and tremendous willpower.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!
A la prochaine
SDM
Sunday, March 22, 2009
First Question; How to Roast Vegetables in the Oven?
So my friends, the first question that I received was yesterday from a dear man who was there the moment that I got engaged and in fact took one of the best pictures commemorating the event for me. In case I didn’t thank you then, THANK YOU! It is one of C and I’s favorite pictures of all time.
The question was as follows; “How can I roast in the oven zucchini, peppers, onions, eggplant and carrots in oven. Want them tender yet with a little crispness left. What can I baste them with? Mine always turn out hard.”
My suggestion was to buy a cast iron griddle pan. I’ve attached a link here to a great example;
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=489&f=3724
On the stovetop you would then heat the pan until it is smoking hot. While you are waiting for the pan to heat up make sure that you heat the oven to approximately 325 F. I say approximately because every oven is different, some get hotter and some are cooler.
Toss the vegetables in a little olive oil (or whatever fat substitute you prefer) along with some salt, pepper and some fresh herbs if you are so inclined. In order to avoid excessive browning I like to add an acid, either lemon juice or lime juice just as I am about to put into the pan. It both imparts flavour and helps to prevent discoloration. Once you have seared both sides you want to put them into the oven for about seven to ten minutes. Again times vary according to your oven so keep a close eye.
This should make your roasted vegetables taste delicious and have just the right mouth feel if I understood your question correctly.
Thank you for your question and I look forward to many many more.
SDM
The question was as follows; “How can I roast in the oven zucchini, peppers, onions, eggplant and carrots in oven. Want them tender yet with a little crispness left. What can I baste them with? Mine always turn out hard.”
My suggestion was to buy a cast iron griddle pan. I’ve attached a link here to a great example;
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=489&f=3724
On the stovetop you would then heat the pan until it is smoking hot. While you are waiting for the pan to heat up make sure that you heat the oven to approximately 325 F. I say approximately because every oven is different, some get hotter and some are cooler.
Toss the vegetables in a little olive oil (or whatever fat substitute you prefer) along with some salt, pepper and some fresh herbs if you are so inclined. In order to avoid excessive browning I like to add an acid, either lemon juice or lime juice just as I am about to put into the pan. It both imparts flavour and helps to prevent discoloration. Once you have seared both sides you want to put them into the oven for about seven to ten minutes. Again times vary according to your oven so keep a close eye.
This should make your roasted vegetables taste delicious and have just the right mouth feel if I understood your question correctly.
Thank you for your question and I look forward to many many more.
SDM
Friday, March 20, 2009
Ask A Chef in Training
Plato once said; “For neither birth, nor wealth, nor honors, can awaken in the minds of men the principles which should guide those who from their youth aspire to an honorable and excellent life, as Love awakens them”
I love to cook. It is one of the few things in this crazy life that can make me relax. From my earliest memories I was in a kitchen. Whether it was baking shortbread, making pasta or being the grill master, I have always loved, neigh, needed to cook. It brought me to another place where I could relax, calm my mind and grow as a person.
I will be very honest, this blog is the result of my friend Linds, who I have known since I was a fifteen year old brat. We met in high school, that time when what we don’t know is compounded even further by what we don’t know. If that doesn’t make sense to you then I have to wonder if you remember what adolescence was like.
I have been on the journey to becoming a chef for about a year and a half. However, I have, as mentioned above, been cooking my whole life. I am the third of eight children, whose parents divorced, as such, I would often end up cooking when I got sick of the “take out” monster.
So what is the purpose of this blog. Well, it is two fold, one to assists YOU in any and all culinary questions you may have but also to assist me in my culinary growth.
So ask me anything you want. Help me to help you. And as a result we will both grow.
Paul Sweeney once said; “He adds a lot of laughs and shares his knowledge of the past. He's quite a character.”
I am yours!
And I would like to extend a very big thank you to Linds for causing me to see that I can help people every day doing what I love.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
I love to cook. It is one of the few things in this crazy life that can make me relax. From my earliest memories I was in a kitchen. Whether it was baking shortbread, making pasta or being the grill master, I have always loved, neigh, needed to cook. It brought me to another place where I could relax, calm my mind and grow as a person.
I will be very honest, this blog is the result of my friend Linds, who I have known since I was a fifteen year old brat. We met in high school, that time when what we don’t know is compounded even further by what we don’t know. If that doesn’t make sense to you then I have to wonder if you remember what adolescence was like.
I have been on the journey to becoming a chef for about a year and a half. However, I have, as mentioned above, been cooking my whole life. I am the third of eight children, whose parents divorced, as such, I would often end up cooking when I got sick of the “take out” monster.
So what is the purpose of this blog. Well, it is two fold, one to assists YOU in any and all culinary questions you may have but also to assist me in my culinary growth.
So ask me anything you want. Help me to help you. And as a result we will both grow.
Paul Sweeney once said; “He adds a lot of laughs and shares his knowledge of the past. He's quite a character.”
I am yours!
And I would like to extend a very big thank you to Linds for causing me to see that I can help people every day doing what I love.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
